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She sits on the porch swing, mending the tiny pair of trousers in her hands.
The gentle sound of children's laughter could be heard from the pond; Carl was taking them ‘fishing’. She could occasionally see the tops of their heads bobbing about from above the bulrushes.
Taking a sip from her glass of cool orange juice, she sighed in relief – it was a brief respite from the sun.
They came back to Alexandria, sometimes. To let the kids play. And to catch up.
This time, they'd stayed for nearly two weeks. They'd have to leave soon - she couldn't leave Hilltop with Sasha for long, it wasn't fair to leave the burden of leadership to her alone.
But for now, she'd just enjoy the sound of her son’s laughter. It was tinkle bells against the usual guttural hisses of the walkers.
But sometimes, he'd laugh in a certain way, and it felt like a knife twisting in her belly. The half smile he'd pull whenever he'd do something bad. The crinkle in his hooded eyes.
He was just like his dad. And the thought made the love in her heart grow, battling with the knife that twisted. She'd always love Glenn, but little Hershel helped fill the wound in her chest. That and time.
It took 3 years for her to stop waking up feeling like she couldn't breathe, looking for a way out. Trying to find a solution to Negan’s games. Sometimes, she’d wake up sure she’d figured it out – figured out how they could have all left that forest alive. But it always slipped from her mind in an instant, as the tiny arms around her tightened.
And now, it only takes her a few moments to gather herself. She had to be strong. For hilltop, for Alexandria, for herself, for him.
Her hand methodically sewed up the hole in his pants leg, and she hummed to herself a tune she’d heard Beth sing, once upon a time.
Footsteps approached, and she felt the weight of Rick sitting down next to her.
‘You headin’ out soon?’ He asked, watching over Judith, Carl and Hershel, playing in the pond.
‘Yeah,’ Maggie said, absently.
Rick nodded, and they lapsed into companionable silence.
‘He’s so much like him.’ Rick said, a faraway look in his eye.
Maggie stopped sewing, turning to Rick.
‘She’s so much like her.’ Maggie replied, her voice soft.
Rick nodded, jerkily. ‘Yeah, they are.’
Laying a hand on Rick’s arm, Maggie was jolted from her thoughts at the sound of thundering footsteps near the pond.
‘I'm the pond monster, and I'm going to get you!’ Michonne yelled, dramatically swinging her arms around.
The children shrieked and clung to Carl’s legs. ‘No!’ Judith shouted, raising her fists, ‘this is our pond, now!’
Michonne threw her head back, and an evil laugh bellowed. ‘Nothing can stop me!’
More shrieking followed, and Maggie felt herself let out a light laugh. Momentarily, she was struck with the thought of how Glenn would play with them.
She sits back, with a fond smile.