Better Days

Chapter 300

Author's Note: Did I mention I had no idea that this would still be going at 300 chapters? That anyone would still be reading at 300 chapters? Talk about being amazed, especially at myself! Who knew my brain would expand like this and find new readers. I hate when I find a good story and it just stops. Seriously? That so isn't fair. Anyway for the 300th chapter, can we get a lot of reviews. From new, from old, from regular readers? Please review.

Rick, Jes, Carol, Jewel and Daryl's POV:

Carol stopped on the front porch and waited for the others. She gave a polite waive to the Alexandrians, as they passed. She glanced around at the rest of there group as they mingled.

"Did you get them?" Jes asked.

"Yes, there was a slight complication, well before that whole standoff with Deanna," Carol told the group as she glanced at Jewel.

"That wasn't a standoff, Carol. I didn't throw any punches, I just talked, we all talked. You guys wanted to do it this way, I told you I was going to try a different approach," Jewel responded. "Talking to Deanna alone wasn't making any headway, the opportunity presented itself to talk with the whole group. It got people thinking, it got people to maybe realize that they aren't as secure as they thought they were."

"They'll be going home hugging there kids a little bit tighter," Daryl told her. He gave his little sister an appreciative look. "That's actually pretty smart."

"I learned something from trying not kill Merle all those years," Jewel told him. "You said there was a complication. What was it?"

Rick saw Carol's eyes move over to Summer who was with Joey, Beth and David. "You calling Summer a complication? My daughter?" Rick asked.

"I think this discussion would be better handled inside then out. Come on Daryl, let's go do guard duty," Jes told him. She sighed as she saw him hesitate. "We'll here all about it tomorrow, when we meet up. So come on, we need eyes up there, and I'm sure Axel's eyes are getting tired."

Jewel slightly nodded at him as Rick, Carol and her went inside. Rick opened the door to the laundry room and nodded for Carol to go inside. "Talk," Rick told her as he closed the door behind them.

"Don't try to sugar coat it either, Carol. We're not the Alexandrians, we know you aren't made up of sweet and spice and everything nice. Did Summer catch you? She won't squeal you know that," Jewel told her.

"Something else happened, didn't it? What was it?" Rick asked.

"Sam followed me, asking for more cookies," Carol admitted to them.

"He followed you into the armory?" Jewel questioned.

"Yes, he crawled into the window, asked me about cookies, what I was doing there," Carol told her.

"What did you do, Carol?" Jewel asked calmly.

"I did what I had to do," Carol told them.

"Is he still alive Carol?" Jewel asked.

"Yes," Carol answered.

"You said there was a complication with Summer. What happened?" Rick asked.

"She overheard something I said to Sam," Carol answered.

"Carol, what did you say to Sam? Don't try to sugar coat it. Spill it out, we need to know what we're possibly up against," Jewel told her.

"Trust me he won't tell anyone," Carol said.

"Oh that makes me feel a lot better," Jewel said.

"Carol, I will ask Summer what she overheard," Rick told her.

"She promised me she wouldn't tell," Carol answered.

"We're here parents, she doesn't lie to us," Rick answered. "Go get Summer, Jewel. We're not going to get a straight answer out of Carol."

Jewel went out to the porch. "Summer can you come inside for a moment? You can come back out when we're done," she told her oldest daughter.

Summer looked back at the group then nodded. "I guess I'll be back," she told them. "What's up?"

Jewel opened the door to the laundry room and let her in. "I want you to tell us what you overheard Carol say to Sam. I know you made a promise to her that you wouldn't tell us, but since I pushed you into the world, that kind of over rules any promises you make."

Summer glanced at Carol. "She threatened Sam that if he told anyone that he caught her, she'd take him outside where the monsters could get him and tie him to a tree."

Jewel's face went white as she looked at Carol. "If I was you, I wouldn't have wanted to tell us that either."

"You threatened a ten year old?" Rick asked.

"I had to keep him from talking, and it worked. He won't talk," Carol said.

"But, he'll have nightmares," Jewel and Summer said at the same time.

"I'm going to go check on him tomorrow. Carol already made him cookies," Summer told them. "I won't tell anyone."

Rick nodded. "I don't approve with what you did Carol, you know that. But I agree, we'll keep it among ourselves," he said.

"What do we tell Jes and Daryl?" Carol asked.

"That you and Summer didn't see eye to eye on something," Jewel told her. "It's not a lie," she said as she heard Hope start to fuss. "I'll meet you up in the bedroom," she said as she kissed Rick. "Go on Summer, go back to the others."

"You can have a gun, we'll meet tomorrow," Rick told her.

Summer shook her head. "I don't want one, we're not the Governor or the people from Terminus, or even Randall. Do you all remember Randall? Dale wanted us to keep our humanity, we go down this road, there's no coming back. I'm not ready to give up the one little thing that makes me still have my humanity," she said as she walked out.

Lexi and Abe's POV:

Abe walked up the steps to his house and saw Lexi sitting with her back against the railing of the porch reading. "You know, you have a room with these wonderful things called lights. Aint no reason for you to be sitting outside reading with a flashlight, anymore."

"Old habits die hard," Lexi answered as she continued reading without looking hard.

Abe sat down next to her and took the book from her. "Sorry short stuff, can't have you ruining your eyes when there's perfectly good lighting inside. So why are you hiding out here?" Abe asked.

"I'm not hiding, anyone can see me when they walk up, you did," Lexi pointed out.

"You know, I was an only kid growing up, didn't have to bother with the whole older or younger sibling thing. No one to argue with, to fight with, to hate even when you love them. Then this shit happened, and not having anyone, well it was a whole lot shittier than you can imagine," Abe told her.

"Abraham, if this is supposed to be a pep talk, you suck at it," Lexi told him.

Abe laughed. "You're a little younger then the people I usually talk with but a whole lot smarter then Eugene claimed to be."

"You're still mad at him? About Washington?" Lexi asked.

"Aren't we all? The little shit lied, got a lot of good people killed," Abe answered.

Lexi laid her head on her knees. "My mother always said that people are brought into your life for a reason. We're all here, together, for a reason. We all met because of choices we made to stay alive. If Eugene hadn't lied, where would you be now? In Texas? You'd still be alive, you're to stubborn to die. You were in Georgia, right where you were supposed to be, to help Glenn, Tara and Mitch. You followed them to Terminus and were there to help us all out. You could have left after you learned that Eugene lied, you could have left him on the side of the road with a gun, but you didn't. You didn't because you knew he'd die. You act all tough and rough around the edges, like Jes, but when it all comes down to it, you're one of us. That's why you're here," she told him.

Abe arched an eyebrow. "I thought I was the one giving you a pep talk."

"As I pointed out, you kinda suck at it," Lexi reminded him.

"I know you lost Ty and Sasha is acting all kind of wacked out. I know that I can't replace Ty as a big brother, but I'm here and if you need any of that girl shit, you can talk to Rosita," Abe told her.

"We're already family, Abe, but thanks," Lexi told him.

"Well as family, and an acting big brother, it's late and you need to get into the house and pretend to go to sleep. I know you'll just be reading, but it'll make me feel better, if you just go inside and pretend to sleep," Abe said with a smile. "I know I'm exhausted from all that pretending over there."

"You had a lot of alcohol to help you get through the night," Lexi pointed out as she stood up.

"Guilty as charged, kiddo," Abe said as he handed her the book back.

Summer and Joey's POV:

Joey looked at her as she came back down the stairs. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, just wanted to ask me something, nothing major," Summer answered. "Where did David and Beth go off too?"

"Beth was dead on her feet, so she went to her house, and David is probably heading to the guard tower," Joey answered as he kissed her. "You know we haven't had as much alone time as I thought we would," he told her. "Do you think your parents would notice if you didn't come home tonight?"

Summer arched an eyebrow. "You've met my parents right? And my uncle? That should answer your question. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that step, I mean, yeah we're close, there's definitely an attraction, but I don't want to just have sex with you because we have a bit of privacy," she told him.

Joey kissed her again. "I get it, I don't have to like it, but I get it," he said as he let his hand wonder up her shirt.

"Joey, stop it," Summer told him as she stepped back. "I told you that I wasn't ready and like hell am I going to let you push me into anything."

"You're right, I'm sorry," Joey told her. "Totally taking it at your pace. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

Summer nodded. "Look, we've been through hell and back. Right now, I'm trying to just stay here, in this moment, not let myself think, because when I think, I remember what I did to Lizzie. I remember all the bad things that I've done, and I feel numb, I feel like I shouldn't be loved. Don't…just don't say that isn't true, because I have the right to feel what I feel. You found your brother, and I lost an Uncle. Good things always come with bad things. I don't think it's possible to be happy in this world, because it always ends badly. At the prison, before you came, I asked Jesus for a miracle to save Hershel, and he gave it to me. But then we lost Lori and T. Everything comes with a price, and I don't want to lose anyone else," she said as she walked away.

"Summer, it doesn't work that way," Joey told her.

"It does. We found this place, but I'm waiting for the shoe to drop," Summer told him before turning back around and going toward the house.