ꜰᴏᴏʟ'ꜱ ᴍᴀᴛᴇ || ᴛᴡᴅ

150: ᴛʜᴇ ᴡʜᴏʟᴇ ꜱᴋʏ

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Milton was arrested. The walkers were dead. People were safe. 

Sami wasn't sure who's idea it was, but they had a dinner in one of the houses. Just his people. All around a large table, like Christmas dinner when you're a kid. Laughing and drinking and just enjoying each others company. 

Daryl and Danny sat together. Danny didn't want to go to Sami, not when he knew what was coming. He could see them across the room - Coco on Rosita's lap, Sami sitting beside them and talking to Coco. He wanted him to enjoy this. He wasn't sure who Sami would be tomorrow. He really hoped he'd still be his brother, but he honestly wasn't sure. 

Apollo and Dog were here, too. Sitting beside Judith, who kept giving them food. Apollo was getting older, but having Dog seemed to make him competitive and want to be full of energy again, the pair play-fighting to get to the food that was snuck to them.

"Hey, everybody." Yumiko stood, getting everyone's attention. She raised her glass. "A toast. To Luke. And Rachel."

Everyone raised their glasses, but Danny, who sat against a window, watching them, Daryl looking out the window beside him. He followed his gaze to see Negan, walking alone. 

"Think he's going back to Mom?" Danny asked. 

Daryl shrugged. "Probably. If we're lucky, we'll never see 'em again."

Danny thought of going after him. Of telling him to bring Grace here. To help Sami. Somehow. How could she help him? She'd never done it before. But having the backup might help. He wanted someone - something to show up and keep Sami safe for him. He wasn't sure he could do it, now. He wasn't sure of anything. Not without Rachel.  And weren't Mom's supposed to help with this stuff? Weren't they supposed to help?

Daryl tapped his shoulder. "I know."

Sami was sitting at the table, while everyone else went up to grab more food. He'd taken his prosthetic off, since it often became a pain after days like today. Fighting, jumping, running. He wasn't even sure when he last took it off.

Rosita walked over to sit back in her chair beside him, and smiled at him.

"Hey." He looked up from Apollo, who was sitting beside him getting his ears scratched, but ran off as soon as he stopped. "You good?"

She nodded, looking back at the others. "Yeah. Everything's perfect. I just want to remember this moment."

There was a weird look in her eye that made him tilt his head. 

She leaned forward, whispering. "I was bitten when I fell."

He didn't believe it, honestly. But his body seemed to. He suddenly felt cold, a lump in his throat as his eyes went glossy. She was bitten? How - she wasn't supposed to be.

She pulled away, holding his hand, and looking away from him.

He felt like he was going to throw up. But instead raised his shaking hand to hold hers, before raising her hand and kissing her respectively, which made her chuckle, as her own eyes began to fill up.

Sami couldn't say anything. He could already feel too many tears gathering in his eyes, so instead just wiped the tear that ran down her cheek. 

He couldn't even promise her anything. That he'd raise Coco right. That he'd protect her. That he'd be long dead before ever got hurt. But he couldn't say anything. Rosita knew it all anyway. He didn't need to tell her. She knew he'd be a good Dad. that he'd die before anything happened to Coco. That he'd raise her right, and that he'd make sure her daughter remembered her.