Chapter 144-Love and Pain

One month later

Alicia's P.O.V

Alicia walked into her cabin and looked at Daryl as he sat at the table with a map of the Campgrounds. "Eugene almost done with the traps?" Alicia asks her husband, who nods.

"He said they'll be bringing some of them over today," Daryl says. "You're going on the run?"

"That's right. Me, Strand, Daniel, Charlie, June, Alden, Negan, and Clementine are leaving soon. We're meeting Maggie, Beth, Connie, and Magna there." Alicia informed Daryl, who nodded.

"Hopefully, it has what Eugene needs," Daryl tells her. She nods as he stands up and kisses her. "Be safe."

"I will be," Alicia says. "I'll see you in a couple of hours."

As she turned, Daryl called out "Alicia..."

"Hmm?"

Daryl paused, then bit his lip "Nothing I'll wait till you get back."

At this, Alicia furrowed her brow and nodded, leaving to the group.

Madison's P.O.V

Madison watched from her home as the group left. She looked at Shane as he walked up to her, sitting down on their chair. "She barely talks with us anymore." Madison said tiredly.

"She's pissed, can't say I blame her." Shane said wearily back.

Madison turned to her husband in disbelief "Shat, she had the gall-"

"She was right Madison." Shane said flatly "Nick wasn't my son and she's not my daughter. She's yours...and can't say I had it coming after what I said to Daryl...fucking hell Maggie was right there."

Madison came up to him "Shane-"

But they were stopped as they heard the gate open and turned to see someone walking through, straight to their cabin.

"Sherry?" Shane opened the door and stepped down to meet her.

"Hey," Madison says as she hugs her daughter in law. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured Mo should see her grandparents." Sherry says as she pulls Mo out of the car. Madison grins as she takes her granddaughter.

"Hi, sweetheart." Madison says with a tender smile as she kisses Mo's head.

"You two still under house arrest?" Sherry asks, eyebrow raised.

"No, but we aren't allowed to leave alone." Shane answers. "If we want to leave, someone has to come with us."

"At least you can leave again." Sherry assured, putting a hand on his arm.

"Well, come on, let's go talk." Madison says as she walks towards her cabin, and Shane and Sherry follow.

Rick's P.O.V

Rick walked up to Eugene and Arthur as they loaded the traps into the wagons, helping with a box. "Who are these for?" Rick asks Eugene.

"Daryl, these traps were made for the Campgrounds. They'll stop the walkers before they hit the trenches. They won't hold them off if Alpha sends the herd, but they will stop the herd long enough for our comrades in the campgrounds to get out," Eugene tells Rick, who nods with a smile of approval. "The ones for Hilltop are almost done as well."

"Good, we need those done as soon as possible. We don't know when Alpha will hit us again." Rick tells Eugene, then slapped his shoulder "And we knew we could count on you."

Eugene gave a blush and nods as he climbs into the wagon, Arthur getting on the other end, and they leave Alexandria.

Morgan's P.O.V

Morgan walked up to Lydia and Arya who he saw was showing her to throw a knife at the nearby bullseye "Ok just FLICK...and THROW."

Arya's knife landed with a perfect bullseye and a woop "Yes!" She turned and saw him standing there "Uncle Morgan?"

"I would like to speak with you," Morgan says to Lydia. "May I?" He asks as he motions towards the stairs, and the girls nod. "We all know what is coming."

"I know." Lydia says softly, arms crossed over her chest as Arya wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I would like to train you, Lydia, how to fight, as I do, as Henry does, as Nick did."

Arya gasped "Really? Awesome!"

Lydia just looked befuddled at that, looking at the stick then back up at him "But...but I-"

"Lydia you need to know how to fight because your mother will be coming after you, and I think it will help you. It helped me during the worst part of my life." Morgan looked away. "A man, a truly good man, helped me find my way. I believe it can help you find yours." Knowing the girl still blamed herself for last year.

Lydia looks at Arya, who nods as she takes her hand. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Will you try?" Morgan asks Lydia, who slowly nods. "Alright, come on, Arya can watch." Morgan says as he stands up and walks away, and the two girls slowly follow him, Lydia nervous but Arya giving her words of excited assurance.

Alicia's P.O.V

The horses stop outside of a warehouse on the outskirts of one of the towns. Climbing down from their horses and carriages, Alicia was already in a fowl mood as she asked Magna, Connie, Maggie, and Beth "Have you been inside yet?"

"No, we were waiting for the rest of you." Maggie brow furrowed.

"What's wrong with you?" Magna asked, eyebrows raised.

Alicia sighed, rubbing her forehead, turning to Negan "Look, I'll talk to them when they pull their heads out of their fucking asses."

"Wow I thought I was the fowl mouthed one." Negan raised his hands, getting looks from an exasperated Clementine and amused Charlie, the man trying to talk to her about Shane and her mother on the way over here.

Beth gave him a look then to Alicia softly "Alicia-"

"We all know what we are looking for. Eugene should have sent a list with everybody, find it and let's get home," Alicia cut her off as the rest came into earshot. "Stay within earshot," She says as she walks to the door and pulls it open. She shines her flashlight inside the building, the place picked over more than a few times while the rest was left for storage. The group starts to search around the building, grabbing the supplies that Eugene needs, Alicia picking from a nearby shelf as she heard from a row over Beth hissing "Look it's a problem between them, you can't just shove into this."

"Excuse me for not wanting those three to be mopey." Negan said back "Merle asked me a few days ago why his Grandparents and Mama weren't talking."

At this Alicia ducked her head, still packing but still listened in.

"...How's the little Greene? Do we have to do a playday?"

Beth let out a huff of breath that Alicia swore was a laugh "He's at the age where it looks like he could walk. Could be any day now. Hershel's already trying to get him to read."

Negan let out a bark of a laugh "That's cute I..." his voice trailed off "The fuck, the hell am I?"

Suddenly there was the sound of an enormous crash as one of the shelves fell down as from the aisle someone fell as well. Alicia ran over to see Negan on the floor with Beth crouched over him, a string wrapped around his ankle.

"What the..." Alicia trailed off, seeing the string attached to one of the shelves sending it down...as from another storage room the door flew open and walkers began to pour out, rasping filling the room.

"Shit!" Negan says as he pulls his mace off his back, Beth and Alicia helping him up. "Everybody stay together," Negan says as he slams his mace into the head of an incoming dead. The walkers move towards them, seeming endless as they come out of the room, having been crammed in there somehow. Alicia stabs a walker through the jaw with her barrel and then another through the eye as she sees a walker coming towards Negan from the side as he belted one in the face, grabbing through the next aisle.

"FUCK!"

"Negan!" Alicia shouts as she grabs his coat sleeve, and yanks him away. The walker grabs onto her arm and bites into it, causing Alicia to scream in pain as Maggie withdraws her gun and shoots the walker in the head. Gunfire rings out in the warehouse as the group quickly shoots the rest of the walkers as Alicia stares at the bite, shaking in pain and horror.

"Alicia!" June yelled as she grabbed Alicia's other arm making Alicia look at her. "You're gonna be fine, sweetie. Negan, grab that table," June tells Negan, who quickly nods as he grabs one of the building's tables and sets it down in front of them. June takes her belt off and ties it around Alicia's arm. She grabs Strand's machete and holds it out to Negan, who looks at her in shock.

"What?"

"You have to do it, one quick, strong swing above the bite." June tells Negan, who grabbed it.

"June that means-"

June said sternly "Do it now or the infection spreads!"

Negan grimaced, but went to the side of the table, fist clenched on the handle.

"Strand, Magna, hold her down," June tells them. "Alicia." She says making Alicia look at her with watery eyes. "You're gonna be okay, I promise."

Alicia slowly nods as Negan raises the machete. "I'm sorry." Negan says as his voice breaks and he brings the machete down. It goes straight through Alicia's arm, making her scream as her vision goes blurry.

"Get her to the truck!" Maggie screams, and that is the last thing she hears before her world goes black.

Daryl's P.O.V

Daryl was talking with Eugene getting a box when his radio went off. "Daryl! Daryl pick up!" Maggie says frantically, and Daryl grabs his radio immediately hearing the panic.

"What's wrong?"

"Alicia got bit." Maggie says, and Daryl entire body tenses. "A walker got her arm, we got it off, and I'm coming in fast with June, Negan, and Charlie."

The group had gathered and listened to them as Daryl held the radio. Not speaking, just frozen. "Tobias, Rosita, get the infirmary ready, NOW!" Morgan shouts at the two, who nod as they run into the infirmary as Shane and Madison come out hearing the commotion as the kids come outside. Rachel pulls the gate open, and the truck speeds into the campgrounds. The driver-side door opened, and Negan climbed out and picked up Alicia, his clothes and hands were covered in her blood. Daryl felt his world slow down as he watched Negan run Alicia into the infirmary. June, right behind him, the voices and shouting were muffled as he stared at the door.

"Mama!" Ofelia cries out, and Daryl looks at his kids, who have tears going down their faces.

"Hey." Daryl says softly. "Come here."

The two children run up to their father and hug him. Tears go down Daryl's face as the door opens, and Negan steps out. He walks down the stairs and looks at Daryl with tears in his eyes.

Daryl stared back remembering...remembering that when Negan was first let out, Alicia was among the first who made him feel welcome followed by Morgan, Shane, then the others one by one...Alicia often in Daryl's ear, trying to convince him to give the former warlord a chance.

"I'm sorry, she pulled me away, and she got bit." Negan says as the tears go down his face, and his face clenched as if expecting to be shouted at, screamed. But Daryl doesn't say anything and to the surprise of many, Negan included...

Pulled him into a hug.

"It ain't your fault." He says as he holds the man who he once hated as they both feared for a woman they loved more than themselves. Merle and Ofelia wrapped their arms around Negan's legs as they stood there.

Rick's P.O.V

Rick stopped the car inside of the campgrounds and threw the door open as he climbed out and ran up to the infirmary, where the group stood around the infirmary. Daryl and Negan are sitting on the stairs, and Ofelia and Merle are lying on their father's lap. Charlie sat on the ground with Rachel behind her, and Shane stood with Madison. Siddiqi moves past them and goes into the infirmary. "Daryl!" Rick says, making Daryl look at him and Carl, Enid, and Michonne, as he stands up, pulling him into a hug. "How is she?"

"We don't know." Maggie says, making Rick look at her, pulling away from Daryl. "June, Tobias, and Rosita are still in there."

Rick nods as he motions Maggie away from the others. Once they were far enough away, he looked at her, gritting his teeth in worry for his sister in law. "Maggie...what the fucking hell happened?"

"It was going fine. Then...then I think a wire was set off, the walkers must have heard us, and the door came down."

"Wire...a trap?" Rick stared then looked out the gate, wondering if Alpha left behind a going away present in one of their warehouses, then back to Maggie "Aas it-"

"We don't know." Maggie looked down "it happened so fast."

We were fighting one of them, and one was coming up beside Negan. Alicia pulled him away, and it bit her arm."

"How long did it take you to get it off?" Rick paced back and forth, fists clenched, dread if that monster would kill another of his family.

"Two minutes." Maggie says. "But she lost a lot of blood, Rick," Maggie says as her voice broke before she clears her throat. "Daryl has barely spoken, Negan blames himself, and Daryl hugged Negan, which I never thought I'd see. He can't lose her, Rick. I know he can't. I see it in his eyes. They are empty, Rick. He can't lose Alicia."

"He won't." Rick says, laying his hand on her shoulder. "He won't; Alicia is one of the strongest people I know; it only makes sense; who else could claim the heart of Daryl? She will be fine, and if she's not, we'll help him. But she won't die without fighting. She'll fight till she can't anymore."

Maggie nods as Rick hugs her, but pulls apart when they see the gate open, and Carol rides in with Ezekiel, Rikki, and Ady. Ady climbs off the horse and goes into the infirmary as Carol walks up to them in motherly worry. "How is he?"

"In shock, you might be able to get through to him. Beth tried, and he didn't speak, didn't move."

Carol nods as she walks up to Daryl. "Daryl, let's take a walk."

Daryl shakes his head. "I ain't moving. Not until they come out of there," He says, his voice hoarse.

"At least take a drink." Carol says as she holds her canteen out to him. Daryl takes it and opens it.

"Here." Daryl says as he holds it out to his son, who takes it and takes a drink before he hands it to his sister. After, she hands it back to her father, who takes a small drink and holds it out to Negan, who takes it and takes a drink before he holds it out to Carol, who takes it and walks over to Rick.

"Rick, maybe you should talk to him."

"I can't," Rick said lowly, Carol's eyebrows raised. "Lori and I never loved each other as much as those two do. Right now, the best thing we can do for Daryl is to be here. She will live. We just have to wait and see what happens."

They nod as they walk towards the cabin. Rick stopped by Carl and looked at his son as he stared at Negan. "Alicia pulled him away. He's blaming himself," Rick tells Carl, who nods as the infirmary door opens.

Thanks for reading. Next chapter, Alicia's fate is revealed, and the group deals with the news. As always, suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed. Until next time.