Shambles- The Walking Dead [Alden x Maggie] [1/2]

25- Tension

"You chose quite the time to visit," Maggie greeted Rick and Carl when they came to visit Hilltop.

"What happened?" Carl asked, concerned, upon seeing the bruise forming on the side of her face and around her eye.

"Gregory riled Earl up to kill me last night," she replied as she crossed her arms. "And Alden killed Gregory for it, gutted him right there and then. We buried him outside the walls early this morning." She turned to Carl. "Enid tried to help me and was injured. She hit her head pretty hard. She has a concussion and it was decided that she should stay inside the medical trailer for at least a while. I'm sure she'd appreciate a visit from you."

Carl frowned, concerned, and looked to his dad.

"Yes, go," he said quickly and Carl rushed off. "And what about Earl and Alden?"

"Earl's locked up in one of our cells and Alden's being dramatic. He insisted on being locked up in one of the cells, but we refused. Now he refuses to leave our room," she told him. "He doesn't think it's fair of me to punish Earl and not him."

"He does have a point." Rick set his hands on his hips. "He killed someone and Earl didn't."

"Earl tried to kill me and injured Enid. She could've died. Alden took care of a problem," she growled back at him, more anger carrying over than intended. "And now, what brought you here in the first place?"

"Now that you're going on runs again we'd love for you to visit Alexandria. Hershel and Alden too. Judith talks about aunt Maggie at Hilltop all the time. I'm surprised she even remembers you," he explained.

"Right." She chewed her lip. "But that's not why you came here."

"That can wait."

"I'm okay," she shrugged. "Just talk to me about anything else, please."

"Alright," Rick rasped. "I need your help fixing the bridge. Hilltop's thriving because of you. This place is doing better than anywhere else, and you've been generous. Hilltop's given so much already, but I'm asking for more."

She tilted her head slightly. "What is it you're asking?"

"Sanctuary's still short on food, and a project like this is gonna take a lot of people and supplies. I'm asking if you'll be generous again, if you'll stretch."

She thought about it for a second. She knew Alden and Jesus would say she should be generous again. Hell, Alden would give a whole spiel about how most of them were actually good people. But she also knew what Sasha would say; screw them. And that was what Maggie thought as well. She was done giving things away.

"If my people want to work on the bridge, I won't stop them. But no more food and supplies without getting something back for it."

"What do you want?" Rick asked.

"If the Sanctuary needs food, I'll give it to them. But they provide most of the labor on the bridge for us. And they send over all the fuel they've been making from their dead corn."

"Sanctuary's barely holding on right now. We're obligated to help."

"Why?" She shook her head. "They surrendered. We didn't kill them. That's it. I can't solve all their problems when I clearly have things to take care of here."

"But with Alden, I thought–"

"You thought what?" she cut him off. "He left them. Risked his life when he broke Sasha out of Sanctuary and came here. He helped us win after they beat him, broke him. You don't know him like I do. You don't know what they did to him," she continued, irritated. "I know he would tell me that we should help, but I don't have to agree or go along with his every opinion." She swallowed thickly and sighed. "Now, if sending Alden would help with the Saviors, I'll ask him to go."