#aureliaoc

The sun was dipping low behind the trees as Daryl crouched beside the battered van, frustration evident on his face. The engine had sputtered and died just outside the camp, and without it, their chances of a quick escape were slim. Aurelia approached quietly, wiping the newly dried blood off her hands after helping skin the rest of the squirrels her and Daryl found earlier that day, ready to help him with whatever challenges this van had.

"Need a hand?" she asked, kneeling beside him. Daryl glanced up squinting as the sun got into his eyes, a hint of a grateful smile breaking through his usual guarded expression.

"Ya, this damn thing’s givin’ me hell," he muttered.

Together, they popped the hood of the truck and leaned over the engine, their faces illuminated by the fading light. Aurelia’s sharp eyes quickly caught sight of a loose wire dangling near the battery. “This might be the problem,” she said, her voice steady but careful as she reached in to reconnect it. Daryl handed her a wrench without hesitation, and they began working in sync, passing tools back and forth. Each movement was deliberate, their focus locked on the task as they silently communicated through gestures and glances, determined to get the engine running again.

As the sun finally dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the long road, hours had quietly slipped by. Aurelia wiped the sweat from her brow, her face flushed from the effort and the heat of the day. She glanced at Daryl, hope flickering in her eyes, then raised her voice, “Try it now!” The urgency in her tone mixed with a hint of anticipation.

Daryl got into the drivers seat and shut the door he turned the key in the ignition, and the engine roared back to life with a powerful growl. Relief washed over both of them, filling the quiet air with a sense of laughter. Aurelia walked to the drivers side and He glanced over at her, his eyes softening as he reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair from her face. “Couldn’t have done it without you, Angel,” he said, his voice low and sincere. “I love you.” The words hung between them, heavy with meaning, as the hum of the engine became a steady heartbeat in the background, marking the start of whatever came next for them.

Aurelia smiled softly, her eyes meeting Daryl’s as she looked down while her face became a pink color. The tension between them was almost tangible, a quiet moment suspended in time. “I love you too, Dixon,” she whispered, her voice steady but filled with warmth. As she leaned in, breaking the space that had held them apart, their lips met in a gentle, lingering kiss. It was a moment of connection, unspoken but deeply felt, stretching out as if the world around them had paused just for them.

The night had fallen thick and heavy, wrapping the world outside in shadows. Inside the van, Daryl and Aurelia settled in. Aurelia was searching the van for food, water, clothes, anything. She sat in the passenger seat and opened the dashboard and found a cd tape, “Nirvana” Aurelia whispers.

She put the cd in and hits play.

Daryl in the back of the van setting up the blankets they had in their bags. He looks up at Aurelia to sees that’s she put the cd in and hit play. Heart-Shaped Box by Nirvana one of his favorite songs. Aurelia turns the music up by a notch and climes into the back with Daryl.

The cramped space suddenly feeling like a small sanctuary from the chaos of the day. The hum of the van was distant now, replaced by the quiet rhythm of their breathing and the soft rustle of fabric as they shifted to get comfortable. Daryl pulled a blanket over them, the fabric rough but warm against their skin, and without a word, Aurelia scooted closer, resting her head gently against his shoulder.

Their bodies naturally curved toward each other, seeking warmth and comfort in the close proximity. Daryl wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in a little tighter, and she let out a soft sigh, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear. Outside, the faint moans of walkers in the distance. The moon casting a muted light through the window. Inside, wrapped in the quiet music and the warmth of their shared space, they found a rare moment of peace. The world outside might have been uncertain, but here, in the small van, they had each other and that was enough to carry them through the night.

Neither spoke much, words felt unnecessary in the stillness. The van creaked softly as they shifted to get comfortable. Outside, the cold night pressed in, but inside, there was a fragile sense of safety. As they drifted toward sleep, the worries of the day melted away, replaced by the simple comfort of being together in this small, shared space. Tomorrow was uncertain, but for now, the van was their refuge, and the night was theirs to rest.

“Goodnight Dixon.” Aurelia says while closing her eyes falling into deep slumber.

“G’night Angle.” Daryl says while kissing the top of her head smelling the mix of her vanilla shampoo and sweat.

He watched her sleep keeping her safe in his arms while his eyes were slowly closing off to slumber, feeling safe in each other’s arms.

𝒜/𝒩: Do you guys like my drawing of Daryl so far it’s coming together!!! He doesn’t have a head yet because i suck at drawing the heads. His mussels are just so majestic and manly😍🫦.

Aurelia just got done being sick with whatever was going around the prison, finally being able to walk outside and feel the nice sun and fresh air in her skin. She let out a long sigh letting whatever build up she had in her out finally being able to breathe.

Seeing everyone slowly healing and feeling better made her feel relaxed and relieved and she has thanked Hershel, Bob, and the group that went out for the medicine for all they did for her and the group. She made her way over to Hershel, Daryl and Tyreese, joining the conversation.

“How’s Glenn doing?” Tyreese said

“He made it through the night, He’s breathing on his own now. Maggie and Bob are with him, He seems stable enough for me and Aurelia to get some air.” Hershel said

“He’s a tough son a bitch.” Daryl said

“He is.” Aurelia says shaking her head

“You’re both tough son’s a bitches.” Daryl said pointing his hand at ur bodies.

“I am.” Hershel says while walking away going towards Michonne to talk to her.

“What about Carol? She’s up in A block with Lizzy?” Daryl says turning to Aurelia.

“No. Talk to Rick about her.” Looking towards Daryl with ur hand blocking the sun to see his face of worry.

“She’s okay, just talk to him.” you say reassuring him, looking at your feet and turning around going towards Michonne.

You see Michonne loading up dead walkers

in a buggy and walked over greeting her with a heartwarming smile ready to help, Michonne returning the small gesture helping her pick up the walker and throwing it in the back.

Finishing up with the last of the walkers, Michonne shutting the back of the buggy while giving you a nod of great fullness.

“You heading out now?” smiling after all you’re hard work.

“You want to come?” Michonne said while heading towards the Drivers side smiling.

“Hell yeah.” Opening the passenger side door and hopping in.

The gates were opened and you and Michonne headed behind the prison into the woods where the walker burning pile was. After dumping all the walkers into a pile and pouring gasoline all on the dead corpse Michonne lights a makeshift torch and throws it into the pile putting all the walkers on fire. Feeling the hot air on your skin makes you back up into someone’s body making you turn around grabbing your gun and every thing goes black….

—

Michonne nudging your side “Aurelia, wake up.” she whispered.

The bright sun poured through the rv’s windows trying to fixate your eyes seeing Michonne next to you tied up. The Governor walkes into the rv sitting down on the chair, Aurelia exchanged determined glances with Michonne.

Michonne’s voice was steady, fierce. “I’m gonna kill you.”

He takes a sip of his whiskey “No you’re not.”

Michonne turns towards the Governor “ i’m gonna take my blade and-.

Aurelia shushing Michonne trying not to make things go worse than it already is. She tries reasonings with him, saying Rick agreed with sharing the prison but it just seemed like he was ignoring her.

Aurelia’s hand brushed against the hidden blade in her sleeve, fingers trembling just slightly with the weight of the moment. With careful precision born from countless battles, she began to saw quietly at the ropes binding her wrists. The coarse fibers frayed and snapped, and soon she was free. She moved swiftly to Michonne handing the knife over to her and she startsworking on her restraints with the same focused determination.

The Governor’s smug grin, so full of cruel confidence, suddenly faltered as Aurelia lunged forward, the blade catching the sunlight and glinting sharply. The rv’s cramped interior became a chaotic battlefield. He fought back fiercely, swinging wildly, trying to keep control. The two women ducked and dodged, their movements fluid and desperate, crashing against the metal walls of the rv.

But Aurelia’s resolve was unbreakable. She managed to pin him down on the floor, her strength fueled by anger, thinking of what all he did to Daryl, Merle, Rick, and the rest of her family. The Governor struggled beneath her, screaming in rage and pain, but she kept her grip firm. With a swift, merciless motion, she drove the knife through his heart, he starts gurgling blood into his mouth. Diving the blade even further into him silencing him instantly. His screams turned to a silence as he crumpled, stunned and defeated.

Breathing heavily, Aurelia looked to Michonne, who nodded grimly. They had won this fight, but the danger was far from over. The rv’s engine still hummed, and outside, the world awaited their next move.

Aurelia and Michonne start searching the rv trying to find weapons ready for whatever is outside waiting for them, her and Michonnes back turned from the the rv door searching the cabinets Aurelia felt something cold and hard at the back of her head, turning towards her side seeing Michonne take her blade out ready to kill whoever is behind her a gun takes the back of her head.

“Drop your weapons.” The mysterious woman says, her voice shaking. Aurelia taking a moment staying still taking in what’s happening

“NOW!” she says cocking there gun and shoving it more into her head, Aurelia finally dropping her knife in defeat. “Now turn around, I wanna see your faces.”

The tension in the van thickens as you and Michonne slowly turn to face the brunette girl with blue, teary eyes, gun steady against your skull. Aurelia’s anger flares, but she holds herself still, aware that any sudden move could be fatal. To her right, the other girl presses her gun into Michonne’s temple, her brown eyes sharp and unyielding.

Behind them the child with blond hair clutches a pink koala, her small frame trembling as she silently catches the tears streaming down her mother’s face.

Then, the fragile silence shatters. The little girl, overwhelmed by grief, turns away and collapses to the floor. Her sobs echo through the rv as she crawls toward the Governor’s lifeless body, wrapping her arms tightly around him and screaming into his chest. The raw pain in her cries fills the space.

In that moment, Aurelia’s mind races. She knows this is a fleeting chance. Slowly, carefully, she shifts her weight, inching toward Michonne, signaling her to stay calm and ready. The delicate balance of fear, anger, and sorrow hangs in the air, and every second counts.

Seeing the Governor wake up from the dead he clings onto the little girl and takes a bite into her neck, making the little girl scream in pain. Both of the woman with guns turn around forgetting about the two infront of them. Both of them screaming shooting over and over again at the Governor wasting all of their bullets.

Michonne was the first to move picking up her sword and pinning it to the back of the brown eyed brunette shortly after Aurelia doing the same.

“Both of you drop your weapons.” Aurelia says pointing the sharp blade into the blue eyes back.

The blue eyed woman screaming turning around quickly and trying to shoot Aurelia, but nothing coming out all her bullets went into the Governor. The blue eyes woman giving up she ran to the little girl to confront her, The whole family was crying. The brown eyed woman dropped her gun accepting the defeat dropping her head.

Michonne and Aurelia sprinted out of the rv, their footsteps pounding against the gravel ground as they left that harrowing scene far behind. The glaring sun beat down harshly overhead, making the air shimmer with heat.

“THERE!” Michonne says. Without hesitation, they dashed toward one of the cars the group had left behind, a worn but reliable vehicle that promised a chance to escape the chaos. They jumped in quickly, slamming the doors shut and pressing down hard on the gas pedal. The engine roared to life, echoing their urgency as they sped away, tires kicking up clouds of dust.

Aurelia’s heart raced as they tore down the road, the prison being in the distance like a beacon of hope and safety. Every second counted as she pushed the car to its limits, The sun’s harsh light reflected off the windshield. With every mile closer to the prison, she felt a flicker of relief, knowing that they were safe never having to worry about the Governor ever again.

Finally making it back to the prison seeing Rick and Carl outside, Aurelia got out of the divers seat and walked towards Rick smiling.

“Rick, I have an update it’s about the Governor. We need to call a meeting.” Rick nodding and sending Carl off to let everyone know about the meeting later.

Rick reply’s “Alright, tell me everything you know. We’ll get everyone together and figure out our next move.” He says while turning around to walking away.

Aurelia chuckled softly, glancing over at Michonne. “That’s just it he’s already dead.”

Rick stops abruptly, his eyes locking onto yours and Michonne’s with a steely intensity. “is that true?” he says turning back around.

Aurelia steps forward, her voice steady but carrying a weight of urgency. “It’s true, Rick. He took us when we were burning walker body’s and tied us up in his rv, the only choice I had was to kill him.”

Michonne nods, her expression serious. “We need to use this time to strengthen our defenses and make sure the group is united. If the Governor’s dead, whoever’s left might try to take control, or worse, come back with something we don’t expect.”

Aurelia adds, “This isn’t just about surviving anymore. It’s about being ready for whatever is next from these people.”

—

An hour later, the entire group had gathered in the council room, the atmosphere thick with tension and urgency. Rick stood at the front, his voice steady but firm as he addressed everyone. “The Governor is dead,” he began, “but that doesn’t mean his people are gone. They’re still out there, and we can’t afford to waste any time. We need to be prepared for whatever comes next.”

He paused, scanning the room to make sure everyone was absorbing the gravity of the situation. “We’re going to have to teach everyone how to defend themselves, how to use weapons, knives, anything that can keep us safe. This isn’t just about survival anymore it’s about making sure each of us can stand our ground.”

As Rick spoke, you couldn’t help but look around the room, searching for Daryl. As usual, he was nowhere to be found. His absence was noticeable, especially now when every hand was needed on deck. You wondered where he might be out scouting, or maybe dealing with something on his own. Either way, it left a gap in the group’s strength. Rick’s words continued to hang in the air, and the weight of the situation settled over everyone.

—

After the groups were organized and training schedules set, you made your way to Rick, hoping to find out if he had any idea where Daryl had gone.

Rick looked up from the map he was studying and said, “Daryl took off when Merle went missing and hour ago on foot.”

Aurelia, knowing Daryl’s fierce loyalty and how he would never leave his brother behind, decided she couldn’t wait for others to find them. She grabbed the keys to the car one they had used earlier for scouting and set out alone, hoping to track down Daryl and Merle before the situation spiraled further out of control.

The dusty road stretched endlessly under the relentless sun as Aurelia drove carefully, scanning the horizon for any sign of them. The heat shimmered off the cracked earth, but she pressed on, her determination unwavering. After what felt like hours, she finally spotted Daryl in the distance, standing where the Governors people took camp.

His face was etched with deep sorrow, the usual tough, guarded expression replaced by raw grief. Behind him stood Merle, but something was terribly wrong, Merle had become a walker, his eyes vacant and movements slow and unnatural. Daryl’s body trembled, pushing him away every time he got close to him. Daryl couldn’t hold it in anymore crying while watching his brother try to eat him. His hands gripped his knife tightly, and stabbed his brother over, and over, and over, and over, screaming out struggling to hold himself together as he fell to the ground crying feeling all alone.

Aurelia pulled the car to a stop a short distance away, her heart pounding in her chest. She stepped out quietly, her boots crunching softly on the gravel as she approached the scene. There, on the dusty ground, lay Merle motionless, lifeless. Tears welled up in her eyes despite the complicated feelings she held for him. She had never liked Merle much, but he was still family, and more than that, he was the brother of the man she loved. The weight of the loss settled heavily on her chest, making it hard to breathe.

She didn’t speak or ask any questions, sensing that words would only shatter the fragile moment. Instead, she remained silent, giving space to the grief that hung thick in the air. Slowly, she reached out to Daryl, her hand trembling slightly as she offered what little comfort she could. She could see the pain etched deep into his face, the way his body seemed to sag under the unbearable weight of sorrow.

Daryl finally gave in, collapsing to the ground beside Merle, letting himself be vulnerable for the first time in a long while. He leaned into Aurelia’s presence, taking in the warmth and reassurance she offered without a word.

Aurelia had been on the road for days, weeks, hell she might have been for a month. Walking on long rail road tracks to a “safe place” called Terminus. After the prison was raided by the Governor, the walls were teared down, walkers came inside killing all her family, all her loved ones. Well she didn’t know all for a fact.

…

Aurelia and Hershel being kidnapped and being bait for the group to give up the prison, As Hershel's lifeless body fell to the ground, Rick's anguished cry echoed across the battlefield, igniting a firestorm of gunfire. Aurelia, her heart pounding in her chest, fought desperately to free herself from her bonds. With nimble fingers, she worked at the knots. Finally, the ropes gave way, and she scrambled to her feet, grabbing her sword.

Without hesitation, Aurelia darted around the perimeter, using the cars as cover, her sword a blur as she cut down the Governor's men. Each swing was precise and deadly, driven by a burning rage and a need to protect her family. The prison, once a sanctuary, had become a battleground, and she would fight to defend it.

Aurelia's heart pounded as she watched Rick grapple with the Governor, his face turning a desperate shade of purple. Without hesitation, she sprinted towards them, her boots pounding against the blood-soaked ground. Seeing the Governor's hands wrapped tightly around Rick's throat, she knew she had to act fast. With a fierce battle cry, she swung the back of her sword, slamming it against the Governor's spine.

The Governor recoiled, his grip loosening on Rick's neck. Aurelia watched as his body convulsed, his eyes rolling back in his head. The Governor fought against the darkness, but Aurelia's blow had been true. He drowned in his own blood, his reign of terror finally over. Aurelia looked down at Rick, his face pale and drawn. She helped him to his feet, and he gave her a grateful nod.

A wave of relief washed over Aurelia as she realized what she had done. She had finally gotten her hands on the Governor, the man who had taken so much from them. With him gone, a sense of freedom washed over her, a feeling she hadn't experienced in a long time.

The moaning of the walkers coming towards Aurelia snapped her back to reality, the adrenaline slowly fading as the weight of their situation crashed down on her. She followed Rick back into the prison, the once-familiar corridors now a maze of debris and death. Every shadow seemed to hold a lurking walker, and they fought their way through the hordes, their movements synchronized, a dance of survival they had perfected over time.

"Carl!" Rick's voice echoed through the prison, raw with desperation. "Carl!" Aurelia joined in, her own voice strained with fear. "Carl!" Suddenly, a figure emerged from the darkness, running towards them. "DAD!" Carl's voice was a beacon of hope in the grim landscape. They embraced, a father and son reunited, but their joy was short-lived. Judith was nowhere to be seen.

A wave of dread washed over them as they spotted the overturned baby car seat, stained with blood. Rick rushed to it, his face contorted in anguish. The sight of the blood was a crushing blow. Tears streamed down their faces as the moans of the approaching walkers grew louder. They had no choice. They had to leave, leaving behind the memory of a daughter, a sister, lost to the chaos.

…

As Aurelia walked the long, desolate tracks, her mind was thoughts of Daryl. Was he safe? Had he made it out of the prison? Terminus, with its promise of sanctuary, was now her only beacon, the one place where she might find him again. Each step she took was driven by the hope of seeing his familiar silhouette, of hearing his gruff voice once more. The possibility of reunion was the only thing that kept her going.

“I think we got a days worth of water left.” He says looking down “we’re lucky it’s cooled off a but…” Rick says turning around. “What are you doing?”

Aurelia snapping out of thought looking behind her to see Michonne and Carl balancing on the train tracks.

“Winning a bet” Carl says looking up from the tracks and smiling.

“In you’re dreams” Michonne says smiling

Aurelia smirks and crossing her arm letting out a laugh.

“I’m still on” Carl says swinging his arms towards Michonne to knock her off, while almost making him fall off.

Michonne laughs “You spoke too soon, wise guy.”

“This might go on awhile, maybe we can speed this up.” Rick says walking towards them

“Yeah you’re right, shouldn’t be fooling around. We should probably…. CARL!” She says shaking her body in his direction, wobbling back and forth as she falls off.

“I win” Carl says laughing with a smug grin on his face. “pay up” He says extending his arm.

She gives face while taking her bag and swinging it around her body and zipping it open, Rick starts laughing. She pulls out a big cat and a cruncho.

“Is that really the last big cat?” Carl says staring at what one to choose.

His hand get closer to the big cat “oh come on” Michonne says pleading.

“Hey, but you said winner’s choice”

“Go head, take it, It’s yours” Throwing the cruncho in her bag. “You won it fair and square”

Carl splits the candy bar in half and hands some to Michonne “Come on we always share.”

She smiles taking some off “Fork it over” Pointing her head towards you. Carl takes the candy bar towards Aurelia, she smiles and takes some.

Rick smile looking over at you, he hasn’t seen you smile like this since the prison. He turns back and everyone sets back on the tracks.

…

After walking a long time Rick decided to set camp in the woods giving everyone a break , everyone is surrounded by the fire heating up food “How hungry are you on a scale one to ten?” Rick says turning towards Carl

“Fifteen” Carl scoffs.

Rick looks over to Michonne “twenty eight”

Lastly he looks over to you “fifty” you say looking over at him.

“Yeah, well it’s been awhile” Rick say’s chuckling “I’m gonna go check the snares” he says standing up.

Carl blows out his stick turning to his dad “Can I go with you?”

Rick laughs “Well, how else are you gonna learn”

Rick puts out the fire and looks towards you and Michonne “Hey you too as-well”

You help Carl finish putting out the fire and stand up grabbing your sword and following them, ducking over ur can fence.

“We will say another day or two, get some rest.”Rick says

“You finish healing up?” You say looking his way.

He shakes his head “I’m almost there”

Aurelia stared at the ground as she walked, her thoughts swirling with memories of Daryl and all those they had lost. Grief was a strange beast, she realized, its claws sinking in at the most unexpected moments. A sudden image of Daryl's chuckle, or a fleeting memory of a shared laugh, would send a fresh wave of sorrow crashing over her, a stark reminder of everything that had been taken away.

“we’re close right?” Carl says breaking ur train of thought.

“To Terminus?” Rick replies

“Yeah” Carl says

“We are” Rick says

“When we get there, are we gonna tell them?” Carl says

“Tell them what?” Aurelia says

“Everything that’s happened to us, all the stuff we’ve done.” “Are we gonna tell the truth?” Carl says

“We’re gonna tell them who we are” Aurelia says

“But how do you say that… I mean who are we?”

Aurelia looks over at Carl about to say something but a walker snarls drawing everyone attention making Aurelia jump grabbing her sword pulling it out of the case and walking towards it, she slices the walker head off from its body and it drops to the floor.

…

“There you go” Rick says running towards his snare “it’s a small one” he says undoing the dead squirrel “It will do” putting it into his bag.

“So this is just a simple slipknot, tie one to both ends then tighten one to a simple branch. Now you see how the ground here is sort of like a funnel shape?”

“It’s a trail?” Carl says

“That’s right, that’s where you wanna set the noose. So you hide it with leaves, then you put sticks all around it so any animal that’s going by has to run this way, right into the trap” Rick says showing the trap tightening up with his hands.

“HELP!” Making everyone’s head snap into the distance “SOMEBODY HELP!” next thing you see is Carl get up and start running towards the man.

“Carl!” Aurelia and Rick yell trying to get him to stop.

Everyone running after Carl you can hear the man getting louder telling the walkers to get back, you see the walkers getting closer and surrounding the man, Carl pull his gun and you speed towards him and pull him back behind the trees, you look back to see Rick and Michonne with you.

“We can’t help him.” Aurelia tells Carl, watching the walkers tear him apart biting into his skin, blood going everywhere, listening to him scream and get torn apart falling to the floor. One of the walkers see you guys and start going into your directions the rest starts to pull there attention off of the person they just ate onto there new food.

“We’ve got to go” Rick says turning around running as fast as they can back onto the train tracks and following the tracks to Terminus. Infront of them they see walkers feasting on more food, so everyone pulls there weapons out killing all the walkers one by one. After loosing all the walkers behind them Aurelia and the others went back to walking pace.

“Thought maybe there’d be some houses down this way, maybe even a store” Aurelia says still trying to slow down her breath. “There’s gotta be some food around here”

“Hey look” Carl says pointing to the blue rundown car. Michonne and carl getting there weapons ready while Rick and Aurelia walked towards it ready for anything, while they were searching for any sign of food Michonne killing a nearby walker, flicking off the blood on her sword.

…

Night arrived sooner than Aurelia expected, Rick finally feeling safe enough to let Carl get some sleep. You, and rick we’re taking watch on a log faced turned towards the warm fire. The heat felt nice on your face, it was the first thing in a while to make you feel something.

“That was one small rabbit” Rick says turning towards you.

“It was something” Aurelia says “Gotta hand it to the thing, it traveled well” Rick chuckled.

“Have you noticed that’s all we talk about anymore? Food, I forgot what this feels like”

“Me too, i hope we’re able to forget again soon” She adds

“We’re close” he says looking down at the fire “just gotta make it through another day, if folks are there taking people in, they have to be strong” Kicking out the fire. “They have to have a system”

“ I wonder if the whole things legit” she says looking into his face

A branch snaps not far away making you and Rick turn your heads toward the noise, putting your hand on your sword getting ready for whatever it is. Rick stands up fully trying to get a better look, not hearing anything after just the sound of crickets rick falls back down onto the log.

“We let people in” He says

“We did, so did the Governor”

Rick looks down at his hands and shakes his head “Yeah, it’s always the same, isn’t it?” “Don’t get to know until we know” You hum “Maybe this place isn’t even there anymore” Not a second later there’s a gun pointed at your head.

“Oh, dearie me” The mystery man says

Out of instinct Rick goes to grab his gun and see a man in a blue shit with a vest around him pointing a gun at his head, he kicks you’re gun away.

“You screwed up, asshole” More men come from the woods with gun pointing them at our heads.

“You hear me? You screwed up”

Rick is shaking of anger, face twitching making him boil with rage.

Aurelia’s hands are up listening to the men trying not to get killed. Her breath quickens as her ears begin to ring as the gun goes closer to her eyes, directed at the brain.

“Today’s is a day of reckoning, ma’am . Restitution” Aurelia looking over at the man with a grey beard “A balancing of the whole damn universe, shit and I was thinking of turning in for the night, on new year’s eve” he says laughing.

“Now who’s gonna count down the ball drop with me, huh? Ten Mississippi……. nine Mississippi……. eight Mississi-“

“JOE!” You hear someone say behind the car, wait… Aurelia you know that voice…

Daryl comes out from behind the car, you thought was gone this whole time, you couldn’t even react because a man had a gun to your face. You couldn’t run up to the man you loved, confusion came across you’re face looking at you’re lover.

…

When Daryl first sees you’re face his eyes soften thinking you weren’t alive anymore, seeing the gun pointed to your head made him snap. “Hold up” He said not taking his eyes off you.

“You’re stopping me at eight Daryl” The man said frustrated.

Daryl walks closer, with fear written all over his face. “Just hold up”

“This is the girl that killed Lou, so we got nothing to talk about” One guy says nudging the AR closer to you.

“The thing about now and days is we got nothing but time,” Getting closer to you. “Isn’t that right beautiful” He says while rubbing your cheek, making you cringe. “Say you’re piece Daryl”

Daryl boils with rage looking at ‘the head man’. “These people, you’re gonna let ‘em go” He says staring down Joe. “These are good people”.

Joe looks at Daryl “Now I think Lou would disagree with you on that. I’ll of course have to speak for him and all, cause your friend here strangled him in a bathroom.” Pointing towards you.

Daryl can’t let anything bad happen to you.“ You want blood, I get it” He says dropping his crossbow and putting his hand out. “Take it from me, man. Come on”

Joe looks at Daryl in disbelief “This woman killed our friend. You say she’s good people. See now that right there is a lie. ITS A LIE!” Daryl drops his hands next second you see him get punched.

“NOO!” You scream tears falling from your eyes, watching daryl beat down, getting pushed towards the car.

“Teach him fellas, Teach him all the ways” Joe says.

Carls door gets swung open “NO!” Carl screams.

“Come here, boy” The fat man grabs onto him yanking him out of the car, as the same goes for Michonne.

“YOU LEAVE HIM BE!” Rick says getting up, but the blue shirt man ties him right back down into the log. Carl starts to cry as the man takes a knife to his neck.

“You’ll get yours, you just wait your turn” A man says to Michonne dragging her right next to Rick.

“Listen, it was me. It was just me!” You say eyes becoming more blurry as you speak.

“See beautiful, now that’s right. That’s not a damn lie” He says coming down to your level. “Look, we can settle this, We’re reasonable men. You turn your head to Daryl seeing him get beat to the floor.

“First, we’re gonna beat daryl to death, then i’ll have you. Then the men will have the other girl. Then the boy. Then i’m gonna shoot your friend over here, and then we’ll be square” He says laughing.

You start shaking in rage turning over to see Carl get pinned to the ground “Let him go.” You say, the man gets on top of him telling him to stop moving he starts laughing. “Let him go”

Hearing your ears ring without a thought you smash your head into the back of Joes head sending him back making his finger twitch pulling the trigger sending a bullet out of his chamber, Making you’re ears ring more, hearing him cough sends you back turning around quickly and punching him in the face, he sends one right back into you sending you to the ground “I got her” he says kicking into you’re stomach. “Oh you just made it so much worse now, sweetheart”

You try to get up but fail miserably. “Come on get up!” he yells “Come on let’s see what you got”He says right into you’re face.

“Get away from him before I—“ You say tripping into Joe

“Huh? Right over here, what the hell are you gonna do now sweetheart?” Not a second later you take your teeth right into the base of his neck bitting hard and deep, ripping out a big chunk oh his skin into your mouth and spitting it out. Hearing him gurgling and bleeding out onto the floor tasting iron inside your mouth feeling wet from your mouth down, your legs weakening making you fall to the floor, making your ears ring.

Michonne making the next move taking the gun that pointed towards her and turning it around and pulling the trigger sending the man down and shooting the man on Daryl.

The man with Carl putting the knife up to his throat “I’ll kill him, IILL—ILL KILL HIM!” He says screaming.

“Let the boy go” Michonne says putting the gun up to him

Daryl finally finished the last guy on him grunting smooshing his head on the concrete.

Rick walks up to Joes dead body taking the knife off him and walking up to the fat man and Carl “He’s mine” he’s says casually walking towards him, the man becomes scared dropping Carl to the floor.

“Stay back— Stay” Rick drives the knife into the fat man’s body making blood come out of his mouth stabbing him over and over again making the man scream, blood covering Rick’s face and hands.

Daryl runs to you his voice cut through the ringing in your ears, his hands gentle as he pulled you up from the ground. Your vision swam for a moment, the world tilting precariously before settling into focus. Daryl's face, etched with concern, was the first thing you saw. "Aurelia," he repeated, his voice rough but laced with a tenderness that always managed to ground you.

Tears welled in your eyes as you looked up at him, the metallic tang of blood still lingering in your mouth. "Did he do anything to you?" Daryl's thumbs brushed against your cheeks, wiping away the drying blood, his gaze searching your face for any sign of injury or trauma. You shook your head, unable to find your voice, the image of the man's lifeless eyes still burned behind your eyelids.

Daryl pulled you into a tight embrace, his strong arms wrapping around you, offering a sense of security. "It's okay," he murmured, his voice low and soothing. "You're safe." You clung to him, burying your face in his shoulder, the scent of leather and woodsmoke a familiar comfort. In that moment, surrounded by the carnage and chaos of dead bodies, Daryl's presence was a beacon of hope you were holding onto this whole time, and you finally had him back into you’re arms.

…

That whole night you couldn’t sleep, you’re outside that same blue car sitting with your hands up to your knees, your hands are shaking, thinking about what happened all night, you can’t even cry anymore, you feel emotionless. Your brain keeps going back to you biting that man’s neck. He did deserve it, but that just wasn’t you.

Daryl walks up to you, setting his crossbow against the car taking his rag out of his back pocket and opening the water bottle and pouring someone the rag.

You look up at him “We should save it to drink” you say arguing.

“You can’t see yourself. everyone else can” He handing you the rag, you take it and start cleaning your face off.

He looks over at you “I didn’t know what they were”

You nod your head “How did you wind up with them?” you asked

“I was with Beth, we got out together I was with her for a while” He said looking at his hands

“Is she dead” You asked worried

He looks over at you “She’s just gone”

“After that, that’s when they found me, I mean I knew they were bad, but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid, but it was something. It was enough”

“And you were alone” You comforted him

“Said they were looking for some girl, they said last night they spotted her. I was hanging back, I was gonna leave, but I stayed. That’s when I saw it was you four. Right when you saw me, I didn’t know what they would do” He says looking down at his feet.

“It’s not on you Daryl” You say looking into his eyes.

“Hey, it’s not on you” You say making him look at you to clarify.

“You being back here with me now, that’s everything—“ You pause.

“I love you”

He turned his head, his gaze meeting yours. His eyes, usually guarded and intense, softened with a look of pure, unguarded emotion. His silent was language of vulnerability and trust. In that moment, the world seemed to fade away, leaving only the connection between you.

“Hey what you did last night, anybody would have done that”

“no not that”

As you both looked ahead, a comfortable silence settled between you, allowing the weight of the moment to sink in. You leaned into his shoulder, finding solace in his familiar presence, and rested your head against him with a soft sigh.

So after all the chaos, things seemed to calm down once the group arrived at Hershel's farm. It was like everyone could finally breathe for a minute, especially after those crazy days they'd been through.

Well, except for Carol and the Grimes family, of course. It's like they can't catch a break. I guess when everyone decided to call it quits on the search for Sophia and started heading back to the highway camp, Lori got whisked away to this farm a couple miles out. This green-eyed girl, Maggie, found her and said Carl had been shot. So, Lori and Maggie hurried off on horseback to there family's farm, leaving directions for the small group to follow.

After Aurelia and the group finished setting up their tents around the farm, and Carl finally feeling better running around outside playing with Aurelia for hours she falls to the floor. She sees Carl come above her covering the hot sun from her face laughing.

She squints “Man you have a lot of energy, I can’t keep up with you.” She says catching her breath, Aurelia gets off the floor dusting off all the dirt from her pants and heads inside the farm house, she has yet to introduce herself and thank the farmer’s family.

Aurelia approached the front door and rapped her knuckles against the wood. "It's open," she heard the farmer call out from inside. She reached for the doorknob, twisting it to swing the door inward.

Stepping inside, Aurelia's eyes landed on the farmer and his family gathered around the dining table. She offered them a warm smile, hoping to ease the tension of the situation.

"I just wanted to personally thank you and your family,” she said, "I know Rick already has on behalf of the whole group, but I wanted you guys to know how much this means to us."

Everyone at the table turned to Aurelia, their faces softening into heart-warming smiles. "Well, thank you very much—" the farmer began, before being gently interrupted. "Aurelia," she offered, filling the pause with her name.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aurelia," Hershel said, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "I'm Hershel, and these are my two daughters, Beth and Maggie." He gestured towards the two young women seated beside him.

Beth's face lit up at the mention of her name. "It's so nice to meet you, Aurelia!" she exclaimed, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm. "Would you like to see my room, I'd love to show you!" She looked at Aurelia with hopeful eyes, eager to share her space with a new friend.

Looking into Beth's bright, eager eyes, Aurelia found it impossible to refuse. "Of course! I'd love to see your room," she replied, her voice warm with genuine interest. "Only if it's okay with your father, though," she added, turning her gaze towards Hershel.

The farmer considered for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face before offering a small, almost imperceptible nod. "Go on ahead," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

With a shared glance of excitement, Beth led the way towards the staircase. Aurelia followed close behind as they ascended the long, creaky stairs, each step echoing through the quiet house.

As they reached the top of the stairs and entered Beth's room, Aurelia's eyes widened in surprise. The walls were adorned with colorful posters and handmade artwork, giving the space a cozy and inviting feel. In the corner, she spotted a vintage camera sitting on a small table.

"Wow, that's a beautiful camera," Aurelia said, her voice filled with admiration. "Do you take a lot of photos?"

Beth blushed slightly, her fingers tracing the outline of the camera. "It was my mom's," she explained softly. "I haven't really used it much, to be honest." She paused, then looked at Aurelia with a newfound resolve. "You know what? You should have it," she said, surprising Aurelia. "I can tell you'd really appreciate it, and I think my mom would want it to go to someone who would use it."

Aurelia's heart swelled with gratitude as she wrapped her arms around Beth, holding her tightly. "Thank you, Beth," she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.

After spending some more time in Beth's room, chatting, laughing and sharing music taste, they noticed the sun beginning to set, casting a warm golden glow through the window. "Wow, it's getting late," Beth said, glancing at the sky. "I should probably show you the way out."

As they walked towards the front door, Beth turned to Aurelia with a smile. "Thank you for spending time with me, Aurelia." she said sincerely. "I had a really great time.” She paused, then added with a playful wink, "Take lots of amazing photos!"

As Aurelia thanked Beth once more and stepped outside, she immediately looked around for Daryl, but he was nowhere in sight. A slight feeling of concern washed over her as she wondered where he could be. Walking towards the field, she noticed a faint figure and a campsite far out by the woods. Curiosity piqued, she quickened her pace, her eyes fixed on the distant scene.

As she got closer, the figure became more distinct, and she recognized Daryl sitting by the campsite, intently sharpening a twig with his knife. A wave of relief washed over her as she realized he was simply enjoying the solitude of the outdoors.

As Aurelia approached Daryl, she couldn't help but tease him about his secluded campsite. "Why did you set up camp so far away?" she asked, her voice laced with playful amusement. "These people don't bite, you know."

Daryl simply grunted in response, his eyes fixed on the twig he was sharpening. He didn't offer any explanation or justification for his choice of location.

*Click*

Daryl finally tore his gaze away from the stick and knife, his eyes meeting Aurelia's. He was met with the sight of a camera lens pointed directly at him, and Aurelia's face was beaming with a mischievous grin.

“Stawp” He says with mixture of annoyance and embarrassment flickered across his features as he realized he had been caught in the act.

Here’s some more photos Aurelia has taken:

Here’s one’s Daryl would secretly take when Aurelia wasn’t looking:

Aurelia stood, almost frozen, holding onto Bruno.

She didn’t want to let go of his arm. 

Partly because she didn’t want him to think there was anything wrong, but also because she just couldn’t bring herself to.

It wasn’t until Bruno offered to take Valiente and put their things into the stables that she was able to pull herself away.

‘What are you doing?’ she kept asking herself while she watched them walk out of view.

‘You can’t let this happen!  You can’t let yourself feel anything like that!  What’s going to happen when Casita lets you go?  You know you can’t stay!  You’ve already stayed too long!’

She began to slowly pace back and forth from one side of the small patio to the other. Hand on her hip and the other nervously fiddling with her necklace.

‘It’s nothing!  It’s just a little feeling.  You haven’t been around anyone in ages, especially for this long!  So, you realized he was handsome. You’ve realized other men were handsome in the past and nothing came from that, so what are you worried about?’

Aurelia began to feel her cheeks get warm.  She was sure her face was starting to turn red from being unable to get Bruno’s smiling face out of her mind.

She covered her own face with her hands and let out an aggravated groan.  

‘You’re acting like a love-sick teenager! Stop!’

She leaned forward onto the high wall of the patio, burying her head in her crossed arms.

‘This is nothing…this is nothing.  This feeling will pass and this whole situation will be a distant memory.  Just like they always are…just like they always have to be.’

Aurelia sighed, thinking about her past and all the reasons she couldn’t even entertain the feelings within her.

‘This is nothing…’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘This might be something!’ Bruno thought, a large smile plastered on his face.

Bruno kept thinking about all their interactions while he placed their belongings in a small chest they had inside the stables.

Especially Aurelia holding onto his arm and not wanting to let go.   

That action alone was enough that he couldn’t help but to hope. No one had ever made him feel this calm and light.

He felt like singing as he moved hay and grass into the feeder for Valiente but he settled for whistling a happy tune.

The more he thought about his feelings, though, the more he started to feel silly.  He felt he knew where this would go.

The same place it always went whenever he had more than a feeling for someone.

The smile on his face faded as he leaned on the pitchfork.

Valiente gave out a deep gruff to get him out of his daydream like he would do for Aurelia and nudged Bruno’s arm.  

He laughed and thanked Valiente with a couple pats.

‘Maybe this time it could be different, maybe this time there’s a chance.’

“You know,” Bruno started, “my sobrino can talk to animals.  When it comes to gifts he really got a great one.  The day he got it I was hiding in the wall nearby and I was so happy for him…but I was also jealous.  If I had his gift maybe things would have been different for me.  I guess the reason I’m bringing it up is because if I had his gift I could ask you if I…if I had a chance with Aurelia.  I know I just met her…but I can’t help but think that  she likes me…or can like me…because I, I think I might like her.”

Valiente nuzzled his shoulder for a moment before turning to enjoy his meal.

Bruno laughed.

“Thank you, friend.” he said, not sure exactly what Valiente would have told him if he could, but he still felt it was positive.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aurelia struggled to get her mind off of her own troubles.  

She couldn’t move on from her memories, which kept playing and repeating in her mind.

She started to feel herself fall into a panic which usually happened whenever she dwelled on her past for too long when she heard someone call out.

“Hola, señorita!” a call came from the front of the home.

Aurelia lifted herself up and saw  the fruit vendor from the plaza. He was smiling and walking up towards her.

She didn’t want to have to deal with anyone at the moment, but she also didn’t want to be rude.

She stood up and sheepishly smiled and slowly waved back.

“I didn’t believe the Madrigal niños when they told me they had a visitor staying with them that matched your description!  What happened to ‘just passing through’?”

“Plans changed.” Aurelia said, shrugging.

“Well all the better for our little town.  Always good to have new faces in it, especially ones as pretty as yours.”

Aurelia jerked slightly.

“Thank you…” Aurelia laughed but really she was thinking ‘oh no, not this’. 

“Well I just wanted to stop by to say hello and take a moment to bring some more apples for you and your horse.”

He lifted up a small sack filled with apples and handed it to her.

“My name’s Juan, by the way.”

“Thank you, Juan.  We appreciate you bringing this for us.”

Juan stood, a smile on his face while he waited patiently.

“Oh…I’m Aurelia.”

“I should have guessed!  A beautiful name to match a beautiful woman!”

Aurelia started to blush.

“Well, I better get back to my stand.  You should stop by if you have a chance.”

“I’ll try, thank you again for the apples.” she said, waving bye to him as he made his way over the bridge leading back into the town.

As soon as he was out of view Aurelia turned and slid down the wall.  

Her embarrassment was growing within her and was fueling the panic she already felt.  

Juan the fruit vendor was laying it on pretty thick and she really couldn’t handle it.

Especially not right now.

“So…how do you know Juan?” she heard Bruno ask from above her.

She looked up to see him staring down at her from the other side of the wall.

She let out a bothered huff.

“I met him yesterday morning.  He was the first person I talked to when I came into the town.”

“Ah…was it just me or was he…flirting?”

Aurelia’s face began to turn a deep shade of red while she struggled to find her words.

“You heard that!?” she finally exclaimed, burying her face in her hands again to hide her further embarrassment. 

Bruno wasn’t sure if her reaction was a good or bad thing.  Was she embarrassed because she liked the attention but didn’t want him to know?  Did she not like the attention?  

Bruno looked around and noticed the sack on the wall beside him.

“He brought you a gift?” he asked, trying to change the subject.

“Some apples…” Aurelia replied, letting out a long breath, “You want one?”

“An apple sounds good right now.”

Bruno hopped over the chest high wall with little effort.  

Aurelia definitely took notice of this.

“You must have made an impression on him…Juan isn’t known for giving away his fruit for free to just anyone.”

“Lucky me.” Aurelia remarked, resting her head on her knees.

Bruno felt a little better about the situation.  She definitely didn’t sound like she was too happy with the interaction.

“Oh, speaking of which, here,” he said, “I have a gift for you too…I found these with your things and thought you might need them.”

He sat down and handed her the boots he had found.

Aurelia's face went from annoyance to a soft smile.  Bruno couldn’t help but notice the soft shade of pink that rested on her cheeks when she took the shoes from him. It took all of his willpower to keep from staring.

“Thank you.” she said, “I’d completely forgotten I wasn’t wearing them.”

She got up and leaned on one of the chairs in front of where they were sitting.  

Bruno watched but suddenly jerked his focus to the side and quickly stood up.  He could feel a burst of heat in his cheeks and was positive she could tell he was blushing.

“There we go.  Are you alright?  Why’d you stand up?”  she asked. 

“I-I just needed to stand to get a better hold of the apples.  Here you go.” he said, handing her one.

He hoped his excuse was enough.  He didn’t want her to know the real reason he stood was because he was at a perfect level to see more of her legs than he was comfortable with while she put her shoes on.

He also really hoped the shock wasn’t showing too much on his face.

“Thank you.”  Aurelia replied, taking the apple and going back to her spot on the floor.

Bruno watched her and couldn’t help but smile.  He thought it was interesting that she chose to go back to the floor rather than sitting in one of the chairs on the patio and let a little raspy laugh escape his lips.

“What?” she asked, taking a quick bite.

“I-I’m sorry…I just…wouldn’t you rather sit in one of the chairs?”.

Aurelia stopped chewing then let out a breathy laugh.

“I…no I…I yes, yes you’re right.  I should sit in a chair.”

She started to get up again when Bruno stopped her.

“No, stay where you are.  I can join you there.”  

Bruno sat back down where he had been sitting on the floor beside her.  

The two sat in silence for a moment.  The only sound between them being the crunch of their bites.

“I’m sorry for asking,” Bruno started, finally breaking the quiet, “Is there a reason you’re more comfortable sitting on the floor?”

Aurelia laughed.

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to make it sound weird.” Bruno apologized.

“No, it’s fine.  I dunno…I’ve spent a lot of time in the jungles and traveling from place to place for years.  I never really had enough money to pay for inn’s, so I spent a lot of my time outside… and not where there’s furniture.  I guess it’s just a habit for me to sit on the floor.  I’ve never really noticed till now.”

“Sorry to be the one who pointed it out.”

“It’s okay. ”

The two of them stared at each other smiling, until they both started to blush and giggle like a pair of children.  Averting their eyes to keep the color from building up any more.

‘This is nice.’ They both thought to themselves. 

Being near each other really helped to calm them.  Even Aurelia was happy at that moment.  Everything she had been worried about before was now far from her mind.

“I have another question…if that’s okay.”

“Yes?”

“Um..mi sobrina mentioned you had said to her that you were a nomad?  Is that for religious reasons?”

Aurelia’s demeanor changed.  

She went from smiling to serious and looked off to her side before shaking her head ‘no’

“It’s for…personal reasons.”

Bruno began to worry he had asked the wrong question.

“Oh…” he replied, fiddling with a piece of thread sticking out of his ruana.

“I wish I could stay in one place for longer than I’ve been able to, though.” she continued.

“Why can’t you?”  

His question triggered so many things within her.  

That question had been asked of her before and it took her back to that place.  Back then it was so easy to respond in a hopeful way.  It was so easy to let her wants take over.  It was easy to dream and to believe that she would be safe.  But she knew what came from wishful thinking.

The memory of the last time made her stomach turn and her heart ache.

“I…I’d rather not say…”

Bruno looked away, nervous that he’d pried and it took the joy out of their conversation.

She noticed him deflating and didn’t want him to feel like he’d done anything wrong.

“But if there was ever a place I would want to stay in, your town would be at the top of my list.”

“Oh…that’s good.”

Again the silence fell over them.  “What do you like about Encanto?” Bruno finally asked.

Aurelia tilted her head to think about her answer.  Something Bruno had quickly started to enjoy seeing her do.

“Lots of things.” she started, “Your town is beautiful. It seems like a painting…or a dream.  I’ve been to hundreds of places, hundreds of towns and I have never seen another place quite like Encanto.  What’s even better is the people I’ve found here.  The people are just as beautiful as their town.  Helpful, friendly…although some are too friendly.” she said, pointing out toward where Juan had been.

Bruno laughed.

She looked up at him and smiled.  She couldn’t help but stare at him while he laughed.  

His laugh was becoming her favorite thing about him. ‘Also...because you’re here…’ she thought, quickly turning to take another bite of her apple as she mentally scolded herself.  ‘I wish you could stay…’ Bruno thought to himself, stealing a quick glance her way. The two again sat in silence for a moment just enjoying the others presence when a clock from within Casita began to chime. “It’s later than I thought it was.” he said, putting his apple in his mouth and getting up. “Is now the time you have to go?” Aurelia asked. “No, I just like to make lunch for the family when I stay back in the morning.” “Oh…would you like some help?” “That would be nice.” he said, a smile on his face while he extended his hand out to her. She smiled and took it but was welcomed by the same shock that had gone through their hands before. They both pulled back. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t know why that keeps happening.” Bruno said, his brow furrowed with worry. “It’s all right” she said, thinking for a moment, “…um give me your hand again.”  Bruno extended his hand but instead of taking it, Aurelia reached past and grabbed onto his wrist.  Bruno followed suit and he was able to help her up without the shock. “There’s always a way!” Aurelia remarked. The two stood smiling at their little victory but quickly stopped when they realized they were still holding onto each other. “Thank you…” Aurelia said, almost whispering. She let go, but subconsciously let her fingertips trail up the skin of his wrist and palm. The feeling of electricity emanated from the point where their hands touched and shot through the rest of their bodies. “It’s…it’s no problem *cough*.” Bruno replied, his voice quiet and shaky.  

Bruno Madrigal had never been the luckiest of people.  Even before the town's opinions turned on him in his late teens he always felt like things never truly went his way.

He had learned long ago to simply accept it.  

He knew he would never be as popular as his sisters.  He knew what people had thought of him and he knew he would never have many friends because of it.  Which also fed into the knowledge that he would never get the chance to get too close to anyone.

It had been years since he’d even thought about this.  He had too many other things and emotions to deal with and worry about.  

It didn’t seem important anymore. 

Then what was he going to do about these sudden feelings?   

How was he going to deal with the heat in his face and the sudden unwillingness to look at the woman who sat across from him?

He felt he knew where this would end and if he thought anything else could come of it he was only fooling himself.  Past experiences made it hard to think otherwise.

‘She was only being nice.’ he kept repeating, ‘You know that’s all it was, a nice notion…from a nice person.’

He allowed himself to finally look up at her again.  She noticed instantly and returned his look with a small smile before returning her focus to yet another of the many questions being hurled her way from his sobrinos. 

Bruno sat back and melted into his chair.

What was he going to do?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aurelia had spent most of the past 16 years alone.  Except for Valiente she hadn’t had many opportunities for conversations and all of those were one sided.    

She had grown so used to guarded answers and minimal phrases when she did talk to someone that the onslaught of questions being asked of her was a little overwhelming.

At times the sobrino’s wouldn’t even wait for an answer before throwing another one her way or just hopping to a different topic.

It was chaotic and nerve wracking, but it was nice.

It had been so long since she was surrounded by laughter and smiles, familial taunting and friendly jabs. She had forgotten how much she missed it. It reminded her of a home she left long ago.

The sudden rush of conversation made it even more noticeable to her that Bruno wasn’t joining in.

It had taken him a while to come into the dining room and when he did he kept his focus on his breakfast.  Moving the food around his plate in between bites.

She wondered if she had said something to offend him.  He didn’t seem like the type but she had just met him.

She hoped she hadn’t gone and messed things up like usual.

At that moment he looked up at her.

She gave him a soft smile to hopefully make things better but another question took her focus away. 

“So, Aurelia, since you’re the guest here, how did you like breakfast?  Please tell my cousin he’s crazy for complaining!” Isabella asked, glaring at her cousin.

“I, um, well…I think the breakfast is delicious.”  she said.

“SEE!! You’re just complaining for the fun of it!” she said, taunting Camilo.

Aurelia smiled but thought it best not to add that she hadn’t eaten anything else other than an apple in the past twenty-four hours.  

“Well, your mom’s is better!” he insisted.

“Of course my mom’s is better!” 

“I think it’s unfair to compare Isabella’s okay cooking to our mom’s.” Luisa said, trying to be supportive of her sister but only earning a shocked look from Isabella.

“Well, next time all of you can cook!  I’d like to help Aurelia figure out how to get out of Casita!  I can probably come up with something better than throwing her off of the balcony!” Isabella said, laughing as she did so.

“We didn’t throw her…she jumped!” Camilo responded.

Everyone joined in with the laughter.  As if that change in details made it sound any better.

“Hey, everyone, we’re late.” Delores calmly interrupted, getting up and walking her dishes to the kitchen.

The rest of the family shot up from their seats, quickly taking the last few bites of food off their plates and drinks from their cups before tossing their dishes on the counter just beside the entrance into the kitchen.

When Aurelia walked in to do the same she saw Casita taking the plates, dumping the leftover food into the bin beside the counter and moving them next to a large sink to wait to be cleaned.

Aurelia placed her own dishes down and watched in awe as Casita did the same again.

‘This house…amazing!’ she thought.

“Sorry, Aurelia, we need to leave for a few hours but we’ll be back around lunch time.” Mirabel called out to her as she ran to join her cousins out front.

Everyone waved as they made their way over the bridge and out of view into the town.  

Aurelia waved back and stood by the door for a few moments before trying to walk out again.  

Casita slammed the door and moved the tiles so she was further away from it.

“Okay, okay.  I’m sorry.  You can’t fault me for trying.”  She laughed.

Aurelia turned and slowly started to meander around the courtyard.  She admired all the flowers and the beauty of Casita while she thought about what she might do for the next couple of hours.

Maybe she could find a book…find a place to lay down and rest for a while?

She walked into the kitchen and saw the pile of dishes waiting to be washed. 

She had found her activity, deciding that the dishes were the least she could do for the nice breakfast.  Regardless of what Camilo said, she thought it was good.

Casita instantly filled the sink with warm water when she approached it, which she mixed with some powdered soap they kept in a small cup beside it.

She began to wash and quickly lost herself in memories.  

She found herself thinking about her grandmother.  How she would wash dishes and let little Aurelia dry.  It had been so long since she had to worry about dishes she’d forgotten how much she enjoyed doing this simple task.

The memories of happier times flooded back into her mind and she began to hum the song her grandmother would sing whenever she would focus on a task.  She had long forgotten the words, but the tune would stay with her forever.

Aurelia was startled out of her thoughts by Bruno, who walked in beside her and began to dry the dishes she would place in the next basin.

She hadn’t realized he was still there and stopped her singing.

He had his hood on and never turned to her.  Instead motioning for her to continue her song before returning to drying the dish he held in his hand.

Another soft smile formed and she did just that.

The two stood beside each other, one humming and washing, the other drying and just listening.

Both of them enjoying themselves more than they would admit.  Simply because the other was there.

When they had finished Bruno motioned for Aurelia to follow and led her into the dining room.  Pulling out a chair for her.  

She sat and admired the view out of the large window beside the table until Bruno came back into the room with a cup of tea for each of them.

He sat at the seat behind her.  The two sitting and enjoying the silence between them.

Aurelia couldn’t explain how she felt in this moment.  She wasn’t on edge, listening to the sounds around her.  She wasn’t hyper aware of the people that surrounded her.  She was relaxed.  A foreign feeling after all this time. 

Bruno, on the other hand, was far from relaxed.  

He kept moving his focus from the window and then back over to Aurelia.  He noticed how she lost herself in the view, tilting her head slightly and taking the necklace she wore in her hand.  Lightly making soft circles over the pendant with her thumb.

He noticed the deep breaths she would let out every so often and the soft smile that stayed on her face.

He began to wonder if she might notice him the same way he did her.

He wondered if she had noticed him staying behind while the others were in the dining room.  Or if she noticed him quietly preparing himself to go into the kitchen with her.  

He felt like such a fool, but she never let on if she did notice those things.  

Bruno slowly took off his hood.  

‘Time to put ‘Hernando’ away,’ he thought.

“I’m not keeping you from anything?” she asked softly before turning around to face him.

He shook his head, wishing he had left Hernando on a little longer.  Hopefully he wasn’t blushing.

“I don’t need to be anywhere till later.”

“Oh…” 

Aurelia took a small sip of the tea.  The taste was familiar and sweet, something she relished because it had been so long since she’d had anything like it.

It was then that she began to feel guilty.  She was being treated like an honored guest in the very home that she had, essentially, broken into!  She had come here to steal from the family and was now drinking tea with the kind and nice man that she had called horrible things not too long before!  That fact stuck in her chest and made her feel awful!

“I’m sorry…” she whispered, catching Bruno by surprise.

“For what?” 

“For calling you those awful names… and throwing sand in your face.” 

She grimaced at the thought.

Bruno laughed.

“It…it’s okay.  I guess if I’d never seen what you saw I’d have reacted the same way.  I’m just glad you didn’t beat me up when I reached for Tina.”

Aurelia laughed as well.

“I’m sorry for that too.”

Suddenly the aches in her body from being tossed and thrown all morning started to make themselves known.

She arched her back and stretched her shoulders, reaching up to massage the base of her neck.

“Feeling sore?” Bruno asked.

She nodded.

“Hold on.”

He got up and returned shortly with an arepa con queso.

“Here, eat this.  It’s not warm, but my sister’s cooking is still really good, even the next day.”

Aurelia took a bite.  She felt a jolt travel through her body and in an instant she had no more aches or pains.

She stared down in awe at the food in her hand and looked up at Bruno, who laughed.

“Pretty neat, huh?  Julieta’s gift makes it so she can heal anything with food.”

Aurelia stood up and began to run toward the front door but before she could take the doorknob in her hand Casita moved its tiles beneath her again, pulling her back into the courtyard and into Bruno who had followed behind her.

“Damn, I keep forgetting.” she said, holding onto the food like it was a precious gift and not fully realizing she was being held by a man with very rosy cheeks. 

“I need to get this to someone.  It’s very important.” she insisted. 

“I…uh…I um…Wh-who?  Who do you need to get this to?” Bruno stammered, slowly letting go of her and taking a step away. 

“My friend! I left him by the stables.”

‘Him?’ Bruno thought, his heart sinking.

“Casita, please!  I need to get this to the stables!  If you let me go I won’t leave, I’ll come right back.” Aurelia pleaded.

Casita’s tiles started to move, bringing the two together again and moving them toward the back of the house where an alcove began to form.  The alcove quickly grew out into a small patio, underneath the balcony where Aurelia had tried to jump out earlier.  

It was a nice little area, and what was more important it faced where the stables were.

Bruno didn’t know how much more he could handle being thrown into Aurelia. Especially after thinking she was traveling with another man. 

“Thank you, Casita!” she exclaimed, looking out and giving a loud whistle that echoed far into the jungle behind the home.

Bruno wasn’t expecting that but couldn’t help but smile when he saw a horse come limping out from behind the stables.

“Hello my friend, I’m so sorry, you must be so sore from having your saddle on all night.  Let me get this off of you.”

“A horse…your friend is your horse?” Bruno asked, releived.

“Yes, poor thing was waiting for me all night.”   she said, placing the saddle and bags on the patio wall, “Here you go.  Hopefully this works.”

Valiente took the rest of the arepa and instantly started kicking out his injured leg before taking a few steps then sprinting off into a run around the stables.

“Your sister’s cooking does work on animals!” Aurelia laughed.

“Learn something new everyday.” Bruno said, smiling over at her.

Valiente came galloping back and began to nuzzle Aurelia, who had the biggest smile on her face as she hugged him right back.

Bruno couldn’t help but stare.  She was beautiful.

He caught himself in the thought and quickly shook it out of his mind.

“Thank you for the arepa!” Aurelia said, reaching over and taking Bruno by the arm  to bring him closer to them, “Valiente, I want you to meet my new friend, Bruno.”

Bruno could feel his heart skip and his breath pause. 

She held onto him so tightly and more than that, she had called him her friend.

Maybe his luck would start to change, afterall.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aurelia felt so happy and calm at this moment.  Something she definitely hadn’t felt in ages.

This small, hidden away town had really proven to be the sanctuary she needed from the life she had thrown herself into.

This felt right.  This felt good.

She let out a soft sigh and looked up at Bruno who smiled down at her and continued to pet Valiente.

‘Oh’ she thought, finally noticing the green in his eyes.  

Noticing the way they lit up and how they seemed to shine when he smiled.  How right it felt to hold his arm and stand so close beside him.

Aurelia stopped her wandering thoughts and took a quick breath just as she noticed her heart skip a beat.