Chapter 179-Getting him out
Eugene's P.O.V
Eugene looked at the door as it opened and Rosita came into the cell followed by Mercer, who tells Rosita. "Five minutes." At her nod, he turned and shut the door.
"I always thought it would be me who ended up in a cell." Rosita started and Eugene chuckled.
"Are the rest of you getting any closer to getting me out?" Eugene asks Rosita, trying not to sound too hopeful.
"We are working on it," Rosita says. "You'll be out of here by tomorrow," Rosita tells him. "Max, is she the girl from the radio?" Eugene nods. "Out of all the girls in the world, you use the general's sister."
"My luck," Eugene says as he sits down. "I did not know who he was, Rosita."
"I know, but would that have stopped you?" Rosita asks Eugene, an eyebrow raised.
"Probably not, he was a grade-A asshole," Eugene admitted as Rosita sits down beside him.
"You did the right thing, Eugene and I promise you, we won't let you get punished for that, you just hang tight in here and we'll get you out, no matter what it takes, Alicia threatened to end our deal."
"She can't, we need this deal!" Eugene looked at her, horrified.
"We need you more than we need any deal, we need that head of yours," Rosita assured him. "We don't need these people, we'll survive like we always have. As long as we have you, we'll be fine."
Eugene gave her a long look but soon nodded, although his face was still clenched tight with concern as the door opened and Mercer looks at them. "See you soon?" Eugene asks and Rosita nods with a smile as she follows Mercer out.
Rick's P.O.V
Rick walked towards the apartment as Strand came outside. "Just the man I was looking for," Strand says. "I made a deal with Lance."
"What kind of deal?" Rick stared at this, first hopeful, then a bit concerned at what Hornsby wanted.
"A deal that could help Ezekiel and Eugene. Both at once. He said he could pull strings to get Ezekiel's surgery and let Eugene out." Strand started him.
"What does Lance want?" Rick asks him warily. On one hand, it would get Ezekiel the help he needed and Eugene out, his people owed both men so much. But on the other, it was clear Lance was asking something in return.
"For Hilltop to join the party. He's worried that Beth, Maggie, and Tara are not as interested in this deal as the rest of us, he wanted me to get Daryl to talk to them and I tried, it did not end well so you are my second choice, those girls love you." Strand says. "This is how we all win, Rick."
Rick stared, biting his lip then sighed "I'll talk to them. No promises though."
"They'll come around, they love Ezekiel and Eugene too. They won't let them down."
Negan's P.O.V
Sitting outside near one of the picnic tables to get some fresh air, Negan sharpened his new knife looking it up and down. But soon he heard some footsteps and looked out the corner of his eye to see Daryl sitting at the next table over fists clenched.
A minute of silence passed by, and only the sharpening of the knife was heard, until Negan spoke up "Well you look like you've had a rough day."
"Shut up." Daryl said, tone exhausted and looking down at the table. The two men were silent for a couple of minutes more as Negan looked over, waiting until Daryl spoke. "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm letting everybody down."
"You are," Negan says flatly making Daryl look at him. "If you're looking for someone to lie to you, that ain't me. I'm always fucking honest." Negan says as he sits up straight in his chair. "You're acting like an idiot, Daryl. That's coming from me and I've done a lot of stupid shit since we met. You gave up leading, fine, you've done your part, you did what Rick asked you after his leg got fucked up, you helped build The World, you protected it and it cost you, it cost all of us." Negan looked away tired himself "After Laura I wanted to do what you're doing, just be pissed, push everybody away, but you guys wouldn't let me, and I'm going to make sure you don't either. So you are going to figure out your shit or when I can stand, I'm going to knock it into you."
Worryingly Daryl made no response to this and said quietly "I see her, everywhere I go. What's worst of all? Charlie was right, I ran from Alexandria because I wanted to stop seeing her, but I still see her."
"I know the feeling." Negan nodded. "Even now, after everything that has happened, I still see Lucille. I still hear her voice, hell I've talked to her a couple of times. People like Carol and Lucille, they don't leave us, after they die, we lose our minds just a little bit. Now I took losing Lucille way worse than you did, I beat in people's heads, controlled them, made them call themselves Negan. You're handling it better than me."
"How did you get control?"
At that, Negan cackled once and looked at Daryl with a grin "Hell do ya think? My throat got cut, I was thrown in a cell and a couple of months later, an asshole redneck gave me a chance and gave me a family," Negan says and Daryl snorted, hiding a smirk. "That asshole, a kid with one eye and balls of steel, and a one eyed priest gave me a chance, and here we are. Daryl your anger is your greatest enemy. You're angry at the world, at yourself for something you could not control. Don't lead if you don't want to man, but don't take your family and friends for granted."
"...The hell did you become a wise old man?"
"First fuck you I'm not old and I've always been wise. And...had some good council." Negan and Daryl were silent for a moment, till Negan said "Ok now wheel me back inside, I got to piss."
At this, Daryl just looked at him then stood, walking off "Annnnd you ruined it."
"Daryl...Daryl...DARYL! DARYL I GOT TO GET CARRIED INSIDE! DARYL!"
Shane's P.O.V
Shane walked through the Commonwealth looking around, annoyed as he saw the bustling streets and looking like it was straight from a dream and from days before. "You don't look thrilled about being here," Shane turns at that comment, face softening as he sees Sherry walking up to him.
"I don't want to be here, our family are back home. My wife and stepdaughter will be here. Rick and Carl will be there." Shane tells her, rubbing his temples at them being split up again as before. "I'm surprised you came."
"I'm thinking about staying," Sherry tells Shane who looks at her, startled. "Mo's family will be here. It will be a good place for her. I love the Kingdom and everybody there, but without Nick, it feels empty, and Mo should know her family. Her grandmother and Aunt."
"This is a mistake," Shane growled as he looks around. "This place, these people they are weak, and they'll get someone killed, someone we care about, they already got Eugene locked up. This isn't going to end well." Shane says. "For any of us," Shane says before he walks away from Sherry, feeling her concerned look on him.
Charlie's P.O.V
Charlie sat on a bench staring at the pond in the nearby park, mind awash in thoughts. So deep in them she barely heard the footsteps approaching. "Calming isn't it?"
Turning, she furrowed her brows to see Alden behind her, bemused at the sight of her.
"What are you doing here?" Charlie asks him.
"I was looking around the place, and this looked peaceful enough," Alden says as he sits down beside her. "But now I'm wondering why you are here?"
"Thinking about leaving everybody here," Charlie tells him. "I know what I said to Daryl and Alicia but it doesn't make it any easier, Merle and Ofelia will still be here and so will my unborn sibling," Charlie tells him.
"They'll be here if you ever want to come and see them. Charlie you have to do what you think is best for you. They'll be fine here."
"I'm surprised you came," Charlie admitted after a moment, to try to get her mind off her conflicted thoughts. "I thought you stay in Hilltop."
"I was going to." Alden nodded at that. "But...after Luciana, I never thought I would have a chance to have a family again. I have that chance with Connie and if that means I have to this in this place, than so be it. What does Rachel think about staying in Alexandria?"
"She wants to stay." Charlie took a breath and rubbed her eyes. "Since the stadium. I've had Daryl, he took me in, and gave me a family, a father, a mother, a brother, and sister. I've looked up to him, and idolized him. He's always been so strong. When I saw him giving up, and wanting to run, it made me so mad. It's not who he is."
"No, it isn't." Alden rubbed her back in comfort. "But maybe what Daryl needs is a place like this, he'll come to his senses, he'll be back in Alexandria by next year."
"I hope you're right," Charlie muttered, arms over her lap, as they sit in silence.
Rick's P.O.V
Rick walked into the room that Maggie, Beth, and Tara were staying in, all gathered around a table in a heated discussion. Hoping that it was about the deal with Lance and Pamela, they looked up as he asked. "Can we talk?" As they nodded, he sat and began "We might have a way of getting Eugene out. Lance might be able to do it."
"What does he want?" Maggie asked point blank.
"Your full corporation." All three women scowled as Rick pressed on "He wants to know that Hilltop is fully in on the deal, like Alexandria, The Kingdom, Meridian, and Richmond." Rick tells them. "I know you guys don't trust these people. Neither do I honestly, I just need you to act the part, he needs to believe it because we have to get Eugene out of that cell, we owe him too much to leave him in there."
"Rick, this place gives me a bad feeling. There is something else going on here." Beth protested to him.
"I know Beth." Rick said kindly "But right now we need them and we need Lance on our side if we want to get Eugene out of that cell. Once our communities are fixed, we can tell them our deal is off, but you need to play the part, act like you are all in, just make Lance believe it." Rick finished by saying desperately. "Please."
"Fine," Beth says with a sigh after she looks at the two girls who nod. "But once Hilltop is fixed, we're done with them."
"Fair enough."
Pamela P.O.V
Pamela looked at Sebastian as he walked into her office, the guard nodding and closing the door. "That bastard broke my nose," Sebastian said immediately as it closed, not letting her speak. "So what are we going to do to him? Exile him? Give him life in prison, execute him?" Sebastian asks with a vicious smirk at the last.
"We might not do any of that to them," Pamela responded dryly.
His smirk faded to a look of disbelief "What the hell are you talking about!? That backwoods hick punched me!"
"From what I have heard, he saved your life from rotters." Pamela countered. "That's what Max told me and that is what Eugene told Mercer."
"I had guards!" Sebastian growls and then screams, "I DIDN'T NEED HIS HELP!"
"It sounds like you did." Pamela retaliated, weathering another of her son's tantrums, as she stood. "You also insulted Max, and Eugene punched you for being an asshole."
Sebastian then began to laugh. "You know, I'm not even surprised you're being like this. This is just like you. You never believe me do you?! I'm just a nuisance aren't I Mom?"
"We need these people Sebastian."
"No, you need them to get more power you SELFISH BITCH!" Sebastian screamed at her, stomping his foot.
Pamela was about to retaliate, stepping towards her son, when the door opened and Lance came in. "Pamela, can I speak to you?" He paused and cocked his head "Oh, Sebastian your here. Am...I interrupting something?
"No. he was just leaving." Pamela turned with a glare and point. "We will talk more later, Sebastian. Now out." Sebastian scoffs as he leaves the room, leaving Lance looking at him bemused then back.
"Problems Pam?" He chuckled.
"Just family issues Lance, now are you here to talk to me about Eugene Porter?" Pamela went straight to business, sitting back at her desk.
"I am. I just got told by Beth Greene that if we release Eugene, we will have Hilltop's full cooperation, we'll have all of them Pamela." Lance says with a smirk. "This is what we want."
"What you want." She snorted.
"What we want," Lance assured her. "This will help the Commonwealth in the long run, I promise you."
"I'll release him," Pamela says after a moment. "But I want you to do something for me."
"Name it."
"I know you have your own little spies Lance," Pamela says, causing his smirk to twitch once in worry. "Put one of them in the hunting party with Mr. Dixon and one in training with the others. I want to know everything about these people."
"Done."
Rosita's P.O.V
Rosita sat with the group, all gathered around outside...soon looking at the door as it opened and Eugene walked in. "Hey!" Rosita says as she stands up and hugs him in relief. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay, I promise. Was just a bit nervous." Eugene says as Alicia hugs him as he looked at the rest. "Thank you. All of you.
"You're family, Eugene. You know damn well we wouldn't let you rot in there." Rick assured, clapping his shoulder.
"So what's next?" Tara asks.
"We finish up with Pamela and go home," Rick says. "But Beth did have a point. Something is going on here, and we're going to find out what it is."
Thanks for reading. Next chapter will be the group's final day in the Commonwealth, before they head back to their homes and the others start to assimilate into their new homes. As always suggestions, ideas, and feedback are welcomed.