SIXTY EIGHT. mending broken bridges

A FEW MONTHS AGO
THE PRISON

The warm flicker of the lantern light cast uneven shadows against the pale prison walls. Distant chatter and conversations occupied the community, the pale moonlight guarding the fenced-in perimeter. The low groans and moans of eager walkers creaked against the metal, becoming background noise alongside the chirping of hidden crickets. Emerald lights attached to the end of fireflies danced among the field, scattered across the grass and decorating the pen where the pigs slept for the night. It was peaceful. Which was something that was a true rarity in the new world, several members of the group choosing to cherish every second of it.

There was an orange flame amidst the fire pit that sat tended to in the middle of the courtyard, several chairs circled around the spot; accompanied by the survivors. Adeline claimed one for herself, a quilt thrown over her lap to shield her body from the chilly winds. The shadows of the whispering fire moved across her freckle-covered features, a touch of red warming her cheeks. A small smile found its way to her rosy lips, her tawny eyes crinkled while her hand slid over her mouth. Her raspy laugh merged with the sound of others, stale liquid of beer swishing around the glass bottle in her tight grasp.

The words of "I thought it said push!" scattered defensively from the mouth of an embarrassed Maggie Rhee, her cheeks flushed with a red blush. Glenn sat beside his wife, laughter he attempted to hold back leaving his lips as he moved forward to pull her into his chest sympathetically. "I'm sure you did." He spoke, careful to avoid spilling his own drink onto her back. "Now let's stop picking on my wife, yeah?" Glenn joked, a playful smile curling across his mouth━━his eyes moving over to Adeline who gave an apologetic shrug.

"Figured everyone could use a smile after Judith spilled the last of the maple syrup this morning." The widow informed, moving to sip from her beer as Theo Grace let out a loud groan from where she sat by the fire next to a smiling Carl Grimes. "I was just starting to forget about that." The eleven-year-old said, throwing her head back to look at the woman. "How did she even do it?" She questioned, glancing back and forth between the Grimes siblings that beside of each other.

Rick chuckled as he craned his chin, shaking his head as he took a gulp from his beer. As usual, he left the explaining to his sister━━Adelines' eyes moving away from her brother and back to the little girl before them. "I may or may not have handed it to her as a distraction while I changed her diaper. And it may or may not have totally backfired on me." She explained, tracing the rim of the glass bottle with each word.

Daryl Dixon kept his attention solely focused on the widow as she spoke, the fire occupying the space between them. His leg was propped up against a sawed log, noticing the glazed-over look that sat in her eyes. The same one accompanied his own due to the stale beer that Glenn Rhee and a now drunken Maggie found earlier on a run, giving the group the chance to have a minute for themselves. It was rare and it didn't happen often, which meant they each took advantage of the situation.

All except Hershel. He chose to be the one to watch Judith for the night. Carl and Theo were forbidden from the beer, but the two sat alongside each other by the fire with a tired Patrick next to the latter. Beth also excluded herself from the drinking part, but she did manage to snag a seat in the circle next to her sister━━a warm smile curled around her lips. It was easy to see that the survivors were just glad to be there, the growing flames of the fire clashing against the charred logs within.

And there Adeline was, the topic of the conversation moving to Beths' boyfriend Zack who started to talk about how much he loved maple syrup from where he sat next to her. The widow fell silent, her hand curled around the bottle of her beer as she looked over to Rick, his head turning to her at the same time. And the second their eyes met, her smile faltered.

Almost instantaneously, the same flash of fear that struck her eyes the night he drove his knife into her husbands' chest cornered her mind. It was just like she was back there, hiding like a coward in the tree line of that field. He took notice of the fading smile, watching with softened eyes as she tucked her lips into a tightlipped frown before turning to her beer to take a swig.

She feared that reminder would always be there when she looked at her brother, the fingerless gloves on her hands brushing against the quilt across her lap. In a quick movement, she pulled the thick cover off of her and stood to her feet. "Be right back," Adeline assured, her hands trembling slightly around the glass as she stepped past Sasha Williams who claimed the foldable lawn chair beside of her.

The warmth from the fire faded from her skin, a familiar cold feeling crawling across her chest as the chilly air clamored through her throat and into her lungs. She felt her stomach twist, dropping with a rush of fear from the wave of emotions that crashed into her. All over a look, the words stung her mind as her steps faltered━━flashes of memories she kept tucked away cornering her mind as the glass bottle in her hands fell to the concrete; shattering loudly upon the harsh impact.

PRESENT TIME
THE BARN

"You alright?" The voice of her brother snapped through the clouded barrens of her mind, pulling her out of the memory she (for some reason) decided to think back on. Rick stood next to her, the loud cries of Judith that Adeline was trying to block out all of a sudden becoming louder from where she sat on her fathers' hip. His eyes were turned down to his sisters' hands, causing the widow to furrow her brows before glancing down to the sight. She didn't even feel it. "Shit." Addy cursed underneath her breath, busted glass of a full applesauce jar barely missing the scarred skin of her palm.

"I'm sorry," She apologized, feeling the burn of a cut tear through the sauce. "How do we even know if this is good to eat?" Adeline retorted, the bones of her wrist popping as she slung the remnants of the sauce onto the hay-covered floor. Careful to avoid the glass, she turned her attention to the restrained Aaron that sat in the same spot as before. His hands remained tied behind his back, slightly panicked eyes shifting between the barn door and the very loudly crying toddler.

"You did see that there are two jars of applesauce in my bag, right?" He questioned, interrupting the wailing screams.

Adeline glanced back at the table, her eyes moving over the various items that had been pulled out of the pack before finding the other jar. She looked back to Rick reluctantly, unable to tell if the man on the floor was worth trusting. The group he'd sent out had yet to return, but that was probably because not much time had passed since they left. So when she met his expression, it was more than obvious that the same thoughts were running through his head━━"Can you hold her?" He questioned, motioning to his crying baby.

"Uh, sure." She agreed, carefully taking ahold of Judith from his hold with her one good arm. Adeline huffed at the weight, feeling her left arm sting with pins and needles as she lifted the numb limb to support her nieces back. There wasn't much pain, thankfully her last painkiller dealt with that problem. Which was only temporary, but Adeline attempted to ignore that fact. She watched Rick pick up the other jar, twisting it open as he moved towards their newfound friend with his sister following in his steps after grabbing a spoon from the table.

At the approach, Aaron shook his head in distaste━━"You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter?" He inquired, almost in disbelief as the leader took the spoon Adeline carefully handed to him. She followed as he scooped some of the sauce onto the utensil, lowering it down to the restrained man on the hay-covered floor with a look of expectancy.

Rick only remained silent at the question, keeping the spoon still in front of Aarons' face. "I'm tied up and you've already expressed a willingness to stab me in the head. How would cruelly killing your daughter in front of you and your sister in any way help the situation?" The man continued, Adelines' eyes staying trained on him as Judith quietened in her grasp.

"Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one that can help her and I just lose." Rick spoke, a hint of anger wavering in every word that left his lips.

"I am the only one who can help her because I have applesauce and we all win." Aaron retorted, the veins in his neck becoming more evident at the newfound desperation to avoid eating applesauce.

Adeline sighed from where she stood, readjusting Judith on her hip. "Can you just eat it?" She pleaded, watching as Rick crouched down before him to place the spoon in front of his mouth. Aaron only flinched at the movement, rearing his head back to avoid the substance on the spoon. "I hate applesauce."

"What?" The widow groaned, annoyance greeting her features as she huffed before shifting on her feet to look around the empty barn.

Aaron nodded, "My mom used to make me eat foods I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damndest. I just bring the jar to show that we have apple trees nearby." He assured, the cries of the toddler returning. "This is about self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know I'll be the first to go." He added.

Rick stayed persistent, seemingly unamused by Aarons' excuses as he shrugged his shoulders. "Like you said, you'll be the first to go." He assured, gesturing towards the spoon.

With a groan, Aaron rested his head defeatedly against the wooden beam before clasping his lips over the utensil. Adeline watched as his features turned in pure disgust, swallowing the applesauce down with an unsatisfactory expression. It was safe. "There's that." She breathed, moving her eyes to her brother as he dipped the spoon into the sauce and hastily tried it out for another once over before nodding.

Standing to his feet, Rick carefully took the wailing toddler from Adelines' outstretched hands. Handing her the apple sauce, she followed him back to the table where a makeshift spot for Judith to sit was placed (it was made up of stacked books covered by a blanket). As he lowered her down into the spot, Rick stepped back; the toddler's cries softening as Adeline moved forward to carefully feed her with the spoon.

Though it was almost impossible for the brother to miss the trembling of his sister's right hand as she fed Judith, some of the sauce falling to the surface of the table.

"The community is big enough. We can find a place for you to live where even when she cries, no one, nothing can hear it outside the walls." Aaron broke the short formed silence with his voice once again, causing Rick to stop in his tracks. The leader spared a glance in his direction, a deadpanned look coursing over his features before he glanced down to the watch on his wrist.

"You've got 43 minutes."

With the curt threat/promise, Rick pulled his attention away from the stranger on the floor and returned to his sisters side. He took notice of the way her left forearm remained clutched to her chest, his eyes catching the white bandages underneath the long sleeves of her shirt. Which the fact that she was wearing one was another given, due to the harsh rays of sun they had been experiencing in the past month.

Ever since they were little, she'd always been the one to prefer cold weather━━so he put her odd choices off as that, which he soon regretted due to the fact that she now undeniably sick. He spent the last few days racking his mind for times she could've gotten hurt without him noticing, but he came up empty handed. Then he almost felt stupid when he figured it out. The death of Tyresse was so sudden that he didn't even think of the chance that Addy could've gotten hurt that day too.

Rick learned quickly that his sister never made things about herself. Instead of hating him outright like she should've when he killed Shane, she just ignored his entire existence. She didn't look at him, she didn't talk to him. For nine months, it was like he had lost his sister. It almost seemed like karma for going into a coma during the end of the world. He knew she had every right to feel the way she felt, and she knew that he had every right to do what he did. It was an impossible situation.

An unfathomable loss and betrayal beyond comprehension.

It was something they themselves couldn't even explain. All they knew was that it happened and they were forced to live with the consequences of their existence. And the fact that she even said the words of "I forgive you." meant more than anyone would ever know to the older brother, his hands carefully taking the utensil from his sister to help feed Jude.

"You look like crap," But he would never admit that, of course━━the thought ran through his mind, a small smile forming at his lips as Adeline shook her head at the words.

"I feel like crap." She admitted, moving to lean against the wooden structure of the table. Her eyes ran over to Aaron, his head resting defeatedly against the beam he was tied to. "Do you trust him?" Adeline inquired, carefully to avoid the wound on her forearm as she crossed her arms together.

Rick sighed at the question, shifting on his feet as he adjusted his grip on the applesauce jar. "Do you trust him?"

Addys' brows furrowed at the retort, resting her chin against her shoulder to stare at her brother. "I trust him if you trust him." She assured, honesty lacing her words as Rick lifted his eyes to her. "You're doing the right thing here. I need you to know that I'm with you, Rick. You're my brother." Her lips pulled into a tight lipped smile that had no falters, pushing off the table to reluctantly wrap her arms around him.

There was an expected amount of hesitancy to the expression, a certain fear that it was going to end forming in her chest as she laid her head against his heart. "I'm sorry if you ever thought I hated you." She whispered, her voice crackling slightly as her mind swelled with an overwhelming amount of guilt. Adeline felt like she had been ridiculed for mourning. Like her right to grieve had been stripped from her by the eyes of the group.

That's all it ever was on the road.

Everyone just waiting for her to forgive him.

Before he could return the hug, she uncurled her arms and stepped back. Rick watched as she used her right hand to wipe underneath her eyes, the other remaining still by her side. Adeline sniffed, feeling her heart ache in her chest with her hand carefully falling to curl around her forearm. "I didn't want to worry anyone. I just wanted everyone to be safe." She promised, "But now I kind of cannot feel my arm."

The sound of her voice cracking caused a wave of worry to seep through Rick Grimes, his head tilting slightly as he stepped back━━"You can't- you can't feel your arm?" He questioned, watching as the regret of telling him began to scatter across her features. "How could you not tell anyone? We could've helped!" The last three words left his mouth as a hushed whisper, aggravation forming in his stomach.

"My job is to protect you. It's to keep you safe."

"Please tell me that you see why I couldn't let you know." Adeline started, gesturing towards his obvious anger. "This didn't happen because of you, Rick. This happened because we were tearing through a forest of barbwire while carrying someone we were trying to save. This wasn't your failure." She assured, lowering her voice to keep Aaron in the dark.

"I knew what I was doing by not telling anyone. I'm grown. I can handle my shit. The only reason I'm telling you now is because I wanted you to know that I trust you. If you do not feel that this place is a safe place for our family, then I trust that. I don't care what that costs me." Adeline whispered, her words making a promise that she intended on keeping.

Rick seemed to struggle to understand her words, a look of what felt like disbelief weaving through his features. His sister watched as he shifted in his stance, a look overcoming him that caused his expression to falter. He felt like it wasn't real. She really trusted him that much again? "You really trust me? After- after everything?" He questioned, waiting for her to tell him it was a joke. Or to get pinched. It was just really hard for him to believe that she wouldn't hate him to the rest of their lives.

A certain silence followed his inquiry, Adelines eyes softening at his words. He watched as she glanced down to the empty space on her ring finger, "I loved him more than I loved myself, you know? This whole thing, starting out, I just wanted him to make it. I always thought he would." She admitted, allowing a shaky breath to fall from her pale lips. "Now it's just me. And I don't want to be alone anymore."

"You're not alone." Rick was quick to assure, "You're not." He repeated━━carefully stepping forward to pull her into a hug. Which to be honest, for Adeline, was kind of awkward even though she had just hugged him. When they were young, her brother was notoriously known for not showing his emotions, which had died down since then but there was still that bit of toxic masculinity that lingered in his veins from being passed down by their father. So for him to hug her, it was quite different.

And that caused a muffled laugh to slip by her lips, her teary eyes squinting together as the sound spluttered from her throat. Adelines arms squeezed weakly around her brothers chest, hearing a low chuckle of his own before pulling away to wipe her eyes once again. "I think we're even on the hugs now." She joked, laughing playfully as Rick shook his head, deciding not to test her happiness as he moved forward to pick up the applesauce jar to continue feeding Judith.

It had been weeks since Theo Grace had seen this much food. There she stood in the barn, jaw agape and eyes widened at the various assortments of canned goods sprawled out across the table. The small group Rick sent out returned, and instead of a creepy white van like she expected, it was an RV filled with supplies they needed. Aaron wasn't lying. Which was a surprise for her, seeing as she was convinced that he was the moment Addy walked through the wooden doors with him. But they'd been proved wrong, and everything he told them was so far true. And that fact undoubtedly gave them hope.

Holding a can of spaghettio's in her grasp, Theo playfully tossed the metal up and down before looking around the group. They all seemed relieved over their new findings, grateful that they no longer have to survive purely on crushed walnuts and water that probably wasn't as clean it should be. Adeline was sitting down, which was a bit odd for the eleven year old to see━━but she could tell that the widow needed it. Her skin was paler than usual, and there was a prominent line of sweat laced over her forehead. She looked pretty sick.

That and seeing Rick be relieved over the sight of medicine pretty much gave it away for the group.

"Here," The man of the hour spoke, the white pills clinking against the bottle as he shook two of them into the palm of his hand. Theo watched as Rick moved towards his sister, the womans' eyes moving at the sound of his voice from where she sat, back pressed into the wooden legs of the table. The brother allowed the pills to fall into her open palm, grabbing the water he stuffed between his chest and arm to hand to her.

Daryl Dixon leaned against the table, situated next to Wesley and Noah as he carefully watched the movements of their leader. Adeline used to water to force the medicine down, craning her chin to glance back at the archer while her brother started speaking. "This," Rick started, turning to the restrained Aaron on the floor while shaking the bottle in his grasp. "This is ours now. " He informed, stepping back to place the medicine onto the table behind him.

Aaron nodded tiredly, "There's more than enough."

"It's ours." Rick repeated, "Wether or not we go to your camp." He stated━━causing his son that sat alongside Adeline to look at him with furrowed brows threaded by pure confusion. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?" He questioned, Theos' eyes falling over to him at the sound of his voice. "It kinda feels like he's telling the truth." She added.

Michonne looked between the children, "If he were lying... or if he wanted to hurt us. But he isn't. And he doesn't." She began, the group turning their attention to her. "We need this. So we're going." She spoke, placing her eyes onto Addy. "All of us." Michonne said, holding onto the sheath of her samurai sword that hung from her back. "Somebody say something if they feel differently." She added, a few of the members nodding in agreement to her words fueled by emotions.

"I don't know, man." Daryl started, his voice leaving his throat as a rasp. "This barn smells like horse shit."

His statement was followed by silence, Adelines stare falling to her hands that laid in her lap. She was quiet at first, unsure of what to say. There was still some part of her that couldn't trust Aarons words, not even with the food and medicine. But she knew one thing; no matter what, she needed to keep her family safe. And together. So, the words slipped from her lips easier than she expected them to as she nodded her head━━"No harm in checking it out, right?" She questioned, looking to her brother.

Rick met her eyes, thinking back to the conversation they shared earlier. She trusted him. And he didn't think that there was anything he would do to test that as he nodded, "Yeah." he agreed━━confirmation covering his features. "We're going." The words fell from his lips, the agreement causing relief to wash over the survivors like a cold wave as their leader turned to look back at their restrained acquaintance.

"So, where are we going? Where's your camp?"

Aarons back straightened at the question, an uneasy expression beginning to flood through face. "Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back. I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet." He informed, Ricks eyes rolling in aggravation, turning on his feet to the group.

Adeline watched her brother move, her eyes moving between him and the man on the ground as Michonne pushed closer. "You're not driving." The samurai spoke, "So if you want to get home you'll have to tell us how." She finished━━the widow scooting to the side in order to reach for the map on the surface of the table. When she realized she couldn't quite grab it, Daryl had already moved forward to gently nudge it.

"Thanks," She smiled softly before sprawling the map out onto the ground. Stepping closer, the figure of Maggie Rhee bent down to help Adeline hold the parchment down━━ Ricks eyes turning over to the spot as Aaron sighed defeatedly before placing his attention onto the three of them.

"Go north on Route 16." He informed, the sound of his voice leading to Wesley handing Rick one of his sawed down pencils in order to jot it down. "Then what?" Adeline questioned, holding down the corner of the page with her good hand. Aaron turned his eyes to her, "I'll tell you when we get there." He assured, his voice and tone soft with her.

Rick nodded, "We'll take 23 north. You'll give us directions from there."

"That's-" Aaron scoffed, shaking his head. "I don't know how else to say it but that's a bad idea. We've cleared 16. It'll be faster." He pleaded, causing Adeline to look over to him.

"He said we're taking 23. So we're taking 23. Simple as that." She finalized━━her head tilting slightly as Aaron opened his mouth to argue. Due to her testing expression, he clamped his lips shut and nodded. "Fine. Have it your way." He added, causing Adeline to nod in confirmation. "Yeah, I will." She retorted, turning her attention back to her brother by her side.

"We leave at sundown." Rick confirmed.

Sasha lifted her head from where she stood, "We're doing this at night?" she questioned with a curious expression.

"Look," The leader started, his words careful. "I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there." He expressed, emotions lacing his every word as Adeline turned her head to look at him. "It's a good plan."

"No one is going to hurt you." Aaron pleaded, causing the widow to place her attention back onto him. "Do you know how many times we've been told that?" She inquired, "You're asking us to bring our family into these walls. So, excuse us if we're being a little cautious." The widow added sharply.

The man sighed, "You're trying to protect your group but you're putting them in danger."

Rick placed the pencil onto the map before him and met eyes with their newfound friend, "Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." he offered with an expression of honesty. But Aaron only shook his head, opting on remaining silent which led to a nod of I told you so from Rick as he stood to his feet. "It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can." He instructed, making his way out of the open doors of the barn.

With his words, Adeline watched as Michonne followed after Rick━━her fingers fiddling with the edges of the map. Turning down to look at the paper, a huff fell from her lips before she carefully rolled it up with her good hand. "Are you hungry, Thee?" She questioned, turning back to look at the little girl only to find her gulping down the can of Spaghettios that Abraham had opened for her during the conversation.

Pulling it from her lips, Theo wiped at the red substance that dripped from the corners of her mouth as her eyes widened. "Umm..." She started out, hastily chewing the food in order to speak. "I think I'm good right now." She assured, sending a thumbs up to Adeline who smiled softly before nodding in confirmation. "Thank you for asking, though!" The eleven year old added happily, moving to continue eating her food.

"Here," Daryl grunted━━his hand gently nudging her left shoulder to gain her attention. Adeline felt a rush of nerves pillage through her stomach, turning around to face the archer that held out a green apple. She furrowed her brows slightly at the sight, a small smile forming at her lips. "Good choice. Greens the best." She spoke, her words causing the hint of a chuckle to be heard underneath his breath as he nodded.

Their conversation continued as Wesley scooted past the two, careful to avoid bumping into the obviously sick Adeline Grimes. The smile on her face was a foreign sight to see, one that he only caught a glimpse of on the day that Tyresse died. He was glad the woman learned it was okay to actually feel happy again, his brain pushing away his thoughts as he dug into the depths of the messenger bag on his side.

When his fingers brushed up against the familiar leather cover of his journal, he pulled it from the depths with ease and united the worn string around the book. Flipping to the page he had been working on for the last month, Wesley eyed the portrait carefully before ever so gently tearing it out of the seams. He treated the process like he was holding one of the most fragile art pieces of history, his head lifting to find the person his mind was searching for. Maggie Rhee.

He spotted her at the far end of the barn, standing by the open doors with her eyes lost within the scenery. Wesley was careful with the drawing in his grasp, sparing a second to return his journal back to his bag as he approached the grieving sister. He only met these people a month ago━━yet they already felt like his home. The place where he was meant to be. And it had been a long time since he felt that way, the fear of losing it coursing through his body as he reached Maggie.

"Excuse me," He started, his voice cracking nervously. Wesley cleared his throat, the sound causing the woman to look over with furrowed brows. "Yeah?" Maggie questioned, sniffing slightly before she moved to carefully cross her arms over her chest. Wesley found himself blanking on words all of a sudden, shifting in his step as the farmers daughter tilted her head. "What'dya got there?" She inquired, gesturing to the paper.

"She uh..." Wesley started, pausing his words to shake his head and clear his throat. Not saying her name means not dealing with it, and he didn't want that. "Beth told me a lot about you. She saved my life. And Noahs. That meant more to me than I ever got to tell her." He informed, the mention of her sisters name causing Maggie's expression to falter slightly. "I know I could never pay that back. But I wanted you to have this." He added, keeping the portrait hidden as he passed her the page.

The sudden presence of the paper made her hands tremble, anxiously taking it into her grasp. Maggie allowed a sigh to fall from her chapped lips, her fingers trailing along the side of the page before she turned it over. And it almost felt like her heart stopped. It was her Bethie. Smeared lead created shadings throughout the side portrait of her baby sisters face, the familiar sight of her ponytail causing Maggie's heart to ache.

There was a singular braid amongst the tied up hair in the drawing, tears welling in the sisters eyes as her fingers fell to trace the image. The last time she had seen Beth, scars and bruises marked her face before they buried her. That was the only thing she could see when she closed her eyes, so the sight of the portrait made her stomach twist together. "Thank-" She attempted to speak, her voice cracking with emotions as she shook her head and breathed a shaky breath. "Thank you."

Wesley felt relief course through him, "Of course." the words wavered from his mouth━━ nerves cooling down from the exchange before he stepped back, leaving her to her thoughts.

The remaining hours trudged by with the speed of what felt like a tortoise, half of the group spent the time falling asleep only to wake up ten minutes later to ask if it was time to leave yet while the other half filled their stomachs. Adeline was in between, the medicine from the RV only helping her out as much as it could. As expected, not all of her problems were solved by the white pill.

It was safe to say that the group had collectively decided to let her sleep the entire nights trip in the back of the RV, wanting her to gain her energy back by the time they arrived to the community. Of course, that led to Rick, Glenn, and Michonne being the ones leading the group in the car with Aaron giving directions. Which meant Adeline was stepping out of the front lines. Though it was a rare thing for her to do, a part of her felt somewhat grateful for the break she was handed.

But, she did wish she could feel her arm.

The vehicle rumbled against the backroads, every so often shaking due to the scattered metals across the concrete. Adeline and a few others were surprisingly asleep, a certain silence filtering through the RV in order to not wake them. Theo sat awake in the front seats alongside Noah, headphones clasped over her ears as she watched the card game that went down between him and Tara. It looked like Noah was winning.

Cats In The Cradle by Johnny Cash played quietly within the earphones she wore, her fingers tapping against her knee to the music. And it wasn't until Abraham Ford slammed down onto the breaks when words were finally spoken throughout the vehicle, a sudden rush of adrenaline surging through the eleven year old as muffled shouts were heard underneath the music playing in her ears. Cards went scattering off the table from the harsh movement, Theos' stomach slamming into the surface as she winced in pain before pulling the headphones off her ears.

"What's goin' on?"

"Everyone alright?!"

"Oh my god..."

"Back up, back up!"

The overlap of voices caused a panic to form through the group, Theo hastily standing in the chair to push the window on the side of the vehicle. Heaving it open, a rush of air flowed through the space as Tara moved closer to get a look alongside the kid. "What the hell is going on?" She breathed, feeling the RV jerk around as Abraham put it into reverse.

"That's not good." Theo whispered, her eyes widening at the sight of walkers slamming into the sides of their transport. As she peeked her head out even more, fear began to bubble like a roaring storm in the depths of her stomach. The moment she noticed where the car that was leading them went, she started to take notice of the growing number of dead ones that began to surround it.

Before she could completely register what was happening, she felt an arm wrap around her stomach as Daryl Dixon pulled her back into the vehicle and Noah moved forward to close the binds. Everyone asleep had officially been woken up, the tired eyed face of Adeline stepping into view for the eleven year old as the archer helped her climb over the seat. "You see where they went?" The archer questioned, his eyes focused on the wide eyed Tara as Addy pulled Theo behind her.

"The only way they could." Tara answered, stepping away from the table. "Straight." She added, watching carefully as the widow moved past her and over to Abraham who helmed the wheel. A slightly panicked Rosita sat in the passenger seat, her eyes turning back to Adeline who approached them━━ her attention focused in on the distant herd ahead of the RV.

"No sign of 'em?" She questioned, her voice raspy from the deep sleep she found herself being pulled from. Abraham nodded, his foot released off the gas as his hand rested against the wheel. "Not a damn one." He informed, his fingers tapping against the cover while he spoke. Adeline nodded in confirmation, anxiety running through her bones before she stepped back to look at the standing figure of Daryl Dixon.

Motioning her head towards the door, a silent agreement communicated through body language was planted between the two of them as she look back to Abraham. "We're gonna step out. Take a look around." Adeline informed, her hand falling to rest at the hilt of her machete. "Yell if you need help." He instructed, looking back at Daryl. "That goes for both of you." The redhead added in an assuring tone.

Quietly, and after a couple promises thrown Theos' way, Adeline stepped out of the RV with Daryl following closely in her step. The road was silent, but the air was filled with the distant moans and groans of the herd that split them up. The moon provided them their only source of light, her heart beating slightly as she looked back at the archer behind her.

The door shut, a puff of air pushing from the movement before he moved towards the widow. "You alright?" He questioned, his eyes falling to the makeshift sling her arm was resting in. Adeline caught sight of this, rolling her lips together before she nodded in agreement. "Yep. Still numb." She informed, gesturing towards the unmoving limb.

Daryl remained silent at her retort, a huff leaving his lips as he looked further on down the road. "You think I should've told you sooner." Addy spoke up, gently nudging the ankle of his boot with her own. "I'm sorry for not." She added.

The archer shook his head, "Ain't that."

"Then what is it?" She was quick to inquire, causing his eyes to move to her own. "Sorry. Trying not to think about the fact that two of the people I care most about just got split up from us by a herd." Adeline gave a tightlipped frown in return, her attention awkwardly turning up to look at the stars above. "So uh..." She started, the pain pills she was on effecting her ability to act 100% herself━━"Think that's the Big Dip-?"

Before anything else could be said, a sudden crimson light shot up into the sky; illuminating the clouds with red. Almost immediately their attention pulled to the source, spotting a tall water tower that happened to be just where the trail of grey smoke began. Adeline's brows furrowed at the sight, her eyes glancing back to the road. "That's too far away to be them."

"Coulda seen it, though. C'mon," Daryl started, gently moving towards the woman to curl his hand around her elbow. With a careful nudge, he guided her back into the RV and helped her find her way to the seat. Rubbing her tired eyes, Adeline felt Theo slide into the space beside of her━━the eleven year old crossing her arms over the table. Daryl moved to tell Abraham where to start heading, the vehicle slowly shifting into gear.

The drive wasn't too long, the night sky accompanying the road before him━━dim headlights casting long shadows down the pavement. It didn't take but a few minutes for Abraham and Rosita to find the water tower in the distance, the remnants of the flare giving them some form of waypoint to follow. Adeline attempted to ignore the deep worry that grew in the depths of her stomach, her leg bouncing repeatedly in order to ease the thick tension in the vehicle.

By the time they reached where the flare'd been shot from, the crimson had completely dissipated from the sky. Adeline opted on staying inside due to her current state, deciding to watch over the ones inside the RV as Daryl and a few others went to check the place out. From looking outside the windows, the widow was able to point out the warehouse-like structured buildings; her eyes every so often looking back to Wesley and Theo that sat on the other side of the table.

Noah was next to her, anxiously shuffling the stack of cards he and Tara had been playing with. The girl stood across the table, peering out of the door that was cracked open in order to keep watch for anyone━━an attentive Rosita sitting in the passenger seat behind her, her eyes trained on the windshield that gave them a clear view of the empty alleyway. Daryl, Sasha, Maggie, and Abraham were all vacant from the vehicle.

Everyone else excluding Rick, Glenn, and Michonne (+ Aaron) were inside, staying silent in fear of any approaching figures.

And that's all it was for several minutes. Pure silence. Adeline ever began to wonder why she'd never taken a break from the frontlines before, feeling more calm than she had in months. Rick was fine. She knew he, Glenn, and Michonne were━━ but that was only due to the persistent stubbornness that wouldn't allow her to believe anything else other than just that. They were okay. And they were all going to make it to the community safe. She just hoped inside the walls would be, too.

When Daryl and his group returned, he was quick to inform Adeline of their findings━━telling her they had found Aarons one guy that ended up being the one that shot the flare in the first place. And that his name was Eric. The revelation caused some sort of switch to flip in the widows veins, keeping her expression calm as the group followed Daryl back to where Eric was. It was a storage room situated in the back of an alley, a warm light illuminating the covered windows.

When they reached the building, Daryl didn't waste much time in leading Addy to the back room to see the stranger that laid propped up against a pile of pillows. Upon entering, she was quick to spot the blonde man, cold sweats lining his pale skin. Maggie Rhee sat crouched next to his pant leg where it had been rolled up to reveal his swelled up ankle, lifting her head to look at the widow that had made her way inside.

"Addy." The farmers daughter spoke softly, looking to the man next to her with a gentle look. "This is our doctor that I was tellin' you about. She's good. And she'll take care of you." Maggie informed, her hand resting against his shoulder before she turned to see Adeline. "This is Eric. He's with Aaron." She added, carefully standing to her feet to approach the widow.

The doctor nodded, "Okay. Did he say anything else?"

"I was thinkin' you could talk to him. He's seemed pretty willing to tell you what you wanna know." Maggie assured, glancing back at Eric once more before leaving the room. Daryl stayed in the shadows, leaning against the doorframe to keep an eye on the situation. He watched Adeline move into the dimly lit space, orange shadows laying against her pale skin as she bent down to face the man with a small smile that made the corners of his lip curl up the smallest amount.

There wasn't much conversation to be had as she fixated a makeshift brace for his swollen ankle, stuffing a pillow underneath his leg to elevate the injury. When she finished with that, Adeline was sure to hand him some of the medicine they found in the RV to help deal with the pain and hopefully prevent an infection. He gulped the pills down with a nearby water, twisting the cap back onto the bottle as he looked to the woman that sat kneeled against the floor beside of him.

"We have a surgeon." Eric informed, breaking the silence with his voice. "His names Pete. And I'm sure Deanna would let you two work together if you told her." He added, tilting his head at the widow. "Do you plan on telling her?"

Adeline furrowed her brows, "I liked being a doctor when I didn't know whose lives I was saving. It's not as fun when it's a life or death situation with someone I love." she informed with a voice full of honesty. "Then again, I might would like it more if I actually had the supplies to save them." The doctor added as she wiped her hand against her right knee.

Eric nodded, "I can see where you're coming from."

The sound of his agreement caused her to smile slightly, feeling slightly validated with his words. "Thank you." Adeline spoke, glancing down at her hand that rested against her lap. "So um..." She started, sniffing as she turned her head back to look at him. "Where was it that you guys lived again?"

If he tells you, maybe it will be good for us after all━━she repeated over and over in her head, hope swelling in her chest as her fingers began tapping anxiously against the inside of her knee. She needed it to be real. She needed it to be real for them. The words ran through her mind, prying at her every thought as Eric took another sip from his water before talking.

"I'm guessing Aaron decided not to tell you guys." He pointed out, causing the widow to look at him with defeated eyes. Adeline avoided eye contact, using her one good hand to rest her head on. "This is why my brother is the leader." She informed, running her palm over her face before reluctantly looking up at Eric through her eyelashes. "I'm sorry."

He only laughed, a warm feeling radiating through the room as Adeline squinted her eyes in confusion. "I like you." Eric admitted, placing his hand onto his stomach. "Sometimes my dearest Aaron can be known to say the wrong things. It's why we usually come as a packaged duo but unfortunately the idea of a bigger group scared us. I can only imagine what that's like for you guys." He continued, a gentle look clouding his features. "We live in Virginia. About six miles from DC. In a place called Alexandria. And man is it beautiful there."

The words almost seemed like a dream to the widow, completely taken aback by the mans kind response to her prying about where he lived. She expected him to cuss her out, or maybe even attack her over it. A nice stranger named Eric is not who she expected Aarons other guy to be. And for a minute, Adeline Grimes held onto that thin thread of hope that Alexandria could be their new home.

A safe place for her family.

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AUTHORS NOTE

you guys will have to excuse me this chapter
IS HUGE (and unedited) but i wanted to do everything
in my power to have the next chapter start in alexandria

i really hope you guys like the events of this chap, rick
and addy FINALLY mended things after FOREVER
which i'm super fucking grateful for thank GOD

hopefully you guys like some new characters
that are about to be introduced;) milo ;)

wanna say a super huge thank you to my
absolutely best friend elixiirs <4 bre thank
you so MUCH for spending all fucking
day with me on facetime. i would not have
gotten this huge ass chapter done without her

EVERYONE GO SUPPORT THE FIRST REWRITTEN CHAPTER OF HOLDING ONTO HOPE !!!

jaylyn dixon deserves THE WORLD.

ALSO! any new expectations for alexandria??!!

WORD COUNT 7993