Don't Fear The Reaper (R. Grimes & D. Dixon)

72

The following morning Rick sat on the edge of their bed, tugging on his boots, taking a deep breath before standing. Kit groaned in protest from the shift in the bed and turned onto her side, tucking her back further into Daryl, who was still trying to wake up. Not that he was putting much effort into it, he really didn't want to deal with any more ex-saviors. Rick looked to his wife's sleeping figure and smiled to himself softly at the slight pout on her lips before leaning over and placing a kiss on her temple. "I'm heading out." rick whispered in hopes of not waking Kit up.

"'ight," Daryl grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Rick left the room and checked on Judith and Tj to make sure their slight cough didn't develop into a fever before making his way downstairs.

"Ready?" carl asked, slipping on his hat and adjusting his white eyepatch.

"Yeah, I want to check the garden before we head out." 

carl huffed a laugh as he looped on his holster and gun. "You sound like mom. I think she's grown obsessed."

Rick put his hands on his hips, fighting a smile as he remembered Merle giving her crap over the same thing the other day, kept calling her green thumb gale. Kit, of course, saw fit to throw a chunk of Manure at him in retaliation. "Keeps her busy," he shrugged. he and Daryl were very supportive in her 'self-healing,' as Jesus liked to call it. Gardening wasn't the only thing she had been doing, though, it was practically running all of Alexandria by herself with himself, and Daryl indisposed at the bridge all day every day, sparing with Jesus several times a month, training other future doctors with the help of Siddiq. Now she was in charge of writing up the charter. He was personally thankful she had asked Michonne for her help in completing it; he was seriously worried she was juggling too much sometimes just so she could forget Negan was still breathing. 

"Is Enid still there? Will Maggie be there to deal with her?" carl asked awkwardly. 

Rick chuckled. "Yes, Maggie will be there today. You can't avoid her forever just cause she's your ex."

"She just gets- salty? Petty?" Carl whined, shutting the door behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daryl walked into the office, having just come back in from outside. "Hey," he said gruffly, approaching kit, her books and papers scattered all over the desk.

"Hey. I thought you left," she said, looking up from what she was writing. The clear annoyance on Daryl's face was worrying.

"They found Justin dead," he informed her

"And Justin is?" 

"The guy we got in a fight with yesterday. Ain't a walker that done it neither. Rick said it was a small clean puncture."

 Kit leaned back in the chair, rubbing a hand down her face. "let me guess, like an arrow or a bolt did it? just great." Kit scoffed. Daryl said nothing, just chewed on his nail, "You know why this is happening, don't you?"

"Yeah, I know," he said roughly. 

Kit watched him for a moment before speaking again, " I never asked you why you helped Keep him alive. I would have thought you of all people would have been on my side."

Daryl's squinted at her trying to figure out if her tone was accusing before he answered truthfully. "I wanted him dead. Still do sometimes. But That cage down there, in the dark. I know what that does. and it ain't like I was goin against ya; you just didn't see what you left behind when you both were hell-bent on Killin each other. " 

"So, you did it because we left a trail?" she huffs; she knew what he meant, the chaos left in their wake as herself and Negan just tossed any real means of survival to the side just for some blood on their hands. She didn't want to accept it, not entirely. Daryl squinted, giving her a stern look, not impressed with her literal take on what he said. Kit fought a smile and hid the shiver that went down her spine. "If you keep looking at me like that, then you better be ready to bend me over this desk, Mr. Dixon."

Daryl snorted at her 'smooth' change in subject "stop. I gotta leave, help with the searches for the others." he said, heading to leave the office before she could convince him to stay instead. Again.

"Raincheck then," Kit called, licking her lip and smiling as she watched him walk away. It was silly to her after all this time how with even a look, they could get her wetter than rain.

~Time skip~

It was late; crickets filled the air as Daryl and Maggie approached an abandoned outreach recovery center, hoping to find who Daryl suspected were the murderers with a still breathing Arat, the newest missing ex-savior. "So, how do you know about this place?" Daryl asked Maggie as he shined his flashlight around, looking for any clues.

"I think it's where they lived before. It's what I'd do." Maggie shrugged

"Hey," Daryl said, nudging her, holding his flashlight steady to shine on the missing fuel cans.

They heard distant voices from people talking the word beg prominent. They rushed around the corner of the building; Daryl's crossbow raised as they approached the women. Arat kneeled and bound, Cyndie holding a gun to the back of her head. "Drop it!" he ordered; all of the women jumped at their presents.

"Bea. It's okay," Cyndie said to the woman with a makeshift harpoon gun aimed at them.

"You take out Justin wit that thing?" he asked, aiming for her.

"He killed my husband," she replied coolly. Daryl lowered his crossbow; she did the same.

"Daryl, please," Arat Begged, looking up to him.

"They got a reason?" he asked, shifting on his feet.

"We've all done things." she pleaded

"People will find out," Maggie told the women.

"she's the last one. After this, it's over." Cyndie tried to bargain

"Maybe for you. But it won't be. with something like this, it keeps going." Maggie tried to explain

Cyndie shook her head "this was our home. My mother and grandmother found this place for the group. There were so many of us then. Men and women, kids. My mom and I built a garden. Me and my brother used to play right here." her voice cracked as she became more emotional. "But then the saviors came. And Simon wanted what we had. He gave us our final warning." her jaw clenched as she turned her head to look at the back of Arat's head with hate. " Afterward, we ran, and we tried to forget." she turned to look back at Daryl and Maggie. "But then, your people came and asked us to fight. We did because we couldn't forget. After rick saved Negan and ended it, we went along because we didn't think we had a choice. Until we heard the whispers of what Kit had done to Gregory, what she did to Negan in that cell, that's when we knew. Rick's rules aren't the only rules. She showed us the way. It was time."

"You did this because of kit?" Maggie hesitantly clarified; Daryl didn't exactly know what to make of that confession.

"They murdered-" Cyndie started crying " My mother, My grandmother. -" she pointed a finger at Arat. "She shot my brother right here. and they took everything because they could."

Arat looked back up to Daryl, sniffling, "Please. It's not like that anymore, okay? I'm - I'm one of you now."

"Did you do it?" Maggie asked

"Simon would've killed me, too!" 

"You asked me to beg for his life! He was crying, and you smiled!" Cyndie growled, angry tears running down her face. " I told you I loved him. I needed him! He was only eleven years old." she sobbed. Daryl felt sick thinking of his kids; Maggie felt the same. "And what did you say?"

"I-I don't remember." Arat pleaded 

"Say it!" Cyndie screamed sniffling

Arat looked back to them again "please!" she begged

"What did you say?" Maggie asked

Arat looked down, shaking, "No Exceptions." her voice shook as she said the words. Daryl and Maggie looked at each other momentarily before they did what they knew Kit would do; they walked away. Arat yelled after them, begging them; a distant click from the harpoon gun and a thud seemed amplified in the night air. The following day after the news of Arat's death, the Sanctuary group, no longer feeling safe, packed up and left, unresolved bitter feelings of a possible future problem lingering in the air.