Copyright: The church scene is from the episode 12, season 6, 'Not tomorrow yet', AMC. Not mine.
I don't own TWD or any of the characters; only my OC's. Sorry for any grammar mistake, enjoy!
The spring and the summer were spent in relative calm for Amelie. She wasn't able to find the previous place she had stayed in, but the girl's steps led her to a small farmhouse near a river. She had to kill a few walkers to clear the spot, but it was worth it. The house was in good condition and there were even a few cans left in the basement. The forest around and the river were providing enough food… better, there was an old garden; it was in poor state, but a few vegetables were growing in nonetheless.
At the end of June, she was coming back from a hunt and that's when she saw it: there was a man sitting on the porch stairs. Amelie had stopped dead in her tracks, leery and a bit scared. However, the stranger was calmly sitting there and she couldn't see any gun on him. Cautiously, she had approached the house she had claimed for herself.
He was obviously waiting for her…it meant he had watched her or someone else did.
As soon as his eyes landed on her, he spoke: '' You don't need to be afraid; I only came to talk. ''
Amelie had eyed him: the stranger was probably in his early to mid thirties; he wore a thick, trimmed beard and was casually dressed. The young woman deposed the rabbits she had caught and clenched her daggers as she walked closer. When a few meters separated them, she stopped.
'' You came to talk, so talk.'' She said flatly.
The man stared at her: '' My name is Pascal. Two of my men saw you hunting a few days ago in the woods… We thought you were with other people, you know, but when they followed you back here they saw you were alone. ''
She had been followed and she hadn't noticed?! Amelie scowled and pulled out her right dagger: '' Your men?''
Pascal raised his hands to appease her: '' Calm down; I came here alone and as I already told you, you have nothing to fear. When my men saw you were alone we thought it would be a good idea to take you back with us. You know people don't do so well alone these days; safety in numbers.'' He explained.
She narrowed her eyes at him: '' you say your men…are you their boss or something? Who is 'us'? Where are you all? How many? ''
The man chuckled: '' I'm kind of their leader…we are a group of 37 men and women and three children. We're a few kilometers from here in the small town nearby; we cleared a few blocks for ourselves. ''
Pascal rose and she took a few steps back; the man was massive and it reminded her of Negan. Amelie drew out her other blade: '' Don't come any closer.'' She growled.
Slowly, he sat back down; he made a sad face: '' I see you've been through some problems… I didn't come here to hurt you; none of us will. The truth is we were afraid of you…but now I see we worried for nothing. '' He rubbed his beard: '' Listen, you know it's safer to be in a group… I'm offering you to come with me and see for yourself if you'd like to live with us. We can always use someone resourceful like you.''
Feeling stupid and ashamed of her behavior, she sheathed her weapons: '' You listen mister: I've been, indeed, through some problems and they involve a group too. I'm not going to accompany you back to your place. You came to verify I wasn't some psycho; I'm not. Your people are safe; I don't kill humans without reason. I hunt and fish to eat and sleep in the house behind you. Now, I have hares to prepare for diner, so goodbye.''
Pascal looked at her with astonished eyes and watched her go toward the shed behind the house. Amelie rolled her eyes when he followed behind her: '' I-you're sure?'' he questioned.
'' Did I sound hesitating to you?'' She said flatly.
'' No, but-''
'' -then stop insisting: I'm not going with you. Now, I bet you have some stuff to do; go do it. Your people must be counting on you.''
'' You're rude.''
She realized it was true. She hadn't been like that to go in Alexandria…but things had been different: she had urgently needed a place to stay for the winter. The girl turned to him: '' I'm sorry…but…''
He pulled that sad face again: '' I get it; you don't trust me. It's alright. Well, goodnight.''
Pascal had left on this.
A few days after, she had received a basket full of cans on her porch. There wasn't a sign of these people again until mid July. Pascal came once more to try to convince her to go with him. This time she did, just by curiosity.
His group had indeed cleared a few streets and put walls around them. They stayed in the houses there…there was even a water pump installed, probably a historical vestige still functioning. Amelie had shyly saluted his people as Pascal presented her to them. They appeared to be kind enough and things looked like they were working. She did not remain there, but decided to visit once in a while.
They kept placing gifts on her porch; one of their women even paid her a visit. The young woman had to admit it: they were kind and good intentioned. They often tried to sweet talk her into staying with them for the winter, but she refused. Winters were too harsh here and now that she had seen what the season was like in the South, she didn't want to experience it in Canada anymore.
In the middle of September, she started to prepare for her travel to Alexandria. She was getting provision out in the kitchen when she heard someone walking toward her from behind: '' You're truly leaving, aren't you?''
Pascal.
'' Yes; I didn't hide that fact.''
She heard him sigh then say: '' Think fast!''
Amelie turned in time to catch a car's keys; she looked at it then at Pascal, confused.
The bearded man shrugged:'' Your destination is far… this might help. ''
'' Thank you…it's not one of your cars, I hope?''
'' No…we repaired this one for you. I knew we wouldn't convince you to stay…the least we can do is to help you. ''
The girl stared at him, grateful: '' I really appreciate. I will come back here in April...this time, I will live with you all.''
Pascal grinned: '' Oh? So we deserve your trust now?''
She nodded.
'' Well…be safe on the road. We'll wait for you when spring comes.'' He told her gently.
Amelie lightly bowed her head and the man left.
Xxxxxx
*27th of September, 2015*
'' I would tell you that I'm happy to see you, but it would be a lie.'' The man told her from where he stood on the walls.
''Same here, Grimes.'' She grumbled.
Amelie waited for him to ordered Sasha to open the gate and once it was done, she entered the town. She slowly drove and parked her car where it wouldn't bother anyone and got out of the vehicle.
'' Nice car, Canadian.''
The girl smiled at Abraham: '' Still alive? '' she joked.
'' As if something could kill me! Come here!''
The man hugged her and finally ruffled her hair: '' we have so much to talk about-''
''- But I will speak with her first.''
They spun around to see Rick walking toward them. Abraham nodded to him: '' As you wish Chief! I'll see you around Canada.''
Amelie eyed the leader; if Rick wanted to speak with her alone it wasn't good. The girl stood with her backpack on her shoulders, waiting.
'' Leave your things here, we'll walk around.'' He ordered in a gruff tone.
Without letting him out of her sight, she deposed her things.
'' What is it, Grimes?'' She said after a few steps.
'' Things happened here while you were gone.''
She raised a brow: '' With you being partly in charge, I'm not surprised.'' She taunted even though she knew he was a good leader.
The man grumbled: '' I'm serious. You- you were right about the others…we were attacked.''
Her eyes widened as fear filled them: '' You were?''
Rick sighed deeply: '' Yeah… And as we told you, we've beaten them.''
The girl frowned; it wasn't possible… '' You did?''
'' Yes we did…those freaks were calling themselves Wolves; they even had ' W's' scars on their foreheads…''
Wolves? They fought and it was not even with who she thought.
''… We won, but we have suffered many losses…that's what I wanted to talk about with you.''
The young woman scowled and stopped dead in her tracks as she understood: '' Who died, Rick?''
The man rubbed the back of his neck: '' Deanna.''
No…
'' What happened?''
'' After the attack, walkers came in and she was bitten… but she had enough time to tell us her last wishes… She spoke with Michonne… ''
Amelie looked down: '' And?''
'' Deanna wanted me to welcome you here; to accept you as a member of this community. ''
The girl glanced back up at the man, a glint of uncertainty in her eyes.
Rick rolled his eyes: '' Don't look at me like that; Abraham would kick my ass if I throw you out…But I'm keeping an eye on you. I'm in charge now: don't make me regret welcoming you back here '' He said as he started to walk away.
Well…this was not how she had imagined her return to Alexandria.
Xxxxxx
*The day after*
She was sitting on Abraham's veranda and the man was talking her ear off. He told her everything that had happened in her absence. The huge herd, the Wolves…
'' …and then there was that fight, but Daryl, Sasha and I were out- Oh! Speaking of that; we met another group of freaks on the road!''
Amelie cocked her head: '' yeah? What were they like?''
'' You should have seen it: they were all on motorcycles…''
The girl frowned.
'' …Telling us to give them our shit…''
Gulping loudly, she began to hear her own heart beat.
''…that our stuff belonged to that guy; Negan.''
Her eyes widened and her chest constricted painfully.
Abraham watched her reaction and stopped talking: '' Amelie? Are you alright? ''
She stared at nothing, her mind going 200 miles per hour: '' What happened to those men?''.
The ginger hesitated and said slowly: '' Well…they wouldn't let us pass…Daryl exploded them with a bazooka.''
No…No…No…
Simply using her voice was difficult: '' When ?'' the girl murmured quietly
''Amelie…you're really freaking me out now…what's going on?''
''Answer the question.''
''I don't know…about three weeks ago.''
Her heart completely stopped and her blood froze in her veins. The young woman jumped to her feet and sprinted toward Rick's house.
Abraham wasn't far behind her, shouting: '' The fuck?! Canada! ''
She made a sharp turn, sliding on one knee on the gravel of the street. Once arrived to the leader's home, Amelie jumped over the front stairs and enter the house without even knocking.
'' Grimes! RICK!'' she yelled from the living room.
Michonne's head appeared from the kitchen: '' Amelie? What are you doing here? ''
She did not have time to respond that she heard Rick's booming voice: '' What are you doing in my home? I didn-''
Abraham entered the room behind her, confusing the couple living here even more.
'' It's urgent, Grimes: I need to speak to you!''
The man questioned the ginger with his eyes, but this one shrugged. Rick sighed: '' we'll go in the dining room.''
They all sat there; even Rick's baby was present, sitting in Michonne's laps.
'' What's happening?'' the leader demanded on a clipped tone.
Abraham was the first to talk: '' we were chatting when I told her about the motorcycle guys me met some time ago; she freaked out and ran here.''
She glared at the redhead: '' Rick… you need to move your people.''
He raised a brow at her: '' Move my people as in going somewhere else?''
Amelie nodded frenetically.
Her only friend was watching her closely: '' You know something about these men…don't you?''
Rick and Michonne's expression became hard and she banged her forehead against the table.
'' We're not moving from here Amelie. We already fought for this place we'll do it again. ''
The girl wanted to tell them everything, but she knew it could place her in a precarious situation. She also feared that he would ask for the Sanctuary's emplacement and she knew that if she tells him, he would go there…and he would die, bringing down with him many people.
She raised her head: '' Listen Grimes; when I told you this winter that perhaps you were in danger, I wasn't talking about the guys with the W's on their faces. ''
The man narrowed his eyes at her: '' You were talking about them.''
The young woman nodded.
The samurai lady was staring at her and for the first time in her life, she felt intimidated by a woman: '' These men…they are dangerous aren't they? How do you know of them?''
The question she absolutely did not want to answer. ''We…briefly crossed path, almost two years ago.'' She muttered.
That wasn't such a bad half lie, but nowhere near the full truth.
'' That's all?'' Rick asked.
She nodded, not trusting her voice.
'' If you crossed path with them as you say and that you're here now, alive and healthy, they must not be that bad or dangerous.''
That man was stubborn, damn it.
'' Grimes, you must-'' She began.
The leader rose, interrupting her: ''- no. I heard enough. If they attack us, we'll defend ourselves. Now, go.''
She pleaded with her eyes, but apparently, the conversation was over. Abraham rose and placed a hand on her shoulder: '' Come, we'll get diner.'' He said gently.
As they walked in the streets of Alexandria, her ginger friend noticed how low her mood was: '' We're strong, Canada; you have nothing to fear.''
You think you're strong. You have fought and never lost. You haven't met your match yet… this time, you won't win. People will die.
That's what she wanted to shout at him. When she remained silent, he poked her ribs: '' Why don't you tell me how you came to meet them?''
She hesitated; she just told them they had briefly crossed path… She would need to keep her story short.
'' I was shot, they found me…Once I was healed enough I left.'' The girl said, half lying.
'' You were shot? What happened? Can I see!?'' He exclaimed.
She shook her head: ''I- I don't want to talk about it, but I can show you.''
Amelie unzipped her vest and slid the collar of her long sleeved shirt down her left shoulder, revealing her collarbone and the ugly scar under it.
Abraham stared at it, amazed: '' This, is so badass! Cool.''
She rolled her eyes; there was only him to think so.
Xxxxxx
*A month later, 28th of October 2015.''
'' You will come with us.''
She stubbornly refused to look at him and growled: '' No.''
Grimes reached out to grab her collar, but she caught his wrist in a tight grip. They had a stare conquest and he finally grinded out: '' You are coming to Hilltop with us. You're a good fighter and tracker, I want you with us.''
She tightened her hand around his wrist, cutting off the circulation and warning the man: '' I am not coming with you guys, I'm sorry.''
He abruptly escaped her grip and snarled: '' Why?''
'' I can't.''
Oh no…she could not go there, not ever. They would recognize her immediately; she hadn't changed a bit since she had been there. The girl knew she would not go unnoticed; she was tall, still had the sides of her head braided and her long ponytail. She was clad in leather here and there and was carrying long daggers. It was kind of hard to forget. Her presence only would be enough to give a few members of Hilltop a heart attack. Gregory would surely have an aneurism or something at her sight. Not that she cared much about the man.
Grimes growled and said: '' Night duty for you on the walls for a whole month.''
This was really unfair, but it was better than to go to Hilltop. She sighed and nodded. On this, he left her where she was at the gates; she had been ready to go out hunting.
The fact that the Alexandrians were going to Hilltop was alright; the subject of Negan would certainly come on the table. Hilltop would warn them, maybe scare them a little bit and then perhaps Rick would listen to her.
Her shoulders slumped a little bit; everything could only go up from now on.
Xxxxxx
''… in that kind of fight, low on food we could lose. This is the only way to be sure, as sure as we can get that we win. We have to win. We do this for the Hilltop; it's how we keep this place, it's how we feed this place. This needs to be a group decision; anybody objects? Here's the chance to say your piece.''
No one moved for a few seconds then Amelie and Morgan rose at the same time: she indicated to him to go first. Everyone looked at them. Morgan voiced his concerns; he wanted to bargain with them instead of fighting.
Noble of him, but useless in this case. She was glad he didn't want to fight, though.
Rick stared at her knowingly: '' Amelie…do you think the Saviors would bargain, would back off without a fight? ''
Silently, she shook her head. '' Grimes…they won't accept deals…but fighting is not the solution.''
Morgan nodded at her, grateful.
'' What do you propose we do? ''
'' I already told you; move far away from here.''
People began to shout and yell, indignant at her answer. Rick calmed them down: '' You see that it's not possible. We'll vote; those who wants to move, raise your hand.''
Amelie watched with sad eyes as everyone kept their arms down, but Morgan and her.
'' It's settled then.''
A/N: thanks to the reviewers! :D it's really encouraging and chapter 15 is already almost done!