SIXTY SEVEN. leap of faith

THEO hadn't received a good night's sleep in a while.

For the past month, the group had been camping out in clearings in the forest or rundown buildings that seemed clear enough for the night. The barn was a drastic change, to the eleven-year-old, it seemed more secure. Safer. After all, it did keep them safe from the group of walkers that the raging storm thankfully dealt with. It was now calm outside, and the doors to the rickety barn were clasped shut while three figures of the group remained gone. Maggie Rhee, Sasha Williams, and Adeline Grimes. According to Daryl Dixon, they left in the early morning for the chance to collect their thoughts.

Theo hoped it worked for Addy. She sat quietly at the bottom, her eyes ever so often glancing up to the rafters where a silent Wesley Miller was. He was drawing, and that was about all she could gather by craning her chin to the high space. Everyone in the group had their problems to deal with, so no one was necessarily worried by the fact that the boy hadn't talked to anyone except his brother. And sometimes Adeline. But Theo on the other hand, drowned in the silent concern for her family. Their hope had completely vanished.

She couldn't lie, though, hers was fading away ever so slightly too. But every time she looked at the babbling Judith that sat cradled in her fathers' arms, some of that hope would return to the depths of her mind. The souls of the survivors were awake, silent shuffles and conversations taking place in the corners of the barn. Theo didn't partake in any, she simply sat by Carl and plucked a corner of the stale chocolate granola bar she held. She'd been eating it for a week. Two bites every few days was what she allowed herself to have, and sometimes she'd even find enough wavering generosity to give some to Carl.

And when she looked to her side and found him chowing down on something she couldn't even identify, Theo felt that concern peak in her chest. Snapping off a small piece of the bar, one with a chocolate chip on it, too, she nudged her friends' side and gained his attention. "Eat this," She spoke while sitting the piece on his crossed legs. "There's a chocolate chip."

Carl furrowed her brows at the sight before him, swallowing whatever substance he was eating and looking at the half-eaten Granola bar in her hands. "You still have that?" He questioned in somewhat disbelief but still thankful as he grabbed the piece off of his knee, tossing it into his mouth. And he watched as Theo nodded in confirmation, taking slow bites to the piece she had chipped off for herself. "Yep." She confirmed, her voice muffled slightly by her chewing.

Before he could continue the conversation, the girl looked back up to the rafters before standing up and abandoning the spot she sat in. "Where're you going?" Carl questioned, his eyes following her as she pointed up to the figure above with the other half of the Granola bar in her grasp. "I'll save your seat." He informed, taking his hat off of his head and placing it into the hay-covered spot next to him where she once sat.

Grabbing the wooden handles of the seemingly trustworthy ladder, Theo began climbing to the platform between the rafters. The creaking sound of her approach seemed to gather the attention of the boy up top, scooting back slightly as the eleven-year-old crawled into the space. She huffed loudly, flopping down onto the wooden surface all while being careful to avoid the roof. "I hate ladders." She informed, her eyes watching as the boy closed the journal in his grasp.

"What're you drawing?" Theo questioned, folding the torn paper of the Granola bar over its surface. Wesley seemed slightly taken aback by the question, an embarrassed look swirling over his features as the girl looked at him with curiosity. He was a good eight years older than her, and a little bit confused over the fact that an eleven-year-old was engaging in a normal conversation with him. Maybe it was because he related all children to his two younger twin brothers, who always had a goofy tone to their words.

He missed them a lot.

Wesley pushed the thoughts into the depths of his mind and shook his head, "Just something I'm working on." He informed as his fingers awkwardly patted the leathered surface of his journal. Theo nodded knowingly, moving to twist her messenger back across her body and into her lap. He watched as she opened it, pulling out another book that seemed similar to his own. "You draw?" He inquired, his tone peaked with the slightest amount of curiosity.

"Pshhhhh, no way." Theo blew the words from her mouth while opening the journal, "Addy does. I grabbed it for her from the prison. Where we were at before." She informed, flipping through the pages she had scanned through (did she have permission? Surprisingly, yes) until she found the right one. "I mean, I tried to draw before but it kinda just turned out looking stupid." She continued while holding the book out for the boy to see. "This is where we lived," Theo spoke.

Leaning forward, Wesley took his hand to lower the journal as he looked at the drawing displayed across the page. There were various ones strewn around, a few paragraphs with messy handwriting he could barely read. There were etches of horses, a closed gate with spiked logs surrounding it, and a garden. He took notice of two faces among the page, some marked out and redrawn in different places. One looked like Rick, and the other was someone Wesley didn't know. He looked old, and he had a wide smile across his face with hair pinned back in a short ponytail with a big puffy beard.

He kinda looked like Santa Claus.

"What happened?" Wesley inquired, releasing the book from his hold as he turned his eyes to the girl before him. He watched the smile she wore falter, a rush of loss coursing through her features while she closed the pages of the journal. Theo slid it back into its place in her bag, a troubled look overcoming her expression. Wesley felt sympathetic and regretted even asking her━━"Forget I asked. It's okay."

The loud creak of the barn doors opening cut off any remaining chance of a conversation, Theo and Wesley simultaneously turning their heads to the sound. "Hey," The familiar southern twang of Maggie Rhee's voice peered through the barn, morning sun flooding into the hay-filled chambers. "Everyone..." She started, Theo immediately catching sight of the stranger behind her, eyes widening.

"This is Aaron."

Metal clinking together echoed across the room, mixing with the wooden ladder creaking as the two above climbed down. Almost everyone had stood to their feet and cocked their weapons in the blink of an eye, watching carefully as Maggie lead a stranger into the barn. Adeline was behind the nervous man, carrying an unfamiliar backpack in her grasp. Her expression was full of unsureness, tapping fingers curled around the pistol on her side as she entered with Sasha.

Daryl Dixon was the first to greet the three familiar women, his attentive eyes hastily running over their figures in search of signs of harm. He spared a second on the widow, his hand tightly wrapped around his crossbow he heaved over his shoulder. Peering out of the wooden door, he scoured the distant tree line for any other surprises as Rick stood to his feet with a babbling Judith hoisted happily on his hip.

"He was outside. Said he was by himself." Maggie continued with the introduction as Adeline shifted the backpack into her other palm from the soreness that ached in her left forearm. She had taken the remaining amoxicillin three minutes before they decided to bring Aaron to the group, which left her with the last painkiller that sat in the ziplock bag in her pocket. The feeling of a hand curled against her elbow caused her to pull her eyes from the stranger and to Daryl who gently moved past her. "We took his weapons and we took his gear."

In a quick drastic change, he began harshly patting Aaron down for another once over. The morning light began to fade as Wesley Miller stepped past Adeline to aid his younger brother in heaving the barn doors shut. Their newfound friend had turned tense at the hands against his body, pleading eyes glancing over to the widow next to him who remained silent. Chains tied together on the door handles echoed around the rickety structure, an awkward silence overcoming them all.

"Hi," Aaron spoke, clearing the tense room.

Judith let out a cry after his words, her face turning beet red as her tiny arms outstretched towards Carl who stood next to his father. In one careful exchange, Adeline watched as her nephew took his sister into his arms and backed away slightly with a reluctant Theo following in his tracks. They were down to crushed walnuts for baby food. But her attention was drawn in the direction of Aaron as he stepped forward, the words of "It's nice to meet you." falling from his careful lips.

In a flash of movement, Adeline hooked her hand around his arm and harshly tugged him back. "Don't." She instructed, her tone sharp as the sound of metal clanking echoed around the room once more at the movement of weapons. "R-Right. Sorry." Aaron stammered over his words, his heart beating harshly in his chest. Out of the three women he ran into, the widow seemed to strike the most fear in his friendly mind.

Rick moved his eyes to Maggie from where he stood across the barn, "You said he had a weapon?"

The farmers' daughter carefully pulled the smaller revolver from her belt loop and approached the leader, handing the weapon to him. Rick took it into his grasp, flipping the magazine out to check the ammo count before clicking it back into place and tucking it into his jeans. "There something you need?" He inquired, giving a harsh stare to the stranger.

Sasha spoke up, "He has a camp nearby. He wants us to audition for membership." she informed as Adeline shifted in her place while keeping her hand wrapped around Aaron.

"I wish there was another word. Audition makes it sound like we're some kind of a dance troupe." The man reiterated, a smile forming at his lips as he attempted to joke━━"That's only on Friday nights." He added, the awkward silence returning once more as a distant Theo kept her laughter muffled. Adeline was glad she still had a sense of humor, though.

Aaron shook his head at the silence, an apologetic look clambering onto his features. "Um, and it's- it's not a camp. It's a community. I think you all would make valuable additions. But, it's not my call. My job is to convince you all to follow me back home. I know. If I were you, I wouldn't go either. Not until I knew exactly what I was getting into." He continued, turning his head to look at the widow next to him.

"Adeline, can you hand your brother my pack?"

With one careful stare, she felt reluctant to leave his side without having a hold on him. She turned her troubled stare to the Dixon next to her, searching his eyes for an answer. And it was only when he nodded assuringly that she felt the acceptance spark in her stomach, body moving towards Rick as Aaron opened his mouth to talk again. "Front pocket, there's an envelope." He instructed, watching the widow.

Adeline made her way over to her brother, holding the bag in her grasp before handing it to him. Rick bent down to open the pack, his hands searching for the said envelope which didn't take him but a second to find. "There's no way I could convince you to come with me just by talking about our community. That's why I brought those. I apologize in advance for the picture quality. We just found an old-"

"Nobody gives a shit." Daryl cut the man off mid-sentence, Adeline's careful stare moving towards the archer.

Aaron copied her actions, a nervous look overcoming him. Okay, so now two in the group of people seemed to strike the most fear in him. "You're absolutely 100% right." He hastily assured.

With one elbow resting on his bent knee, Rick flipped through the pictures he had pulled out of the envelope with seemingly uninterested eyes. As he went through them, he pulled half of the stack away and handed it to his sister━━nudging her leg to get her attention. Adeline was quick to grab them, her curiosity getting the best of her as she went through the images. Aaron continued to talk, his voice stammering.

"That's the first picture I wanted to show you." He informed, motioning towards the one Rick held. Looking down, the doctor squinted through the grainy black and white image to spot the reinforced walls. They were supported by what looked like metal beams, planted into the ground and outstretched to lay against the sheeting. "Because nothing I say about our community will matter unless you know you'll be safe. If you join us, you will be." He spoke assuringly.

"Each panel in that wall is a 15-foot-high, 12-foot-wide slab of solid steel-framed by cold rolled steel beams and square tubing." He continued, Adelines' eyes watching as Rick slowly stood to his feet and handed her the rest of the pictures. She kept a calm look over her features, lowering the images from her attention. "Nothing alive or dead gets through that without our say-so. Like I said, security is obviously important. In fact, there's only one resource more critical to our community's survival. The people." Aaron spoke, looking over at the group.

Rick turned to look at his sister, her slightly annoyed and bored gaze meeting his own as the stranger before them continued to speak on the behalf of his oh-so-great home.

"Together, we're strong. You can make us even stronger."

Silence overcame the group, Adelines' hands moving to cross over her chest as she leaned against the wooden beam that kept the farm upright. Rick began to walk forward, "The next picture, you'll see inside the gates. Our community was first construc-" Aaron's words were harshly cut off by the impact of Rick's fist against his face, the body immediately falling limp and to the group from the right hook he received.

And as she popped the joints of her fingers with her thumb, Adeline let out a heavy sigh that raked through her chest and moved forward to help deal with their newfound problem.

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RESTRAINTS had officially been placed around Aaron's wrists, his unconscious body sat upright against one of the wooden beams. Adeline sat crouched before him, her fingers brushed up against his face to make sure her brother hadn't broken his jaw. Thankfully enough, the only thing she discovered was the print of a large bruise beginning to form. Wesley Miller stood next to the widow, holding onto a bandanna they had readied just in case they needed to gag him. "I won't know much until he wakes up." She spoke.

"Totally shocked me when Rick laid into him like that," Tara Chambler began to speak as she approached the two. "Has he ever done that before?" She inquired, moving to crouch down next to Adeline. If she were being honest, she couldn't remember the girls' name. That was her own fault though, for not talking to anyone except the people she was close with since the prison fell. Adeline had yet to give a proper introduction to the newest members of their merry band, she just didn't know what to say except just to clean their wounds and move on to the next one.

So, the woman simply shrugged her shoulders. "I mean... he's punched people before, but never mid-sentence," Adeline informed before moving her eyes over to the girl next to her. She knew who she was. Tara was a part of the Governor's group, and Adeline remembered when her brother pointed her out.

The panic was visible in Rick, shifting anxiously on his feet as his eyes scanned the army behind the Governor. "You." He spoke, pointing to one of them ━ "You in the ponytails." He stated, the girl become panicked as she glanced at her esteemed leader with a scared look in her eyes.

She wondered how much Tara regretted trusting the sinister man.

"Sometimes people just don't know what they're getting themselves into, right?" She inquired, the smallest hint of a tight-lipped smile curling around her lips. "Rule two of survival, don't bring a knife to a gunfight," Adeline added.

Tara looked thankful for her words, "And the first rule?"

"Don't upset a man who can throw a deadly right hook." Wesley butted in from where he stood, gesturing towards Aaron who remained in a deep state of unconsciousness.

Rick shouted instructions to the group from where he stood, gaining the attention of Maggie. "The three of us, we didn't see him. If he wanted to hurt us, he could've." She spoke, giving the stranger the benefit of the doubt before, hands motioning towards the unmoving figure sitting on the hay-covered floor.

"He could be playing the long game." Adeline pointed out as she stood to her feet, dusting her hands off against her jeans. "Wouldn't be the first." She added, voice low as her mind trekked back to the Governor. Her arm seared with a burning pain when she moved, her features tightening at the feeling before she began to approach her brother and nephew.

The two stood by a wooden table, the contents of Aaron's bag spread out across the aged surface. When Adeline made it to her nephews' side, she took notice of the crimson flare gun he held in his grasp━━motioning it towards his father. "Never seen a gun like that before." He informed, Rick taking it from him as the widow glanced over at Theo who sat with a cooing Judith perched in her lap before retracting her attention.

"It's a flare gun," Adeline said, gently rubbing the tender (but covered and hidden) wound on her arm. Carl's head turned to his aunt at the sound of her voice, his curiosity of the toy-like weapon droned in on the words she spoke. "For distress signals. When you shoot it," She started, her mind freezing.

Luckily, no walkers had heard the sound and stayed where they belonged as Shane searched the trunk where he found multiple red flares that would help them distract the stalkers surrounding them.

The memory coursed through her mind rapidly, causing her to suddenly lose track of what she was saying as Carl furrowed his brows in confusion. "When you shoot it, what?" He spoke, his voice causing the distraught Adeline to turn to him with a look of cluelessness clouding her expression. "It's just... like a red light and smoke comes out. That's all."

Rick looked at his sister with careful eyes, tucking the flare gun in the back of his jeans. "You alright?" He questioned, keeping his attention on her as she nodded hastily.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Adeline gave her brother a tight-lipped smile, shifting in her spot while her right hand moved to curl around the back of her neck where she squeezed the skin anxiously. "Did um... Did he pack any medicine?" She inquired, changing the subject on her family as the pain in her arm subconsciously became noticeable at the mention.

Carl shook his head, "Nope. Just applesauce and some extra cans of food." He informed, gesturing out towards the table. "Why? Do you need some?" He questioned, Rick assuringly squeezing his sister's shoulder before leaving the two of them.

"No, it's okay, bub," Adeline assured, wiping away any hint of unfathomable pain from her features as she smiled softly at her nephew. "You're doing a good job, you know?" She assured, reaching her hand to push his hair out of his face. "Your mom would've been real proud of you." She added.

Before she knew it, Carl had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into a tight hug. Which was a rare thing for him to do now. At first, she didn't even know what to do. But then she pushed that thought away and carefully embraced the boy she helped raise, a fragile smile curving around her lips. In a quick instant, she became more vulnerable than she had let herself be in a long time, her love for her nephew warming the ice that had begun to freeze around her heart.

But when it finally started to thaw, the familiar sound of Glenn Rhee's voice pulled apart the process. "Addy, he's waking up." He announced, causing the widow to carefully ruffle Carls hair before reluctantly pulling away. "Coming,"

Approaching the smiling figure of Aaron, she watched as he stretched out his jaw and grunted━━"That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick." He complimented, hearing the widow sigh as she pulled at the fabric of her jeans above her knee before bending down to his level. "Stop talking. Look at me." She demanded, sniffing slightly as she raised two fingers.

"Follow my hand," Adeline instructed, the man before her shifting in his spot as he turned his eyes to her. She slowly moved her hand through the open air, carefully examining his ability to follow them until she became satisfied with her result. "Okay," She nodded, hearing the shuffle of feet as the group began to form as a whole once again. "I'm gonna ask you a few questions and I need you to answer them for me."

Aaron nodded, "You got it."

"What's your name?"

"Aaron Henderson."

"How old are you?"

"33."

"Where do you live?"

As he opened his mouth to answer, Aaron squinted his eyes slightly and tilted his head. "You're a doctor." He pointed out, changing the subject as Adeline kept her expression stoic.

"And you're good at avoiding questions." She retorted, patting his shoulder rather harshly before standing to her feet.

"He's fine," She assured, stepping back to stand in between Rosita Espinosa and Tara in front of the wooden barn doors.

Aaron glanced around at the group of survivors, blinking several times to adjust his vision before speaking. "You're being cautious. I completely understand." He informed.

"How many of your people are out there?" Rick questioned, nearly cutting the man off mid-sentence once again. Pulling the flare gun out of his pocket, he held it out for the stranger to see. "You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?" He repeated the inquiry.

Their newfound acquaintance sighed softly at the question, "Does it matter?" He asked━━hints of pleading marking his tone. Rick was quick to answer him, "Yes. Yes, it does."

"I mean, of course, it matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure that no matter what number I say━━eight, thirty two, four hundred and forty four, zero... No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me." He spoke what the group identified as the truth, Adelines' uneasy eyes turning to her brother as they became tense at the numbers.

But Rick only shrugged his shoulders, "Well, it's hard to trust anyone who smiles after getting punched in the face."

"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you on the road?"

Adeline shifted her attention to the man on the floor, her hand slowly making its way down to the hilt of her machete as Daryl glanced back at the water jugs and bottles that remained untouched at the back of the barn. "How long you people been following us?" He questioned, his voice raspy.

"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other." Aaron informed, looking around at the group from where he sat. "You're survivors and you're people. Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world." He finished emotionally.

The group watched as Rick stepped forward, a look of complete and utter seriousness coating his expression. "How many others are out there?" He repeated his question, his tone sharp, cutting straight to the chase that he participated in.

"One."

Silence drifted through the barn, Adelines' state drilling into the back of Aaron's head at his answer. She didn't believe him. After everything they had seen from other groups, it was hard for her to believe that there was any honesty that remained in the remnants of the corrupted Earth. Before it fell, she had no idea how much ugly existed when the monster was left uncaged.

Aaron shook his head in defeat, "I knew you wouldn't believe me." he sighed. "If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real?" He questioned, shifting back to look at Adeline and the others. "What if I drove you to the community? All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch." He assured, giving it his all.

Rick looked at his sister who shook her head, she didn't trust that and there was no way that he ever would. "I'm not sure how the eighteen of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in." He spoke, placing a hand on his hip as he shifted his stance.

"We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us."

"And you're parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol used her voice, her hand resting against the strap of her gun.

Aaron looked to her and nodded, "East on Ridge Road, just after you hit Route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."

"You've really thought this through, huh?" Adeline sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she pushed her body off the closed barn doors and made her way over to her brother.

The stranger followed her figure with his eyes, "Adeline, If I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me."

"Pretty hard to do that when you've seen what we've seen. You don't just offer sanctuary to a group of strangers. You don't even know us." She retorted, an untrustworthy look clambering across her face. "It's eighteen versus two, Aaron. How does that make you feel?" Adeline questioned sharply.

He gulped the salvia that gathered in his mouth, keeping his eyes on the woman before him. "I think you've been through more than I could ever imagine. I feel sympathy for you." Aaron informed, causing the woman to scoff underneath her breath. "Trust me when I say the last thing I need is your sympathy." She assured, voice slathered in venomous anger that was guided by the heavy fever that accompanied the wound on her left arm. She should probably take the painkiller.

Another silence overcame the group at her words, the curious mind of Michonne staring between the widow and the stranger restrained on the ground. "I'll check out the cars." She offered, pulling her attention over to Rick Grimes.

"There aren't any cars." He was quick to say.

Michonne sighed, "There's only one way to find out."

"We don't need to find out."

"We do." She spoke, her voice sharp. "You know what you know and you're sure of it, but I'm not." Michonne informed.

Maggie nodded her head from where she stood, "Me neither." she added, the smallest hint of an apologetic smile twitching at her chapped lips. Rick noticed this, causing his stance to falter as he shook his head and turned his eyes back to the samurai before him. "Your ways dangerous, mine isn't."

"Passing up someplace where we can live? Where Judith can live-?"

Adeline snapped her eyes to the woman that stood in front of her brother, "You think he doesn't want what's best for his own daughter?" She questioned, her features scrunched questionably. "He's trying to protect her. He's trying to protect all of us. And you guys are what..." She started, the infection running through her bones taking hold of the words that left her mouth as she scoffed. "Judging him because he's careful? I mean, did you guys just forget about Terminus?"

"Addy," Daryl attempted to calm the woman from where he stood behind her, reaching out to take a careful hold on her elbow only for her to jerk away from him. "Don't!-" Adeline started, her chest heaving with heavy breaths as she glanced at the group that looked to her with worried stares. "Just don't, okay?" She spoke calmly, eyes latching onto the Dixon.

With one careful look, Adeline shook her head and cast her attention on the hay-covered floor. "I'm gonna get some fresh air." She informed, pushing past the figures of the group and towards the barn door. Reluctantly, Tara and Rosita moved out of her way as she pulled the rickety structure open and left the space. The door creaked loudly at her exit, the curious eyes of Theo standing up from the back where she had just gotten a tired Judith down for a nap. She wanted to go after her.

It didn't take long to convince Rick to let a group go check for the cars, hastily emptying the barn but not before sending a few groups out to scout the woods. Wesley tagged along with Abraham, Rosita, Maggie, Michonne, and Glenn on their search for the vehicles that Aaron promised existed, though he didn't know if he believed the man or not. It could be an ambush, and they all could be dead in thirty minutes if so. There wasn't much ammo that remained in the rifle that he carried, but he did make sure to pick up a few rough looking acorns that would work perfectly for his slingshot.

The sun shined down harshly upon their already tanned skin, sweat lacing Wesley's features from where he walked between Glenn and Michonne. Noah chose to be one of the scouts, which meant it was the first time in a long time that the two had been completely separated. The older brother attempted to hide his undying worry for Noah, but it was painfully obvious to Maggie Rhee who knew the feeling all too well.

"Eyes open, everybody. Weapons up." Glenn instructed, causing a slightly tired Wesley to straighten his back and readjust his grip on his gun. "You see someone coming at us, you fire." He added, receiving a 'Copy that' from Abraham.

Michonne looked at the men, "So if we see someone, we just shoot them?"

"What makes you think they won't do the same?" Wesley questioned, wiping the sweat across his forehead.

"It's a good question." Maggie retorted, scanning the distant fields with squinted eyes from the harsh sunlight up above.

"What if they're someone like us? What if Aaron is telling the truth?" Michonne inquired.

Wesley looked to her, "What if he's not? Just because he's from a community doesn't mean he's good. Me and Noah lived at Grady for at least a year, and we saw just as much ugly from the inside." He informed━━unwanted memories pushing through his mind as he shook his head. "My dad used to tell me that it's always good to be careful. At least then you'll be expecting the bad," He added, glancing down the long road.

Abraham nodded, "Boys got a good point."

"So what? That's all that life is now? Just waiting for something bad to happen? I don't wanna live like that. We've all seen what it does to people. To Adeline." Michonne pointed out, "When it gets to a certain point... you can't come back."

Glenn sighed at the woman's words, "Give her a break. She's been through a lot, all of us have. You can't give up on her. Addy's family." he defended his friend, the worry in his veins running deep for her well-being. "Just give her some time."

Rosita looked back at the group behind her from where she led the march, "Has she always been like that?"

Her inquiry caused a silence to fall, but it was picked up and turned to dust by the reluctant filled voice of Maggie Rhee. "Not always. Like Glenn said, she's been through a lot."

Michonne kept her eyes on the road, "People like us saved a priest. Saved a girl who rolled up to the prison with the Governor. Saved a crazy lady with a sword. Aaron saw that. And if he saw that, he saw the same thing in her. I'm not giving up on Adeline, but this place... it's something that she needs. That all of us need." She assured, keeping her hand curled around the hilt of her sword that laid strapped on her back.

DARYL Dixon trudged his way through the open forest, stepping over fallen logs and branches that were placed in the warpath of last night's storm. His footfall was silent, and he left invisible tracks in his path━━making sure to not leave any signs that he was ever there. Rick had pulled him aside the second the groups were sorted out and sent on their way, and he only asked for one single favor. Make sure Adelines okay. But, the Archer would be flat out lying if he said that he hadn't already planned to do that very thing the second she left.

He knew something was wrong with her. It was almost a given with the way she had been acting for the past week. Daryl just figured that the death of Tyresse affected her more than he genuinely thought it would. Then again, he wasn't the one Adeline spent weeks with after the prison fell. Daryl didn't know what happened during that time, and a part of him was afraid to ask the widow. Compared to when he last saw her in the prison, which was when he cleaned the blood off of her face, she was a completely different person.

All he knew was that he saw her escape with Lizzie and Mika, and when he saw her again... they weren't there. Her eyes had lost that familiar shine of hope that she had been working so hard on getting back. And her hands were stained with blood.

The haste snap of a twig caused the archer to whip around, his crossbow raising at the speed of light as he came face to face with an eleven year old. Theo. "Tha' hell? Rick told you to stay back." Daryl cursed, lowering his weapon carefully as Theo held out her hands with an apologetic expression. "Sorry?"

"I was trying to find Adeline. Isn't that what you're doing?" She questioned, lowering her arms and stepping in the direction of her friend. "I actually heard Rick tell you to do that so don't lie." Theo informed, crossing her arms over the thin windbreaker she wore. "Looks like it's me and you."

Daryl scoffed, "Nah. Go on back."

Scrunching her features, the girl rolled her eyes and continued walking without the archer as she mocked his words with a heavy southern accent. "Riddle me this, are nah and grunts the only two things you can do?" Theo inquired, looking through the dried out forest with attentive eyes. "You should really expand on your vocabulary. I think I saw a Websters' Dictionary in the barn, you could probably put that to some good use." She added, glancing back at the man behind her.

"Good for feedin' fires." Daryl spoke, reluctantly accepting that fact that an eleven year old joined him on his journey. "You got a weapon?" He questioned, ready to give the girl his hunting knife but choose not to when she held out her own. "That Ads?" He added, noticing the familiar carving on the handle. A.N. Adeline Nobody. It matched the one on his own.

"Mhm." Theo hummed in agreement, slowing her footfall to walk alongside her friend. "I know Rick told you to check up on her, but I know you would've done it even if he didn't."

The archer almost let a throaty chuckle slip from his lips, but he felt too guilty for all their losses to let it out. "How's that?"

"Becauseeeee, you care about her. Not in the same way I do. But you care about her." Theo assured, twisting her fingers around the handle of her esteemed mothers' large hunting knife.

"The hells that supposed to mean?" Daryl inquired.

The eleven year old shrugged her shoulders, "You know."

"I don't." The redneck was quick to retort, his careful eyes scanning every inch of the forest around them━━officially on high alert at the new presence of the little girl he cared about. Theo only stayed quiet at his response, returning the knife back to the sheath attached to her belt loop before letting a heavy sigh rake through her chest. "Do you think I made her sad?" She spoke up, breaking the very short silence.

Daryl furrowed his brows, "Huh?"

Theo shook her head, "Back at Terminus. When she came back, I didn't hug her. I just sat there like an idiot." She confessed with troubled eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings if I did." She added hastily, words reaching Daryl who gave her an almost amused look. "You don't know Addy if you think she's upset over somethin' like that. Trust me."

"You're right." Theo agreed while nodding.

The distant sounds of twigs snapping and low conversations caused Daryl to stop the eleven year old, cautiously raising his crossbow towards the direction. "Shh." He whispered, carefully moving past her as the footsteps grew louder. He felt his heart beating in his chest, fingers tracing the texture of his bow as he placed the hilt against his shoulder for balance.

When the two figures of Noah Miller and Tara Chambler stepped through the line of trees, a wave of relief crashed into Daryl and Theo at the sight. The archer lowered his crossbow before they could see he was raising it, the dried leaves that he allowed to crunch underneath him gaining their attention. Noah was the first to look over, a fearful look in his eyes as Tara flinched at the sound before glancing in the direction.

"Jesus Christ," The woman breathed a sigh of relief with wide eyes as Noah laughed at her only to receive a playful shove in response. "You scared the shit out of me." She added, a smile wrapping comfortably around her lips as they moved to approach the man. "S'it clear?" Daryl questioned, motioning towards the part of the forest they had come from.

Noah nodded in confirmation, "Yep. Just a few walkers but we took care of 'em."

"Have you guys seen Addy?" Theo questioned, making herself known from where she stood behind the archer.

Tara jumped back, "Jesus! Where the hell did you come from, kid?" She inquired, holding her hand to her fast paced heart that beat harshly against her chest. "We saw her. Said she was going back to the barn." Noah informed, standing next to his friend with a playful smile worn around his features.

"You sure?" Daryl retorted, slinging his crossbow over his shoulders as Theo glanced at him from where she stood.

"Mhm. Probably just needed a break from the barn. You know, tight corners and everything." Tara spoke up, awkwardly fiddling with her fingers that were crossed behind her back. "She's probably fine. Pretty sure she can handle herself." She added, attempting to assure the two people ahead of her.

Though, the Dixon had learned long ago that words always fell short when it came to explaining Adeline Walsh.

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AUTHORS NOTE.

YALL IM SO SORRY, honestly i didn't even realize
three months had passed since i last updated until
today that's how bad my idea of time has become

HOPEFULLY i'm back in the groove because this
is one big ass chapter (which y'all beautiful readers
deserve after such a long wait) and i hope that it
makes up for lost time! i tried my hardest to give
you guys some interactions with characters you
requested! cause tara is definitely crushing on addy

QUESTIONS OF THE CHAPTER: any other characters
you guys would like to see addy interact with more? &
in alexandria, what do you guys think will happen there
with adeline & theo? tell me all your theories! i love them

WORD COUNT ... 6944