Chapter Text
*****Before the World Went to Hell*****
Buffy could not believe that Dawn was graduating from college already. Leave it to miss smarty pants to finish a four-year degree in three. It had surprised Buffy when she had chosen Brown University in Rhode Island, but they had one of the top five linguistic programs in the country. Giles had been pushing Oxford while Willow had been pushing Columbia in NYC, which also had a top-notch linguistics program. Stanford in California did, too, which is where Angel's son Connor was located, and Angel was hoping she would go there. However, Dawn wanted a college that was all her own. A college with history and one her mother had tried to get into but could not. Buffy hadn't known that when she had applied, but Dawn had eventually shared why it was Brown that made the final cut.
Buffy lived overseas with Willow and Xander. Xander was head watcher while Giles was head of the Council with Buffy his second. Xander would never be the kind of Watcher who knew a bunch of dead languages, but he did know a few demon ones. Giles planned to groom Dawn as his eventual replacement. Of course, she planned to get her graduate degrees in more boring subjects, but their mother would have been thrilled and so very proud.
Naturally, Willow was head witch, and she recruited and trained all witches. She also oversaw the magical training of any watchers who showed magical affinity.
Faith was in charge of the Cleveland house, but she was coming to town for the graduation, too. Buffy was picking her up at the airport since her flight had gotten in the day before. They wanted to recover from jet lag before the graduation ceremony that night.
She saw Faith and waved at her.
"Looking good, B," Faith said, embracing her. Buffy had hit twenty-five and felt pretty damn fabulous.
"How's Cleveland treating you?" Buffy asked.
"Well, it's cold like it is here," Faith said. "Leave it to little D graduating in December instead of May. At least I get to wear my very nice leather coat."
Buffy laughed, nodding. "That's exactly what I said. Xander got me one that's lined with the softest fake fur. Feel," she said.
Faith stuck her hand inside Buffy's coat. "Nice," she said. Then she gave Buffy's breast a squeeze just to put that outraged expression on her face.
Buffy slapped her hand. "What the hell?"
"I bet that's the most action that breast has seen in months!" Faith said, snickering.
"You are so wrong!" Buffy protested.
"Maybe but not about the action," Faith said with a knowing grin, throwing her arm around her sister slayer.
Faith had matured and settled a lot the past few years, but she was still Faith.
"You are incorrigible," Buffy said. "I've missed you." The rough year they all had after defeating the First had put to bed all past resentments and issues between them.
"Of course, you have. You've been stuck with those stick-in-the mud Brits," she said.
"Not so much. There's been a few hot Italians," Buffy shared with a smug grin.
"Nice!" Faith replied with a hip bump. "So who all's here?"
"Giles, Will, and Xander flew in with me. Andrew wanted to, but Giles needed him to stay with Robin to keep a lid on things," she said.
"I can't believe that dweeb has managed to be so useful over the years," Faith remarked.
"Well, once he got over his hero worship, his natural intelligence was able to shine through," Buffy said. "Angel and Spike should be here, too. Illyria is driving."
"Really? The three musketeers are coming? Cool!" Faith said, smiling.
"More like three stooges," Buffy said, grinning. "Spike and Angel still bicker like an old married couple and Illyria beats on them like a mean stepdad."
"So they brought the entertainment," Faith observed with a chuckle.
"I think Clem and Lorne are coming, too," Buffy said. "Gunn is staying to answer any calls while they are away."
"How did Lorne and Dawn become friends?" Faith asked, surprised.
"She's applying for grad school in anthropology and interviewed him last fall," Buffy said. "She wants to learn how to handle the various demon sects the Council deals with."
"And no one deals with more, better than Lorne, so he was a good one to talk to," Faith agreed.
As they passed an airport television, they paused as the news had a breaking report.
"The death toll is rising in the new virus that has now reached pandemic levels across the globe. The CDC has announced that all international air travel is closed indefinitely. Reports of the virus killing and the bodies reanimating and eating people have been confirmed by dozens of countries around the world," the newscaster reported.
Buffy and Faith looked at each other, and both immediately pulled out their phones.
Two hours later, Buffy, Faith, and Giles had given instructions to all the slayers they could get a hold of. No one had been given any warnings from the Powers. It was definitely man made.
Giles ordered Andrew to get as many supplies as he could and call in all the slayers. No patrols unless going for supplies. They had their own well and generator, so he told them to focus on diesel for the generator and canned goods and personal hygiene products. As they lived in a castle, he felt confident that they would be safe. Vi and Kennedy would keep the girls in line.
They tried to keep it out of their minds while Dawn's graduation ceremony happened, and then they took her out to dinner to celebrate.
Then they saw a man collapse a table.
"Call 9-1-1!" his table companion yelled.
Dawn pulled out her phone and did so.
"He told me he didn't feel well," the woman sobbed. "I shouldn't have insisted we go out."
The paramedics got her guy onto a stretcher, and then the paramedic said, "There's no pulse." He began doing chest compressions. Then his partner got the defibrillator ready, and they shocked the chest. Nothing. They began to transport the man out of the restaurant to the ambulance. Then the man's eyes opened, but something wasn't right.
There was still no pulse, but he sat up and bit the paramedic.
Dawn watched in horror as the man jumped off the stretcher and began eating the paramedic.
Moving into action, Illyria, appearing as Fred, ripped out the man's spine, and he continued to still eat the paramedic's face.
The screaming in the restaurant reached ear-piercing volumes. Finally, Illyria took out her knife and stabbed the guy in the temple, and he went still.
"God, what a nightmare!" Buffy exclaimed.
"I'm going to be sick," someone behind them said, retching.
When the paramedic opened his dead eyes, the panic rose again.
"Damn," Faith said.
This time, Illyria didn't bother ripping out his spine, stabbing the poor guy's brain before anyone else could get bitten.
"This is a nightmare," Dawn observed.
Little did she know that this was just the beginning.
*****Three Months Later*****
Buffy would never believe after all their many saves that the world could end almost overnight by a stupid virus created in a lab overseas. She was just so grateful that she was with Dawn when the world fell apart. They were basically living on campus, protecting as many people as possible, but it wasn't sustainable.
Illyria and Willow had been working with Dawn to help her open portals with her mystical key blood. Illyria insisted that she could detect the energy in Dawn, so Willow did a spell and determined that she was right. The key power was within Dawn. Then Illyria, herself and Willow made a journey to the Deeper Well and gained just enough of her power to open portals once again. She was determined to leave Earth. First, she went to Los Angeles and got Connor and Gunn. Connor insisted on bringing his adopted parents and siblings. After the fall in Los Angeles, he told them about the supernatural and meeting his bio dad. However, he did not tell them his birth parents were vampires. That just didn't make sense to anyone. Now, though, the world was so crazy that none of it mattered. Angel was just relieved to have his kid with him and grateful to the human family for making Connor so happy.
Connor wanted to leave, too, and was trying to convince them to go with Illyria. He didn't want his human family to fall to the virus, so any demon world was fine to him as he was raised in one and turned out just fine.
"This planet is dying," she said with a disdainful sniff.
"We can go to Pylea," Lorne said. "I never thought I'd want to go back to that musicless, joyless hell hole, but this world is not what it was. Cordelia changed some things when she was queen there. Maybe it's not so bad."
"There's no virus there?" Connor's mom asked.
"No," Angel said.
"Wait, Cordelia was really queen?" Buffy asked.
"She was," Lorne said, smiling at the one fond memory he had of his home. "My queen. I never thought I'd be glad she was gone, but at least she doesn't have to be here to see something worse than vampires."
"I can't leave this world," Buffy said. "But I want Dawn to be safe."
"I'm not leaving you," Dawn said stubbornly.
They argued for hours about who would go to Pylea and who would stay. Finally, Angel and Spike decided that since the sun would not kill them there, they both would go. Illyria would open portals to several slayer houses across the world and get as many slayers who wanted to leave. Giles would go and let them know it was okay with Buffy. Those who wanted to stay and kill the infected and help humanity could do that. Giles was going to go with them to Pylea. Every six months, they would rendezvous and see if things were better to return. Giles didn't want to leave his planet, but he also didn't want to leave all the slayers who wanted to leave.
"Giles, we need you to survive for as long as possible," Buffy said. She wasn't ready to lose him, and she definitely didn't want to see him turned into a zombie.
"All right," he said, reluctantly agreeing.
That was a week ago. Now the preparations were ready. Surprisingly, only about thirty slayers wanted to abandon Earth. Most wanted to stay to help as many people as possible. Nearly all of the watchers, however, opt to leave Earth. Their slayers encouraged them, and they felt it was important that they live and be alive somewhere. That would leave the slayers free to focus on protecting strangers and not worrying about them.
They had fortified their slayer locations as soon as the virus broke out, so they were working to save people and bring in those that seemed trustworthy into their groups. Giles and Faith, the most untrusting, cautioned them about trusting everyone.
"In times like this, people will turn into the very worse versions of humanity. They will do the most vile things to survive," Giles cautioned.
"Survival of the fittest in its worst form," Faith said grimly. "I saw it in prison. This will be awful."
"Faith and I will travel around with Willow, Dawn, and Xander and save those we come across," Buffy said.
"I think I can help you know who deserves saving," Angel said, approaching her.
Buffy looked at him curiously, and then he pulled her in for a kiss. There were more than a few whistles, eyerolls from Xander while Dawn made gagging noises. Spike looked both pissed and wounded.
Buffy gave him a bemused look. "That felt different," she remarked.
"It was," Angel said. "I passed on my visions from the Powers."
"Excuse me?" Buffy asked.
"Cordy gave them to me before she died," he shared. "I get visions of people who need help, and now you will."
"That's great!" Willow enthused.
Xander nodded. "I thought I saw something blue, but then I wanted to gouge my one eye out," he said with a smirk.
Angel gave him an annoyed look. He put his hand on Buffy's shoulder. "I think it will help," he said. "Be careful. I don't want anything to happen to you."
"Don't worry," Faith said. "I'll keep her safe."
"As if," Buffy said, offended.
"You either," Angel said to Faith, pulling her in for a hug. The three of them stood together as Spike approached. "Watch out for men traveling alone on the road. They will look to harm women and steal everything you got."
"For sure," Spike agreed. "Keep Little Bit safe."
"With my life," Buffy vowed.
Spike nodded.
"Back-to-back, you two can damn near handle anything," Angel said. "Don't let the past come between you. Spike and I bicker a lot, but he knows, and I know that no one will fight for me more than he, and no hell will keep me from him. The two of you need to develop that same fighting chemistry, so that nothing can take you down."
Buffy looked at Spike, who grinned but nodded. Then she glanced at Faith, who blew her a kiss. "We will," Buffy said.
"Definitely," Faith agreed.
The four of them put their arms around the shoulders of one another for a group hug, knowing it could be the last time they were together. For Faith, it was particularly difficult as Angel was the only person left in this world that she knew would never let her down, her best friend.
When they broke apart, he pulled her aside. "Don't be afraid to get close to Willow and Xander. Don't let their possessiveness of Buffy bother you," he advised. "Do what I always did. Ignore it and just be their friend. Eventually, they'll stop being jealous and just see you."
Faith nodded. Xander already mostly did that. She hoped Willow would eventually, too.
They hugged one last time and everyone said a final goodbye as Dawn cried in Giles' arms.
"You can go with him, Dawn," Buffy said gently.
"No, I can't leave you," Dawn said. "It's just hard to leave him."
Giles' eyes were wet, and he knew exactly how she felt. It was like he was torn in two. His responsibility to his slayers, and his love for his family—because that was what they were—made this goodbye the most difficult of his life. However, he knew this was not the final goodbye, and he would trust in that.
"You have the power to come to me," he told her. "Remember that."
She nodded. "Don't let the Pyleans treat you like a cow," she advised. "Lorne says that's what they call humans."
As Illyria opened the portal, Connor's mother shrieked, "What?"
However, Illyria pushed her through with Connor trailing after her, glaring at Illyria. Naturally, she didn't care a bit. All too quickly, the large group was gone.
It was just the five of them. When the president of the university discovered that Dawn's very handy friends had left, she was very upset.
"They were so strong!" Christina Paxson stated. "We need them."
"Don't worry, B and I are still here, and we'll teach you how to be strong," Faith boasted.
They spent a month doing exactly that. With Angel, Spike, and Illyria there, it had not been necessary to allow others to do much except organize supplies. Now, though, Buffy began planning for their long-term survival.
Xander worked to move vehicles and buses around the gated area where they began moving people to, which was away from the outskirts of the campus and the more comfortable dormitories. Buffy convinced President Paxson that they needed to focus on a portion of the campus that would be their main area that they would spend 90% of their time living and protecting. The older part of the campus had basements, which were ideal for storage and hiding places if invaded. First, they moved all the buses and vans the school had access to around the perimeter to keep the walking dead from easy access. It wouldn't deter humans, but it would make it harder for the dead to get to them.
Then Xander took some of the spikes off gates on other parts of campus and used to create what he called shish kabob zombie traps around entry points. Then he taught the older staff members who didn't succumb to the virus and die already the fine art of whittling. Much longer spears than stakes as they had to stay out of reach of the biters as Xander called the zombies.
"Zombies is what they are," Faith insisted stubbornly.
"Zombies are things in movies. This is real," Willow argued.
"Biters works for me," Xander said.
"Dead heads," Dawn offered.
"It's the walking dead," Buffy argued.
"Rippers in honor of our very own Ripper?" Xander suggested.
"That's just wrong," Buffy said, frowning.
"Rotters 'cause they rot," Dawn suggested.
"How about Creepers because they give me the creeps?" Willow offered.
"We shouldn't make them too scary," Buffy replied. "That's why I think zombies should be eliminated as a name for them. They're not demons. They're the infected, but if we call them that, it implies, they can be cured, but they can't. They're dead. There's no soul there. It's like freeing a body a vampire has stolen. That's how we should look at it. They really are just the walking dead driven by a primal desire to spread their disease like the virus they really are."
"Okay," Willow said. "Then walkers it is."
"Works for me," Faith said with a shrug.
As they began training the group of fifty on campus how to fight, they used the term, and eventually, it caught on.
It was another month when summer was at its peak that they felt it was okay to leave the group. They had spent seven months with them.
The leadership of the school was very upset that they wanted to leave. Nearly a dozen times, Buffy and her friends had saved the group from zombie invasions or men that wanted to take what they had since Angel and Spike left. The professors no longer blinked at Willow's use of magic or Buffy and Faith defying the laws of physics. In the down time, Buffy allowed the science professors to test their strength for amusement since there was no internet. The men had theories and enjoyed the slayer's manual that Giles had left behind. The history professors, in particular, were fascinated, and distracted from the horror in the world by this new discovery. Illyria had refused to hide her light under a bushel, so it had not taken long before nearly everyone knew about their supernatural origins. Although she had terrified them, Faith and Buffy they adored.
When their very own Valkyries announced their departures, they were heartbroken, especially the professors, who had been so fascinated by their learning about the rich slayer history.
"But how can we be your watchers?" Professor Decker asked. As soon as they learned about what a watcher was and read the slayer manual, three of them had declared themselves watchers-in-training. They were history professors and one linguistic professor.
"You will just have to share the stories and teach about us to others," Buffy told them, wondering what Giles would think about her new cult following. "Watch out for slayers or other girls who seem special. We have to help others in the world. I can't just stay here. It would not be right."
The men nodded, vowing to do so as most of the women cried.
"You are right," Professor Decker said. "You must help others."
It was hard to leave as they had been with the group so long. Buffy had been getting visions during her time there, and they would take trips and help save those they could. However, something insidious was growing in the country besides walkers. The evil in humanity as they fought to survive was stomping out all the good in people.
"People are so afraid," Dawn said.
Willow nodded. "They'll do anything to survive—some anyway," she said.
They drove away from Brown after a tearful goodbye. President Paxson was sobbing, convinced they were doomed. Finally, Faith told her, "Get a grip. You're the leader. Act like it. They don't need to see their leader act so afraid. If you can't be strong, then step aside and let someone else lead."
"That's a good idea," Buffy said. She looked at Jack Turner, their athletic director, who was a former Marine. "You might have to take over."
He nodded. "We'll be okay. Thanks for everything," he said.
"Don't worry," Dawn said. "I'm only a portal away. I'll check in on you guys." She hugged the ones she was close to, her favorite professors in the linguistics department.
They loaded up the SUV that they were going to use. It had room on the top to tie down luggage and put stuff in the back. Obviously, they knew the highways would be an issue, but Faith and Buffy were confident that they could clear the roads as they went—a public service.
The world had become both a ghost town and a graveyard.
It was a heartbreaking thing to face day after day, but they did it.
When they got tired of the road, they would find a house and stay in it for a week or two. Most places had water but no electricity. If they didn't have water, Xander would figure out how to get the water working. If he couldn't, they would pick a different town to stop in. The girls insisted on water and showers whenever they stopped.
Buffy was too busy keeping them alive to notice that her baby sister was falling in love with her best guy friend. It took Xander three months to realize that Dawn didn't want him to ignore the fact that she was all grown up. Of course, she had to make the first move, and Xander felt extremely guilty, insisting they tell Buffy.
"Not until, we have sex," Dawn announced.
Xander looked around quickly, afraid Buffy heard her say the word. Dawn laughed. "She went to forage, and Willow is fooling around with Faith right now," Dawn informed him.
Xander's eyes widened. "What?" he asked.
"You know that Faith swings any way she wants, and Willow would never hit on Buffy," Dawn said. "It's only natural that she would begin looking at Faith."
"Really?" Xander said.
Dawn nodded. "Does that bother you?" she asked.
"Not really," Xander said. "But then Buffy's like the fifth wheel."
"Buffy is our leader, and our everything is so many ways," Dawn said. "She could never be a fifth wheel."
"That's good to know," Buffy said, coming up to them. "But what are you talking about."
The would-be couple exchanged a glance. Xander shook his head while Dawn nodded, grinning.
"I was just telling Xander that Willow was fooling around with Faith since she's available, and I was trying to seduce him since I have been in love with him forever," Dawn said, looking at Xander the entire time she spoke. She reached out and took his hand.
"That's a lot for me to take in," Buffy said, looking between the two of them. Xander looked a bit shell-shocked.
When the couple started kissing, she walked away, shaking her head. "Gee, Xander was as surprised as I am," she muttered. She wanted to go tell Willow, but she didn't want to see Willow making out with Faith.
"Guess I'll go find some walkers to kill," Buffy announced, doubting they were listening.
She smiled, however. It was good that her friends were finding some happiness in the new hellscape they were in, and her sister would never find a better man than Xander. If she felt a pang that he would no longer think of her first, she pushed it down. This was good. Dawn deserved her Xander-shaped friend.
A vision filled her head, and she followed it to a nearby town, glad to have a distraction. She rubbed her temple. Angel could've warned her about the stabbing headache that came with the visions.
*****Some months later*****
They had just finished the nasty job of taking out a group of cannibals in Terminus, Georgia.
"We gotta get rid of those signs telling people to go there," Willow said.
Buffy and Faith were still in a killing rage. It made them sick what they had to do in Terminus. Killing humans wasn't something slayers were supposed to do.
"You had to do it," Xander told them.
"Of course, you did," Dawn echoed. "Those people were luring people in, making them think they were giving them sanctuary, robbing them and then eating them! I have never seen such evil in my life!"
"Angelus would've been proud to know them," Willow added. "You two did what you had to do. We all did. There's no reason to feel guilty. They might've been human, but they were every bit as soulless as Angelus."
Buffy nodded. "I know. The visions showed me the place. The Powers wanted us to find that place and save those people," she said. "It's just so revolting that humanity is reduced to this."
She began to clean the scythe as Faith wanted to scream.
"I really need to find a horde and do some damage to something that can't beg for mercy as I kill it," Faith said, feeling like a murderer she was once imprisoned as.
Willow pulled her in for a kiss. "You are not a murderer any more than the guy who flips the switch on the electric chair for the state," she said. "Or the doctor who injects the lethal injection."
Faith allowed Willow to comfort her for a long moment.
"There's a horde a few miles that way," Buffy said, pointing. Her sensitivity to the walking dead was getting stronger all the time. Faith was able to sense them like demons, but Buffy could sense them miles away. Of course, the vision often gave her a nudge too.
"Time to go hunting," Faith said eagerly.
Both slayers wiped out the faces of the cannibals they'd killed with countless walkers.
It was the only way they could sleep at night.
*****A Few Months Later*****
Buffy had been getting vision after vision about victims of these so-called Saviors. They terrorized other communities that had managed to cobble together some sort of life, bullying them into giving a tithe. If they refused, the group would kill someone to force compliance. It was brutal but effective.
Then Buffy got a vision of an Asian man, young getting his head bashed in with a bat. One of his eyes were hanging out as he reached for his wife. She saw a flash of several people crying, a dead bearded man with his head bashed in was in the circle of people around the Asian guy.
"I have a new group of people," she said. "This one will be difficult."
"I love difficult," Faith said with a grin.
Buffy had gotten just one glimpse of the demon she needed to slay.
The thing was, he was no demon.
He was just a man; his name was Negan. His name was in the wind, echoing in her head. He was the linchpin.
*****A Highway****
They dove a mile from where they could see all the cars. Dawn opened a portal directly behind them. Willow cast a notice-me-not spell over them as they approached the large group of about a hundred roughnecks armed that surrounded the group they were there to save—at least they hoped to prevent one or two of them from being beaten with a baseball bat. They spread out; Buffy and Faith taking opposite sides of the RV they knew Negan was coming out of very soon.
The poor group of people were clearly terrorized. Willow could sense that one woman was ill, and she peered closer, crouching and touching the ground. Her eyes widened as she realized the woman was pregnant, and the new life within her was in distress.
Buffy watched as a reasonably attractive man wearing a leather jacket and red scarf stepped out of the RV, carrying a baseball bat that was wrapped in barbed wire. She felt sick as she realized that he was holding the murder weapon that would cause the poor Asian guy's eye to pop out and kill the red headed bearded guy. Even now, she saw the defiance in the redheaded man's eyes. He was a fighter, and he was really pissed.
Negan, holding the bat, had a Cheshire grin on his face, clearly enjoying the power he wielded and the fear he invoked. His confidence was both appealing and sickening in light of what she knew he was going to do. If she met him in a club before all this, she would've found the guy's cockiness sexy. Now, she wanted to beat him with the non-barbed end of his own bat.
She listened as the man announced to the group, "I am Negan," as if he was God himself. Then he berated Rick for killing a load of Saviors, which made Buffy look at the Rick guy with new eyes. The boy next to him wore an eye patch like Xander. She bet that was his boy, and she couldn't help but wonder how the kid lost the eye.
Then Negan began to explain his New World Order, "You work for me now. You have shit, you give it to me." The man really believed he had the right to everyone's stuff. The sheer audacity of the man was astounding.
She saw Faith roll her eyes across the way, and Buffy mimed sticking her finger down her throat. Faith's shoulders shook with silent laughter. Xander, though, looked grim with rage. He wanted that guy dead—she could tell, especially when he began talking about his bat.
"I'm going to let you live so that you can work for me, but I have to beat the holy hell out of one of you as punishment for killing my men," he said as if it was the most reasonable thing in the world. Of course, they couldn't object. He held up the bat, looking at it in reverence. "This is Lucille. And she is awesome. We set up the roadblocks. Trying to teach you a lesson, but you just weren't getting it. Now I have to decide who gets the honor of dying." He seemed amused by the redheaded guy's defiant look. When he seemed to get close to the Asian, Buffy knew it was time.
She nodded to Faith. It had been decided that she would go in first, looking all blonde and beautiful in her red leather pants, black camisole and black leather jacket. Her hair was normally kept in braids, but she let the blonde locks out. The length now was in the middle of her back, and Willow had worked her mojo, making sure it had the siren appeal, sure to draw the eye of every man.
"Excuse me," Buffy said, waving her hand. More guns than she could count pointed at her. Her scythe was strapped to her back, so her hands were up and weaponless.
Negan, always happy to see a beautiful woman, smiled at her. "Now, who might you be?" he asked.
"I'm Buffy," she said with a bright smile. "I was hoping to interrupt if you don't mind."
"I never mind being interrupted by a beautiful woman," Negan said, giving her a dimpled grin.
Damn, that smile was potent. How could evil be so charming? Buffy wondered. Then she remembered Giles quoting an old bible verse, Satan shall appear as an Angel of Light. Or something like that. He must certainly be the devil.
"Were you planning on beating one of these men here with that bat?" Buffy asked him.
"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," Negan said. "They set fire to a dozen of my men, so killing one or two of them is not that harsh a punishment really."
"Maybe not, but I've been sent to save you," Buffy said.
"Save me?" Negan said, laughing. "Honey, I'm the leader of the Saviors, I save people. It takes a harsh hand to keep things in order on this new world we find ourselves in."
"Maybe so," Buffy said, smiling at him. "However, I have a gift. I get visions of people who need help. I saw you bashing in the head of that man—" she pointed to the Asian—"and that redhead with the beard."
Negan frowned, not sure he liked knowing this stranger could see through him so easily. "If I'm killing them, how are you saving me by stopping that?" he asked.
"Killing them leads to the destruction of your entire life and everything you built," Buffy warned. Her vision had not shown her that, but she knew it was true.
Faith appeared. "We would like to offer you an alternative," she said.
Negan's eyes feasted on the brunette, sex on a stick, who just appeared in his camp, wearing a red shirt with her black leather pants and leather jacket. "Damn! Another one! And it's not even my birthday!" he exclaimed. He looked at his guys. "Did you guys order me two hot babes?"
"No sir," they said.
"We would fight you for their lives," Buffy offered.
"I don't hit women," Negan said, losing his smile. "Not ever."
Buffy was surprised. How could someone so brutal and sadistic have a line that he wouldn't cross? "So you will beat someone's head in with a bat, but you won't hit a woman?" she asked.
Someone from the crowd offered, "And kids. He gets enraged if anyone hurts kids."
"Are you two alone?" Negan asked Buffy.
"No," Buffy replied. Xander appeared with Dawn next to him. Willow appeared directly behind Maggie, startling all of them.
"Damn," Negan exclaimed. "More beautiful women. Where did she come from?"
"Willow has a gift that no one else has," Buffy said.
"This woman is sick and pregnant," Willow said, bending down and touching her. "What's your name?"
"Maggie," she said.
"How far along are you?" Willow asked.
"Four months," Maggie said. "Something's wrong. We were just trying to get to the doctor at Hilltop. That's all we were trying to do."
"How about you let me and Faith fight your strongest guys?" Buffy suggested. "If we win, you don't kill anyone."
"Well, that's not exactly fair," Negan said.
"Don't worry. I'll go easy on them," Buffy said, grinning.
Negan laughed. "No, I meant, they killed a lot of my guys, and I was only going to kill two of theirs," he said.
"Okay, we'll fight one person for each of them," Buffy said.
Faith counted. "Eleven," she said. "I'll take five and you six?"
"Sounds good," Buffy said.
"Let's do something about all these guns," Willow said. "I don't want anyone getting trigger happy and accidentally shooting anyone."
"My men don't shoot unless I tell them to," Negan said.
"That's good," Willow said. "I'd hate to take your guns."
"Man," Negan said, amused and not offended by her threat. He didn't believe she could take his guns. "Four beautiful, sassy women. The blue-eyed over there hasn't said anything yet, but I can just tell by looking at her, she's sassy too. And another one-eyed guy. What the hell's going on with the one eyes? Not enough that people are coming back from the dead? People gotta go poking out a guy's eye?"
"That's Xander," Buffy said. Then she pointed at each. "That's Faith and Willow. The blue-eyed girl is my baby sister, Dawn. Xander lost his before the end of our world saving my life from a serial killer dressed as a priest."
"Now that's a good story I want to hear some day," he said.
"Well, if we don't end the day as enemies, maybe I'll tell you someday," Buffy replied.
Negan gave her a contemplative look and then nodded.
"Okay, now that I know who my party crashers all are, let's see what you got," Negan said. He nodded to some of his men.
The group kneeling was all made to stand and give space to Buffy and the first Savior to fight her. He had long hair and didn't seem much of a fighter.
"Don't hurt her too badly, Jared," Negan said. He figured he'd let his top guys put her down and end the charade. A greater chance of her going to bed with him later.
However, it took Buffy ten seconds to put him down.
Daryl exchanged a look with Rick, neither knowing what to think about the newcomers who seemed hell bent on saving them. However, they were grateful for the reprieve.
David didn't fare any better as the woman was too fast for any hits to land on her. She went through four guys without any effort at all. Finally, she said, "How about the last two come at me at the same time?"
Negan nodded to two others who were eager to put down the beautiful butterfly. However, the result was the same. She kicked one so hard in the knee that he went down screaming and knocked the other out cold. Then she winced, looking guilty. "Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to hit that hard!" she exclaimed.
Negan was incredulous. When the Faith woman went through five of his guys with a look of pure joy on her heart, causing pain without the look of guilt he began to reassess.
"How can I get one of you as one of my wives?" Negan asked.
"She belongs to me," Willow said, giving him a cold look. "I don't share."
"I can respect that," Negan said, looking at Buffy. "How about you?"
"I don't believe in polygamy," Buffy told him.
"For you, I might be convinced to go back to monogamy," Negan told her.
Buffy moved closer to him and beckoned him to bend down, so she could whisper in his ear. "I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you pop like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more." She nipped his ear and stepped away.
Negan groaned as he felt his body harden at her very potent words just as she planned. The minx knew what she was doing. Her next words proved it. "But I won't," she said. "I don't sleep with psychopaths who take pleasure in beating to death a man in front of his pregnant wife."
"Why do you care? These people aren't yours," he said.
Willow threw her thoughts in Rick's mind. We mean you no harm. Think about the name of your city. She read it in his mind. "Actually, that's not true," Willow said. "My uncle lives in Alexandria. We are going to be joining their community. Xander's a carpenter, and he can help with lots of things that need fixin'."
"There you go," Buffy said, giving Negan a saucy grin.
Negan looked at the people of Alexandria, and then at Buffy. Sure, he had a lot more people. He knew that eventually his people would win, but she would kill a lot of them. That wasn't what he wanted. Besides, if he pissed her off, she would never sleep with him. Eventually, someone would hurt her, and that would be a damn shame. "Fine," he said. "I will let them go as long as you are in Alexandria when I come for a visit. I would really enjoy seeing your beautiful face again."
Buffy gave him a beaming smile of approval. "I am really glad I didn't have to kill you today," she told him. All his men once again pointed their guns at her and her friends. Willow moved closer. "I told you that I don't like guns," she warned as she held up her right hand and brought it down abruptly. An invisible thread seemed to yank every gun out of every man and woman's hand.
"What the fuck?" Negan asked.
"Willow's a witch," Buffy said. "A good witch. If you don't want her to melt your guns, I suggest you leave them on the ground until we leave."
"Leave the guns," Negan ordered, alarmed at the threat. He didn't know what to think, but damn, he was so turned on and a bit freaked out at the same time.
Of course, Willow could not actually melt their guns, but they didn't know that. Buffy worked hard to contain her snicker. "Well, it was great meeting you all," she said.
"We need to get Maggie to the doctor at Hilltop," Glen said.
"I want to go with them," Willow said.
"Fine, you all can all leave," Negan said. He looked at Rick. "I'll see you in a week."
Rick nodded. She and Glen headed to the RV first with Rosita and Eugene following close behind them. Aaron stood in the doorway.
Dawn looked to Buffy who nodded. Then she opened a portal, causing more than a few to scream.
"What the holy hell is that?" Negan demanded.
"Oh, well, Dawn has a special skill set," Buffy told him. "She can open portals. Saves on gas." They had decided that a flashy show of power at the end would definitely make a clear statement.
Xander had already left behind Dawn, but Faith didn't want to leave Willow. "One of them should go with you to show us how to get to Hilltop," Faith said.
"I'll go," Daryl offered.
Buffy looked at the waif like dirty blonde guy. He looked a bit savage but tough. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Daryl," he said. "Nice to meet you, Daryl," Buffy said, holding out her hand.
Daryl looked at his dirty hand and didn't want to soil her hand with his, but she didn't hesitate to grab his hand and pull him into the portal that winked closed behind her.
Rick told Eugene, "Get us out of here." Rick didn't understand what the hell had just happened or how the redheaded woman put thoughts into his head, but they had saved the lives of at least two of his people. He would allow them on his RV. Michonne gave him a disapproving look.
"We cannot take them back to Alexandria," she said.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Willow said, giving them a friendly smile. "We are very good people to have around." She and Faith were the final two on the RV.
Negan watched the most incredible and fascinating woman he had ever seen literally disappear into thin air. "Well, damn!" Negan exclaimed. He was very much looking forward to his visit to Alexandria.
***** Chapter End*****
I hope you enjoyed my saving of Glen and Abraham.
Chapter 2: Who Are These People?
Summary:
The events are right after the previous chapter. You might reread it if it's been a while since you read it.
Chapter Text
******Hilltop*****
Glen still could not believe what had happened back there with Negan, but he knew that he would probably be dead if this group of weirdos with literal magic powers had not shown up. “Thank you!” Glen said, hugging Willow as the RV pulled away.
“You are very welcome,” she said.
“How did you know what was happening?” Michonne asked.
“Would you mind introducing everyone?” Willow asked.
“You don’t know?” Rick asked.
“I don’t read minds,” Willow said. “I can throw my thoughts into a person’s mind and receive back sometimes—mostly just your surface thoughts. I did that with you, but I can’t read your every thought. I thought it was important that he think I was connected to your group.”
“I’m Sasha,” Sasha said. “Thank you. I don’t know if your friend Buffy was right, but Abraham is my guy. I would’ve been heartbroken if Negan had killed him.”
“Buffy gets visions from the Powers That Be of people who need help,” Willow explained. “Her visions are never wrong. We’ve spent the past year and a half following her visions and saving people. Sometimes, we just kill people who need killing like that group of cannibals we ran across.”
Rick and Michonne looked shocked. “You went to Terminus?” Rick asked.
Willow nodded. “You know that place?”
“We do,” Michonne said. “They nearly got us all. We lost people to them.”
“Well, they are all gone now. Buffy and Faith took care of them. Then we took care of all the signs telling people to go there,” Willow said.
“Thank God,” Glen said. “I’m Glen. That’s my wife, Maggie. Eugene is driving. That’s Rosita. Carl is Rick’s son.”
“I’m Aaron,” Aaron said. “We are very grateful.”
“But suspicious,” Michonne said.
Willow smiled. “Of course,” she said. “You have to be. I hope you will give us a chance, though, to prove that we can be trusted. Before the world fell apart, there were demons and vampires in this world. We were monster slayers professionally. We grew up in Sunnydale, California.”
“That town that got destroyed?” Abraham asked. “I was in the military and stationed in San Diego. We went there to help with the evacuation. There were very few bodies to recover.”
“Most people got out,” Willow said. “My friends and I were on the last bus. We literally saw the town get swallowed up.”
“Sunnydale was a bad town,” Rosita said, crossing herself.
“Yes, it was,” Willow said. “It was on a hellmouth. When we closed it, the town was destroyed.”
“You destroyed an entire town?” Michonne said with a glare.
“We saved the world multiple times, including that time. The First Evil was going to allow the world to be overrun with things much worse than walkers,” Willow said. “We had no choice. Of course, we did not know closing the hellmouth would destroy the town.”
“I hate to think what something worse than walkers looks like,” Glen said with a shudder.
“I can’t believe monsters are real,” Carl said, looking at his dad.
“I’m sure they’re not any around now,” Rick said.
“No, they mostly abandoned this world,” Willow said. “They went to other dimensions. We’ve not seen any since the outbreak. It’s like the world cannot handle the burden anymore.”
“Thank God,” Glen said. “Walkers are bad enough.”
“So Buffy and Faith are like super soldiers of some kind?” Abraham asked.
“Something like that,” Willow said. “Technically, they were vampire slayers. Superstrength, can use any weapon, extremely fast healing, get dreams of bad things happening. We didn’t know about the virus, though. It was man made, not supernatural. We were caught off guard.” They had already seen them in action, and Willow didn’t see a point in lying to the people. She wanted them to find a home, and she wanted them to trust her and her friends.
“Is there more like them around?” Glen asked.
Willow nodded. “I used that weapon of Buffy’s to activate every potential slayer in the world when we closed the Sunnydale hellmouth,” she explained. “There are hundreds of slayers. Thirty of them left this world and went to Pylea, another dimension.”
“There’s another dimension?” Glen asked excitedly.
“Well, there’s lots. But Pylea is a hell dimension,” Willow explained. “Our demon friend Lorne—he’s a good demon, not all demons are evil—is from there. He suggested we go there since there are humans there. We know humans can live there. So some of our friends, our mentor Giles, went there. We have another friend that can open portals.”
“You speak of insane things,” Michonne said, glaring at her. “You expect us to believe this?”
Willow shrugged. “I don’t expect you to believe anything you don’t want to believe,” she said. “I am just answering Glen’s questions. You saw Dawn open a portal, and your friend went through it with Buffy and my other friends. Dawn doesn’t open portals to other dimensions. Just other places on Earth. Saves gas.”
“Portals, as depicted in science fiction, are hypothetical shortcuts through space-time that could potentially connect two distant locations,” Eugene said from the driver’s seat. “One theoretical concept is the idea of gravitational portals, which could be created by manipulating the gravitational field around a massive object. According to general relativity, massive objects warp the fabric of spacetime, creating gravitational fields. If we could create a device that could manipulate these fields, we might be able to create a portal that connects two points in spacetime.”
“Eugene is our brainiac,” Glen said, smiling as he tried to explain him.
“Well, sometimes, people can create portals through magic,” Willow explained. “Illyria, a friend of ours, is not exactly human. She can do it through magic as can Dawn. Illyria is ancient, so she is more powerful.”
“I do not understand how such a thing is possible, but I did see it with my own eyes,” Eugene said. “Therefore, I must admit that it is true. She has clearly evolved to a level of human development that normal humans have not. So have you and your slayer friends. Calling it magic is just hogwash.”
Willow smiled, liking the guy. “That works for me,” she said, knowing there was no point in arguing about it. He was accepting them, and that was all that really mattered. “How far is Hilltop?”
“Not much further,” Rick said. “Now explain again, how you knew we needed help.”
“Buffy got a vision of Negan killing an Asian guy and a redheaded bearded guy,” Willow said, looking at the two men.
“Thank you for coming,” Maggie said weakly.
“Seriously,” Glen said. “That guy was a major psychopath.”
“Not entirely,” Willow said. “True psychopaths don’t care who they hurt. He doesn’t hurt women or children. That means he has a moral code of some kind. He also can be reasoned with. That means he is not really evil.”
“He seemed pretty evil to me,” Glen said.
“Did you burn a bunch of his guys alive?” Willow asked.
“That was me,” Abraham said.
“I was there, too,” Sasha said.
“We were trying to go down the road, and they tried to stop us, take our stuff,” Abraham said. “It’s kill or be killed out here.”
“I know,” Willow said. “No judgement here. I’m just saying that Negan is not a psychopath. He’s the alpha of a pack of wolves. Guys like that can be dealt with. I grew up on a hellmouth, and I’m very familiar with true evil. He isn’t it.”
“We’re here,” Eugene said.
Willow looked with interest as they pulled into an open field. She saw the huge fields, and people working them. The large fence. There were people thriving here, and she smiled to see the prospering community.
When they jumped out of the RV, Jesus greeted them. “What brings you here?” he asked.
“Jesus, we need to see the doctor,” Aaron told him. “Maggie.”
“Okay,” he said.
Gregory, however, was not happy. “What are you doing here?” he asked.
“Bringing Maggie to a doctor. We ran into the Saviors, but Negan let us go,” Rick said.
“Are you sure? I don’t want any trouble with him,” Gregory said.
Willow didn’t bother introducing herself to the rude man and followed Glen and Maggie. “Who was that?” she asked.
“That’s Gregory. Our leader,” Jesus said. “I’m Jesus. I haven’t seen you before.”
“I’m Willow,” she said. “My friends and I are new to Alexandria.”
“They saved us from Negan,” Glen said.
“Really? That’s great,” Jesus said. “We can always use good fighters.”
“Or good scavengers like me and Jesus,” Glen said, grinning.
“My friend Dawn loves to scavenge,” Willow said.
They made it to the medical area, and Willow was introduced to Dr. Carlson, who seemed competent enough. He was able to help Maggie, so Willow did not have to intervene, which was good. They didn’t need to depend on her for healing as there was always a limit to what she could do.
She spent time observing and learning all she could about Hilltop. It was a good community, but it suffered from a poor leader. Luckily, it had the very cute Jesus as its second leader.
“Is Jesus your real name?” Willow asked him.
“Of course not,” he said, smiling. “But I have the look, and people need something to smile about.”
“You don’t think it’s blasphemous?” she asked.
“Do you?” he asked.
“I’m a Jewish Wiccan, so no,” Willow said, smiling.
“I also go out to find people to bring to our community,” he said.
“Oh, it makes sense,” Willow said, smiling. He was very likeable and could see how he would be good at that. How could you distrust a man who looked like THE Jesus and was named it?
Rick and Michonne could not agree about Willow and her friends, naturally, as Michonne was not very trusting. To her, they seemed too good to be true. Rick was not trusting either—not anymore. However, they did save him and his people. He owed them, so he would give her and her friends the benefit of the doubt. For now.
******Elsewhere******
Daryl did not know what to expect when he followed the beautiful blonde named Buffy into the doorway that was somehow opened from thin air. It turned out they were on a stretch of highway that he recognized. “What the hell?” he asked, looking around.
“It’s okay,” Buffy said. “Dawn opened up a portal to where we parked our car.” It was currently a large SUV with their luggage strapped to the top.
Daryl didn’t know what he expected, but it was so ordinary that it caught him off guard. He looked at them with suspicion.
“Relax. It’s okay,” Buffy assured him. “Now, do you know where we are?”
Daryl nodded. “Yeah,” he said.
“Good. You can take us to Willow and your friends,” Buffy told him.
“I can, but Gregory, the leader of Hilltop is an ass,” Daryl warned. “He won’t welcome so many strangers in.”
“We don’t have to go in,” Dawn said. “We can wait outside for Willow.”
“And we don’t have to join your people in Alexandria,” Faith told him. “But that guy Negan is going to be a problem. We can help you with that.”
“We can help with a lot of things,” Xander said. “I really am Mr. Fix-it.”
“Skilled workers are always important in a community,” Daryl agreed.
They got into the car, and Faith drove. The driving was so going slow due to the cars on the highway. Daryl watched in shock the first time Buffy and Faith got out to move them from the road.
“How strong are they?” he asked Xander and Dawn.
Dawn shrugged. “I don’t really know,” she said. “We’ve never tested them.”
“I wouldn’t challenge them to an arm-wrestling contest,” Xander said, meeting Daryl’s eyes in the rearview mirror. He was sitting up front in the passenger seat.
“Buffy is stronger than Faith as she was called before Buffy,” Dawn said. “She has about three years’ experience on her. The vision thing isn’t part of the slayer package. I mean they do get dreams from the Powers warning them of things to come, but those are vague. Our friend Angel, who went to Pylea, passed on his psychic visions of who needs help to Buffy from the Powers that are more immediate and like a clear snapshot of who, when, and where to her right after the virus broke out. They also happen while she’s awake.”
“And you guys just go around helping people?” Daryl asked, having trouble believing anyone was that good anymore.
“It’s what we’ve always done since we were fifteen,” Xander answered. “Buffy came into our school—Willow and I have been best friends since kindergarten—our sophomore year second semester. She saved our lives that first week from vampires, and we’ve been helping her ever since. Once you know what’s out there, you can’t pretend anymore.”
“Once you have your friends killed and turned into vampires, and you have to slay them, you can’t ever be normal again,” Dawn shared.
“That happened to you?” Daryl asked.
“No, to me,” Xander said. “Willow and I had another best friend, Jesse. Buffy wasn’t able to save him. He was the first vampire I ever killed. It’s like seeing someone you knew and loved as a walker. It’s an abomination.”
Daryl nodded, understanding that comparison.
Buffy and Faith got back into the car, not even breathing hard.
“This is going to take forever if you keep stopping to clear the road,” Daryl said. “It’s why I drive a motorcycle.”
“Clearing the roads is our public service,” Buffy said, smiling. “Who else is going to do it? If it takes us a day to get there, that’s fine. They’ll probably stay the night anyway, right?”
“Probably,” he agreed.
“Gives you time to know and love us,” Faith said, giving him a wink. Then she turned back around and started the car up.
Daryl wasn’t so sure as Faith played some heavy metal bands that he did not enjoy at all. Then Xander had enough of the noise and put in some music that he liked—much to Daryl’s relief. “You like the Stones?” Daryl asked.
“Yeah, my uncle got me into them. I have some Aerosmith, too,” he said.
“I like them,” Buffy said. “Bon Jovi, though, is better.”
Daryl smiled, surprised. “I figured you were a Swifty,” he said.
“That’d be Dawn,” Buffy said, wrinkling her noise a bit.
“I cry at night thinking of Taylor being turned into one of these ugly monsters,” Dawn said. “I’m hoping she has a million-dollar bunker in Nashville with her parents and her cat. She’s safe. Along with Reba. Mom loved Reba.”
“Well, yeah. Everybody does,” Daryl said, smiling.
“That’s the good thing about TV being gone and the internet being gone, we can pretend,” Dawn said. “We don’t have to watch our idols get turned. They can live on in our imaginations as beautiful and perfect as they were. This ugliness never has to touch them.”
“That’s beautiful, babe,” Xander told her, looking back at her and smiling.
Okay, so Daryl could see that Xander and Dawn were a couple. Faith had been claimed by the witch Willow. That meant Buffy was single. For some reason, Daryl felt really uncomfortable all of a sudden. He had very little experience with women, especially women who looked like her. Of course, there weren’t women who moved the way she did, like a predator. Except, of course, for Faith.
“How do you guys look so clean?” Daryl asked. It finally occurred to him what made them so different from everyone else.
“Well, every few weeks, we get sick of traveling and make Xander find us a place with water. We stay for a week or so and clean up,” Buffy said. “Xander can pretty much get water going in just about anywhere.”
“That’s a rare talent,” Daryl said.
“Necessary when traveling with all women,” Xander said. “I like peace.”
Daryl smiled. He couldn’t help but like the guy.
“Willow has some spell that keeps our clothes clean, and my hair gorgeous!” Buffy added.
“So she’s really a witch?” Daryl asked, uncomfortable.
“Yes,” Buffy said. “But don’t be scared. I know back in the Old World, witches were either considered fake or evil. She’s neither. I promise. Her magic heals, defends, and helps in incredible ways.”
“I’ve never known no witches,” Daryl said.
“You’ll like Willow,” Dawn said.
“She’s been my best friend pretty much my entire life. I’d be lost without her,” Xander told him.
As they drove Xander regaled Daryl with stories of their travels, and things he cobbled together. How Dawn was afraid of spiders.
“It’s so nice to have another guy to talk to,” Xander said. “You can’t know!”
“I don’t talk much,” Daryl said.
“That’s okay,” Xander said. “Willow’s one and only boyfriend, Oz, was like that. I still miss that guy.”
“Xander will talk enough for both of you,” Faith said, snickering.
“I hope Oz is alive somewhere,” Buffy said.
“He was in Budapest,” Dawn said. “Hopefully, he was in the mountains and not the city area.”
“Yeah,” Buffy said, looking sad.
“So how did you lose your eye?” Daryl asked, deciding to change the subject.
“It got poked out by a serial killer when I tried to defend my girls,” Xander said.
“My hero,” Buffy said, squeezing his shoulder.
“He always is braver than he is smart,” Faith said with a bark of laughter.
“No shit? Poked out?” Daryl asked, looking horrified. “That story you told Negan was true?”
“Yeah, I was always called the Man Who Sees,” Xander said. “He said I wouldn’t be able to see so much anymore. He was right. My depth perception is shit.”
“Damn, that’s messed up,” Daryl said. “Rick’s son Carl got his shot out. He was lucky that it didn’t kill him.”
“For real,” Xander agreed. “I think wearing a patch makes me look tough. What do you think?”
“It does,” Daryl said.
“Until you open your mouth and start talking,” Faith said, laughing. “Then they can tell right away what a pussy cat you are!”
Daryl had a feeling there was probably some truth to that. A man who traveled with women and whose best friend since kindergarten was a girl was probably not so tough. Then again, if half the things they said were true, he was actually probably one tough son-of-a-bitch.
The question Daryl had, though, could he trust him with his family in Alexandria?
By the time they made it to Hilltop, it was the next morning.
Willow came out to greet them, smiling.
“What took you so long?” Willow asked.
“You know, performing our public service of road clearing,” Buffy said, grinning.
“How’s things here?” Faith asked her girlfriend after kissing her.
“Good. This is a great community. They have a doctor. He’s a great guy, who was able to help Maggie,” Willow said.
“She’s good?” Daryl asked.
“Yes,” Willow said.
“We’ll stay here, Daryl, while you go to talk to Rick,” Buffy said.
“Okay,” he said. He went into the gate.
“He’s kind of cute in a really rough way,” Willow remarked.
“Yes, he was sweet,” Buffy said. “Kind of shy, though.”
The guy in question was greeted by Jesus and Aaron. “God, I’m glad you are okay,” Aaron said, reaching out and taking his hand.
“I’m fine,” Daryl said.
“What took so long?” Aaron asked.
“I’m not sure you’d believe me,” Daryl said, smiling.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Aaron asked, looking puzzled.
“Because if I didn’t see it, I wouldn’t have,” Daryl admitted. “Those two girls who came in and fought all those guys of Negan’s are incredibly strong. They consider it a public service duty to clear the roads as they go down them in their car.”
“Seriously?” Aaron asked, looking surprised.
Daryl nodded. “That’s what took so long,” he said.
“You better come up with a better story than that ‘cause Michonne is not going to believe that,” Aaron said with a snort.
He was right. Michonne said, “Bullshit!” when he repeated the tale to her.
“I am serious,” Daryl said. “It’s why I am late getting here. The girls spent the entire day moving cars, and Xander was so excited to have another guy around that he talked my ear off. He talks more than Eugene.”
“Hey!” Eugene protested.
“That’s not possible,” Rosita said.
“It’s true,” Daryl said, smiling. “Xander never shuts up.”
“So what did you learn about them?” Rick asked.
“They go around helping people with the visions that Buffy gets while she’s awake,” Daryl said. “She didn’t used to have those visions. When the world went to shit, her friend Angel, who left this world for another dimension named Pylea, passed them to her. That was what he did in Los Angeles. Ran a detective agency to help people. He was Buffy’s ex. They have another friend named Illyria, who isn’t exactly human. They didn’t tell me what she was, but said she was stronger than Dawn and can open portals to other worlds. Many of their friends left this world for another place where there is no disease.”
“I wonder if she’d let us go to that world,” Carl asked.
“She said they left when the outbreak first happened,” Daryl said. “The virus hadn’t yet mutated, so if anyone went there now, we would spread the new mutation. Everyone here is infected. It wasn’t the case at first.”
“Damn, that’s true,” Rick said.
“That’s probably bullshit anyway,” Michonne said.
“Here’s what we know,” Eugene said. “The girls are incredibly strong. They are amazing fighters. They have an ability to practically mesmerize Negan. The girl Dawn can open portals. They claim Willow is a witch, and Xander is able to build things. We would be utterly stupid to not let them into our community.”
“I agree,” Rosita said.
“Me, too,” Aaron added.
“Agreed,” Abraham said.
“Yes,” Sasha said.
“Definitely,” Carl said.
Glen was with Maggie in the medical area.
Rick nodded. “I think so, too,” he said, looking at his lover.
“A group that strong can take over our entire community,” Michonne pointed out.
“They won’t,” Daryl said, finally speaking.
“How do you know that?” she asked him.
“They’re not like that,” he said. How could he convince his non-trusting friends of something that he felt deep in his bones?
“You spent one day with them. You can’t know that,” she insisted.
“They’re going to be a huge asset,” Daryl said. “Our community will be much safer. I really believe it.”
“That’s what matters,” Rick stated.
“I suppose so,” Michonne reluctantly agreed.
She figured that if things went bad with them, she would find a way to kill them.
*****Chapter End*****
Okay, I wrote this a while ago and decided to go ahead a post it. I PROBABLY will write more, but I don’t have a lot of free time. This story is not a priority right now, but I thought it would be fun to imagine a bit more. Review if you are interested in more, and I’ll see what I can come up with. Maybe a new chapter before the year is out. Thanks!
Chapter 3: Alexandria
Chapter Text
******Gates of Alexandria*****
When Xander stopped their SUV at the gates of Alexandria, he felt good. Somehow, he just knew that they would not travel much anymore. This was going to be their new home.
“I have a good feeling,” Dawn said to him, echoing his thoughts.
He smiled at her as the gate opened, and he drove the car through. “Me, too,” he said.
When they got out, Buffy and Faith were smiling. Faith pulled Willow against her.
“Now this is you finally taking me to some place nice,” Faith told her.
Willow laughed. It wasn’t as country as Hilltop, but it was clearly a real little village. The people were clean and happy. It seemed like a dream.
A black man wearing a priest collar greeted Rick. “Maggie’s okay? You got there in time?” he asked.
“It was a nightmare,” Rick said. He turned to Buffy and her friends. “They saved us.”
The man smiled and held out his hand to the closest one, Buffy. “Hello. I’m Gabriel. Welcome to Alexandria,” he said.
Several of the regulars in the community gathered around to greet Rick and the others. He told them what happened with Negan and how Buffy and Faith appeared, saving Abraham and Glen.
“Negan was one scary dude,” Glen said, shuddering.
“You really saw a vision of their death?” Gabriel asked.
Buffy nodded. “That’s how we knew to find them,” she said. “Look, we’re weird by anyone’s standards, but we’re very strong. We can help defend your community. Dawn can quickly get children to safety if there’s an emergency. Willow is great with getting things to grow and helping keeping people healthy. Xander can build things and fix things.”
Gabriel smiled. “God has surely blessed us,” he said, showing them the warmth he was known for.
Rosita hugged him. “I knew you would be cool,” she told him. “The house next to mine is open. Should we give it to them?”
“Do you want to stay together?” Rick asked.
“If it’s a three bedroom, it will work,” Buffy said. “We wouldn’t know how to be apart.”
“It has two bedrooms upstairs and a bathroom up there with one bedroom downstairs and another bathroom,” Rosita said.
“Perfect,” Buffy said, grinning. “The downstairs is mine.”
Faith snickered. “Buffy doesn’t like to know that we all have a sex life, and she doesn’t,” Faith said.
Buffy elbowed her. “Shut up,” she said.
Rosita laughed, “Okay, let me take you to it,” he said.
They followed Rosita down a sidewalk, and she pointed to a house. “That’s mine,” she said. “This is the one that’s empty,” she said as she gestured to the one next to it.
“So there’s electric and water?” Buffy asked.
She nodded. “Yes, this was a community created to run on renewable energy like solar power before the outbreak. No one was really living here before the outbreak, so that’s why everything’s so nice. They were getting it ready for some political stunt of some kind,” she shared.
“That’s everyone’s good luck,” Xander said.
The houses were all a bit close together, but it made for a nice community.
“Wow! It’s so nice and shiny inside!” Willow exclaimed.
“See, baby, I told you that we’d find some place nice eventually,” Faith said, hugging her.
“Buffy’s insane visions finally led to something good,” Dawn said.
Buffy snorted as she wandered into the kitchen. There was an island, a microwave, and a stove.
“I’m sure that we can’t use as much electricity as we want,” Xander warned. “I’ll find out what the water and electricity rules are.”
“Sure,” Buffy said. “It’s really nice, though. I think this will be good for us.”
It was great. Of course, Michonne still eyed them with suspicion, but it was really hard not to like Dawn and Xander. She was still as earnest as a puppy while Xander had the quips and the jokes, always making everyone smile. Once Buffy even caught Michonne smiling at him.
Gabriel pulled her aside after they had been in the community for two weeks and asked, “How are the two of them so unspoiled by the horrors of this world? It is a true miracle. Even Willow seems too sunny. I find it a breath of fresh air, but some are wary of their good natures.”
Daryl was with her at the time as the pair were about to get Faith to go hunting. Daryl loved that the two women moved as light as he did in the forest—better really. Hunting with them always turned out well. They were natural born predators.
“Well, I’m not sure you would believe the reason,” Buffy told him.
“Try me,” he said.
“The town we were raised in, Sunnydale, was a truly evil place. Willow and Xander grew up in evil, unaware of the seedier underbelly until I came there. My nature as a vampire slayer attracted dark creatures. However, the first week I met them, the pair—along with their other best friend—were kidnapped by vampires. Jesse didn’t make it, but he was turned into a vampire. So Xander’s first vampire that he slayed was his best friend,” she shared.
“And yet he jokes? I truly don’t understand him. When this horror broke out, it broke me,” Gabriel admitted.
“I guess it boils down to that old saying, ‘you can get used to anything’ because bad and scary things have been a part of our life for the past decade. Xander has never wavered or faltered except when he left Anya at the altar,” Buffy admitted. “He stood next to me when an insane serial killer dressed as a priest threatened me—that’s how he lost his eye. He just has never let anything get him down for long because death has been his companion for so long. Same with Willow. Once in high school, she and another friend of ours walked into the school to find several classmates slaughtered. Then she had the first woman she ever loved shot by a stray bullet meant for me. As for my sister, Dawn has grown up with me, so death and violence have always been a part of her world. One time, a crazy cult tried to use her in a blood sacrifice ceremony. She was only fourteen at the time. So the current world horror landscape is new to you all, but for us, it’s just another day at the office.”
“The killer was dressed as a priest? That explains why Xander gets this look in his eyes sometimes when he sees me,” Gabriel said. “Thanks for explaining all that.”
“Can you imagine having the destiny that was forced upon me and feeling utterly alone and then meeting Xander and Willow? Just two fifteen-year-olds with no special powers—Willow was normal then. Instead of running away from the monsters they fought, they stood next to me,” Buffy said. “That’s who they are. That’s who they’ve always been. I would have been dead when I was sixteen if not for them. That’s how old I was the first time Xander saved my life.”
“God never gives us more than we could bear. He knew what you needed to survive the mouth of hell,” Gabriel said with confidence. “Good luck with the hunt.”
Buffy nodded and spotted Faith. “Faith, are you going hunting with us?” she asked.
“Not this time. Rick wants me working with some men on hand-to-hand,” she said. “You get to work with the younger ones.”
“Okay. When I get back, that’s fine,” Buffy said.
“You ready?” Daryl asked her.
“Let’s take our car so we can carry our game much easier instead of the bike,” Buffy said.
“Feeling confident, huh?” he asked.
“You know it,” Buffy said, grinning.
“Are you letting Buffy drive?” Dawn asked, coming up to them.
“Don’t say a word. I’m a lot better than I used to be,” Buffy said, glaring at her sister.
“That’s ‘cause all the other drivers are dead,” Dawn said, snickering.
“Not because of my driving! It’s the zombie apocalypse!” Buffy said.
“The zombies saved the poor pedestrians and doomed drivers,” Dawn teased.
“Let’s go,” Daryl said, knowing the two would bicker for several minutes. It was strange. The group had only been there two weeks, and he already felt like he knew them.
Each of them had such distinct personalities. Dawn was smart and sassy, clearly in love with her one-eyed joker boyfriend. Xander was unwavering in his clear love for all the women. It was strange at first, but Daryl was already getting used to it. Xander teased and annoyed Faith sometimes until she was ready to do violence (in her own words). He would just laugh and run to Buffy, insisting she protect him from the dark slayer.
From their loud comments and teasing of each other, Daryl had already figured out that Faith was Xander’s first lover in high school, but it was nothing but sex. Willow was the one Xander was closet to. It seemed to Daryl that they were all closest to her. Dawn and Buffy both seemed to be very close to her. Daryl found the group’s dynamics fascinating even if he didn’t always understand them.
Buffy, of course, was the one that Daryl was most fascinated with, and she was the one he spent the most time with besides Xander. Xander seemed determined to make him a friend, and Daryl did find him amusing. His brother would’ve hated Xander, convinced that no man could ever be just friends with a beautiful woman. The fact that he was would have convinced Merle that Xander was either secretly gay or just stupid.
“Buffy, can I ask you a question?” Daryl asked as they drove down the road from Alexandria.
“Of course,” Buffy said. “I’ve asked you like a million, and you’ve asked like three since we met.”
She flashed him that smile of hers, and his heart sped up. God, she was so damn beautiful and clean in this broken and dead world. Sometimes, Daryl looked at her and felt like he was living in a dream—one he never wanted to wake up from.
“How come you and Xander never dated? You met him in high school a few years before Faith, right?” he asked.
She nodded. “Did you ask him this question?” she asked.
“Yes, he said that you just never saw him that way,” he said.
“When I met him, Willow was crushing on him, and I wasn’t about to hurt her as I knew she was going to be my new best friend,” Buffy explained. “And I knew a guy who had a girl as his other best friend was the kind of guy I wanted for mine. Dating in high school messes up a lot of relationships, and I just never wanted to risk him. I’m glad I didn’t. He’s best of the best.”
“Was it weird when he started dating Dawn?” he asked.
“It would’ve been more if the world hadn’t changed so much,” she said. “But we’re together all the time, and she’s all grown up now. She’s crushed on him on and off since she met him as a kid, and I know she really loves him. I also know that she could never find a better guy, so I am happy for them.”
“It really didn’t bother you?” he asked.
“Maybe a slight pang that he wouldn’t think of me first anymore, but I pushed it aside very quickly,” she shared.
He nodded. “That make sense,” he said.
They drove in companionable silence for several minutes, and then Buffy started playing music and chatting about memories songs brought to her.
Being with her was like coming out of a nightmare and finding out that his life didn’t have to be just about survival and helping those he loves. He could take time to enjoy things; she had already shown him that.
He treasured every moment like the gift it was because Daryl didn’t believe good things would ever stay in his life for long. This new world had taught him that. It had been a painful lesson to learn, but Daryl had learned it well. It scared him to think that he would have to watch this beautiful creature next to him one day be destroyed by this world. However, he knew it was inevitable.
Life was a bitch, and she was brutal mistress, determined to punish humanity for all its many sins.
*****Several Hour Later*****
Michonne was watching Buffy, who had returned from a successful hunting outing with Daryl. The woman made no sense to Michonne, so she just couldn’t relax about the new arrivals in their community. Faith, she understood. That was a woman who clearly lived life to the fullest. She laughed loudly, played often, and loved fighting more than anyone Michonne had ever seen. There was a hint of darkness in her that made it clear that Michonne would be happy to have the woman watch her back anytime.
Buffy, however, was a paradox to Michonne. She seemed so utterly delicate, almost waiflike. At times, her sunniness really grated on Michonne. Dawn and Willow were sunnier than most in Alexandria. However, Buffy was the stereotypical California blonde that didn’t seem to have a care in the world most of the time. Yet, Michonne saw her take down several grown men of Negan’s. Of course, they might not have been good fighters. Other times, Michonne would catch a look on Buffy’s face that said she was carrying the weight of the world, but then it would be fleeting. Michonne wondered if she imagined it the first time. Then she saw it again a few days ago.
Rick came up to her. “How’s it going? Carl seems to really like Buffy,” he said, watching Buffy teach everyone under seventeen how to fight.
“Of course, he does. She’s like an exotic beautiful butterfly, flitting around,” Michonne said crossly.
He laughed, putting his arm around her and pulling her against him. “Too much sunniness for you?” he asked.
“She just doesn’t make sense to me,” Michonne complained. “She clearly is dangerous and knows how to fight. Somehow, gets visions of people. At least that’s the claim. We don’t know if that’s actually true or not. Faith seems like the badass we know she is, but Buffy. She is too blonde and perky.”
“Daryl says that she is better in the woods than he is,” Rick said. “You know how hard it is to impress Daryl.”
“And that’s another thing—Daryl,” Michonne said. “The last thing we need is her to break his heart.”
“How do you know that would happen? She’s kind of like the third wheel in her group,” Rick said. “They coupled up and left her the odd man out. Why wouldn’t she like Daryl? He’s a good man. A dependable man.”
“I know how great the man is,” Michonne said, glaring at him. “We would all have starved long ago if not for him. He is a gentle soul, though, at heart. He’s not like you and me.”
“The world has changed. It has made all of evolve,” Rick pointed out. “Daryl has changed because he had to, and Buffy is more than the deadly butterfly we see. She’s suffered a lot. Gabe was telling me about what she told him about Xander and Willow. We’re grown adults, and it kills me that this is the world Carl is having to grow up in. However, that group wasn’t much older than him when they began fighting monsters.”
She scoffed. “You don’t believe that, do you? It’s insane,” she said.
“We saw Dawn open a portal, and Daryl went through it. We saw Willow work magic,” Rick reminded her. “How can some be true and the rest false? We know for sure that she saved Glen and Abraham’s life. Negan wanted blood, and he was going to get it. She distracted him.”
“He’ll be back,” she said. “They just put off the inevitable.”
“Well, we’ll be ready,” Rick said confidently. “I don’t think he’ll find us easy marks. Not anymore.”
“Buffy, are you better than Faith?” Carl asked her as they walked up to Rick and Michonne.
“I think they’re off to a good start,” Buffy told Rick, ignoring his question.
“Looked like it,” Rick said, smiling. “I appreciate you doing that.”
“It’s fun,” she said. “I used to train a lot of girls who were like me and Faith. It’s nice training people who actually need my help.”
“So, are you?” Carl asked, not going to be put off.
“Am I what?” Buffy said, looking at him with an innocent expression.
“Better than Faith at fighting,” Carl asked.
Buffy shrugged. “I used to be,” Buffy said. “I put her in a coma once after she tried to kill my boyfriend.”
“No way!” Carl exclaimed in disbelief.
“I was young and dumb then. Barely eighteen,” Buffy said. “She got me back by stealing my body in this weird body swap spell and sleeping with my new boyfriend and terrorizing my mom and sister.”
“You two have that much bad blood?” Rick asked in surprise.
Buffy nodded. “She helped me save the world three years after that and had my back. We hadn’t really spent much time sparring. She loves fighting more than I do, but I was a gymnast and ice skater before I became a fighter. That gives me a lot more creativity when I fight.”
“You are a very forgiving person,” Rick said.
“Life’s too short to hold a grudge,” she said with a shrug.
“I’d like to see you guys spar,” Carl said.
“Maybe sometimes when we’re really bored,” Buffy said, gosling his hair.
Faith and Willow were walking by, and Faith heard her comment on boredom. “Bored, B? You should go ask the very cute hunter to take you for a ride,” she said with a smirk. “It’s been too long since you’ve had your bell rung.”
Carl’s mouth fell open at her comments while Michonne was torn between outrage and amusement. Faith was so bold.
Buffy, however, was not amused. “Willow, find a silencing spell for your girl before I break her face,” Buffy said, glaring. She had Daryl had just started to get to know each other, and Buffy wasn’t sure if he even liked her like that. Rick was practically the man’s brother; they were so close. The last thing she needed was Daryl hearing gossip and start avoiding her. Buffy’s face flamed just thinking about it, and she grew angrier thinking about it.
Faith laughed in amusement. “I’d like to see you try,” Faith said.
Buffy hauled off and hit her in the face.
Rick was shocked at the violence and started to intervene, but Willow shook her head. He hesitated.
Faith grinned. “I see I hit a nerve,” Faith said.
Buffy glared and stormed off.
“She was so mad!” Carl exclaimed.
“Nah, she wasn’t that mad,” Faith remarked.
“She punched you,” Carl said. “In the face.”
“Yes, but I barely felt it. If she was actually mad, I might have a headache,” Faith said.
“Slayers like to hit,” Willow remarked.
“I didn’t know Buffy was like that,” Rick said.
“Oh, well, she isn’t often,” Willow said with a cheerful smile. “But she’s a slayer. They all are like to that to some extent.”
“Hitting is like saying hello with us,” Faith said. “Plus, she knows I would have kept running my mouth if she didn’t hit me. So now I can infer that she must—”
“Shut it, Faith,” Willow said, putting her hand over her mouth. “Let’s not give her a reason to knock you unconscious.”
Carl’s eyes lit up. “Do you think she could? I was asking her to spar with you,” she said.
“We haven’t seriously thrown down in a while,” Faith said. “Too busy fighting the dead.”
“So she could beat you?” Carl asked, excited.
“Carl, we have enough to do without fighting each other,” Rick told his son, worried she might get offended.
“It’s okay,” Faith said with an easy grin. “I don’t mind. I love to fight, and Buffy does, too. The difference is, she doesn’t like that about herself. It annoys her a lot when I remind her that we are alike in a few different ways. She is a smarter fighter than I am as I often get caught up in the joy of hitting. It doesn’t mean she will win in a throw day. Depends on our moods.”
“I think you two are both certifiable,” Michonne said.
“You’re not wrong,” Willow said, leading her lover away.
“I gotta go tell everyone!” Carl said to his dad.
“Tell everyone what?” Rick asked.
“That Buffy hit Faith, and she just laughed!” he said like it was the best gossip ever.
“We so need to get the internet back,” Rick said Michonne. “Poor Carl doesn’t know what good gossip is anymore.”
Michonne laughed.
*****Chapter End******
Chapter 4: The Saviors' Rude Awakening
Chapter Text
******The Saviors Compound*****
Simon adjusted his glasses to hide his smirk. “I am trying hard to understand, Negan,” he said. “You allowed the group to leave after defying you. When do we allow that? How will we keep control of the men?”
“You weren’t there,” Negan said, grinning. “These two babes were out of this world even before things went to shit. Hot as hell and they literally kicked the ass of nine of my guys.”
“And you just allowed them to?” Simon asked, scoffing.
“A deal’s a deal,” Negan said. “Hell, I didn’t think they’d win. If you saw them, you wouldn’t believe it possible either.”
“So what are you going to do about Alexandria?” he asked.
Negan’s smiled never left his face as he said, “Whatever I want, Simon. Whatever I want.”
It had been two weeks since he met the dark and light angels, and he was eager to see them both again, especially the blonde. However, he wanted them to grow complacent.
He waited another week before gathering up fifty men for entry into Alexandria.
It annoyed him to see the armed guards not back down, and then the redheaded witch appeared at the top of the gate.
“Your armed thugs aren’t welcome here,” she said.
“Negan doesn’t need permission to come in,” Simon called up to her. “We’ll just break down the door.”
The witch waved her hand and muttered something that Negan didn’t understand. However, he looked at his number one mad scientist in horror.
“He’s a rat! A fuckin’ rat!” Jared screamed, stepping back.
“She turned him into a rat!” David echoed, terrified. Then he ran back to his truck and jumped inside.
Negan, though, was impressed. “That’s some power you got there, lady,” he said to her, never losing his smile. He had to find a way to win over these newcomers as that power needed to be his!
“I know,” she replied, flashing him a smug smile. “Unless you want all your men turned into vermin, I suggest you pack up and leave.” Of course, she didn’t have the energy to do exactly that, but they didn’t know that.
“Not before I see your blonde goddess,” Negan said.
“I will see if she’s available,” Willow said. She disappeared, and Buffy came up in her place.
“I see my dimpled psychopath has come calling,” Buffy said, staring down at him.
“You and I have unfinished business, little lady,” Negan said, flashing his dimple at her in a wide grin. “How about you let us in and tell your witch to keep her rat transforming powers to herself!”
Buffy laughed and turned to say something to someone.
Negan watched the door open with the other dark-haired goddess, the witch’s lover, standing there.
“You can bring in three of your men. No weapons,” Faith said.
“What about Simon?” Negan asked.
“Willow’s spell will wear off in thirty minutes or so,” Faith said. “She had a friend who turned herself into a rat in high school and got stuck there for three years. Now Willow makes sure she doesn’t leave people in rat form since they can run off so easily.”
“I guess that’s good for Simon,” Negan said, not sure how he felt about this. He looked at Jared, who hadn’t gone hiding like David. “Come on, Jared. You, Dwight, and Tom come with me.”
Faith gestured to the bearded guy Negan also killed a few weeks earlier. “Pat them down, please,” she said.
“I request to patted down by you,” Negan said, flashing his dimples at her.
“Unlike B, attractive and evil men do nothing for me,” Faith said, smirking.
“So that’s a no?” Negan asked.
“That’s a in-your-dreams no,” she replied with a smirk.
Negan enjoyed watching her walk away as he followed after her into Alexandria.
It was a very nice village. “This is quaint,” he said, looking around.
“Don’t like it too much,” Faith said.
Buffy and Daryl were standing together as Rick and Michonne approached behind them.
“Hello,” Buffy said. “Nice of you to come for a visit.”
“I told you that I would,” Negan said. He considered how he wanted to play it. They would kill and traumatize many of his men if he battled them. Of course, a fight would also make sure the hot blonde never slept with him. Playing it cool was his best bet to get the outcome he wanted.
“Negan, right?” Buffy said to him. “This is Daryl. He’s the main hunter in our group.”
“You are a hunter, too,” Daryl told her.
Buffy flashed him a grin and turned back to Negan. “In case you forgot, I’m Buffy. This is Michonne. You know Rick,” she said.
“I do,” Negan said. “So Rick, maybe you can help me figure out where we go from here. Saviors are five times the number of people you have. They expect certain things from me. I can’t lead a pack of wild animals without being the meanest dog around. Do you get me?”
Rick nodded. “I do,” he said. “But stealing and destroying good communities is no way to make this new world prosper. We’ll just destroy ourselves until there’s nothing left.”
Willow and Faith joined them. “Unlike, B, I ain’t got any problem with killing evil men,” Faith told him. “You want to hurt us, I’ll start with you.”
“Now, baby, there’s no reason to start with the threats,” Willow said, taking her lover’s hand. “I am sure Negan much rather have us as allies than enemies.”
Negan considered it. “You would fight with us if another group attacked us?” he asked.
“That depends on whether or not you slaughtered some of the people for no good reason,” Rick said pointedly.
“Here’s the thing,” Negan began, “our community has none of the advantages your community has. We have no ground to grow things or area to keep livestock.”
“That’s a problem,” Rick said. “You can’t possibly think that you’ll survive long term just stealing from others.”
“It’s worked so far,” Negan said. “We save people, and everyone has a place in my community.”
“How about we help find a better place to live for you and your people?” Buffy suggested. “Faith and I will clean it out of the dead.”
“The prison we stayed at before here was very secure until someone with a canon destroyed the gate and then beheaded our doctor,” Rick said.
Everyone who wasn’t there winced at that image.
“That’s horrible,” Willow said.
“It was,” Rick agreed. “But prisons are already very secure since they were built to keep people in. Many have their own wells and generators. Normally there’s grass inside their area that can be used for growing things.”
“Well, why don’t I go check out where he’s staying now? See if I can help in some way,” Willow said.
“With your magic powers?” Negan asked, intrigued.
Willow nodded. “Sometimes, I can make things grow,” she said.
“You have beer or wine being made at your place?” Faith asked.
Negan nodded. “Of course,” he said.
“Use it to trade with communities,” Faith told him.
“The guys won’t like that,” Dwight said. “They don’t like to share.”
“If you make more than normal, there will be excess,” Willow added.
“I guess I’ll have to think about it,” Negan said.
“Daryl and I will look at the map and check out some locations,” Buffy offered.
Negan wanted to spend time with the blonde. “Why don’t you and I do that? If you get to know me, you’ll see that I’m not so bad,” he said, flashing his smile.
“Why don’t we go see your place first,” Buffy suggested.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Daryl said, not liking her going to a place where she’d be so outnumbered.
“Dawn can go with us, so she can portal us back here quickly if it became necessary,” Buffy said.
“Xander won’t like that,” Willow said.
“He’ll be fine. He’s needed here,” Buffy said. Xander had been quickly put to work on repairs as they had great use of a handyman like him.
“Let’s talk about this,” Rick said. “Michonne, can you give Negan and his men a tour while I talk to Buffy and Daryl?”
She nodded and led them away. Willow went with them, not trusting them alone with Michonne.
“We can’t have you and Daryl both gone,” Rick said.
“Daryl can stay,” Buffy said.
Daryl shook his head. “I’m not leaving you alone with that psycho,” he said.
Buffy smiled, finding him sweet. “You know I can take care of myself,” she reminded him.
“Physically, sure,” Daryl said. “But Negan is after more than just our stuff. He wants you in his bed.”
“I am not going to sleep with him,” Buffy assured him, trying to decide if she should be offended.
“Buffy doesn’t sleep with serial killers,” Dawn said as she had joined the group as Willow and Michonne broke off to give their tour. “Well, not in a long time.”
“Okay, you, Willow, and Faith keep making those comments,” Rick said. “What do you mean?”
Buffy felt her face grow hot and glared at Dawn, who looked guilty.
“My first serious boyfriend was a vampire with a soul, and he had a curse. One moment of happiness, and he lost his soul,” Buffy explained. “Angel was a very good guy, but when we slept together for the first time, he lost his soul and became just a demon. So I didn’t sleep with a killer.”
“Then there was Spike,” Willow reminded her.
“I had just risen from the dead, and I was suffering from PTSD,” Buffy said defensively. “Spike didn’t want anything from me but sex. You all wanted me to be the same as I was.”
“You died?” Daryl asked.
Buffy nodded. “Not for a minute like the first time that split the line into two and eventually empowered Faith,” Buffy said. “This time I was buried and in heaven for months.”
“How did you get back to being alive?” Rick asked, not sure he believed her.
Daryl, though, knew. He looked at Buffy and felt a mixture of emotions: disbelief, awe, and sympathy. Could such a thing be possible? However, he knew that Willow was really a witch. She turned one of Negan’s men into a rat and could force a bunch of men to drop their guns. Buffy’s sister could open portals. They definitely weren’t normal, so maybe Buffy did die. What kind of people, though, pulled someone from heaven?
“Willow did a spell,” Buffy said.
Rick also couldn’t help but wonder about the extent of Willow’s powers. If Willow was powerful enough to raise the dead, maybe she could find a cure for the virus that had destroyed their world.
“She can raise the dead?” Rick asked, looking between Buffy and Dawn for an answer.
“Not exactly,” Dawn said. “She had some friends help, and she got Osiris to release Buffy’s soul since she died in a supernatural death. What’s happening to people now is man made. She can’t heal it—at least not so far.”
Rick nodded but felt disappointment fill him anyway.
“So your best friends pulled you out of heaven?” Daryl asked, looking at Buffy in sympathy.
“She thought I was in hell,” Buffy said. “I’m long over it.”
Dawn looked away. She never knew exactly how to feel about Buffy’s resurrection. Sure, they screwed up by not digging up the coffin. Maybe disturbing her eternal rest was not good, but she got her sister back. How could she ever regret what Willow did or be angry at Buffy’s friend?
“Okay, let’s get back to the point,” Rick said. “Are you sure you and Faith can handle the Saviors? You’re not bullet proof.”
“I know,” Buffy said. “But as long as Negan is wanting to bed me, I am sure I’ll be safe.”
Daryl glared, clearly unhappy about that. “Well, if you are going to go off with him and your sister, I am definitely coming to watch your back,” he said.
“Willow’s more than capable of doing that,” Buffy said.
Daryl grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the rest of them.
“So what’s wrong? Why are you trying to shake me loose?” he asked.
Buffy struggled to explain without alienating him. Finally, she just kissed him.
Daryl was shocked at her move and stood frozen for a second. Then his arms seemed to move of their own accord, pulling her closer as he responded to the kiss.
Buffy had only meant to let him know unequivocally that it was him she liked with her kiss. However, as soon as he started kissing her back, she felt a spark like she hadn’t felt since she was a teenager in love with Angel. Everything inside her came alive and took notice.
This was what she had been waiting for the past few years. He was who she had been waiting for.
A need for air broke the kiss, and they stood there staring at one another while Faith whistled and cheered in the background.
Finally, Buffy spoke. “You have to trust me, Daryl. I like you not some near psychopath with a dimple,” she said.
Daryl could yet form words and nodded. The comments from Faith in the background started to penetrate his fog, so he stepped back.
“So are we okay?” she asked.
He nodded again and pushed words out. “Be careful,” he said.
She smiled and squeezed his hand. Negan was approaching, so she dropped his hand and moved away.
Daryl felt the distance between them grow as she greeted Negan.
Was he okay with this? Did it matter? She was her own person, and he couldn’t make her do anything. He did trust her, of course.
It was Negan who he didn’t trust.
Dawn moved to stand next to him. “Don’t worry, Daryl,” she told him. “I will make sure nothing happens to her.”
Willow came to his other side. “So will I,” she said. “Buffy will work her magic, and he will be putty in her hands.”
Daryl wasn’t exactly sure that was better, though.
He watched them all talk some more and then got ready to leave. Buffy gave him a smile and wave as she walked away.
Rick moved to stand next to him, watching the group leave.
“Are you going to be okay?” he asked.
Daryl shrugged. “She is the most amazing woman I have ever laid eyes, and she likes me,” he said.
Rick smiled. “That’s a good thing,” he said, slapping him on the shoulder.
“Holding onto her, though, is going to be like trying to hold water,” Daryl remarked.
“All the good ones are a challenge,” Rick said with a chuckle. He was happy for his friend.
Daryl wanted to pull her close, but she was leaving with another man.
It was going to be a long few days while he waited for her to return.
*****To Be Continued*****
I was going to make this much longer, but this took me long enough to write. If I don’t post on a weekend, I just don’t have time during the week since I am now working three jobs. If you enjoyed the update, please leave a review. Thanks!
Chapter 5: Negan
Chapter Text
******Alexandria******
Buffy, Dawn, and Willow were loading up a few things into their car as they planned on following Negan.
Simon turned back into a man right before they were about to head out.
“What the hell happened to me?” he asked.
“The witch turned you into a fucking rat!” Negan informed him. “Lucky for us, the spell was temporary.”
“That’s not possible,” Simon said, shaking his head.
“It is. We all saw it!” Jared added. “David’s still hiding in his truck.”
When David saw Simon human again, he looked relieved and rolled down his window.
“You were a rat, Simon! That insane witch turned you into a fucking rat!” he told Simon. Then he saw the witch in question walked toward Negan’s vehicle and rolled his window up, making the sign of the cross.
“Why is she still alive?” Simon asked, rage in his eyes.
“Well, what exactly do you want me to do? Try to kill her and fail? Then we’ll all be rats!” Negan said. “Not to mention, someone with that kind of power is someone we have to have on our side. She didn’t actually harm you. You’re fine, right?”
Simon had to agree, but he wasn’t going to let this slide. He might have to have Negan removed as head of the Saviors.
“Are you ready to go?” Buffy asked as she approached Negan’s vehicle.
“Yes,” he said.
“I’m going to be riding in a car with Abraham driving. Dawn and Willow are coming, too,” she said.
“I thought your sister can just open portals wherever she wants,” he said.
“She has to have a clear destination first before she can. Once she goes to your facility, she can leave by portal,” Buffy said.
“That is a risk we should not allow,” Simon said, looking at Negan in disbelief. “You want to just walk them into our home, so they can case our weaknesses.”
“She’s not a fighter like her sister,” Negan said. “It’s a harmless parlor trick.”
“She can drop in on us at any time,” Simon pointed out. “That’s an unacceptable risk.”
Negan considered his statement and realized it was true. “Okay, that’s a good point. However, if we let any of them there, the result is the same. They can show Dawn,” he said.
“I save people,” Buffy said, glaring at Simon. “I don’t participate in the slaughter of humans. Not for any reason.”
“Well, we did kill some cannibals that were luring people to Terminus with promise of safety,” Dawn said. “They would rob them and then eat them.”
“No fucking way!” Negan exclaimed. “Killing cannibals is a public service if anything would be.”
“That was our thinking,” Buffy said. “I couldn’t believe people would sink so low.”
Negan could tell that she was still bothered by it, and he would bet that killing cannibals wasn’t easy for her. He didn’t pay much attention to the angry Simon.
“People are sick mother fuckers,” he said. “I know this hellscape we now live in has forced me to do things I would never have done a few years ago. Hell, I was a PE teacher and coach.”
“Really?” Buffy asked, surprised.
Negan nodded. “I had a wife that I loved but took for granted. This shit happens, it forces you to reevaluate things. Survival is all that matters. If you can help others survive, then that is only a good thing,” he said.
Buffy was surprised by his comment. He really wasn’t a psychopath. His intentions were to help, and he ruled with an iron fist. That meant she could reach him.
If not, she would do what she had to.
If he proved to be too dangerous, she would kill him.
He was right. Survival was all that mattered in the end, and if he threatened the survival of good and decent people like the ones in Alexandria, he would die.
***** A Few Hours Later******
It took them close to two hours to get to the Saviors’ compound. It wasn’t pretty as it seemed to be some old factory or something. It was very large, though, and the number of people was in the hundreds.
“Is this your only place?” Buffy asked.
Negan shook his head. “No. I have a few other smaller locations that are more like outposts,” he shared.
He took them all around and explained their point system that was used as their form of currency.
“That’s a good idea,” Buffy said.
“Thanks,” he said.
“So why do you keep the dead outside like that?” Dawn asked him.
“For two reasons,” he replied. “It’s scary as shit, and if a member of our community gets out of line, I will throw them in there. Also, we have discovered that if the dead smells the dead, they don’t bother you as much. Like, you can cover yourself with their blood and walk amongst them, which is gross as shit. This is just more pleasant. Keeps them at bay for the most part.”
Buffy nodded. “We just teleport away if they get too close to us,” she said. “I would never rub that nasty crap on me!”
“Definitely gross,” Willow agreed.
They spent about a half hour or so walking through the complex and meeting people. It was decided that Willow and Dawn would stay and see what Willow could come up with to help them grow their own food. They would go back to Alexandria by portal, so Buffy was free to head out with Negan, who had his men gather up supplies. Dawn wasn’t too sure about leaving Buffy alone with Negan, but Buffy assured her that she could easily handle one man.
“It’s possible for someone to get the jump on Willow, no matter how magical she is,” Buffy pointed out. “You can watch her back.”
Dawn reluctantly agreed.
Negan’s people had similar misgivings.
“You are taking one of our guys with you,” Simon said.
“No,” Negan said.
“You can’t possible trust the woman,” Simon said.
“I trust that she’s not going to kill me,” he said. “She claims to have had a vision of me killing two of Rick’s guys. She said that it would have led to the destruction of the Saviors and me. She knew exactly which guys I was already eyeballing. You weren’t there, Simon. It was like she could look inside my soul. There’s no malice in her.”
Simon frowned, not knowing what to think. The guys had all backed-up Negan’s tale, and they also confirmed that he had been turned into a rat. However, it was just preposterous to the man of science.
He knew, though, that it was impossible to change Negan’s mind once it was dug in.
“Fine. But if you end up dead, I will order the men to attack Alexandria,” Simon said.
“You do you,” Negan said. “But if I do die, I doubt it will be because of Buffy. It will be ‘cause of the undead. Just know, what you do against that group will garner enemies better served as allies.”
Simon nodded and said goodbye as Buffy joined him. Her sister walking behind her.
“Is little sis going with us?” Negan asked.
“No, I’m not,” Dawn said. “But know that if you try to hurt Buffy in any way, I’ll have Willow figure out a hell dimension that we can send you to!”
Negan snickered, enjoying the imaginative threat. “Okay,” he said.
“You think I’m joking. I assure you that I am not,” she said. “We could do it.”
Negan looked at Buffy, who shrugged. “It’s possible. I’ve been to one before. No picnic.”
“Listen, we’re scouting. That’s it,” Negan said.
“I have an idea of where you should look,” Dawn said. “The naval base in Norfolk. Well, not the base itself as it’s probably overrun. The big ships around the Norfolk waters. Those would be very easy to secure, and food is right there in the ocean. Because of the way those ships are designed, it shouldn’t be too hard to kill the undead. Not to mention, there isn’t a full crew around the clock when stationed at their home base.”
“That’s way too far to travel,” Buffy said. “It’s a few hours in a car, but the highways would be closed off.”
“I did go to a lecture once at Old Dominion University in Norfolk,” Dawn shared. “I could open a portal there. In forty-eight hours, I could open it back up at the same place.”
Buffy looked at Negan. “Do you think that would be enough time to scout the area and then get back to Dawn?”
Negan frowned considering it. “It’s an unknown area. We should give it sixty hours at least. If we aren’t there, she can send a search party to look for us,” he suggested.
“Good idea,” Buffy said. “Send Faith and some guys from Alexandria as well as some of Negan’s.”
Dawn looked at the Rolex that she got from Giles for graduation. “If I remember correctly, Battleship Wisconsin is on display as it’s de-commissioned. That means there won’t be a lot of the dead in it, but there won’t be a lot of food or supplies in it,” Dawn told them.
“Okay, that’s one we’ll for sure check out,” Buffy said. “The ones next to it probably have more of both.”
“True,” Negan agreed.
“It’s one o’clock, so let’s say nine P.M. in two days. That’s fifty-six hours,” she suggested.
Buffy had a watch that didn’t need to be charged also as Willow made sure they all had one for these reasons. “Okay. That works,” she said. “I have my backpack for supplies. Are you ready?” That question was directed to Negan.
“Absolutely,” Negan said, excited to get so many hours alone with the golden goddess. He already had cast aside his three wives, even giving Dwight back his wife, in anticipation of seeing her again. Sure, he had seen the way the Daryl guy was eyeballing him, and Negan figured the man was hot for Buffy. It just meant that he had good taste. Negan figured that if the pair was already lovers, the guy would’ve insisted on coming with them. Since he didn’t, Negan knew she was up for grabs.
Dwight handed him a bag, and he threw it on his back. His people were gathered around, watching the newcomers with undisguised interest as many hadn’t been there that fateful day when they had met her. However, the place was buzzing with rumors.
“Simon’s in charge,” Negan told them. “Make nice with the people in Alexandria. I’ll be back in three days.”
“Be careful,” Jared said.
“I’ll take care of things,” Simon assured him.
Negan slapped him on the back. “I know you will,” he said.
“Okay, Dawn, do your thing,” Buffy told her.
“Back up,” Dawn said to a few that were a bit too close to where she wanted to open the portal.
When she opened her portal, there was an audible gasp from Negan’s people.
“What is that?” someone asked.
“That’s a doorway to Norfolk, Virginia. A university I’m familiar with,” Dawn explained. “I can open portals to any place that I have ever been.”
“So you’re like a mutant?” a teenage boy asked her, his eyes wide with excitement. In their dark world of constant death and loss, to see a real person doing something so extraordinary was incredible.
“That’s a possibility,” Dawn said. “I was born with the powers, but I only learned how to use them a few years ago.” No reason to ever tell anyone her origin story.
“What is that building?” Negan asked.
“The library,” Dawn said.
“Of course, it is,” Buffy said, smiling at her sister. “Dawn’s a big nerd.”
“Well, at one time, nerds were set to rule the world, and then everything went to hell,” Dawn pointed out.
“Be careful, Buff,” Willow said.
“Always. You too,” Buffy said.
She stepped through the portal, and Negan locked eyes with Simon, who looked stunned at Dawn’s casual display of power. “See,” he said with a smirk. Then he stepped in after her, his Lucille and a knife his only weapons.
The portal shut behind them, and Simon looked at the young woman with calculating eyes.
A woman who could open doorways to any place she had ever been would be worth more than the toughest warrior.
Maybe Negan was right.
***** Norfolk*****
The Old Dominion campus was a large campus with tan and white buildings and lots of windows. They walked around, seeing the lion statue in the campus and no evidence of the dead.
“It’s spooky how empty it is,” Negan observed.
“Well, I was attending Dawn’s college graduation at Brown University in Rhode Island when things started falling apart and planes were grounded,” she told Negan.
“Brown is a great school. You must’ve been proud,” he said.
“I was. She finished in like three years,” Buffy said, smiling. “We spent the first several months at Brown, training the ones that were stuck there. Good people. It was hard to leave.”
“So you fortified a place like this,” Negan said, looking around. He saw two walkers moving toward them. Buffy threw a knife at the head of one before Negan could take two steps forward. “Damn, girl! You don’t waste time.”
“Nope,” she said. “Life’s too short. You never know a day will be your last.”
“Ain’t that the damn truth,” he said as he killed the second one with his knife and pulled hers out of the first.
“Thanks,” Buffy said, grabbing it and wiping it with a cloth she kept for just that purpose.
“We probably should avoid the football arena,” Negan suggested. “There could be people there.”
“Good point,” she said. She looked around for a map. “There’s a map. Let’s see how to get to the street.”
“Well, we know that this place is west of the Naval ships, so we should go that way,” Negan told her.
“How do you know?” Buffy asked.
“The sun,” Negan said. He pointed.
“I have a compass in my bag,” she said. “Xander gave it to me since I get lost sometimes. I’m a great tracker, but sadly, I lose track of where I’m at when I’m focused on my prey.”
Negan flashed her a smile. “I bet you do,” he said.
“We should look for some bicycles,” Buffy suggested as they pulled away from the map.
“Well, the map said that building there is a residential hall, so I bet we can find some there, but they’ll be locked,” Negan said, pointing.
“Not a problem,” she said. They were there a few minutes later, and he watched in bemusement as she tore off locks like they were made of paper.
“Damn, that’s so hot,” he said. “You have superstrength!”
“I told you that,” she said.
“Yes, but seeing you do that is something else,” he said, shaking his head. Sure, he’d seen her toss his guys around effortlessly with her friend Faith, but breaking a lock was just more visceral to him.
They got on the bikes with Buffy shouting, “I’ll race you off campus!” Then she took off, and he laughed as he followed after her.
Negan couldn’t remember the last time he had done something so innocent and fun.
Then, of course, they ran into a horde of walkers, who zeroed in on them.
“Crap,” Buffy muttered. Should she attack or run away? It didn’t sit with her to run, but she couldn’t let Negan get killed.
She turned to wait for him to catch up.
“There’s too many of them,” he said.
“Let’s take that sidewalk and out run them,” Buffy suggested. The fact that the dead were so slow was the only good thing about them. Of course, she had slayer dreams recently warning her of monsters that moved much faster, and she suspected that they would soon evolve. She hoped it would years from now. They needed to rebuild humanity.
Ten minutes later, Negan felt relieved as they passed by the entrance to the campus, the horde far away.
“That was about eighty,” Buffy said. “We’re lucky that it wasn’t bigger.”
“Well, Norfolk is relatively small compared to Atlanta or New York city,” Negan said. “A bit over two thousand people.”
“Still, that’s a lot of walking dead to deal with,” Buffy said. “There’s just the two of us, and I can’t let you get killed.”
Negan frowned. “I can take care of myself,” he said.
“I’m sure you can, but it only takes one bad moment of bad luck to get bit,” she said.
“I know,” Negan said. “I’ve lost many.”
It was around four o’clock, and they’d made it to the downtown area when they had to abandon the bikes due to the huge number of people on the main street.
Buffy pulled out her scythe and just started to take off heads with her right swing, and then she’d pull back with her left to kill another.
Negan stood a moment watching her because it was breathtaking.
He just had to have her.
Negan, though, joined her, swinging his bat at heads on bodies, trying to keep up with the Amazon goddess he was following.
Buffy prayed that Negan would be able to hold his own as more people pressed against them.
***** To Be Continued*****
Chapter 6: Discoveries
Chapter Text
******Alexandria******
Neither Faith nor Xander were too worried about their lovers as both knew how capable Willow and Dawn were. They were more worried about Buffy going off to a new place with Negan, a man Buffy believed was a major threat.
The three weeks they had been there had been very pleasant for the Sunnydale group. The group’s current handyman kept Xander busy with several small projects he hadn’t had time to get to as fortifying the walls occupied a lot of time.
There first week there, Rick showed him areas still under development and some of the camp history.
“We were nearly starved and pretty desperate when we found this place. It seemed like a dream,” Rick shared.
“Was this place self-sustaining parts already here or did you add it?” Xander asked.
“It was here. This congress woman named Deanna Monroe created it with her husband, who was a congressman, before everything went to hell,” Rick said.
“That’s pretty amazing,” Xander said as they stopped by the solar panels.
“It is,” Rick. “To be able to have regular showers after going over a year without them was unbelievable.”
“The girls won’t go more than two weeks,” Xander said, grinning.
“How did you manage that?” Rick asked.
Xander shrugged. “I’d just find neighborhoods with water. Most places have some private wells or even some cities that converted the water supplies to solar,” Xander said. “The girls would clean out the dead, so we found a house. I made it work.”
Three weeks later, Rick considered that first real conversation with Xander after the women left with the Saviors. He went to see Xander, who was building a rocking chair.
“You can build furniture, too?” Rick asked in surprise. Their new members were turning out to be a big boon for their community.
Xander nodded. “I started dabbling the last year Sunnydale was in existent. I made my mother one of these for her birthday, and she cried,” Xander shared, smiling at the memory. His parents had left Sunnydale before the collapse, joining up with this uncle, his mother’s brother, who lived on a ranch. They were pretty isolated, so Xander felt they were possibly still alive. It gave him comfort to think that.
“Could you make one for me? Judith is still young enough to enjoy being rocked,” Rick said.
“Sure,” Xander said, smiling. When Rick didn’t leave, he knew that there was something on his mind. “Was there something else you were thinking about?”
“I’m just worried about the Saviors and your women with them,” Rick admitted.
“They’ll be fine,” Xander said, picking back up his sandpaper. “Dawn is very likeable as is Willow, and they won’t give the Saviors any reason to hurt them.”
“Evil people don’t need a reason,” Rick pointed out.
“True,” Xander agreed. “Do you think they’re evil?”
“I think they are the most ruthless group I’ve come across,” Rick said.
“Losing everything changes people,” Xander said. “Some people rise; others falter. Guys like Negan change to survive. We’ve all had to make compromises to our moral codes in this new hellscape. Killing cannibals isn’t something I ever thought Faith and Buffy would have to do, but who could imagine a group of Americans luring people in and then using them as cattle? It’s the most evil thing that I’ve ever encountered, and I’ve seen human sacrifices before.”
Rick nodded. “We had this group member named Bob, who woke up after being taken by them to find them eating his leg that they just cut off,” Rick shared. “They sat there like it was no big deal while he realized his new horribly reality.”
Xander grimaced. “That makes me wish I’d tortured them before putting them down,” Xander said in disgust. “We have to make sure that we don’t let the fight to survive cause us to lose our humanity. If it does, what kind of people will we be?”
Rick knew he was right. “It’s a delicate balance,” he acknowledged.
Gabriel approached, and Xander noticed he wasn’t wearing his minister collar. Somehow, he knew that it was because of him. He had heard about Caleb. Gratitude filled him as Xander smiled at the man.
“Hello,” Gabriel said. “I heard you were making a rocking chair and wondered if you’d teach me the art? I always wanted to be able to do a craft like that.”
“Sure,” Xander said. “This one is mostly done, but Rick wants one. You can help me sand this one, and we’ll get started on Rick’s.”
Rick smiled, happy to see Xander extending a hand to their man of God. Gabriel had come a long way since they met him. The walking dead had nearly destroyed him, but he found the good man inside him and came back to himself in time to be a help to Rick and his friends. Now Rick both trusted him completely and depended on his wise council.
“I’ll leave you to it,” he said, walking away with a wave. Then he saw Faith teaching Michonne some moves with Rosita, Carol, and Maggie watching with rapt attention. Rick smiled, enjoying the picture they painted. Maggie recovered from her new miscarriage, determined to be stronger for her baby. He liked the idea of such strong role models for Judith.
Faith had become fast friends with the core women who made up their group. Watching them with her now made him smile. Faith was outrageous, making the women laugh at her bawdy sense of humor.
Buffy was different. Although she was friendly with everyone, there was something about her that kept her apart. He understood his lover’s misgivings as Buffy was not someone Michonne could understand. She was clearly used to leading and knew that hard choices would always be hers to make. Rick recognized the look in her eyes at times. She had seen too much and lost too much. However, she was clearly their leader as even Faith deferred to her. Willow often said, “I will ask Buffy,” whenever they discussed future plans.
Besides himself, Rick only ever saw Buffy speak much to Daryl, Eugene, and Carl. She was so different from Eugene that he found their friendship unlikely. When he asked Carl about it, his son said, “She says that he reminds her of her mentor Giles. Even though he is using science and not ancient languages to bore her.”
“If she finds Eugene boring, why is she always laughing with him?” Rick asked, confused.
“She also finds him funny,” Carl said with a shrug. “Eugene was sharing his plans to make bullets, and Buffy wants to help with it.”
Rick’s eyes widened. “I wish he’d told me about that plan. That would be amazing!” he said. Recalling that conversation, he turned back toward the duo and filled Gabriel in on what Eugene wanted to do.
“Making bullets would be a big boon for us,” Gabriel said as he sanded the other arm.
“I can put together explosives if the need ever called for it,” Xander said.
“Very good to know,” Rick said. He said goodbye to Xander and Gabriel and went to find their resident genius to see where he was at with his plan.
Xander decided to tell the minister all about his hellmouth Halloween and graduation.
Gabriel listened in fascinated horror.
*******Sanctuary******
Willow didn’t find much inside the Saviors’ compound that was good for growing things. However, she, Dawn, and a guy named Dwight took a walk behind the compound as Willow wanted to explore the area.
Dawn glanced at his burnt face and couldn’t refrain from asking, “How did you hurt your face like that?”
“I didn’t,” Dwight said flatly. “Someone did it to me.”
“On purpose?” Dawn asked, horrified.
“That’s how Negan shows his displeasure,” Dwight said. “I tried to leave with my wife a while ago. He didn’t appreciate it. I had to give him my wife, so we could live. However, I had to be punished with a hot iron to my face, so others didn’t get the idea that they could leave.”
“And my sister is alone with that psycho?” Dawn asked, looking outraged.
“That’s pretty twisted,” Willow agreed. “But Buffy can handle Negan. He’s only human, and she doesn’t trust easily.”
“What do you mean? Of course, he’s human. What else would he be?” Dwight asked.
“In the old world, we were professional monster hunters,” Dawn said.
“Bullshit!” Dwight exclaimed.
“It’s true. My hometown of Sunnydale, California was on a hellmouth—a doorway to hell. Buffy and Faith are supernaturally empowered monster slayers,” Willow added. “Negan doesn’t stand a chance. Nor will she be seduced by his dimples.”
“She likes someone from Alexandria,” Dawn added.
Willow stopped and looked at the open field. “I don’t understand. Here is a perfectly good field only a hundred yards or so from your compound,” she said. “Why don’t you cultivate it for farming?”
Dwight shrugged. “Why would we? Negan steals from other communities, so he doesn’t have to work for anything. It’s his way,” Dwight said.
“Well, you guys need to change, or we’ll have a problem,” Willow said, looking annoyed.
“We outnumber you guys by a lot,” Dwight pointed out.
“So? I’m a very powerful witch, who can remove guns from everyone’s hands with a flick of my wrist,” Willow pointed out. “Buffy and Faith can take out any guy you have.”
Dwight didn’t know if he should be offended or excited. Maybe he and his wife could be free.
A bit later, Willow gave her suggestion to Simon, who already had a plan to deal with them.
“I think you should stay here with us,” Simon said. “We’ll make it worth it.”
Willow grinned. “You have enough people crowded in here,” she said. “I like Alexandria, and I have family there. Besides, I couldn’t live in a place that was built on the sweat and hard work of others.”
“That’s always been the American way,” Simon said. “Farmers who made our food at the grocery store, railroads made by underpaid China men or former slaves.”
“Farmers were paid, not forced to work. The Chinese left extreme poverty and Communism and were happy to have a paid job here in America as were the former slaves since they had just, you know, been slaves,” Willow pointed out. “Progress. Now we’ve had both groups of people in all tax brackets and even high offices in our government.”
Simon debated his next move. How could he force someone that could turn him into a rat? The other woman could open portals and leave quickly.
He would have to think about this carefully. There had to be a weakness they could exploit.
“Those are good points,” he said, smiling. He would get to know them and learn their secrets. Eventually, he would find out how to get the witch working for him. Negan wouldn’t be needed then. “So tell me about yourselves.” Maybe if he got them talking, they would reveal something that he could work with.
After an hour, he smiled in satisfaction. Xander, the one-eyed, man was the weak link.
Now, he had a path to make the witch his.
******Norfolk******
It took them thirty-six hours to make their way to the Naval base. Norfolk was a busy hub, and the dead were everywhere.
“I don’t know how we could survive this place with so many dead,” Negan said, frowning.
“We’ll help you clear it,” Buffy said.
Negan had seen her kill the dead with grim precision. There were no wasted movements, and she did it so effortlessly that he nearly died a few times, mesmerized by her. She never had to hit more than once and did so with such precision that she wasn’t covered in blood or gore like he was.
There were less walkers as they approached the shoreline. Norfolk did have a massive security gate, which was a good thing.
“We would need to get Xander or any electrician you have to figure out how to work that thing,” Buffy said, pointing to the controls.
“There’s the USS Dwight Eisenhower!” Negan said, seeing the name on the side.
“This one is the USS Harry Truman,” Buffy said. “Do we want to check them out?”
“Let’s look for the Battleship Wisconsin your sister suggested,” Negan said. “It’s de-commissioned.”
After killing whatever walkers they encountered, they eventually saw a ship right next to a large building.
“There it is!” Buffy exclaimed, pointing. “That must be like the Navy offices or party place.”
“That’s kind of nice to have that right next to the ship,” Negan said. “I wonder how many dead are in it?”
“Let’s go see,” Buffy said with a grin.
Thirty minutes later, she had killed all the dead in the building. He shook his head.
“You’re a God **** killing machine,” he said, shaking his head.
“I am the slayer,” she said with a shrug. “Once, I was the only girl in the world, called to fight the forces of darkness. Then after I turned sixteen, I was drained by a master vampire and thrown into a fountain and drowned. Xander saved my life. That’s how Faith was called. The slayer line runs through her.”
“That’s a damn tragedy,” Negan said. He didn’t experience any real sorrow in his life until his neglected wife died.
“Not really. My mother dying of a brain tumor while an insane hell god wanted to use Dawn in some blood sacrifice when I was twenty was a tragedy,” she shared. “Then I died in her place and was in heaven for five months before my friends—mostly Willow—rose me from the dead. Now that was a tragedy.”
“Damn,” Negan said, not sure she was being straight. However, the hollow look in her eyes made him think she was. “You’re not shitting me?”
“No, I’m not,” she said with a shrug. “Then I had to close my town’s hellmouth permanently almost two years later, which is how Sunnydale, California was turned in a big crater.”
“That was you?” he asked.
She nodded. “But Willow used the magic in this scythe to call all potential slayers, so we had an army to fight. Then the world turned to crap by a man-made virus, and the demons and vampires abandoned this world,” she said.
“There’s a lot like you out there?” Negan asked excitedly.
“None are like me as the new slayers run through me as Willow used me as the anchor to her spell,” Buffy said. “Then Angel gave me his visions, so I get to see people nearly die all the time if I don’t save them.”
“Your friends are the very worst,” Negan said. “I’m glad you met me. I know how to treat a lady.”
Buffy smirked. “You have three wives. I don’t think you do,” she said. “Come on. Let’s go to the ship and see what’s the what.”
Negan wanted to protest, but he knew the moment was lost.
The ship had some walkers on the top, which were easily dispatched. Inside, though, there weren’t that many—just like they hoped. It was too big to check every nook and cranny, and the halls were very narrow in some places. This would make it hard for walkers to surprise most people.
“We’re going to have to get a team here and systematically check this place out, room by room,” Negan said after they spent two hours exploring and killing some random walkers.
Buffy agreed. They spent time, though, looking through the place until night feel. Buffy decided to head out in the morning and head back to Alexandria.
Although Negan agreed, he was disappointed to have his time with her cut short. Then he remembered, “Oh, wait. I thought your sister couldn’t open a portal until a certain time?”
“I have a necklace that Willow made. It lets her know exactly where I am. If I activate it, she knows I need her. She can come to us,” Buffy said confidently.
Negan wasn’t sure what to think about that claim, but he knew she was amazing. All of them were.
“You know I have lots of compounds,” he admitted. “All over the D.C. and Virginia area.”
“Seriously?” she asked. “Then why do you live in metal place devoid of beauty?” He had told her all about his compound.
“It’s secure,” he pointed out. “This world has become unsafe. Giving people security and a sense of real safety is all most want now. It’s enough.”
“Well, if you can stop attacking communities and stealing half of what they have, we can start to rebuild our world,” Buffy pointed out. “You keep going on the way you are, and you’re going to make an enemy that will destroy you. No one will tolerate a tyrant for long.”
Negan considered her words. She might have a point, but. . .
“It’s good to be king,” he told her with a grin.
When she rolled her eyes, he laughed.
******Chapter End******
I am so sorry to keep you waiting so long for updates! My life is a bit insane now. Between my multiples jobs and family needs, I just have so little time and energy left over. My father now is dying of cancer, so there’s so much always going on in my life. I still love my stories, though, and I will keep writing them as long as someone wants to read them. I’ve been working on this chapter for weeks, and I finally decided to just post it. Sorry if it’s not longer. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 7: Building Relationships
Notes:
I am so sorry for the long delay. I don't seem to have as much energy to write, and I can't write at all when I'm tired. All the adults in my family seem to be dying, but slowly. It's a lot. I've lost count of how many times my dad's fallen the past few months or how many times my mom's been in the hospital. I spent today in the ER with my only living aunt, who was crying in pain from her stomach cancer for hours while we waited for the doctor. It's been a challenging year, but I do find these stories an escape for me. I hope you do too.
Chapter Text
******A Week Later*****
Eugene’s plan to make bullets was a success as Dawn was able to portal to places that had things he needed.
“I will never achieve such evolutionary heights as you, Dawn, but I do appreciate your help with this,” Eugene told her.
Dawn smiled fondly at the genius who refused to listen to anything about magic. Advanced humans were how he saw them, so they didn’t try to convince him, just grateful for his ingenuity.
Willow could talk science with him, which actually worked to reinforce the idea that they were just advanced humans.
“It’s so nice to have someone to talk science to,” she told Faith.
“Should I be jealous?” Faith teased.
Willow laughed. “He’s harmless, but I’m glad we’ve found a place here,” she said.
Faith had become friends with Michonne, but she still looked at Buffy with suspicion.
“Michonne is cool and incredible with those blades,” Faith said.
“Xander told me that you two went out killing walkers,” Willow observed.
Faith nodded. “Yes, we took out the group we’ve been training the past two weeks for some real experience. They did good,” she said. “Then we came across a bigger group of walkers than we expected, so she and I had to do our thing. She with the wicked blades and me with my favorite long knife.”
“Did anyone get hurt?” Willow asked.
“A sprained ankle is all,” Faith said. “Michonne doesn’t trust B, by the way.”
“What do you mean? Why wouldn’t she?” Willow asked, looking at her in surprise.
“She doesn’t understand her contradictory nature,” Faith said, laughing. “How can she be so bright and cheery still when she senses the predator in her. She finds me more understandable.”
“Seriously?” Willow said, surprised.
“I know, right?” Faith said, grinning. “Who would ever prefer me over B? Even I like her better!”
“I don’t,” Willow said softly.
“You did for a very long time,” Faith reminded her. “And it’s okay. I like this post-apocalyptic version of me, too.”
“Michonne’s very important to Rick, and he’s the linchpin in this community,” Willow pointed out.
“I know,” Faith said.
“See if you can find a way to throw them together somehow,” Willow suggested.
“What about the Montana run Dawn keeps talking about?” Faith asked.
“I’m still not sure that’s a good idea,” Willow replied.
“The state is not very populated, so the walking dead will be a lot less,” Faith said. “They’ll be supplies untapped because there won’t be so many people scavenging there.”
Willow considered it. “It’s in Missoula and still has over 120,000 people in it,” she pointed out.
“Dawn said she once presented a paper at a conference at their university, so she can get a portal opened there,” Faith said. “We just need to gather up a team to check out the town. See what supplies we can gather.”
“Maybe see if any Saviors want to go,” Willow said. “I’d rather we risk more of Negan’s people than ours as there’s a lot more of them.”
Faith smirked. “That’s pretty diabolical of you, babe. I totally approve,” she said.
Once the town’s leader, former Congressman and now basically the mayor, Deanne Monroe, gave the green light on the field trip (after Buffy assured her that she would go with her sister), they decided who would go.
“I’ll go,” Daryl said.
“Not without me,” Carol said.
“And me,” Maggie added. “I’ve never been to Montana.”
“You’re pregnant, so no, please,” Glen said, looking beseechingly at Rick.
“Buffy’s going to go see if we can get three or four Saviors to go, so we’re not risking our people only,” Rick said.
“I’d like to go,” Xander said. “But I’ve got too much work to do here.”
“Well, I’m definitely going,” Abraham said.
“I’d like to also,” Sasha said.
“So if six of ours go, three or four Saviors only,” Rick said to Buffy.
“Got it,” Buffy replied. She looked at her sister. “Can you open a door to the Savior’s place? Open it again in an hour. I should be ready by then.” She glanced at her watch to see what the time was.
“Sure,” Dawn said, opening a portal and looking at her watch as she walked through.
“I’ll go with you,” Faith said. “I want to see this place, too.”
“Be careful,” Willow said to her.
“Never,” Faith said, grinning as she walked into the doorway after Buffy.
“Abraham, go with them,” Rick said.
“There’s nothing that they can’t handle,” Willow said.
“Maybe, but one is too trusting and the other easily distracted,” Rick pointed out.
Dawn laughed in agreement as Abraham moved to jump into the doorway, afraid it’d close after him.
When he saw Faith, he looked back at the doorway as it closed.
“Freaky,” he muttered.
“First time on the Dawn Express is trippy, huh?” Faith said with a knowing smirk.
They were outside the door, and he observed the walker pen. “I bet that’s where he puts people who piss him off,” Abraham said.
“Definitely,” Faith agreed.
Buffy was chatting up the guys guarding the door when it opened.
“I heard two beautiful ladies had dropped by for a visit, but I thought Dwight was pulling my leg,” Negan said with a dimpled grin.
“We wanted to tell you about a trip we’re going on and see if you wanted in on it,” Buffy said. “Three or four of your boys could join us.”
“Come on in,” he said. “I’d like to hear all about it. Welcome to our Sanctuary.”
“I love what you’ve done with the place,” Faith said with a smirk, taking in the metal walls.
“Hey, it’s not pretty like Alexandria, but you won’t find all this metal as easy to burn down,” Negan pointed out.
He introduced the two women to Simon. “Don’t worry, Simon. The witch was left at home,” he told him, grinning.
“If she’d teach us how she does what she does, I wouldn’t mind the witch spending time here,” Simon said. He looked at the two women curiously. They were beautiful. He’d seen the dark haired one before he had been turned into a rat. That the duo had beat nearly a dozen of their guys still seemed unlikely to him. Something was just not right about it all.
“This is Buffy and that is Faith,” Negan introduced. “Simon is always the man with plans here, my right hand.” He put his hand companionable on the man’s shoulder.
“Nice to meet you,” Buffy said.
“Simon Says must be your favorite game,” Faith said with a smirk.
“A game that requires 100% obedience when invoking my name is always a winner with me,” Simon replied.
“Would you like a drink?” Negan asked, wanting the girls to be comfortable in his home.
“I would,” Faith said, smiling.
“Nope. Alcohol and Buffy are non-mixing things!” Buffy declared.
Faith snorted. “She’s a wuss who can’t hold her liquor,” Faith said.
“If I kick your ass, you’ll have to take that back,” Buffy said, coolly.
“No hot chicks fighting without a giant tub of Jell-O or mud,” Negan told him, grinning.
“In your dreams,” Buffy said, crossing her arms.
“Who told you about my dreams?” Negan teased, causing Faith to laugh.
Simon’s eyes widened at the sheer sexiness of the woman’s laugh. Okay, maybe he couldn’t blame Negan for not thinking the two women could take out eleven of his guys.
After drinks were passed out in Negan’s conference room, Buffy told him, “We’re going to go to Montana for a supply run. We’ll split it with you or let your guys take whatever they can carry if you want in.”
Simon laughed. “Montana? Girl, you know how far that is? You’d never make it,” he said.
“Didn’t Negan tell you? My sister Dawn can open portals any place she knows,” Buffy said with a bright smile. “She’s been to Missoula where their university is, so she can open a portal there. We figured with the cold and not a lot of people compared to cities on the East Coast, it might have a lot of supplies we can plunder.”
“It’s not wintertime, so we won’t have to actually deal with snow and ice,” Faith said.
“An untouched territory,” Negan said, intrigued at the idea. “I’ve never been to Montana.”
“Who’s going from Alexandria?” Simon asked.
“Us, Daryl, Carol, Abraham, and Sasha,” Buffy said. “So pick a few of your guys. Three or four.”
“How about five? I’m no pack mule,” Negan said.
“You can’t go to Montana!” Simon insisted. “That is too far for you to go. You’re the leader.”
“That’s what we told Rick,” Buffy said.
Negan didn’t want to pass up a chance to spend time with Buffy. Also, he would learn about the dynamics between the two women if he was there.
“Why don’t you pick four of our guys who might be up for an adventure, Dwight,” he said to the man, who’d been standing in the doorway, waiting for instructions.
“I’d like to go,” Dwight said.
“Okay, find me three more guys,” Negan said.
“When are you leaving?” Dwight asked.
Buffy looked at her watch. “Dawn will open the portal back to Alexandria in about thirty minutes,” she said.
“Need some huge duffel bags and maybe a wheelbarrow or two,” Simon suggested.
“Better go help them. I’ll give the ladies a tour,” he said.
As he showed them around, Faith couldn’t help but think how much nicer Alexandria was than this place.
Dwight appeared with three guys, one named Jamal, who was dark skinned. David, who told Buffy and Faith that he was not interested in a rematch.
“One beatdown from a hot woman is all my ego can take,” he said.
Faith laughed, slapping him on the back. “I’ll try to be gentle when it’s my time,” she said.
David looked alarmed while Buffy frowned at Faith. “No implied threats, Faith, to people who barely know us. They could get that wrong idea,” she explained.
“Hey, I don’t start fights,” Faith said, holding her hands up and smiling. “I finish them.”
“This is not a competition. Whatever we find, we split evenly,” Buffy told them.
“Gas, weapons, and food, are what we’ll be looking for,” Negan told his men.
“The girls have told me to find some personal hygiene products,” Jared said.
“Nothing stops those visits from Aunt Flo. Not even the end of our world,” Negan said with a snicker.
The portal opened up. “It’s time to go,” Buffy said, stepping through it. Faith followed her. Negan with after her, thrilled to go through his first portal.
“If Lucille could see me now,” he murmured.
“You want your bat to see you?” Buffy asked, having heard his low comment.
Abraham closed up the back, not willing to turn his back on any Savior.
“Lucille was the name of my wife, who died when all this shit began,” Negan said.
“You named your weapon after your wife?” Buffy asked in surprise.
“She must’ve been a real ball buster, huh?” Faith added, inserting herself into their conversation.
“She was better than I ever deserved, and the reason I fight so hard now,” Negan admitted. “I was a lousy husband, but she never left me until death took her.”
“So why do you name your weapon after her?” Buffy asked, curious to understand what made this man tick.
Negan considered the question as he had never thought about it much. Finally, he admitted, “If I had fought harder for our marriage, maybe I would have better memories. Now she fights with me and for me. It’s like she’s always here with me.” He shrugged. “That’s all I got.”
“That’s pretty sweet,” Buffy said, smiling up at him.
Daryl met the group and witnessed Buffy smiling up at the psycho leader of the Saviors. He didn’t like it. “What’s he doing here?” Daryl asked.
“I’m going to Montana!” Negan announced with a grin.
The news annoyed Daryl, but he said nothing.
Rick saw that Negan had four guys and gestured to Aaron. “How about you join them? Then we’ll have seven against their five,” he said.
“I’d be happy to. I’ve always wanted to go to Montana,” Aaron admitted.
An hour later, they were ready. Each of them was carrying a backpack and a duffel while three pushed wheelbarrows.
Buffy made Negan carry the first aid and their provisions in a backpack.
“We’re not wasting any space. Your back is empty, so it’s a waste. Grab the bag,” she ordered him.
“Only for you, darling,” Negan said with a wink as he put the backpack on his back.
Then they walked through the portal with Buffy and Faith leading and Negan right behind them. His men were next while Aaron followed with Caroline stepping next to him. Abraham waited for Sasha as he and Daryl went last.
They opened up in front of a courtyard.
“Of course, the school’s library would be the first building we see!” Buffy said, giving her sister a knowing look.
“Naturally,” Dawn said.
“She may not look it, but Dawn here is a big ole nerd,” Buffy told Negan.
“Nothing wrong with having beauty and brains,” Negan said.
Dawn gave him a wide smile. “Thank you!” she said.
“We probably should check out the food places on campus first,” Aaron suggested.
“Let’s decide if we come back here before going home,” Faith said. “We can leave things we gather by the library doors.”
“Good thinking. Less to pack around,” Buffy said. “Okay, everyone go in pairs or groups of three and pick a building.”
“The map is there,” Dawn said. “There’s a medical building we should check out.”
They broke up and Faith took Negan with her. “We’ll take the medical building,” she said. Negan decided to not protest, but he would find out how gay she really was. Jared didn’t trust the dark beauty, so he went with them.
Daryl stuck to Buffy’s side with Carol joining the pair. Sasha, Abraham, and Aaron went to explore the bathrooms for hygiene products.
“Stay away from the dorm floors,” Dawn suggested. “Might be too many walkers there.”
She had Dwight go with her while Jamal and David went to the gym. “They’ll be water and snacks there,” David said.
“Good thinking,” Dawn told him. “We’ll go check out the student store. Let’s meet back here in an hour.”
Dwight asked Dawn about their travels as they looted the front desk’s snack bar, grabbing a lot of water bottles.
“We went wherever Buffy’s visions took us,” she said.
“Did she really have a vision of Negan?” Dwight asked.
Dawn nodded. “She said that he would have killed two of the men from Alexandria, and it would have let to a lot of deaths,” she shared.
Dwight glanced at David, not revealing his real feelings on that.
“I wish we could take back those weights,” David said. “Weightlifting is a great way for men to relieve tension.”
“Hey, if you really want to drag it to the front of the library, I’ll portal it to the Sanctuary,” Dawn said.
“Really?” David asked. He had the wheel barrel and knew he could pile a lot in it.
“Why not? It’s not practical for the apocalypse time we live in, but as you said, men like it,” Dawn said. “There should be more things to bring us pleasure than booze and sex.”
David decided these new freaks were not so bad after all.
Negan asked Faith, “What did you do before the world went to shit?” he asked.
“Well, I was in charge of training the minis,” she said.
“Excuse me?” Negan asked.
“Buffy and I are the two original slayers. She was called as a vampire slayer when she was a Freshman in high school,” Faith explained. “Buffy was drowned when she was sixteen, but Xander gave her CPR, saving her life. However, she was dead long enough for the next slayer to be called—Kendra. Kendra was dead within six months, and I was called.”
“So you and Buffy have been together ever since?” Negan asked.
Faith laughed her bawdy laugh, shaking her head. “Hell, no. I got messed up when I accidentally killed a human when we were slaying vampires. I went dark and betrayed her, joined the evil mayor, who was a warlock. Did some very bad things for him. Poisoned the man she loved, so she put me in a coma for several months. I got out of that and slept with her new boyfriend. Then her ex-boyfriend talked me down, so I was in prison a few years for the bad stuff I’d done. Then I broke out when it counted and helped Buffy save the world. Not sure this is much better, though.”
“Damn,” Negan said. “That’s some dark history. Buffy forgave all that?”
“Buffy’s capacity to forgive is enormous,” Faith said. “She’s the best person I’ve ever known, and if you mess with her, I will gut you like a fish.”
Negan felt the coldness of her gaze and knew she wasn’t exactly kidding. But he played it off with a snicker. “She’s a big girl, and I think she can take care of herself.”
Jared didn’t appreciate the threat. “You better watch your mouth,” he told her.
“Or what?” Faith said. “You can’t beat me in a fight, and if you tried to shoot me, I’d advise against it. The last woman Willow loved was killed by a stray bullet meant for B. Willow used her magic to rip the man’s skin off.”
Negan’s eyes widened at the story, and he told Jared, “How about you not worry about me and go check out that hallway?” he said, pointing. He turned back to Faith. “What are the minis?”
“Slayers who weren’t called like B and me but magically activated by Willow when we were fighting the First Evil,” Faith said.
“Bullshit!” Negan said.
Faith shrugged as she opened a drawer and found a pack of cigarettes. “Oh, God! I would kill for one of these!” she exclaimed, looking at it with longing.
“Then it’s yours,” he said.
“I gave it up when I started getting serious about training the minis. Role model and all that shit,” she said, shutting the drawer. Of course, she picked it up before doing so. “You can give it to your guys. Willow would not be happy if I returned smelling of that.”
“You are so whipped,” Negan said, grinning.
“If you only knew what she could do with her tongue,” Faith said with a smug smirk.
“You’re killing me!” Negan replied, turned on at the thought of the two women together.
Faith laughed, slapping him on the back as she opened up the desk. She grabbed the hand sanitizer in there and all writing utensils. “So are you going to help or what?” she asked him.
“I’ll think about it,” he said.
“You do know it’s a competition,” Faith said. “Dawn is the worst gloater you’ve ever met. If we don’t have something impressive to haul back, she will commence with the mocking. A time or two, Buffy hit me just because she knew that she couldn’t hit her sister.”
Negan laughed. Damn if he didn’t like these women. They were just so fucking cool.
“Hey, guys, I found a bunch of medicines!” Jared called out.
“Score!” Faith said, grinning. She went toward his voice, and Negan followed. “What did you find?”
“Looks like a lot of stuff,” he said. “Antibiotics, pain meds, mood meds, band-aids—even sleeping pills.”
“I don’t think Dawn can top this,” Negan said.
Half an hour later, he saw all the weightlifting equipment.
“Dawn said that she’d open it up directly to the Sanctuary,” David said with an excited smile.
“Damn it!” Negan exclaimed.
“The guys are gonna go nuts!” Jared said, happy at the find.
“I thought so,” Dawn said, flashing Faith a smug smile.
Negan caught it and laughed.
******More to Come******
This chapter was taking way too long to finish, so I decided this was a decent stopping point. The next chapter will continue in Montana. Thanks for reading!
Chapter 8: Montana Men & Monsters
Summary:
This chapter contains a brief Yellowstone crossover.
Chapter Text
*****Mostly Where We Left Off*****
Buffy and Daryl took to the classroom buildings as Buffy got to thinking that the engineering building might have something Eugene would be grateful for. He had given her a list of things to look for.
“I have never been on a college campus before,” Daryl admitted as they walked through the open courtyard.
“This is a very nice campus,” Buffy said. “It’s not as big as UCLA or others I’ve been to, but you can tell that it was well cared for. USC Sunnydale was smaller, though.”
“Did you finish?” Daryl asked.
“Not there,” she said. “I finished a degree in history at Oxford back in England as that was where my mentor Giles was from. I had considered psychology, but I didn’t want to go to graduate school. You can’t do much with just a bachelors in psychology. The history degree was easy because I dream of the past lives of slayers, so I feel I know without studying a lot of history.”
“Really?” Daryl said, stopping his walk to look at her.
Buffy nodded. “Yes, I also get dreams warming me of supernatural problems, but not since the world fell,” she shared. He already knew about her calling as a slayer. “This virus was manmade not demonic in origin.”
“That’s messed up,” Daryl muttered as he continued walking.
“I know,” Buffy agreed.
They found several things on the list Eugene gave her, and she was excited.
“He’s going to be so happy,” Buffy said. Then she stopped, winced, and put her hand to her head.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing her wince as he always noticed everything about her.
“I have a vision of someone here that is in danger,” she said.
“One of our people here?” Daryl asked, looking around for danger.
“No. He’s a soldier of some kind. Off campus but not too far,” she said. “I think their vehicle broke down. I saw one of those green military vehicles in it.”
Sasha and Abraham saw them coming out of their building and met up with them.
“I found an entire spool of copper wiring,” Abraham said with a grin, holding it up.
“Good,” Daryl said.
“Xander is going to be very happy,” Buffy said. “We need to go, though.”
“What’s going on?” Sasha asked.
Buffy told them about her vision, and as soon as she mentioned military, Abraham was ready to join them.
“Get Dawn to send the stuff we gathered here home,” Buffy said. “Tell Faith to follow me at a run. I’m going north.” She pointed.
“I’m going with you,” Abraham said.
“You won’t be able to keep up,” Buffy said. “And I can’t wait.”
“Go, Sasha,” Daryl said. Sasha nodded and turned to go to the place they were to meet up, so she could update the group and get Faith running after Buffy.
Buffy, though, had already left, and Abraham was on her heels, so Daryl turned to chase after her. Then he noticed an abandoned bicycle. Thinking it was worth grabbing, he made a stop to snag it.
He quickly caught up with Abraham who was running full out, but Buffy was pulling further and further away.
“Grab a bike!” Daryl called out. The campus had them on nearly every bike rank. Most were locked but not all as it was clear some bike riders had all reason leave when fear of the walking dead came over them.
Abraham did as Daryl suggested and soon caught up with Daryl. They were gaining a bit on Buffy, but they couldn’t seem to reach her.
“Damn! How fast can she run?” Abraham wondered, more than a little impressed.
“As long as she has to, I guess,” Daryl said with a shrug. “She and Faith aren’t normal. They got gifts.”
“Gifts I wish that I had,” Abraham said.
It was twenty minutes before they reached where Buffy stopped.
A fairly large herd of walkers surrounded a military vehicle just as Buffy had told Daryl.
Buffy was already using her weapon with deadly efficiency, so the two men threw down their bikes and began to do the same.
“It’s nice of you guys to join me!” Buffy called out with a grin.
“We decided that we couldn’t let you have all the fun,” Abraham told her. The two men moved to the opposite side of the car.
It was ten minutes before a car pulled up, stopping near them. Buffy glanced up to see Faith hop out with a smirk. Negan, Jared, and Aaron got out of the car with her.
“You just had to go find some fun without me!” Faith told her.
“Naturally,” Buffy replied as she used her scythe with practiced ease. A stab to the head with the wooden end and then a twirl to slice off tops of heads.
Another car arrived, carrying the rest of the group.
Although the new arrivals picked up walkers on the perimeter, they had trouble focusing as Buffy and Faith were a sight to behold.
“Damn, those women are incredible!” Negan remarked watching. Faith fought with a glee he had never seen anyone have while fighting the walking dead. Clearly, she relished in her slaughter—that’s what it was—a slaughter as the bodies fell before her at a rate that was astounding.
Buffy’s face held grim determination as she fought with a detachment that Negan wasn’t too surprised about from what he learned about her already.
“Those girls are right down scary,” Jared said, frowning.
“That’s something you ought to remember,” Carol said as she pulled out her own weapon to help.
The Alexander group moved toward Abraham and Daryl to help while Negan pulled out his own weapon and moved near Faith.
Dwight couldn’t help but wonder if this new group might be able to free him from his hell.
Buffy eventually had no room as the bodies of the dead were too thick around her, so she began lifting and throwing them behind her.
“Damn!” Abraham exclaimed as he saw bodies fly. “Just how strong is she?”
Daryl shrugged. “As strong as she needs to be, I reckon,” he said.
Carol had made her way to Daryl’s side as he preferred and smiled at his comment. “Women always find a way to get done what needs done,” she remarked.
It didn’t take long for the herd to lay dead round them.
Faith moved the bodies blocking the vehicle.
Five guys got out. Only one of them was in fatigues. Two had on t-shirts that said Navy.
“Leave it the Navy to get boxed in,” Abraham observed with a snort.
“We are what’s left of Seal Team Eight,” the driver said. “Lieutenant Kayce Dutton. Thank you for your assistance. They came out of nowhere.”
“Probably came from the university that way,” Buffy said, pointing.
“Do you have a group?” Aaron asked.
“We are a group,” the other said. “Major Richard Wilson. I’m the commander of this team. We appreciate the help.”
“I didn’t know Seals had a base in Montana,” Abraham said.
“We don’t,” Major Wilson said. “We were training in the mountains in Kentucky when the world went to shit. Most of us had family in California or Texas except for Lieutenant Dutton.”
“Mine owns the biggest ranch in the country here in Montana,” Lieutenant Dutton shared. “We’re going there.”
“You think your family is still alive?” Faith asked, a note of doubt in her voice.
“Definitely,” the very cute lieutenant replied. Faith liked him more for his confidence and faith in his family.
“Kayce is convinced his father is alive,” another one of the Seals said. “I’m Kevin. That’s Freddie.”
Freddie was a large dark-skinned man, who wore the Navy t-shirt. “Nice to meet you,” he said in a deep voice.
“That’s Yusef,” Kevin introduced to the smaller bearded man.
“We had a few more in our team, but Philadelphia was a bitch,”Major Wilson said.
“I’m surprised you ventured to such a populated place,” Negan said.
“We were hoping to find some semblance of the government in NSAP,” Wilson explained.
“What’s that?” Buffy asked.
“Naval Support Activity Philadelphia,” Lieutenant Dutton said.
“It’s the Navy Yard Annex,” Abraham said. “I knew some guys there. Abraham Ford, Sergeant First Class in the U. S. Army.”
“Well, Sergeant, we owe you our lives,” Major Wilson said.
“Do you need help getting to this ranch?” Buffy asked.
“No,” Lieutenant Dutton said. “Once we head away from the university, we won’t find many people. My family’s ranch is over two thousand square miles.”
“Damn,” Negan remarked. “That’s awesome!”
“Well, good luck guys. I hope you make it,” Buffy said.
“We will. My dad is one tough son of a bitch, and so are my brothers and the guys that work with them,” Dutton said with confidence.
“Obviously, we were swayed by his confidence,” Major Wilson remarked, smiling at his driver.
The men shook her hand, and nodded to the rest as they got back in the car.
Negan’s men had already cleared the road of the bodies.
“I guess that was your good deed for the day,” Negan said as he moved next to Buffy.
“We have to save who we can,” Buffy told him, pulling out a cloth to clean her weapon.
“I am leader of the Saviors,” Negan reminded her. “I’m always doing my part to save those worth saving.”
“But how many die because of you?” Buffy asked him without looking up.
Negan frowned, not liking the judgment.
Before he could reply, Faith moved to embrace Buffy, planting a quick kiss on her mouth.
“You know how to show a girl the best time!” Faith exclaimed, avoiding Buffy’s blade with ease.
“Stop that!” Buffy said, wiping her mouth and pushing Faith away. “These lips are not for you!”
“But they rarely see any action, and I’m your friend,” Faith said with a smirk.
Buffy knew not to say more, or Faith would embarrass her.
“Thanks for the assist,” Buffy said to Negan.
“I’m not sure you needed any help, but everyone did what they could,” Negan said.
“How can you be so strong?” Jared asked Buffy.
“Just lucky,” Buffy said with a shrug.
“Or unlucky,” Faith said.
“You two our like our personal Valkyries,” Abraham remarked.
“That is very fitting,” Negan agreed. “They are like those old stories.”
Carol smiled as she leaned toward Daryl to whisper, “I hope you aren’t scared away.”
Daryl snorted but didn’t reply. Buffy may be goddess-like, but she was a mortal. Flesh and blood, and he liked her more every minute he spent in her company.
They piled into the two vehicles and headed to the town area of Missoula.
It was there that they ran into some demonic version of Yetis.
“What the fuck is that?” Faith asked as she stared at the nine-foot white hairy monster. It snarled and showed its very sharp teeth.
“It’s the Abominable Snowman!” Sasha exclaimed.
“No such thing,” her lover replied.
“Yeah? Then what the hell is that?” Sasha asked.
They had gone into a restaurant on main street when the thing appeared from the back room.
“It’s a Yeti,” Daryl said, raising his bow.
“Are they evil? Do we slay them?” Faith asked Buffy.
“That’s Giles’ department or Dawn,” Buffy replied, stepping closer. “Are you evil?”
He snarled and gestured to the door.
“Okay, we’ll leave,” Buffy said, holding up her hand.
Another one showed its face, stepping from the same back area.
“We want the liquor,” Jared protested.
“Then go get it,” Buffy said. “I’m not killing a creature I know nothing about unless he tries to kill me.”
“I want a drink,” Faith said, moving to grab a large bottle.
The Yeti snarled but made no move to attack.
“Grab another one,” Jared said.
Faith did, and the group walked out of the restaurant, keeping an eye on the two monsters.
When they stepped outside, Negan laughed. “Hot damn! This has been an exciting trip!”
“I can’t believe the Abominable Snowman is real!” Jamal said, looking like he was in a daze.
“I always told my brother there were too many stories,” Sasha said excitedly. “He said I was nuts for believing. But I was right!”
“Ty will have to eat those words,” Abraham said.
Sasha grinned. “Ty always thinks he so smart. I wish I had a camera ‘cause he will never believe this!”
“Tyrese will believe it if we all tell him,” Carol assured her.
They paired off going through the businesses, and Negan took his turn working next to Buffy. However, he couldn’t scare off the hillbilly with the bow no matter how hard he tried.
“So what’s with you and the hillbilly?” Negan asked as they explored the town’s pharmacy.
“We’re getting to know each other,” Buffy said, looking at Daryl who was nearby grabbing medical supplies off the shelves and putting them in his bag. He glanced up at her, and she gave him a warm smile.
“Oh, like you and me are?” Negan said with a wide smile.
“I already know you,” Buffy said. “You were once a good man, but you’ve lost your way trying to survive the new hellscape. I saved you from your own destruction, and we will be the best of friends.”
Negan laughed. “You really believe you saved me? And what if I want to be more than your friend?” he asked.
Buffy reached out and took his hand. “Your plans for Alexandria would have let to a lot of death, Negan, and you would’ve lost everything eventually,” she said. “I saw it. By not killing Abraham and Glen, you didn’t garner an enemy who would’ve never forgiven or forgot.”
Negan scoffed, not convinced Alexandria would’ve been able to hurt him that much. “Best friends, huh? Even if I give up my wives for you?” he asked, hopeful still.
Buffy squeezed and released his hand. “That you have more than one wife at a time tells me that we would never suit,” she said with a laugh. “Don’t scoff at my offer of friendship. There’s not much I won’t do for a friend.”
A glance at Daryl confirmed he wasn’t happy with their private conversation, so Negan smirked at the man while throwing an arm around Buffy’s shoulders. “I could use a friend,” he told her. Maybe if he gave up his wives and showed her what a good friend he could be, he could win her over.
Hope springs eternal even at the end of the world.
*****Chapter End*****
Thanks for reading this story. Take a minute to drop a comment or review if you have it. It’s been a hard two months for me as I buried my dad and started a new job. My stories and ones I read on this site give me countless moments of pleasure, so I appreciate the constant support.
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