A/N/ Sorry about the long wait for this chapter, I'm in the middle of moving house so I have like zero time to sit and write. The next chapter won't probably be up until Monday or Tuesday as I won't have internet or anytime with unpacking. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter :)
Also big shout out to and Manic-Mamma both you're reviews made my day! No lie, you guys rock :)

Chapter 35

The churning in Lexi's gut was getting progressively worse. This was a bad idea, she had no doubt that being at Alexandria was possibly the worst thing they could be doing. With a shaking hand Lexi tapped on the gate gaining the attention of Eugene, who was acting as guard. "Can you let me in?"
"They won't open the gate for me, not after the little altercation with Rick and me. They will let you in though."
Alison had sounded so convincing Lexi hadn't thought twice about the plan, until she was now face to face with the gate and the trickling doubt of Alison not killing Rick began leaking into her mind. What ever it was that Eugene was mumbling, Lexi couldn't hear a word of it blood rushed in her ears, sheer panic and worry over taking her senses. The gates opened moments later, it was too late to go back now. Jogging back to the beat up car she jumped back in and Alison pulled the car into Alexandria.

"Ali, please don't do anything rash." Lexi begged before Alison had a chance to get out of the car. "You promised."

Alison reached over her sore, mangled fingers and gave Lexi's hand a squeeze. "I promised I wouldn't, so I won't. I'm not Negan." With one final reassuring squeeze, Alison swung her door open. "Here's to hoping they don't shoot me on sight, huh?" She laughed stepping from the car confidently.

The faces of Rick and his people were ones of shock and Lexi's stomach dropped, the fear that they may actually just shoot Alison. "Rick! She's not going to hurt anyone!" She yelled suddenly, needing to stop any attack before it could happen.

"Alex! What are you doing here?" Rick broke into a flat out sprint and enveloped Lexi in his arms, hugging her as tightly as he could. "I for sure thought he was going to kill you."

With a beaming smile, Lexi shook her head and pulled Rick back for another hug. "We escaped, he'll be on his way here soon."

Alison couldn't tear her eyes from Rick, the hatred she had for him not going away. All the she had to do was keep it in check for the short while they were there, get her answers and leave, preferably with a small amount of supplies. "I think we need to talk."

The hairs on the back of Lexi's neck stood up, this was it this was why they were here and from this moment on there was only two directions the day was going to go in. Letting go of Rick she watched on helplessly as he and Alison went to his house and shut the door behind them. Lexi prayed that Alison behaved like she promised she would, it wouldn't do any favours to start a mini war when they were heavily out numbered and out ammoed.

"Ya made it out then."

A gruff voice spoke from behind her. Lexi smiled, she knew that voice it had been the only one she enjoyed listening to for a long time in Sanctuary. Whipping around she took in Daryl, he looked so different in his own clothes not the prisoner garments Negan had had him in and his wounds were now starting to heal. "Surprised?" She quirked an eyebrow at him, a proud smile on her face.

Daryl chuckled from the back of his throat and his head shook no. "Nah, I knew you had it in you." He didn't know why but he reached out and pulled the young girl into his arms and held her tightly, happy she had finally escaped Negan's latches. "I'm sorry I never got you too..."

Playfully Lexi shoved Daryl's shoulder, he had owed her nothing she was greatful that he'd just kept her company on the time they had spent together at Sanctuary. He had kept her spirit going. Lexi owed alot to him and Alison. "It's okay, did it myself in the end didn't I. Maybe I'm a Dixon deep down."

"Maybe."

It was the first time Lexi had seen Daryl smile, at Sanctuary he had no reason to smile but now his whole demenour had changed. A loud smash drew both of their attentions in the direction of Rick's house, she jumped when a dining chair smashed through the front window and scraped along the road. "Ali!" Lexi yelled, running to the house Daryl not far behind her. She had promised not to hurt Rick, this was going exactly how Lexi had feared. "Ali! You promised!" Lexi shouted again once inside the house; in the kitchen Alison was shaking with rage and Rick stood his face hard with his own anger, clearly their talk was not going well.

"Alex, why did you bring her here?" Rick said in exasperation, and then pointed a finger at Alison. "She's beyond reason. My god woman you didn't even know Shane that long!"

In the nick of time Rick ducked as Alison hurled a decorative bowl at his head, the bowl smasked as it hit the kitchen counter and Judith could be heard crying upstairs. Now Lexi was annoyed, this was not what they needed to be doing with Negan hot on their trail and it was unnessicery for Rick to be provocking Alison, they were acting like children fighting over a toy. "Can we stop this madness!" She interjected, placing her self between them. "Ali I know you're hurting but please we have more important things to focus on right now, like Negan turning up at any point!"

"Do you know what it's like to have nothing and no one in a country that isn't even your home, Rick?" Alison shot at Rick, undetered by Lexi's outburst. "No you fucking don't because all you've lost is your whore wife! And you now have a damn girlfriend! Yes, I didn't know Shane long but he was all I had and I loved him. You...you took the last thing I had in the entire world from me! Fucking acknowledge that!" Taking a short breath, Alison moved around Lexi with ease and stood directly in front of Rick, her chest heaving. "Admit you were wrong killing him, that you knew he'd never hurt you but you chose to do it anyway." Rick's eyes darted over to Daryl. "Don't look at him, he wasn't there. I was."

"You need help Alison." Rick finally answered calmly. "You need help with your current state of mind, this isn't healthy."

"Are you hearing this!" She screamed in outrage to Lexi. "You see what he does now Lex? You see he fucking manipulates the situation so he's always the good guy. I am not crazy, I'm pissed off!"

Lexi was frozen, too conflicted to answer or even move. Rick had always been a good guy, he was always helping others not just before the world ended but with his settlement and even helping her when she was in a dark place but how he was acting now was so out of character, like he didn't see the hurt he had caused Alison by making her completely and entirely alone in the world. He didn't seem to want to confront the fact he'd killed Shane, like he was living in a bubble where it never happened. Before Lexi could even begin to form a sentence Alison had lunged forward at Rick and made a grab for one on the kitchen knives in the near by block; as if happening in slow motion Lexi could only watch on as it unfolded, Rick was going to be dead in a few moments and nothing could be done to stop it but from beside her Daryl had snatched Alison's wrist and dragged her firmly off of Rick and restrained her.

"Stop Ali." He grumbled quietly into Alison's ear, holding her tightly even with her unrelenting struggle.

"Alex you need to cut her loose!" Exclaimed Rick, righting his shirt. "We're starting a war against Negan and his tyranny, stay here. We'll hide you when he turns up, you'll be safe with me Alex. I won't let anything happen to you and then after it's over we will all be free."

"Bullshit! That man won't be taken down easily, you don't understand the magnitude of what he has or how he works. You never were good at reading people Rick." Alison cut in, her attempts to wiggle from Daryl's hold stopped. "He will slaughter every single person here, including your kids. Lex, we have to leave that's the only option. Let these idiots stay and fight and ultimately die."

"Shut up Alison! You don't know what you're talking about."

"Who's been locked up there Rick you or me? Lexi lived there for over a year, both of us know more than you. Even with Daryl's input you have limited knowledge, you don't know what you're getting into." Alison scoffed with contempt.

"Then help us Alison! Help us take him down."

Alison broke into a hearty laugh, not moments ago he was accusing her of being mentally unstable when it was him stood asking for her help, he was entirely laughable. "Rick I'd sooner dangle my arm in front of a walkers face than help you." Turning to Lexi her face softened. "If you stay, you're on your own. I'm not signing my own death warrant for him, and if you do then you're not as clever as I thought you were. He can't hide you from Negan. He will Tear this place apart."

Alison's words hit Lexi like a bus and her mind went into overdrive weighing up her options. Truth be told, she knew that leaving with Alison was the most sensible idea but Alexandria offered home, she didn't want to be running for the rest of her life worried that Negan would cross borders just to find her. She craved a stable, content life and Alexandria could offer that with Negan de-throned. "I'm staying Alison." It came out in the smallest voice Lexi had ever spoken. "I'm sorry, I just can't run forever."

A look of disappoint swept Alison's striking features, her body going some what limp in Daryl's arms. "You're making a huge mistake but I won't stop you."She shuffled in Daryl's hold letting him know he could let go without fear she'd injure Rick. "I'm heading north to Canada, maybe the cold kills these things."

"Ali don't leave again." Daryl pleaded, it had been years since he's seen Alison in fact when he'd first seen her at Sanctuary he thought he'd finally lost his mind and was seeing things. He and Alison had always had a good relationship, despite his own dislike for how Shane acted sometimes, when the walkers had over run the Green farm and eventually everyone had regrouped Rick told them Alison had left because Shane had died. She had never judged him or Merle, Alison was the only female in camp who'd actually given the pair the time of day and not acted like they wanted to eat them so when she had disappeared Daryl had missed her for awhile.

"Daryl, I can't stay. Not after everything that happened. I didn't expect you to still be with them if I'm honest, you don't need them. They need you." Shaking her blonde strands from her face Alison made towards the front door but stopped to look at Lexi one last time. "Remember what I said about the shark cage?" Lexi nodded so Alison continued. "Rick is the man in the cage too."

As the door clicked shut Lexi felt like a piece of her had been torn away, like it was her sister that was leaving. Alison had brought out all the good parts of Lexi and encouraged them to grow and now Lexi was never going to see her again. "Ali!" She called out, bursting with a new found energy from the house and down the road to the car. "Please stay."

Alison held her arms open and Lexi dived into them holding onto Alison tightly, trying to ingrain in her mind her smell, her feel, just her. She felt like a child who's mom was leaving for good.

"You change your mind Lex, get in a car drive north just keep heading north. You'll find me eventually." Letting Lexi go, Alison climbed behind the wheel of the beat up silver car and started the ignition. "Stick with Daryl, he's a good one. He'll help you."

Lexi nodded at Alison's last words, the car doing a quick U turn and disappearing out of the gates. Lexi felt the cold familiar sensation of being alone and it sat uncomfortably in her gut. What if she'd just made the biggest mistake of her life? How would she survive on her own if she decided to try and find Alison? Alison had killed Negan's people which got them the car, Alison had killed every zombie they had come across, apart from getting Alison out of the cage Lexi hadn't really done anything.

"We need to find somewhere near by where Negan won't find you two." Rick said interupting Lexi's inner turmoil. "People are out scouting for somewhere suitable, I will keep you safe Alex."

As the reality of being a sitting duck for Negan settled in Lexi felt the real weight of her choice baring down on her shoulders, there was no going back now. Negan would be here soon no doubt and if they failed in hiding her and Daryl they were as good as dead.