-Carl-

The birds sang a tune in the sprawling branches overhead. It was almost haunting. The leaves they nested in moved gently under a gentle breeze that made everyone just that little bit more jumpy. Daryl was inspecting a bush that looked like it had been waded through.

Connie touched Carl's arm and held out her notepad. He could see that behind it she was putting on a brave face.

"You and Rhys are very sweet."

Carl smiled at her. "Oh, yeah?"

She nodded, flicking to a new page and scribbling on it.

"Must be hard living in different communities."

"It is, I suppose," Carl admitted. "But that might not be forever."

She frowned, not following.

Carl sighed. "I don't know. Rhys needs Hilltop, I think. It grounds him. I couldn't ask him to leave."

Her pen went back to its notepad.

"Do you need Alexandria?"

Carl shook his head. "I need my family more, I think."

"Plus, Rhys' huge bedroom doesn't hurt, right?"

Carl laughed at her. Then he frowned suspiciously. "You're just trying to distract yourself."

Connie looked around anxiously. She nodded.

"Your sister will be fine."

She shook her head, worry clearly sinking in.

Daryl came over then. "Hey, it's not your fault."

She signed something. Daryl understood. Carl didn't.

Then he suddenly started telling her a story about Merle. He had to write the name because Connie struggled to read it from his lips. Merle was someone Carl hadn't thought about in a long time. It's funny how there are some people you just don't think about— but then those people have people that do still think about them. Carl was sure Daryl thought about Merle a lot, just like Carl thought about his dad, or his mom, or Shane.

Daryl told his tale of a fishing trip he took with Merle before the fall by miming the important words as he spoke—

Fishing.

Big lake.

Boat.

Drinking.

Falling.

Splash!

Swim back.

He wrote the difficult ones—

Merle

Private property

Stolen.

"Dummy, go get the beer!"

And he signed the bit he knew.

"I saved his life."

He took Connie's hand after and squeezed it tight, smiling at her in a sweet way that Carl was not sure he'd seen him do before.

"It's gonna be alright," Daryl told her.

Distant yaps from Dog got there attention then.

The three ran in the direction of the barking, finding Dog in a clearing where he'd sniffed out some colourful bunting on the floor. They found a wild boar carcass not too far from it.

Carl checked for tracks while Daryl touched the blood to see how fresh it was. Connie seemed fixated on the bunting.

There was a sound behind them.

Carl drew his gun. Daryl pointed his crossbow.

Magna and Jenny stepped into the clearing.

Magna didn't say anything; she just pointed to the tracks Carl found and started walking.

Carl furrowed his brow at Jenny.

She shrugged. "Gotta make sure your ass doesn't get killed out here."

-Rhys-

Alden talked Rhys through the plans for the addition at his and Earl's smithing shack; the tin roof mercifully keeping the sun off their heads.

"—so, uh, the roofing and the guttering should be fine, but the plumbing's making me kinda nervous. We'll have to scavenge for more copper."

"Yeah, yeah, copper," Rhys said absent-mindedly, his eyes drifting to the gates after every other word Alden said.

Alden chuckled at him, rolling up the schematics on the work bench between them. "Y'know, you and Sasha are like two sides to the same broken record."

Rhys looked at him then, eyebrows raised. "Does that even make sense?"

"All I'm sayin' is that it's either Maggie's old chair is really uncomfortable, or you two still prefer it out there."

"Don't prefer it," Rhys argued. "Just don't like sitting on my hands."

"You're not," Alden said with a self-indulgent grin. "You're listening to me."

"Sorry," Rhys sighed.

Alden chuckled. "No offence taken... yet."

"I'll ask Oscar about the copper," Rhys told him. "And I'll check with Mikey to see if Alexandria can fill any gaps."

Alden slapped his back in thanks before stuffing the schematics he'd rolled up into a buckets holding a mismatch swords and axes that needed sharpening.

"It's a good thing you're letting us work on these weapons," Earl called from behind them, where he was melting metal scraps into screw moulds. "That tree didn't fall on its own. Roots were healthy, and it weren't leanin'. They are comin' back."

"Oh, I know," Rhys said. "That's why we gotta be ready."

"It is."

"So we can make them pay for what they did," Alden added. "To Enid, Tammy, Tara, Henry... all our people."

"We will," Rhys told him.

-Carl-

"Hungry?" Carl offered a little bread from his pack to Magna as they kept up their search. Connie and Daryl up ahead. Jenny just behind them.

"Nah," she said. "It's yours."

Carl chuckled. "I know rations are tight at the moment, but it's fine."

Magna shook her head. "I'll manage."

Carl nodded, offering his bread to Jenny, who took the end because she prefers it. Carl frowned at Magna as he wrapped up the bread and slid it back into his pack.

"Y'know, years ago, when we first showed up to Alexandria... eatin' felt so weird. You'd stuff your face with all these things you thought had gone extinct. Canned ham, beef jerky... pot noodles."

Magna glanced at him like she didn't care.

Carl ignored her and went on.

"It felt like every time we took food from them it was just another chance for them to turn around and say, 'gotcha... you owe us now.'"

"So you get it," Magna said, sounding un-invested in his story.

"Not really," Carl told her. "See when they didn't do that... after a while, that feelin' just went away. You've been at Hilltop a good bit now, so why are you still worried?"

Magna stopped. Carl did, too. Jenny kept walking and pretending she couldn't hear their argument.

Magna glared at him, but just as she was about to unlock her tensed jaw to speak, Dog barked at them from up ahead.

"Here!" Daryl yelled.

They all rushed forward, through a dried up stream and down a steep bank, to where Dog was bouncing back and forth on his front paws, yipping at them to look.

Connie fell to her knees beside where her little sister was slumped against a tree with a deep gash across her forehead and a litter of smaller scratches over the rest of her red face. Carl pressed two fingers against her kneck.

"She's alive," he gasped with relief.

Connie cradled Kelly's head as Magna dropped down on her other side, gently patting her cheek.

Kelly shot up, suddenly awake and crying out as she fought against the hands holding onto her. When she realised who was holding her, she slowly relaxed into her sister's arms.

Jenny passed them her canteen, and Connie took it, but Magna was already lifting her own to Kelly's lips. She spluttered it all over herself after drinking too fast.

Kelly signed something, hands flailing desperately as she pointed to her ears. Magna and Daryl smiled. Carl frowned at Jenny, really starting to regret that he never picked up ASL in his spare time.

"We've gotta get her back to Hilltop," Magna said, stroking Kelly's bruised forehead.

"It's far," Carl told them, feeling nervous about how exposed they would be carrying Kelly that whole way. If she'd make it at all.

"Yeah," Jenny sighed. "We need somethin' closer."

Daryl nodded in agreement.

Kelly and Magna shared a nervous glance. Then Kelly signed something.

Daryl frowned. "Tell them what?"

Magna looked like she wanted to argue but rolled her eyes and clambered to her feet instead. "We've got somewhere."

It was about halfway between Hilltop and where they found Kelly. A broken-down truck in the woods with a gooseberry bush growing out its windshield. Carl spotted the much too clean canvas sheet covering the truck bed. Daryl helped him lift it, and they both took a step back.

Boxes and crates stuffed with food lined the truck bed. Medical supplies, enough to last a large group maybe a week. Hilltop's brand was on each and every box.

Daryl gawked at Connie as she took a box of gauze and antiseptic wipes and sat beside her sister.

"Did you know about this?" he asked her, upset.

She shook her head.

"You're kidding me, right?" Carl scoffed, glaring at Magna.

She said something to Connie in sign.

Daryl clearly didn't know it because he barked at Connie to translate.

"I said I don't trust you," Magna hissed. "Any of you."

"I vouched for you," Carl said, getting angry. "Took you all the way to the Hilltop and argued your case to Rhys and the others."

"Oh, and we thank you graciously," Magna sneered.

"Hell's your problem?"

"We know you figure yourself some hero," Magna snorted at him. "We've all heard of the great Rick Grimes and how his son's been livin' up to his legacy, makin' him proud. We don't need your damn handouts, hero."

"The fuck are you talking about?" Jenny scoffed at her, leaning against the side of the truck.

"Hilltop's got sick children and mouths to feed, and you steal from 'em?" Daryl hissed at her. "All your good for is talkin' shit."

Connie quickly scribbled something down.

"We'll tell them we found it."

Daryl sat himself on the truck bed, glancing at all the supplies behind him. Just left out here in the woods for an emergency that may never come — one that might come because of it.

"No," Carl said after a moment of thought. "No. No fucking way. I'm gonna tell Rhys, and it's his call what happens after."

"You're kidding?" Magna asked, her mouth agape.

Carl started sliding some of the boxes out from the back of the truck and stacking them. He turned to look at her. "Be glad I'm not like my dad, because you haven't heard all the stories. If you had, you'd know he would have left your asses out here after pulling some shit like this."

"Then why don't you?"

"It's not my call."

"So what now?" Kelly asked, her voice raspy from dehydration.

"We head back, and you both pray that Rhys is kinder to you than I would be."

"Fucking typical," Magna snorted.

"How about you stop running your damn mouth?" Jenny barked at her.

"What business is it of yours?" Magna asked. "Just cos your people are fine taking handouts means we have to be?"

Jenny stormed forward, punching her across the jaw.

Magna staggered back a few paces, clutching her chin and glaring at Jenny, who shook and flexed her hand.

"Not one more word, bitch," Jenny growled.

And she didn't give one more. Not the whole way back.

Yumiko grinned when they came back through Hilltop's gates with Kelly. Wider still when she saw all the food they had with them. Then she noticed that Kelly was hobbling and hanging from her sister's shoulders. Yumiko was quick to cradle the angry bruise on Magna's cheek.

"What happened?" she asked Carl.

"Connie will fill you in," Carl said dryly, walking towards Barrington House.

"Jenny?" Yumiko asked, looking at her, but Jenny strode off towards the house behind Carl.

Rhys was in the office, sat at the desk reading a line of chicken scratches messily noted in the corner of a piece of sketching paper that was otherwise filled with drawings of plumbing parts. Mikey was sat in one of the two chairs across from him, saying something about industrial tubing. When they looked up and saw Carl and Jenny march in, they both jumped to their feet.

Rhys sped around the desk to hug them both.

Mikey waited, wringing his hands nervously.

"Everything okay?" Rhys asked, sensing Carl's tension as he pulled away. "Is Kelly okay?"

"Light reading?" Carl asked instead of answering.

Rhys chuckled. "Alden's keeping me busy. Mikey's just talking trade for some of this stuff we're after. Mostly copper, some other bits."

"Those for the Kingdom?" Jenny asked.

Rhys nodded.

Carl sighed. "Guys..."

Rhys frowned. "Carl?"

"Everything cool?" Mikey asked.

Carl sighed, rubbing his face before dropping onto one of the sofas in the middle of the office. Rhys sunk down beside him, looking concerned. Mikey sat himself on the sofa opposite. Jenny perched her self on the desk corner.

"Is Kelly...?" Mikey started.

"She's fine," Jenny said.

He gasped. "Thank god."

"It was her and Magna," Carl said bitterly to them. "They were the ones stealing food and medicine."

Rhys laughed. It was breathy and doubtful. But he didn't doubt Carl. He dipped his head.

"I'm sorry," Carl sighed.

Everyone was quiet, the grandfather clock in the corner of the room keeping them painfully present.

"Who knows?" Rhys asked quietly, staring at the tall chair behind the wide desk to his left that Jenny sat on. His eyes were fixed on the pictures on the wall behind it.

"Apart from the people in the room... Daryl and Connie. Yumiko will, too, soon enough."

"Why?" Mikey asked.

"If I had to guess?" Jenny sighed. "Magna's always been difficult, but I think she wanted 'her people' to have something to fall back on if this place was to fall."

"All those missing supplies," Carl grumbled. "We put her on guard for christ's sake."

Rhys looked across at Mikey. "Penny for your thoughts?"

Mikey grimaced at his shoes. "They crossed a line... that's for sure. On the other hand, Yumiko's been nothing but great for Hilltop. Connie doesn't have a bad bone in her body. Kelly's never done something like this before."

Rhys smiled briefly at him. He turned to Carl.

"We keep this quiet."

"You're sure?"

"Counter offer," Jenny piped up. "I break her nose so she doesn't do it again."

"Even if I wanted to cut Magna loose," Rhys sighed. "I can't spare Yumiko and the others. If Magna went, they'd all go."

"Maybe not," Carl sighed.

"Remember how we all felt when Deanna thought about kicking your dad out?"

"I think it's the right choice," Mikey told him. "Keeping them, I mean."

"Do you want to cut Magna loose?" Carl asked.

"No," Rhys answered sincerely. "No, I don't."

Carl was tired, his head hurt, his body ached. The sun had set and he was waiting at the stables to see off Siddiq, Mikey, and Daryl since a bug in Alexandria was sending them home early.

"You'll check in on RJ for me, yeah?" Carl had a pit in his stomach knowing he wasn't going with them.

"Don't worry about it," Siddiq told him. "He'll be my second check-in of the day."

Carl frowned. "Sorry that Rosita's not feeling great."

"It's just a bug, man. Everything will be fine."

Carl waited, hands buried in his pockets while he watched Siddiq finish saddling his dapple horse. Daryl passed by to check over his bike, and the two fist-bumped.

"I'm not gonna convince you to come back, am I?" Siddiq chuckled once he was done, leaning against one of the posts holding up the stable's tin roof.

"Afraid not," Carl said.

"The council's not gonna stop needing you. Especially right now, with Michonne gone."

Carl knew that. He knew Siddiq knew that, too. So he didn't need to say anything.

Siddiq smiled, understanding Carl's silence. "I left some meds in your room for your headaches. Should last you another week."

Carl gave him an empathetic kind of smile in return. "How have your nightmares been? Since the fair, I mean."

Siddiq's lip twitched, his eyes wide. "I see them every night. Can't seem to stop it."

Siddiq took a second, then asked Carl the same question.

"It's hard," Carl said quietly. "It's hard to face them, y'know? I feel selfish sometimes when I get sad about Enid."

Siddiq frowned at him. "Why?"

"You were her teacher and Rhys' was her best friend. I was just me."

"That's always been enough," Siddiq told him, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder gently. "Enid was excited she got to see you again. Mikey, too."

Carl nodded, not looking or feeling convinced.

"You should talk about it with Rhys."

"I do," Carl said. "And it helps. You should talk about it with someone, too."

Siddiq reached out, taking Carl's shoulder again, pulling him into a tight hug this time. Carl found himself able to relax for a moment, breathing in Siddiq's strangely strong, strawberry-scented shirt.

"You're a truly good person, Carl," he said, pulling away. "Think that's why we need you. But stay here as long as you need to."

As they continued to saddle their mounts, Jenny came wandering over. Carl heard her before he saw her— the squeak in her prosthetic very distinct.

She looked at Carl warily. "You asked for me?"

He nodded, smiling. "You punched Magna."

"Asshole deserved it," she said unapologetically.

"Yeah, I think there's more to it than that," Carl chuckled.

Jenny didn't speak.

"I've seen you," Carl told her. "Offering to help clear the dead when they hit the wall. Beatin' on that tree like it did somethin' to you."

"It's therapeutic," she told him.

"You're angry," he said.

"No shit."

"That's why I'm gonna ask you to go to Alexandria."

Jenny looked taken aback. "What?"

"Alexandria needs strong people right now," he admitted. "Place is just as bad as Hilltop with everyone getting sick."

"Yeah, and I'm not looking to get sick."

"Go for me?"

She folded her arms and frowned. "Why?"

"Because shit's getting worse, and I want someone I trust looking out for RJ and the others."

"Don't trust your own people?"

"Of course I do," Carl said. "But they've got other shit to worry about. And you seem lost."

Jenny scoffed, finally realising what he was doing.

"You're giving me something to do," she grumbled.

Carl smiled at her like he was worried she might punch him, too.

"Wouldn't mind the company," Mikey called from the stable adjacent.

Jenny rolled her eyes. "Gimme a minute to pack... think I've still got some weed left over."

-Rhys-

Rhys was heading towards Yumiko and Magna's bedroom, doing his best to read the shorthand scrawled on one of the notes she had left on Maggie's desk earlier when she'd missed him. Magna suddenly came storming out of the room, tears in her eyes, pillow clutched under her arm.

"Magna, are you—?"

But she disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway without stopping.

Rhys turned to see Yumiko standing at the door to her room. Her eyes were swollen and red.

"Took a wrong turn, mate?" she asked, wiping her face against her shoulder.

"This about the food?" Rhys asked.

Yumiko's swollen eyes went wide. "Carl told you?"

Rhys nodded.

"And Magna's not been kicked out on her arse yet..."

"She hasn't."

"Thank you."

Rhys shuffled on the spot uncomfortably. "So you didn't know?"

Yumiko's mouth opened a little, offended.

Rhys nodded. "That's why she's walking away from your room?"

"That," Yumiko nodded, "and she's a self-righteous shit that can't believe anyone in the world is on her side. Not even me."

Rhys nodded. "Sorry..."

"Nah," she said, sniffing and shaking her head. "Did you need something?"

Rhys held the sticky note between his fingers but shook his head back at her. "Get some sleep, yeah?"

"Sure thing, boss."