Chapter 161-No regrets

Eugene's P.O.V

Eugene and Jerry stare at the woman, who just stood there smiling at them, all in pink. "Hello," Eugene says. He looks at Jerry who just shrugs his shoulders. "I'm Eugene and this is Jerry. What is your name?"

"I'm Juanita Sanchez, but I never liked the name Juanita, you can call me Princess!" Princess beamed happily.

"Why Princess?" Eugene narrowed his eyes.

"Because Queen makes me sound old and pretentious," Princess says.

"Are the displays yours?" Jerry pointed around.

"Yeah!" Princess says with a grin. "There aren't many rotters left in the city and they make it feel more alive. But now that I'm talking to real people for the first time in over a year I don't—" She froze and pointed at them. "Wait hold up, you are real right?"

"Is that a joke?" Jerry warily asked.

"I dunno. I've never hallucinated but there is a first time for everything!" Princess says as she stares at them.

"I promise you, we are real," Eugene says, already feeling a headache come on. "You've been here alone for a year?"

"Yeah, it sucked," Princess says. "But now you're here, I can show you some great places, you need supplies, I got it. I know a place that we can swing over to, a few blocks from here!" She says with a smile.

"We appreciate the hospitality but we cannot." Eugene shook his head.

"Oh," Princess says, her voice filled with disappointment.

"We're on a mission, and sorta a time table," Jerry says.

"Ohh! What kind a mission?" Princess perked up.

"To save the people we love, they have an enemy at the gates and time is of the essence," Eugene explained. "Do you know how we can get our car through the city?"

"Yes, I do! I know the fastest way through the city. Maybe if I show you, you'll let me come with?" Princess asks.

Jerry and Eugene look at each other. "Let us speak with our comrades," Eugene says as they walk back towards the truck.

"What do you think?" Jerry asks.

"She seems a little crazy." Frankie pointed out. Eugene looks out the window at Princess who just smiles and waves.

"No more than Negan." Eugene says.

"Really? That's your bar?" Jerry asks Eugene who shrugs and nods. "She could have attacked us. That gun would have ripped through this car but she didn't. We don't know this city, she does, we should use that."

"If she tries anything, we'll be able to stop her." Clinton reasons.

"Very well," Eugene says as he walks towards her. "You show us through the city and you can come with us."

"Really?! Awesome, alright!" Princess says as she comes towards them, climbing into the truck, already chatting up a storm, and start to drive.

Daryl's P.O.V

The next day

Daryl walked outside and around Barrington house to where Hershel was standing in front of his father's grave. "We've talked enough," Hershel mumbled, not looking away from the grave.

"No, we haven't," Daryl says. "I might die tonight or tomorrow." He says making the child look at him. "So I have something to say."

Hershel just stared, then seemed to huff "What?"

"I'm sorry," Daryl says. "I'm sorry, Hershel, your Dad is dead because of me, I'll never forgive myself for that, I loved your Dad, he was one of my best friends, he was a brother to me. If I could go back and let Negan kill me,I would but I can't. I can't fix what happened, and I know I'll never make up for it. So, I'm sorry, for all of it but I wanna make this clear, I'm not sorry for letting Negan out of that cell, that's a decision I'll never regret. Hate me if you want, but I needed you to know that." Daryl says before he walks away from the child who stares at him as he walks away.

Alden's P.O.V

Alden watched Connie as she talked with Kelly. "You're on the front lines," Alicia says as she walks up to him. "Right beside me."

"I feel better already." Alden smiled and Alicia smiled back then looked to where he was looking, his face growing uneasy as she turned back to him with a grin.

"You like her?" Alicia asks him.

"...Yeah." Alden almost embarrassed stated.

"Make sure she knows that we might die tonight, Alden. You deserve to be happy if we live and I know Luciana would want that for you." Alicia tells him. "Like Rick said, don't have any regrets."

Alden nods as Alicia walks away, then looks at Connie again. He stands up walks over to her and taps her shoulder making her look at him. "Can I talk to you?" Alden signs.

Connie nods as she follows him, leading her away from the others. He points at Connie's note pad and she hands it to him. "I like you." He writes and shows it to Connie. He then hands her the pad. "I don't want any regrets."

Connie smiles as she kisses him. After she pulls back she writes something down and shows it to Alden. "Neither do I."

Then Alden heard a whistle and saw Luke from the trench nearby giving a thumbs up, Yumiko hitting him and getting him back to work.

Seeing what he saw, Connie just smiled, holding Alden's hand

Alpha's P.O.V

Deep in the woods, Alpha walked up to Beta as came from the recent gathering, instinctively bowing his head to her. "Are we prepared, my Beta?" Alpha asks.

"Yes, my Alpha. We will leave in an hour," Beta tells Alpha who nods.

"Good. Tell the Pack to prepare." And she left to the woods, to her resting area, feeling her wounds healed over to gather her things and weapons.

"You have realized that I was right?" Alpha spins around and looks at Nick Clark who stands behind her.

"GO AWAY!" She shouts angrily.

"You have," Nick says as he walks closer. "I told you in that barn, you're fucking with the wrong people, you should have listened, you should have never come back, but you're an idiot so of course you would. I mean you're delivering yourself to my family. Do you remember what I told you?" Nick asks, he was now right in her face. "My Mother and sister will tear you limb from limb. My wife and brother-in-law will kill your people and make them scream, are you prepared to hear those screams, Alpha? Even Beta will scream, he already lost to Daryl once, next time it will be permanent. You've already lost, and that makes me so happy." Nick says with a smirk. Alpha removes her knife and swings at him but he disappears. She looks around and lets out a scream of pure rage.

Earl's P.O.V

Earl sets a weapon down and looks at Rick as he walks up to him. "You need your weapon looked at?" Earl asks Rick who shakes his head with a smirk.

"No," Rick says. "I need to ask you a favor."

"You want me to take care of Carl if something happens to you?" Earl asks Rick who nods with a chuckle. "Damn Rick, I won't need to. The truth is that boy has been taking care of me, has helped keep me alive. You raised an amazing man, Rick."

"You helped make him into that man," Rick says. "You were there for him while he was here. You did a lot of work, Earl. Helped make him into the man who can lead once we're gone and one I'm so proud of and for that, I'm grateful," Rick says as he holds his hand out to Earl who shakes it.

"How about we just call it even?" Earl grinned.

"Deal." Rick grinned back.

Aaron's P.O.V

Aaron walked up to Daryl as he watched the kids, helping move things into the House. Aaron restrained a smirk seeing Gracie squeal from a hard nudge from Ofelia and run after her, laughing. "I never thought you and I would be watching our kids play together," Aaron says making Daryl look at him and smirk.

"Neither did I. You remember the night of Deanna's party?"

"The night you ate spaghetti with Eric and me and I gave you a bike?" Aaron raised an eyebrow at that.

"Yeah, that night. Eating with you two was the first time Alexandria felt like a home. It felt normal and it didn't wrong." Daryl says. "I think about that night a lot."

"Once Alpha is dead, we should do it again, Alicia, Merle, Ofelia, Charlie, Rachel, Gracie, you and me." Aaron offered kindly.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Daryl agreed. "Come on, we got work to get done."

Aaron nods as he follows him.

Shane's P.O.V

Shane rested several loaded guns on the wall and looked at John as he climbed up the ladder to him on the wall. "How's it looking up here?" Shane asks him.

"Good, we should be ready soon. Finished putting the last of the ammo into the guns on the other wall." John says, then looks over the fields with an intent look. "She needs to die tonight. They both do."

"They will." Shane nodded in agreement. "If I have to die to make sure they die, I will."

"I'm glad we're on the same page," John says. "This place won't survive this fight."

"I know," Shane says as he looks around Hilltop, not knowing what the Greene's were thinking about this in the meantime. "A lot of the people here won't either."

"As long as they die, I'll be okay if I'm one of them," John says. "Alpha and Beta die tonight."

"They die tonight."

Rosita's P.O.V

Rosita stepped out of the infirmary with Morgan and Coco behind her, Coco looking worriedly as she stumbled a bit as she walks forward.

"Are you sure you should be up?" She looked up from down the hall to see Negan walk up to them.

"I'm fine, I just got a limp, I'm not sitting in a bed, while the rest of you fight for our future," Rosita tells him. Negan looks at Morgan who shakes his head.

"I tried, she's stubborn," Morgan says.

"Oh like you two are one's to talk!" Rosita barked, causing Negan to shrug at Morgan. "This is my fight as much as it is yours. I need to be out here. I'll be in Hilltop. I won't be on the front lines."

"You are the only person who fought the devil and lived. They'll probably run from you."

"If they're smart." Rosita snorted but couldn't restrain a smirk. "Well come on, let me see what we have done."

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl walked into one of the side rooms of Barrington, where there was an assortment of weapons to pick on a table. Nodding in satisfaction, knowing Earl, Kenneth, and Carl were working like hell to make last-minute adjustments. He had picked up a flail and swings it to test it out then heard a nearby voice. "My Mom once told me a story about your brother." He turned around and looked at Hershel who was standing behind him. "About how he beat my Dad and threw a walker at him."

"My brother was an asshole." Daryl put the flail down, long accepting what his brother was. "He wasn't a bad man though. She tells you that he gave his life to save us?"

"She did." Hershel sat on a chair near the table, wringing his hands. "She told me what you just did, she hated him, but after a while she forgave him. I don't hate you, I want to but I don't hate you, but I can't forgive you yet. You let my Dad's killer walk free. He's got everything my Dad was supposed to have, he doesn't deserve it—"

"You're wrong," Daryl says. "He's lost people, risked his life for us multiple times. A lot of people are alive because of what he did in Richmond. He's redeemed himself in my eyes," Daryl says as he stops in front of the boy and bends down beside him. "I'm glad you don't hate me and I understand why you can't forgive me yet. But let me tell you something, if you try to hurt, Negan. It won't go well, your Mom tried it and Rick almost died. You do it, I might die, Alicia might die, Carl might die. Cause we'll protect him, he's one of us Hershel, you don't have to like it or be happy with it, but you have to accept it, just like your Mom did," Daryl says. "Go spend some time with your Mom," Daryl says before he walks away.

Thanks for reading. This chapter was supposed to end with the beginning of the fight but I have a lot more scenes I want to do so next chapter will start the battle of Hilltop as Eugene arrives at the train cars. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.