Disclaimer: I own nothing.

– – –

It had gone so smoothly that of course something had to go terribly, awfully wrong. The torturous screams still clung in the air, the sound of flesh being torn from bone rang out as if amplified, the blood spilling out and splattering across ravenous walkers' mouths. The moans and shuffling of feet filled the camp, their hungry hands razing all that breathed.

– – –

"That looks good." Maggie entered Carol's bedroom, finding her hard at work, knitting a blanket with the yarn Michonne had found. "What's it for?"

"The baby."

"Wow. I wish I could knit." Maggie climbed onto the bed. "My mom could knit. My birth Mom, Jo, not Annette."

"You never talk about her."

"Nobody asks." She reached out and picked up a needle. "How are you today?"

"I'm okay. Why do you ask?"

"No reason." Maggie crossed her legs. "Oh, the girls are here."

Carol blinked. "The girls?"

"Carol!" Mika blew into the room and tackled her in a big hug. "I missed you! I'm so glad we found you!"

Carol couldn't breathe at the young girl in her arms, her hands trembling as they found her soft blonde hair braided down her back, and she was clothed in a blue and white dress, all clean and big smiles. There wasn't a single wound on her, and she had even grown up some. "W—what?"

"Not so tight," Lizzie chided her younger sister. "You'll hurt the baby."

"Oh, right." Mika let her go and grinned at Carol. "You look so pretty!"

"Dad said pregnant women glow, and they do." Lizzie was smiling as brightly as Mika. "And you're getting bigger. I mean, not much, but still. I can't wait to meet the baby."

"You have a quite a bit of time before then, honey." Maggie smiled at the young girl. "I mean, if it all works out."

Mika's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Carol could lose the baby." Maggie rested her hands in her lap. "You know, like she lost her twelve-year-old daughter without ever even searching for her."

Lizzie blinked. "You didn't look for her?"

"Why not?" Mika frowned. "You came after us."

"And look what good it did."

Carol tensed and turned to find her little girl in the doorway, all grown up. She was beautiful, her light hair down to her shoulders, her skin sun-kissed and freckled, wearing a dress in the same style as Mika, though it was a different color. "Sophia."

"You didn't try to save me, and I died." She laughed mirthlessly. "And you tried to save Lizzie and Mika, and they died. There is just no winning, Mommy." She rested her arms around Mika and Lizzie's shoulders. "We died, even though you tried so hard to keep us alive, and the baby will die too, just like all of us girls."

"No," Carol protested. "No, that won't happen again."

"But you're already bleeding," Maggie pointed to the blood spreading through her pants. "And there's nothing you can do."

Carol set her hand on her stomach, the blood spreading through the fabric, and she couldn't breath. "What? No, no, no, no. God, don't be happening."

"Why?" Lizzie flickered back to her old clothes, a bullet in her temple, her hair dirty from being buried, despite having been wrapped in a sheet. "It happened to us under your care, after all. It's better off."

"We'll take care of the baby." Sophia sat down in front of her mom. "We'll do a much better job at it."

"No," Carol whimpered. "Sophia, baby, please, don't."

"But I'm not." She set her hand over her mom's. "You're doing this."

She shook her head.

"It's just what happens when you love something." Mika hopped up onto the bed beside Sophia. "Don't worry, Carol. I'll be a good big sister to her. I promise."

"She'll be safe with us," Lizzie smiled somewhat darkly. "We know the cost of your love, after all, and we'll prevent her from ever feeling it."

"No!"

Carol shot up, wide awake, sweat coating her skin, and she was panting. She kicked off the blanket and set her hand on her stomach. She wasn't far enough along to show, but it was dry. There was no blood, just sweat, and she felt bile rise up in her throat. She threw herself off the couch and found the bathroom, upchucking.

She spent a good ten minutes throwing up and partly dry heaving once she had nothing else in her system, and she shuddered and leaned against the cabinets. She pulled her legs in, the material of her dress gliding between her thighs, and she rested her head against the wooden door, closing her eyes. She could feel she was crying, cold tears dripping down her collarbone, and she shivered, a hand falling to her stomach and staying there. She had a feeling today was going to be a terrible one.

– – –

Glenn grinned at Tobin's story, only the two of them securing this portion of the camp, and he could hear walkers, but he couldn't see them. The sound kept his guard up, but he couldn't help smiling at what he was being told. He'd forgotten how good it was to talk to people. He missed it.

"So, how did the baby look?" Glenn peered at him. "Maggie said it was small."

"It's like a dot." He smiled. "It was incredible and so small. I can't believe that it's my child."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He stepped over a long-dead body and gripped the hilt of his knife. "When I first saw our baby, I couldn't believe it. It was a momentous moment for me, one I can't and won't forget. It's both of us, you know? Me and Maggie in one little ball of life, and it was breathtaking."

"Will you try again?" Tobin wasn't sure he had a right to ask, but he thought he'd go for it.

"Not right now. Maggie and I still have a lot to rebuild, and I don't think either of us is ready to try again." He swallowed. "I can barely look at the sonogram."

He nodded. "I hear our baby is helping Maggie. I can see it too."

"Hmm?" Glenn glanced at him. "What do you mean?"

"I was at Hilltop with Maggie and Carol, and I could see how watching the baby...brought a glow to her eyes. One I don't think anyone's seen in a long time." He smiled at the memory of the bright-eyed young woman holding Carol's hand and blinking away tears. "She would read to Carol and the baby in a whisper when Carol napped. She would sometimes touch her stomach, and I think she was talking to the baby."

"That sounds like Maggie." His lips reflected the same smile as Tobin. "She loves Carol, so of course she loves the baby too. It's rough for both of us, but I know...seeing Carol healthy and knowing her baby is healthy, despite the bitter pangs of jealousy and confusion, does my heart some good too. I know Judith survived, and I hope Carol's baby survives, and maybe one day Maggie and I will have a child that survives."

"With you two as its parents, there's no way it won't."

"Same to your kid," Glenn teased. "It's gonna have about ten moms and dads, just like Judith. Sorry, you're the first Dad, of course, but I'm like Dad Number Ten."

Tobin laughed. "Yeah, okay."

"I'd settle for the fun uncle, but we all know Daryl's gonna have that slot. I can't beat the crossbow, and Michonne has the katana, so there's no way I can even try for cool aunt." He shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe if I build a pool..."

Tobin grew silent and narrowed his eyes as the sun beat down on them.

"You okay?" Glenn studied the man. "I was joking about the dad thing. He or she will have a lot of uncles though. Aunts too."

"How involved do you think Daryl will be?" Tobin inquired in a hushed tone, not looking at the man beside him.

"Every step." Glenn slid between a set of cars. "He loves Carol. I don't know if he knows how much, but once Daryl loves someone...he loves them for the rest of their life. He'd die for them. He's a good guy, and he'll do right by the baby and Carol. I know you and he have issues, but you don't need to worry. He knows when to step back, and he knows you'll be a good dad. He's just overprotective of Carol. He always has been since the farm."

"Have they ever...?"

"Carol and Daryl?" Glenn chuckled and shook his head. "No, no. God, no. They've never had sex. Carol has her jokes, and Daryl has...no game, actually, so no."

"Do you think they might?"

He shrugged a shoulder to avoid lying to the man about what he had seen when he stepped outside to invite Carol for dinner, not to mention the hugs and the many, many other instances that could prove that question only had one answer. "Why do you ask?"

"Daryl said this was a suicide run, and I don't know if he was right or not, but if he is...I want to be prepared."

"Daryl doesn't have to be sleeping with Carol to take good care of her, or to even want to take care of her," Glenn imparted. "He'll do it because he cares about her, and he'd rather be shot again than let anything happen to her. They have a bond I've never seen between two people who aren't dating or married, and I understand that you feel threatened by it. I've seen it, and I've heard about it from Maggie, but you don't need to worry about feeling overshadowed. Daryl is a reasonable man, and he'll back off if you ask him too."

"I don't want him to back off," Tobin confessed. "I want him to be with Carol and the baby. He's fearless and strong, and I know they'll be safe with him."

"They could be safe with you too."

"I mean for moments like this—when I'm out of Alexandria. That's when I want him there. She's different around him, she's real, and I want that woman to be there with our child."

"Why don't we just focus on the run?" Glenn changed the subject. "We can talk more about this later, but for now, why don't we just meet up with the others?"

"I need you to do me a favor," Tobin very seriously stated, and Glenn stopped walking.

"What favor?"

"I want you to be the godfather to my son or my daughter."

Glenn blinked. "Me?"

He nodded. "Rick has his own family to worry about, and the men I work with are...more like the part of me I want to change, the part that's a coward. I know you can take care of them both, and I trust you to do it, so I'm asking you to be the godfather. You're a good man, an even better leader from how you've handled the men here, and I know you'll be a great father one day."

"Tobin—"

"You'll take care of my kid, because you care about everyone, even the people who have let you down and betrayed you. I want my kid to grow up with someone like that in their life, and I know you can be that someone." He searched Glenn's eyes. "Will you be the godfather to my son or daughter?"

Glenn smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course."

"Good." Tobin inhaled. "We should secure that gate before we meet up with the others."

"Lead the way. It's your show." Glenn smirked, pulling the machete from its sheath at the approaching walkers.

– – –

"Have you seen Carol?" Maggie came off the steps, seeing Rick wiping Judith's chin, turning to find Michonne exercising in the living room. "She's not in her room. Her bed hasn't been slept in either."

"She always makes her bed." Michonne halted in her sit-ups and caught her breath. "Although I didn't hear her come in last night."

"Me either." Rick adjusted the toddler in his arms. "Do you think she could have gotten out again?"

"She told us she wouldn't leave again," Maggie groaned. "I'll go talk to Abe. He was on the wall. Again."

"Again?" Daryl was in the doorway. "What's happenin' again?"

"Nothin'." Maggie tapped her palm on the railing. "I have to speak to Abe. Trade shifts so I can be here when Glenn gets back."

"Speakin' of Glenn," Daryl turned to Rick, "what the hell were you thinkin'? That run is a suicide mission! They ain't gonna come back! Not all of 'em, and you know it."

"Daryl." Rick could tell Judith didn't like how Daryl was speaking as she began to whine softly, her eyes misty. "Calm down."

"I ain't gonna calm down. You just sent half a dozen men and Glenn to their deaths." He cut a look at Maggie, semi-apologetic about saying her husband was going to die. "And for what? We don't know that there's anything there worth a damn."

"There is medicine and equipment and items we need there. Glenn did a quick recon of the place, and while he saw what a risk it was, he said it would be worth it." Rick rubbed his daughter's small back to keep her from fussing. "I don't like it, but I trust Glenn to do his job and to return with the items and with those men. Glenn does better solo, but he'd rather die than let anyone fall. You know that, and he made this decision, so why don't you just wait and take a piss at him when he gets back?"

"If he comes back and all those men ain't with him, or if even one's missin'...it's gonna kill him." Daryl huffed. "And you know it. The last run he went on...with Noah and Aiden and Nicholas is still with him, and the last time we were all out there with the walkers, tryin' lure them away...when Nicholas killed himself..." He shook his head. "It's bullshit. This whole damn thing."

"It might be, but Glenn decided to go." Maggie crossed her arms. "He'll come back."

"Yeah, it ain't him I'm worried about."

"He'll make sure Tobin comes back too. Have a little faith."

It wouldn't kill you to have a little faith rang on in his head, and his lips twisted into a sneer. "Yeah, faith." He folded his arms over his chest. "I got faith that just Glenn will come back."

Maggie frowned at the look on his face. "I can be on the wall when they get back, if you'll take my shift for the next couple of nights."

He nodded. "That's fine."

"Thank you. I'm gonna go speak to Abraham." Maggie didn't look at Daryl. "If he doesn't know, I'll come back."

"Know what?" Daryl demanded, seeing the look Maggie and Michonne shared. "What's goin' on?"

"Carol's missing again," Michonne calmly and honestly answered, Rick and Maggie sending her warning glances. "She isn't in her room, and her bed hasn't been slept in."

"She ain't outside the walls. She said she wouldn't go out again." Daryl sounded very like a five-year-old had just been told they wouldn't be going to the park today. "She wouldn't."

"Well, she might have. I'll talk to Abraham and Sasha. Sasha was on the wall last night, and him this morning. We'll find her."

Daryl remembered the last time he couldn't find Carol and backed up toward the door. "Don't bother. I—I think I know where she is. I'll bring her home so she can eat."

"And if she isn't there?" Maggie asked.

"Then I'll come back and we'll look for her." He turned on his heel and jogged off toward the vacant houses.

"Do you think he'll actually find her?" Michonne climbed to her feet.

"Yeah." Maggie grasped the doorknob. "He's good at findin' her."

"We should worry more on Glenn and Tobin." Rick turned to his girlfriend. "Maybe I oughta send another group over there. Or go myself."

"You're having second thoughts?" Maggie's brows rose. "Now?"

"I had them when both Tobin and Glenn came to me about this run, but I thought Glenn's answer would assure me. It didn't, and I am worried about all of them making it back here."

"Why didn't you stop it before they left then?" Michonne took a drink of water.

"Because it felt like this was something Tobin needed to do, and Glenn seemed as determined to help him do this. They have a good lot of men with them, and they've been working with Rosita, so they should be fine. Francine gave them an outline of the land and spots to avoid. That's why I agreed to it, but now...I don't know. I can't shake this feeling in my gut."

"Why do you think Tobin was dead-set on going through with this?" Michonne inquired.

Rick's eyes moved to the light-haired angel in her arms and reached out to smooth unruly hairs down. "We do what we have to, even what isn't a good idea, for the future and the life of our children." He smiled at Judith. "That's gotta be what's fuelin' him."

"And my miscarriage is what's fueling Glenn to keep Tobin alive." Maggie murmured this to herself. Glenn knew what it was like to grow without one or both parents there, watched Judith grow without her mom, and he didn't want that for Carol's baby, as the last father Carol had known had been a piece of shit. He wanted Carol and this little baby to have a slice of a good home life in a shitty world. That was her husband. She truly hoped Glenn was successful, for the baby's sake and Glenn's.

– – –

"Have you thought of names?" Glenn filled a duffel bag with medicine. "I know it's still pretty early, but...Maggie was thinking of names."

"Not really." Tobin zipped up the gauze he'd found and moved onto the next item on his list. "I haven't given naming the child or what I want much thought. I guess once the baby's bigger, Carol and I will talk about names."

"I suppose it's better to wait." He found two glass bottles of morphine and carefully wrapped them in cloth to ensure they'd survive the trip back. "But not too long. I mean we had Judy nameless for a while there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Daryl called her Lil' Ass Kicker, or just Ass Kicker, and eventually Carl came up with Judith."

"Ass Kicker." He laughed. "That sounds like him actually."

"Carol wrote it on her makeshift crib in marker." He smiled at the memory of seeing her and Beth hovering by the white box now and then, baby talking the little infant all nestled in the sheet. Beth would hum now and then to the young infant, Carol prompted her to actually sing, and it gave Beth the confidence to sing in front of them. He didn't know if anybody knew about that, but he did. He knew. He kept that memory of his sister-in-law particularly close to his heart. It was one of his favorites after all, next to her and Maggie singing The Parting Glass around the fire that first night at the prison.

"Do you think he'll nickname my kid?" Tobin reached up inside cabinet to see if anything was in the back.

"Probably. He used to call me "short round"." Glenn was smirking. "His brother called Rick "Officer Friendly", so I think it's a family trait."

"What does he call Carol?"

"He doesn't." Glenn closed the cabinet. "I don't think he's even said her name. At least to her face."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. She just always knows when he's talking to her, I guess."

He nodded. "Did you have a name picked out for your child? I know you said Maggie had thought of names, but had you?"

A faint smile ghosted his lips. "I did. I wouldn't have minded if we named the boy—if it was a boy—after Maggie's dad. He meant so much to both of us, taught us both so much, and I would like to have honored the man and the memory by naming our first-born son after him."

"And had it been a girl?"

"I don't know." As much as he loved and missed Beth, there was no chance in hell he'd suggest naming their daughter after her. A middle name, perhaps, but not her first name. He had seen what Beth's dead did to Maggie, the nightmares she had, the breakdowns she tried to hide those days on the road, and he couldn't give that name to his daughter. Beth was a good kid, bright and hopeful and sweet, but the name invoked too much pain. So if they ever had a daughter, he'd lean toward something more original.

"I'd ask Carol what she'd like to name the baby, but I don't know if she'd answer me."

"She might not know how to." Glenn adjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Carol's complex, and we've all endured certain things we can't tell other people about. She has a lot of stories like that, and she doesn't trust easy. It's nothing against you, it's just...what the world's done to her. To all of us."

"She trusts you. She trusts nearly everyone in your group."

"Yeah, after the bonds we've built, all we've been through, it's damn near impossible to not." Glenn smiled. "Tobin, if you want to get closer to Carol, if want her to trust you, you just have to be patient. It might not happen, because you haven't gone through the world like we have. You can't relate like I can or Michonne can. She may not open up to you, but if you want her to try, you have to try too."

"I have."

"You're jealous about Daryl," Glenn corrected. "We all see it. We all know it."

"I'm not jealous."

"You are, and it's not because you're in love with Carol." Glenn paused. "Unless you are? I don't want to make assumptions."

"No," he softly remarked, "I'm not in love with her."

Glenn frowned at his tone. "Did...you love her before?"

"I didn't know her, and I still don't." He collected his bag. "You can't love someone you don't know."

"You love your baby."

"That's different." He faced the younger man. "I don't have to know my own child to love them."

"That's true, but the way you act when people mention Daryl isn't...how you react to your ex-girlfriend's best friend. So either you love her or did love her, or you just really hate Daryl for no reason, because he's never been around you until this pregnancy came to light."

"It doesn't matter. We need to load this in the truck."

"It does matter."

"No, Glenn, it doesn't. It's not like Carol and I ever had any chance of raising this kid together, not in the normal way like Rick and Michonne, or you and Maggie. We were never going to have Sunday dinners and birthday parties." He swallowed. "And to be honest if Carol had any feelings of affection for anybody, it sure as hell isn't me. It was never me."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it." He pulled out a smile. "Just help me load up the truck. The guys should be finished with the equipment by now, so let's wrap this up and get home."

"Yeah."

– – –

Daryl entered the house and spotted a blanket on the couch, and the couch was cool to the touch. He started to investigate, and he located the thought missing woman in the bathroom, still wearing the same clothes from yesterday. They were wrinkled now, so she must have slept here, too tired to move back to the house. That brought a smile to his lips, and he decided to do something for her. He'd work on it later when he didn't have to ensure she was all right.

He carefully slipped his arms underneath her legs and around her back, lifting her up and off the floor, and she instantly curled against him. He didn't know why she was asleep in the bathroom, but he suspected she had a bout of morning sickness, was drained afterward and drifted off. He had seen how exhausted she was lately, and he heard it was normal. Michonne had talked to him about it when he found Carol passed out in the living room after only having been up for a few hours. He'd been concerned, but Michonne eased his thoughts.

He rose from the floor and carried her out of the house. She would need to change out of yesterdays clothes and to eat, and he didn't want to wake her just yet. She rarely slept well, he'd noticed, and he wanted her to get as much decent rest as she could. From how her brows had furrowed and sweat didn't coat her brow, she seemed to be having a pleasant dream. He was glad.

"Check out Prince Charming," Tara mused when Daryl was at the foot of the steps with Carol in his arms. "You do know it's not princely to try and steal a woman's heart when she's carrying another man's baby, right? I mean, they aren't together or anything, but it's just manners."

He glared. "Could you get the door for me?"

"Yes, Charming." She hopped up and opened the door. "Be careful on the stairs."

"I ain't carryin' her all the way up to her room." He guided them inside the house and moved toward his bedroom. It was on the bottom floor, and he didn't have to worry about losing his footing. He wouldn't risk the baby or her like that.

Tara smiled to herself at how tender Daryl was being with the woman, and she closed the door, deciding to keep her teasing comments to herself. She knew how rare it was to find someone in this world that actually worth it, that didn't hide behind a mortifying mask, and she'd let them slowly figure their feelings out.

After all you don't hug a woman like that and claim to simply be BFFs, Tara thought to herself with a self-satisfied smirk and plopped back down to scribble quiz questions out on note cards to help Enid with her upcoming exam.

Inside Daryl carefully placed Carol down on his bed, swiping a few extra pillows from the hall closet, and he covered her legs with his blanket. He rarely used anything in this room the first couple of weeks they were here, but he eventually grew more and more comfortable with the idea of staying. He liked having an actual bed to sleep in. The beds in the prison were shit compared to this mattress, and the fact that they had running water and power. There were no battery-operated lamps tossed here and there to guide people's way. They just had to flick a switch, just like before the end of the world.

His eyes fell to Carol's face as he moved his hands from either side of her. He didn't want to wake her, so he'd gently placed the blanket over top her, and he was about to leave when he noticed a shift in her. She was breathing heavily now, her brows knitted together and the peace he'd seen when he held her was gone. He frowned and tried to wake her, and she shot up, moving to fight him.

"Hey, hey, it's me!" He caught her wrists after getting whacked in the eye, and she stared at him, panting and shivering. "It's just me."

"Daryl?" She lowered her arms, his hands still on her wrists, and she gazed at him. "What are you doing here?"

"I found you in the empty house, and I brought you home. I didn't wanna risk wakin' you or trippin', so I brought you to my room." He released her wrists and slid his hands in a way that they brushed against the palms of her hands. "Are you all right?"

She shook her head, her breathing continuing to be irregular and raspy, and she flattened a hand over her stomach. "I want to go to Harlan's."

"What? Why? What happened?"

"I—I just need to know the baby's all right. I just—I need to know."

He searched her lachrymose eyes. "The baby is all right."

"What if something went wrong? What if...something happened?"

"What could have happened?"

"I don't know, and that's why I need to see Harlan." She had no idea what had come over her, but she had no control over herself, not like she normally did. Her mask had dissolved the moment she woke up in Daryl's bed, and there was no time to slap it back on. "Please, please, I have to know."

He moved closer to her, tentatively reaching out to cup her cheek, and he locked his eyes with her. "It's okay. You don't gotta worry about the baby right now. It's just anxiety 'cause of what happened with the food poisonin'. It's okay. The baby's okay."

"No, something's wrong."

"Nothin' is wrong." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out the sonogram he'd gotten from Harlan on their last trip. "See, it's all good."

"Daryl..."

"Just calm down and breathe." Denise told him this might happen, and he wasn't stunned. Hell, he had nightmares at Hilltop about what he might wake up too, which was mostly why he didn't sleep. He knew this had to have affected Carol physically and mentally, and they'd gone through the physical. Now it was mental, and he wasn't going to let her stress herself into losing the baby. He wouldn't let that happen.

"Please," she cried in a whisper, "take me to Hilltop."

"Just breathe," he murmured, and he grasped her hand, moving it to his chest. "Breathe like me, okay? Just calm down."

Tears rolled down her cheeks, but he could see she wasn't shaking anymore. Her eyes left his and closed, and soon her breathing evened out. He tightened his grip on her hand, and he brushed his thumb over her knuckles, seeing she was still crying. He wasn't good at comforting people. He never was. He wasn't like Glenn. He didn't know all the right things to say or do, and he wasn't a big fan of touching, but he didn't mind touching her, so he would do just this. He'd hold her hand, help her regulate her breathing and simply be there for as she'd always been there for him. He hoped it was enough.

Carol couldn't stand how cold she felt, how icy the tears on her cheeks were, and she felt Daryl's fingers rubbing warmth into her. She shuddered, and she decided to just go for it. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but given how he'd held her before after Terminus and again after those assholes kidnapped her and Maggie, she doubted he'd mind.

She curled closer to him and rested her head on his chest, and she could feel he was tense, but not from an unwanted touch. It was due to being suddenly touched, and she felt him relax some. She couldn't stop crying, and she didn't even know why, but she was grateful he was there. If he asked what was wrong, she would explain she had a dreadful nightmare, one she couldn't remember but it shook her to the core. She hated to lie to him, but it was all she could manage for the moment. In addition it had been a nightmare, though she knew the details of it would haunt her every waking moment.

She rubbed her thumb gingerly through the wrinkled fabric of her dress over her belly in time to Daryl's thumb brushing over her knuckles, and she could feel exhaustion once more settling in. After the lack of sleep from the night before, it was no surprise. What she wouldn't give to be able to sleep right here where she felt safe and warm.

"I'll get you some water." Daryl released her hand. "Do you want somethin' to eat?"

"No, but I should eat something."

"Okay. I'll be right back."

She watched him leave the room, looking back a few times to check on her, and she exhaled deeply, closing her eyes. She didn't know if she could stomach food at the moment, but she had to try. She couldn't wither up merely because she had a bad dream. Not for the sake of her baby. She'd just choke down whatever food he'd bring her, and maybe then he'd stop looking at her so much. It was unsettling when he did, because she felt the need to tell him everything that happened at the grove, everything that was happening to her, and she wasn't ready to do that. She didn't know if she'd ever be ready. She kept having the same circular thoughts, and there was no easy resolution. Not one she'd stuck with anyway.

– – –

Glenn and Tobin had secured the items in the truck and had it ready for the trip back home. They were roaming through the streets now, trying to find the cache of weapons Francine had mentioned, and the men were looking for any bits of clothing that were worth taking home. Glenn had seen a few kids toys and decided to take them back with them. Judith might like them, and Carol's baby too.

Abruptly there was a loud scream, and Glenn froze in his steps. He knew that sound. He knew it and could hear it every time he closed his eyes and thought back. He could even recall the first time he heard it, and his stomach wrapped itself up in a macrame of knots. He felt a cold chill run down his spine, and he sprinted off towards the sound without even speaking to Tobin.

"Glenn!"

He rounded the corner, his gun out of its holster and in his hand now, and he came to a screeching stop at the sight before him, gasping wildly.

Walkers. Dozens and dozens of walkers were spilling out of the greenhouse, the area Francine had been most anxious about and told them to just leave it be. Glenn asked why, and she hadn't answered. She didn't seem sure of whatever was bothering her, so she just insisted. Now he knew why she had repeatedly insisted they avoid it, why she had been so pale and concerned about it. They had locked as many walkers as they could into the greenhouse and slapped a lock on the door to keep them inside so the women and children could escape. Francine might have known, or she might have heard about it while they were preforming the task.

"Oh, my God." Tobin saw walkers consuming his friends. "Derek."

"No!" Glenn grabbed his arm and prevented him from taking another step. "We have to get out of here. We can't help them. They're infected now."

"We can't just leave them!"

"We have to." Glenn cringed and felt his eyes burn at the sound of them screaming, begging for help and following those cries was gurgling. He knew the walkers had immediately gone for the throat with some of the men. He wanted to put them out of their misery, but the walkers hadn't seen them yet. They could still make it to the truck. It was just behind the gate. These men could die, and it wouldn't in vein. He loathed that train of thought so very much, but it was the truth. "I'm sorry, but we have to go right now."

"We can't," Tobin repeated.

"I don't want to leave them like this either, but I am not going to let you die here too. I made a promise to my wife that I would get you back home in one piece, and I have to keep that promise. We have to go now."

"No, Glenn, we can't leave," Tobin explained, "because Derek and Tom have the keys to the cars and to the truck."

"What?"

"They said they'd found some canned goods, so I let them have the keys to load them into the truck. I didn't know... I didn't know this would happen."

Glenn pushed Tobin back behind a nearby house when the walkers who were bunched up and feasting on their friends began to lift their heads like they could hear them. "Which one has the keys to the truck?"

"Tom."

Glenn sighed and thought for a moment. "Maybe we don't need the keys. Let's just get back to the truck. We have to hurry while they're distracted."

He nodded.

They had to get by the walkers gorging on their friends, Glenn couldn't look at the bloody piles they were becoming, and Tobin's heart dropped when suddenly all he could hear was wet smacking and tearing. There were no more agonized screams hanging in the air, no more pleas for help, no more struggling and grunts. They hadn't even been able to fire a single bullet before the walkers were onto them. How the greenhouse had been opened, Glenn didn't know, but he prayed there were no more walkers hordes locked up anywhere else.

––

They had made it back to the medical area without being spotted, Glenn was tempted to try coating themselves in walker guts as the number of walkers seemed to have swelled in the last few minutes, and Tobin was on the floor, wallowing in guilt and self-loathing. Glenn didn't want to poke an already downed man, but there was plenty of time for feeling sorry for themselves when they weren't two seconds from being dessert.

"We need to move." Glenn searched for any supplies they'd left behind, but unless he could halt the sun from setting and use all the shiny metal objects to blind the walkers, there was nothing of use here. He didn't have enough bullets to try and kill them all, not even with Tobin's help. Glenn wondered how many of the walkers trapped in there were Francine's old group.

"Daryl was right," Tobin wheezed. "We shouldn't have done this. We shouldn't have come."

"I gave the go-ahead," Glenn informed him. "It's on me before it's on you."

"I suggested this whole thing. It's on me." He sorrowfully looked up at the young man. "We'll never get out of here alive. It's like Alexandria, only worse because it's just the two of us. What can we do against a horde of those things?"

"Survive." Glenn approached the man. "Get off your ass and stop feeling sorry for yourself. If you want to live, if you want to see and hold your child then you follow my lead. We're going to get out of here."

"How?"

"I don't know just yet, but we will. For now, why don't you keep an eye on them? I think they'll be moving on soon." He swallowed with difficulty at that, and he remembered the last time he'd been out here and it'd gone to shit. "Don't shut down on me. You have a reason to fight, Tobin. You have a baby, a little girl or boy who needs a father in their life. Don't throw it on me, because you're scared. You're the damn father, so you need to fight."

"I'm not giving up."

"Then come on."

– – –

Maggie looked over at someone climbing up the ladder, and Enid greeted her with a smile. Maggie returned it and sat with her hands in her lap, the night air blowing at them, and Enid held out a bowl of soup. It smelled like heaven in a bowl.

"What is that?"

"It's deer stew." She stood beside Maggie. "Daryl went hunting, found a deer, and Rick and Michonne made it into stew. I thought I'd bring you a bowl. It's still warm."

"Thank you." She accepted the food. "Did you eat?"

"Yes." She scanned the darkness for headlights, which likely was what Maggie was waiting for. "I don't think they'll be back so soon, do you?"

"No, but I like being out there. It makes me feel...like I'm not slacking off, like I'm doing everything I can."

"That's how I feel when I'm learning with Denise."

"Oh, yeah? How's that going?"

"Great. I learn quickly from the Denise's teaching methods, and she's a great teacher. I understand all she's taught me, and I've even been able to help her remember things as well." She smiled. "I feel like I'm doing something useful for once."

"Well, once you've graduated, I'll throw a party for you." Maggie grinned at the young girl and set her arm around her shoulder. "I'm really proud of you, Enid. You're doin' a great job."

She blushed from the unexpected praise and nodded. "Thank you."

"If you need help with anythin', let me know. I'd be glad to help."

"Tara and Denise offer me enough help, but okay." Enid nodded her chin the bowl. "Eat while it's still hot."

"Okay, okay." She removed her hand. "Wanna keep watch with me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

––

"Hey." Daryl knelt down beside the bed where Carol was lying down, and he set a hand on her shoulder, the other holding a bowl of stew for her. "You up?"

She nodded, not opening her eyes. "You were gone for a long time." Her eyes opened and found his. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. I went huntin' to get some meat for dinner." He sat beside her on his bed. "Did you eat lunch?"

"Yes." She pushed herself up. "Thank you for bringing it to me."

"It's no problem." He handed her the bowl. "It's venison, potatoes and carrots."

"It smells good." She grasped the spoon. "Did you have some?"

"Yeah, I ate with the kids and Rick and Michonne. I woulda brought you a bowl sooner, but...eh, I was starvin', stomach got the better of me." In truth he wanted to make sure the meat was thoroughly cooked. He knew all of it cooked properly, but he wanted to be sure. Michonne said any longer, and Carol would have venison jerky stew with mushy carrots and potatoes, and he tried it and waited. He didn't know how long it took for food poisoning to set in, but if he got it first, they'd take her back to Hilltop before it set in with her.

"I wish we had bread." She stirred the stew with her spoon. "Maybe one day."

He watched her eat, blowing on each bite before she ate it, and he felt sick to his stomach at what could happen if he'd screwed up again. He was tempted to just give her carrots and potatoes, but Michonne said he was being ridiculous. They couldn't sate her food cravings, and he couldn't deprive her of meat too. It wouldn't be good for the baby. He or she needed the nutrients and protein the meat provided, and Daryl wasn't going to weaken the kid by not giving it meat. He wanted the kid to be tough and a good weight, wanted Carol to be nourished, so he'd just have to be careful. Maybe get a meat thermometer, or whatever they were called. Yeah, he'd do that. Would it still work though?

"Daryl?" Carol didn't look up from her bowl. "Stop."

"Hmm?" He frowned. "Stop?"

"I can hear you stressing out from here." She raised her head and smiled at him. "I'm pretty sure this meat won't hurt me or the baby. I'm also sure if it were anymore well done, I'd have to use a blender to just eat it it's so tough."

He chuckled nervously. "Sorry."

"I know you care and you worry, and I love that you do, but seriously." She spooned out a piece of meat for him to try, and he felt his ears burn at the thought of eating off the same spoon as her. "Try this, and tell me it couldn't rip out one of your teeth just by chewing on it."

"Ehh..."

"I don't have germs, and we've already shared a canteen."

He leaned down and ate the meat off the spoon, and he frowned at trying to chew it. She actually laughed at his face, and he smiled to see genuine and highly amused giggles escape her throat. He chuckled himself and choked it down. "Shit, I'm real sorry."

She covered her mouth with her hand and smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" He reached over to drink some of her water to aid him in swallowing the rest of the rough, dry meat.

"Just thank you." She just smiled at him and had another spoonful.

– – –

Glenn had opened the front gate to give the walkers a new path to wonder through, Tobin killed a few while watching Glenn's back, and they crept through the town. They had to get to the other side to get to the truck. It was behind the gate that lead to where Francine's old camp kept their cars prior to their camp's fall. They just had to get there, slap that gate closed and get in the truck. They were home free as soon they hot-wired it. Glenn had seen Rick do it, helped Daryl do it on a few runs, and he was positive he could get them out of there.

Darkness had kissed the camp, the moon their only escort in the night, and Glenn made damn sure Tobin kept close. He didn't want anything to happen to the man. It wasn't simply because he made a promise to his wife. It wasn't just because he knew the ache losing a parent did to a child, even an unborn child. It was because he did like Tobin. He'd seen a lot of him after the miscarriage, when he worked himself damn near to the death, and during this run, he'd gotten to know the man. He was a decent guy. Carol couldn't have picked a better random man to have an accidental child with, and Glenn wanted to be there when Carol handed the baby to Tobin. He wanted to see the look on his face.

He had been taken when Rick first held Judy, and he didn't know any other new parents, so he needed to see it. The look of a father first holding his child. He knew how he thought it would look, how he imagined it would feel, and he needed the reality. He knew he and Maggie would try again, and he'd experience it himself. He hoped, anyway, but until then he knew he would feel connect to Carol and Tobin through this pregnancy, so he had to get them out of here together and alive. He refused to let any other outcome come to pass.

Tobin could hear the cracking moans of the walkers surrounding them, and he couldn't keep the image of one of them tearing into him out of his mind. He was flooded with fear and adrenaline and self-preservation instincts, but he swallowed that last one. He wouldn't abandon Glenn. He would likely only end up dead himself if he took that path, but if he lived, he wouldn't be able to knowing he'd left Glenn behind. If he were to leave a good, honest man like Glenn here to die than he didn't deserve to be a father. He didn't deserve anything but death. He wouldn't be that man. He wouldn't a goddamned cowered, not now, not again.

He gripped the lock from the gate he'd opened tighter in his hand, watching as Glenn took out a walker wandering too close to where they were hiding, waiting for the walkers to drift out the gate. Tobin wished he had some type of meat or flesh or blood to throw toward the gate. That would get their attention. He wished this group had goats or any farm life that would have survived that they could use as bait, terrible as it was.

"Come on." Glenn dropped the body and scrambled over to the shed, moving behind it and telling Tobin to stay ducked down. He knew at this rate it'd take all night for them to get across this community. It wasn't that large, but there were that many walkers. He wished he had another Molotov cocktail to chuck out onto the grass to distract them. A sparkler or flare gun or anything. All he had was an actual gun, and that would only get them killed.

They edged to the next house, Glenn turned to tell Tobin to stay here while he checked out the next area, but found a walker there instead. He heard the growls before he felt the hands, and Glenn fell to the ground, the walker snarling and trying to feast on his chest. He groaned and pushed on the walker, trying to find his knife, but he couldn't reach it. He couldn't call to Tobin in case they were any more nearby walkers, and he couldn't see anything but shiny teeth and eyes.

Suddenly a crack sounded, blood gushed out all over Glenn's neck and chest, and the walker went still. He pushed it off to find Tobin standing in front of him, the end of a shovel outward, and Glenn sighed in relief. He gripped Tobin's offered hand and hauled himself up.

"Thanks, man."

"You'd do the same for me." His nose scrunched up at the gore on Glenn's upper body. "Sorry about that."

"Make it up to me by getting us the hell out of here."

"Right."

They moved on, the walkers had yet to thin out, and they seemed to be hearing every step they took. They encountered more and more of them, Glenn knew they weren't leaving through the open gate, and he knew the moment they got the back gate, they'd be in a sticky situation. They had to open a gate that creaked like a banshee screamed, and then they had to rush to the truck and hope the doors were unlocked. If not, they had to bust in the windows and wait while Glenn hot wired it and hoped it worked. Fuck. It was a big ass risk. Fuck. Daryl was right. His gut was right. He shouldn't have said yes because he wanted to help Tobin feel like he was supplying a future for the town and his child. He should have said no and let Tobin find some other way to contribute.

The gate was within sight now, Glenn skirted on ahead, the blood of the walker Tobin had killed over him masking his scent to the other walkers, and Tobin hung back. As Glenn reached the gate, he heard whimpering, and he found another of their team.

"Mike." He bent down beside the man hidden behind trash. "Are you okay?"

"They're all over," he whimpered. "They're everywhere. There's no escape."

"Yeah, they are, but the truck's right there. We'll get in it and get out of here."

"No, no, there's no escape. Tom...took a piece of pipe from the doors...and they just came flooding out. We ran... We tried to run anyway..."

"Sh, sh. We'll get out of this."

"No, no. They'll hear, and they'll come. They'll—they'll do to us what they did to Derek and Tom and the others." He sobbed. "We're all going to die."

"Nobody else is going to die." Glenn set a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be okay, just come with..."

The words died in his throat when his fingers found fresh blood on Mike's shoulder then little divots where he'd been bitten, and Glenn's heart stopped. His mouth dried out, and his eyes locked with Mike in the dark blanket of night.

"There's no escape." Mike was still crying, and he snuffed. "I won't be one of them."

"Mike..."

"I'm sorry."

Night's cruel shadow hid the gun in Mike's hand, Glenn felt the spray of blood on his forearm when Mike pulled the trigger and showered blood from his temple. Glenn jolted and fell back instantly, as if he'd been shot too, and the moaning mass of perpetually hungry walkers turned to where Glenn was, a pep in their step as they had a new meal.

"Glenn!" Tobin fought his way over to him.

Glenn's fingers brushed over a set of keys as he scrambled to his feet, and he felt the keychain Tara had linked onto it while she and Heath where out. It was the truck key! He was rasping rapidly from shock, but his body didn't shut down, and he saw Tobin nearing him.

"Are you okay?"

"It was Mike. He was bitten, and he killed himself."

Tobin gulped back his emotions at the loss of yet another friend. "You gotta go."

"Yeah, I have the truck key." Glenn stumbled back toward the gate. "We can get out through here."

Tobin halted at the creak of the gate and remembered then they'd left the front gate wide open. They could close this one, but the other would offer an exit. It offered the walkers a way to follow them back to Alexandria. They would follow the truck, follow them straight back home to where their families were, to where Glenn's wife was and to where Carol and his baby were. It would be chaos, chaos in which Carol could lose the baby or her own life.

There was no doubt in his mind that Carol could take care of herself, but they'd taken out ten maybe eleven walkers here, and there was no telling in the darkness how many there were. He couldn't let them lure these walkers back to Alexandria, back to home and to woman his unborn child was growing in. Not after he led these men here for them to just die, not after Daryl had warned him and begged him to not go through with this run, not after having finally done something right since the world went to hell.

"Tobin, come on." Glenn held the gate.

Tobin hurried over. "You said you had the truck keys, right?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He reached out and slammed the gate shut. "Don't forget you're the godfather, all right?"

"What the hell are you doing?" Glenn exclaimed. "Tobin, no!" He tried to cover the lock before Tobin could slap it shut, as neither one of them had a key for it. "No, no, no!" He rattled the gate, but it didn't unlock. "What are you doing?!"

"The front gate's open," Tobin quickly reminded him as the walkers drew closer. "And it only locks from the inside. I can't climb it or damage it. It has to be in one solid piece, or the walkers will break it down and follow you back to Alexandria. I know how little effort it takes to knock down a wall that's been even slightly weakened. There isn't enough gas in the truck to try and divert them and make it to Alexandria. We need those supplies."

"I can climb over it."

He shook his head. "I can't risk your life for this. I already have their lives on my hands, and I won't add yours. So start the engine. It'll draw them here and give me time to close the gate before they find me."

"Don't do this," Glenn pleaded. "We can do this together."

Tobin smiled. "We are."

Glenn swiftly lost sight of Tobin, though he heard bodies falling to the ground. He slammed his hand against the iron gate, rattling it once more to try and loosen it, but he had no luck. He cursed and dragged himself toward the truck to start it. It was all he could do at this point. He went over all the ways he could try and beat Tobin to the gate, to pull him out before anything could happen, but he had no ideas. The gate was strong, both metal and wood with only one lock on the inside. It was tall and smooth, impossible to climb your way into. There were ways to climb out, but it was too dark, and if Tobin slipped and fell from that height, he wouldn't get back up. He'd break a leg, an arm, or worse.

He slammed his hands down on the wheel, gripping tightly, and he felt tears rolling down his cheeks, hearing the screams of the men they'd lost, and he wanted to scream. He felt the urge building up in his chest, but if he parted his lips, there would be no sound. The scream was far too great from far too many loses, and it might suck all of him out with it, were he able to release it.

He could hear the laughter of T-dog, Carol, Daryl and Rick when they called up to the tower to check in on him and Maggie, and he remembered how happy T looked to be in a new, safe home. He could still hear his voice, how relieved he was to be off the road and for Lori to have somewhere secure to be. T was just that kind of man, the needs of other vastly more important than his own.

Turn it off.

Don't let go!

It could work, and you know it.

Sorry, brother, as Dale's anguished groans filled the night, Andrea sobbing and begging for them to do something while Rick desperately tried to get Hershel to help, to save him. He could still hear that bullet, still hear the gurgling and the silence that followed once Daryl pulled the trigger.

We are.

He lifted his head and sucked air in through his teeth, and he heard an all too familiar sound. The sound of a single bullet ringing out.

– – –

Tobin had secured the gate, and it was locked tight. The walkers were torn between following the tall slab of meat around and going for the roaring engine. He knew he would die soon, as there was no escape, having locked the back gate. He couldn't easily climb over it, and the keys were on Tom who was eaten down to bone in the middle of the camp. They might have eaten the keys too, for all he knew.

He chuckled at the thought, walkers choking down a set of keys, and he collapsed onto the ground, the knife falling from his bloodied hand. He expelled a long sigh, feeling his injuries, the wounds they'd given him as he hurried to the gate. He knew he likely had more bites now. He could hear them approaching, as he knew they would be, and he reached into his breast pocket, the one directly over his heart.

It was impossible to see in the darkness, and as he was a dead man, he flicked on the small flashlight he'd brought with him to find the little dot that was his child. He smiled at the sight of it, tears in his eyes, and he sobbed for what he would lost out on and for his friends had lost out on, because of his reckless decision. He inhaled so deeply the air felt like it stabbed his throat, and he shuddered, gripping the sonogram tightly.

He would never hear his child's first words. He wouldn't know his or her name, or his or her favorite color, or favorite toy. He wouldn't know their laugh or their sense of humor. He wouldn't know whose eyes they'd have or whose hair. He wouldn't know any of it, and the child wouldn't know anything of him.

If you go through with this, it won't matter who the father is, because the kid won't know. He or she won't you know as their father, or hell even as a person, only we will.

He was a smart man, Tobin decided. A good man, a good father figure, and despite hating to admit it, even in his final moments, he would admit it. Daryl was a fine man, and he would make a good father. If it all worked out, Daryl would make a good father. He was already more intelligent, more prepared and willing to do what he had to do to keep everyone safe without being a thoughtless jackass. Well, he was sure Daryl had his moments, but it didn't matter. Carol would be here to straight up his act.

He pulled the gun from his holster and held the sonogram over his heart. I love you, and I'll always look after you. He closed his eyes as a walker dropped by his leg, reaching out to feast, and he pulled the trigger.

– – –

Glenn struggled to fend off the walker on top of him, and Tobin moved to kill it before it could sink its teeth into Glenn, and he ran right into a walker himself. He reached out to push it back, and he sheathed his knife, thrusting it into the walker's skull. He panted from the rush of adrenaline that shot through him and grasped shovel from the ground, busting open the skull of the walker on top of Glenn.

Glenn gripped his offered hand and hauled himself up.

"Thanks, man."

"You'd do the same for me." Tobin nose scrunched up at the gore on Glenn's upper body. "Sorry about that."

"Make it up to me by getting us the hell out of here."

"Right." Tobin brushed his jaw and felt something wet there. He lowered his hand to try and see what it was, and there was blood. He brushed it off but it pooled right back up. It was his blood, not blood brushed off from the walker. It was a barely there scratch, but it was there.

Glenn was already moving forward, and Tobin felt panic rising up in his chest, his breathing shallow, and his heart pounding. It was hardly a nick, but it was there. A scratch or a bite was enough to do kick start the change into one of them...

Well, there was only one decision then, he thought to himself, refusing to wallow for the bitter end this path had led to. It was his run, his decision, his mistake, and this was the price. The least he could do was keep his non-existent word to Daryl: keep Glenn alive. And by doing so he was keeping his child alive. Glenn would drive the supplies home and deliver them to Carol and essentially to his baby. Abe was a damn fine lead on construction, and Glenn and Daryl would do well picking up the slack this fallen group would leave. Glenn would be an excellent godfather to his son or daughter.

He smirked. It's a damn good thing they had that talk prior to this moment. It would seem the world had its own foreshadowing. If only he had learned to recognize it earlier than this.

– – –

Glenn had stopped the truck smack in the middle of the way back to Alexandria, burying his head in his arms, and he banged his hand on the dashboard over and over. He couldn't keep the tears out of his eyes, and he wanted to curse and shout until it made any sense.

It had all been going so well. They had gathered all the supplies, all of the needed and salvageable equipment, spare clothes and even some new seeds for the garden. He'd gotten to know Tobin more as a person and less as a tall guy who formerly ran construction. They had made it inside and without any injuries. It was going well enough that something had to go wrong, didn't it? And it did. It went so fucking wrong so goddamned rapidly that they couldn't even blink before they were up shit creek without a paddle.

Those men had died all because of a moved pipe. One little piece of pipe to lock in the walkers, and now they were dead. Tobin was dead. There was nothing he could do to help any of them. He wanted to. God, he wanted to kill those men the walkers were eating so they didn't have to feel the fleshing being ripped off their bodies, so they didn't have to feel the walkers chewing on them. If he couldn't have stopped them from removing that pipe then he wished he would have stopped them from suffering as they had.

He snuffled, tears splashing onto the steering wheel, and he remembered Tobin's last expression. He knew it well. He'd seen it before. It made his stomach clench to recount the last few times he'd seen that expression on one of his teammates and more tears trickled down his cheeks. He banged his hand on final time and leaned back, a tremor coursing through his body.

Thank you.

Nicholas had turned to him and said those words just seconds before he raised his gun and ended his life. He had accepted the reality of this situation in his own way—though had he not been so fragile after what happened the last time and between them in the woods, he might have been able to hold on—and he pulled the trigger. He wouldn't be one of them. He wouldn't die screaming and in immense pain like Aiden. He was his choice, and he made it.

It makes perfect sense to me.

Jacqui. She urged them to get out of the CDC. She begged them to leave without trying to argue with her, because it would only be a waste of time. She made a choice to end it all there. She didn't have to wake up hungry. She didn't have to fight tooth and nail to survive. She didn't have to watch home after home after home fall to the ground. She didn't have to sit through funeral after funeral after funeral, even if they didn't have one, they still mourned, and she didn't have to do that. She knew she wouldn't have to do that. She knew she wouldn't breathe one more day, and she was happy about that. Tears in her eyes, smile on her lips happy that since the first time since this all started she had control and soon she'd have peace.

Nightmare ends, they shouldn't end who you are.

Bob was ready. He'd lost his leg, was infected, and he was ready to say goodbye. They had gathered around his bedside and said their goodbyes, and he remembered Maggie tearfully assuring Bob he'd be with them, a part of them. Bob was smiling through the goodbyes, a man with such a big heart, and Glenn missed him everyday, but he knew Bob was content in his last moments. No regrets other than leaving Sasha crying, leaving them entirely. He was a brave man right up to the end, and he was ready. He'd accepted it.

We are.

The look in Tobin's eyes, the way he'd said those words, how effortlessly he shut the gate told Glenn all he needed to know. He was bitten. He knew there wasn't a chance in hell that Tobin would willingly walk through town, through that horde of walkers, if he wasn't. It must have happened when they were waddling through the dark, and instead of fighting it, instead of hiding it, he chose to do save the last man he could. He chose to guarantee that no walkers made it back to Alexandria behind him. He may not have accepted death, but he did accept that this was the end of the road for him. He knew all he'd be missing, and yet he decided to not fight it, not to put Glenn at risk by remaining with him while he changed. He chose to see the mission out till the end for his child's future.

Glenn didn't know how he was going to tell those people none of the men made it out, but he knew had to. He couldn't sit here all morning and let them start to wonder. He had a job to do, like Hershel always said, and he wouldn't leave it unfinished. He was their voice, and he had people, loved ones, to tell their end to.

He started the truck and drove towards home.