Chapter 25

It was that time again. Time to make a run. Our final one hopefully. The new buildings were finished except for the furnishings inside. We were making a run to Roswell, which according to Josh, had all of the blacksmithing equipment he would need to make our new shop operational. On our way we would search for the list of items that Martha had given us for the home goods shop and Dakota and Sam had compiled for the clinic. On top of the very specific items we would be scavenging for clothes, shoes, blankets, pillows, and other useful things on the way there and back. It was going to be a massive run and we were leaving the farm fairly vulnerable with most of our major players going on the run. We had paired up into groups of three and we had seven groups going which meant we had 28 people going on the run. In one vehicle would be me, Daryl, and Taylor; second vehicle would be Maggie, Glenn, and Elliot; third vehicle would be Kayden, Carol, and Jesus; fourth vehicle would consist of T-Dogg, Tara, and Aaron; fifth vehicle would be Rick, Michonne, and Josh; sixth vehicle would be Rosita, Abraham, and Andrew; seventh vehicle would be Sasha, Tyrese, and Karen.

"We'll be fine, Bethie." My dad reassured me as he pulled me into a hug the morning we were set to leave for an unknown amount of time. Roswell was north of Atlanta which we wanted to avoid at all costs and we planned to stop in several of the little towns along the way to get whatever we could grab.

I nodded as I placed my backpack on top of the box of canned meals Patricia and Lori had been preparing for the past week since the topic of the run became more relevant. "I know, Daddy, I'm just anxious for some reason. We'll be back in less than a week hopefully because we have the trade day with Riverside coming up soon."

"Okay. Just be safe and keep your eyes open at all times. We'll keep this place running while y'all are gone." He whispered as he pulled me in for a tight hug. "I love you, Bethie. Just come back to us in one piece, alright?"

I nodded against his chest as I wrapped my arms tightly around his waist for a quick squeeze. "I love you too, Daddy."

After a few calming minutes in my Dad's arms I pulled away, grabbed the box of meals, and headed for the line of vehicles waiting for all of us to load up and get on the road. The sun was just starting to peak over the top of the trees which meant it was time to hit the road. "Lucky, ya 'bout ready?" Daryl asked as I tossed my backpack into the front seat of the truck we were driving next to my compound bow.

"Yeah. You?" I asked as I turned around to face him.

He nodded as he reached out to tuck a strand of my long blonde hair behind my ear. "Guess so."

An hour later we were scavenging what was left of a shopping center in Palmetto for whatever supplies we could find. There was a candle making shop there which is what made us stop in the first place to see if we could find some of the stuff that was on Martha's list. "Like glue, Lucky." Daryl reminded me as we started to climb from the truck that we left parked on the street so we could make a quick getaway if needed.

"Taylor, stay close and keep your eyes open. We don't want anything happening to you." I told him as we met Daryl at the front of the truck.

Since the town was fairly small the shopping center was fairly small too. The shopping center consisted of the candle making store, a candy and coffee shop, a consignment shop, a pawn shop, and a tobacco store. Our group used hand signals to divide the shops up. While most would automatically overlook the candy and coffee shop we knew that we may find some useful things in there such as cocoa powder, actual coffee grounds, coffee filters, and such. Same with the tobacco shop. Which is where we were headed. Daryl's habit of smoking had slowed due to the lack of resources but he still liked the occasional cigarette whenever we found some on a run. Daryl nodded for me to go ahead and knock on the window while the rest of our friends spread between the other store fronts doing the same thing. Rick's group and Maggie's paired up at the consignment shop while Abraham and Tyrese's paired up at the pawn shop while T-Dogg's took the coffee and candy shop and Carol's took the candle making shop.

We snagged those annoying plastic shopping bags and began filling them up with anything useful we came across. "There's a bathroom back here." I called out to Daryl as I spotted the 'Employee's Only' sign taped to the door.

"Careful." Daryl reminded me as he nodded for me to go ahead.

We were in and out of the shopping center in a little over an hour. Our group stuffed the bags we had filled into the back of the SUV that Rick was driving before hitting the road again. Our next move was to find a secluded house to secure for the night and scavenge the local neighborhoods for whatever we could find. As soon as we were in the truck Daryl lit up one of the cigarettes that he had scavenged from the tobacco store. "Ohhhh." He breathed out as he let a stream of smoke out the open window.

I shook my head as I chuckled at his reaction. "You know, if Maggie smells that smoke on you she's going to rip you a new one." I told him because ever since she had gotten pregnant with our nephew Daryl's smoking habits had become a big point of contention between them.

"Ya gonna tattle?" Daryl asked as he took another drag off the cigarette.

Shrugging my shoulders I turned to look out the window and saw a few straggling walkers fall to the ground via Michonne's katana out the window of their SUV. "Don't think I'll have to because I think she's pregnant again. And you know how her nose was last time."

"Ya think?" He asked as he tossed the cigarette butt out the window.

Taylor coughed from the backseat reminding us of his presence. "I caught her throwing up a few days ago while I was on watch."

I smiled over at Daryl and nodded. "She practically ran out of the house the other day when Patricia was making that pumpkin bread. And refused to come back for several hours. I think she's not ready to admit it yet since Shawn isn't a year old yet."

"What's she doin' out here then?" Daryl growled lowly as he gripped the steering wheel tightly.

Placing a hand on his flexing forearm I attempted to soothe his ruffled feathers. "Probably because she knows this is going to be the last time she ever leaves the farm except on trade days. Before you guys came to the farm Maggie is the one who made the runs into town to get supplies. Maybe this is her way of saying to that final goodbye to who she used to be."

"Hmph." Daryl grunted as he followed the vehicles slowly down the highway that was littered with broken down vehicles that we didn't even bother to stop and look through.

We continued on until Rick found what he must have considered a good holing up spot.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"Stop, Lucky." Daryl whispered as he grabbed my elbow just as I was about to take a step forward. Looking around with wide eyes I tried to see what he saw and finally I saw the sun glinting off the piece of silver wire stretched across the entrance to the hallway.

Looking up at him with wide eyes I whispered what he was hopefully thinking. "People are living here."

He nodded.

Smiling at him I stood up straight. "We're not here to hurt you. But if you will come out so I can talk to you we may be able to help you." I called out loudly before gripping the walkie talkie on my hip. "Guys, stop what you're doing. People live here."

A bunch of 'Really's?' and 'Okay's' came back through the tiny speaker. "Our group means you absolutely no harm so please come out and speak to me for a moment. Then we will all leave you in peace if that is what you wish." I called out loudly.

Daryl and Taylor both stood on either side of me with their weapons of choice held tightly in their grips. "Why don't we just leave?" Taylor asked softly.

I shook my head. "Because every life matters and we may be able to help these people and they may be able to help us or maybe they need a place to live. Can't figure that out without actually talking to people." I explained to him as we waited patiently for someone to be brave enough to come out of their hiding hole.

"Got someone." Michonne announced over her walkie. "Says go back out to the front gate and they'll talk."

"Okay." I said back before motioning to the guys to lets go. "On our way."

This particular storage facility had both indoor and outdoor storage buildings but they were all behind one massive wrought iron gate that had obviously held up so far. Making our way back out of the indoor storage area I spotted the rest of our group standing at ease with a young woman that I didn't recognize as well as a man that stood next to her. Nobody looked to be on high alert which made me breathe a little easier and allowed Daryl to not hold his crossbow so tightly. "Don't know these folks, Lucky. Be smart, please." Daryl mumbled as the three of us made our way over to join our friends and family.

"Promise." I whispered to Daryl as Rick cleared his throat and nodded in our direction causing the two unknown folks to turn and look at us. "Hey guys. I know we've invaded your home but I want to reassure you that we mean you absolutely no harm." I told them as we came to a stop a few feet from them. "My name is Beth, this is my husband Daryl, and our good friend Taylor." I said pointing to the big guys standing on either side of me.

The young woman smiled at me as she extended her hand towards me. "Nice to meet you, Beth, Daryl, and Taylor. I'm Isabella or Bella and this handsome thing is my husband, Edward."

"Pleasure to meet you guys too. Are you guys just holing up here for the winter or do you live here?" I asked looking around at the place that other than the alarms set low to the ground the place looked uninhabited.

Bella laughed as she pointed upwards. "We have lived here since about three months after the turn when we were run out of our hometown by the dead. Our garden, solar panels, and water barrels are all located on the roofs."

Following her finger I spotted what looked like large blue barrels lining nearly the whole length of the side of the building. "That's pretty cool. Do you have children here too?" I ask because it is important to know that the children we have at the farm will have a possibility of finding a companion and love when they grow up.

Edward stepped forward then. "Why do you want to know about children?" He asked me firmly as he slid an arm over his wife's shoulders, pulling her into his side.

Once I explained my reasoning for my question Bella placed a hand on her husbands arm and nodded at me. "We have eight children here varying in ages from thirteen years old to two months old. Our daughter is five years old, Ren."

I smiled at her as I pointed to our group of friends and family still standing behind them talking amongst themselves. "Several people in our community have children and are expecting currently. We have eighteen kids from seventeen years old to my nephew who will be a year old this winter. Several are pregnant also." I told her because while Daryl had been the one to inform me of Maggie's being pregnant, I also knew of one more that thought she was pregnant. "How do you keep warm during the coldest days?" I asked curiously.

"A couple of our men go our and tear down buildings for lumber to feed our stoves. We've burned everything from furniture to dog food to corn cobs." Edward said with a shake of his head. "With concrete floors, metal walls, and not much insulation it takes a lot to heat the big building up."

Michonne smiled at me over everybody's head because she knew where this was going. Returning her smile I faced Bella and Edward with a proposition on the tip of my tongue. "Well, how about we sit down and see what we can come up with to help each other out. Do you guys have an abundance of anything here?"

Edward groaned and nodded. "Corn. We've got a scientist here that has been working on making fuel from what we don't eat. We use it in our lanterns for light at night."

"I thought you said you had solar panels?" I questioned as a door to the right of us opened with a little girl rushing through it, making a beeline for Edward.

"Ren! What are you doing out here? We told you to stay put with Rosie and Nana." Edward scolded the child as she ran into his legs with her arms held high, motioning for him to pick her up, which he did.

She shrugged her shoulders as she settled on her dad's hip. "I snuck out." She said clearly with a twinkle in her eyes.

Bella laughed as she shook her head. "This is our little girl, Ren. She keeps us on our toes and gives us a reason to keep pushing forward day after day."

"She's adorable." I told them both. "Why are you using corn fuel if you have solar panels?" I asked, directing the conversation back to what we were talking about before the little girl burst through the door.

"We use the solar panels to run the freezers and refrigerators and to supply electricity to the hospital wing." Edward explained with a nod of his head.

The conversation continued and when we left there that night we were all impressed with what they had managed to accomplish in what seemed like a concrete jungle to most of us that had lived on the farm for so long. We traded some of the clothes we had gotten from the consignment shop, candy, and coffee for some of their corn fuel. "That turned out good. I hope they will show up for the trade day. Their corn fuel could be very valuable to all of our communities. We could use it in our tractors for the big fields and Riverside could use it for their boats." I rambled as Daryl drove us to our proposed safe house for the night, a few miles from Safety Storage.

"How did you know they were good people?" Taylor asked from beside me.

I shrugged as I leaned against Daryl's shoulder, tired from the long day of scavenging and working out some kind of deal with the inhabitants of the storage facility. "Instinct, maybe?"

"Has your instinct ever led you wrong?" He questioned. I expected some of these questions because this was his first time on a run with us. He wasn't used to how things worked with our group.

Looking over at him I shrugged my shoulders. "Not really but I think my instincts now are different than they were when I was a naïve high school church going girl. But my momma and daddy taught me to never judge a book by its cover and to give everybody I encounter a chance. And that I carry with me every time we leave the safety of our walls."

"How can you not be jaded or leery considering the world we live in today? We have no law, no cops to call when times get tough, people are just doing whatever they want with no consequences."

"I'm one of the lucky ones that hasn't seen too much tragedy because of the safety of the farm. I was born and raised on that farm and when Rick and Daryl came with their group they made it safe for us all to stay there. I'm not unaware of the dangers of the world but if we thought every person we encounter has a dangerous agenda then there would be no growth in this new world we live in. There would be no future beyond our generation. That's no way to live." I told him firmly. "Don't you think we've all lost enough in this world?" I whispered because I knew he had lost his sister, little Susan's mother, as well as other friends and family along the way.

He nodded but otherwise remained silent. We all did until we pulled up to the safe house to camp out for the night before moving on to the next leg of our trip. Tomorrow we would hit the blacksmith shop and begin our trek back home.

~*~LUCKY~*~

"This is our last run. Forever. The only time we will ever leave the farm is on trade days." I told my sister firmly as I held her tightly in a hug. The last ten minutes had been the most tense of my entire life as I watched my sister dangle from a rope because the glass ceiling beneath her feet had given way as we all carried items from the cultural museum we had run across on our way home. In the basement of the museum was a zoo of walkers that were reaching and pulling on my sisters legs while Daryl, Rick, and Abraham had struggled to pull her back up through the hole she had fallen through. They had to be careful because the glass was jagged and was causing the rope to fray.

I felt her nod against my shoulder while Glenn continued to thank Rick and Abraham, and Daryl for saving Maggie's life. "Agreed. My babies deserve to have both parents stay safe."

"Babies? Are you really pregnant?" I asked as I pulled back a little so I could look at her face.

She smiled and nodded as tears slid down her cheeks. "Yeah, Little Shawn is going to be a big brother in about seven months."

Pulling her back into a tight hug I smiled into her shoulder. "Congratulations. Let's get this shit loaded up so we can get all of us back to the farm. I'm sure Shawn has missed his mommy while we been gone."

Maggie giggled and nodded as she pulled away from me. "Love you, sissy."

"Love you too, sissy." I told her as I watched Glenn pull her into a tight hug but not before placing his hand on her stomach lovingly.

Daryl pulled me into a brief hug before we all started grabbing things to head back out to our vehicles so we could finish the last little trek home. We should make it there by nightfall. "Love ya, Lucky. Let's go." He gruffed as he grabbed the bucket of tools and weapons he had gathered from the exhibits. We were going to use the ancient artifacts as a guide to making new ones.

"Like glue." I told him as I grabbed my haul which included a variety of things from ancient journals to moccasin templates to woven baskets.

We walked out of the museum to Taylor, Kayden, Tyrese, and Tara standing on the steps where they were keeping watch while the rest of us scoured the museum to gather whatever we thought would be useful to our farm or the Riverside community or the Safe Storage community. "Ya'll good? We heard screaming." Tara asked as she took some of the things from my hands and followed me down the steps.

"Maggie fell through the glass floor but she's okay now." I told her as we placed our haul into the trunk of the car we had picked up last night because all of ours was full of stuff we had scavenged on our run. "We're all just ready to get our stuff loaded up so we can go home."

Tara nodded as she began grabbing things from my arms to place in the trunk. "I'm glad she's okay. We all wanted to come in and help but I knew we needed to keep watch outside. Are we going to check anymore buildings?"

I shook my head as Michonne joined us at the trunk of the car to place her small items inside. "Hell no. This one was enough to do us all in. We're heading straight home." She told Tara while I nodded in agreement.

"Okay."

We made quick work of the museum items and hit the road with our minds focused on getting home as quick as we could. Our trip had been designed to make a big circle around Atlanta with home being our starting and ending point. "Look what I found ya, Lucky." Daryl told me as he pointed to the closed cardboard box sitting in the seat between us.

"This whole box is for me?" I whispered as I pulled on the flaps so I could see what my wonderful husband had thought to get for me. At his quick nod and smirk I yanked the flaps open and gasped at what I saw inside. "Oh Daryl." I whispered as I gazed down at the small stuffed wolf pup and large stack of notebooks, pens, and pencils. "This is amazing." I told him as I leaned over the box to place a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you so much."

"What is it?" Taylor asked from the backseat.

Lifting the stuffed wolf from the box I showed it to him with a bright smile on my face. "It's what Trouble looked like when she was just a baby."

"You got that excited over a stuffed toy?" He asked with a shake of his head.

"And notebooks!" I chirped as I settled back into my seat. "Lots of notebooks."

Taylor looked at me in disbelief. "Notebooks?"

"Notebooks are important to me and he knows that so he always tries to find some on our runs so that I won't run out anytime soon. I keep a journal not only of the gardens and farm but also of our lives. This way our future generations can have something to look back on if they hit a snag and we're not around to figure it out for them." I explained as I held the stuffed pup in my arms.

"That makes sense. I heard you tell Tara that this was going to be the last run. Is that true?" Taylor asked softly.

Daryl and I both nodded. "We can't stop any of you from making runs but for our family it will be the last one we ever go on. The only runs we will go on is trade days from now on."

"Why? Is it because Maggie fell through the floor?"

I turned around in my seat to look at him while Daryl drove us down the road leading our convoy home. "We've lost enough people and don't want to lose anymore. My sister could have died, leaving behind a precious baby boy, a wonderful man that loves her, our father who has lost enough already, and me. Nothing we find out here is worth that. Anything we need can be made or grown on the farm or gathered on trade days. Do you want to take a chance of not going back to your brother and niece?" I asked him softly before turning back around in my seat.

"I understand what you're saying but do you really think we'll be able to survive without making runs? What about clothes? Blankets? Beds? Shoes?"

Shaking my head I glanced over my shoulder at him. "We can make all of that stuff at our communities. People survived before running to the store became a necessity. They survived decades without having stores on every corner to run to for the simplest things. With all of the people we have in the three communities we can make everything any of us needs. Food. Soaps. Clothes. Shoes. Pillows. Blankets. Furniture. Weapons. Tools. Everything."

"Okay. I will trust you on this one. Honestly, I never thought I would see the day where stealing things wasn't a way to survive in this new world." Taylor said as he looked thoughtfully out the window. "I also never thought I would see the day where my culinary skills were put to use again. It's nice to feel safe and at home without waiting for the other shoe to drop. Susan is making friends again too, which John and I never thought we'd see again."

I smiled at him before turning back around in my seat. "That is what all of us want from this life nowadays. To feel safe, at home, and have our kids be able to be kids."

"Are you guys ever going to have kids?" Taylor asked after a few miles of silence.

With a heavy sigh I told him the truth. "It's not that we don't want kids of our own but I was told before the world went to crap that it would be almost impossible for me to conceive a child of my own. If it's meant to be it'll be. We'll have fun practicing our baby making skills in the mean time and being the best aunt and uncle we can be."

"I'm so sorry. My sister, Maleah, had Susan at seventeen years old but that baby became her whole world. She was determined to not let the stigma that most teen moms have hold her back from her dreams. We all pitched in to help her when Susan's biological dad bailed. She was just a few months from graduating college when the world began getting it's revenge." Taylor shared solemnly.

Reaching a hand back to grasp his I gave it a gentle squeeze to let him know that I knew what he was feeling. "Just be sure to remind Susan of her mother's determination and the love she had for her. It's important for a kid to know that as she gets older. Maggie's mom passed away when she was just a few years old but she never doubted that her mother loved her. Even when our dad married my mom, Maggie was still reassured that her mother loved her and my mom wasn't trying to replace her in Maggie's memories or life. It was important for her to know that and it made the bond between my mom and Maggie a little stronger."

"It's so hard to talk about Maleah though. Knowing that she's gone and we're all still here raising her daughter that she loved so much and sacrificed so much for. And Jacob, Maleah's husband and Susan's adoptive father, was a godsend for my sister and niece. Maleah met him in college and he immediately accepted Susan as if she was just an extension of my sister and not something to deal with. As much as we want to keep their memories alive for Susan it's so hard knowing the way they died. It was so brutal." Taylor said as he squeezed my hand once before pulling it away to wipe at the tears slipping down his cheeks.

"Just try. It's hard to talk about my mom and brother too but time is making it a little easier. And my nephew deserve to know the great people that they were." I told him before turning to face the front of the truck, pulling my guitar from where it rested against the seat. "How about a song?" I asked them softly.

Daryl simply smiled as he focused on the empty highway ahead of while Taylor nodded softly.

I began strumming the strings to the tune of Vince Gill's 'Go Rest High on that Mountain'.

I know your life

On earth was troubled

And only you could know the pain.

You weren't afraid to face the devil,

You were no stranger to the rain.

Go rest high on that mountain

Son, your work on earth is done.

Go to heaven a-shoutin'

Love for the Father and the Son.

Oh, how we cried the day you left us

We gathered round your grave to grieve.

I wish I could see the angels faces

When they hear your sweet voice sing.

Go rest high on that mountain

Son, your work on earth is done.

Go to heaven a-shoutin'

Love for the Father and the Son.

Strumming the last of the tune I let that drift into silence in the truck as the song was a powerful one.

~*~LUCKY~*~

We weren't back on the farm but a little more than a week when Trade Day came around which meant we were preparing to leave again. "Why do you have to go, Bethy?" Maggie asked as I grabbed a crate of pasta to carry to the truck.

"I want to go see Sarah for one. Plus, we have the Safe Storage guys coming with us and it's my job to introduce them to Sarah and Timothy." I explained as I made my way to the truck where Daryl and Abraham were hefting the pillowcases of flour and cornmeal into the back.

Maggie huffed in annoyance, which she has been doing a lot of since we got back to the farm eight days ago. "But you promised you wouldn't leave again. Yet, here you are. Preparing to leave again."

Shaking my head I handed the crate over to Rick before turning to face my sister. "I never promised to leave again. I promised no more runs. This isn't a run, Maggie. This is ensuring that our communities continue to thrive. Trade is an essential part of rebuilding the world we once knew." I explained once again. "Don't make this harder than it has to be, Mags. We'll be back by nightfall."

"I just worry about you, is all. You're my sister and my babies need to have their aunt Bethy around for years to come so she can tell them embarrassing stories about me." Maggie said as she pulled me into a tight hug.

Placating her and her out of control pregnancy hormones I returned her hug but managed to catch Glenn's eye behind her back. "Stop talking about me like I'm already gone, Maggie. We'll be back by nightfall."

"Maggie, come on. Let Beth go so she can finish getting the last of the crates." Glenn said as he pried his wife off of me.

"I love you, Maggie, but you are driving me insane." I told her as I pressed a kiss to her cheek before scurrying away quickly.

This trade day was going to be a bit tricky because without forewarning Sarah and Timothy about the Safe Storage leaders joining us we had no idea how they would react to newcomers joining us at the park. "Lucky, ya ready?" Daryl asked as I was placing the container of doggie kibble into my pack since we were taking Trouble with us this time around.

"Yep. Has Trouble used the bathroom yet?" I asked him becasue last time I was outside she was making her rounds from platform to platforms checking in on the people that were on watch.

Daryl shrugged. "Don't know. She's with Carl 'n Emily in the barn last I seen 'er."

Shaking my head I smiled at him. "Hopefully she has cause we ain't stopping until we get to the park." He told me as he grabbed my pack, grabbed my hand, and tugged me out of the house.

"What's the rush?" I asked between giggles as he tugged me out of the kitchen door onto the dark porch that was empty considering the early hour.

He pushed me up agaisnt the house as my pack made a dull thud when it landed on the porch boards. Sliding his fingers into the edges of my hair I had yet to braid he tugged my face up to his. "This." He growled just before slicking his lips across mine causing me to groan and press up against him.

"Mmm." I moaned as I slid my fingers under the edge of his flannel shirt and t-shirt seeking the heat of his warm skin. This morning I had been pulled from my sleep by Daryl's tongue wreaking havoc on my body from his place between my legs. But before I could return the favor of an amazing earth shattering orgasm, Michonne had banged on our door announcing they were all waiting on them to help get the truck loaded. "Daryl...we're gonna get interrupted again." I panted as he planted kisses down my neck, nudging my shirt out of the way to get to more skin.

"Don' care." He mumbled as he kissed his way back to my lips. "Goin' crazy."

Sliding my fingers up his sides I gripped his face in my hands, tugging him away from me so I could look at his face. "Daryl, baby, we're about to leave." I whispered to him as I stared him in the eyes for a few minutes before smirking at him. "We'll have to be quick." I growled as I bent down to snag my bag from the floor before tugging him along behind me as I sprinted off the porch. Peeking around the corner of the house I saw that the coast was clear and took off running across the side yard, darting around the garden beds until we reached the garden shed. "In here." I told him as I pulled open the door and stepping inside.

Ten minutes later we were tugging our clothes back into place with satisfied smiles on our faces. "Ya better now?" I asked Daryl as I tucked my t-shirt back into the waistband of my jeans.

Daryl blushed but nodded as he tugged his angel wing vest back on over his flannel shirt and t-shirt. "Yeah."

"Good. Now we really do have to go." I told him as I grabbed my pack off the floor and tugged the door open.