𝘾arl had a gun drawn on a Savior. He stared the older man down as he stated, "Put some back or the next one goes in you," he stated.
"Kid..." the man said with a chuckle. "What do you think happens next?"
"You die," Carl replied as Rick, Adalyn, and Negan stepped into the house.
"Carl, Carl, put it down," Rick said.
"No," Carl said, looking his father in the eye. "He's taking all of our medicine. They said only half our stuff."
Adalyn reached for Carl's arm. "Hey," she said, her voice soft. "Hey, Carl, please. Put it down."
For a moment it looked like he was going to consider it, then Negan spoke. "Of course," he said. "Oh-ho. Really, kid?"
Carl looked at him. "And you should go," he said. "Before you find out how dangerous we all are."
Adalyn's expression was pleading, but Negan just smirked. "Well, pardon me, young man," he said. "Excuse the shit out of my goddamn French, but... did you just threaten me?"
"Carl, please," Adalyn said. "Put the gun down."
Negan held up a hand to silence her, continuing to speak to Carl, "Look, I get threatening Davey here, but I can't have it. Not him, not me."
"Carl, just put it down," Rick stated.
Negan tsked, hand moving from in front of Adalyn to in front of Rick. "Don't be rude, Rick. We are having a conversation here. Now, boy, where were we?"
Carl's expression was stoic. He didn't care. He wasn't scared. "Oh, yeah," Negan said. "Your giant, man-sized balls. No threatening us. Listen, I like you, so I don't want to go hard proving a point here. You don't want that. I said half your shit, and half is what I say it is. I'm serious. Do you want me to prove how serious? Again?"
Carl took a breath.
He lowered the gun.
Adalyn had him by the arm in a second, pulling him toward her. Surprisingly, he didn't pull away. In fact, he handed her the gun.
Which, Negan promptly took from her hand.
"You know, Rick, this whole thing reminds me that you have a lot of guns," Negan said to Rick. "There's all the guns you took from my outpost when you wasted all my people with a shit-ton of your own guns, and I'm bettin' there's even more, which adds up to an absolute... ass-load of guns, and as this little emotional outburst just made crystal clear... I can't allow that."
Adalyn didn't like where this was going.
Rick looked at Carl, who was tight in Adalyn's grip. Carl stared back, unwavering.
Negan smiled. "They're all mine now. So tell me, Rick- - where are my guns?"
Adalyn wanted to argue. She wanted to scream and shout. She wanted to kill Negan where he stood.
But instead, she just followed Rick as he led Negan to the armory. Olivia opened the garage, looking anxious as the Saviors approached. "I... figured you were coming," she said.
"Show him where the guns are, Olivia," Rick said.
She nodded faintly, looking at Negan. "The armory's inside."
She turned away, leading in the group that followed. "You run the show in here?" Negan asked her.
She stopped, turning to face him. "I... I just keep track of it all, the rations, the guns. Adalyn helps me most days."
"Good," Negan said with a small nod. "Smart. Don't let me stop you. Take her out, boys. Show 'em the goods."
The Saviors followed her into the armory as Adalyn offered a sad smile.
Negan stayed back with Rick and Adalyn, letting his men go ahead. Rick made to follow, but Negan took him by the shoulder. "Wait, wait, wait," he said. "While they're at it, I just want to point out to you that I'm not taking a scrap of your food. Slim pickin's in here." He lowered his voice. "And I can't be the only one to notice that you got a fat lady in charge of keeping track of rations, can I?" Adalyn's hands balled into fists. Negan was still talking. "Either way, you starve to death, I don't get shit, so for now, you get to keep all the food. How 'bout that?"
Rick considered his reply. "What do you want me to say?" he finally asked.
Negan's smile fell. He stepped closer to Rick, so close their chests were nearly touching. "I don't know, Rick," he stated. "How about a thank you. You think that might be in order? Or is that too much to ask?!"
Rick was frozen. He said nothing.
Adalyn stepped between the two men, trying to keep her expression calm. "Thank you," she said. She held a hand out, trying to keep Negan away. "Really, thank you. We need the food."
He smiled, letting out a chuckle. "Smart girl."
His eyes moved over her head to Rick. "I know we started off on the wrong foot, but what can I say? You forced my hand, Rick," he said. "But it's like I've been tryin' to tell you- - I'm a very reasonable man as long as you cooperate, so let me ask you a question, Rick. Are you cooperating?"
Rick sighed. "What's it look like?" he asked.
Negan chuckled. "Oh-ho-ho. I know what it looks like. But what I really want to know is if we're gonna find all the guns back there or if maybe you've got a few just waitin' for their moment... just like my Lucille."
"They're all in there, to the best of my knowledge," Rick answered.
"Mm," Negan said. "I am countin' on that, Rick."
And then he stepped into the armory, following his men.
Adalyn and Rick shared a look before following.
