➳ THE very next day, the church is packed with residents while others are peering through the windows as Magna's group stands before the Alexandria council — which was Michonne, Gabriel, Aaron, Siddiq, Laura, Nora, and Kyle — for questioning. I sat in the church, with Mollie beside me, and watched on.

"As you can probably tell from our turnout here, it's been a long time since we've seen new faces inside these walls," Gabriel started to announce, being smackdab right in the middle of the table. "We're a fair community of decent-minded people, but we are not soft. And that's not going to change today. So, let's begin."

With that said, Gabriel smiled to soothe them and started to ask the questions. "Which one of you is the leader?"

It was dead silent for a moment before Magna finally spoke up for her group and countered, "What makes you think we have one?"

Gabriel understood with a nod before asking, "Did you know each other before?"

"No," Luke responded to his group. "It was, uh, Magna and then Yumiko, uh, first; and then, uh, Connie and Kelly. And, then... And, then, me and Bernie." Bernie? I think they mentioned him before, as Luke revealed his hidden scars. "I'm sorry. Bernie was the one that we lost yesterday. Um... There were others, of course. But, like Bernie, they just..."

Luke started to break down and whimper, just like his other group members did. They had recent scars from losing the one that they cared for deeply. I could easily understand his pain and inner suffering.

"They didn't, uh... They didn't make it," Luke concluded, almost bringing tears to my eyes; even though, I haven't cried very much in the last six years ever since that damn bridge blew up and some other things after that.

Aaron showed emotion in his face, too, even he asked them, "Who were you before?"

"Me? Before all this?" Luke quizzed, just to be sure, and Aaron modded. Now, he smiled through the pain to remember what life was like before. "I was a music teacher."

It was Magna's turn, and she said, "Waited tables at a truck stop."

Connie started to use sign-language to speak up for herself, but her little sister, Kelly, had to translate for her. "She says she was a journalist, but she's just being modest," Kelly spoke up for her older sister. "She exposed a bunch of sleazeball politicians and put them behind bars."

Aaron nodded before speaking out, "And you?"

"I was in high school," Kelly claimed, shrugging. I felt for that kid. I honestly did. "Stressing about stupid shit that felt like the end of the world."

I already admired this group of strangers, but the council wasn't trying to show approval yet. Gabriel looked to Magna and asked, "And who are you now?"

Magna whispered out, "A fighter."

Connie started to use sign-language, and Kelly quickly spoke up to translate for her. "She says she's my guardian angel, but, really, it's the other way around."

"I guess I'm still a music teacher?" Luke stammered out, not knowing how to reply to that. "Um, education never ends, not even in the face of monsters and mayhem."

Gabriel kept the questions coming as he asked another, "What did you do to survive?"

"What I had to... Anything I had to." Magna kept coming out with the strong words that kept me on her team so far.

"She says she never gave up, but me, I grew up," Kelly translated by speaking up for herself, too.

Luke exhaled sharply and responded, "I don't... I don't..." He looked to his fellow team, again not knowing how to answer these random questions. "I don't think that I did anything special. I-I don't know what I did to deserve it. Um... At... At first, I was just lucky. I was... I was in the right place at the right time; and then, uh, I met the right people."

It made me sad to think Luke didn't know what he did to deserve to live and survive. He seemed like a pretty okay guy to me. He motioned towards his crew as the right people he had met and survived with.

He chuckled and turned back towards the council. "H-Here's the thing, is that... It's funny, but... Before all this, if you saw us all sitting at the same table at, like, a restaurant, a bar, or something... You'd say to yourself: Well, hey, I don't know. Maybe these people work together?" I smiled with him as he chuckled again. "Because... We certainly don't have anything in common, except for the fact that we're breathing. And, that's a lot nowadays, right?"

Finally, the time came for this session to come to an end and vote. Aaron nodded and breathed out, "Thank you. If that's everything, I'd like to motion for a vote."

Just as I was hoping for the best, Michonne suddenly spoke up and called out, "I have a question."

Oh, Lord, I thought to myself. This can't be good.

Gabriel glanced behind at Michonne and announced, "The chair recognizes our fellow councilperson and head of security."

Michonne started to get up as her chair flew back and scraped the ground underneath her. "As a community, we want to be kind. We want to be generous. We want to be charitable." A moment passed by before she continued, "But, as we know, decisions like the one we are about to make can come with a heavy price."

Michonne steadily made her way around the table before coming face-to-face with Magna. "Can you show me your left hand?"

I didn't understand what this was about, but Aaron stood up and asked aloud, "Michonne, what are you doing?"

Without hesitation, Michonne took hold of Magna's left hand and yanked it out from being in her pocket. She snatched her glove off and turned over her hand, revealing a new tattoo.

"You get that at a truck stop?"

Magna was beyond over Michonne's bullshit and, as she turned and looked at her, she whispered out, "Screw you."

It was dead quiet in here, all except for Aaron that had walked up to them and questioned, "What is it?"

Michonne smirked and asked her, "You wanna tell him?"

Magna smirked, too, before looking at Aaron. He began to say, "Michonne, if you have something to say—"

Before he could finish, Michonne spoke up and told everyone what it was. "It's a prison tattoo." Several people began to gasp and murmur to one another, all except for myself and Mollie. "The four dots are the walls. The one in the middle is you, the prisoner. Hard time."

Everyone murmuring in the church started to get to me, so I stood up and said, "So what? Nobody's perfect." I earned a smile from Luke and nodded in return.

"Look, just because she was a prisoner..."

"I can explain," Magna now spoke up, cutting Aaron off. I wanted to believe she and her team were – indeed – good people, though.

"Oh, you wanna tell the truth?" Michonne nearly jumped down her throat when asking this, all business.

"Yes."

"And you have nothing to hide?"

"Nothing."

Then, without warning, Michonne said to her, "Put the knife on the table."

The murmurs continued, just as Magna unbuckled her belt and took her knife out from being inside of her buckled belt. I started to sit back down, not knowing what to say or do now. Magna slammed the makeshift knife down on the table behind Michonne with a thud.

"I remember, and I know you do, too," Michonne started to announce to everyone, as I felt the pain in my lower back return. "So, go ahead. Take your vote." She started to leave, walking in the middle of the spectated rows. "I second the motion."

I remained silent, watching her walk right out of the church. However, Magna spoke up and yelled after Michonne, "Hey! Can I ask you a question?"

Without stopping or slowing down, Michonne deadpanned, "No."

—

➳ "EAT your food, Tara Rose," I said to her, now sitting down at our small table and starting to pick at my food with my fork. "You need your energy."

I started to eat, as my girls did, too, but we were all silent when doing so. It was like this for a few moments before Tara Rose asked, "Mommy, are those people gonna stay?"

I sighed and shook my head. "I don't think so, sweetheart."

"Why not?" She kept the questions coming, very inquisitive. I just shook my head and sighed while she frowned. "I miss Uncle Daryl."

I nearly choked on my food when hearing her little voice say that. I kept my eyes down on my plate when I replied, "So do I, kiddo."

"I miss him, too," Mollie now said as I glanced up and met her gaze. She looked really sad, too. "I miss Uncle Paul and Aunt Tara, too. We haven't gone and seen them in a while. We should."

I gulped and slowly nodded. "Yeah. I'll see about us making a trip there soon."

I went to stare back at my food to eat it, and Mollie squeaked out, "Tomorrow?"

I sighed and looked at her. "Maybe."

"Where is Uncle Daryl at, Mommy?" Tara Rose suddenly asked, always clinging onto him when he used to be around. "Is he dead?"

Before I could answer, Mollie did for me, staring down at the small girl and practically snapping at her, "No, T. Why would you think that for?"

Tara Rose shrugged and sat back in her chair, frowning. "Because he's never around anymore." I wanted to cry rather than eat my food, always fearing for Daryl's safety out there by himself and living off the grid. "I love Uncle Daryl, Mommy. Don't you and MoMo?"

I sighed before looking up and nodding. "Yes, sweetheart, I do. And, so does Mollie, too." I reached over and placed my hand over Mollie's, squeezing it. "Maybe he'll come back and see us soon."

What the girls didn't know was just how much I missed Maggie, too, and Baby G. Tara Rose barely remembers her, but Mollie does, though.

With that said, I tried to eat my food again, but not before Mollie practically slammed down her fork into her plate with a shriek. "You like that new guy, don't you?"

I stared at her and shook my head. "No, not like that. I don't even know him to like him like that, Mollie. He seemed really nice, though. I hope he and his people make it when we have to let them go tomorrow."

Mollie nodded, still frowning, and kept on staring at me. "Yeah. I hope they make it, too."

Minutes passed as we ate the rest of our meal in silence, up until it was time to head to bed. I read Tara Rose to sleep and kissed her goodnight before entering Mollie's room. By the time I went in there, she was already sound asleep with a spread-out book on top of her stomach with the covers over her.

I came inside and took the book, sitting it on her side-table, before leaning down and placing a sweet and soft kiss to her forehead. "I love you, Mollie." Of course, she couldn't hear me due to already being sound asleep.

I headed out of the room and closed the door quietly behind me so it wouldn't wake her up. I headed straight into my own private room at the end of the hall, closing my own door behind me. I grabbed some clothes to change into and went into my joint bathroom intertwined with my bedroom.

I went inside, flipped on the light, and started to undress to shower. However, just as I had taken off my clothes and discarded them off to the side, I looked up and saw my reflection in the mirror. I was dirty, pale, and — most of the time — I was unrecognizable.

I turned just a little bit and noticed the X on my lower back, reminding me of the last time we allowed strangers inside with open arms. I deeply sighed and ran my hand over it, still feeling the same pain as I did at the time when it happened. I still remember the screams and pleas, and all the crying, begging, and whimpering.

I could still hear the screams from myself, which made me squeeze my eyes shut when it ran through my head. "No! Let him go!"

I lowered my head and eyes, almost allowing myself to cry after all this time. However, I had to stay strong... For myself and my girls. I was no longer going to be weak, as I was in the past. Still, I did wish that people like Glenn, Abraham, Sasha, Carl, and Rick were still here.

Hell, I even wish Daryl was here right now to tell me that I'm screwing up somehow.

—

➳ THE next morning, we had to say goodbye to Luke and his group of misfits. I didn't want them to leave, mostly because I saw how disappointed Tara Rose was last night when I told her they couldn't stay. She loved meeting new people and hated to lose the ones we already knew.

We stood outside with them in front of the gate, ready to let them go. Luke walked up to myself, Mollie, and Tara Rose. He smiled at each of us before bending down and pulling out a little weed-flower, handing it to Tara Rose. "Saw this on my way over and thought that you should have it."

Tara Rose smiled and accepted it, but cowered behind me by being nervous. Mollie practically stood guard, not taking any chances, and watched Luke carefully as he stood back up. He had another one of those weed-flowers and reached out to Mollie for her to accept. "For you."

She glanced at the flower before staring him down, pursing her lips and looking away. Tara Rose may like new people, but Mollie most certainly did not.

Luke kept trying to smile through the rejection as he now held the flower out to me. "For you, then." I accepted it before tucking it behind my ear. "Beautiful."

I gulped and replied, "Thank you. We all appreciate it and your kindness. It's very rare."

Suddenly, Luke and I turned and heard Yumiko speaking. "Sorry, guys," she apologized, grunting. "If I knew we were gonna be booted as soon as I recovered, I would've hit my head a bit harder."

I smiled at that, feeling really bad we had to let them go. I only hoped they would find their way around somewhere safe, such as Hilltop or the Kingdom. Then again, we're not all close like we used to be. A lot changed after Rick.

"You know, it's not too late," Magna claimed, smiling at Yumiko, hinting that she'll hit her again if it makes them stay. They all had a sense of humor. I'll give them that.

Saddiq walked up, and Luke noticed, holding out his hand for him to shake it, and he did. "Doc. Thank you."

Luke now approached Gabriel and shook hands with him. "Thank you for your hospitality." He now walked up to Judith and said to her, "Especially you. Thank you."

Luke now came back over to me and my girls, smiling with his hand out. "Thank you, too, Tess." I accepted his handshake and smirked as he started to look me up and down. "Never lose that smile."

I looked up at him through my dark eyelashes and responded, "Don't ever lose yours, either."

With that said, we all started to walk towards the gate for them to leave. However, Michonne came up on her horse and slowed down once she got to us.

"Change of plans," she announced before tossing something down to Judith, who caught it. "There's a place a lot like this one. The leader might take you in. I'll escort you personally, talk to her."

Suddenly, my face lit up with a huge goofy smile, which Luke noticed. "You're gonna take them to Hilltop?" Saddiq asked, as I couldn't stop cheering inside secretly.

"With you," Michonne claimed before looking up into the crowd. "And Tess, too. I'm sure she wants to see her brother and best friend again."

I could've thrown my own little party right then and there, but I kept my cool. "My girls want to go with me. Are they allowed?"

I definitely expected Michonne to say no, but she ended up nodding. "Of course. They want to see to their uncle and aunt again, I'm sure," she replied back to me, and Mollie hugged me as Tara Rose squeezed my hand in celebration. To Saddiq, she said, "You gotta keep an eye on your patient till we get there."

I felt such relief, knowing my girls and I were finally about to go back to Hilltop and see everyone again. I couldn't tell anyone enough how much I missed my brother and Tara.

I turned around, and Mollie hugged me around my neck, relieved as well that she was going with me to see them. Tara Rose yanked on my shirt, and I turned as she hugged my leg. "We're gonna see Uncle Paul and Aunt Tara again!"

It was definitely worth celebrating, seeing them again, as it has felt like so long since we have. It'll be like a whole new family reunion.

I fear that I will cry once we arrive, though.