Better Days

Chapter 350

Author's Note: I downloaded a program on my Kindle and hopefully I can write and post from the hospital if I can figure it out totally. We'll see. Please review.

Jewel, Maggie, Beth and Rick's POV:

Jewel and Rick walked into Deanna's house looking for Deanna. "Beth, where's Deanna? Quinn?"

Beth came out of the kitchen. "They went upstairs with Maggie a few minutes ago. What's wrong?"

"We discovered why we don't have a whole lot of walkers' at the gate," Jewel said as Rick started to go upstairs. "Come on, you need to hear this," she told Beth.

Rick walked into Deanna's office, causing Quinn, Deanna and Maggie all to look up. "Deanna we have a major problem," he told her.

"Can it wait?" Deanna asked, looking tired.

Jewel and Beth came in. "No, Deanna it can't. Rick, Morgan and I were out burying Pete, Ron followed us," Jewel started to explain.

"If it's about Ron misbehaving, take it up with Jessie," Deanna said.

Maggie looked at Rick and Jewel's faces. "It's more than that isn't it?" she questioned.

"Yes, a lot more," Rick answered.

"What is it Rick?" Quinn asked.

"We found out why you this place is still standing, why there aren't walkers' at the walls," Rick answered.

"There's a pit, with trucks blocking it, must be a whole city or two worth of walkers' in it. The trucks' are giving way, and walkers' are already getting through," Jewel told them.

"It's just a matter of time, and we need to have a plan," Rick told them.

Quinn and Deanna looked at them. "Do you have one?" Deanna asked.

"I'm coming up with one," Rick answered. "But this isn't something for just a few of my people to handle, it has to be everyone, just not my family."

"How long do you think we have to come up with a plan?" Beth asked.

"The next big rain and at least one of those trucks are going to give way, maybe more," Jewel answered.

"So we'll plan a meeting for tomorrow," Deanna told them.

"I told Ron to tell everyone to come over here today. But since I have no confidence that he'd actually would listen, we sent Lexi and Carl to do it," Jewel told them.

"They should be arriving anytime," Rick told them.

"Can't this wait for another day? It's waited this long, one more day can't make that much of a difference," Deanna said.

Maggie looked at Rick and Jewel's faces then turned to Deanna and Quinn. "If Rick and Jewel are saying that we need to start planning today, we need to start planning today."

"We cleared out walkers' at the prison, we can keep them away," Beth said confidently.

Jewel shook her head. "I've never seen as many walkers' in one spot as is in that pit. This is going to take all of us," she said as she looked at Deanna. "I'm sorry about Reg, I really am. I wish you could have days, weeks, months, even years to mourn him because that's what he deserves, what you deserve. But, unfortunately in this world, we don't get a lot of time to properly grieve or mourn. Sometimes though, the grief can make us do stupid things and stupider decisions. We can't wait til tomorrow to brief everyone and start a plan, because then it'll be to late," she told Deanna.

"Mom and I were talking about it, we'd like you, Rick, to help mom co lead the community," Quinn told her.

"Of course," Rick answered.

"Deanna, you and Rick are going to have to put on a united front. Alexandria can't survive if it's a us against them mindset," Maggie said.

"It won't survive," Jewel said as much to Rick as Deanna. "You don't have to agree 100% with what he has to say, I don't," she said with a smirk directed toward Rick, "but what led up to last night, it can't happen again. Not if you want Alexandria to keep standing, not if you want to have a chance," she told the older woman.

Deanna nodded. "I was wrong, about it all. You've done nothing but try to point out what we need to survive, and if I listened to you, Reg and maybe Aiden and Noah, they'd be alive right now. I don't think I'm in any shape to run this community."

"It can't be done without you, Deanna," Beth said speaking up. "Maybe some people like Quinn, Gus and others', maybe they would listen to Rick alone, but others' they won't. They think we're nothing but trouble, that you should have never brought us in. Daddy felt the same way at the farm, when he had to admit there wasn't a cure, that momma and the others' they weren't coming back. But, he listened to Rick and he survived, and he died respecting Rick. Maybe you and Quinn see that you need Rick, need us, but unless you're standing by him, standing up for him, then it's not going to mean anything because they won't follow him."

Maggie looked at Beth then at Deanna. "She's right. You're going to have to show that you support him, otherwise nothing we do is going to work," she told her.

"And, I'm not going to let all my family be the ones putting themselves' in danger, Deanna. I know that when I'll ask for volunteers, most of my family will raise there hands and volunteer, because they know what to do. If it was just us, then I'd let them because I trust all of them with my life, but it's not just us, it's everybody. They may not have the same experience we do, but they can learn, they'll have to learn or they die," Rick told him.

Deanna nodded as she stood up. "What do you need first?"

"Maps of the areas," Rick said.

"I can get that for you," Quinn told him.

"Whose going to be at the guard tower?" Beth asked. "You'll want Joey at the meeting."

"Lexi and Carl can do it, it'll give them something to do and they won't feel excluded," Jewel stated.

Deanna looked at her. "I'm not sure that people will feel that safe with two teenagers guarding the town."

Jewel squeezed Rick's arm in a warning and shook her head. "Well, Deanna, if they weren't worried about a dummy standing guard, they shouldn't be that worried about Carl and Lexi. They aren't teenagers, not like the ones you're used to in here. You know the ones' who couldn't find there way out of a plastic bag? Carl and Lexi can both take out walkers' at a distance, and they both stood guard at the prison, and we're still here," she said. "I'm going to go tell them, and get Hope, I'll meet you all downstairs," she said as she kissed Rick before she went.

Jewel, Mar, Jes, Michonne and Carol's POV:

Mar watched as Lexi and Carl went to the armory and turned and looked at Jewel. "How bad is it?"

"When those walkers' get out, if we don't keep them away from Alexandria, they're won't be anything left of this town," Jewel answered as she went inside.

"So, we're including the Alexandrian's in on this?" Jes questioned.

"Yes," Jewel responded.

"Is that a real good idea?" Carol asked.

"I was going to ask the same thing," Jes said. "Wouldn't it be safer if we just took care of the problem?"

"This is there home too," Michonne stated.

"It may be there home too, but they don't know how to defend it," Jes pointed out. "I'd feel a whole lot better if we did it ourselves, and not depend on useless people."

"Jes, this isn't a simple go in and shoot them kind of thing. We don't have enough fire power," Jewel told them. "I'd have no doubt we could take maybe 40% of them out, maybe only losing one or two people, but all of them, there's no way. The reason this place is still standing is because one or two very large cities and towns are in a pit," she said as she went to get Hope. "Mika and Mitch alright with Jenny and Judith?"

"They're fine with them," Mar answered. "So do we have a plan?"

"Rick's working on one," Jewel answered as she packed the diaper bag. "Rick needs all of us to support him, and he needs all of us to help with the Alexandrians."

"Is Deanna willing to let him take over?" Carol questioned.

"Rick and Deanna are going to be working together," Jewel answered.

"That's probably the best thing to do," Michonne said.

"With Deanna supporting him, it'll make things easier," Mar said. "Carol and I have been listening to the people around here, and they still won't admit they aren't invincible," she told her.

"They've been safe, and the fact that they aren't now, of course is our fault," Carol said.

"They were protected," Michonne said.

"It's easy to place the blame when there's someone to blame," Carol responded.

"We're here now, even if we don't think all of them will make it, we can't just turn our backs on them," Mar responded.

"No, if those walkers' get in, we're in danger just as much as everyone else," Michonne answered.

"So, are you with us Jes?" Jewel questioned.

Jes crossed her arms. "You don't even have to ask that question, Jewel, of course I'm with you."

"What she means is are you with us and the Alexandrians?" Mar questioned.

"Yeah, but I'm just saying this now, so there's no mistake. If it's between us and them, I'm going to save us before them," Jes answered.

"Good, we're on the same page," Jewel responded. "But, let's keep that to ourselves," she said as she nodded at the other women.

Summer and Glenn's POV:

Summer walked up to Glenn. "Got a minute?" she asked.

"For you, always," Glenn answered as he stopped. "What's up?"

"What really happened with Nicholas last night? I know that there's more to it then a bullet ricocheting," Summer told him.

Glenn nodded and led her away from the people going into Deanna's house. "He shot me."

"Why is he still alive?" Summer asked.

"I couldn't kill him, I tried, but I couldn't do it," Glenn answered.

"Well, lucky for you, I can," Summer said as she went to find Nicholas.

"Summer, hold on," Glenn said as he grabbed her arm. "I brought him back here with the understanding that he's not going to do anything else stupid."

"Glenn, I think being stupid comes to him as easily as me tripping over my two left feet," Summer told him. "Explain to me why he is still alive? Explain to me why he gets to shoot you and be a total irresponsible brat, but he still gets another chance."

"He has a son, Mikey. He's a single father and you know as well as anyone how much a teenager needs a parent," Glenn told her.

"I think we could find him a better family then Nicholas," Summer snapped at him. "He got Noah killed, he got you shot, how many more chances are we giving him?"

"He can still be useful," Glenn told her. "Look at Axel," he told her. "When we found him at the prison, we all wrote him off, but now he's an important part of this family as anyone else," he pointed out.

"Axel didn't tie up a walker and play a game of whack a walker," Summer reminded him. "Axel also didn't leave his best friend to die because he was a coward, he stepped up when he was needed. Axel also didn't leave us and got one of us killed," she snapped. "Nicholas is nothing like Axel. Nicholas is never going to be anything but a danger to us," she said. "Does Tara know?"

Glenn looked at her. "Does Tara know what?"

"That Nicholas is responsible for Noah's death. He would have left her too," Summer responded. "She has a right to know."

"I know, and I'll tell her," Glenn assured her. "Hey, I know you're protective of your family, but I'm alright."

"No thanks to Nicholas," Summer informed him. "Look, I know everything worked out when you gave Tara a chance, and when we gave Axel a chance, but I swear if you're wrong about this, about him, I'll come after you," she said as she hugged him.

"I don't expect anything less from my little sister," Glenn said. "Come on," he said as they walked into the house with her.