Reviews:

FeytheFly — It's wonderful to hear you've enjoyed RPS so much! Writing the characters true to their show counterparts was the most important thing to me (and still is!) It has turned me away from other fics before when the writer doesn't seem to know the characters very well... It's one of the hardest parts about keeping Sasha and Carl alive, because I don't want to make them different people; rather just explore what they could have grown in to. Rhys has been a pretty important part of my life for the last few years, aha, so it's really nice to hear when people like him! Your praises are so high, I'm flabbergasted, and I'll do my darndest to keep it enjoyable! Thanks for reading :)

Bucket Hat — This little post-war part of the story has made it really easy to write some sweet little coupley moments for the boys! I think they (and we) need it after the war.

-Carl-

I woke up early to ready the horses and say goodbye to Enid before speaking to Dad.

It was rough.

"Carl, the bridge is barely holding on as it is..."

"I know. But I need to do this, Dad."

"Rhys isn't telling you what's wrong?"

"He doesn't need to! It's all of it. Working with the Saviors, talking about Alexandria, searching for Arat. I should have realised sooner how hard it would be."

"...Alright. Sasha's definitely going, too?"

"Rhys said so."

"Well, you two go on ahead. I need to at least try and convince her to stay. Saviors still look to her for leadership... without her, it's just Carol."

"Good luck stopping her from keeping stuck to Rhys... pretty sure he's the only reason she's here to begin with. I'm sorry... I can't keep putting Rhys second to all this."

Even Rhys complained that they need us here, but truth be told, we don't make that much of a difference, and I also realised that I don't care after last night. It's been over a year since I've seen him like he was last night.

Just as we were about to set off, Marco from Hilltop came running down the camp hill toward us, his pack bouncing on his back as he tried to slide his machete into his leg holster.

"Rhys! Carl!"

"Everything okay?"

"You and Carl are going to Alexandria, right?"

"Sure."

"Mind if I tag along?"

"Can the camp spare you?"

"Maggie's taking Hilltop home tomorrow... I asked if I could leave early and take a detour."

"I guess it's fine then."

Rhys seems in better spirits already. We're only halfway home, and him and Marco are laughing about how Hilltop's grain silo fell over last winter. Apparently, it was actually really scary, but not so bad they can't laugh about it now.

"So why do you want to come back to Alexandria, Marco?" I ask when they seem to run out of conversation.

He sits up a little straighter on his horse. Rhys seems to know because he scoffs.

"Well, you know..." Marco says, shrugging. "I've never been."

"Okay," I say.

"Yeah," Marco says, nodding a bunch of times. "Yeah. Alexandria is where all this started, right?"

"I guess."

"I've only heard stories," Marco explains. "Apparently, the walls are double the height of Hilltop's and made of thick metal."

I raise an eyebrow, tilting my head a little. "They're made of metal, sure."

"How tall are they?"

"About the same as Hilltop's walls, I'd say."

"Any other reasons you want to go?" Rhys asks with a half-cocked smirk.

Marco glares at him. "It'll be nice to see all the people that I don't normally get to see, I guess. I haven't seen Nora since she was at Hilltop for that crop rotation lesson last year. Mikey rarely comes to Hilltop anymore, so—."

"Uh-huh," Rhys hums.

I finally realise what they're talking about.

"Oh," I gasp.

"What?" Marco shoots me a look.

I shake my head quickly. "No. Nothing."

"Has he said something about me?"

"No."

"Like... never?"

I can sense the tension in Rhys' shoulders the closer we get to home. Once we turn off Redding and onto Marshal Road. I can see it sneak into his face as trees start to form familiar shapes to him, and his body slouches into the saddle when he realises.

I reach across the horses to touch his knee. He looks back at me and smiles crooked and queasily.

Alexandria has a long gravel path leading up to the gate now, with swinging, spiked, wicket gates and barbed fences that surround an exterior stable and guard hut. Rhys and Marco are both staring at it all in awe.

We ride through the first checkpoint and up the gravel path to the main gate, where a guard peers over to see who we are. It's Teddy on guard. He's only fourteen, but Aaron told me he's been doing well in shooting lessons. I guess he's been promoted to gate duty.

"Hey, Carl," Teddy calls down, running a hand through his scruffy blonde hair and peering at us down his pale, freckled nose that's caught the sun. "You back for a while?"

"That's the plan," I call back up to him, squinting since he's got the sun to his back.

Teddy smiles but keeps shifting his eyes between Rhys and Marco, who both look back at him with awkward smiles.

Teddy points to them. "If you two can head back to the checkpoint and hand in your weapons, stable up your horses, and I'll get someone over to screen you. Carl, you can come on through."

Rhys looks at me with deer eyes, like he was just asked for ID and has zero proof that he's not a minor wearing his dad's coat trying to buy booze.

"Erm, actually, Teddy," I call back. "They're with me. No need for screening."

Teddy looks down at a small notebook in his hand. "I'm really sorry, Carl, but the book says all unknowns need to go through screening before I can open the gate."

"This is Marco and Rhys from Hilltop," I explain, suppressing a groan. "Marco works with Earl Sutton, and Rhys used to live here before—"

"Wait!" Teddy jumps on his guard post behind the wall, dropping his notebook to point at Rhys. "He's Rhys?! Like Rhys Rhee?"

"It's Washburne," Rhys calls back, waving up at him. "Hi."

Marco snickers down at his saddle.

"Oh, okay!" Teddy nods. "Yeah, sorry, dude... erm— sir?"

Rhys' face goes bright red. "Rhys is fine."

"I'm really sorry the book doesn't mention what to do if someone like you shows up."

"Like me?" Rhys whispers under his breath. Marco laughs again. "Listen— Teddy, right? I'll just go through screening or whatever. It's fine."

Teddy looks relieved.

"No," I call up. "Damn it, Teddy, just radio Michonne, and she'll give you the all-clear."

Teddy gives me double thumbs up before disappearing behind the wall.

Rhys leans over on his horse to Marco and me, raising his eyebrows.

"Why is he calling me sir?" Rhys whispers. "The fuck have you told them about me?"

I groan, unable to stop the awkward snort-laugh that comes out of me.

Marco shrugs. "I guess Hilltop has its legends of Alexandria's giant walls, and Alexandria has legends of the great and wise Rhys Rhee, our fearless one-eared leader and—"

Rhys throws an apple at Marco's head from his pack.

After a painful ten minutes where I feel far less influential than I probably should be, Teddy yells down an apology, and the gate grinds open. Mikey and Michonne meet us when we ride through. Judith is standing beside Michonne, holding her hand with Gwendolyn in the other.

I jump off the horse, and Judith bolts into my arms. I hold her up high to the clouds, and she laughs and screams for us to go higher. Michonne apologises to Marco for the holdup, and Mikey hugs him, getting many strange and nervous giggles out of Marco that I didn't think were sounds he could make. When Judith is finally back down to earth, Rhys is standing as small as he can behind Downy-Beardy. I call him over, and he slowly steps out from behind the giant horse. Judith stares at him for a minute. Maybe only a second. Rhys' mouth opens to ask if she remembers him, but then she's running to him and squeaking his name all high pitch and excited. Rhys drops to his knees to hold her, and I'm pretty sure he's crying, but I don't say anything because I'm too happy just taking it all in. Michonne is hugging him next. I know Rhys loves her hugs. He's told me how much he's missed them — he explained them to me once as matching the way she walks: confident and firm, like she knows where she's going to be at all times and what will be there for her when she arrives. Only this hug is pretty messy because that's just the way Rhys does it. Mikey offers to take Marco on quick a tour, and the two wander off.

Home still feels the same to me. It's only been a few weeks... for me. Rhys' eyes are bulging from his head at everything we walk by. He asks about the new church we're building in place of Gabriel's one that burnt down. Michonne explains that it's going to double as a town hall. We walk across the new watermill bridge that stretches across the lake and comes out by the vast crop fields. Rhys brushes his fingers along the solar panels beneath the trees growing down Alexandria's roads and stares up until his voice goes nasally at the turbines outside Aaron's house and installed all down Morgan Street. When we finally get to our house, I take his hand before he can stand and stare at the bars on the cellar window for too long.

Rhys drops his pack at the door in the hallway, and Judith is quick to snatch it in her arms and dash up the stairs.

"In the guest room, please!" Michonne calls up after her. She turns back, grinning at Rhys before disappearing onto the landing. "It's good to have you back."

He smiles modestly, arms folded. "It's good to be back... I think." His eyes flicker to the floor, his mind obviously on what's hidden under it.

"He barely talks anymore," I say reassuringly. "Probably won't even know you're here."

"Feels like he knows," Rhys says, chuckling dryly.

Michonne doesn't say anything about it because she doesn't need to. She just smiles and tells us, "I've got to get back to this charter... you two have fun."

I take Rhys' wrist and lead him to the stairs, and halfway up, Michonne shouts after us:

"Door open, please!"

Rhys laughs when I groan loud enough that Hilltop might hear me.

-Rhys-

Sitting on the end of Carl's bed, which feels giant after the mess of blankets in our tent, I try talking to Judith, but she's still new to the whole talking in full sentences thing and cares more about rummaging through my rucksack than listening to me talk about Hilltop. She finds a bobble hat beanie at the bottom and pulls it over her head until we can't see her face anymore, giggling when Carl and I pretend she's vanished from the room.

"You should check the front pocket," I tell her.

She does, gasping at the handful of black-spotted, white shells she pulls out.

"For me?" she asks, gripping them tightly.

"Careful," Carl warns her. "They're fragile."

"Thank you!" she squeaks, taking the shells and my bobble hat before running out of the room.

"Why do you have that?" Carl asks me, watching Judith run with her plunder.

"I asked Rosita to get me some while she was at Oceanside last month."

"I mean the hat..."

"It's got a bobble."

"It's summer."

I shrug. "Beanies make me feel safe."

"Can I give you the grand tour of Alexandria?"

"Can I bring my beanie?"

"You won't need it here."

-Carl-

Rhys was sceptical about coming back. I knew it along with Michonne, Dad, Mikey, and everyone else. But after he's seen all of Alexandria, visited everyone he hasn't seen in over a year, and realises it's the same place he left all that time ago, a smile finds its way back to him, and you might think he hadn't thought about who lives under our house all day. Sasha gets here around six and finds us sitting on the roof of the restored gazebo that burned down during the war. Rhys jumps down to say hi, and they talk about how hard my dad fought to make her stay. I tell her I'm glad she came, even if I think my dad was right. After a little bit, she goes to find Mikey to say hello.

When we finally hit my bed, Rhys curls up into me and lets out a long sigh. Probably thirty-eight days worth, all at once, right into my face. He kisses me then. It's slow, and he's shy about it, and it just feels comforting for the two of us. I break from his lips to rest my forehead against his, and he asks me to run my hands through his hair until he falls asleep. Rhys gets like this when it's just us. I know that now more than ever, he feels like he has to do more than he wants to — be more than he feels he is. But when the day is over, and it's just us, he's quiet; he's calm. Just him. I keep my eye open until his flicker shut, his breathing is soft, and he drifts into that resting smile he has when he's asleep. And only when he's all the way asleep do I join him.

A/N

I'm sorry this one took so long to get up. I've been monstrously busy this week, but refuse to backseat this any longer!

Also, happy pride month! I think next week's chapter will kinda be perfect for pride month, so get excited, aha!