Gareth's POV

Sadie allowed Jessie to take Alex for a while, while we followed not far behind Daryl as he led everyone through the woods and off of The Saviors' radar…..hopefully, at least.

"Hey…." I finally said, after she'd seemed spaced out for a while.

She gazed at the kid's letter in her head, yet it appeared that she was merely skimming it over, trying to make sense of it.

Quite frankly, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't be thinking the same if everything else hadn't been on my mind at the same time.

"...you good?"

"In a way…" She shrugged, folding the letter back into its envelope as she attempted to refocus her attention. "...just trying to wrap my head around it."

"Well, that much I can see." I chuckled, half teasing.

She smirked at that. "Asshole."

"Don't I know it?" I teased back.

She shoved back, playfully at me, just as something had started rustling in the nearby bushes.

"Walker!" Someone shouted.

"I've got it!" Sasha announced, grabbing out at it.

"I'll cover you!" Sadie offered

Yeah, this is sure to end well.

As soon as she said that, Sasha…..rather conveniently lost her grip on it and practically threw it at her.

I put my own hand over my knife, instinctively, as Sadie shoved it back just long enough to drive her own knife through its skull.

She stomped it down into the ground, out of anger, and scoffed as she set her sights on Sasha this time.

I rushed over to hold her back, just as Daryl rushed toward Sasha.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!" Sadie snapped at her.

"Oh, look who's talking!"

I saved your ass!" Sadie spat back. "OR DON'T YOU- "

"Hey, HEY!" Daryl, this time, interjected. "..Just keep them movin'!"

"Yeah." Sadie mocked as Sasha backed down.

Sasha glared back at her and I stepped between the two of them until she was far enough away.

"You hear them talking on the walkie about Carson and the priest?" I finally asked, changing the subject as Sadie muttered to herself and brushed some dirt off of her.

"Carson and Gabriel." He corrected. "...Yeah. Probably heading to Hilltop, same as us."

"Hopefully better than us." Sadie added, aiming her crossbow to fire at another dead one that was a little farther off. "Coming with?"

"Yes, Ma'am." I teased, following close behind as she went to retrieve her arrow.

"Atta boy." She snickered.

By the time we returned, Sadie had cooled down enough to map out the next course of our trip with Daryl.

I glanced over my shoulder at Alex, who had apparently just decided he'd allowed Jessie to keep him occupied a little too long and was starting to fuss over it.

Jessie just chuckled at that, as she brought him over to me.

"I think he wants his daddy." She said.

"Uh oh." I joked to her. "...don't tell Sadie that."

I smiled back at Alex, as he settled back down when I readjusted him into my arms.

"Don't tell Sadie what?" Sadie asked, looking up from Daryl's map at the mention of her name.

"Not important." I chuckled.

She shook her head at that. "I'll get it out of one of you later."

"We'll see."

She didn't look up again, but I could tell she had probably rolled her eyes at that.

"Alright, now if they're smart, they'll cover all these passes between here and Hilltop." Daryl explained.

Sadie sighed. "Well, we have to keep moving, we'll just have to risk it."

"Maybe you don't have to." Dwight interjected, approaching the two of them.

Sadie put a hand on her knife at the first sound of his voice as she shot her head around to look at him.

I stepped back a little with Alex.

His eyes met hers as he, now more cautiously, walked over to point an area out on the map.

"Negan won't send his people down into this stretch of swamp." He explained. "...n-not if he doesn't have to."

"Yeah?" Sadie asked, still not completely letting her guard down. "...what makes you so sure of that?"

"Well, Negan wanted to map out the best routes with cover from The Sanctuary to Hilltop." He answered. "H-he decided the swamp was too dangerous, not worth the risk."

"Mmhmm.." Sadie cleared her throat. "Now let me know if I've got this straight...Negan….decided that it was too dangerous for his own little goons to wade through, but you, his little right han- excuse me, his former right hand man….doesn't mind having us go…"

Dwight started to say something to that but Sadie cut him off to continue.

"...and that's including two kids!"

"They have us boxed in, Sadie." Theresa pointed out.

"She has a point though." I agreed. "...I mean, do we really trust this guy that much?"

"She does." Some other guy chimed in, I think his name was Tobin. "He could turn on us, like he did on his own people."

"I didn't just turn on 'em." Dwight defended. "I killed 'em...Daryl saw it, Gareth saw it, you saw it…..but one of 'em got away, so if they find me, Negan puts my head on a pike. I'm not workin for them, and I'm not goin back to them. I've chosen my side, this is it…..and after that….well, I know how it ends."

Sadie glared back at him, taking her time deliberating before she finally agreed.

"Fine…." She picked up her crossbow as she stood back up. "...we'll try the swamps, but if this goes south, I'll have your head on a pike!" She scoffed that last part but snickered to herself as Sasha walked past us.

"...or on my dinner plate." She teased under her breath, just loud enough for her to probably hear.

I rolled my eyes but also couldn't help snickering a little to myself at her as Sasha side eyed her, clearly choosing not to humor the remark.

While it didn't completely surprise me that Sadie decided to hang back with the group while Daryl and Sasha went to clear a way through the swamp for the rest of us, especially with Alex becoming more restless again, it was particularly out of character to do so when doing so meant she was passing up a chance to give Sasha even more shit for that stunt she pulled on her with the dead one.

When they had gone, however, I watched as she took the sounds of another dead one in the distance as an excuse to single Dwight out and take him off into that direction.

"You think one of us should follow them?" Theresa asked, apparently reading my mind.

"Not just think." I sighed, gently bouncing Alex as I deliberated. "...here, why don't you take Alex for a bit while I go check on her."

"Sure you don't want back up?" She teased, taking Alex from me as he tried to protest.

"Pretty sure, anyway."I laughed, switching my focus back to Alex.

"Hey, hey, you're fine. Daddy's gonna be right back, I'm just gonna go get mommy, alright?" I tried to reassure him. I smiled back at him and finally got a little bit of a giggle from him before I left."

"That's my boy."

I decided to keep my distance at first, allowing Sadie to handle him as she appeared to be hearing him out…..until she wasn't.

"...doesn't matter." She told him, pulling her knife on him. "You think you're the only one of us who's gotten themself on the wrong side of things? Hmm?" She inched her knife closer to his neck. "You think you're better than us?"

"No…" He answered meekly, the shakiness in his voice giving away just how nervous he really was. "I don't...I know how this ends. I just wanted to help you win first."

"Bullshit!" She nearly growled.

As soon as she did, it was then that I knew that his only saving grace in that moment was the sound of some other Saviors just beyond where they were.

Sadie whipped her head toward them and dragged Dwight off to the side, taking better cover for both of them.

"I'm just saying, they'd be idiots to risk it, is all." One of them said

"Well, at least we can say we checked." Another one replied.

I intended to wait it out, just a while longer, but he decided to take his chances and reveal himself to The Saviors while Sadie watched from her spot.

"Dwight?" The woman asked. "What the hell happened to you? We thought you were dead."

I continued to listen as he made up some lie about how he had to hide out in the woods all night and how he just came from the swamp and hadn't seen any of us, that we were smart enough not to risk it.

I couldn't help but scoff at the thought, right as Sadie had decided to sneak up behind me.

"What are you doing over here?" She asked.

"Jesus!" I blurted out, chuckling a little as I caught my breath.

"Sorry." She chuckled. "Anyway, I thought you were watching Alex."

"Theresa's got him for now, I just wanted to check on you." I explained.

"I saw you chasing him."

"And thought what? That you'd make sure that asshole lives to see another day?"

"Nope…" I answered. "...I just knew you didn't trust him….and I trust you more.

We first, always. Right?"

She smiled at that, as she pulled me closer to kiss me.

"Always." She whispered.