Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

 John stood on the porch, smoking a cigarette from some wild tobacco that grew along the house. Inside, He watched as Jenna gingerly placed herself on the floor, curled around her baby girl. The other baby, Judith, was cooing and working her fretting body over, crawlin unsteady to lay down next to his younger sister. He glanced back to the scene in the field.  

“What are you doing?” Rosita asked. John inhaled some smoke.  

“Watching Daryl rip into the two cops,” John replied, grinning. Rosita quirked an eyebrow.  

“What do you mean? Why?” she queried. John shrugged.  

“Who knows? Could be that the two guys are seeing my sister as a potential partner.” he dropped nonchalantly. The Latina jerked her head up to face the larger man.  

“What?” she asked.  

“Yep. I think Rick and Hardhead over there like-like my sister.” John rolled the cigarette in his fingers into a ball and flicked it to the side.  

“Like-like? Are you fucking thirteen? You mean those two want your sister?” Rosita countered.  

“Yeah. I don’t blame them. My sister is awesome.” John admitted, watching. Rosita scowled. She didn’t agree with her companion.  

~~~...~~~  

Daryl was huffing, snarling even. Rick and Shane looked mildly ashamed, keeping still in front of the pissed-off redneck. He was pacing in front of them, looking far too much like a mad tiger.  

“Look, Daryl,” Rick tried to speak.  

“Shut up! Just shut the fuck up! How can you...How could you...” Daryl hissed out. He stopped his pacing and pinched the bridge of his nose.  

“Jenna is my wife, she’s mine. How could you fall in fucking love with her, knowing she is with me?!” Daryl demanded. Rick turned his head away, the sense of shame creeping into his mind.  

 Of course, it was Shane who opened his idiot mouth.  

“How could we not? She is clever, strong, smart, and not bad to look at.” Shane admitted.  

“Shut the fuck up, Shane.” Rick hissed at the man. Rick watched as Daryl went still, very still. And then, without any warning, Daryl swung and punched Shane to the ground.  

“Jenna is my wife! You already fucked up once with Rick’s wife, I ain’t letting you do the same with mine!” Daryl snarled. His voice was still soft, and quiet, but not lacking the blazing heat of his anger.  

“Daryl?” All three men stiffened and turned to see Jenna, looking both bored and mildly interested in what she was witnessing. Daryl stood up straight, the concern being etched onto his face at the sight of her.  

“Jenna, you should be inside. Get some rest.” Daryl whispered to his little wife. Jenn waved off his concern.  

“I’m not tired just yet. What is this I hear that Rick and Shane...want me?” Jenna pointed to herself, curious. Shane stood, wiping off the blood from his nose and lip.  

“Rick and I...we realized that you are one hell of a woman. Hell, you do so much, and both Rick and I agreed, that if you would have us, we can be yours. Like Daryl.” Shane revealed.  

“...Huh? Did I hear that right?” Jenna asked, stupidly. Daryl was growling again.  

“Yes. Please, can you take us?” Shane asked. Jenna glanced between the three older men. She sighed and ran a hand through her sweat-sticky hair.  

“Look, you both just lost Lori and Sarah. We lost our home. Emotions are high, and morale is fucking low. As much as the thought is pleasing, and believe me, I have dreamt of it a few times in my world, I am loyal to Daryl. I love Daryl. I won’t cheat on him, ever. I’ve seen how that ends, and I don’t want to put myself, Daryl, or my daughter through that. It isn’t right for them. Listen, we’ll talk about this later. Much later. Let’s just recuperate and reform our bonds. Fuck knows we need to.” Jenna then grabbed Daryl’s hand and led him away.  

Rick sighed and copied Jenna by running his hands through his hair.  

“She’s right. We just lost our partners. We should give this some more thought.” Rick sighed. Shane let out a loud sigh as well.  

“Very well. But I am serious about this. She is the perfect woman.”  

“She’s also a bit nuts, and happily married.” Rick countered. Shane grumbled.  

“I know. And I haven't exactly been a good example of my loyalty.” Shane admitted. Rick rolled his eyes.  

“No shit.”  

~~~~...~~~  

Jenna led Daryl upstairs into a secluded room, Marisol and surprisingly Judith, curled in a large, tub-shaped laundry basket, already deep asleep.  

“I thought you were going to sleep downstairs,” Daryl added.  

“I was, but Carol, Merle...basically everyone, kinda bullied me to take the room with the bed. Said I deserved it more.” Jenna grumbled at that. Daryl smiled, bending low, gently cupping her jaw, and placing a soft kiss at the corner of her mouth. He found out over the months that she was adamantly disgusted by being kissed on the lips.  

“You do. Deserve it, I mean.” he then wrapped his arms around the smaller woman, he held her, letting Jenna listen to his heart.  

“...were you serious about thinking about a harem?” Daryl asked after a few seconds complementing.  

“When I was in my world, sure. But who didn’t want handsome men waiting on your hand and foot? But I also meant what I said. I married you, and I am staying with you.” Jenna replied. Daryl let out a heavy sigh.  

“That’s a relief. Come on, let’s get some rest.” Daryl then tried to coax Jenna into the bed, but the short woman slipped away. She smiles at Daryl, removing her clothes. He felt himself tent up at her soft yet battle-ready body.  

“You’re injured. We shouldn't have sex.” He whispered, mostly to himself. Jenna took a step closer and began to push off Daryl’s vest.  

“Injured or not, I need you. God, so much has happened, and I need just something to release all this stress. Sex with you, it’s freeing. Please, just let me indulge?” Jenna asked in her soft voice. Daryl grunted and was already removing his pants.  

“Sex with you is freeing for me as well.”   

Once they were both naked, Jenna fell back onto the bed, very little dust wafting up like a musky perfume. Daryl drank her in: Muscular Arms, a more feminine version of his own, Breast swollen large from motherhood, thick thighs still pillow soft but her lushness protecting powerful muscles. Soft stomach which also hid strong muscles. But her scar collection was growing, fresh bruises still dark on her body, like a swathe of lilacs. She had knife wounds now, still a vivid red from freshness, but even with all that, she was beautiful in his eyes.  

Daryl gently lifted one of her legs, revealing her slick cunt. Jenna reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, guiding him to the curves of her body. He kept his eyes on hers, plunging in quickly.  

Jenna gasped as she was filled, digging her dull nails into Daryl’s shoulders. She moaned quietly as her husband rolled his lean hips into her, gyrating and rubbing in her sex. His coarse hair at his groin rubbed wonderfully at her clit, causing her inner body to clench with wanton need.  

Daryl was huffing, his body starting to sweat as he increased the gyrations, holding her thick leg up to keep access easy. Jenna pulled him down, biting him on the neck, his little vampire. Daryl returned the gesture, now placing his hands by her head, focusing on his thrusts as he focused on her eyes.  

“Daryl, please, more. I need more...” Jenna gasped. Daryl then increased the strength of his thrusts, the obvious sound of flesh hitting fleshy echoing in the room.  

From the basket, one of the babies whined, making the two adults freeze. Jenna lifted herself to her elbows, peering at the infants.  

“False alarm,” she whispered, sparking the two of them to devolve into chuffing laughs, quiet chuckles. Daryl, suddenly flaccid from the shock, pulled out and slumped next to Jenna.  

“SO much for sex,” he grumbled, a bit humored. Jenna chuckled.  

“Yead. The mood was ruined. But Daryl?” Jenna whispered, resting her head under his heart once more.  

“Yea?” he asked.  

“Thank you.”  

~~~...~~~  

In the morning, Daryl woke up alone. He, bleary-eyed, looked around and saw that Mari and Judith were on the bed by his stomach, drinking a lukewarm bottle of goat’s milk. Then, he heard it. The full-out sound of a girl fight. He rushed to get dressed, grabbed the babies, and hurried to the fight. Beth and Jordan both grabbed the infant on his way down. Daryl then stepped out and saw who were brawling.  

Fighting, Jenna and Sasha were full-on mauling each other. John and Abraham were trying to separate them, but both women had a firm hold on the other’s hair. The kids were on the porch, out of the way, while nearly all the adults were fanned out, keeping guard. In case the sound of the squabble drew in walkers.  

John held Jenna like one would hold a bobcat, at arm's length, as she growled and tried to scratch at the taller woman. Sasha was kicking and yelling, trying to reach the smaller woman.  

“Johnny! Put me the fuck down!” Jenna shouted.  

“Not until you calm down!” her brother tried to placate.  

“Calm down? She fucking attacked me first! I am getting sick of this shit!!” Jenna snarled out. Sasha shrugged off the man holding her.  

“It is your fucking fault we are lost now! We lost our home because of you!” Sasha shouted. Jenna let out a scream as she bit Johnny’s arm, making him drop her. She then lunged for Sasha, biting and digging her nails into the woman’s skin. Sasha gave back as well as she could.  

Finally, Daryl stepped in and pulled Jenna back, her back to his chest. Her own chest heaving from angry panting.  

“It’s my fault? I didn’t ask for my fucking mother to attack us! I didn’t ask for my friends to die! I didn’t ask to be hunted down and attacked, over and over! For fucks sake, I KILLED MY MOTHER FOR YOU ASSHOLES!” Jenna screamed, finally bringing down silence. Her fighting energy was draining, fast, having her slumped on Daryl.  

“I killed my mother for you guys...” Jenna whispered. Sasha scoffed.  

“She killed, beat, and raped this group. And you’re upset about it?” Sasha jabbed. Without warning, Roy ran forward and punched the woman in the stomach.  

“Shut up! Just shut up! Yeah, our mom was evil, but she was our mom!” Roy then ran and buried his head into Jenna’s soft body.  

“She was our mom. Yeah, she was evil, but there were times she was an amazing mother. I can remember her baking a cake for my birthday, I remember her taking me to the fair and comforting me after I stuffed myself with cotton candy. I remember getting sick and having her sing Metallica to my brothers and me. I remember her crying and trying to comfort me after I tried to kill myself the first time. Yeah, she was awful, especially in this damn hellhole. But she was still my mother. SHE WAS MY MOM! I AM ALLOWED TO MOURN HER!” Jenna then collapsed to the ground.  

“She was my mom...” Jenna then began to sob, bowing her head to the ground and sobbing, her voice echoing her heartbreak. Johnathon and Roy also knelt down by her, also crying. Daryl looked up at the others. He stopped Merle, who was going over them.  

“Let’s let them be. The Redferns need some time alone.” Daryl then made everyone head to their jobs, sparing his little wife another look. Jenna was still sobbing, her cries bordering on painful screams.  

“She was my mom...”  

Chapter Text

Jenna fell asleep after having her much needed cry, allowing Johnathon to carry her inside of the house. Behind him, Roy and Jordan followed, who in turn were followed by the dogs. Daryl all but growled at Sasha, forcing the woman to cower. He moved to tower over the woman, making her attempt to step back.  

“Fucking leave her alone. That is the one rule. Leave her alone and listen. If you cannot do that, you have no place with us.” Daryl warned the older woman.  

“You can’t force me out. I worked hard for my place here!” Sasha countered. Daryl then got right into her face.  

“Jenna worked hard. She dealt with your insults, your jabs, ignoring her orders unless they were relayed through Rick or Shane, and blaming her for every bad thing that comes for us. The reason you are with us is because Jenna gave you a chance. She did. Jenna gave you a chance. Everyone else was ready to leave you to the walkers. But she knew you were a good person, and she let you in.” Daryl snarled out. Behind Sasha, Tyreese began to get closer.  

“Sasha. Just stop it. Stop. He’s right. You have been antagonistic to her since we met her. Now, I’ll admit, I was apprehensive following a teenage leader, but she has done so much good. Just leave her alone. I don’t know if I will follow you if you are made to leave.” that sudden declaration made Sasha take a step back.  

“You...will leave?” she asked.  

“Yes.” Sasha then let out a sob and fell to the ground, crying. Her brother chose someone else over her.  

~~~...~~~  

It has been three days since Sasha and Jenna’s fight, and everyone was still resting. Or rather, waiting for Jenna to heal. Of all of them, she was the most injured. By orders of Carol, Hershel and Morgan, they restricted their young leader to bed rest, just barely getting her to calm down and relax. SO far, convincing her to dote on Marisol was the only thing working.  

The little leader was resting right now, clutching her daughter as Daryl, Merle and Roy spread out to hunt for meat. Outside, Jordan and Sophia were attempting to make cheese from Nanny’s milk, using some of the pecans for a sense of flavor. Lucky, the damn chicken living up to her name, was pecking as some of the nuts too sour for the girls. As for the cheese, It was working...kinda. They think.  

Lizzie was still being watched, observed as she worked on all chores that needed to be done until they left. But she was shuffled between the adults, helping them out in various ways. She was gathering edible grasses, roots and medicinal weeds, helping Carol dry and store them for later use. She was then in charge of fetching water, giving some to the animals, storing plenty in canteen and bottles. She was made to help Merle dry meat, learning as she helped cure it. With Daryl, she hunted down salt for the meat. She helped him skin animals for their fur and turn the furs into a soft blanket. She helped Tiny gut walkers for their intestine, and strip skin to stitch into small head scarves. She helped Philip grind grass seeds into flour, along with some of the roasted nuts. She helped Beth clean clothes, sorting underwear. She helped Hershel look over animals, trimming horns under supervision and de shedding. She was made to practice Akido with Morgan and Duane, harnessing her violent energy into something else. Everyone had a job for her, but she was lonely not being able to hang out with the other children.  

Lizzie was watching Mika gather some long grass, and under the new man Eugene, weave the grass into a loose rope. Some of the pelts from Daryl’s kills were braided into other ropes, occasionally mixing in walker fat and sinew.  

“Lizzie. Come on now, keep working.” Lizzie pouted as she was currently working on making bolts and arrows with Daryl. The gruff redneck was watching her like a blue eyes hawk as she carved the sticks into a useable shape with her knife.  

“I’m tired of working. Why can’t I go play with the others?” she whined. Daryl gave her a steady glare.  

“You know why.” He stated, continuing his carving.  

“I won’t play with walkers anymore. I did all my chores.” she stated back. Daryl huffed.  

“Doesn't matter. You proved to us that you cannot be trusted alone. So you are going to work. Keep carving.” Daryl ordered. Lizzie pouted, but she obeyed her adoptive father.  

“How is everything over here?” Daryl stood and moved to gently embrace his little wife, breathing in her soft scent.  

“I’m bored. I want to go play with my sisters.” Lizzie stated. Jenna quirked an eyebrow at the pluralization of sister.  

“Sisters?” she asked, a bit amused.  

“Yeah. Mika, Jordan, Eliza. They are my sisters. Can’t I go play with them? Help them gather nuts?” the little girl asked. Jenna bit the inside of her cheek. She surveyed the surroundings. Rick and Shane were standing guard at the north and east of the clearing, Merle was drying meat and some edible roots, Maggie was guarding the southern point of the clearing, Glenn was standing next to her. Morgan, Hershel, Bob and Carol were drying herbs for medicine, and watching Jenna with a frown. She quickly ignored their team of doctors. Beth and Lilly were watching over the babies, With Tiny being guard for the gentler girls. Philip was watching the other kids, teaching the boys how to make slingshots. The new guys: Rosita, Eugene and Abraham were also milling about, keeping eyes on the surroundings...and her. Johnny was also watching her, concerned. She subtly flipped her brother off, making him grin and shake his head playfully.  

“...Finish up the bolts, and then you can take a few minutes to relax with the others. Daryl, can you go see if we need anything else? I think we can leave tomorrow.” Jenna asked. Daryl leaned down slightly to press his forehead against hers.  

“Are you healed enough for travel?” Daryl asked. Jenna paused.  

“...Healed enough.” she replied.  

“Jenna...you need to rest.” Daryl chided. The little leader scowled.  

“I’ve rested enough. But we need to get a move on. We’ve been here too long.” she countered. Daryl didn’t argue.  

~~~...~~~  

“Back on the road...” Merle rasped out. His voice was a lot rougher from the illness that weakened their home. But everyone was healthy now. Or healthy enough to travel.  

Merle was walking next to one of the horses, Wild Bill, allowing two of the girls to ride on its back. Said girls were Jordan and Eliza. On another horse, Michonne's Flame, Mika and Penny were talking in low tones. Riding on the back of Oakley were Meghan and Andre, along with two saddle bags altered to hold two rowdy infants. Lilly stayed close to her daughter, tepidly putting faith in the other adults around her. Carl, Lizzie, Sophia, Duane and Roy all walked by the horses, hanging on to their leads. Michonne walked next to Blaze, keeping his reins in her hand.  

Big Tiny was walking by the horses, moving casually between the three as a guard. Behind him, the nanny goat was pulling her jerry-rigged cart, ladled with dried foods, roasts nuts and blankets. Riding on the goat’s back was Lucky, the good luck chicken cooing as she ate ticks that clung to the goat and several blankets.  

Rick and Jenna were walking in front of the group, followed shortly by Shane and Daryl. Jennas’ dogs were also next to them, darting in and out of the shrubbery.  

Near the center, next to the horses, Hershel and Carol kept an eye on the surrounding people, watching as some were still on the cusp of recovery. Morgan especially was watching Jenna. Beth stood nearby, holding a bow like Jenna’s. She was to guard their doctors.  

Philip walked behind the horses, next to the goat. Maggie and Glenn kept him company, the three sharing stories of their old lives in hushed whispers.  

Tyreese walked to the right side of the miniature convoy, As Sasha walked to the left. Both remained stoic, on alert. Sasha especially since Carol kept shooting glares at her when she got near. Bob stood in between the two siblings, fiddling with a few snare wires.  

Johnathon stood between his sister’s group and his own, with Tara by his side. Behind him, Abraham was huffing angrily, like a bull as Rosita marched by his side. He was huffing at Eugene, the timid man staying a bit closer to Johnathon.  

And right behind them, taking the rear, were the cattle. The young bull, the bison calf and the bison, all trailing behind the convoy, silent. On occasion, one of the dogs would circle back and encourage them to speed up.  

“So, where is our designation?” Rick asked, keeping his voice low. Jenna stretched her arms up, rolling her shoulders.  

“There is a church up north. As I said, there is a priest who needs us. But we shouldn’t pass up the opportunity to grab water. When we get further north, we will enter a kind of drought. We need water.” she replied.  

“What about food? Do we have enough to last until we get further on?” Rick asked.  

“Possibly. We do have quite a load, and each kid has a small go bag with food and water, along with water canteens tied to the horses. But if we can, we will grab what's available. If we ration, and heavily ration, we should have enough to last us a long time.” Jenna glanced over to her left, watching as a few birds flickered through the trees. Rick followed her gaze.  

“Anything?” he asked.  

“....its nothing. Just some birds. If the birds are singing, then there ain’t any walkers around. Thats a good sign.” Jenna stated.  

“We’ve been walking for a few hours now. We should stop and rest, let the kids stretch their legs. Water our animals.” Shane added in behind them. Jenna nodded.  

“We will. I think there is a creek up ahead. We can rest there.” she replied. Daryl moved to stand closer to his wife, glaring heatedly at Shane and Rick.  

“Still mad?” Shane joked.  

“Don’t push it, Walsh. I will kick your ass.” Daryl warned.  

Beth moved closer to the kids, checking in on the two infants and toddler. The other kids were older and could be safely ignored as long as they were in the vicinity of the group.  

“Bebe!!!” Andre chirped, playfully reaching out to Beth.  

“Stay right there, Andre. We will let you run around a bit soon.” she crooned. Next to her, Merle chuckled. Beth shared a smile with the older man.  

“THe kids are getting restless, aren’t they?” Merle asked.  

“Yeah, I don’t blame them.” Beth replied. Beth then wiggled her fingers at Marisol and Judith, the two babies cooing and reaching out to grab the digits.  

The group then slowed to a stop next to a small creek by the road, relaxing as Jenna took a seat on a large boulder.  

“Rest up now. Let the kids run about for a bit, and we can check on our supplies and refill our water. Rick, Merle, I want you two to take point on the front and back. We are still way too close to Terminus, too close for comfort. We’ll rest for an hour.” Jenna ordered. Beth moved to grab little Marisol, handing her to her mother and smiling as Jenna repositioned the infant for her to latch onto her breast to feed.  

“Hey, Jenna? What should we do with Nanny? Her milk bag is very full.” Roy asked as he approached his older sister.  

“Milk her. And give it to the dogs. We don’t really have a way to store it. But that way it wont really go to waste.” Jenna instructed. Roy nodded and quickly milked the goat. Waiting by his side was the tiny kitten Sophia saved at the prison gates. The fuzzball was quick to warm up to them and was always nearby when the goat was milked. After the goat was relieved of her milk, the kitten yowled in a squeaky voice as Roy placed the milk to the side. Both Murphy and Snowball loafed on over and began lapping up the fatty liquid. And so did the unnamed kitten.  

“How much longer do we got?” Johnathon asked. Jenna looked a the sun, shading her eyes. She also quickly glanced at a map found at the farmhouse. It was a few years out of date, but it still worked enough.  

“Well, If I am reading this thing right, we are about two, maybe three days away from the church. But, due to the increasing heat, that might slow us down. So, I would say about three days minimum.” the small leader replied.  

“What should we do about the heat? We can’t exactly avoid it.” Carol asked.  

“I dunno. Maybe we can make shades, like covering our heads with some of the thin walker blankets. Other than that, the guys can do shirtless if they want to keep cool. I would recommend the women to do that same, but that might be pushing it.” Jenna theorized.  

“How is that a bad thing?” Merle joked.  

“Exhibit A, right there.” Jenna pointed out.  

“Shirtless women aside, the shade thing might work. The bastards in the desert over in Iraq do something similar.” Merle added in, dodging Michonne’s head smack.  

“He’s a dick, but he’s got a point.” Johnny pointed out.  

“True. Okay, some of the walker blankets we have are a bit thin, but still thick enough to form a darkness that can help us. As for the babies, we can rigg up a small canopy over the goat cart, shuffle around some supplies over to the saddle bags. With them in there, they can also move about a bit, and be in the center of the convoy. Safe and sound.” Jenna added.  

“But Andre...he’s more mobile than Marisol and Judith. He might not be able to stay in the cart.” Michonne brought up.  

“Hey, ‘Chonne. We can keep Andre riding the horses, still in view. He might be bored, but better bored than dead. That, or we can make a leash for him, let him run about a bit, still in safety.” Merle piped up.  

“We might have to do that. Make a leash, that is. He isn’t able to be as patient as the older kids, or as still as the other babies.” Michonne added in.  

“Is there anything we can do to make a leash?”  

“Walker rope.” Jenna added from up front, startling the two lovers.  

“Tie three feet of walker rope to his belt loop. Then hang onto it. Easy enough.” Jenna chuckled.  

“Good idea.”  

The group kept on walking, passing the time listening to some of the songs Jenna sang, playing quiet spying games, sharing events in their old life, and simply taking in the minuscule peace they were able to experience.  

Jenna paused, stopping in her tracks and causing the others to stop as well.  

“What’s wrong?” Rick asked, drawing his gun.  

“We’re being followed.” Jenna stated as she readied her bow. All around her, the adults did the same, ready.  

“Hello? I heard you can help?” Jenna turned to the left, quick as a rattlesnake, and pointed an arrow at the voice.  

“You’re Gabriel.” Gabriel nodded, his hands up to show peace.  

“Yes. I was told you might know my name, and you can help me.” he replied.  

“Who told you?” Jenna growled out.  

“He said his name was Kyle. Kyle Jacobs. Told me he was your husband.”  

“My what?!” Jenna gawked.  

“Her...what?!” snarled Daryl. Gabriel gulped. That was probably a mistake to say...

Chapter Text

knew he fucked up. Big time.

Standing at the doors of the dingy white church, the lanky man gulped and felt his face pale as his good fiend, one ornery Jenna Redfern, marched right up past the pastor and...

Delivered on hard punch to the jaw. The action knocked him back by a few feet.

“Fuck! That hurt. Nice to see you too, Jenna.” he grumbled. Kyle then let out a yelp as an older man, a man with thin blue eyes and shaggy hair, grabbed his shirt and lifted him to stand on his toes.

“Who the fuck are you?!” the man snarled.

“Uh...you’re kinda hot,” Kyle stated, enraptured by the ruggedness of the man. Said man flinched and dropped him hard on the floor. He didn't stay there long as Jenna took his place and lifted him up, also holding him by his shirt collar.

“What the fuck are you doing here?! And why did you say you were my husband!?” Jenna hissed, which to him, was scarier than her yelling. She shook him with each word.

“I figured, since I recognized the preacher, that you would follow this way. I said I was your husband to get your attention!” Kyle explained. Soon enough, the burly yet hot guy stepped forward again.

“I’m Jenna’s husband! You got some balls to say you married her!” he growled.

“Wait wait wait! I literally said I just said that to grab her attention! I was her best friend until she died!” Kyle covered.

“Friend? You left me to deal with my grief all on my own! I reached out to you! Asking for some sort of comfort in my despair! And you ignored me! You left me!” she hissed. Kyle threw up his hands in surrender.

“I know I was wrong to do so! But I’m here now!” he explained.

“Um...maybe we should take this inside?” realizing they weren’t alone, Kyle looked to see a fairly large group and livestock behind Jenna and her husband.

“Wow...that is a lot of people,” Kyle stated.

“Yeah. This is my new family. They know all about me, and how I got here. How did you get here by the way? You hated my interests.” Jenna demanded.

“I don’t know! One minute I get hit by a damn truck, the next I’m waking up here, just a few miles from the church. I tracked down this squirrely guy and stayed close. I thought I died and went to Hell.” Kyle explained.

~~~...~~~

Jenna sighed as Kyle led her group into the church, all but Daryl, Shane, and Rick stayed behind to talk to Gabriel. Shane and Daryl were holding their respective daughters while Rick and Jenna kept a level gaze on the preacher.

“Okay, what has Kyle told you?” Jenna asked. Gabriel gulped.

“He told me he came from a different world, in a different time. He helped me find ways to survive like gathering water and growing a small garden. I got really good at catching squirrels and grasshoppers for protein. After what I had done...I saw this man as my own guardian Angel.” Gabriel explained.

Shane cleared his throat.

“What did you do? What was so bad that you clung to this man from another world?” Shane asked, bouncing Judith slightly as she chewed happily on a maple stick for the sweet sap. Marisol had a calm hand clinging to her father’s hair, content with being a quiet baby.

“I...I...” he stammered.

“He left his flock to die. They reached out to him, for help. For salvation. And he left them to die by the hands of walkers.” Jenna stated, her eyes leering at the timid man.

Gabriel flinched, but he nodded. Shane gave the man a look of disgust and horror.

“Why? Why did you leave them?” Rick asked, sidestepping his friend.

“I am a coward. I admit it. I left them to die because I was so terrified of the Walking Dead. People I married, people who donated food and clothes for the needy, people I counseled, I left them all to die. Men, women, and children. They're all dead now.” Gabriel replied, his voice cracking. Jenna sighed.

“I know all of this. But shit man, it's still another thing to hear you say it out loud, and to me.” Jenna muttered. She glanced at her husband, Rick, and Shane. Jenna bit her lip as she then turned back to the pastor.

“Look, I don’t give a rat's ass about the people you killed,” Jenna stated, shocking her comrades and the pastor, “I have people now who need me, especially now. And I do know that despite being a cowardly fuck, you are a good man. And you can become strong. So, for now, let us rest here and let us use that bus in the back as our ride. Can you do that much?” Jenna demanded.

“How?” Gabriel asked.

“HOw what?”

“How do you know I am a good man? You just said it, i killed all my people. How can I still be a good person?” he whimpered. Jenna sighed again.

“Because you sought us out. I knew of you, but I had no idea where your church was, or how to find you. But you found us, simply because of some FUCK HEAD!” Jenna shouted towards the church, “said I can help. I’ll do what I can, but I need your help too.” she finished.

“Jenna is a good person. Hell, she saved me in the beginning, which from what I theorized has been two years. And she fought hard to get to where she is today. I chose to follow her, and I was a cop, but I know she is the best choice of a leader.” Rick added in. Gabriel gazed at all four of them, noticing that the men formed a loose semi-circle around the woman like they were her honor guards.

“If I follow you, will I have to kill people? Not just the dead?” the man whispered shakily.

“Possibly. The people are more of a threat than the walkers are. No one here has clean hands. Well, the kids do, but everyone else has taken a life.” Daryl added, gently passing over Marisol to her mother.

Gabriel smiled softly as he watched the slight moment of tenderness between the older man and the young leader.

“You had a baby. In these horrid times, you had a child.” Gabriel stated. Jenna and Daryl smiled as they stared down at the baby, allowing the child to coo and grab their hair.

“I did. Humans will still be humans. We will fight, we will fuck, we will eat and sleep and laugh and cry. The world as we know it is gone, but it doesn’t mean it had to stop there. Humans are resilient. We will adapt and we will thrive.” Jenna stated with well-hidden wisdom.

“I’ll join you. If you let me.” the preacher stated after a few minutes of silence.

“Welcome to the Chaos. I think you’ll get along best with Hershel.”

~~~...~~~

Inside, Roy watched as Kyle, his sister’s friend, joyfully chatted with Beth and Maggie. He and the rest of the kids were escorted into the church, along with the dogs and Lucky.

“Who is he?” turning around, the younger Redfern spotted Eliza and Penny watching alongside him.

“His name is Kyle. He declared himself Jenna’s best friend and she kinda hates the guy.”

“Why?” Eliza asked.

“He just gets on her nerves. Overly peppy, posh, and doesn’t take a hint.” Roy explained. Carl looked back at the new man.

“He seems nice. If he is from your world, does he know stuff too?” Duane asked.

“Nope. Thought it was beneath him to be anything but a future politician.” Roy explained. Next to the boys, Eliza and Jordan scrunched their faces. Sophia however...

“Jenna is going to rip him to shreds, isn’t she?” the tall blonde girl asked. She then looked for their young leader, noting that Lizzy was under the watch with Tiny; her sister playing with the single kitten found at the fall of the prison. Jenna was standing close to the doors, conversing with the priest, Kyle, Daryl, Rick, and Shane. She still held little Marisol in her arms. Philip was outside, tending to their small flock of livestock, Maggie and Glenn surveying the area for dangers, Tyreese and Sasha sorting supplies, Bob and Hershel were chatting with Carol near the small spot of woods they came out of, Merle and Michonne checking out the short bus by the church, Beth was watching over Judith and Andre, and Philip honing some of their bladed weapons to razor sharpness. Johnathon’s group was nowhere to be seen. Tara and Lily were sitting on the pews inside, with Meghan taking a nap on her mother’s lap.

“More like Daryl would.” Penny chimed in.

“What do you mean?” Carl asked, curious. Penny ducked her head.

“Remember what the priest said to Miss Jenna? He said her husband, Kyle, was waiting for her. And when we got here, he kinda flirted with Mr. Daryl.” she explained.

“Oh...yeah, he is fucked.” Roy stated.

~~~...~~~

Daryl gently took Marisol from his small wife, watching as she slowly walked over to Kyle.

“I just have the last thing to do...” She then was quick as a viper, and punched the man in the gut while kneeing his groin, making him fall with a grunt.

“Flirt with my husband again, and I will gut you myself. You say I am related to you, I will gut you. Do you understand?” she snarled. Kyle groaned, but he nodded his head.

“I...I understand. Threat noted.” He then flinched as Jenna stepped over him and moved to check on their livestock.

Shane knelt low so he could talk to Kyle.

“Listen, we love Jenna as our leader. She has a high knowledge of our world, she is incredibly strong, and she is kind. You almost threw our group into chaos! Hell, any one of us would have killed you where you stood. We would probably let our own little psychopath do it! Now, you are going to make up for it. Now.” the bullish man stated.

Kyl groaned, rising to his feet all while still holding his balls.

“How exactly am I supposed to do that? I don’t really know a lot about this hellhole.” he stated. Shane grinned, all teeth. Daryl and Rick, who still stood nearby, glowered at the deceitful man.

“Easy. You show us where we can grab supplies. Our group is large. We need every crumb and can we can get.” Shane replied.

“Fine. I know a place. It's flooded to shit, but it has a lot of canned goods.” Kyle grunted out.

“Why was it not raided?” Rick asked.

“I just said it was flooded. And I didn’t want to go in there and end up with a virus.” Kyle replied.

“In case you weren’t aware...we don't have that kind of luxury nowadays. We are willing to take the risk.” Daryl stated, gently bouncing Marisol, all while looming and appearing as a threat to the twink of a man.

“Okay, fine. I can take you there. Happy now?” Kyle grumbled.

“Almost.” Daryl turned to the priest, Gabriel if he recalled, and placed Marisol in his arms. He then spun around fast and punched Kyle in the face, knocking him back down to the ground.

“Now I’m happy.” he then turned and took his daughter back from the meek man and walked away to join his wife.

“That fucking hurt.” Kyle whined. Rick scoffed.

“You got off easy. If he wanted, he could have beaten you bloody, and let you turn into a walker.” Rick stated. Kyle groaned yet once more as he rose to his feet, this time rubbing his jaw.

“Can we just go now?” he whined once more.

“Yeah.”

~~~...~~~

Abraham was leading Rosita through the woods, looking for a place just secluded enough to do what he desired. Eugen and Johnathon were up ahead, digging holes in the shallow creek, deepening the water just enough to fill canteens.

“Here is good.” Abraham then turned around and grabbed Rosita, crashing their lips together. The lithe woman hummed and moved to unbutton her blouse. Abraham then moved to undo his pants, using deft fingers to undo his woman’s as well. He then cupped her bare ass, gently leveling her down on the soft litter of leaves.

Rosita gasped and Abraham parted her legs more, exposing her sex, lining up his own. She let out another gasp as she was impaled by the redhead's thick girth.

“Is he watching this time?” Rosita asked in between the large man’s thrusts.

“Nope. Johnny is keeping him busy.”

“Damn. I like having him watch.” Rosita then let out a moan as Abraham rolled his hips just right to penetrate her even deeper. The slick sound of skin hitting skin was loud in the quietness of the woods.

“Little perv.” Abraham grunted out.

“Him or...ah! Me?” she asked, clenching her inner muscle onto the man’s thick sex organ.

“Both.” Rosita then let out a fluttering gasp as she came quickly, tightening and bringing up an orgasm for her partner. Both then sat still, panting hard as they came down from their endorphin high.

Once dressed both adults turned to face each other.

“What do you think of the girl leader? She is a bit young to be in such a high position.” Rosita asked.

“I don’t trust her. She has all the men wrapped around her skinny, little finger.” Abraham stated.

“She is dangerous. You saw what she did to her friend. You heard what she has done to her mother.” Rosita agreed.

“Any bitch who offs her own mother is a dangerous one to be around. We’ll go back, and try to get people on our side. That woman, Sasha? Doesn’t seem to like her much. She would follow us, I think.” Abraham stated.

“Or...you can stop plotting against my sister, and just leave on your own.” Johnathon hissed, stepping out of the trees with a few canteens full of gritty water. Eugene walked behind him, nodding along.

“I agree with John. Jenna has been nothing but kind to us, she is leery, I can understand that, but she has every right to be. From what i gathered from the others, she has been injured badly, is still injured, but she is pushing through her immense pain to help her group. She was able to secure livestock. And I heard she found a way to walk along the dead without injury or being seen.” Eugen stammered. Abraham scoffed.

“She is still a great danger. She has everyone convinced the sun shines from her ass and treats her like she is the next Jesus Christ. How is that trusting?” he asked.

“Watch it, Abraham. That is my little sister you’re talking about.” Johnny warned.

“Big fucking deal! She is dangerous! She is a damn snake hiding among lambs.” Rosita snapped.

“She is my sister. She went through hell in our world and is still going through hell here. She lost our niece, our sister-in-law, and our brother.” Johnathon hissed.

“Roy is still alive. She didn’t lose him yet.” Abraham pointed out.

“I'm not talking about Roy. I’m talking about our brother Joshua.”

“Who is Joshua?” Rosita asked.

“When Jenna met our mother, she found out she, our own mother, killed Joshua. Kept his head in a bastardized shrine, letting it turn. And this was after our mother tortured both her and the sheriff. Abraham, you lost your family. You should know the heartache she had to go through. Rosita. What about your brother? What would you do if you saw your parents kill and keep your brother’s body on display?” Johnathon stated.

“Did she tell you all that?” Abraham jeered, unbelieving.

“No. Rick did.” both Rosita and Abraham then stiffened in shock.

“She really went through all that?” Rosita asked, the heaviness of what went on finally weighing her down. Abraham was silent, his normally angry red face pale as a trout’s belly.

“And more. So I don’t want to hear you guys talking shit about my little sister. If i catch you again, I will not banish you from the group. I will kill you.” with a jerk of his head, Johnathon had Eugen follow him back to the church, leaving the two behind.

~~~...~~~

Jenna bit her lip in thought. The group retreated into the church due to the dying light, with Merle and Philip on watch in order to defend both the group and the livestock. The children were all secured in the priest’s office, sound asleep with the dogs.

“It’s risky. The supplies can be of use immensely. But I don’t think it’s worth it.” Jenna stated after hearing Kyle’s plan to raid the food bank.

“We need all we can get. If this drought is coming, we have to be ready.” Carol chimed. Behind her, Lily and Tara nodded in agreement.

“We are stocking up on as much water as we can. But we do need the food. We can only go so far on dried roots and roasted nuts.” Tyreese added. Jenna sighed. She ran a hand through her hair, wincing as the movement jolted her still-healing stab wounds.

I know. Fuck, I know. But this plan... it's not good. Someone will die from it.” She stated. The group went silent.

“How the fuck do you know?” Abraham demanded. Jenna shot him a halfhearted glare.

“I’ve seen it happen,” she stated. Hershel took a step forward.

“Who died?” the old man asked. Jenna then turned her eyes towards Bob.

“He did. Got bit, tried to wander off to die somewhere else so we didn’t have to mercy kill him.” Jenna stated.

“I tried? What does that mean?” Bob asked, nervous.

“It means that you went to kill yourself so no one had to do it. But you were instead caught by cannibals. I can let you guess what happened.” Jenna stated.

“Shit. Do we still have to worry about the cannibals?” Shane asked.

“I hope not. They were at Terminus.” half the group went pale at the words. Hell, they almost went there.

“But right now that doesn’t matter. The point is that the food bank is a bad idea. It's not worth the risk. We just have to find another source.” Jenna stated. She then looked out the window, noticing the encroaching darkness.

“It’s getting late. We should get some sleep. We will find a way to get food in the morning.” Jenna then moved towards Daryl as the older man led her to the children’s room. Shane and Rick followed, along with Michonne and Lily.

Philip though...

“I'll go with you. I’ll help you clear out the food bank,” he told Kyle, who remained quiet from Jenna’s speech.

“I will too.” Sasha offered, ignoring her brother’s protest.

“Okay, we need one more.” Kyle chirped.

“I’ll come.” The four turned around to see Johnathon, who held a hand up as a volunteer.

“You sure?” Kyle asked.

“Someone has to watch your backs.” he stated, “when do we leave?” he asked.

“We leave in the morning, tell Jenna we are hunting for food to store. It's not really a lie, but we need to be careful. She is shrewd.” Kyle replied.

The small group hammered out their plan for the raid, unknowingly watched by a young set of blue eyes...