"No! No way in hell!"
If looks could kill, Gregory would long since have been six feet under.
It wasn't just the combined intensity of Daryl and Evelyn's glares- from where they leaned against the bookshelves on the back wall of the office- it was the deadly looks from everyone in the group.
They all looked a mixture of pissed off, annoyed, and ready to throw punches.
"That was not the deal," Gregory continued his angry pacing about the room, "You people swore you could take the Saviors out, and you failed."
"I don't know if you noticed," Evelyn snarled from the back of the room, causing a few eyes to shoot her way, "But we've accomplished more in our short interactions with them than you have in the entire time you've known them."
The way Gregory's angry gaze landed on Wright didn't settle well with multiple people in the room, but the woman just leaned back and raised a lazy brow at him, daring him to comment against her.
He stared at her for another moment before continuing his pacing once more, "So, any arrangement we once had is now done- null and void." Arrogance seeped into his tone, "We aren't trade partners, we aren't friends, and we never met." His eyes locked with Evelyn's once more, raising his own eyebrows this time, "Hmm? We don't know each other."
Wright scoffed loudly with a roll of her eyes whilst Daryl did the same thing from beside her, just slightly quieter.
"I owe you nothing," The man sat down in the chair behind the desk, "In fact, you owe me for taking the refugees, at great personal risk."
Evelyn went to push herself off the wall and stalk closer to him, only for another voice to cut her off.
"Oh, you were very brave staying in here while Maggie, Caspian, and Sasha saved this place." Jesus called up sarcastically, causing the brunette woman to shoot him a look of approval, "Your courage is inspiring."
She had been told about the Saviors attacking, about the havoc they had wreaked and the damage they had cost. About how her small group had been the only ones to step forward and take charge of the situation, saving this entire community in the process.
"Hey, don't you work for me?" Gregory snipped, shooting daggers to the long haired man, "Aren't we friends?"
Rick glanced to the back of the room, eyes briefly finding Evelyn's before leaning forward, "Gregory, we already started this."
"You started this-" He tried to argue.
"We started this." Grimes cut him off fiercely, "And we are gonna win."
"These are killers." The coward attempted once more.
"You really wanna live like this?" Evelyn exploded, stomping across the room until she was directly across from him and slammed her hands against the desk, "You really wanna live under Negan's thumb? Working your lives away for him as he sits on his high throne without anyone to take him down?"
Her words were beginning to become personal and she knew it, but she didn't dare tear her eyes away from Gregory, already sensing her group glancing warily to one another behind her back.
The man had to tear his eyes away from her as he began stuttering out nervously, "S-sometimes we don't get to choose what our lives look like. Sometimes, Everly, you have to count the blessings you have."
Evelyn opened her mouth, ready to blurt out absurdities that would be sure to have Rick cringing for Carl's and Finn's sake, but she was cut off as Maggie came up behind her, placing a soft hand on her shoulder as if to calm her down.
"How many people can we spare?" Rhee directed her question to the man before them, speaking more level-headed than her friend would have, "How many people here can fight?"
"We?" Gregory scoffed up at her, "I don't even know how many people we have, Margret." Evelyn opened her mouth once more, but Maggie stopped her once more with a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, "And does it even matter? I mean... w-what are you going to do? Start a platoon of sorghum farmers? Cause that's what we got. They grow things. They're not gonna want to fight."
"You're wrong." Tara spoke up suddenly, causing all eyes to shoot to her, "When people have the chance to do the right thing, they usually step up."
"Not cower behind their desk and blame the only people that are trying to help them." Evelyn added- no doubt unhelpfully- but she couldn't find it in herself to care.
"Let me stop you right there before either of you break into song, okay?" He never seemed to shut his mouth.
It was then Carl's turn to scoff, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as Evelyn took a step back to stand beside him, his eye narrowed dangerously.
"And, by the way, who would trade all this cannon fodder?"
"I will." Sasha imminently butted in.
"Give me a week." Rosita spoke at the same time.
"You have no idea." Evelyn's voice overlapped with theirs, all three of the women's eyes narrowed in on the balding man.
Wright found her eyes shooting to the side of Rosita, who stood rigidly beside Caspian on the other side of the room. Holloway had been yet to say a word to Evelyn after their reunion, and Rosita hadn't made an effort to talk to her either.
She knew there were more important things to focus on at that moment, but she couldn't help the slight sting in her heart at their apparent cold shoulder. She hadn't a clue what she had done to deserve it.
"Rhetorical," Gregory sang out obnoxiously, "Okay? I don't wanna know. I never wanna hear another word about it, ever."
"What the hell is your problem?" Evelyn surged forward suddenly, not paying any mind as Tara tried to catch her arm and hold her back, "Does this mean nothing to you? Does the slaughter of all these people- of good people- not bother you at all? Negan won't stop- he won't ever stop if we don't stand up and do something! He needs to be stopped and he needs to be stopped right now, and so help me god if you don't shut your god damn-"
"Evelyn." Rick's voice was soft, but firm, his gaze both sad and stern as he gazed upon her.
The woman glanced around the room to her group- her family- only to find most of them avoiding her eyes.
She scoffed loudly, turning on her heel and storming out of the room without another word, sidestepping Michonne as the woman tried to block her exit.
As much as Wright wanted to storm out of the building and take her anger out on something, she stayed in the waiting room outside, allowing the door to the office to slam behind her.
The brunette dropped onto a nearby couch with a huff, not allowing herself to sink into the cornfort of the cushions as she leaned forward with her elbows against her knees. She had let her emotions get the best of her- and she knew it- but she really couldn't find it in herself to care. Not after her recent promise to herself that Negan would pay- whatever it took.
Only a few moments passed before the doors opened once more and the woman's head snapped up, being greeted with the sight of her group filing out, similar expressions of annoyance on their faces.
"Wanna knock that idiot's teeth out," Sasha seethed.
"Get in line." Wright scoffed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
"Yeah, well, we don't need him, anyway." Daryl shook his head, moving to stand next to Evelyn as she rose to her feet.
The eldest Grimes nodded along, "Yeah, that's right. 'Cause we have Caspian, Sasha, Maggie, and Jesus here."
"And Enid." Maggie spoke just as the girl entered the room, turning the corner and having everyone look her way.
"Hey-um-" The young girl spoke.
"What's wrong?" Sasha asked.
"Nothing." Enid said, "Just..." She chuckled, "Come outside."
Daryl and Evelyn glanced at one another before quickly following after her with the rest of the group.
They all stepped out onto the front porch, bright light of the sun hitting their eyes, pausing in their steps as they took in the sight before them. A group of people from the Hilltop stood before them.
"What's going on?" Caspian questioned, confusion seeping into his tone.
"So, if you don't remember, I'm Bertie." A lady from the front of the group spoke up, taking a step forward, keeping her eyes on the man for a second before moving around the group, "And I owe my life to you all, twice over. A bunch of us do."
Dixon shifted in his place, eyes cautiously taking in everything around him. Evelyn watched him from the corner of her eye, but didn't shift her gaze completely.
"Enid says you want Gregory to get us to fight the Saviors with you." Bertie continues, "Is that true?"
Caspian and Maggie shared a glance, "Yes." The latter answered.
"Do you think that we could win? That we could really beat them?" The woman asked softly, "Us?"
"I do." Maggie answered once more.
"Well, Enid says you can show us the way." She spoke after a moment, "I'm ready."
A chorus of agreements rose up from behind her immediately, making Evelyn's eyebrows raise slightly in surprise at the sheer eagerness of the people before her.
As the people of the Hilltop began to disperse, Evelyn and her group continued their trek through the community.
"It's a start." Michonne remarked as they walked.
"We'll get more." Sasha added, confidence seeping into her tone.
"It won't be enough." Caspian spoke, eyes sweeping over the community as he took long strides down the dirt path.
"No, it won't." Rosita agreed.
Daryl shook his head slightly, "Well, we find the right stuff, then maybe we don't need the numbers. Blow 'em up, burn 'em to the ground."
Evelyn nodded along eagerly, "I can get behind that idea."
Caspian came to a sudden halt from the front of the group, whipping around with a glare etched onto his face. Everyone stopped in their steps as well, surprise taking over their features at the unexpected motion from the man.
"Alright, that's it. Am I going to be the one that has to address it?" The black haired man hissed, glare moving from person to person in the group.
Rosita appeared to be the only one that understood what he was saying, moving to stand beside him with her arms crossed, nodding along with a look on her face that suggested she had eaten something sour.
Rick shifted in his stance, hesitance taking over his expression, "Address what?" He drawled, eyeing the duo that stood before him.
"That." Caspian hissed, pointing a finger directly at whom he was addressing.
Evelyn had to blink a few times in surprise when she found all eyes immediately snap to her as everyone followed the direction in which he was pointing.
"Me?" She sputtered out, very clearly taken aback as she stared at the man.
"What the hell are you going on about?" Daryl growled, advancing on Holloway slightly, but Caspian didn't so much as glance away from the woman for the briefest of moments.
"Well?" He insisted, "You have anything you'd like to say for yourself?"
Nothing but pure confusion clouded Wright's features, "About what?"
It was then Rosita who scoffed, as if she could not believe the audacity the brunette woman had, "About what?" She mocked, "About Negan."
Evelyn felt her heart stop completely as she stared at the two people in front of her, her eyes going wide. She quickly glanced around her group, only to see them quickly look away. Almost as if they were ashamed.
It had been on all of their minds, she noticed in that instant.
From the back of the group, Finn even turned his attention to his own shoes, guilt creeping into his features. He hadn't told any of them, either.
Caspian finally turned his accusatory gaze away from her, instead settling on Daryl. She wished in that moment that he had stayed focused on her, "Did you even ask her? Did you once stop to wonder how she knows that monster?"
Daryl didn't back down from the deadly look, instead, shooting the man one of his own, "In case ya didn' notice, I was too busy trying to keep us from being killed." He shot back snarkily.
"Keeping yourself from behind killed," The man corrected, "Because in case you haven't noticed, Evelyn is safe from the shit storm that Negan has been raining down on us."
"Cas-" The woman tried to speak, her voice coming out almost as a desperate plea.
"How do you know Negan?" He cut her off, voice raising.
Everyone around them stilled and it seemed as though all noises ceased. Every person in earshot was stood up straight, staring at the woman, waiting.
Even Daryl.
The woman glanced around for a minute before she sighed, "Negan and I met in college." She explained, "We became quick friends. We even worked at a school together after graduating."
"How long did you know it was him that was leading the Saviors?" Caspian voice was low, but venomous.
Evelyn swallowed thickly, shifting in her place. Her group just watched by silently, "I had my suspicions for a little while-" She admitted in a small voice.
Holloway scoffed loudly, "And you didn't think to bring it to our attention that you might have known the man terrorizing us?"
"What difference would it make?" Her voice was suddenly raised.
"What difference would it make?" Caspian stared at her with wide, bewildered eyes, "Maybe we could've found a way to use it! To prevent-"
"I didn't know it was him! I thought the name was just a coincidence!" She tried once more.
A scoff left the man's lips as he rolled his eyes, "Oh, yeah, because Negan is such a common name." He shook his head, "Here we are, fighting for our lives, and you just sit back comfortably knowing Negan would never hurt you because you knew that monster before all of this."
"I don't-"
"Do you even fucking understand what he did to Daniel? To Glenn? To Abraham?" Caspian roared suddenly, voice echoing throughout the entirety of the Hilltop.
Evelyn stumbled back with a widened gaze, a sharp sting sent straight to her heart and her breath caught in her throat, "Of course, I understand." She whispered after a moment.
Caspian surged forward, getting right in her face as he hissed, "Then why the hell is Negan still alive?"
"Alright, that's enough." Rick's voice was soft, yet stern, as he moved forward suddenly, getting in between the two people and giving Caspian a gentle shove to the chest to push him away from the now quivering woman.
Nobody in her group moved forward, everyone avoided eye contact with her.
Except for Daryl, who was just gazing upon her sadly.
"I didn't know." She whispered, her voice breaking, but the air was so silent around them that they all heard loud and clear.
Jesus came jogging over to the group suddenly, holding a radio in his hand. He had clearly heard the argument- the entire community had- but pretended as if he hadn't, "You guys don't have to go back to Alexandria. Not yet." He spoke, eyes purposefully staying off of Evelyn as she tried to collect herself from the back of the group as he held up the radio, "It's one of theirs, long range, "We can listen in, keep track of them."
"So, if we're not going back, what are we doing, then?" Michonne questioned.
The man smiled, "I think it's time I introduced you to Ezekiel. King Ezekiel."
Even through her rough emotions, Evelyn was able to find it in herself to pull a confused look, though she refused to look at anyone in her group.
In the midst of the raised voices, she had somehow wrapped her arms around her stomach tightly, every muscle in her body shaking.
No longer was she Evelyn Wright, the woman that fought, starved, and survived alongside them. She wasn't the woman that sacrificed so much for the group. In most of their minds, she wasn't anything more than the woman who used to be friends with Negan.
A/N: Anyone still interested in this story?