Destruction ||| Glenn Rhee x Reader (TWD X Reader)

Chapter 84) Applesauce

Y/N sets down the pictures and crosses her arms, looking at Rick.

He directs the others to stand guard because more will come.

"I didn't see him. I didn't hear him. If he wanted to hurt me, he could've." Y/N says.

Glenn shakes his head. "What the hell were you thinking, going out there alone?"

She rolls her eyes. "I was thinking that I wanted some time alone. I was thinking that maybe we could have one normal minute around here without something f*cking happening. That's what I was thinking. Guess I was wrong."

Carl pulls out the items from Aaron's bag, showing them to Rick.

Daryl secures Aaron's hands behind his back. Y/N places a damp cloth to his cheek where Rick hit.

His eyes slowly open and he glances around, remembering where he is. He huffs out a laugh. "That's a hell of a right cross there, Rick."

Y/N and Michonne help him sit up straight. He groans as he moves his jaw.

"You're being cautious. I completely understand."

Rick cuts him off. "How many of your people are out there? You have a flare gun. You have it to signal your people. How many of them are there?"

Aaron sighs. "Does it matter?"

"Yes. Yes, it does."

"I mean, of course. If matters how many people are actually out there, but does it matter how many people I tell you are out there? Because I'm pretty sure that no matter what number I say- eight, thirty-two, four-hundred and forty-four, zero. No matter what I say, you're not going to trust me."

Rick shrugs. "Hard to trust anybody who smiles after getting punched in the face."

"How about a guy who leaves bottles of water for you in the road?"

Daryl takes a step closer. "How long you people been following us?"

"Long enough to see that you practically ignore a pack of roamers on your trail. Long enough to see that despite a lack of food and water, you never turned on each other. You're survivors. And, you're people."

He continues after a moment. "Like I said, and I hope you won't punch me for saying it again, that is the most important resource in the world."

Rick grinds his teeth. "How many others are out there?"

"One."

Rick says nothing and Aaron huffs. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. If it's not words, if it's not pictures, what would it take to convince you that this is for real? What if I drove you to the community? All of you? We leave now, we'll get there by lunch."

Rick shrugs. "I'm not sure how the sixteen of us are going to fit in the car you and your one friend drove down here in."

Aaron nods. "We drove separately. If we found a group, we wanted to be able to bring them all home. There's enough room for all of us."

"And you're parked just a couple miles away, right?" Carol asks.

"East on Ridge road, just after you hit route 16. We wanted to get them closer, but then the storm came, blocked the road. We couldn't clear it."

"Yeah, you've really thought this through." Rick says.

Aaron shakes his head in disbelief. "Rick, if I wanted to ambush you, I'd do it here. You know, light the barn on fire while you slept, pick you off as you ran out the only exit. You can trust me."

Y/N stands from her crouched position and crosses her arms again. "He's right, Rick." She says.

Michonne sighs. "I'll check out the cars."

"There aren't any cars." Rick says.

"We need to be sure."

"We don't."

Michonne firms her tone. "We do. You know what you know and you're sure of it, but i'm not."

Y/N nods. "Me neither."

Rick looks at them. "Your way is dangerous. Mine isn't."

Y/N shakes her head. "Passing up some place where we can live? Where Carl and Judith can live? Where my baby can live? That's dangerous."

Michonne nods in agreement. "We need to find out what this is. We can handle ourselves. So that's what we're gonna do."

After a moment, Glenn nods. "Then I will, too."

Rick inhales. He turns his back. "Abraham."

The tall man nods, strapping his gun over his shoulder, not even needing to be asked. "Yeah, I'll walk with them."

Rick turns to Rosita. She nods too. "Okay."

Glenn pulls Y/N in for a quick kiss.

Rick looks to the little group. "The walkies are out of juice. If you're not back in 60 minutes, we'll come."

Michonne, Glenn, Rosita and Abe all leave the barn. Rick turns to the others. "If we're all in here, we're a target."

Daryl waves his arm. "I've got the area covered."

Rick points at the others. "Alright groups of two, everyone stay within eyeshot, find somewhere safe."

The others leave. Carl hands Judith to Y/N and walks out of the barn, leaving just the two girls, Rick, and Aaron.

Rick shuts the doors as Aaron speaks to them.

"When the world was still the world, I worked for an NGO. Our mission was to deliver medicine and food to the Niger River Delta. Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week. You're not bad people. You're not going to kill us. And we are definitely not going to kill you."

Y/N sits down, holding Judith in her lap. Rick shrugs. "Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you. If they aren't back in an hour, i'll put a knife in the base of your skull."

After some time, Judith begins to wail. Y/N bounces her gently, as Rick tries crushing up acorns to feed her.

Aaron sighs. "You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right?"

Rick and Y/N glance at each other. Aaron shakes his head. "This isn't a trick. This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation. Because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know i'll be the first to go."

Rick stands and walks over to Aaron's bag, pulling out a small jar of applesauce. He scoops some onto a spoon and carries it over to the restrained man, holding it in front of his face.

Aarons eyes widen. "You think i'm trying to poison your baby daughter? I'm tied up and both of you have already expressed a willingness to kill me. How would cruelly killing a baby in front of you, in any way help the situation?"

Rick bends down to face the man. "Maybe she doesn't die. Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one who can help her and I just lose."

Aaron lowers his voice. "I am the only one who can help her, because I have applesauce and we all win."

Rick holds the spoon up to Aaron's mouth again who backs away. "I hate applesauce. My mom used to make me eat foods I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her hardest. I just bring the jar to show that we have apple trees nearby."

Y/N walks close to the man, still holding a crying Judith. "Just eat the damn applesauce."

He grimaces as he follows her order, eating the contents of the spoon. Satisfied, Rick hands the jar to Y/N who immediately begins to feed Judith.

"The community is big enough, we can find a place for you to live, where even when she cries, no one can hear it outside the walls."

Rick glances at his watch. "You've got 43 minutes."
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