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ROSALINE AND maggie loaded up a car. the brunette had decided she wanted to go back to alexandria due to the fact that negan would be coming soon for his supplies and if anything happened, she wanted to be there. besides, he'd be suspicious about her whereabouts since her last excuse of hunting wouldn't work anymore.
her drive back was silent with rhaegar laying down in the passenger seat. it was quite comforting but she missed the noise. it didn't take a genius to figure out that rosaline was a people person. the person she enjoyed being around most was supposed to be with jesus who was supposed to be with rick.
put two and two together, daryl would be where rick is and rick is where alexandria is. that was another reason why she was coming home. she wanted to be there with daryl in case there would be a fight.
it could be anyone's last day of the rest of their life, after all.
soon enough, the same metal gates of alexandria appeared in sight, giving her a relieving feeling. she'd be able to see judith, her little sister who she had not seen in quite some time.
upon her arrival, the gates opened, aaron running down from watch, "rosaline?"
"hey, aaron." she let out a sigh, letting daryl out the car as he shut the gates, "where's everyone?"
"rosita. she came back with one of the saviors. dwight." he informed, causing her to stop in her tracks with a conflicted expression.
she stepped up to the taller man, "him?"
he nodded, "yeah. apparently, he wants to help."
"where?"
"the house with the cell morgan made." he answered shortly.
if daryl was here that meant he was going to go berserk at the sight of him.
"come on rhaegar." the brunette demanded, breaking off into probably one of the fastest runs she could manage towards the home.
when she raced down the steps she bumped into a firm chest, her eyes met with rick's, "rosaline?"
"yeah. i'm here. what's going on?" she questioned hastily, leaning over his shoulder to get a look at what was happening inside of the cell. she caught sight of daryl's familiar shoulder-length hair and his stocky frame.
immediately her fiancé turned around in surprise, pushing past rick and grabbing her shoulders, "i told you to stay behind." he muttered, pulling her into his hold, her face crashing into his chest, inhaling his scent.
"i know." she said pulling away to see dwight standing there, instantly her expression changed into a hard scowl, "what's he doing here?"
"he wants to help." rick said.
she laughed, "who does he want to help?"
"us. hopefully." rosita grumbled, crossing her arms while keeping her stare on the ginger man.
dwight gulped, "negan's going to be coming soon. three trucks, probably. twenty saviors and him. i can slow them down, block the road with some trees. buy you guys a little time to get ready."
rick and daryl exchanged glances.
"if you can take them out that's where we start. you kill them, i'll radio back to the sanctuary."
"the sanctuary?" the former sheriff repeated, raising a brow.
"where negan lives." he clarified, "that's what they call it. i can radio back to them and say everything's okay. you drive the trucks back, and i can lead you right inside, and, with the right plan, we can wipe out the rest. check to see if your friend's still alive. then, we get the workers on our side, build our numbers up and go from outpost to outpost and end this."
rosaline shot him a look, "how do we know it's not a trap?"
"i got nothing to lose."
rick stared at him, interested, "keep talking."
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during nightfall, rosaline decided to let rick talk with daryl. she went to spend some time with judith before putting her down to sleep. the sky seemed calm, no clouds in sight and just the occasional hoot of owls to accompany it.
daryl soon came to see her, his hands wrapping around her waist as he leaned his head on her shoulder, "rick asked jesus to take her in the morning. she can't be here."
"so be it." she shrugged, her hand gripping the cot as the tiny girl slept inside, "if it keeps her safe."
"you love 'er." he muttered suddenly, realizing how much the child made her happy.
she smiled softly, "like my own sibling."
he hummed quietly, swaying her around from side to side gently, still gripping her waist. she giggled, turning around, planting a quick kiss on his lips, guiding him outside of the room and into their own.
"i have something for you." rosaline suddenly popped up, reaching into her pocket.
daryl arched a brow, frowning slightly. it wasn't usual that he'd get gifts - he didn't really want anything in particular.
slowly, she pulled out a ring. the marksman was confused; it wasn't the same one he'd given her, "huh?"
"remember when we talked about getting married after being engaged? since we thought life was going back to normal?" she asked, fumbling around with it, "i want to just... do it here. in this house, where i am happiest with you. we don't need a wedding."
daryl swallowed a small lump in his throat, blinking a few times as he stared down at the beautiful band of gold, "where'd you manage to find that?"
truth be told, that day, rick had come to speak to her. he knew about her plans to find daryl a ring. her father just wanted to speed up their process.
he gave her his own wedding ring. the one he'd worn since he and lori were married. it brought rosaline to tears. she couldn't imagine how hard he must've thought about giving it up - but now he had michonne.
"let's just say i got very lucky." she smiled, smiling up at him, "so, dare?"
daryl smiled, staring down at his shoes for a moment, "yeah."
she picked up his hand, sliding the ring onto his finger. it was a perfect fit. rick really had an eye for things like this sometimes.
they were really 'married' now, if they weren't before. perhaps not in the most romantic circumstances, but this was the apocalypse after all. however, nothing felt more right than the two of them there and now.
as long as they had each other, nothing could go wrong.
"come on, let's sleep. we've at least got a bed - be grateful." she giggled, still not trying to be too loud in case she'd wake judith who was sleeping in the next room.
he smirked, "who said i wasn't?"
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at the crack of dawn, some people had turned up. they seemed simple, too simple. they rode in on bikes, a truck, and a garbage disposal truck. at the same time, rosita, aaron, and daryl were working on a bomb outside the wall.
the saviors were most likely on their way. dwight had knocked down those trees to stall them so they could all get prepared. more people were wandering outside the wall, blocking their passage.
negan would have one hell of a surprise.
rick walked over to rosaline who was actually fitting a little k-9 kevlar vest on rhaegar. in her absence, aaron had miraculously found one on one of his runs. it was going to do him a massive favor.
"here," he said, tossing her an ak-47, "use that. stick with daryl."
she nodded, asking rhaegar to heel as she walked over to her fiancé, "do not move away from me. understand?" rosaline demanded sternly. this was one of the moments where she needed her companion to not make a move without her say-so.
turkey calls sounded, meaning the saviors were nearing. rick asked everyone to prepare themselves as the vehicles approached.
rosaline's couldn't believe her ears as eugene's voice came in through a megaphone, "this is a test, and i'm giving out the cheat sheet." brakes squealed as they came to a stop, air brakes hissing loudly, "h-hello. i come salved with the hope that it is my dropped knowledge that you heed. options are zero to none. compliance and fealty are your only escape. bottom-lining it- you may thrive, or you may die. i sincerely wish for the former for everyone's sake."
her heart pounded with rage. this idiot was here with negan, as negan. this betrayal was probably one of the most shocking. eugune was a soft-hearted man, and him working under a tyrant was something peculiar.
beside the brunette, she could feel daryl shift uncomfortably, his eyes narrowed as he realized which side eugune is really on.
"what an idiot." the girl whispered to herself.
he continued, "the jig is up and in full effect. will you comply, rick?"
the former sheriff was not going to answer to him, "where's negan?"
"i'm negan."
rick closed his eyes, staring up to the sky, a defeated look on his face. rosita's fingers twitched to press the button that would set off the bombs outside the gates, ultimately hoping to kill the saviors which were lined up. slowly, he turned his head, nodding to the woman.
as she went to press it, rick ducked. everyone anticipated the explosion - but nothing came.
guns cocked behind rosaline. jadis rose to her feet abruptly, pulling a gun to rick's head. another betrayal. the young woman let out a pathetic laugh as rhaegar looked up to her as if waiting for her instruction. nothing came out of her mouth other than that sound.
however, she felt the sharp exhale coming out of daryl's nostrils. he was raging, she could feel it.
the lock of the gate clicked, one of jadis' men opening the gate for the saviors. negan hopped out of the truck along with dwight, his trust bat swinging until he rested it on his back. the rest began to dismantle the explosives.
up on the guard tower, rick breathed heavily looking around for any possible escape from the situation. eventually, he got to his feet, looking down on them.
negan glared at him, "you ever hear the one about the stupid little prick named rick who thought he knew shit but he didn't know shit and got everyone that he gave a shit about killed?" he asked sarcastically, before pointing a finger at him, "it's about you! you're all gonna wanna put your guns down now."
rick decided to make a stand, "no one drops anything." he then turned to jadis with the most hateful glance, "we had a deal."
"tamiel came for the boat things. followed ones who took. made a better deal." she explained.
"you push me and you push and you push me rick!" negan called to him, "i mean you just tried to blow us up, right? i mean, i get me, my people. but eugune? he's one of yours. and after what he did- he stepped up. you people... are animals. universe gives you a sign, and you just," he held up his middle finger at him, "shove your finger right up its ass! dwight, simon, chop-chop."
promptly, simon hopped up with dwight and began to unbuckle a package of some sorts. in fact, it was a coffin. rick squinted, looking at it with astonishment.
"what the hell?" rosaline muttered.
the leader of the saviors grunted as he hopped up on the truck next to the box, "so, you don't like eugene anymore. you guys gotta like sasha. i do, too." he banged his bat on the door, "got her right here packaged up for your convenience, alive and well. now, i brought her so i wouldn't have to kill all of you, and not killing all of you could get complicated! see, i know there's a lot of firepower left in there, rick. so i'm gonna make this simple - i want all the guns you've managed to scrape up. yep, i know about those, too. i want every last grain of lemonade you got left."
rosaline trembled slightly, rhaegar practically sitting on her feet as she tried to keep her feet glued to the ground and her hands below her waist. it was so hard not to just shoot eugune right there and then.
"i want a person of your own choosing... for lucille." he raised his brows humorously before looking at daryl who stood beside her, "sorry, rosaline my angel but, ooh, i gotta get me my daryl back! i see you. and the pool table! and all the pool cues and chalk, and i want it now or sasha dies! then all of you. probably."
nobody made the effort to move.
negan grew impatient, "c'mon rick! just because i brought her in a casket doesn't mean she has to leave in it." he sighed for a moment after glancing at an ever so slightly paling rosaline. his fingers pinched the skin on his forehead in frustration. it was a shame she forgot her medicine today, "you know what? you suck ass, rick! you really do. i don't want to have to kill her, but that's exactly what you're gonna make me do."
rick stepped forward, "let me see her."
he chuckled, "oh. alright. just give me a second. i might have to get her up to speed. you can't hear shit inside this thing." negan banged the bat once more on the metal casket, "sash! you're not gonna believe this crap."
he opened it.
a turned sasha burst out of the small casket, immediately going for negan, throwing him off the truck and onto the grass. rosaline's hand flew to her mouth, gasping. her heart dropped - sasha died in there.
suddenly, carl whipped around shooting each of jadis' people in the leg.
the woman clicked her finger and pointed behind her. rhaegar snapped his teeth and pounced at the people behind him. rosa also started firing her gun along with daryl. she'd shot so many people in such a short amount of time, the adrenaline rushing through her veins.
all that target practice that she had been doing when daryl was gone was finally being put into use. even with her breathing being off again, the brunette ignored the burning sensation in her chest continuing to fight.
her green eyes landed on rhaegar who was ripping into the leg of a man before she called him back - if he stood in the open he could get shot and sometimes not even the vest could help. quickly, he bounded back to her, barking.
quickly, she followed daryl. ever so often he checked if she was behind him, not injured. however, he stopped as he saw jadis holding her hand up in the air, making rick follow along the road right towards where negan was holding carl - surrounded by saviors and negan.
"hello again." negan said, the same permanent sly smirk on his face, "it's a shame we haven't get the whole family here. rosaline? why don't you come and join the party, angel?"
she stopped in her tracks, glaring at him.
he laughed seeing her pissed-off expression, "come on, don't make me ask twice. unless you want your brother's hand to be cut off. don't make me do that, because i like you!"
rosaline gave him possibly the biggest death stare yet.
"i mean, does family mean anything to you?" negan tittered, pointing down at carl.
she pinched the bridge of her nose, "you absolute asshat. fine!"
"don't make her come here." carl gasped out, "she's not my real sister! she's my adoptive sister. just don't!"
even if it was harsh, he wanted to save her from possible death. some people who had no clue looked around, looking at the stunned expressions on each other's faces.
"damn... plot twist!" his eyes widened, surprise flashing in them. since the very start, he'd been convinced that they were actual family, considering rosaline cared so much and acted like she was their blood-related kin, "i still want her down here, because family is family. isn't that right?"
carl toppled forward, in protest but rosaline sighed, "it's okay carl."
daryl grabbed her arm, "don't."
"i need to. rhaegar stay."
with a grumble, she got on her knees right next to carl. her eyes fixated on the grass below.
"rick, you get that? you just couldn't stick with us, huh? you had to go with these filthy garbage people? no offense." negan taunted, nodding to the woman next to him.
"deal is for twelve, yes?" jadis ensured.
"ten. people are a resource."
she didn't seem pleased, "twelve."
gunfire rippled in the distance, negan giving her an intimidating look until she agreed on ten. he returned to the three on the floor, "ah rick. this is just gonna make you sad. broken. you're gonna wish you were dead. i like having fun, i do. but maybe you think that the guy that did what he did to your friends wasn't me, like that was some sort of a put-on, like i'm not the guy with the bat- i'm just the guy that makes your kids spaghetti!"
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last episode of season seven and we're on season eight! <3
don't forget to vote and comment!
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