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paper rings

"HEY."

Iris jumps a little, startled by the sudden voice. She had been lost in thought, staring out through the holes in the fence. Glenn had once mentioned that it was peaceful to look out into the quiet horizon, but this was the first time that she truly understood what he meant. Rick was leaning on the doorway that led back inside the prison, giving her a soft smile.

"Hey." Iris replies, turning around to face her brother. "Didn't hear you come up."

"Just wanted to check on you." Rick pushes away from the doorway and looks through the fence.

Iris smiles, blowing out a puff of air. "I'm alright. I was more worried about you."

"I'm- I'm doing better." Rick answers. There was something familiar in the air between the two of them, an understanding like they shared a secret language that didn't really require words. From the way he massages his temples, Iris can tell that he was still struggling with the ghosts of his past, though the mysterious supply run with Carl and Michonne had seemed to mostly snap him out of it. "I see you made up with Glenn."

Iris' face flushes from the memories of her rather electric reunion with Glenn yesterday, but she forces herself to keep a straight face. She looks past Rick and glances into the room that Glenn had pulled her into as he planted kisses all over her body before clearing her throat and blinking. "Yeah. We just needed a talk and we figured out that we both wanted the same thing really."

"Mhm." Rick replies, and the smirk on his lips makes Iris' eyes roll. "How's parenthood suiting you?"

Iris chuckles, the lines on her forehead becoming more pronounced with amusement. "Good. I always wanted to be a mom, you know. I always expected there would be a baby involved, but I'll take it."

"That kid is lucky." Rick tells her. Iris feels her heart skip a beat at his approval, the casual acceptance of Bonnie making her feel warm. "To have you and Glenn as her new parents? She's either gonna be the kindest or the most stubborn kid in the world."

"Maybe both." Iris retorts, crossing her arms as she leans against the fence. "Are we really going to war?"

Rick shrugs, looking out into the distance like he was in gentle contemplation. "Maybe we don't have to be. That's what I came here to talk to you about. Come on."

He turns around and tilts his head, inclining Iris to follow him. Curious, Iris starts after her older brother right away, following him as he makes his way down the stairs and into the courtyard below. "Where are we going?"

Rick doesn't turn around, but he does speak in a serious, gruff voice. "The Governor offered me a deal. I wanted to talk it out with you and Daryl and Hershel. Just you three for the moment."

Through her confused frown, Iris looks up to see Daryl and Hershel already waiting in the courtyard, leaning against the wall of the prison. The two of them perk up when they see Iris and Rick approach, and as she got closer, Iris could see that the two men were equally puzzled.

"Rick? What's going on?" Hershel asks, shifting his weight against his crutches with an air of concern.

"Look." Rick starts, holding out his hand authoritatively before pulling back, sighing like he couldn't force his words out. "The Governor wants us to trade Michonne for the promise of peace."

Iris' eyes widened, and it only took one glance at Daryl to see that even the archer looked uncomfortable. "Trade Michonne? What, you'd just hand her over?"

"I don't know, okay?" Rick replies strenuously. "All I know is that he wants her."

"To do what with her?" Daryl questions. Iris couldn't help but imagine all of the horrible things that would befall Michonne if they handed her over, mixing her own experiences with the thought of terrible new ones, making her shiver involuntarily.

Rick catches her moment of hesitation, because he sighs heavily and stares at Daryl, avoiding the question. "It's the only way. No one else knows."

"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl asks.

Rick shakes his head. "Not 'till after."

Knowing that she had to keep it a secret made Iris feel even worse about the whole situation. Without even having to ask him, Iris knew that Glenn would be against this plan: he didn't leave the innocent behind, and Michonne was a good person who had helped save them from the claws of the very person Rick wanted to sell her out to. She had only just repaired things with Glenn and the last thing she wanted to do was keep a secret from him.

"We have to do it today. It has to be quiet." Rick adds, but he had a guilty expression on his face.

Daryl had a straight face, and Iris couldn't tell exactly where his thoughts were, but he looked back up at Rick. "You got a plan?"

Rick swallows thickly, moving his head around in discomfort. "We tell her we need to talk. Away from the others."

"I don't feel right about this." Iris crosses her arms as a sudden chill envelopes her.She trusted Rick and his judgement implicitly, but she couldn't ignore her thumping heart screaming at her to try and find another solution. "There's gotta be another way."

"Just ain't us, man." Daryl says, shaking his head.

Hershel puts his crutch on the ground. "No. No, it isn't." He stares at Rick one last time before he walks away, slowly making his way back inside the prison. His absence only made the tension grow.

Before either of them could say anything else, Rick stands between the two of them, shooting them a pleading look. "We do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies. We protect our own."

It takes a moment for Daryl to respond, but he finally nods, not quite meeting Rick's gaze. "Alright."

"Iris?" Rick asks, turning to her.

Iris sucks on her cheek. Something felt incredibly wrong about the whole situation, and no matter how hard she tried, no other solution for peace came to mind. It was between peace and war, and she had to think about her family. About Glenn and Bonnie. About Rick, Carl and Judith. About Maggie and Daryl and Hershel and Carol and Beth. "If there's no other way..."

"There isn't." Rick replies. He still looked guilty, which was enough to give Iris hope that if there was another way to go about it, Rick would take it. His voice turns even more serious as he looks at Daryl. "We need someone else."

Iris picks up on Rick's subtext immediately. Merle Dixon.

Daryl licks his lips in discontent. "I'll talk to him."

But Rick shakes his head. "I'll do it."

"I sure as hell ain't doing it." Iris mutters. No matter how much Daryl defended him, she would never be happy with the fact that Merle was part of their group now, and she had silently agreed with herself to never interact with him if she could help it.

"I'll go with you." Daryl offers.

"No. Just me." Rick pats Daryl's shoulder in thanks, and he moves away back into the prison, tracing the footsteps of Hershel who had taken the same journey mere minutes ago, leaving Iris and Daryl alone.

Iris sighs, uncrossing her arms as she takes a step forward. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I, Princess." Daryl mutters back to her, and it's the last thing Iris hears as she makes her way inside. The warmth blasts her straight away despite the fact they had no access to the central heating system, and it was enough to make her want to take her jacket off, even though winter was steadily on its way once again.

She jogs down the stairs and opens the unlocked bar doors that led to Cell Block C, shrugging her used denim jacket off of her shoulders on her way to her cell.

Her thoughts were occupied by Rick's proposition — though it seemed he had already made his decision by the time he had told them. Michonne had helped them when they needed it, bringing the formula back home and taking their group to Woodbury. Without her, Iris and Glenn would still be in the Governor's clutches and she would have never had the chance to rescue Bonnie.

The anxiety swirled around in her stomach the more she thought about it.

In honesty, Iris didn't think Rick would go through with it. She certainly hoped that he wouldn't go through with it. She was afraid that she hadn't spoken up enough to make Rick second guess his decision. She would have to find him later.

As she gets closer to her cell block, the soft sound of giggling pulls her out of her own mind. It was a mix of two different people's laughter: one high pitched and childlike, the other lower and breathy. It was coming from her cell, Iris realises, and it sounded like the perfect symphony of notes that was now her favourite song. She smiles to herself.

She listened to the chorus of laughter for a second longer before she appeared in the doorway. Glenn and Bonnie were huddled over on the floor, but as soon as she makes even the quietest sound, Glenn stands up. There was a tiny thump that Iris couldn't distinguish, but before she could question it, Bonnie was bounding over to her.

"Iris!"

Like she usually did in greeting, Bonnie leapt over to her and grabbed ahold of her hand, dragging her into the tiny cell. Now Bonnie was going to be staying with them, sleeping on the top bunk of their room wouldn't do, so she may have to arrange it so that Bonnie shared a cell with baby Judith, especially as both girls got older. It was a tight squeeze, but Bonnie arranged it so that the three of them were sitting in a circle together on the floor.

"Hello." Glenn murmurs when she takes a seat beside him.

Iris grins and leans into his side, kissing his cheek. "Hey, there. Talked to Rick."

"You did?" Glenn asks, tilting his head. "What'd he say?"

Iris hesitates, running her tongue over the bottom of her teeth. Rick didn't want her to tell anyone about his plan with Michonne, but Glenn was supposed to be the person she could tell anything to. In the end she just said: "He's just preparing, I think."

Glenn nods. "We're gonna try and sort out the walkers in the field later. Or use it to our advantage somehow against Woodbury. If it comes to it."

If it comes to it.

Iris sighs, wrapping her arms around her knees. "That's good."

Bonnie got impatient by their quiet adult chatter because she plants herself directly between them, holding her rag doll by the hand. "Abigail wants to play teatime."

Glenn raises an overly dramatic eyebrow, taking Bonnie by the waist and pulling her onto his lap, making the little girl laugh hysterically. "Does she now? How does Abigail take her tea?"

Bonnie was squealing with laughter as Glenn tickled her, only just getting one single word out through her gulps. "Hot!"

With one single swoop, Glenn sets Bonnie down on the ground and holds an imaginary teapot, pretending to pour it into a cup and handing it to the doll. He puts on a fancy British accent, holding his pinky finger out. "This tea is positively piping hot!"

Iris holds a hand to her heart as she watches Glenn and Bonnie exchange words back and forth, enriching Bonnie's imagination as they feed Abigail imaginary tea.

He is going to make a great father.

𖤓𖤓𖤓

Glenn decides to make the most of the momentary peace in the courtyard, trying to get some order back in the space. During the battle with the Governor, the place had ended up trashed and full of bullet casings, turning what was once the closest they had to a nice garden into something that resembled more of a trash yard.

He picks up one of the wooden palettes with both hands, pushing it upwards until it rests against the wall. His muscles were aching from the effort, but he didn't let up. It was the best thing he could think to do to help, at least until Rick decided to share whatever plan he was building against the Governor.

A clean space had always done wonders for his overactive mind, and he especially needed distraction today. His mind was consumed by the conversation he had with Rick the night before, his blessing meant that he could pop the question at any moment. Glenn had never once doubted Iris' love for him, but the irrational part of his mind was going through all of the things that could go wrong. She could laugh at him, say no. She could say that the idea of marriage in the apocalypse was stupid and that she didn't want to be his wife.

The more logical part of him knew that she would be over the moon.

Glenn kneels down to pick up a couple of shell casings. It wasn't only to quiet his racing mind, Glenn also wanted to recreate the safe space outside that the kids could play in. He didn't want them to be stuck in doors all day with no sun, and as much as he loves playing teatime with Bonnie, she needed space to run around in as well.

He had adapted to this whole dad business so much faster than he ever thought he could.

There was a broken bit of the metal fence laid out on the ground, and Glenn reached down for it, intending to put it back in its rightful place. It was heavier than he expected, and it almost dropped right back on the ground. Glenn braces himself for the thump, but it never comes.

Glenn makes a noise of surprise when he turns his head to find Daryl beside him, holding his hands out as he catches the large piece of metal. Silently, the two of them pushed it against the wall until they were sure it wouldn't fall down again. Glenn sighs and wipes his hands clean of dirt. Daryl hadn't spoken to him much since he had returned with Merle — though he wasn't sure if that was because he hadn't had time or because he still felt guilty.

He assumed that Iris had told Daryl about his fight with Merle in the visitor's block and that was part of the reason that Daryl was avoiding him. Iris and Daryl had always been close, Glenn guessed it was because they were so similar in nature, and even after fighting on the side of the road they had made up quickly. Daryl was like Iris' second brother, and she would want him to hear Daryl out.

After all, Daryl was so much more than Merle Dixon could ever wish to be.

"Hey." Daryl finally says, and it was obvious from the quiet tone of his voice and the way he didn't look up that he was feeling uncomfortable. "You seen Merle around?"

Glenn shoots him a look that says really?

Daryl clears his throat and looks away for a moment, staring at a vague point in the horizon. Glenn's bruises had almost healed completely at this point, making Iris' scar the only physical evidence of their assault, but that didn't stop him from dreaming about it every single night since.

"He say he was sorry yet? Cause he is." Daryl adds, and something in his voice makes Glenn turn to look at him. Daryl was staring at him already, with a desperate plea in his eyes that makes him seem so much more vulnerable than he's used to.

Glenn had forgotten what it was like way back at the Quarry after months of being on the road with Daryl, but as he looked at him now, all he saw was a little brother who wanted to make things work.

"He's gonna make it right. I'm gonna make him." Daryl continues, despite Glenn's silence. "There's got to be a way. Just needs to be a little forgiveness is all. It wasn't Merle that gave her that scar. I was worried 'bout it for a second."

"I know it wasn't him." Glenn sighs and runs a hand through his messy hair. "I understand what you're trying to do. But he tied me to a chair, beat me, and threw a walker in the room. And I'm sure I would be able to call it even now he's been cast aside by the Governor, but he's the reason that Iris was forced to look that man in the eye as he dragged that knife down her face. He humiliated her, and I care more about her than I care about me."

Despite it all, Daryl smiles. "I know you do. I spoke to Iris, and I think she'll understand, too. Please. Just one more chance."

Daryl looked so affected by the idea of Merle getting rejected from the prison that Glenn couldn't help but sigh. "Okay. But when I say one more chance..."

"I get it." Daryl replies, giving Glenn a nod of respect. "I appreciate it, brother."

He'd never called Glenn that before.

The moment felt oddly tender, almost uncharacteristic for the gruff archer. Glenn had seen glimpses of his softer demeanour, usually with Carol or Iris when he thought no one else was watching. The thought that Daryl thought of him as family made him smile and almost forget all of the animosity that had been building since Woodbury.

Daryl was still staring at him like he could sense something was on his mind. Glenn debates it internally for a second before his mouth starts moving on its own.

"You like Iris, right?"

Daryl raises an eyebrow, looking at Glenn like he had two heads. "When she's not driving me up the wall, yeah."

Glenn chuckles absentmindedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet, his limbs riddled with anxiety. "So you know what she likes, right?"

"I guess." Daryl replies, shrugging. He never liked it when people called out his close relationships with others, and it always made him revert into himself even more. But this was important.

"I wanna marry her." Glenn blurts out. That was enough to make Daryl look up in shock, maybe at the statement itself or at the fact Glenn was telling him before he'd even asked Iris. Glenn scrambles to reach inside his pocket. "I know it sounds crazy, it's not like theres any churches or anything, but-"

He glances around the courtyard to make sure no one was watching them, and he opens the box. The two rings looked just as beautiful as they had when he'd first found them, glimmering silver against the light of the sun.

"I found these in one of the houses back on the road." Glenn tells Daryl, snapping the box shut and shoving it back in his pocket. He looks at Daryl sheepishly. "I guess I'm kinda nervous about it. What if she doesn't like it?"

The corners of Daryl's lips upturn, and he pats Glenn on the shoulder. "She's gonna love it. She'd say yes even if you offered her paper rings, man. She loves you, she's gonna wanna marry you."

Glenn feels his cheeks flush at Daryl's words. The thought of him proposing to Iris with handmade paper rings and her saying yes with all of the excitement of a real ring made his heart feel warm. "You think?"

"Hell, yeah. That girl was born to be a bride." Daryl says, still smiling softly. "She's gonna say yes, and we'll all shed tears at your wedding."

Glenn beams.

𖤓𖤓𖤓

"Rick!"

Iris pants as she catches up to her older brother, seeing him out by the fence. He turns around when he hears her call his name, and she can tell from his expression that he was feeling guilty.

"You shouldn't make a deal with the Governor." Iris says, her blue eyes becoming wide as her heart races in her chest. "It's not right. We can't build our own peace on her suffering."

Rick's entire body was stiff, and he turned his head away from her slightly. "I know. I called it off."

Iris smiles in relief, letting out a breathy sigh. "Thank God. Where is she? I want to apologise."

"I called it off, but Merle took her anyway." Rick closes his eyes and looks back out into the distance. "I sent Daryl after them."

"Shit." Iris curses. She knew that nothing good could come from them allowing Merle back into their lives, but this felt too far. She imagines Michonne, alone in his car, being transported to her fate at the Governor's hand in Woodbury. It made her shudder. "He's gotta get her back."

"He will." Rick implores, grabbing her wrists and holding them gently. "We won't let this go. We're gonna fight the Governor, and we're gonna win. For my kids, for your kid. We're gonna win."

Iris looks side to side as she follows Rick's expression, seeing the lines on his forehead become more pronounced with stress. Even so, she couldn't help but hang on to every word he said. "Yeah. We're gonna win."

Rick swallows, biting the inside of his cheek as he stares back at the prison. "I'm going to gather everyone outside. Tell them the truth, like I always should've."

Iris nods, feeling the significance of the moment. "I'll help."

But Rick shakes his head, and Iris could swear blind that she saw the slightest twinge of a smirk on his face. "Nah. I think someone's looking for you."

Iris' eyebrows furrow in curiousity, but she turns around anyway. Glenn was waiting on the courtyard already, holding his hands together and staring at her in wait. He was standing up straight, and even from a distance, Iris could see the anticipation on his face. "What?"

Rick gently pushes her shoulder towards him, making Iris start forward. She walks until she reaches him, gazing at his loving expression and the way his fingers fidgit as if he was nervous.

Iris rushes over and throws her arms around his neck. Glenn holds onto her tightly, wrapping himself around her waist. Iris sniffles into his neck. "Oh, Glenn."

"Hey." Glenn says, gently peeling her off of him. He strokes her face. "Are you okay?"

Iris leans into his touch. "I have to tell you something. The Governor wanted to make a deal with Rick, to trade Michonne for peace. Rick decided not to do it, but Merle has taken her anyway. Oh, what are we going to do?"

Glenn only holds her face tighter, wiping a stray tear that had fallen from her eye. "What we always do. Fight for what is right. We'll be okay, I promise."

A ghost of a smile crosses Iris' face, and she fights the urge to wrap her arms around his neck all over again. She turns her head for a moment and sees Rick behind Glenn, already gathering the others. She grabs Glenn's hand. "Rick wants to fight too. Come on, he wants to tell everyone what happened."

"We will." Glenn responds, but he gently tugs her back, making her turn around and face him. "Just not yet."

"Glenn?" Iris questions, feeling her heart start to boom with a mix of confusion and a little but of wonder. Glenn was squeezing her hand so delicately, like she was the most precious gem in the world, and there was something different in his eye when he looks at her.

"I think I've loved you the second you opened the door when I delivered you a pizza the day before the world ended." Glenn says. He clasps both of his hands in hers, taking a breath before continuing. "I'll believe until the day that I die that the universe brought us together that day that I rescued you from the store, that it was fate that we escaped Atlanta together. Every day since, we gotten closer and closer and my love for you has only grown stronger, more than I ever thought possible. We were born to survive, you and me. We were born to be together, and if we're the only good thing to come out of this messed up world, I would choose to live in it every single time if it means waking up to see your face. You're beautiful and kind and joyful and you make every waking moment worth living. So, there's only one thing left to do."

Glenn gets down on one knee, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a little black box. Iris puts her hands over her mouth, her eyes widening in utter shock.

"Iris June Grimes, will you marry me?"

Iris giggles breathlessly as she rapidly nods, desperately trying to get her words out through her excitement. "Yes! Oh my god, yes. Yes!"

"Yes?!" Glenn echoes, standing up as pure elation overtakes his face.

"Yes!" Iris squeals, and Glenn stands up to twirl her around. When he sets her down, she hastily rushes to kiss his lips. The kiss was desperate and passionate, conveying every single bit of love and hope and excitment for the future in one embrace.

As they break apart, a series of cheers and claps break out, and Iris giggles again, stroking Glenn's face and resting her forehead against his. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Glenn whispers back, and he captures her lips once again.

At the other end of the courtyard, Rick wolf whistles.

Iris and Glenn's breaths mingle together from their shared laughter, and Glenn licks his lips with a smile. "You wanna put this on?"

She peers down at the two rings, noticing how beautiful they were. Glenn must have picked them up at one of the houses, meaning he'd had them for months, and the thought made her laugh with joy again. "We should wait until we get to have a proper ceremony. Once we win."

Glenn nods against her forehead. "Okay. We'll put on a good show, invite the whole group. We can make it special."

Iris grins and grabs his hand, pulling her fiance towards the others. They were all starig at the pair with varying expressions of happiness, and Carol was even wiping a stray tear from her eye.

Rick pats Iris on the shoulder and shakes Glenn's hand firmly. "Congratulations, you two."

"Thank you." Glenn and Iris reply in unison. Glenn takes her hand again and softly rubs his thumb over her palm as they take their place, ready to listen to Rick so he could tell the others about the Governor.

Rick waits a couple of beats for them to settle in before he clears his throat. "When I met with the Governor, he offered me a deal. He said- he said he would leave us alone if I gave him Michonne. And I was gonna do that... to keep us safe. I changed my mind. But now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late. I was wrong not to tell you. And I'm sorry. What I said last year, that first night after the farm... it can't be like that. It can't. What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good because we are the greater good. We're the reason we're still here, not me. This is life and death. How you live... how you die- it isn't up to me. I'm not your Governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together. We vote. We can stay and we can fight or we can go."

Iris looks around the courtyard at the others, seeing nothing but determination written all over their faces.

They were going to fight.

AUTHORS NOTE

❥ Welcome back to Doomsday!
❥ THE PROPOSAL 🥺🥺🥺
❥ Yet another scene that I have been waiting for so so long to write, and I think it payed off so well!!
❥ I made that opening gif especially for this chapter because I wanted Glenn and Iris on the same gif <3
❥ I was so excited for this chapter that I ended up writing all 4500 words in one day, and I loved every single minute of it!
❥ I love love loved exploring the dynamic between Daryl and Glenn in this chapter, and you can expect to see more of them now that they have kind of bridged the gap between them.
❥ Iris full name reveal 🥰🥰
❥ ONE more chapter to go until the end of season three!! We're entering such a good era and I am incredibly excited.
❥ If you liked, please vote and comment <3