The carriage moved down the road while Carol, Mercer, Hornsby, Negan and Maggie sat in silence and Carol looked out the window. She thought back to the sadness in Judith's eyes after she told Judith once again that she and RJ were not going to come with them.
"She hates me," Carol whispered.
"What?" Maggie asked.
"Judith. She hates me. RJ, too."
"Carol, you know we couldn't take them with us," Negan said.
"Don't know why we didn't take the mutt. It could help us find Dixon and his sister," Lance said then he sank down in the seat from the hard look Carol gave him.
Suddenly the walkie-talkie crackled and Mercer removed the walkie-talkie from the holder on his armor.
"Mercer," he said as he pushed the button.
"We just got word from Hilltop," the woman's voice said and Maggie reached for the walkie-talkie.
"This is Maggie. What's happening at Hilltop?" she asked then let go of the button.
"Someone named Lydia called. She said the kids are missing."
Carol, Negan and Maggie looked at each other when Mercer thumped his fist on the carriage and the driver opened the small door.
"Stop!" Mercer said. The carriage stopped while the driver hopped off the driver's seat and he opened the door. They exited the carriage then Mercer walked to the back of the carriage and he looked at the storage container. He could just hear a barking sound then a hushing sounds and he opened the storage container lid.
"Uh, hi," Judith said while she, RJ and Hershel looked at Mercer and Dog made a small whine. Carol, Hornsby, Maggie and Negan walked to Mercer and the kids looked at them.
"How did you get in there without anyone seeing you?" Negan asked, trying hard not to smile.
"We waited until the soldiers left," Hershel said.
"There were supplies in there. How did you get them out?" Maggie asked, giving her son a dark look.
"Uh…," Judith said and Carol sensed she wanted to tell her something in private.
"Let's go," Carol said. After the children and Dog got out of the storage container, Carol and Judith headed out of earshot when she turned Judith toward her and Judith sighed. "Jeb told you to come, didn't he? And he removed the supplies."
"Yeah."
"Did he say why?"
"He told me the four of us going with you was something that had to happen."
Carol was starting to lose faith in Jeb, but keeping things going on the right path was something she was not willing to risk.
"Do you promise to do everything I say?" Carol asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Judith said with a nod of her head and they headed back to the carriage.
"Well," Maggie asked and Carol saw the pleading looks on RJ and Hershel's faces.
"Not sure about Hershel, but Judith, Dog and RJ are going with us," Carol said.
"Why?" Lance asked.
"I have my reasons."
Maggie, Hornsby, Mercer and Negan glanced at each other as Carol led RJ, Judith and Hershel to the carriage and the driver opened the door. Carol made a small whistled and Dog ran to her. She helped Dog and the kids into the carriage as she and Maggie followed them and Hornsby made a small grunt after Negan stopped him from getting in the carriage.
"Move," Mercer said with a growl and Hornsby sighed. They started walking as the carriage headed down the road and Hornsby placed his hands in the pocket of his pants.
Oceanside
The carriage came to a stop near the dock as the driver hopped off the driver's seat and he opened the door. Carol, Maggie, RJ, Judith, Hershel and Dog exited the carriage and Mercer looked at the ship near the dock.
"Do you think this is the Blue Dolphin?" Mercer asked.
"Well, seeing how he's here, I would say yes," Lance said as he pointed to Mike Frazer, who was talking to a member of the crew.
"Let's go," Carol said.
They walked to Mike as he turned to look at them and he frowned after he saw RJ, Hershel, Judith and Dog.
"You're bringing kids on a rescue mission?" Mike asked.
"These kids know how to take care of themselves," Carol said.
"And the mutt?"
Mike's eyes widened from the dark look Carol gave him and he cleared his throat.
"He's going with us as well," Carol said and Mike nodded.
"Well, we're almost refueled. Why don't you get your gear and go onboard?" Mike suggested and Carol nodded. She headed for the others while Mercer looked at Mike then at her and Carol stood next to Judith.
"What did he say?" Mercer asked.
"He said the ship's almost refueled and we should get our gear and go onboard," Carol said.
"And he'll let us take the kids and Dog?" Negan asked.
"Yeah."
"Then let's go," Maggie said.
They headed for the carriage when they removed the backpacks from the storage container then headed for the ship. Judith, Dog and RJ stayed close to Carol while Hershel stayed closed to Maggie and they walked to the gangplank.
The Blue Dolphin was painted on the side of the ship in black paint and an animated, blue dolphin was painted on the wheelhouse wall.
"Mike said I'm supposed to take you below," Dawson said after they walked up the gangplank and Carol gave a suspicious look.
"We'll stay up here," Mercer said. Dawson glanced at Mercer then nodded his head and Dawson walked away.
"How long do you think it will take for us to get to France?" Negan asked.
"Not sure," Carol said while Mike walked up the gangplank and the crewmate pushed the button to raise the gangplank after Mike headed for Carol.
"Why are you still up here?" Mike asked.
"Wasn't sure if you were going to take us to our rooms or to a holding cell," Carol said.
"You really think I would risk my life and the lives of my crew by doing something other than what we agreed to? I'm not Trask. You can trust me."
"We'll see," Mercer said.
Mike nodded when he pointed with his hands toward the door leading below deck and they headed for the door. He opened the door as they went down the stairs and he led them down the hallway. He stopped at the first door when he opened the door and Carol saw the bunkbeds, a small table and chairs and two lockers.
"Mercer and I'll stay in here," Negan said. He and Mercer headed in the room while Mike led Carol, Maggie, Dog and the kids across the hall and he opened the door. He opened the door when they saw the bunkbeds, a small table and chairs and some lockers.
"This is your room," Mike said.
"Where is the bathroom?" RJ asked.
"It's right down there, Sheriff," Mike said with a grin as he pointed to the doorway down the hall and RJ arched up Rick's sheriff hat.
"Thank you," Carol said. Mike nodded as he headed down the hallway and they walked in the room. They started unpacking while Dog hopped onto one of the bunks and Negan and Mercer appeared in the hallway.
"Now what?" Negan asked.
"We go above deck," Carol said and they left the room. They walked down the hallway then up the stairs and headed outside. They walked to the railing when they felt the ship moving and Carol placed her hands on the railing. She saw the large seagull sitting on top of the command center when the large seagull flew into the air and Carol curled her fingers into fists.
"I don't care what you are. If anything happens to us, the crew, the kids and Dog or if anything more happens to Daryl and Caroline, I will find a way to destroy you," Carol whispered and the large seagull flew toward the trees.
Notre-Dame Cathedral
Caroline placed the fingerless gloves on then adjusted the strap of the crossbow when she headed for the front doors and Daryl watched her walking closer. He felt the sadness and anger coming from his sister as she stopped in front of him and he slid the strap of the crossbow over his right shoulder.
When they woke up, neither Murphy nor Connor were there and no one would tell her where they went.
"Ready?" Daryl asked. Caroline barely looked at him as she nodded her head and they walked to the door. The guard opened the door while Daryl and Caroline walked outside and Daryl saw the car parked at the bottom of the stairs. Katherine and Connor stood by the car while Murphy sat on the trunk lid and Murphy hopped off the trunk lid then he ran up the stairs.
"About time," he teased while reaching for Caroline's backpack and crossbow, but she backed up.
"Fuck off," she grumbled and headed down the stairs.
Murphy looked confused as he blinked his eyes a few times then he looked at Daryl.
"What did you expect?" Daryl asked as he headed after his sister and Murphy followed him.
"Uh, I expect her t'be happy," Murphy said and Daryl stopped.
"Happy?! You broke her heart! Again!"
"No, I didn't."
"You're lettin' her go!"
"No, I'm not!" Murphy shouted and Caroline stopped, turned and walked back up the stairs.
"You're not what?!" she demanded.
"I am not lettin' you go," he said as he moved closer and her right hand slowly moved to the handle of the knife in the holder on her right hip. "Why are you doin' that? I ain't gonna hurt you."
"Damn right, you ain't," Daryl said as he walked closer and had the crossbow pointed at him.
Connor and Katherine ran up the stairs as Connor looked from Daryl to Caroline to Murphy and he frowned. He signaled for the guards, who had their rifles pointed at Daryl and Caroline, to stand down and the guards lowered their rifles.
"What's wrong?" Connor asked.
"How th'hell should I know," Murphy said with a shrug of his shoulders.
Daryl lowered the crossbow then he and Caroline headed down the stairs as he walked to the back of the car and he found the trunk was unlocked. He opened the trunk lid when he saw three backpacks, some sleeping bags and a large tent roll.
"What the hell?" Daryl whispered.
Murphy, Connor and Katherine headed for the car when Murphy lightly tapped Caroline's left shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. He pointed for her to follow him as they walked a short distance away from the car and he slid her head in his hands.
"Murphy…," she started and he placed his right index finger against her lips.
"Did you really think I was gonna lose you fer th'third time?" Murphy asked with a small cracked to his voice. She saw the tears in his eyes and she felt guilt moving through her.
"You weren't there when I woke up," she said against his finger.
"What?" he asked as he moved his finger away.
"You weren't there when I woke up."
"That was because Connor and I had thing's t'do before our trip t'Barcelona."
"Why didn't you wake me up and tell me? I thought..."
"I get what you thought. Th'reason I didn't wake you up was because you look so damn cute when you're asleep," he said with a grin and a blush moved over her cheeks.
"The thing is, even though we know where we're goin', we don't know who the researcher Du Monte told us about is or how long we're gonna be gone."
"Doesn't matter," he said with a shake of his head. "You might not believe me, but Connor and I have been tryin' t'find an excuse t'get th'hell outta here."
"You have?"
"Yeah. See… All this…," he said as he waved his right hand toward the cathedral. "It's not us. We're not leaders. We're…"
"I know what you are," she teased and he smiled then kissed the tip of her nose.
"Then it's ok fer us t'come with you?"
"Who's gonna run things while you're gone?" Katherine?"
"Nope."
"She's goin' with us, too?"
"Yep."
"She is yer doctor."
"She's one of 'em."
"Caroline!" Daryl called out and she looked at him.
"Caroline?" Murphy asked. She took hold of his right hand while they walked back to the car and Daryl glared at Murphy.
"Well, are we goin' or not?" Connor asked while leaning against the side of the car.
"There ain't no we," Daryl said.
"Yeah, there is," Caroline said and he gave her a confused look.
"Let's put it this way. You finally gave us a reason t'get th'hell outta here," Connor said as he looked at Daryl.
"The two of you really wanna go?" Daryl asked and Connor and Murphy nodded. "How long will it take to get to the train depot?"
"By car? About three hours," Murphy said.
"Let's go."
Daryl and Caroline placed the backpacks in the trunk of the car as Connor closed the trunk lid and they went to get in the car. Daryl and Connor got in the front while Caroline, Murphy and Katherine got in the back and they closed the doors.
"Has everyone been to th'toilet? If you haven't, you better go now. I ain't makin' any pitstops," Connor teased and they rolled their eyes.
"Uh…," Murphy said as he quickly got out of the car and ran up the stairs. Caroline laughed as Katherine smiled and Connor strummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Murphy returned a few minutes later as he got in the car and closed the door.
"Did you wash your hands?" Katherine asked and he nodded.
"Daryl, there're some CDs in th'glove compartment," Connor said and Daryl opened the glove compartment. He saw the CD cases when his mind flashbacked to the car trip he went on with Rick and Daryl sighed.
"Are they singin' in English?" Daryl asked.
"Yeah. Brought 'em over with us after we left Philadelphia."
"Are you sure the CDs will play?"
"Yeah. It's a multi-region player."
Daryl looked at the CD cases and he removed one of the CDs. He placed the CD in the slot then turned on the CD player and pushed the Play button. Music filled the car as Connor smiled and Daryl placed the CD case in the glove compartment.
"Didn't take you as an Elvis fan," Connor said.
"Mom used to play his stuff when she was alive," Daryl said.
"Dad loved Elvis, too," Caroline said. Daryl knew she meant Thomas and she leaned against Murphy while the car headed down the road.
The Blue Dolphin
Mike Frazer sat at the head of the table in the canteen while Carol, Maggie, Negan, Mercer, RJ, Hershel and Judith sat at either side of the table and Dog was sitting next to Carol.
"Are we on course?" Carol asked as she glanced at Mike.
"Yeah," Mike said and he took a long sip of wine.
"Are you sure it's safe to eat this?" Negan asked as he looked at the food.
"Yeah."
"If you try to drug us, all of you are dead men," Mercer warned while he picked at the food on his plate.
"I swear we are not gona do anything to you," Mike said with a growl.
Mercer stood and walked to Dawson. Dawson looked up at him then he looked at the plate of food in Mercer's hands.
"Mike?" Dawson asked.
"Eat it," Mike said.
Sighing, Dawson took the plate from Mercer then he started eating and Mercer waited for him to finish.
"See. Nothing wrong with it," Mike said.
"Seeing how we don't know what you might have used, I'll wait and see if he passes out," Mercer said, looking at Dawson.
"Dude, do you really think we wanna die?" one of the crewmates asked.
"Do you?"
"This guy's nuts," one of the other crewmates said.
"This guy also has a very big knife," Mercer warned and he placed his hand on the handle of the knife on his belt.
They waited for a few minutes, but Dawson didn't pass out and Mercer walked back to the table. Sitting down, Mercer reached over to take Mike's plate and Mike glared at him.
"Can we eat now?" Hershel asked, looking at Maggie.
"Yeah," Maggie said with a smile.
They started eating while Dog ate the food in the metal bowl and Mercer glanced over at Dawson from time-to-time.
After they finished their meals, they left the canteen and Carol headed up the stairs to the deck. She walked to the railing while the sunlight shimmered on the water and she placed her hands on the railing. She looked up at the clouds as she blinked the tears out of her eyes and she made a deep sigh.
"Daryl," she whispered then she wiped the tears out of her eyes with the back of her right hand.
France
The storage car lightly rocked back and forth while the train heading down the track and Daryl, Caroline, Katherine, Murphy and Connor sat in the storage car. The dim light of the overhead light cast shadows on the walls and the sleeping bags were spread out on the floor. The backpacks and tent roll were against the storage crates and they had eaten some of the food Katherine had packed.
"When do you think we'll get to Barcelona?" Daryl asked as he looked at Connor.
"Hopefully before nightfall," Connor said.
"If we don't get there before nightfall?"
"Then th'train'll stop fer th'night. These cars are reenforced t'protect us from Macabre."
The storage car became quiet as Caroline got to her feet and Murphy watched her head for some of the storage crates. He got to his feet as he followed her and Connor and Daryl looked at each other. Connor knew Daryl wanted to go see what was wrong, but Connor shook his head and Daryl sighed, pulling his legs up.
Caroline went behind some storage crates while Murphy followed her and she leaned against one of the storage crates, crossing one ankle over the other. Murphy swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved closer and he gently placed his right hand on her left shoulder.
"Look at me," Murphy said in a soft voice. Caroline turned to face him as the storage car lightly rocked and she could just see the light in his eyes. "I was gonna go with you."
"What?" she asked.
"I was gonna go with you. Even if Connor wasn't," he said then placed his right index finger against her lips. "No, I didn't pick you over him. See, he always told me we weren't joined at the hip. That there was gonna come a time when we were gonna go our separate ways. The thing is nothin' ever came along to separate us. Not even when you showed up. Hell, he wanted t'get another mattress so you could move in with us. Told him we didn't need it because you'd be sleepin' with me."
Caroline felt the burn of a blush moving across her cheeks and he moved his finger away.
"What I am tryin' t'say is where you go, I go. No argument," he said then he kissed her lips. Caroline closed her eyes as she deepened the kiss and Murphy pulled her against him. Her hands pressed against his chest as they moved back and he could just see the light shining in her eyes.
"Murphy!" Connor called out and Murphy growled.
"What?!"
"Here!"
They watched while two sleeping bags were tossed over the top of the storage crates and landed on the floor. Caroline placed her face against Murphy's shoulder as he softly laughed and shook his head.
"Thanks!" Murphy called out. He moved back then started to set up the sleeping bags on the floor and Caroline crossed her arms over her stomach. He walked closer when he held out his left hand and she slid her right hand into his hand.
Connor and Daryl felt Murphy and Caroline close the bond and Connor gave Daryl an amused look.
Behind the storage crates, Murphy helped Caroline undressed when he moved his fingers over the scar on her right shoulder and she shivered. His mind replayed the day she had been shot and he softly kissed the scar.
Caroline started undressing Murphy when she moved her fingers over the tattoo in his chest and he placed the palm of her hand on the center of his chest. She felt the rise and fall of his breathing as he leaned in for a kiss and she moved back.
"What's wrong?" Murphy asked.
"Just thinkin' about the first time I touched you," she said and he could barely see her blushing.
"You were so nervous."
"Now, I feel guilty."
"Why?"
"Jeanie."
"Oh."
"I never thought I'd be the other woman in a relationship."
Murphy heard the sorrow in her voice as he moved his hands over her shoulders and she sighed.
"You're good at knowin' when I'm bullshitin' you, right?" he asked and she nodded. "Well, so was Jeanie. Before she died, she asked if I still loved you. I told her I did. She asked if I loved her. I told her I did, but it was different than the way I love you. She then asked if I regretted marryin' her. I told her I didn't. She gave me a sad smile and said if I ever found you again, you better treat me as good as she did or she would haunt yer ass."
Caroline remembered him telling her the same thing and heard the truth in his words. She made a small giggle and she kissed him then she looked at the sleeping bags. She led him to the sleeping bags when she stretched out on them and Murphy crawled on top of her. Smiling, she reached up for him and Murphy leaned down, kissing her lips.
Hilltop
Lydia sat at the radio table while she sat back in the chair and frowned. Search parties had been out looking for Hershel, RJ, Dog and Judith, but they haven't found any sign of them. She had contacted the Commonwealth and Ezekiel assured her he would send some soldiers out to help them look.
"Hilltop, this is Oceanside," startled her as Lydia picked up the microphone and pushed the button.
"This is Hilltop," Lydia said then let go of the button.
"Who am I talking to?"
"Lydia."
"Hey, Lydia. This is Martins."
"Look, I can't talk right now. We have some missing kids and…"
"That's what I'm calling you about."
"You found them?!"
"Yeah. Turns out they had hidden themselves in the storage container of the carriage that brought Mercer and his rescue party to Oceanside."
"How were they able to do that?"
"According to Mercer, they waited for the soldiers to leave then they climbed inside."
"Are you sending them back?"
"Uh… That's another reason why I'm calling. Looks like the kids went with the search party."
"Wait! What?! Who approved that?!"
"He did."
"Thanks for telling me. Have you called the Commonwealth? The Governor sent out soldiers to look for them."
"Yeah. I did that just before I called you."
"Ok," Lydia said as she ended the call when she got up, walked to the window and looked outside. She knew Maggie and Carol would take care of the kids, but she also knew who was on guard duty when the kids hid in the storage container and she stormed out of the room.
Barcelona, Spain
The train had come to a stop for the night then restarted their journey in the morning. A short time later, the train arrived at the depot as Caroline, Daryl, Katherine, Connor and Murphy left the storage car and they adjusted the straps on the backpacks, sleeping bags, tent roll and the crossbows.
"Got any idea where we're goin'?" Daryl asked.
"Guess we'll head for the city and see if anyone can tell us where the laboratory Du Monte mentioned in his letter is or if they know who used to work there," Katherine said.
"How do we get to the city?" Caroline asked.
"Thought you'd never ask," Connor said.
They watched him walk to the flat bed car when he climbed up the ladder and walked to what was sitting under the tarps. They walked to the flat bed car as he moved the tarps back and Daryl and Caroline smiled when they saw three motorcycles.
"No way," Daryl and Caroline said at the same time.
Connor moved back as they climbed the ladder and inspected the motorcycles. They moved the motorcycles down the ramps as they loaded the backpacks, sleeping bags, tent roll and crossbows on the back of the motorcycles and got on the motorcycles. Daryl, Connor and Caroline started the motorcycles as Katherine and Murphy held onto Connor and Caroline and the motorcycles headed down the road.