#i did not see Yumiko death coming

[alucardsathomewife]

Just finished Hellsing Ultimate last night

Spoilers will be in the tags

[theteasetwrites]

The Beginning Is the End Is the Beginning

Chapter 99: In the Company of Angels

❧ Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Female Reader ❧ Era: Season 11 ❧ Pronouns: she/her ❧ Warnings: major character death ❧ Word Count: 3.5k

❧ In This Chapter: The Commonwealth is saved in one last effort to defeat the herd. When the panic dies down, there is happiness, but not everyone will live to see another day.

❧ A/N: Second-to-last chapter! So this one is pretty short, but I wanted to write the time jump in the next chapter (aka the last chapter ahhh). I tried to add in some stuff to tie in Reader's father and some of the characters she was closest to. You might also notice that I purposefully made Reader kind of uncomfortable with the celebration (because I was uncomfortable with the celebration lmao). I just felt like it was kind of random and unrealistic (yes I am aware that there are zombies walking around, but within the context of the show, it's nice to have the way people behave be a little realistic). Idk the whole dinner scene didn't sit right with me, so I tried to convey that a little bit lol.

Date: April 18, 2021

Time: Midnight

Our arrival to the Commonwealth was fraught with some… trouble. A herd had somehow gotten through the walls. Governor Milton’s orders were to direct the swarm to the lower wards, where the poor live. She’d also caught onto Mercer’s betrayal, imprisoning him. By the time we arrived, the walkers were flooding into the streets. We took the sewers through to Union Station, where a shootout ensued. Myself and many others were shot, and at this point my recollection fails me, but I’m told that at some point, Princess led a group to release Mercer from his prison. From there, Mercer and his guards snuck us into a safehouse in the Estates, where Pamela and the other elites were hoarding the last of the medicine. We lost Luke and Jules to the walkers. Lydia and Aaron had lost track of Jerry and Elijah in the herd, but they joined with us again by some miracle. Rosita found her daughter, Coco. She is safe, and so is Eugene, Yumiko, and Maxine. 

The estates have the luxury of walls to keep the walkers out, but it kept the Commonwealth citizens out, too. Pamela refused to open the gates, signing a death sentence for the unlucky ones who were locked outside. They were screaming, crying, and begging to be let inside, spared from the dead.

Father Gabriel Stokes took a stand, ignoring the guns pointed at him as he made his way to the gate, preparing to shoot the lock and let the people in to save their lives from the impending herd. Governor Milton commanded her guards to shoot him down, but a resounding voice stopped them. It was Alexandria’s own Daryl Dixon, bravely approaching the governor herself, no weapons drawn. His words were simple, but louder than any gunshot, and stronger, too. 

“Stop,” he said. “We all deserve better than this. You built this place to be like the old world, that was the problem. We’ve got one enemy. We’re not the walking dead.”

You paused for a moment, thinking of what to write next. It was most important that you wrote down exactly what Daryl had said, you figured. You supposed the rest now was living history, and you’d have to write more later, when you could collect your thoughts.

Daryl himself made his way over to you, looking just as dashing and brave as he did just a few hours ago now. As you sat up in your bed, he eyed you suspiciously. Hadn’t he just told you to rest? And yet there you were, etching hundreds of words into your journal, frantically writing down every thought that had come to you the past twenty-four hours. Everything that happened here tonight was important, and so much more was about to be underway. 

When you felt his gaze on you, you lifted your head from your journal. The letters were starting to make you dizzy anyway. “Yes?” you asked. 

A few men dressed head to toe in Commonwealth armor pushed past Daryl, carrying various boxes of explosives. It made you nervous, to say the least, but it was all part of the plan. Mercer’s plan. 

Daryl crossed his arms with a huff, coming forward to sit himself down beside your bed. He’d left a chair there for himself, marked rather obviously by his vest. “Thought you were gonna be restin’.”

“I am resting.”

“No, you’re writing.”

“Well, I can write and rest at the same time, can’t I?”

He narrowed his eyes at your left arm, still wrapped tight in its sling. “How you feel?”

“My arm hurts,” you sighed. “But I’ll be fine.”

Out of curiosity, Daryl leaned back in his chair, his neck craning to get a look at what you were writing. “I see my name,” he said, focusing on your familiar cursive writing. “What’re ya sayin’ about me?”

“Oh,” you sighed dramatically, “just about how… noble, and brave, and heroic my husband is.”

You swore his eyes rolled into the back of his head. “Stop.”

“Why? It’s true. Besides, Robin and Westley will need to know how great their father is. It’s important, you know. And maybe someday they’ll have children of their own, and they’ll tell them about their… grandpa.”

Daryl shook his head. “Nah, no way. I’m not gonna be a grandpa.”

“Maybe you will,” you said with a shrug, and a mischievous grin. Sometimes, you got far too much enjoyment out of teasing him, but he was just so serious, and it was so fun to make that serious demeanor crumble, as it only really could for you. “It’s important to think about the future, about the consequences of all this.”

“All’s I know is what’s goin’ on right now. And right now it’s time to go, so get your journal.”

Indeed, the plan was ready. Aaron and some of the others had already diverted the herd, clearing a path for a truck to leave the estates and bring back the fuel. The plan was to light up the sewers, soak them in gasoline and lead the flame to the center of the estates, where the walkers would be corralled. 

You could hear it now, the music just starting. “Cult of Personality” by Living Colour. Fitting, you supposed. The lyrics didn’t matter, though. What mattered was that the music was loud enough to bring the walkers to the estates. When those mansions were going to blow up, you didn’t want to be anywhere near it. 

Everyone was loaded onto a truck, packed like a can of sardines and taken to the rendezvous point—one of the houses on the other side of town. By the time everyone had cleared the estates, the gates were left open, purposefully. The walkers poured in, death and decay taking over this once prosperous neighborhood. 

Everyone was far away when the music stopped, time suspended for what seemed like years, but it was only a few moments. Finally, a huge burst of flames, followed by waves upon waves of explosions dotting the estates, each triggering another until the whole district was bubbling with bright orange. 

Beneath the ground, the sewers were opening up, splitting the dirt to suck in hundreds of burning walkers, like Hell was opening up and taking back its creatures. When the first bursts of the explosions died down, the charred remains of the estates were filled with burning trees and the last of the walkers that could still walk as their rotten flesh burnt off their bones. 

From what you could see, the herd was eradicated. Still, you weren’t sure it was cause for celebration. The estates were destroyed, along with dozens of homes that could’ve housed the poor and the sick. Whatever food and resources those buildings had were reduced to smithereens before your very eyes. Not only that, but who knows how many people had died during the swarm? 

You didn’t share that sentiment with most of the others, though. 

Yumiko invited everyone from Alexandria to her house in the wee hours of the morning. For your part, you fell asleep on her couch, not knowing when you awoke that a grand feast was waiting for you in the afternoon.

It was Daryl’s hand that gently rocked your shoulder. “Come get somethin’ to eat,” he said, and you swore you were in a dream. 

The dining room was immaculate, with a meal of epic proportions splayed over the table, with more to spare on the kitchen counters, where so many familiar faces gathered around to serve themselves. You blinked hard, shaking your head as you looked towards your husband. “Am I awake?”

“Yeah,” he said, and you knew it must’ve been real—you could feel his hand pressed upon your lower back, then his lips grazing your cheek. “I’ll make ya a plate. Sit down.”

Despite its clear reality, you couldn’t escape the strange warm glow all around you. It felt like you were dead. Well, in Heaven, maybe. But you weren’t, you knew you weren’t. You were alive, but something felt too good to be true. Something was off. 

Across the dining room table, you felt Rosita’s eyes on you. She leaned closer, pointing her finger at your sling. “You all right?”

“Mhm.” Tentatively, you took a sip of red wine. It was the first you’d tasted of it in ages. Nine months pregnant, plus several more in which wine was the least important thing you could consume, so you didn’t. It felt strange to drink it now, but why not? Everything else felt so strange, anyway. “Are you?”

She rocked uncomfortably in her chair, but flashed a smile regardless. “Of course.”

Something was wrong. 

“Rosita—”

Maggie’s hand startled you as she touched your shoulder. Her green eyes widened as she let out a laugh. Were you the only one not happy?

As she sat beside you, she eagerly unfolded her napkin, then helped herself to a serving of mashed potatoes. How did anyone have the energy to prepare this meal? Nothing seemed right. 

“You were asleep for so long,” remarked Maggie. “I was worried you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Feels like I didn’t.” You were caught between reality and a dream. 

Daryl’s heavy presence loomed over you. He placed your plate in front of you—it was overflowing with ham and gravy and biscuits and salad and grapes… He’d given you far too much food for one person to eat. Still, you knew you would eat all of it with how hungry you were. 

“Thank you.” He shocked you for a moment, bending over to kiss the corner of your mouth. You looked at him suspiciously. “Am I in the Twilight Zone?”

“Eat your food,” he scoffed playfully. “‘Fore it gets cold.”

With a belly full of food, soon it became clear to you that there was no harm in celebrating what merriment there was for the time being. Pamela was imprisoned, the walkers were slain, the people were free. 

It was a beautiful dinner, the warm glow of the candles spread all over the table illuminating so many smiling faces. The world had changed so much since last night—darkness had given into light, and with the new day came a new era. It was on everyone’s breath. The cleansing fire had come again, as it had come so many times before. 

It was nothing new, you’d seen it before, so many, many times. 

Atlanta, the quarry, the CDC, the farm, the prison, the Kingdom, the Hilltop… As worlds ended, new ones were born. Even those worlds hadn’t really ever ended, you figured. It wasn’t even really a matter of things ending or beginning when it came down to it, it was a matter of continuing on, keeping those memories alive for as long as you could. That was the trick.

That was the celebration. A new beginning, once again. As many times as you’d felt it, you’d never get tired of that feeling. Hope, that’s exactly what it was. Hope for the future, for the world to become whole again.

The mission wasn’t over, you all knew that. The world was still broken, crumbling all around you, but there were pockets of wholeness, moments wherein everything became so perfect that it was hard to believe it was real. But it was real, and they were real. Your family was real. 

And yet, you couldn’t shake this feeling, as though the vibrant images that projected all around you were just figments of your imagination, like any second now you’d wake up and it would all have been some strange, long dream.

Maybe you’d awaken, having never met a man named Daryl, having never had his children. That was the worst thing you could imagine, so you willed it away from your mind as quickly as it came.

Instead, you dozed off for a while, thinking of all the voices you couldn’t hear amidst the celebrations. Strangely, you found yourself picturing a world in which your father could see all this. You hadn’t thought of him in so long, but a sudden wave of memory lost to time came flooding in.

The memory wasn’t one that had ever existed, at least, not in this lifetime. It was an image of a dinner much like this, but with everyone you’d come to know and love.

Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Beverly, Dale, Tara, Andrea, Tyreese, Beth… All the ones you lost were surrounded by some glowing aura, like they were angels. They were so bright and beautiful that you nearly squinted just to make our their features.

Your father, though, you saw particularly clearly. In your vision, he’d sit right across the table from Daryl. He’d know the happiness you had found with him, the true and innocent love he gave you. You knew above all else that he would’ve loved Daryl, too. He would’ve seen him as another son, and a great man.

In his lap would sit baby Westley, watching in fascination as his grandfather played peek-a-boo with the child, much to his wonder.

Robin would sit near him, too, laughing at one of Dale’s silly jokes. He’d impart some important lesson to her, and she’d listen closely, eager to learn from the wise man.

Aaron would pour a glass of wine for Eric, his one true love. You were sure your father would look on proudly, happy to know that Aaron was living the life he wanted with the man he loved.

Perhaps Rick would raise a toast, it seemed like the kind of thing he would’ve done. “To family,” he might say. “To hope, and to the future.”

Glenn and Maggie would laugh together like they used to. They’d have a hard time letting go of each other’s hands. You recalled they used to hold on until the last possible second.

Sophia and Carl would be so much bigger now. You’d hardly be able to recognize Sophia, but what a beautiful young woman she would’ve become. You’d reminisce with them about the times at the quarry, and how little they seemed in such a big, scary world.

As much as you hated to invite him to your perfect little tableau, you turned to look at Daryl, and you saw an inkling of Merle in that smirk he gave you. It had Daryl’s gentleness, but Merle was in him, too. You liked to think that, if he had lived to see this day, he’d have changed. Maybe he’d see the ignorance of his ways, and maybe, by some miracle, he’d be a good uncle to your children. Well, thank goodness it was just in your imagination.

“Hon?” Daryl’s raspy whisper made those faces disappear, but their essence still lingered. His warm hand laid tentatively over yours, until he gently squeezed it to get your attention. “You all right?”

“Yes,” you said with a smile. He felt some relief wash over him. For a second there, he worried you had already gotten tipsy from the wine. You were always a lightweight, but then again, you were terribly amusing when you were drunk. He would know. “I’m fine, sweetheart.”

His lips eased into a small smile. As his cheeks lifted, you admired his face, how beautifully sculpted it had been. Every detail, from the bags under his eyes to the slight slope of his nose, was your favorite—you couldn’t decide on just one. And his skin was so clear, so soft. The wine must’ve been getting to him a little, as you could see a glowing rosiness in his warm cheeks.

Though his black eye had only darkened, you still swooped his hair back, allowing you to see every perfect inch of him.

The fact that you were admiring him through hazy bedroom eyes did not go unnoticed.

“What’re ya thinkin’ about?”

Naughty things, mister Dixon.

“How happy I am,” you replied, opting for an innocent conversation instead.

His hand squeezed yours a little tighter. In this lighting, with the gold-tinted hue of the candles playing off your features, he couldn’t take his eyes off you if his life depended on it, and thank goodness it didn’t.

“Are you happy, Daryl?”

For the last eleven years, he’d been able to say yes. Why would that change today?

“Yeah. I’m the happiest I’ve ever been, since you came along.”

He wished he had the more complex words to describe the way you made him feel, but simple platitudes spoken by many lovers before and many lovers after would have to do.

“I’d like it to stay like this forever,” you said. “Just frozen in time. I don’t ever want to forget this feeling.”

“You don’t have to… We keep it alive, you and me. Long as we live, and after.”

“And the people,” you added. “The people we lost, they’re still alive, right? We keep the fire burning for them.”

“That’s right, angel.”

Despite the euphoria you felt come over you, there was still that inkling of looming devastation floating around the room. It didn’t show itself immediately, but gradually, as the heady afternoon blended into the clarifying evening, your suspicions of impending tragedy proved to be correct.

Rosita shared the news, that horrible news you’d been dreading since she looked at you that way. You didn’t process it at first, it just sort of… sat there. She’d hid it so well all this time. The bite on her back was completely covered by her shirt and her hair, but nothing could hide the fact that the fever was coming, worsening and becoming stronger with each passing moment. Time was running out for her, and it felt so wrong.

In the bedroom where she laid, each and every one of you was given the unspoken opportunity to say goodbye. It was a beautiful room, perfect for Rosita. The walls were a pale blush color, with lovely pink roses in a vase by the door. Roses for Rosita, you thought, smiling through your tears as you sat upon the chair by her bed. 

She reached for your hand, and you took it with a gentle shake. Beside her was Coco, napping upon a bed of pillows. She was older than Wes, of course, but you couldn’t help but see her and wonder if one day the two of them would be friends. You hoped so. 

“Hey,” she said, her eyes struggling to keep open. She looked paler than usual, and you could tell by the redness under her eyes that the illness was taking its effect. It felt so cruel, so unfair. She had so much life left in her, and for it to be cut short so suddenly was nothing short of a tragedy. 

“Hi.” Even a single syllable word was not immune to your tears. Your voice cracked and faltered as you wiped your nose with your free hand. What were you supposed to say? There was so much to say to her. She was your friend. “I—I, um…” You shook your head, trying to compose yourself. “Rosita, nothing’s going to be the same without you.”

She smiled. “You’re going to be fine. You’re brave.”

You laughed at that. It seemed like just yesterday Rosita had called you weak. Now, it was just a humorous memory. “You’re one of the bravest people I’ve ever known.”

It was evident in the way it happened. She’d been bit saving Coco, her child. That, indeed, was the greatest act of bravery. “Will you… watch over Coco for me?”

You were choked up at this point, hardly able to speak without bursting. “I will,” you said with a fervent nod. “Of course. Always.”

“And, if you can,” she faltered a little, her eyes becoming hazy. You could tell she was on her way out, her voice having trouble coming through. “Tell Robin… about how badass we were, you and me.”

Your eyes widened a little. Of course, Rosita was “badass,” but you weren’t so sure that you were. “I sure will,” you snorted. “I’ll tell her all those stories.”

“I wish I could see her grow up…. Her and Coco, and Wes, too… All of them.”

“Hey,” you said, leaning forward to hug her. She was burning hot, so hot she was cold. “I’ll be your eyes and ears, okay? Everything I see, you’re gonna see it, too.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

It was so hard to say goodbye. 

That night, you closed your eyes to sleep, held tight by the same pair of strong arms that were made for you. They kept you safe, sheltered, but your mind still wandered.

You found yourself at that dinner table again, surrounded by all those you loved, and those you lost. Rosita was shining bright now. She held her baby in her arms. She looked like the Virgin Mary.

Her soothing face didn’t haunt you, it lulled you to a peaceful sleep. The death she’d been given was beautiful. You could only hope that someday, you’d die with your greatest loves beside you, and you’d see them again in some crazy woman’s vision.

~

Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs of any kind are always appreciated!

Series Masterlist Next Chapter ➳

[strawberrybyers]

twd series finale spoilers

ok for the first 45 minutes i was getting worried because all the action was happening and i was questioning how will they wrap everything up?? it felt a bit fast paced for those 45 minutes, but i think i only felt that way because i knew this was the end.

once all the action was over and the scenes became more sentimental, that’s when i felt relief that okay i think this is actually going to be a good finale

rosita’s death had me bawling my eyes out 😭😭 i saw a spoiler, so i knew she was going to die, but regardless it made me sob and the way they filmed her last moments was just heart-wrenching

the scene of luke’s death where kelly, connie, magna, and yumiko were all together crying also made me cry a lot. the acting was amazing in that scene

idk i personally think they should’ve killed pamela, but i guess they wanted to put her in jail to show they’re making a pivot in the way they do things and aren’t going to just constantly kill everyone

i love that ezekiel became governor and that mercer became lieutenant governor!!

yumiko and magna getting back together is something that is very important to me!! love a win for the gays <3

daryl and carol telling each other that they love one another was so <3 <3 i love their friendship and watching the journey of their characters over the past 11 seasons has been such a delight. i’m not someone who was rooting for them to start dating (not that i would’ve cared if they did date!) but i just always saw them as really good friends and family than romantic partners, so for me i loved their ending. i do just wish daryl didn’t run off alone because i wish he would finally just settle in one place and be with his family instead of always on the go, but i understand for the spin-off they needed him to leave

the tribute of all the characters who have passed made my heart heavy. so many characters i loved passed away in this show, but that’s the reality of life. the ones we love will die and we will have to try to find a way to move on without them

daryl saying “we ain’t the walking dead” was kind of corny to me lol. sometimes the title of a show or movie being included in the dialogue works, but sometimes it doesn’t and this was one of those moments where i don’t think it was necessary for the title to be said in the show lol

RICK AND MICHONNE!!!!!! my favs are finally coming back to me! seeing them made me smile soooo much. i’m so fucking excited for this spin-off and to see where rick has been all these years

the conversations between negan and maggie in s11 have been really intriguing to me. this final convo between them was touching because all i have ever wanted is for maggie to be okay and knowing that she is in a place where yes, she’ll never forgive negan, but she can begin her journey to coexist with the grief and heal makes me happy for her. i am also very excited to see what their spin-off is going to entail as their dynamic is very interesting and they set up their relationship very nicely to make you want to tune in into their spin-off

overall, it was a good finale. i won’t say it’s exceptional or anything, but i enjoyed it and it did what it needed to do. it had its last battle, people died, people mended relationships, people were saved, the show ended with showing the progress that’s been made in their communities and that life goes on. it felt like a real-life ending about civilization experiencing a zombie apocalypse. it was years and years of experiencing grief, death, loneliness, greed, war, corruption, starvation, fear, hard-work, survival, and love in such a damaged, chaotic world which all eventually led to finding a way to actually being able to create a world filled with civility, stability, and democracy.

[helie-brain]

TWD Finale SPOILERS!!!

Overall a very nice ending to a great series. 

Pros: 

The small connections to the first season. 

The emotional scenes; Especially the one between Rosita/Eugen (not many words but the feeling is there) and Maggie/Negan (I like how instead of laughing or taunting him, she talks of Glenn and of why she can never forgive him but doesn’t hate him (beautiful acting)). Even Luke’s death was sad thanks to the acting of Magna, Yumiko, Connie and Kelly. 

The Gabriel’s character arch; from being full of fear and closing doors to his people to willingly being killed to open the gate to citizens and zombies. 

The overall feeling felt like a finale. I mean overall it was sad; deaths, saying goodbye. But it was also happy because we get to see our favorite characters finally live a little. 

The time jump: the new memorial with those lost in the battle, Eugen naming his daughter Rosita, Ezekiel being mayor of Commonwealth, Carol taking Hornesby’s job and the overall feeling is lighter. 

The special effects were great; the size of the explosion and the after effect were just amazing. Even the smaller explosions were well done. 

Cons:

At times it was too corny. Like the scene in which Daryl gives a speech about how making things the way they were before was bad, it just felt flat and repetitive. 

The pacing was a bit fast. To me the episode felt really short for a finale, it was like fighting, crying, explosions time jump the end. 

The fact that only mid-way through the last season we are introduced to the variant walkers. If they were introduced earlier it could’ve shown how much of a threat they actually were.  

The whole shipping thing; I am a DarylxConnie shipper, but I can respect if Daryl ends up with Carol (I mean they have known each other longer) as long as he is happy. But the ending for all three characters felt weird. I mean through out most of the scenes between Carol/Daryl and Connie/Daryl it gave off a flirty even romantic feel to it. Like remember how protective Daryl was with Carol when he found out she was still alive in the Kingdom or how giggly he gets when he talks to Connie (he even learned ASL for her come on). Either have him end up with one or don’t have these kind of scenes. 

There are still quite a few open questions; what happened to Heath, What is happening in Oceanside and was it ever resolved, why are they so calm when there are walkers that can climb and hold weapons walking around, what happened in Connie’s past to make her save that baby in the cornfield, how come Connie and Magna not more effected by what they went through in the cave and after, Are there still Whisperers, is Hilltop rebuilt, what happened to Virgil, did the rest of the crew have to go through the processing to enter Commonwealth,

But overall I love The Walking Dead. It’s not just a show about zombies, its about how different people survive, family, community, lose, finding the joy in life no matter the hardship, everyone makes mistakes but what matters is how you resolve them. True not all the seasons were great but they were memorable, along with the characters.  I am going to miss it very much, I don’t think there will be a show like the walking dead. Don’t get me wrong there will be other great shows (like The house of Dragons). But nothing like the feeling of the Walking Dead. 

 Thankfully I have great fanfiction to read to maintain this feeling!

[lancehornsbyswhiskey]

Some thoughts after watching Walking Dead 11x20

Putting all of this under a cut because SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Okay, so I figured Lance was probably going to die in 11c and I knew his time was probably running out…but I still thought he might have kind of a better death?? Like yeah I know a lot of this is really coming from me just wanting to keep seeing more of Josh’s acting because he’s just been so damn good this season, but how Lance died just seemed out of character and weird? Carol literally called Lance a smart guy moments before she shot him and he WAS smart, so him going for the gun just seemed strange. I know he realized his talking wasn’t going to save him but like, you’ve got your back to two people who have weapons trained on you, and you decide to go for a machine gun and try to get the safety off and chamber a round before you get shot? IDK…it just seems OOC that a smart guy like Lance would think he had any shot at all (pun intended) in a situation like that. I get maybe the writers were trying to make Carol and Daryl seem like decent people by not just outright executing Lance, but the way he died just seemed like a stupid way to go for a guy who had been very cunning and smart previously. I guess maybe desperation makes people do stupid things?? I did at least think we’d get the CRM drop from him though before he died, which would have made sense for his character to have an alliance with CRM (I assumed, as many others did, that his line “certain alliances will suffer” in the last episode was a CRM reference) and would have easily made it possible for a Rick reveal if the writers wanted to go that direction.

Anyway, that brings me to my next point, which is that I also think it’s curious that Carol shot Lance in the neck and we get that last shot of him bleeding out. I saw someone say online that they thought since Yumiko’s brother is a throat doctor then Lance could potentially be saved, but with him far from the Commonwealth and as isolated as he is, I doubt he could be transported back in time (especially since he was coughing up blood within moments of being shot). That being said, I think it’s VERY interesting that Carol doesn’t shoot Lance in the head, and we specifically don’t see either Daryl or Carol stab Lance so he doesn’t turn. Why am I harping on this point so much? Well, because of this photo:

This photo was posted on Twitter several months ago and then almost immediately deleted afterwards (and is now impossible to find on there now, at least by me), which makes me think that it was a spoiler. When I first saw the photo I personally didn’t think it was Josh, I thought it was just a really good cosplay, but with how quickly it was deleted (and now that we’ve seen Lance’s death), it makes me think that we might be getting Walker!Lance either as an OG walker or potentially as a variant, which could make things interesting for our main characters and could factor into how someone dies later in the season. I personally think it would be absolutely hysterical if Walker!Lance could come back and bite Pamela and that could destroy the Commonwealth. I don’t think it would happen before we lose some main characters because I feel like Pamela is the main villain now and she could be responsible for some deaths at her hands, but Walker!Lance finally getting a taste of Pamela?? Incredible….especially after I feel like Lance always wanted a “taste” of Pamela in life 👀😏

Additionally, I have to say, as devastated as I was to see Lance finally go, I am SO HAPPY to see that there is such a wave of unanimous appreciation for Josh Hamilton and what he brought to the role among those who have seen the new episode. I’ve seen a ton of people wishing Lance would have lived longer just so we could have seen more of Josh acting, which really speaks to what all he brought to the character. I also think it could be really interesting if we could get a potential Tales episode down the line about Lance, it seems like a lot of people are interested in the weird dynamic between him and Pamela and want to see what Lance was like pre-apocalypse.

Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts about 11x20 and wants to talk, my inbox and messenger is open and I’d love to chat! You can also drop a reply to this post and I’ll see it. Thanks for reading if you made it this far 😂

[illusiondixon]

Bye

Summary: Y/n had a daughter before the apocalypse and got together with Daryl. Daryl became a father to Scarlett and they were a family of three. Y/n found out she was pregnant and now they were a family of four. This is the perspective of the youngest Dixon with her older sisters death.

Notation: Jade is 10 years old and Scarlett is 23

You looked around everywhere in the kingdom for your big sister with your Aunt Carol

The gates opened and in came an injured Siddiq, Michonne, Yumiko, and your parents

You ran up to your parents and seeing them both almost looking broken

“What happened?” you asked

Your parents looked at each other then your mom said “Go tell Carol and Ezekiel”

Your dad nodded and your mom grabbed your hand “Come here sweetie”

Your mom led you to a private place and you had a worried expression

“Mom what is it?”

She breathed in and said “Sweetheart I’m sorry but Scarlett passed away”

Your eyebrows furrowed and asked “What?” with a voice crack at the end

She gave you a small sad smile

Tears sprung from your eyes and she said “Come here”

You hugged your mom almost knocking her over crying

She rubbed your back as you cried on her shoulder

You pulled back and asked “How?”

Your mom breathed out and said “I’m gonna tell you the truth okay?”

You nodded and she said “She was killed by the whispers”

You suddenly grew angry and your mom took notice of that

“Me and your dad are gonna get them okay?”

“I am too”

“No-“

“Mom she killed Scarlett”

“I don’t wanna lose you too” she said bluntly

You breathed out and said “okay”

She smiled at you sadly

. . .

“Dad?” you said as you walked up to him still in the kingdom

“Yeah what’s up?”

“Can you take me to where you found Scarlett?”

His face changed and he started “Jade-“

“Please?” You asked “I wanna put something by there”

He signed and said “Okay. Come on”

. . .

You both started walking up the hill holding hands and you asked “Which one?”

“The last one”

You walked up to the last stick and you looked up

You hated imagining what it would’ve looked like

You hated imagining how your parents felt when they found her

You crouched down and dug the dirt with your hands

Daryl watched what she was doing curious what she was going to bury

You pulled out her necklace from your pocket

You remember when you asked her about it

. . .

You had your head laid down on your sisters chest as she held you in front of the fire in the cabin

“Scar?”

“Yeah sweetie?”

“When do you think mom and dad will come back?”

“They’ll be back soon. Their not gonna be gone any longer” she said to your five year old self

You looked up and stared at the shining moon necklace

“That’s pretty” you said pointing to the necklace around her neck

“Thank you” she said

“Where’d you get it?”

She stayed silent for a moment then said “My boyfriend gave it to me”

You gasped and sat up saying “You have a boyfriend? Does mom and dad know? How did you even meet him? We’ve live in the woods by ourselves!”

She laughed and said “Had a boyfriend and yes they knew. I met him at the start of everything”

Your face dropped and said “Oh. Sorry”

“Don’t be” she said kindly “Do you want me to tell you about him?”

You nodded and she went on

“His name was Carl. Like I said, we met at the start of everything. He was my only friend then when we grew up, we had a crush on each other”

“What’s a crush?” you asked

“It’s when you like somebody more than a friend. Like mom and dad. They have a crush on each other”

“Ohh”

She smiled and continued going on “He gave me this necklace as a present. Then one day when he was saving somebody, he got bit by a walker and passed”

“Oh. I’m sorry”

“Don’t be. He was a great guy. One day I’ll see him again”

. . .

“At least your with him now” you thought to yourself as you placed the necklace in the ground and put the dirt back on top of it

[shimmershae]

So.  Thanks to my new anonymous friend, this is going to become a thing.

Shae’s thinky thoughts about the latest episode--Acheron:  Part 2--beneath a cut. 

Because spoilers, however vague they might be.  

Let’s be real here.  This is more a stream of consciousness than anything else so if that’s not your thing, you are most welcome to nope right on out of this post.  Trust me.  I’ll completely understand, lol.  Sometimes?  I wish I could nope right on out of my own brain and the way it operates.  

That said?  Without further ado--

Episode 2′s opening, though.  Maggie trapped with hungry Walkers converging?  It totally gives me Glenn under the dumpster vibes.  I don’t know if that was intentional or just happy coincidence but way to link Maggie to her dearly departed better half, show.  

Is it just me or has Father G had more OOMPH to him these last few seasons?  Again, I have to ask--Rosita’s influence or no?  Regardless, I bet Seth Gilliam is loving the job these days.  

Side note:  am I gonna have to go to bed early every Saturday night from now until the end just so I that I might be able to SEE?  Something?  Anything?  My curtains are flimsy-ass.  I admit it.  But this is more frustrating than TXF.  Angela, WTF?  

No, seriously.  It’s like complete guess work who’s in these subway scenes.  Some of that has to do with them being overly populated by redshirts and the rest of it has to do with me having to squint and turn sideways to make out their facial features. 

Look at Daryl busting through concrete walls!  Should I call him the Kool-Aid Man considering NR has once again allowed himself to be led right into a biased, shipper trap?  Hmm.  I might.  

Imagine seeking refuge in those dark, filthy subways.  Any second now I expect to hear the skittering of rats.  Will Dog lose his effing mind a la Divergence?  He’s been shown to go off half-cocked that way, lol.  Oh well.  Guess it’ll be in character if he does.  

Impressive graffiti storyboards.  Does it mean something that it immediately cuts to the Commonwealth storm troopers afterward?  Maybe.  Who really knows at this point?  They been trying to gaslight us forever.  

LOL at Princess yet again.  Yumiko is just like da fuq is this person?  

No, really.  LMAO.  “That was her.  From last night.  Did you see how she was looking at us?”  

Then you have Eugene, hahaha.  “Oh God.  Why did he tell off the big guy?”  Like the man is totally me in this type of situation.  Not even gonna lie.  

“That’s right.  We want to talk to the manager.”  

I literally cannot wait ‘til Carol and Daryl meet Princess.  Can.  Not.  Wait.  

How sad is that note on that $100 bill?  Small moment but it totally gives me Season 4 vibes when they were on their way to Terminus seeking sanctuary.  

Hmm.  Remember how that place wasn’t what they thought it was?  I’m sure neither is the Commonwealth.  But I feel like what’s left of Team Family is totally going to do Rick proud, lol, and prove they’re messing with the wrong people if they try something.  

Daryl, Man.  You gonna have to get a better handle on your headstrong Fur Son.  I wonder if Dog would listen better to his mama?  Things to ponder.  

Sounds like Miko has this group’s number.  Or does she?  

Princess and Eugene totally look like they’re waiting their turn for the Principal’s office, LOL.  

“Stop moving!  You’re taking my nerves over the edge to a proverbial 11 on a scale of 10.”  I feel you, Eugene.  I do.  Also you, Princess.  Two of the most relatable TWD characters right there, I’m telling you.  

Princess is me when I really, really, really have to pee.  TMI?  Sorry, lovelies.  LOL.  I just...she’s so relatable.  

LMAO.  “If that fine ass dude in the orange suit...”  Princess and Mercer incoming in 3-2-----

Princess’s excitement over the toilet paper=PRICELESS.  

Eugene, Man.  You desperately need to develop a poker face.  

There’s Daryl getting another cool camera shot.  Angela?  You playing favorites again?  

Carol’s claustrophobia could have never.  I bet that’s in the back of Pookie’s mind.  You can’t tell me it’s not because Carol lives in there rent-free.  

Ohhh.  Back to the subway car.  Looks like we got the Maggie redshirts leading the way.  First sacrificial “lambs”?  

Maggie pistol-whipping Negan was kinda deserved, but he wasn’t all wrong so.  

Damn.  I’m no Gage fan.  He can fuck all the way off for what he did to my baby Lydia.  But Maggie over there with ice in her veins.  

Yep.  I think the dude just got one of the most gruesome deaths in a while.  Yuck.  

I think Alden’s faith in Maggie definitely took several hits.  I feel like he kind of had her on some sort of pedestal dating back to Hilltop times.  Father G, though?  The man is continuing to show himself a SAVAGE MFer.  

Josh gives Eugene such believable tics and mannerisms.  He IS Eugene.  

Thank you, Maggie, for lighting that flare.  I could not see a damn thing.  

What are these bad memories Negan alludes to?  Hmm?  Him being a shit husband to Lucille back when he was still taking her for granted?  

Father G on Gage’s Walker--”All that is, is a shell of a man, who died a coward.”  Kind of ironic considering Father G’s own origins, huh?  Has he any warmth in there for anybody but Rosita and Coco?  Does he equate it with weakness?  

“There are worse ways.”  And Maggie proceeds to paint us a horror story with mere words.  

Dark Maggie really surpasses anything certain fans have ever accused Carol of being.  Is she too far gone?  Who the hell knows?  I think it’s clear that she and Carol are both on a sliding scale of sorts when it comes to being able to compartmentalize shit to survive.  Personally?  I feel like Maggie might have leap-frogged Carol in this episode but it matters none because of the double standards so deeply entrenched in this fandom.  Both women have endured and had to do some horrific things.  It’s not a contest.  But it’s probably going to be turned into a season-long one.  

It’s almost like Kang was like, “Ya’ll bitches think Carol’s dark?  I’ll show you DARK.  Check and mate.”  

Whatever the reasoning, Maggie just got exponentially more interesting to me if not likable.  And before anybody out there comes at me, it’s entirely possible to be on a character’s side in some things and not be all up their ass in love with them, lol.  Like I’m attached to her because she’s family and Glenn loved her.  There’s a loyalty there and she absolutely is justified in her hatred of Negan.  But I’m not going to pretend her shit don’t stink like everybody else’s.  

Speaking of my baby Glenn.  What would he think of this version of Maggie?  I think he would be gutted and heart stricken that events led to her being like this but he’d understand because he’s pure like that.  Don’t mean he’d be A-OK with it all.  

Dog must be protected at all costs.  

Confession.  I know not the fuck who Pony Boy is, but I know him because all my fandom friends have pointed him out to me, lol.  RIP, Man.  I think you’re number’s up or close to it.  

Okay, though.  I admit it.  I am kinda LOVING Badass Father G.  

That scene in the subway car with all of them working to take all the Walkers out was already badass.  Then Daryl arrived and made it, in @freefromthecocoon’s words, HAWT.  LOL.  

Eugene staring at that little black book like it contains torture tools, hehehe.  

“Processed?  As in administratively?  Processed as in bologna or other meat stuffs?  This inquiring (enquiring?) mind needs to know.”  OMG, Eugene.  I admit it.  Even if it makes me look like a lunatic, LOL.  I straight up LMAO at that one.  I mean, ten years later and Terminus still fresh on the man’s mind.  

“You like feeling nervous?”  Well, no.  None of us that do, Mercer?  Do.  

Then he proceeds to make me howl with his “You can’t lie for shit” to Eugene.  

Josh McDermitt?  I love you, Man.  40 year old virgin, LOL.  

All this talk over the seasons of Daryl’s virginity and we have Eugene, hahaha.  But was he telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?  

Finally.  Some daylight.  Where I can see.  

Eugene’s relief at seeing his friends safe and sound was such a beautiful thing to see.  I loved those hugs.  

Mercer’s face when he snarled “beat cop” in disdain to Ezekiel.  I think I’m gonna love this dude.  

“I went to West Point.  Asshole.”  Yeah.  I am.  

I know they probably catfishing Eugene right here because spoilers tell us that ain’t Stephanie.  But my heart still did a little d’aww.  Angela.  Don’t play with his poor heart like that.  

What’s got Daryl so pensive, huh?  Is it that the note reminds him of kids being lost or taken from their family? Or separated from their family?  Is he thinking of those Grimes babies and wondering if Michonne will ever make it back and why and how she was able to leave them behind?  Tell me it ain’t that Find Me nonsense.  

“This place sure has gone to shit since the last time I was here.”  LMAO, JDM.  I mean Negan.  Sorry.  Sorry.  I still hate Negan, but JDM has me entertained at least since they gave the asshole some shades of gray.  And speaking of shades of gray.  I’m loving the gray beard.  JDM’s looking GOOD (hear that NR?  Embrace the gray).  Negan can still kick rocks, lol.  

Anyway.  That scene was CREEPY AF.  Not even gonna lie.  

The Reapers strutting right on up to our group like it’s The Purge:  ZA.  

My bad, Pony Boy. Now RIP.  

Dark, dark episode with loads of tension broken up by some welcome humor by Princess.  The girl is fast becoming a fave of mine.  

My baby’s back next week!!!

I’m just going to plug my ears and pretend they’re trying to capture/recapture the horses because they’re pets.  Not because they’re starving so bad they feel the need to eat them.  La la la la la.  I can’t hear you.  

[twdmusicboxmystery]

TWD 11x05: Out of the Ashes - Details

Okay, let's talk details of 11x05.

 ***As always, spoilers abound below for 11x05. Don’t read until you’ve watched!***

We start with Aaron's dream. First of all, there's the full moon. Remember that Still had a full moon at the beginning, and every time we saw Beta on the outside, such as singing or walking with walkers, it often showed a full moon. In Beta's case, it's probably because his nickname as a singer was Half Moon, but he also had a lot of Beth symbolism around him. I think it’s likely that the reason they gave the name Half Moon was to indicate Beth symbolism.

 Then, Aaron says to Gracie, "we’re almost home." Part of the home theme, and also kind of showed me that this was a dream. There's absolutely no reason why Aaron would randomly be outside the walls with Gracie at night. I don't have a whole lot more to add to the scene than what I said yesterday. I do believe it's a foreshadow of something happening with Gracie, but it also may be a foreshadow of other things that are coming, including stuff with Beth.

This is kind of a funny detail, but I have to say that I love the Jerry bit at the beginning. We see him tiptoeing over people, trying not to wake them on his way to the bathroom. So, we have an entire sequence that can be summed up as, "Jerry pees.” ;D

The next thing we saw was the Commonwealth video. The really cheesy one with Lance Hornsby that we saw in the trailer. Some of the symbols we saw in that video were interesting. Such as a bunny cake (rabbit theme), someone playing a guitar (Beth played a guitar in 5x09), 

ice cream (both Eugene and Stephanie talked about ice cream and it became sort of a Bethyl theme, especially because there were so much Bethyl symbolism around them during those conversations; also, Daryl had his “I never” about frozen yogurt in Still). We see a plaque that says, "The Great War,” (probably a reference to World War I, but also part of the Revolution/War theme).

There was also a blond, Beth-lookalike nurse in blue scrubs.  👀

I also noticed that the Commonwealth badge looks a lot like the UK flag. Not so much in its shape or design, but rather the colors. It's got the same red and blue shades as the United Kingdom flag. Remember that we saw the UK flag around Juliet Ormonde's character in the world beyond. So, we think it's a symbol of the war to come with the CRM.

When Yumiko goes into the bakery looking for her brother, there's a song playing called “Three Speed Girl.” It was just the three that caught my attention. (Look up lyrics). They all a lot of apples in the bakery. Not real apples but glass, decorative ones. Not only Apple theory, but specifically what apples represent.

I've theorized before that the apples could represent separation between loved ones. For example, in 6x14, we see Michonne and Rick wake up together in the room and they both eat an apple. I came to believe that was a foreshadow of Rick leaving in S9 and two of them being separated. @frangipanilove, however, explained it differently. She says that rather than them being separated, she thinks apples represent them coming back together. As then, a reunion after the separation.

I know that sounds like the opposite of what I explained, but really all amounts to the same thing. The kind of separation that I mentioned is what we see with Rick and Michonne being separated, Beth and Daryl being separated, perhaps even Carol and Zeke being separated (if he does, in fact, get a death fake out). And that's always going to result in a reunion down the road. So if we explain as a separation, it will always lead to a reunion. And if we explain as a reunion, it in order for reunion to take place, there must've been a separation first. See what I mean? You can explain it either way.

So, the apples make total sense in the scene. Yumiko has been separated from her brother for a long time. She said it's been years because the two of them were somewhat estranged, even before the apocalypse happened. And now, in this episode, we see a reunion. So, I think were spot on about the Apple symbolism.

As for Beth, we didn't actually see her eat an apple. I think that would've been too on-the-nose. But, given the Snow White symbolism, or template of her arm falling, remember that Snow White ate an apple, which was poisonous, just before we fell she fell and we saw her arm. So, if TWD is using the apple to represent separation, we didn't actually see Beth eat one, but her arm falling like that represents the Snow White template, and right after that, we see her separation from Daryl and the rest of TF. I think it lines up rather well.

When Eugene and Stephonie are walking around, we see a white horse drawing a mail truck. It's a combination of several very potent symbols. We talked about white horses before and how they represent Beth, and life. Then there's the mail or Communication theme. We've seen so many mailboxes on the show, and this was a horse drawing a mail truck. I’ll talk more about the mailbox theme in a few days. Just keep this in mind for now. They're very purposeful symbols and they do represent specific things in the show.

I also noticed that Stephonie is wearing red rimmed glasses. Remember how last week I talked about how Norman was wearing some funky glasses on TTD? Sorry to keep teasing but this is another thing I’ll post about later in the week. I was going to anyway, so seeing the glasses here jumped out at me. For now, just notice that Stephonie is wearing these and they’re red.

When Stephonie decides to help them talk on the radio, they go into the train station. Of course, there are no actual trains running, but the train is a very potent symbol. It's actually being used more as a civic building, and the group tries to be innocuous, though it's obvious they're up to something. Stephonie and Eugene walked calmly through the building while Princess and Zeke take up positions down in the common lobby area. Meanwhile, Mercer is watching them.

Princess tries to head him off and we have a humorous moment where she tries to flirt with him, and tells him he has beautiful eyelashes. It is not exactly the same thing as the eye theme, but I could almost see them going for the eye theme, but twisting it for the sake of humor, because, well, it's Princess. So, she goes with beautiful eyelashes.

 Eugene does manage to get on the radio with Rosita, who tells him the Whisper War is over. They only talk for a moment or two before they lose the feed. Once again, I think that was very purposeful on Commonwealth's part. I think they allowed him to connect with Rosita, but only for a short time before interrupting the feed and bursting into arrest him.

Meanwhile, back in Alexandria, I noticed that Judith asks, "Is he gone?" I sat and thought about this line for a little bit. Obviously, it's the “gone” theme. Usually, the way TWD always uses someone being "gone" to mean that they have disappeared for short time but will return. Very often they are presumed dead. That's why Daryl's, "she's just gone" about Beth is so important. Also, her line to him, "you're going to miss me so bad when I'm gone."

 In this case, I don't think either Judith or Rosita suspect that Eugene is actually dead. She just means did they lose him on the radio feed. And here's something that occurred to me what was thinking about this. It's actually very common when someone loses communication with someone else via radio or walkie-talkie to use the phrase, "get them back." So, something like, "see if you can get them back," or, "I'll get them back." In that context, it just means to raise them on the radio again and reestablish a connection so they can communicate.

The reason this is interesting is that Daryl has said this more than once about Beth or people who were kidnapped. In 5x06 when he was with Carol, he was talking about Beth and said they would observe Grady and then do whatever they needed to do to get her back. I know they also said something similar about Sasha when she was taken by the saviors, and Sasha had massive parallels to Beth during her death arc. So, that had never occurred to me before, but it's almost like they specifically took that line about “getting them back” from radio lingo and are applying it to Beth.

When talking about whether to go to Hilltop, Aaron mentioned that he didn't want to abandon ship. So, a water/ship reference, but it's also close to something Abraham said in 5x05 about going down with the ship.

When they get out Hilltop, I noticed that we have a shot of the water tower, which is now burnt. When they start questioning Keith, he says that Alpha is dead, and someone says that all that does is prove that “he has eyes.” Earlier in Alexandria, Aaron said, “Eyes open.” I know these are really small potatoes references, but there were a LOT of eye mentions in this episode.

A couple of things where Negan and Maggie are concerned. When they get to this house, the cars out front are really interesting. There's a red car out front, which reminded me a lot of the red car that was seen during the filming of the missing 17 days in season five. There are also just a lot of cars with doors or hatchbacks open, which represent the door being opened in 5x09, when Beth disappeared. The hatchback being open can represent the trunk being open. So, just kind of some interesting symbols.

I also thought it was cool that Judith is teaching other kids how to fight.

I think that’s it for Details. Anything I missed?

[walkerwords]

“The Savior Sessions” Part 18 of 33 - Negan x GN!Reader

IMAGE CREDIT: AMC

SERIES MASTERLIST

Summary: The fair is in full swing, but an unseen enemy still has her sights set on the ones that took her daughter from her. How will this play out when people go missing? And what happens when the reader is faced with a new kind of horror while Negan waits for them to come home to him?

Word Count: 7939

Warning: Swearing, Death of Major Characters, Angst, Graphic Description of Gore

Song I Wrote To: “You Are The Reason (Duet Version)” by Calum Scott and Leona Lewis

Note: I’m Sorry. This is where we get some canon divergence. I will be changing a few things. For one, I don’t think Aaron went to the fair in the show, but he’s there in this story with Gracie. As we move into season 10, I have changed quite a bit. Thanks for sticking with me so far! ALL OFFICIAL DIALOG IS PROPERTY OF AMC

—————

It had been a long time since you had seen the walls and roads of The Kingdom.

King Ezekiel had just given his big speech as he welcomed everyone to the first community fair. Aaron had run off with Gracie as soon as you had arrived. The two of you had left Alexandria before Michonne and Judith were about to head out. Michonne assured you that she would be fine even though you offered to go with her as a security escort.

It was so strange to see so many of your old friends in one place. Tara was there with her people from Hilltop, Alexandrians milled about, and you even spotted Rachel smiling with her women from Oceanside.

If you weren’t feeling the dread from what was waiting for you beyond the safety of the walls, you would have been smiling along with her. However, you couldn’t. The entire ride to The Kingdom, you had been on edge and you thought your reins were going to shred beneath your fingers.

Aaron had told you to relax. He figured Alpha wouldn’t be stupid enough to do anything on the main road. While you wanted to believe that, the sheer fact that you didn’t run into any of the Whisperers made you even more nervous.

Still, you tried for Aaron, for Ezekiel and Carol, and especially for yourself. Aaron had been right, you needed a break. Negan’s tired eyes and concerned smile were still fresh in your mind as you walked among the stalls. He said that you would have a lot to talk about when you got back and he was right. Perhaps then, you would be able to finally get words out that weren’t drenched in frustration.

Till then, you needed to learn to breathe again.

Enid walked next to you, smiling as she too, took in the joys of the celebration around you. You noticed her in the crowd with Alden as soon as you arrived and she had just gravitated towards you, chatting away about the stall she was going to be doing.

“Did you hear what I said?” Enid asked you and you turned to her.

“Sorry, what?” you asked. She gave you a sheepish smile.

“I was just asking if you thought about setting something up?”

“A stall for the fair?”

“Is that such an odd idea?” she asked.

“I just don’t know what I would do,” you said with a shrug.

“You’re a great shot,” Enid reminded you.

“With a gun,” you said. “Not many of those around these days.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” she said with a shrug of her own. As the two of you headed for the main gate, Enid peeled off to go find Alden and you pushed on to meet Carol.

You had briefly said hello when you had arrived, but she was doing her “Queenly” duties and you hadn’t had much of a chance to speak to her. Now, she looked to be gearing up. Ezekiel was next to her along with Kelly, Magna, Luke, and Yumiko.

“What’s going on?” you asked as you approached.

“Henry isn’t back yet,” Carol explained.

“He’s not? But they left last night. They should have beat us here,” you said with a furrowed brow.

“That’s what I thought,” Carol said and you could see a worried look in her eyes. A look you were all too familiar with. A weight settled on your chest as your hand rested on the pommel of Paul’s sword. “I have to go look for them.”

“I’ll go with you,” you promised. While Carol was worried about her child, you were suddenly very concerned for the other teen in the group.

Where was Lydia?

“You don’t have to,” Yumiko said as she pointed over your shoulder. You all turned to see the large doors open. Running ahead of a horse-pulled carriage was a familiar dog with its tail up in the air.

Michonne and Judith sat in the front of the carriage as Daryl walked alongside it. In the back were Connie, Henry, and Lydia. Dog began making circles around everyone as Henry hobbled out of the makeshift carriage and towards his parents.

Carol didn’t hesitate to pull him into her arms. Connie was doing the same thing with her sister and the rest of her family. As Ezekiel grabbed onto his wife and son, you went for Daryl.

“Ya showed,” he observed as you hugged him.

“Aaron suggested I needed a break,” you said and then stepped back so Carol could launch herself at her best friend. Henry was still hugging his dad and that’s when you noticed Lydia watching the interaction with an awkward stance.

You moved immediately to her side and slipped your arm around her shoulders. “Hey, kid,” you greeted and she gave you a closed-mouth smile.

“Hi,” Lydia said.

“Ya alright?” you asked, checking her over in case she was hurt. Lydia just nodded and fiddled with the wooden pendant around her neck.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Lydia whispered and you squeezed her shoulder, pulling her tighter against you.

“I figured it would be boring without my winning personality,” you teased and she laughed a bit at that. She then became very stiff next to you. “What’s wrong?” you asked, but she was staring at something ahead. Looking up, you saw Tara staring at Lydia with venom in her eyes.

“What is she doing here?” Tara said and you placed Lydia behind you protectively. Henry then moved to her side and took hold of her hand. Tara watched the movement with anger.

Michonne, who had been speaking with Ezekiel and Carol as they got acquainted with Judith turned to the King and Queen.

“Gather the leaders,” Michonne said and then nodded at you as an invitation, “We need to talk.”

—————

“I know I haven't always seen eye-to-eye with everyone in this room,” Michonne began, “but I never stopped caring about any of you. I was just trying to protect my family and do right by my people. Alexandria's future is here. Together, with you. And we lost sight of that for a while. But... I'm here now. We're here now.” 

Michonne then turned to you and gestured for you to speak. “Michonne, Gabriel, and I have all spoke with the other council members at the fair, and we all agree. Alexandria is willing to grant asylum to Lydia. She's one of us now. We hope the rest of you can join us in doing the same.”

“Since when do you speak for Alexandria?” Tara asked. 

“Since I asked them to,” Michonne defended. “(Y/N) has taken up a role that I had never expected. They are more than capable of not only speaking for us but defending us as well.” Tara was quiet after that and you couldn’t help but feel pride swell in your chest at her words. You had been so worried about how Michonne would see you after everything that had been going on with Negan, but she was still the woman you had met all those years. 

“Thank you,” Lydia spoke up from her spot between Judith and Henry in the theater seats. “I'll do whatever I can to earn my keep and pay you back.” You sent her a wink and she gave you her signature closed-lip smile. 

“If her mother retaliates, it's gonna be against Hilltop, not Alexandria. I have to do right by my people. I thought we were on the same page,” Tara said.

“We were,” you said. 

“Look, when she came to my gates,” Michonne said, “I asked her to run away. And when she didn't, I was angry.”

“Then you know why I'm not okay with this,” Tara said.

“I do. I also know why Rick didn't trust me when I showed up at the gates of the prison. And how people didn't trust you after seeing you on the other side of the Governor's firing line,” Michonne said. 

“Or how Daryl nearly took my head off when he met me,” you added and Daryl raised a brow at you, remembering the moment. 

“I was gonna kill you on sight when you washed up on our shore,” Rachel added. 

“Okay, okay,” Tara said. “That’s fair.” 

“Lydia didn’t choose where she came from,” you said. “None of us did, but she deserves the chance to be apart of something. She deserves a family who will care about her.” 

“Second chances don’t come around often,” Rachel added, supporting you. You thought that statement was ironic considering who was constantly living in your mind. 

“I left some of my best fighters at Hilltop, but if Daryl's right about these skin job numbers, it's not enough people,” Tara said. 

“We should take a group to Hilltop to protect ‘em just in case,” Daryl said. 

“I’ll take some from Kingdom,” added Carol. 

“Oceanside can spare some,” Rachel said. 

“Alexandria, too,” finished Gabriel. 

“Nobody is going to fight this war alone,” you said. “The only reason we won the last one is that we were together. If Alpha does come after us, we can’t afford to be on different sides anymore.” 

“So, we head out in the morning?” asked Rachel. 

“Nah, we go today,” Daryl said. “Best not to give them any more time.” Michonne then spoke up again. 

“In order to face this threat, the four communities have to present a united front. Which is why I'm proposing a mutual protection pact. An attack against one community is an attack against all of us. Together, we can make these people think twice before moving against the Hilltop,” Michonne said and you and Gabriel nodded, backing her up. 

“The leadership of the Kingdom is very amenable to this idea,” Ezekiel said after looking to his Queen. 

“Oceanside is in,” Rachel agreed. 

“So, how do we seal it?” Tara asked. “Cause I’m not doin’ a blood oath with (Y/N).” You just smiled sweetly at her. 

“I have just the thing…” Ezekiel said as he got up and walked into the wings of the stage. From a crate, he pulled out an old theater poster frame, and from it, he pulled the community charter. 

“You’ve had that thing this whole time?” you asked, impressed. 

“I’m a man of many surprises,” he said and you raised your hands in surrender. 

“Fair enough.” 

Ezekiel lay the charter on the table and one by one, the leaders of the communities signed. Rachel signed for Oceanside, Tara for Hilltop, Ezekiel and Carol for The Kingdom, and Gabriel for Alexandria. You looked at all the people in that room as you stood next to Daryl and you felt as something big had just happened. 

Everything was finally coming together and your family was finally whole again.

--------

You and Judith began walking laps around the fair. 

The young girl picked at a candy apple that she held in her hands. “Can I ask you something?” Judith asked, peering up at you from under her hat. 

“Go for it,” you said. 

“Did you talk to him before you left?” she asked. 

“Subtle,” you said, flicking her hat. 

“I’m just making sure you’re okay,” Judith said. “I don’t like it when you two fight.” 

“When did you become such a matchmaker?” you asked. 

“I’m not!” she said. “I can just see that he likes you a lot...maybe more than a lot.” You paused in your tracks. 

“What do you know?” you asked, your eyes narrowed. 

“Nothin’,” Judith said, but you weren’t buying it. 

“Remember Jude, I watched you grow up. I can see through you,” you said.

“Nope, I’m a wall!” she announced as she bit into her apple again. 

“Right,” you snorted.

“But are you okay?” she asked, this time her voice was a bit more serious. Well, as serious as a ten or eleven-year-old could be. 

“Yeah, kid, I’m okay. I actually think I figured it all out,” you said. Which was true, you had figured it out, but now you were just trying to get the courage to do something about it. All in all, no matter how angry you were with him or how upset, what you felt for Negan was bigger than all of it. 

“Good,” she said with a smile. As the two of you walked, you began to feel a chill in the air. You noticed Lydia and Henry up ahead walking hand in hand and as your breath became visible before you, you shivered. “I think a storm is coming,” Judith said. 

“Yeah?” 

“I can feel it,” she said. 

“Where’d you learn that trick?” 

“From Mom who learned it from Uncle Daryl,” Judith said. You couldn’t help but smile at her then.

“Smart,” you said and she laughed before grabbing your hand and dragging you further into the fray, her candy apple swinging alongside her.

---------

Back in Alexandria, Negan lay on the floor of his cell as he tossed a ball in his hands. 

When the door to the cell opened, he had no idea who it could be and because he knew it wasn’t you, he didn’t care. However, when he heard the person clear their throat, he did sit up. 

“What do I owe this pleasure?” he asked. Laura stepped further into the light and in her hands was a new winter coat. 

“there’s a storm on the way,” she said. “I was asked to give you this.” Negan stood as she passed it through the bars. 

“Thanks, Laura,” he said and she nodded. Negan hadn’t spoken to his former lieutenant since the fall of the Sanctuary, at least no more than a few words here and there. 

“I’m sorry,” Laura suddenly said. Negan was confused as he braced a hand on the bars. 

“What are you apologizing for? Isn’t that my job?” he asked. 

“I’m sorry that your life ended up like...this,” she said, but Negan was already shaking his head. 

“Don’t apologize for the shit that I did,” he said. “You know better than anyone that what I was doin’ was eventually gonna get me dead or locked up. I guess I can just be glad that Rick didn’t cut any further than he did.” Laura nodded, hearing him. 

“Still, you were always fair to me and kind. I also wanted to thank you. While being a Savior wasn’t the most moral of things, if you hadn’t found me all those years ago and brought me to the Sanctuary, I’d be dead.”

“Silver lining, then?” he offered.

“A small one,” Laura said. Negan smiled softly at that. 

“I’m proud of you, Kid. You managed to make a new life, one that I should have tried to give you years ago. Don’t screw it up.” 

“I won’t if you won’t,” she said and then offered her fist to him. He bumped it with his own. 

“I’ll take that deal,” Negan said. Laura smiled and then went to leave, but right before she left, she turned one last time. 

“Oh and if you hurt (Y/N), I’ll castrate you with a rusty spoon,” she said with a grin before leaving. Negan stared after her and he was suddenly very aware of everything on his body. 

“Fucking hell.”

-------

Eventually, it was time to head to Hilltop. 

When you told Aaron you were going to help, he wasn’t surprised. “I knew you couldn’t sit still for long,” he had said. “Just be careful.”

You promised that you would and headed to the main gate to prepare to leave. Daryl was getting his bike off the trailer when you found him. You were tightening your sword’s scabbard when he looked up. 

“Ready to go?” you asked. 

“Yeah,” he said. “Lydia is gonna stay here and then Aaron and Gabriel will bring her to Alexandria.”

“Sounds good,” you said. 

“Mmhmm,” he said. “Are you in any rush to get back there?” 

“You and Judith spend too much time together,” you said with a knowing look. 

“So, you and Negan…”

“We really don’t need to talk about it, D,” you said. 

“Are ya sure?”

“I’m so over talking about it,” you admitted. “I just gotta do something.”

“When ya do, I don’t need the details,” he snarked. 

“Asshole,” you muttered and he just smirked. “Where ya gonna go after we get to Hilltop? I heard Ezekiel offering you to make Kingdom your home.” 

“Not sure if this place is gonna last much longer,” he said with a sigh. 

“You know that Alexandria is always going to be your home, right? No matter how long it’s been.” 

“I know,” he said. 

“We can’t keep running, Daryl. Come home,” you said. He was quiet for a moment before he dropped his head. 

“Alright,” he agreed, “but after we handle Hilltop.” 

“Okay.” 

Soon everyone was saying goodbye and assuring that they would all be safe. Tara was sending her people out first before following after. Ezekiel was trying to get her to stay for the rest of the fair, but she said that she needed to get home. So, Dianne was going to lead her soldiers home. 

As you were securing Daryl’s bow to his bike, you noticed him with Dog as he spoke to Connie. It was subtle, but there was something about his body language that told you a lot. Perhaps Connie was more than just a friend. You watched on as he awkwardly waved to her and when he turned back to you, his eyes narrowed. 

“Shut up,” he said as he went up to you. 

“I didn’t say anything,” you said. 

“Nah, but you were thinking it. I can see it on your face,” he said. 

“She’s pretty,” you said. 

“And yer annoyin’,” he countered. 

“Hey, who am I to judge?” you said with your hands raised. 

“Yeah, exactly.” With a roll of your eyes, you climbed onto the back of Daryl’s bike as he took the spot in front. Michonne waved to Judith as you and the others pulled out of Kingdom. You hadn’t seen Lydia before you left, but Ezekiel said that he would keep an eye on her for you. 

It was odd that you had essentially become her advocate with Daryl as her main protector. You never imagined you would essentially become a parent to a messed up teen, but here you were. 

Yumiko and Magna rode behind you, their weapons at the ready and you kept your head on a swivel as you all move through the woods. Walkers were around, but only a few at a time and were easily taken out by the archers. Still, any time one would make itself known, you could feel Daryl tense in front of you. It was going to be a long night.

You were well into the ride when you came across three men who flagged you down. 

Carol seemed to know them as she walked up to meet them. “What’s wrong, Ozzy?” she asked. 

“Ya gotta see this, Boss,” the man, Ozzy, said. He seemed very concerned as he gestured you all forward. Daryl shouldered his bow as he followed and you and Michonne were right behind him, both of your hands on your swords. 

The Highway Men, as Carol referred to them, had been acting as security and watchers for The Kingdom. They were good trackers, fighters, and were the newest addition to the community. What they had found on their patrol, worried you a lot. 

It looked as if a pack of wild animals had attacked a caravan. “We were clearing the roads. Spotted tracks leading here,” Ozzy said. 

“It's from Hilltop,” Yumiko said, holding up one of the wooden pendants that were crafted there. The same one that Lydia wore around her neck. 

“Walkers didn’t do this,” you said with a glance to Daryl “This was people.”

“Skins?” Michonne asked and then looked to the Highway Men. “You know about them?”

“We got the download,” Ozzy confirmed. “We would have seen any people out here with my patrols, but not if they were covered in Skins.”

“Fantastic,” you said, your nerves growing. 

“(Y/N),” Daryl called, “look at this.” You met him down by the broken carriage and realized what he was seeing. 

“They fought back,” you said. “They were dragged away. That way,” you said with a point. 

“Come on,” Daryl said. 

“We can’t all go,” Dianne said. “If this was the Whisperers, then they would have followed this from Hilltop. We need to get back.”

“Michonne and I will go with (Y/N) and Daryl,” Carol said. “Rest of you ride for Hilltop.”

“We can continue our patrols around here,” Ozzy said and Carol nodded. 

“Alright,” said Michonne. “We’ll see if we can find them and bring them home.” You nodded to Michonne and then everyone was shaking hands and promising to meet up later. Yumiko then joined you, offering her bow. 

“Stay close and if you see Walkers, don’t hesitate. They could be Whisperers,” you said. 

“And if they are,” Michonne said, “go for the kill.”

—————

“I really don’t like this,” you said as you walked next to Yumiko. Carol and Daryl were in the front while Michonne was at the back, her Katana in her hand.

“Neither do I,” Yumiko said as she gripped her bow tighter. “Do you people do this a lot?”

“Only when it’s necessary,” you said. “We try not to get involved, but we usually end up doing just that.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” she said.

“We do it because nobody else will.”

“And your families, are they okay with this?”

“My family is right in front of me,” you said. “We’ve been fighting since day one, I don’t think any of that is going to change.”

“Then I’m glad that I have you on my side,” Yumiko said and you gave her a half-smile.

“Me too.”

Daryl was tracking the Hilltop members that were attacked. You kept back, but mirrored his steps, just in case he missed anything. He never did, but it was a force of habit. All you could think about was Alpha’s face and every shadow in the woods was keeping you on edge.

“Don’t give her an inch…” Negan had said. He had wanted you to be strong and you weren’t going to let him down. Whatever happened when you saw him again, it didn’t matter. You just needed to see his face again. That was what kept you going.

You had to get home to Negan.

“Magna is worried about me,” Yumiko said, trying to change the mood. You nodded, grateful for the distraction.

“That’s actually a good thing. It means she cares about you,” you said.

“Do you have one? A Magna?” Yumiko asked.

“Sort of,” you said with a sigh. “It’s complicated.”

“Word of advice,” Yumiko said. “Uncomplicate it because if you are lucky to have them, you better keep them.”

“Thanks, Yumiko,” you said and she knocked your shoulder with her own.

As you walked, Michonne and you both took down Walkers with your blades, taking their heads off their shoulders. It took you a few to get the hang of the new weapon, but it was beginning to feel natural. You would definitely need to do some proper training with Michonne when you got home though.

It was after dusk when Daryl told everyone to halt. Then, from out of the trees came Walkers that you instantly recognized.

“They’re from Hilltop!” you said as you went for the first one. In a long arc, you swung your sword at the Dead man who came at you. His head was cut from his body and you pierced the brain as it rolled to your feet.

From there on, more and more Dead converged as the sun set and darkness wrapped around the five of you. “I can’t see,” Yumiko said.

“Stay together!” Daryl shouted, placing you at his back as you and Michonne leveled your blades. The archers, all three of them, let go of their bows and drew their knives. Daryl held two blades in each of his hands as he prepared to strike.

“Watch their hands!” Michonne yelled as the Walkers fell upon you. You could feel the blood from the other Dead splashing on the back of your neck as you fought your own Walkers.

Your arms stung from the exertion, but you couldn’t slow down. Fear settled into your bones as you fought, but Negan’s voice returned to you.

“You are stronger than them and the only way they win is if you let them,” he had said and with those words being screamed in your head, you swung again, feeling your adrenaline spike.

“Back to the road!” Daryl yelled and everyone began running. “This way,” he grunted reaching for you, but before you could find him in the dark, the sound of a gun cocking had everyone freezing in their steps.

“Drop them,” a horrific whisper said and if you hadn't already been scared, that sound chilled you to your soul. More and more whispers came from around you and your grip loosened on your sword. “I won’t ask twice.”

“Beta…” Daryl sneered and you felt your heart fall into your heart. Beta was alive and you could feel the anger that echoed around him. One by one you all dropped your weapons and the Skins picked them up. Seeing the dirty hands of a Whisperer touch Paul’s sword made you sick.

“You just had to give me the girl,” Beta whispered. “No one else had to die. Now that deal...is done.” His words washed over you and no matter how many times you tried to focus on Negan’s face or his voice, all you heard was Beta’s horrifying voice.

“You touch the girl and I’ll tear your throat out with my teeth,” you snarled. Beta walked up to you and grabbed you by the throat, angling your face to meet his. You stared back with unwavering disgust.

“You make veiled threats,” he said.

“Come a little closer and we’ll see how veiled they are,” you said, pushing in closer. Beta shoved you back and you stumbled into Carol who quickly righted you.

“Take them,” Beta ordered and his people moved in.

One by one, you were tied up. The Skins tied your hands behind your back and pressed blades to your backs, forcing you to walk ahead, leading you somewhere. Your heart was trying to leap from your chest, but you took deep breaths as you tried to keep a level head.

You could still smell the rot that revolved around Beta and it made your stomach churn. You were forced to walk behind Yumiko whose hands were moving. In the moonlight, you could make out some of the shapes and realized she was signing.

“Stay calm,” she was signing over and over again. You were very grateful then that you knew ASL well enough to understand her.

You walked for a bit longer before you reached a clearing and suddenly, you were seven years younger. You half expected for headlights to light up the surrounding area. Daryl and Michonne must have felt it too as they were tense as well.

However, this time, Negan would not be there to just kill two of you. Beta could slaughter all of you for no reason and then turn his sights on Kingdom, Alexandria, and then Hilltop and Oceanside. This was it, you thought, you were going to die.

The Whisperers pushed you into a semicircle, making sure your hands were still secured. You were between Daryl and Michonne and tried to focus on their breathing, but it was difficult. Even if they were thinking of an escape plan, nobody could voice it and nobody was coming to save you.

From the darkness, Alpha finally made herself known. She crept through the night like a predator stalking her prey. Expect, Alpha didn’t kill for food, she killed for sport.

“You ain’t getting her back,” Daryl said, facing down the Matron of the pack.

“You think this is about my daughter?” Alpha asked, tilting her head. “I ran into some trouble on the road,” she said, wiping blood from the knife in her hands on her pants. You struggled against your bonds, wanting to rip her eyes out with your nails. “It was unavoidable.”

“Bullshit,” you shot, but Alpha ignored you.

“Do you like my new camp?” she asked. “My people like to keep moving, keep roaming.”

“We’ve granted Lydia asylum,” you said. “You try to take her and we will fight back.”

“What is your name?” Alpha asked, stopping in front of you.

“...(Y/N),” you said.

“Do they speak for you?” Alpha asked the others.

“We speak for each other,” Daryl countered. Alpha sniffed, unaffected by Daryl’s attempt at camaraderie. Instead, she continued to pace in front of the five of you.

“My daughter isn’t a concern anymore. She was weak, she never lived up to expectations.”

“Was?” you asked as the worst-case scenario entered your mind. “What did you do to her!” Still, Alpha ignored you.

“To be clear,” she said, “your group is in no position to threaten me. That is a habit that needs to be broken.”

“Oh, I’ll break something,” you threatened and Alpha merely smiled at you as if you were some child she was humoring. Turning her attention back to Daryl she pointed at him.

“Come with me,” Alpha said. “Just you.” Beta cut Daryl’s bonds and then pushed him forward. You struggled to go after him, but you couldn’t move.

Daryl glanced back at you once more before following Alpha into the darkness of the trees.

-------

Daryl was gone for a while, and with every minute that ticked by, you grew more fearful that his body was somewhere being torn apart by the Dead.

You, Michonne, Carol, and Yumiko were sitting together by a fallen tree as you waited to be released. Beta was across from the four of you, watching the woods, waiting for his orders.

You began to think about Rick. What would he do right now? What would he say? You also began to think about the conversation you had once had with Negan about evil and humanity. 

Alpha and Beta were evil and there was no doubt about it. Evil was around you and you could not find a shred of light to hold onto. Rick had wanted to build a new world, but if this is what it was going to look like, you didn’t want it. 

“This is not how I’m dying,” you whispered. 

“Nobody is going to die,” Michonne said. “I don’t think Alpha wants to kill us.”

“She said ‘no one else had to die’, meaning she already killed those Hilltop people and now she’s going to keep going. With us.”

“Just try to stay calm.”

“This is me calm. I’m calm and I’m pissed.” 

“We’re going to get out of this,” Carol said who hadn’t taken her eyes off of Beta since she sat down. 

“I left too much shit unfinished,” you admitted, unable to stop yourself. 

“I know,” Michonne said and there was a bit of pity in the tone of her voice. “You know, I actually wish for his psycho ass right about now,” Michonne said and you couldn’t argue with that. 

“Don’t we all,” you agreed. 

“Who?” Carol asked and Michonne hesitated, but you just shrugged. 

“Negan,” Michonne said. 

“Who’s that?” Yumiko asked.

“Asshole who we have locked up back home,” said Michonne. 

“You think he could take on Beta?” Carol asked, but you shook your head. 

“I don’t think a bulldozer could take on Beta,” you said with a glare in the man’s direction. 

“Negan would be a good distraction,” Michonne figured and then stopped speaking as she saw the look in your eyes. “Or not.” Carol looked at you in confusion. 

You couldn’t imagine Negan going up against someone like Beta. Everyone you had seen him fight, he had been the bigger one. He had been the one in charge and the one with the edge. Negan fighting Beta would have been like a Mustang charging a Semi Truck. That was not something you wanted to see. 

“Am I missing something?” Carol asked. 

“No,” you and Michonne said at the same time. Carol narrowed her eyes but didn’t push it any further. Instead, you all sat there in silence as you waited for the fate you were sure you were about to meet.

You didn’t know how much time had passed when the sun began to rise again. Nobody spoke and nobody moved as the Whisperers began to disperse. Beta then gestured to you and your companions. 

Slowly, his people approached and cut your bonds. Nobody dared to move as Beta watched over you. He then ordered his people to hand back your weapons. 

“Go West,” he sneered. “You’ll find your man.” 

“Come on,” Michonne said, moving Carol in front of her as Yumiko followed. You hesitated, glaring at Beta who leveled his knife at you in something that felt like a promise. Almost as if he was saying that the next time he saw you, he was going to kill you. In your mind, you made the same promise. 

The sun rose quickly as you hiked through the woods, following Beta’s orders. “Something feels wrong,” you said as you fastened your sword to your side. Carol was holding Daryl’s bow and blades as you walked. 

“We got out, that’s all that matters,” Michonne said, but you had a feeling something was very wrong.

It didn’t take long for you to find Daryl. 

He seemed unharmed, but you could tell he was angry. Carol reached him first, handing him his bow and kissing him on the cheek. Michonne hugged him too and Yumiko clapped him on the shoulder. When he reached you, you hugged him tightly.

“I thought she was going to kill you,” you said. 

“Nah, not yet,” he said and then nodded his head in another direction. “This way.” 

You all followed Daryl who seemed to be on a mission. Whatever Alpha had told him had him set on a path and you were willing to go with him no matter what. 

You walked until the sun was finally above you and then, Daryl picked up his speed. “Daryl?” you called, but he just kept running. Eventually, you saw what he was running towards. “Oh my god.” 

“Siddiq!” Michonne yelled as she ran up the hill towards the Doctor who was leaning against a dead tree and behind him, was another. 

“Enid!” you yelled as you saw her struggling as well. You slid to her side, using one of Daryl’s knife that he tossed to you to cut her bonds. As soon as she was free, she nearly crawled to you, gripping you tight. Enid was shaking and so was Siddiq who held onto Michonne. “Shh, it’s okay,” you assured her. 

“What happened?” Michonne asked, but both of them could barely speak.

“I… I…,” Siddiq stuttered out as Enid pointed up the hill with tears in her eyes. Slowly, you pulled Enid into you and began the trek up the hill. 

“No…” you whispered in horror as you saw what was ahead. It was too far to make out details, but the smell of fresh and Dead blood wafted towards you. Enid was trembling in your arms as tears fell down her face. 

Nobody spoke as you crested the hill, but nobody needed to as you got closer. As soon as it became apparent what was before you, Yumiko fell to her knees and Michonne gasped in pain. 

At the top of the hill were nine pikes and on each one, was the head of someone you knew.

You started at the beginning, your bones as cold as ice as milky white eyes stared at you. They hadn’t killed the brain and as you looked at the first pike, Ozzy, the Highway Man, was staring at you with vacant eyes and a gaping mouth. Next to him was Alek, and then, DJ. 

Your heart sank as you saw who was next. Frankie, one of Negan’s former wives and a spitfire of a woman. Her red hair blew in the wind as blood and gore dripped from the flesh at the base of her severed neck. 

Tammy was next and Enid cried harder as she saw the older woman. A woman you knew who had taken care of Enid at Hilltop. You struggled to keep the young woman upright, but it was difficult as you nearly collapsed when you saw the next two. 

Rodney and Addy. 

The teens that you knew from Hilltop were gasping with their breathless mouths as their gray skin dulled in the sunlight, but who was next made you crash to the ground. 

“No!” you screamed as you saw Tara’s dark hair blowing in the wind.

Enid fell next to you as the woman who she saw as a sister stared at her with empty eyes. Sobs echoed out of you as you stared at her, but that wasn’t compared to Daryl who immediately began yelling. 

“No, No!” he yelled as he ran for Carol “Just look at me, just look at me,” he said as he held onto his best friend. That’s when you finally looked at the final pike and everything around you broke. 

It was Henry. 

Enid was leaning all of her weight onto you just as Siddiq was doing to Michonne. Carol had fallen into Daryl and Yumiko was crying as she beheld the horror. 

Alpha had done this. She had taken these people from you, but left two alive as witnesses. She had killed children, friends, leaders, and left you feeling empty. 

You had been through so much, lost so much, and, yet this felt as if someone had torn your soul from your body. As the wind continued to blow, all you could hear were Enid’s screams and Carol’s sobs as yet another child was stolen from her. 

---------

“We were there,” Siddiq began as he stood on the stage in The Kingdom.

You stood next to Daryl and Lydia was in front of you both as you listened. Enid was across from you in the protective arms of Alden who hadn’t let her go since you returned. 

“Enid and I were taken with the others. And I saw... We were supposed to die with them and I was ready to.” Siddiq went on, speaking for both him and Enid considering she could barely say a word. Aaron was sure she was in shock. 

Siddiq went on, “Then, Alpha whispered in our faces as she knelt before us, ‘Tell them’, she said… she then said that two sets of eyes were better than one. Then, something hit me, and everything went black.”

Lydia leaned back into you and you gripped her tight. You noticed that Daryl was holding onto the other side of her. You knew that you needed to protect her now more than ever. 

“And when I woke up, it was just the two of us,” Siddiq said with a look to Enid who stared back with red-rimmed eyes. “What happened was evil. It was evil. And I think she left us alive to tell you that story. To scare you and to drive us all apart again. But I want to tell you a different story.” Siddiq then looked at you and you could see that he was struggling. You gave him a nod of encouragement. 

“See,” he went on, “before the end... Ozzy, Alek, and DJ found us and they gave us an opening. And everyone fought back. They fought like hell. And what they did was more than brave. 'Cause they defended each other. And they sacrificed for each other... And some of them... they didn't even know each other, but they still fought like they did. Like they were family. 'Till the very end.”

Tears were flowing from his eyes and your own, but you tried to put on a brave face for him, for Enid. 

“And in the end, they... Their time was cut short, but ours keeps going. So we have to keep going. For them and for all of us. We need to honor them. We need to honor them, and we need to remember these friends, our family, died as heroes. That's the story that I want to tell you. That's the story that I want us all to remember.”

In the quiet of the fair as Ezekiel and Carol cried in silence, you swore that you would remember and when it came down to it, you would avenge them.

—————

Once the pikes were taken care of and the tears stopped, for the time being, people began to move out. 

However, as winter moved in, The Kingdom was no longer capable to house the members of the community. They would need to move and Michonne was going to stay to help them do that.

While you wanted nothing more to help, you needed to be somewhere else, with someone else. As you stood by the main building of The Kingdom’s square, Michonne approached you. 

“There’s a storm coming,” she said quietly, her voice a bit hoarse from crying. You were sure that yours sounded the same. 

“I know.” 

“We need to move these people to Hilltop and Alexandria,” she said and you nodded in agreement. “(Y/N),” she said, “can you get her home, please?” 

Turning to look at her, you were surprised to hear the desperation in her tone. “Michonne?” you asked. 

“Please, get Judith home and protect her. Protect my daughter,” she said, once again on the verge of tears. You pulled her into your arms and clutched at your friend. You hadn’t been the closest with Michonne since she arrived at the gates of the prison, but you had a feeling that was about to change. 

When you pulled back, you held her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I will,” you said. “I will protect her with my life.” 

“They were brave,” Michonne whispered and you knew who she meant. 

“Yes, they were,” you agreed. “And we will not let their deaths be in vain.” Michonne nodded, gripping your arms. 

“Go to him,” she said. 

“Michonne…”

“No, you listen to me,” she said as it was her turn to be serious. “I do not care what people think about him. Don’t worry about that. He could have lost you and as much as I have my demons when it comes to Negan, you have to go. Trust me when I say that Death does not discriminate when it comes to the man someone loves. Even if that man is...unconventional.” 

“But…”

“No,” she cut you off. “Take Judith and go home. Stop overthinking it, (Y/N). You said you had left things unfinished, right?”

“Right.”

“Then, finish them.”

—————-

The ride to Alexandria was very different than the departure. 

You rode on a horse alongside the carriage that held Gabriel, Aaron, Gracie, Judith, Eugene, and others. Nobody spoke and nobody relaxed until the comforting gates of Alexandria were in view. 

For the kids’ sake you put on a brave face, but as soon as your horse came to a stop and the gates slid closed, you could barely keep it together. “Scott!” you called as you dismounted. He ran up to you as you helped Judith down from the makeshift carriage. “Take her,” you begged the man. He nodded as he gathered his bag. You then turned to Judith. “You need to go to your brother,” you said. 

“What?” she asked. 

“Go find RJ and give him the biggest hug he can handle, okay?” Judith nodded at your words.

“Are you going to be okay?” 

“Not for a while,” you admitted, and then she was wrapping her small arms around you and you let a tear slide down your cheek. “I’m going to come over later and we’ll have dinner, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered and with a final squeeze, you let her go as she ran after Scott who was waiting for her. Ignoring Aaron, Eugene, and the others, you turned your back on the stables and began to run. 

You didn’t slow as you ran towards the main street. Your boots slid on the slick spots of ice that littered the ground, but you kept going. Stopping before the Grimes house, you searched your pockets for your key ring. 

You couldn’t get your hands to stop shaking as you found the right one and jogged down the steps towards the jail. Slipping the key in the lock, you shoved the door open.

The loud noise alerted Negan to your presence. He was laying on his cot, but when he saw the tears that flowed down your cheeks and coated your collar, he launched to his feet. 

“(Y/N)?” he asked, staring at you in shock. You kept moving, switching the key on the ring and inserting it into the lock of the cell itself. You wrenched it open and faced him, taking him all in. “What happened?” he asked, staring at you with concern. 

You didn’t answer him right away. Instead, you took your time to memorize his face, the set of his jaw, how his shoulders were settled on his torso, and especially that wonderful light that was in his eyes. You choked back another sob as you moved into his space. 

“(Y/N)?” Negan asked you again. Reaching up, you placed your hands on his face, feeling the warmth of life beneath his skin. With a deep breath, you got your voice back. 

“Don’t make me lose you, too,” you whispered and then, you gripped him by the back of his neck and pulled his lips to yours.

Negan immediately wrapped his arms around you, holding you closer to him as he kissed you back without hesitation. It was as if a dam broke inside you as light burst behind your eyes. Negan kissed you tenderly, but it was full of urgency as well. 

Pulling yourself tighter against him, you were worried that he would be pulled away at any moment. He didn’t seem to be ready to let go either as he lifted you up, tilting his head back to get a better angle.

Your tears dripped down onto his face, wetting the stubble on his jaw, but he didn’t care. Negan didn’t care about anything else at that moment. All he cared about was you in his arms as he finally got to show much you meant to him.

When you pulled back to get some air, he set you down. Negan looked at you in awe and while you knew you had to explain what had happened, there was something you had to say first. Something that you had felt for a long time. 

“I love you, Negan,” you said, your voice soft as it mingled with his own breath. He looked in your eyes and you watched as the words resonated with him. His eyes grew softer and all the tension in his body dissolved. Negan reached up and placed his hand against your face. 

“I love you, too,” he said and then pulled your lips back to his.

You clutched at the man in your arms, your new reason for living. You knew that war was finally coming and that Death was not done with any of you yet, but in that small cell, in the arms of the man you loved, you let it all become whispers on the wind as the first snowflakes began to fall.

TAGS:

@lucillethings​ @stark-dreams​ @amaroho​​ @thanossexual​​

@yes-sir-hotchner​​ @boom-bunny​​ @delusionalteenagewhispers​​

@scootankle @ritajammer21 @writteriguess @tea-atfive @jennydehavilland @waspyyy @yespleasejayhalstead @fmunegan @hoemadegrace @writingdeadangel 

@pulplorrd​

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Ch. 70-76

I guess anything I say here is a spoiler, so yeah, this is “Heart of Dreams”, “Relics”, “Heart of Iron”, and the arc “Finest Hour”.  Oh, and “Lunatic Dawn”.   Gotta lotta ground to cover.    Treacherous ground.

Not a whole lot to say about Anderson’s death.  He tried to become a monster using one of the Holy Nails from the True Cross, and then Alucard defeated him anyway, once Seras gave him a little help and a reason to go on living.   Alucard was pretty upset about Anderson’s demise, but Anderson says a few soothing words, and reminds him that Al only became a vampire because he couldn’t stand being a human, so it doesn’t make a lot of sense for him to cry now.  

So yeah, as determined as Anderson was to kill Alucard, he’s a pretty good sport about losing this fight, and he seems to genuinely pity the man.   He wonders how long Alucard will go on living with his regrets, and Al replies “Until my expansive future shatters my expansive past.”  So, if we want to take that literally, I guess he’s trying to find redemption by being a good guy to make up for his years as a bad guy.   Well, he’s been a vampire for 523 years, and a servant of Hellsing for 101 of those years, so I guess maybe he figures if he trucks along for another 321 years that’d balance the scales?  

And maybe I’m finally starting to appreciate some of the complexities of Alucard’s character.   The Team Four Star Abridged series spent some time on his desire for redemption, but I couldn’t tell if it was based on the original material or something they came up with for their own version.   For instance, the Abridged!Alucard rejected the forgiveness offered by God himself, but later Anderson spoke of his desire for redemption and Alucard didn’t dispute that.    It seemed contradictory to me at the time, but the manga does seem to support that.    As Vlad Tepes, he refused to ask God for anything, preferring instead to fight and drive himself and his followers to the limits of endurance and decency as proof of their faith.   

I find that idea heretical, because it suggests that a person can “earn” God’s favor, or God’s forgiveness, or a place in heaven.    Arguably, Anderson tried to do the same thing, but I think he was coming more from a place of doing zealous deeds out of gratitude for the Lord’s grace, rather than trying to earn anything he didn’t already have.  

The difference with Alucard is that he seemed to be really wrongheaded about his faith, trying to use violence to become a good person.   Then it didn’t work, and he became a vampire, devoted entirely to his own selfish desires, and I guess he’s spent the 20th Century realizing that he’s back where he started, trying to fight his way to redemption, only now he has centuries of red in his ledger instead of mere decades.   

Oh, anyway, while this is going on, Integra takes a sword and stands it upright so it looks like a cross to mark Anderson’s death.   It’s like this quiet sign of respect.   I’m not sure whose sword that is, but it looks like the one Alucard was using in his Dracula persona.   

Anyway, fuck all that, because Walter finally shows up and stomps the ashes of Anderson just as everyone was having their final farewell with the guy.  Rude.

Young Walter just looks kind of stupid to me.  Why is he still wearing the monocle?  He’s trying to be 14 and 69 at the same time and failing at both.

Seras asks what Millennium did to him, but Walter makes it clear that this isn’t some brainwashing trope.   He’s doing this of his own free will.

He also doesn’t consider himself loyal to Millennium.    They turned him into a vampire, but he’s doing this for himself, and he’s only cooperating with them because their goals are in alignment.  

Yumiko Takagi tries to kill Walter for... Was she mad at him for stomping on Anderson’s remains?    I mean, Alucard’s the one who actually killed Anderson, so shouldn’t she be mad at that guy? 

It doesn’t matter, because Walt just slices her into pieces with his magic filaments.    Now Heinkel Wolfe wants revenge, because she was her long-time partner in assassin stuff.   The TFS Abridged series implied that they were lovers, too, which seemed authentic at the time, but I’m not sure there’s any confirmation to be found in the manga itself. 

But before she can take the shot, the Captain shows up and shoots Heinkel in the face.    Like, through one cheek  and out the other, and the only thing saving her from serious injury was that she happened to have her mouth open at the time.  

Side note: I caught myself referring to Heinkel as “him”, which frustrates me because I’ve known she was a woman for like five years now.    When I first watched the OVA, I was confused, becuase I could tell it was a female voice actor, but maybe that just meant he was really young, like with Schrodinger.   But the Hellsing Wiki set me straight, or so I thought.    I didn’t think I’d still be making this mistake. 

On the other hand, Yumiko sometimes looks a lot like Goemon from Lupin III, so her wearing a nun’s habit isn’t as heteronormative as it might seem.  I’m getting off-track.

You’d think this would be leading up to some big double-team on the Hellsing group, now that the Iscariots are out of the picture, but the Captain’s only stopping Heinkel so Walter can have a clear shot at Alucard.    That’s the sole reason Walter turned traitor, you see.   He wants to fight Alucard and win, and for the last 55 years they’ve been on the same side.  

But is that all it is?   I never got to read or watch “Hellsing: The Dawn”, the prequel manga Kouta Hirano created after Hellsing.  I’ve heard that it never got finished, but also an anime adaptation was released with the home video release of Hellsing Ultimate Episode VIII.  All I really know about it was that there was this time where Alucard and Walter were fighting the Nazis, and the Captain showed up, and Alucard ran away because he didn’t think he could beat that dude. Presumably, he left Walter to fend for himself?   But all three of them survived until 1999, so I’m not sure what the outcome of that was.   I always wondered if Walter held a grudge over that.   But maybe I’m reaching. 

There’s also a suggestion of professional jealousy.  Walter was a rockstar vampire hunter in his youth, but he’s been overshadowed by Alucard, who is--let’s face it-- a living legend.  This would be doubly true in the 90′s, when Integra reawakened Alucard, and Walter having to step back even further from the spotlight.  The only way for him to reclaim his former glory would be to challenge the greatest of all vampires and win.    He’d go down in history as a traitor, but at least he’d be cemented as the absolute best.  

Or... or, you can go with the TFS version, where Walter hints at his motives, only for Alucard to take the wind out of his sails and announce “because you wanna fuck me!”   And I love that theory more than any other explanation, because it just brings everything together a lot more neatly.   I guess you don’t need Walter to have had a crush on Alucard for 55 years, but it’s a lot more compelling than revenge or professional jealousy.    Those things have weight, sure, but they work better as distractions, the things Walter might admit to because they hide the deeper reason that he can’t bring himself to say out loud.   

And it’s not entirely rejected by the manga.  Alucard remarks on how much more beautiful Walter looked in his old age, compared to this treasonous knockoff vampire look he’s sporting now.   The last time he spoke this way, it was when he flirted with Queen Elizabeth II.   The next time he does it, it’ll be with Sir Integra when she’s in her early 50′s.

Speaking of QE2, she’s safe and sound, because the Secret Service evacuated her to a fortified location in Dover before Millennium attacked.   If things get really hairy, they’re prepared to send her to Canada, and if London can’t be secured, they’ll nuke the whole city, though the Queen is certain that Integra and Alucard will win the day.  The vampires acting as Millennium agents outside of London are being contained and destroyed, so things seem to be getting under some semblance of control.  

However, the Royal Order of Protestant Knights, also known as the “Round Table” is down to just three surviving members.   Integra’s in London, but here we have Rob Walsh and Hugh Irons, reflecting on the death of their fellow Round Tabler, Penwood.  

This whole scene struck me as a complete non sequitur when I first saw it in the anime.  Walter’s betrayal seemed to sudden and poorly explained that it felt like the author was just winging it by this point, and now we have these two dudes struggling to provide some justification for the twist.    But reading this manga in 2021, I find that it makes a lot more sense.    We’ve already seen tons of Britons in rather lofty positions, all willing to sell out their principles for a chance to become a vampire.   Walter is no different from any of them.   It’s just more personal when he does it because we actually know the guy.  

But as Walsh discusses the utter debacle of this Millennium invasion, he deduces what we’ve just learned back in London.   There must have been a traitor in their ranks, because that’s the only way Millennium could have made it this far.   I mean, they just flew a bunch of giant blimps full of rockets right into British airspace.   That only worked because they had traitors sabotaging the U.K.’s defenses and communications, and Hellsing was especially vulnerable at the same time.  

The only thing Walsh can’t figure out is who the traitor was, since it had to be someone at the Round Table, but they’re all dead now, except for Integra, Irons, and himself. 

But Irons fills in the missing pieces.   It doesn’t have to have been one of the Round Table’s members, but someone close to one of the members.   Years ago, Irons warned Walter about Richard Hellsing.   Irons knew that when Arthur died, Richard would try to make a play for the Hellsing estate.   But when Irons’ fears came to pass, Walter wasn’t there.   It’s like he wanted things to play out the way they did.  

But why would Walter want events to play out that way?   On her own, Integra had no choice but to unseal Alucard to defend herself, and she’s kept Alucard active ever since.   And now, lo and behold, Walter reveals that he turned traitor just so he could take on Alucard.   It’s like he arranged for all of this to happen years in advance.   But how many years?    Fifty-five, Irons wonders.   

It’s never explicitly confirmed, but Irons’ reasoning makes too much sense to ignore.    Earlier, the Major said that he decided back in ‘44 that Walter “Angel of Death” Dornez would have been a good “get” for his side.    Now, Irons is suggesting that Walter might have agreed in the same year.   So maybe Walter and the Major made a secret agreement even then.   It’s possible that they might have done it later, but why not in 1944?

I mean, the whole backstory here is that Millennium is a continuation of a secret Nazi Vampire project that Walter and Alucard destroyed in 1944.   Except they didn’t destroy it at all, which sure makes Walter and Al seem very bad at their jobs, unless Walter let them escape and covered it up.

Meanwhile, the Captain tosses a first aid kit to Heinkel, kind of like he’s saying that he doesn’t want to kill Heinkel, but he can’t let her interfere either.   We’ll talk about the Captain later.

As for Alucard vs. Walter, Al wants to check with Integra before he goes through with it.   He asks for orders, repeating his big speech from when he killed all those cops in Brazil.    Yeah, Walter’s a traitor, but he’s been a close mentor and advisor to Integra for all these years.   Does she really want Alucard to killerize his ass?

Yes, she does.   If Walter stands against them, then he’s the enemy, and Integra has already ordered Alucard to destroy the enemy, no matter who (snif!) they may be.  Integra doesn’t relish this command, but she refuses to compromise over sentimental feelings.

Man, fuck you, Walter.  

Then the Major lands his airship near the battlefield and invites Integra to come aboard and fight all of his remaining guys.    Alucard orders Seras to join her while he deals with Walter.   I can appreciate Seras’ concern here, because the last time she watched Alucard fight alone, he took a flaming bayonet to the face.   She probably doesn’t care for Integra and Alucard splitting up like this.

Before she goes, she thanks Walter for all of his support, which disarms Walter for just a moment.   Man, fuck you, Walter.   Seras is so nice and grateful and polite and cool and you just go right ahead with your 55-years-in-the-making Nazi Vampire Jilted Lover scheme.  Fuck you, Walter.   You don’t deserve to be in Seras’ life.

So the gals go on board the airship and Schrodinger’s there and Integra just shoots him right between the eyes without bothering to slow down.    This is maybe my favorite Integra moment in this thing.    I sort of wish Kouta Hirano had done a spin-off of Integra and Seras doing cool shit like this for 30 years.

Alucard taunts Walter with the fact that he no longer gets to be a part of Inegra or Seras’ lives anymore.   It sounds kind of petty, but when you think about it, it’s a pretty sick burn.    Walter may have been planning this for 55 years, but he still had to live that double life, and it’s not like he can just say he was faking it the entire time.  

So they fight.   Walter’s magic wire powers seem to be amplified, either because of his restored youth or maybe the boost offered by vampire powers, or maybe he’s always been this strong but now he no longer needs to hold back anymore.  For instance, he can make mesh screens with his wires to deflect Alucard’s bullets.   And when Alucard summons that dog creature he used to dispatch Luke Valentine....

... Walter just bisects it with a flick of the wrist.   You really begin to see why he was “The Angel of Death” back in his heyday.  

I never understood what this dog familiar was supposed to be.   Walter refers to the Hound of the Baskervilles, but as far as I know that’s just a legend confined to the Sherlock Holmes novel of the same name.   But apparently that concept was based upon “black dog” folklore of the same region.  There’s a whole laundry list of “black dog” apparitions in Britain alone.   Black Shuck, Padfoot, Hairy Jack, Bizarro Snoopy, and so on.   So I’m not sure if Hirano is saying that Alucard was the source of these legends, or if they were all based on a single creature which Alucard eventually defeated and absorbed into himself.   

Al tries to use the Jackal to kill Walter, but that’s kind of stupid, since Walter designed the gun in the first place.   In the anime, I thought Walter somehow triggered a bomb he had planted inside it, but maybe he used his wires to make this happen.   It doesn’t really matter, because we already saw that the Casull was useless against Walter’s defenses, and not because it had smaller ammunition.  

Then Luke Valentine emerges from the black dog’s body.   This part never made any sense to me, but I loved how the Major recognized him, but barely.  “Oh yeah, it’s that guy from Volume 2!    The guy with the brother.”

The doctor suggests that when the dog was killed, this allowed Luke to reassert himself from inside the dog.   Something about a “control ratio”, whatever that is.  Like, he was absorbed into the dog’s mass, but now that the dog is no longer conscious, he can think for himself again.    Notably, only half of Luke actually makes it out .   It’s like he’s half-Luke, half dead dog monster. 

But before he can do anything else, Walter puts his wires into Luke and starts controlling him like a puppet, mostly so he can use the dog half to attack Alucard.

Alucard seems more impressed than threatened.   Keep in mind, Walter was doing pretty damn well against him early on.   You’ll notice Alucard’s missing his right arm along with one of his guns.   This is better than Anderson managed to do.   So why does Walter even need this Luke-dog puppet thing in the first place?

Well, it’s because Walter’s body is giving out on him.   Earlier, when the Doctor was performing the procedure to turn Walter into a vampire, he spoke about how rushed the operation was.  I mean, he had to finish the whole thing in one night, after all.   And Walter’s a lot more powerful than Dandyman, whom the Doctor considered his finest artificial vampire work.    So maybe Walter’s just too powerful for this, and he can’t sustain this form.   The Luke-dog-thing is just to keep Alucard busy while he coughs up blood.

The Major sees this development, and likens Walter to a high stakes gambler who’s mortgaged everything for a single hand at a high stakes table.   Walter’s risked everything just to tangle with Alucard, and it still isn’t enough.

Alucard does manage to finish off the dog-Luke thing, and this sets him up for Walter’s next attack, and then he goes to finish him off, so things seem to be going Walter’s way...

But Alucard used a decoy, disguising Luke’s severed torso as his own, all so he could sucker-punch Walter in the face.   As it turns out, Walter’s physical breakdown is making him younger, which amuses Al to no end.

So Alucard follow suits and assumes the form he once used when they fought the Nazis in 1944.   Yeah, say hello to “Girlycard”.   I’m not sure why Alucard looked like a 14-year-old girl during World War II.   I’ve heard this form described as a Japanese 14-year-old girl, and I can’t dispute it, but it also makes Girlycard seem even more random somehow.   

I mean, I guess the idea here was for Walter and Alucard to be able to move inconspicuously through enemy territory.  No one would suspect a couple of kids until it was too late.   I’m imagining a similar scenario to the ones presented in “Cross Fire”.   Heinkel and Yumi would play innocent bystanders, then whip out their guns and swords and go ham on the bad guys.    Knowing Hirano’s style, maybe Girlycard and Young Walter operated the same way.  

And this further supports the Walter-had-an-unrequited-crush-on-Alucard theory.   He might have understood that Girlycard was a disguise.  On an intellectual level he might have known, but maybe he still carried a torch, and told himself that there was some way that they could be together.   Was he just in love with this disguise, or does he love the real thing?  Alucard says that he told Walter the truth decades ago, and claims that this is the reason Walter turned traitor, so yeah, it sure feels like Walter couldn’t handle Alucard’s true nature, one way or another.   

I mean, let’s assume that this isn’t just about Alucard not being a cute girl.  Maybe Walter fell in love with Alucard in all his forms, whatever that means for his sexuality.    The bigger issue is that Alucard’s a vampire, and he’s just fundamentally different from Walter, and maybe that was the problem all along.   It’s interesting to think about, but the point here would be that there was some kind of problem, and Walter couldn’t let it go.

Meanwhile, Seras and Integra are busy looking like total BMFs.   Just HBIC’s.   What’s better than this?   Two gals bein’ pals.   

Hell yeah!

Bad ass!

The vampires on board this airship are happy to meet their doom, and Integra recalls what her father once told her about how vampires want to die on their own terms.   Seras doesn’t get it, because if they want to die so badly, they could have just died in the war they were already in fifty-odd years ago.  

So the Major gets on the PA system and explains to her that they want more than just a glorious death.   They want bigger, better, more perfect battlefield, so as to make their deaths as meaningful as possible.  That’s why I don’t understand that airship captain from a while back.   Everyone else in Millennium seemed to understand that they weren’t necessarily fighting to win.   Britain is prepared to nuke London if they have to, so it’s hard to imagine anyone in Millennium surviving past today, even if they won.  

Anyway, as the Major explains all of this, the Captain appears before the gals.  It looks like he’s here to stop them, or is he?

[gunmetal-ring]

Stream of consciousness for 11x7

Yeah I mean I agree with Maggie... get food or die trying you know? Also Negan sorry but gleefully murdering a man in front of his entire family including his sick and pregnant wife is like... not really something you can come back from. There's no "being even" there's just not open hostility. Idk I'm always and forever gonna be team Maggie even if the conflict is tiring

What happened to Elijah's mask? Did I forget something?

Wait what? Walkers at Commonwealth? Since when? What? Whatever. Fake Stephanie is cute but like who cares. Oh mkay I see killing walkers is basically prison for them got it. Only zeke could be dying from cancer and still be stabbing walkers with ease what a badass. Princess looks so different without her fuzzy pink jacket

Pumpkin suit!! "Nasties" bro you know what's nasty is your fuckin dumb cardigan and shitty attitude. You're gonna be the first one to die when team family eats the rich.

Oh good Daryl has dog back I was wondering if they'd ever be reunited.

I wonder if Elijah is claiming Carver or pope? Probably Carver. I think Daryl or Carol has to kill pope. Negan makes me snicker tbh "not with that attitude"

These Halloween masks are killing me so fucking weird lol. Hmm interesting. Can't tell if Leah is getting punished or if pope relented in yelling at them bc she asked him to stop

Alright!! More dynamics!! Damn Daryl is laying it on THICK lol.

Uh OK there's no way they dried out the mask quickly enough for Maggie, that's gotta be bloody as fuck lol.

Hmm they still have cars... wonder if they've got biofuel or just pretending like gasoline is still good after a decade

Wait hang on I'm just piecing it together unless I already said this and don't remember. Do we think pope is his last name or he renamed himself pope bc of his religious fanaticism?

Ugh wish Gabe killed the guy

I'm sorry I just like. I reeeeeally don't care about Commonwealth and especially yumiko and brother. Like ok her brother is all in and she's not convinced. Got it. Oh wait OK maybe he isn't all in hmm. Wonder why he doesn't want to be a doctor.

I think negan does actually admire Maggie he's not just trying to win her favor.

Truly Leah and Daryl is my favorite storyline and I can't wait for Carol to join bc she has to she just has to. Bet Leah's gonna kill the rando and that's gonna be the first indicator that she can't be saved. Aha there you go popes orders! Wonder if daryls gonna try to convince her otherwise or if it's too early for him to begin driving wedges

I guess I'm just not sure what the plan is? Like the patrol would kill walkers, no? Idk. I'm glad that they're finally having a heart to heart. Well okay then negan good talk.

That's so many walkers wtf. Hm zeke is back on his king persona... wonder if that's part of a racism thing?

Also gabe... why the fuck you lyin

Ha nasties are protecting your yuppie ass!! Well okay what a fuckin shock that he's a little shit. Uh Stephanie use your words or kill the walker?! OK fuckin finally. OK well Eugene that's really not doing you and your friends any favors. Ohhhhh wait is that the prince milton of Commonwealth?

"Settling in ok" uh sure most of them are in prison but yeah other than that everyone's doing great. Aha I was right! Hmm I wonder if fake Stephanie is gonna actually fall in love with Eugene. And he's gonna find out she's fake Stephanie and be like can't believe you lied to me ill never love you. And then rosita will remind him love is eternal and he'll be like OK you're right fake Steffi let's go

"All the chances you've gotten" Uh OK they've been sent to a detention facility without due process, threatened with reprogramming, interrogated for hours on end, cut off from their community, refused resources and legal representation, sent to prison for manual labor under threat of possible death... what exactly have you done for them?

How did they know the building was full of walkers? Hmm... alright well I guess they're gonna wander up and hope for a hospital esque attack from last season. Altho it feels like Maggie is forgetting that they have grenades so

Oo... mother and child... Leah is gonna kill them? Oh no or will Daryl kill the son to "prove" he's still supposedly in love with leah? Oh no wait nvm. Hm OK maybe pope is gonna find out that she saved the guy and the kid and that's gonna be a problem. Maybe Daryl will kill the woman for Leah to "prove" it. Aha I was right! But I do think he also felt a little sympathetic for her. Like not just strictly for strategic reasons. Nice of Leah to give him credit too.

Oo... what's he gonna tell her?! Is it real? It's definitely not about Maggie but I wonder if it's something true or a lie that seems serious or something idk. Hm.

Oh no... oh no is that Elijah's sister oh no aw that's awful oh no ugh oh God poor baby. I miss the music that always played when beta was leading walkers tho that was always so intense

Ugh it's over?! Gdi. Ok this one was pretty good. I'm glad it was light on Commonwealth. Annoyed still at the lack of Carol tho. Rly hoping things move right along. Overall pretty solid imo

[acedhigh]

SIEGEMAS 2020 @dualrainbow​ starring: Marius Streicher, Dominic Brunsmeier, Monika Weiss, Elias Kötz. main blog: @elitejager​ note: hey to anyone who reads this, I haven’t written anything in forever and the only time I’ve ever written a fic was a request, so this is a first for me. as an Autistic person I wanted to touch on the topic a little (i.e how the world views us versus how we view others and express ourselves) and incorporate it into my prompt for this piece. Marius inspires me a lot, I know he’s a popular part of Team Rainbow so I hope you all like it & happy holidays ✌

07 December.

As an icy chill snaked its way down his nape, Marius was reminded of the changed season. Days, weeks even, inside the workroom (his 'safehaven' as he called it to himself), made time and weather and all things mundane merge together in one big negligible blur. The transition between October into November now early December had seemed so...rapid. "Getting lost in one's work" was nothing short of apropos for this revelation; Unfazed by the cold however, he merely rolled down his sleeves and resumed gazing intently at his go-to site for ordering parts - Hated the white background (far too garish) but it offered the best of the best, and a quicker delivery schedule. He'd need it. It wasn't unusual for him to spend great bouts of time in one place. Even less unusual to be knee-deep in a project or two. But it was when morning frost and Christmas music became part of everyday life to crudely round off the year, that Monika and Elias were particularly attentive to Marius and his propensity to isolate. He'd been like that as long as they could recall. It could be almost jarring at first - His quips that'd rub less-familiar colleagues the wrong way, the speed at which his social battery would fizzle out like an ember, and a subtle arrogance which stepped on many toes. In contrast to Marius' heated and bull-headed nature, even his enthusiasm and eagerness to share or contribute somehow seemed misplaced or perhaps just poorly timed; Boundaries were a struggle and frequently crossed line despite how many walls he put between himself and others. He was unpredictable to most. "Hard to decipher", as Monika once put it. She was the first out of the four to recognize he was on the spectrum, and it tugged at her heartstrings to watch him endure contempt in place of a little understanding - But she vowed to hold her tongue. She did not want to patronise or belittle someone as bold as Marius. After all, in many ways she considered him to rival herself academically, and that garnered much of her respect. He was capable, he didn't need her or anybody else to coddle him or worry. Monika did not worry about him at all in fact, until this time of year.

16 December.

Elias had a similar view. Never had he met someone so rigid in his performance, so disciplined, yet so antsy. Must be the whole chaos of creativity, he thought. He recounted several incidences where he tried his hand at entertaining Marius, to no avail. Like things just didn't connect with him or tickle him the way Elias could achieve with others. But that didn't mean they lacked a connection at all - They were close, but where other people stood Marius was always one step further away, by his own accord. It was clear from the get go that the engineer liked to do things his way and per his agenda. Elias would grant him the favour of “breathing room” because he knew that although Marius held people at arms' length, beneath that eccentric exterior there was a shining heart of gold that cared deeply about the people he would shoo out of his workroom. Today was no exception, apparently.

"Hey, Marius--" There he was, ensconced in something technical of course, and drenched in fluorescent white light.

"No!"

"Huh--"

"Don't-- You can't look. Just...I'm busy. And I'm discussing this prototype of mine with the head of BMVg, whatever it is, it can wait."

Oops, Elias. "This isn't for prying eyes, it's commission work. I'll humour you later."

"Ah, err, got it. No peeking. Just don't work yourself to death and I'll check back in tonight. See ya!"

Yeah, this wasn't uncommon he muses, as he's met with a cold hand gesture towards the door. Though Elias couldn't help but wonder if maybe Marius was pushing himself even harder as to not think about the holidays. Dominic's relationship with him was different. Not as warm to the touch. And certainly more volatile, when tension arose. A clash of unorthodox personalities. They were polar opposites in one way, but fiercely empathetic in others, because pariahs stick together even when grating on each others' nerves - It was their non-conformity that made them a good team no matter how unconventional (and potentially troublesome) the dynamics. He knew how it was to be alone like the back of his hand. Maybe that too is the reason for their kinship, once all strain dissipated. Even he occasionally considered how his comrade handled the isolation; Dominic relished it to a degree, a darker mind who co-existed with his demons. But he knew Marius and he frequently observed his drive to form relationships only for them to fall flat or worse because of that same old disconnect Elias talked about on occasion. Never brought it up verbally but nothing could ghost Dominic's perusal. "Damn. Rejected again," Elias jests as he spots Dominic taking a break from playing grease monkey on his bike - Cigarette routinely positioned in mouth and garage wide open so that snow had begun collecting on the entrance floor. This wing was probably his safehaven, too.

"You should leave him to it." Dominic takes a long drag before expelling two plumes from his nose.

"Yeah I know, I know. Just seems wrong to not try. I don't think he's going home for Christmas. Hasn't heard from his Uncle for a couple of years...Not sure why. Marius tells me that's nothing out of the ordinary. Still, doesn't hurt to remind him we're around."

"He knows we're around. If you and Monika make a fuss it'll probably backfire."

"You could be right. But hey, buzzing in somebody’s ear is better than letting them feel ignored. I wouldn't be half as fun if I wasn't annoying."

"...Are you sure 'fun' is the right word?" Dominic concealed his smirk behind another toke.

"Whaaatever. Have a good night Brunsmeier. And don't get too cold old man! I don't know how you have the place all opened up on days like this. I don't want to come back tomorrow morning and find you in cryostasis."

"Uhuh. Well, snow chains. Fitting new ones on the tires and have to put 'em to the test somehow. See you, Smartass."

23 December.

The air was cold and dry and it permeated indoors but the serenity of snow blanketing everything for miles upon miles outweighed the chill in his lungs. Even the sun couldn’t thaw the ice nor interfere with celebrants having their white Christmas. From the moment he'd woken up that morning he rushed to get stuck back into his work without so much as cranking up the radiators. No matter the climate, it wouldn't deter him from his endeavours, much like Winter itself. As he fine-tuned his latest creation Marius felt overcome with accomplishment and relief knowing he had the rest of the day to spare after hours of trial and error. Fingers weaved and arms raised he stretched up high, taking a moment to admire the fully customised apparatus begging to be used. Fishing his phone out of a denim pocket he checked the time and grabbed one of the gift boxes wrapped neatly with a lavender bow. Monika would always make a point of going home to celebrate with her family - he'd heard many stories about her mother's Sauerbraten - and was always the first to leave to ensure she'd catch her flight. Ergo, her turn came first. His soles crunched against the virgin snow as Marius made his way to the dormitories. He could've forgotten the clean scent of fresh air or the sheer brightness the day can bring after spending a majority of his time hunkered down at the workroom. Cutting it close, he was fortunate enough to cross paths with Monika, luggage in her wake while punching in a numberpass for the electronic gate. "Monika!" He called out, waving her down.

"Hm?" Immediately she turned on her heel - Perhaps he startled her, or it was the (pleasant) surprise of hearing that familiar voice in another place other than his station or dorm.

"Monika, I'm glad I could catch you. Here--" Offering the palm sized box it was clear to the both of them that neither knew exactly how to handle the situation without underlying befuddlement. "--Frohe Weihnachten." (Merry Christmas). Ah yes, he'd forgotten that part. He wasn't well-versed in the act of gift giving - not face to face, at least...

"Really? For me?"

"Of course it is. It's purple. I don't know anybody else's favourite colour."

"I'm a little speechless...! Thank you Marius, and Frohe Weihnachten. I got something for you too, so did Elias. You were too busy we didn't think to disturb you and thought we'd leave them on your desk. You're welcome to pick them up yourself beneath the tree Emmanuelle and Yumiko set up in the foyer." Something akin to a glorified 'Secret Santa' Harry suggested for Team Rainbow to build on their camaraderie but appealed little to Dominic.

"Oh, that was unnecessary, but I'm grateful. Then I'm obliged to thank you as well. I didn't expect anything - I just wanted to see what I could come up with. I hope you like it."

"No act of benevolence is unnecessary. I'm tempted to open this up right here and now, I'm very curious. I'm going to show restraint however and open it tomorrow. I'll shoot you a message afterwards, OK?" She unzipped her case and placed it delicately atop folded clothes. Whatever it was, it seemed fragile, and would need the padding. "You take care of yourself Marius. Tschüss!" She passed through the gate and left with a smile.

24 December.

With more confidence after yesterday's exchange next in line was either Elias or Dominic, whoever he bumped into first. Today was bitterly cold and much darker, grey clouds hanging overhead almost as thick as the snow. Still, it was welcomed by those who enjoyed the seasonal comforts of lounging around; Vastly preferable to these scorching Summers in recent years, to Marius' admittance. He could spy from beyond his work station window that Dominic had the garage locked up early and was now dumping fodder to feed one of his burn barrel fires. To Marius, this had grown synonymous with Winter, and was a good way to gauge the severity of the weather - Dominic explained to him that it became habit from his undercover days, and was a quick & easy disposal method of...well, anything that could burn. Which sounded vaguely ominous with the way he put it, and there was no doubt in his mind that it absolutely was ominous. But that was then. He would ponder though, what his fellow operative saw in those flames. If he thought of an array of things and memories like a haunting myriad or maybe he just saw nothing more than a warming fire and burning magazines. It was hardly worth asking either, because he was scarcely linear, and seemed to quietly take pleasure in keeping people on their toes. An enigma for sure. They both were. Joining Dominic's side he could feel heat from the fire and the barrel itself as it raged on between them.

"You've been out here a while?" "An hour, maybe less." "Can't be too good for you. It's cold & flu season. If you're going to see your nephews and nieces, that's not wise." "I've dealt with worse." "Yes, that's true, I'm sure your lungs appreciate your pack-a-day fitness ritual." "If I smoked a pack a day, BPOL would give me the chop faster than any bad habits could on my life expectancy. Besides, I can still outrun you. Did you come here to give me health advice or was there something else?" "I know you well enough to know that giving you advice often goes unheeded." Much to my dismay. "So no, however--" He presents the red giftbox to Dominic, which he'd yet to acknowledge. Or he didn't care enough to ask. There's a visible confusion that reads in his otherwise stark expression - Like Monika's the day prior. Was it really so foreign for Marius to present his generosity this way? "Oh...?" "Open it, Dummkopf." Rather than muster some spur of the moment retort Dominic does as instructed. He settled the box in snow and crouched down to examine what awaited inside. "Pure silver electromagnetic rods. In a similar vein to an EMP device, rather, a preemptive attack on them and on your target. Think of them as an extension to your CEDs. Place them around in any formation you like to create an electromagnetic field; They will go live the moment your CEDs do. I've included a remote for functionality and to check that they're all within range of each other. The frequencies will be dizzying for enemy weaponry and at the touch of a button, shock anybody standing within the field's radius." Astounded, Dominic can only look down in disbelief at the device in his hands. It's one thing to fix up an old motorcycle, or even a car, but something of this calibre was truly belonging to a prodigious acumen. And that prodigy is Marius Streicher. "Oh, there's also armbands and a 'plate' you fit to the bottom of your footwear to absorb static and safeguard you from being on the receiving end of the electrogrid. That part should be a familiar concept." "..." "Well?" "I don't know how the hell you come up with this shit, but it's incredible." "Mmhmm. Of course it is, I made it. Brave of you to finally admit that." "Don't make me regret showing some gratitude. I mean it. Is this what you've been busying yourself with the whole month?" "Yeah, calculating pulse waveforms took more work than Monika's and Elias' upgrades, I readily accepted the challenge though." "You went to the trouble of making something for them too huh. Crazy." "I did yes. Monika's was no sweat. I pulled up the files on her RED Mk III and tweaked a few things. Utilising the same technology I fitted a lens-like screen to a headpiece, so the intel she needs is always in view, and her handling of weapons isn't compromised. I think she'll appreciate the purple tint I used for the lens. That, and it can also be used for her spelunking - The new and improved Spectre can see beyond solid walls several metres thick, and it can detect hollow spaces like tunnels. If she removes the chip and slots it into the drone I made for her - I'll reveal that part to her once she's back - she can apply the Spectre to airborne recon in the same way as the lens itself." "Now, you're showing off. She's going to use and abuse that thing every chance she gets." "Good. Then I won't have made it for nothing." "What about Elias, what did you give him?" "I haven't given him his yet which works out nicely." "I'm all ears, Brainiac." "Interesting moniker. Elias gets a conal radius motion & thermal detector that bolsters his ballistic shield. This will give him an increase in tactical advantage, by alerting him to whoever is in his vicinity. If there's an obstruction or he loses sight of the enemy he can find them with ease and make his move. Like Monika's, his can mimic the technology he's accustomed to and can also be detached and used with the specialised drone made for him. He'll be able to temporarily blind at range, or cause distraction, meaning if he keeps his wits about him he'll manage to play a part from long distances." Dominic spied something else in the box as Marius gave his run down on each of the devices. Brow furrowed he picks it up and examines it closely, unable to crack what purpose it served. "Hm. And this?" "That, is a personal touch. Call it whimsical but I think you'll like it. His drone is also yours." Shooting the engineer a bewildered glance Dominic held the second remote in hand, waiting expectantly to understand its significance and what exactly made it so 'whimsical'. "I had trouble coming up with a unique quality for each of you. You're both irreverent in your sense of humour, so I decided to play on that. Elias' drone also has a compartment where something, such as a flashbang for example, can be stored and dropped at command. I'll tell him about that. What I won't tell him however is that you have full access to the drone with that control you're holding. I'll leave it to your imagination to invent shenanigans of your own design. It ought to appease your prankster inclinations," Marius smiled knowingly, but only just - A sliver of the pride gathering in his center. Dominic's was blatant and devilish; Cogs turning in his mind already. But moreso this was a gift with meaning, and understanding to a level that excelled clinical intelligence. He had captured all three of them as operatives and as people, as friends, in the best way he knew how. Each gadget was far from mere machinery. Like polaroids immortalising their merits on the field and in life. "Don't expect to hear this out of me again anytime soon but you've outdone yourself." "Hah! It's worth the effort just to wring sincerity out of you, you ornery bastard." "Yeah, yeah, pot calling the kettle black. I know you're not a drinker but come on, show me how to use this thing over a pint - and bring the drone. I want to get Elias back for all his gaudy Christmas music in the dorms. I considered smothering him with his pillow, but this will suffice." He sneered, amused by his own facetiousness. "I know you don't have anything else planned so I'm not giving you much of a choice." After placing everything back in its box Dominic stood up to give his friend a gracious pat on the back. Marius noticed a glint in his eye he hadn't been privy to before - one unlike the dispassion that most would consider default to 'Bandit' - perhaps they were both seeing each other in a different light. An aspect they kept tucked away, save for rare junctures such as these. "Fine. I'll agree, considering the occasion. Might as well get into the spirit of things a little. Frohe Weihnachten, Dominic." "Frohe Weihnachten."

[masked-buffoon]

Chapter 10: Truth and illusions (Part 5)

Warnings: mentions of abuse and human trafficking, an angry Yosano-sensei

Author notes: we all know angering the lovely doctor is never going to end well for us...

Kitaro-kun did not leave me. Not a second. Wherever I went, he stayed in my shadows. Whatever I did, he followed me, stuck around my ankles like a lost dog. His mother was not yet awake and I had lost traces of his brother. Yosano-sensei was doing her best to contact the Armed Detective Agency and ask for help. We would need more brains to find Sakunosuke-kun. I had refused to contact the father, upset against the entire family for locking up a poor boy in a room and depriving him of his twin brother. The Taikin family reminded me too much of my own, and that man liked my mother too much to my liking. Against my breast, the picture seemed to burn painfully, but I ignored it. I had other matters I had to take care of to worry about a dead woman.

"I still don't understand why he was treated so badly…" The doctor told me when I came back to the living room after searching the office.

"You don't need a reason to torture a powerless child…" I grumbled, patting the boy's hair "Anyway… I didn't find a single evidence in that man's office. Did you learn anything when you talked to his wife?"

"Not much. She is unhappy, but she cannot leave. Where would she go? Apparently, she owes him her life, which is why she agreed to marry him."

"He didn't love her, though… But he needed a wife and a family. That's so common among these people, I want to throw up…" I said, bitterly.

"There isn't a thing we can do, Ogawa. For now, we must find the kid."

"Right…"

"Kasumi-san…" Kotaro-kun tugged on my sleeve "I'm cold…"

"I'll find you a blanket." I told him.

I asked a maid if she could bring us a blanket for the small boy, but she refused, stating that she did not know of a second young master. Before I could punch her, Yosano-sensei, the only one able to calm me down at the moment, said that it was for Yumiko-san. She could not decline anymore.

In the meantime, the woman had woken up. Her right arm was oddly dangling against her body, but she did not seem to mind. Her eyes looked empty as she placed them on me, before suddenly regaining their life. A cry escaped her throat and she began to sob, calling for her lost son. I was unable to contain myself and, as time, Yosano-sensei did not stop me.

"Are you kidding me…?!"

I grabbed her collar and showed her the boy.

"How dare you pretend to care for Sakunosuke-kun when you have another son you never even looked at…?!"

She stayed speechless, agape, as though she wanted to say something… But no sound came out.

"Who are you…?" She finally breathed out "You look like him… But I can see you are not him…"

"He's your son, Kitaro-kun…!!" I yelled at her "What the hell are you saying?!"

I was upset but, inside, I knew she was not lying when she said she did not know him. Thoughts did not lie and could not deceive me. Kitaro-kun held onto my coat, hidden behind me, afraid to show himself, and I understood him all too well. He loved a mother who did not even know of his existence. The woman's face was full of tears as she opened her valid arms and invited the boy for a hug. He did not refuse and pressed himself against her, shoulders shaking as he called his dear mother. My chest burnt again, but I did not pay attention to it. In the end, Kitaro-kun was different from me…

When the both of them finally calmed down, I decided to ask Yumiko-san a few questions.

"The thing is…" She sighed, caressing her son's hair "I am not human…"

It was fortunate that Kitaro-kun had fallen asleep, exhausted by his tears. It was impossible that the person talking to me was anything else but human… But I let her continue.

"Daichi-san, my husband, found me on the verge of death… I originally was a slave. I had been sold by my family for the sake of money… But as I tried to run away, I fell from a rather high balcony and broke my spine, making me lose the use of my four limbs. I was damaged goods and my value dropped so much that I was left to rot, unable to move, in the streets. I was then found…" She told us.

"You were human, back then." Yosano-sensei noted.

"Not anymore… My body was so worthless that I had to go through surgery. I fell asleep and then… Nothing. When I woke up, I could move. I had been given a brand new body, entirely artificial. Only my soul was transferred." She explained "Which is why I do not bleed, you see…"

"How were you able to have kids…?" I frowned, absolutely unconvinced.

"It's complicated… I wasn't pregnant, of course… Instead, we adopted the lovely Sakunosuke-kun… I didn't know he had a twin brother…" She murmured "Although they do not come from me, I love them so dearly… Why would Daichi-san hide Kitaro-kun from me, though…?"

"I'm not sure… We'll have to investigate…"

I took Yosano-sensei apart.

"I don't believe her at all, but she doesn't lie." I said.

"Could you read her thoughts?"

"That's precisely why there is an issue. Had she been a robot, never would I have access to them.." I crossed my arms.

"But her soul remains…"

"Don't tell me you trust something so stupid…?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not!" She scoffed "She seems so naive, it's almost normal she had been deceived…"

"I saw something, once…" I remembered "In my former workplace, when we wanted to… Silence people, we did not necessarily need to kill them. Instead, we would ask for… A mentalist… Is that the correct name…?"

"A mentalist… For his hypnosis skills…?" Her eyes widened "Indeed…! That's exactly how she could believe her story…! She said herself that she didn't remember anything when she fell asleep, before her surgery."

"Mmh." I agreed "Besides, had Taikin-san created something as complex as an android with human soul, he never would have kept it a secret."

"So, we now have new hints; the hidden twin and the mentalist." She summed up "Which doesn't really help us to find Sakunosuke-kun…"

"But it does help us understand Taikin-san. If we dig in his past, maybe we can find more about his enemies." I suggested "Moreover… He knew Ogawa Eirin and seemed to have an affair with her…"

"Even so, her husband cannot take revenge anymore, nor can she. And their daughter surely doesn't care about that." Yosano-sensei noted.

"No, indeed…" I showed her the picture I had found "How weird is it, keeping that in a frame, behind the image of your wife and son?"

"Surely he had his reasons…" She muttered "Let's keep investigating."

"You're right, this has nothing to do with me, anyway…" I sighed.

"Why do you keep that photography, then?"

"No reason…! You can have it if you want…!" I protested and threw it away.

"Often, the truth cannot be seen without love…" She picked it up and replaced it in my inner pocket "Until you find inner peace within yourself, I won't allow you to separate from it."

"You're horrible… I don't need the memento of that woman… I've been in peace ever since they died…" I groaned.

"So you say. Yumiko-san may be under hypnosis, but you are worse than her; you purposely blinded yourself about your past, not to admit you committed a mistake. I don't know what you did, but at least be honest with yourself." She did not sound gentle anymore "When you'll admit that you were loved by your mother, I'll talk to you again. For now, Kunikida will replace me."

I did not know what could be worse for me; Yosano-sensei being angry against me or having Kunikida as a partner for the case.

[rinneganwritings]

Never Far Away; Chapter Twenty Three: You're Lost Little Girl

Word count: 3,254

Summary: Tamako returns to Konoha and finds herself struggling with how to cope.

Warnings: Angst

Masterlist

It was early morning when Tamako arrived in Konoha. She felt so ashamed when she walked through the village gates. It felt like everyone was watching her with curiosity, as if she was some sort of rarity that has never been inside the village. The guards at the gate narrow their eyes at her, and her face is flush when she looks down. Tsunade and Shizune are walking away from her, after a very difficult goodbye. While Tsunade didn’t want to send Tamako home, she knew it would be best for the young woman to be with her sister and her team now.

The walk to the Hokage’s office felt so long, and Tamako just wanted to run away again. She feels like she’s not meant to be here. It’s almost like now people would hate her even more. She figures Sasuke will probably never talk to her again, and she figures he has every reason to feel that way.

Finally, she makes her way into the Hokage’s office and Danzo is the first person to greet her. He’s got a sour look on his face, and he seems like he just wants to spit in Tamako’s face. Tamako barely looks into his eye before he begins scolding her.

“You think chasing after an international terrorist is a good idea? You so desperately wanted to desert your village, and you were almost branded a rogue ninja. Do you have any idea how much embarrassment that is for Konoha?” He’s yelling right at her, but she can barely keep her feelings under control.

Tears are brimming her eyes as she just continues to look down. She doesn’t even know how to respond to him. Her heart is so broken right now, and just returning home is making everything worse.

“If it were up to me, I’d have you--” Danzo is interrupted by Lord Third.

“Thankfully, it is up to me. Danzo, you may take your leave now.” Hiruzen speaks up as he enters the office. Tamako looks up at him with tears in her eyes.

Danzo wants to continue yelling at her, but he knows better than to overstep his boundaries with Hiruzen. It could turn ugly very quickly if he were to get too rough with the young woman. With a final icy glance, Danzo leaves the office and shuts the door behind him.

“Tamako,” Hiruzen says as he sits down. He lights up his pipe and watches the young girl.

“Please forgive me, Lord Third. I was foolish and I wasn’t thinking and you have every right to punish me. I’ve brought so much shame to my clan and to Konoha,” Tamako can’t stop the word vomit that comes forth from her.

Hiruzen sighs as she continues to blabber on. He doesn’t want to make the same mistakes with her as he did with other citizens of Konoha. Sometimes, they tend to defect because they are lacking compassion or love. With Tamako, she just needed a little guidance. He thinks she could learn a lot from her own sister.

“I’d like to tell you a story, if I could.” Hiruzen finally speaks, and Tamako shuts up immediately. She nods and he continues to smoke his pipe.

“Once, long ago, there was a team of three students. They all had different abilities, and they all grew up together. From the outside, it would almost seem like they were the perfect team,” Tamako is very attentive now.

Hiruzen comes closer to her, “There was one of the students who felt like they were alone. They had lost their parents, and felt like they couldn’t handle death any longer. They wanted to make sure that their comrades would never die.”

“Orochimaru,” Tamako responds, and Hiruzen smiles sadly.

“He went too far with his research. He no longer wanted to save his loved ones, he now wanted to have immortality and to know everything.” Hiruzen continues. He places his hand on Tamako’s shoulder and gives a comforting squeeze.

“Orochimaru thought he was alone, even though he had his teammates and the rest of Konoha and even students of his own. He went off by himself because he thought he was above all of that,”

Tamako raises her eyebrow, wondering how this has anything to do with herself. She’s just worried she might be in so much trouble right now, and she’ll never be able to do anything without supervision.

“You and Orochimaru do share some similarities, yet I know that you were not trying to hurt anyone. I know that the loss of Itachi Uchiha has made you suffer, but you need to know that he isn’t the same person anymore.” Tamako lets those words weigh on her.

“Please, I’ll never do anything like that again. Itachi is different.” Tamako pleads, the tears returning.

“I know you won’t. I’d like for you to go home and get a good rest. Once you return to a routine, I’d like for you to start training to become a jounin. If you had a team of your own, I think this would help you.” Hiruzen mentions this, and Tamako can hardly believe what she’s hearing.

“Are you sure?” She asks.

“Yes. Now return home, and get rested up. You’ve got lots of training to catch up on.”

Tamako takes this as her cue to leave the office, and she bows to the Hokage before she exits the office. Her heart is heavy with emotions as she walks down towards her home. She’s not sure if she’d rather have Yumiko be home or not home. It’s just not something that she’s come to terms with yet.

She finds herself torn between relieved and sad when she finds the door locked. It doesn’t take her long to find the spare key under the mat, and she unlocks the door while continuously looking behind her. Tamako is feeling just a little paranoid.

A strong wave of emotions hit her all at once when she finally enters her room. It’s the same as it was the night she left. She lets her bag fall to the ground before collapsing on the bed. It too has not been touched since that night. Tears leak from her eyes as harsh sobs escape from her.

She’s breaking down and nobody is here for her. Nobody is here to console her when she needs it most. She’s blaming herself and thinking about how ridiculously stupid she was to leave the village for Itachi. He didn’t love her anymore, and he probably never even loved her anyways.

When Yumiko returns home with Iruka, she’s a little confused as to why her front door is unlocked. She feels a little apprehensive, until she hears crying coming from Tamako’s bedroom. Iruka gives her a confused look, and they both walk slowly towards the bedroom.

On the bed is Tamako, hitting her pillow and cursing. She’s crying and barely notices Iruka and Yumiko walking into the room. But when Yumiko gasps in surprise, Tamako stops everything and sees her sister for the first time in a long time. Her heart stops breaking for a moment.

“Yumi!” Tamako calls out, sobbing.

Yumiko has tears in her own eyes as she holds onto her baby sister. They both cry a little as Iruka gives them a moment to themselves. He’s happy to see Tamako has returned to the village.

“Yumi, I’m so stupid. I shouldn’t have left the village, can you ever forgive me?!”

Yumiko rubs Tamako’s back soothingly as she tries to shush her sister. It’s so heartbreaking to see Tamako this way. It’s been so long since she’s seen her cry like this.

“You are not stupid, Tamako. Of course I forgive you. You mean so much to me,” Yumiko whispers quietly as Tamako continues crying.

“He never loved me, Yumi. He never loved me. I was an idiot to believe that.” Tamako continues crying, and Yumiko just does everything she can to comfort her.

“Shhh...Tamako, please don’t cry. You don’t need to worry about that anymore,”

Tamako hiccups a few times while she tries to get her breathing under control. She’s sniffling and her eyes are puffy and red. Yumiko chuckles slightly at her pathetic state, and Tamako laughs as well.

“I’m sorry I put you through all of this. It was so stupid of me to assume that Itachi was going to be the same person,”

Yumiko frowns, “Tamako, don’t worry. It’s all over now.”

It was Tamako’s thirteenth birthday. While most of her friends were present, Itachi Uchiha was the only person missing. Yumiko had tried to get in contact with him to come to the party, but she couldn’t reach him no matter how hard she tried. She found it so increasingly annoying seeing as they lived in the same village.

Nevermind that, Yumiko thought. He knows what day it is, he’ll show up.

But as the day continued on, it became apparent that Itachi had just forgotten or was much too busy with the ANBU to even make an appearance. Tamako tried her best to keep up appearances and seem happy, but inside she was breaking down. Yumiko was getting very frustrated by this. She expected that Itachi, of all people, would understand how important it was for Tamako.

When all the guests left, Tamako walked over to the bathroom. She started up the shower, stripped herself of her clothing and got into the warm running water. Tears streamed down her cheeks as the running water kept her sobs quiet. It was hard for her to keep up her facade all day, but she knew she had to pretend to be strong.

Why Itachi never made it was beyond her comprehension. He had been busy with the ANBU and some rising tensions within the Uchiha clan, but she never suspected that he’d miss her birthday. Even Sasuke showed up, but he had no excuse for his older brother.

She sat in the shower, allowing the water to wash away all her pain. It was devastating enough that her best friend and crush didn’t even have any time for her anymore, but for him to completely miss her birthday was almost unforgivable. She wished that Itachi had never joined the ANBU. It seemed so pointless to Tamako.

When Yumiko knocked on the bathroom door, Tamako didn’t answer. She knew her sister would worry, but she also knew that her sister would understand why she wasn’t exactly in the most talkative mood. Yumiko did worry, but she tried to give Tamako all the space she needed.

It was so bittersweet to Yumiko. Her little sister was a teenager now, and she really was starting to grow into a young woman. It seemed like only yesterday she was a little baby in their mother’s arms. Yumiko remembers that day very fondly. But on the other hand, her heart hurts a little for Tamako. Being rejected by someone you love isn’t exactly the best birthday gift to receive.

Finally, Tamako gets the courage to turn off the shower. She slowly dries herself off and gets dressed in her comfiest pair of pajamas. She makes her way towards the living room, where Yumiko is just reading a book and sipping on some tea.

“Yumi,” Tamako says tentatively. Yumiko looks over at her sad little sister.

“Yes, Tamako?”

“Do you think Itachi hates me?”

Yumiko frowns when she hears this, but she opens up her arms to allow Tamako to come snuggle with her on the couch. Tamako lays her head on her sister’s lap while she struggles to not cry once more.

“You know that Itachi doesn’t hate you. He’s just been very busy lately, and I’m sure he’ll make it up to you.”

Tamako looks up at her, “Really?”

Yumiko smiles, “Of course.”

Tamako is feeling very similarly to the way she felt that day. It’s been hours since she’s been home, and Yumiko has been taking pretty good care of her since she got home. Things are a little awkward, but they manage to talk about what’s been going on since they last saw each other.

“I just don’t understand what’s happened with Itachi,” Tamako mutters to herself as they eat dinner that night.

“Tamako,” Yumiko says in a firm tone. Tamako looks at her plate. “I told you not to dwell on that any longer. It’s over now, you are home.”

“But I just---” Yumiko won’t even let her finish.

“I told you to stop it. It won’t bring Itachi back. He’s chosen his own path, it’s time that you move on and do the same!” Yumiko is already regretting raising her voice.

Tamako starts crying once more, “Maybe I should have just stayed gone. Nobody cares that I’m home anyway!”

She runs to her room, locking the door behind herself. As she tumbles onto the bed, she finds the stuffed animal that Itachi bought her years ago. It’s a little worn from the years of love, but she holds it to her chest as she cries herself to sleep.

It’s hours later, and she’s awoken from a terrible nightmare. She keeps dreaming of Itachi ever since he told her he never loved her. That scene keeps playing over and over in her mind. It hurts her so terribly.

She makes her way over to the window, looking up at the moon. It’s bright and beautiful. The perfect backdrop to this melancholic night. Tamako looks everywhere in the night sky for a sign of a crow. If only Itachi would give her a sign that he was lying to her to protect her.

And yet, the moon just stays the same. It’s like it's mocking her. She wants to run away again, but she knows it’s not the right answer. Tamako feels like she’s never going to know what the right answer is when it comes to Itachi.

Yumiko, in her own bed, is tossing and turning as she realizes how tough she had been with Tamako today. She just wants her baby sister to stop worrying about something that cannot be remedied. She wishes that Itachi had never broken her heart like he has. It would just be so much simpler if she had continued to hate him after he left. When Tamako hated Itachi, things were a little easier.

After the years went by, her heart melted and she found herself longing for her first love. It would be sleepless nights and lots of arguments while Yumiko tried to talk sense into Tamako. It wasn’t going to bring back Itachi then and it most definitely would not be bringing him back now.

Yumiko wonders what she could do for her sister to change her view on life, but she worries that there might not be anything she can do. Yumiko has her own life now, and Tamako is going to need to figure out her own as time goes on. Yumiko can no longer baby her. She’s a full grown woman now, and she’s going to have to accept the consequences of life.

The next day, Tamako makes her way into town. It’s awkward because everyone is watching her as if they know what’s happened to her. She tries to seek out Sasuke, but she’s immediately shut down when she finds him.

“How could you think it was a good idea to come talk to me after you left to find Itachi?” Sasuke asks her in a cold voice.

“I-I don’t know, Sasuke. I was a fool to believe he was the same person we knew before.” Tamako offers as an explanation, but he’s not impressed with her. Sasuke frowns.

“You are a fool! I trusted you, and all you do is go find the one person that I completely despise? As far as I’m concerned, you are dead to me now just like everyone else in my clan.”

And this is what fuels Tamako to make her way to the training grounds and begin her jounin training. She’s all by herself, and she’s working herself very hard. She keeps doing the same wind style jutsu over and over again, hoping it’ll make her feel better in the long run.

There’s only one person who’s noticing what’s going on with Tamako right now, and it’s Iruka. He just happened to walk by the training grounds and noticed her working at that same jutsu. He’s worried she’s going to hurt herself or someone else. He knows she’s been in a lot of pain since she’s come home.

When Tamako takes a break, she looks around at all the damage. That’s when she spots Iruka. He gives her a slight wave, and when she doesn’t attack him, he makes his way over to the woman.

“Tamako,” he says to her. She’s looking so angry at the moment, he doesn’t want to say the wrong thing that could set her off.

“Iruka,” she says in a similar tone. They are both at a standstill.

He starts rubbing his hands together nervously as she catches her breath. They are looking at each other for a few moments before Tamako starts to feel a tightening in her chest. The tears come next.

“Iruka, I am an idiot. Nobody cares that I’m home, Yumi hates me and so does Sasuke!” She cries. Iruka is a little flustered by this outburst, but he places his hand on her back. He rubs soothingly.

“Shhh, don’t you worry about those things right now. Nobody hates you,” he says in a calm tone.

“You don’t understand. Everyone hates me. I should have just stayed away from the village.” She continues to worry. He brings her into his arms, enveloping her in a warm and protective hug.

“You need to stop doubting and worrying, Tamako. Everything is going to be just fine,” he starts. She sobs as he tries to give her a pep talk.

“Yumiko does not hate you. She is your sister and she loves you dearly,” Iruka says as he holds Tamako at arm’s length. Tamako chuckles softly with tears still in her eyes.

“I just feel like an idiot around her now. She trusted me and believed in me, and I just threw everything away to be with someone who doesn’t love me.”

“And as for Sasuke, I know he’s hurting...but he will come around eventually. You two have been best friends since you were both children, and I think Sasuke can find it in his heart to forgive you.” Iruka explains. He’s not sure what to say about Itachi, but he wants to say something that will uplift Tamako even more.

“Are you sure? I think he really does hate me now.” Tamako asks, wiping her tears away.

“He’ll most definitely come around. Sasuke is just in a difficult period of his life, and when you ran away, it really affected him.” Iruka is a little glad that she didn’t continue to mention Itachi.

There’s a comfortable silence before Tamako says something else.

“Lord Third says I should train to become a jounin. Do you think I’ve got what it takes?” she asks him, smiling slightly.

Iruka brushes a hair from her face, “Of course you do. I believe in you, Tamako.”

He brings her in for another hug, holding her close as she continues to cry. He doesn’t know what to do that would make her happy, but he knows that he’s going to be here for her every step of the way. She needs guidance now more than ever.

[sourwolf-sterek32]

THIS MEANS WAR (Daryl Dixon x Reader)

Summary: It’s been nearly two years since the war with the Saviours ended. You and Daryl now ran the Sanctuary together and for once life was starting to look good. However, little did you know, your whole world was going to come crashing down around you very soon and there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Jesus’ Twin Sister!Reader

Word Count: 3.7k

Warnings: Blood, guts, language (just usual twd warnings)

Chapter 17- Final Chapter

You managed to pull a jacket off one of the dead Whisperers and tied it around your thigh to try and slow the bleeding. But, there was only so much you could do with the shotgun pellets still lodged inside your thigh.

After collecting your machete from the ground and sheathing your brothers sword, you began to make your way back to the cabin. But, you were really starting to regret leaving your quad bike back at the cabin as you limped through the woods.

You got halfway to the cabin when snow started to fall causing you to frown slightly because the whole point of the Whisperers moving out here during the winter was to get away from the snow, but it was snowing here anyway. If it was snowing out here, you could only imagine how bad it must be snowing back home, but that wasn't your problem at the moment.

Pulling your jacket on tighter you forced yourself to keep moving despite the searing pain piercing through your thigh after every step. You've been shot before, twice actually and it fucking hurts. But, the pellets weren't in too far and it was just your thigh, so as long as you could keep the bleeding down, you knew you would be fine.

By the time you finally made it back to the cabin the snow had started to fall harder and the wind began to pick up. So, you figured it was a good idea to stay inside the cabin until the weather got better because there was no point freezing to death on your quad bike.

*Meanwhile*

Daryl made sure Lydia had something to eat for breakfast at Kingdom while they all waited for the group from Hilltop to arrive. They were bringing their horse carts to help cart the children and elderly from Kingdom safely back to Hilltop.

He kept looking around the community from where he sat with Lydia at a small table while the young girl ate, wondering where Y/N was. She said she'd meet them here, but Carol said she hadn't arrived yet which set alarm bells off in his head.

Y/N was always on time. If she said she'd be somewhere then she was always there and he couldn't shrug the feeling that something bad has happened, but Carol told him to stop worrying. She said that Y/N probably had a lot to do at Hilltop and decided to come with the rest of the group and will be here soon. He hoped Carol was right, but he still couldn't shrug the feeling of something being wrong.

The second the front gates of Kingdom opened he was up on his feet, muttering a small 'stay here' to Lydia before he jogged over to the group closely followed by Carol as his eyes scanned the group, but he couldn't find her.

"Where's Y/N?" Carol spoke up first as she walked over to Magna and Yumiko who were leading the group and Daryl followed, not liking the sudden confused looks on the other two women.

"I thought she was meeting us at Kingdom? She's not here?" Magna questioned, glancing around the area and Carol shook her head. "Shit." Magna sighed, rubbing her face with her hands.

"Where's Y/N?" Lydia's voice suddenly asked and he looked over his shoulder to find the young girl walking towards them. The three other women all dropped their heads and Daryl was starting to get the feeling that they knew something he didn't. "Oh no." Lydia said, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the other women in disbelief.

"'Oh no'? The hells goin' on? What ain't ya tellin' me?" He questioned, a little louder than he probably should have, catching Michonne, Ezekiel and Aaron's attention as they began to walk over to them.

"She went after Alpha." Yumiko answered and his head quickly snapped around towards her in pure shock. Y/N did what? No, she wouldn't try go after the Whisperers, especially not Alpha. She wouldn't do that, not without telling him. It didn't make any sense.

"She did what?" Michonne questioned in shock and Daryl didn't even realise she had joined them, but glad she did because he couldn't find the words to speak right now as he began to pace left and right, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Nah, she wouldn't do that without tellin' me." He muttered, biting his thumb nail as he stared at the ground while pacing.

"She didn't tell you because she didn't want to put you in danger." Carol began to say as he lifted his head to stare at her in shock. She knew about this too?

"She couldn't live with it. The pikes were the last straw and even if Alpha didn't do that, it wouldn't have mattered. They killed Jesus. They killed her twin brother, we all knew she wouldn't let this go. She asked us to help her." Carol said motioning towards Magna and Yumiko who both nodded.

"We helped her. We trapped the Whisperers herd, they're all stuck inside a quarry and they can't get out... But, Y/N went after Alpha by herself, she wouldn't let us help her." Yumiko explained and Daryl stared at her for a moment as he tried to process everything they were telling him.

"Ya sayin' that ya let her go off against Alpha 'n the rest of her people alone!" He shouted, taking a step towards the three of them in anger before Aaron suddenly grabbed his shoulders and held him back.

"Once Y/N has her mind set on something, there's no stopping her. You know that better than anyone." The other man said and Daryl sighed, rubbing his face with his hands because he was right. Y/N was too damn stubborn and persistent to let someone stop her. If she wanted to do something then she was going to do it, end of story.

"This doesn't mean anything. Maybe she just ran out of fuel on her bike and she's waiting for us back at Hilltop?" Ezekiel spoke up for the first time and everyone nodded in agreement, but Daryl couldn't help the sinking feeling he had in his stomach at the idea of Y/N being out there alone, against the Whisperers.

"Ya better be right." He muttered, glaring at the group of them before he stormed off, knowing that if he stayed there talking to them he end up lashing at one of them.

-

You stayed the night at the cabin, making a small fire in the fireplace to keep warm and by late afternoon the snow storm died down enough for you to hit the road again. You continued to ride through the following night easily enough with the light bar you had hooked up to the front of the quad bike that lit up the area in front of you like it was daylight.

It was early morning when you finally spotted Alexandra's walls in the distance. The snow was a lot thicker now, but your quad could easily handle the snowy roads, luckily because walking all this way with your leg was not an option.

There were a few people out the front of the community shoveling snow out the way of the gate while another used a broom to dust the snow off the sign on the wall.

You didn't recognise the people out the front or the man standing on guard duty, but they must have recognised you by their happy smiles and waves as you nodded back to them. You didn't even have to say anything before the man on guard duty opened the gate and you rode through, parking your quad by the wall and flicking the engine off just as a dogs bark filled the air.

"Dog, no!" Judith's voice yelled and you turned around spotting Dog racing towards you with Judith running after him in panic until she saw you sitting on the bike and her face broke out in a giant smile.

"Hey, boy." You chuckled, patting Dog as he jumped up against your quad bike trying to lick you as you patted him. "Thank you for looking after him." You said, looking over at Judith as she reached your side. Her cheeks were red from the cold, but she was layered from head to toe in warm clothes so that was a relief.

"Your bleeding." Judith gasped, her hand reaching out towards your thigh before she pulled away not wanting to touch the bloodied cloth you had wrapped around it in case she hurt you. "Come on, you need to see Siddiq." She insisted and you just nodded not wanting to argue with the girl as you grabbed your bow and threw it over your shoulder before carefully climbing off the bike.

Your leg nearly buckled from underneath you when you put pressure on it, but Judith was right there beside you, her hands grabbing your stomach to stop you from tumbling to the ground. It took a few seconds, but you eventually got your balance and began limping towards the infirmary while Judith held your hand, not wanting you to fall over.

"Aunt Y/N's hurt." She shouted, pushing the door open, her small hand still holding yours tightly and you looked around the room shocked to find Negan sitting on one of the beds while Siddiq stitched a wound on his thigh. It's been over six years since you last saw Negan and how the hell did he hurt himself while inside the cell?

"What?" Siddiq questioned, quickly turning around on his chair as he looked away from Negan to find you and Judith standing in the doorway. His eyes instantly flew down to your thigh where the bloodied cloth was tied and his eyes went wide in shock.

"Well shit, that doesn't look good." Negan commented causing you to glare at him.

"Language." Judith warned and you couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped your lips watching as Negan raised his hands slightly in an apologetic surrender. Well, she was the boss of him these days. A lot has a definitely changed in six years.

"I'm fine, finish fixing his sorry ass. I'm just gonna sit down." You said, limping over to one of the chairs across the room and Judith followed, sitting down on the chair beside you while Siddiq eyed you with a questioning look.

"I'm alright, it's not the first time I've been shot." You reassured, glancing over at Negan when you said the last part causing the grin on his face to disappear as he thought back to the line up. How you tried stopping Dwight from taking Daryl and Negan shot you, point blank. He damn near killed you. You should have died, you couldn't even figure out how you survived, but you did.

While Siddiq finished stitching up Negans thigh they explained to you what happened last night and how Judith went after Dog in the snow storm and Negan went after her. You were kinda torn between wanting to thank Negan for saving them, but wanting to punch the guy for everything he had ever done, so you just chose not to do anything, but nod to indicate that you heard them.

"Hey, Ezekiel just radioed through from Hilltop, they all made it safely, but they wanted to know if Y/N was here, but-" Rosita's voice began to say and you looked up to find her walking through the front door with baby Paul in her arms, but the second she spotted you she stopped talking and sighed with relief.

"They said you went after the Whisperers... That's why you wanted the explosives, right? Holy shit, they think you're dead. Daryl and Lydia think you're dead!" Rosita exclaimed as she rushed over to you and leant down pulling you into a hug being careful of Paul and her baby bump that was fairly pronounced now, but you hugged her back.

"Yeah, that's why I couldn't tell you what the explosives were for." You answered as she pulled away and you gently took Paul from her arms as you rested him on your lap smiling as he babbled happily. "Can you go tell them over the radio that I'm alive?" You asked and Rosita nodded.

"Daryl and the others are on their way back already, but I'll radio the others. Judith come with me, Y/N needs to rest." She said and Judith quickly jumped from her chair and followed her out the room before you turned your attention back to your son sitting on your lap as you adjusted the small blue beanie on his head.

A few minutes later Siddiq began unwrapping the cloth around your thigh while you cradled Paul to your chest who was slowly starting to fall asleep. Siddiq ended up cutting a large whole in your jeans around the shotgun wound, since you wouldn't be able to pull your jeans down without bumping the wound.

"There's 12 pellets stuck in your thigh." Siddiq stated, cringing slightly as he stared at your bloodied skin covered in small silver pellets. You could feel Negan watching you from the other side of the room, but to your relief he stayed quiet while you tried to focus on Paul who's head was resting against your shoulder as you held him against your chest, fast asleep.

"I'm sorry, but this will hurt." The doctor warned, grabbing a pair of tweezers as he glanced between you and your bloodied thigh and you just nodded before he began to fish out the pellets one at a time.

You ended up biting the collar of your jacket to stop yourself from making any noise as Siddiq carefully plucked the pellets from your skin and dropped them in the steel bucket by his feet.

"You went after them alone? You got some serious balls, Y/N." Negan stated and you glanced away from your bloodied thigh over at Negan who was still sitting on the other bed with his injured leg propped up on a couple of pillows.

"They needed to be killed." You simply answered trying to keep your anger in check. They were dead, you killed them and you thought that it would make things easier, that it would make you feel better. It did make you feel better, knowing that they couldn't hurt any more people, but it didn't bring your brother back.

"You killed all of them? There's no more Whisperers?" Siddiq asked, stopping what he was doing and looking up at you with a hint of hope flashing across his eyes and you just nodded. "Thank God." The doctor sighed as he continued to pull the pellets out slowly.

You sat there, biting into the collar of your jacket, trying your best not to scream every time Siddiq pulled a pellet out. Your entire thigh burned in pain as you squeezed your eyes shut trying to stop the tears of pain falling from your eyes. You were not going to cry, not in front of Negan.

It felt like hours, but was probably only a few minutes before Siddiq finally got the last shotgun pellet out before he cleaned all the wounds and wrapped your thigh in thick bandages. He instructed you to just sit down for a while and give the painkillers some time to kick in before you got up and started walking. You reluctantly agreed as you gently stroked Paul's back who was still asleep against your chest as you sat there.

Siddiq left the room a few minutes later to go check on the rest of the community after the snow storm, leaving you and Negan alone in the infirmary. You didn't bother saying anything to the other man, it was years ago when the war with the Saviours started and you wanted to kill him back then. Hell, a part of you still wants to kill him now, but he saved Judith's life. He saved Rick's little girl and that was something you weren't going to forget.

"We never got to talk after everything went down, but I'm sorry." Negan began to say and you looked over at him to find already looking at you. "I know it doesn't change anything, but I didn't mean to shoot you that day. You just jumped up out of nowhere trying to get to Daryl and I panicked."

"I know." You replied, clearly catching Negan off guard as he stared at you in confusion. "I saw the look on your face after you pulled the trigger. You were almost as shocked as I was. But, I still hate you. Not for shooting me, but for what you and your men did to Daryl, I won't ever forgive you for hurting my husband or killing Glenn and Abraham... but, thank you for saving Judith." You said sincerely because you meant that. If you had lost Judith after everything that had happened... you couldn't even think about that.

"That's fair enough." He answered with a nod before the door to the infirmary opened and Judith ran inside.

"They're back!" She shouted in pure joy and you sighed with relief and stood up, wincing slightly as you put pressure on your bad leg. You adjusted your hold on Paul before following Judith outside, just in time to see the front gate open and the group walked in.

You instantly spotted Daryl wearing his poncho with his head lowered before Aaron spotted you limping down the snow filled street and he quickly bumped Daryl's shoulder and pointed towards you.

Daryl looked up in confusion, not sure what the other man wanted him to see before his eyes landed on you and froze for a split second before he sprinted towards you.

Neither of you said anything as Daryl reached your side, crashing your lips together as he kissed you before he wrapped his arms around you and hugged you tightly, being mindful of Paul still asleep against your chest as you hugged him back with your free arm.

"I thought ya were dead. Don't ever do that again. Don't ya ever do anythin' like that again, ya hear me?" Daryl repeated, pulling away slightly as silent tears fell down his cheeks and you just nodded staring at him through teary eyes.

"I'm sorry." You whispered, but Daryl just shook his head as he wrapped his arm back around you and you held you against his chest. "I couldn't let them get away with what they did... I just couldn't..." You trailed off unable to finish your sentence as tears began to fall down your cheeks and Daryl just hugged you tighter as he kissed the top of your head.

"I know, baby. I know." He replied, as you pulled away slightly and Daryl leant down and kissed Paul's head before you spotted Lydia walking towards you slowly with teary eyes, clearly thinking you were dead too.

"Come here." You said holding your arm out and Lydia immediately ran over to the two of you as you pulled the young girl into a tight hug and Daryl wrapped his arms around the two of you, holding you both.

"Y/N, what happened? Did you kill them?" Michonne's voice questioned a few seconds later and you pulled away from the two of them and looked up to find Michonne and the others all walking over to you.

"Yeah, they're all dead. Her herd is stuck inside a quarry, they can't get out. The Whisperers won't be bothering us ever again." You explained and to your surprise everyone began to cheer causing you to chuckle slightly as Daryl kissed the side of your head, his arm still wrapped over your shoulders.

"Mommy." Judith's voice called and you watched as she turned around and rushed over to her daughter and pulled her into a tight hug. You smiled watching the two of them before she spotted RJ a few metres away playing in the snow.

"Little ass-kicker." Daryl suddenly called out and you glanced over at him just in time to find him bending down and grabbing a ball of snow before he stood back up and threw the snowball in the little girls direction. The snowball hit the ground by her feet and you knew Daryl missed on purpose causing Judith to squeal as she copied what he did and threw a snowball towards him.

"Snowball fight!" Aaron's voice suddenly shouted and you watched as him and Daryl began making snowballs while Judith, RJ and Michonne began ganging up on the two of them, throwing snowballs in their direction causing you and Lydia to laugh.

"I think Daryl and Aaron need backup." You commented, glancing over at Lydia who's eyes lit up at the idea, a small smile forming on the young girls lips as you nodded towards the group and she quickly joined in.

Suddenly, Paul began to squirm in your arms and you looked down realising that he was now awake. You smiled sitting him up against the side of your hip as he pointed towards Daryl and Lydia standing side by side taking turns throwing snowballs at RJ and Judith who were doing the same thing.

"Who's going to win?" You asked, looking down at your baby boy who cooed happily, kicking his little legs out in enjoyment as Daryl copped a snowball in the back from RJ causing you to chuckle as you watched the group laughing and playing.

Your brother would have loved this. He would have loved meeting Lydia and your baby boy. He would have loved to be here fighting with snowballs beside Daryl and Aaron, surrounded by the people you loved. He would have loved to see this, but deep down you knew he could. You never truly lose the people that you love, even to death. They're still here with you and you knew Paul would be happy watching this.

"Hey, the war's over. Come have some fun." Michonne said and you looked over to find her standing beside you, holding out a snowball in her hand causing you to grin. You took the snowball with your free hand, glancing down at Paul in your other arm before you looked over at the group and joined in.

-

THE END

-

A/N- Link in bio for Masterlist. I will reblog with my Daryl Dixon Tag List, if you want to be added to the list, just comment below. 

Well that’s it. This fic has come to an end and i really hope you guys liked my own version of the Whisper arc, i wrote this all before the trailer for Season 10 aired, so i had no idea what was going to happen during that season. But, i enjoyed creating my own ending and i hope you all did too. 

I would love to hear your thoughts about this fic below, i know it hasn’t got as much attention as my other fics, but i still enjoyed writing. Anyway, i will posting a small preview to my next fic soon, so stay tuned guys. 

Until next time, stay safe everyone and have a great day xx

[imagine-that-r6s]

50/50 [Thermite (Jordan Trace) x Reader]

(Hi! A little A/N before the story! I know the Rainbow fan population here is short, but I do take requests! I will post the prompt list I took for this one. I will write for any operator! I will do all and any request, for the prompt list, please put the genre (Misc, angst, fluff) as a letter (M,A,F) and the number)

Doc and Maverick anons: I’ll have your requests posted within the next couple of days, sorry for the wait!

Pairing: Thermite x Reader

Warnings: Swearing, minor talk about death 

Genre/Word Count: Fluff (mild angst near the end)/1.3k

You had joined Team Rainbow about 3 years ago. You were a smart, and a natural born leader. You were also a practical joker, playing small, harmless pranks on each and every operator. Even the stern Taina had a laughing fit over your pranks. So you’d think the other childish person of Team Rainbow would get along with you right? Nope. WRONG. Jordan disliked you. But you never understood why. You thought you had started on good terms with the Texan.

Whenever he was assigned to the same practice groups, he would be the one to call you into the wrong hallway, leading to your early elimination and negative report. You were starting to get pissed off. Last week was the fourth time in a row he had done it, you were getting sick of his behavior. This week, you wouldn’t listen to him.

You chose to start off in a different segment of the training map. You stuck with Erik, the quieter one of the hard breachers. The two of you worked closely, eliminating the other practice team rather quickly. It had boiled down to a 2v1. Sadly, your companion had sprung a trap, forcing him to move to the spectators group. It was now down to you and Thermite. You groaned when he shot you a smug smile. 

“Looks like it’s just me and you, let’s hope I get the final kill.” 

“No. Also, I think in a second it’ll just be me left.”

He narrowed his eyes as you both kept moving, “What do you me-” His eyes widened as he spotted the trap he had triggered, signalling the last enemy of your positions. Without practically any effort, you aimed and perfectly shot the ball of paint at their head, ending your practice with a victory. Jordan looked up at you with angry eyes. You smirked and quickly bounded down the stairs to the open area. You ignored the angry call of your name as you regrouped with Maverick. You made small talk with him as you left the practice room.

At meal time, you sat next to Maverick. Surprisingly, you two got along very well, he had never laughed so hard with anyone else. And you had never had anyone stick around as long as he did while you endlessly told shitty puns and dad jokes. You ate while Erik told of a story from his childhood, but had paused to lean down to your ear, “I think someone’s a little jealous.”

He shifted his eyes toward Jordan's direction. Jordan was seated with Emmanuelle and Yumiko. He was glaring at the two of you, but mostly at the taller man seated to your left. “Him? No, he hates me. Hated me since day 1.” “What about you then, I swear sometimes I see you staring at him in wonder.”

Blood rushed to your face as you stuttered to defend yourself, “Yeah, wondering how he’s such a dumbass!” In all honesty, you did have a small crush on Jordan. He was very cute, and the rivalry had caused intrigue. But you didn’t think anything could happen between the both of you.

 At the other table, Jordan watched as Erik had leaned down, brushing his hand to move your hair back so you could hear him better. Yumiko watched as his hands tightened significantly around his fork, “Jordan, what’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Oh no it’s just… those two have been getting awfully close lately.”

“Does our little Jordan have a crush?” 

Emmanuelle chuckled at the thought, teasingly pinching the grown man’s cheek. He slapped her hand away, “I do NOT have a crush on that gremlin!” 

“Oh yeah, sure, yeah no, of course not.” She winked at Yumiko, which fueled Jordan’s statement of denial. For a while he was distracted, until he heard a loud laughter protruding from your table. Erik had caused you to laugh, making water come out from your nose, causing Erik to snort, which made you laugh even harder. 

Without another word, he slammed his fist onto the table and got up, chucking the uneaten food in the garbage before leaving. He let the heavy door hit the wall. The laughter from you and Erik ceased, “See? He’s jealous.” 

You shook your head and finished your meal. As you walked back to your room, the thought lingered on your mind, ‘Does Jordan like me too?’ You sat in bed, thinking over things

 “Why do I like him if he hates me?” 

For the rest of the day, you just slept. By the time you opened your eyes it was pitch black outside, and the clock next to you read 11:43 PM. You certainly weren’t going to sleep for the rest of the night.  

You changed into more comfortable clothes and headed out, spotting the room you searched for. You questioned your own thought process, but at the same time, it seemed perfect. Prank Jordan so he hates you even more so in turn you learn to dislike him too. But as you stood outside his room, you were hesitant. 

You took a deep breath and stepped in. His light snores let you know he was sleeping soundly. You tiptoed around, holding your breath as you grabbed the slim object. A practically fatal mistake. A beefy, bandaged hand held on tightly to your wrist. With a sheepish smile, you tilted your head to the right, “Oh hey buddy… I was just… making sure your alarm works!”

You tugged your arm back, but Jordan seemed to panic as the screen turned on, faced away from you. He sat up, yanking your wrist with one hand as he grabbed his phone with the other, “What the hell were you trying to do?”

“Uhh… find and send an embarrassing picture or screenshot on your phone to the group chat.”

“Fuck off.”

You huffed and stuck out your hand, “You’re right Jordan, I am very irresponsible and my pranks are childish. I swear I won’t try this stuff on you again. I know I should’ve respected your privacy, and shouldn’t have woken you up, because sleep is very important.”

He looked at you in disbelief, but too tired to care, he shook your hand. “I’m glad we have an understan-”

You moved down, gripping on his forearm and yanked him down as you threw your legs over and around his neck, making him fall forward. You snatched the phone back as you sat comfortably on his bed, while he desperately tried to pull your legs away from his throat.

“Like that move? Taina showed me how to do it!” You said cheerfully, looking down as you turned on the phone. What you saw made you pause, and release your tight grip on the poor hard-breacher. 

“Am… Am I your lockscreen?”

“You weren’t supposed to see that.” He rubbed at his throat while you examined the picture. It was you. It was the end of your first mission 3 years ago. After a victory, you had all gone out to eat. In the photo, you had several sauces covering your chin and lips, a sneaky picture. You looked like a 4 year old as you looked around the table in shock, being around so many people you looked up too. Including him. 

“Jordan… why do you hate me?” 

“I don’t. I just didn’t want to get close.”

“Why?”

“I didn’t want to risk losing you. You know what happens to people like us in these fields. Every mission is a 50/50 chance of living to see the next day.”

You helped Jordan up from the floor, “I like you too Jordan. And maybe if we went on more missions together, we could protect one another…”

He smiled down at you. “Yeah, I think that’ll work.” 

You tossed the phone on the bedside table. He laid down and dragged you with him by curling his arms around your waist. That night, you slept comfortably. In the morning, you still sent that embarrassing screenshot to the chat.