All Nightmare Long

Chapter 442

Author's Note: I want to check on Carl and the rest of the people at Alexandria but I want to finish Maggie, Gregory and Summer. So I may or may not check on Alexandria this chapter or next. Welcome to off script. This is why you've stuck with me so long. Please review.

Summer and Maggie's POV:

Summer looked at Gregory. "You said that we were looking at the reason Hilltop is thriving right?"she questioned as she glanced at Maggie.

"Of course, I am the leader," Gregory said.

"But, you weren't always the leader, we're you? It was your brother, wasn't it?" Summer said.

"We were co leaders, yes. He was killed on a run, it was a quite a shock, to all of us. Especially my niece, and myself but the show must go on," Gregory said. "But we aren't here to discuss my loss, we're here to discuss what we can do for each other," he said. "So where you live, is it nice as Hilltop Colony? She didn't tell us anything about it when she was here, recouperating," he said as he glanced at Summer.

"It's just different,"Maggie answered.

"How do you feed everyone? Jesus said you had land for gardening but no crops," Gregory said as he talked directly to Maggie.

"We're working on it," Summer answered.

"She's right, we just started planting," Maggie said. "And you will talk to both of us, and not ignoring Summer or just being plain rude. You are talking with both of us, or neither of us. But if we walk out of here and we don't have a deal, you won't be happy if you have to deal with others of our group. We are the best options for this to go peacefully," Maggie said.

"Is this how you do negotiations? How does that usually work out for you?" Gregory said.

"Pretty well, we usually just take what we want. We're trying something new," Summer said. "I'm not sure if it's going to work out, but we'll see. Now are you ready to pretend that I'm invisible?" Summer asked. "Other wise, we'll just go outside those doors and find another way to make a trade," Summer said.

Gregory gave a small laugh. "You two are hard negotiators. Planting what?" he asked.

"Cucumbers, tomatoes," Maggie said.

"Oh crops, soy, corn, hemp, sorghum," Gregory said.

"Garden stuff," Maggie said.

"But you have guns, so I assume you have a decent weapon cache," Gregory said.

"We've collected a decent amount on our travels," Summer answered.

"And the infirmary, is it stocked?" Gregory questioned.

"Is yours? We came here hoping to talk trade. Do you have enough here for that?" Maggie asked.

"You see what I have here, you see what I built," Gregory pointed out. "Jesus says your food situation was challenged right now. You don't keep people fed, it comes apart. Let's speak the common tongue here OK? You don't have shit," Gregory said.

"I'm going to stop you right there," Summer said. "We have fighters, you don't," she informed him.

"I don't need them," Gregory said. "Now as I was saying before I was interrupted, I'm happy to help, I'm a nice guy but we can't just give things away for free. How's this? Since you can't offer me much, I'll let you people work here for there share," he said. He looked at Maggie. You'd be a welcome addition to the community, a smart and beautiful woman. Getting back to that common tongue, I can tell ya, I can make it worth your while," he said.

Summer stood up. "OK, we're done, come on Maggie," she said.

"I wasn't talking to you, let the adults talk," Gregory said. "Now, listen honey," he said.

Maggie stood up and held Summer back from hitting him. "Stop coming on to me with calling me honey. You don't have any ammunition," she said.

"Who said that?" Gregory asked.

"Jesus and the guys on guard was using swords. If you had ammunition, you'd be using guns and not a stick with pointy things on the end," she pointed out.

"You're low on medication. You need things, we need things," Maggie said.

"What are you gonna give us? A bottle of aspirin and a box of bullets?" Gregory said.

"Our communities can help each other," Maggie said.

"Maybe you just understand psychos with barbed wired bats," Summer said.

"Thank you Natalie, it's been a good talk," Gregory said.

"Come on Maggie, let's not waste our breath on this," Summer said. "He's not going to see it our way, we're wasting our breath,"she said as they walked out.

Rick looked at them as they came out of the room. "Well?"

"He's still an ass, did nothing but hit on Maggie and ignore me. He never had any intention on trading with us," Summer said as she went and sat in a chair.

"We want to generate trade, Gregory does," Jesus said.

Summer gave a small laugh. "Yeah, he sounded so willing to trade," she said.

"Ammo isn't something we urgently need," Jesus said.

"So you'll just have people standing on the wall with sticks that do nothing to fight off bullets, yeah that's real smart," Summer said. "Why are we here again? It's obvious that Gregory is a self centered ass and he has no interest in trading."

"Maybe Rick and I should talk with him," Jewel suggested.

"The walls hold, we just brought in more medicine. Gregory wants the best deal possible," Jesus said.

"Yeah well we want things too," Daryl said.

"We need food, came all this way, we're gonna get it," Rick told him.

"I will talk with him and we will work this out. Circumstances change, we're doing well now and you will next. I will make him understand that. Can you give me a few days?" Jesus questioned.

"Is it going to make any difference?" Jes asked. "Or are we just wasting time?"

Michonne looked at Jesus. "We can give you a couple days," she said.

"Yeah," Rick said.

"You have til tomorrow night, and if it's not done, we leave first light," Jewel said.

Mar turned her attention to noises outside. "What's that?" she asked as the front door and Gregory's office door opened.

"What's wrong?" Gregory asked Wesley as he came in.

"They're back," Wesley says as they walk out followed by Gregory and everyone.

"Ethan where is everybody else? Tim and Marsha?" Gregory asked.

"They're dead," Ethan said.

"Negan?" Gregory asked.

"That name again," Summer said to Joey.

"We had a deal," Ethan said.

"He said it wasn't enough. Was the drop light?" Andy asked.

"No," Gregory said.

"They still have Craig,"Crystal said.

Ethan walked up to Gregory. "They said they'd keep him alive, return him to us, if I delivered a message to you," he said as he put his hand on Gregory's shoulder.

"So tell me," Gregory said.

"Sorry," Ethan said as he stabbed him.

Michonne and Rick ran and grabbed him and pulled Ethan off of Gregory. Maggie and Jesus grabbed Gregory as he fell back. Jewel ripped off her shirt sleeve and immediatley put pressure on the wound. "Don't move," she told him.

"Get off of me! I have too," Ethan yelled as he threw punches at Rick. Andy goes to pull Rick off of him, Abe tackled him and the guy started choking him.

"He's choking him," Joey said as him and Daryl ran over. Daryl grabbing his arm and breaking it.

"Stay down," Joey said as he pointed the gun at him.

Ethan rolled Rick over holding a knife at his neck.

"Hey!" Glenn said.

"Stay back!" Ethan yelled. Any body who tried to stop me is killing my brother," he said.

"Mar hold this," Jewel said as she changed places with her. Jewel raised her hands out. "Ethan right?" she said as she went over to him.

"Yeah," Ethan said as he held the knife on Rick's throat.

Jewel met Rick's eyes then looked at Ethan. "I understand that you're brother is being held hostage, and that you would do anything to help him. But Rick's a father, and my husband, and I would do anything to save him. We're not going to let you kill Gregory, that's not happening. So you need to let him up," she told him. "Now," she said.

Ethan momentaraly let the knife off Rick's throat, giving him enough time to use a knife and stabbed him in the neck. Ethan grabbed his neck and fell over, Rick standing up with blood on his face. He saw the others looking at him. "What?" he asked.

TBC