Chapter 26

Author note at the end. Enjoy.

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Before the early morning sun could peek through Shawn's window was when Alex stirred from his sleep. He blinked a couple of times, before stretching, wiping at his face with his hands and carefully walking downstairs. Leaving Shawn and Glenn sleep a little more as he continued with his workouts.

Once he stepped outside, the cool morning air chilled him a little, a shiver escaping him as he started jumping in front of the porch, sending a nod of greeting to the Nightwatch pair, Lee and Carley, who looked beyond exhausted.

Deciding to implement the lesson that Glenn beat into him, he walked up to them, "Any activity?" He asked the two, while Carley scoffed and gave him a smile, Lee shook his head, a tired smile on his face. "Thankfully, no."

"You guys can go inside and sleep, I'll take over until others wake up." Alex suggested but Carley groaned. "As sweet as that it, we can't." She stretched out, a yawn escaping her. "She's right, we'll stay a bit more. In the meantime, you can already start with what you have to do." As he finished speaking, Carley dropped her head on top of Lee's shoulder, as the man wrapped his arm around him to keep her warm.

In exchange, Alex enviously nodded at them." Alright, but don't push yourselves too hard." He imparted a final advice, only getting a shake of head. Heading towards the barn to start his morning chores, first he fed the horses and cows that were now always brought back to the barn every night.

He also threw a little feed to the chicken and checked their water. It was half empty, meaning by the end of morning, someone would have to fill it again. With a small jog, he lapsed around the fences, making sure there was no movement of any surprise walkers or runners.

The run also helped him with clearing his mind from falling back to the negative thoughts, making him breathe the fresh air. 'Now that I think about it, those nuclear plants didn't explode yet.' He thought to himself, staring at the sky with no sign of black or grey clouds.

By the time the sun had fully risen, more of the group began to stir. Hershel emerged from the house, nodding approvingly at Alex as he passed. "Good to see you up and at 'em, son," he said, his voice gruff but kind.

"Morning, Hershel," Alex replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "Thought I'd restart doing my routines before my flunk." Kenny and his family also got out of their RV, with the older man giving Alex a smile with greeting, Katjaa simply ignored him. Duck enthusiastically waved in greeting with a huge smile. "Alex! Morning!" Though the boy's voice was loud, it was also a alarm clock for everyone else in the house who was still asleep.

"Morning Duck, Kenny, Katjaa." He greeted them. Again Katjaa took her son by hand and dragged him away, making Kenny sigh. "Morning, sorry about her." He apologized, with Alex shrugging. "It's fine. I've gotten used to it."

Deciding to change subject, "You sure you've got the energy to spare in morning exercises?" Kenny asked and Alex chuckled. "Yeah, I used to do it a lot worse a week ago."

Lee and Carley, taking that as their signal, climbed down Dale's RV, with the couple greeting Kenny as well. After a small amount of small talks, he and Carley were shooed inside to sleep.

As the rest of the group began to gather for breakfast outside, Alex noticed the small changes in the group. Though they all understood the reason as to why they could only eat twice a day, instead of the three meals schedule, they were still grumpy.

It would take getting used to and for Alex who didn't feel the feeling of hungry anymore due to his extreme endurance training, it didn't change anything for him. Instead, he was eating like a king.

Once breakfast was over and the children, Carl, Clementine, and Duck were helping with bringing the plates back inside, Hershel nodded to Rick to start. With the signal, Rick stood at the head of the table, clearing his throat to get everyone's attention. "Alright, folks." He began, his voice calm and carrying the natural leadership quality.

Alex swiped a glance at everyone around the long table and noticed Shane's longing look targeted at Lori, while the woman wasn't even giving him a glance.

When Shane caught his eyes, the former cop stared for a moment, gaze empty, predatory, before focusing on Rick. Deciding to keep that to himself, Alex continued his observation of everyone else around the table. Beth was next to him, with Glenn on his other side and Maggie on Beth's side.

Carol was in front of him, and she caught his eyes, she gave him a warm smile, that Alex returned. He also noticed Beth sometimes bumping with him, whenever she would pick the plates to give to the children, but Alex didn't mind. Daryl had eaten his breakfast off to the side, leaning against a tree, but still listening intently.

As Rick began outlining the day's tasks, Alex found his mind wandering to the greenhouse. The seeds they'd planted were starting to sprout, and he made a mental note to check on them later. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard his name.

"Alex," Rick said, "I want you and Daryl to head out and scout for those bee hives we talked about. Think you can handle that?"

Alex nodded, catching Daryl's eye across the yard. The hunter gave a short nod of acknowledgment. "Sure thing, Rick. We'll head out after we finish up here." As the meeting wrapped up, Alex felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Clementine standing there, her big eyes looking up at him expectantly. "Alex, can we practice with the slingshot today? You promised."

Alex smiled, kneeling down to her level. "I did promise, didn't I? Tell you what, when I get back from the bee hive hunt with Daryl, we'll have a lesson. Sound good?" Clementine nodded enthusiastically. "Okay! I'll practice my aim while you're gone." She opened her palm as if asking something and Alex chuckled. "Fine, but you have to pay me first." He asked her and she embarrassingly nodded, pecking him on his cheek. "Good, here." He gave her his slingshot.

As Clementine scampered off, along with Carl and Duck, Alex felt eyes on him. Turning to it, he saw Lee return from inside the house, still exhausted but warm. "I thought you'd sleep the day away." Alex stated to which Lee shook his head, while his grateful smile lessened a little. "No, couldn't sleep a wink at all."

"Thanks for taking the time with her," Lee said. "It means a lot." Alex shrugged, feeling a bit awkward under Lee's appreciative gaze, "It's no problem. She's a great kid." Lee nodded, then hesitated for a moment. "Listen, Alex... I was wondering if we could talk later. Man to man." Though the words made him stand a little straighter and puff his chest, it still confused him. Thinking it might be about Clementine, he seriously nodded.

Deciding to walk a little away from the table that Glenn and Shawn were putting to the side of the porch, Alex nodded for Lee to continue, his brows furrowed. The older man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "Lee, everything okay?" Alex worriedly asked, making Lee sigh. "What am I doing…?" He heard Lee mutter to himself, before looking at the young man of 19 years old.

"Yeah, just need an advice." Lee finally got the words out and Alex nodded for him to continue. Again, Lee took his time, looking at everyone else, while Alex gave him the time. "You know what." The wind had left his sail as the man changed his mind. "Never mind, Daryl seems to be waiting for you with his crossbow. You heading out with him?"

Though confused, Alex nodded, deciding not to force it. "Yeah, but not too far. Just searching the area to see if we run into any bee colony up in the trees." In return, Lee raised a brow, "What for?" He asked and Alex looked at Daryl. "For honey, remember?".

"Right, well, take care out there. You never know when something will pop up." The black gentleman advised with Alex patting the machete hanging from his belt. "Thanks, but hey, when I come back, we can continue our talk from earlier."

Lee immediately burst off laughing, surprising Alex, but finally he agreed with a nod. "Of course, Alex. Take care." He made his way over to Daryl, who was checking his crossbow. "Ready to head out?" Alex asked, a backpack on his back with everything they needed.

Covers to save themselves from bee stinks if they do find a colony that was too aggressive. A wooden box, alongside some charcoal burners to calm the bees before taking their queen alongside some workers. Daryl grunted in response. "Been ready. Let's go before it gets too hot in there."

As they headed towards the woods, Alex caught Carol's eye. She gave him a small wave and mouthed "Be careful." He nodded in response, feeling a surge of affection for the woman who had become something of a maternal figure to him.

The forest was alive with the sounds of birds and rustling leaves as Alex and Daryl made their way through the underbrush. They moved silently, both alert for any sign of walkers or potential bee hives.

Though there were a lot of them compared to a week ago, thanks to the scavenge hunt Alex ran with Daryl, Shane, and others, he was far more comfortable with them. Any slow moving ones got a machete to the head, killing them instantly. The runners were sniped by Daryl, and those who hadn't woken up from the commotion, had their head crushed just to be safe.

After about three hours of searching, Daryl held up a hand, signaling Alex to stop. He pointed to a tall oak tree, ahead of them. "There." The hunter whispered. "See that hollow near the top? Might be what we're looking for."

"And if it isn't?" Alex asked and Daryl grinned. "Then we've got a squirrel for food." Suppressing a shudder, Alex looked back to the top of the tree. Daryl glanced at Alex, his smirk fading into his characteristic focused expression. "I'll climb up and check it out. You keep watch down here." He nodded toward Alex's machete, now splattered with walker remains. "And keep that thing ready. Those geeks always show up when you least want 'em to."

Alex nodded, stepping back slightly to give Daryl space. The older man slung his crossbow over his shoulder and began climbing the tree with ease, his movements swift and experienced. As Alex kept his eyes on the forest around them, he couldn't help but admire how Daryl seemed to thrive in this world.

After a few moments, Daryl's voice drifted down. "Looks like a hive, alright. Should be able to get some honey out of it if we don't piss 'em off too much." With a nod, Alex got on his knees, the backpack in front of him as he fired out some charcoal for its smoke. While he was covering it in a blanket, he heard a rustle, a walker stumbled out of the brush, it's milky-eyes locked onto Alex.

Though Alex turned to kill it, an arrow to the head by Daryl killed. "Finished?" The older man asked him. Nodding, he threw the cover to him who immediately caught it. A few minutes of filling the oak's hole with smoke, Daryl threw back the tool and cover, and Alex passed him the wooden box.

Calmly, the hunter teared the honeycomb with his bare hands while scoping some workers and putting them in the box. During each scope, he would also search for the queen, before continuing. "Got the majesty." Daryl spoke once they got the target. Breaking another few parts of the hive, he put it in the box with its honey.

"You got it?" Alex asked him and Daryl grinned. "Yeah." As Daryl carefully made his way down the tree with the box of bees and honeycomb, Alex kept a vigilant watch on their surroundings. The forest seemed eerily quiet now, as if holding its breath.

"Nice work," Alex said as Daryl's feet hit the ground. The hunter grunted in acknowledgment, carefully handing the box to Alex. "Let's get these little bastards back to the farm before they decide to throw a fit."

They began their trek back, moving swiftly but cautiously through the underbrush. As they walked, Alex found himself in the state of joy.

With honey, natural honey, they had a form of medicine that could help with a lot of issues and illnesses that would be common and be the main cause of death without hospitals. As Alex and Daryl made their way back to the farm, their conversation drifted to various topics. Daryl, usually taciturn, seemed more open in the quiet of the forest.

"You did good back there," Daryl said, broke the comfortable silence after their small talks. "Kept your head on straight." Alex felt a surge of pride at the hunter's words. "Thanks. I've been trying to... you know, be more useful. And the runs for items helped a lot as well."

Daryl nodded, his eyes scanning the trees as they walked. "You're doing alright. Just gotta keep at it, keep learning." They walked in silence for a while before Alex spoke again. "Daryl, can I ask you something?" The older man grunted in response, which Alex took as a yes.

"How do you do it? Stay so calm in all this…?" Daryl was quiet for a long moment, and Alex thought he might not answer. But then he spoke, his voice low and gruff. "Ain't no different from before, really. World's always been tough. You just gotta be tougher."

Alex mulled over Daryl's words as they continued their journey. As they neared the farm, they could hear the distant sounds of activity - hammering, voices calling out to each other. "Looks like the others are back," Daryl observed.

Sure enough, as they emerged from the treeline, they saw the scavenge team unloading supplies from their vehicles. Among the items was a large wooden structure that Alex recognized as a beehive box. "Well, I'll be damned," Daryl muttered. "They got another one?!" Alex excited stated as he and Daryl picked up their speed.

As they approached, Rick spotted them and waved them over. "Perfect timing," he called out. "We found this at an abandoned farm. Thought it might come in handy with your bee project."

Alex grinned, holding up the box with their captured bees. "Looks like we're in business then."

Turning to Hershel who was coming out of his barn, Rick continued. "There also some abandoned farm animals that were locked inside the barn. We gave them some food and water to keep them alive."

At the news, the group seemed excited. "We'll need to bring them over here one by one and search the farms around here for more food for them." Immediately, people volunteered. Shawn and Maggie being the first ones due to knowing how to deal with them. Beth also joined them, wanting to be helpful other than doing small chores around the farm.

Though Alex wanted to join as well, with most of the experienced manpower from the group coming with them to kill any undead too close, Alex wasn't needed. "Take care, okay?" Alex told Glenn who nodded in return. "And them." He gestured to Meggie, Beth, and Shawn, to which Glenn gently pushed him with a scoff. "You worry too much. Take care of everyone here as well."

With that, they departed, alongside Rick, Shane, Daryl, and Kenny. Leaving Hershel, Lee, Dale, and Alex to protect the farm. Alex felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Clementine, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Alex! You're back! Can we practice with the slingshot now?"

Alex felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down to see Clementine, her eyes wide with anticipation. "Alex! You're back! Can we practice with the slingshot now?" Giving her a pat on the head, he found Hershel.

After carefully transferring the bees to Hershel's care and giving a quick rundown of their forest expedition, Alex led Clementine and Carl to a quiet corner of the farm. Surprisingly, Duck also joined them. He set up a few cans on a fence post as targets for them while they picked some stones and pebbles from the ground, with Clementine mostly shaking her head in denial due to Duck and Carl showing their collection for approvement. Alex shook his head in amusement at that sight.

"Alright, guys," Alex began, kneeling down to their level. "Let's go over the basics again. Clementine, why don't you show the boys what you've learned so far?"

Clementine nodded seriously. She carefully loaded a small stone, pulled back the band, and aimed at one of the cans. Her tongue poked out slightly in concentration as she released the shot. The stone whizzed through the air, clipping the edge of the can and sending it spinning.

"Great job, Clem!" Alex praised, giving her a high five. "You've gotten a lot stronger, haven't you?" Clementine beamed with pride. "I helped with most of hard chores around the farm!" Alex chuckled at that. He simply told her to do to get her mind out of her parents' situation back at Savannah, but he was glad that it helped her strengthen her arms. Alex turned to Carl and Duck. "Alright, who wants to go next?"

As the lesson progressed, Alex found himself enjoying the simple act of teaching these kids a new skill. It was felt good and sometimes, when the kids did something stupid and hurt themselves, he only laughed at them. Which made them want to try again to shut him up.

From the porch, Carley watched the scene with a soft smile. She'd woken up from her nap and had been drawn to the sound of children's laughter - a rare occurrence these days. As she observed Alex's patient instruction and the kids' eager attempts, she felt a warmth in her chest.

Lee joined her, following her gaze to the impromptu slingshot lesson. "He's good with them," Lee remarked quietly. Carley nodded. "He is. It's nice to see Clementine so... carefree for a moment."

As they watched, Duck's shot went wide, nearly hitting the chicken coop on the far side. Alex quickly stepped in, adjusting the boy's stance and grip. "Easy there, cowboy," they heard him say with a chuckle. "We're aiming for the cans, not KFC."

Lee laughed softly at the joke, then turned to Carley. "Speaking of Alex, I tried to talk to him earlier about... you know. Us. But I chickened out." Carley raised an eyebrow. "You were going to ask a 19-year-old brick wall for relationship advice?" Lee shrugged, looking a bit embarrassed. "I don't know, I just... I guess I thought he might have a fresh perspective. Plus, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders."

Carley smiled, taking Lee's hand in hers. "Honey, that's sweet. But the poor boy is so blind that he can't even see Beth's obvious advances. What do you think he can help us with?" Lee chuckled, shaking his head. "You're right. I guess I'm just..." he trailed off, his expression turning serious. "I still want to get some perspective, especially in these times."

Carley's eyes softened as she squeezed Lee's hand. "Lee, you're not messing anything up if that's what your afraid of. We're figuring this out together, day by day. That's all any of us can do now."

Their conversation was interrupted by a whoop of excitement from the slingshot practice. Carl had finally managed to knock a can clean off the fence post. Alex was grinning broadly, giving the boy a high-five.

"Nice shot, Carl!" Alex called out, his voice carrying across the yard. "Keep that up, and you'll be our secret weapon against the walkers in no time!" As the lesson wrapped up, Alex sent the kids off to help with other chores around the farm. He noticed Lee and Carley on the porch and made his way over to them, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Hey," he greeted them, a little out of breath but smiling. "Those kids are getting pretty good. We might have to watch out, or they'll be running this place soon." Lee commented and Alex broadly grinned, a look of pride in his expression.

At that, both Carley and Lee figured out the 19 years old's quirk. Weak to praises directed at him, but to others, he takes it as if it was his. Lee laughed, nodding in agreement. "Wouldn't surprise me. They're adapting faster than some of us." Alex returned. "Listen, Alex, about that talk I mentioned earlier..." Alex's expression turned serious, remembering Lee's request from that morning. "Right, of course. Did you still want to...?"

Lee glanced at Carley, who gave him an encouraging nod. "Yeah, if you've got a moment. It's about... well, it's about relationships, I guess." Alex blinked, surprised. "Oh. Uh, sure. I mean, I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'm happy to listen."

Carley stifled a laugh, patting Lee's arm. "I'll leave you boys to it. Don't corrupt our young friend too much, Lee." With a wink, she headed off towards the house. Lee led Alex to a quieter spot near the barn, away from prying ears. "So," he began, looking a bit uncomfortable. "Carley and I, we've been... well, you know."

Alex nodded, trying to keep his expression neutral. "Yeah, I think everyone's noticed. You two seem good together."

Lee smiled briefly, then his face grew serious again. "That's just it. I want it to stay good. But with everything that's happened, everything we've been through... I guess I'm just worried about screwing it up."

"Oh boy." Alex muttered, pausing Lee in surprise. "Uh, my advice will not be liked Lee." Alex told him sheepishly, to which Lee raised an eyebrow. Seeing Lee waiting for him to continue, Alex sighed dejectedly before continuing. "Okay, look. The last thing my parents ever taught me before they died was… well woman." He scratched his weak as Lee felt sorry for him, whilst also trying to stifle an amused chuckle due to the tone he used.

"Continue." The older man encouraged and Alex looked around for a moment. "My mom and I had gotten into an argument. She wanted me to focus on my studies and if I ever found a good girl, she wanted to meet her first and then her parents as soon as possible."

"Oh," Lee thought out loud, now feeling awkward. "Yeah, my argument was that it was too soon and blablabla." Alex muttered, a wistful look overcoming him. "Well, it wasn't so much of an argument. But she tried to teach me that I shouldn't take any relationship sorely for pleasure or to pass time. Before even asking her out, I should think about my future, our future."

With a sigh, Alex leaned on the side of the house, looking lost. "So, the only thing I can advice you regarding Carley, talk to each other. It's good that both of you are taking it day to day. But make it official. With the intention that it's until the day one of you dies or both."

Lee stifled the shiver at the implication, remembering his last memory of the relationship. "Are you telling me to marry her?" He asked to make sure and Alex shrugged. "Yep, call me old fashioned, but in these times and in this world now. You never know when you'll die. Maybe it'll be tomorrow or even today." Alex stared at him, face serious. "Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone, Lee. I'd rather tear off all the pretenses and just do it."

Though Lee scoffed, it was mostly to try to distance himself from the suggestion. "What if she doesn't…" At the end, Lee's voice ended but Alex understood the question. "If she doesn't want to, it's just that. Finish, done. Like I said, we don't have the luxury of spending months or years to 'get to know each other on the deeper level' bullshit that everyone thinks off. This farm could be overrun tonight, and we could all die then."

Lee nodded slowly, absorbing Alex's words. "You know, for a 19-year-old, you've got some pretty deep insights," he said, a mix of admiration and amusement in his voice. "I guess I hadn't thought about it that way."

Alex shrugged, a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Losing your parents young... it changes your perspective on things. Makes you realize how fragile life is, even before all this walker stuff." Lee placed a hand on Alex's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry about your parents, Alex. And... thank you. For the advice. It's given me a lot to think about."

As they started to walk back towards the house, Lee couldn't help but chuckle. "You know, Carley thought I was crazy for asking you for relationship advice. Said you were too blind to even notice Beth's obvious crush on you."

Alex stopped in his tracks, his eyes wide with surprise, chocking on his own saliva. "You alright?" Lee asked, patting his back, but Alex shoved his arm to the side, getting way too close to his face. "Wait, what? Beth has a crush on me?"

Lee burst out laughing, shaking his head in disbelief. "Oh boy, maybe Carley was right after all." As they walked, Alex's mind raced with this new information about Beth. He found himself stealing glances at the farmhouse, wondering if he'd somehow missed other obvious signs whilst also muttering to himself. "What do I do? What can I even do?!"

Lee burst out laughing once more, doubling over. 'He seems to forget his own advice.'

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Author Note:

Hello, hello. 

It feels like it's been a while. Mostly because I didn't upload a chapter yesterday. Sorry about that. Was preparing for an interview that I had today for an internship. 

Anyway, I was in a really good mood, so decided to write a long chapter, around 4.5k words. It's more fluff and light, continuing from last one. Building more bonding and relations with other characters than Carol and Glenn. This one was more focused on Carley, Lee, and Clementine. Alongside Carl and Duck a little. Mainly because the trio from the game have been on the back seat for a long time now, so I had to develop them.

One thing I'm trying to experiment is showing time passing without it being centered to Alex. I tried it with Lee and Carley's relationship. That it happened off screen, even though I had hinted heavily a couple of chapters ago. Hopefully, it payed off here.

I planned to drag out Beth and Alex a little further but decided it against it. There will be an explanation of why Alex is dense with relations related to girls interested in him or the other way around. I hinted it with his parents accident. But will have a paragraph or two explanation in the next chapter to clear the air out in that regards. So you wont grill me for it.

So, in this chapter, the crew got beehive that makes honey for them and possible animal farm that will be added in their barn next chapter. Next chapter will be worked to advance the plot a little, such as farm expansion and other things. Possible Alex with his group of (friends?), Shawn, Glenn, Maggie, and Beth. Will expend more on that as well. 

I also need you guys to contribute and tell me what you guys want to see. While I do have a plan, it's getting derailed lol. "SNART MEME HERE" So, while I try to fix that, why don't you guys suggest some plot points so I don't get hit with a reader's block.

Anyway, that's all from me. Expect another or two long chapters like this tomorrow. And throw me some power stones. Good news, in the category of "last month" or whatever, I'm in the lower rankings.

:D

Hope you all stay safe, @ani... I forgot your name man. But hope you get an internship soon as well.

Stay safe, all of you. 

Author out.