Chapter 40: One Last Day

"I know it isn't ideal for you two but...Riley I think this is the best for you. If Negan's men come here or Alexandria..."

"Alexandria is my home now. I can't just leave it because I have someone looking for me."

This argument had been going on for far too long. In the morning after Riley's return from the Sanctuary, Rick had come to her and told her he wanted her to go and stay at the Kingdom, where Daryl had stayed last night after they went to visit. He was being granted asylum there, given that the Sanctuary didn't know their alliance with Hilltop and Alexandria. It would be safe for him there, and Rick was trying to convince her that she needed to go there too.

"Rick, I've been separated from my family for practically months, and I'm not going to be torn away again. There are plenty of places in Alexandria you can hide me. I'm not going to any Kingdom," she sighed in frustration, looking to Carl, who had been eerily silent. "Tell him Carl."

There was a long pause, and in a moment she could see the look in his face that told her everything she didn't want to hear.

"No. Not you too," she hissed.

"Riley I'm sorry but...I want you safe more than anything. And if that means being separated from you again for a little while...then I'm sorry, but dad's right," he murmured, taking a step forward.

She knew that she shouldn't be angry. She shouldn't be irrational. Both of them were just trying to keep her safe and she should have been grateful. But out of everything she was feeling, she was angry. Angry that they had to be in this circumstance in the first place. Angry that she had to be separated again from the people she cared about so much, for who knew how long.

Most of all, she was angry that Negan had caused all of this and had killed one of the closest people to her.
He was going to die by her hands.

"Do I get a say in this?" Riley asked, irritated. "I'm my own person, my own body. Can't I decide where I am and where I go?"

Rick rubbed a hand across his face, obviously tired of having this conversation go in circles.

"This is more than just you, Riley. If you're found at home, there's going to be consequences for everyone. I can't have you or anyone else getting killed."

She considered this. If she could keep her family from getting killed, she would. But it didn't mean she had to like it. She was still an angry ball of fire and if she was going to stay at the Kingdom, she was going to do her very best to start preparing a plan to kill Negan.

"Would it maybe be...possible for her to stay here?" Carl suggested. "Maggie is staying here and being hidden when the Saviors come. And it's...a lot closer to home than the Kingdom."

This was a small bit of an improvement. If she was closer to home, she could still see Carl and her family every chance she got. Plus she could be with Maggie and try to help Hilltop prepare for the upcoming war.

"I don't know, Carl...," Rick trailed, looking between the two and resting his hands on his hips.

"If you can hide Maggie and Sasha here, you can hide me," Riley said, folding her arms across her chest. "I'll stay here, but I'm not going any further from home."

The leader let out a sigh of defeat and finally relented. "Fine, alright. But you can't wander out of the walls. We don't know when the Saviors will show up or where they could be watching."

She didn't feel exactly satisfied, but it was better than nothing, especially if she wasn't going to get fully what she wanted. "Alright, fine. Is there anything I can do to help prepare for things?"

"I'm going to want you to stay close to Maggie, ask her what she needs and be ready to help her. She's still got the baby so she needs help with as much as you can give her," Rick instructed. "Carl, I know you might want to stay but I'm not sure if it's the best idea. Negan might show up at any moment."

Carl drew in a deep breath. "Can I at least stay here one more night?"

Rick let out a long sigh. "Yes. But just once more."

It made Riley feel a little bit better to know that they would at least be able to spend the entire day together before they had to be separated again for who knew how long. After everything they'd been through, and their new explorations the night before, she was itching to spend as much time as possible with him, to savor every moment she had before she had to face reality and begin her plan to murder Negan.

"Tomorrow mornin', I'll send someone to come and bring you back. For now, I need to go to Alexandria. In case Negan shows up," Rick murmured.

They all said their goodbyes to him, Riley holding onto the hug a little longer than the others since she would be separated until further notice.

"So what did you want to do today?" she finally asked after a moment.

"Uh, I figured you'd want to help out Maggie...?" He raised a brow.

"I'm going to be here for days helping her out. I don't know when I'll see you next. I want to spend time with you."

She could see a bit of surprise in his expression, but his lips ended up stretching into a smile.

"Maybe we should make out more often if it makes you want to spend so much time with me," he teased, nudging her with his elbow.

Her cheeks heated up and she gave him a shove, trying not to show any more embarrassment lest his smirk got wider.

"Tell you what, you go and get some stuff done with Maggie and I'll have something ready for us by lunch," he suggested, giving her a small smile.

Riley had to admit she was a little bit intrigued. What did he have in that brain of his?

"Alright...I guess come and find me when you're ready with this mysterious plan of yours."

He gave her a mock-salute, kissed her on the top of her head, and the proceeded to hurry away to prepare his plan. With a small sigh, she turned to head back to the house where Maggie was, trying to pull together her plans for the upcoming war. Inside, she was upstairs in her room, and she moved to the free side of the bed to sit.

"So Rick said that I can stay here, help you with what's coming. I want to help, and I don't want you to say that you don't need any." She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at the brunette.

"You remind me of me sometimes," Maggie murmured, looking up from her papers. "If you really want to help, can you take this list of things that need delegating and put people in charge of them."

She took the piece of paper, glancing down at some of the things on the list before giving her a nod. "Yeah I can do that. I think I know who I can ask to get started on these."

The smallest of smiles appeared on Maggie's lips. "I knew you would."

It was good to see the woman smile, so it gave her a determination to do this job right. So she tucked away the list and headed back downstairs, heading immediately to the first person she knew of that would be perfect at weapon-making. She met him when she first arrived and he was a farrier for horses before all of this happened.

Now, he was taking care of the small amount of livestock they had here. They did have one horse, but mostly smaller livestock like pigs and chickens.

She spotted his broad figure at the edge of the chicken coop, bent down over one of the fences as he twisted the wire together to fix a break.

"Hey Randy, Maggie wanted me to assign a job to you," she said, stopping in front of him.

He looked up at her, his hands still working, but he didn't speak until he was done and he dusted himself off.

"Alright, I'll bite. What does she have in mind?" he asked, hands on his hips.

"You're going to be the person leading weapons production. Your experience with shoeing horses would really come in handy. You'd be in charge of picking some people to help you and overseeing it all."

He let out a small chuckle, looking down at the ground. "I don't know if I'm qualified enough for that."

She raised an eyebrow. "Course you are. You know how to mold metal. You know how to fix things. I don't think you realize just how important your skills are."

"For a kid you really got a way with convincin'." A small smile tugged his lips.

"Not really much of a kid anymore. Had to grow up fast."

Randy glanced up at the sky before settling his gaze back on her. "Alright. I'll see what I can put together. I have a few people in mind who'd be good at helpin'."

Riley couldn't help the small smirk that attacked her lips. "Awesome. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

That was one down.

With a quick glance at the rest of her list, she was off to find the next person. It didn't take her long before she was completely lost in what she was doing, running back and forth across the camp, making sure people knew what their tasks were and expectations. As soon as people knew what they were doing, the camp began to buzz with activity and a fierce determination. She could feel it in her bones.

Everything had begun to fall into place, and she got so distracted that she completely forgot about Carl and his plans that he made for her for the rest of the day. It took Maggie interrupting her to let her know Carl was looking for her by the stables to jog her memory, and it made her excited for what he had planned.

Neither of them got to do many nice things together. Dates never really happened in a world like this, so she was excited to get to spend the rest of the day with him. As she approached, she noticed a small spread of food upon a blanket tucked on the side of the stable. She couldn't help but smile, slowing her steps and coming to a halt in front of it.

"Carl?" she called out, peeking around the corner of the stable.

Instead of a response, she got a hug from behind.

"Surprised?" he asked, resting his face in the crook of her neck.

"If I say no, will you be disappointed?" She smirked, leaning back into him.

He huffed, letting go of her and moving to the picnic blanket set before them. He got down on it, patting a space next to him and smiling up at her. Her instinct was to smile back and she joined him, taking a look at their lunch.

It consisted of a couple of sandwiches and fresh vegetables and fruits that were likely just harvested today.

"Thank you for this. It's a nice...change of pace," she admitted, reaching to start snacking on an apple. She was rather hungry from all her work today.

"You deserve it, Riley," he said sincerely.

She shot him a grateful smile, and the two of them enjoyed a nice time of lunch together. For once, they could talk and tease each other without worrying about what lay before them. It was a breath of fresh air, and brought down the tension that had began accumulating since she returned.

By the time they had finished eating, the horse that was out for the day was returned to the stable and Carl suggested riding around the camp. But unbeknownst to him, she was absolutely terrified of horses.

"Have you never ridden before?" he asked, noticing her reluctance.

"No, I haven't," she said, biting her lip.

"I can teach you. It's good to know how. I can show you how to saddle her up and get on." He stood to his feet.

"Wait I'd...I'd rather not, I don't...," she trailed, watching him head to one of the stalls.

He gave her a look, studying her face and then tilting his head. "You're not afraid, are you?"

Riley's cheeks heated up and she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. "No, I'm not."

The shadow of a smirk tugged the corners of his lips and she ground her teeth together in frustration.

"If you're not afraid, why don't you get on?" he challenged.

Oh, he knew just how to get her fired up and it infuriated her.

"Fine! Put the saddle on, then," she ground out, watching him with fiery eyes.

Carl didn't hesitate. He opened up the latch of the stall and proceeded to lead the black horse out to the post. She took a step back, swallowing thickly as he tied the animal up so he could go and retrieve the tack. Throughout the whole process, he kept giving her a smirk, as if he knew exactly everything she was thinking. She hated that he knew her so well.

She watched him carefully as he brought over the saddle and bridle, making sure she did pay attention. Even if she was scared of horses, she would still pay attention. Learning had a new connotation in these times.

It seemed like he tacked up too quickly, and once the horse was ready, he led her away from the stall so they could mount her. Riley kept a considerable amount of distance.

"Come on, let her smell you first, just put your hand out to her nose, unless you're too scared?" he taunted, smirking.

It had been a challenge at first, but now the thought of actually getting nearer to the horse scared her. She bit her lip, eying the large animal. Maybe she had a little bit too much pride to tell him that she was actually scared.

"Hey," Carl said, his voice carrying a more relaxed tone.

She looked up to catch his softened gaze. "Yeah?"

"It's okay. I promise. Horses are usually more scared of you than you are of them. She won't hurt you," he encouraged.

Taking a deep breath, she inched a little bit closer, on high alert for any sudden movements as her stomach sank. When she got close enough, he reached out to lace his fingers through hers and gently guide her hand up to the horse's nose. It showed the slightest bit of curiosity at her and she flinched, but Carl kept her hand steady.

After it got used to her, it turned it's attention away and closed it's eyes.

"See? Not so bad. What I'll do is mount up and then I'll pull you up behind me. We can go around the yard a few times and then be done," he said.

You've killed people and there are dead walking. You've faced Negan for crying out loud. This shouldn't scare you!

With a deep sigh, she tilted her head in a small nod. He gave her a reassuring smile and then turned to face the horse. He made it look so easy and soon he had extended a hand down to her to help pull her up.

Riley's stomach began to twist and she stared at his hand for a moment before forcing herself to take it. Nervously, she used a large stone to help her get up, and he hoisted her the rest of the way. Her movements were clumsy and she immediately latched her arms around Carl's waist as her eyes squeezed shut.

The movement of the horse underneath her caused her to panic and she dug her fingers into Carl's side, pressing herself against him tightly.

"You're okay," he wheezed. "But I need to breathe too."

She let out an anxious chuckle and tightened her grip, just a little bit, and finally peeled her eyes open.

"I'm going to get her moving, okay? Just hold onto me and relax."

Easier said than done. As soon as the horse started to move, her breathing quickened and she buried her face into his back to block out all the sights. It all felt so weird and she didn't like the way her body moved with the animal. But after a few minutes of getting used to it, she was finally able to look at her surroundings again.

"See? Not so bad. And once you get more comfortable, I can teach you how to actually ride," Carl said, and then after a thoughtful pause, added, "although it is kind of nice to have you hugging me like this."

Riley rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back a small smile. The ride wasn't particularly eventful, and she got more and more relaxed as the minutes passed. She wasn't going to be buddy-buddy with horses, but this wasn't so bad.

Finally, he brought the horse to a halt. "Alright, I'll get off first and then I'll help you get down."

Carl slipped both his legs to one side and then dropped down to the solid ground. She held on tightly to the saddle, her stomach beginning to churn again. He held out his arms to her and gave a gentle smile.

"Swing your leg over and jump down, I'll catch you. Promise," he said.

Taking a deep breath, she did as she was told, and sure enough, he reached out to put his hands on her waist and guide her down to the ground. Immediately, she relaxed, and mirrored him with her hands on his waist.

He looked down at her with a smile. "See? Maybe next time I visit we can actually teach you how to ride."

She snorted. "What we just did? That was enough for an entire lifetime."

He shook his head, still smiling. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

"And you're not?"

"I never said that."

Carefully, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. He seemed a little surprised, but returned the favor. After a moment, she pulled away and patted him on the chest.

"Thank you for everything. I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too."

She was gonna miss him like hell.

A/N: Y'all it's been over 2 years. What the heck. I've missed this story so freaking much. I've had this chapter partly finished and have been piecing it together for like a year now. It's not my best work and it's jumbled but I wanted to get something out there. And I want to get back into the swing of this story so I can continue writing it. Lots of stuff has happened in the past few years and I'm very rusty with my writing and with the show. Haven't seen any of season 10 yet D: But my plan is to rewatch the show while on this quarantine craziness and hopefully be able to get things going again. Thank you guys for sticking with me through it all and being as amazing as you are! Stay safe and healthy out there!