CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Andie quickly moves down the steps of the porch as the blonde runs at them. Beth wraps her arms around the older girl, and the two women embrace as Zoe makes her way toward the house with Theo and Merle close behind.

"I didn't think we'd ever find you." Beth says, breathless, and Zoe slams into them. "I thought that we'd only get lucky finding them. I didn't think we'd find anyone else."

"Looked like we interrupted an intense conversation." Merle says, looking between Andie and his younger brother. "What was going on here?"

"Fuck you, that's what." The brunette flips him before wrapping her arms around Zoe; Beth runs over to hug Daryl.

"Are you gonna admit you're happy to see me?" Theo asks as Andie then walks over to him.

"Mildly." She smiles, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He snakes his arms around her waist, squeezing her tightly as he ducks his head down and buries his face in her shoulder. "I'm man enough to admit that I don't think I can survive without you." He whispers, and she chuckles. "God, I'm so glad you thought to come here too."

"We were at the Country Club." She pulls back to look up at him. "We tracked you guys there, but you were already gone. We had to hole up there to stay out of the storm."

"I didn't like that place." Beth says, and they look over at her. "I think it was haunted."

"Yeah, you're telling me." Andie nods as she looks up at Theo, and he sighs.

"Ain't anybody gonna give Old Merle a hug?" The older man asks, and Andie's eyebrows furrow as she looks over at him.

"The hell are you carryin'?" Daryl questions, and his brother turns to reveal a small child secured to his back.

"She likes him." Theo says as Andie walks over, moving the little one's dark hair from in front of her face.

"She's one of the kids from the prison?" Andie asks, looking at the sleeping girl. She's fastened to Merle's back pretty well.

"Yeah." Beth nods.

"She came with us from Woodbury." Zoe tells them.

"She's Martinez's daughter." Merle says, and Andie looks up at him.

"How old is she?" Andie asks, and he shrugs.

"He said she was only seven when everything went to shit."

"She's nine?" She questions. "She's so little."

"Why don't you bring her on inside?" Daryl says. "We got food."

"Andie..." Zoe starts, and she looks over at her. "I-I have to know... Do you know if Carter made it out of the prison?"

Her expression falls as she shakes her head. "I c— I couldn't save him." Andie tells her. "He was shot, and...and there was nothing I could do. I'm so sorry, Zoe."

"He's dead?"

She nods. "He died fighting. And that meant something to him."

"We got company." Theo says, earning their attention. "Must've heard the yelling."

"Come on." Daryl ushers them inside, and Andie helps Merle get the little one off his back.

"I'm glad you guys thought to come here." The Chimera says as they all file into the house. "This is where Beth and I were headed when we heard Zoe and Luna yelling."

"They saved us." Zoe tells the other two. "We ran out of ammo a week ago, and Merle was having a hard time with the walkers. I was trying to keep Luna safe — it was a nightmare. Then Theo comes out of nowhere. I swear it looked like he jumped over the walkers to get to us."

The boy in question shifts uncomfortably as he glances at Andie. "Adrenaline — makes everything seem so much faster than it is." He shrugs it off, moving to sit next to Beth on the floor in the living room.

"You got her?" Andie asks as she places Luna with Zoe, who's sitting in the green recliner.

"Yeah, we're good." She nods.

"Sleep sounds like a hell of a plan." Merle says. "Don't think I've done that in...a week."

"Bedroom's that-a-way." Andie points.

"Emphasis on away, right?" He asks, and she smiles sarcastically. "That's okay, señorita. You don't have to admit that you missed me, I already know."

"Why do you always call me that?" She questions as she turns to face him. "All of the other annoying nicknames have finally fallen off. Why not that one?"

"You threatened to cut off my junk if I ever called you sugar baby again. I think you're many things, a liar ain't one of them." Merle says, and she quirks an eyebrow. "What? You're Mexican, ain't you?"

"Because I'm brown, you automatically assume I'm Hispanic?"

He takes a beat as he looks at her. "I feel like you're looking for a no."

"My mother had family from Greece and Bulgaria, and very distant Native American ancestors, you racist fuck." She tells him. "And so help me God if you start calling me anything that she would find offensive..."

"The hell am I supposed to call you then?"

"Andie would be nice."

"That's too formal, sugar b— Oh, you evil bitch!" He holds his arm where she punched him.

"Can you two not wake Luna up please?" Zoe asks, and Daryl shoves his brother into the bedroom before closing the door between them.

"I thought Talia was Hispanic." Theo says, and Andie looks over at him. "I mean, isn't that how you and Derek know Spanish?"

"Talia's mother had Hispanic heritage, I think." She shrugs. "My grandmother migrated to the states from Europe with her family when she was a child."

"Talia and Skyler have different moms, but the same dad?" He asks. "What about Peter?"

"They all have different mothers. Their father wanted to spread his genetics." She leans against the counter as she crosses her arms over her chest, and he nods.

"You had fantastic grandparents on both sides." He muses, and she flips him off.

"And I bet your family tree is all rainbows and sunshine, am I right?" The brunette questions, raising her eyebrows. "I remember the story of your parents being a bit of a mystery."

"Alright, easy. I wasn't looking to start a fight." He holds his hands up. "At least I don't have Peter in my family tree." He mutters as he turns away from her, but she can't exactly argue with that point.

"Nobody's perfect."

"Are you defending Peter?"

"Fuck no." She scoffs. "Find him for me, I'll beat the shit out of him."

"That's lovely." Zoe looks between two of them. "Can we limit the foul language and talk of violence around the little one?"

"She's asleep, Zo." Andie tells her. "Oh, you know what..."

The brunette walks away from them, going into the room where Merle's laying down. He looks up as she starts rummaging through drawers and the closet. Then she walks over to the bed and yanks the sheet from under him.

"Ow! That burned." He grumbles. "You are a little bi—"

"I think I'm gonna cut his tongue out next time he calls me a bitch." She says as she starts setting up a makeshift bed on the floor with the single blanket and sheet that she found in the room.

"I mean—" Theo starts laughing when she stands up straight and turns her head toward him. "You already admitted it, you're happy to see me. You missed me."

"That's an overstatement. I'm glad you're alive." She tells him as she motions for Zoe to lay the youngest of them down on the blanket. "I'd be content with your absence if you left again."

"She's lying." He whispers to Beth as he wraps his arm around her shoulders, and the blonde chuckles as she looks between the two of them. "So, Daryl, you said you had an idea."

"Oh, yeah." Daryl grabs his crossbow and heads for the door.

"Idea?" Andie quirks an eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"Beth wants to get drunk."

"That sounds like an awful idea."

"Don't be a buzzkill." Theo says, and she narrows her dark eyes at him before turning for the door and following Daryl outside.

"Are you sure about this?" Andie asks as they walk down the porch; it looks like their previous company wandered off for the time being. "Beth's never had a drink before, and Theo's an idiot who will give her whatever she wants because he's discovered the effects of emotions with sex rather than no-strings-attached."

"I did not need that much information about when you two would sleep together."

"That was about him, thank you. Profound romantic connection may not have been on my list of necessities, but I don't sleep with just anyone." She tells him, and he grunts a response as they round the side of the house to get to the back. "I don't like your tone, Dixon. I trusted Theo before I let him anywhere near my bed."

"That's none of my business."

"I don't... I don't know how we got to this conversation anyway. That was a lifetime ago, and it is never happening again. Back to the booze..." She clears her throat as she watches him open a door that leads to a small, enclosed space.

He lifts a basket from the ground and passes it to her, and she looks at the glass mason jars as she holds the heavy liquid. "Moonshine." Daryl tells her, and she raises her eyebrows as she lifts her gaze to meet his.

"Are you trying to kill Beth?"

"We ain't leaving this house tonight, are we?" He asks.

"It's not part of my plan, but when do plans ever go the way we want them to?" She shakes her head. "This is a bad idea."

"I didn't actually take you for a buzzkill."

"No, just a slut." She turns around, and he sighs.

"That's not what I said." He mutters as he starts after her.

"Well, I made a comment about Theo, and you turned it around on me." She reasons. "But don't worry, what happened last night is never happening again. And now that we found some of our people, you don't have to spend your time on me anymore."

"Andie—" He grunts when she walks inside, but he doesn't know how to pull himself out of that one anyway.

Daryl walks into the house and sees the discarded moonshine sitting on the table as Andie stands by the window and looks out at the woods surrounding the house. Theo glances up at the brunette as Beth gets up and walks over to the table, sitting in front of the alcohol.

Choosing to let what happened outside stay between the two of them, Daryl grabs some glasses and makes sure there's no dust in them before grabbing a bottle of moonshine. "That's a real first drink right there." He says, placing the clear liquid in front of the blonde, but she hesitates as she looks at it. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing." Beth shakes her head, glancing up at him. "It's just...my dad always said bad moonshine could make you go blind."

"Ain't nothing out there worth seeing anymore anyway." He reasons, and after another moment's hesitation, she brings the glass to her lips and takes a sip.

Her eyebrows furrow as she purses her lips. "That's the most disgusting thing I've ever tasted." She says, but then finishes the small amount that Daryl poured for her. She smiles. "Second round's better. Hey, come have a drink with me." She glances behind her at the others before reaching across the table to grab the moonshine.

"Slow down." Daryl tells her, and she looks up at him.

"This one's for you."

"Naw, I'm good."

"Why?"

"Someone's gotta keep watch."

"So, what, you're like our chaperone now?" Beth questions as Zoe walks over and pours herself something to drink.

"No. Just drink lots of water."

"Yes, Mr. Dixon." Zoe hums as she sits with Beth.

"You know this is stupid, right?" Andie whispers as Theo stands beside her. "Why would you entertain this idea?"

"To keep her moving." He says, his voice just as low. "She lost her dad, Andie. Maybe you can relate to the struggle."

"My dad's alive out there somewhere, you said it yourself."

"Yeah, I know." Theo nods. "But theirs aren't."

"There's no way this doesn't end badly."

"The more we drink, the less they can." He reasons, and she sighs as she turns her head to look at him.

Beth laughs when she finds a hot pink, plastic bra full of ashes and cigarette butts. "Who would go into a store and walk out with this?" She asks as she moves it so that everyone can see; she's now on her knees on the floor.

"My dad, that's who." Daryl says as Theo walks back over with a glass for Andie and a glass for himself. "Oh, he's a dumbass. He'd set those up on top of the tv set, use them as target practice."

"He shot things inside your house?"

"Not all of us had a man like Hershel looking after us." Andie mutters as she lowers herself to the floor, sitting under one of the windows.

"It was just a bunch of junk anyway." Daryl tells Beth, pulling her attention away from the disinterested brunette. "That's how I knew what this place was. That shed out there — my dad had a place just like this. You got your dumpster chair, that's for sittin' in all Summer in your drawers all Summer drinkin'. Got your fancy buckets, that's for spittin' chaw in, after your old lady tells you to stop smokin'." He looks around some more, then picks up a newspaper. "You got your- your internet."

They hear snarling outside, and Theo looks up when Beth jumps, but Andie's as calm as she was before. She heard it before the others did. It's the same one from before, it just circled back.

"It's just one of 'em." Daryl says, looking at the walker through the window.

"Should we get it?" Zoe asks, and he nods as he glances over at her.

"If it keeps making too much noise, yeah."

"Well, if we're gonna be trapped again, we might as well make the best of it." Beth says, offering the oldest of them in the living room some of the moonshine. "Unless you're too busy chaperoning, Mr. Dixon."

He pauses for a second before reaching out to take the glass from her hand. "Hell, might as well make the best of it." He agrees before sitting in the same chair that he first sat in the day before, when it was just him and Andie, but still just as awkward. "Home, sweet home."