Tomorrow Will Come

Twelve

"Hey, love," Rosita smiled softly to Mary, as the girl was on gate duty later on, "me and a Eugene have to go run an errand. Wanna come?"
Mary sighed; last night she'd discovered that Rosita was now with Gabriel. She didn't dislike the man, and she knew Rosita and Siddiq were never in a proper relationship, but she was still slightly annoyed with Rosita - she desperately wanted things to work out between Rosita and Siddiq.
"Why?" Mary asked, but when she saw Rosita's face, she nodded with a sigh, "For the radio."
"Yeah."
"Nah. I'll see you later." Mary smiled softly, and Rosita nodded, blowing her a kiss before leaving. Mary knew some of the other council members - Eugene, Gabriel, Rosita - had been broadcasting on a radio, in the hope someone would hear. She wasn't supposed to know, but almost nothing happened in Alexandria without her knowing. She knew, however, that she believed more in helping people than closing themselves away from outsiders, so she made a deal with Rosita when she found out; she wouldn't tell her mother, but Rosita had to keep her informed on everything that happened with it.
"Shift change." A voice called not long later, and Mary smiled as she saw Cameron and a member of Nira's group, Jaynie, come to take over. "You good?"
"Yeah, you?"
"Yeah. Showing Jaynie here the ropes." Cameron explained, and Mary nodded. "They... They decided what's gonna happen? With the others?"
"Mom won't let them stay." Mary sighed, and Cameron nodded, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm still gonna try 'nd change her mind. Don't worry."
"If anyone can, it's you." Cameron smiled, and Mary nodded, then climbed down off of the guard post, and went straight to the infirmary.
"Hi." Mary called, seeing Siddiq's smiling face, in a room full of Magna's group, and DJ.
"Hey, kiddo."
"Came to help."
"No, you came to nosey at the new group," Siddiq laughed, "but that's okay."
"Hi." Luke smiled broadly to the girl, and Mary grinned back at him.
"How's Yumiko?" Mary asked softly, and Siddiq nodded.
"She'll be good to go tomorrow."
"Can't it be longer?" Mary asked Siddiq quietly, but he just sighed.
"Sorry, love. Asked her for another day already, and it was a no. I tried."
"I know." Mary nodded, watching as Luke walked over.
"Hey, docs," Luke asked, walking over to the duo, "what's your stories. Were you here from the start?"
"No. Spent a whole lot there, then we found it. Gave up a lot to have this." Mary explained.
"The woman, Michonne, she's your..." Luke began questioningly, and Mary nodded.
"My mom. Step mom, really, but mom. Since I was, like, five or six."
"What happens to your dad?" Magna asked suddenly.
"Dead." Mary breathed, and Magna nodded back, her eyes suddenly a dozen shades kinder.
"I was a stranger, someone they took in," Siddiq explained slowly, taking the pressure away from Mary, and Luke nodded, "but it was different then."
"Okay, is, is there a reason that things changed?"
"There's a reason for everything. Excuse me." Siddiq sighed, before walking away, going to tidy away some supplies.
"The last load of people we let it... Not Nira's group, that was... That makes the decision with your group harder, but it was a very different situation. Anyway," Mary explained with a slight sigh, "the last group before them, and before you, they... Were bad. We thought we could trust them. My mom knew them, in another life. The leader, they went to college together. And she... Took all our children."
"Your little sister." Kelly whispered, looking to her older sister.
"Yeah. I got lucky. She... She took them slowly. Made it a game. But at that point, I didn't even talk, let alone trust anyone new. So she couldn't gain my trust, to lure me away. But she got my sister. She broke my moms heart. My pregnant mother. So she doesn't trust anyone now."
Luke nodded slowly, absorbing the information, as Kelly translated for Connie, and somewhere along the way, Judith slunk into the room, taking Mary's hand. The flash of Connie and Kelly's moving hands stirred a long forgotten memory in Mary's mind, of her, aged four, and her brother, hidden in a pop-up tent in their prison bedroom, a torch shining light on their hands. Carl and Mary learnt a few words, just so they could communicate in silence. I love you. Run. Hide. Dead, used for walkers.
"My brother taught me some sign when we were little, so we could talk about danger in silence. We never really used it though. We made up our own. Then me and my uncle used it again, when I... I didn't talk. After my dad." Mary smiled softly, and the sisters smiled back.
"Me and Mary have our own sign that Carl told us. It's special and made up. This means I love you so much." Judith explained, showing them the peace sign. Abraham and Sasha's "I love you" that Mary adopted with her siblings.
"That's really cool." Kelly smiled with pride, and Judith squeezed Mary's hand.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Finished my sword lesson with mom, and wanted to come find you. Mom says it's homework time."
"Yeah, yeah, okay," Mary nodded, letting go of Judith's hand and hugging Siddiq, "I'll see you later?"
"Yeah. See you." Siddiq smiled, as Mary and Judith left.