Chapter 176-Stephanie

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl walked out of the apartment and looked around the Commonwealth. "Daryl!" He turned to see Scout coming up to him "Just in time, we got to head out."

"Where are we going?" Daryl furrowed his brow, puzzled.

"I wanted to show you the terrain," Scott says. "Grab your crossbow and whatever else you need and meet me where we met, that's where we'll gear up," Daryl nods as he walks inside. He walked into the room he was sharing with Alicia and looked at her as she was sitting at a table.

"What are you doing?" Daryl looked at the sheets of paper on the wood.

"Looking at the deal that Pamela wrote up," Alicia grumbled, actually going through the paperwork. "She wants me to be the ambassador for our people."

"By yourself?" He asked, looking at all the paper.

"She said I could have someone work with me. I'm going to talk with Strand later." Alicia tells her husband who nods as he grabs his crossbow. "Where are you going?"

"Scott is going to show me the terrain, once Rick is gone, I'll start hunting," Daryl tells Alicia who nods. "I'll be back in a little while." Alicia nods as Daryl walks over and kisses her before he leaves. He walks through the Commonwealth until he reaches the building and pushes the door open. He looks at Scott as she puts a quiver on her back and grabs her bow.

"You ready?" Scott asks Daryl who nods. "Alright, let's go."

Arya sat on top of the apartment building, staring out at the number of buildings and the bustling noises, almost feeling like the stories her family talked about with the old world. "Is this going to turn into a thinking spot?" Rick asks as he walks up beside her and sits down, causing her to look over in surprise.

"It's a nice view," Arya says with a smirk. "As long as I don't fall."

Rick chuckled. "Still thinking about what you're going to do?" Rick asks Arya who looks down with a nod. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Please." She looked up, still looking uncertain.

"Stay," Rick tells her, causing her to look at her grandfather in skepticism. "In this world, we don't get many chances to be happy. To find someone who makes us feel that way. When I found Michonne, I knew I could be happy again."

Wrapping an arm around her in comfort, he assured "Your Dad, Mom, and Robert are going to be safe in Alexandria. But you won't be happy there, because Lydia won't be there. At some point, you'll be back here anyway because you'll want to be her. I know if Michonne was staying, I would too. You deserve to be happy Arya, that is all your parents, that's all any of us want."

"But what if you need me?"

"Then you'll be there," Rick says. "We have to make choices, every day. Sometimes those choices could end with someone dead and sometimes they're hard, but this isn't one of those choices. Do you love her, Arya?"

"Yes," Arya says quickly.

"Then you already know what you have to do. We'll still be there if you want to come home, but I think your home is wherever Lydia is."

"Thanks, Grandpa," Arya says and Rick smiles as he wrapped his arm around her tighter

"Anytime, kid."

Madison's P.O.V

Madison walked into Alicia's room and looked at her still at the desk with a murderous scowl on her face "If they bring any more papers here, I'm going to shoot myself!" Alicia snapped. "She's sent a list of everything they are sending, times we'll go there. She fucking sent me a schedule, of where I'm supposed to be every day!"

Madison smirks causing Alicia to glare at her mother. "Why are you smiling?"

"You know what it was like for me working in the high school," Madison says as she sits down beside her. "And it seems some of your irritation isn't because of your paperwork."

At first Alicia looked ready to argue, but she slumped over her head on the table "I'm just thinking about everything here and Charlie."

"What about Charlie?" Madison raised an eyebrow.

"You heard what she said, she wasn't quiet about it," Alicia argued. "She was out of line. I meant she was shouting at us and yelling and insulting me and Daryl."

"I'll talk to her about the attitude and her tone, but Alicia, she isn't wrong." Seeing Alicia looking back up in disbelief, Madison continued "Daryl...he has an unhealthy complex for blaming himself when anything goes wrong. I mean you can't tell me you haven't noticed it."

"Of course, I've noticed it, Mom. It is hard not to. I understand why he blames himself for Glenn. But he also blames himself for what happened to Hershel, Sophia and Carol, Troy, Dwight, and the Spikes. I don't know how to help him and I don't know how to fix it, he just seems to always blame himself for it and if I'm being brutally honest, I get tired of it sometimes."

"You need to talk to him about it."

"I know," Alicia says softly. "He isn't exactly easy to talk to right now. He's angry, just saying something wrong might set him off."

"He's grieving. But that can't stop you from talking to him, so you finish whatever you are doing and you need to talk to your husband."

Alicia nodded and then changed the subject. "Can you find Strand?"

"Alright...but if you need to talk I'm here sweetie."

"Thank you, Mom."

Rosita's P.O.V

Rosita walked through the Commonwealth holding Coco's hand the little girl happily eating a hot dog with gusto and looking around like a child in a theme park. "There's a nice pond nearby." Rosita turns and looks at Mercer as he walks up to her. He was out of his armor, a shirt tight over his immense frame and broad shoulders and cargo pants.

"It's weird seeing you without armor." Looking at him up and down.

"It doesn't happen very often," Mercer snorted, clearly a military man to the core. "Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"Come on, we're just looking around," Rosita says, Coco looking high up at the man with wide eyes.

"I was hoping Morgan would be with you." Mercer started as they walked. "Where is he?"

"He's with Rick, thy're walking a few streets over. Why?" Rosita says.

"I wanted to talk with both of you," Mercer answered. "I made the rounds while in Alexandria, learning as much as I could about you guys. I hear you're a pretty good fighter."

"Well good as anyone else." Rosita nodded.

"I'm recruiting, I was hoping that you and Morgan would be interested." Causing Rosita to look surprised at the offer and then scowled.

"I'm interested, but does that mean I have to wear that ridiculous armor?" Rosita asks making Mercer let out a chuckle that sounded like two stones together, clearly not one to laugh often.

"Yes, sadly that comes with it," Mercer says. "You don't have to decide right now, but I would like an answer by the time Rick leaves."

"I'll talk with Morgan," Rosita says and Mercer nods. "But now you're stuck with me, so show me around."

"I have a little bit of time, come on, I'll show you the pond."

Coco suddenly asked, "Are there birdies?!"

Mercer looked down at the young girl, then gave a rarer smile "Ducks and birds? Well, let's see then."

Alicia's P.O.V

Alicia looked at the door as it opened and Strand walked into the room with a grand bow and flourish, to her amusement. "I am here at your request, Mrs. Dixon."

"OK OK thanks Victor, sit down," Alicia says as Strand sits down. "Have they offered you a job yet?"

"No, I do not believe so." Strand shrugged.

"Good, I have one for you. Pamela has made me the ambassador for our people and I could use some help." Alicia says.

"Are you asking me to be your assistant, Alicia?" Strand grinned.

"No, I'm asking you to be my partner." Alicia corrected him. "I could use your help."

"Well, how could I refuse your offer?" Strand says. "Of course, I will help you, Alicia. It will be easier to work with you than whatever idiot they would set me up with!" Then as Alicia smirked he looked at the table "So show me what you are working with."

Arya's P.O.V

Walking inside the rented apartment they were staying at, Arya came up to her parents as they held Robert, sitting out on the balcony. "Let me see my brother, he is probably sick of you two," Arya says as she holds her arms out.

"That isn't nice." Enid huffed as she handed Robert out to Arya who takes him. "He loves us."

"He loves you. Seeing Dad every day is not easy with a face like that. I don't know how you do it."

"I should ask Lydia how she deals with you." Carl snarked back then he paused and his face turned serious. "Dad said he talked with you."

"He did," Arya says as she sits down. For a long moment, she clenched the sides of the chair and then started. "I love you guys, more than anything in the world. I would probably be dead if it wasn't for you guys. You gave me a family, and I wish I could go back with you—"

"But you need to be here with Lydia." Enid finished with a smile. "You don't have to explain anything to us, Arya. You're a grown woman and you are free to make your own choices. Will we miss you? Of course, but we never expected you to stick around us for the rest of your life. This is where you need to be right now, just like your Dad needed to be in Hilltop after the war. We just want you to be happy, that is all we have ever wanted."

Arya smiles. "Dad shows it poorly."

"I deal with you, don't I?" Carl asks and Enid smacks his shoulder. "She started it and I'm the one who gets hit."

"That's how it should be."

"Give me my son, back. I like him more than you," Carl says and Arya grinned as she hands Robert to him. "But your Mom is right, if this is what you want, we support you."

At this, a relieved Arya smiles as she stands up and hugs him.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Rick's P.O.V

Rick and Morgan walk through the Commonwealth, gazing at the buildings around them and the bustling crowds around one of the gates. "I never thought this is where we would end up when we met in King County," Rick says and Morgan nods, almost looking distracted, causing Rick to pause. "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking," Morgan says as he looks at Rick. "About King County like you said, Jenny and Daune. I never laid them to rest."

"You're thinking about going back?" Rick asks Morgan softly, knowing his old friend never liked to talk about those days, who nods.

"Not now," Morgan says. "But someday I want to go back there and put my son and wife to rest."

"Of course, but when you do decide to do it, I'll go with you." Rick offered

"I know you would." Morgan gave a light smile. "But there is too much going on right now for me to leave for a couple of weeks."

"If everything works out, hopefully we'll be able to do it-" Rick says as they hear the gate they saw open and see Lance walking towards it. "Lance!" Rick called making the man look at him. "What's going on?"

"One of our top crew runners just returned. I'm going to greet them if you wanna join me." Lance gives a warm smile and Rick nods as he follows the Director with Morgan behind him. They stop when they see three trucks pull it and start to climb out. A dark-skinned man with dreadlocks climbs out of the front car and looks at Lance.

"Everything went good, Director-" He says as Rick looks at him in shock. He looks at Rick and stops. "Holy shit."

"You're alive," Rick mumbled back, equally stunned.

Eugene's P.O.V

Eugene follows Regina as she leads him through the Commonwealth into a more deserted-looking neighborhood. "Where are we going?" Eugene asks her.

"You'll see soon enough," Regina says as she leads him into a building and to the second door. She knocks on the door and a woman opens the door.

"Hey, Max, this is Eugene."

Eugene stared as the girl came out, she was a head shorter than him with a bowl haircut, dark skin with glasses...and she turned with wide eyes and then a beaming smile.

"Hi, Eugene. You know me better as Stephanie."

Thanks for reading. Next chapter the group meets a lost member, Eugene and Max bond, Eugene makes a mistake and Rick's group prepares to leave the Commonwealth. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.