Disclaimer—I don't own or make claim to the characters from The Walking Dead. I only own my original characters.

We've been driving about an hour now. The kids have quieted down in the back and settled in for the drive--a couple of them have fallen asleep. I look over at Maggie. "How are you doing so far?" I ask. "Denise sent some painkillers if you need some more."

She turns her head and smiles at me. "It's calmed down a lot since last night and hasn't been too bad so far today. I'm OK, no need to stop."

"Are you sure?" I ask.

"Yes, absolutely. In fact, I'm starting to think I started a panic for nothing," she replies.

I scoff. "Oh, I was there last night. That was no false alarm, you were in some serious pain!"

She replies, "Well, yeah, last night I thought I was going to die. This morning not as much, there is still pain, but it's tolerable."

I remark, "Well, there shouldn't be any pain at all, so we still need to figure out what's up and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Maggie says, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Also, thank you for talking them out of taking the whole damn calvary out. For getting them to see they shouldn't be out here right now. I can't have them sacrificing everything for me."

I say, "Well, luckily we had an alternative that would get you there without putting everyone else at risk. I guess we'll find out if we run into anyone on the way."

We drive in silence for a few more minutes when I see something in the road ahead. Roadblock. Crud, I was hoping we could make it all the way there without a confrontation. Then I see who's manning the roadblock. Simon. Great.

I look at Maggie. "Hey, see that?" I motion to the roadblock ahead. "Yeah," she replies. "I see it."

"I need you to be very, very sick right now. Almost non-responsive, OK?" I say. I look in the rear view mirror at the kid. "Kids, you look like you're sleeping. Don't respond to him, you hear me? Let me do the talking."

Maggie shifts back to the position she was in and puts a pained expression on her face. I'm convinced. The kids all slump down and appear to be sleeping. I pull the van up and stop in front of Simon. He wastes no time coming over to the drivers side and I roll the window down.

"Well, well, well," he says. "If it isn't my old friend Sandi and her kids. How the hell have ya been?" I just stare at him. "Simon," I say. I look at the roadblock ahead. "What's all this?"

"Well, this is just a little welcome party we're arranging for some friends. They'll be along sooner or later. You haven't seen others on the roads have ya?"

"Nope," I reply. "It's very quiet out there." He then notices Maggie. "Woah, that's not one of the kids. Who's your friend?"

I say, "We met her a few weeks ago. She helped us fight off the dead, but got hurt in a fall as we were running. I think it's internal. I'm getting her to the Dr. at Hilltop to get her checked out. Least I can do when she was saving one of my kids when she fell." I stare evenly at him, hoping he'll buy it.

"Damn," Simon replies. "I always wonder why people help others. It could end up being their last day doing that shit." I give him a look, but he continues. "No, think about it. What if it's the last day on Earth for you? Maybe you should be extra nice to those people in that van, cause you never know...just like that. Be kind to each other. Like it was your last day on Earth."

OK, I'm done with his crap. "You got something to say, Simon? You got plans for this to be my last day? You planning on going against Negan?" I challenge him. I see the saviors behind him shuffling about nervously. They know Negan's orders when it comes to me, and it's not to hassle me. Maggie lets out a small moan then. I motion to her, "She's hurt Simon. Whether you agree with Negan's ruling or not, I'm to have free passage. You aren't to touch me. I suggest you make a path so I can get her to the Dr."

I stare him down, watching for any sign he's going to attack. One of the saviors speaks up, "Come on Simon, we can move that car pretty easy for her. We don't want to piss off Negan."

I can see the rage in Simon's eyes before he turns away from me to address the savior. "Oh no, never wanna piss of Negan, right? That's not the plan." He pauses and I can see him taking a deep breathe. "Alright move the car back and let her through." He looks back at me. "It's your lucky day Sandi, looks like you get to live another day after all. We have bigger fish to fry tonight." I glare at him, but pull forward as the car is pushed back. Soon we are through and they disappear in my rear view mirror.

I let out a sigh of relief and the whole car begins to come alive again. The kids are stretching in the back as Maggie looks at me and says, "I have a feeling that was a whole lot closer than it should have been."

I shrug my shoulders, "Simon was the worst one we could have come across, he's a bit of a loose cannon. But still, it worked!" I grin at her.

She laughs as she adjusts in her chair. "Yeah, well, I don't think I'll tell them what a close call that actually was."

"Good choice," I reply. I look at her and we both burst out laughing in relief.

Soon we pull up to the gates of Hilltop. We made it, thank goodness. I get out and ask for Jesus. The guards don't really know me and are on edge. Finally Jesus comes out. "Sandi, what are you doing here? You shouldn't be on the roads, the saviors are out in force today. I don't understand where they all came from, we took out their base!"

"I know," I reply. "We had to get through a roadblock to get here. But Maggie is in trouble and needs the Dr. pretty badly. After that we need to have a talk about the task you asked Alexandria to take on."

He has them open the gate and we drive in. Jesus helps me get Maggie up with her arms over our shoulders so we can get her to Dr. Carson. The kids ask if they can look around and Jesus tells them it's fine and looks at me and says, "I'm going to want details about what's happening and how you got through that roadblock once we get her to the Dr."

I nod in acknowledgement and we support her into the Dr.'s office.

After we get her settled with Dr. Carson, Jesus and I take a walk around the Hilltop as he gives me a tour and we talk. I explain to him all that has happened since they took out the satellite outpost. I also explain how I know Negan and the circumstances of my release from his service. I update him on the savior's home base, the Sanctuary and all of their outposts and why I was the only one that could bring Maggie. I let him know just how much he didn't know about the saviors operation.

Once I finish talking he takes a deep breathe. "Damn. I thought I knew what I was sending them into."

I huff out a breath, "Well, you obviously needed to do more reconnaissance. You've put Alexandria into a very bad position now, you know. If the saviors find them, they'll start killing them. They may not stop with just one after this."

He rubs his chin. "I know. I don't know what to do about it though."

I stare at him. "I know exactly what you're going to do. You're going to rally your people and you're going to help us take out the saviors once and for all."

He stares at me in shock. "There is no way Gregory will allow that!"

I stare back at him. "You started this. Now you are going to help us finish it," I declare. He starts to say something and I cut him off. "I don't care if Gregory will sanction it. In fact, the less he knows, the better. He's squarely under their thumb, you know. You pulled Alexandria into this and you are going to help end this. Or I'll tell Negan myself that the Hilltop are the ones that ordered the satellite station be taken out."

The shock is reflected on his face. "You can't do that! There are innocent people here who..." I cut him off. "Innocent people? Just like the innocent people at Alexandria? The ones you put at risk because you couldn't do all the damn research you should have done before sending them in there?!" I demand, outrage in my voice.

"Rick and his people are adults. They knew the risk..."

"The risks that you told them about. Based on your intel. Wrong intel, by the way."

He finally quiets down. "I know we're responsible for this. But, how can we help. We aren't really fighters or we would have fought them off already."

I eye the blacksmith who is working, hammering on some metal. Hmmm. I tuck that away to add into my plans.

"If we work together we'll have strength in numbers," I state.

Jesus replies, "Even with Hilltop and Alexandria together, we won't have enough numbers."

I turn to look at him. "I think it's time to pay a visit to the King."

He stares at me in disbelief which begins to transform to understanding. "You want to rally all the communities."

"I do," I reply. "It's the only way. We have to stand together. You up for a road trip?"

He smiles. "I suppose you have a plan for getting past the saviors roadblocks then?"

I grin. "The roadblocks aren't for us, remember? They're out there chasing a phantom, they don't even know who they're looking for."

I stop by where the kids are talking to some Hilltop kids and let them know we'll be leaving soon. Then I go to Dr. Carson's office to see Maggie. She is in a bed when I walk in.

"Hey, how are you feeling? Any updates or an idea what was happening?" I query, looking at Dr. Carson.

"I'm still trying to rule some things out. I'm a little worried about placenta previa but haven't been able to get a good enough look yet to see if that is it or not," Dr. Carson says. "I'm going to need her to stay here on bedrest for a while though, no quick return home today," he looks at me suspiciously.

I raise my hands up and say, "Hey, no disagreement here. I was actually going to suggest she stay here under your supervision for a bit if you didn't know what was happening."

"Good," he says and turns away back to a reference book he was looking things up in.

Maggie says, "You're leaving then?" She says it without inflection in her voice, but I can tell she's not happy with the idea.

"Just for a bit," I reply. I look at Dr. Carson to verify he is involved in his book and not paying attention to us now that he's verified I'm not threatening to take his patient. "I'm going to take Jesus with me, touch base with another community we know of. See if they would join us against the saviors," I whisper.

Maggie looks surprised. "Us?" She questions. "I thought you were just giving us intel and then leaving?"

I look away. "I have a few ideas. I want to test them out and at least give you all a plan and a fighting chance before I leave."

Maggie chuckles. "Sandi Jones, I can see right through you. You don't want to leave. You like us and you want to stay so you're working on a way to make that happen! You even like Rick more than you let on."

I look at her in shock. "No, that's not it!" I insist. "I mean, of course I like you all, you welcomed me and the kids and have become my friends. I just don't want you to become victims of the saviors, that's all."

I take a breath and then continue, "Maggie, I'm going to talk to this other community, maybe one other. Then if I'm lucky, I'll get their leaders to Alexandria by tomorrow so I can update everyone on how you're doing. Rick and company can meet with the other community leaders and do their thing. But then, I'm going to bring Glenn here. I know this is hard and you miss him, but I'm going to try and get him here for you, OK? Just hang on and do whatever Dr. Carson tells you to and he'll be here soon."

Maggie looks at me with wide eyes. "How?" she asks. "With all the saviors out there, how will you get him here?"

I pat her arm. "Just trust me and leave it to me. I've gotten us this far, haven't I?"

She smiles. "You have. Thank you Sandi, if you get Glenn here I'll be forever grateful."

"Just get well, that's all I ask," I say as I give her a hug and get up to leave. On to the next task.

Jesus, the kids and I load up. Jesus asks, "Want me to hide in the back for the roadblocks?"

"Nah," I respond. "I got it covered," I say with a smirk.

A/N Again, I'm changing some things up from how it played out in the show. Sandi got Maggie there, but it wasn't quite as easy as she told Rick it would be. What do you think of her slip when she said 'us?' Do you think Maggie is right and she's trying to pave the way so she can stay in Alexandria? Does she already consider it her home? Is she right about Sandi liking Rick more than she'll admit?

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