Rhiannon was panting heavily as she and Rick finally made it to the RV. She eyed Rick warily, wincing slightly at the sight of his hand that was still steadily dripping with blood, saturating the makeshift wrap she'd used from his torn shirt.

"You ok?" She asked hesitantly.

He looked over at her, exhaustion clear in his eyes, and he nodded slightly.

"Does it hurt?" She motioned to his hand, making him look down at the wound with gritted teeth for a few seconds before he looked back at her and shook his head.

"I barely feel it."

Rhiannon rolled her eyes, muttering a sarcastic 'sure' as she followed him into the RV. He moved into the driver's seat, making her huff out an unenthused laugh.

"No way, I'm driving."

"Rhi, I'm fine, I can-"

"No, you're bleeding, a lot. Scoot." She scolded as she pointed to the passenger's seat. Rick sighed heavily, pausing for a moment before finally giving in and moving to the chair over, letting her take her place in the driver's seat.

Rhiannon started the engine and drove like a bat out of hell towards their next meeting point.

It was silent as she drove. Both Rhiannon and Rick too stressed and tense to fill the silence. Rhiannon tapped her fingers against the wheel erratically, betraying to Rick just how nervous she was.

Hearing the incessant tapping, he looked over at her, frowing at the tightly drawn expression on her face.

"This is gonna work." He finally said, almost startling her out of her thoughts at the sudden break in silence.

"You sure about that?"

"Of course I am. There might be a few kinks, but in the end… we'll come out the other side. We always do."

Rhiannon bit her lip nervously, her eyes briefly leaving the road to look at him and she was surprised by the look on his face. He really believed it.

"You ever wonder when our luck's gonna run out?" She asked quietly.

"This ain't luck, it never has been. It's skill. We learn, we adapt, we survive."

Rhiannon stayed quiet as she took in his words and his attempt at making her feel better. She didn't know if it worked yet or not.

"Stop here." Rick called out and she pressed the brakes, grinding the RV to a whining stop. "This should be it." He mumbled, looking around at the empty road in front of them and pulled out the walkie.

"Glenn, we're in place. You guys make it back yet?"

The silence that answered them had them both stiffening. Rhiannon sat up in her seat, her attention now fully on the walkie, praying to hear Glenn's voice on the other end.

"Glenn?"

There was no answer.

Rhiannon swallowed thickly, forcing herself to not jump to conclusions. Her mind raced wildly with awful thoughts that made tears sting at her eyes but she forced them away bitterly.

"Tobin, you there?"

The pair of them both sighed in frustration when there was, once again, no answer. Rhiannon clenched her fists, trying to stop her hands from shaking in fear. She couldn't help but wonder. She couldn't help but dread.

"Daryl?"

Rhiannon's heart stopped as she waited. She didn't think she could handle anymore silence, especially on his end.

"I'm here."

The gruff voice that answered had Rhiannon letting out a breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding. She leaned back in her seat, relief washing over her like a tidal wave.

"Won't be long now. They're almost here. We'll get them goin' your way again."

"How about that, Daryl"? Sasha said, the friction and sarcasm in her voice making Rhiannon narrow her eyes before rolling in annoyance. She reached out, grabbing the walkie from Rick.

"You left, didn't you?" She asked, though her tone posed no question. She knew.

Atop his motorcycle, Daryl bowed his head slightly, knowing he was caught.

"I couldn't live with it. I had to try."

Rhiannon was about to respond when the distant sound of gunfire stopped her, making her look at Rick with wide eyes.

"There's gunfire comin' from back home." Rick told them. "We gotta sit with it and hope they can handle it. I think they can. They have to. We keep going forward for them. We can't turn back 'cause we're afraid."

"We ain't afraid." Abraham said confidently.

"This is for them. Goin' back now before it's done, that'd be for us." Rick continued. "The herd has to be almost here."

At the prolonged silence, Rhiannon reached out again, grabbing the walkie.

"Daryl? I know why you did it, I wanted to go too."

"I know." He said softly.

Rhiannon bit her lip, trying her best to keep her emotions in check, but hearing his voice was making it difficult. It just made her realize how dangerous this was, it made her wonder if this could possibly be the last time she would ever hear that rugged, raspy voice that sent her toes curling.

Seeing the sad smile on her face, Rick reached out, placing his hand atop hers. She let out a ragged breath and shook the thoughts from her head.

"Hell of a honeymoon, huh?" She teased with watering eyes.

"Ain't much of a surprise. Pretty on brand for us, ain't it?"

Rhiannon exhaled a laugh, feeling both comforted and agonized by his words. Their life wasn't exactly normal and their relationship had never really been normal. They considered dates to be anytime the two of them managed to find time alone, which was usually when she tagged along on his hunting trips.

Nothing about them was conventional.

Suddenly, the door slammed open. Rhiannon just barely managed to fling herself out of her seat before the gunman fired a shot at her. She landed in Rick's lap, who eagerly pulled her forward, with a hiss of pain as her injured shoulder hit the dashboard.

Rick wrapped his arms around her to shield her and quickly twisted out from under her, running forward and tackling the gunman to the floor. Rhiannon winced as she stood herself up, her hand cradling her shoulder.

Seeing another man enter the RV and attack Rick from behind moved her into action. She pushed through the pain and pulled her sword off her back. As soon as Rick tossed the man off him, making him stumble towards Rhiannon, she plunged her sword forward, right into his chest, ending his life quickly as Rick shot the other.

From miles away, Daryl's heart was racing at an alarming rate. The gunshots he'd heard and the following silence he received on their end was enough to make him go into cardiac arrest.

"Rhi? Rhiannon?!" he screamed into the walkie at his shoulder. "Rick?! Goddamnit, answer me!"

He muttered a curse through gritted teeth when there was still no answer. His breathing quivered and he pursed his lips together, willing himself not to lose it, not to break down.

But he couldn't stop his vision from blurring, the road in front of him just a mess of colours, as tears sprung to his eyes.

Back in the RV, the pair of them were practically shaking with adrenaline.

"Fuck." Rhiannon moaned in pain as she cradled her shoulder. She looked down, her shoulders sagging defeatedly as she noticed the bandage on her injury begin to bloom red with blood.

Rick staggered to his feet, stepping over the two bodies between them. He hissed slightly at the sight of her bloody bandage.

"Shit, you ok?"

"M' fine." She breathed out, waving away his hands that moved to survey her. "Where the hell did these assholes come from?" She asked, annoyance laced in her tone.

"Dunno." He answered and knelt before one of the intruders. He took the gun off of him and reached into his pockets, looking for any more weapons to scavenge.

Rhiannon frowned as Rick's body went rigid. She peered forward and her stomach dropped when she saw the baby food he was holding.

The deadly silence between the two of them was stiflingly tense. They both knew what it meant. They knew where they had been, why there had been gunshots coming from home.

They were attacked.

Rhiannon blinked rapidly, forcing the stinging in her eyes to go away. Her chest felt tight, her hands began to shake, she felt on the verge of panicking.

Rick soon straightened and he turned to her, putting a finger to his lips to silently tell her to keep quiet. Her brows furrowed and she followed his pointing finger with her eyes, her face soon hardening when she noticed a group of people in the side mirror sneaking up the side of the RV.

As quietly as he could, Rick reached over, grabbing his rifle and aimed at the panel of the RV. Rhiannon flinched at the loud noise, the succession of bullets that ended their enemy.

"We gotta go." Rick said sternly, his face drawn tightly with anger, but Rhiannon could see the cracks. She could see the pure, blatant fear in his eyes.

They needed to get home and make sure their people, their family, were ok.

Rhiannon nodded and made her way to the driver's seat, fiddling with the ignition with trembling hands. The sound of the engine sputtering had her looking down in shock.

"No, no, no. Come on." She muttered through gritted teeth. She tried a few more times, but it was no use. The engine refused to start.

She looked over at Rick, about to ask him what to do next, when movement over his shoulder caught her eye. Her face fell and she leaned forward, squinting through the window into the forest beside them.

"Rick…" She whispered, her voice quivering slightly.

Rick turned his head and his horrified expression mirrored hers as he noticed the herd of walkers stumbling out of the foliage towards the road.

Without another word, he was grabbing her hand and pulling her out of her seat. The two of them stumbled out of the RV, their weapons in hand.

They were both injured, both not at their best, but pain be damned, they had no choice. Rick and Rhiannon swung their weapons at the walkers that surrounded them, each of them biting their lips to hide their cries of pain at the exertion.

Rhiannon's chest was heaving, her breathing stunted with panic as each swing of her sword, each fall of a walker, only led to more and more facing her.

Once there was a gap in the crowd, Rick was grabbing her hand again, practically dragging her forward.

"Come on!" he screamed and the two of them began to run for their lives, the hundreds of walkers that crept out of the forest following behind them.

Rhiannon had never run so fast for so long before. She liked to think she was in good shape, years of ballet training had made sure of that, but completing a full sprint marathon with walkers at her back? That was pushing her limit.

She kept looking over her shoulder, making sure the dead weren't getting too close. Her legs ached, her lungs burned, and her eyes stung.

But she couldn't stop.

"Just a little longer." Rick yelled over the cacophony of walkers behind them, his voice strained as he panted heavily.

It was a long way to Alexandria, but they made it.

As soon as those big gates came into view, Rhiannon felt like crying. Exhaustion crept upon her and she stumbled over her feet slightly, her pace slowing as her legs felt like giving up.

Rick grabbed onto her arm tightly, sparing a look back at the herd behind them before helping her along.

"Open the gate!" He screamed desperately as they approached home.

Rhiannon felt on the verge of screaming in frustration, of sobbing in despair, when the gate didn't open. What if no one heard? What if no one opened the gate and we're devoured right outside our home? What if this is how it ends?

Thankfully, her thoughts of her imminent and gory death was gone as soon as the gate creaked open.

Rhiannon and Rick raced forward, their pace quickening as they reached the home stretch.

The both of them collapsed to the ground as soon as they passed through the gates. Rhiannon sank to her knees, her hands on her thighs as she panted heavily, black spots dancing in her vision as she fought through her exhaustion.

The sound of the gate slamming closed was the most relieving sound she'd ever heard.

"Oh my god." Maggie breathed out, staring in horror at the herd of walkers that pressed against Alexandria's gates. She raced forward, dropping to her knees in front of her big sister.

She reached out, placing her hands on Rhiannon's cheeks, helping her tired eyes meet hers.

"Are you ok?" She asked frantically, her eyes flickering from Rhiannon's face to the bloodied bandage on her shoulder worriedly.

Rhiannon nodded wordlessly, her chest heaving with panting breaths too erratically for her to speak.

It took a few minutes until her breathing returned to normal, until the fire in her lungs dissipated. She looked over, sharing a look of shock with Rick at what they'd just done, how close they'd come to being devoured.

She reached over, placing her hand over his. He squeezed her hand tightly in assurance, in camaraderie.

"Fuck, thank god."

Rhiannon looked up and smiled in relief when she saw Rob rushing towards her. He kneeled down in front of her, hugging her tightly, almost knocking her off balance.

"Are you ok?"

"Are you seriously asking me that?" He joked, but she could see the haunted look in his eyes, the one that told her he'd been through some serious shit, had seen some serious shit out there.

"Is everyone ok?"

"We lost Annie, David and Sturgess."

Rhiannon deflated slightly, her eyes roaming over the crowd in front of her. She suddenly tensed, her gaze narrowing when she realized there was a face that was missing.

"Where's Glenn?"

She didn't notice the way Rob and Michonne looked at each other, or the way Maggie's face creased with sadness, like she was trying hard not to cry.

"What?" She asked sternly, beginning to fear the worst.

"He and Nicholas went off. They said they would start a fire, create a distraction… but we never saw it." Michonne explained quietly.

Rhiannon paused, taking in her words and what it meant for her friend, her brother in law.

"That doesn't mean anything."

"I know it doesn't." Maggie answered, though she looked unconvinced by the devastated and worried look on her face.

"It doesn't. They could've gotten blocked off, had to hide until the herd passed. There's a million reasons that fire didn't get lit and Glenn being… that's not one of them. I know it isn't." Rhiannon said, unable to say the dreaded 'd' word.

Maggie smiled softly, the best she could muster while feeling so worried about her husband, but she appreciated Rhianon's confidence, her effort to be optimistic. She reached out, intertwining her fingers with her sisters.

"I know it, too."

Rhiannon smiled weakly and before she could even start to try and get back on her feet, Maggie was there, her arms holding her tightly, helping her find her footing and stand stably with her legs feeling so weak.

Once she was on her feet, she noticed the blood stains on the street and the pile of bodies that lay beside it. She knew they had been attacked, but seeing it, seeing the carnage she knew to expect for real, made it worse.

"Who was it?"

"Those freaks with the 'w's. They scaled the walls, crashed a truck into the steeple, ambushed us." Maggie mournfully.

Rhiannon felt nausea roll through her. She remembered them. She remembered Daryl telling her about them, about the trap he and Aaron had been caught in, how she had come close to losing him that day.

She started to walk forward shakily, but Maggie was quick to stop her, keeping a strong grip on her waist.

"You should go to the infirmary, get your shoulder checked out."

Rhiannon waved her off. "I can go later. I need to go to sleep for forty years." She mumbled sarcastically, but not so sarcastically.

Maggie huffed out a weak laugh, but let her sister go. She could see how tired Rhiannon was and she knew she needed to rest. She couldn't burden her with her big news yet, or her plan to get Glenn back, she'd have to do that without the comfort of her big sister.

As Rhiannon made her way to the house, she watched with sad eyes as people carried bodies of their neighbours, their friends who had been butchered, out of the street.

She soon stopped abruptly in her tracks, all traces of exhaustion evaporating in an instant when she saw Merle and Heath carrying a dead and bloodied body out of Jenelle and Rob's house. Her face went pale as a ghost as she stumbled forward, anxiously making her way towards them.

As soon as she neared the body and she saw the 'w' carved into the forehead, she calmed, at least a little, knowing it wasn't Jenelle's body they were disposing off. But knowing one had gotten into her home was just as bad.

"I think you should go inside, Bambi. She could use a friend right now." Merle told her, motioning with his head towards the open door.

Rhiannon's throat went dry and she rushed into her friend's house. She sighed in relief when she saw Jen sitting on her couch, unharmed.

"Oh thank god." She breathed out, making her friend jump at the sudden intrusion.

Jenelle's worried face dropped into one of relief when she saw Rhiannon and she was on her feet in seconds, racing forward to pull her into a crushing hug.

"Are you ok?" Rhiannon asked. Jenelle nodded, unable to speak. She felt she would burst into tears the second she opened her mouth.

"What happened here?" She asked, finally noticing the pool of blood on the kitchen floor and the splatters of red on Jenelle's arms.

"One of them got in." Jenelle explained shakily, her voice trembling as she recalled the incident that left her shaken. "I had to… he would've killed me, he would've gone after Jack, I had to-"

"Hey, it's ok, I know, I know. I've been there, too." Rhiannon assured her, tightening her grip on her friend, trying her best to assure her worries, her feelings of guilt and sickness that comes with taking a life for the first time.

"Jack saw." Jenelle whispered torturedly.

Rhiannon froze, a feeling of dread overcoming her. She squeezed her eyes shut. Of all the things that could have gone wrong, that was up there with the worst.

"Where is he?"

"Upstairs." She answered and quickly stopped Rhiannon when she moved forward to go find him. "He's terrified, he won't even look at me, he won't talk to anyone. He cried when Aaron tried. I think he just needs to be alone right now."

"Shit." Rhiannon muttered, running her hands over her face tiredly.

Jenelle stood numbly, tears steadily falling down her face. As soon as the first sob escaped her, Rhiannon's arms were around her again, holding her tightly, hoping the slight comfort she was able to give would be enough to erase the trauma she'd been through.

Rhiannon didn't know how long they had stood there, but she knew it was a long time by the aching in her legs. When she shifted uncomfortably for what was probably the thousandth time, Jenelle finally let her go.

"Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you, to-"

"Don't go there. The only place I needed to be was right here."

Jenelle nodded, a weak smile on her face. "Are you ok?"

"As good as everyone else." Rhiannon shrugged. "We'll be ok. We're gonna come out the other side of this, I know we will."

Jenelle nodded slowly, like she didn't quite believe it, but she was willing to give her friend the benefit of the doubt.

"Do you want me to stay here with you tonight?" Rhiannon offered but Jenelle quickly shook her head.

"No, no, that's ok. Rob will be here and you should be with your family."

Rhiannon frowned slightly, reaching out to take Jen's hands in hers. "You're my family too. You and Jack."

Jenelle's eyes became misty again at her words and she shook her head, willing herself not to start sobbing again. Rhiannon frowned and wrapped her in another hug.

"Whatever you need, you tell me, ok? I'll be there."

"Thank you." Jenelle whispered shakily.

Rhiannon was reluctant to leave, but she felt too close to passing out to offer any more comfort. She said goodbye to Jen, her eyes drifting to the staircase with a tight feeling in her chest at the thought of Jack and what he was suffering with.

Her heart felt heavy as she left and made her way towards the house. It felt as though everything that could have gone wrong that day, had.

She trudged her way up the porch steps, her feet dragging tiredly. As soon as she made her way inside, she was making her way towards the living room, dropping herself down on the couch before she could even tell if the door had closed behind her or not.


Daryl spared another look back at the herd behind him, watching with satisfaction as the distance between them grew further and further.

"That's 20?" He asked into his walkie.

"It will be. 642 is a mile ahead. We gotta put distance between us and them before the turnoff."

"Alright, try to keep up." He quipped and eagerly pushed his motorcycle to full speed, desperate to get back home, desperate to make sure his family was ok, desperate to make sure Rhiannon was ok.

The sound of gunshots still haunted him. He hadn't been able to get a hold of her or Rick after that and he was trying to not fear the worst, but it was hard. He felt close to losing it.

A rush of anticipation hit him as he made the final turn off onto 642, knowing he was that much closer to home. He couldn't wait to have her arms wrapped around him again.

Daryl was lost in the thought of his wife as he drove. He moved with a second nature, turning down a residential street. As soon as his eyes focused on the road in front of him, they soon widened and he slowed the speed of his bike.

"Holy shit. Are you seeing this?" Sasha's voice came in through the walkie.

Daryl's mouth was agape with horror and disgust as he saw the row of bodies that were strung up along each streetlamp that lined the road. There had to be at least two dozen, all in differing stages of decomposition.

It was the fresh bodies, the ones that still looked relatively like people, that scared him the most.

Whoever did this were some sick people.

Before Daryl could answer Sasha, an arrow went speeding past his face, just an inch from doing some serious damage. He ducked down, hissing a curse as he began swerving his bike as a rush of arrows flew at him.

He could hear the sound of gunshots going after Sasha and Abraham in the car behind them as they sped down the road, unable to shake their mysterious attackers.

An arrow flew too close and he ducked, leaning too sharply to the left, forcing the bike to tilt. He grunted in pain as he fell to the road harshly, his bike landing a few feet away from him. Daryl stumbled to his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his arm as he quickly pushed his bike back up and climbed on. He drove further into the cover of the forest, hoping it would be enough for the attackers not to follow him and hoping it wouldn't be too far that he'd lose Sasha and Abraham.

He made it a good few miles, he was guessing, before the pain became too much and he had to stop. He threw himself off the bike, letting it fall in the same second he fell to the ground, panting with exertion.

He waited a few minutes, the silence deafening, making him paranoid, like he expected a rush of bullets to come flying at him at any second.

When nothing happened, he slowly sat up, getting back to his feet. He peeled off his jacket with a wince, looking down with narrowed eyes at the road rash and the blood that coated his arm.

Moving past the pain, he grabbed his crossbow, made sure his bike was well hidden beneath the bushes he'd pulled over it, and started his way through the forest. He was alert, aiming his bow, ready for the slightest indication that he'd been followed, that whatever freaks had ambushed him had found him.

Suddenly, the snapping of a twig had his head swinging towards the noise. He stepped forward slowly, ready to come face to face with whatever danger was imminent.

When he got to where the sound originated, he tightened his grip on his weapon and moved rapidly, swinging around the tree, ready to strike. He sighed, lowering his bow when he realized there was no one there.

Suddenly, the noise of footsteps was behind him and he swung around, raising his weapon again. He barely had time to notice that it was a young woman standing in front of him before she swung the branch she was holding, hitting him in the side of the head.

Daryl barely had time to worry before everything went black.


"Hey."

The soft whisper broke Rhiannon from her sleep and she tiredly raised her head, cringing at the crick in her neck from sleeping on the couch. She hadn't even realized she'd fallen asleep. Her eyes blinked open slowly and she smiled weakly at Carol who was kneeling next to her.

"You should go upstairs and get some proper rest."

Rhiannon nodded slowly and sat up. When she was fully awake, remnants of her dream finally gone, reality set in and her shoulders sagged. Daryl was still out beyond the walls and there was still a herd of walkers at their gates.

She much rather be in her dream state where none of that was happening and the people she loved were safe.

She dragged her feet up the stairs, saying a quiet 'goodnight' to Carol who was making her way to her bedroom. Rhiannon bypassed her own room and went to the bathroom. She had taken a quick shower, noting once she was undressed that one of the stitches on her shoulder wound had ripped open.

It wasn't dire. It could wait. The only thing on her mind was Daryl, Sasha, Abraham and Glenn. Only when they got back safe and sound and those walkers outside their gates were history, could she even begin to think about her shoulder.

After her shower, she lay in their bed, her head on Daryl's pillow, breathing his scent in. It was only a few minutes of trying to sleep that she realized it was useless. She would be getting no rest tonight, that was clear.

She huffed in annoyance and threw the blankets off of her, grabbing Daryl's cigarettes that he'd left on the dresser before making her way downstairs.

As quietly as she could so as not to disturb the others in the house, she opened the front door, stepping outside and sitting herself down on the porch swing.

Her thoughts were dark, depressing, and agonizing. Knowing Daryl was out there, that Glenn was MIA and there were hundreds of flesh eating corpses at her door had her heart racing, she felt on the verge of a panic attack all day now and it seemed there would be no resolution.

She looked down at the ring on her finger, a sad smile coming to her lips. She remembered just that morning, staring down at the ring and smiling so widely, feeling so happy. She had felt untouchable just knowing that Daryl was her husband.

And now, all good feeling was gone at the prospect of him in danger, at the thought of them barely able to live their married life together.

Rhiannon stewed in her thoughts, almost torturing herself with thoughts of Daryl, of what could possibly be happening to him in that moment beyond the safety of the walls. Her dark trail of thoughts ventured off when she noticed a figure walking by the house.

She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, a stab of fear crossing her for just a moment before she realized it was only Deanna and not one of the wolves who had come to attack again. Her heart suddenly jumped again when she noticed the woman's appearance.

"Holy shit, are you ok?" Rhiannon asked, her wide eyes looking at the blood that stained Deanna's skin. She looked like she just survived a night with Jigsaw.

"There was a walker." She explained, her voice monotonous, as if her mind were a million miles away.

Rhiannon sat forward, a surge of energy rushing through her at the thought of potential danger. Seeing her response, Deanna waved her hand tiredly.

"It was one of the attackers who got injured. Rick took care of it."

Rhiannon nodded, letting out a sigh of relief as she sat back on the swing, bringing her knees up to her chest in an effort to relax again.

"You mind if I steal one?" The older woman asked, pointing to the cigarette she held.

"Uhh, of course not." Rhiannon answered slowly, slightly in disbelief by her question. Deanna made her way up the porch and sat down on the swing next to Rhiannon, graciously taking the cancer stick and the lighter from her.

"You know, I umm, I never got to tell you how sorry I am for your losses. Aiden and Reg… they deserved a lot better and I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help them."

Deanna blew out a big cloud of smoke as she exhaled loudly. She felt tears well in her eyes at the mention of her family, of her boys she loved and missed so terribly.

"I know words like that don't really mean anything, but I just, I dunno, I needed to say it." Rhiannon continued nervously when she received no answer.

Deanna finally looked over at Rhiannon, her eyes peering at her curiously, as if she were uncovering all her deepest secrets.

"You lost people." She surmised.

Rhiannon's breathing hitched and she nodded slowly. "My father and my little sister."

Deanna bowed her head slightly. "Were they…"

"Brutal, both of them. And I was right there, beside them both times." Rhiannon answered her unfinished question.

Deanna cleared her throat, hoping her emotions wouldn't strain her voice too much.

"How did… how did you cope with that? Cause I gotta tell you, I'm at a loss right now." The older woman admitted.

"I didn't, at first." Rhiannon spoke lowly, feeling ashamed at how she'd acted, how she treated her family while she was grieving. "I wanted to die. Even though I still had Maggie, I still had this group I call my family, I had the greatest love of my life at my side, doing his best to be there for me and I shut them out. I wanted it all to end cause everything hurt too damn much."

"How did you stop yourself from giving in?" Deanna asked, making it clear she was feeling the same thing Rhiannon described. She knew wanting to die was giving in.

"I did, just not to that. I finally gave in to them, my family, the man I love. I let them in again and I healed."

"That simple, huh?" Deanna mused bitterly, taking a long drag from the cigarette.

Rhiannon smiled lightly. She recognized that tone all too well, the tone that didn't believe it would get better.

"I wouldn't call it simple."

"So what would you call it?"

"A leap of faith." Rhiannon answered honestly. "It was scary to let go of that grief, like I would be guilty for moving on. But I knew I needed to take that step. I knew that if I allowed myself to feel better, if I took that leap of faith, the people I love would be there to catch me."

Deanna looked over at Rhiannon, the dower look on her face gone as she smiled lightly. "A leap of faith." She mumbled to herself before laughing slightly in disbelief. "You're a wise woman."

Rhiannon smiled and shook her head bashfully. "Well, I may or may not have stolen that from Spiderman, but I'll take the compliment."

The older woman let out a sharp laugh before quickly placing her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle the noise and force her smile away.

"It's ok." Rhiannon said softly. "I used to think I wasn't allowed to laugh either. But you are. I know my dad and my sister would be mad as hell at me if I stopped laughing, if I stopped trying to be ok and be happy."

Deanna sighed heavily and leaned her head back, letting her eyes fall closed.

"I think Reg and Aiden would want you to laugh. They'd want you to still be you."

"I don't know if that's possible. I don't think I can be the same woman I was without them." Deanna admitted quietly.

Rhiannon stayed silent, thinking over her words intently. She was right, Rhiannon realized. She knew she was nowhere near the person she had been before losing her father and Beth. She knew she didn't smile as often, she didn't feel as carefree as she used to, and she felt less and less optimistic about the world and her future as the days went on.

But there were silver linings. She still had Maggie, she had Daryl -her husband- and she had her family. It didn't make the losses hurt any less but it made that lost optimism just a little bit easier to find day after day.

Rhiannon didn't know what to tell Deanna, what advice to give. She didn't know what silver linings were left, not with those walkers at the gates.

"Thank you for sharing." Deanna told her, crushing the butt of her cigarette as she stood from the swing. She too realized there was nothing left to say, no well wishes to offer that weren't complete lies.

"Goodnight." Rhiannon muttered softly, unable to stop herself from feeling like a failure. Deanna paused on the stairs and turned back to face her.

"Thank you, Rhiannon."

The genuine way Deanna spoke surprised her and she smiled lightly. "Anytime."

"And congratulations. I heard the good news last night and I never got to congratulate you and Daryl."

Rhiannon blushed slightly, the mere mention of Daryl able to render her like a shy school girl. Deanna forced her smile, the look of pure love on the younger woman's face reminding her of the love she lost.

"Have a good night." She waved, hurrying her way home so she could cry in peace for her dead husband.

Rhiannon watched her go with a heavy heart. She couldn't imagine what the woman was going through, what it felt like to watch the love of her life die, to hold him as he took his last breath. Rhiannon felt a shiver run down her spine and she shook her head, forcing the thoughts away.

She was sure she'd get emotional if she thought about that any longer. She leaned back, staring up at the night sky with a tortured expression.

"Please come back to me." She whispered, hoping that, somewhere out there, Daryl was trying his best, doing whatever he could to get to her.

With a heavy sigh she pulled another cigarette out of the pack, about to light it, resigning herself to her fate of chain smoking the entire night, before a familiar voice stopped her.

"What are you still doing up?" Maggie asked as she made her way up the porch steps towards her sister.

"Couldn't sleep." Rhiannon shrugged. "Where have you been?"

Maggie stiffened, averting her gaze quickly. "I was with Aaron. We… I wanted to go out there, try to get the herd away, look for Glenn."

Rhiannon almost jumped out of her seat, her eyes wide with horror. "What? What the hell were you thinking? There're hundreds of those things right outside and you thought you'd just waltz out and-"

"Rhi!" Maggie interrupted. "It didn't happen, we didn't get far before we turned right back."

Rhiannon's anger deflated and she exhaled loudly, her expression relaxing. "Are you ok?" She asked her younger sister, though she was sure she already knew the answer.

Maggie just shrugged and moved to sit next to her. "They put his name up on the wall. Like it's real, like we've… lost him."

Rhiannon's stomach twisted and she squeezed her eyes shut. She wanted to throttle whoever put his name on that damn memorial wall.

"We haven't lost him. He's still out there, I know it."

Maggie nodded slowly, but she still looked unconvinced, her face twisted with sadness. "Can I stay with you tonight?"

Rhiannon smiled softly and nodded. "Of course." She reached out and intertwined her fingers with Maggie's. "Come on."

With their hands locked together, Rhiannon stood and guided Maggie with her as they made their way inside and up the stairs to the room she shared with Daryl.

Rhiannon was reminded of when they were kids as she got into bed, her younger sister crawling in next to her and she took her position as the big spoon. She remembered a night decades ago, when Maggie, barely a toddler, had come rushing into her room during a thunderstorm, jumping into her big sister's bed and wrapping herself around her for protection.

It was quiet in the dark room and Rhiannon felt her eyes beginning to feel heavy. She had thought it would be impossible for her to relax enough to actually get some sleep, but she figured with Maggie by her side, her worries were ebbed enough to rest.

She was seconds from drifting to sleep when suddenly the sound of quiet, stifled cries met her ears. She opened her eyes and frowned when she realized it was Maggie, trying her hardness not to cry, but failing.

Rhiannon moved closer, holding her even tighter.

"It's ok. Everything's gonna be ok." She whispered to her in assurance.

Maggie sniffled. "You don't know that. Everything could be… I don't want- I can't do this alone." She stumbled on her words nervously before letting out a deep breath and turning in her sister's arms to face her.

"Rhi… I'm," She paused, biting her lip anxiously. "I'm pregnant."

Rhiannon's eyes widened and her arms instinctively tightened around her, like she was trying to protect her from an unknown force. Her mind whirled with thoughts. She was elated, the thought of her sister with a baby, of Glenn, her brother in law, with his child. It made the longing that lingered within her to grow until it felt as though it would choke her.

Seeing Rhiannon's eyes grow teary, Maggie winced. She hadn't wanted to be insensitive, she knew what her sister had been through and how the loss of her baby still affected her.

"I'm so sorry."

Rhiannon frowned and shook her head. "Don't. This incredible thing is happening and you shouldn't ever have to apologize for it, especially to me."

"But, I know-"

"It's ok." Rhiannon interrupted her. "I know I'm a mess, but that doesn't make me any less happy for you."

Maggie hesitated, a part of her still wondering what was going on in her sister's mind. Rhiannon saw the conflict, saw the doubt, and she sighed.

"Hey," She reached out, wiping away the few tears that fell from Maggie's eyes. "I am so happy for you. You're gonna be an amazing mom and I can't wait to see you and Glenn try to handle it."

Maggie gave a watery laugh, her heart both jumping in excitement and twisting with sadness at the thought.

"Don't you worry about me, ok? You just worry about that little one in there."

"I love you." Maggie breathed out, feeling like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders now that she'd finally told her big sister the news she'd been dreading to tell her for days.

She knew no matter how happy Rhiannon would be for her that there would be a sliver of sadness. That was unavoidable. But more than anything, Maggie wanted her, needed her, by her side, especially now that Glenn was in danger or worse…. She couldn't even fathom the thought.

"I love you too." Rhiannon smiled, pressing a kiss to her sister's forehead.

The room fell back into silence as the sister's let the call of sleep pull them under. But Rhiannon couldn't let herself drift off.

There was a pit in her stomach. One of excitement, one of jealousy, she wasn't sure which emotion was stronger.

She let out a shaking breath, silently berating herself for letting herself even think of being jealous. Her sister was pregnant, she was going to be a mom, and the only thing she should be was elated.

And she was.

But that longing, that sadness that washed over her every single day, every time she saw Judith, threatened to ruin it all.

She felt so conflicted, so mad at herself for feeling any emotion that wasn't pure joy. She tightened her hold on her sister, knowing that, through whatever she may be feeling, she would protect her sister, protect the life growing inside her with every ounce of her strength.

She wouldn't dare let Maggie go through what she had to.

She would make sure of it.


Hope you guys are on board for the cannon change, let me know what you think!

Thank you all for reading and reviewing xx