This Night

Chapter 180

Author's Note: Work killed me this week, and by the time I got home, I was exhausted. I called out today cause my foot is swollen (and I don't know why) So a chapter is started. Hmm…who wants to come out and play? Let's check on Joey, Summer, Carol, Tyresse, Molly, Judy and crazy Lizzie. I ma or may not have Joey and Summer leave before the thing with Lizzie happens, only because I need them alone for a bit. I'll let them direct me. They usually have good ideas. Review please.

Joey and Tyreese POV

Joey looked over at Tyreese who was working to strengthen the fence of the grove. He thought about what Summer had said a couple days before. "You and Carol want to stay here, with the girls," he stated other then ask the obvious.

Tyreese looked at him. "We can make this place safe for them, for us," he responded.

"What about Sasha? Lexi? What about them Tyreese? I was there, on that run to get the medicine Hershel needed at the Vet clinic? You sat in that car, we thought you had been overtaken by the walkers. Then you didn't let go, when we told you so. You were going to let them bite you, you were ready to die. You knew Sasha was back there, fighting for her life, depending on us. You knew Lexi was with Carl and the other kids, worried about both of you, but you still hesitated. You lived for a reason, Ty. You were there when Judith needed you. But, settling here? That's like giving up on your sisters, again. They need you, Summer needs to find her family, her mother, that baby to be. Lizzie needs to find her sister, Molly, Carol and I, we're just along for the ride, to find those who are left. We may not be blood, but we are family," Joey insisted.

"There's a chance that they may be dead," Tyreese answered as he continued to work.

"There's just as much chance that they are alive. A chance that I'm not willing to pass up, that Summer isn't ready to pass up. I get that you and Carol want to protect Lizzie, Molly and Judith, we do too. That's why, we discussed going to Terminus, look for everyone, letting you stay here with the girls, Carol too, if she wants. When we find them, we can bring them back here. Reunite then head back to Terminus, if it's safe," Joey explained.

"If it's not?" Tyreese asked.

"Then I guess we'll just have to come back here, and get you guys, so we can kick ass," Joey answered.

"You think you'll have that chance?" Tyreese asked him.

Joey shrugged. "Don't know unless we take that chance. I'm not going to think any less of you if you decide to stay here with the girls. They don't need to be brought into another possible dangerous situation. Rick wouldn't want that for Judy," Joey told him.

"He wouldn't want that for Summer either," Tyreese reminded the younger man. "She's still hurt. Going out there, now, would only endanger the both of you. We all should stay here, for a few more days."

Joey shook his head. "That's not going to happen Tyreese. She's worried about Jewel and her having that baby. She wants to be there for her in case something happens to her like it happened to Judith's mom Lori. She doesn't want her to go through it alone," he said. "I'm not going to let her do it alone, we just need to know Judith's safe," he said as he glanced over at Lizzie.

"Judith is safe, here with us. You can't be worried about Lizzie, she's just a child," Tyreese told him.

Joey looked at him. "A disturbed child that thinks she can hear walkers talk to her," he told him. "She doesn't like to kill them, she has a fit if she sees it. Did you notice how she was when Summer was running that fever? It was like she wanted her to die, to watch her come back as one of those things. I know that's the only reason Summer hasn't insisted on leaving yet, because of Judith, because she's torn. But, she knows that you and Carol will keep her safe. She knows where Judith is, she doesn't know where her mom is, where Rick is, where Carl is, or Daryl or Merle, Sasha, Lexi, or any of them is. I need to find Jes, I need to tell her that she's been a better parent to me then my own was. I need her to know she matters to someone."

"Sounds like you and Summer already discussed this," Tyreese told him

"We have, like I said it's only a matter of time and that time is getting real short," Joey told him as he looked back to where Lizzie was.

Carol and Summers POV:

Summer kissed the top of Judith's head and cuddled her. "I promised Lori that I'd keep you safe. And I'm trying, sweet girl, but our momma, the one that's been raising you as her own, she may be in trouble. Plus there's dad, and Carl, and everyone else we need to find. Carol and Ty, they'll take good care of you, and I'll be back, with everyone. Maybe this place, Terminus, maybe it is Sanctuary….but if it's not and our family went there, they may need our help. I know this is a strange world that you are growing up in, and I wish that you could grow up in a normal world. That Lori would be here, even Shane, to see what a perfect, beautiful little girl you are. But, that's not the hand you were dealt, the hand that any one of us were dealt anymore. But, you my baby sister, are just that, MY sister, it doesn't mean anything that you and I don't share blood, nothing like that means anything in this world. What matters in this world is that you know who you can trust, you know who will have your back no matter what, who will love you, even when you aren't lovable. People can't be trusted in this world, they never could really, but now it's worse. But we're lucky, because we've got family. I don't mean blood, I mean loyalty. That's why we're going to survive in this big bad world, why you're going to survive this big bad world," she told Judith.

Carol leaned against the door. "You're leaving soon aren't you?" she asked.

Summer looked up at her. "Got to," she answered as she kissed the top of Judith's head.

"You are more like your mother every day," Carol said as she went over and sat on the bed. "You've come along way from that fifteen year old at the quarry."

Summer gave a smirk. "You've come a long way from that abused woman you were at the quarry. I like this Carol a lot better."

"I like this Carol too," Carol told her. "You should wait for a few more days, until that gun shot would is healed."

"Already waited long enough," Summer informed her.

"Joey knows you're going? He's going with you?" Carol asked. "I'll go, Ty can stay here with the girls."

Summer shook her head. "No Ty will need your help with them. Plus I'd feel a lot safer if two of you were here with Judith and Molly."

"Because of Lizzie," Carol simply replied.

"Lizzie's very close to be unhinged. If we were in a normal world, she'd be on some kind of medicine, in therapy. But here, it's just better to have the two of you around to watch Molly and Judy," Summer told her.

"What happens if you find your dad? The others? You think he's just going to welcome me back with open arms?" Carol questioned.

"You're one of us, Carol. You did what you did for our family. I didn't understand it at the time, but now I get it. Dad will get it, I'll make him get it. You're not a threat to us, Carol, you never were. But you have to tell Tyreese. He's never going to have peace without knowing, he's going to be looking at everyone like they did it. And, it'll do you a lot of good to tell him, and Ronnie," Summer said as she adjusted Judith on her leg.

"If we find Ronnie," Carol told her. "You don't know if any of them are alive," she told her.

"They are alive, and they'd all be seeing the signs to Terminus and that's where they are headed," Summer told her.

"What if it's not Sanctuary? What if you get in trouble?" Carol asked. "Your mother wouldn't want you in danger, neither would Rick."

"If it's trouble, then they are going to need back up aren't they?" Summer asked. "You did what you had to do, Carol. Now I am doing what I need to do. If we get in trouble, one of us will stay there, and then come back here," she explained. "If we don't have time, then we'll do what we have to do."

"We'll stay two days, if we haven't heard anything from you, we'll be following you," Carol told her. "I don't like this."

Summer gave a small laugh. "This is what you don't like Carol? I don't like that some maniac with a tank showed up at our home and blew it to pieces. I don't like that my mother may be alone, having a baby. I don't like knowing if she's alive or dead, or if my new sibling is. I was there with Lori, I delivered Judy. If anything happens to mom and I'm not there…I would never forgive myself Carol."

Carol hugged her. "I know," she told her. "Two days."

"Two days," Summer agreed with her as she kissed the top of Judith's head.