Chapter 109-The ones we lost

Carl's P.O.V

Carl sat on a bench, watching the people of the community. He looked at Negan as he walked up to him. "Hey, there's my favorite little man!" Negan says. "Your big day is coming up, and you look like you want to die."

"Just thinking." Carl tells him as Negan sits down beside him. "Doesn't matter; what's up?"

"You pick a best man yet?" Negan asks with a smirk. "I know Shane is standing with you, but he's not your best man."

"I did," Carl says with a serious look on his face. "Yeah, someone who's always been there for me. Someone who has always said the right thing when I needed to hear it. It didn't matter if I wanted to. Someone who has always made me smile."

Negan grins. "Well of-"

"It's Michonne." Carl says with a smile as he looks at Negan, who frowns.

"That was a dick move, but I'm too impressed to be mad," Negan says as he crosses his arms. "Who's your last one?"

"Daryl," Carl answers. "I don't know where he is."

"He's by the pond with Alicia and the kids," Negan answers after a moment. Carl nods as he stands up and starts to leave. "Carl."

Carl stops and looks at him expecting to see him with his regular grin on his face, but he is looking at the ground, grimacing. "What's wrong?"

"I don't think I should come to this wedding."

"Why not?" Carl asks but then stops. "Maggie." He realizes.

"You, Enid, Maggie, and Al. This is your special day. I'll just ruin it for her."

"You won't, you're one of us, and she knows that. I need... I need you there," Carl says, making Negan look at him, surprise clear on his face. "You were the start of all of this. I'm a better man because of you, Negan. I never listened to what my Mom told me, but I started to when I met you. I did what was hard. I convinced my Dad to save you. I helped you find the good man I knew you were on the inside. When I'm up there, and I'm looking at Enid. I want to look around that church and see you cause seeing you will remind me why we do what we do. Why we are building the new world, why we are the greater good," Carl tells him before he walks away.

Smiling, Negan shook his head and layed back...then looked down to see Daryl and Alicia watching...

The kids play.

And his good mood dropped looking at those children...muttering "Damn it."

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl sat on the bench with Alicia, who had her head on his shoulder. "If only it could be like this every day." Alicia says with a smile as she watches Ofelia and Merle play with Hershel, Andrea, Judith, and A.J. Daryl nod with a smile as Carl walks up to them. "Hey," Daryl says.

"You mind if we talk?" Carl asks Daryl, who nods as he stands up and follows the young man. "So, I asked Michonne to be my best man and Shane as well." Daryl raised brows at Carl who decided to continue on with it. "But I wanted to ask you as well. To stand in between the two."

"Wait me?" Daryl drew back, a rare loss for words for him.

You've been with me since the start, Daryl. Before, Dad, Michonne, and Maggie. It was you, and even though you were an asshole, you've always been there for me when I needed it. I couldn't imagine this world without you with us, without my Uncle Daryl."

Daryl smiles and nods. "I'll be there, kid," Daryl says. He then paused, and said "Hang on, I wanted to tell you something."

"Hmm?"

Daryl went to Alicia leaning down to kiss her saying "Got to do something, be right back."

Alicia paused, then nodded "Ok sure."

Carl's P.O.V

Carl followed Daryl down the street and found themselves walking into the graveyard and saw Daryl stopping in front of Deanna's grave

He says, making the man look at him. "I remember when Dad and Michonne went to get her from the woods and brought her back here so she could be buried by her son and husband." Carl says. "Never seen you here, though."

"When I started leading the group in Texas. I thought about her a lot and how she did things here. Thought about Rick too. We've met a lot of people over the years, Carl. But we've never met anybody like her." Daryl confesses.

"No, we haven't," Carl says smiling at Daryl then back at the grave. "I admired her."

"So did I. She built this place. Gave us something worth fighting for, six and a half years later, and we are still fighting for it." Daryl says.

"We've done good by her Daryl. I know your tired of fighting but it's been worth it." Carl comforted said. "We always brought Alexandria back, no matter what. We're making the place she wanted, the World she wanted. She'd be proud of us."

Daryl looks at him and nods. "Yeah, she would be," Daryl says as he walks away and saw someone approaching

"Daryl, can we talk?" An arriving Rick asks Daryl, who nods as Carl walks away. "I need you to come with me to see Lilly."

Daryl nods as he follows the man, leaving Carl pausing looking at this thoughtfully.

Rick's P.O.V

Rick sat on the bed in the infirmary as Lilly locked the door and shut the blinds. "Nobody will see you or know until you are ready, Rick. I promise." She reassured. "Daryl, I'm going to move that cane. I need you to be prepared if he starts to fall."

"I got him," Daryl tells her. She nods as Rick hands her the cane. Rick takes a deep breath as he pushes himself off of the bed. His right foot touches the ground first and then his leg. He holds his hand on the bed as he puts more weight on the foot. Rick moves his hand and loses his balance as Daryl grabs him and helps him lean back against the bed.

"Dammit! Shit!" Rick cursed in anger, slapping the bed in frustration.

"Don't get mad, Rick. You haven't walked in years without that cane, this is going to take time." Lilly reassures him. "But I think within the next six months to a year, you could walk by yourself again, I'll check in with Siddiq and see what he says. I suggest you tell at least Carl and Michonne soon."

"I will," Rick says as he grabs the cane. "When I can walk again, I am burning this thing, I don't know how the Hell Hershel did it." Rick says, making Daryl chuckle as they leave.

John's P.O.V

John walks up to Al after she is done talking with Beth. "You are getting married in two days, hmm?" John says with a smile.

"I am." Al says. "Without you, I never would have gotten married."

"I didn't do anything, Al," John blushed and waved this off.

"You did, John. You helped create all of this," Al says as she looks around. "Morgan and Daryl may have found all of us. But you were the glue that kept us together. You've always have been. Without you, Daryl and Morgan would have gone off on their own. Alicia, Nick, Strand, and Luciana may have died trying to kill the Vultures, and I would still be with Shane looking for new stories. So regardless of what you say, I wouldn't never have met Maggie if it wasn't for you John Dorie." Al says. "I was actually going to come and find you. I asked Madison and Morgan to stand up there with me, but I needed a best man. I want that to be you."

John smiles and nods. "It would be my honor, Al. Now come here!"

Althea chuckled and hugged him tight.

Negan's P.O.V

Negan walks up to Dwight as the man walks around the pond. Dwight turned and looked at him...despite the years, Dwight usually kept his distance from Negan as he asked gruffly "What do you want?"

"I came here to do something I should have done a long time ago." Negan tells him. "I'm sorry, Dwight," Dwight looks at him, shocked. "For what I did to you, to Sherry...to Tina. I told Sherry I was sorry in that cabin all those years ago, but I never told you."

"So why tell me now? I forgave you for all of it years ago," Dwight tells him.

"Because this better man who everybody thinks I can be. The man I want to be, the one I'm becoming. He has a lot to make up for. I've been doing it for years. Trying to make it up to Maggie, Rick, Carl, Daryl, all of them."

"You don't have to make anything up to me, Negan. I'm no better than you were." Dwight tells him before he walks away from the man.

Pausing, Dwight looked over, admittedly curious "And what brought this on?"

Negan looked across the pond as Dwight followed his gaze, seeing the children running around out there.

"Let's just say trying to be better...just in case the worst happens."

Dwight saw AJ help up Judith after she fell, giggling as they kicked a soccer ball around...

Try as he might, Regina's words still even now were in his head.

Rick's P.O.V

Rick knocks on Carl's door and looks at his son as he opens the door. "Hey, Dad, what is it?" Carl says.

"Anybody else here?" Rick asks Carl, who shakes his head as Rick follows him in. Rick sits down, and Carl sits down beside him. "I came here to give you something," Rick says as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out two rings. "These were mine and your Mom's," Rick says as he looks at them and then holds them out to him. "I know Lori would want you to have them."

Carl smiles as he takes them, touched. "Thanks, Dad."

Rick nods as he lays his hand on Carl's shoulder. "She would be so proud of the man who have become just as I am. No matter what happens in the future. I need you to know that, Carl. I am so proud of you. Everything I've done since I woke up was for you. To build a better life for you, and I'll get to see you get married in a couple of days. That makes everything we've done worth it."

Carl smiles and lays his hand on Rick's. "She would be proud of you, too."

Rick looked away at that. "That part? That I'm not sure, Carl I did-"

"OK stop." Carl leaned in "Yes you made mistakes and did bad things, but that's part of being human. You told me that remember?"

Rick paused then chuckled "When did my Son get to be so damn wise, didn't get it from me."

"Good genes I guess." Carl grinned...but his face fell as he looked and met his gaze on something "I wish she was here to see this," Carl says as he looks at the picture of Rick, Lori, and Carl "I mean...don't get me wrong. I love Michonne with all my heart, you know that but-"

"Don't worry, I know. I do too, Carl. I wish they were all here to see this." Rick says as Carl lays his head on his father's shoulder as they both think about the family they have lost over the years. The ones who gave their lives so they could be here.

Thanks for reading. The next chapter will be about the wedding, and then we have two more chapters after that, and then we finally get to the whispers. I have so much planned for that arc. I am so excited to write it. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.