They regrouped with the rest of their people and Parker immediately hugged Daryl when she saw him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her back, looking at her with concern when they pulled away from one another.

"Are you alright?" Daryl asked, looking her over for any obvious injuries or wounds. "You weren't shot or nothin'?"

"If they had shot me, I probably wouldn't be standing in front of you right now because Rick would have killed me for getting shot in the first place," Parker replied with a small laugh. "So yeah, I'm okay." Rick was standing by the road, waiting for Gabriel, who had yet to make an appearance.

"We can wait some more," Daryl told Rick as he walked over. Rick looked down at his watch.

"We can't," Rick shook his head, taking one more look in hopes of seeing the priest. "He stopped to get me. And made sure she was safe."

"How's that?" Daryl questioned, staring at the back of Rick's head.

"Negan," Rick said through a heavy sigh. "He was on the ground. I was trying to kill him, and Gabriel stopped to come get me. We gotta start out."

"You alright?" Daryl asked him and Rick chuckled a bit.

"This isn't about me." He repeated the words Gabriel had told him before. "Let's go."

"Yeah," Daryl turned to follow, whistling to the rest of the group and signaling for them to start heading out. Parker climbed into Rick's car before he could send her home with the rest, and sent him a smile when he stared at her after shutting the door once he'd hopped in.

"What?"

"You should go home," Rick suggested, and Parker shook her head.

"And lose the opportunity to spend quality time with my older brother and my husband? No way." He scoffed, resting his elbow against the door while shaking his head. "Besides, it can't be that dangerous. Dwight's notes say there are only supposed to be a couple of Saviors there."

"Okay, but you'll do what we say," Rick gave in, side-eyeing her when she didn't instantly agree to his terms.

"Yes, Officer Grimes." Daryl, Parker, and Rick led a small group to the Saviors outpost, where Dwight had informed them that Negan had a pretty decent cache of weapons hidden there that would give the Saviors an advantage if they got them back to the Sanctuary. Their job was to prevent them from getting the guns there. Parker and Daryl went one way and Rick the other, and they cautiously searched the building for signs of the guns. The sound of a gun clicking made both their heads snap up only to see Rick on the other side of it. All three of them shared a look as Rick dropped his gun.

"We didn't find shit," Parker informed him, slinging her gun over her shoulder.

"Ain't on this floor," Daryl walked past Rick as he said it.

"Only other option is up," Rick tilted his head to the side.

"Oh, fun.." Parker muttered, rolling her eyes. "I'd probably put them all the way up there too."

"High ground," Daryl nodded, looking back at the siblings. "Good cover."

"Yeah, I'd put 'em up there too," Rick agreed with the both of them.

"Stairs," Daryl ran off, pointing to a set of doors. Parker groaned, following behind him and Rick.

"No..." She complained, waiting behind. "Why can't there be an elevator?" Daryl kicked the doors open and the three of them walked up the stairs. They searched every floor for Negan's men, but Parker became worried when they didn't find any of the supposed guns hidden inside. Each floor proved useless, but Rick and Daryl still insisted on checking the remaining ones. They had to climb an elevator shaft to get to the top floor, and since Rick and Daryl went first, they turned to help Parker. Each was holding a rope at the top that was attached to her, pulling up every time she pulled herself up. "Holy fuck.." She sat herself down on the floor once she'd finally reached the solid ground. "When I said an elevator, I meant an actual working one. I sure as hell am not going back down that. These babies might actually fall out of me." Rick scrunched his face in disgust at the last part, wiping sweat from his forehead as he shook his head.

"I'm going to try and forget you said that," He muttered disgustedly as she laughed. "Last floor," Rick commented while he and Darly cleared the hallway. "The guns have gotta be up here."

"He said they'd be here," Daryl pointed out. His trust in Dwight still not fully there.

"Okay, well, to be fair.. how much trust are we really going to put into that sack of shit?" Parker raised an eyebrow from where she sat, still sitting against the wall.

"Everything else he passed Daryl is checking out," Rick responded, defending Dwight.

"That guy's a piece of shit," Daryl muttered under his breath and Parker snickered when Rick looked over his shoulder at Daryl. He walked back over and helped her up to her feet and she muttered a quiet 'thank you.'

"If those weapons reach the Sanctuary, they could break through that wall of walkers and open up themselves an exit," Parker told them, explaining the reason they had to at least try and believe Dwight.

"We'll go faster if we split up," Rick offered his input. "I find the M2s, you find 'em, we use them. Hit the courtyard right then and there."

"End this quick," Daryl nodded in agreement with the plan. Parker kissed his cheek briefly, offering him a smile.

"Be careful."

"You ain't comin' with me?" Daryl asked her, confused.

"We'll be faster if we split up, right?" Parker responded, looking back at Rick. "Don't worry, I'm a good shot." She pulled her pistol out of its holster, switching off the safety. "I'm fine."

"Okay, be careful," Daryl said back before all three of them split up. The silence made her feel much more comfortable as she carefully walked down different hallways. At each door, she checked the rooms for people and found nobody. After walking for a few minutes, she turned around a corner and ran into Rick, not realizing it was him. After pointing a gun at him and realizing it was her brother, Parker gasped when she noticed the blood on his face.

"What the hell happened to you?" She tried wiping off the blood, only making it smudge.

"A straggler," Rick mumbled.

"Are they dead?" Parker asked him, searching his eyes. Rick nodded. Parker pointed to a closed door. "Have you been in there yet?"

"Yeah.." Rick answered quietly, not able to even look at the room. "There's a baby."

"A baby?" Parker repeated, her eyes widening in realization. "Oh, no.."

"What are we going to do?" Rick asked her. "I just killed her father."

"We take her with us," Parker said back as it was the obvious choice. "And if no one else wants to take her, I'll raise her. Daryl and I will raise her."

"Are you sure?" Rick questioned,  hesitant to put the extra weight on her shoulders.

"We can't just leave her," Parker argued with him quietly. "She's a baby, Rick. She'll be close enough in age to mine so.. fuck it, right?"

"Okay," Rick held his hands up. "Just two more hallways."

"I'll go left." She nodded towards the hall. "You take the right?" Parker looked back at him.

"Sometimes I forget you're pregnant," Rick told her from out of the blue. "You don't act like it."

"Would you rather I stay home eating pickles, complaining that my feet hurt?" Parker asked before making a face. "Wait, don't answer that, because you'll say yes."

"Go left," Rick scoffed, rolling his eyes. Parker smiled at him.

"Yeah, whatever. Asshole."

"Love you too," Rick said over his shoulder. In response, she stuck up her middle finger already walking away. "Now go." 

"Already leaving," Parker walked down the hallway, checking each room for any sign of the guns. She opened a door and cautiously stepped into a bedroom, seeing that the lamp was still on. Whoever lived in that room either left in a hurry or was still there. She noticed the photo on the bureau and felt her heart sink. Parker knew that family smiling in the photograph. It was like a forgotten memory being dragged to the surface, remembering a night that was filled with terrified screams and an invasion of the camp they worked so hard to build. It reminded her of the day they said goodbye to that family, wishing them luck as they parted. Parker sighed sadly as her eyes roamed over the dirt-covered picture of the family. "Damn.." She muttered sadly as she remembered the short amount of time she'd spent with the four people.

"Keep your hands down," A voice ordered. One that sent shivers down her spine. "Turn around slowly," Parker did as she was told, turning to face the man. Turning to be face to face with someone so painfully familiar but so completely foreign to her that it sent a pain through her entire body.

"Morales..?" He looked different. He was no longer an innocent man who only cared for the safety of his family. His face was hard. Filled with anger and hatred. It now had an almost evil look, completely different from the man they said goodbye to all those years ago. He looked like he'd seen hell, and since he was there, working for the Saviors, Parker knew he probably had. The gun was pointed directly at her face, and Parker swallowed. "Morales..."

"Hi, Parker."

"Morales, do you remember me? Who I am?" Parker asked, pointing at herself slowly. "You were in Atlanta with me."

"That was a long time ago," Morales responded, holding up a walkie. "It's over, Parker. I called the Saviors and they're coming."

"Morales, please. Just listen to me, alright?" She stared at the gun that was only a few inches from her face.

"Guns down. Now," Morales demanded. Parker slowly lowered her rifle to the ground and pulled her pistol from its holster, letting it fall at her feet before straightening herself back up, hands raised in surrender.

"Just guns or...?" She nodded towards the knives on her belt. "I've taught myself how to throw knives pretty well."

"Toss those too then," He snapped, pointing at the knives with the gun tightly gripped in his hands.

"Please don't kill me."

"So, you're the Parker from Alexandria," Morales pieced together. "And I guess the Rick we've heard so much about is your brother. All this time... it was you two."

"You called your men for nothing," Parker explained to him, keeping her hands up. "The fight is out there. There's only me in here."

"Did you hear what I just said?" Morales asked her. "I know who you are. I saw it in the mirror through the open door. And it wasn't a memory from the past." Parker shook her head.

"No.. you're right. I'm real." She pointed at herself, his eyes tracking the movement of her hands. "I'm standing here now. Talking to you."

"As soon as I saw you, I knew you had taken the same journey as me. From there to here," Morales scoffed, an angry smile on his face for a moment. "Shit. Well, I guess we're not the same people we used to be, huh?"

"No.. no we're not," Parker said quietly. "Morales, please, you don't have to do this. You could come with us. To Alexandria. You don't have to be here. We can help."

"I called them back because you're a prize, Parker," Morales told her with a sick smile. "Both you and your brother, who I'm sure is here somewhere because there's no way he would let his pregnant sister go anywhere, are a prize."

"Why do you keep pointing a gun at me if you know I'm pregnant?" Parker asked, trying to make him out to be some kind of bad guy. "Are you that sick in the head?"

"I know everything about you," Morales said. "They told us about the pregnant sniper that Negan liked. And no, I'm not going to kill you. The gun is to stop you from doing something stupid. They ordered us not to kill you or your brother, Rick. Or the widow or the King. Not if we don't have to."

"You don't have to," Parker shook her head. "You don't have to do any of this."

"Why are you here, Parker?" Morales asked her, raising a curious eyebrow. "I know you. The you before. You were the girl willing to rush in and help, just like your brother. You were the one who took the hits and suffered the bruises. But why? What are you looking for?" Parker didn't say anything, deciding now was a good time to keep her mouth shut. Maybe for the first time ever. "Nothing to say, huh?" Morales scoffed, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Not anymore. Not for you or anyone you brought here. 'Cause what's left of my people... they'll be here shortly. And we'll hand you over to Negan. Or we won't."

"Morales, please," Parker whispered. "This won't end well for you. Rick and Daryl are here- I know! I lied before- but if they find you like this, they won't hesitate. I'm having twins... they're Daryl's. He's matured since Atlanta. He's no longer some asshole stuck to his brother's boot. We all grew up. We all went through hell, but we survived. Don't do this. What would your family think? Are they.. here?" An expression of pain crossed Morales's face.

"We never made it to Birmingham. They didn't make it."

"I'm so sorry," Parker said, a soft gasp leaving her lips as she watched his expression soften.

"Oh, really?" Morales spat, re-adjusting his grip on his gun.

"Really," Parker nodded. "I lost people too. Lori, Shane, Andrea, Dale... Glenn," She gritted her teeth to keep from crying at the mention of her best friend. "Negan killed him. He forced him to his knees. He bashed in his head. Right in front of me and in front of his pregnant wife."

"Glenn had a wife?" 

"Not before," Parker told him, her voice catching. "He met her. A couple weeks after the Atlanta camp fell."

"During this?" Morales asked her and Parker nodded her head again.

"Yeah, during this. It was on a farm. We found it after Atlanta. Carl.. do you remember Carl?" Morales nodded, tears pooling up in his eyes. "He was shot, and we met Glenn's wife there. Her dad and a close family friend of theirs saved his life. They loved each other so much... she's the Widow, and now Glenn's son has to grow up without a father because of Negan. Are you Negan too?" Morales raised his gun again.

"I lost my family. I lost my mind. I was in a trailer, trying to sleep myself to death. Hoping to become nothing. And the Saviors found me. They thought I was worth it. That I was worth bringing back with them. So, yeah. Yeah, I'm Negan. To get here, I had to be something. Someone. Just like you."

"We are not the same," Parker responded.

"How so?" Morales asked.

"Look at you," She motioned towards him. "I lost people I loved too. I lost a lot of them and the list is so terribly long that sometimes I lose my mind too. Just thinking about them makes me question if it's worth staying alive. To what? Lose more people?" She raised an eyebrow at him and he jerked the gun in her direction.

"Make a list."

"Dale, Amy, Jacqui, Jim, Andrea, T-Dog, Glenn, Shane, Lori," He went to say something but she stopped him, cutting him off before he could speak. "I'm not finished. A man named Abraham, a girl named Beth, and her father, Hershel. A married couple, Patrcia and Otis. A man named Axel. There were two little girls, Lizzie and Mika. A good few at a prison we stayed in for a while. Carol's daughter, Sophia. A good guy named Bob, a man named Tyreese, and his sister, Sasha. A boy named Noah, someone named Olivia, and a woman named Denise. Daryl lost his brother, Merle. I lost so many people, but I'm still here. I'm still fighting for me. For my family. What are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Morales repeated, gesturing around with the gun in his hands. "Look at us, Parker. Look at us. We're two assholes doing what we have to do to keep going, and the only difference is... I'm the one holding the gun. That doesn't make me worse than you, Parker. It just makes me luckier. Because, let's face it, if it wasn't me... if it were you or Rick or Daryl holding the gun, my brains would be strewn across the floor."

"You don't know that," Parker argued back, raising her voice slightly.

"And you do?" Morales said over her.

"If you think I would shoot you.. then you don't remember me at all. Then there is no helping you," She shot back, looking him up and down in disgust. "I remember you, Morales. You were the one who asked Dale why he always wound his watch at the same time every day. You were the one who believed in a better life for his family. For his wife. Kids. I know that the person you were then wouldn't even raise a gun in another human beings direction."

"Come on," Morales hissed. "Is that the best you can do?"

"I would at least try to find another way."

"Why? Because we knew each other for a few months back at the start of all of this?" Morales asked, chuckling.

"Because I knew the man you were," Parker replied. "The man you can still be. Your family wouldn't want this for you. I sure as hell-"

"Do you want to know what I think?" Morales cut her off. "I think you can talk all you want. You can use all the words. Name anybody you'd like.. Lori, Shane, Andrea, Glenn... they're all dead. And somewhere along the way, you died right along with them. Just like I did.." He nodded towards the picture of his family. "With them. That's what I know, Parker."

"No," Parker refused, her eyes lingering on the picture of him and his family. "I didn't die with them. I wanted to, but I surrounded myself with people who helped me move forward. Good people. People who wanted a better life, who didn't constantly have one hand on their gun. I fell in love. I... I got married. I found happiness in a world full of.. sadness? Living through all that shit, after losing so many people and thinking there was nothing left? Look at me now. I married Daryl, and I love him more than anything, but I love my babies more. So if you think you're going to get away with aiming a gun at my head, you're in for a real treat."

"Another thing," Morales stated, shifting is weight. "Even if, somehow, you manage to kill me before I kill you, the Saviors will show up. It doesn't matter what happens to me."

"It does matter," Parker insisted. "Your family wouldn't want this. I met your wife. I met your children. I taught them math and spelling with Carl and Sophia back at the start when you guys wanted them to still live a normal life. You can pretend those few months meant nothing, but a few months- shit, even just a few days- is a long time when death is lurking around every corner."

"Stop talking," Morales demanded.

"Why?" Parker stepped forward. "Are you tired of hearing the truth? You can change. It's not too late. We are fighting for a better world, one where Negan and the Saviors don't control our lives. They don't decide who lives and who dies. They have to go. Because once they're gone, we can build a better future."

"Stop talking!" Morales yelled louder, spit flying at her face.

"Shoot me," Parker shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe it will make you feel better. Maybe, in some fucked up way, you blame us for letting you go to Birmingham. But here's the truth, you listening? If you kill me, you won't get out alive. If you let me go, there's a chance that you can get out of this. Out of this place. Out of this dark mind space that you're trapped in." Morales walked closer to her.

"Shut up..."

"It's not too late," Parker said quietly. "I'm fighting for a better world for my daughter. Her name is gonna be Juniper. She's something good that I got from all of this. She's the good that came out of the bad. I'm fighting for a better world for my son. Alexander is what we're naming him. He's another good from all this bad. It's not too late. You put down the gun and I can take you back home with me."

"It is," Morales whispered. "It is too late. They're coming."

"Tell them it was a mistake," Parker pointed to the walkie. "Please. I can't go back to Negan. I can't go back there."

"Did you meet him?"

"He kept me locked in the Sanctuary," She explained to him. "He took me away from my family right after he killed Glenn in front of us. He kept Daryl as a prisoner and tortured him in the cells. We barely escaped. He's not a good person. He hides behind all of you and says he cares, but he hid behind his men when my nephew showed up with a machine gun. He can spout those lies to keep everyone in line. But that's all they are and will ever be! Lies. It's not too late for you. You still matter, Morales." She saw a flash of movement behind Morales. "Wait! Don't!" She was too late. The arrow from Daryl's crossbow lodged in Morales's throat, causing him to fall to the ground. Parker looked at his body with tears in her eyes. Daryl walked past Morales without even looking at him and placed a hand on Parker's cheek.

"Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"

"No," She shook her head. "I... I was talking to him. I was convincing him. That... that was..."

"I know who it was," Daryl cut her off as Rick turned the corner. "It don't matter. Not one little bit." Rick looked down at Morales.

"Is that...?

"Yeah," Parker responded, her voice calm. "They didn't make it to Birmingham."

"You find them guns?" Daryl pulled the arrow from the man's throat, looking between the two.

"They aren't here," Rick informed them and Parker looked at him with a confused look.

"What?" Daryl asked. Parker pointed to Morales' lifeless body.

"He called the Saviors on his walkie. We have to leave before..." A door burst open from somewhere nearby and Daryl pushed Parker behind the door, standing in front of her. Rick ran into the room, his eyes wide with surprise. Parker's terrified expression met his, and she opened her mouth to whisper the rest of her statement. "..they get here."