Eyes Closed [TWD]

°•twenty five•°

"Leaving already?" Carl asks.

"Yeah.. Enid said patients there are getting hard to handle. Siddiq is still at Alexandria and everything here is settled enough so I can step in for awhile," I lie, keeping my back to him so I don't have to meet his gaze.

"It's good you're helping out there. I know it's not easy being around some of them," he says.

"Well, if a Savior gets injured, I'll send them to Enid," I shrug.

Carl chuckles and I jump a little when his arms wrap around me from behind.

"I know you're trying to move on from it. I know it's hard and I still don't fully agree with everything my dad's done, either. But, you're taking steps and that's all I could ask for," he whispers.

Keep composure, Jade.. Just keep it together.

"Mhm," I nod, leaning back into him.

"You sure you don't want me to come with?" he asks.

"No.. No, you and Earl are already behind on work. And Jesus is gonna need help while mom and I are there. And I'd feel better if Hershel is with family."

"You know.. That sounds a lot like what I told you about Judith," he recalls.

I smile a bit, always aware of his protectiveness of Judith. To finally relate to it with Hershel was great.

"When I went to the Sanctuary a couple years ago," he adds.

Oh no..

"To kill Negan.."

Goddammit..

"And I lied to you because I didn't want you to worry.."

"Carl-"

"You could just tell me," he sighs.

Pulling away from him, I look up at him only to feel scolded by his gaze.

"I couldn't," I argue, "For the same reason you lied back then."

"Well, I guess I thought after my fuck up that we would agree to not lie about those type of things. Sorry," he remarks.

"What I'm doing isn't a fuck up. Not this time. And I'm not going alone," I shake my head.

"If my dad finds out-"

"Are you gonna tell him?" I ask, not liking my own tone of voice.

We hadn't argued in almost two years. Yet, Rick, Negan, and the entire discussion seemed to always have a way of making us turn this way.

"No. I'm not," he denies.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because, I don't agree with Negan being alive to begin with. I know why you're going. I've spent the last two years listening to you and being there for you ever since Glenn died. I know you need to do this. I know Maggie needs to do this. I just don't like that you think that you can't come to me about it and that you think you have to lie to me about it," Carl explains.

"I-" I sigh before he cuts me off.

"To me, Jade. I'm not just anyone else to you," he reminds.

Ashamed, I look to the floor, knowing he was right. We told each other everything, we always have- even more since we became a couple. And, after his fiasco of being taken by Negan into the Sanctuary, we knew to not hide things like that. Especially things like that. At least, we should know.

"I'm sorry," I apologize, "I just.. I didn't want you to worry or.. or tell anybody."

"You thought I would tattle tell on you? Really?"