Penny Lane chapter 6

After breakfast, everyone went about their daily chores and activities. The trade convoys from Alexandria and Hilltop would arrive within the hour to not only exchange resources but to give Carl a lift back to Alexandria to see Rick, Michonne and Judith as well.

While Al went to help Carl finish packing, Enid took the opportunity to talk very directly with Maggie.

"Did you mean what you said?" Enid said as she cradled her adopted brother, Hershel, in her arms. "I'm not excusing anything Negan did. I loved Glenn too. All I'm asking is whether or not you will forgive." Enid asked.

Maggie looked Enid in the face and spoke as calm as she could. "It is not because he deserves it. It is because I do not want to carry the pain, anger and hate Negan put in me the rest of my life. I will not accept him as family. I will not open my doors to him. I will not take him in."

"No one will question those actions and no one will ever fault you for those conditions. Just remember to stand by your word. Nowadays, that's all anyone can stand on."

Maggie gave a soft sigh as she let what Enid said sink into her mind. "It won't be easy for me to do but I will."

Enid leaned over and kissed the woman who had become her adopted mother on her cheek. Maggie let out a smile and wrapped an arm around Enid, while Hershel looked up at them blissfully unaware of the hell his sister and mother went through.

"How far do you think they're going to get before they catch up with them?" Laura asked Alden as they sat side by side inside the camp infirmary. It was in the late hours of the night when Alden was ambushed and beaten down by several disgruntled former Saviors who were still sour over losing the war and having to toil among those they once pillaged from.

"If they call Daryl in to lead the hunt, not far." Alden replied, wincing as his breathing caused his ribs to expand, exacerbating the pain left from three guys kicking him in the rib cage and the diaphragm.

Laura did not get hit as many times as Alden but the one she did get was the reason Siddiq had to put six stitches below her left eye.

"I'm going to carry a scar the rest of my life, aren't I?" Laura asked.

"We all carry scars in this world." Alden remarked gently.

"Do you really think Maggie will take you in? All the bruises and beatings in the world won't change who you worked for."

"I have no doubt she remembers who I worked for." Alden winced as he thought about it. "I'll plead my case to her. I'll give her my reasons for being with the Saviors. If those answers are enough, I'll get a chance to show I'm more than who I was with. If not, I'll have to find my own way out there in the world."

"Between the two of us, Maggie will not turn you away."

"What makes you say that?" Alden asked.

"When I sat at that table alongside Gavin, Arat, Simon and Dwight, I knew what Negan was becoming and I did nothing. I didn't stop him or pull him back."

At that moment, the infirmary tent opened and in walked Father Gabriel Stokes, the appointed custodian for the displaced former Saviors. "How are the two of you fairing?"

"Apart from how sore we feel, we're alive." Alden answered.

"Rick wants to talk with the both of you. If you know who attacked you, it would help us to know who we have to go looking for."

"What will happen to them when Rick finds them?" Laura asked. Even though she and Alden were bushwhacked by their now former allies, she was concerned about what was going to happen since it could easily be what she could expect for being among Negan's inner circle.

Before Alden could think up a response, Rick walked in, took a seat and got right to it. "What happened to the two of you, who did it and why?"

While Jesus helped oversee the trades between Alexandria and the Kingdom, Al and Daryl helped Carl get his bags to the caravan headed for Alexandria.

"Did Maggie entice you into getting so jacked or is that something you're doing for yourself?" Daryl joked as he took a look at Maggie's girlfriend.

It had only been a little over a month and she was more physically stronger than before. The tank shirt she wore showed off how much stronger her arms had become along with how her shoulders got broader, her upper back got wider and her pectoral muscles got thicker, which made her breasts more noticeable, perkier and bigger.

Al laughed at Daryl's remark and the way Carl was checking her out. "Apart from how good it feels to have so much muscle, I got into it because I figured the day will come when I'll need it. It's a bonus that it turns me on as much as it turns Maggie on, which makes the sex that much more fun."

"Al, it's too early for that kind of talk." Carl said, not wanting to get images in his head that he couldn't get out.

Daryl grinned. "You were definitely friends with Abraham."

"He was one of the best men I ever knew. I guess his kind of humor rubbed off on me." Al said, thinking fondly of how eloquently profane Abraham Ford spoke.

Upon getting to one of the cars, Daryl and Al helped Carl put his bags into the trunk.

"Are you heading out to the camp after this, Daryl?" Al asked.

Daryl nodded. "I don't like being fenced in." Daryl answered.

"It's a big world out there. Don't get lost. It will be hell to track a tracker who loses his way." Al said, surprising herself with how wise she sounded.

"I won't get lost, Al, so don't worry about me." Daryl said to Al before turning to Carl, "Send my best to Judith, Carl." Daryl said as he went to get his motorcycle.

When it was just the two of them, Al asked Carl, "Did you know I had a brother?"

Carl was more than surprised. Al never struck him as the type to just let out a personal tidbit of information like that. "No. You never mentioned it."

"I don't say that to just anyone. After Maggie, you're the second person who knows that about me."

"Is he still...out there?" Carl asked.

Al grimaced as she looked Carl eye to eye. "My brother and my parents didn't survive past the early days of the outbreak. I'm an orphan."

"I'm sorry, Al." Carl said.

"Sometimes, I think about what kind of man he would have become if he lived to see all of this. Then I think of the things he would have had to do. I feel glad I didn't have to find out what he was or wasn't capable of. Then I feel terrible for being glad my brother is dead."

"If he was a good man in life, remember that. It's better than beating yourself up over thinking what he would have done in this world."

In an effort to brighten Al's mood, Carl joked, "Was he as much into working out as you are now?"

Al smiled at Carl as she flexed her arms, shoulders, chest and neck. "He mostly helped me out with homework a lot of the time but we were not slouches." She said with a chest thrust, making her breasts look like they just grew bigger. "Though now I'm much bigger than he was."

"Al, save that for Maggie and leave Carl to me."

Al and Carl turned to see Enid approach them. It amused Al to watch Carl embrace his girlfriend, kissing her tenderly while trying to ignore how turned on he was. Maggie was at the front steps of Barrington House, holding Hershel in her arms as she watched everything unfold in front of her.

"I was just giving him an incentive to get in shape, Enid. If he's going to be a blacksmith, he'll need the muscles to match his skills." Al joked, giving Carl a firm, playful hug before she walked towards Maggie, giving Carl time to talk with Enid before he had to leave.

"While it's good to see you and Carl getting along with each other, did you have to give him a boner from watching you flex your chest in front of him?"

Al grinned. "I know he's got his heart set on Enid, among other parts of himself. It was just for a bit of levity to start the day." Maggie lightly swatted Al's arm in amusement.

As the caravans were en route to their respective settlements, Daryl rode out of Hilltop on his motorcycle.

"Did you tell Daryl what we discussed?" Maggie asked.

Knowing how serious the conversation was going to get, Al got straight to the point. "He knows. If Alden can make the trip here, you can get to speak with him yourself and make your decision."

Taking a soft breath in, Maggie braced herself for what she was going to talk about next. "Enid asked me about the other decision I made last night. I don't like it but I know why I have to do it. I just don't know how I can do it without killing him on sight."

"If you are set on doing that, I'll go with you to Alexandria. You won't be alone."

Maggie pulled Al close and kissed her deeply while being careful not to crush Hershel between her chest and Al's. "For now, let's go inside. Once I'm done with the daily chore list and Hershel has his nap time, we'll have our own fun."

"Yes, we will." Al smiled as she followed Maggie inside Barrington House.

Upon Daryl's arrival, Rick got him up to speed with the issue at hand. "Jed, Justin and four other former Saviors attacked Alden late last night. Laura tried to defend him and wound up in the infirmary with him. They're both nursing different wounds but they'll live."

"You want me to go track them down?" Daryl asked.

Rick nodded, scratching his short beard as if in deep thought or trying to gather his thoughts to bring up a tough topic. "One other person took off with them. If she surrenders, bring her back alive."

"Who is it?" Daryl asked.

"Arat."

"Why did she take off with them? Did she have anything to do with the ambush?"

"Alden spotted her from the corner of his eye in between hits. She didn't get involved in it but she may have felt scared enough that she needed to be with a familiar group who could watch her back."

"What is she afraid of?" Daryl asked.

Rick's teeth were set firm as he braced himself mentally. "She was one of the Saviors responsible for killing all the men of Oceanside and a member of Negan's inner circle. Laura sat at the same table as 's how she knew and she told me all of it."

"Why would she bring it up?" Daryl asked.

"Oceanside has not forgotten or forgiven. Unlike Maggie, they are unrestrained and unreasonable. As for Laura telling us about Arat, either she cares for her or she's worried that they'll take a different Savior if they can't get her. From what Alden and Laura told me, it's a group of 7 people, including Arat. Take whoever you think is best to help you who is not vital to the construction."

"If she surrenders, I'll do what I can to bring her back alive. What about the others?"

"If they resist, do what has to be done."

When he got back to Alexandria, Carl spent the first couple of hours playing with Judith and catching Michonne up to speed with what he was up to at Hilltop. To say she was surprised would have won the blue ribbon for biggest understatement.

"Is she really ready to forgive him for killing Glenn?"

"Maggie made it clear that she wasn't doing it for him but for herself and everyone she loves."

Michonne sighed as she thought about the gravity behind what was being said. "I know what it feels like. The raw need for payback. It's not easy to shake off."

"Maggie's trying to live again. Al has been more than great in helping her do that."

Michonne let out a grin as she thought of the journalist. "She's still at Hilltop with Maggie?"

"Yeah. Did you think she was going to run out on her?" Carl asked.

"At first, I did. Now, I'm not so sure."

"They love each other very much. Maggie told Al all about Glenn and they're still together. I think Al's been a good influence on Maggie. Her face lights up when she's around 's been too long since I saw her smile the way she does with Al. That's good, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, Carl." While Michonne was happy that Maggie was doing better, it didn't lay to rest certain doubts in her mind. "Since you're at Hilltop when the trades happen, how has that been working out so far?" From what Michonne understood from Rick, the bridge would be finished within a month if no other complications came up along the way. This still did not shake the thought that Hilltop, or more specifically, Maggie was inadvertently building more influence and standing among the communities.

"Maggie is not holding the trade agreement as leverage over us, Oceanside or the Kingdom. There's nothing for her to gain from holding back supplies or support." Carl remarked before the realization hit him like a punch in the face. "Michonne, did you think she would do something like that if we refused to give her Negan's head on a platter?"

"Like I said, I know what it feels like. The raw need for payback. I also know she has not forgotten anything Negan did."

Whatever smile he had on his face was gone. Carl just looked at Michonne while he tried to gather his thoughts. "I don't know when she'll do it. It's going to take time before she can but she will. She did not say as much but I know what she will demand from us."

"What is it?" Michonne asked.

"As long as Negan stays out of signt and in his cell, there will be peace. If he ever gets out and is seen anywhere near her, he will die."

Tara managed to catch Rosita in time before their shifts. In all the time they knew each other, it had taken more than a while for them to find their way to each other.

The moment their lips met, Tara's hands were instantly all over Rosita's, roaming over every curve on her body as Rosita perched herself on Tara's lap

"Do you think Abe is smiling down at us from heaven with a heavy hard on?" Tara joked as she fondled Rosita's breasts in her hands.

"I'm sure he would have had a lot of vulgar pointers for us while pounding one out to us." Rosita quipped before kissing her lover one more time.

The moment was broken quick when the tent opened and Daryl said, "Save that for the end of the day. There's work to do."

Rosita and Tara looked at Daryl with disgruntled expressions. "We all need to start the day off right. This is how we do it." Tara said.

"At least for a warm up." Rosita quipped, making Tara laugh at her raunchy humor.

"Grab your gear, get a kiss for the road from Tara if you got to and get ready to head out. I need you to help me track some runaways. You got 5 minutes."

Once Daryl walked out, Rosita pulled Tara in and kissed her, allowing Tara to grab her ass with both hands. "Be careful out there, Rosita. We already took too damn long to get here only to have it end without a finish."

Rosita laughed. "Don't worry. I'll get back and we'll pick up where we left off."

A/n: In the next chapter, the hunt is on for the seven runaways.