The Rest of your Life

Chapter 54

After being dragged out of bed by Rick, and reluctantly fed breakfast under the watchful eye of Daryl, Rory was having what she would describe as her 'Maggie Time.' She hadn't really seen much of the woman lately, so the child was being rather clingy. If that meant Maggie had to drag Rory along with her to speak to Deanna, then the woman would have to do so.

"Maggie, hey." Reg spoke softly through the open door. "She's out on the porch." Maggie nodded and grasped Rory's hand softly before the pair made their way to Deanna. The older woman's eyes lingered on Rory a little before she spoke.

"What do you need to talk about, Maggie?"

"The meeting tonight." Maggie breathed out. Rory squeezed her hand in reassurance, receiving a smile from the woman.

"Maggie, if we could talk about..." Reg begun, but he was cut off by his wife.

"I want to talk to everyone about what happened and what we need to do about it." Deanna stated.

"If it includes sending Rick away, it's not gonna work." Maggie responded. Rory began chewing on her lip as the two spoke.

"Tell me what that means." Deanna spoke.

"You let Rick in. You let all of us in. You talked to us. You decided." Maggie paused as Deanna nodded. "And now you want to put that decision on a group of very frightened people who might not have the whole story. That's not leadership."

"Tonight is just a forum." Reg informed. Rory sneezed, causing the man to look at her, she looked down for a moment as her cheeks burned. "It's just for people to say their piece."

"And I'll make the decision as I've done since the beginning." Deanna clarified.

"He was frustrated." Maggie defended, Rory nodding in agreement. "The things he's seen. The things he's lost. The things we have all lost."

"The things you've lost?" Deanna questioned. Rory winced a little, Aidans death was still fresh, as was Noah's.

"We've lost so much more." Rory spoke up. Thoughts of Lori, Shane, Beth. Maggie squeezed Rory's hand.

"Rick took a gun and he pointed it at people." Deanna said as if it was the worst thing anybody could have done. Rory almost scoffed.

"He didn't pull the trigger." Rory snarked back.

"That's a metric?" Deanna asked her, Rory looked straight to Maggie. The young girl had no idea what that word meant. "That he didn't pull the trigger?"

"Yes." Maggie nodded.

"Michonne stopped him, Deanna." Reg spoke up. Rory knew she liked him. "Michonne did."

"I'm gonna do what I have to do, Maggie." Deanna stuttered out before turning her back. Maggie looked to Rory before walking away, pulling the girl with her.

"Maggie?" Reg called, following the two girls. "Maggie!" Rory almost bumped into Maggie as they stopped at the bottom of the steps, the older woman apologising softly. They both looked up to Reg.

"The cavemen, they were all nomads. And, um, they all died." Reg begun. Rory hoped what he was gonna say next would make sense because that sure didn't.

"Then we evolved into this and we lived. Civilisation starts when we stop running. When we live together. When we stop sending people away from the world and from each other. That's what I'm going to tell her. That's what I'm going to tell everyone."

•••

Rory looked up from Ricks side as Carol entered the dimly lit room. The girl was just talking with Rick about pointless things that happened before the turn. It gave her a sense of well needed comfort. She watched as Carol sat on the side of the bed, Rick straightening up as Rory stayed slumped into his side.