Gareth's POV
As we hopped in the car, with Sadie taking the driver's seat, she appeared to hesitate for a moment before starting up.
I watched as she glanced around outside the car's windows, as if she were keeping an eye out for someone. "What's Up?" I finally asked.
"You still got those pictures I asked for?" She asked.
"Still in my pocket. Why, what's on your mind?"
"Change of plans…." She answered, digging around in one of our bags til she grabbed a small piece of paper with directions drawn out on it.
"...that being?"
"...thaaat I'm thinking now that it's probably best that only one of us goes up to that bitch, Jadis's compound from here. By that, I mean the one of us who won't possibly punch her square in the face on sight for what she pulled."
"Oh, only possibly?" I chuckled. "Feeling generous, are we?"
"Well, only if I don't decide to just stab her in the throat instead."
"Right." I chuckled. "So, you're taking the car and leaving me what? On foot?"
"Very funny, smart ass." She teased, picking her crossbow back up and handing the directions off to me before she hopped back out. "I asked T to ride up on my bike, the one I took from The Sanctuary, in case we needed a back up vehicle. That leaves you taking the car up to see Jadis while I ride the bike after some jackass I just saw taking off back the way we came, probably thinks he's gonna move some guns on up to The Sanctuary, probably why we didn't find them in there."
I crawled my way over to the driver's seat, once she was out. "I see, and you think he won't make it up there with 'em?"
"Not if I catch him first!" She smirked, clearly taking just a little too much amusement at the idea. She patted me on the shoulder before taking off.
"All right, you have fun with that." I teased. "Be safe."
"You too." She called back. "Don't run out of gas or anything."
"Very funny!" I called back after her.
When I finally did arrive at Jadis's junkyard, it was two of her guys who let me in.
The rest of her people were all standing around, forming a circle like they had before, which they led me into.
Much like before too, Jadis then came out from behind two of the others and approached me in the circle.
"Alone?" She asked.
"I am."
She glanced behind me, as if someone else could be coming in behind me without her knowing. Not that Sadie couldn't, if she wanted to of course.
"Where's your leader? Thought you two were a package deal.
"Sadie has other business to attend to, told her I'd spare her the trip….and your face." I added that last bit under my breath.
A woman, who was standing off to her side, appeared to take it as a threat and would've started for me had Jadis not stopped her.
"Pardon?" She asked, rather humorlessly instead.
"Well, she's still pissed about the hand." I reminded her. "Thought better of coming here, herself."
"And you'd like a medal for taking her place?"
"Just the same thing she wanted before." I explained. "A deal."
She nodded. "And you're not?"
"Not….?" I started to question.
"...Said your wife was pissed at what Winslow did to her hand. I shot you."
"You grazed me." I corrected. "I might be if you did shoot me. I'd still be back though?"
"Why?"
"Like I said before, Sadie still wants a deal." I repeated.
"We killed your people." She reminded me.
"Well, we killed some of yours too. We still need you and you need us"
The woman that assumed me a threat before stepped forward again.
"Trick" She told her.
"It's not a trick." I insisted. "Sadie and I could've come together, brought the rest of our people and taken this place. You know we have the numbers. You saw it."
"Still. Alone, you. Need us to save you." She replied.
"Not anymore." I took out the photos from my pocket, shots that Sadie'd had me take with an old Polaroid she'd found, and held them up. "The Saviors are finished. We took down their outposts. Negan and his people are trapped by dead ones, hundreds of them. Until they surrender... or we end them. That's their choice. Now I'm giving one to you. Look, I get it. You take, don't bother. So you took Negan's deal. I'm here to offer a better one. My people will win. Your choice is to forget Negan, switch sides again. And be a part of the next world that Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom will build together. Or... we destroy you."
"Threats and dreams. Dreams and threats." A man, who was standing to her other side, decided to chime in, almost in song.
"Now, my people know I'm here….Sadie knows I'm here." I continued, emphasizing Sadie's role considering that, regardless of what she claimed, she still feared Sadie more than anything else I could've mentioned…...even if only by a little bit.
"..and what they do next depends on what you do right now. Yes or no? What's it gonna be?"
She appeared to deliberate on what I'd said for a moment.
"...No." She finally answered, signaling for the same men from before to lead me away from the scene.
Ohhh, when Sadie hears about this….