Birdie had spent an hour cleaning up the already tidy house to distract herself from the absence of her parental figures. It wasn't expected of her to do the mundane tasks around the home, mostly because there never was much need to clean besides dusting, dishes, and laundry. The blonde didn't even mind the tasks, as they didn't take a long time to complete. She meticulously dusted every corner, wiped down the already spotless countertops, and folded laundry with precise, practiced movements.

After a quick shower and a fresh set of clothes, Birdie found herself standing in her room, a record playing quietly, as she ate an apple. She looked at herself in her full-length mirror, one that had been there since the start. Her head tilted slightly, her hair falling to the side. A brief flash of confusion came to mind as she barely recognized the girl in the mirror. The past few years had forced her to grow up quickly, but there were still moments, like this one, where she felt like a child trying to fit into adult shoes. After taking a final bite of her apple, she left her room, tossing the core into the garbage before heading back out to sit and wait at the gates once more.

Nicholas watched the teen girl curiously as she messed with something in her hands before bringing it up to her lips. He shook his head at the girl's actions. It was easy to forget she had never really had a chance to grow up normally. Childish activities, such as turning a blade of grass into a whistle, seemed to be a forgotten activity in the current world Birdie had found herself. Not to her, though. These were the types of things she showed the kids for fun when they would start getting bored from the work she gave them. She often found ways to make the mundane exciting, teaching the kids to find joy in small things, a skill that had become essential in their new world.

Sitting on the curb, her attention was quickly directed to commotion outside of the gates. She could feel her chest fill with hope as she impatiently waited for the doors to open. She saw Eric first, limping as he walked. Aaron nodded and spoke with whoever he had brought in. She tapped her feet on the ground, waiting to get up and hug her family until everyone was safely inside. Birdie's eyes widened in surprise as a large group of rugged-looking people walked in through the gates. She watched curiously as a few of them turned to watch the creaky gate be shut.

"Before we take this any further, I need you all to turn over your weapons. To stay, you hand them over," Nicholas said, trying to sound intimidating; however, he just sounded simply intimidated. She noticed the absence of Eric, assuming he had already gone to Pete. Birdie was quite fearful of the doctor and chose to stay away from him as much as possible, so she would catch up with Eric when he came home.

"We don't know if we want to stay," a heavily bearded man said, in his arms was a baby girl. Excitement once again filled her mind, having always been fond of babies, even before the apocalypse.

"It's fine, Nicholas," Aaron said calmly. "If we were gonna use 'em, we would have started already." The bearded man said, his eyes moving from the two men to Birdie herself, who was still watching the baby in his arms. She felt his eyes on her and quickly looked away to Aaron.

"Let them talk to Deanna first," the man said, his eyes moving to the ground.

"Who's Deanna? It ain't that little lady over there, is it?" A rough-looking ginger said, nodding his head to Birdie, who was still patiently waiting for the tension to drop so she could hug Aaron. Her eyes quickly widened in shock, and a bit of fear and she shook her head.

"No, that's my Birdie, the girl in one of the pictures I showed you folks. Deanna knows everything you'd want to know about this place. Rick, why don't we start with you?" Aaron said. Birdie could feel eyes on her, and as she looked up, she met the blue eyes of a boy around her age. A chill ran up her spine, causing her to look away and stand up slowly.

"Sasha," the bearded man said, turning to the sound of a walker growling outside of the gate. A dark-skinned woman turned around before shooting the walker down easily.

"It's a good thing we're here."

Birdie was dragged away from the group before she could talk with Aaron, something along the lines of needing time away from her father figures, but she could tell it was to get her away from these scary newcomers. However, she started taking the young girl on a walk through the community, holding her hand and patiently answering all of her questions. They ranged from why the sky is blue to what their favorite animal was and ended with a simple question about the new people. Birdie promised her an answer once she got to know them before dropping the girl back off at her house to go find Aaron finally.

She saw him talking with the scary bearded man and the younger boy with blue eyes. She waited patiently for him to walk her way and hugged him tightly when he got near her. She felt his gentle hand rub her back while the other pulled her head into his chest. A few tears formed in her eyes at his warm embrace, and as the two separated, she saw the two new people watching from the distance. She gave them a smile and a wave before turning to walk to her home with Aaron, an unspoken promise to talk about his adventure shared between them.

After catching up with Aaron and Eric for the night and making them dinner, Birdie headed outside to the porch. She sat on the steps, taking a deep breath of the cool evening air. In a way, she could understand the new people being nervous about this place. To some, it seemed too good to be true. That's how it had been when Enid first arrived, but Birdie was carefully working on getting her to be more comfortable, day by day. From the corner of her eye, she saw a bit of movement from the front of one of the new people's homes.

Birdie felt bold, confident in her role as a welcoming presence in Alexandria. Standing up, she made her way over to the house, making sure she didn't seem like she was creeping around. The man on the porch had been the one with the crossbow, and it seemed as though he was taking some kind of watch over the people inside. He looked at the girl cautiously but figured he could take her down if needed.

"Hey," Birdie called out softly, trying not to startle him. "I'm Birdie. Welcome to Alexandria."

The man nodded, his expression unreadable. "Daryl."

Birdie shifted her weight from one foot to the other, feeling a bit nervous. "Mind if I sit?"

Daryl shrugged, and Birdie took that as an invitation. She sat down on the porch steps, a respectful distance from him.

"I saw you come in with Aaron and Eric," Birdie started, hoping to break the ice. "They're my family. Always bringing in new people, making sure everyone's safe."

Daryl gave a slight nod, his eyes scanning the darkening surroundings. "They seem like good people."

"They are," Birdie agreed, glancing over at him. "You're lucky to have met them. This place... it's a lot to take in, but it's safe. Safer than out there."

Daryl turned to look at her, his gaze intense. "You really believe that?"

Birdie paused, considering her words. "I do. It's not perfect, but it's home. And we look out for each other."

Daryl seemed to mull over her words before giving a short nod. "Guess we'll see."

Birdie smiled softly, sensing the walls he had up. "If you need anything, just let me know. I can show you around, introduce you to people."

"Thanks," Daryl muttered, his eyes softening just a bit.

Birdie stood up, giving him a friendly nod. "Goodnight, Daryl."

He nodded in response, watching her as she walked back to her house.

Birdie lay in her bed that night, thinking about the newcomers and the conversation she had with Daryl. She hoped they would find the safety and sense of community she cherished so much in Alexandria. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt a renewed sense of purpose. She would do her best to make them feel welcome, just like Aaron and Eric had done for her. Just like she was trying to do for Enid, and just like she had done many times for others as well.