Better Days

Chapter 349

Author's Note: Woke up this morning realizing that I have less than two weeks before I go into the hospital. Talk about panic attacks! ACK. Well at least I know that you all will be here waiting anxiously for updates. But I will be writing at the hospital when time allows, so you all might get like four chapters at once one day when I get computer access. If I can figure out how to write on the Kindle, and submit, I'll do that and I can update sooner. Ron may be a teenager, but he needs a wake up call and Jewel is loving that she can give it to him. Please review.

Jewel, Rick and Morgan's POV:

Jewel looked at Rick as Morgan looked through his binoculars. "We need to get back to Alexandria, have a meeting with the whole community, figure out a plan. We need to be prepared when those trucks give," she told Rick as she rubbed her thumb over his hand.

"Do you think that the whole community can do what needs to be done?" Rick asked.

"They have to try, Rick. This is there town too," Morgan told him.

Jewel gave Morgan an annoyed look then looked at Rick. "He's right, Rick. We can't leave them defenseless, we know what to do, and they don't. Morgan may not know the man you are now, but I do. I know that you are not the type of man to let all those people die, if you can prevent it. If we're lucky enough to be around to see grandchildren, and tell them stories about how civilization came back on track, this is going to be one of those stories. How Grampa Rick saved Alexandria by coming up with a plan to lead the biggest hoard of walkers' away," she said as she kissed him.

Rick nodded as he kissed her. "Can we not talk about me becoming Grampa Rick so soon after Summer and Joey spent the night together? I may have to kill him on principle," he said as he noticed Ron walking away. "Ron," he called out after him. "Ron," he said as he went to grab him.

Morgan started to go after him and Jewel grabbed his arm. "When I'm talking with Rick, don't interrupt. You may think you're helping, but you're not. I know how Rick thinks, because it's how I think. You're just going to make things worse if you push the issue," she warned him as she let go of his arm and went after Rick and Ron. "Ron, what are you doing?" she asked the teenager.

"I'm going back," Ron answered.

"You shouldn't be out here," Rick told him.

"I don't care what you think," Ron responded.

"Ron, we're trying to save your life," Jewel told him.

Rick nodded. "She's right, because it's not what we think, it's what we know. You can't protect yourself. I'll show you how, but right now you have no idea what you're doing. And if you come out here, you're gonna die. And it won't be quick and it won't ever be over 'cause you'll be one of them, that's what's gonna happen. You're coming back with us now, don't make it hard," Rick warned him.

Jewel put her hand on Rick's arm. "Morgan and Rick will go out ahead, I'll walk with you Ron."

"I don't need a babysitter," Ron told her.

"Well, you have two choices Ron. One, you walk in between Rick and I, with Morgan right behind you, and if you try to get away from us, I will break your arm and drag you back to Alexandria. That's the hard way. Or number two, you walk with me in the back where I can keep an eye on you and make sure you make it back to the car in one piece, and you don't have to deal with Rick as much. That's the easy way. But either way, Ron, you are going to have one of us by your side, because I am not going to look your mother in the face and tell her that her son got mauled by a walker. She won't be able to handle that, and I won't be able to handle telling her that. I never want to tell another mother that her child was killed by a walker. So, the choice is yours, Ron, there is no third choice, there is no you walking back by yourself, there is no not having us beside you," Jewel told him as she gave him the patented Dixon stare.

"You aren't my mother," Ron told her as he started walking away.

Jewel looked at Rick and Morgan. "The two of you go ahead, we'll be behind you," she said as she went after Ron and tackled him. She pulled him up and pushed him against the tree.

"Jewel, what are you doing?" Morgan questioned.

"She knows what she's doing, Morgan. They'll be right behind us," Rick told the other man as he kissed Jewel.

Jewel waited until the two men were out of her sight and then moved back letting Ron have some breathing room. "You're right, Ron, I'm not your mother. You're lucky that I'm not your mother because if I was, the first thing I would do was smack you in the back of the head for last night's stunt with Lexi," she said as she held up her hand. "I don't want you to say anything. There is no excuse for what you did last night. I'm not going to talk to you like a kid, because in this world, sadly, if you live past thirteen, kid times are gone. So, you're old enough to hear that your behavior last night was threatening, and went to far. She pushed you away and you didn't move, weather you like it or not, that's unwanted behavior and luckily Daryl was there, otherwise I would have put you in a hole right next to your father," she told him.

"You wouldn't," Ron told her. "You said at least I was alive to be mad at you."

Jewel stepped closer to him. "You're right, I did. But then you went and made the mistake of being threatening to one of my children," she told him. "Now, the second thing I would do if I was your mother was smack you again in the head for being stupid enough to be coming out here alone. You don't know the first thing about protecting yourself, Ron. You don't have a weapon, and if Rick, Morgan and I hadn't stopped those walkers', you would have gotten tired and you would have had to stop and you would have died. I get it that you wanted to know where your father was buried, but you should have asked," she simply told him. She nodded at him to walk.

"Why should I have to ask any of you for anything? Rick killed my dad," Ron told her.

"After your father broke into my house, stole a Katina, came into the meeting determined to hurt Rick and anyone that stood in his way, which he did. This was after how many countless times that he beat your mother and didn't care if she lived or died," she told him as she made the teen look at her. "This was after he grabbed you and hurt your arm. This was after he grabbed my daughter's arm, then gave me these bruises, " Jewel pointed out. "Right now, your being angry at us is the least of our worries. When we get back to Alexandria, you're going to go to everyone's houses and tell them that we're having a meeting at Deanna's house," she told him.

"Why would I do anything for you?" Ron asked angrily.

Jewel looked at him. "You're not doing it for me, Ron. You're doing it for your brother, and your mother and yourself. You want Alexandria to stand? You want to live? You want your brother and mother to live? Then listening to me, to Rick, is what you're going to have to do. Mind you, we've never dealt with a whole city full of walkers' but we're more experienced then you and the people inside Alexandria. You don't listen, you die, and if that means that I'm saving one of my family and sacrificing you because you are so angry at me that you can't take my help, then be it. You have a choice Ron, be a good man or be a man like your father, it starts now," she told him. "We'll meet you two back at the car," she told Rick and Morgan. "Come on," she said as she pushed Ron gently in the back.

Carl and Lexi's POV:

Carl came inside the house and looked over at Lexi who was reading on the couch as Mika played with Jenny. "Hey Lex, got a minute?"

"Judith is with Carol and Hope is sleeping, I'm alright with Jenny," Mika told her.

Lexi stood up and went upstairs with Carl. "What's up?"

"I confronted Ron about what happened last night," Carl told her.

Lexi looked at him. "Why in the world would you do that Carl?"

"He kissed you and you told him to back off, and he didn't. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't confront him?" Carl asked her.

"Carl, just because you've kissed me a couple times that doesn't make us boyfriend and girlfriend. I mean don't you think you should ask me if I wanted to be your girlfriend before you decide that that's what we are?" Lexi asked. "And that isn't even the point. The point is why would you go and confront Ron the day after his dad died at the hands Rick, knowing how angry he is. That's asking for trouble, Carl. He hit you, I can see the bruise on your face. It was handled, Carl. I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I mean, yeah it's a sweet gesture, foolish, but sweet. But we don't need anymore trouble Carl. It was just a kiss."

Carl stepped closer to her. "The thought of him doing anything more, forcing you, it scared me."

Lexi squeezed his hand. "It scared me too, Carl. I mean I know I wasn't in any real danger, but…"

"You felt like you didn't have any control, that you were trapped and the fear of what could happen was enough to make you more scared then you ever were. After the danger was over, and you knew nothing was going to happen and that you were safe, you thought about how you could have handled it different. You wonder how other people look at you because you couldn't fight him off yourself. But you want to act strong, because you don't want them to think that it didn't freak you out as much as it did. It wasn't just a kiss, Lex. It was someone doing something that you didn't want, and the first time you said no, he should have backed off," Carl told her.

"You can be a jerk sometimes, but you're sweet," Lexi told him. "I didn't want him to kiss me."

"The two times I kissed you, that didn't bother you right?" Carl questioned.

"The first time, you caught me off guard, the second time wasn't really a kiss, it was more like a peck on the lips," Lexi told him.

"That didn't answer my question, Lexi," Carl told her.

"Well, when you give me a real kiss, then no it won't bother me," Lexi challenged him.

Carl looked at her before he moved and kissed her, letting it linger a little longer. "You didn't mind did you?"

Lexi shook her head. "No….I think it's safe to say I'm your girlfriend now."