All Nightmare Long

Chapter 561

Authors Note: It's fighting time! Well reuniting time for most of our people. And I'm out of the first half of season 7. Thank goodness! Season 8 will be hard because of Carl (my poor baby) but can't save everyone. Though Jewel isn't going to have a good time of it. I totally made up a number for Summer to say, I have no clue how many people HillTop has. Please review.

Maggie and Summer's POV:

Summer turned her head as she heard someone coming up the stairs to the guard post. "You should be resting, Maggie," she said as she turned back.

"So should you," Maggie said as she joined her.

"I'm not growing a human," Summer told her. "How are you feeling?"

"With the baby, good. Everything else, I'm working on," Maggie answered. "You?"

"I'm working on it," Summer answered. "You and Sasha have it worse, you both lost people," she said.

"Hey, Abraham and Glenn meant a lot to you too. They were family, your family, our family," Maggie reminded her. "You're allowed to grieve and be angry, just like I am, just like Sasha is," she said as she overlooked the gate. She gave a small smile and a relieved sigh as she looked at Summer. She squeezed Summer's hand as she turned to the other side. "Sasha! Enid! Beth! Front gate."

Summer started to climb down the ladder. "Get ready to open the gate," she yelled at Kal who was manning the gate. She nodded as Maggie joined her. They watched as the gate opened and the rest of the family walked in. Summer went up to Rick and hugged him. "I'm sorry for what I said," she told him.

Rick kissed the side of her head. "You were right," he told her.

"Come here," Jewel said as she extended her arms. "Are you OK?" she asked as she embraced her daughter.

"I'm OK," Summer assured her before she ran to Joey, giving him a hug.

Rick hugged Maggie. "You're ok?" he asked her.

"I'm OK," Maggie answered. "The baby's ok. All of us," she said as she looked at Rick and hugged Jewel.

"You were right, right from the start. You told us to get ready to fight, I didn't listen, I couldn't. I can now," Rick told her.

"We can now, all of us," Jewel assured her.

Rick looked passed her as Daryl came from the side of the building. "Mar, Mitch," Rick said as he looked at Maggie who gave him a smile. Mitch and Mar both started running toward Daryl, followed closely by Rick and Jewel then the rest of the family. Michonne stepped up and gave Maggie a hug, then turning her attention to Summer, Sasha and Beth.

Rick waited until Mar and Mitch pulled away from Daryl. The two men looked at each other before hugging each other. Jewel was next in line while the rest of the family gathered around smiling as the others gave Sasha and Beth hugs before giving Daryl hugs. Daryl looked at Rick and reached behind him and pulled out Rick's gun giving it to him. Rick checked in and then looked at the group, getting nods from them, and an approving smile from Jewel before turning to lead the group into the house.

Summer stopped Rick from knocking and opened the door to the study. "Hey, Greg, look who came to visit. It's great isn't it?"

"What are you all doing here? If the Savior's…" Gregory started talking.

"Shut up, and listen," Summer ordered. "Dad."

"We want to fight the Savior's, all of us. We can't do it alone, we want Hilltop involved, standing with us," Rick told him.

"No, no way in hell, that was not deal," Gregory said as he paced back and forth. You people swore you could take the Savior's out and you failed. So any arrangement we had is now done, null and void. We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. We don't know each other; I owe you nothing. In fact you owe me for taking in the refugees at great personal risk," Gregory said.

"Oh you were very brave staying in here while Maggie, Summer, Beth and Sasha saved this place. Your courage was inspiring," Jesus told him.

"Hey don't you work for me?" Gregory asked. "Aren't we friends?"

"You don't know the meaning of the word friends," Archie told him. "And, I'm certainly not your friend and whatever work Jesus and I do is for the community and not you."

"Gregory, we already started this," Rick implored him.

"You started this," Gregory said.

"We did, and we're going to win," Rick told him.

"Weather you like it or not, your part of this now Gregory. The saviors know that you had something to do with this or they wouldn't have parked a car with loud music in front of your gate and cut a whole inside and let walkers in," Summer told him. "There's no going back."

"These are killers," Gregory said.

"Killer's that you had no problem sending us after," Jewel told him. "Without full disclosure."

"Is that how you want to live? Under there thumb? Killing your people?" Rick asked.

"Sometimes we don't get to chose what our lives look like. Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have," Gregory said.

"That's a bunch of bull shit and you know it Gregory," Summer told him.

"How many people can we spare? How many people here can fight?" Maggie asked.

"We?" Gregory scoffed. "I don't even know how many people we have Margaret," Gregory responded.

"One Hundred and eight, counting Maggie, Sasha, Enid, Lexi and myself. And two babies to be including Maggie's," Summer responded.

"How do you know that?" Gregory asked.

"She talked with people," Joey answered. "She learned from the best," he said as he nodded toward Rick and Jewel.

"You have to know who you are fighting for," Summer simply answered.

Gregory scoffed. "Not all of us have time to go out and talk to everyone, Plus does it really matter? What are you going to do start a platoon of Sangram farmers because that's what we got," he questioned. "That's what we got, they grow things."

"Archie is a skilled battle reenactor, Zihayr is military," Summer said. "You start there."

"So two, the others aren't going to want to fight," Gregory stated.

"You're wrong, when people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up," Tara stated. "I mean people," she continued but was interrupted by Gregory.

"Let me stop you before you break into song," Gregory said. "And by the way who would train all this cannon fodder?" he asked.

"I will," Sasha said.

"Give me a week," Rosita answered.

"I'll do it," Joey and Summer both stated.

"Rhetorical Okay?" Gregory said in a high pitch voice. "I don't want to know. I don't want to ever here another word about this. Ever."

"Maybe it's time for that not to be your decision anymore," Summer said. "You don't know anyone's names; you are a coward who couldn't protect yourself let alone anyone else. So maybe someone else needs to sit behind that big desk who knows how the hell to protect people and actually care."

"And who would that be Autumn? Jesus? He doesn't want it," Gregory said.

"Summer," Archie said.

"What? Yes I know her name," Gregory responded.

"No, I mean Summer can do it. The lass has more bravery in her small finger then you do in your whole body. And she lives here now, and if she doesn't want to do it alone, Maggie can. Two heads are better then one," Archie responded. "Maybe we should go out and ask everyone out there what they think because I think the lass is right, I think we need someone who will fight for us."

"No, no way, that's not going to happen. Her people are here now, she will be leaving with them," Gregory stated.

"I could stay, for a while," Summer stated.

"Would be better off without the Savior's? Yes or no," Rick questioned.

"Yeah, sure, OK," Gregory responded.

"So what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne asked.

"I didn't say we had a problem, you did. And what happens outside my prevue is outside my prevue," Gregory stated.

"So you're just going to bow down to Negan and let him do what he wants? Maybe the next person he kills or takes is your niece, do you even give a shit?" Jewel questioned.

"He doesn't," Summer answered.

"What the hell man, you're either with us or you aint," Daryl said as he stood from leaning on the bookcase. "You're sitting over there talking out of both sides of your mouth," Daryl said.

"I think I've made my position very clear," Gregory said as he stood up. "And I want to thank you all for not being here today and not having this meeting with me, or being seen on your way out."

"This is bull," Mitch said as he crossed his arms.

"In other words go out the back," Gregory said.

"They can go out the front, and they will go out the front, the same way they came in. And after they leave, you and I will be having a conversation. Again. I'm still here, I'm still going to be here and I'm going to be a pain in your behind. Hell, maybe Archie will go talk to all those people out there and see who they want in charge," Summer said as she turned to leave.

"It'll be my pleasure," Archie said leaving with the group.