FEARLESS ➳ TWD¹ [REWRITE/COMPLETED]

28 ➳ THE START

"NO! No way in Hell," Gregory immediately said, turning down Rick's offer. All Hilltop — most precisely, Gregory — had to do was agree to work with Alexandria on our attack back on Negan and the Saviors. "That was not the deal. You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed. So, any arrangement we had is now done — null and void, huh? We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met. Hm? We don't know each other."

Gregory took a seat down in his chair that has always lied there in front of his desk. He looked behind himself and says directly to Rick, who was front and center, "I owe you nothing. In fact, you owe me for taking in the refugees – at great personal risk."

"Wow, man," I found myself saying, shaking my head while having my arms crossed over my chest. "You are such an ass-wipe and coward."

Somewhat sarcastically, Gregory turned his attention towards me and asked, "Didn't I exhale you from ever coming back here?"

I rolled my eyes and somewhat grinned with a dry laugh, too. "Yeah, but when it comes down to my friends now, they are what matters. We need to recruit the Hilltop, in order to officially take down Negan and the Saviors."

Paul immediately picked up the pieces, which made Gregory turn his attention back over to him, seemingly almost forgetting that Paul and myself were twins. "Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie and Sasha saved this place. Your courage was inspiring."

"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory countered onto Paul. "Aren't we friends?"

"Gregory," came Rick's warning tone as he took a brave step forward up to his desk, "we already started this."

"You started it," Gregory tried telling Rick, his attention fully on the leader of Alexandria now.

"We did," Rick immediately countered and raised his tone back at him, too. He was using his left hand out to motion from himself back to Gregory. "And we're gonna win."

"These are killers—"

"Is that how you want to live?" Rick asked, cutting Gregory off before he could finish. "Under their thumb, killing your people?"

"Sometimes, we don't get to choose what our life looks like," Gregory calmly replied, which only made my blood boil more. "Sometimes, Ricky, you have to count the blessings you have."

"You sick son-of-a-bitch," I growled, taking a huge step forward. Yet, I felt Tara's hand touch my arm to hold me back from doing something that I would probably soon regret. "It is because of you that everyone from here is even dead right now. You let Negan come in here and take what he wants."

"How many people can we spare?" Maggie immediately asked, just as Gregory looked from me to her in a split-second. "How many people here can fight?"

"We?" Gregory scoffed, almost laughing at what she just said. "I don't even know how many people we have, Margaret."

"Her name is Maggie," I quickly came in to correct him, earning a quick look from Maggie.

"And, does it even matter?" Gregory continued to ask Maggie than to pay attention to me. "I mean... W-What are you gonna do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? 'Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."

"You're wrong," Tara suddenly spoke up to say, which I kept my eyes on her the whole time. "When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up. I mean, people just—"