Author's Note: Takes place some time before the beginning of season 9.

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"You've done a lot for us, Gregory," the old man said, bowing his head as if he was apologizing. He damn well should be, if he had voted for that blasted woman. "But so has Maggie. It's time to give her a chance."

"I'd have given her a chance by my side if she wanted," Gregory replied, bitting down the words he actually wanted to say: that they'd all betrayed him, all of them, ungrateful lot. That Maggie was a snake in the garden, whispering to the idiots what they wanted to hear. Some chick with pretty eyes and a bun in the oven comes along, does a couple of risky things that cost people's lives, acts like she owns the place, and everyone just flocks behind her like a damn gang of brainless sheep. That none of them had any consideration for the work that had been done before she even had anything to do with the Hilltop. "But I understand. New blood is needed from time to time. It's refreshing and invigorating for a community."

"I'm glad you thought of ellections, Gregory," the old woman, Tammy Rose, said. "It shows you thought of your people enough to give us the choice."

Gregory pressed his lips together and nodded, his breathing sharp through his nose.

"Of course, Tammy Rose. I always did the best for all of us, as you all know."

The woman scowled and pressed her lips as well, bitting down words of her own. Gregory straightened his posture.

"It was a fair ellection. I can only wish Maggie the best... that she keeps doing her best. I'll never abandon the Hilltop or her. We have to live with things as they are, and count our blessings. Maggie has done a lot, and has been fair with all of us... with me. I can only hope she'll keep doing that."

The couple left with their son. At least they had been considerate enough to come talk with him; most just looked at him from the corner of their eyes, or cackled softly. Gregory didn't want to think of the couple's action as pity, though. They had all made a mistake, idiots, all of them. It was hard not to feel angry when he'd try so hard... when he'd done so much for all of them, and they'd all just turn his back on him.

Gregory waved his head and turned around. As he did, he noticed someone else approaching him. He halted, a twinge of anger in his chest over relief or humbleness as Jesus- no, Paul, stepped closer.

"Jesus," he said nevertheless. It sounded childish, wrong, a clear reminder that the man was no friend of his. But if he voiced his anger and his offence, Gregory would be the one considered to be wrong again, the unfair and the fake one. They're all wrong, all of them. They were all the childish ones, not him. "Congratulations. Maggie's finally got the place she's been having for a while. But it was a fair ellection. It's good it happened, and that it resulted in this."

Paul stopped and nodded.

"I heard you talking with Tammy and Earl. I know this is hard for you."

"No, it's-"

"Gregory. I know you."

The older man breathed out, meeting Paul's eyes. Both of them stood in silence for a handful of seconds. Gregory tried to smile, shake it all off, but instead he found himself pressing his lips again, all that bubbling in and forcing him to push it all down again.

Okay, Paul was right. Gregory considered his previous thoughts, the sting of offence, the grip of rage in his gut. He felt it all wanting to rip him apart.

"Of course it is," he admitted. It didn't help as much as he'd expected. Not as much as winning the ellection would have helped. "I wouldn't have set up ellections if I didn't think I could win, and if I didn't think I deserved to win. No one likes to lose."

Paul straightened his pose too, and for the longest time, Gregory felt he actually had the man's attention, so he grabbed it and continued.

"I did a lot for us, Jesus. I made mistakes, but so has Maggie. The war was terrible... but we've won. With... her guidance. I see that the people are on her side. I may not like it, but I know how to lose, I tell you. I know how to admit I've been defeated. I'll let Maggie do things her way and not bother her."

Paul remained in silence with his arms crossed in front of his chest for a moment after Gregory finished talking. Gregory felt his suddenly-found resolve flinch somewhat, so he pushed his hands to his hips, trying to physically reassert himself and his words. The man just kept looking at him with those piercing blue eyes.

"I'm relieved to hear that," he said eventually, making Gregory scoff.

"Relieved?"

"Yes," Paul confirmed. "I feared how things would be otherwise. We both know there's been problems. Serious problems."

Gregory wanted to try to wave it off or try to smile again, but the seriousness of Paul's expression made him reconsider it. He had once tried to persuade the man to do his bidding by reminding him how well Paul knew Gregory. He might not want to admit it at all, but it was the truth. And right now, he did not have the strength to deny the fact, the truth of Paul's words.

"I see you're trying. Maggie's trying too. I sincerely hope both of you will continue."

Gregory ended up nodding, and their conversation was left there.

However, there's so much trying could do.

Forgiveness is not something you choose. You can try, you can force it, but it just doesn't work that way. He couldn't look at Maggie without feeling disdain for the woman, starting from that very first time when she'd talk back at him with disgust and superiority before their quarrel with the Saviors ever began. Looking at the baby on her arms didn't provoke an ounce of compassion, it just reminded him how her people had caused the whole thing to begin with. It even irked him that she might have used that card somehow to help her favour, being a poor widow single mother in this harsh world.

And he couldn't look at Paul without feeling betrayed. Thinking about all he had done for the man, all the times he had helped Paul dealing with his shitty life, trying to put him into use for the community, the few times where he had actually been useful on his own; everything that was completely scattered aside like it was nothing. The both of them, Maggie and Paul, and then everyone else, just went about with their lives as if everything was right in their way of doing things, as if they didn't see how it was all wrong, how everything was worst.

Ungrateful, all of them.

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to be continued

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