All Nightmare Long

Chapter 560

Author's Note: It's almost fight time! It's been a while since we had a family meeting. Some of the family is missing and some are gone (RIP Glenn and Abraham) and some are new (Quinn) but it's all fun! Well maybe not all fun. Anything involving Negan is never fun. Review please.

Team Family:

Mar leaned against the counter as she crossed her arms. "Why are we here?" she questioned.

"We're having a family meeting," Jewel told her.

"Not all the family is here," Mitch pointed out. "Daryl is being held by Negan, Eugene too. Summer, Beth, Maggie, and Sasha are at Hilltop," he pointed out.

"So are Enid and Lexi," Carl said.

"How did they get to Hilltop?" Rick asked.

"We went together, that's where I got in the back of the truck," Carl admitted as he looked at Quinn. "I'm sorry."

Quinn gave a small nod. "It's not your fault, Carl. Spencer would have went to Negan no matter when he showed up."

Jewel looked up as Jes, Axel, and Garza walked in. "What is he doing here?"

"Who is he?" Rick asked as he went closer to him. "Is he a Savior? Did you bring a Savior here? Why is he here?"

"Rick," Jewel said as she put a hand on his shoulder. "He's not a Savior. But that doesn't explain why he's here."

Jes sighed. "He's an acquaintance of mine, from when we were in the army. He's with a group that Summer, Joey and I ran up on. I've been checking on them, trying to get them to join us for whenever we are ready to fight."

"Yeah, they stashed guns with us," Garza said. "Name's Raphael's Garza," he greeted as he extended his hand. "And you're Rick Grimes."

Rick raised his eyebrow as he extended his hand. "Stashed some guns?" he asked Jes and Joey.

"You just don't know how to keep your mouth shut do you?" Jes challenged him. "Look, I know you're probably upset…"

"You hid guns? Like we still have some guns we can fight with?" Rick asked.

"We're fighting?" Axel questioned.

"We're fighting," Jewel answered. "All of us," she told them.

"And apparently we have guns," Rick commented as he looked at Joey and Jes.

"Not enough for all of us. It was Summer's, Maggie and Glenn's idea, after we raided the outpost. Jes knew us meeting Negan was inevitable, we took a bag, filled it with weapons, and Summer made sure they weren't listed on the books," Joey said.

"How did you know?" Rick asked Jes.

"Not my first rodeo with dictators," Jes answered as she shrugged her shoulders and looked at Jewel.

"We have more guns, Gabriel and I buried some in the empty grave," Jewel admitted. "Not many, and I didn't know that Jes, Summer and Joey had taken guns out. Gabriel and I did it after that night. I had to do something, and Gabriel was willing to help me."

"You kept it from Rick? You never keep anything from Rick," Mar stated.

"She needed to this time," Rick admitted as he kissed her. "That's why we make a good team."

"So we've got guns, now what? If we bring them here, Negan will take them, and probably kill one of us," Rosita said as she crossed her arms.

"We don't have enough people, not with what Negan brought with him the first time," Mika pointed out.

"There's more," Mitch said as he looked up at Michonne.

"More?" Tara asked.

"How do you know?" Mar questioned her son.

"He was with me," Michonne answered. "He followed me out, and he was just going to sneak out on his own if I sent him back. I kept an eye on him, just like I keep an eye on any of them," she reassured Mar.

"I know," Mar answered. "What did you see out there?"

"A lot of people, a lot more then we can handle on our own," Michonne responded.

"Then why are we here?" Rosita asked. "If you think there is more then we can handle, then why are we here?" she asked.

"We are fighting," Jewel repeated.

Rick nodded. "We are. Most of you knew fighting was the right thing to begin with, and you tried to tell me, in your own ways," he said as he looked at Jewel, then to others in the group. "I thought I could keep everyone safe by just doing what Negan said, going out getting things for him, that I could keep everyone safe. I was wrong and it cost Olivia and Spencer their death's. And Eugene was captured, and they already have Daryl. He threatened my children, my wife, my family and I was more scared then I had been in my whole life. And, I don't blame any of you if you don't think I'm the right choice to lead anymore. I know that I let you down, I let myself down, I let my son down."

"You didn't dad," Carl stated.

"I did," Rick insisted. "And, now I'm ready to fight and I'm ready to do so with all of you by my side. We are going to go to Hilltop, reunite with everyone, ask them to join us."

"You've met that lame duck leader right? He couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag, actually he'd find a way to hide in it," Jes said.

"She's right, Gregory isn't a fighter," Joey agreed.

"Couldn't we talk to Jesus?" Mika questioned. "Maybe get him on our side."

"We can and we will," Jewel stated. "Gabrielle," she started to say.

"I'll stay here with the girls," Father Gabrielle responded before she finished.

"So, we go to Hilltop, then what? We can't have guns here," Rosita said.

"If we get Hilltop on our side, find more places with guns, get them on our side," Rick said.

Jes looked up at Garza, who shook his head slightly at her.

"How many people do you have?" Rosita asked Garza.

"People?" Garza questioned.

"Jes said you had a group," Rick stated.

"There's a few of us, not a lot. That's why I'm here, why my leader asked me to come with Jes, to see what kind of threat Negan really is," Garza told him. "I can go back, talk to my people, tell them what I saw."

"I'll go with him," Jes stated.

"We all leave tomorrow morning," Rick stated.

"Mika? You coming?" Jewel questioned.

"I think Gabrielle will need the help, plus until Morgan comes back, I've been helping with Jenny," Mika told her.

"I'll gas up a couple cars, make sure they are ready to go," Axel said.

"We'll park away from Hilltop, walk in. Everyone be ready to go bright and early," Rick said.