Once they were sure the Saviors were gone, Anna and Emma made their way outside just as Maggie, Enid, and Daryl came around the house.

"Are you guys alright?" Anna asked the second she saw them.

"Yeah. You?" Maggie asked.

"I'm fine," Anna assured.

Maggie turned her attention to Enid, checking the teen over for injury and asking about a knife. Anna didn't miss the look Daryl gave her. She knew that her face was still flushed and her eyes were puffy.

"You alright?" Daryl asked quietly as he stepped closer to her.

"Isaac was here," she said. "He almost found me. Emma—" She glanced back at the woman, her words still lingering in her mind. "Emma helped me."

Daryl nodded, wrapping his arm around Anna's shoulders. She coiled her arms around his waist, pressing her face into his shoulder, taking comfort in the hug.

"Where's Sasha?" Maggie asked.

"And Rosita?" Anna added, looking around for the two women.

"Rosita was here?" Maggie asked. "Why?"

"She was looking for Sasha," Emma explained.

"They left," Enid said.

"Left?" Daryl asked.

"They're planning on taking out Negan," Jesus sighed.

"What?" Maggie and Anna both snapped.

"And it didn't occur to you to, maybe—I don't know—stop them?" Anna went on, pulling away from Daryl. "Disregarding the fact that this could give away our advantage if they get caught, it's suicide. How long ago did they leave? We have to go after them before they get themselves killed."

"They'll be long gone by now," Jesus said, crossing his arms. "And no one was going to stop them, anyway. They would have found a way to go. And is it such a bad thing? What if they succeed?"

"What if they die?" Anna hissed. "Is that something you're willing to risk?"

"No," Jesus said, clenching his jaw. "But they were."

Maggie set everyone to work putting Hilltop back together. She took Enid, Emma, and Anna to check on their food stores to ensure they had enough to hold them over for a while.

"We should be fine, but I think we should set some aside in case the Saviors decide what we gave them today wasn't enough," Emma suggested. "They've done that before."

"Good idea," Maggie agreed.

Enid and Emma started pulling some baskets as Maggie stepped over to Anna.

"We haven't really gotten the chance to talk much," Maggie said.

"No, we haven't," Anna said.

"So, let's talk," Maggie said, gesturing for Anna to step outside.

They made their way out of the cellar and Anna went to lean against the wall, wrapping her arms around herself. Neither of them said anything for a while. Where did they even start?

"I talked to Daryl today," Maggie started. "He thinks it's his fault—what happened."

"He does," Anna said, nodding. "It wasn't."

"It wasn't," Maggie agreed. "But it made me realize somethin'."

"What's that?"

"I forgot about you."

Anna pressed her lips together, looking to the ground as she dug the toe of her boot into the dirt.

"It's alright," Anna said, looking up at Maggie. "He was your husband. You loved him. Still love him."

"You loved him, too," Maggie countered. "We should have been grieving together."

"You needed to be alone. It's okay."

Maggie moved to lean against the wall beside Anna, her hand lingering on her stomach. They were quiet for a moment, until Anna finally spoke up.

"I miss him," she said.

"I do, too."

Night had fallen by the time they had gotten Hilltop back in order and everyone had more or less calmed down about Dr. Carson's kidnapping. Everyone retired to their homes and rooms, settling in for the night. Anna and Daryl were just preparing themselves for bed.

"I don't know what we're going to do without Harlan," Anna said as she pulled the blankets back before sitting down at the edge of the bed. "Maggie needs a doctor."

"We'll figure somethin' out," Daryl replied gruffly.

"We will, but," Anna huffed, pulling off her boots. "What if something happens again before we do?"

"Nothin' is gonna happen," he said.

You don't know that, Anna wanted to say, but she figured they could go back and forth all night. So, they were quiet for some time as they pulled the covers over them.

Deciding she was far too worried about Maggie, Sasha, and Rosita to sleep, Anna propped herself up against the headboard and some pillows, her bedside lantern still flickering as Daryl turned his out. She picked up The Art of War. She reviewed the previous pages and continued reading as Daryl found a comfortable position on his back.

"Should'a gone with 'em."

Anna glanced at him, seeing him irritably staring at the ceiling.

"Sasha and Rosita. I should'a gone with 'em," he repeated.

"They shouldn't have gone at all," Anna said, setting her book in her lap to give him her full attention.

"Why not?" Daryl asked harshly.

Anna sighed. She hated when he got worked up, but she didn't blame him. Not after everything.

"Maybe they succeed. Maybe they kill Negan. Maybe they even get out of there alive after. What then? Would the Saviors surrender? Or would someone else be in charge, and we lose our surprise advantage? Or maybe, they fail. They're killed—or worse, captured—we still lose our advantage," she reasoned.

"They wouldn't sell us out," Daryl snapped.

"That's not what I'm saying," Anna said patiently. "If the Saviors capture them, Negan is going to think something is up and act on it." And worse, they'd be held by the Saviors.

Daryl's lip twitched, and he worked his jaw as he glared at the ceiling. He opened his mouth to say something more when they heard the distant sound of the front gates opening.

They jumped to their feet. Anna rushed to the window as Daryl grabbed his crossbow.

"Is it the Saviors?" He asked.

"Kal would have rung the alarm," Anna said, shaking her head as she peered through the window into the dark yard.

Walking through the gates was a small crowd of people led by Rick.

"It's Rick," Anna said, confused.

Anna and Daryl threw their boots on and left their room at the same time as Emma. They headed outside as Rick and the others were walking up the path. Maggie and Jesus appeared then.

"Rick?" Maggie asked, hugging him and then Michonne, Carl, and Jessie. "What are you doin' here? Is everything alright?"

"We've got a lead on some guns," Rick said, gesturing to Tara. "But we're gonna need a little more help in getting' them."

"We're in," Daryl said quickly, pulling Rick's attention to him and Anna.

"What are you two doin' here? You're supposed to be in the Kingdom," Rick chastised.

"It didn't pan out," Anna shrugged.

Rick nodded, seeming to understand.

"Where's Sasha? And Rosita—I thought she'd be here," Jessie asked.

"Yeah, about that," Anna huffed.

"Rosita was here," Jesus explained. "She and Sasha took off to kill Negan."

"What?" Rick snapped.

"They didn't want to wait," Jesus said, brushing off the anger rolling off Rick. "I couldn't convince them to stay."

"He's right," Anna said, stepping forward, and Jesus shot her a confused look. "No one was going to stop them. So, what's this lead on guns?"

Michonne and Tara began to fill them in on meeting a new community and the deal they had made. But Anna was only half listening.

"Rick, can I talk to you?" Anna asked, pulling him aside.

"Sure, what's goin' on?" He asked, still clearly frustrated as they moved out of earshot of the others.

"Do you remember what I told you—about after the farm?" She asked, and he visibly tensed.

"Yes," he said carefully. "You said they were all dead—that Marley and her group killed them."

"The one who gave me this," she began, tapping the scar that ran from her right temple to the top of her right cheek. "His name is Isaac. I thought he was dead, but he's here, now, with the Saviors."

"He's alive?" Rick asked, as if he couldn't believe it. "How?"

"I don't know," Anna said, shaking her head. "But he was there that night with Negan, he came to Alexandria, and he was here today."

Rick stared at the ground, as if trying to process the new information. He looked up at her.

"Are you okay?" He finally asked. "Does—does Daryl—Jessie. Do they know?"

"They know," Anna said, nodding.

Rick shook his head, scratching at the bridge of his nose.

"We'll take care of him," he said, setting his jaw. "We will."

"We will," Anna agreed firmly.

They loaded up in the trucks and RV, leaving for the mission immediately after Jesus, Enid, Emma, Daryl, and Anna agreed to join them. Anna sat with Tara, Rick, and Michonne at the table of the RV, bent over a piece of paper as Tara drew out what she remembered of the landscape.

"I'm not an artist," Tara said apologetically. "They've got a watch point here— I'm sure there are more. The guns are kept here."

"We can take out the watch point we know about," Rick assured.

"Put a sniper up there," Anna agreed.

It was a good thing Rick and Michonne had found some guns, otherwise this would be far more difficult.

"Push them this way," Anna said, gesturing with her hand. "We can corner them."

"We don't have to hurt anyone," Tara insisted, and Rick and Anna looked up at her. "What if we can get them to join us?"

"You said they were scared of the Saviors," Rick said. "What makes you think they'll help us?"

"They lost just as much as us—if not more. They're hurt, and they're angry, too. They'll join us," Tara said, so sure of herself.

Anna glanced at Rick.

"She could talk to them, get them to work with us," Anna said. "Maybe she sneaks in so we don't give away our position, and if it doesn't work, we keep going with the plan."

"What if they kill her?" Rick countered.

"Take one of them hostage?" Anna suggested. "We don't have a lot of bullets. We need to do this clean. If Tara can convince them to help us, we don't have to risk lives or waste bullets"

"But we'd be risking Tara's life," Rick countered. "Didn't they try to kill you?"

"Yeah," Tara huffed.

Anna bit her cheek. Rick was right, and she didn't want to send Tara to her death.

"It's not up to you if I risk my life or not."

Rick and Anna looked to Tara.

"They'll help us. I know they will," Tara insisted.

Rick sighed.

"Alright," he finally relented. "But we don't have a lot of time."

"Right," Anna agreed. "With Sasha and Rosita going kamikaze, we've got to get in and get out."

"Give me as much time as you can," Tara said.

The three of them continued to pore over the map Tara had drawn, plotting out their course of action and trying to find the best options that would give Tara the time she needed. Anna drew out little X's and O's to indicate where people would be best positioned until they were all in agreement.

Satisfied with their work, Anna stood from the table and moved to sit in the passenger seat beside her brother.

"How's it going Sun Tzu?" Jessie asked teasingly.

Anna cocked a brow at him before reaching into her satchel that she had draped over the back of the passenger seat. She pulled out the little book Emma had given her and displayed it to him with a grin.

"Pretty good," she said as he glanced at the title.

"Where'd you get that?" Jessie asked in surprise.

"Emma gave it to me," Anna said, tucking the book back in her satchel.

"She your new buddy?" He laughed.

Anna stayed silent, a pensive look on her face, and his laughter died out.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It's okay," Anna assured. "I just… it feels almost too soon, you know?"

"Yeah."

Anna shook her head, pulling out a notebook and pencil from her satchel. She flipped it open to a blank page and began writing down the names of everyone who had come from Alexandria. She began pairing people off on paper, deciding who went best together for the mission and where, based on the positions they had marked, everyone would be best placed.

"Listen," Jessie started, calling her attention away from her work. "You knew him better than I did, but—I don't think Glenn would want you to shut yourself off from others."

Anna tapped her pencil against the page, pursing her lips.

"He wouldn't," she agreed.

"So, don't."

Tara led them across a river and to the outer boundaries of Oceanside—as she had dubbed it. They spent an hour getting their supplies across the river and spent another hour getting into the groups Anna had set and into position. The sun was creeping higher in the sky by the time they were ready to make their first move.

Rick went with Michonne to find a good vantage point while Anna went through the plan with the others and Daryl and Jesus laid the explosives.

"We get them out of hiding, we bring them here. We don't want to spend the bullets on a needless fight, so focus on control," she explained, holding her stick as they stood in the small clearing.

Once everyone understood their jobs, Anna sent them to their positions. Jessie walked up to her then.

"Why'd you bring the stick when you've got this?" He asked, gesturing to the handgun on her hip.

"Because we aren't here to hurt these people," she said. "We need to save our bullets for the Saviors."

"And if they fight back?" Jessie countered.

"I've got rifle holders where they need to be. And, if it's absolutely necessary, I've got the handgun," Anna said.

"But are you willing to do what's necessary to get this done?" Jessie asked. "Or did Morgan finally get to you?"

Anna ground her teeth, glaring at her brother.

"We're going to get these guns. We're going to beat the Saviors," she said evenly as she looked away from him. "Whatever it takes."

She watched as Daryl and Jesus met up with Aaron and Eric before heading for their positions. Rick approached her and Jessie.

"Tara is about to head in," Rick informed, glancing at his watch. "She's got fifteen minutes to convince Natania. I wish we could've given her more time."

"You think she can do it?" Jessie asked.

"I think we have to try," Anna said. "Let's get ready."

Jessie nodded, heading off to meet up with his group. Rick looked at his watch again.

"Alright," he said. "Clock starts now."

They waited quietly as Rick looked at his watch every so often. Anna could tell he was worried, and so was she. But Jesus's comment about Rosita and Sasha had stuck with her. They were willing to risk everything to kill Negan. Tara was willing to risk dying if it meant getting Oceanside to help them. She could hardly say it was any different from Anna taking a chance and going to Fort Benning with Marley. She just hoped they were more successful than her.

"She'll be alright," Rick said, breaking the quiet.

"She will be," Anna agreed, crouching to pick at the dead leaves on the ground.

"So, what are you thinkin' so hard about?" He asked after a moment.

Anna frowned at him.

"I've known you long enough to recognize that look," he said, a teasing note to his voice.

He glanced at his watch again.

"How much longer?" She asked.

"Six minutes. You didn't answer my question."

"It was nothing. Just—" she huffed. "What are we all willing to risk for this?" Anna asked.

"You havin' second thoughts?" Rick cocked a brow at her.

"Negan beat my best friend to death, did who-knows-what to Daryl, terrorized our people—" she listed off when Abraham's voice entered her head. "There's not a damn thing I wouldn't do to keep my family safe. So, no. I'm not having second thoughts."

She could practically hear his watch ticking by.

"Time?"

"Three minutes."

Anna clenched her jaw, standing as she wiped her hands on her jeans. Tara hadn't given the signal. She took a step back so that she was in full view of those positioned to set off the explosives. Everyone she could see tensed at her movement, readying their weapons.

"Two minutes," Rick said, his eyes now glued to his watch.

She hoped Tara was all right.

"One minute."

Anna raised her hand, ready to give the signal to the others. That one minute seemed to stretch on and on. She wished they could give Tara more time.

Rick looked up at Anna, giving a single nod, and she brought her hand down. A few seconds passed before a jarring BOOM echoed through the air, shaking the ground beneath their feet. They could hear screams nearby as Rick and Anna started to their positions.