Chapter 80-Apologizing

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl knocked on Morgan's door early the next day. He waited a few minutes and looked at Morgan as he opened the door. "Hope I ain't waking you."

"You did. You should be happy. You didn't wake Coco. Rosita would kill you," Morgan says as he steps out and shuts the door, causing Daryl to give a faint smirk at that. "What's up?"

"I'm going to Hilltop today to prepare for Richmond and Alicia's coming. But she's worried about the kids."

"You want us to watch them?" Morgan asks.

"I don't trust few people more than you." Daryl says. "I know you'll protect them with your life."

"Let me make sure Rosita is okay with it, and if she is that yes, we'll watch 'em," Morgan says. Daryl nods as Morgan walks inside. He sits down. He waits for a few minutes and sees looks at Morgan. "We'll watch them. Do you mind if we stay in your cabin? More room than ours."

"That's fine," Daryl says as he stands up. "The group is meeting in the main cabin in an hour."

Morgan nods as Daryl walks back towards his cabin.

Shane's P.O.V

Everybody from the campground, including Carl, Michonne, Rick, Jesus, Reilly, Arat, Maggie, Al, Ezekiel, Carol, Enid, David, Javier, and Clementine. "Okay, so Strand and Cole will go to the warehouse and get what they can from there. Morgan, Tobias, and Rosita will be staying here. Aaron will be bringing Grace here and staying here to help defend. Jerry will be bringing his kids here as well. The rest of us will be going to Hilltop to help defend it. We all know the plan. If we can, we stop them there," Shane says.

"I'm going to stay here, too," Rick says reluctantly. "Michonne will be bringing Judith and Andrea here, and I won't be much help out there."

Maggie bit her lip looking away at that.

"Okay." Daryl says, not liking it but understanding Rick's actions. "We leave in an hour."

With that the group headed out of the cabin, Rick last to leave...looking at his cane and mentally cursing his damn leg.

Alicia's P.O.V

Alicia walked over to her drawer and pulled the top drawer open. She grabbed her gun barrel and looked at it. "Feel weird?" Daryl asks her. She looks at him and smiles.

"It's been a while since I've used it be quiet." Alicia glared at her husband mildly as she puts the gun barrel in the holster. "You got everything you need?"

"Yeah. I'll be back in a moment, and we can say goodbye to the kids," Daryl tells her. Alicia nods as Daryl grabs their bags and leaves the cabin. Alicia grabbed her gun and set it in her holster. She sat in the bed and waited for Daryl. He came back in a few minutes later, and they walked out and over to the kid's room. Daryl pushed the door open and looked at Merle and Ofelia.

"Are you leaving Papa?" Merle asks them. Alicia nods as she walks into the room and bends down.

"We have to go stop the bad men from hurting our friends and family." Alicia says softly. "Aunt Rosita and Uncle Morgan are going to stay here with you guys while we're gone. Uncle Rick will be bringing Judith and Andrea." The two twins beamed at their 'cousins' coming by to play

"How long are you going to be gone?" Merle asks.

"We don't know," Daryl says. "But we'll do everything in our power to make sure we come back."

"Will we be safe?" Ofelia asks worried

"Yeah, you guys will be fine," Alicia says softly. "Morgan and Rosita are going to need help leading. Are you guys going to help them?"

"Yes Mommy." Merle says.

"Okay, we'll radio every day to talk to you, and we'll see you soon. Now give me a hug," Alicia says. They smile as they wrap their arms around their mother. Alicia holds them tight and kisses their heads. "I love you guys so much."

"Love you too, Mommy." They say.

After Alicia let them go and ran over to Daryl, who bent down to hug them. "We're going to see you soon," Daryl says. "Don't drive Morgan and Rosita too crazy. Love you guys."

"Love you, Daddy."

Daryl lets them go and stands up. He smiles at his kids before he leaves the room with Alicia. They walk outside and towards where everybody is waiting. "You guys ready?" John asks.

"Yeah," Daryl says as he climbs onto his bike. Alicia climbs on behind him, and he starts the bike. He drives out of the campgrounds, followed by the others.

Negan's P.O.V

Negan climbed out of the truck and looked around Hilltop. "I was hoping I would never have to step foot back in this place again," Negan says warily.

"Maggie was probably hoping the same thing," Shane says. Negan smirks.

"At least she won't try to kill me...well I hope." Negan says with a chuckle.

"Better not."

The two stop and looked wary as Maggie then came up...Al next to her.

After a moment...she said. "We have extended Hilltop some in the last few years, but we don't have enough trailers, but we have tents that we can set up. We'll get everybody somewhere to stay by the end of the day."

"Well, I will be sleeping in a tent," Negan says with a smirk before he walks over to Earl, working at the forge. "How are you doing, old man?"

"I've kept most of my hair on my head, but I imagine that you'll get rid of the rest of it by the end of this." Earl says jokingly, turning around to see him.

"Either me or Carl. My money's on him, he's in charge and I'm not." Negan says with a cackle.

"How's that Mace treating you?" Earl asks him.

"It's great," Negan says. "You mind if I hang around and learn a thing or two. Better than walking around here and getting glared at."

"Sure, you can help me move some metal for weapons!" Earl tells him.

He nodded and looked at Barrington for a moment...

Alicia's P.O.V

Alicia walks into Maggie's office and looks at her. "It's weird seeing you sitting there."

"I know," Maggie says with a smile. "How are you doing? First time being away from your kids."

"It sucks. Who's taking Hershel to the Campgrounds?" Alicia asks.

"Tammy," Maggie says. "I tried to convince Al to go, but she won't go, so I asked Tammy, and she said she'll go with Hershel and the rest of the kids and keep an eye on them. Kenneth is going with her."

Alicia nods as she sits down across from her. "You doing okay?" Trying to be delicate, but from the look on Maggie's face she knew who she was talking about.

"Yeah, Negan is the least of our problems. We need every man we got, even if we don't each other. Richmond is dangerous, and they won't stop until we are all dead, including my girlfriend and son," Maggie says as she leans back in the chair. "You want to help me? I'm assigning watch shifts."

"Sure," Alicia says as she walks around the desk.

Joan's P.O.V

Joan looked at Clinton and Paul as they walked into the church. "With David gone, we do not have anybody to lead the army." Clint says.

"Badger can do it." Joan says.

"Badger doesn't have the right temperament for it. He is impulsive. No, we need someone better," Paul says, making Joan sigh. She needed someone she trusted to take care of all this.

"We'll use Jesse, he is perfect for the job, and he will do whatever it takes to protect Richmond." Paul says firmly

"I agree with Paul." Clinton tells him. "What do you say, Joan?"

"I think that is a great idea," Joan says. "Why don't you go tell him, and then they can head out."

The two of them nod at her they leave. Joan leaves the church and finds Badger in the armory, grabbing a gun. "So I'm in charge, right?"

"No, Jesse is. Make sure he doesn't make it back. Ava too, it's better if they are both out of the picture," Joan tells him.

"You are asking a lot of me, Joan. I hope there is something in her for me when this is all over," Badger says with a frown.

"When this is over, you will take David's position. You'll have a lot of power, Badger, so you will get what you want, power," Joan tells him. "Jesse, Ava, Daryl, and Rick need to die, and anybody who dies that isn't them is collateral damage. Don't fail me, Badger," Joan says before she leaves.

Morgan's P.O.V

Morgan walked over to Rick, who was sitting on the steps of the big cabin, looking at his cane with a mix of shame and frustration. "Lilly, Tammy, Hershel, A.J, and the rest of the kids from Hilltop just got her," Rick tells him, not looking up. "Michonne should be here soon."

Morgan nods as he sits down beside his oldest friend. "You hate this."

"Don't you? Our friends and family are fighting, and we're here playing babysitter. My son and wife are out there." Rick says, his voice tight.

"And your daughters will be in here. Your granddaughter will be in here even though she won't like it. And if something happens to Carl, Enid, and Michonne. They are going to need you," Morgan says softly. "Rick, all you have done since the start of this is fight to keep your friends and family alive. Led the fights and was ready to die for each one of them. Let them protect you this time," Morgan says. "We're old men now, Rick."

Rick laughs as he looks at him with a dry smirk. "Daniel is older than most of us."

"Yeah, but he wouldn't stay here unless we shot him," Morgan says. "Now come on. Help me entertain these kids before they drive me crazy. And also sure that Arya won't sneak off."

Knowing that his granddaughter was a rebellious one when she could be, Rick chuckles as he grabs his cane and follows him.

Carl's P.O.V

Carl set his hat down on the nightstand inside of the trailer he was staying in and looked at Enid. "Arya is going to kill us when this is all over." Carl tells her.

"Probably," Enid says, knowing that was a fight waiting to happem. "But she'll be safer there, and this will be much easier if we know she is safe."

"It would be easier if you were there with her," Carl says as he sits on the bed.

"Oh for, Carl we've been over this. This is my fight, too. I'm fighting it. I'm not a kid," Enid says firmly.

"I know that."

"Then please stop treating me like one. I am just as capable of defending myself as you are."

"Okay," Carl says as he lays down. "I'm sorry."

"Good, now go to sleep. I love you."

Carl smiled and kissed her as they layed down "I love you too."

Maggie's P.O.V

Maggie was walking back from showing Shane and Madison their trailer, the sun having long set as night fell across the community, most everyone having gone to sleep.

"Maggie." Hearing That voice, Maggie stopped in her tracks.

Standing in front of Barrington House was Negan himself. He grinned wearily, mildly waving at her.

"Just because you're staying here doesn't mean I want to talk to you." Maggie growls, fists balled at her side, as if restrain from shooting him right there.

"I know." He just said.

"So why-"

"I just got something to say, and then we can continue to avoid each other. Give me one minute and I swear I'll be out of your hair."

Every single part of her screamed at her to refuse, to get him out of her way and leave her alone...but she remembered an explosion, her mentor being injured partly cause of her recklessness, and even now had never forgiven herself for it.

So she took a breath, turned her back on him and just curtly said "One minute."

"I don't know if anybody ever told you, but I burned that bat a few years ago."

Her eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, but still not looking at him.

"I know I can never make up for what I did to you or Hershel. I know you'll never forgive me and I would be shocked if you did. But I'm sorry for what I did to him, to all of you. When I...did that...I thought to myself 'two lives for thirty' easy trade. I thought...I thought he was just another bloodthirsty raider. We can argue all goddamn week whether the people at the satellite outpost deserved it or not, but I imagine you don't give a damn."

Closing his eyes he felt a tear well up "it wasn't until Carl showed me that you don't have to race to the bottom of the barrel to survive..when I saw we can work together instead of 'protecting' the weak...that I started to realize what I had done. What I did to alot of people...my Lucille was dead, hell alot of people loved one's were dead...I imagine that's no excuse as she'd be disgusted with me...but that's the best thing I can say."

He saw he was over the minute now, but she still stood there...keeping her back to him but at least not trying to stab or at least punch him.

Negan steadied himself and said "I'm sorry, Maggie. For killing Glenn, for taking Hershel's father away from him, for taking your husband away. and I will spend whatever time I have left trying to make up for it," Negan tells her.

Maggie doesn't say anything as she turns around and walks back to Barrington house and Negan goes to his tent. Maggie shuts the door to her office, and sat in her chair.

She stared at the picture of her dead husband, her father...and remembered something the father of her little boy said.

'You honor the Dead by going on. Even when your scared. You live because they don't get to.'

With that...she closed her eyes, still in her chair...and breathed a quiet sleep.

Thanks for reading. Next chapter, we will get back to Beth, Tara, Arthur, and stuff at Hilltop. I have had the Negan and Maggie scene planned for a little while, and I had a lot of fun doing it. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.