KEZZ 1: Ask and you shall receive...

Daryl stood with the guys discussing what their next move was while Merle went over to Ani and smoked another bowl with her. Her tears had begun to dry by the time they were finished and Siddiq told them how they could use the cot and a couple of the blankets to create a decently stable stretcher that would survive the long journey by foot. They would need at least four people to help carry it to make sure it didn't jostle around too much, several people stepping up to offer help including Siddiq. Daryl indicated his thanks with a nod of his head as the bombs became fewer and farther between. He and Siddiq both went over to check on Ani when Merle moved away, the girl leaning heavily on Daryl as the doctor checked her pulse again.

"She's doing better for the moment," he informed them. "But I still don't recommend letting her walk or even stand up until we can give her a full examination."

"We can do that at the Hilltop," Daryl told him.

"Sophia," Ani said. "We still gotta find 'er."

"I'll stay," Rick said. "I'll stay and look for her. Bring her back."

"I'll stay with 'im," Merle told her. "I ain't leavin' 'til I know where our girl is, don't you worry 'bout that. You just get to the Hilltop and get that baby looked after, got it?"

"Yeah," she replied lazily. "Yeah, gotta make sure Lou's safe."

"Who's Lou?"

"T'e baby."

"You're namin' the baby Lou?" Merle asked incredulously, looking back and forth between them. "What kind of dumbass came up with the name Lou?!"

"Ya brot'a."

"Asshole," Daryl said, listening to the banter and the collective exhale the group seemed to take at Ani talking and making jokes again, his own breath of relief lost in the crowd. "You find her or not, you get to the Hilltop. We're gonna need ya. Both of you."

"Will you make sure Judith, Carl, and Michonne get there?" Rick asked him.

"You know I will."

"Thank you," he said, giving him a one armed hug before passing Judith to Michonne and kissing her, moving to Carl to give him a hug.

Merle walked over to Ani and placed a little bag on the stretcher next to her, "You start shakin', you smoke some more. No chances, girly."

"Got it, brot'a," she said before yawning.

"I mean it, girly. You have my nephew 'fore he's s'pposed to be here, I'm kickin' your ass."

"Yeah, yeah. Go look for our girl," she told him with a wave of her hand before curling around Catty, who laid purring away as Bobby paced back and forth. With a silent command, Ani sent the other kitten over to Merle and told him, "He'll help ya find 'er if she's still 'round 'ere."

"Sounds like they're lettin' up," Dwight told them.

"Looks like you were right," Beth said. "They're leavin'."

"Maybe. I'm gonna go take a look," Daryl said, Abraham, Sasha, and Tara all agreeing to go with him before he bent over Ani. "I'll be right back. Gotta make sure they're gone."

"Don' like it," she said honestly, though she didn't ask him to stay, grogginess from no longer shaking, coming down from the meltdown, and the general fact that she was stoned taking over from her stimulated state.

"I know, but I'll be right back. Then we're gonna get you to the Hilltop and check on Lou, okay?" he assured, watching her take a deep breath before nodding her head. "Love you, baby girl," he told her, leaning down and kissing her head.

"I'll sit with her," Beth told him, Daryl reaching out and squeezing her shoulder as he nodded his head and left with the others.

They were only gone for roughly ten minutes before they came back down, Abraham informing them that the Saviors had gone and the back way out was clear to get Ani out without making her move on her own. While they'd been gone, Carl and Beth had tied blankets through the bottom of the cot and making handles for those who would be carrying her to hold. They also took a couple blankets and tied Ani down, making her comment about how they were treating her like glass. She got told to deal with it as they made a makeshift pillow out of the blue blanket Carl had managed to save after she told them she was a bit hot with it and the poncho on and Catty cuddling with her. They'd only just finished when the others came back shortly after Abraham. If they were going to go to the Hilltop, they'd need to do so on foot and they needed to go now before any of the Saviors came back. Daryl checked on Ani before both Merle and Rick knelt next to her and promised they'd do whatever they could to bring Sophia back safe.

Sasha took the lead as Daryl and Abraham carried the stretcher towards the exit, Ani apologizing for being a burden as they exited and headed into the woods. Scott and Siddiq coming to take a corner each, making her apologize again, Siddiq talking to her for a little bit about the kittens and how she'd gotten them to distract her. Daryl ended up telling her to shut up and go to sleep if all she was going to do was apologize after the fifth time simply because they had to go around something. He could tell she was fighting sleep anyway as they walked, but eventually her eyes closed and her breathing showed she had succumb to slumber. She always needed some extra sleep after she had a meltdown due to the toll it took on her, mentally, physically, and emotionally; it didn't help her that Catty was laying right across her hips. The cat was careful of the bump, but loved laying right against it as Daryl commented that she'd finally passed out.

Both Siddiq and Abraham assured Daryl that they would get her to the Hilltop and she and the baby would be just fine, but the farther they went, the more they had to go around thanks to the Saviors' search parties. Every damn road had a Savior patrolling it and keeping their way blocked. They must have known that they were all heading to the Hilltop with how they were acting. It only served to make Daryl more and more agitated as the night passed and day began breaking, Ani waking up from back pain and complaining about being carried. He was ready to start shooting arrows at anyone and anything that even crossed their path as they were forced to hide in a narrow drainage pipe. As the Saviors they were hiding from left, he carefully climbed out of the pipe and checked to make sure they had left before whistling quietly to the others and motioned them forward.

"Best to stay off the roads," he told Tobin as the man lead their people where he pointed. "Head into the woods right there. Come on. Go. Go!"

"Can I get up soon?" Ani asked as she was carried by him.

"No," was his short answer, not at all happy that she'd started complaining about laying down so much and not walking.

"I'm feelin' fine, though."

"You should listen to your husband, Ani," the doctor told her, giving Daryl a nod; he had been carrying her the entire time and doing his best to help keep her distracted now that she was awake. "It's still too early to tell what damage could have been caused to you or your son."

"I hate ya, ya know that?" she complained, doing her best not to move too much yet still crossing her arms.

"A sentiment a fair few share," Siddiq told her with a small chuckle.

"Well, when can I get up?"

"After we get to Hilltop and get you checked properly," Daryl told her. "'Til then just pipe down."

"Lou's kickin'," Ani informed him, hoping that would at least put a small part of his mind at ease.

"That's a good sign," Siddiq told them. "A really good sign, actually. It means either your child is extremely durable, or, and this is more likely, your distress last night had minimal lasting effect on the fetus. Can you tell me how much...he, correct?" he asked, looking up at Daryl who nodded his head once. "Can you tell me how much he has moved since you woke up?"

"I dunno. He was jus' doin' somethin' when I said it. Kinda like feelin' bubbles, but stronga."

"Are you cramping?"

"Nah. Me back hurts a bit, but that's normal for when I shake like that. Right 'tween me shoulda blades, 'bout in line with me sternum, but along me spine."

"Well, your muscles did work themselves quite a bit last night," Siddiq said as Beth came up to walk on the other side of the stretcher.

"I got it," Tara said when a walker made its way towards the group, Tobin quickly moving out of the way as he was carrying Judith at the moment.

"I'll cover you," Dwight told her.

"Why's 'e here?" Ani asked, making a face at the fact that Dwight was walking with their group.

"I brought him," Beth said plainly.

"We brought him," Abraham corrected from his place at Ani's feet. "Couldn't very well leave 'im."

"Don' see why not," Ani pouted even as Tara threw the walker at the man.

"Tara!" Beth chastised.

"What? It got away," Tara told her as Dwight started struggling with the walker. "He can handle it." And he did manage to, throwing it down and stomping on its skull until it was dead-dead, not unalive-dead. "See," she reasoned.

"Can' argue with that," Ani smiled, only for Daryl to shake his head.

"Hey," he told Tara, pointing to the head of the column of Alexandrians. "Just keep 'em movin'."

"Did you hear 'em on the radio talkin' about Gavin and the Kingdom?" Beth asked as they started moving again.

"Yeah. Probably heading to Hilltop, same as us," Daryl reasoned.

"No doubt about it. Carol and Ezekiel aren't anything to sneeze at. I'd bet my left nut they make it there before we do," Abraham commented.

"Ya give ya left nut away 'bout as much as I give unsolicited advice, ya know that?" Ani chuckled, Catty still curled up next to her on the stretcher as two more walkers headed their way.

"I'm gonna go ahead," Daryl told them, putting his bow on his back and making to move ahead, not really wanting to listen to Ania chat like nothing at all was happening even if that was just who she was.

"Hey," Ani said, reaching out and grabbing his arm, "don' run off on me. I love ya."

"I know, baby girl," he told her, squeezing her hand. "Just gonna go make sure the way's clear."

"Alright," Ani told him, watching as he walked away. "He's not happy with me, is 'e?"

"It's not you that's got his short and curlies twisted all to hell, kid," Abraham said. "Worried 'bout you, 'bout the baby, 'bout Phia. Angry 'bout Dwight, 'bout Alexandria, 'bout you and the baby."

"I don' need ta be told how 'e's feelin', Abe," Ani chuckled. "He is me husband and I do know 'im. It's more'n all a that. He jus' ain' 'bout ta let it out or tell me how he's doin' 'til we're alone."

"Alright, let's set 'er down. I gotta drain the hose," Abraham said out of the blue. "Give everyone a few to get a drink and hit the head."

"Beth?" Ani asked.

"Yeah?"

"Will ya let Daryl know? Othawise, he's gonna jus' keep goin' 'til 'e notices we ain' behind 'im and I think that's gonna make things worse."

"Why?"

"It's Daryl," Ani said with a sad smile, tears threatening to fall as the thoughts she was trying to keep at bay pushed forward. "We...We don' know where Phia is. Lou's in trouble 'cause a all this shite. What do ya think 'e'd do if 'e looked behind 'im only ta see we ain' there?"

"Alright. I'll get him to come back."

"Thanks, hun."

Beth waited until Abraham came back while helping Ani sit up before she left and went after Daryl. Sasha and Carl were heading towards them from further up in the column, Michonne trying to keep moral up among the group. She was handing out water as everyone sat in exhausted heaps on the ground. Sasha and Abraham went back the way they came with the intention of making sure they weren't going to be followed while they were resting. Beth passed by Michonne as Carl walked over to Ani and Siddiq with Judith in his arms. She couldn't help but smile when she looked back and saw Ani taking the little girl while Catty headbutted the child's face. It took a few minutes for her to catch up to the first person before catching sight of Daryl's retreating back as he kept stomping forward.

Rushing up to him, she grabbed his arm before he could get too far ahead, "Daryl, wait!"

Daryl turned around with an angry look on his face and looked behind her, not seeing the others let alone his wife and demanded, "Where are they?"

"They're resting," Beth told him with a shrug of her shoulders. "We've all been up all night, runnin' for half of it. Abe needed a piss break and the others needed water."

"Alright, ten minutes," he scoffed. "Then we keep goin'. I'm gonna go back. Cover our tracks."

"Sasha and Abe are on it," she informed him as Tara and Dwight walked up.

"I have a question," Tara asked as she stopped in front of the two of them. "Is there a reason why he's still breathing?"

"Fight ain't over," Daryl said distastefully.

"It is for him," Tara contradicted. "I'm done waiting."

"Not now. Not yet," he told her before walking off, but not so far that he couldn't hear Beth talking to Tara.

"It's not the right move right now. With Sophia missin' and Ani still under threat, we need all the help we can get. When we get to the Hilltop you can do whatever you want, but for now," Beth sighed, "we just gotta keep movin'."

~x~

"Hey, Ani?" Carl asked as he walked up.

"What's up, Carl?"

"Could you watch Judith for a bit. I-I want to radio dad. See if he's found anything or is on his way," Carl told her while fidgeting, making the woman narrow her eyes at him.

"Ya sure that's all ya wanna do? Ain' gonna go tryin' ta find 'er yaself, are ya?"

"No, I...I have to keep Judith safe," Carl sighed. "I have to make sure she gets to the Hilltop. Then I'm going to go look for her."

"Ya and me both," Ani told him firmly.

"You won't be going anywhere if Siddiq is to be believed. I mean, will you even be able to walk?"

"I can walk!" Ani said petulantly. "They jus' ain' lettin' me right now 'cause they're scared."

"I was, too," Carl admitted. "Seeing you like that reminded me of my mom and how she died. I was scared we were going to lose you. I'm scared about Sophia. I...I don't want anyone else to die or get hurt."

"I don' eitha," Ani agreed, sniffling as she spoke. "I'm sick a fightin'. I jus' wanna go somewhere and raise Lou and be with Phia and Daryl and Merle and the twins and just be safe."

"I want that for you, too," he told her as he stood up. "I'll be right back."

"Alright. Won' be goin' anywhere 'til ya get back, so make it quick, got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Carl replied.

He walked a little ways off into the woods with the walkie, not entirely sure what he wanted to do. Ani wouldn't leave the area until she knew he was safe, let alone Michonne. He wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do, but he knew that they needed to stop. His dad would probably listen to him if he was adamant enough. He'd been willing to allow Siddiq to continue traveling with them, although how much of that was because he was a doctor Carl wasn't sure of. But he knew that if he could get his dad to come around and realize what Ani was starting to- that fighting the Saviors was a no-win situation. If they won, the Saviors that still believed in Negan would fight back and the cycle would never end with everyone constantly fighting to one up each other. If the Saviors won, then they would all basically become little better than fuel for a machine that recycled its fuel and eventually would have to fight to survive. As it was, if they didn't all come together and at least try to resolve their differences, there wasn't going to be anything worth fight for to begin with. Walking as far into the woods as he dared with the Saviors looking for them and Michonne nearby, he took the walkie from his back pocket.

Pressing the button on it, he spoke to whoever was listening, "I need to talk to Negan."

"Who the hell is this?" came a man's voice.

"It's Carl Grimes, and I want to talk to Negan."

"Carl, you little asshole. You wanna tell me where you are? Have another little chit-chat all man to boy-tryin'-to-prove-he's-a-man like?" Negan's voice sounded over the walkie after a few moments' pause.

"Phia's missing and Ani has a chance to have her baby at any time," Carl said back, getting right to the point. "Any time, Negan. You need to stop. Stop fighting. We'll stop. I'll make my dad stop. We can all work together. I know we can."

"What happened?"

"What?" Carl asked, not quite believing what he'd heard.

"What happened to Ani? Was it us? Was it the bombs? The fire?"

"It was all of us," Carl told him, trying to show that they all had a hand in what was happening to the pregnant woman. "Where we hid, it was death trap. Then the bombs going off. She had a meltdown. Overstimulated," he mumbled, forgetting he was talking on a walkie as he started dropping it from closer to his mouth, catching himself and bringing it back up. "It caused her to start shaking violently and I guess she almost went into labor? I...I don't really understand it much. But if she starts shaking like that again, she could still have the baby," Carl informed Negan, hoping he would listen to what he was saying. "She can't handle the fighting. If we keep trying to win against each other, she's going to be the one who looses. I don't think you want that. I don't want that. I doubt my dad does either. We can stop this. I know we can."

"And what about Sophia?"

"She's just gone. My dad and her godfather are looking for her right now, but we only found her bow when we left."

"God damn it. Shit. I, um...I am sorry. I'll make sure my guys know to look for her. Specificallyher. You know, I have plans for both of you. I want you two to be a part of things. You two are perfect examples of the future I'm trying to build."

"You can't build a future if you're always fighting everyone. My mom..." Carl started before stopping and sighing. "My mom used to say that sometimes you have to make peace with your enemy if you want to make friends. Ani already planned on going back to the Sanctuary when everything was done to help the people there. Why can't we just stop fighting and work together? Like...like how it worked when we were still, well, America. I mean, I didn't really pay much attention in school 'cause I thought I'd still be in it, but didn't the cities all have to work together to make the state work? I mean, why can't we be like that? You can rule over the Sanctuary how you want, my dad can have Alexandria, Maggie the Hilltop, Ezekiel the Kingdom. We don't have to fight. So why are we?"

"You ask your dad that, kid. I don't want to fight-"

"Yes you do. If you didn't, we wouldn't be. If you didn't want to make it to where only your way exists," Carl argued, "you wouldn't be fighting us right now. You'd be helping us."

"I'm tryin' to help you, Carl. You and everyone else. You know, when you think about it, it's your dad's fault Ani's havin' issues and the little girl's missin'. Because he couldn't leave shit well enough alone."

"Neither could Ani, because she wants everyone to work together. None of us want to be ruled or to have our stuff just taken because someone else can take it. I mean, would you?" Carl asked, knowing he'd hit the nail on the head because Michonne had used the same argument against him once upon a time.

"Well, I can't say I would."

"Then why are you doing it to us? Ani can't be stressed out anymore or her baby will die. And that would be on your hands now. You have a chance to stop this before it gets worse."

"Tell your dad to stand down, then we'll talk. You see, I am the one that stops people from dyin'. Iam the answer. Now, it may have taken a hard lesson for you to hear it, but you should hear it now. Do not let any more of your dad's shit decisions cost you to lose anyone else you love. I hope that girl shows up. I really do. But her disappearance? Whatever happens to her? That's on your dad's hands, not mine."

"It's on all our hands if we don't stop fighting, Negan. Just think about it," Carl said before putting the walkie down and sighing.

He changed the channel and tried calling for his dad or Merle, but neither answered as he hung his head and started walking back the way he'd come. Daryl had been working his way in a wide circle, meeting up with Sasha and Abraham on their way back through, Tara, Beth, and Dwight hot on his heels. He was surprised to see Carl walking through the trees, stomping up to him and yanking him by the back of his shirt until he was back with the group. Carl claimed that he was just trying to check in with Rick and Merle, but he hadn't had any luck with the radio signal, though he did manage to hear that the Saviors were looking for Sophia, too. Daryl warned them all to keep that to themselves when they got back to the others, especially not to tell Ani. Michonne was sitting next to her when they walked up holding Judith while Ani was making a pained face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, quickly coming to kneel next to her, looking her over.

"Me back is fucked all ta hell, I told ya that!" Ani told him with a small chuckle before leaning her head against his shoulder. "I'm fine. Jus'...I can' help look for Phia. I can' help keep anyone safe. I can' do shite right now and..." She sighed while trying to hold back tears. "Let's jus' get where we need ta go so we can get me looked at and ya can quit worryin' 'bout me and start worryin' 'bout what comes next."

"Why? What you thinkin'?" he asked her.

"I dunno," she said honestly. "But Negan ain' gonna take this lyin' down. Dependin' on what all ended up goin' down at Hilltop, we may be lookin' at anotha fight sonna ratha than lata."

"We can take them," Tara told her.

Ani sighed and shook her head, "Ya don' get it. Ya can take 'em. Everyone right here can take 'em. But look at 'em," she said, gesturing to the Alexandrians. "Ya think they and the Hilltop are gonna be able ta keep fightin' like we are? We've all been fightin' the fight on the road these past two years. These people, most a Hilltop, they've been behind walls. They can kill walkas, but do ya think they're gonna be able ta keep up with the Saviors, with us? They're already dead on their feet. Hell, I'm dead on me feet and I ain' even walkin'! And I've slept!"

"We're not giving up," Tara said defiantly.

"I neva said we were!" Ani responded, unable to keep herself from getting worked up again as her body began trembling again.

"Hey, stop it!" Daryl said, wrapping an arm around her and giving Tara a glare. "She don't need this right now."

"What we need is to stop beatin' around the bush and get our asses over to Hilltop, pronto," Abraham said. "Now how we gonna do it."

"We can't take the roads and for all we know they could be in the woods right now," Sasha input as Beth brought out a map and put it at the foot of Ani's cot for everyone to see.

"If they're smart," Daryl said, pointing at the map and showing the others what he was thinking, "they'll cover all these passes between here and Hilltop."

"We can't sit around whistlin' Dixie," Abraham said with anger in his tone. "We either risk gettin' caught here or there. No way around."

"Maybe you won't have to," Dwight said as he walked up.

"And who the fuck asked ya ta speak?" Ani growled out, her entire demeanor turning savage in an instant as the man tried stepping towards her.

"Negan won't send his people down into this stretch of swamp," he informed them while pointing out the map. "Not if he won't have to."

"Yeah?" Tara asked. "How do you know that?"

"Negan wanted to map the best routes with cover from the Sanctuary to the Hilltop," Dwight told her. "He-he decided the swamp was too dangerous. Didn't think it was worth the risk."

"But it is for us?" Sasha asked incredulously. "Ani can't walk!"

"You aren't seriously going to listen to him," Tara agreed. "It's too dangerous for the Saviors but you're gonna send us? Are you kidding me?"

"We don't have a choice," Beth told her. "Look, I know you don't like it, but we're surrounded unless we go."

"Tara has a point," Tobin said from a few feet away, having eavesdropped on the entire conversation. "Why should we trust him?"

"He could turn on us like he turned on his own people," Scott chimed in.

"I didn't just turn on 'em," Dwight informed him. "I killed 'em. Daryl saw it. Beth saw it. You saw it," he told Tara.

"I don' give two shites who saw it. Ya only doin' what ya gotta ta save ya ass," Ani accused.

"One of 'em got away," Dwight told her. "If they find me, my head is on a pike courtesy of Negan. I'm not workin' for them, and I'm not goin' back to them. I chose my side. This is it. Now, I'm here to help you beat Negan. After that," he chuckled a sigh before looking over to Tara, "well, I know how it ends."

Ani gripped onto Daryl's hand as she watched him consider Dwight's words. Turning her gaze from her husband back to the map, she looked it over to see if she could find a different way, but each way that was feasible would be covered. The swamps really were the only option they had at the moment that would allow them to not be practically immediately caught by the Saviors. She feared they would have to move fast, both to reach the swamps and to get through them, though. If there was even one Savior that thought logically, they would know that the swamps were the least guarded route. No matter what they did, they were risking being caught, but the swamps had the greatest potential for them to reach their destination.

"I fuckin' hate this," she mumbled, but it was enough for Beth and Daryl to hear.

"You good?" Daryl asked her.

"Let's...let's jus' fuckin' go so we can get there," she sighed angrily, practically pouting as she turned her back on him and laid back down. "Stupid fuckin', cock-suckin' asshole."

"Alright," Daryl said as he stood up, Ani still ranting away with a colorful array of words all meant for Dwight. "We'll try the swamps. Five minutes, then we head out."

"Why the prolonged hold up?" Abraham asked.

"I want Ania to smoke some more."

"What?!" she yelled as she sat up, arching her back and hissing a little for moving too fast before continuing her protest. "I don' fuckin' need-"

"You started shakin' just because what Tara was sayin'," Daryl cut her off, taking the bowl out of the bag they'd put it in. "I ain't lettin' you take any chances."

"He's right," Siddiq offered rather nervously from a few feet away. "You shouldn't risk it. If your body started shaking again, even if it went away immediately, at least for now you shouldn't take the risk of getting anxious or worked up."

"Ya both can go suck a rotta's cock!" she told them, though she did roughly grab the bowl from Daryl. "I get hooked on this shite again ta deal with me shite, I'm blamin' ya and ya brotha."

"Fine by me," Daryl told her as he stood up. "Smoke, then we're movin' out."