Disclaimer: A nod to the genius Robert Kirkman for creating this wonderfully dark, post-apocalyptic world. I do not own or have rights to any of the characters/plot of this series. I'm simply a fan indulging in my post-apocalyptic fantasies.
Thank you Nicole137137 for always polishing my madness into shape! You're awesome!
A/N: So! I decided to try my hand in a writing competition. First one ever so I'm a bit nervous! The premise I was given was Tara had to be killed by a member of the group. I've written smidgens of Glenn, Maggie, and Tara in For the Ones trilogy, but this is the first story I've ever written in TWD universe where Daryl and Beth weren't leading characters! I've also NEVER written a character-death story before. I spent a few days on this so I hope you guys enjoy it! Judging is based on the number of reviews. The competition ends Sept. 10th 2014. Wish me luck!
...
It was a warm spring morning and the sun was barely over the treetops while their feet thudded against the asphalt. Looking up at Maggie and Glenn ahead of her, Tara felt the all too familiar guilt wash over her. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't remember how quickly she had sided with Brian…or 'The Governor,' whatever his name really was. She had no idea how far Brian was going to take things. She couldn't see the evil that resided within him after the kindness he had shown her family. She should have trusted her gut when she had first met him. She knew something was off. In hindsight, she would be sure never to make that mistake again.
"You okay back there?" A male voice broke through her reverie.
"Huh? Oh…uh…yeah. 'M fine," Tara fumbled in reply.
"You sure?" Maggie asked, eyeing her in concern.
"Yeah. Totally fine," Tara managed a quick smile.
"Well alright. You'd let us know if soemthin' was botherin' you though, right?" Maggie's affection drove the metaphoric knife deeper into Tara's heart.
"Yeah…sure," Tara nodded, her eyes zeroing in on the ground in front of her.
"Let's not push her," Glenn suggested, glancing back to give Tara a knowing gaze.
"Well, she hasn't said a word since we left this mornin'. I just wanted to make sure she was okay," Maggie fussed.
Glancing up, she watched the discussion between the married couple. Everyone in their group had welcomed her with open arms, briefly asked about her background, and accepted her on Glenn's word.
"She said she's fine," Glenn reached over and grasped Maggie's hand.
"She's not fine. I know exactly how she feels, losing her family like she has. She's got it worse off than me an' Beth. We at least have each other," Maggie's fingers laced through Glenn's.
Tara forced her eyes back to the ground. She couldn't listen to any more of Maggie's sympathy, for she knew she deserved none of it. Being fed the lies from Brian, she had expected a group of morally deprived, virtue-less, convicts. Then Rick began negotiating. He did everything in his power to save the older man, Hershel, and Michonne. He had even gone as far as to say all could be forgiven. That they would be willing to take the entire militia group into their sanctuary and live together as a community. He had done all of this in the face of a tank and strangers pointing guns at him.
Rick had looked right at her, asked her if killing each other had been what she had wanted. It had been too late by that point. Brian sliced through an innocent man's throat and all hell broke loose.
She wasn't sure if Rick didn't recognize her, or if he just chose not to say anything. Everyone else may have bought that she had lost her family to the walkers while they were on the road, where she 'eventually met up with Glenn,' but she knew the truth. Glenn knew the truth. She was terrified of what Maggie and Beth would say when they learned the truth. What the entire group would say if they knew what had really happened.
"Let's just…leave her be," Glenn's voice drifted through the air.
Tara was relieved by the heavy silence that followed.
…
"So what all do we need?" Glenn turned to Maggie expectantly.
"Hopin' to find some bedding. Judith's old enough to start eatin' baby food so we've got to either find jars or stuff we can mash up for her to eat. There are a few other odds and ends; batteries, flashlights, and anything else we come across that we can use," Maggie read over the list she had pulled out of her pocket.
"Think there's anything left in there?" Tara asked as she scanned the parking lot.
Daryl and Beth had gone out on a run a few days ago and came across a Super Target. It was just like they had described, minus the chaotic vehicle situation in the parking lot, the store itself looked virtually intact. That meant one of two things; looters had been smart and hadn't busted out any of the glass or made any extra noise than necessary when they were scavenging or there were too many of the dead inside for anyone to risk going inside.
"What do ya' think?" Glenn asked; hands over his eyes in an attempt to block out the sun.
"Bang on the doors or sneak in and see what we're dealing with," Maggie answered assuredly.
"I can sneak in," Tara volunteered.
She was all but willing to do anything to help Glenn and Maggie. Rosita had no idea how right she'd been. She owed them.
"No way," Glenn looked down at her incredulously.
"Absolutely not," Maggie chimed in beside him.
"What? I'm small. I can get in and get out without them knowing I was there. We did tons of trial runs like that in the police academy," Tara tried to defend her case.
She left out the part that she was the only one with no one waiting for them to come back.
"If anyone is scouting ahead, it's me," Glenn said and turned to Maggie.
Neither one of them spoke, but Tara knew they were having a silent conversation. She watched the wordless exchange, trying to think of anything that would change their minds, when Maggie thinned her lips and gave Glenn a firm nod.
"Don't do anything stupid," Maggie stood up on her toes and pressed her lips firmly to his.
Turning away, giving them what privacy she could, she felt herself torn where she stood. She could run ahead, go in before Glenn got the chance, but she would likely make more noise trying to rush in and ultimately ruin their chances of getting any supplies.
"You two look after each other. I'll be right back," Glenn said in Tara's direction.
Tara turned back to him and gave him a mock salute, "We'll be here."
Her dread intensified with each step Glenn took toward the store entrance. Her eyes glanced over to Maggie, who was raptly watching Glenn's back. There was a nervous energy surrounding both of them and she hoped that she came off as nonchalant as she had attempted to be.
"He'll be fine. We don't have to worry," Maggie said firmly.
Tara wasn't sure if she hadn't appeared as calm as she had wanted to seem or if Maggie was more trying to convince herself that everything go according to plan. She had a feeling it was probably both.
…
They had moved to behind a cluster of cars that kept their backs safe and allowed them a three hundred and sixty degree view of their surroundings. They were in the general vicinity of where Glenn had left them, but standing out in the open was a quick way to get killed. Sadly, it was no longer walkers that they were most afraid of.
"He's been gone a while," Tara said, fidgeting with her Smith & Wesson M&P.
She had removed the clip, pulled back the slide and checked the cartridge of the barrel, and reinserted the clip at least three times. She was comfortable with the handgun, being that it was what she had trained with during her academy days, and the 9mm bullets were common to come by. Generally making sure her pistol was in top condition did something to ease her mind, but at the moment it was just keeping her hands busy.
"Back before we met," Maggie started, gaining Tara's full attention, "Glenn said he would make supply runs into Atlanta."
"By himself?" Tara asked in disbelief.
"Yup. By himself. He said the first time he brought a group with him he saved Rick from inside a tank and then Rick handcuffed Merle to some piping on tha' roof," Maggie told her with a smile.
"Merle?" Tara couldn't recall meeting anyone by that name.
"Oh. Guess you wouldn't know him. He was Daryl's brother," Maggie glanced at her apologetically.
"Was…as in…" Tara didn't need to finish her sentence.
"He was a horrible man. He did awful things to several people I care about," the venom lacing Maggie's voice rang clear, and then she sighed deeply, "but in the end I guess he redeemed himself ah' bit. He gave his life tryin' to kill the Governor. Daryl found 'em. Had to…take care of 'em. He buried him at the prison."
"Damn. That blows," Tara exhaled, having a new found respect for the man that she had usually seen around Beth.
"Anyway," Maggie started again, "Glenn is used to running recon. We just have to sit here and wait for him to get back. That's a big store. He's probably just bein' thorough."
"Yeah," Tara couldn't help but agree.
They sat in silence, Tara feeling a bit more at ease, but the ominous feeling lingered. Maggie had a point. This was a superstore, which meant a greater chance they would find a few things if it hadn't been ransacked, but that there was a lot more ground to cover. They would be naïve to not expect a few walkers inside, but exactly how many and were they clustered together were the main concerns.
"Did you have to…with your family?" Maggie asked softly.
Tara furrowed her brows for a moment before she realized what Maggie was asking her.
"Uh…no," she cleared her throat, "there wasn't enough left of them to turn."
It was the truth. After she had caged herself inside an enclosure at the prison, she had seen the walkers swarm her sister. Her niece was nowhere in sight. Lilly never let Meghan out of her sight so for her to not be with her sister only meant one thing. Tara had never prayed so hard in her life that whatever had happened to her niece, this it had been quick and that she hadn't suffered.
"I'm so sorry. No one deserves to lose their family like that," the sincerity in Maggie's voice cut Tara that much deeper.
Taking a steadying breath, Tara steeled her resolve. There was no one around to interrupt them. She could explain everything to Maggie and then she would accept whatever punishment she was delivered because she did deserve every bad thing that happened to her from here on out.
"Look. Maggie. There's something-"
"Mags? Tara?" A sharp hiss interrupted her.
"We're over here," Maggie stood from behind the car they were using for cover.
Glenn quietly crept over to them, sweat droplets visible on his brow, and he leaned back against the aluminum siding of the car. His chest heaved from exertion and Tara immediately went back to her training; scanning him for any evidence that there was a struggle. There were a few splatters of blood, but it was all black, none of it looked fresh and none of it was Glenn's.
Maggie's hands cupped his cheeks, brushing his shaggy hair away from his face and turning it from side to side allowing Tara to discreetly deduce that other than the labor breathing, Glenn was virtually unharmed.
"Are you okay? What happened? How many were in there?" Maggie rambled.
Glenn held up his hands and motioned for her to calm down. He was still breathing hard, but the rosy color on his cheeks was starting to fade.
"There's quite a few of them in there. They were just standing around in there. A few of them got excited, but I managed to slip past them. I snagged a CD player and some batteries. Set it up at the back of the store so we'll have some good ole' country-rockabilly to listen to while we shop," Glenn explained with a smile.
"Really?" Maggie's tone flat while she helped him stand, "You sound just like my dad."
Tara watched the banter fondly, feeling a sudden wave of loneliness and remorse at the mention of Hershel.
"Hey, you can never go wrong with Johnny Cash," Glenn smiled and brushed his knuckles across Maggie's cheek.
"So they should be all gathered at the back of the store by now?" Maggie swatted his hand away, returning his smile with one of her own.
"Most of them. We'll still have to be careful, but a majority will be gathered around the CD player, at least for a little while," Glenn informed them.
"So how're we going to do this?" Tara inquired, shoving her pistol back in its holster.
"Alright. I'll go for the bedding. I already scouted the area out. Maggie can handle the baby food situation. Tara you look for anything we can use for food that hasn't already expired. When we've got everything or if we run into trouble, we'll meet back right here. If this place is compromised, we meet at that gas station we passed up the road," Glenn instructed.
"Sounds good," Maggie gave a firm nod.
"Looking for food. Got it," Tara repeated, adjusting the backpack strap over her shoulder.
"If you get into trouble, climb on top of the aisles and find an exit. The quicker we can get in and out the better," Glenn gave one final piece of advice.
With everyone in agreement, Tara followed behind them as they made their way into the scorching, dark superstore.
…
Everything had gone smoothly. Though the store was a mess, with several displays overturned and shelves knocked down, there was a decent amount of food to be found. Tara had ventured down several aisles, grabbing ramen noodles, packages of mash potato mix, bags of rice, and a few cans of things she hoped hadn't expired. She'd even managed to find a jug of water. Her backpack, only having held a flashlight and an extra pair of clothes was now filled with food. She had yet to come across another walker and even found herself humming to 'Ring of Fire.' She still had her guard up, her pistol locked and loaded in her hand, but the heavy feeling she had been experiencing as they walked into Target was slowly beginning to evaporate.
She was now standing in the baking aisle, examining a box of instant pudding. The cups of already made pudding still looked fine, but having no idea of the exact date, she assumed that at least two years into the apocalypse was passed the expiration date. Satisfied that the plastic was still sealed in properly on the pudding mix, she tossed several boxes in her backpack and began making her way toward Maggie.
She knew she should have been heading for the exit, but finding Judith food had been one of their main priorities. If nothing else, Judith could eat the mashed potatoes she found, and wanted to let Maggie know that they weren't going home empty handed in regards to the baby's needs.
With Johnny Cash blaring and the groaning of the walkers all clustered in the back, it was a bit hard to hear anything else. These walkers had been stationary for so long that they seemed extra excited at the slightest activity.
Shining her flashlight down a random aisle, Tara's breath caught in her throat and she immediately jumped back. There was a cluster of four or five walkers, not too many to be an immediate threat, but they could draw the attention of the other walkers and that would become a very big issue.
Switching off her flashlight with shaking hands, she allowed herself a few moments for her eyes to adjust, and carefully tiptoed past the aisle. She stayed low and took short, silent steps in order to make sure she didn't run into or step on anything that would give her away.
Having passed several more aisles, she deemed herself a safe distance away and turned her flashlight back on, resuming her search for Maggie. She hadn't seen her down any of the other aisles and the only educated guess she could make is that Maggie would be in the baby section. When the first rack of clothes came into sight, Tara knew she was close.
Navigating through the boys section, the racks of clothes slowly changed from dusty red and blues to pinks and yellows. A figure was hunched over a table of onesies ahead of her and Tara moved toward them.
"Psst," Tara didn't want to alarm her, "You have any luck finding baby food?"
Maggie's head whipped around from where she had been choosing a few new outfits of Judith, "Jesus Tara. You scared the shit outta' me."
"Sorry," Tara gave her a weak smile.
"I came here first, tryin' t'find a few things for Judith that was lost at the prison. I managed to scrounge up some night-time Orajel and a tube of Desitin. I even found a box of diapers. Cheap kind, but better than nothin'," Maggie stuffed the outfits in her hands inside her pack.
"I found some mashed potatoes. No gourmet meal, but at least it's something," Tara motioned to her backpack.
"Great. I'm gonna' head over to the baby food section. You still got some room in that backpack? Mine's almost full," Maggie said, struggling to zip up her bag adding emphasis to her point.
"Yeah. I'll come with ya'," Tara agreed without a second thought.
"Thanks," Maggie replied, finally getting the zippers to meet and tossing the bag over her shoulder.
Tara followed closely behind Maggie, back the direction she had just come, toward the food section. They snuck in silence, Tara following Maggie's flashlight, as they passed aisle after aisle in search of the baby food section.
"Found it," Maggie whispered.
Tara looked at the aisle, immediately recognizing where they were, and reached for Maggie. She had barely grasped her bag and yanked her back when she heard the gasp from Maggie's lips. There was a clatter on the tile floor and then silence. Panic and adrenaline fueled Tara's veins as the groaning and shuffling of decomposing bodies came toward them.
"Move," Maggie hissed.
Then they were running. They were running blind in the dark and Tara realized that the noise she had heard was Maggie dropping her flashlight.
"We have to get on top of the aisles. Glenn said to get on top," Tara's voice quivered in distress.
"Keep movin'. They're right behind us. They're gonna' bring in all the others that're nearby," Maggie's words came out rushed from ahead of her.
They rounded the corner of an aisle and Tara ran into Maggie's back, who was standing chest to chest with a walker. Maggie's arms were holding its snapping teeth at bay and Tara ripped her knife from its sheath to quickly dispose of the attacking corpse. They began running before the body hit the ground.
The more they ran, the greater the chance they ran into a larger group of walkers. Making an executive decision, Tara reached blindly for Maggie, and pulled them towards a shelf.
"Climb up. I'll give you a boost," Tara squatted down, cradling her hands for Maggie's foot.
"Okay. I'll pull you up after me," Maggie replied, her foot already in Tara's hands.
Tara could hear the walkers getting closer over the sound of her heart beating in her ears. It was dark and her eyes were taking too long to adjust, but Tara kept pushing Maggie up the shelving to help her reach the top. As the weight slowly left her arms, signally that Maggie was now safely out of reach, Tara felt a pressure around her ankle followed by a searing pain ripping through her calf. She couldn't stop the bloodcurdling scream that tore from her throat. She could hear Maggie screaming down at her, but couldn't bring herself to respond as another wave of pain exploded in her brain from a place closer to her ankle.
With all the might she could muster, Tara kicked her leg free, desperately scrambling up the shelves. The pain brought spots to her eyes and she felt herself losing the ability to focus when a strong hand gripped her wrist and pulled her up.
"Are you okay?" Maggie's voice was desperate.
"Yeah. I think so," Tara didn't want to worry her.
She wasn't fine. She could see a dark stain pooling through the material of her pants and she knew she was definitely not okay. Still, they couldn't stay here. She forced her leg to carry her to the other end of the aisle.
"We have to jump," Maggie voiced what Tara already knew.
"Here," Tara pulled her backpack around and withdrew her flashlight, "Go. I'll be right behind you," Tara urged her on.
She heard a thudding of feet of against flimsy metal followed by a loud crash. Tuning out the music and the walkers, Tara listened for any indication that Maggie was in trouble.
"Maggie?" Tara whispered harshly.
No response.
"Maggie?" Tara hissed a little louder.
"I'm fine," Maggie replied and Tara was blinded for a moment by the beam of her flashlight.
Tara visibly sighed before immediately tensing again at the look on Maggie's face.
"Tara…" Maggie's voice matched the horrified look on her face.
Looking down at her leg, Tara's worst fears were realized. There was a gaping hole where muscle and tissue had once been a part of her calf. There was a smaller, less grotesque looking abrasion closer to her ankle. Blood poured from the wound in her calf and she was already feeling the effects of the blood loss.
"We have to find Glenn and get out of here," Maggie was looking frantically every direction.
"Flash the light on and off. He'll be able to figure out we're in trouble without drawing more attention," Tara wheezed, clutching her thigh in pain.
Maggie didn't reply, but began flashing the light. Each second they stood there, Tara found herself feeling worse. Her head pounded and her leg kept burning with a pain that she felt all the way up her body.
"I'm here," a voice came from a few aisles over.
Maggie turned the flashlight in the direction of Glenn's announcement to find him standing on top of the metal shelves with a comforter half-hanging out of his unzipped backpack.
"Tara's been bit," Maggie's eyes strayed from Glenn to Tara's leg.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Glenn enunciated each word in utter disbelief while his hands went to his hair and pulled it back out of his face.
"There's no way she can jump the aisles. I barely made it myself," Maggie informed him.
"I can do it. I can jump," Tara exclaimed, attempting to put pressure on her leg.
"Okay. Okay. Just let me think," Glenn tried to remain calm.
Tara felt herself becoming lightheaded. At this rate she was going to pass out and become food for the walkers. Sucking in a startling breath, Tara furrowed her brows.
"I'll distract them," Tara said quietly.
"What? No. Absolutely not," Maggie immediately disagreed.
"I'm already bit. I'm a lost cause. No reason to drag me along when I'm already dead," Tara's voice broke as tears fell from her eyes.
"We are not doing that to you," Glenn refused her, "I'll jump a few aisles over, make some noise, and draw them away. You guys climb down and run out as soon as it's clear. I'll meet you in the parking lot."
Before they even had time to argue, Glenn was jumping across the aisles, making as much noise as possible. Maggie turned off the flashlight in the hopes that the walkers would be more attracted to the noise Glenn was making than the blood pooling around Tara's feet.
When there were only one or two walkers lingering beneath them, Maggie jumped down, and snuck up behind the first one. Stabbing it through the back of its skull, the walker fell before it even knew she was there. Hearing the ruckus behind it, the second walker turned and began approaching Maggie. When it was within kicking distance, Maggie thrust her foot against the walkers knee cap, effectively breaking the fragile bones and causing it to crumble to the ground. With the walkers face against the tile, Maggie wasted no time in finishing it off.
"Come on," Tara heard her whisper up to her.
Slowly, painfully, Tara began descending the shelf. When her feet touched the ground, she swayed, and Maggie reached out to steady her. Tara felt her take one of her arms and wrap it around her shoulders, all but dragging her toward the store entrance.
When the breeze crashed against Tara's face, she couldn't tell if the coolness against her cheeks was from her sweat or tears.
"Just hang on. We're almost there," Maggie tried to assure her.
Tara felt herself losing consciousness as she fought to keep her eyes open. She had lost too much blood. At this rate, she was going to die from blood loss before the first signs of the virus set in. If she was ever going to tell Maggie who she truly was, it had to be now.
"I'm so sorry," Tara whispered.
"What are you talking about? You saved my life. I should have gotten you up first. If I had you wouldn't be-"
"No," Tara wheezed, "I deserve this. You have no idea how much I deserve this."
"No one deserves to die this way," Maggie argued.
"You don't get it. I was there. At the prison. I was there," Tara felt Maggie's shoulders stiffen as they hobbled across the parking lot.
"What're you talking about?" Maggie asked her calmly.
"Brian...the Governer…whoever he was; he lied to us. He said you guys were bad people. That you did all these horrible things. I was the first one to join his militia. I was standing right there when he…your dad. I'm responsible for your dad and I am so so sorry," Tara rambled out.
Maggie helped her against the car they had been hiding behind earlier. Each movement Tara made sent a jolt raw, burning pain through her entire body. She closed her eyes, too ashamed to look at the expression she was sure Maggie was making.
"I'm so sorry," Tara sobbed, finally giving into her guilt.
"Tara," she felt a pressure on the sides of her face, "Tara. Look at me."
Tara forced her eyes open and looked up at the woman holding her face.
"What happened at the prison is not your fault. You were doing what you thought was right with the information you had. You couldn't have known. You didn't have the sword in your hands. It's not your fault," Maggie told her seriously.
"But maybe I could've done something. To stop him. I was standing right there. I could've shot him. I might've been able to save your dad if I had just done something," tears spilled down her cheeks as she choked out her words.
"You listen to me," Maggie commanded, furrowing her brows, "What happened to daddy. What happened at the prison. All of that was just a bad situation. If you had killed the Governor, someone would have shot you and killed daddy anyway. Then you wouldn't have been there to help Glenn. Daddy used to say that everything happens for a reason. I've never believed that t'be truer than I do right now."
"I don't know what happened to my niece. I saw my sister get swarmed by walkers in the field. I ran and hid. Like a coward. I was ready to die for what I had done. Then Glenn…he," Tara sniffled, eyes blurring with tears, "Glenn got me out of there. He said he needed my help finding you. I've been doing everything I possibly can to make up for what I've done to you and your group."
Maggie stared at her quietly. It wasn't until she heard quiet footsteps behind them that Maggie released her to check. When Glenn appeared around the car, he glanced between the two of them.
"I told her," Tara answered his silent inquiry.
Wiping her face with the back of her sleeve, Tara sucked in a stuttering breath.
"I didn't know how to tell you," Glenn said quietly.
"It's alright," Maggie said to the both of them.
Tara looked up at Glenn, "I want you guys to leave me here. My leg is busted. I'm only going to slow you down. I just…I don't want to become one of them."
"Maybe…maybe we can cut it off?" Glenn looked down to Maggie.
"I don't have anything to remove it with. I don't have anything that would stop the bleeding," Maggie pulled her bag off her back and began unzipping it.
"We could try to find something in the store," Glenn suggested.
"You can't risk going back in there. We barely got out of there as it is. Besides, I've lost too much blood. By the time you found everything, I might not even…" her voice trailed off at the end.
"We can't just leave you here," Glenn squatted down beside Maggie to stare eye-level with her.
"Yes, you can. You will," Tara tried to sound strong, but she could feel herself growing tired.
Both of them remained rooted in place, looking at her, silently deliberating what to do. She knew they were trying to think of a way to help her, but there was nothing anyone could do anymore. She had been bit. She was dying. She was going to turn into one of them and even though she had finally told Maggie the truth, she couldn't help feeling like she deserved her fate.
"I just don't want to become one of them," Tara whispered, her chin falling to rest on her chest as silent tears continued to flow.
"Lean up," Maggie requested.
Doing as she was told, Tara leaned forward as Maggie removed her backpack. When the weight was pulled off her back, Tara fell back against the car door, noting how disappointed she felt. Even if they were doing as she had asked, she couldn't stop the sadness she felt at being abandoned.
"I won't let you turn," Maggie said quietly.
Tara's head snapped up.
"I won't let you turn into a walker," Maggie repeated softly, wrapping her arms around Tara in a firm embrace.
Tara cried. She cried loudly. She cried so hard she felt herself shaking. She cried in relief, in pain, in utter despair, and she cried until her eyes could no longer produce tears. All the while, Maggie held onto her.
When her sobs subsided into hiccups, Tara pulled away from her. Maggie stood, discreetly wiping her eyes, and Glenn stepped forward. He reached down and Tara accepted his hand, squeezing it firmly.
"Thank you for helping me find her," he whispered.
"I'm glad you found her," Tara murmured.
Releasing her hand, Glenn moved to let Maggie stand in front of her. Removing her gun from its holster, she handed it to Maggie.
"I won't need it," she explained.
Maggie nodded, taking off the safety and holding the gun purposefully at Tara.
"I forgive you," Maggie breathed as Glenn's hands fell on her shoulders, "I forgive you. Beth will forgive you and I don't hold you to anything that happened at the prison."
Closing her eyes one last time, Tara resigned herself to her fate, a small smile ghosting her lips.
"Thank you for savin' my life," Maggie whispered in a broken sob, "Tell my Daddy I love him when you see him."
There was a deafening sound, followed by peace and warmth.
When Tara reopened her eyes, she was greeted by her loved ones. Standing just beyond them was an older man, white hair slicked back, and clean shaven, standing with his arms around an unfamiliar woman and younger man. Tara wouldn't have recognized the older man if not for the smile. It was almost like looking in Beth's eyes while seeing Maggie herself smiling back at her.
That old pacifist was right about forgiving someone taking strength. Glenn had proven that when he had made her a cover story when they met Maggie in that train tunnel. However, Maggie was Hershel's daughter. Tara knew she would never be able to forgive someone who had taken part in the murder of her father. She had resented Brian for his inadvertent involvement in her sister's death.
Maggie was by far the strongest person she had ever met.
Tara smiled, gave a small wave toward the man, and the weight she had felt the past few months was gone. She was finally home. She had been forgiven and she could rest in peace.
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong. -Ghandi
...
A/N: Yay! Hershel with the family waiting on Maggie and Beth! Couldn't resist a happy scene at the end to lighten the read! I hope I did Tara justice! Hershel was always about 'coming back' from what you've done. The Greene's were a religious family so I decided to go out on a limb and try a different approach rather than having Maggie 'seek revenge' like I've seen in a few stories! I hope you guys enjoyed it! It was fun to write! Would love to hear what you guys thought!