All Nightmare Long

Chapter 494

Author's Note: The last chapter didn't notify us of posting, so if you missed it, go read it, and come back. Now are you ready to read? Sorry about that. I tried to repost it but it didn't notify cause it was already posted. Please review.

Quinn and Michonne's POV:

Quinn stood at the foot of the bed Deanna was laying on. "Do you need anything?" she asked.

Deanna gave a faint smile. "No, I think I'm past wanting anything. You should go see what's going on."

"I'm not ready to leave yet," Quinn told her. "I think I can be selfish for a little bit, can't I? I don't want to leave just in case..." Quinn started to say.

"Just in case I kick the bucket?" Deanna asked.

Quinn rubbed the tears in her eyes. "How can you still joke? Especially with something like this?"

"I have to ...try to stay...positive in someway," Deanna said as a soft knock came on the door. "Come in," Deanna said softly.

Michonne came in and sat down beside the bed and gave a small smile toward Quinn.

"What's happening out there?" Deanna asked.

Michonne looked at her. "They're getting in. The rest of us, we're going to have to go. If you want me to, I'll," she said as she looked between her and Quinn.

Deanna raised the gun. "No, not ready, not yet. I will be, soon. And when I am, I'll do it myself. It's my life, start to finish," she said. "Dolor hic tibi proderit olim," she said in Latin.

"What does it mean?" Michonne asked.

"Someday this pain will be useful to you," Deanna said. "I've been trying to get Quinn to leave me for a while, you may have to pull her out of here."

"I will," Michonne said.

"How much time do we have?" Quinn asked.

"Not a lot," Michonne answered. "They are downstairs, being blocked by a couch. It'll just be a matter of time before they get up here," she told her.

Quinn nodded and went over and kissed Deanna's head. "I'm sorry for being so stubborn," she whispered.

Deanna laughed. "You are my daughter, I expected nothing else," she said as she looked at Michonne. "Go they need you," she told both of them.

Michonne stood up and tried not to fight the tears. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?" Deanna asked.

"For believing," Michonne answered.

Quinn gave a small smile. "She still believes, even now," she said.

Deanna laughs. "She's right, I do. I cocked it all up but I figured it out," she said reaching her hand out to Michonne. "What do you want? Now you figure it out. And take care of this one for me," she said as she nodded toward Quinn.

"I will," Michonne answered.

"Good give them hell. Both of you," Deanna told them as they turned to leave.

Jewel and Rick's POV:

Jewel kept looking toward the door that Deanna was at while she was standing out in the hall. She turned her head when she felt Rick come up beside her. "How's it going in there?"

"It's going. You talk with Jessie?" Rick asked as he kissed her.

"I talked with her, I'm not sure if she listened," Jewel said. "Carl and Ron were fighting, in the garage. Ron started it," she said. "Carl lied because, well he's a good man like his father and wanted to take care of the problem himself," she said as she kissed him. She lowered her voice. "I swear that if it happens again, if Ron endangers Carl or anyone else, he's not going to survive this," she said.

"I agree," Rick said. "We're almost ready to go," he told her.

Jewel nodded. "You know this is one thing that I hoped that we never got to share. I mean I didn't want to take your bond with Glenn," she teased.

Rick shook his head. "I'm sure he'll understand," he answered.

"At least this is a distraction, from worrying about Summer, Daryl and the others out there," Jewel told him.

"They'll be back," Rick assured her as he kissed her.

Jewel nodded as Quinn and Michonne came out of Deanna's room. "Is she..." she started to ask.

"Mom wants to do it herself," Quinn answered. "So this looks disgusting," she told them.

"It is," Jewel answered, "but it'll get us out of here," she said. "Joey, Gabrielle, help Quinn get ready. Michonne and I'll take Carl and then we'll do her. "Rick, get Ron, Jessie and Sam ready," she ordered.

Rick nodded as he kissed her. "Now this is the Jewel I love," she said.

"What about Hope and Judy?" Quinn asked.

"Carl is going to carry Judy, Mika is going to carry Hope," Michonne answered.

Joey quickly glanced over the banister and went to help Quinn. "Rick, that couch isn't going to hold very much longer," he told them.

Jewel looked at Rick as she started putting guts on Carl. "We need to hurry up," she said.

Rick nodded and looked at Jessie. "We need to move, you then me," he said to Jessie. "Michonne, help Ron.

"I can do it," Ron said.

Jewel looked at him. "Oh you can get your back? I don't think so, so shut up and let Michonne help you. We don't have time for you to act all brave and mature," she warned.

Jessie started to say something before Rick looked at her. "Don't, she's trying to save his life," Rick told her. "Do you want me to put the guts on you?"

"I'll do it, at least start it," Jessie answered as she went to grab guts.

The door to Sam's room opened and he stood right outside of it. "Mom?"

The whole room turned there attention to Sam before Jessie stood up and went out in the hallway. "You need to listen to me, OK? We aren't safe here anymore. We need to do this so that we can be safe out there, we need to look like the monsters," she explained.

Joey rolled his eyes as he glanced at Mika.

"No, please mom," Sam pleaded.

"Honey we have to go, OK? We have to Sam. Honey just pretend that you're brave, just make it all pretend. None of this is real and you're somebody who isn't afraid, OK?" Jessie said.

Quinn took a breath as she went outside and bent down. "Hey Sam, we're friends right?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah," he answered.

"I know this is all scary and I know that your mom is telling you to pretend that it isn't real, because we need you to be brave, but sometimes life is scary. It is and it sucks, big time. But you care about your mom and your brother right?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"You want them to be brave and live, right?" Quinn asked.

"Quinn what are you doing?" Jessie asked.

"Helping you," Quinn said. "So Sam you want them to live right?"

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Well then you are going to have to be braver then you ever thought you could be because if you can't be and you can't do this, then your mother and brother aren't going to leave without you. And, usually I would never suggest to go against what your mother says, but you can't pretend this isn't real, because it is. It's very real, and that fear you feel means you are alive and that separates us from them. You aren't the only one afraid, Sam. So you ready to do this? We're all in this together," Quinn said as they went into the room together.

Jewel nodded at Quinn as she came in. "There you go Carl," she said as she helped finish putting guts on him. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I think so," Carl answered. "You?"

"Got to be," Jewel answered. "I'm going to go help your dad," she said. "Check on Mika and Gabriel for me," she instructed as she went over to Rick. She dug her hands in the guts and started putting it on Rick. "Now or never."

Rick nodded. "We do it together," he told her as he looked in her eyes.

"As always,"Jewel said. "We have a pretty good track record," she told him.

"That we do," Rick said as he squeezed her hand. He kissed her as she finished with him and looked up.

Michonne looked over the banister. "We have to go," she whispered.

"Ok, we're ready," Jessie said. "Ron?"

Ron looked up. "Yeah," he answered with hesitation.

Jewel and Rick led everyone out in the hall. "I'll get Judith, Joey get Hope," he instructed.

"Right," Joey answered as they started to walk away.

"Rick," Gabriel called causing Rick to turn around. "I'm not going to give up out there. I will not turn back no matter what happens," he said.

Rick looked at Jewel. "Yeah, I know," he said as he walked down the hall.

Jewel looked at him. "I trust you," she told him.

Mika looked up at him. "He'll be alright, we're in this together, like Quinn said. You're part of the family now, he isn't going to let us down," Mika said. "I think we're all afraid," she told him.

"We are, and I think we would be insane not to be," Jewel said. "I nursed Hope not to long ago, you'll have to try to hold her pacifer in her mouth. Usually she's pretty good like Judith,"she said as Rick and Joey came back.

Jewel took Hope and kissed the top of her head as Mika held up her sheet, Joey helping her. "There you go sweet heart, Mika's got you."

Rick looked at Jewel as they started down the stairs, everyone being quiet. Jewel stood behind Carl who was behind his dad and held his hand with Hope behind her, and Joey right behind her. They all walked down the steps with the walkers near there faces but not noticing them. They went out to the front porch as Rick took Carl's hand and he took Jewel's as everyone took each others' hand as they went down the stairs.

Everyone was quiet as they walked then the soft voice of Sam came. "Mom, mom" he called out as they continued to walk through the herd.