revenant|c.g.|

xlii

Clary had found herself patrolling the camp in order to calm herself down, reassuring herself in any way that Rick was just being thorough with the whole situation. With her frustration lessening, she had only felt the determination to find who was killing the members of their workforce.

"Hey Reese, we got a major problem." Clary looked up to see Jerry approaching her. "When do we not," she muttered under her breath before taking a deep breath. "What's going on?" Clary questioned the man as she followed him to HQ, surprised to see him looking around before he lowered his head to be closer to her. "Whoever is nabbing Saviors just nabbed Arat when we were clearing the grid." Clary's eyes widened, realizing that meant another Savior was going to die. "Jerry, if we don't find her—" the man nodded. "I know."

With that being said, Jerry pulled back the flaps at the tent entrance, allowing the Commander to walk in before him. The girl's eyes landed on Rick, who gave her a solemn nod before she turned her head to Carol. "Do any of the Saviors know Arat's gone?" Carol shook her head. "They think she's on watch through the night. Come morning, they will." Clary let out a sharp breath as Maggie sighed. "She could be dead already." Maggie declared, her voice solemn. "If we don't figure out what happened, Sanctuary is gone." Tension filled the room as they realized Carol was right. "If that happens, we won't finish the work before the water rises. We'll lose the bridge."

Everyone was silent until Clary felt Jerry shift beside her. "Yo. Say we nab the perp. Then what? Who decides what happens next? Is it— is it gonna be a 'Gregory' or a 'Negan'?" Clary gave a look to the man for bringing up the worst leaders they had seen, her eyes falling upon Maggie as she looked down. With a soft sigh, Clary straightened. "We figure that out when the time comes. It'll be a decision we make together. But whoever it is?" Clary asked, looking at the people around her. "They'll get what they deserve."

Looking around at the group, she met the eyes of everyone in the tent, her eyes resting on Rick. As he nodded in agreement, he looked to the people surrounding him. "Group up with people you trust. We're out there till we find her."

With nods from the group, Clary felt a hand on her back, causing her to turn to see Maggie. "You up for some mother-daughter bonding?" Clary let out a sharp laugh before she nodded in agreement and she followed the woman out of the tent. The two were joined by Daryl when gathering supplies before they made their way out to look.

The three had been walking in the woods for a while, Clary brandishing Glenn's pocket watch to check the time before pocketing it again. "You two good with this? Or you both just playing nice for Rick?" Daryl asked, Clary looking at the man before shrugging. "I'm not sure," Maggie responded as Daryl agreed. "Yeah, me neither."

Their eyes fell upon Clary, who only shrugged. "I'm trying, mostly because Carl still believes in every life counts, even Saviors." The girl sighed. "But I'm not sure either." Maggie's eyes softened, knowing it was somewhat hard for the girl to go against the boy she loved's beliefs. But she also knew Clary was stubborn and strong, and not even Carl could sway her ideas of justice. "I wish I could see things their way," Clary mentioned, but she only shook her head. "It's been almost two years and I still can't."

With that in mind, the girl decided to scout ahead, leaving Daryl and Maggie a few steps behind her. As Daryl walked by Maggie, he heard her sigh. "Every time I see Clary and Hershel together, I think about how things could've been. How we were finally building our family. I just can't let that go." Daryl shook his head. "You don't have to. I haven't." Maggie stopped with his agreement, looking at the man. "What Rick's doing is right for the future. It's better for Hershel. It gives Clary a chance at some normal life in all this."

Daryl and Maggie both looked at the young woman, whose blade was out and her eyes watchful. "Kid's a fighter. You really think she'd be able to let that go for some apple pie life?" Daryl questioned the woman. While he knew Maggie saw the girl like a daughter, there were some aspects of her life that Daryl understood. He remembered the scars, the fear in her eyes, everything he had seen in her when she first stumbled upon Alexandria was what he saw in the mirror. If he couldn't give into the life that Rick was trying to build, would she?