79. figure it out

QUINN

     THE WATERY MORNING SUN SHONE THROUGH the trees, its light already warming her. She could tell it was gonna be a hot day, but what else was new. The sound of birds chirping echoed through the air, along with the distant growling of a walker.

'I don't see it, but it's close,' Daryl commented, looking around the white cabin they were gathered at for the source of the ugly snarling, 'There's just one of 'em.'

'We won't be here long,' Rick replied, making Quinn turn to look at him. She still thought he looked absolutely ridiculous in the police suit Deanna had given him. But he was their constable now and so he had to wear it. Still, it looked more like a Halloween costume in her eyes then something to take seriously. 'So what do you think?'

'We can go in when it's empty,' Carol spoke up immediately. It was clear she'd been thinking about this before Rick told the three of them to meet him here in the woods. He wanted to have a plan for when things went south. Even though he was playing constable, he wasn't trusting these people yet. And Quinn agreed with him completely. These people were stupid and naive, which was going to get them killed if they weren't careful. Having a plan to take over was an absolute necessity in her eyes.

The only thing that slightly bothered her was the fact that Milo probably wouldn't agree if she were to tell him. They hadn't even been here for two days and he was already placing his life in these people their hands. He was already working towards a better future for all of them. A small part of her envied his open mind and kind heart but mostly she knew that causion was key, and placing your trust in the wrong people could end up with your death.

'How's that? It's locked up at night,' Rick replied to the woman, taking Quinn out of her thoughts.

'The window,' Carol explained, 'there's just a latch. I can leave it open.'

'A latch?' Quinn questioned, frowning. That plan sounded to simple to be true.

'What if one of those pricks shuts it?' Daryl weighed in.

'Wait a couple of says, leave it open again,' Carol said. She seemed to be pretty sure that this was the way to go.

Before any of them could reply to her a loud snarl echoed through the forest, silencing the birds that had been singing.

'It's gettin' closer,' Daryl said, looking over his shoulder.

'We need to this sooner rather than later,' Rick went on, not worried about one walker. 'Right now they're not watching us. Not worrying about meetings like this. We may need the guns, we may not.'

'We will,' Carol told him, 'whatever way it goes.'

'They're the luckiest damn people I ever met,' Rick sighed, shaking his head. 'And they just keep getting luckier.'

'How's that?' Daryl asked.

'We're here now,' Rick said like it was obvious, making Daryl nod.

'They've got a couple of footlockers just of 9 mm autos, Rugers, Kel-Tecs, just tossed in there. They don't use them, they're never gonna know they're gone,' Carol said, sounding almost personally offended at the thought of people wasting such perfect weapons.

'Someone's got one now, right?' Daryl commented, nodding at the pile of garbage piled up against the side of the white cabin. Rick told them he'd hidden a gun there before they went inside the walls of Alexandria but when he came to check it out earlier, it was gone. And Quinn was pretty sure walkers didn't take guns.

'Listen, the others, we want them to try,' Rick continued.

'You too,' Quinn nodded at Daryl, trying her hardest to hold back a smile. He simply ignored her, classy as always.

'So we keep it quiet, just us,' Rick said, looking the three of them in the eye, as if wanting them to silently make a promise. There was no need, Quinn was able to keep a secret if it meant protecting the people she cared about. Then his eyes drifted to something behind them. 'Here it comes,' he said, nodding towards the treeline.

Quinn turned to see a walker stumbling their way, its clothes completely torn and a gaping wound in its stomach.

'I got him,' Daryl said, ready to walk forwards but he was stopped by Carol.

She lifted her arm and raised her gun, shooting at least five bullets in its stomach before finishing it off with a shot to the head. Then turned to look at their confused faces. 'We said we were taking me out shooting. I couldn't go back with a full mag.'

'Lucky he came by,' Daryl commented.

'We should head back,' Rick said and they started walking back into the direction of the walls. 'You'll pull the latch, we'll pick our moment. Us? We don't need to be lucky.'

Quinn nodded, agreeing with him but pulled out her thoughts when Daryl knelt down besides the walker Carol just shot. Frowning she watched as he examined something before calling out to the three of them. 'What the hell's that?'

They walked closer and she followed his pointed finger to the forehead of the corpse. Right next to the bullet Carol just put in it were a few lines carved into its skin.

'Is that a W?' She asked, her frown becoming deeper.

'Yeah,' Carol muttered, staring at the corpse with a frown.

Rick inspected the body and slowly shook his head, not finding anything else that could explain the letter. Finally he stood up and they headed back into the direction of Alexandria. Yet Quinn couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that had settled in the depths of her stomach. Something felt seriously wrong with that and it was making her nervous that she couldn't tell what it was.

Right before she, Carol and Rick headed inside the gate, Daryl told them he was staying outside to hunt. She watched him walk away with a small frown on her face, somehow feeling like he didn't want to head back inside the walls. If he felt the same way she did, which he pretty much confirmed by telling her he wasn't sure they deserved to find peace, he must've felt like a complete outsider with these people. Ever since they entered the community she felt like she was a virus, slowly infecting everything, something you got rid off instead of inviting to stay. And watching him refuse to head back with them, was enough confirmation that he felt the same.

She wished she could tell him differently, that he deserved peace and rest and everything that came with having a simple life. But she knew she'd be telling him a lie and he had always been good at telling when people lied. And so she figured it was better to say nothing.

The gate closed behind them and she said goodbye to Carol and Rick, heading into the direction of their house, desperatly craving some sleep. Her body was still healing from her injuries and even though having food and normal beds again had done wonders, she still felt like a bruised and wounded animal. She turned around the corner and came to a halt when she suddenly stood face to face with Aaron. He smiled brightly at her and she simply nodded, moving to walk around him but he stopped her by calling out her name, making her turn back around to face him.

'How are you settling in?' He asked.

The truth was, she wasn't but somehow it felt wrong to tell that to the guy who had gone through so much trouble to get them here. 'It's taking some getting used to,' she admitted, knowing that sounded better than outright stating she missed walking around the forest with nothing but walkers to worry about. People were much worse than those walking corpses and being around this many new people that she knew next to nothing about was getting on her nerves.

'I completely understand,' Aaron told her and suddenly she noticed he seemed a little nervous. Was she that scary to talk to? It wasn't like she was Daryl, staring him down with a death glare and giving him nothing but stone cold silence. 'It must be strange having walls around you all of a sudden and not having to look over your shoulder every minute.'

'Well, I'm claustrophobic so walls never made me feel safe,' she admitted to him, hoping that giving him some piece of information on herself would make him go away.

He nodded. 'If it isn't the walls I do hope we are making you feel safe.'

She couldn't herself, her body tensed up at the very thought of putting her trust in these people. Letting these people to take of her safety and more importantly, the safety of her family. She hardly cared about herself, as long as everyone else stayed unharmed.

Aaron noticed her reaction and smiled sadly. 'Can you tell the difference between a good guy and a bad guy? I have a feeling Rick's having some trouble with that.'

'It doesn't matter,' she stated, making him frown. 'It doesn't matter if someone is good or bad. Out there everyone fights for one thing only and no matter what your reasons are, if you cross someone that's not part of your family, you kill them.'

'So you don't think there's any good left in the world?' He questioned.

'Maybe there is,' she shrugged, 'I just don't know if it matters.'

He nodded and looked almost sad for her. 'Well,' he sighed, 'I hope you can figure it out. Maybe you can start tonight.'

Now it was her turn to frown. 'What's tonight?'

'Deanna is hosting a welcome at her house for all of you. Maybe if you come you can start figuring out if it matters.' Then he offered her a small wave and turned to walk away.

She watched him leave with a small frown, wondering what the hell the purpose was of that conversation. Once he was out of sight she took a deep breath and headed back into the direction of the house.

Her thoughts were one big mess while she walked up the porch. She tried figuring out what exactly it was Aaron had tried to tell her by asking her to think about if there was still some good left in the world. She meant what she said, out there it was all about surviving and if anyone got in the way of that, no matter how good or bad their intentions, you killed them. And she wasn't sure if she could ever change the way she thought about that, because it could end up with her being killed.

She opened the door and walked down the stairs to the basement with the intention of falling down on the bed and not getting up for at least the next few hours. But as she turned around the corner she was startled by Michonne, who was wearing her usual deadly scowl on her features but the effect was mostly undone by the green dress she was wearing.

Quinn raised her eyebrows at her friend, staring at her clothes. 'I thought the police jackets were bad but this...'

'Oh shut up,' Michonne sighed, but her deadly scowl faded a little. 'Are you gonna go to the party dressed in that?' She gestured towards her combat boots, jeans and black tank top that was filthy from being outside.

'Actually I wasn't planning on going at all,' Quinn responded, trying to walk away but Michonne took a step so she was standing in front of her.

'Why aren't you even trying?' She questioned, her eyes focused on Quinn like she was trying to read her very soul.

'I'm trying,' Quinn muttered, 'it's not that easy.'

'Don't you think I know that?' Michonne shot back. 'But if you hide in this house, it won't get any easier.'

Quinn scoffed. 'Even Deanna doesn't know what to do with me. So, why should I go to this party? To make small talk? Pretend like the world hasn't ended and we aren't fighting everyday to survive and protect each other?'

Michonne took a deep breath, seeming her hardest to try and calm herself down. 'I'm not asking you to pretend. We're still fighting and this doesn't mean we'll stop. It just means we got to celebrate that we've managed to come this far. Don't you think we deserve that?'

No longer able to look Michonne in the eye, she looked at the floor, shifting awkwardly on her feet. She knew her friend had a point, but at the same time she didn't want to give in to letting her guard down and celebrate something these people had no part in.

'Just think about it,' Michonne added, her voice softer now and losing its stern edge. Then she turned and left the basement.

Exhaling deeply Quinn turned around and headed towards the closet in the bedroom behind her. Maybe she would go for just a short time. Besides, if she didn't go, Milo wouldn't let her hear the end of it. That didn't mean she was going to enjoy it though.

She settled on a short black dress that hugged her body tightly and black ankle boots that had a silver belt on them. She put a loose braid in her hair, gathered all her courage and headed towards the party.

While walking down the street all her gathered courage seemed to be dissapearing like smoke and she felt strangly hollow inside. When she reached the house her eyes went to the windows, looking at the people inside and suddenly she felt even more detached from it all. Even before the world ended she didn't have any of this. Family and friends to celebrate with, be happy with, it was all so strange to her. And she didn't understand why she would have to start getting used to it now. What was the point?

Footsteps came from her right and she didn't have to turn to know who had come standing at her side. He felt just as much a stranger in this situation as she did, an outsider that could never even begin to imagine what it was like to feel like you truly fitted in, even with people you cared about the most.

She took a deep breath and turned to look at Daryl. 'How about we go and do what we do best?'

He turned his gaze away from the windows and towards her, his eyes holding a silent question for her to explain herself.

A small smile appeared on her face. 'Get something to drink and sit on the porch.'

He scoffed but a small spark came alive within his eyes and so he turned and headed into the direction of their house, with her walking wordlessly but happy beside him. The sound of a door opening came from their right and a light jumped on the porch, revealing Aaron as he stepped out of his house.

'Hey,' he greeted the two of them.

'Thought you were goin' to that party over there.' Daryl said, pointing to Deanna's house.

'Oh, I was never going to go 'cause of Eric's ankle, thank God,' Aaron replied, chuckling slightly.

'Why the hell did you tell me to go then?' Daryl questioned, sounding genuinely confused.

'I said try,' Aaron explained. 'You did. It's a thought-that-counts thing.'

'All righ',' Daryl mumbled and started to walk away again but Aaron called him back.

'Hey come in,' he said, 'have some dinner.'

Daryl didn't reply, just stared at the man.

'Come on, man,' Aaron tried, already moving back inside. 'It's some pretty serious spaghetti.'

Quinn turned to look at him, raising her eyebrows suggestively. 'I do like spaghetti,' she said, trying to think of the last time she had it. She couldn't even remember.

He sighed deeply before moving towards the door, slightly surprising her when he did. She honestly thought he would keep on walking. But maybe they both wanted to fit in somewhere and why not with the a man who just offered them spaghetti like it was growing on trees around here.

Eric and Aaron's house was decorated with car plates instead of flowers and paintings but it gave the house a nice personal touch. They were both already seated at the table and Aaron brought in two more plates filled with delicious smelling spaghetti and two glasses of wine.

For a second she didn't exactly know what to do, the thought of spoons and knives and forks just didn't fit in this world anymore. But, trying to push it aside, she reached for her fork and started eating. It took her every bit of strength she had not to devour the food. The delicious taste filled her mouth and it honestly felt like the best meal she ever had.

Daryl, however, was not so subtle and ate like he always did. He slurped it all into his mouth, wiped his mouth with his sleeve and drank the wine in one go.

Quinn could see Eric desperatly trying to hold back a laugh and she quickly took a sip of her wine to not start laughing herself.

'Thanks for the meal,' she told him to drown out Daryl's eating noises.

'No problem,' he said, still smiling. 'Mmm. When you two are out there, if you happen to be in a store or something, Mrs. Neudermeyer's really looking for a pasta maker.' He chuckled. 'And we're all really trying to get her to shut up about it. I mean we have crates of dried paste in here, but she wants to make her own or something. I really think she just wants something to talk about, so...If you see one, on one of your travels it would go a long way to...' He stopped when he noticed their confused faces and Aaron's warning glare for him to stop talking.

'I thought it was done,' he said slowly, his eyes going to his plate, 'you didn't ask them already?'

Aaron shook his head and Quinn felt herself growing more confused with each passing second. 'Ask us what?' She questioned.

'Come on,' Aaron said, standing up from the table and heading towards the hallway.

Quinn and Daryl shared a small glare before standing up and following after him. He led them into the garage and put on the light. Daryl walked in first and she followed suit, her eyes widened at the sight. The entire garage was stuffed with motorcycle parts. And, beneath a blanket, stood a half finished motorcycle just waiting to be used. She imagined Daryl would feel like a kid in a candy store.

'When I got the place, there was that frame and some parts and equipment,' Aaron explained. 'Whoever lived here built them.'

'It's a lotta parts of one bike,' Daryl noted, walking around and picking stuff up to look at it while Quinn lingered at the door, not sure what to do or feel.

Aaron chuckled. 'Whenever I came across any parts out there, I brought them back. I didn't know what I'd need. I always thought I'd learn how to do it, but I get the feeling you already know what to do with it. And the thing is, you're going to need a bike.'

'Why?' Daryl questioned.

He took a deep breath before looking between the two of them. 'I told Deanna not to give the two of you jobs because I think I have one for you.'

'What is it?' Quinn asked, though she already knew what it would be.

'I'd like the two of you to be recruiters for Alexandria. I don't want Eric risking his life anymore.'

'You want us risking ours, right?' Daryl stated, staring the man down from across the garage.

'Yeah,' Aaron admitted, 'because you two know what you're doing. You're good out there, but neither one of you belong out there. I know it's hard getting used to people getting used to you. And I understand right now you need to be out there sometimes, both of you. So do I.'

Quinn took a deep breath as she watched Daryl lift the blanket to take a look at the bike, though she knew his thoughts were completely focused on the conversation and thinking about what to do, just like hers were.

'But the main reason why I want you two to help me recruit is because you do know the difference a good person and a bad person,' he added, turning to Quinn as he said this.

Her eyes wondered over the Daryl, who was staring right back at her. She could read in his eyes he had already made his decision but was waiting on her to do the same. Her heart jumped in her chest when she realised he didn't want to do this without her. And how could she say no when this was exactly what she needed to figure out what she wanted. She could be out there, enjoy being free while also finding out if there truly was some good left in the world and if it was worth saving, even if she wasn't.

A small smile appeared on her face as she turned to look at Aaron to give him their answer. 'We got nothing else to do,' she said, feeling her heart beating faster in her chest, as if it had come alive again.

A U T H O R 'S   N O T E

Did any of you see that coming? I think you did... :)

And I'm not just doing it so Quinn gets to be with Daryl. I genuinely think she'd be good for this job because she feels so left out in Alexandria and this way she gets to go out there to see what exactly it is they are fighting for. And, like Aaron said, figure out if there is some good left in the world fighting for. Because Quinn is honestly having trouble seeing that at the moment.

Anyway, I'm so excited for the coming chapters! We'll be seeing some more of Milo as he becomes one of the council members of Alexandria and we'll get some more scenes between Daryl and Quinn as they start their recuiting job. Thank you all so much for reading and all the amazing comments you've left talking about how much you love this story. You guys are best readers any could ask for.

Love you lots,

xXx

UYM