A/N: So we have both Team Grimes and Team McGarrett now. I love it! Thank you to my lovely reviewers: angelicedg, lollipop2404, WishfulThinker66, MissDawes, and rocknrollprincess131. Hopefully this chapter delivers. Next one is the last! I have mentioned a location in the comic book, but didn't go into great detail since this is only a short story.

Enjoy! :)

It felt like someone had punched Rick square in the chest. No air filled his lungs as he stared, wide-eyed, at the woman before him. That was not the announcement he'd expected. He shouldn't have been surprised, though. He hadn't carried out any precautions, but from the first moment, Steve hadn't either. He'd just assumed that Amy was on some form of birth control – and what a stupid assumption that was.

So they were having a baby. He should have been more excited. It was something he'd indulged once or twice in the depths of his imagination. She didn't know it yet, but he truly loved her, and would give anything to be the father of her child, but it was the man sitting next to him that held him back. Glancing over, he saw that Steve's jaw was clenched tight, his nostrils flaring.

In front of them, a single tear trickled down Amy's cheek and her lower lip trembled. Quietly, she begged, "Please. One of you say something, because I can't—" Her voice cracked and the tears began to flow freely. "I can't do this alone…"

Rick reached for her hand first, clasping her chilled fingers between his warm palms. "We're here for you, baby. We're not going anywhere. Please, don't cry." He tilted his head and swallowed the lump in his throat.

Steve must have been in shock – Rick couldn't blame the guy – because he finally scooped up Amy's other hand and cradled it within his own. "Rick's right," he said, his voice noticeably tight. "You won't have to do this alone. Okay?"

Amy's chest heaved as she continued to cry, but a beautiful smile broke through. She squeezed their hands and kissed each of their rough knuckles. "Thank you. I really needed to hear that."

Suddenly, raised voices and the pop of a gun at close range made them freeze. At the same time, Steve and Rick pushed away from the counter and rushed toward the door. Amy began to follow, but Rick stopped her with an outstretched hand.

"Stay here! We'll get you when we know it's safe."

Amy watched them go, feeling helpless – useless, actually. Dropping onto Steve's couch, she waited…

Rick withdrew his Colt, following Steve to the front gate, where a small crowd had gathered. As they neared, Rick saw Deanna ascend the wooden steps to stand at the top of the wall, joining one of the Alexandria men, who had his rifle pointed at something beyond the tall metal containment. Deanna ordered their man to lower his weapon, and he did – reluctantly. Rick noticed Aaron amongst the growing number of townspeople and approached him.

"What's goin' on?"

Aaron shrugged his shoulders and glanced away from their female leader for a moment. "Some guy showed up at the gate. He's clean, well-dressed. You know what that means…"

"There's another place nearby," Rick finished for him.

Deanna spoke with the stranger for a few minutes, and then signaled for someone to open the gate. Steve, seeming unsure with her speedy decision, moved cautiously to do so. The newcomer entered and immediately handed over his weapon – most likely on Deanna's orders. She appeared next to the men and pulled Steve aside.

"Where the hell were you? Jonathan up there damn near took the man's head off. We're lucky he was so forgiving – we could've had a war on our hands. It's your job to provide direction, Steve, but that can't happen when you go wandering off."

"You'll have to accept my apologies," Rick said to Deanna, interrupting the heated moment. "I needed Steve's help with something and snagged him for a minute. I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble."

Surprise flickered across the commander's face. Surely, he didn't think Rick would defend him. Deanna, also caught off guard, took a few seconds to answer.

Sighing, she said, "All right, then. Just don't let it happen again." This was directed at both of them, and the two men nodded.

They went on to ask Deanna about the strange visitor, and found out that he was actually a resident of a village about twenty miles out called 'The Hilltop.' The man's group had been happy keeping to themselves, but were facing new security threats and supply shortages. He'd left to scout out some form of help – any form of help, really.

After lots of discussion, Aaron, Eric and Daryl agreed to go with the man to see the Hilltop, and then would report back with details so they could form a plan to help. Rick was leery of trusting someone they'd just met, but Daryl was smart and wouldn't do anything that he didn't want to do. He was the best man for the job, along with the other two, and Rick would take their assessments at face value. First, though, they needed to come back safely – and he sure as hell hoped they did.

A few days passed, and that moment arrived, much to everyone's relief. The Hilltop was a legitimate place with legitimate concerns. Deanna agreed to provide some residents for additional security, if the Hilltop agreed to help with scouting and supply missions. Everyone felt the same way: there was safety in numbers.

That night, Steve made dinner for Amy and she set the dining room table. As they sat together, she caught him looking at her with a sad expression. She reached across the dark tabletop and took his hand.

"Everything okay?"

He stared at her for a moment, as if he wanted to say no, but his mouth pulled up at the corner and he stunned her with one of his handsome smiles.

"I'm with you. I couldn't ask for a better evening."

Amy blushed under his adoring gaze.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, lifting her hand to kiss the back of it. In the next second, he reached for her, kissing her senseless. He brought her straight upstairs and took her to bed, ravaging her to the point where she wondered what had gotten into him. He'd been gentle and rough at all the right moments, and afterward she swore that every bone had melted within her body.

Once he'd caught his breath, Steve rolled over, swinging his legs to the floor, and pulled up his running shorts. He continued to sit on the edge of the bed, his muscular back to her. She gazed at the tattoos that wrapped around his large arms and studied their designs, just as she had many times before.

Quietly, he said, "I'm leaving."

Her eyes snapped up to the back of his head. "Wh- what did you say?" She couldn't possibly have heard him right.

"I'm leaving," he repeated, not meeting her desperate gaze as she scurried across the unmade bed to sit beside him. She pulled on the sheet to cover her naked body and touched his bare arm.

"Wh- where? Where are you going?"

"To the Hilltop."

"Like…to visit?"

His voice grew impatient, not with anger – but pain. "No, Amy, not to visit. I'm moving to the Hilltop."

Panic bubbled up, but Amy refused to lose her cool. He couldn't possibly be serious… "What about your sister and—?"

"They're going, too."

Her control fractured, as did her heart. "Why are you doing this, Steve?" Tears ran down her face and she furiously wiped them away. "What about the baby? What about us?"

"The baby's not mine."

"Don't say that. There's no way—"

"To prove it?" he finished for her. "Actually, there is."

Amy eyed him warily, her insides turning to ice. "What are you talking about?"

Finally, he looked her dead in the eye and said, "You remember that case I told you about, right?"

"How could I forget?" she whispered.

"Well, what I didn't mention was that the very next week I went to the doctor…" He paused as she shook her head in denial. "I had a vasectomy."

Amy's face contorted and more tears fell. "Why would you do that? How could you not want a family of your own?"

"I wasn't bringing a child into this world – even before it fell apart. Not with my job and getting shot at every other week, or with sick people like that guy on the loose. I've always been Uncle Steve. I liked it more that way…"

Then, it clicked. "So you knew this whole time that the baby wasn't yours…and you waited until now to tell me?"

"I'm so sorry—"

"What the hell's the matter with you?" she burst, pinning him with a furious glare.

"I love you…Amy. I'm in love with you."

Immediately, she was quiet. She swallowed hard and felt the tears well up again. "You're not making this easier…"

"Do you think this is easy for me? Do you? Because I was in this for the long haul, and then to find out that you're pregnant and know that it's not mine… I have to make it right, Amy. It kills me to say this, but you need to be with Rick."

"If I tell you that I love you, too – will it change anything?"

His nostrils flared and she saw his jaw clench, but he shook his head sadly.

"So this is it, then?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Steve cleared his throat and took a deep breath before sending her a sidelong look. "It is." His bottom lip trembled a little bit and he worried it with his tongue, perhaps trying to hide how upset he really was at that moment.

"When are you leaving?" Her words hung in the air, which smelled of sex and heartache.

"In the morning. My bags are packed…" he said, pointing to a pair of duffel bags in his dark closet.

Amy tried not to act like her world was crumbling. Her eyes darted around the room, but she couldn't see, couldn't focus. Steve touched her cheek and tried to hold her gaze.

"Rick will take care of you. I've seen the way he looks at you…it's the same way I do – he'd never let anything happen to you or the baby."

"Will you come back to visit?" Will I ever see you again?

"I…don't think…that's a good idea…" he responded, as if every word had to be wrenched from his throat.

"So you're saying goodbye… Forever." she stated, hardly keeping herself from falling apart right there.

A shimmer of sadness showed in Steve's eyes as he gazed at Amy. Very gently, he curled his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his chest. The feel of his warm skin against her cheek and the realization that this was one of the last times he would hold her – ever – was her undoing. She convulsed, her shoulders shuddering with every unbearable clench of her shredded heart. She wept quietly, trying desperately to hide her pain from him, but the tremors wracking her body were obvious enough. Steve hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head as dampness flooded his own eyes.

"I love you so much, babe. I hate to leave…but it's just what needs to happen. You know that, right?" he said, cradling her wet cheek in his hand as he urged her to look at him.

Miserably, she nodded. She didn't like it at all, but she understood.

They spent the rest of the night and early morning in each other's arms: talking, cuddling, making love. She knew the latter probably wasn't the best idea – her heart already hurt beyond belief, but if this was his last night in Alexandria, they were going to spend it together in every possible way.

When gray morning light crept through the closed blinds, Steve left Amy sleeping in his large bed, took a quick shower, and gathered the last of his things. The click of his door shutting jumped her awake. With hazy eyes and a foggy head, she glanced around the room. She saw the empty space next to her and his bags missing from the closet. Sudden panic clawed at her heart and threatened to suffocate her. She threw herself out of the bed, redressed in a series of jerky movements, and rushed outside. Steve was walking down the sidewalk, one bag slung over his shoulder, the other hanging from his opposite hand.

"Steve!" she yelled, unsure if she could even utter his name, and ran toward him.

With his back to her, he froze, dropped his bags, and then turned around as she jumped into his arms. It knocked the breath from his chest with an 'oomph,' but he wrapped her up in his strong embrace. His lips came crashing down onto hers, summarizing their short, yet passionate, relationship in one fiery kiss.

After a few moments, she asked, "What am I supposed to tell people?"

Steve cleared his throat and stared into her stormy blue eyes. "That I left you and broke your heart. That's pretty much the truth, right?"

She shook her head. "No…well, yes, but it will make them think badly of you when it's not like that at all."

"I don't care what they think about me. You're the one staying, so it's your reputation I'm worried about."

Amy gave him a sad smile. "I don't care about that, either."

"You should." He paused and she saw his Adam's apple bob as he fought the lump in his throat. "Go be with Rick, be a family. You deserve it."

Amy gritted her teeth and pushed down the tears. Breathing hard, she bit back a goodbye and simply whispered, "I love you."

Steve's lips twitched into a smile that didn't quite meet his eyes. "I love you, too."

He leaned down to give her one last sinfully sweet kiss and then left her standing alone in the quiet street.