108. Changing, Healing.
Rosie and Daryl's argument ended with Rosie telling Daryl that he was a piece a' shit liar who doesn't know what the hell he's talkin' about, and Daryl telling Rosie to watch the way she was talkin' to him. After that, Rosie stormed out of the room feeling conflicted and frustrated. When she got downstairs, she could see that everyone was preparing for an attack from the Saviors, and that only made her feel more stressed out and overwhelmed. She tried to go outside to get away from everyone and give herself some space, but she was stopped at the door by- of course, out of all people- Siddiq.
"You can't go out there right now. We don't know when the Saviors are gonna show up. You have to stay inside," Siddiq explained, standing in Rosie's way. Rosie felt just about ready to explode into a hundred million little pieces. She took a deep breath, biting down hard on her lip to try and calm herself down. "Are you ok?" Siddiq asked, noticing the strange expression on her face. "Does your arm hurt?"
"No. Leave me alone," Rosie muttered out before starting to walk away. She brought her left hand up to her face, rubbing her eyes for a moment.
"Are you sure you're alright? Do you want me to go get your dad?" Siddiq asked, continuing to follow her.
Dad? My Dad. He means Daryl. "No," Rosie said again, quickening her pace to get away from him.
"You're sure you're ok?" Siddiq asked one more time.
"Fuck off!" Rosie said, hurrying even more. Siddiq stopped following her, but watched as she walked away, concerned. He'd seen how she acted in the sewer, and if something like that was happening again, he wasn't sure if it was good for her to be by herself. It worried him, but he let her go anyway for fear of making her even more mad. Rosie went off into the bathroom and slammed the door shut behind her, locking it once it was closed.
Too much was going through her head. What did Daryl mean? Could Negan really have done something? If he could, then why didn't he? Was he just faking the whole time? Did he even really care? He had to care. He had to. He wouldn't have done all of the things he did if he didn't care. He wouldn't have gotten her dinner when David didn't do it, he wouldn't have helped her with her homework, he wouldn't have paid for her to play baseball, and he wouldn't have comforted her after Fraser died. He did way too much for her to have been faking it. What would be the point in faking it, anyway? He had to have a reason. If he didn't do something to get her away from David, there had to be a reason for it.
But Negan killed Glenn and he killed Abraham. That made him bad. But people could change. That's what Daryl said at the prison. He said that he changed. He said that he used to be an asshole, but he changed. Negan changed. He used to be good, but he changed. He could change back. He could be good again. Just like Daryl changed to be good, Negan could change to be good. He was changing. He had helped her when she needed it. That was him changing. He could be good again.
Even if he did change, though, did he deserve to be forgiven? Would it be ok if Rosie forgave him? Maggie would never forgive him. Ian would never forgive him. But would they forgive Rosie is she forgave Negan? Did she even have to forgive him, or was there another way?
There were two soft knocks on the door. "Rosie," Daryl said. Rosie groaned and kicked the door, crossing her arms. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone? What was their problem? "I know you're pissed, but other people gotta use the bathroom," Daryl told her.
"Fuck off," Rosie said, kicking the door once again.
"What I say 'bout talkin' to me like that?" Daryl said with a warning tone. Rosie rolled her eyes, because Daryl couldn't see her. "Rosie, now," Daryl said. Rosie rolled her eyes once more, then swung open the door and stormed out. When she tried to push past Daryl, he grabbed onto her good arm to stop her. Rosie tried using her other arm to push his away, but it hurt like hell, and he grabbed that arm gently, too.
"Let go a' me!" Rosie shouted at him, tugging herself away from him. He knelt down in front of her, still holding onto her.
"Cut it out," Daryl said, trying to get her to keep still. Rosie kept pulling away from him, but wasn't kicking or trying to hit him anymore. "This is hard for you, I know, but it's hard for everyone else, too. Ya can't be actin' like this."
"You don't understand," Rosie grumbled, starting to try and kick him again.
"Stop it. I ain't ever gonna understand if you don't calm the hell down and talk to me," Daryl told her, trying to stop her from both kicking him and hitting him at the same time.
"You didn't know him! I did! He was good! I know he was!" Rosie shouted, still fighting against Daryl. "He can be good again!"
"You need to quiet down. C'mon. We're not talkin' 'bout this here," Daryl said, standing up. He started pulling her towards one of the separate, closed-off rooms. Rosie tried to get away from him, but he wouldn't let her go. He didn't release her until they were in a different room and he was blocking the door. "You need to take a breather, Rosie. You're freakin' out," Daryl said to her once the door was closed.
"He can change! You changed! You said so! He can, too," Rosie said. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. "He had a reason. He had to have a reason. 'Cause he helped me. You don't gotta kill him!"
"What about Ian or Maggie or Rosita? What about when they hear you sayin' that? You forget about what he did?" Daryl asked, his voice tense. He wanted to yell so badly, because it felt like the only way to express his frustration, but he didn't and he couldn't. Yelling at her would only make her angrier, and then all of this would be a waste of time. So he kept his voice as calm as he could manage.
"That wasn't really him!" Rosie argued. That wasn't Coach Smith. That was Negan. That wasn't who he really was.
"Yes, it was, Rosie. That was him," Daryl told her.
"He's just hurtin'," Rosie tried to reason with both herself and Daryl.
"Good people don't hurt other people just 'cause they're hurtin' on the inside," Daryl said, shaking his head at her.
"I did," Rosie said, a lump starting to form in her throat. She dug her nails into her palms. "I hit Carl when I was hurtin'. He said stuff 'bout my daddy and I hit him," she reminded Daryl. She'd actually done that twice. Once at the Atlanta camp and once at the farm. She hurt, so she made Carl hurt, too. And she'd done it at school, too. After Fraser died, she was hurting all the time, and she'd hurt other people when she got angry. Did that make her a bad person?
"That ain't remotely the same thing," Daryl told her, frowning. He wanted to sit down on the bed next to her and talk to her about this in an easier and more calm way, but he knew that if he got out of her way, she'd dart out the door in less than a second. He could see her leg bouncing and her eyes glancing at the door every few seconds. "You're a kid and David ain't never taught you any better. And hittin' someone isn't the same as killin' 'em. You know that."
"He doesn't know what to do. And he didn't know what to do then, either.... He's gotta have a reason," Rosie said, the lump in her throat making her voice get all wobbly.
"I know. I know you want him to be good. I was the same way with Merle," Daryl said. He hoped that if he told her he had once felt similar to how she was feeling now, then maybe she'd stop acting like he didn't know what the hell he was talking about. "It just ain't somethin' you can forgive."
Rosie looked down at her shoes, thinking about when Carl had given them to her. She sat down on the end of the bed and took another deep breath. "D'you forgive Merle?" she asked, looking up at Daryl with watery, blue eyes.
"For takin' you to the Governor?" Daryl asked. Rosie nodded, her eyebrows pinched together with curiosity. Daryl scoffed and shook his head. "Nah," he said.
"But you went with him," Rosie reminded him. She didn't say it to hurt Daryl, but it did sting for a moment. What Rosie really meant was, Did you forgive him back then? Luckily, Daryl figured out the hidden meaning behind her statement.
"I went with him, yeah. But I was wrong. I told ya that," Daryl said. He hated that he'd done that. He hated it almost as much as he hated the fact that Rosie was David's.
"But he helped us, in the end. Don't that make him good?" Rosie asked.
"Bad people can do good things. He was an asshole, Rose," Daryl said. Before Rosie could ask or argue anything else, there was a knock on the door. Daryl pulled it open to see Ian standing on the other side.
"Maggie told me to get you. The Saviors are here," Ian said, his eyes wide with worry and fear. "She's talking to them on the walkie right now. She doesn't think they're gonna take the deal."
Daryl nodded. "Shit. I'll be there in a sec," he said. Ian nodded, then went off to tell Maggie. Daryl turned back to Rosie. "Remember what I said 'bout not sayin' that shit to other people. You can argue with me 'bout it all you want, but no one else. Understand me?"
"Fine," Rosie said, nodding.
"Good. Enid's got Judith. You just stay here, and try to keep all the other kids here, too," Daryl said, already halfway out the door.
Almost the second Daryl was gone, Rosie started hearing gunfire. She hurried out of the room and went to find the other kids; Ian, Liam, and Henry. She found them at the window, looking outside. A ton of Saviors were outside, all with weapons, all attacking Rosie's people. "Hey, get away from the windows! Are ya stupid?" Rosie whisper-shouted at the boys.
"We're just watching," Liam said, keeping his eyes out the window.
"You're gonna get shot," Rosie hissed, pulling on Ian's arm to get him away from the window. Liam and Henry reluctantly followed. The group of four went off and hid inside one of the bedrooms, Rosie leading the way. When they got inside, Liam and Ian sat down on the bed while Rosie stayed by the door and Henry started pacing back and forth on the hardwood floor. "What're you doin'?" Rosie asked him, her eyebrows furrowed. "What's wrong?"
"I should be out there," Henry said, his voice angry.
"No, you shouldn't. You're just a kid," Rosie said.
"One of them killed my brother. I can fight. I should be fighting," Henry argued, his pacing getting quicker and his voice getting more and more frustrated. Rosie knew exactly how he was feeling. She wanted to fight, too. She thought she could. But she knew the risk. She knew how bad it hurt to lose someone you love. She knew how easily things can happen out there. It wasn't worth the risk, no matter how well she could fight.
"Ya don't gotta fight. You're a kid. You ain't a soldier. Stop thinkin' 'bout yourself like ya are," Rosie said to him, quoting what Daryl and Rick had once told her.
"I should be out there. I have to kill the person who killed my brother," Henry said, stopping in front of Rosie. Rosie shook her head. She wouldn't let him out the door. If Henry went out there, he'd die. He was just a kid. He didn't deserve to die, even if Rosie barely knew him. "Let me go," Henry said. Again, Rosie shook her head. "You want Siddiq dead, and Carl wasn't even your brother. You can't stop me."
"Yes, I can. You'll die," Rosie said, staying in front of the door.
"No, I won't," Henry argued.
"Yes, you will! Ya hear all that?" Rosie asked, raising her eyebrows at the blonde-haired boy. He didn't say anything. "That's all gunfire. You go out there, you're gonna get shot."
"She's right, Henry. Going out there isn't smart. You'll get hurt, and you might even die. People care about you," Ian said, now standing up, too. He went over to the door with Rosie.
"Yeah. Going out there would just be stupid, Henry," Liam added in, still sitting on the bed.
Then, before anyone could say anything else, the lights went out and all gunfire ceased. It was silent. This was part of the plan. After this quiet moment, they'd surprise the Saviors and kill who know how many of them. Looking at the boys with wide eyes, Rosie put her finger up to her lips, silently saying to be quiet. She didn't know if they could see her, but she hoped they got the message anyway. They needed to silent for this. The Saviors had to think they were hiding or gone.
In this dark, silent moment, Rosie jumped when she felt something touch her hand. She quickly realized, though, that it was only Ian, who was standing right beside her, in front of the door. A second later, Ian slid his hand into Rosie's and held onto it. Rosie kept her hand loose, not holding onto Ian's. She didn't see the point in holding his hand in this moment. The only times she'd ever held onto someone's hand was when Glenn would hold her hand. But Glenn only did it when he was taking her somewhere. It was comforting, she supposed, but it wasn't the same when it wasn't Glenn. This just seemed weird. After a moment, Rosie pulled her hand away and shoved it into her pocket.
It was weird, Rosie decided. Ian was weird sometimes. Sometimes he'd act weird, and sometimes he'd follow her around, and sometimes his face would get all red. Rosie never understood why. She guessed he was just weird. He stopped being weird for a short period of time every once in awhile. He was very weird in the beginning, at the prison. He was less weird when they got to Alexandria. But then he eventually started getting weird again. Then, of course, he was weird in a different way. He was just silent. Then Rosie thought he was going to be normal Ian again, but now he was being weird again.
Rosie thought it was all ok, though. She was weird, too. Sometimes she didn't talk enough, and other times she talked way too much. And sometimes she's get so frustrated and overwhelmed that she'd kick and scream and get angry at whoever was there to get angry at. Sometimes she'd throw rocks through windows, and sometimes she'd punch people. She'd been getting better, though. But the overwhelming feeling was starting to come back, and more constant this time. She supposed that was why she felt so angry at Siddiq, and why she felt so confused about Negan. God, she wanted Negan to be good again so badly.
The lights stayed out, but the gunfire resumed. Each of them jumped again, but Ian didn't touch her hand this time. They waited for just a few minutes, then the gunfire started to quiet down and the lights came back on. Rosie looked at Ian, and his face was red again. Weird. She opened the door and left the room, the other kids following after her.
"What happened? Are they dead?" Henry asked when they got back out into the main area of Barrington House. Carol looked like she was going to answer, but she didn't. She just walked right past Henry.
"Some. But others got away," Maggie responded, an angry and frustrated look on her face.
"Is everyone ok?" Rosie asked, looking around the room for the people she cared about most. Daryl, Rick, Maggie, Rosita, Tara, and so many more.
"Tara was shot, but we think she's gonna be ok," Maggie answered. "A lot of others were hurt, too. But Daryl, Rick, Rosita- they're all ok," Maggie confirmed, knowing who Rosie was really asking about.
Rosie took a deep breath. They were ok. Tara was hurt, but Siddiq would help her. He helped Rosie when she was shot. He could help Tara, too. God, Rosie hated that she had to rely on Siddiq. Siddiq killed Carl. He killed Carl. That's what Rosie thought. But at the same time, she knew it wasn't true. She knew she just wanted someone to blame. But she wished that it was true. She wished it was Siddiq's fault, so she'd have someone to be angry at. But Siddiq had saved her life, and now he was going to save more and more people's lives. Rosie couldn't try to kill him anymore. If she killed him, she'd be killing all the people who Siddiq could help.
Daryl came back inside a moment later. His eyes immediately went to look for Rosie. He wasn't sure if she would actually listen to him and do as she was told after their argument. Luckily, she did. When his eyes found her, he let out a small sigh of relief. She had stayed inside, and she kept the other kids inside with her. They were all safe. After Daryl found Rosie, his eyes moved over to the person who was standing right next to her; Ian. Ian was looking at her, and his cheeks were still red. Daryl scoffed out a laugh. He supposed it meant that Ian was back to normal, or as close to it as he could get. Beth had been the one to point out the innocent crush Ian had on Rosie, back at the prison. Daryl probably wouldn't have noticed it, otherwise. But even if he laughed at it, he was glad that Ian's face was turning red again, because it meant that he was healing. It meant that the kids could still heal and they wouldn't feel this way forever.
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This is unedited 😔 my head hurts too bad to edit it lol
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