Thank you for the views and reviews! As you might be able to tell, it took me a minute to post this time around because I was writing both of the chapters I posted today separately while watching the same episode. It took a minute to extrapolate everything, and then my husband had to go to the emergency room Sunday and it just was not a fun day...Anyways, I hope everyone enjoys the double update and continues to enjoy the story!
Maggie was sitting in front of Glenn's grave, thinking about all the things she needed to get done, the things she needed to do. For her baby, for Glenn, for herself. They needed to get ready to fight. The people of the Hilltop, they were seeing for themselves now how incapable Gregory was. While she didn't want to take over leadership of Hilltop, she could see a point in time where she either would default to it or be voted as it. The way Gregory handled the Saviors compared to what she, Abraham, Jesus, and Sasha had done had people talking. Even now, she could see some of the men asking Abraham questions about fighting as she climbed the ladder to the lookout station Beth had positioned herself at. For some reason, she had taken up that post after the night of the walkers and had yet to come down.
"What's up?" she asked her younger sister.
"Just waitin'."
"Might take a while."
"Could be today."
Maggie couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's antics, "You've changed. You've matured. I'm really proud of you. Dad would be too."
"I know," Beth told her while giving her a hug. "He'd be proud of you, too. Who you've become. I think he'd be really proud of us both."
"Yeah," Maggie said with a sad smile and looking out over the wall. "He would be."
"Maggie," Gregory's voice filtered up to them, making the sisters look down at him. "Uh, I know people are saying things, nice things, about you and, uh, Sasha and the big guy..."
"Abraham," they said at the same time, giving the man the same hard stare.
"Right, Abraham."
"They are?" Maggie asked.
"They are," he told her. "About the other night...about how they're thinking you saved the place," he said with a gesture of his hands, making Beth roll her eyes. "Don't let it go to your head."
"Well, don't let it bother you," Maggie countered as he rubbed an apple on his coat. "It seems like it bothers you."
He just smiled and shook his head unconvincingly before asking, "Whatchya doin' up there?"
"You gonna eat that?" Maggie asked instead of answering, having been craving apples for a few days now.
"Yes," Gregory said rather derisively before going to take a bite right in front of her.
"Dude, you know she's pregnant," Eduardo, the other person guarding the gate, called him out.
Gregory looked up at her before purposely throwing the apple harder up at her than necessary. Unfortunately for him, Maggie was a good catch and had no problems reaching out and catching the apple with a smirk. She turned back out towards the woods surrounding the Hilltop and took a big bite of the apple, almost moaning at the taste of it and commenting to Beth how much she missed apples. Beth had just laughed at her and jokingly asked for a bite, to which Maggie told her to get her own. Even Eduardo was chuckling at the exchange as Gregory walked away.
Maggie stayed on the tower for a little while before giving Beth a hug and leaving the area. She went down and talked to some of the people working in the gardens, giving a few pointers on how to help the plants grow as she walked. A few people came up and thanked her for what she had done. Maggie just smiled and told them it was nothing they couldn't have done themselves before asking about the place. Either Gregory never talked to his people or he ignored his people's needs as she gathered a list of supplies and other essentials they needed. She'd just gone back to the trailer to get a snack when Enid entered with a bunch of vegetables. Maggie sat at the table munching away on a cucumber while Enid started preparing food for dinner when Sasha and Beth entered.
"Is that an apple pie?" Maggie asked as Sasha came up the steps, the woman simply pulling back the towel on the parcel in her hand to reveal a pie.
"Uh, how did you do that?" Sasha asked her.
"I could smell it from outside the door," she admitted.
"You've gone cuckoo for apples the same way Ani was for squirrel," Beth giggled, making Enid and Sasha laugh too.
"You baked it?" Enid asked Sasha.
"Some guy gave it to us for what we did," she responded in surprise. "His little girl says you should run for President of Hilltop."
"'Maggie for President,'" Enid and Beth said at the same time before laughing as Maggie grabbed a knife and spatula.
"Uh, do you want a plate?" Enid asked as Maggie sat down and started to dig into the pie.
"No, I'm good," Maggie said before take a bite right off the spatula and looking over to Sasha who was sat on the couch looking at a pair of knives in her hand. "Did Jesus give you those?" She nodded her head, prompting Maggie to ask, "Is he still around? There's just some things I want to add to his list before he goes out. The kids need somethin' to write with. Pens, pencils."
"Are you already president?"
"Hm," Maggie chuckled. "I've just been talkin' to people."
"Jesus left this morning," Sasha informed her. "He told me to tell you, but I-I forgot."
"Okay. Next time. I'm gonna get some milk."
"Let me," Sasha offered, quickly getting up and moving to the door.
"No, no, I'm good," Maggie said before leaving the trailer quickly.
"What?" Sasha asked Enid who was giving her a hard look.
"You're lying to Maggie about Jesus," she accused, Beth looking back and forth between the pair.
"What makes you say that?"
"A girl who lives in the house," Enid informed her. "She was telling me about everyone. She said Jesus was a runner and that he left yesterday, not this morning."
"It's for her own good," Sasha defended.
"And mine? You lied to me too!" Beth said testily. "Why? Why lie to us?"
"Because me and Abraham, we need to do something, and the two of you will want to help me."
"You want to kill Negan," Enid scoffed. "What if you have help?"
"If we had help—a lot of people—then I wouldn't be afraid to tell her because she'd know it wasn't on her to do it. And I didn't tell you, Beth, because you're the last family she has. Now more than ever, she needs you. It's just me and Abraham-"
"It isn't just you," Enid cut her off. "You and Maggie aren't the only ones who want to take Negan out! There's-"
"No, Enid," Sasha cut her off then. "That's not happening and if yo care about her, you don't say anything about this. We have to keep her safe. The two of you have to keep her safe."
"It isn't just you," Beth told her.
"It sure looks like it," Sasha said as the door opened and Abraham came in.
"What's goin' on in here?"
"They found out about our plan and want to help."
"Not happenin', and if either of you give two shits about that woman out there, you'll stay put and let the grown ups handle the storm of shit that's been blown our way, got it?"
"I won't make any promises," Beth said. "If the chance comes, I'm takin' it. I'm not the same weak little girl I was."
"I never said you were," Sasha reassured her. "But Maggie needs you, now more than ever."
"So, what? I just sit on my ass waitin' for somethin' that might never happen to happen?" Beth asked angrily. "We don't know if the Savior's are comin' back today, tomorrow, the next. We don't know if Daryl and Ani are even alive. For all we know, the Saviors could be in Alexandria right now killin' more of our people! Why is it that y'all get to risk everythin' but I'm left sittin' on my ass?"
"Because your sister needs you to be here. She needs you, Beth. You're the only family she's got left besides that baby. You need to stay here. Stay safe. If not for yourself, than do it for Maggie."
"Fine," Beth said, though there was no way in hell she was letting everyone else fight this fight and sitting out.
She'd become a damn good shot thanks to training with Rosita. Her fighting skills had been good enough that she had started sparring with Ani herself more often than not, if not taking on Aaron and Sophia at the same time, the three of them ganging up on each other to test their skills. She wasn't the girl from the farm that wasn't sure of herself and just wanted to go to sleep and never wake up to this endless nightmare. Beth had become someone that could do damn near anything she put her mind to, and there simply was no reality where she was going to sit on the sidelines as expected. It didn't matter if she had to strike out on her own, she was going to help get Ani and Daryl back, keep Maggie and the baby safe, and defeat the Saviors.
"I'm gonna go back out to the wall," she informed them.
"Why the fire in your ass?" Abraham asked her.
"Just a gut feelin'," she told him. "Rick and the others will be back soon enough. Someone's gotta be watchin' when they get here."
~x~
Daryl sprinted down the hall, not pausing while trying to get back to the red room. He didn't know if the person who'd helped him had helped her, but he had to try to get Ania. He headed down the hallway as quietly as he could, rounding one corner that he knew would take him to her room. The problem was that there were so many rooms and corridors that all looked the same that Daryl wasn't entirely sure where her room was. All he could do was try to get to her, knowing that they both needed to get out and get out now.
"Stop hugging the wall!" a woman's voice rang out, causing him to halt in his tracks.
He was lucky he did, because a second later glass shattered and what looked like pickles went spilling all over the floor in front of him. As a man's voice rang out, Daryl quickly backtracked into the first room he found, thankful that it was unlocked. Quickly slamming the door shut, he stayed knelt by it, listening as the people on the other side talked. As soon as he knew he was in the clear, he looked around the room, momentarily freaking out at the sight of another door. Rushing to it and opening it, it looked as if it was where the person slept, a closet of some kind, and it was empty. Letting out a breath of air, he closed the door. He noticed a jar of peanut butter, his stomach growling at the sight of it even though he hated the stuff. Daryl had just gotten the lid off when he was tackled from behind. Quickly rolling over as the attacker tried to grab at him, he had one arm in his hand and his other curled into a fist ready to strike.
"Ani, stop!" Sophia's whispered yell brought them both to their senses.
They stayed frozen, both with a fist in the air aimed right at the other. Daryl didn't know what was going on in Ania's head as she shook it several times before slowly dropping her fist. His had immediately opened, both his hands going up in a surrender even as she kept a hold of his shirt and didn't quite drop her guard. Her eyes didn't seem focused as she looked at him, taking in each and every detail of his face before looking back to Sophia and back to Daryl. She looked almost lost as she sat back on his legs allowing him to sit up.
Ani had been quiet after she told Sophia she was getting them out. It hadn't taken long to finish getting supplies ready and find a couple of paperclips she could use to pick the lock on the door. Within five minutes, they had managed to get a ways down the hall with no one noticing. Sophia hadn't even heard whatever it was that had Ani shoving her into an unlocked room and quickly shutting the door. She'd motioned for the young teen to check the closet before pressing an ear right to the door. Ani had then shoved her into the closet-type bedroom, forcing her into the corner opposite the door and pressing herself against Sophia as they heard the door to the room open and close quickly. A finger to her lips was how Ani told the girl to remain silent before she turned to face the closet door. As she expected, the closet door opened, but only part way before closing again.
Ani moved silently, managing to open the door as whoever was on the other side moved quickly themselves. Not wanting to take the risk of being found, Ani full on talked whoever it was, landing with the person turning around to where she was straddling them. The red returned to her eyes, the picture of the remains of her father's smashed head, his brains pulverized on the cement. It covered the image of whoever she was really on even as she heard Sophia call for her to stop. She had to shake her head several times and look at Sophia to make sure her eyes were actually working right as the red slowly transformed into Daryl. All she'd been able to do when he fully came into focus was move to sit back, her eyes turning down in shame.
"Ania?" Daryl asked, carefully putting one hand on her cheek.
"Give 'im some food. Ya gotta change. Can' stay in that. Gotta go," she whispered before getting off him and moving just as quickly as she had in her room.
"We can't," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her to still her movements as voices sounded right outside the door. "Made a bad mess. We're stuck for a while."
"Eat. Change. Get ready ta move," was all she whispered back before pushing away from him.
Daryl just watched her go back over to the clothes in the room and threw a new shirt back at him. Sophia turned her back as Daryl quickly took his shirt off and replaced it with the new one before stilling in his movements. A chess set made of carved wooden pieces sat on a nightstand next to the chair. Ani was about to hand him a pair of pants when she noticed his pause, walking up to him and looking at the board before moving in front of him to block sight of it. She handed him the pants while looking up at him through her lashes, unable to fully look him in the eye out of shame for attacking him. It might have been misplaced as they were both doing what they felt they had to to keep themselves safe and he had been ready to attack too, but it was still there.
Ani went over to the bag she'd brought and grabbed out a couple apples Sophia had brought with her and some of the squirrel jerky that Negan had insisted on keeping in her room for her convenience. She brought them back over to Daryl and handed them over as soon as he had the pants on, only for him to grab her wrist and pull her down onto his lap. Ani didn't move even though she wanted to. She wanted to wrap herself around him, but she couldn't. Not until they were safe. Whatever need there was to feel him, whatever desire there was to make sure he was okay as he was trying to do with her now, it was all pushed so far down it was drowning in the need simply to escape. All Ani could think about was getting Daryl and Sophia out of there now that both were in her sights. There was no way in hell she was going to leave either one, even as Daryl tried to make her look at him.
"Eat," she said quietly, trying to remove herself from his lap.
"Stop," he whispered, bringing an arm around her waist and pulling her back down. "Tell me...tell me you're still you," he pleaded in an almost broken whisper.
"I'm still me. Ya damn well still ya. And we're still us. But ya gotta keep ya head in the game. We deal with all this when it's done," she told him, finally looking straight in his eyes so that he could see her determination.
Daryl nodded his head and ate the apple, content at the fact that Ania moved to sit between his legs rather than on his lap. She was still stiff, and that told him that she was having the same issues she had been dealing with after Atlanta. He wondered if she was going to end up shutting down like she had last time and couldn't help but lean forward to just let her know he would protect her. She'd once told him that she loved how safe she felt when she was under him, whether it was his arms or his chin, so leaning over her when she was obviously not wanting to be touched was the best he had right now to show her that he was still there for her. He knew she was right that they needed to get out before they worried about all that other stuff, but how could he not worry about Ania when she was so distant when he just got her back?
She looked up at him as he finished eating, both of their ears pricking as the movement and conversation on the other side of the door started sounding further and further away. Briefly closing her eyes and laying her head on his knee, Ani did what she could in that moment to give him the reassurance he needed that everything was going to be fine. She stood and motioned to Sophia to grab the bag and stand by the door as Daryl toppled the table that had been next to him. Ani had startled at the sudden sound, turning around on guard while Daryl grabbed a baseball cap and threw it over his head before doing the same to Ani, who just threw it back off.
"Afta earlia, anyone left is gonna think I'm one a them. We get caught, ya keep goin'. Ya get Phia outta here and get Rick on board with puttin' the hurt on this place. Ya don' come back for me."
"No Ania!" Daryl damn near yelled.
"D," she said seriously, turning to him and putting her hand on his cheek for just a moment before dropping it back to her side, "afta what they saw, whoeva's left 'ere, they ain' gonna think nothin' a me walkin' 'round. But they see ya, they'll do worse than jus' lock ya in a damn cage again. Who knows what they'll do ta Phia. I can' risk ya. Not eitha a ya. So ya let me take the lead this time, got it?"
"Naw, Ania. We're all gettin' out, all of us, whether you wear a damn hat or not," he said before he opened the door, looking both ways before grabbing hold of Ania's hand and bringing her out with him.
Ani had grabbed hold of Sophia's hand, letting Daryl take the lead even though she didn't want to. It was way more risky for Daryl to be in the front, but she didn't have the focus or motivation to argue with him or point out the ways he was making escape more risky. It was all she could do to keep herself from shaking out of her skin right now, forcing her mind to stay as alert as it could. Instead, she let Daryl lead her and tuned out the better part of her senses in order to focus on hearing. Maybe that's why when he rounded a corner and suddenly stopped she ran right into his side, causing him to whirl around and grab a hold of her, his breathing tight but quiet. He looked down at her as she turned her head towards the door before looking up and giving him a curt nod to indicate they were safe to proceed.
Daryl wasted no time in pulling her past the open door and down the hall, stopping only when they reached a weapon's cache to grab out a couple poles, handing one back to Ania. The cache was right by a door that would take them straight to the one they now knew the Saviors kept locked, the one near the bikes. Ani thought it was all just a little to convenient, seeing as the last time they'd made it this far without being seen had been a trap. No one knew that she was out, but what if they had done the same thing to Daryl as last time? What if he was being set up again and they didn't know it? What happened if they found out she was in the process of escaping when they let Daryl out to escape again?
Her grip on the metal bar tightened as Daryl got to the door that lead outside. Someone had wedged a piece of cardboard between the door frame and knob, forcing Daryl to have to shoulder into the door to get it open, but resulting in the door being unlocked for him to actually open it. With a scrape it opened, both he and Ani carefully checked the area before Ani pulled Sophia behind her as Daryl bolted for the bikes. He'd found the one the key he'd been given fit before anyone showed up.
"What the hell?" the big guy asked, eating a sandwich as Ani's face went dark. Daryl stood up too, the pair looking like predators who'd found their prey as the man tried to bargain, "Whoa. Whoa. It's cool, I swear," he said, holding his hands up in surrender as both Daryl and Ani slowly stalked forward. "Hey, I mean it. You can walk right out that back gate there, and I won't say anything to anybody. I'm supposed to be there now, but, listen, I'm—I'm just trying to get by, just like you. Please," he begged.
It didn't help him, though. As Ani swung the bar to the back of the man's knees, Daryl's bar swung and hit his head. Ani didn't take another swing, instead choosing to watch while Daryl kept swinging his bar as Jesus ran through the gate and said his name. The fat man's head was reminiscent of her father's before he was done, the man's brains bashed into the concrete and no distinguishable head sitting upon his neck. Ani couldn't help but going to him and wrapping her arms around him when he finally let the bar fall from his hands just as Jesus ran through the gate. He was shaking and on the verge of tears, breathing heavily as he stared down at what he'd done, bringing his arms up to hold onto Ania while he shook his head.
"Daryl?" Jesus said.
Daryl let got of Ania and dropped the bar he'd still been holding onto, bending down and grabbing the gun the fat man had had tucked into his pants. "It ain't just about gettin' by here," he said, handing Rick's Python to Ania who put it in her bag. "It's about gettin' it all."
He moved away from Ania then, over to the bikes as she and Sophia followed closely behind, Sophia's hand tightly held in Ania's. The door behind them opened and another man came out, looking at the group that wasn't supposed to be here before reaching for his gun. Ani was too far away to do much other than pull Sophia behind her as Daryl moved to stand in front of her. Jesus went to move himself, but it was the silenced gunshot that made them all jump and quickly turn around.
"Come on, we ain't got all day!" Merle's voice rang out as he came into view around the corner. "Got the ATV just up the ways, let's get the hell outta here!"
"Pops!" Sophia said joyously, dropping Ani's hand before giving the woman a quick hug and running after Merle and Jesus.
Daryl and Ani climbed on the back of his bike, Daryl starting it up and following the others quickly as the three climbed on the larger ATV while the kittens ran beside them. When they got closer to the courtyard with the walkers, Daryl warned her not to look, which only prompted Ani's curiosity. Thankfully, Daryl had already assumed she would, and cut off her vision by moving to the other side of the ATV as soon as she had seen what it was that he hadn't wanted her to see. Daryl had been the one who'd been forced to put her out there, so he knew. Ani only caught a glimpse of her hair before Daryl had moved the motorcycle, but it didn't stop her from leaning back to make sure she'd seen what she had. And when she realized she had, all she could do was hold onto Daryl while shaking and trying to get the image out of her mind. They'd chained her mother's walker to the fence, using the dead corpse as a means to keep people out. And for the life of her, Ani didn't know whether or not she actually cared.
A short distance outside of the Sanctuary, Merle had them pull off behind a building. There, he got the kittens into a car hidden there, allowing Jesus to drive the thing while he and Sophia stayed on the ATV. It only took about thirty minutes to get to the Hilltop, Ani listening as Beth shouted for Abraham, Sasha, and Maggie. The group from Alexandria residing in the Hilltop had congregated just past the gate as Daryl and Merle were directed to where they could hide the bike and four wheeler, even from the Saviors. Everyone was shocked when Ani refused to let anyone but Daryl, Sophia, and the kittens touch her, dodging even Maggie's hand even though she gave the woman a small smile. Neither she nor Daryl could really look anyone in the eyes, barely even able to look at each other. After everyone made sure that everyone was really okay, Jesus offered to let Ani and Daryl get a shower and a change of clothes. If it weren't for the fact that the pair had accepted, going into the bathroom at the same time, the others would have thought they were at odds again.
"What happened?" Abraham asked Merle.
"They made Ani kill her parents," Sophia answered for him. "She...she beat her dad to death and then stabbed her mom."
"Daryl was beat in front of her and I don't think they were kept together inside," Merle informed him. "We're gonna have our work cut out for us gettin' those two back properly."
"I've seen it," Abraham said as the group stood around outside a trailer. "Soldiers that go behind enemy lines. If anyone can pull their heads outta their stink hole, it's them."
Inside the bathroom, Ani was sitting on the toilet lid, looking down at her hands. Daryl was watching her through his lashes while chewing at his thumb. Neither had said much to the other since they'd gotten away from the Sanctuary, both too worried about the other to even say anything in fear of upsetting the other. Ani wasn't able to bring herself to explain what she needed to, about the fight with her parents, whatever Negan had told him, whatever he'd heard. She wanted to explain it so badly, but the words got caught in her throat as a sense of dread and guilt ate away at her.
"You want me to start the water?" Daryl asked quietly, realizing that she needed time.
Ani shook her head no before moving to start the water herself. Going over to him when she was done, she carefully took off the horrid outer shirt he'd thrown on before gently removing the undershirt he'd thrown on. Looking up at him through her lashes, she cautiously brought one hand up to his torso, rubbing the muscles timidly while checking for bruises and fractures from the beating he took. Daryl stood still, letting her undress him and check for injuries until she was satisfied before doing the same in turn. When they were both happy with the other's physical conditions, they stepped into the shower and bathed quickly before getting out. Ani had her new clothes on before she even bothered drying her hair, prompting Daryl to pull her back and sit on the toilet, bringing her onto his lap as he took the towel from her.
"What happened?" he asked gently.
"Nothin'," she said honestly.
"Ania," Daryl sighed, trying to keep how broken he was feeling from his voice. "Please? Talk to me."
"I will, I promise. But not right now. Please, give me the day. Give me 'til tanight. I'll tell ya everythin'. Jus' give me 'til tanight," she asked, her own voice breaking as she pleaded with him, turning on his lap to face him as she brought her arms around his neck.
Daryl let his arms wrap around her, both breaking down as the reality of what they'd been through crashed around them. They only stayed like that for a short amount of time, knowing the others were waiting for them. As soon as they left the bathroom, the kittens were at their feet, Catty trying to literally climb up Ani's leg until she bent down to pick the kittens both up. They snuggled and purred into her hair as Daryl brought an arm up over her shoulders and pulled her into his side. He brought her outside, Jesus leading them to where Glenn had been buried. Merle told Ani the whole story of what happened, the girl listening and staring blankly at the grave.
Ani wasn't sure how she was supposed to feel upon learning of Glenn's demise. It wasn't because she wasn't angry that he was dead, because she was. It wasn't because, technically, it was her fault he had died, even though logic dictated it was. If she had stayed in Alexandria the day Denise had been killed, she wouldn't have gotten shot, it wouldn't have gotten infected, and she wouldn't have been laying helpless on the ground for Negan to threaten. She knew that. But she didn't know what to feel about his death because, at the end of the day, she was put in a position she didn't like. Not three weeks ago she had been jealous of this man for having a child with the woman he loved and now, here she was, standing with the man of her dreams and father of her child while Maggie was standing alone. Daryl seemed to be feeling the same way as his arm fell from her shoulder. They stood staring at the grave for a while before Jesus offered them a room in the house.
Slowly, they made their way back towards the front of the house, coming into view just as Rick and the others arrived at the gate. Ani watched as Rick, Michonne, Carl, Tara, and Rosita noticed them, the looks of disbelief and relief that crossed their faces making her turn her eyes down all over again. Her loyalties had never truly wavered, but she had given Negan several suggestions on how to make the Sanctuary a better place, told Laura about her life in Alexandria. Anything she had said while at the Sanctuary could now be used against her family, which made it even more difficult to raise her face to meet the group as Rick came forward.
Deciding to stay beside Jesus, Ani watched while keeping her chin down as Daryl and Rick embraced, Daryl's shoulders hunching in defeat. Carl saw Sophia and practically ran to her, picking her up as he hugged her with all his might, thankful she was safe. Tara came up and gave Daryl a hug, followed by Michonne, all of which tried to give Ani a hug only to find her shying away. She offered small smiles, thankful none of them pushed the matter and were letting her have her space. The greetings were done when Daryl handed Rick back his Python, all of them turning towards the house. Daryl pulled Ania under his arm as they walked to the house, bound and determined not to let her pull away from his touch ever again.
When they got into Barrington house, Jesus led them right into Gregory's office, the man none too pleased about a large group of Alexandrians waltzing in. He made that clear in the number of protests he made when Rick brought up joining together to fight the Saviors. The man wanted nothing and no part in the planning of anything that had to do with the Saviors except for the next load of whatever it was that they wanted from the Hilltop. He had people to look out for, homes to protect. So many excuses that had Ania taking three threatening steps towards Gregory before Daryl pulled her back and held her against his chest. Even then, he could tell just how angry she was by how much she was shaking and how she was ever so slightly pushing against him to get out of his grip.
"Just think about-" Rick tried to tell him only for Gregory to cut him off.
"No! No way in hell! That was not the deal!" Gregory told them as he paced. "You people swore you could take the Saviors 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."
"Uh, yeah we did," Ani said rather unhelpfully. "That's the whole reason we got stuck in that damn place," she all but growled out, her anger finding a new target. "Ya were the ones who told us it was jus' the one damn base! Ya were the one who failed ta give us pertinent information regardin' the deal we were makin'. All a this! It's on ya for failin' ta be honest and upfront in the first place! Ya knew that it was more'n jus' that one place! Ya knew! And ya made the damn deal without tellin' us anyway!"
"Hmm," Gregory chuckled. "If the hothead ain't back. Sure you don't to take a minute to think about what you're saying, hunny? How could I possibly know how many there were?"
"Ya fuckin' knew, ya asshat! That's why ya were so quick ta take the damn deal in the first place, and gave us all that shite up front! Ya knew it was jus' gonna come back and bite us in the ass 'cause we didn' have all the intel and ya let us take the fall anyways! Gave ya a chance ta take care a two birds with one stone, only the stone didn' jus' take out the birds, it rattled the whole damn nest! And now we're here, collectin' what ya owe us!" she yelled, pulling out of Daryl's grip and stalking up to the desk.
"I owe you nothing," he retorted as Daryl pulled her back once more even though he agreed with what she was saying. "In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees, at great personal risk."
"Oh, you were very brave," Jesus sarcastically said, "staying in here while Maggie, Sasha, and Abraham saved this place. Your courage was inspiring."
"Hey, don't you work for me? Aren't we friends?" Gregory asked him, almost as sarcastically.
"Gregory, we already started this," Rick tried once again.
"You started this," Gregory insisted, Daryl having to wrap his arms firmly around the woman in his arms as he felt her going to move.
"Let Rick handle it," he whispered in her ear as Rick cut Gregory off.
"We did. And we're gonna win," Rick told him.
"These are killers," Gregory tried to defend himself.
"And so is everyone in this damn room!" Ani seethed.
"Is that how you wanna live?" Rick asked. "Under their thumb, killing your people?"
"S-sometimes we don't get to choose what our life looks like. Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have," Gregory said, looking more and more to Ani like a crazed old man than a sane being.
"That's bullshite and ya know it!" Ani cut in. "Ya can choose how ya life looks. Right here. Right now. And ya choosin' ta make ya people live in fear a dyin' ova lookin' at someone the wrong way than lettin' 'em choose ta fight for peace. Ya fuckin' pathetic."
"She's right," Beth agreed. "You have a chance to fight for this place to be what the people who live here deserve, and instead a takin' it, you're hidin' just like you did when the Saviors attacked this place."
"How many people can we spare?" Maggie asked, stepping up to Gregory to make it clear that he wasn't alone in the decision making this time. "How many people here can fight?"
"'We?'" Gregory scoffed. "I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret," he told her condescendingly. "And does it even matter? I mean, chhh, w-w-what are you gonna do? You gonna send a platoon of sorghum farmers? 'Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."
"You're wrong," Tara said, stepping up as Ani opened her own mouth to argue again, only to realize just how much of a lost cause Gregory was as Tara kept talking and the man interrupted her.
"L-let me stop you before you break into song," he told her before sitting back in his chair looking frightened; if looks could kill, the look on Ani's face would have had the man six feet under with an extra hole in his face. "Who-who would train this cannon fodder anyway?"
"Give me a week," Rosita and Ani said at the same time as Abraham and Sasha said, "I will."
"Rhetorical, okay!" Gregory sang out before looking at them all seriously. "I don't wanna know! I never want to hear another word about any of it, ever!"
"Could always make it ta where ya neva hear anotha word. Could go on livin' in this nightmare without ya sense a hearin'. That would take guts I ain' even sure I have, and ya sure as hell don'. Ya don' wanna hear 'bout fightin' the Saviors ta help clean up the mess you made? I'll gladly make it ta where ya can' hear at all," Ani said darkly, everyone except Carl, Sophia, and Daryl looking at her in fear as she spoke; none of them had ever heard her making such threats.
They might have known about what she did to the already dead Claimers, but Ani was done trying to pretend she was a nice person. She had no patience anymore, no care to deal with things logically or nicely if the person she was dealing with was neither logical or nice. Gregory was a tyrant who lived in fear of losing his position and damn if she didn't want to be the one to dethrone him. They were trying to make the people of Hilltop's lives better by getting rid of the Saviors once and for all and instead they were met with this wimp who was fine with letting his people die just to stay a coward. It was only because Daryl had kept a firm hold of her this time that she hadn't already gone over and snapped his neck before walking away while brushing her hands off, telling the others the problem was solved. Because in her mind, that was the quickest and easiest solution to dealing with Gregory, elsewise he'd become like a parasite, hard to get rid of and even when you thought the problem was gone, it came back intensively.
"Would we be better off without the Saviors?" Rick asked him after a moment of stunned silence fell on the office. "Yes, or no?"
"Yeah, sure, okay," Gregory admitted, even though it was still sarcastic in nature and anything but serious.
"So, what will you do to fix the problem?" Michonne asked.
"I didn't say we had a problem," Gregory deadpanned. "You did. And what happens outside of my purview is outside of my purview."
Even Daryl had to admit that was crap as he pushed Ania behind him and asked, "What the hell, man? You either with us or you ain't! You're sittin' over there talkin' out of both sides of your mouth!"
"I think I've made my position very clear," Gregory told them, standing up and putting his hands on his desk and looking at them all in turn. "I want to thank all of you for not being here today and not having this meeting with me, or—or not being seen on your way out. In other words, go out the back."
Ani was the last person to move, and instead of moving to the door with Daryl and the others, she moved right up in front of Gregory, Daryl, Maggie, Jesus, and Beth stopping in the door way to watch what she was doing. With a sickly sweet smile firmly placed on her face, she delivered a straight punch right to Gregory's face. Gregory had all the dignity of a newly born babe as he began wailing and crying as he fell back, holding his broken nose.
"Now ya don' owe us anythin'," she told him as she turned towards the group waiting for her by the door, walking out as Jesus and Maggie shut it behind them.
"Yeah, well, we don't need 'im anyway," Daryl said as he passed Rick, heading to stand beside Merle on the stairs.
"Yeah, that's right," Rick agreed, looking at Ani contemplatively as she followed Daryl. "'Cause we have Maggie, Sasha, Abraham, Beth, and Jesus here."
"And Enid," Maggie informed them as the girl came through the door.
"Hey, um-" the girl said as she paused looking at everyone.
"What's wrong?" Maggie and Beth asked at the same time.
"Nothing," she said. "It's just...just come outside."
As everyone left, Daryl held Ani back and asked, "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, why?" she asked, turning to head to the door with Merle and Sophia.
"Ania," Daryl pulled her back and wrapped an arm around her waist to hold her there.
"I'm tired, D. I'm tired a fightin'. Tired a countin'. Tired a carin' 'bout anythin' that's not us or ours. I ain' got the patience for it no more," she admitted with a sigh. "C'mon. Let's go 'fore everyone starts wonderin' where we're at."
Unable to give him the reassurance he needed through words, Ani entwined her fingers with his, catching up to everyone outside as a woman spoke to Maggie, "And I owe my life to you all, twice over. A bunch of us do. Enid says that you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors. Is that true?"
"Yes," Maggie said shortly, the group of people who had gathered at the steps of Barrington house perking up.
"Do you think we can win, that we really could beat them? Us?"
"I do," Maggie told her.
"Well, Enid says you can show us the way," the woman said, confidence and determination written all over her face and in her countenance as she stood, several of the others around them chorusing her words when she was finished. "I'm ready."
"It's a start," Michonne said as the group headed towards the gate after saying goodbye to Maggie and Beth.
"We'll get more," Sasha assured her.
"It still won't be enough," Michonne warned.
"No, it won't," Rosita agreed.
"Well, find the right stuff, maybe we don't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground," Daryl suggested.
"Hell yeah! Light that fuckin' place on fire 'til it's nothin' but ashes in the wind!" Ani agreed.
"You said there weren't just soldiers with the Saviors," Tara said. "That there were workers there."
"Who cares?" Ani asked.
"People didn't have a choice?" Tara said. "That's not you, Ani."
"It is now," she countered.
"We gotta win," Daryl agreed.
"We need more hands," Rick said. "Another group. Negan has outposts. The geography, the distance. It works against us. We gotta get back. If they come lookin' for Daryl and Ani, we need to be there."
"You don't have to get back," Jesus informed them as he held up a walkie. "Not yet. It's one of theirs, long range. We can listen in. Keep track."
"So, if we're not going back, what are we doing, then?" Michonne asked.
Jesus turned to Ani and asked, "You remember how I told you I knew another cat person?"
"And ya wouldn' tell me who," she answered with a smile, figuring out pretty quickly where this conversation was heading.
"I think it's time I introduced you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel."