Disclaimer: AMC owns the story and characters of The Walking Dead, I own this plot and the original characters in it.

Author's note: I'm back on my stuff, everyone! It's Tuesday already and time is going fast! We're so close to that part, I can almost feel it, I'm so excited. After this chapter is posted we'll have caught up with the story, so, the posting schedule will be like that of tumblr, once every Tuesday.

As always, you know feedback is dearly appreciated. Now, onto the chapter...

After

Alexandria, VA

Tory washed the blood of her hands as she watched the flickering light coming from the outside.

Fire.

It was an excellent idea,and it could save them all. Damn, it would.

Who would have thought fire could be welcome in a place called Alexandria?

Months before

The shift was so vertiginous it almost gave Tory whiplash.

Deanna said she was sharing her duties as head of Alexandria, but it was a bold-faced lie. She wasn't herself anymore, Reg's death took too much out of her. Out of Spencer too.

"I do as if I can't see the marks and she fakes as if she believes me." Her friend had told her over coffee one afternoon, not long after his father's death. Their rift over Aiden long forgotten.

Alexandria slowly became a regime.

Patrol times were tightly controlled, as well as the guns in the log. Olivia's nerves were shot, rationing food and controlling the guns was of utmost importance for everyone. Tory tried not to think about Carol hiding guns, it was a safety net, she would tell herself.

Alexandria had been shocked with Reg's death and Pete's execution by Rick, but even if the Alexandrians outnumbered the group two to one, they had 'out-there' experience and ruthlessness that the good people of Alexandria lacked after such a long time living in a safe heaven. They weren't weak, but they weren't used to that lack of piety either.

The infirmary had been positively affected, Tory enjoyed working with Denise a whole lot more than she did with Pete, and Denise was more willing to share her knowledge with her. It was a win-win, Denise practiced and Tory learned.

"What do you think of this horde stuff?" Jessie asked Tory, who was rolling bandages after they had been thoroughly washed. They had decided to have a quiet morning in the infirmary while Rick and the rest of the group led the mega-horde away from their little town. "Isn't it too much of a coincidence?"

Tory sighed. "No, is not." The young woman started rolling another bandage, watching through the window. "They didn't prepare this horde with us in mind, Jessie, those things have been there from the start."

Jessie sighed too.

"Is not your fault, Jess." Her friend admonished, as she had been doing from the moment Jessie had become a widow. "Pete doesn't deserve your doubts over Rick."

The mother of two buried her face in her hands and shuddered. "Ron blames me. He blames Rick. Sam's having nightmares, he refuses to go out of the house." Jessie lifted her head, her green eyes were filled with tears. "I don't know what to do." After breathing with a soft shudder, Jessie looked at Tory. "What do you think?"

The grey-eyed girl looked out of the window.

"That Rick was right, at least at some level. Luck does run out."

Jessie left with the pretext of going to get some washing done. Lies all of it.

Later, she regretted her word choice and cursed herself when the deafening horn started.

The Sanctuary, VA

"So…You're telling me that not only my wife disappeared, but her sister, my little fiancé, did as well?" Negan asked, his tone deceptively calm as Martha and Frankie nodded. "And nobody fucking noticed?"

Frankie braved the answer. "They were gone this morning." The redhead whispered. Simon was standing behind the wives, his expression grim.

"Carson says they took most of the insulin." The lieutenant informed Negan.

Negan tightened his grip on Lucille and hit his desk. "What the fucking fuck is going on in here?!" Frankie looked visibly frightened at Negan's outburst, while Martha trembled slightly in shock. Simon was unfazed. "I want those motherfuckers back in here ASAP! Go get them for me, Si." Negan ordered. "Alive."

"Boss." The man nodded and left the room, leaving the wives to their fate as well.

After a long, uncomfortable silence, Negan's grimace finally became a slight grin.

"I wanna do some pillow fighting, but!" Negan smiled impishly at his wives, raising his eyebrows. "I can't decide between you, ladies."

Frankie looked helplessly at Martha, who was looking at Negan with an unreadable expression as she approached him and rounded the desk to sit on the lap of the Savior's leader, locking her arms about his neck.

"My sweet little Martha, my angel-faced darlin'." He smiled, dismissing Frankie with a gesture of his hand as he helped his brave wife straddle him. "Got anything for me."

"You know I do, Negan."

Neither Negan or Martha commented on how Negan behaved distant with his wife, nor the look of betrayal that had flashed in his eyes when they had mentioned Tina. Negan had helped them and they betrayed him.

Martha just knew that, if they came back, they would be in for a nasty surprise.

Alexandria, VA

Fending the group, those who called themselves the "Wolves", Tory felt rage.

They were out for the kill, and it wasn't merciful, it was messy and cruel and painful and the people, her people, fell like flies. She hadn't seen this much death in a while, and being trapped inside the walls of Alexandria wasn't easing her into security.

It was awful.

Those thoughts had her sitting at the doorstep before her own home, where she knew her father had barricaded himself as soon as he saw the strangers.

She longed for a big bottle of wine, maybe some vodka, if she could raid the pantry. But Spencer and Olivia didn't need their authorities undermined by her need for a drink. Tory didn't really need a drink. Not even with the sounds of the horde outside, she also had another shift in the infirmary soon, and her dad felt so proud of her after she stopped her alcohol intake…

It was going to be a long night.

A very long night.

Watching her neighbors train to hold a machete properly would have been fun if their lives hadn't depended on it. Some of them had died for their lack of training, just the day before. This was good for everyone.

Rosita was a good teacher, if a bit too stern for Tory's taste. Not even Ben had been that stern to her and Henry when they were back in Georgia. Sincerely, Tory didn't like Rosita that much, that was it. It didn't even have to do with Spencer.

It was getting more and more difficult to wait it out. She was mad at Spencer killing the driver of the truck, but she was also grateful for him thwarting the Wolves plan to…whatever they were going to do.

But Alexandria was starting to close in on them. Somehow.

The Sanctuary, VA

Negan hissed in pain when his arm burned, intense and short, spiking his mind with fear.

We're fucked.

"Oh-ho! Well, who would have thought…" he said to himself. "You've got it in ya'."

Alexandria, VA

Tory could still hear the groaning wood of the church tower as it came down, letting the walkers pour inside the walls of Alexandria. Everything seemed to move in slow motion, the green balloons had distracted everyone, even Tory's eyes were turned skywards, watching the floating green bunch, Rick and Maggie's screaming made the people bolt into action.

Being trapped with the Aaron, Spencer and Heath inside the infirmary was a feat of patience.

The roamers banging on the doors and walls were driving Tory to insanity, and their incessant theorizing of what could happen was grating on her already frayed nerves. She still held herself from drinking. In case anyone needed her.

Denise entered the house running, Aaron and Spencer received her, asking if she was okay.

All of them jumped in surprise when Rick entered the house carrying Carl in his arms, with Michonne following close behind him. Helping Denise was pushed aside when they saw the enormous wound in the place where Carl's right eye used to be.

Tory held a curse as Denise ordered them all around. Spencer readied the gurney as she and Aaron got bandages, disinfectant and instruments.

"Help him." Rick pleaded. "Save him…Save him."

As Denise and Tory started working on Carl's wound and they heard the shouting as Michonne tried to stop Rick from going back outside.

It seemed she wasn't successful as Aaron, Spencer and Heath left to help Rick.

Then someone started the fire.

Tory poured herself a little glass of whiskey. She drummed her fingers beside the glass, looking at the beautiful woodsy color of her untouched drink.

Three days had proved how strong her community…her family was. It also proved that creativity could go a long way. It also proved that she still had a heart.

Her arm burned something fierce and new marks showed on her arm.

There are rules for a reason, Sherry.

Tory really wanted that drink now.

She wanted it to forget Jessie and Ron and Sam, and how Deanna had sacrificed herself, Carl's terrible loss and their collective bond over all those tragedies. To forget the dark words on her skin…

"Are you going to drink it?" her Dad asked, cocking his head in the general direction of the bottle.

"I'm not sure just yet." She answered.

"Even if you do it, sweetheart. I'll be proud of you." Tom said, taking a seat beside her, holding her hand between his, stopping the drum of her fingers.

"Jessie, dad…" hot tears filled Tory's grey eyes as she shook, trying to hold her sobs. "Deanna…"

"I know, Tory. I know." Tom whispered softly, combing through her long, dark curls. "I know."

Tory cried in her dad's arms for a long while, and the glass was forgotten.