TWD The Crusade

8

Presley sits there at the table and watches mason sit down across from her as she remains quiet and he smiles at her.

"so you decided to join me?"

"you are a murderer, a rapist, and a generally sick person but-"

"look I am a busy guy if you came here just to insult me I can better spend my time-"

"no I came here to say I love you, I shouldn't you will just throw me away like Miya, Fiona god knows who else but I'm here."

Mason turns his head and asks.

"Yeah, but why?"

"because I have seen the good guy you can be. the one you must have been before all of this shit and I think you are still a good guy and can be one again"

Mason folds his hands together and stares down Presley as she stares back at him and asks.

"I want to be your wife"

"That sounds like a terrible idea Presley." he shakes his head and she nods to him.

"what are you afraid of mason?"

"honestly? what the world will look like after all of this that's is the scariest thing I can think of"

"it doesn't have to look bad we can get married raise those girls and stay in the commonwealth together, grow old, be happy. we can both be happy for once"

she comes over to him placing her hand on his shoulder.

"together..."

he leans down kissing him softly and he lets Presley pulls back and mason raises to his feet and smiles to her and grips her into a hug holding it tightly. he stares forward eyeing a picture on the wall of Lukas and his family and feels the rage bottle over as he whispers to Presley.

"I wish that could be true"

he raises his leg kneeing her in the gut and she falls to the ground in pain as mason motions down.

"You can be my wife but you're not leaving the hills I do love you I do Presley. we will grow old just not in the commonwealth but it will be something, something better."

She grips her gun feeling the knot in it from the knee she received and looks up at mason yelling at him as he goes to leave her there.

"You have a son! he's in the commonwealth and he is staying there! if you attack that city, those people you kill your own son."

Presley stares down mason and he turns staring back at her as he bangs his hand on the table in anger.

"you don't know what she will do. I made a promise Presley a promise to these people, to my friends, Pamela Milton will pay for what she did here!  you have no fucking right to take that from Lukas or his sisters or anyone else!"

"mason..." she stares him down noticing how upset he looks as he yells.

"you don't know what she did, what she made me do here."

mason bangs his hand again on the table and Presley feels the firm kick to her side and looks up eyeing Lukas as he looks down at her. 

"why would you do this to him?"

"no, no luke leave her." Mason scratches the back of his head and rubs his mouth as he nods to luke.

"I made sacrifices before for us all and I will do it again that ist what a leader does."

Presley turns her head and sees how upset mason looks as he shakes and luke shakes his head.

"no man you don't need to do that shit anymore."

Mason nods and wipes his tears as he shrugs.

"lost a few already what's one more?"

Presley's stares up to mason and he shakes his head.

"hell, maybe it's konnor's..."

Presley shakes her head feeling her worry boil-over.

"no, no it's not it's yours"

"How can you be so sure?"

"I know"

mason bends down staring into Presley's eyes and asks sounding unsure.

"you know?"

Presley remains quiet and Mason shakes his head.

"you don't know but you hope it's mine right? you now I'm decent killing a kid especially mine one with a mother that cares it's not what I do-"

"I named him after his grandfather, alexander Reid, senator alexander reid"

Mason remains quiet feeling his handshake and Lukas looks him over nodding as he knows what mason will say but before he does Lukas interrupt shim.

"maybe we should think it over. ake a few days regroup with Myron-"

mason brings up his hand and Lukas stops talking and mason looks to Presley and leans down. he takes her hand in his and nods to her.

"I'm not a bad person I've just made bad decisions but nothing Presley and I mean nothing or no one will jeopardize this these people deserve it  and I won't ever deny them what they deserve."

Lukas goes to talk but he stops himself hearing mason whisper to Presley.

"I'll have them keep an eye out for the baby, for anyone else who is innocent but I won't Presley I won't let them get themselves killed their mission comes first."

he kisses her hand and brushes his own face as he whispers to her.

"You can have more kids my kids and it won't be questioned who they are, they will know."

mason gets up and motiosn down to Presley as he demands staring down luke.

"take her to a room and help her get set up, everyone has their jobs make sure she knows hers."

Lukas nods and motions to Presley.

"up."

he sits there and stares forward as she asks Lukas.

"what's going to happen to me?

Lukas nods to her and whispers.

"lessons are learned"