#cs;

Daryl rolled over to the middle of the bed and buried his face in Paul’s pillow, inhaling the scent of strawberry shampoo, the slight undertone of marijuana, coffee, and something that was just Paul that he could never describe.

Daryl rolled onto his back and scrubbed a rough hand over his face in frustration.

He’d fucked up, yeah...he knew that. But a part of him still felt like it had been the right thing to do.

A sudden pounding on the window over their bed brought him out of his thoughts and he sat up, opening it, and saw Lydia standing outside.

“We got a door,” Daryl said.

“Yeah, but you’re always asleep this early now,” Lydia said, holding up her crossbow, “And you said we could go hunting today.”

“Said we could practice today, didn’t say nothin’ about takin’ ya huntin’ yet,” Daryl snorted.

Lydia slung the crossbow on her back and crossed her arms, “Why?”

“Because ya gotta learn ta walk quiet...you’re like Rick, bull in a China shop.”

Lydia just scoffed, “Yeah, yeah. Well stop pouting over your boyfriend and come train me then.”

Daryl sighed, “Gimme ten minutes...come feed Dog while I get ready.”

Paul was in the middle of weeding the garden when the shadow of a person interrupted the nice sunlight he had. He looked up and saw Enid standing there, a frown on her face.

“Hey, what’s up?” Paul asked, standing up and dusting off his hands.

“Can I talk to you?” Enid whispered, her arms crossed over her stomach, insecurity written all over her face.

“Yeah...that’s fine,” Paul said cautiously, “You wanna talk here or-”

Enid grabbed his arm and drug him into the greenhouse and closed the door behind them. She quickly looked down the aisles and under the tables, making sure no one else was in there. Then, she went around the windows that were open slightly and closed them.

“Enid, sweetie, what’s going on?” Paul asked, a little alarmed with how she was acting. As she’d gotten older, she’d become more calm and mature, especially with taking over the role as community doctor.

Enid walked up to him and took a shaky breath, “I’m pregnant.”

Paul blinked in shock, “Oh...well, congratulations-”

“It’s not Alden’s,” Enid said quickly, looking down, “W-We were on a break because we got in a fight about how he was talking to Lydia,” she took a shaky breath, “A-And...Carl and Lydia were on a break a-and…”

“Enid…” Paul trailed off in shock, “Are you telling me that the baby is Carl’s?”

Enid nodded, tears filling her eyes, “Alden and I are back together, what do I do?” she choked out, the tears spilling over, “I love Lydia so much, I feel terrible. She loves C-Carl and I…”

“Hey, hey,” Paul said, putting his hands on her shoulders, “You didn’t cheat, you didn’t do anything wrong. You don’t have to answer this now, but do you want to keep it?”

Enid pursed her lips, putting a hand on her stomach.

“Don’t fall into the ‘it’s the apocalypse, we have to repopulate the Earth’ trap either,” Paul told her, “If you’re not comfortable having this baby and you don’t want to keep it, there’s no problem with that.”

“I-I think I want to keep it,” Enid whispered, “I just need to figure out how to tell my family a-and tell Alden, oh god,” she choked out.

“Whatever you need, just let me know,” Paul told her gently, “But we need to send for Siddiq so he can check you over. This isn’t something you can keep completely a secret, especially when prenatals are going to disappear from the pantry.”

Enid nodded slowly, wiping her eyes a few times, “Okay,” she took a shaky breath, “Okay, I need to…” she trailed off, waving her hand, “I should go talk to Carl, before anyone.”

Paul nodded, “That sounds like a good idea.”

Enid hesitated for a moment before hugging him tightly, “Thank you,” she said quickly, “I don’t know what I’d do without you here,” she whispered against his shirt before walking out quickly.

Paul watched after her, a weak smile on his face. He didn’t let the worry creep in until after she was gone. He groaned and rubbed his hands over his face before heading out to Barrington House.

As soon as he walked inside, he smiled when he saw Maggie walking down the stairs.

“Maggie, hey-” Paul started.

Maggie hugged him tightly.

Paul sighed, hugging her back.

Enid must have told her.

“Look, I know you’re upset, but it’s going to be okay,” Paul explained, rubbing her back, “It’s a good thing.”

“What?” Maggie demanded, pulling away . She looked pissed and had tears in her eyes.

“Wait, what are you talking about?” Paul asked, looking confused.

“I’m talking about the Free Men,” Maggie choked out, touching his cheek, “Rick told me about their leader a-and you…” she trailed off, “You never said anything.”

Paul swallowed, staring at her and taking a shaky breath.

“I’m not...I’m not mad that you didn’t say anything,” Maggie explained, “I just thought...that I knew everything about you, at this point.”

Paul continued to stay silent.

“You aren’t goin’ out there again,” Maggie said firmly, “I know it’s hard for ya, but...can’t risk ya again, Paul...not after last time.”

Paul swallowed and looked at the ground, tears in his own eyes, “That an order?”

“Ain’t like that, I just...I need ya here,” Maggie said, “I can’t let anything happen to ya. I’ve lost so many people already.”

Paul nodded slowly, “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” he said mechanically, giving her another hug before quickly pulling away before she could even touch him.

“Paul-” Maggie started.

“Maggie, you got a radio call from Alexandria!” Glenn called from upstairs, leaning out of the office.

Maggie stared at him, looking conflicted.

“Go, don’t worry about it,” Paul told her quickly, “We’ll talk later,” he smiled, walking out the front door.

He walked out on the porch and crossed his arms, leaning on one of the pillars.

Daryl was setting up targets, using the side of the trailer for the boards he’d spray painted circles onto. Lydia was waiting for him to finish, looking bored. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up and then waved with a smile.

Paul waved back, watching them.

Daryl turned to talk to her and saw him standing there. He stared at him for a moment before waving as well.

Paul waved back, smiling weakly.

“Excuse me?” Glenn cleared his throat, standing up on the balcony.

Paul walked over to stand by Lydia and Daryl so he could see a little better.

No one else really paid attention.

Daryl whistled loudly and Paul winced at the loud sound, but it at least got the rest of the community’s attention.

“Thanks,” Glenn told him, “Alexandria has been attacked, we’re going to need all our council members inside as soon as possible to brief on the subject and then we’ll be sending a group to Alexandria to help and keep guard if needed. The Free Men who attacked retreated for now, so we’re going to go there, clean up, and help them with whatever they need.”

A few murmurs came through the crowd and Paul looked over and saw the worried look on Daryl’s face. He grabbed Daryl’s hand and pulled him inside quickly.

Aaron walked inside the meeting a few minutes late, slipping inside and taking a seat beside Paul, while Daryl leaned by the wall close to the door, his hand on Paul’s shoulder, his thumb rubbing the back of his shoulder every now and then.

“Sorry, I had to find someone to watch Gracie,” Aaron mumbled, taking Paul’s hand.

Paul didn’t say anything, just continued to stare at Maggie as she talked.

“Any casualties?” Daryl finally spoke up, interrupting her, “Know ya gotta be official an’ all, but it’s really what we’re wonderin’ here.”

“No one died,” Maggie pursed her lips, “Few injured, but-”

“Who?” Daryl cut her off.

Maggie went silent before clearing her throat, “Rick was on the front line...he’s hurt, but he’s alive-”

“Let’s go,” Daryl stood up.

“Daryl, we have to be official about this-” Maggie started.

“NO!” Daryl snapped at her, grabbing Paul’s hand, “We’re all three goin’. Anyone else who wants to come better have their ass in a car by the gates in the next five minutes,” he said before stalking out, practically dragging Paul with him.

“Slow down and let me go,” Paul snapped as they walked down the hallway, yanking his arm away, “I was already getting up to go, stop being dramatic.”

“S’my brother that’s hurt, in case ya didn’t know or were too damn mad ta care,” Daryl snapped at him.

“Oh, so now you’re mad at me for being mad, because that makes sense when I have every right to be!” Paul snapped right back, “You violated my trust-”

“I DID WHAT I NEEDED TA DO!” Daryl yelled, “MY DAMN FAMILY IS A TARGET TOO, DO YA REALIZE THAT?!”

“DARYL!” Aaron yelled, “BOTH OF YOU! Stop. Yelling isn’t going to make any of us feel better. Paul, Daryl is just upset about his brother being hurt. Daryl, Paul is allowed to be mad.”

The two just stood there, staring at each other, both breathing heavily.

“Ya don’t gotta come if ya don’t want to,” Daryl said finally, “Just fuckin’ stay here with Gracie.”

“No,” Paul said, shaking his head, “I’m still going there to support you. Your brother is hurt.”

“Thanks,” Daryl said gruffly, turning around and walking towards the door.

Paul sighed, watching after him. He grabbed Aaron’s hand, pausing for a moment.

“You good to go to Alexandria?” Aaron asked him.

“I have you two by my side, don’t I?” Paul asked, smiling weakly, “I can easily defend myself but with you two, we’re kind of unstoppable.”

Aaron laughed, “Cheesy,” he said and getting serious again, “You going to be okay?”

“I love him,” Paul told him quietly, “I love you both, so much...but I can’t just change how I feel overnight.”

Aaron nodded, “And he knows that, deep down,” he took a deep breath, “Daryl and Rick have a long history, you know that...he’s just stressed out because of him being hurt. He didn’t mean to yell at you.”

Paul smiled weakly, “Yeah, I know,” he said, clearing his throat, “Ready to go?”

“It’s not gonna be pretty,” Sasha added, looking out the window, “We haven’t had to ration in a while. People are going to get angry.”

“Let ‘em be,” Maggie said simply, “Ain’t the worst we’ve been through,” she said, finishing what she was writing before putting her notebook down. She walked over and flopped beside Paul, “Okay, spill.”

“Spill what?” Paul raised an eyebrow, scooting over a little to give her room.

“How’s it going with your boyfriends?” Maggie asked.

“Boy talk while we’re having a strategy meeting?” Paul snorted.

“Oh, definitely,” Sasha said, sitting on his other side and making him scoot over as well, “Your happiness is the second highest priority of our meetings...first is keeping everyone alive.”

Paul rolled his eyes and looked down, biting his lip to conceal a smile, “It’s going really well,” he looked up at the ceiling, avoiding their waiting eyes, “We say we love each other all the time now.”

“Oh my god,” Maggie pulled him into a tight hug, laughing, “I knew it. I knew you could be happy,” she looked at Sasha, “Look at this smile on him!”

“It’s a good smile,” Sasha agreed.

Paul rolled his eyes, shoving his friend off of him, “Okay, okay,” he said quickly and sighed, “One worry though.”

“Isn’t there always?” Sasha sighed.

“Gracie,” Paul said, ignoring her comment, “Gracie’s my worry.”

“Why?” Maggie asked, “Paul, she loves you. When you come to pick her up from playing with Hershel, she’s the happiest. She loves getting to walk home with you. She always says in the proudest voice ‘Paul is walking me home from school today!’!” she laughed.

Paul sighed, “Yeah...I’m okay being Paul to her. I have no idea how to be a father though,” he put his head back, “My father barely ever interacted with me...the foster homes I was in never had the best and even the one I was in that was good...I didn’t pay much attention to him,” he pursed his lips, “What if she comes to me with genuine advice and I don’t have the answer?”

“Paul, there ain’t no book to parenting...well, there are...but most of them are garbage,” Maggie told him, “Hell, half the time Glenn and I have no idea what the hell we’re doin’ and both our parents were great.”

“You have her best interest at heart, right?” Sasha asked.

“Well, yeah,” Paul sighed, “I love her.”

“So there,” Sasha said simply, “You have the right grounds to be a parent.”

“It’s not that simple,” Paul groaned.

“Yes, it is,” Sasha said, “Besides, I’m pretty sure Daryl doesn’t know how to do laundry...so you’re already a step ahead of him on that.”

Paul laughed, putting his head back, “He can, he just chooses not to.”

“Hey, are you wearing one of his shirts?” Maggie asked, looking at him with a fond smile on her face, “That’s way too big for you.”

“Aaron’s actually,” Paul said, rolling the sleeves up, “Daryl didn’t do the laundry.”

Paul was met with two “aw”s and more hugs from his friends.

“We’ll get a filter for all that water,” Daryl said, kneeling down by the docks, “Then we’ll get the herd crew out here to start clearin’ them buildings.”

“Agreed,” Glenn said, looking up at the three large buildings, “It’ll be more than enough for them.”

“Place used to be a park,” Daryl said, hitting the sign that said Montgomery Park, “Probably gonna just be office buildings in there. Hopefully that means people cleared out ta go home before the outbreak.”

“Hopefully,” Glenn agreed, “This place is just down the road from Alexandria,” he said, looking at the map, “This’ll be great if they need anything starting out,” he said, “Hey, we should stop by and say hi to Rick and the others. We haven’t seen him in a while.”

“Nah,” Daryl said simply, “Gotta get the fences up around here then get back to Hilltop.”

Glenn sighed, following him, “Daryl, you can’t avoid Alexandria forever. Your brother lives there. Hell, I’ve been there since everything. It’s been years.”

Daryl just grunted, continuing to work on the temporary fence around the courtyard. They’d already cleared out a few straggling walkers and now they wanted to keep more from getting in.

“Daryl-” Glenn started.

Daryl whipped around and shoved him a little, “I ain’t got a mirror, but ya know what he did to you!” he snapped at him, “You can’t see outta that eye now ‘cause of him. Abe’s dead ‘cause of him,” he yelled and pointed to the side of his head, “Guy drove me half insane...prolly more,” he snorted, “Then the guy cuts of some lady’s head and Rick gives ‘im an outpost of ‘is own with no supervision,” he laughed bitterly before going back to the fence.

Glenn sighed, “Look, I know it’s not fair...but we just need to accept it.”

“Nah,” Daryl said simply before stopping, not looking up at him, “I love Rick. He’s my brother...ain’t gonna act like I ain’t happy to see ‘im when he comes around...but doesn’t make me any less mad.”

“I know,” Glenn said soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder, “Trust me, I get it, man. But we’ve been through so much...it’s time to move on and be happy.”

Daryl just grunted again and went silent for a moment before speaking up again, “Sorry for shovin’ ya.”

“No problem,” Glenn said, an amused smile on his face, “And you do seem happy, by the way...with Jesus and Aaron.”

Daryl finished tying what he was doing before sighing, ignoring his comment, “‘Kay, we should get back.”

Glenn raised an eyebrow.

Daryl huffed, “Yes, m’happy, okay? Can we go now?”

“Yes,” Glenn said, obviously satisfied with himself.

Paul sat on the steps with Aaron, leaning on him slightly. Neither of them really minded the PDA. It earned them a few odd looks now and again, but they’d been slowly working on subtly letting their community know of their relationship now.

Paul put his head on his shoulder, watching Gracie play with Hershel, smiling slightly at his daughter and his godson. He pressed his face against Aaron’s shoulder to hide his wider smile when he thought of Gracie as his daughter.

“What?” Aaron asked with a laugh, leaning down to see his face, “What’s going on in that head of yours?”

“Just how much I love you all,” Paul said, leaning up and pecking him on the lips.

The gates opened suddenly and Rick’s truck drove in.

“Great,” Paul huffed, hiding his face in Aaron’s shoulder for another minute before jumping up when Maggie walked out as well.

Aaron got up as well, walking over with them and Sasha.

“Thanks for comin’,” Maggie said, pulling Rick into a hug, then Michonne. She kneeled down to Judith, “How’s it goin’, sweetheart?”

“Fine,” Judith said simply before hugging her neck. She didn’t remember Maggie very much, but she knew Rick called her her aunt and said that she helped her mom give birth to her. She only ever really saw her at holidays or meetings like this because Maggie and her husband, Glenn, didn’t come to Alexandria often.

Maggie hugged her back, smiling.

“Dad!” Carl called, running over from where he’d been working with Henry. He took the apron off before pulling him into a tight hug.

Paul smiled slightly, watching them reunite, as Judith walked over to talk to Hershel and Gracie, obviously bored with the adults around already.

Rick pulled away and his eyes fell on Paul, “Why did ya think it was okay to bring these people in without askin’ all of us first?”

“Because they were struggling,” Paul said simply, “With these Free Men out here, we can’t be too safe. It’ll be better to have our allies closer. You know Javi, we’ve talked about him before.”

“Talked out ‘im, never met ‘im,” Rick grumbled.

“Well, hot damn, been a while since I saw this place,” a familiar voice said.

Paul’s eyes widened and Aaron grabbed his hand immediately, pulling him back to his side as Negan jumped out of the back of the truck.

“What the hell?” Paul demanded.

“I called all the outposts here as well,” Maggie said, “Him included...under supervision,” she explained, “We can’t have people killin’ the New Frontier, so we need to let ‘em know about ‘em in advance...even him.”

“Yeah, it’s great to have our allies close, isn’t it, Rick?” Paul snapped at him.

“Is there somethin’ you wanna say?” Rick demanded.

“Oh, there’s so much I’d love to say to you, Rick Grimes-” Paul started.

“Paul, take a walk,” Maggie said quickly, looking at Aaron, who nodded.

“That one always was a fuckin’ firecracker,” Negan laughed as he walked away.

Paul went to turn back around, but Aaron put his arm around him in a tight grip, continuing to walk them away, behind the trailers.

“You should have let me slit his throat,” Paul said immediately, turning to him once they were alone.

“No,” Aaron said firmly, “I shouldn’t have. That would have just caused problems between our communities, Paul. We...We have to listen to Rick, okay? He’s Daryl’s brother.”

“Daryl’s brother. Not mine,” Paul said quickly, “Imagine if Daryl was here right now...seeing him not even twenty feet from our daughter, Aaron. From Glenn’s son. Do you know how fucked up that is?” he took a shaky breath, “He looked in their general direction and I wanted him dead more than ever before.”

Aaron pulled him into a hug, “It’s just a short meeting to make sure that no one accidentally kills your friends, sweetheart...deep breaths. Then they’ll be gone.”

“I wish he was gone,” Paul grumbled against his chest, “Dead, in the ground.”

Aaron continued to hold him, not saying anything, letting him calm down in his arms.

“If he breaths in the wrong direction, I’ll kill him,” Paul said simply, going back in the direction of Barrington.

“We can tell just by how they were talking that they know there are communities out there,” Paul explained, “They most likely know about ours, given how they were talking. They know about our circle and they don’t like it,” he sighed, “We saw their armory, briefly...they have a lot, but not as much as us. They also have a good number of people, but not as much as us.”

The tension in the room was evident, ever since Cyndie and Beatrice arrived after Ezekiel and Jerry. Cyndie kept looking over to Negan, but Beatrice kept a hand on her arm.

“If they don’t have as much as we do, why are you bringin’ the New Frontier up here?” Negan asked suddenly, “It’s a waste of resources.”

Paul gritted his teeth, “Because they might not have as much as us, but they have more than the Frontier,” he said simply, “They took down their walls. We put up something temporary for them, but it’s not going to last. Who knows when they’ll attack them again?”

The door opened and closed and Glenn and Daryl walked in, quietly taking a seat in the back of the room. Paul felt a pang in his chest when he saw Daryl’s eyes flick from Negan to Rick.

Paul nodded for Maggie and Sasha to take over with their provisional plans before he walked over and sat on the couch, on Daryl’s other side, “I’m sorry, I didn’t think you’d be back this soon.”

“S’fine,” Daryl said simply, grabbing his hand in a tight grip.

“We’re going to ration our resources by a quarter each until everyone can start producing enough to take on another community,” Sasha explained, “Same story as when Oceanside and Sanctuary came back into the fold; fuel, food, and ammo.”

“We can start producing more as soon we get back and get the orders filled,” Dwight explained, just as uncomfortable as everyone else as he stood beside his lieutenant, Laura. Sherry was there too, as a representative of one of the outposts, standing with Amber.

“We were already planning on expanding our crops this season as well and we have more than enough seeds for food,” Maggie added, nodding with him, “Then we’ll get the orders to Eugene for more bullets for them.”

“This isn’t something new, it’s just us taking on more people,” Sasha added, “Keep your communities in check, we’re going to give you all a list of names of everyone in the community as soon as it’s available and getting them their IDs once they’re all set up.”

“The New Frontier is in the council now,” Maggie said seriously, “You know the rules...harm anyone in a community under us, you face the consequences,” she cleared her throat, “Thank you all for coming. If you’re from further out and want to spend the night, we’ll show you to the guest rooms in Barrington. This meeting is adjourned.”

Paul smiled when the meeting ended and Aaron walked over to talk to Daryl. When he was hugging him, he walked over, smiling at Ezekiel, “Hello, your highness.”

“Hello, my friend,” Ezekiel said, pulling him into a tight hug, “You’re well, yes? Watching over my son as he trains with Earl?”

“Always,” Paul smiled, “And you?”

“We’re good, getting things up and running in the Kingdom again,” Ezekiel nodded, “A slow but valiant process!” he announced loudly.

Paul pursed his lips to keep the smile off his face, “Well, if anyone can handle it, it’s you, your highness...and Carol and Jerry, of course.”

“Damn right,” Jerry said, giving him a hard pat on the back.

“Jerry,” Ezekiel scolded before turning back to Paul, “It’s good seeing you, but we must get back before nightfall. I apologize that our reunion is brief,” he said, leaning down, kissing his cheek softly.

“We’ll come and visit soon,” Paul agreed, watching him walk out. He walked back over to Aaron and hid his face in his chest to conceal his laughter.

“Let’s get outta here,” Daryl grumbled, looking to where Rick was still talking with Maggie, Michonne, and Negan. Oceanside and the Sanctuary had immediately made themselves scarce from the room, practically out the door before Maggie said the meeting was done.

“Agreed,” Paul said, giving Negan one last look before he left with his boyfriends.

“I just don’t understand how he could think that was okay-” Paul was saying as they walked down the steps, only to be cut off by Gracie and Judith yelling.

“Shove him again and I’ll-” Gracie started, shoving at Judith who was shoving right back.

“Gracie!” Aaron said quickly, jogging over, “Hey, c’mon...we don’t shove,” he said quickly, pulling her away.

Rick was there suddenly, with Michonne, who pulled a struggling Judith away, Carl mumbling “Judy, what the hell?” as they did.

“She shoved Hershel!” Gracie yelled over Aaron’s shoulder, “Asshole!”

“Hey!” Aaron said quickly, “Language, Gracie.”

Paul quickly followed Aaron back to the trailer, letting Daryl talk to Rick as he did.

“Go to your room, timeout,” Aaron said quickly, pointing in the direction of Gracie’s bedroom.

Gracie immediately stomped away, slamming the door behind her.

“She never curses like that, even with Daryl running his mouth as much as he does,” Aaron sighed, scrubbing his hand over his face, “And she definitely never gets violent.”

“I dunno, she kicks some serious ass in my children’s class,” Paul smirked slightly.

Aaron peeked through his fingers, giving him a now’s not the time look.

Paul pursed his lips, “Can I say something?”

“Of course you can,” Aaron rolled his eyes.

“Look,” Paul took a deep breath, “It’s not really my place, she’s your daughter, but...she was defending her friend, I think you should take that into account.”

“Paul,” Aaron sighed, putting his hand on his shoulder, “She’s your daughter to...no less than mine or Daryl’s. You obviously have a say in this kind of stuff.”

Paul smiled weakly at him, “I’m just saying...from experience...kids always have a reason for why they do what they do. They just need the right adult who will actually listen to them.”

Before Aaron could say anything, Daryl came into the trailer.

“She okay?” Daryl asked.

“She’s in her room,” Aaron said, glancing at Paul, “But...she’s not in trouble, so I’m going to go tell her she was only in timeout for the language...and that shoving is bad...unless you have a reason.”

Daryl nodded, watching him walk away. He raised an eyebrow at Paul.

“What?” Paul laughed.

“What are we gonna do with both you and me lettin’ that kid get away with everything, huh?” Daryl snorted, taking off his jacket, flopping on the couch.

“Rick gone?” Paul asked.

“Yeah,” Daryl said simply, “Hershel’s completely fine too, Gracie overreacted. They were playin’ tag and Judith tagged ‘im too hard, he fell down.”

Paul snorted, sitting beside him, “You okay?”

Daryl just shook his head, “Later?”

“Yeah,” Paul nodded, holding his hand, “Later.”

“Dad’s back!” Gracie yelled as she walked out with Aaron, throwing herself into Daryl’s arms, “Have a good trip?”

“Yeah, I did,” Daryl said, “We’re gonna have to take you swimmin’ in that lake the Frontier’s gettin’ sometimes. There was tons ‘a ducks.”

“Really?” Gracie asked with wide eyes, “Can we get a pet duck?”

“Hell no, Dog would eat it,” Daryl snorted.

Aaron sat down on the opposite couch, turning on their old little box TV and starting up one of the VHS tapes of Homeward Bound they had, the talking dog making Gracie gasp.

“This is Dog’s favorite movie, he needs to watch with us!” Gracie called, “Dog! DOG!” she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Dog immediately came running out from wherever it was he’d been hiding, jumping up on Paul’s lap, causing him to grunt in pain.

“You are way too big to be a lap down,” Paul huffed, squirming out from under the dog and moving to sit beside Aaron, curling up to his boyfriend’s side immediately.

Daryl put his feet up on the coffee table, Gracie laying on him slightly, her hand on Dog as she watched the movie.

Day One

“Paul,” Aaron said quietly, when he woke up. Daryl was already gone before he even woke, Dog included, so he assumed he went out to check his traps. He shook his boyfriend slightly, “Paul, c’mon, baby, we slept in.”

Paul opened his eyes slightly, but didn’t say anything, just stared.

Aaron swallowed, touching his cheek briefly. Paul had been quiet the entire ride back to Hilltop last night, not letting go of him or Daryl the entire time. As soon as they got back to the colony, Paul had made a beeline for the trailer and locked himself in their bedroom. Aaron and Daryl had just started to make up a bed on the couch, ready to give Paul some space, when their boyfriend unlocked and opened the door slightly.

He still hadn’t said anything since they got back.

“Okay,” Aaron said, more to himself than Paul, trying to think, “I’m going to go and make breakfast for Gracie and get her ready for school. Do you think you can eat something for me?”

Paul swallowed and shook his head. Now that his eyes were a little wider, not full of sleep, Aaron could see they were still red rimmed from crying and a little bloodshot.

“Okay,” Aaron told him, “I’m going to make you a smoothie for breakfast then. You stay here as long as you need to.”

Paul didn’t respond, so Aaron leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead before going to get up and starting the day.

Aaron walked out of the trailer, holding hands with Gracie. He froze when he saw Daryl fighting with Eduardo, with a few people watching, Lydia and Carl included.

“Sweetie, can you walk over to Barrington for class yourself?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah, I’m a big girl!” Gracie cheered, already taking off running.

Aaron watched for a moment, making sure she went into the house and went in the right direction. He’d make sure she actually went after he check on...whatever this was.

He walked over to where Lydia was standing, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched Daryl tackle Eduardo to the ground.

“What’s going on?” Aaron demanded.

“He was supposed to take me hunting today but he’s been sparring with anyone willing to,” Lydia said, annoyance in her tone, “What crawled up his ass and died?”

Aaron just sighed, “Sorry...let me get him for you.”

“No way,” Lydia said quickly, “This is way more entertaining than a hunting lecture.”

“Yeah, well...he has a bad shoulder,” Aaron said, walking over to the two and grabbing the back of Daryl’s shirt when he tried to lunge at Eduardo again, “Okay, break it up, you two.”

“Sorry, man, just sparring,” Eduardo laughed, “We got a little carried away.”

“Uh-huh,” Aaron said simply, “You have gate duty, right?”

Eduardo just sighed and groaned, walking away and mumbling to himself.

Aaron turned to Daryl, “We gonna talk about this now or are you gonna take Lydia out like you said you would?”

Daryl stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, before speaking up again, “Let’s go, kid,” he told Lydia.

Aaron didn’t stay long, after checking that Gracie had made it to class okay. He immediately wanted to get back to Paul. Yesterday was so hard for him...and as much as Paul prided himself in being clean from self-harm for years now, there was always a small risk and he didn’t want to leave him alone.

Paul had been alone for so much of his life, he didn’t want him to ever feel that way again.

On his way back from Barrington, he’d stopped at a few places and got blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries from their various bushes in the garden, then he stopped by the pantry and grabbed some peanut butter and honey. Paul had a huge sweet tooth, though he’d never admit it. When he was on the go like he almost always was, Aaron saw him make this a lot. Though he didn’t have as much experience as Paul, he was sure he’d be able to manage.

Without incident (thankfully), Aaron headed back to their room, smoothie in hand, and found Paul still lying in bed, but awake now.

“Hey there, sleepyhead,” Aaron said, setting the glass down on the side table and sitting down beside him.

Paul didn’t say much, just mumbled a “thanks,” in reference to the smoothie before curling close to Aaron, obviously wanting his arms around him.

“We should talk about this,” Aaron said softly, moving his arms around him.

“Where’s Daryl?” Paul whispered.

Aaron pursed his lips, “He told Lydia he’d take her hunting today, so it’s just going to be you and me for a while.”

“He isn’t talking to me,” Paul swallowed, looking down, “D-Did I do something wrong? Should I have not told him?” he whispered, burying his face in his chest, “I know what he’s thinking, he thinks just like everyone else. Th-That I wanted it o-or that I’m gross and used-”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Aaron said quickly, “No,” he told him firmly, “We both know Daryl and we both know he doesn’t think like that. He’s just...angry. Not at you, but at him for hurting you, and he doesn’t know how to deal with that.”

Paul buried his face in his chest, “I’m so scared, Aaron,” he choked out, “I-I haven’t felt this scared in a while.”

“I know,” Aaron told him softly,rubbing his back, “It’s okay to be scared. We’re both going to be right by your side no matter what.”

“Promise?” Paul whispered.

“I promise,” Aaron said, tucking his hair behind his ear, “What do you say I grab one of your books and read to you for a while?”

“Only if it’s Gulliver's Travels and if you’re really fast getting it,” Paul told him, moving so his boyfriend could get up.

Aaron looked up when he heard Daryl come in. He’d put Gracie to bed about an hour ago and Paul was in and out of sleep. The day had been full of a few panic attacks and a lot of tears, despite his best efforts to cheer Paul up.

He was finally asleep now, his head on Aaron’s chest with one hand gripping his t-shirt. He was still in his pajamas from last night, but Aaron hadn’t commented on it.

He’d convince him to shower tomorrow and he’d snag his clothes for the laundry and get some clean ones.

Daryl walked in, dropping his crossbow by the door, “Lydia’s exhausted, told ‘er she could stay on the couch for the night,” he said, pulling his vest off and then his shirt, digging through the dresser for something to wear.

Aaron didn’t say anything, just watched the hunter while stroking Paul’s hair.

It only took him a few moments and Daryl was in his usual sweatpants he slept in and a t-shirt he’d dug up. He turned around and paused when he saw them, “He alright?”

“Well, aside from thinking you think he’s -and I quote- ‘gross and used’, he finally exhausted himself from crying all day, so he’s asleep now,” Aaron said quietly. He didn’t mean to snap, but it had been on his mind all day; with every hour that passed without Daryl around, he knew Paul’s insecurities had been on the rise.

Daryl sucked in a deep breath through his nose, looking down at Paul, “Didn’t mean it like that,” he whispered.

“Then what did you mean?” Aaron sighed.

Daryl gnawed on his lip for a moment, “Was mad...needed ta get it out ‘fore I talked to ‘im.”

“Why?” Aaron sighed again.

“‘Cause my dad always got mad, took it out on us,” Daryl swallowed, running a hand through his hair, “Wouldn’t never hurt none of ya but...I know how I am; was gonna yell and scare ‘im, I know it.”

Aaron swallowed, looking down at Paul for a moment, “How are you feeling?”

“Better now,” Daryl swallowed, “Lydia shot her first buck...think bein’ outside the wall helped a little.”

Aaron just nodded softly and scooted over a little, moving Paul with him, “C’mon, get in here.”

Daryl crawled into bed, taking his place on the outside. He leaned down, touching Paul’s cheek softly as he did. He blinked a few times, his eyes stinging when Paul’s eyes opened.

“Daryl?” he whispered.

“Hey there,” Daryl rasped out, “How ya feelin’?”

“Tired,” Paul swallowed, “Where’d you go?”

“Got some dinner for the place,” Daryl said quietly, “Sorry I left ya all day, darlin’...won’t do it again.”

Paul stared at him for a moment before wrapping his arms around his neck.

Daryl held onto him tightly, wrapping his arms around the small of his back and practically pulling him into his lap, “M’sorry,” he mumbled against his hair.

“It’s okay,” Paul whispered, “You’re here now, it’s okay,” he swallowed, holding him close, “Don’t leave me again, okay? I-I can’t...not right now,” he choked out.

“Won’t,” Daryl shook his head, “Ain’t even gonna go out ta check my traps, showed Lydia how ta do it today, she’s gonna check ‘em with Carl.”

“And I’m only leaving to take Gracie to school and back,” Aaron added, rubbing his back, “We’re here for you as long as you need.”

Day Two

In the early hours of the morning, Daryl tensed when he heard the sound of whimpering. He woke up and saw Paul was in a fitful sleep, mumbling to himself.

“Stop, stop, stop, no.”

Daryl wrapped his arms around him tightly, “M’here,” he whispered against the side of his head, careful not to wake Aaron, “Me and Aaron ain’t gonna let no one hurt ya.”

Paul tensed for a moment, still breathing hard, before curling into Daryl’s chest, holding onto his t-shirt tightly, but relaxing.

Daryl just sighed softly, looking down at him.

When Paul woke the next morning, he was alone in bed. He heard voices talking in the living room and smelled pancakes being cooked. He swallowed and got out of bed, slowly walking out to the living room...making sure he avoided the mirror above their dresser in the process.

He was sure he looked like a disaster at this point.

“Paul,” Aaron breathed out when he saw him walk in.

Ezekiel was standing there, talking to them from where he was seated on the couch.

“What’s going on?” Paul whispered, “Why are you here?”

“We were on our way back from Montgomery Park, I took a detour myself to come and check on you,” Ezekiel said, standing up. He walked up to him, pulling him into a tight hug.

Paul took a shaky breath and hugged him back, tightly. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine he was somewhere safe, but he just...couldn’t, not with everything going on.

“I suggested to them that maybe you should come back to the Kingdom with me,” Ezekiel said quietly.

“I have stuff to do here,” Paul whispered, “A war to plan. I told you before and I’ll tell you again, you can’t just lock me behind the walls and keep me there for safekeeping.”

“It’s just a thought,” Ezekiel said, pulling away and moving his hair from his face, “Please let Carol give you a trim next time she’s here or you are with us at the Kingdom. You know I love it, but you’re starting to develop split ends.”

Paul snorted out a laugh, rolling his eyes.

“Well,” Ezekiel said, pulling away, “I thank you for the pancakes,” he told Daryl and Aaron, “Do not hesitate to contact the Kingdom should you need anything, as always,” he said, “And be careful,” he added before walking out.

Paul watched after him for a moment before looking over to his boyfriends, “You’re not sending me away,” he said simply, “I’m a part of this community and I’m going to fight for it, if we have to.”

Aaron nodded in agreement but Daryl didn’t say anything, staring out the window.

“You disagree?” Paul asked, crossing his arms.

“Seein’ ‘im once put ya laid up in bed for two days,” Daryl told him, “Ya won’t leave the damn house, Paul. How ya gonna go to war knowin’ he’s leadin’ them fuckers?”

“I’ll manage,” Paul swallowed.

“Ya won’t,” Daryl said quietly, “Hey, I get it, man. I’ve had shit that made me shut down. But I wouldn’t risk bein’ out on the battlefield when that happened,” he took a deep breath, “Aaron and I think ya should go and stay with Ezekiel.”

“Cool, I don’t,” Paul said simply, “And trust me, you can’t make me stay somewhere I don’t want to be,” he said, his tone slightly challenging, “So drop it. I’m not going anywhere,” he said, holding eye contact Aaron for a moment.

Aaron just nodded, breaking it and walking over to hug him tightly, “We just want you safe,” he explained, “We weren’t making decisions for you.”

Paul hugged him back but kept eye contact with Daryl over his shoulder, not backing down. He wasn’t about to be sent away like some frail princess to be locked into a tower. He was a warrior, he’d fought in two wars now and he wasn’t about to risk missing a third when they would need all the help they could get.

“Hey, I was thinking about showering,” Aaron said, pulling away -breaking Paul’s eye contact with Daryl- and trying to fix Paul’s hair, “How about you join me?”

“Your way of saying I smell?” Paul smirked.

“My way of saying you’re both very gorgeous and Daryl was just about to go out to have a cigarette on the porch, so I need some company.”

Daryl scoffed but still headed towards the front door anyways, “Gonna run over ta the pantry, get us somethin’ for dinner...might stop at the butcher’s and see how they’re handlin’ my deer.”

Paul stared at him.

“I’ll be back before you’re even done in there,” Daryl smirked, nodding towards the door, “Go on.”

Paul just sighed, turning back to Aaron, “Guess it’s just you and me, hot stuff.”

“How are you feeling?” Aaron asked quietly, moving Paul’s wet hair so he could wash his upper back, gently massaging him as he did. Paul’s back was always a mess of knots and no matter how hard he and Daryl tried, there was always a few there.

“Fine,” Paul mumbled, his eyes closed as worked on rinsing out his hair with his hands.

“Don’t lie, Paul,” Aaron sighed, “This is a lot, especially for you. I know you...you need the fresh air. Staying inside like this isn’t good for you.”

Paul finally turned around, his back to the stream of water coming from the shower head to rinse off. He looked up at Aaron, sadness in his eyes, “I’m scared,” he admitted, his voice quiet. Aaron almost didn’t hear him over the water.

“Paul…” Aaron trailed off.

“I’m scared,” Paul said firmly, “But in here? I know I’m safe for now. I just…” he took a shaky breath, “I need that for just a little bit longer, okay?”

Aaron stared at him for a moment before nodding, leaning down and pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Whatever you need, okay? We’ll be here for you.”

Day Three

Aaron woke up in the morning to Daryl’s morning wood pressed against his ass, half of his body on top of his. He huffed and swatted at his shoulder, “Lack of oxygen woke me up.”

Daryl just groaned into the pillow, rolling over a little. He tensed up before fully waking, “Where the hell is Paul?” he demanded.

Aaron quickly jumped out of bed, knocking on the bathroom door, though it was obviously open and there was no answer. He went through the living room and their little kitchen to Paul’s office, not seeing him there either. He cracked Gracie’s door, seeing her still asleep in bed, and even checked the storage closet.

Daryl swung open the door and almost ran right into Paul’s back, “The hell you doin’?!” he asked, his voice raised a little.

“Talking to Maggie,” Paul said quietly, still very close to the door.

“He missed our weekly meeting, I got worried,” Maggie told him, standing on the grass in front of their house, “Figured I’d pop by and check.”

“I’m fine, thanks for worrying,” Paul laughed weakly, “Just...feeling a little under the weather. I didn’t want to risk getting anyone else sick,” he said, his voice a little shaky. He felt Daryl’s hand press to the small of his back in encouragement.

“Well...just wanted ta be sure,” Maggie said.

“I’ll be over later today,” Paul blurted out, “To pick Gracie up from school...I’ll come with Aaron. We can go over our notes then.”

Maggie smiled at him, “Sounds good! See ya then!” she said before turning and walking away.

Paul immediately whipped around, wrapping his arms around Daryl’s neck tightly, standing on the tips of his toes.

“Okay, okay,” Daryl said quickly, moving them inside enough that he could kick shut the door. He held onto him tightly, “You’re okay, that was real good.”

Paul let out a teary laugh, “I didn’t think anything of talking to her until I stepped outside,” he choked out, “I was so scared once I realized I was out there.”

“It’s okay,” Daryl said quietly, nodding to Aaron when he walked over, “You’re safe behind these walls, ya know that...it’s good ya know that. We’ll all go to pick Gracie up today and I’ll go up with ya ta talk ta Maggie.”

Paul took a shaky breath, “I’m going to get better...I promise. I just...I need a little bit of time.”

He didn’t like their new truck and missed the old tan one they had, but they couldn’t get it back until the Free Men weren’t in the area.

A few seconds later, Daryl got in through the driver’s side, sliding over to make room for Aaron.

“That came out of nowhere,” Aaron sighed, taking off his jacket, which was now soaked from the rain. He took out the walkie, “Hey, Glenn, do you think we should wait?”

“We ain’t waitin’,” Daryl snapped.

Aaron ignored him with a sigh, waiting for Glenn’s response.

“There’s no way we can go anywhere while we can’t see,” Glenn said over the walkie, “If it doesn’t slack off within the next hour, I’m calling it for the night. We’re by marker five, if we can make it to six there’s the old hunting cabin that Hilltop owns that we can stay in for the night.”

“I’m not staying in that stupid cabin overnight,” Paul added quietly.

“Okay, just radio back when you decide,” Aaron said before turning the walkie off, “Looks like we’re stuck here for a while.”

“They don’t know if my damn brother’s gonna walk again and we’re stuck here because of the fuckin’ rain?” Daryl snapped, “Just fuckin’ drive, man.”

“I’m not going to drive aimlessly when I can’t see the road,” Aaron told him, “Rick is fine, they said so. He’s breathing, keep that in mind.”

“And talking, don’t forget talking,” Paul snorted, putting his head out the window, “Probably blabbing to everyone he can find to tell them that his brother is dating a poor, scared, rape victim.”

“Paul,” Aaron snapped, “Don’t talk about yourself like that.”

“Oh, don’t like when I call it what it is?” Paul asked, leveling him with a glare, “I was raped. R-A-P-E. Does that word bother you? Everyone acts all accepting of it until I actually say the word.”

“You’re mad at me, leave ‘im outta this,” Daryl mumbled.

Paul just huffed, putting his head back and not saying anything else.

“Marker two flooded over from the rain,” Glenn’s voice said over the crackling walkie, “We’re going to stay in the cabin overnight and the road crew from Alexandria will come and help us cross in the morning.”

“FUCK!” Daryl yelled, slamming his foot against the dashboard.

“Seriously?” Paul growled, Aaron wasn’t sure if it was at the news that they’d be staying in the cabin or that Daryl probably just busted their radio.

“Okay, lead the way, we’ll follow your taillights,” Aaron said, putting the walkie down, “You two need to stop. We’re going to be in a cabin overnight with our friends, it’ll make them uncomfortable.”

“Oh, sorry for embarrassing you,” Paul scoffed, “From now on I’ll just stick to your bedroom and be your little boytoy like everyone thinks I am.”

“Quit it!” Daryl snapped at him as they started to move, “Ya ain’t that! That ain’t what ya are and you know it!”

“Does everyone else?” Paul challenged, “After what you told Rick, it’s going to get around and make that worse. It’s just like the world before...either rape victims are too broken to have sex or they’re having sex and doing it to forget,” he snorted, “But trust me, I’m always just going to be seen as someone’s sextoy-”

“Stop,” Daryl choked out finally, sounding more upset than angry now.

Aaron’s knuckle was white on the steering wheel and Paul could tell he’d hit a nerve with both of them.

“I love ya, ya little asshole,” Daryl said, turning to him, “I know what I did was wrong, but I did it ‘cause I-I can’t lose ya, not again, not when we finally have ya with us. Sittin’ by your bed, thinkin’ ya was never gonna wake up, that we was never gonna get ta tell ya how we felt...it broke me, Paul. Both of us.”

Paul stared at him with teary eyes, “You hurt me,” he said quietly, “So bad...when you told Rick. If it was necessary, I would have told them eventually-”

“S’necessary now,” Daryl told him, “M’sorry and I actually mean that...I know I was wrong, that I should’a talked to ya about it.”

Paul nodded slowly.

“I’m gonna do everything I can to earn back the trust I lost with ya,” Daryl explained, putting his hand on his cheek, “I love ya so damn much.”

Paul stared at him for a moment before nodding slowly, unbuckling his seatbelt and wrapping his arms around Daryl’s neck, hugging him tightly, “I love you too,” he whispered against his shoulder.

Daryl just rubbed his back, not saying anything as they drove. He glanced over at Aaron, nodding as he did and holding Paul closer.

They stayed that like until they made it up to the rest of the cars. They could barely see the red lights on the back of the truck in front of them before they shut off.

Glenn jogged over, using his jacket as cover as he did.

Aaron opened the door, “We here?”

“Yeah!” Glenn called over the rain, “Get whatever you need for the night and lock up your truck, the cabin isn’t far.”

Aaron nodded and Paul quickly grabbed their overnight bags from the back.

The three of them got out of the truck and Paul winced when his feet sunk into the mud a little. He followed after the group quickly, not wanting to get too wet. Paul glanced back a few times, making sure that Lydia was keeping up as she walked with Daryl, smiling at her when she smiled at him.

The cabin was small, but it would be okay for their group (consisting of himself, Aaron, Daryl, Glenn, Carl, and Enid). It had two small bedrooms (one with a bed and the other with two sets of bunk beds, most likely it had been a family’s vacation cabin in the old world) with a small living room/kitchen area in between them.

And leaks in the roof, apparently.

Paul put a spare pan under the third leak he’d found and sighed, “Okay, we should get to sleep if we want to get a headstart first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll take a bottom bunk,” Enid said immediately, going into the other room.

“I call top bunk,” Carl added, hurrying after her with a laugh.

“I’ll sleep on the other bunk,” Glenn nodded to Paul, trying to act like he wasn’t pulling the protective dad card.

“Oh cool, I call top bunk with Carl-” Lydia started.

“Nope,” Daryl grabbed her by the back of the shirt, “Ya take the bed in the other room, we’ll take the pullout in the livin’ room, ya’ll ain’t sleepin’ together.”

Lydia stared at him for a moment, not breaking his gaze, before huffing, “Whatever,” she mumbled, stomping into the room.

Paul rolled his eyes and stared at the door where Enid, Carl, and Glenn were staying for a moment, a worried look on his face, before starting to get their bed ready.

“Miss Dog,” Daryl grumbled irritably, lying down once the bed was out.

“We’ll be home tomorrow,” Aaron told him with a sigh, sitting down on the edge of the bed and starting on the straps of his prosthetic.

Paul grabbed one of the old quilts from the closet and put it at the end of the bed, grabbing a few pillows for them as well. He was just about to go make sure Lydia had everything, then check on the other room. He swallowed when Daryl grabbed his hand, pulling him back.

“Relax,” Daryl told him, “Ya ain’t gotta take care ‘a everyone. Let’s just sleep, yeah?”

Paul stared at him for a moment before nodding, sitting down as well.

Daryl pulled his jacket off of him before starting on the buttons of his shirt.

“You don’t have to…” Paul trailed off.

“Let me,” Daryl said quietly, pushing the shirt back off his shoulders.

“You don’t have anything to make up for,” Paul told him, “I understand why you did what you did.”

“Doesn’t make it right,” Daryl mumbled, “Doesn’t make Rick tellin’ Maggie right either...an’ I ain’t making nothin’ up, m’just helpin’ ya get ready for bed.”

Aaron started to kiss his neck, suddenly there and close to him, his shirt gone as well.

“It feels good,” Paul said quietly, leaning his head back to give Aaron more room, “Being all together again,” he breathed out, hand going to grip the curly hair at the nape of Aaron’s neck.

Enid jumped down from the top bunk loudly, looking over at her dad to make sure she hadn’t woken him up. She walked over and waved her hand in front of his closed eyes a few times.

“What are you doing?” Carl whispered, sitting up, half asleep.

“We need to talk...outside,” Enid told him, “I just didn’t want him to hear and make me stay inside.”

Carl stared at her for moment before nodding and getting up. He grabbed his boots from where he’d tossed them, not bothering to lace them up as he did, following his friend out to the front door.

Lydia rubbed her eyes, unable to sleep. The rain made everything so loud, especially outside, and she just couldn’t sleep.

She tensed and grabbed her knife from her pair of boots when she heard the door open and close. She quickly got up, not bothering with her shoes, and tiptoed out.

Lydia walked passed the pullout couch, where Daryl, Jesus, and Aaron were snoring softly, close together. Paul was in the middle with Daryl’s arms wrapped around his waist tightly. Paul’s forehead was against Aaron’s shoulder, almost hiding his face in his arm. Their breathing was all even and she knew they were actually asleep, but Daryl was a light sleeper and was closest to the door.

The door had been propped open by whoever went out so it didn’t get stuck behind them and she walked closer to the crack in the door, listening to the voices outside.

“Do you remember about a month ago at the faire?” Enid asked quietly, her arms wrapped around her stomach, “Wh-When you and Lydia were broken up and Alden and I…?” she trailed off.

“Yeah,” Carl said quietly, “I thought you didn’t want to bring it up again. What’s wrong?”

Enid bit her lip, “I was...late, recently. It happens sometimes, I just figured it was nothing but then I started getting sick.”

“Are you okay?” Carl asked immediately.

“I….technically, yeah,” Enid swallowed, “I’m pregnant...and I know it’s not Alden’s, it’s yours.”

Carl stared at her, shock written all over his face.

“I know it’s a bad time, with your dad a-and you’re back with Lydia now and I’m with Alden,” Enid took a shaky breath, “But I think I want to keep it. They’ll be raised with such a loving family at Hilltop.”

Carl took a deep breath, “Yeah...yeah, you’re right,” he bit his lip, “Does anyone  else know?”

“Just Jesus,” Enid said quietly, “I talked to him, after I found out,” she swallowed, “That’s another reason I wanted to go to Alexandria with you guys...not that I don’t trust Alex, but Siddiq is a doctor and I want him to check things out.”

Carl nodded, holding his head a little higher, “Just let me know anything you need.”

“I need to tell Alden,” Enid said, scrubbing her hand over her face, “And...my family. You need to tell Lydia and yours.”

Carl sighed and swallowed, “I’ll talk to her when we get back to Hilltop. We need to focus on what we need to do in Alexandria first.”

“You’re right,” Enid nodded, “I want to tell my parents when we get home too.”

“Lyd?” Daryl asked tiredly, squinting up at her, “What ‘cha doin’ there?”

“Nothing,” Lydia whispered, “Go back to sleep.”

Daryl moved his arms from around Paul slowly and got up, walking over, “Hey...you’re cryin’, what’s goin’ on?” he asked, looking out the door as well. He saw Enid and Carl hugging tightly and sighed, “Ain’t like that...they’re still friends. He’s with ya, she’s with Alden, ‘member?”

Lydia whipped around and hugged him tightly, burying her head in his shirt.

Daryl blinked in shock for a moment before putting his arms around her, rocking her slightly, “Hey, c’mon now…” he trailed off, rubbing her back, “What’s buggin’ ya?”

“I…” Lydia trailed off, looking up at him, “Sorry,” she whispered.

“S’okay,” Daryl told her, “Ya can talk ta me..”

Lydia stared at him for moment before swallowing, “I don’t like staying in Barrington,” she mumbled, “I guess...being here, staying overnight with you guys jut in the other room, made me realize that,” she sniffled, wiping her eyes, “I-I know the house isn’t done yet-”

“Gonna be done by summer,” Daryl told her, “If ya want, ya can maybe stay on the couch in the trailer, maybe set ya up a cot in Paul’s office or Gracie’s room.”

Lydia looked down, shuffling her feet, “Yeah...maybe,” she said quietly, “Sorry I woke you,” she told him, “I’m gonna go back to bed now,” she whispered, pulling away.

Daryl nodded, watching her go, “G’night,” he told her. He waited until her door closed before he stalked outside, closing the door behind him before yelling, “GET YOUR ASSES INSIDE!” he yelled, causing them both to jump apart, breathing heavily.

“Very funny,” Carl grumbled when Daryl snickered at their shocked faces.

“Sorry,” Enid mumbled, walking inside quickly and brushing by Daryl as she did.

Daryl put his arm out before Carl could walk in after her, raising an eyebrow.

“It was nothing, Uncle Daryl,” Carl said quickly.

Daryl just stared at him.

“Look, just let me tell my dad first, then you, okay?” Carl sighed, “Nothing life threatening, nothing that’ll cause bodily harm.”

Daryl stared for another moment before nodding, letting him in. He stared out at the forest for a minute before going inside, closing and locking the door behind them. He walked back over to the couch and slowly moved behind Paul again, trying not to wake him or Aaron up as he secured his arms around his boyfriend’s waist once again, his hand clinging to Aaron’s.

“You’re a good uncle,” Aaron said simply, not even opening his eyes.

Daryl just scoffed, burying his face in the back of Paul’s neck.

They arrived at Alexandria first thing the next morning, the sun shining down on the community...but it wasn’t exactly all sunshine in the Alexandria community today.

There were makeshift walls up, rather than their usual steel ones. Cars and busses were parked where the wall had been damaged and there were more guards on the gate than usual. A construction crew was working on the inside of the wall, but it seemed to be slow progress.

When they got inside the gates, Paul felt even worse, looking at the church that was in shambles on top of a few houses being damaged. As he walked down the street he stopped in shock when he saw Aaron’s old house had been damaged as well, a few windows broken and red spray paint littered across the front.

WE ARE FREE, THERE ARE NO LAWS NOW

Paul took a shaky breath, looking over to where Aaron and Daryl were talking with Michonne. He quickly walked over, not even saying hello as he made his announcement.

Paul took a shaky breath and pulled away from him, turning to Daryl, who had his face smushed into a pillow, whimpers escaping his lips. Paul gently shook his shoulder, “Daryl...it’s okay...wake up,” he whispered.

Daryl woke up with a gasp, his hand grabbing Paul’s wrist for a moment before immediately letting him go when he realized who it was, “Sorry,” he breathed out immediately.

“It’s okay,” Paul said, tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, “You okay?”

“Sorry I woke ya,” Daryl said quietly.

“No, I’m glad you did,” Aaron agreed, “You wanna talk now?”

Daryl went silent for moment, looking at the two of them, before sighing, scrubbing his hand through his messy hair, “Fucked me up,” he groaned, “I...I knew he was out there now, knew it...but seein’ ‘im jus’ walkin’ in with Rick of all people,” he choked out, “My own damn brother.”

“Daryl, I’m going to hug you, okay?” Aaron asked, “Stop me if you need to.”

Daryl didn’t say anything, so Aaron moved forward, putting his arm around his chest, pulling him back. Daryl quickly whipped around, cuddling into Aaron’s chest and putting his face against his good shoulder. Aaron ran a hand through his tangled hair.

“It’s okay,” Paul told him quietly, rubbing Daryl’s back, wincing when he tensed slightly before he relaxed.

Daryl took a shaky breath and pulled away from Aaron, “Gonna have a fuckin’ panic attack, need some air,” he said, getting up from the bed and grabbing Paul’s lockbox from under the bed, “Paul, come with me,” he said before stalking out.

Paul watched after him in shock before looking back to Aaron.

“Keep an eye on him,” Aaron sighed, “He probably wants to smoke or something, he never does that around me.”

“Okay,” Paul said, leaning up to peck him on the lips before grabbing his dark red hoodie, “We won’t do anything too stupid.”

“Mhmm,” Aaron snorted, “Just watch him, okay?”

“Gotcha,” Paul said before hurrying after Daryl. He tripped a little, trying to put his shoes on as he went out the front door to where Daryl was sitting on the porch steps.

“Daryl, c’mon…” he huffed, sitting down, seeing Daryl already lighting up one of his joints, “I don’t have a lot of those and it’s not the answer to your problems.”

“Ain’t got no medication or counselors,” Daryl said simply, “S’medicinal, ain’t actually like I’m doin’ the hard stuff.”

Paul sighed and sat down beside him, looking out at the Hilltop. All the fires were out for the night, only a few torches for light for anyone who left their houses for whatever reason and so the guards could keep an eye on the place. Kal and Eduardo were leaning on the fence, on the night shift, talking to each other quietly, but that was the only movement Paul sense.

He put his head on Daryl’s shoulder when the joint was offered to him, taking it in his hands and inhaling deeply.

“We still need to talk more,” Paul said quietly, “With Aaron,” he added, “You can’t just...ignore your feelings by smoking a bunch of pot...trust me, I’ve tried,” he said, exhaling as he did, cuddling a little closer to shield himself from the bitter spring air.

Daryl put his arm around him, “Ain’t much left ta say,” he mumbled around the joint in his mouth, “Jus’ was weird seein’ ‘im with Rick was all,” he said, tightening his arm around him, “Seein’ ‘im here...with you an’ Aaron an’ Gracie...just breathin’ the same air,” he took a shaky inhale again, “He’s out there, Paul...jus’ livin’ ‘is life, despite everything...despite Abe...half blindin’ Glenn...almost killin’ Sasha,” he swallowed, burying his face in his shoulder, “I think about it all the time...drivin’ me insane, even when he ain’t tryin’,” he sighed and then sniffled, “Jus’ this once...don’t wanna be thinkin’ about everyone who’s out there, wantin’ to kill us, deep down. Just wanna…” he trailed off, shaking his head and taking another long drag.

Paul stared at him a moment before nodding, “Okay...we can talk about whatever you want...or not at all.”

Daryl just grunted, still smoking and staring out at the Hilltop, his free arm securely around Paul.

They sat like that for a while, Paul didn’t know how long. But eventually two of his joints were gone from his box and the sky was slightly lighter.

“Should go in, you’re gonna catch somethin’,” Daryl said, packing all Paul’s stuff back in the box before getting up, offering him a hand, “I wanna snack an’ go ta sleep anyways.”

“We have granola,” Paul said simply and sighed in frustration, “I miss chips.”

“Pizza was always me’ an Merle’s thing when we smoked,” Daryl laughed quietly, “I make a hell of a quesadilla too.”

“You’re making me miss one a.m. Taco Bell, knock it off,” Paul said, playfully shoving him as they walked back into the warm trailer.

Daryl just hummed, keeping an arm lazily around him as he raided the cabinets, finally settling one some homemade deer jerkey, pulling him towards the bedroom.

Aaron was asleep already, but there were two bottles of water set on the bedside table with a heart drawn on them both in marker.

Paul crawled into the bed first, immediately snuggling up to Aaron’s chest, moving him a little in the process and it must have woken up him.

“Hey, there,” Aaron said, wrapping his arm around him, “Didn’t think you were coming back.”

Daryl crawled in after him, wrapping his arms around Paul’s waist and cuddling up close to his back.

“Feeling better?” Aaron asked.

“Yeah,” Daryl mumbled against Paul’s shirt, already drifting off.

“He okay?” Aaron mouthed.

Paul just nodded, closing his eyes as well.

Aaron stared at the two for a moment before sighing, letting himself drift off as well for another couple of hours before Gracie would be up for school.

When he did wake up a few hours later, it was because the sun from the blinds being slightly open hit his eyes. He moved a little, looking down at the two lying beside him. The more golden color in Paul’s hair was showing because of the amount of light on it, the blond undertones more obvious; he had his face buried between the pillow and Aaron’s shoulder, sleeping peacefully. Daryl was doing the same, but he had somehow fallen off all their pillows during the night and now had his entire head hidden under it, his arms tightly around Paul’s midsection.

Aaron smiled, leaning down and pressing a light kiss to Paul’s cheek before climbing over the two, then going and gently helping Daryl out from under the pillows, being sure not to wake him as he did.

The two quickly settled, Daryl huffing out a breath against Paul’s back before settling down again, snoring slightly.

Aaron just continued to smile, grabbing his prosthetic arm from where he’d tossed it on the couch and sat down, easily putting the straps on and bent his arm, making sure everything felt right before grabbing a t-shirt from the floor of their messy room...it might have been his or Daryl’s, definitely not Paul’s though. As much as they all enjoyed stealing clothes from each other, they usually ended up stretching out Paul’s stuff, resulting in complaints from the other man (“this is why we need another closet,” “this is why I only loan my clothes to Sasha, Enid, and Maggie!” and so on).

Aaron slowly walked out of the bedroom, closing the door softly behind him. He went to work, opening the door slightly so Dog could come in and back out before starting on breakfast.

He’d gotten pretty good at using his new arm since the war with the Whisperers, though it had been a slow process at the beginning. With the help of Siddiq and Earl, they found the right fit for him that would be good for fighting but also good for raising an energetic little girl.

Aaron started the eggs on the pan, grabbing a few plates from the cabinet as he waited for the stove to completely heat up, leaning back on the counter after he put them out. He watched as Dog came back inside, carrying what looked like a dead rabbit.

Aaron winced, grabbing it from him before he could leave blood stains on the floor, “Thanks,” he said awkwardly, opting to put it out on the porch to see if Daryl wanted to use it for something. Daryl had gotten to the point where he had managed to teach Dog how to check his traps outside the walls.

Aaron walked back in and patted Dog’s head, “Breakfast time?” he asked him, already going to the storage closet where they kept his dog food and put some in his bowl before going to start on the eggs.

Just as he was about to finish the eggs and put them on the plate, he heard Gracie’s door open and close, before the bathroom door open and closed again. He glanced over to where Dog was lying on the couch, looking pretty pleased with himself.

A few moments later, Gracie wandered out, still in her pajamas, a baggy pink t-shirt and pajama pants that had been made by one of the clothing makers in the Kingdom.

“Morning, daddy,” Gracie said tiredly, walking over and hugging his leg.

Aaron smiled, putting the spatula down and putting his hand on her hair, “Morning, honey,” he said, fixing her hair, “I’m just about done with breakfast.”

Gracie didn’t say anything, just walked over to the couch and flopped down beside Dog, putting her head on his side and closing her eyes again.

Aaron smiled slightly and went back to cooking, finishing up the eggs and putting them on separate plates, putting them onto the table, “Here you go, I’m going to go wake up Daryl and Paul.”

“I can do it!” Gracie went to go to the door.

“Uh...no, your eggs will get cold and I need someone to watch Dog doesn’t get them,” Aaron said quickly before heading to the door once Gracie sat down.

He was really, really glad Gracie hadn’t ran in, because Paul was in Daryl’s lap. The sheets and blankets were pooled around his lower back, but Aaron could tell by their movements what was going on.

Aaron shut the door loudly, startling the two.

“Mornin’,” Daryl said, still not letting go of Paul, attacking his lips to his shoulder again.

“Was coming to tell you breakfast is done and Gracie’s awake,” Aaron said, moving behind Paul on the bed, “Dog can only distract her for so long...she almost walked in.”

“Sorry,” Paul said, but he didn’t look very sorry as he tilted his head back to lay it on Aaron’s shoulder, “Morning, dear.”

“Mmm,” Aaron just hummed, leaning down and pressing his lips against his, “Hurry up, okay?”

“Wanna join in?” Paul asked against his lips.

“Someone has to play responsible adult,” Aaron laughed breathlessly, though he felt the arousal pool in his stomach when he saw that Daryl’s dick was buried inside of Paul, his tight grip on Paul’s hips keeping them together.

“Not this early,” Paul mumbled against the side of his neck, “C’mon.”

Aaron quickly thought of the walkers outside of the gate...some of the grossest ones he’d seen over the years, to make himself not join in. He got up, causing Paul to fall back on the bed.

“Just hurry up,” Aaron laughed, watching Daryl climb on top of Paul, “Your eggs are getting cold.”

“Mmm...will do,” Paul said, turning back to Daryl as the door shut, “You heard the man...don’t want cold eggs.”

Daryl huffed out a laugh, thrusting a little harder but slower at the same time, making his movements deep.

“Fuck,” Paul gasped out, throwing his head back against the mattress, “How do you expect me to be quiet when you’re so…” he trailed off.

“M’so…?” Daryl prompted, looking amused.

“Fucking hot,” Paul groaned, running his hand through Daryl’s hair, grabbing on the back in a tight grip, “Daryl,” he gasped out when his boyfriend brushed over the bundle of nerves inside of him again, “Daryl, please.”

“Please what?” Daryl asked against his neck, “C’mon,” he said, starting to thrust faster and harder now, grabbing Paul’s free hand that wasn’t in his hair and pinning it down to the bed, using his other hand to get some leverage to move harder, “Cum for me, baby.”

Paul let out a moan, turning his head and quickly muffling it with the blanket on the bed. He spread his legs a little wider to accommodate Daryl, then wrapped them around his hips, meeting every thrust. He ended up biting down on the blanket when he felt Daryl cum inside of him, finding his own release not a moment later.

Paul released his grip on his hair, running his hand through it again to fix the mess. He laughed breathlessly, flopping back on the bed, “Fucking hell, Daryl.”

Daryl just hummed, grabbing a few tissues and starting to clean them up, “Want breakfast in bed?”

“Nah,” Paul sighed, “Gracie will get grumpy if I don’t do her hair for school...though we should sneak into the shower first, I think.”

“I’m thinking I want another tattoo,” Paul said around a mouthful of his  breakfast, sitting beside Daryl, across from Gracie.

“You literally just got two,” Aaron laughed, “Do you want to be covered in permanent flowers?”

“You know me so well,” Paul smiled at him before grabbing his coffee and taking a long drink.

“Can I get a tattoo?” Gracie asked suddenly.

“No,” Aaron said immediately.

“Later,” Paul said at the same time.

Daryl snorted into his coffee, not saying anything.

“But you all have tattoos, I want one,” Gracie whined.

“When you’re older,” Aaron said, wiping his mouth on a napkin, “Like...thirty.”

“I got my first tattoo at sixteen,” Paul shrugged, “I’d say eighteen would be good, honestly. That’s when it used to be legal in most places...or younger, with parental consent.”

“But somehow ya got one at sixteen,” Daryl snorted.

“I’m very good at forging signatures, dear,” Paul smirked at him.

“But Uncle Carl has one,” Gracie whined.

“Carl has a tattoo he got to impress Enid...which she wasn’t even impressed by and they’re not together now,” Paul said simply, “Prime example of why you should think tattoos through at an age where you’re levelheaded...and most of the time, don’t get names.”

“Ya literally just got our names,” Daryl deadpanned.

“Yes, but I plan on being with you both for a long, long time,” Paul said, leaning over and kissing him.

“Gross,” Gracie whined.

Aaron rolled his eyes, “Gracie, how about you go get ready for school?”

“Noooo,” Gracie continued to whine, “You’re gonna be there.”

Paul snickered around his drink. Aaron was speaking in Gracie’s class today on self-defense, despite past injuries or disabilities...Gracie wasn’t too pleased about her dad playing teacher for the day.

“I promise to not embarrass you...much,” Aaron said, “I could do some of my impressions!”

Gracie just groaned, stalking back to her room.

“You better not embarrass her,” Paul laughed quietly, “I don’t want to hear the door slamming by my office every time she goes in there.”

“I won’t actually do it,” Aaron laughed, starting to clear the plates, “Plans for the day?”

“Our last day off before it’s time to start getting into the Frontier project,” Paul said simply, “So that means spring cleaning, weeding the garden, catching up on laundry, weapon inventory-”

Daryl groaned, putting his head against the table, similar to how Gracie had before.

“And Daryl agreed to spend the day with me,” Paul chirped.

“Oh, however did you get him to agree to that?” Aaron snorted, starting to wash the dishes.

“I’ll show you tonight,” Paul said, coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing the back of his neck, “Or now, since you didn’t join us earlier.”

“Dry this,” Aaron said, handing him a plate and nodding to the rag on the counter.

Paul huffed, “You’re no fun,” he pouted, grabbing the dish from him.

“Says the guy spending the day off doin’ chores,” Daryl grumbled from the table, searching his pockets for a cigarette.

“Outside,” Paul said immediately, seeing what he was doing.

“Yeah, yeah,” Daryl grumbled, heading outside, Dog following him.

“He okay?” Aaron asked, “You two didn’t say much when you came back last night.”

“He’s fine,” Paul nodded, “It just effected him, I think...and he needed a moment. It’s not like we exactly have a Xanax a doctor can prescribe him,” he sighed, putting the dishes away.

“I know,” Aaron said, “I still think we need to look into medicinal herbs for anxiety and stuff...and look into getting a counselor trained. There’s so many cases of PTSD…” he trailed off.

“One big job at a time,” Paul said, kissing his cheek, “But I’ll bring it up to Maggie...it’s something we should think about.”

“Counseling worked well for me after I moved out of my mother’s house...my college counselor was paid with my tuition...it really helped me a lot,” Aaron nodded, pressing a kiss to his forehead, “Counseling ever work for you?”

“Morning,” Aaron said, leaning down and kissing him softly on the lips, “Figured you’d want me to wake you up a little early, give you time to get ready before he head to Richmond.”

Paul sighed, running a hand through his messy hair, “How long until we head out?”

“About an hour and a half,” Aaron explained, “Daryl already made breakfast and took Gracie to stay at Barrington and play with Hershel. If everything pans out correctly, we should be back tomorrow morning.”

“Daryl heading out to Montgomery Park with the others today?” Paul asked.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure he’s leaving before us to meet up with them. They just want to make sure everything is cleared out and working,” Aaron explained, “It’s close to Alexandria, but we just want to be sure. Then Rick wants to meet Javi for himself.”

Paul rolled his eyes.

“Be nice,” Aaron scolded with a laugh, “He’s the leader, he has to.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Paul said, stretching a little, “We’re back tomorrow then we’re back in Alexandria at the end of the week for the party, right?”

“Mhmm,” Aaron said, giving him another kiss, “It’s always a celebration with these people...but I think bringing an entirely new community into the council is something to celebrate.”

Paul just nodded, not saying anything.

“A whole new community, expanding our world, because of you,” Aaron reminded him.

Paul just rolled his eyes again, heading towards the bathroom to get ready.

Paul sat beside Aaron in their truck, at the head of the caravan that was heading down to Richmond. They had three large trucks behind the and an old school bus,  as well as a few cars filled with different members from different communities.

The plan was to get the New Frontier moved as soon as possible, without attracting attention from the Free Men. The trucks behind them contained many community members, as well as some of Aaron and Daryl’s family; Sasha, Glenn, Michonne, Carol, Carl, and Lydia included, some of their heaviest hitters in case things got ugly while they were there.

Paul put his head on the window, watching as the overgrown fields and trees flew by. He finally looked back up and moved over to sit closer to Aaron, putting his head on his shoulder.

“This is a good thing,” Aaron said, smiling, “You need more friends nearby.”

Paul rolled his eyes, “Playing therapist, dear?”

“Yes, actually,” Aaron said.

Paul raised an eyebrow at him.

“Well,” Aaron cleared his throat, “I’ve been thinking...Enid really has her hands full being a doctor already but I really wanted to talk to Maggie about your idea of getting a therapist trained...what about me?”

“Really?” Paul asked, blinking in shock.

“I mean...yeah,” Aaron shrugged, “I’ve always been told I’m easy to talk to, I’m empathetic, and I’m a quick learner. Some studying and I should be good to go.”

“I mean…” Paul trailed off, “It’s a lot of work, it can be...stressful, I’ve heard. But if you want to, I support you.”

“I do,” Aaron said, smiling at him, “I’ve been helping people since before the end of the world...it only makes sense I continue now.”

Paul waved out the window and the guard on the temporary gates of the Richmond community opened. As they drove inside, he saw that they had most of their furniture, weapons, and boxes all in the center already.

Paul jumped out of the truck and walked over to Javi, shaking his hand and pulling him into a hug, “How’s it going?”

“Fended off another attack last week, but it was before they got in the gates,” Javi said, giving him a tight hug, “Thank you for this...everyone’s been on edge.”

Paul nodded, “It’s a long time coming...you should have been in the council a long time ago,” he said as he pulled away, “I brought along some friends...and a bus.”

“Thanks, man,” Javi said, smiling, “We got everything packed and ready to move, we just need to load it up and we’re good to go. Think your bus can handle about fifty?”

“Capacity on it says seventy two,” Aaron said, stepping up now, “And we all came in the cars, so we should be good.”

“Let’s get moving then,” Javi smiled.

“Where are we going?” Javi asked, “Paul, we need to go, they’re getting ready to move out.”

“One more thing,” Paul said, taking out a can of spray paint and shaking it as they walked inside the old residence hall for the community.

He found the biggest wall and moved the various rollout beds aside and started to get to work.

CLEM, GO TO LAKE RIDGE. FIND BARRINGTON HOUSE. - JESUS & JAVIER

“You really think she’s still out there?” Javi asked.

“I know she is,” Paul said, pocketing the can again, “It’s just the matter of if she comes back here...and if she does, she needs to know where to go next.”

Javi nodded, clapping him on the shoulder, “C’mon...let’s get out of here-” he started.

“RICHMOOOOND, VIRGINIA!” a voice over what sounded like a loud speaker yelled, “COME ON DOWN!”

Paul ran over to the open window, looking out. He swallowed when he saw their group in a standoff with what looked to be the Free Men.

“No,” Javi gasped.

Paul ran out, not waiting for Javi to follow. He grabbed his knife from his belt as he walked out.

“You’re outnumbered,” Michonne was saying, “Just leave.”

“We have the numbers nearby,” the man said, “This is the new world, we don’t need your laws or your damn council.”

“Good thing you weren’t invited,” Paul said as he walked over, standing beside Aaron.

The man behind the gas mask laughed, “Oh, you’ve gotten be joking,” he said before reaching back and unbuckling the straps before pulling it off.

Paul blinked a few times, his eyes stinging at the face of his ex-boyfriend, all the way back from college. It had been years since he saw him, but the wounds were still open like it was yesterday.

“Can’t believe you made it, of all people,” Brad scoffed.

“Jesus, you know this guy?” Glenn asked, gun still aimed.

“No,” Paul said immediately, putting on his best confused act.

“Oh no, he knows me,” Brad laughed, walking closer, not even phased at the immediate caulking of several guns when he did, “He ruined my fucking life, lost me my scholarships...I lost everything because of him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Paul said simply, “But I suggests you take a step back from me...like she said, you’re outnumbers. We’re just leaving with our friends.”

“See, before we hated you because of what you stood for...the rebuilding of old mistakes again,” Brad chuckled, “But now it’s personal.”

“You don’t want to mess with us,” Paul said, looking him dead in the eyes, “Others have tried...we strong together, we always win, in the end.”

“We’ll see about that,” Brad said, smirking and looking at Javi, “You can go...for now. But just know, this isn’t over.”

“We’ll be ready,” Michonne snapped, “Trust me, you don’t want a fight with us.”

“Oh, believe me, honey, I do,” Brad said, walking backwards from Paul, whistling a song he knew all too well as he walked away, leading his group, putting the gas mask back on as he did.

“What the hell was that about?” Javi asked.

“No idea,” Paul said simply, turning back to the group, “Everyone load up, we need to get to Montgomery before sundown.”

“You wanna tell me what that was about?” Aaron asked.

“I told you, I don’t know what he was talking about,” Paul said simply, staring out at the sunset as they drove back, this time at the back of the line.

“Paul...communication and trust, remember?” Aaron asked.

Paul took a shaky breath, “Not right now, okay? Later.”

Aaron stared at him for a moment before nodding and Paul sighed in relief.

Paul jumped out of the truck immediately when they got to Montgomery. He looked up at it with a smile. Alexandria had done amazing work on their new walls, the posts were made of thick, sturdy looking wood, and the walls were made of metal, just like Alexandria’s.

“Ready to introduce me?” Rick asked when he saw him, Daryl at his side.

“Pretty sure you’re an adult and more than capable,” Paul said, running on autopilot, “Where’s Ezekiel?”

“He’s here to witness the signing,” Rick said, looking concerned, “Pretty sure he’s inside the main building. Why-”

Paul didn’t say anything, walking passed them both and hurrying in. He saw Ezekiel, who was talking to a few of the members of the Kingdom who were helping. He quickly walked up, “You’re majesty, I have some private matters about the party I’d like to discuss with you,” he said formally.

Ezekiel stared at him for a moment before nodding when he saw the expression on his face. He nodded to the two soldiers he’d been talking to, “It seems our new friends’ caravan has arrived...go help them unload their items and then turn in for the night, we leave first thing,” he said before turning back to Paul, “C’mon, we got an office set up over there for the one in charge, no one’s in there.”

Paul walked into the office quickly, sitting down on the couch and putting his hands behind his neck and ducking his head a little, releasing the pure hyperventilating breaths he’d been holding in as he did.

“Paul? Paul!” Ezekiel said in shock, closing the door and running over, sitting down beside him, “Hey, hey, hey, in your nose out your mouth, we don’t want you to pass out, man.”

“I-I can’t,” Paul said, feeling himself succumb to the impending panic attack as his hands shook, keeping a tight grip on the back of his neck.

“Paul, you’re having a panic attack,” Ezekiel said slowly, “You’re safe, just slow your breathing,” he said, rubbing his back, like he’d done many times before, but it didn’t seem to be slowly down this time, “Paul, look at me.”

Paul stared up at him, still shaking, his eyes a little glassy.

“Can you name five things you can see for me?” Ezekiel asked, still rubbing his back.

“Uh…” Paul trailed off, still breathing heavily, “Th-The walls.”

“What color are they?” Ezekiel asked.

“Dark blue,” Paul said as he exhaled, “Th-The desk.”

“Nice one, huh? We polished it up from an old office at the Kingdom,” Ezekiel said, helping him sit up a little more properly, “The third?”

“B-Books,” Paul said, calming down slightly, “Are those my law books?”

“You never read them,” Ezekiel said, “A fourth? What color is the floor?”

“Gray carpet,” Paul said, moving to grip his friend’s hand tightly.

“And a fifth?” Ezekiel asked.

“Nice sunset picture,” Paul breathed out, “Nabila paint that?”

“She did,” Ezekiel nodded and ran a hand through his friend’s hair, “Good?”

Paul took another shaky breath and wrapped his arms around his neck, burying his face in his shoulder.

“Paul, c’mon, what’s goin’ on?” Ezekiel asked in shock, but still wrapped his arms around his friend as he felt some wetness where Paul’s face was.

His friend was crying.

“The Free Men,” Paul breathed out, “Their leader…”

“Did you run into them? Is anyone hurt?” Ezekiel asked immediately.

“We ran into them, but no one was hurt,” Paul whispered, “But their leader...it’s Brad, Zeke.”

Ezekiel stared at him in shock, “No, that’s not possible…” he trailed off in shock, “It can’t be.”

Paul shook his head, tears still in his eyes, “He knew me...I think him seeing me with them made things worse,” he choked out another sob, “It feels like just yesterday that it all happened, as soon as I saw him it all came back.”

Ezekiel held him close, rocking him slightly, just like he had back in college, all those nights filled with nightmares; he never got annoyed or angry when Paul woke him up screaming. Ever.

“We will get through this,” Ezekiel assured him, “We always do. I’ll kill him myself.”

Paul didn’t say anything for a moment before sighing, “I’d like that,” he whispered, his head on his shoulder.

“Shiva will assist,” Ezekiel chuckled, his arms around him as he fixed his hair, “Are you okay?”

“Just tired now,” Paul said quietly, “Sorry for freaking out...I-I didn’t know who else to tell. I acted like I didn’t know him when he was ranting and raving about how I ruined his life and lost him his scholarship,” he scoffed bitterly, “Aaron knows what happened, but…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“I understand,” Ezekiel said quietly and stared at him for a moment, before sounding more serious, “Paul...if he finds out here you are...don’t hesitate to come home.”

Paul nodded, still a little teary eyed, “I know,” he said, taking a deep breath and wiping his eyes on his sleeve, “I should get out there, help them-”

“No, no,” Ezekiel said instantly, “There is more than enough help. You’re going right up to a guest room and lying down.”

“Zeke-” Paul started.

“No,” Ezekiel said firmly, “You need to rest...you’re going to be exhausted.”

Paul laughed weakly, standing up, “Okay...send Daryl and Aaron up when they’re ready?”

“I will,” Ezekiel said, standing up as well and touching his cheek briefly, “Paul...this is coming from me, you need to talk to them about this...both of them. You can trust them.”

“I know,” Paul whispered, “I know I can.”

Paul wasn’t asleep when Daryl and Aaron came into the room.

“Ya okay?” Daryl asked immediately, pulling him into a hug, “Aaron said ya wasn’t actin’ right.”

“I didn’t say that, I said I was worried something was wrong,” Aaron said quickly, looking around and putting their go-bags down. The guest rooms didn’t have much furniture in them yet, but they had a bed and that was what mattered.

“I’m…” Paul trailed off, staring at their concerned faces, “There’s something we should talk about...both of us,” he said, nodding to Aaron, “I told Aaron on one of our runs, but...I never told you, Daryl...it’s about me and something that happened in my past,” he took a shaky breath, “Somehow, I feel like you can probably guess what it is...but I need to tell you.”

Daryl let him go, sitting beside him, Aaron taking his other side and taking his hand in his.

Paul took a deep breath, “When I was in college, I had a boyfriend named Brad,” he swallowed, “That relationship was abusive...and...at a party one night, he drugged my drink,” he explained quietly, “And...he raped me,” he said, looking down at the floor with tears in his eyes, “I never saw him after that; I left college and made sure to avoid anywhere I knew he’d go,” he took a shaky breath, “I never saw him again until today.”

“Paul,” Aaron breathed out in shock.

Paul rolled his eyes as Aaron came up, helping him with a larger piece of wood. They were currently inside the ruins of the church, trying to pick out any salvageable parts; they both wore work gloves and only wore t-shirts...normal for Aaron, certainly not normal for Paul.

“Where’s Daryl?” Aaron asked, tossing another half-burnt board into the pile.

“Visiting Rick, before his doctor’s appointment” Paul said, tossing another piece into the pile, slightly more aggressive than before.

“Ah,” Aaron nodded, “I see.”

Paul just rolled his eyes, continuing to work in silence.

“You know I love and support you,” Aaron explained softly, “But what exactly do you want us to do while you go to the Kingdom?”

“Protect the Hilltop, take care of our family,” Paul said softly, “I’ll be okay. I’ve been alone before.”

“But you have us now,” Aaron told him, “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

Paul pursed his lips, “And I appreciate that and it’s not going to be forever...just until this blows over. After that, I’ll come back to the Hilltop.”

Aaron stayed silent for a minute before clearing his throat, “Paul...are you happier at the Kingdom?”

“I’m happy at the Hilltop...and that’s not what this is about,” Paul explained, “It’s for the safety of everyone. It’s only a matter of time until they find out I live at the Hilltop.”

“But are you happier at the Kingdom?” Aaron asked quietly.

Paul tossed another board and looked at him, “Why are you asking?”

“I...don’t know,” Aaron said quietly, “I just wanted to know, I guess-”

“If you think I still have feelings for Ezekiel, I don’t,” Paul said bluntly, “Nor do I have feelings for Victor...it’s for you and Daryl-”

“No, I know,” Aaron shook his head, “I don’t think that. I just…” he trailed off and took a deep breath, “We haven’t been apart for this long since we’ve been together. It’s only ever been a few days,” he swallowed, “And I don’t like the idea of you going there alone.”

“I won’t be alone, I have tons of friends at the Kingdom,” Paul said, ducking his head and going back to work, “I’ll be okay. Gracie needs you more than I do, no offence.”

“None taken,” Aaron sighed, leaning on the wall, “This isn’t your fault, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“He’s doing this to get to me,” Paul growled, throwing another board more aggressively than before, causing a small bit of dust to come up, “I know it. I know how he is. I know how he works.”

“Then let’s meet with the council,” Aaron said quickly, “You can just say that...you knew each other before, that’s all they need to know. Knowing how he works, that could give us an upper hand.”

“What do you want me to say?” Paul asked, “That’s he’s a manipulative asshole who gets off on being in control and making others miserable? That’s half the men alive today, trust me.”

“Can we just-” Aaron started.

“We should go check on Daryl,” Paul said, cutting him off, taking his gloves off and shoving them in his pocket, “He wanted us to be there when it was time for Rick’s doctor’s appointment. We should go.”

Aaron sighed and nodded, “Right. Let’s get going.”

Paul stood outside in the makeshift waiting room, his head back against the window the chairs were lined up against.

Getting out of a serious conversation with the excuse of the boyfriend’s brother having a very important doctor’s appointment was a good one. That doesn’t take into account the fact that he currently hated said boyfriend’s brother’s guts.

So now Aaron and Daryl were inside with Rick and he was sitting outside alone.

“Paul, come in here,” Aaron said quickly.

Paul rolled his eyes and got up, walking in. He grabbed Daryl’s hand, smiling up at him, “What’s the verdict?”

“Well, with enough physical therapy they’re thinkin’ I should be able to walk with a cane,” Rick explained, “Good news.”

“Oh, awesome,” Paul smiled, despite it obviously being fake, “Let’s go home.”

Silence.

Aaron nudged Daryl.

Daryl took a deep breath, “Wasn’t right for me to tell you about Paul, but tellin’ Maggie? That was messed up. I-It makes me not wanna trust ya and makes me feel like ya don’t take Paul seriously,” he said quickly, gripping Paul’s hand.

Rick sighed, “It’s somethin’ she needed to know. I considered telling Ezekiel-”

“Ya shouldn’t of considered tellin’ no one!” Daryl snapped, “What the hell, man? You’re my brother. Ya gotta...respect Paul. He’s family too,” he swallowed, “Ya owe ‘im an apology.”

“That’s really...not necessary,” Paul sighed, “I’m going to just-”

“I am sorry,” Rick told him, “I thought it would help us figure these things out...and Daryl is right, I haven’t been fair to you.”

Paul gritted his teeth for a moment, “Thank you, Rick. I’m glad you’re okay. We should-”

“Why don’t you three come over for dinner tonight?” Rick asked, cutting him off, “Bring Lydia with you, Carl will be there. Hell, we’ll have a bonfire.”

Daryl nodded, smiling, “Sounds great. Mind if we stay overnight?”

“Yeah, your house is still open. The only person who was gonna stay there was Enid, so ya’ll should be okay,” Rick nodded, “I’ll let ‘Chonne know, we’ll get somethin’ started.”

“Great,” Paul forced a smile.

“We should talk,” Aaron suggested.

“Can I snag one of your shirts? I didn’t exactly bring clothes for a family barbeque,” Paul asked Daryl.

Daryl threw one of his plaid shirts with the sleeve cut off at him.

“Paul,” Aaron sighed, “We need to talk about you going to the Kingdom alone.”

“Later,” Paul mumbled, “I’m nervous about tonight and I want…” he trailed off, unbuttoning the first button of Daryl’s shirt as he straddled his lap.

Aaron took a deep breath, “Paul, we’re talking.”

Paul sighed, resting his forehead against Daryl’s and pecking him on the lips before pulling away, “There’s nothing wrong with me going to the Kingdom,” he said, standing up, “I can go alone. I’ve made my way there a ton of times.”

“That’s not the point,” Aaron said, “The point is there’s people out there who are after you specifically. I understand you think this is the safest option and I respect that, but you can’t go alone.”

“I’m more than capable,” Paul deadpanned, sitting down beside Daryl on the edge of the bed, narrowing his eyes.

“I know that,” Aaron explained, “But...Daryl, I think you should go to the Kingdom with Paul.”

“What?” Daryl demanded.

“Yeah,” Aaron said quickly, “I...I need to go back to the Hilltop to be with Gracie, but I think seeing Carol would be good for you. It’s the best option here,” he bit his lip, “I’d feel better knowing someone has Paul’s back-”

Paul went to say something.

“-not that he needs it,” Aaron continued.

Daryl sighed, “What about Lydia?”

“She can come back with me,” Aaron said, smiling weakly, “We should spend some time together anyways.”

Daryl stared at him.

“What?” Aaron sighed, “I’m trying to make the best out of a bad situation while keeping us all safe.”

Daryl huffed, “Ya stress yourself out too much, but if it’ll make ya feel better, I’ll go,” he smirked slightly, “Gotta keep an eye on the king around ‘im anyways. Paul’s cheeks still get red around ‘im.”

Paul tackled him to the bed, hitting him with a pillow.

Aaron sighed, watching them with a fond roll of his eyes.

And he tried to ignore the sinking feeling of dread in his stomach at the idea of being away from them, even if it was what was best for Paul.

Paul sighed, following after Daryl and Aaron as they got to Rick and Michonne’s house. Carl was sitting outside on the porch with Enid and the two looked to be deep in conversation. Aaron walked right inside, but Daryl stopped to talk to the two of them and Paul sighed, waiting with him.

“What’s goin’ on?” Daryl asked Carl, crossing his arms, “Ya’ll been actin’ weird.”

“Let them talk, Daryl, no need to play protective uncle right now,” Paul said, smiling softly and taking Daryl’s hand, “Let’s go inside, give them a little privacy,” he said, giving Enid a wink.

Daryl grumbled to himself, “Whatever,” he said, pulling Paul inside.

Enid mouthed Paul a thank you, watching them go in, before turning back to Carl.

“Did you tell them?” she asked.

Carl nodded, taking deep breath, “Yeah. Dad got back from the med trailer today, Michonne was cooking dinner for tonight...so I just...told them, right there in the kitchen.”

“Were they mad?” Enid winced.

“Yeah,” Carl swallowed, “They said I should have been careful...th-they’re worried about Lydia. But...they’re happy for us, I guess. They’re going to be grandparents, I mean, of course they’re happy. They also want us to stay here, but...I told them Maggie would never let that happen, so they settled.”

“Yeah, they don’t exactly want to piss her off more than she already is at them,” Enid said simply, staring out at Alexandria, “Besides, I prefer Hilltop. It’s where my family is...where Alden is.”

Carl pursed his lips and nodded, looking out at the town as well, ignoring the unknown emotion that was bubbling up in his throat.

Paul sat at the table, between Aaron and Daryl. Lydia was on Daryl’s other side, quiet as they ate in silence, the only sound in the room were forks on plates.

Paul put his free hand on Aaron’s leg, not saying anything.

“When they think you gonna be walkin’?” Daryl asked, breaking the silence.

“Couple months, give or take,” Rick said simply. His face was red, something was going on.

“This is really good,” Enid added awkwardly, holding up a forkful of spaghetti.

“Thanks,” Michonne said stiffly.

More silence.

“Not the only thing that was good, apparently,” Lydia deadpanned, “This is stupid, let’s just say the problem. Put it out there.”

“Lydia,” Daryl grumbled.

“What’s the problem?” Judith asked innocently.

“Nothing, don’t worry about it,” Carl said quickly.

“Yeah, my boyfriend just knocked someone else up,” Lydia snapped, “Makes me feel great.”

“Yeah, because I’m feeling just great about it,” Enid snorted.

“Probably was at the time,”  Lydia snapped, “You were my friend, you bitch-”

“Lydia!” Daryl snapped.

“Maybe we should just go-” Paul started.

“No, shut up, let’s talk,” Lydia snapped, standing up.

“Don’t talk to him like that!” Daryl told her, putting a hand on her arm gently, “Let’s just take  walk.”

“My boyfriend, the only one I’ve ever had or trusted gets someone else pregnant -his ex- and I’m wrong?” Lydia demanded, “Yeah, of course, because I’m just the psycho Whisperer girl!” she yelled before running out.

“Lydia!” Carl stood up.

“You stay here!” Daryl yelled at him before hurrying out of the room.

“I love family dinners,” Paul snorted, mumbling under his breath, “Makes me glad I didn’t have a family.”

“Paul,” Aaron mumbled, sending him a look.