Adapting (A Daryl Dixon/ The Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 69

Gemma's P.O.V
The fire crackles in the barrel in front of me, warming me up on the freezing night. My hands are in my pockets and feel the cool blade underneath my fingertips, my heart beating erratically. I begin grow nervous, praying that things don't go south. I move my hand away from the blade and feel a fluttering in my tummy and I smile to myself.

"We're going to start." Deanna announces, addressing the group.

"Can we wait? There's still people coming. Glenn, Rick." Maggie asks.

"We're going to start. It's already dark." Deanna repeats, ignoring Maggie's request.

"We're going to talk about what happened. Not the fight. Not what precipitated it. We're dealing with that. We're gonna talk about one of our constables, Rick Grimes." She says.

"We're going to talk about how he had a pistol he stole from the armoury, about how he pointed it at people. And we're going to talk about what he said. I was hoping he'd be here." She says sadly.

"She said he's coming." Michonne speaks up.

"I'm sure he'll be here. And I'm sure we can work this all out." Carol says with a innocent smile.

Deanna ignores the both of them and turns to the crowd, "I appointed Rick Grimes as constable because I believed he could be apart of what we have here. However after his display of violence yesterday, that has been put in question. Tonight we are here to discuss as a community, what action we should take. I want to hear what you are all thinking so that we can make this decision together."

Michonne speaks up, "What you saw yesterday, wasn't a normal characteristic of Rick. He is a good man who only looks out for the best of others. We were on that road for a long time and it changes a person. After being out there and then not being how you were out there... It can drive you crazy. Rick just wants his family to live. He wants all of you to live. Who he is who you're gonna be... If you're lucky."

She steps back and everyone takes in her words. In the corner of my eye I see Carol stand up, "Rick Grimes saved my life over and over. There's terrifying people out there. And he rescued me from them. People like me, people like us need people like him. I know what happened last night was scary and I'm sure he's sorry for that. But maybe we should listen to what he was saying." She insists.

Deanna looks around for someone else to speak and Abraham pipes up, "Simply put, there is a vast ocean of shit that you people don't know shit about. Rick knows every fine grain of said shit... And then some."

I smirk at his choice of words but know that he is right. I look around and Maggie speaks, "My father respected Rick Grimes. Rick is a father, too. He's a man with a good heart, who feels the things he does, the things he has to do. And all of us who were together before this place, no matter when we found each other, we're family now. Rick started that and you won't stop it. You can't and you don't want to. This community, you people... That family, you want to be apart of it too."

Deanna steps forward, "Before we hear from anyone else, I -- I would like to share something in the spirit of transparency. Father Gabriel came to see me the day before yesterday and he said our new arrivals can't be trusted. That they were dangerous, that they would put themselves before this community. And not one day later, Rick seemed to demonstrate all the things Father Gabriel said. I had hoped Gabriel would be here tonight."

"I don't see him here, Deanna. So you're just saying what someone said. Did you tape him?" Jessie asks.

"He's not here." Maggie states.

"Neither is Rick." Deanna counters.

"Excuse me." Maggie says, leaving the meeting.

"Shall we continue?" Deanna asks.

I take a deep breath and stand to my feet, looking around the group of people. I turn to Deanna and narrow my eyes at her, "Well if we are speaking in the spirit of transparency I need to tell you that Father Gabriel is a liar. Sure he told you that we were willing to sacrifice everyone for our own but did he tell you about his mistakes, his past transgressions?"

She simply looks at me as I continue, "We've all made mistakes. Hell, I've made more than my fair share but are you planning on kicking me out?"

"This is different, he drew a gun on people. He could have shot us-" Deanna begins and I cut her off.

"But he didn't, because he never would. I can already tell that Rick cares for this community and would do anything to keep it safe. He has a daughter and a son to protect and he would do anything to keep them safe. Pete is an abusive and sinister man who not only beats his family but attempted to hurt me too." I admit as gasps come from the crowd.

I keep my eyes on Deanna who looks slightly taken aback, "Rick took out a threat to this community and I applaud him for it. Pete deserved everything he got and then some. If you lose Rick, you lose the rest of us and that is a promise because we trust him undoubtly. We go where he goes. So keep that in mind while you make your decesion." I say, taking my seat.

Everyone look around while I keep my eyes on Deanna. After awhile Tobin stands up, "I just want to keep my family safe. You know? And I don't even know what that means anymore, but if it means that we've got to get rid of --" He stops speaking, his eyes focused ahead.

I look over and see a blood covered Rick enter the small space with a body over his shoulder. He tosses it to the crowd and people gasp as we stare at the walker's body. Fear runs through me, wondering how it got in the walls.

"There wasn't a guard on the gate. It was open." Rick states.

"I asked Gabriel to close it." Spencer explains to Deanna.

"Go." She growls.

Rick approaches the group, "I didn't bring it it. It got in on its own. They always will -- the dead and the living, because we're in here. And the ones out there... They'll hunt us. They'll find us. They'll try to use us. They'll try to kill us." He explains.

"But we'll kill them. We'll survive, I'll show you how. You know, I was thinking-- I was thinking how many of you do I have to kill to save your lives? But I'm not gonna do that. You're gonna change." he says.

He turns towards Deanna, "I'm not sorry for what I said last night. I'm sorry for not saying it sooner. You're not ready, but you have to be. Right now, you have to be. Luck runs out." He says, turning back to us.

"You're not one of us. You're not one of us!"

I turn and see Pete approaching the group, Michonne's katana in his hand. I think of Carl and Judith, who are in the house and absolute fear runs through my veins. Reg rushes to Pete, "Pete, you don't want to do this!"

"Get the hell away from me Reg!" Pete yells.

"Pete just stop." Reg insists.

"Get away from me." Pete repeats.

"Reg, Reg." Deanna insists, fearing for her husband.

Arguing and shouting begins as Pete has his eyes set on Rick, rage animating his body. I reach for my knife in my coat pocket as Reg goes forward to stop Pete. Suddenly Reg is on the ground bleeding out as people tackle Pete.

"No! No! No!" I hear Deanna scream as she holds Reg in her arms.

"This is him!" Pete screams, looking at Rick.

"Oh my love. My love, my love. No, my love, no!" Deanna cries over Reg.

"It's him! This is him!" Pete screams as Reg dies, his body going still.

Everyone watches on in shock and I feel my body trembling, tears rolling down my cheeks. Carol wraps her arm around my shoulder and I lean against her. Everyone stares between the wallowing Deanna and the psychotic Pete, wondering what to do.

Deanna turns to Rick, "Rick... Do it."

He turns and points the gun at Pete's, firing the gun. Pete's body slumps to the floor and everyone screams out in fear.

"Rick?"

I look up and see Aaron and Daryl, relief running through me. However it's short lived as I see another man with them, his eyes focused on Rick in shock. I look between the two and wonder, who the hell is this guy?