CHAPTER NINE,
a home from now. 

The gate opened and suddenly a crash came from beside Daryl. Aiden jumped slightly and raised her M16. Daryl quickly released a bolt. It hit its target. A possum. The gate finally slid open all the way and a man with a peach colored shirt looked at the group.

"We brought dinner." Daryl said, holding the possum up its tail.

"It's okay. Come on in, guys." Aaron said. The group walked in, Aiden gripped her gun tightly.

"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. Stay, you hand them over." The peach shirt guy said.

"We don't know if we want to stay." Rick said.

"It's fine, Nicholas." Aaron said. So that's his name. What a douche bag name. A foreign voice said in Aiden's head. It sounded like Shane's.

"If we were gonna use them, we would have started already." Aiden said threateningly.

"Let them talk to Deanna first."

"Who's Deanna?" Abraham asked gruffly from behind Aiden.

"She knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't you start?" Aaron asked. Rick turned around.

"Sasha." The woman also turned around and saw a lone walker. She raised her gun and shot it. The walker fell to the ground as the cloth part of the gate slid shut.

"It's a good thing we're here." Rick said.

»

Daryl had went before Aiden. He wanted to meet this Deanna person before her. But now it was her turn.

Aaron led Aiden towards the large house and inside. Aiden looked around. Aaron soon left the two women alone.

Deanna sat on a couch while Aiden sat in an arm chair. "Do you mind if I record our talk?" She asked Aiden.

"I don't care." Aiden uttered back.

"I'm Deanna Monroe." Deanna said.

"Aiden Dixon." She replied.

"Daryl's wife?" Deanna asked. Aiden nodded. "My oldest sons' name is Aiden, as well."

"What were you before?" Deanna asked Aiden.

"I was a cop. Alongside Rick, Payton, and my brother." Aiden replied.

"Your brother? Is he out there with the rest?" Deanna asked.

"No." Aiden replied quickly, "no. He died about two years ago."

"What happened?"

"He was murdered."

"I'm sorry." Deanna replied. "Who else have you lost?"

"What does it matter?" Aiden tensed up.

"It matters because I need to know you." The older woman replied.

"Well, for starters. I lost my parents, my brother. Jacqui, Jim, Amy. We lost a little girl named Sophia, a man named Dale. Two people named Patricia and Jimmy. I lost a woman I considered my sister, Lori. The same day I lost a man named T-Dog. Two prison inmates, Axel and Oscar. Andrea, Merle. Hershel. Bob. Beth. Tyreese. The last four all happened within the last two months." Aiden said.

"Again, I'm sorry. So how far along are you?" Deanna motioned towards her stomach.

"Probably around five months or so. I lost track." Aiden shrugged.

"Do you have names picked out?"

"No, we don't. But we decided if it's a boy I'll name him or if it's a girl Daryl will name her." Aiden said.

"That's nice. Where were you from?"

"Georgia. You?"

"Ohio." Deanna responded. "Do you know what this place is?"

"A community." Aiden replied.

"No. It's a place of sustainability." She replied.

"How long have you been behind these walls?" Aiden asked with narrowed eyes.

"Since almost the very start. Listen, we need people with experience. People who have been out there."

"That's dangerous." Aiden said, he'd eyebrows furrowing.

"How so?"

"Because people out there- people who have been out there longer than we have are dangerous. They don't show mercy." Aiden responded.

"Have you killed people? Rick said he has. Daryl said he has." Deanna quizzed her.

"Yeah I have. But they tried to kill me first." She replied.

"I think that's all I need to know. Once you're out there, send Carl in here please." Aiden nodded. She stood and left the house.

»

"They're still your guns. You can check them out whenever you go beyond the wall. But inside here, we store them for safety." Deanna spoke to the group as the laid their guns on the cart.

Aiden took her Beretta from its holster and laid it gently on the cart before laying her M16 down as well. She looked up at Olivia, "somethin' happens to these guns, we're gonna have words to share."

Olivia nodded quickly before Aiden's attention moved towards Carol. She snorted as Carol struggled to take her gun off her shoulder. Once she finally did she placed it across the cart. "Should've brought another bin." The woman said before wheeling the cart full of their weapons off.

»

The group had been given two houses. They had running water, electricity. Aiden had practically sprinted to the downstairs bathroom. Inside was towels and washcloths, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, razors, shaving cream, tooth brush and tooth paste. Everything she needed.

She placed the clothes she was given on the counter and turned on the water and stepped in the shower. The hot water hit her body and everyone in the house heard her, "hell yeah, baby! Hot water!"

Abraham snorted while Glenn laughed. Payton and Nathaniel shared looked before laughing.

Aiden lathered her hair with shampoo before washing it out. She did the same with the conditioner. She watched as blood, dirt, sweat, and grime washed down the drain.

She washed her body and the shaved herself down after not being able to for a month. She felt smooth. She felt clean. She turned off the water and got out. She wrapped the towel around her body. She whipped the mirror off and looked at herself.

Her eyes were sunken in. Her cheekbones were very noticeable. She was tanned from being out in the sun. Her brown hair had grown from being just below her ears to just below her jaw. Her baby bump was still only just showing.

She changed into the black jeans she was given along with new underwear and sports bra. She pulled one of Daryl's shirts over her head. She saw some deodorant and quickly put it on. She pulled her black combat boots over her feet. She brushed her hair and got the knots out. She brushed her teeth for almost ten minutes.

She finally left the bathroom, allowing it free of use. She walked into the living area and saw Rick beardless. "Woah." She muttered. A sudden knock caught her attention. Rick moves to the door and opened it.

"Wow," Deanna mumbled like Aiden had. "I didn't know what was under there." Aiden snorted, "listen, I-I don't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to stop by and see how you were all settling." Deanna looked around and saw that everyone has decided to stay in one house for the night, "oh, my. Staying together. Smart."

"No one said we couldn't." Rick stated.

"You said you're a family. That's what you said. Absolutely amazing to me how people with completely different backgrounds and nothing in common can become that. Don't you think?" Deanna asked.

"Everybody said you gave them jobs." Rick said.

"Mhm. Yeah. Part of this place. Looks like the communists won after all." Deanna laughed.

"Well, you didn't give me one." Rick said to her.

"I have. I just haven't told you yet. Same with Michonne, and Aiden and Payton. I'm closing in on something for Sasha. And I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out, but I will." Deanna informed. "You look good." Deanna turned around and left. Rick shut the door behind her.

Aiden laughed and quoted, "you look good." She laughed. Rick glared at her. "Don't worry, asshole. Still as ugly as ever."

________________________________

word count: 1,292
episode: remember

and here's the first edited chapter of them being in alexandria! i'm so excited to edit this part of the book and so on.

we're officially in alexandria. i do have a lot in store for the rest of the book. again, we may or may not meet some new characters soon. some new original characters 😉.

but aiden dixon will be meeting aiden monroe here soon and that won't be pretty.

i'm so ready to explore the whole deanna and aiden relationship. as well as aaron and aiden.