Better Days

Chapter 362

Author's Note: Um, the second episode of season seven is interesting to say the least...back to our main guys though. I'm really wanting to see the outcome of Negan's kills. Of course Jewel doesn't but oh well. Now on to a family dinner and planning before the action starts. Please review, it does motivate me.

Team family:

Morgan watched from the door as the members of the group worked like a well oiled machine putting things out and moving chairs without saying a word. "You've practiced this before," he said to Summer as she moved a chair.

"Not this particular skill, no. But out on the road, we had to read each others thoughts, learn to read each others' signals. We worked in teams, nobody ever doing anything alone. Moving chairs, setting tables, not getting in each others way, it's just an extension of that, just a different way of doing it," Summer said. "We don't want to become weak in here."

"It's alright to let your guard down once in a while, Summer," Morgan told him.

Mitch looked up from putting salad on the table. "Noah got killed because of someone else being an idiot, being reckless, not knowing what to do out there. If we want to live, then we have to keep alert," he said as he went back into the kitchen.

"You better find a seat, it's going to get loud and full in here in a bit. Jenny can sit with you if you think she'd be more comfortable, or at the kids' table," Summer said as Rick and Jewel walked in.

"Carol, Mar, everything smells amazing," Jewel complimented. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Find a seat," Carol answered.

"Put Judith in her highchair, get Hope situated and stay out of my kitchen," Mar answered.

"Your kitchen? I thought it was our kitchen," Carol told her.

"It's more yours then mine, Miss. Happy Housewife," Mar teased.

Carol glanced at Morgan. "Someone has to take care of all of you while you're doing the dangerous jobs," she said sweetly.

"I'm pretty sure you can drop the act, Carol. Think Morgan can see right through it, he's smarter then the Alexandrians," Jewel pointed out as the family started to pour in.

Morgan sat Jenny next to him and watched as everyone started talking and pouring drinks. He was amazed how everyone seemed to have a job and kissed the top of Jenny's head. "You like it here?"

Jenny nodded, eyeing the food. "They're nice, and they have food."

Tara laughed as she sat down across from her. "A girl after my own heart. I'm Tara," she said as she extended her hand.

Jenny looked at it before looking at Morgan then took it. "Jenny."

"Well it's very nice to meet you Jenny. If you want, after dinner, I can braid your hair. I do Mika's sometimes," Tara offered.

"You've had a bath and it's not as tangled, so it won't hurt as much," Mika told her.

"You wouldn't mind?" Jenny asked, being excited.

"If I had asked, I wouldn't have offered, silly," Tara said with a grin before turning her attention to Rick who was at the head of the table.

Rick sat down and looked at everyone. "Just in case you all haven't been formally introduced, Morgan and Jenny are moving in. We're not sure which of the houses yet, we're still working on the logistics of it. Morgan saved my life when I woke up from a coma, he explained to me what was happening. I wouldn't have made it this far without him," Rick said with a nod. "Quick introductions just in case you haven't got introduced. You know Jewel, then Carl, Lexi, Summer, Joey, Axel, Abraham, Rosita," he said as he introduced. "On the other side of the table, Maggie, Glenn, Beth, Tara, Carol, Sasha, Ronnie. Eugene, Daryl, and Mar. Sitting on the counter tops are David and Jes, then at the smaller table," he went to introduce but was interrupted.

"Which is not a kiddie table," Mitch said as he interrupted.

"Manners," Daryl said.

"Sorry Rick," Mitch said.

"It's alright. Mitch and Mika," Rick said as he finished up and the food was being passed around. "As most of you know, I had been shot before the world went to hell, and I was in a coma. When I woke up in the hospital, I was alone, and confused. I wanted to find Carl, my best friend Shane, and my ex wife Lori. I went to our neighborhood and Morgan found me. He explained things to me, he taught me how to kill a walker, that it had to be in the head. If he hadn't been the man he was, then I wouldn't have made it to Atlanta, Glenn wouldn't have found me, and I would have never met all of you, never been part of this amazing end of the world family. And for that I can never express my gratitude to Morgan enough. Jewel and I have asked Morgan to move into one of the houses with us, he's family. Jenny just lost her brother, a lot of us know what it's like to lose a close family member, so we can all help Jenny when she needs it," Rick told his group.

"Welcome," Abe said. "Now we gonna discuss the mound of walkers that we have to take on a parade while we eat?"

Jenny looked up. "A parade?" she asked hopeful.

"Abe," Lexi said with a shake of her head. "Not that kind of parade, sweetie, it's going to be leading away the monsters, as you call them. We don't want them to be breaking down the gates, do we?"

"Nope!" Jenny answered as she grabbed a roll. "Thank you for the food."

Mar smiled. "You're welcome, Jenny. We know what it's like to be out there, and hungry, so eat as much as you'd like, without making yourself sick."

Jenny nodded. "I won't," she assured the woman.

"We all know the plan for tomorrow, right?" Jewel asked.

"We're walking through the plan," Rosita answered as she filled her plate.

"Is it really necessary for us to do that? We've never done it before," Joey pointed out.

"We've never had people as dimwitted as the Alexandrian's with us," Summer responded.

Rick nodded. "We've got the time, and we're going to use it. I want everyone to come back alive."

"Are the people who are going to stay back going to go through the walk through too?" Ronnie asked.

"If you don't have other jobs keeping you at the time, you're all welcome to come with us. It wouldn't hurt for everyone of us to know the plan," Rick said.

"I'm going," Jewel said as she cast a glance at Rick. "We have always worked together as a family, as a team, and that isn't going to change now."

"The Alexandrian's change that," Jes pointed out between bites.

"Most of us didn't know anything about protecting ourselves when this started. Even those with skills, they didn't know how to handle the dead coming back to life," Michonne responded.

Morgan nodded. "They will just need a little bit more help," he told them.

"What if that help gets one of us killed? If it takes our attention away from something that needs to be taken care of and we are the ones bit? Then how much help do you think we should give them?" Jes questioned.

"Jes, that's enough," Jewel warned.

"She does have a point mom," Summer answered. "We need to know what's expected."

"To come back alive and not bit," Daryl answered.

Rick gave a small laugh. "That's right," he said.

"I'm sorry about being dense, Rick, but are you saying that you all are going to abandon the people of this town if they get in over there heads? " Carol asked sweetley.

"If it comes to that, yes," Rick answered.

"We can't just leave people to die, Rick. They are your people now too," Morgan told him.

Jewel and Michonne both glanced at Rick before anyone ventured to speak. "As we discussed earlier, Morgan, they aren't battle tested."

"We aren't going to let anyone intentionally die, that's not who we are. If it was, I would have shot Nicholas by now," Glenn answered.

"We just can't let them put us in danger," Rick argued. "I'm not going to lose anymore good people trying to protect people who wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for these gates. Everyone sitting in these two rooms, that's who I'm going to die for, who I'll put my life on the line for. If I can save other people without hurting myself or others, then I will, we will," he said. "That goes for the all of us," he said as he looked at Morgan.

Morgan nodded. "Alright Rick," he said as he ate.