Warnings: Fluff. Angst.

Bamby

VPOV

Daryl and I woke, wrapped up in each other. We kissed a few times, not wanting to get up just yet. Eventually, we did though, tugging on clothes as we sat on opposites edges of the bed. Then we walked out, Daryl heading downstairs while I headed for Aly's room.

She was fast asleep, arm draped over Houdini's neck. I didn't want to wake her, she looked so peaceful. It wouldn't last if I woke her… I knew the second I did my heart would break…

Holding myself together, I reached for her arm and gave it a gentle shake. "Aly, come on. Time to get up."

There was a groan and a whine as she rolled onto her back before peaking her eyes open at me. "Mum?"

"Yeah, honey. Up time."

Pulling herself up, which prompted Houdini to jump off the bed and trot out of the room, she rubbed at her eyes. "You're going today."

"I am."

"Dad is going, too."

"He is."

Doing her best not to pout, she looked up at me. "When will you be back?"

Sighing, I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her into my lap. "You know I can't answer that. You know I don't have an answer."

Unable to help it, she stuck her bottom lip out as she nodded, sad eyes dropping to the ground. "I'm scared."

"I know, honey. I know." Leaning forward, I pressed a kiss to her head. "Your dad is downstairs waiting for us… you should go give him a big hug. Let him know you're gonna be thinking about him."

"Yeah." She nodded again. "Tha's a good idea." Wiggling out of my lap, she planted her feet on the ground and grabbed my hand.

Having no choice- not that I would fight if I could- I let her lead me out of her room and down to the kitchen.

Daryl was sitting at the dining table, three mugs on the table beside him. He was leaning forward, elbow on his thigh as he scratched Houdini's head. When we walked into the room, he sat up and grabbed one of the mugs, sliding it towards us.

"Made you a hot chocolate." His eyes were on Aly.

She ran, hurrying over to throw her arms around him. He caught her effortlessly, pulling her up onto his lap, holding her against his chest.

Walking over, I grabbed one of the other mugs as I watched them with a sad smile. I hated seeing how scared they both were… but things had to be done, and there was no way I wasn't going to be there for it.

"Drink up," I told her. "I'll make you some toast and then we'll go find Michonne."

"Remember what we told you?" Daryl asked.

She nodded, pulling back to look at him. "Michonne is staying home today. I have to stay with her until you come back."

"And," I pressed.

Turning to me, she tried to fight the fear growing in her eyes. "And if something goes wrong, if you don't come back or if the bad man comes here, I stay with Carl, Michonne or Rosita."

Dad didn't want Carl mixed in with the violence, and Michonne and Rosita were still healing from the fight, so they were staying back. I was grateful for that, at least, knowing this place wouldn't be vulnerable. They might not be an army, but they could hold their own.

"Come on." I nodded towards the kitchen, putting my mug down and offering her my hand. "Let's make some breakfast."

Climbing off Daryl's lap, she took my hand. "Can I help you make yours and Dad's?"

"I'd like that."

Smiling down at her as we headed into the kitchen, I prayed things would go as planned. If I lost her… if I lost anyone else I loved… I wasn't sure I'd survive.

CPOV

Dad stepped up to Michonne, leaning in for a kiss. I watched for a brief moment before turning away, giving them some privacy.

As I looked away, my eyes landed on three people and a dog headed our way. Aly's face lit up as soon as she spotted me before she looked up at Vickie and said something. With a nod from my sister, Aly started to run. Smiling at the little girl and at Houdini as he bounded after her, tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"Carl!" She jumped at me.

Quick to react, I caught her with a groan. "You're gettin' a bit heavy, kid."

"You're strong, it's okay." She shrugged as I set her on my hip.

Chuckling, I shifted her into a more comfortable position as Vickie and Daryl stepped up to us.

Dad pulled away from Michonne and turned to them. "You two sure about this?"

Vickie gave a short nod. "We're sure."

He sighed, stepping up to her. "You should be there with us, standing right there with Maggie, Ezekiel and me. You're a leader, Vickie."

"I was. I'm not anymore."

"Getting taken to the Sanctuary, and anything that happened there, doesn't change the truth. You're still important. We still need you," Dad insisted, not noticing the way Daryl's hand slid into Vickie's and gave it a squeeze.

I noticed, though. I'd been noticing a lot, lately. Like the way they held on to each other a little more these days. Like how Daryl had grown terrified of Vickie going anywhere near the Sanctuary. Like how he stepped closer to her whenever Negan's name was uttered. Like how Vickie sometimes looked up at him with guilt and regret. Like how she'd stepped down from more than just leading, but from socialising too.

Whatever had happened at the Sanctuary… they weren't telling anyone, but it was serious.

"Okay. Just… if you change your mind."

"I won't," she assured him. "But thanks."

"We gotta go," Daryl grunted. He looked to Michonne and me then. "You two good with her?" he asked, nodding at Aly as she rested her head on my shoulder.

Michonne smiled reassuringly at him. "We've got her."

Trusting us, Daryl and Vickie said their quick goodbyes before they headed over to his bike. We all watched as they climbed onto it and then rode out of the gates. Aly turned her head towards me ever so slightly then.

"Come here." Dad stepped towards us, smiling at her. Reaching up, he took my hat and set it on her head. "You're sheriff now, okay? Gonna need you to take care of everyone 'til I get back. Think you can do that."

Her tiny nod was her only answer, but Dad still took it.

Offering me and then Michonne one last smile, he then climbed into the waiting pickup. We stood there and watched as it drove off, leading a parade of armoured cars to a fight I wasn't sure was worth it.

"I know you wanted to go with him," I said to Michonne, still watching the cars. "I did, too."

"Everything hurts," she sighed. "But I'll help you defend this place."

I turned to her then, confused. "Help me?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah. This is your show."

"Okay," I scoffed.

"You'll see."

RPOV

Whistling, I caught the attention of the guy in front of me. He spun, right into my knife as he looked into my eyes with shock. I pressed the blade in deeper, curling my lips, before letting him go. As he landed on the ground by my feet, I wiped his blood off my knife, onto my jeans. He was still alive, but wouldn't be for long.

"What are you up to, Rick?" he gurgled on his blood as I headed over to the small number of supplies he had with him. "You think you're gonna take us on? I saw you beggin'. Crying. You're gonna beg again, Rick. Beg like your girl."

I tensed, turning my head to him, listening as he went on.

"She begged. Beg-begged and s-spread her legs for Negan like… like a whore."

No. It was a lie. He was lying. Trying to piss me off, trying to make me do something stupid. There was a plan, and I had to stick to it. His words were just trying to get me to do the opposite. They were lies.

"Your- your slut daughter's gonna die. And your boy."

Having heard enough, I got to my feet and stormed over to the tied-up walker. It had a cord- which was connected to a power pole- wrapped around its arm. Stretching out as far as it could, it tried to reach for the dying man, groaning and moaning at the same time.

Stepping up to the cord, I pulled out my knife and cut the walker free. The man screamed as it dug into his throat.

Ignoring them both, I pulled out the list Daryl and Vickie had gotten from Dwight and crossed off this area from the list. Then I turned back to the road and waved the others in. With my signal, several cars headed my way, ready to set up our base and prepare for the long day ahead.

VPOV

Daryl and I were meeting Tara, Carol and Morgan on the freeway. On the way, however, it was our job to deal with the few remaining Saviours on the lookout. That's what the list was. The one from Dwight. He'd mapped out every single Saviour who was on guard, alone, between the Sanctuary and our homes. The ones who would get in the way of our plans.

Dad had used one of the walkies we'd gathered and had sent a message to Carol and Morgan so the two of them could deal with the ones around the Kingdom. Then he'd message Tara- who had stayed at the Hilltop last night- so she could clear that area. It was Daryl and me who had to deal with the rest.

By the time we'd dealt with them all, Daryl had killed three and I had killed two. Just two more people to add to my list.

MPOV

"You up to this?" Rick asked.

People from the Hilltop, Kingdom, and Alexandria had all gathered together, ready to fight together. Today was the first day of our big plans. The first day of war.

I turned to him with a shrug, determined to see this all through. "I got the Hilltop to stand against the Saviours. I need to be there. At least for the first part. They say you can wage war through the second trimester." I grinned for a moment and then turned serious again. "I've been fighting since the farm. Can't stop now."

"How about tomorrow?"

"You been thinking about what that looks like?"

"Yes, I have." He nodded. "I don't know if I can wait for it."

"Just one more fight. And I'm gonna be there. At least for the first part," I repeated.

Ezekiel watched the exchange, standing beside Jesus. "I'm told the Hilltop lost their doctor. An obstetrician, no less. We have a doctor in the Kingdom. A woman of talent. Join us," he offered.

"We'll get ours back," Jesus assured him, 'causing the king to laugh.

"Yes, Jesus. Yes, you will." Ezekiel gave him a heavy pat on the shoulder. "As sure as the day defeats the night. And on this day, we begin to reshape this world for your child and the children to come. So let's get started."

The two of them walked off, ready to get everything started now that it appeared the others were all here and waiting. Before I could follow them, however, Rick looked at me with a smile on his face.

"What?"

"Hilltop's lucky to have you." He actually sounded proud.

"You showed me how to be someone worth following."

"Good. After this, I'm following you."

"And what about Vickie?" I asked. Her absence hadn't gone unnoticed. "Is she still going to lead?"

"I'm gonna need your help with that."

"Whatever I can do."

Rick was a strong leader, but Alexandria needed more. In these times there were no certainties. Anything could happen to him. Anything could happen to anyone. Vickie and I had stepped up at around the same time and decided to take on bigger roles within the group. I'd always thought we'd lead together. Whatever had changed her while she'd been kept at the Sanctuary, I wasn't going to let it destroy her progress.

I wasn't going to let Negan destroy anything else.

DPOV

I had my arm around Vic as the two of us stood with Tara and Carol, while Morgan sat on the road, leaning against the freeway barriers. We were all waiting. Tara and Carol had gone out a few days earlier to time the walkers along this path so everything would be right when we needed it.

"Here we go." Tara looked up from her watch. "Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six. Five. Four. Three. Two. One." Nothing happened. "Shit."

"Now what?" Vic asked, stepping away from me.

Keeping my eyes on the road, though, I soon spotted what we were waiting for. "There." I pointed out at the approaching herd of walkers.

Tara shrugged. "Okay. Close enough."

"All right, let's go." Nodding to Vic, the two of us jogged over to my bike as the others moved to their car.

After we'd driven a few miles away, an explosion went off at the freeway bridge where we'd planted dynamite under one of the cars. Vic's grip on me tightened as she sat behind me, her cheek pressed against my back. We both knew what that explosion meant. There was no turning around, now. The Saviours would have heard and seen it, and now they were going to go find out what the hell it happened.

If we were going to go through the plan, it was now or never.

RPOV

I stood on the back of one of the trucks we'd brought, with Ezekiel and Maggie beside me. Looking out at the dozens of people we'd managed to bring together, I nodded at them all, feeling a sense of pride fill me. I'd known we would have people willing to fight for us, but I had never imagined these numbers. Seeing them all, I knew our chances were only getting better.

"When I first met him, Jesus said that my world was gonna get a whole lot bigger. Well, we found that world. We found each other. That 'bigger world' is ours by right," I started, looking to each and every person as they watched and listened intently. "That we've come together for it, all of us it's that much more true. It's ours by right. Any person who would live in peace and fairness, who would find common ground it's their right, too. But those who use and take and kill to carve out the world and make it theirs alone… we end them.

"We don't celebrate it. We don't have shame about it, either. There's only one person who has to die and I will kill him myself. I will." I nodded. "I will. But if it's the others... the others who prop him up, stand by his side, even those who just look the other way… so be it. Then we keep making the world bigger. Together."

"Together!" Ezekiel cheered. "Bound forever! To quote The Bard, 'For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother'. For she today my sister."

As if backing him up, Shiva roared as she lay in the tray of a pickup.

"We've practised," Maggie started. "We've been through it over and over again. We all know the plan doesn't end this morning. That we may have to live in uncertainty for days, maybe more. That we have to keep our faith in each other. If we can hold on to that with everything we have, the future is ours. The world is ours."

"I don't want to wait for it anymore. You don't either." I scanned the crowd, seeing everyone agreeing. "Yeah, I know. So we don't have to wait for it. If we start tomorrow right now with everything we've beaten, everything we've endured, everything we've risen above, everything we've become. If we start tomorrow right now no matter what comes next, we've won. We've already won!"

Bamby