Author's Note: Strong language in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! Are you ready to meet a new character?

THIRTEEN
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Days had turned into weeks and weeks had turned into months. Life on the farm was a quiet one, with all of them enjoying the sanctuary in which the farm offered them. It was tranquil, peaceful and still; a far cry from the places they had all been and the world around them. The farm offered a safe place for them all, with the fear of the dead a close but distant memory. The worry of the dead ripping them apart and destroying everything they loved and had come to love never went away, but it became easier to live a normal life, or at least try to. For Rick, knowing that his family was safe was the most important thing. And he was grateful towards Hershel and his family for welcoming them into his family, albeit an unfunctional one.

Their stay on the farm came at a price, and one they were all willing to pay. Duties and chores were handed out, and everyone made sure they were completed. They worked together to create a functioning farm once more.

Rick woke early and slipped out of the tent. The air was cool and crisp and his breath was evident in front of him. He rummaged around the tent for his boots, and slipped them on. The summer months were over, and as he made his way towards the farmhouse, he took the opportunity to glance around at his surroundings. The sun was low in the distance, the golden orb teasing him from the distance. A light dusting of dew decorated the grass shards beneath his feet, and covered his boots in wet patches. A slight fog hung in the distance, the surrounding trees and foliage hidden under a veil.

The cold weather had slowed down the walkers, and Rick had found that they were much more docile than before. The wire fence surrounded the perimeter of the farm, giving them the added protection despite the dead coming onto the farm were very few and far between. The watch shifts had transitioned into three groups, with each shift lasting three hours per night. The weather was only going to get worse, and the group found it worked a lot better to have the shifts an hour shorter.

T-Dog and Glenn were atop the RV, and gave a nod to him as he came towards them. He nodded back, and climbed up the ladder to them.

"Anything?" he asked once he stood on top.

T-Dog shook his head, giving a small yawn. "Nothing. It's been quiet these past few nights."

"They're definitely slowing down," Glenn said.

Rick nodded. A few walkers had come up to the fence but ambled around it slowly and weakly. They weren't a threat and would be taken care of that morning. The more they took out, the more they were able to dispose of. Rick made his way down the ladder, and over towards Daryl who was sorting out his bike.

"Couldn't sleep?" Rick asked.

Daryl shook his head. "Nah."

Rick gave a short nod. The hunter's condition was better and he was able to do more things for himself with each day. It was a long and hard journey for him, especially with him hating the mere idea of relying on anybody to care for him. He was adamant that he didn't need anyone to look after him, and he made sure of that. His wounds had healed, and although still sore from what had happened, he was good. He felt better knowing that he was able to go out hunting without the fear of his wounds opening up again. It had taken a couple of weeks for him to truly heal, and it had been the longest few weeks of his life. There was no doubt in his mind that he would make a full recovery but there were moments where he had pushed himself a bit too much and he paid for it. Rick was more than happy to see him back on his feet.

"Are you going out on a hunt today?" Rick asked, to which Daryl shrugged.

"Thinkin' about it," he said. "Tara wants to learn how to track."

Rick smirked. "I'm surprised she hasn't dragged you out there before now."

"Give her time," Daryl smirked also. "She's adamant, that one."

The door to the farmhouse opened and Emily came out of the house. Her eyes trailed over to them and there was a mutual nod between them all. Rick took a moment to look at her, and at her bump. She was a little over six months pregnant, and the realisation of a new arrival being imminent was weighing heavily on his mind. They were all unprepared, and he understood that Emily was out of her depth. He knew they would have to go on a supply run for baby stuff soon, and he pondered over whether they needed to do it as soon as possible. There would be a new member of the group before they knew it and they knew they had to make sure everything was set in motion for when the day came. Hershel conducted weekly check-ups on her to ensure her baby was doing fine, and everything seemed to be going well. The pregnancy had slowed her down, and she was growing more tired as the weeks went by.

"We need to plan a supply run into town," Rick said to Daryl, his eyes still upon Emily who was absentmindedly reading her book on the porch. "Hershel told me there's a baby store in the next town. If it hasn't been looted, we could find a few things for Emily and the baby."

Daryl nodded. "Any idea of who's going?"

"I was thinking maybe T-Dog, Glenn and me," he said. "I'd rather you stay here and look after the farm."

"Ya sure hot head will like that?" Daryl asked.

"He's gonna have to," Rick responded. "We'll go tomorrow, bright and early."

Daryl nodded, and Rick made his way towards the farmhouse. The rest of the group were slowly rising, and making their way out of their tents. He climbed the steps onto the porch, meeting Emily's gaze as she looked up over her book.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"I think I did," Emily said tiredly. "There was a lot of movement last night."

Rick smiled and took a seat on the chair next to her. "I always loved that. When Lori was pregnant with Carl, he would be sleeping in the day and as soon as we got into bed and turned the lights off, he would be having a party inside her stomach. The hours we spent just feeling him kick and move were incredible."

Emily smiled warmly. "It's still crazy to think that there's a baby inside of me. All those years of trying and it happens."

"We're going into town tomorrow to look at a baby story Hershel told me about," Rick said. "We're going to get a few things. A crib, baby clothes, and anything else we find there."

"Thank you," Emily said gratefully. "Would it be possible if I came with you?"

Rick wondered for a moment. "I'll see."

"I can be quiet and I'm quick on my feet," Emily smirked.

Rick chuckled.

The next day bright and early saw the small group of survivors leaving the farm to travel into town. Rick, Glenn, T-Dog and Emily were ready and waiting next to the vehicle. The decision to bring Emily onto the supply run was not taken lightly, and many of the group disputed it. Dale and Carol were worried about Emily's safety, arguing that she would be safer at the farm. The news of Emily leaving with the rest of them had unsettled Daryl, knowing that it was a huge risk having such a burden weighing on their shoulders. It was another thing to worry about, and they already had to worry about following Hershel's instructions of the store as well as their own safety. Emily was quick to tell them that she would be okay, and that she would follow everything the guys told her to do. Rick told them that he wouldn't allow any harm to be brought to Emily or the baby.

Reluctantly, the group backed down. Their worry for the pregnant woman growing even more.

It wasn't long before they were on the road, and they followed the directions given to them by Hershel. It was a short journey into town, and the streets were empty. A parking lot was situated in front of a stretch of buildings that included an ice cream parlour, a clothing store, a small restaurant as well as the baby store. They parked close to the door, ensuring that the back of the vehicle had been reversed close enough for them to get back inside the vehicle if it was needed.

Rick talked through the plan. They were only going to be inside the store for a little while, with all of them working in groups of two. One group was in charge of moving baby furniture into the van. The other group which consisted of Rick and Emily were in charge of baby clothes and any essentials that Emily needed. They worked together efficiently. Emily and Rick grabbed themselves a basket each and went over to the clothing.

Emily took a moment to take in the array of clothing hanging from small hangers, untouched and never worn. She would often find herself in baby stores before the outbreak being completely in awe that something so little could fit in the clothes. She would feel the sadness tug at her heart as she wondered if she would ever be able to have a baby that she could shop for.

Rick noticed her staring at a bundle of baby grows, and smiled. "Has it sunk in yet?"

"No," she whispered, tenderly touching the soft material. She placed the baby grows inside the basket and grabbed a couple more. T-Dog and Glenn found a moses basket, a crib and a mattress and carried them into the back of the van. Bottles were placed inside the baskets.

"Is that everything?" Glenn called out.

"Yeah," Emily said. "I think that's everything."

She glanced over at Rick who nodded, approving the shopping list.

"Let's head back," Rick said, but he made no attempt to move. He furrowed his brow and tipped his head to the side. "You hear that?"

The small group didn't have time to answer before the rumbling of an engine caught their attention, and they quickly rushed to hide. Glenn pulled Emily behind the counter, their eyes on Rick and T-Dog who were scattered around the room. Fear rattled against Emily's chest as Glenn placed a finger over his lips. Blood pounded against her ears.

The engine's came to a halt, and the sound of a door opening sounded in the distance.

"Huh, well…" A voice sounded. "What do we have here?"

"Engine's still warm," another voice sounded.

"Looks like we have a few guests here boys," the first voice spoke again.

"Come out, come out... wherever you are."

Worry began to set in. Rick threw T-Dog a look from the opposite side of the room. He couldn't make a sound, he had to stay as quiet as he could, keeping as hidden as he could be, all the while trying to remain calm. He thought of Emily, and of her being behind the counter with Glenn.

As the footsteps sounded close to him, he held his breath. He kept his gaze on T-Dog, whose attention was firmly on the looming figure of the man close to him.

Leather jacket, slicked back hair and a baseball bat wrapped in a sharp metal blanket.

Rick watched as the man stood close to where T-Dog was crouched down. He shifted his feet to support his weight, as he stared at the man intently. A lone whistle echoed throughout their surrounding area, before a loud bang sounded outside. Rick took the moment to tear his eyes away and towards the van outside, where men were pulling out the baby furniture causing it to crash on the ground.

The man moved closer towards the door, his body cool and collective with each stride. His attention was fixated upon the work of the men outside, and Rick cast a look towards T-Dog. He moved his attention back into the store, his eyes scanning the area. He moved past the check out counter and towards the door that led to the upstairs part of the store.

Commotion outside drew the man's attention away. He flicked his gaze to the men outside and he watched for a moment as a scuffle began to occur outside.

"Jesus fucking Christ on a bike," he muttered, before he strolled away, baseball bat bouncing off his leather shoulder.

As the sound of the door dinging signalled his departure, Rick and T-Dog faltered. Their legs began to shake, and both of them knew they would have to keep hold of their position for a little longer until they knew it was safe for them to come out.

The sound of hollering caught their attention. Glenn peeked from behind the counter, his eyes narrowing onto the men outside. Heavy vans were parked adjacently to each other. But that wasn't what set Glenn on edge. His eyes flicked to Rick who shared the same look of worry. There seemed to be hundreds of men, all scattered across the parking lot. Fear rattled against his chest as his mind totalled up the amount of men he could see. He was reminded of ants milling around.

"Let's get out of this fucking place," the man said.

A loud crash sounded from inside the store, and Rick turned slowly towards T-Dog who had slipped from his stance. It was as if time slowed, and he watched the man step back into the store, his head cocking to the sound.

"Well… it seems the quiet little mice are being very mischievous," the man said. "Come out, come out... wherever you are."

Rick watched in horror as the man knocked down the display that hid T-Dog from view. The man bent down to T-Dog's level, the bat keeping him balanced.

"You're not very good at hide and seek there, buddy," the man said.

Author's Note: I thought that I would write this little author's note down here as I want to address a few things. I appreciate each and every one of you for reading this story of mine. The storyline is something that I've had planned for a while and I completely understand that some of you are not liking the twist, or Emily at this point. I just want you to know that Emily is a flawed character, and she hasn't always made the perfect decisions in life. I wanted to create a flawed character who doesn't always get things right, and thus Emily was created. Her actions were not the best, I admit that, but it's all part of the storyline especially with what I have planned down the line.

Negan is slightly different to how I originally wanted to write him, and he's evolving. The Negan we know from the show had to have something happen in order for him to be how he is and how he acts.

Thank you to everyone who expressed their feelings regarding the chapter and Emily's actions, I appreciate your feedback a lot. Thank you.