So thank you for getting this far. I'm still writing this on and off (I don't feel I can end it until the final episode). It's a labour of love that I'm quite proud of. Please let me know what you think if you feel like it.

Chapter 60

"Essie?" said Rosita and ripped off her helmet and goggles and stared the woman who'd been thought lost for nearly a decade.

"Oh, you know each other?" Hornsby asked and looked from one to the other.

Essie nodded, "we were part of the same group for a while."

"Then you might know someone else too," Hornsby said, "Daryl, where are you?"

You'd have to know Essie very well to see a flicker cross her features.

Daryl pulled off his helmet and stood by Rosita.

He didn't say anything but looked her right in the eye, the silence grew.

"And who are you travelling companions?" asked Hornsby smoothly.

Essie took a deep breath and looked away.

"This… "she said and beckoned the 3 over, they removed their bandanas revealing a woman of about 19, a boy of about 16 and another of about 10, "is my daughter Caitlin and my sons Finn and Archie,"

There was a rustle from the treeline and a walker emerged, Essie grabbed a small knife from her belt and threw it, thudding it into the walker's head. The shot that followed echoed round the woods.

"Mercer," shouted Hornsby but it was too late, the soldier had fired and Essie was on the ground, bleeding from a bullet wound just below her ribcage.

Essie missed the chaos that followed; the shouting, Rosita's desperate attempts to stem the bleeding, hitching a horse using the broken traces and the race back to the city confines. She missed the bedlam at the hospital and the 3-hour operation to remove the bullet and stem the internal bleeding. She missed Rosita, Daryl and 4 other soldiers restraining Caitlin from killing Mercer. She remained unconscious, she enjoyed the peace and quiet.

"And you're sure it was Essie?" asked Jerry again and Rosita nodded. They had all congregated in Connie's apartment.

"Who is she?" signed Connie.

Carol looked at Daryl, "someone we used to know," she said.

"Essie was…is an Alexandrian, she saved the town, saved the people who lived there, she fought against the Saviours and then she disappeared…we thought she'd died… this was all before…before Rick and…" Rosita stopped as she saw Carol's warning face.

"She was a force of nature," said Ezekiel with a smile, "do you remember how Shiva took to her right away?" and Jerry nodded.

"I remember she couldn't be stopped by a Sherman tank," said Eugene, "nothing but a tactical nuclear strike or direct hit by a meteor could slow her down,"

"You make her sound like a superhero," said Juanita.

"She kinda was," said a small voice from the doorway. Judith was standing there, listening.

"My mom told me stories about Essie, she missed her,"

"Yeah," said Carol, beckoning Judith over, "your mom and Essie were good friends."

"Mom said Essie drove my dad crazy," Judith said, "she said dad used to get so mad at her, he'd punch walls."

"She could start an argument in an empty room," said Rosita, "but she was a great poker player."

"What happened?" signed Connie.

Abruptly, Daryl stood up and walked out, Judith went to follow but Carol held her back. Connie and Kelly looked at each other but didn't ask.

"There was a storm…she was lost…with Negan…Daryl found her but…she couldn't forgive herself for letting him live. When we fought the Saviours, she went after him…she was relentless…like nothing I've ever seen," Rosita frowned at the memories, "she slit Negan's throat but Rick said…he was to live. Essie couldn't forgive him…she was gone the next day."

"What about her kids?" asked Kelly.

"She…we rescued them along with a group of other little kids, brought them back to Alexandria. Caitlin and Finn kind of attached themselves to her. She took them with her when she left," said Rosita.

"What about the younger kid, with the semi-automatic?" asked Kelly, everyone missed Carol's expression change.

"Archie? I don't know," said Rosita, "maybe she found him."

"How old is he?" asked Carol.

"9 or 10," signed Connie and Carol narrowed her eyes.

"Where are they now?" she asked.

"Caitlin was put in a holding cell until she calmed down, Finn and Archie are at the hospital I think," said Rosita.

"We should go and introduce ourselves," said Ezekiel, standing up but Carol waved him down.

"No, I'll go. Finn might remember me, we don't want to overwhelm them."

"Can I come?" asked Judith but Carol shook her head.

Archie leant his head on Finn's shoulder, comforted by his brother.

"Mom'll be fine. You know her, she's been through worse than this," Finn said quietly.

"How could that soldier just shoot her like that, she was saving them?" Archie said.

"Maybe he thought Mom was attacking that guy in the suit, he just reacted, he was scared."

"He didn't look scared," said Archie, "he looked calm."

Finn sighed, "Archie, mom told us this would be difficult. She wanted us to come in like everyone else but, as usual, things didn't go to plan. We just have to adapt and keep going. And if she was going to get shot, at least she did it in a place with a proper hospital, not like Union City where all we had was a knife and a fire."

Archie nodded and leant against Finn again.

"Who was the woman who knew Mum?" he asked and Finn frowned.

"Her name's Rosita, I think she was with Mom when they found us in the abandoned school, she's from Alexandria."

"And what about that guy, the one who didn't say anything?"

"His name's Daryl, he was at Alexandria too."

"He was staring at Mom."

"Yeah but he's ok, he's cool. Caitlin might remember more than me, ask her," Finn closed his eyes in the hope Archie would stop talking.

"When's Caitlin getting out the slammer?" Archie asked and Finn snorted.

"The slammer? Where did you hear that?"

"In a film, so when's she getting out?" Archie could be relentless.

"I guess when they think she won't try to choke the huge soldier again."

Archie nodded, "I think she could've taken him if the others hadn't stopped her."

Finn laughed again and put his arm round his brother.

"Hi," said a voice and they both looked up, Carol was standing in front of them with a covered plate, smiling.

"Hi," said Finn and squinted slightly.

"Do you remember me? I'm from Alexandria. My name's Carol."

Finn and Archie immediately stood up, reaching for knives that weren't there.

"I guess your mom told you about me, huh?" said Carol and uncovered the plate of cookies; she bit one and held the rest out, "you want one of these?"

Finn and Archie took one reluctantly and sat down.

"Thank you," said Finn but looked nervous.

"So, how's your mom doing?" she asked.

"Ok, the doctor said she's asleep but we could wait here," Archie said, and then added, "these are really good," and waved the cookie, dropping crumbs.

"Thanks," said Carol, "where have you come from?"

"We were near Richmond but things were tough, we heard about this place and decided to check it out," said Finn as vaguely as he could. Carol was right, Essie had talked about her and he wasn't taking any chances.

"And before that?" asked Carol, lightly.

"Here and there," said Finn and Carol stopped pushing, she'd get her answers eventually.

She caught Archie eyeing the plate and held it out to him, taking the chance to get a good look at him. He was healthy; a tanned complexion, a few freckles across his nose, blue green eyes, a narrow chin. He bit into the cookie and gave her a half smile.

"Thank you," he said and Carol's stomach tightened.

A doctor approached them.

"Your mom's awake and she's asking to see you…in fact she wouldn't take no for an answer," he said and indicated they should follow him.

Essie was trying to sit up when Finn and Archie entered, the doctor rushed to lay her down again but she batted him away. The boys went to her bedside and she pulled them to her, wincing slightly at the pain. She was pale and had dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you ok?" she asked and they both nodded, "Where's Caitlin?"

"She tried to kill the soldier who shot you, she's in the slammer," Archie said and Essie closed her eyes, "

"She'll be out by the morning. Rosita said it was just to let her calm down," Finn said.

"You spoke to Rosita?" Essie asked.

Finn nodded, "she stopped Caitlin and then brought us here, you were already in surgery."

"She's going to be furious when they let her out," Essie said and smiled, "I can't wait," and they all laughed, Essie holding her side.

"Mom," Finn said and paused, Essie raised her eyebrows and he took a deep breath, "Carol's outside."

"Oh shit," she said, "you best bring her in and then wait outside,"

"But mum…" Archie began but saw her face and stopped.

Carol came through the door and saw Essie for the first time in nearly a decade. She looked like she'd just been in surgery but beyond that…the tenacious, unyielding and ferocious woman was still there, in the set of the jaw and the belligerent look in her eye.

"You grew your hair," Essie said but Carol refused to bite.

"How are you?" Carol said.

"I've been better and I've been worse, still here though," Essie watched the woman who'd never quite left her, through the thick and the thin.

"Why are you here?" asked Carol.

"Just trying for a safer place," Essie said, "same as you."

Carol smiled, "for your kids?"

"Yes, for my children," Essie stared at her, unmoving.

"And if it turns out not to be safe?"

"We'll find somewhere else," Essie said.

"Why have you come here now?"

"Our last place went south and we heard about this place, it seemed like a good bet."

"Your last place was Charlottesville?" Carol asked smoothly.

"A place near Richmond," Essie answered and waited.

"Ezekiel and Jerry are here, Eugene too; and some others you didn't get to meet. They arrived after you left," Carol said pointedly but Essie didn't react.

"Is Michonne back in Alexandria?"

"No, she went looking for someone, she'll be back. Judith and RJ are here."

"Who's RJ?" Essie asked.

"Michonne's son…with Rick," Carol said and Essie smiled.

"Well I didn't see that one coming," she said and Carol nodded.

"You missed a lot."

"I didn't want to live with Rick's choice," Essie said.

"You hurt a lot of people," Carol said and saw the pain in Essie's face that went beyond her injury.

"I made the right choice."

"You sure?"

"We're really doing this? Now? After all this time. You're really going to stand there and judge me for my actions 10 years ago? After you stood by and let Rick make a unilateral decision because he lost Carl? Never mind Maggie or Rosita or all the other people who suffered at the hands of Negan? No, Rick wanted him to live, so he lived. It was wrong. He was wrong." Essie flinched as her wound pulled.

"You needn't have stayed for Rick, you could've stayed for…"

"Stop," Essie's voice echoed round the room, "don't say it."

Carol saw any remaining colour had drained from Essie's face, she was grey with pain.

"You need to hear this," Carol said quietly.

"No, I don't. And not from you. Especially not from you. I knew you in a past life, everything was in a past life. We're all strangers now." Essie was breathing hard.

Carol gave her a scornful look, "Come on Cookie, you know that's not true."

"Oh Jesus wept, I'd forgotten how obstinate you can be," sighed Essie, "today I was shot, I'd really like to finish this conversation at another time."

"Ok," said Carol, "get some rest. It's good to see you," and she left.

"You too," said Essie to herself before Finn and Archie piled in again.

Daryl was waiting when Carol returned, sitting on the step, smoking a cigarette.

"She ok?" he asked.

"She's fine," replied Carol, sitting beside him.

"She say where she's been?" he asked without looking at her.

"No," Carol said and they sat in silence for a while.