Sorry for the wait again. I finished up on the other, paid project and should be able to start writing this more once again. I should be able to get at least one chapter up a week from now on. Thank you for your patience this last month and I promise to keep writing and bringing you more chapters. Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

Light Switch: I know. Twins is crazy...lol

"I think we should make a list of things that should be considered crimes and come up with punishments that way," Maggie told Ani and Jesus as they sat in her office with the babies.

Daryl and Merle were out hunting, trying to make sure they had some meat for the birthday party in a few days while leaving Ani at the Hilltop to help make new laws. Rick was still there, too, thinking he could help as he had been in law enforcement, but Ani had pointed out she had been, too. The two of them had been butting heads ever since she'd blown up on him over the situation with Gregory and were frosty towards each other at best. He had tried to apologize and make her understand his side, but she already did understand it; she simply disagreed with it. Anyone who had seen the two together knew that something had shifted between the two in the short time they'd been at the Hilltop, even though the shift had started long before they got there. Still, Rick was in the room to offer help, just keeping quiet in the corner as Maggie told them what she envisioned for the future. Jesus added things from time to time while Ani just listened while taking mental notes.

"Are we doin' rules for everythin' or addin' things ta a list and puttin' 'em unda an umbrella rule?" she asked.

"How so?"

"We always classified things three ways back in the day," Rick said, turning eyes to him. "Infractions, misdemeanors, and felonies. Drunk and disorderlies, traffic violations- petty offenses like that. We'd normally ticket them and send them on their way. No jail time, rarely an actual arrest, though we'd have to detain them sometimes. Sometimes it'd be the drunk tank for the night, sometimes takin' 'em home 'cause they're stranded and just trying to get there. Misdemeanors were non-violent crimes like shoplifting and reckless driving. Drug possession or simple assault when it's a first time offense."

"Simple assault?" Maggie asked, perking up at that.

"Nah weapons involved and minimal damage," Ani clarified. "Simple assault can generally be described as gettin' caught up in the moment. Like, it's assault, and ya still hurt a person or intended ta hurt a person, but the stuff that gets a slap on the wrist is usually the shite that happens in the moment. Cops called ta a family fight, ta break up a brawl, things like that would be consida'd a simple assault."

"And what Earl did?"

"That's what we've got to decide," Rick said as he retook the conversation, although Ani was already thinking about an answer. "We have to determine whether it would be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony."

"What's the difference?"

"It's the most serious kind of crime. Most assaults fall under felonies," he told her.

"Not really," Ani corrected before explaining, "The severity a the crime, a the injuries accrued, the guilt and admission/confession, the person's past, whetha or not they've eva done somethin' like this 'fore or if there were weapons involved. It all adds up and determines the price ta be paid for the crime."

"So where does that leave us with Earl?" Jesus asked.

"Consid'rin' Earl's confession and background, the fact that Enid got hurt mostly due ta circumstance, and the fact 'e didn' have a single weapon on 'im, I don' think it's likely 'e's goin' ta try somethin' again," Ani admitted. "And I say what I said 'bout Enid 'cause, let's face it, if she hadn' fallen on them logs and hit 'er temple, she would've jumped right back up. Girl's got spirit and knows how ta take a hit. But I don' think Earl's a real threat. He deserves anotha chance."

"You say that for when Earl attacks Maggie, but agree with killing Gregory?" Rick asked her, trying to get a feel for where her head was at since leaving the Sanctuary.

"Don' even fuckin' try ta start comparin' the two," she snarled at him. "Ya know damn well as much as I do that that man was tryin' ta get rid a Mags the second she came 'ere, the second the Saviors proved ta be a bigga problem than Gregory anticipated. The second she needed safe haven, he tried takin' it away from 'er and kickin' 'er out. And when 'e couldn' kick 'er out, he tried hand deliverin' 'er ta the Saviors! If it hadn' a been for Jesus's quick thinkin', Mags, Beth, Sasha, and Abe could be dead right now! Doin' that's a conspiracy ta commit a crime as far as I'm concerned. Sure, ain' shite that could a been done 'bout that 'xcept give 'im a slap on the wrist at the time 'cause we had bigga problems ta worry 'bout. But then 'e tried givin' the Hilltop ta the Saviors when we decided we were goin' ta fight. That's straight up treason, a felony. And 'e still got ta live, though 'e was kept unda lock and key, for damn good reason. And what'd the asshole do the second 'e got a chance? He went fuckin' runnin' right fuckin' back ta the damn Saviors! Tried commitin' treason a second time in less than a month! Only came back 'ere 'cause Simon said 'fuck it' and decided 'e'd had 'nough a the bullshite! And Mags was gracious 'nough ta let 'im live back in these walls, beat 'im fair and square ta lead this place, and yet look what the fuck 'e did! Don' matta that it took a year ta show 'is true colors again, the fact a the matta is that 'e tried ta fuck the Hilltop ova again by plottin' ta kill Maggie. That's conspiracy ta commit murda, which is a felony. Three felonies unda 'is belt in less than two years! He wasn' learnin' any lesson and wouldn' a nah matta how many chances we gave 'im. We can' jus' keep every single fuckin' bastard alive that fucks shite up for everyone else and hope it gets betta. Gregory fucked shite up constantly for the Hilltop, and now 'e can'. He got what 'e deserved. Get ova it."

"Well, we can't just kill people, either," he told her. "There's gotta be some sort of structure, some sort of reason that everyone can agree with. We can't just hang everyone that does somethin' we don't agree with."

"Nah shite, Sherlock. But that don' mean that we jus' let everyone off the hook, eitha."

"Is that what you think I'm doin' with Negan?"

"That's what I know damn well ya did with Negan," she shot at him.

"We're not here to talk about that," Maggie interrupted. "You talked to Earl. Tell me about it again."

"Like I said yestaday, he knows what 'e did and knows it was wrong. I firmly believe that Enid gettin' hurt was an accident and that the man would neva try somethin' like that if it hadn' been for the liquor and Gregory whisp'rin' in 'is ear. Also, he's our only blacksmith. We don' got the luxury a keepin' 'im locked up foreva. Alden can make the spearheads, nails, and horseshoes, but 'e ain' goin' ta be able ta make otha shite and hasn' learned 'nough ta keep up with the demand. Earl has ta be able ta get back ta work soona ratha than lata," Ani said.

"I can't do that," Maggie said. "I can't just let him go, let him off the hook. We've done that time and time again and it almost always comes back around to bite us."

"Almost always," Jesus stressed with a small, kind smile. "Alden and some of the Saviors from the Satellite outpost stayed here, and they turned out to be a huge help in rebuilding. Simon's not a bad guy, either, though he was one of the main Saviors we had to deal with. One of the worst, too. But he's been doing everything he can to help make things right."

"If anyone should be put unda lock and key for the rest a their lives, that'd be Simon," Ani agreed. "He's been doin' as much as 'e can ta make up for what 'e did. What's it's face from Kingdom, too."

"Gavin."

"Right! Gavin. What the fuck kind a name is Gavin?" she laughed. "Nah wonda why I can neva rememba it."

"I think it fits," Jesus told her. "He's a bit of a pushover, though."

"So I've heard," she replied. "But 'e did a damn good job keepin' the peace 'tween the Saviors and Kingdom 'fore 'is kid got shot, and Morgan took care a the one that did that. The Kingdom might a lost the most people durin' the war, but they don' blame Gavin for that 'cause 'e wasn' even at the outposts when that happened. And they've forgiven 'im well 'nough now that 'e's helped rebuild the Kingdom."

"What about Earl?" Maggie said, bringing them back to topic.

"How long do you plan on holding him?" Rick asked.

"How long was a sentence for assault or attempted murder?" she asked right back.

"It depended on the severity of the crime among other things," he told her. "Like Ani said earlier, first offenders don't get as much time as repeated crimes, whether or not someone gets hurt, how bad the injuries are, whether weapons are involved or not. What happened with Earl, he'd be charged with second-degree attempted murder. That's five years, at least."

"And we can' wait that long ta get the forge back up and runnin'," Ani pointed out. "On top a that, I doubt 'e'd try it again or would a tried it the first time without bein' egged on by a powa hungry asshole."

"So how long would you suggest? With everything we know and everything he did?" Maggie asked them, taking all the information in and trying to come up with a solution.

"I don' know," she said honestly. "I don' think it should be foreva, but I don' think 'e should be let out right away, eitha. The punishment should fit the crime, and knowin' 'e's not 'bout ta repeat the actions should be taken inta account, too. Also, while 'e's in the cell, don' isolate 'im. Even prisonas have rights ta visitors and 'is wife jus' lost 'er son. She don' need ta go through that loss while not even bein' able ta spend time with 'er husband. Can' imagine the othas in the Hilltop will really talk ta 'er much, eitha."

"Why would you say that?" Jesus asked.

"Well, I don' know 'bout ya, but how the fuck do ya talk ta someone goin' through all that? Lost 'er son, hubby tried takin' out the leada, and now she's in the lurch waitin' ta figya out what the fuck is goin' ta happen now. I mean, I know I could, but it'd be in a professional way, not jus' shootin' the shite with 'er."

"I can't let him out right away," Maggie told them. "He could've hurt Hershel. Tried killin' me. He did hurt Enid. I'll make sure Tammy can spend an hour a day with 'im. But I also want you to talk to them. At least once a week with Earl and as often as Tammy needs. Can you go through and talk to the others in the Hilltop, too? Just...I want to make sure everyone is on board with how things are gonna go from now on. I don't want any more attempts like what Gregory and Earl plotted."

"A course," Ani readily agreed.

"He's stayin' in until I feel safe enough to let 'im out," she told everyone. "How long that takes is how long we'll decide for first time offenders in the future for things like this."

~x~

"Mabel can make this amazin' honeycake," Beth told Sophia and Carl. "We can use that for the birthday cake."

"Seriously?" Carl asked.

"Yeah! It doesn't take any sugar or nothin'! She does a lot with nothin' but maple syrup and honey! She even managed ta move a hive closer to our herb garden and now it's bloomin' like crazy. We also get a ton of honey, too."

"Is that why you always have sweets here?" Sophia questioned, thinking about the maple candies and other treats that she always had when she came to the Hilltop.

"Uh-huh. She makes rock candies, too. They're delicious."

"Cool. We should see if she'll make some for the party, though, I don't know about a honeycake," she said.

"Why not?" Beth asked.

"Makes a lot more sense now, but Ani's been havin' problems eatin' anythin' with honey in it," Sophia told her.

"Why?"

"She's pregnant," Carl said. "News must not have gotten around yet."

"She's pregnant?!" Beth exclaimed. "But Lou ain't even a year old yet!"

"I know!" Sophia said, just as excitedly, though not the kind of excited that would be considered happy. "And it's twins!"

"Wow! They've been busy. And she doesn't like honey?"

"No, she loves honey, but it's makin' her sick," she clarified. "So havin' honeycake might make things a bit complicated."

"Why?" Carl said. "Wouldn't she just not eat it?"

"No, you don't understand," the other teen groaned.

When Sophia thought about the last couple of months and how Ani had been acting, she couldn't believe that she hadn't picked up on the fact that her mom was pregnant. She'd been talking about oranges and how much she missed citrus fruits in general while outright calling them cravings. She'd also been eating a lot of sweet things; whatever fruit she could get her hands on and whatever candy she could find. The problem was that, any time she was eating any sweets made with honey, she almost always ended up throwing up. Ani had made a few excuses during the last weeks right up until she clued Sophia in on what was really happening. The baggy clothes, the naps, the complaints about smells, complaints about aches and pains, Daryl's constant vigilance when it came to Ani. It all made so much sense now, but made Sophia worry a lot more. Ani hadn't been nearly as early on in her pregnancy when things started last time and the only craving she ever had was for squirrel. She wasn't sure what having twins would mean for Ani when the things she wanted to eat made her sick more often than not and she was already showing. Sophia hadn't really thought about it too much before that moment, but, while trying to figure out what to say to the other two, the fear hit her like a ton of bricks about what could go wrong this time around. She began to panic as she spoke to the others about everything she'd noticed that she now knew was connected to the pregnancy.

"I don't want her gettin' sick when we're tryin' to celebrate Lou. I don't want her to get sick like she did last time at all!" she cried.

"She won't," Carl assured her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and squeezing her into his side. "They know practically from the start and Carson's gonna be keeping an eye on her all the time. And we'll be there with her, too. Daryl, Merle...Sasha and Abraham go back and forth between the Hilltop and Alexandria quite often. What's up with that, by the way?" he asked Beth.

"They didn't want to leave Maggie alone," Beth told him with a shrug. "But they're plannin' on headin' back to Alexandria after the bridge is rebuilt. Figure with Maggie on the mend and her bein' able to handle Gregory like she did, she doesn't really need them around to help her out anymore. Abraham's gonna be workin' on the bridge with the construction crew from Alexandria. I just hope we can finish it 'fore things go bad."

"Maybe they won't," Carl said hopefully. "Maybe things will finally go the way we want it to."

"Yeah, well, your dad still don't like what happened to Gregory," she pointed out. "He tried to kill Maggie, again, and your dad thinks he shoulda been locked up."

"I think Maggie was right," Sophia told her, thankful for the change of topic. "I mean, it's Maggie and Ani. They wouldn't have killed Gregory without thinkin' about it a lot."

"I don't know," Carl admitted. "They're really angry still. And they haven't done anything with Earl yet, and we need Earl. He's our only blacksmith."

"They're still figurin' things out," Beth told them in confidence. "That's what they're doin' this afternoon. Maggie, Jesus, Ani, and Rick are gonna be sittin' down and talkin' 'bout rules and stuff. They'll know what to do with Earl by the end of the day," she said with a nonchalant shrug. "Look, I don't like all the killin' either, but it ain't like we can just lock up everyone who does somethin' wrong. Hilltop don't have the time for that, not when we're tryin' to provide food for the better part of three damn settlements! Only the Kingdom is up on it's own for food. Alexandria's gettin' there, but Sanctuary can't grow enough to feed everyone there."

"You can say that again," Sophia said. "Before we left, the Sanctuary was down to quarter rations. Only ones gettin' fed properly are the little kids, so Lou and Gigi. And Gigi's mom is thinkin' about movin' over to the Kingdom when the bridge is done. Her husband volunteered to help 'cause he used to work in construction management."

"Still, we can't keep killing everyone. My dad's right about that," Carl told them.

"Are you kiddin' me?" Beth and Sophia asked at the same time, looking at each other and claiming 'jinx' before breaking out in giggles.

Carl chuckled before he shook his head and clarified, "I don't think they were wrong about Gregory not being able to stay at the Hilltop, and I know we can't exile everyone like what Deanna wanted. But we can't really build a future if we kill everyone."

"We're not killin' everyone, Carl," Beth stated. "What happened with Gregory needed to happen. It's not like he changed after the war. He saw an opportunity to take power again and took it, same as he did when we were fightin' Negan. What else were we supposed to do?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "I guess we'll have to figure things out ourselves when we're in charge."

"You're gonna be in charge?" Sophia snickered, earning her a scowl from her boyfriend while she and Beth laughed.

"Hey, if you remember right, we're the ones who defended Alexandria while Ani was having a panic attack in the sewers."

"Yeah, but that was us, not you. You can't even decipher rabbit tracks from squirrel tracks! And the last time you tried plantin' tomatoes, you drowned the damn things and Beth had to come help fix it!"

"So I'm not a hunter or the greatest farmer! That doesn't mean I can't be a good leader!"

"Sure," Beth cut in, "if leadin' means tellin' others what to do 'cause you can't do it yourself."

"Hey!"

Both the girls started laughing again as Carl started complaining about how they always ganged up on him when they were together. It was even worse when Tara was involved because it was a three on one fight more often than not. Even though they'd lived in different areas for the last year and a half, they had managed to keep their friendships as close as ever. Enid would join them every once in a while, but her connection wasn't as strong as the other's and sometimes she felt like the odd man out when the other three would share inside jokes from the prison. However, if the girls were hanging out before Carl came into the picture, he was the one that felt like the oddball. The girls really did gang up on him and would tease him about some of his minor, but admittedly stupid, mistakes and shortcomings. He never had a chance to get back at them for any of it, either, with the exception of Sophia when they were alone, and he wasn't sure if tickling the girl to the verge of peeing herself really counted as getting back at her. There were a couple other teens from the Hilltop that he would hang out with when he was there, but anyone with eyes knew that the original group that arrived in Alexandria together were still as tight-knit as ever. No one really had the ability to completely break through their bonds, at least for the most part, especially when it came to the teens. It made things a bit difficult when it came to deciding who they were going to invite to the kids' birthday party.

Compared to everyone else, it was both surprising and almost inevitable that the people with the most diverse friend group within the original group were the Dixons. No one was surprised by Ani's friendships spanning Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom, but Daryl and Merle's friendships with others had been like a slap in the face. Merle had become good friends with Jerry over poker and had even helped him learn how to track, hunt, and trap better over the coarse of the year. Daryl and Aaron were still good friends and the two would spar from time to time when Aaron had visited the Sanctuary or they had all been at the Hilltop together. Ani had become good friends with Nabila and Bertie and had been learning how to cook more meals from scratch. They all had formed minor connections with Laura, Jesus, Siddiq, and, surprisingly, Simon that were close enough to friendship to actually call it that. Unlike everyone else who kept themselves mostly closed off as far as forming friendships past their own settlements and the original group, the Dixons made them naturally. Simon, especially, had been trying to gain the trust of everyone else in the group, having only managed to gain Maggie's trust to the point of not needing an armed guard within Hilltop anymore. Carol remained aloof to everyone else and instead worked to keep herself apart as a leader, mother, and lover. Rick and Michonne weren't willing to make friends so much as they were trying to glue things together and make it stick. The kids agreed that they had gotten too far off topic when they started debating about whether or not they thought Rick's way was going to work, though, and agreed that the only people they'd invite were the ones closest to Maggie and Ani.

"What do you think we should get the kids? I mean, we can't really make toys and stuff for babies," Carl asked. "Judy's easy. She just wants to draw. I don't even know what to get for Hershel or Lou."

"Lou's easy, too," Sophia told him. "At least, if you know how to sew. I was plannin' on takin' a couple of the shirts Daryl and Ani use for rags and makin' him a new bunny. The one he's had since birth is startin' to get a bit raggedy."

"And Hershel doesn't really need anythin'," Beth added. "Though, at least for Lou and Hershel, maybe we should make a basket for Maggie and Ani. Like a care package of sorts. I've been workin' with Mary learnin' how to make things like lotions and homemade soaps. And, thanks to you and Ani," she told Sophia, "I know how to extract oils from the plants, so we've been experimentin' with makin' essential oils and scented stuff. We could make baskets with some of those things and then add a couple extra snacks or candles or somethin'. Maybe get them some books or somethin'."

"Why?" Carl asked.

"I don't know, but I think it'd be nice. I mean, they' don't really get a lot of time to just be them, you know. It's always bein' leaders and mothers. I just thought it might be nice to give 'em somethin' small to say they're appreciated for everythin' they've done the last year," she said with a shrug. "My mom did that for new moms at the church around the year mark to remind 'em to take some time for themselves."

"I think it'd be nice," Sophia told him. "Besides, with what Maggie just went through and the pregnancy for Ani, they'd prolly like it. It wouldn't hurt."

"No, I guess not. Do we need anything that's not at the settlements already?" he asked them.

"I don't think so. I'm pretty sure Hilltop's got all the food we need. Just gotta get Siddiq to make some of those baked apples of his and ask Jerry if Nabila could send over some of her nut butter," Beth answered. "When are we gonna do it?"

"Lou's birthday is in about three weeks," Sophia told her. "Though, I think we should wait until they get the camp set up at the bridge like they're talkin' 'bout and do it after that. Ani says the bridge is more important and there's a lot of work that's gotta be done."

"Well, she's not wrong," Carl said with a shrug of nonchalance. "If we don't fix that bridge, we won't be able to keep the communities connected as easily. The other bridges are starting to give out and that's the only one that's a direct path. We can't fix every bridge in a fifty mile radius. We have to rebuild that one."