Better Days

Chapter 262

Author's Note: Getting closer to Alexandria. Of course now my head is thinking ahead and about OC's that could be in the Hilltop and Negan's crew. Josh Halloway (Sawyer from Lost) is telling me he'd be good somewhere in there. I know, but the lost people just fit perfectly! So, I kept rewatching the scene where they run into the walkers' and wondered if they had seat belts on because no one was thrown against anything. So, I'm going with the fact that maybe they did, but since Jewel was in the middle seat, she is going brace herself with her hand and wrench her wrist. I need a reason for her and Ronnie to mete Pete. Insert evil grin here. Anyway, on to Alexandria. Review please!

Group POV:

Rick glanced at the group again as they put things in the car. "Let's go over the plan again," he told the group.

Glenn nodded and didn't hesitate. "You, me, Michonne, Jewel, and Aaron in the first car. Abraham's going to be driving the RV close behind with the majority of the group, and Jes is going to be in the rear vehicle with Phoebe, Joey, Axel and Daryl," he told Rick.

"We all keep an eye on the vehicle in front of us, never letting them out of our sight. We run into trouble, we all stop," Daryl said.

"We get into trouble, Carol, Summer and Mar stay in the RV to protect the kids, Noah stays because of his leg, the rest of us get out and help," Abraham told them.

"If we see it's a losing cause, we all cram into the RV. It'll be a tight squeeze, but we'll do it," Jes responded.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, going in the dark? I'm just making sure," Mar asked.

Jewel looked at Rick. "Letting our guard down after all we've been through would be incredibly dangerous and stupid. This is the lesser of two evils," she explained.

"You shouldn't be away from Hope," Daryl told her.

"This is my decision, Daryl. From the time Rick came to the quarry, we've done things together. Glenn and you were usually right in the mix. Hell, you all elected me as co leader of the group if something happened to Rick," Jewel said.

"That was all Glenn," Summer reminded her.

"Thanks for reminding her of that," Glenn told the younger woman.

Jewel gave a small smile. "I just think if this is a new beginning for all of us, then I need to be right in the thick of things. We need to get on the road, everyone be careful," she told the group. She went over to where Carol was holding Hope. "You be good for Carol and Mar alright?"

Carol squeezed her arm. "You're right you know? About having to do this with Rick," she said. "You can keep Rick's head on straight, not let him go off without thinking."

Jewel glanced over at Rick. "He's just trying to protect us. We have no idea what to expect, what we're walking into. It may very well be a well set trap," she told the other woman.

"It could be. We're not going to let our guard down, we're not going to believe what they say. We're not those people anymore," Carol told her. "But we have to try this."

"Yeah, we have to try this," Jewel repeated.

"Jewel, we're ready," Glenn said as he kissed Maggie goodbye.

"Carl, Lexi, Summer, watch them," Jewel told the teenagers and squeezed Summer's shoulder as she went to the other car. "We ready to do this?"

"Can I say once again that this is a really bad idea?" Aaron told them.

"Yeah, you just did. Get in," Rick said as he held the door open for Aaron to get in the backseat.

Jewel climbed in the front seat between Rick and Glenn, while Michonne took the back seat. "If we're going to do this, let's do it," Jewel told Glenn.

Glenn nodded. "Right."

Glenn, Michonne, Rick, Jewel and Aaron's POV:

Jewel ran her thumb over Rick's palm as she glanced in the rear view mirror. "RV is close behind."

"We're going to take it slow," Glenn said.

Rick opened up the glove box and took out license plates and looked at him.

"Um, I'm trying to collect all fifty states. Put them all on a wall in my house," Aaron told them.

Jewel slightly turned around to look at him as Michonne asked, "You have your own house?" she asked.

"Yes, see for yourself," Aaron answered as he nodded to his backpack. "Jewel, I can imagine you and Rick wanting some place of your own, with your kids. I know you love your group, but I can imagine that you haven't had a lot of time on your own for a while," he told her. "Glenn, I'm sure we can find an apartment for you and Maggie."

Jewel glared at him. "You're anxious to separate us. Why is that?"

"I'm not….I'm just trying to make sure that you all feel welcome. You are going to be part of us," Aaron told them.

Jewel looked at him. "The last time someone said that to us, they tried to make us dinner. So you may want to rethink that," she said as she turned around.

Rick kissed the side of her head. "It's alright," he murmured in his ear.

Michonne looked at the pictures. " Why don't you have any pictures of your people?"

"Oh, I took a picture of the whole group, but I didn't get the exposure right. When I tried to develop it later, it just…" Aaron started to explain before Michonne interrupted.

"Did you ask him the questions?" Michonne asked. "Jewel?"

"No," Rick answered as he continued to look through the glove box and under the seat.

Jewel glanced at Rick. "No, neither did I. I figured that everyone out here now are skilled liars, so it wouldn't matter."

"But it does matter," Michonne answered. "It matters, because we can still tell. We can still tell the good from the bad. Isn't that what you are trying to remind Summer and Carl? Isn't that what you want Lexi, Mitch and Mika to look for? The good in people? If we don't try to see it, then how can we ask them?"

"Seeing the good in people hasn't helped us lately," Glenn responded.

Michonne looked at Aaron. "How many walkers' have you killed?"

"I'm sorry, what?" Aaron asked as Glenn and Jewel looked in the rear view mirror.

"How many?" Michonne asked again.

"I don't know, a lot," Aaron responded.

"How many people?" Michonne questioned.

"Two," Aaron responded.

"Why?" she asked him.

"Because they were trying to kill me," Aaron responded quickly.

Rick bent down and found a listening device and showed it to the group.

"You were listening to us?" Glenn asked, loudly as he turned around.

"I already said I was watching you. Yes, I was listening," Aaron told them.

"He knew our names, we should have known," Jewel responded as she turned to face him. "Are you putting us in danger? I swear to God, if you are, I'll kill you," she warned.

"It means his people could have one, too. They could've heard our plan, this isn't safe!" Rick exclaimed.

Glenn turned his face back to the road. "SHIT!" he yelled as he started hitting walkers'.

Jewel held out her hand to brace herself with her left hand causing her to push her body toward it and gasping out in pain. "Damn it!"

"Are you alright? Glenn!" Rick exclaimed as he quickly grabbed Jewel to help her stay put.

"I'm fine, just…wrenched my wrist," Jewel responded. "The others!"

"They were right behind us. They would have hit us, now they can get out," Glenn told them.

Jewel grimaced in pain. "Now we know why we don't travel at night!" she hissed at Rick as Glenn kept driving and hitting walkers'.

"Do you really think now is the time to say I told you so?" Aaron asked.

Jewel glared at him through the rear view mirror. "Did I ask you for your opinion? Did I say 'Aaron please give me your two measly cents on how or when I tell my husband, told you so? No, I did not! Rick here expects me to tell him, 'told you so' or he'd be worried about me. Because, seriously waiting wouldn't have the impact of I told you so, that it does now with us hitting hundreds of Walkers'! Plus I'm a Dixon, and I promised I'd say told you so, so that's what I'm doing!"

"Yeah, you did. I should have listened," Rick responded. "We'll be alright," Rick assured her as Glenn skidded to a stop in a break in the walkers.

"Stay here," Rick told Jewel as he and Glenn got out of the car. "I don't see them," Rick told Glenn.

"Why does he tell me to stay put, he knows I'm not going to listen," Jewel hissed as she got out of the car.

"Jewel!" Michonne exclaimed as she got out of the car.

"Are they there?" Jewel asked.

"No, they're gone, they got away," Glenn responded.

"They would have went back to the barn. They would have known that's where we'd go if we ran into trouble! Rick, we have to get out of here, back to them!" Jewel yelled at him.

Rick took her face in his hands. "We will, alright? We will. Get back in the car. We'll circle back, and find them," he told them as he got back in the car after Jewel and picked up the map.

"They're OK?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah," Michonne answered.

Rick looked at the map. "All right, we can take a left a couple of miles up twenty three. Jefferson Avenue," he said as Glenn wiped the window of blood.

"Rick, I need you to rip your shirt, I need to wrap this wrist. I didn't bring anything to deal with a sprained body part. Got plenty of things for bleeding, but luckily none of us are," Jewel said.

Rick nodded as he ripped his shirt sleeve. "Here let me help. Did you hear me Glenn?" he asked as he wrapped her wrist.

"Jefferson Parish, got it," Glenn said as the car sputtered. "Come on!"

"We've got to get out of here!" Aaron yelled.

Jewel glared at him. "You're really pissing me off."

"Come on!" Rick yelled at the car.

Michonne took a breath. "Let me see what I can see," she said.

"Michonne!" Jewel yelled as she got out of the car.

"They're coming right for us!" Aaron yelled.

"Yeah, we know!" Rick responded.

"I'm not going to stop you from hitting him again," Jewel told Rick. "Glenn you're flooding the engine! Give it a second," she told him as she saw Michonne getting body parts out of the car.

"We may not have a second!" Aaron yelled. "We need to leave now!"

"I will not kill him, I will not kill him," Jewel mumbled to herself.

"Hold on! Look!" Glenn told them as a flare went up.

"Shit!" Aaron exclaimed.

"Who did that?" Rick demanded as he turned around.

"I need to leave. This is over. Let me out. I need to get outta here. It's over!" Aaron yelled.

"You need to calm down!" Jewel told him. "Tell us what's happening," she told him as she calmed down.

"What's going on?" Rick demanded.

"Let me out!" Aaron yelled again as he kicked the door.

"Did you see that?" Michonne asked as she came to the door only to be knocked down by Aaron kicking the door and running.

"Michonne leave him! We need to find our people!" Rick yelled at her.

"They saw that flare. They'll think we shot it, this is how we find them," Michonne yelled as she went after Aaron.

"She's right, it may be our only chance," Jewel responded as she took out her long handed knife. "Thankfully, I'm right handed," she said as they started running after Michonne and Aaron.

"Stay close," Rick told Jewel.

Glenn turned around as he heard walkers' coming toward him. The group turned around and started shooting and using there weapons.

Jewel took one out with her long handled knife and looked around. "Where did Glenn go? Rick! Do you see him? Michonne?"

"He's got to be around here somewhere!" Rick answered. "Take out your gun, use it," he told Jewel.

"I gave all my bullets to Summer. I wanted her to have the fire power to protect the kids. It seemed like a really good idea at the time," Jewel responded.

"It was," Rick assured her as he fired the last of his bullets and took out the flare gun and fired the flare gun in a walkers' eyes as he watched it fall.

"If this wasn't such a dire situation, I would say that was awesome, or a nice trick. But, yeah, this isn't the time," Jewel told him as she and Michonne both took out walkers'. They took a breath as gun fire started and the walkers' started to fall. She turned and looked to see Glenn and Aaron firing. "Glenn, I'm really glad to see you. You alright?"

"I'm alright," Glenn assured her. "Should be asking you that."

"I'm fine," she responded as she looked at Rick then Aaron.

Aaron put the gun down. "If you want to tie me up again, that's fine, but hurry up."

Rick looked at him. "No time, we're going that way," he told them as they started up the road. "Michonne stay by Jewel," he instructed as he went up to the road.

"I could have died….Rick and I both could have, we would have left Hope with no one….Judith….they are so little. I was being selfish," Jewel told Michonne.

"No, you were being a leader, a wife, and a mother of a newborn. You didn't see this coming, none of us did," Michonne told her as they got to the road.

"Where are they?" Rick asked Aaron.

"I don't know," Aaron responded.

Jewel turned around. "The flare came that way, East from the barn," she told them. She saw Aaron look at her strange. "I grew up hunting and tracking with my brothers'. I knew how to judge direction by the sun and moon before I was ten. Daryl wanted me to know how to be able to find my way home if I ever got lost."

"That's where the water tower is," Rick replied. "If this is a trap to get us back where you want us, your people are going to die tonight," he said.

Jewel looked at Rick as she walked with him. "He wanted us to go the other direction, Rick. We chose this way, I don't think this is a trap," she told him.

Author's Note: Have I mentioned that this episode had a WHOLE lot of stuff going on? Like a WHOLE lot. Now, I'll be showing the other group finding Eric in next chapter and them reuniting and to Alexandria (I hope!) Review please!