That evening, just before preparing to journey back to the Hilltop, Beth had her first contraction.
It was too soon for Abby to be coming, but she remembered hearing about Braxton Hicks when her aunt Patricia was pregnant. It was false labor - nothing to be concerned about - but it hurt like hell, and it was just enough to freak everyone into a sense of panic. They halted everything. Told Beth she needed to rest. Taking the trip back to Hilltop so soon was out of the question for them, but to her… that notion was unacceptable.
"Daryl doesn't know I'm here," she pleaded. "We're supposed to meet at the Hilltop. He said no matter what happens in Alexandria, he'd meet me there."
"I'll go," Jesus suggested. He gently placed a reassuring palm against the side of her head and pressed his lips into a tight line. "I'll go to Alexandria, suss out the state of things… and I'll find Daryl. I'll bring him here. I promise."
""⧫""
A day later, Jesus returned. But he was accompanied by someone she hadn't expected.
Beth looked at Rick with a hopeful expression, waiting with bated breath for him to tell her that Daryl was just outside the door. That he was in the other room, talking with someone else, but he'd be there in a minute. She just had to wait. She desperately wanted Rick to tell her all she had to do was wait. But he didn't.
That's not what he had to say at all.
Daryl was alive, as far as they knew, but he'd been taken.
Negan had taken him, right after killing Noah.
Beth collapsed into Rick's chest and cried. He pulled her close. Awkwardly at first. Then, after relaxing into the disappointment of it all, he held her tight. Kissed the top of her head like she was an innocent young girl again - the girl he'd first met at her family's farm.
"We're gonna get him back," he whispered, brushing calloused fingers through the bushy mane of her ponytail. She hadn't even had the energy to twist her usual single braid into it that morning. It took too much effort, and she was tired.
She found the motivation to lift her head, and she looked at him. Looked right into those crystal clear blue eyes that nearly matched hers and said, "We have to fight." She squared her shoulders. "We have to win."
""⧫""
26 Weeks
Between Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom... they had the numbers.
With all three communities working together as one, they nearly tripled the size of Negan's Saviours. It would work. There was no way it couldn't. All they had to do was surround the enemy, and surrender would be the only option. Negan wouldn't see it coming. He was too confident for that. Too smug and unaware of the people that scurried so feverishly beneath him to please and satisfy every command. Every want and need. He'd never expect them to band together. Up until now, fear had frozen his followers in place. But his slaves weren't afraid anymore. They were very, very pissed off.
Most days, Beth paced back and forth in the room she'd been given at Ezekiel's Kingdom. It was perfectly fine. There was a warm bed, electricity, food and water, and plenty of sources of entertainment. They had movie night once a week, and the kids often stopped by to hear stories, because she'd gotten good at reading aloud. She liked voicing all the different characters just like her daddy used to when she was younger. Plus, it was good practice. She secretly hoped Abby would be as easy to please.
After getting word to the other communities about the situation, Maggie had decided to come and stay with Beth while the others continued planning their attack. Beth insisted that it wasn't necessary - Jessie was there, and the girl had become a great support system so far - but Maggie disagreed. She thought some space from Alexandria was for the best, after everything that happened. Things were hard after losing the baby, and Glenn had suggested - out of nothing but love - that Maggie take some time to herself for awhile. Beth knew it was only temporary, but it hurt to see them separated like that. So far, all of the hardship the group had been through only brought them closer. But this was different. Beth couldn't imagine the heartache Maggie and Glenn were continuing to face every day after such a loss, but she didn't let herself try. She didn't want to think about that when it came to Abby. She had faith. Everything was going to be okay.
Several weeks passed before Rick finally felt confident enough to make a move. Jesus and a handful of other scouts from Hilltop had been keeping an eye on the Sanctuary where Daryl was being held. They tracked the Saviours every move until they had a dependable schedule. This included the weekly trips to every community to pick up supplies. Everyone had gotten really good at pretending, but Beth could tell their unease in the Saviours presence wasn't always an act. What once had been hopeless fear had now turned into anxious trepidation. The question lingered in everyone's minds:
What if this doesn't work?
What if we fail?
Yet again, Beth had faith. She clung to it like a lifeline. Fought against the currents of doubt in a sea of inevitable disappointment. She wouldn't sink. She wouldn't let her worry pull her under. Soon enough, they would make their first strike. Daryl would be rescued, and everyone else would come home safe. She had faith in it, and she would not let it waver.
The plan was to surround the Sanctuary after nightfall, much like they'd done to the single compound. The only problem was that this building was a well oiled machine. It was bigger, and it housed more soldiers that switched shifts like clockwork. It was a wrench in the gears on both sides. Because there was always someone on guard, this provided a very narrow opportunity for one of Rick's men to slip inside and cause the distraction they'd planned. On the other hand, because the shifts were so precise, they knew exactly what time and how long they had to do it. They were about six minutes away from the first switch, and once that happened, Heath had exactly thirty seconds to duck behind the gate and slip between the shadows without either of the guards taking notice. Beth sat in on several meetings discussing this very action. It was the first act of many that would take place throughout the night, and if just one of them didn't go as planned, the entire strategy would be tossed to the wind.
Rick went over every detail, over and over, until finally, there was nothing left to do but take action. They all knew the plan of attack backwards and forwards, but memorizing it would only get them so far. They had to actually do it. They had to try, anyway.
Beth wished she could do more. She was now six months pregnant, and it had been three weeks since she'd set eyes on her husband. She needed to participate somehow - she needed to feel like she was doing something to help - but no one would let her. They barely let her feed herself or go to the bathroom alone anymore, much less pick up a gun. She wouldn't let them take her knife - she kept that in its sheath at her hip at all times, knowing that there would inevitably come a time when she would need to use it. They couldn't ignore her determination to at least be able to defend herself from walkers, so she'd won that battle. It was a small victory, but it was a victory nonetheless.
They were well into winter, and the struggle to keep warm was fierce. Maggie kept the wood-burning furnace going in the common room at all times, despite some of the locals' insistence to save wood.
"Her baby has toes, you know?" Maggie hissed. "Do you want them to fall off before she's born?"
Beth giggled and wrapped a thick blanket around her own toes. The thick fleece plus the wool socks Rick had scavenged for her were enough to hold in heat, but she let Maggie fuss, knowing nothing she could say would change her sister's mind.
Maggie joined her on the couch, shifting Beth's feet to her lap. "Are you comfortable?" she asked.
Beth nodded and turned to her side. "I'm fine," she said. She propped her elbow on the arm of the couch and rested her head in her hand. "Are you?"
Maggie smirked. "Never been more comfy."
It was almost believable, though she might have been physically comfortable at the time. But Beth knew better. She'd never seen Maggie this rattled. Between the aftermath of her miscarriage, the separation from Glenn, and the impending war that was facing them all, Beth was surprised Maggie could get dressed in the mornings. Now she was taking care of her little sister on top of it all. Beth knew Maggie's undivided attention to her was mostly a distraction, but she appreciated it all the same. It came from a good place, and if it helped ease her mind, that was just an added bonus.
"Are you goin' with them?" Beths asked.
Maggie glanced at her quickly, perplexed. "No. Why would I?"
"Because you should. They need all the help they can get."
"You need me more."
"Maggie, I'm fine. I swear it."
"Don't do that," she scolded, shaking her head.
"I promise," Beth rephrased.
Maggie frowned. "You don't know that. Anything could happen. Today you might be okay, but tomorrow…" She broke up and looked away, clearing her throat. "Anything could happen," she said again.
Beth took her hand and held it between hers. "I'm sorry about what happened, and I know you're afraid it's going to happen to me too, but you don't have to be. Worrying doesn't do anybody any good."
"Aren't you scared?" Maggie questioned genuinely.
"Yeah," Beth admitted, "but that ain't gonna stop me." She sat up and curled herself into Maggie's side. She placed the hand she was holding across her belly and waited. Right on cue, Abby kicked, and Beth felt Maggie smile against her. "She needs me to be brave," Beth said. "For her. And I need you to be brave for me."
Maggie nodded and cuddled against Beth's shoulder. "You know I'm supposed to be the wise older sister, right?" she said.
"Yeah," Beth commended. "But only sometimes."
""⧫""
Three days later, Rick showed up at the Kingdom flanked by Glenn and Abraham, all three men looking battered and exhausted. Rick's left eye was purple and nearly swollen shut, and it came with gnarly gash against the accompanying cheek. Glenn looked okay, but he was walking with a limp, so Beth assumed there was leg injury she couldn't see. Abraham, despite the bandage wrapped around his torso, walked tall past the doors of the theater and into the presence of Ezekiel. Beth and Maggie sat on stage in chairs to his right, watching and waiting to hear news from their people, good or bad. At the first sight of Glenn, Maggie made to get to her feet, but stopped herself short.
"What message have you prepared for me, my comrades?" Ezekiel bellowed, his voice echoing around the nearly empty auditorium. "Tell me, for I cannot fathom further anticipation."
Rick breathed deep and lifted his head to face the king. "The first wave was a success," he said. "Most of the sanctuary fell, and we killed them all. No prisoners, just as we discussed."
Beth noticed the awkward stance of Glenn's posture. He didn't like it, and neither did she, but they both knew it was what needed to be done.
"And Negan?" Ezekiel bated.
"Fled," Abraham answered. "All according to plan."
"So, we proceed to phase two, do we not?" Ezekiel assumed. All three men nodded. "Good!" He clapped his hands merrily. "Were my men of great assistance to you? I must admit, they've been well-trained."
"Yes," Rick agreed. "Everyone did their part. Thank you," he hesitated, then added, "sir."
"Of course, of course. The pleasure is mine. We should rejoice, Rick. This is a time in which the future is being shaped for our benefit. It's a new world, and together, we will surely prosper."
Rick tipped his head foreword in respect, as if meaning to tip his sheriff's hat out of old habit. Beth smiled. You can take the man out of Georgia, but you can't take Georgia out of the man.
He then looked right at her. She thought for a moment that he'd somehow read her thoughts, and she flushed with embarrassment. But his eyes were serious.
"Daryl?" she insisted.
Rick's chest lifted with pride - a stark comparison to the submissive lieutenant previously reporting to his commander. Glenn's contagious grin had already given away what he was about to say, but still, the next three words that fell from Rick's mouth shook her.
"We got him."