#darylxleah

Natalia was the bait, she'd purposely let Carver find her, more like she was out seeking him, and when he caught on, she put on the act of her life, she looked terrified as she ran away from him, and when she walked that stage and accepted her Oscar, she'd tell the world that she was heavily influenced by Tatum, from Scream.

She made a show as she tried every handle down the hallway, loud enough to know they were there.

"Oops. Wrong turn." Carver grinned, looking down at her.

Maggie walked out one of the doors, joining her, but he still didn't seem phased, but then Elijah followed, and his cocky demeanour dropped.

"You killed my sister." He told the man.

"Okay." Carver shrugged.

An door opened behind the man, Negan walking out of it, holding a bat.

"Well, I got to say thanks for this." He faced Natalia, again. "I was getting tired of all the searching."

Negan lunged at him, but he was quicker, twisting his arm and shoving him hard, turning to kick Elijah down, too, Maggie was collateral damage in the fall.

"Leah won't let us keep her." He nodded at Maggie. "But you, she don't know you." He grabbed Natalia, smacking her into the wall. "She don't know you." He then back handed her.

She swung at him, and as he focused on her hand, she kneed him, hard in the crotch.

Natalia was thrown, hard, on to the floor, and Maggie was coming back at him with a knife, but with a solid hit with Negan's bat, she was back on the ground. He kicked Elijah's injured leg as he passed.

As he was about to stomp on her head, ending her, Negan caught his attention.

"Hey, over here, dickhead." He was holding a bell, showing it off proudly.

"This should be fun." Carver smiled, hitting his palm with the bat, walking towards Negan.

Elijah threw his weapon, causing Carver to dodge out the way, and as he did, Negan threw dirt in his eye, hitting him over the head with the bell.

"Well, ding-ding." He leered. "Thanks, kid." He looked down at Elijah.

"Fuck" Natalia groaned, rolling her newly healed fist as she touched her face. Blood was coming out of her reopened cut.

But she wasn't the only one, It was trailing out of Maggie's nose, too.

She stood up, grabbing the sharp scythe, passing it to Elijah, but he took her hand, pressing it back into her, looking determined.

She leaned over him, about to bring it down, as he gained consciousness.

"Stop!" Daryl shouted, coming round the corner.

"Should have took you out right off." Carver told him.

"Shut up." Natalia groaned, using her strength to kick him in the head, knocking him out again, she then fell down, on her back, catching her breath.

"We don't kill him yet." Daryl told them.

"Who's we? You're one of them now, right?" Natalia mocked, closing her eyes.

"Nat, c'mon." Daryl tilted his head.

"He needs to pay for what he did." Elijah told him.

"I agree. But if we go down that road... we ain't all gonna make it out alive. No offence." He pointed to the young mans injured leg. "I hate this prick. But we got him now, let's use him. Get what we want and go home."

"Are you doing this for her?" Maggie asked.

Natalia sat up, glaring at him.

"No. No, I'm not. I'm doing it for her" He pointed at Natalia. "And for us. Leah wants us gone, but not more than saving her own family, especially this asshole."

Natalia scoffed.

"This could go wrong 800 different ways." Negan chimed in. "Me, I am down with us getting out of this alive."

"No!" Elijah demanded.

"Elijah."

"You're just going to let him walk away?"

"Hey, what did I tell you, you get to kill your sister killer, and the rest are mine, unlike some people around here, I keep my promises, and my vows." She looked up at the man she called her husband, then reached for one of the walkies. "Hey, Leah, you will never guess who I'm with, right now. Wait, sorry, two people, thinking it's time for a reunion. What do ya say?"

"...Nat." Her hushed whisper came through the radio.

"Hey, girl, how ya been?" She faked cheerfulness, as the others sat around, hanging off of her every word.

"God, I forgot how irritating that hillbilly accent was." Leah gritted through her teeth.

"Y'know, your guys kinda hot." Natalia pulled out her knife, looking down at Carver. "Why didn't you just fuck him instead of trying to ruin other peoples lives?"

Leah had tried to reply, but the stoic woman could only stutter and look for her sentence.

"Oh! That's right, you're only into other peoples husbands." Natalia told her. "Oh, good, he's gaining consciousness"

"Nat, what are you doing?" Daryl hissed.

As Carver stirred awake, Natalia grabbed his right arm, holding it out straight, before bringing her knife down, within a second, his hand was attached, and then it wasn't, blood spouted out of his wrist, as he wailed loudly, both in pain and confusion.

"I just cut his hand off, he's not gonna have long before he bleeds out, if I were you, I'd be outside in five, and don't even think about pulling anything." Natalia spoke into the walkie.

"I'm gonna kill you, Dixon!" Leah shrieked, but Natalia wasn't bothered as she chucked the small box over her shoulder.

"Here kid, you can have the rest of him after this is dealt with" Natalia tossed the hand to Elijah, who caught it, staring in horror, just like the others were doing, as Carver still howled in pain, cursing Natalia out. "Shut up, you ain't gonna live long to need it again." She scowled down at him, standing up.

"Nat!" Daryl barked, getting up after her.

"Honey, not right now, I'm busy, why don't you go sleep with someone else. Negan, tie him up, let's go." Natalia reached into her pocket for her own walkie. "Gabriel, new plan, you shoot anyone on sight, but only when I give the signal, you're our little secret, for now."

"Roger that, Natalia." He reported back.

Negan led Carver as they walked into the courtyard, passing the crops, looking out for anyone in particular.

"Leave me here, if you have to." Elijah told Maggie, tears welling in his eyes, as he looked around, at his old home. "Just make sure he's dead."

"I'm not going anywhere without you." She set him straight. "No matter what happens, okay?" She then left his side, walking towards the married couple.

"You ready?" Daryl asked her.

"Yeah." She whispered, looking at Natalia. "You and Leah were friends...You've already lost enough."

"She delivered the twins, apart from that, she's nothing to me." Natalia stared ahead, her expression nonchalant. "'Sides, coulda done it myself, she interfered. Wait. Hang on." She dropped down, lifting her cargo's up and untucking a small hand gun from her leg, before passing it to Maggie. "This is still your mission."

Daryl nodded, his eyes falling on Natalia, his lips moving as though he was waiting to say something, but then eventually looked ahead, speaking into the radio.

"Leah." He called.

"We're here." She replied.

Over the road from them, a door was pushed open, revealing the woman.

"She's gone grey. Didn't tell me Jane went grey!"

"That matter?" Daryl scoffed.

"'Course it matters."

"Come out. Put your weapons on the ground." He responded to Leah, instead.

"I need to see Carver, first!" She called over.

Natalia held her hand out, and he placed the radio in her palm, taking Carver from Negan and holding his knife to the man's throat, leading him out into the open.

"Come out!" He beckoned, pulling Carvers hair, as he led him, Leah and her buddies meeting them.

"Put your weapons on the ground." He repeated.

"What are you offering?" She asked.

"Lose the weapons, we let you leave." Daryl said.

"Is that all?" A bald man, beside her, asked.

"You head north, don't turn back. I see anyone at all, I'm going to kill him. Once we're far out enough, I Let him go."

Carver tried to say something, but the gag in his mouth proved difficult.

"Shut up!" Daryl tugged harder on his hair.

"You expect me to trust you now?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, I do. We're doing this all wrong. We survived everything for what? To keep fighting and killing each other?"

"If that's what it takes."

"You don't have to. I'm giving you a chance to save what's left of your family and mine."

"What about your wife, we both know she's not gonna agree to this, small thing, but she's fierce."

"Yeah, well, she has a great mind to remember what you did for us, for our family and for her." The threat was clear as day in the man’s voice.

Leah thought about it, pushing her hair out of her face.

"No more lies. Jensen." She spoke into the radio.

A gun shot went off, bouncing on the ground inches away from Daryl's boots.

"That was a warning!" She bellowed. "The last one! Everybody out!"

Natalia looked up, at the windows, but she couldn't find Gabriel, with the hope he was around, she slightly nodded her head, as Negan gently ushered her forward, helping Maggie with Elijah.

"Lower the knife. Cut the rope." Leah ordered Daryl.

"Jensen, the little woman." She spoke, staring at Natalia, who met her gaze, fury in her eyes.

"Fine." Daryl let go of Carver, cutting the rope around is arms, freeing his one hand.

Carver pulled the gag out of his mouth, blowing a kiss to Daryl as he backed away, making a beeline for Natalia, but she didn't move a muscle, her concentration still on the woman.

"A hand for a hand." He said.

"Carver!" Leah demanded. "You leave her be, for now."

With visible restraint, he turned around, joining her.

“Look at you, seems like Willows all grown up, good dog!” Natalia cheered at the mams obedience.

“Quiet!” Leah snapped at her. “Or I’ll let him, what you deserve.”

“I mean, he can try.”

Elijah's breathes got more ragged as he pulled out the scythe, attempting to go after Carver.

"Elijah, don't." Maggie held him back.

"No one moves!" Leah continued to raise her voice.

"Elijah." Maggie repeated, when he continued on.

"He takes one more step, he dies!"

"Josephine." He spat.

Carver grinned, as he waved his hand for the boy to keep coming.

"Carve, don't."

"Stop." Daryl tried.

"Jensen, pull the trigger."

"Her name was Josephine..." He had fallen, hitting the ground.

Carver took a step forward, and as his leg swiped back, ready to kick him, his leg was shot, sending him down, too.

"Jensen!"

"Nope." Her radio reported back. "No Jensen here."

Natalia smirked, as they spotted Gabriel on the roof, his gun aimed down at them.

"Call me "Gabriel.” The other two better back off or they're next."

"Guess you could say I got friends in high places." Natalia couldn't help herself. "I'd listen to him if I were you, heard he chats with God."

Leah bowed her head in defeat.

"Stand down." She told her pals.  "Your deal still stand?" Leah asked.

"You had your chance." Maggie told her. "You would have killed us. Picked us off one by one, right? Now Gabriel does the same thing to you."

"Maybe you're right." She stood up. "Your friend has the rifle, but I bet we take a couple of you down before he takes us all. You can have your town. We walk. You save your family, I save mine."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded.

Natalia furrowed her brows. Why the hell was he getting involved, ruining her operation.

"Negan?" Maggie looked to the man.

"You know what I think."

Maggie looked down, but Natalia didn't miss Maggie's finger tapping her thigh, twice.

"Drop your weapons and go." She told them.

"Not without Carver."

"Good luck with that, the man's deadweight with one hand and one leg." Natalia reminded.

Leah looked to the bald guy,

"Do it." She told him, but he looked perplexed. "I said do it."

The two men beside her dropped their weapons, whilst Leah dropped to Carver.

"I'll see you soon." She told him.

Natalia watched as they walked away, Maggie joined Elijah's side as Daryl dealt with Carver.

Natalia followed the three, pulling out her gun and shooting the man with the empty Machete sheath, in the head, the sound of his body hitting the floor filled the silence.

"Natalia!" Daryl shouted. "No!"

She ignored him, shooting the other man, as he started to run.

Leah was sprinting as Natalia followed after her, aiming for the back of her thigh, and shooting, causing the woman to yelp in pain, she then aimed for her shoulder and shooting.

Daryl caught up to her, grabbing a hold of her arm, but she moved out of his grip.

"Kill her." She told him.

"What?" He demanded.

"If you love me, if you want this to work, if whatever you had with Cadet Kelly was purely innocent, kill her, you'll do it for me." She pleaded, before making her way back, finishing off her job with Carver.

The man had seen her coming, grabbing a knife with his one good hand.

She kicked it out of his hand, picking up Elijah's scythe and standing on his injured leg, as she used it to impale the man in the chest, keeping him there as she got off, helping Elijah up from the ground, moving him towards Carver.

"Said he was yours." She told him, giving the boy her gun, letting him shoot Carver in the head, putting an end to his pain.

With the reapers finished, they got to work on collecting the food and supplies, setting up a wagon and horses so that they could carry it all back.

Daryl had return a bit later, looking grey, refusing to look at anyone.

"For someone who was shot twice, ran quick.... S'gone now."

Natalia licked her lips as she loaded a box onto the wagon, avoiding looking at him.

When they had nearly finished up, Maggie had announced that she'd head off, telling them that she had something to take care of, but she knew what it was, she was going back for Alden.

"You need me to go with you?" Natalia asked, quietly.

"No, stay with them, focus on getting home, maybe think about mending things with him before getting back to the children."

"Won't make any promises." She rolled her eyes.

During their walk back, Negan had left for a "walk" and they had let him, setting up their camp for the night, and then eventually sitting around a fire, Dog sat beside Natalia, as they watched the rabbit cook, he hadn't left her side since their reunion.

"I heard what you said." Gabriel spoke. "We're doing it wrong."

"I was just thinking about choices." Daryl replied. "Do they even matter anymore?"

"Depends on who's making the choice. Doubt's important, but it doesn't make you wrong."

"You telling me to have faith?"

"Yeah, I suppose so." Gabriel sighed, as a walker stumbled onto their camp.

"What about you?" Daryl nodded at him.

"Yeah, I'm trying." He got up from the ground. "I'm going to check on the horses." He bid the two goodbye, drawing a knife to take care of the walker.

Natalia picked at her nails as they sat in the suffocating silence.

"Stop doing that, gonna make 'em bleed." Daryl said.

She clenched her fingers, before letting go, looking away.

"When?" Natalia asked.

"Hm?"

"...You and Leah... When did you..." She couldn't force herself to finish her sentence.

"Never."

"God, Daryl, I'm not an complete idiot, I can put a few sentences together and figure out the context."

"Clearly yer can't, but Carver didn't know what the hell he was talking about, either"

"Then tell me, what the hell was going on, how did you know each other, why did you lie to me"

He was quiet, not wanting to respond.

"Daryl... please, if you can't even tell me, then.... I don't think I can fix this."

"Fine." He bowed his head, sighing deeply.

She was impatient as she waited for him to croak, she felt like she was slowly dying, needing his confession to bring her back.

"After Rick, an' you were just getting closer an' closer with the twins, I couldn't be at home, was just too much, the time weren't right, I couldn't be having babies in the world when he wasn't- I just couldn't comprehend it, ma kids, my first ever babies, so I stayed out in the woods, looking fer him, Michonne, she did the best she could, coming and going, but... when she couldn't, an' I was out there alone, I felt alone, an' I ain't never felt that before, but I missed Rick, an' I missed you."

"All you had to do was come back to me, I didn't go nowhere." She whispered.

"I know that, but I just couldn't, it hurt too much." He replied. "But then... I met her, in them woods, all by herself with a shotgun, we kept bumping inta each other, and when the weather was changing up, I had ta camp out with her, an' we gots to know each other an' we got closer, I told her about Rick an' Glenn, and everyone else, and I told her about you and the kids, tha three of 'em, she'd ask why I weren't with ya, and I said it was complicated. More time passed, an' she tried ta kiss me, I swear to God, Nat, I didn't kiss her back, I pushed her off, I was shocked she even tried it. The same day, I got back to Alexandria, and I didn't leave the walls 'till Evie and the others went missing."

"You ever saw her again?" Natalia asked, after processing what he had told her.

"Yeah, couple'a times." He blinked. "But they were both on accident, ran into each other."

"When we got to the cabin, with the girls, and there was that note, did she leave because of me, or was it actually because of you?"

"Natty, I don't know, but the las' time we talked, she asked me to go with her, ta leave my life behind an' leave the area, an' I told her to go to hell, I'd rather live ma life back in that fucking underground station then live in a life you ain't in." He got up from his log, sitting in front of her. "Baby, I'm sorry, alright, shoulda never lied to ya about anything, or kept it a secret."

"Then why did you, I told you about her. I tell you everything, you were the first person I ever opened up to in this, I trust you most in this world, and time after time you show me why I shouldn't." She dropped her head into her hands not wanting to even look at him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured, his hand hesitated over her hair, wanting to brush it with his fingers, like he normally would, but he thought that if he touched her for the meantime, Carver wouldn't be the only person losing a hand that day. "But I love ya, and ya gotta understand, I don' do anything with the idea of hurting you, I screwed up, I been screwing up, and you don' deserve that, but we can move past this, I'll get better with opening up, alright, I swear, Natty, it ain't gon happen again, I ain't never gonna let you down, again."

She didn't want to forgive him, she didn't think she should have to, either, but she loved him, and her kids deserved to see their parents getting along when they got back.

"If something like this ever happens again, you keep secrets from me ever again, I can't kill you because of the kids, but us, we, we'll be over, for good, you won' even get a chance to beg for me back, got it?"

"I promise, baby, I'm sorry." He hugged her, cradling her face as he squeezed her tight.

Natalia finally managed to push him off of her, when she saw Maggie walking towards them, alone.

Gabriel had taken this as his que to return back to the campfire, from where he was hiding behind the wagon.

"Alden?" He poked the elephant not in the room.

Maggie answered with a slight shake of her head, he was gone.

Dog whimpered between the Dixons, seeming to pick up on the groups emotions, and Daryl did his best to settle the beloved animal.

"You see Negan? He said he'd catch up." Gabriel continued.

"He dead?" Natalia asked, no one missed the hopefulness in her voice.

"He left." Maggie answered.

"Hey, Maggie." Elijah spoke, waking from his nap, a few feet away.

During the day, Natalia decided to walk beside Daryl, even giving him an earbud so that they could share her Ipod.

"Was mine and my dad's favourite song, when I was little." She told him, during the opening of Everywhere, by Fleetwood Mac.

"S'good song." He smiled at her, slightly swaying his head.

Natalia's mood soured drastically when they had entered the walls of Alexandria, seeing the dead body's and the burning pit all over the ground.

She vividly searched the faces, looking for anyone familiar, her family, but they were nowhere amongst the dead, small mercies.

"Aunt Nat!" Judith screamed, being the fastest runner. "Uncle Daryl!"

"Mommy! Daddy!" The twins yelled, desperately trying to catch up, RJ running along with them, whilst Evie walked with Archie, a far bit behind, the baby's small legs slowing the pair of them down.

"Babies!" Natalia felt a rush of relief as Judith knocked her down, jumping on the woman and hugging her tight. "Judy, you okay?"

"Missed you" She answered, but they both grunted, when two beings also jumped on them.

"Mommy!" Daisy cheered.

"Mommy, you're back." Bambi kissed her cheeks.

"I told you I'd be back."

"Alright, let yer mama and Jude breath." Daryl lifted the twins, one in each arm, off the pair.

"Delivery." Evie greeted, replacing the three children with a baby.

"Mama." Archie held Natalia's face, as she wrapped her arms around him tightly.

"Hi, baby, did you miss Mommy?" She asked, kissing his cheeks, getting up from the ground.

"He refused to go to sleep because you guys weren't home." RJ shared, hugging Daryl, as he handled the twins, who were using him as a climbing frame.

"Where's Gage?" Evie asked.

"Honey, I'm sorry." Natalia started.

"Oh, I doubted he'd make it, to be honest." She commented, the girl looked more disappointed then devastated.

"Hey, kid put up a fight." Daryl told her, cupping Evie's head and kissing her hair.

"Dad, he weren't a fighter, don' gotta lie to me." She shrugged him off.

"This it?" Carol asked, coming round the corner.

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, in reply, hugging Lydia, whilst Natalia hugged Evie.

"Where's Negan?" Lydia asked, turning to give Natalia one.

"He left." He answered. "He ain't coming back here. Here you go. Just take one." Daryl offered an bucket of apples to the children.

"Oh my god!" Natalia turned around, spotting a familiar face. "Connie!" She almost dropped Archie, if it weren't for Rosita quickly taking him, as she ran to the woman, who wrapped her arms around her. "You look good." She signed.

"So do you." Connie signed back, drawing the opened scar on her own face with her finger.

Love filled the air as they all reunited, but also shared the losses of the ones who gave up their lives, for their community, demounting the supplies from the wagon.

"Hey! Got something coming!" Jerry bellowed, from the watch towers.

"Stay put." Natalia warned the kids, making her way over, Daryl and Maggie following.

"These guys with you?" He asked, as they watched the horses with armed men on top, approach the gates. "Guess not."

"Everyone, get ready!" Daryl warned, as they aimed their weapons.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" Eugene repeated, running to the front. "We're all friends. We're all friends."

"Anyone else getting De Ja Vu?" Natalia asked.

"They're here to help." He explained, a grin on his face.

"Ezekiel, Yumiko, and I set out on a journey." Eugene explained, once they had let him in, letting the guards empty supplies from their wagons. "Charged ourselves with finding hope in our darkest of days. Suffice to say we hit the proverbial jackpot. It's probably best that I step aside, so y'all can hear it from the horse's mouth, as it were."

"We ate horse the other day." Daisy commented, rather loudly.

"Shh." Daryl covered her mouth.

"I give you Mr. Lance Hornsby, diplomatic representative of the Commonwealth." Eugene greeted, allowing a man in a three piece suit, to take the "stage" whilst he was the only one to clap for him.

"Hello, I'm Lance." The man introduced himself, but no one even bothered to offer him a smile. "Thank you for allowing us into your home. I must say, I am impressed with everything you've built here and what I've heard of your other communities. But it's clear you've fallen on hard times. And that is where the Commonwealth is more than willing to help. If you remain, we can provide labor and materials to help you build back all you've lost. However, if any are interested I do have another potentially more interesting choice to offer."

"Just get on with it." Natalia called, speeding up his large and spacious speech.

"Yes." He laughed. "Well..."