stardustly | Yes, and they will run you down, down 'til you fall.

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Yes, and they will run you down, down 'til you fall.

who: team family!
what: right after the season 7 finale aftermath.
where: Alexandria.

[ Unease rolled through Rick, setting all his nerves on edge and heightened his need to do something. Anything. But for the moment, he knew they needed to heal and regroup, taking it easy to plan the next course of action. They were gearing up for war and Rick knew better than to ever underestimate an enemy ever again or a possible alliance. The sting from Jadis only added to the fire burning in his veins and the resolute determination to bring all the saviors down to their knees. Those he left alive anyway because he wanted Negan's head and everyone else close to his base of daily operations. They all needed to burn and pay for their crimes.

Pushing the troubling ponderings aside for the time being, Rick moved into the room where Michonne and the other injured were. He just finished rallying the troops with Maggie and left her to finish inspiring them and starting a training schedule. They needed more weapons and there were just too many unknown variables.

Running a hand over his face, Rick sat down on the chair next to Michonne's bed, reaching for her hand to messily press his lips against her palm, nearly willing her with all he had to wake up. Rationally, he knew she would be okay but his mind had become a chaotic uprising of tumbling emotions and thoughts. He needed her to make sense of it all again. To soothe the inner storms into a calmer peace. ]

I thought - I tried to fool myself into believin' we could make it without each other. We could keep goin', doin' what needed to be done. But I can't. I need you, Michonne. Everybody needs ya. I know you gotta rest but if you could just open your eyes a little bit and talk to me a couple minutes, I'd appreciate it.

[ He hadn't even gotten his hip looked at yet. Far too concerned with everyone else. ]

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[The destruction at Alexandria isn't the worst she's seen it. It isn't good, but it could be worse. Will be worse. The thought comes unbidden, and yet she feels the truth of it down to the hollows of her bones. It's the way things are now. The way the world works. And hearing about what Negan and the saviors (and isn't that title about as ironic as it gets?) had done to Abraham, to Glenn -- her choice has been made.

She's tried staying out of all of it. Isolating herself. Because at the core, she is poison and it's something she has struggled to come to terms with over the last few weeks at the Kingdom. She's not sure she ever will. Ever can.

It doesn't matter.

Carol's felt helpless, hopeless for so long now despite her own capabilities, that she's not sure she's going to get past it, and that doesn't matter either. What matters is how she responds, and hiding from it isn't going to make it all go away. She's back, in it for the long haul. Because it's what she has to do.

She spends some time checking on a few of the people from both Alexandria and the Kingdom, but she doesn't spot any of the individuals she most needs to see. She asks around, discovers that Michonne had been pretty badly injured, and follows Tara's direction to where the woman is recovering. She finds Rick there beside her bed, holding her hand, and she pauses in the doorway, silent. Still.]

[ Battered. Slipping down. But not at all broken and without the drive to continue on and to win. They didn't really have any other options but to move forward and try for the best possible outcomes. Because never again would they crash onto their knees and allow for that madman to have dominance over how they did things. Rick cannot believe it ever arrived at that point to begin with but the strain over all the losses and all the pressures were getting to them all.

They were all so tired and something needed to give.

The law of averages. The luck after all the misfortune. Things had to turn their way now they were at the bottom, scrapping around in the muck and dirt.

Feeling eyes on him, Rick twisted around in his seat to take in Carol standing there. He didn't have enough words to show his appreciation for her saving them once again. The guilt still roamed through him every time he saw her, given the past at the prison. ]

Can't thank ya enough for comin' through for us, Carol. I know things don't look good now but things will change. They got to. We all have to make sure they do. We started somethin', ain't no goin' back now.

[ He shook his head, standing up to give Michonne time to rest. ] We have to start plannin'. The saviors aren't gonna rest long before they attack again.

[When he turns and notices her presence, she meets his eyes and gives a short nod. She thinks she sees guilt there and she suppresses the urge to sigh. She doesn't want him to feel guilty for the past. Not only is it water under the bridge in her mind, but his instincts about her had been right. He'd seen it long before anyone else had. Long before she'd been willing to admit it.

And when push comes to shove, he doesn't even know all of it.

She tries and fails to smile at the thanks, but shakes her head. She'd been trying to reconcile her mind to this since Daryl's appearance on her doorstep at the Kingdom. She hadn't been quite ready at that moment, but she'd known he'd lied to her. To protect her, the way he does. But Morgan's confirmation that things had gone down much differently from what Daryl had told her had solidified things in her mind. Negan and the Saviors have to be stopped.]

We will, Rick. [And she knows he's right about that -- Negan and his people don't seem the type to spend long regrouping before striking again.]

For what it's worth, Ezekial and the Kingdom are in this for the long haul. [There's a beat.]

And so am I.

[ Letting out a slow breath, Rick's eyes lingered on Michonne for a moment before he gave Carol more of his attention. He felt exhausted but knew none of them would rest anytime soon. They needed to plan their next course of attack and figure out how to balance the odds stacked against them. Negan still had the numbers, worse with the Scavengers having betrayed them. How did he not see the signs of it happening from Jadis? The type of woman no one should ever trust. She really made his skin crawl. ]

Yeah, that's real good to hear but we got to figure out how to balance this out. We still don't have the numbers and those we got - not all of them are fighters. Not all of them know what it's like goin' up against people like this.

[ He scrubbed a hand over his face, eyes drifting towards Michonne again but she kept sleeping on. ] Think we should set up some trainin' for them while the Saviors are regrouping?

[Her own gaze drops to Michonne's resting form and she draws in a breath, reluctantly stepping farther into the room. There will be time for planning after the more important things at hand are out of the way, so she ignores the question for the time being.]

How's she doing? [Her voice is hushed, and she wonders who's taken over as doctor since Denise was killed. Her conversation with Tara had been brief, but long enough to learn that much, and she folds her arms across her chest, more for something to do with them than her defensive posture might suggest.

She chews her lower lip and looks at the blood stain on Rick's shirt.]

How are you doing for that matter? [She can't tell if he's been shot or stabbed, but either way, it's not good.]

[ Letting out a shaky breath, Rick's eyes moved back over Michonne's sleeping form and he had to blink a few times to try and stop his eyes from stinging again. Things felt too overwhelming and the fact he nearly lost Michonne and Carl in short a time frame didn't exactly help matters or his current state of mind.

He just felt so tired but knew none of them would sleep anytime soon with so many preparations to set up. They also needed to do repairs to the wall to keep them all safe in the meantime. He really needed to get back out there to oversee things. ]

She's as good as can be expected. She was lucky. [ His eyes moved downwards when Carol hinted at the wound. Yeah, he forgot about it completely in his worry and grief. ]

Yeah, got shot. [ He said it so nonchalant like it didn't matter. Nearly as if she asked him a remark about the weather. ] Jadis shot me when I wouldn't kneel. It's fine. Can't even feel it anymore. [ Looking back over at her, he motioned for her to take a seat. ] Really wish Denise was still here.

[She sees it. The struggle he's having dealing with Michonne being hurt. She gets it. She wishes she didn't. Still. Carol watches him intently, letting her gaze slide to his injury when he admits he'd been shot.

She doesn't know who Jadis is, but she assumes she's one of the people from the other group he'd found.]

That's not necessarily a good thing.

[She moves over to sit down beside him. There's a lot of blood on his shirt and pants. Obviously she hadn't hit anything vital or life-threatening, but that doesn't mean it's not to be taken seriously. Of course, Rick won't. Not with Michonne hurt as she is, and not with all of the problems that lie ahead of them.]

You should let me take a look at it. [She isn't a doctor, but she might have the most medical knowledge of the group now. Scary thought, she thinks idly.]

[ While he wanted to argue about there being more important things to worry about, he knew the effort would be for nothing. Carol would keep insisting and they would waste more time debating about it than just getting it over with. Sighing deeply, he lifted up his shirt, wincing a little from the movements. Focusing on it made the pain surge up slightly but not to the point he couldn't handle it. Thanks to all his injuries over the past few years, he had built up a tolerance for enduring.

He shifted the chair around quietly to not disturb Michonne and give Carol a little more room to look. ]

Just needs to be removed and will be alright. [ Rick held up his shirt again, fingers becoming sticky with the blood stained there. ] Haven't had time yet but was plannin' on doin' it. [ Most likely once everyone else had been taken care of and the walls were back in place. He knew Negan wouldn't be resting and a minor injury couldn't slow him down. ]

[She knows there are more important things, and while it's not a life-threatening injury, it could easily garner an infection that could cause life-threatening issues not too far down the road. And right now that's not something any of them can afford.

She peers at the injury for a long moment, wrinkle forming between her eyebrows as she studies it, then nods, moving to get some of the medical tools that were available. She sterilizes the forceps with alcohol and carries the bottle over toward where he's sitting, pressing her lips together and looking up at him.]

This is going to sting a bit.

[Which is an understatement.]

[ Focusing on the injury caused the pain to flair up a little more but nothing showed on Rick's face. Even before the world ended, he knew how to take an injury and keep going. The shot landing him in the coma being a rare example of something temporarily taking him out. Since waking up, Rick had his fair share of injuries and managed to pull through each and every one.

He couldn't afford otherwise.

Watching her gather things up, he nodded his head with a thin smile pulling at his lips. ]

Not my first time with a gunshot wound. I can take it. [ His fingers wrapped tightly around the arm of the chair to brace himself, giving a slight nod when he settled to give her the go ahead. ]

[She presses her lips together at his statement, knowing he's right. This is hardly the worst injury he's ever had. Hardly the worst injury any of them have ever had. Hell at this point she's pretty sure most of them have taken at least one bullet if not more. Pushing all her thoughts away -- because she certainly doesn't need to be getting lost in her head right now -- she sets to work. She retrieves the bullet, stitches him up, and bandages the injury with steady hands.]

All done.

[She glances up at him before rising to her feet and moving to get rid of the blood-soaked bandages, disposing of them in the garbage can and then washing her hands thoroughly. She's silent for a moment, considering carefully what she wants to say.]

Most of the Kingdom isn't ready for war. [It's why so few of them had come. She knows that the Hilltop isn't much better off.] Some of them are better prepared for it than others. [She turns to look at him.] I'll get them ready.

[ Bracing himself, Rick remained mostly silent while she worked, eyes rolling up to look at the ceiling tiles. His mind drifted then playing over the most recent events, slowly moving backwards further and further until he reached the moment he first woke up and felt the familiar sting of a bullet wound.

Her voice shook him from the remembrance, his eyes now following her movements as he waited for her to say her peace. He could tell she had something on her mind and it bothered her. The way she held her shoulders and the look in her eyes being only the first clue ins. They all had tells and Rick had been trained long enough to pick up on them.

Someone in law enforcement always needed to pick up on a lie or something being withheld. ]

You won't have to do it alone. I know we don't got much time and we're all in this now. Ain't no turnin' back. [ He wished they had another way but Negan and the Saviors wouldn't listen to reason and sure wouldn't want to be apart of an actual community setting. They only wanted power and intimidation, two things Rick couldn't stand for. ]

We can set up training stations and try to get 'em ready. We got to be prepared for everythin'. We need to talk to King Ezekiel and Gregory. [ The latter he felt less thrilled about. ]

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Yes, and they will run you down, down 'til you fall.

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