Just Keep Walking

Eighty three

Later that day, Negan realised that there was two missing guns, and Rick called a meeting to find them, Mary sat bored on the roadside, throwing pebbles at nothing. She was bored and confused, and that wasn't ever a good combination for Mary Grimes.
"Hey! Smelly butt Megan! I'm bored!" Mary whined petulantly.
"Don't call me Megan, you weirdo. I'll call you some boys name. Boris."
"That doesn't even match. Mines cool because it's so much like your actual name. Boris is nothing like my name. Stupid."
"Stop being annoying and sit quietly." Negan snapped. Mary glared at him, and stuck up her middle finger. "Hey! No. I knew bringing you was a bad idea."
"I'm. Bored. I. Want. My. Carl. Back."
"I'm. Annoyed. I. Want. You. To. Shut. Up." Negan mimicked back.
Mary sighed and got up, throwing pebbles at Negan's feet. "I'm not listenin' to you, 'cos I don't think you're a good guy anymore."
"We'll talk about this later. Go sit in the car."
"No."
"Mary. Go sit in the car, God damn it!"
"You can't tell me what to do! You're not my daddy or Mishy or Carl or my group!" Mary snapped angrily.
"In." Negan growled, grabbing Mary's wrist, and all she saw was the man who killed Glenn. Who was capable of killing anyone. Even her.
She sat in the car, kicking her legs on the dashboard angrily. She kept it up for a few minutes, until she saw people coming out of the car, and she ran out to Carl's side.
"He made me sit in the car," Mary whined, "he's a dick."
"Don't use that word. Actually, only use that word for him. Just no one else." Carl smiled softly.
"Bertie had a lot of energy when we saw him. Have you been walking him?" Mary asked suddenly, changing the topic.
"Yeah, I promise. He just had energy because he was excited to see you."
"Okay. I need to have a grown up talk with daddy."
"Why? What about? Has... Has someone... Has someone hurt you?" Carl panicked suddenly, thinking the worst.
"No. I just need him to explain somethin'."
"Okay, kiddo."
"Not that." Mary whispered.
"What?" Carl asked in confusion.
"Don't call me that. Kiddo."
"It's what Glenn called you." Carl whispered with a sigh, and Mary nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"I wish I never saw it. Then I could pretend it wasn't real. I could pretend he's only on vacation at Hilltop. But I saw. And I can't pretend anymore."
"I know," Carl whispered shakily, "I know. But... Mary, he knew you was there. You looked after him in his last moments. You looked after him. He'll always remember that. Remember you holding him... He'll know that. Forever and ever. You looked after him."
"Like he looked after me." Mary whispered through her tears, and Carl nodded, holding her even closer.
"He love you so much, Mary. More than anything."
"Yeah." Mary nodded shakily, wiping away her tears. "I have his things that he left in his coat. Most of them are my things though."
"That's because he loved you. And he always carried around all of your crap." Carl laughed softly, and Mary nodded.
"And I have Carl Bunny safe. He's in my pocket."
"Okay, good." Carl answered absentmindedly; he was focused on a confrontation between Enid and one of the Saviours.
"Balloons? You going to a party, little girl?" He teased.
"Can I keep them please? It's just... let me keep them." Enid begged. Mary recognised them as the balloons her and Glenn used as a signal once, and her heart twisted.
"Say please again, little girl." The man taunted.
"Please."
"Yeah," The man laughed softly, stroking her cheek, "one more time."
"Please!" Enid snapped, angry and annoyed. Rick had appeared behind Carl and Mary, and Mary could read the pure hatred on her father's face.
The Saviour dropped them on the floor, and pointed a warningful finger at Enid. "Be careful, little girl."
Carl looked at his father urgently, and the man nodded. "They'll be gone soon."
"What you got for me Rick?" Negan asked suddenly, and Rick passed him two guns in a small black bag, making Negan chuckled.
"Well, would you look at that. They were here after all. Funny how a little "holy shit somebody's gonna die" lights a fire under everybody's ass! So, tell me Rick, which one of your fine folks almost cost Olivia the rest of her days?"
"It doesn't matter any more." Rick insisted.
"No, it matters. See, you need to get everybody on board. Everybody. Or we just go right back to square one." Negan snapped, as one of the Saviours slammed the van door shut.
"It was in one of the old houses," Rick lied with a sigh, "they died in a wall breech a few months ago."
"A wall breech? Well, shit. Maybe you're not as invincible as you think." Negan laughed.
"Don't laugh. People died. Nice people." Mary hissed, and Negan laughed again, then his face fell.
"I told you to sit in the fucking car."
"Well, I didn't. What are you gonna do, take me away from my family?" Mary retorted, and a smile crept up Carl's lips.
"I'll just not let you see them anymore."
"I'll sneak out. You can't keep me forever." Mary spat, full of anger. Negan sighed, knowing that he had accidentally gone back several steps with Mary. He knew she was genuinely angry at him.
"I hate you so much." She hissed.
"Mary." Rick whispered desperately, but Negan was still angry.
"I don't really like you much at the moment either." Negan snapped. "Now. Let's walk."
They began to walk to the gate, Mary hanging back with Carl, not wanting to be near neither Rick nor Negan.
"I want Mishy and Maggie and Uncle Daryl." Mary cried softly.
"I know. I know." Carl soothed.
"Stop. Listen, I'm always scared. I'm so scared. It's not "I know". It's "I'll save you Mary". I don't know what to do. I'm so scared."
"I know. I do know. And I'm trying to fix it. Just... Hold tight, okay?"
"Hell of a place you got here Rick." Negan chuckled, but the man was looking past the gate, to one of the abandoned houses. Mary followed his gaze and saw Michonne, her heart clenching.
"Give me a second." Rick half ordered, and Negan looked at Rick's eye line, seeing Michonne.
"No." He grinned.
"Please, can you just give me a second?" Rick asked again, and Negan nodded slowly. Rick ran over to Michonne, as Rosita and Spencer drove in.
Mary looked at them in pain, her face begging and desperate. Rosita walked over, and picked Mary up, shushing her soothingly.
"Did I say you could do that shit?!" Negan snapped, but Rosita just ignored him.
"It's okay. It's okay, you're going to be okay." Rosita soothed, Mary's head nestled into her neck. Mary began to cry even heavier, the memory of Rosita by her side as Negan killed Glenn strong and fierce.
"I'm not okay. I'm not. My daddy's a bad guy, and Negan's a bad guy, and I don't know what to do. I'm scared. I don't want to go back there, but I don't want to stay with daddy either. Daddy killed Glenn. I'm scared." Mary sobbed.
"Oh, mi chiquita. I know. I get it. And I know it's hard. But guess what? Bad man or not, your daddy loves you more than anything. And he's gonna make sure that you're safe." Rosita promised firmly, her own eyes tearful.
"I'm so scared." Mary wailed, Negan hearing every word, his chest clenching. Then he brushed any thoughts away, and leant against the car, humming a tune.
Mary continued crying when she saw Michonne, just wanting to be with her, be with her mom. Michonne strode over to Negan, a deer over her shoulders, pure anger in her eyes, Rick behind her.
"Look at this!" Negan chuckled, but Michonne ignored him, walking over to Rosita. Rosita gave her a nod and passed her Mary, the tiny girl clinging to her, sobbing even more. Rick felt a pang of jealousy then; Mary didn't want him that much.
"I thought she was scavenging," Rick explained, pushing his feelings aside, "she was hunting. This one never came inside. We kept it near the line."
Rick passed Negan a rifle, and Mary could feel the anger radiating off Michonne's skin.
"Look at this! This is something to build a relationship on."
"I'm scared." Mary whimpered, looking up at Michonne. All anger disappeared from Michonne's eyes, and she kissed Mary's forehead.
"I know. Me too." She whispered.
"Good for you Rick. This is reading the room and gettin' the message. I've said it before, I'm gonna say it again. You sir, are special."
"Now that you know we can follow your rules..." Rick began slowly.
"Yes?"
"I'd like to ask you if Mary can stay, Daryl too. But especially Mary. Please. I don't need incentive. I'll do whatever you want me to."
"Not happening. You know what? I don't know. Maybe Daryl can plead his and Mary's case. Maybe Daryl can sway me. Daryl?" Negan taunted, but the man stayed silent, a ghost of who he once was. "Well, you tried. Mary, do you want to live with daddy?"
Mary clung to Michonne, fearful of the two men. Then she uttered a tiny word that killed Rick.
"No."
Negan chuckled as Rick's heart broke, the father close to tears, but only allowing a few to fall.
"Now, what you got to do is get over that tall wall of yours and try harder out there! Earn for me. Because we're coming back soon and when we do, you better have something interesting for us, or Lucille, she's gonna have her way. I want you to hear that again. If you don't have something interesting for us... Somebody's gonna die. And no more magic guns! Arat, grab that deer! It's getting late. Let's go home."
Michonne threw the carcass to the floor, but clung to Mary. "I want to stay with you." Mary sobbed, clinging to her.
"Me too. Me too."
"I don't want to go back! It's scary and I'm locked away. Someone really hurt me, and I have bruises all over my tummy and chest. I'm always bored and I hate it! Don't make me go back. Being there makes me too sad." Mary whispered, and Michonne held her even tighter.
"Give her to me." Negan ordered suddenly.
"No." Michonne whispered.
"What?"
"No! You can't have her!" The woman shouted, cradling her step daughter.
"Michonne. We can't... Don't. We can't... We... It's just... 'Chonne. Don't. Or he'll kill one of us." Rick begged tearfully.
"You can't have her!" Michonne screamed, making Negan laugh, and Mary cry even more.
"Don't make me go! I want to stay with Mishy!"
"Mary. Now." Negan growled, and Mary began to wail, dangerously loud.
"No!"
"She's staying with me!" Michonne shouted, her arms wrapped around Mary, full of fierce love.
"I'm going to give you one last chance to rethink that." Negan said ever so calmly.
"You can't have her!" Michonne growled, going to grab her katana, but suddenly, guns were to everyone's heads; Michonne's, Mary's, Rick's, Spencer's, Rosita's, Carl's.
"Let her go. Or I blow her brother's brains out, and I really don't want to have to do that. I like that kid." Negan ordered.
"Please don't," Michonne cried softly, her grip slackening, "don't touch either of them. Please."
"Michonne. We gotta let her go," Ruck whispered, "just for now."
"Hey," Carl called over to Negan, "let me go over. I can fix this." Negan let out a curt nod, and Carl walked over to Michonne and Mary, bending down to Michonne's eye level.
"Michonne. We're gonna get her back. Okay? She's not dying. She's safe there. Negan really likes her, thank God. We gotta let her, because if we don't, he just kills one of us and takes her anyway. Mary, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, but... You understand, right?"
"I understand." Mary cried softly. She stood up by herself, and planted a sweet, short kiss on Michonne's lips. "I love you. I miss you so much. You're my mommy, and I just want to stay here, but..."
And with that, she was cut off by Negan grabbing her around the torso, and placing her in the back of a van, the door slamming shut, leaving Rick crying alone, having not even said goodbye, and Carl holding Michonne as she sobbed hysterically, broken at the thought of losing another child, even for a little while.