Future Ghosts • TWD

116. Mercy.

"We're not talkin' 'bout this, Rosie. You're stayin' here," Daryl grumbled, walking towards Rick, Maggie, Rosita, and a few others with his crossbow slung over his shoulder. Rosie trailed behind him, almost having to run to keep up with his long and quick strides.

"But-" Rosie began to argue, but she stopped cold when Daryl suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at her with his eyebrows slightly raised. His eyes were saying, you really wanna test me right now? But Rosie really, really didn't want to be left behind. She wanted to go with. So she took the chance. Yes, she was going to test him right now. "Maybe he'll listen to me. Maybe it don't gotta be a fight," she said, trying to hide her anxiety.

"No," Daryl said again, a hard glare set on Rosie. The only problem with it was that Daryl only gave her that hard glare when he was trying to make her mad. He was trying to make her mad so that she wouldn't want to go with. But Rosie wasn't falling for it. She crossed her arms, which were covered in the leather jacket that always reminded Fraser of Danny Zuko. The sleeves fell way down past Rosie's hands, just as the sleeves on Daryl's shirt did the day before. But Rosie was too stubborn to swallow her pride and ask Daryl to help her roll up the sleeves, so the sleeves kept flopping around with every movement, making her feel like a seal. Daryl rolled his eyes at her stubbornness. "I said no. The answer's no. Know what? The answer is hell no, after what you pulled when I left with Rosita the other day," Daryl said. Rosie huffed and glared at him, even though she knew it wouldn't do anything to sway him into saying yes. "Now gimme your hands," Daryl said sternly, crouching down in front of her.

Resisting the strong urge to roll her eyes, Rosie reluctantly uncrossed her arms and held her hands out in front of her, refusing to make eye contact with him. "I don't wanna be here if you're all gonna be gone. The only people here are gonna be the Saviors," Rosie complained.

"They ain't Saviors no more," Daryl said, although her point really did make him want to take her with him. She knew just the right things to point out to make him change his mind.

"When they first got here, you said I wasn't even s'posed to be at Hilltop at all because of 'em. And one of 'em tried to take me, just the other day. Now you're gonna leave me here with 'em, all alone?" Rosie asked, making her eyes extra wide as she finally looked at him again.

Once Daryl was done cuffing the right sleeve, he glanced up at Rosie. Seeing her making her eyes all big again, he rolled his eyes before moving on to the left sleeve. "What I tell you 'bout makin' that face?" Daryl asked. Rosie didn't say anything. "Pisses me off," he answered for her.

"But it worked yesterday," Rosie murmured, letting her eyes go back to normal again.

"Well, it ain't workin' today," Daryl said just as he finished cuffing her left sleeve. He stood back up to his normal height.

"I don't wanna be here without you or Maggie or Rick," Rosie complained. Daryl huffed, exhausted with her arguing. "I'm scared," she said.

"Rosie, if you don't-"

"I don't even gotta fight! I just wanna go with ya! I don't wanna be here with 'em!" Rosie said desperately. Daryl didn't say anything. He couldn't say yes, because Rick was going to kill Negan, and Rosie didn't need to see it. But he didn't want to say no, because she was scared to be here by herself. At least, if this wasn't her putting on some act. It was a hard decision, but at the same time, it seemed so easy. Just tell her no.

"Daryl, can I talk to you?" Rick said, patting Daryl's arm to get his attention. Daryl nodded and Rosie huffed, crossing her arms again. Rick pulled Daryl's off to the side, far enough away so Rosie couldn't hear them. "Maybe her coming with, seeing what goes down, isn't a bad thing," Rick said, his voice quiet. Daryl just looked confused. How could it not be a bad thing? "Look, if we come back here, tell her that Negan's dead, she's not gonna like that. I know how she feels about him. I don't agree with it, but she's a kid; she doesn't understand. If she goes with, sees what Negan's going to do, she'll understand."