The aftermath of what took place left an eerie silence within the group. It was so quiet that you could almost hear the heartbeats of everyone. When the silence settled she noticed the button undone on her jeans which she quickly fixed, adjusting her shirt that had fallen off her shoulder, glancing over at Daryl who was right there by her side. When Rick had calmed down after seeing these men hurt his family, he turned to his sister. For days he believed that she was dead and accepted that he might never see her again, so seeing her alive and in front of him was almost difficult for him to believe.

"Parker?" He whispered softly. That was all it took for Parker's eyes to fill with tears as she quickly walked over to her brother. She didn't care that he was covered in blood because her clothes were painted red from Harley's. She walked into her brother's arms and everything bad that had happened in the past week or so was forgotten. It was just the Grimes siblings, rallying together and once again beating all odds. Rick held his sister in his arms, lifting her slightly off the ground, eyes closed as he appreciated knowing that his sister was alive.

"I thought you were dead," Parker said into his shoulder. "What the hell happened to you?" They shared their stories, recounting what happened to them after they were forced to leave the prison. Parker told him how she ended up alone, spending days walking through the woods looking for them, and then she told him how she eventually ended up finding Daryl. Rick had told her about what happened with Lou and how they ended up encountering the Claimers in the first place. Hearing the stories gave Parker a sense of comfort because, despite all the hardships they had faced, they had survived. They would always find each other. 

Rick and Daryl started dragging the bodies into the woods while Michonne took Carl to the car, sitting in the back seat while Parker covered the windows with spare shirts they had lying around. Once she was sure that Carl's visibility was limited only to the small cracks in the makeshift curtains, she made her way over to the last body that needed to be moved. She stood over Harley's body, her eyes wandering over the pool of blood that had formed around him, his hand still loosely placed on his chest. The last look of shock still etched on his face, and as Parker looked at the man who had attacked her twice, she didn't feel an ounce of guilt for what she had done. She picked up her knife she had abandoned by him, wiping the blood off on his clothes, slowly sliding it back into its sheath. Daryl came to stand next to her, almost afraid to touch her. He had never seen her so tense, and he hated how she seemed trapped reliving memories that tormented her. He was desperate to know how to help her. To help her get over them, but he couldn't force her to talk.

"I can take care of it." Daryl offered, going to grab one of his legs.

"Wait." Her voice seemed so different than what he was used to. Cold. Her hand wrapped around his wrist and he automatically stopped. He felt her grip on his wrist loosen as he did so and when his eyes met hers, there was nothing there. Just empty.

"Parker.."

"Just wait." She repeated quietly, her voice faltering as she stared at the body before them. "Please." Harley's fingers began to move slowly and a growl emanated from his throat. His eyes were glossed over, and as his body reanimated and came to life, more blood spilled from his mouth, his hands reaching for Parker's ankles. Daryl grabbed his knife as Rick emerged from the woods, the two watching, but she stopped them both. Parker raised her boot and slammed it down hard into Harley's skull, crushing it under her feet and killing him for good. It wasn't much, but it made her feel better. She rubbed the sole of her boot in the dirt, cleaning off the blood. She was able to kill him... twice. "Now you can take him." She had a look in her eyes that worried Rick and Daryl, the two mentioning it as they carried Harley's body into the trees, moving them out of sight for Carl's sake. 

The look in her eyes was hollow. It was as if crushing Harley's skull hadn't affected her in the slightest when in reality it should have. She should have shown a small flash of anger, hurt, or relief, but there was nothing. Only darkness. That's what worried them. Rick returned to his sister once they dumped the body with the rest of them, slowly putting his arm around her shoulders. He waited for her to react, and she sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. Rick squeezed her arm, trying to offer her some comfort or to assure her that they would be okay.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked her.

"I don't know," Parker answered hesitantly. "I want to be. But when something like that happens... it doesn't go away." Rick pulled her closer, his arm tightening around her.

"You're going to be alright, P."

"Eventually," Parker nodded. "It'll never go away. Not after this, but... eventually." She looked at Rick. "I have something to show you." She went over to her bag, rummaging through hers and Daryl's stuff until she found the pregnancy test. Something good to balance out the bad. She walked back over to Rick, Daryl a few feet away, leaning on the hood of the car. "Close your eyes and open your hand." She instructed, so he did. She placed the test in his hand, "Okay, now open." When Rick opened his eyes it took him a minute to process what he was looking at, but when it registered in his head, his eyes widened. 

"You're...?" Parker nodded.

"I found out a few days ago."

"You're pregnant?" Rick asked, looking between her and the test. "You're having a baby?"

"Yes, that's kinda what pregnant means," Parker replied, trying to figure out how he felt. "You're not angry, are you?"

"Of course, I'm not angry." He assured her and she ran a hand through her hair, sighing. "I'm just worried."

"Rick, I know." Parker shifted her weight. "I am too. But we're going to find a place to hold out for a while. And if we're lucky, maybe even a doctor. But whatever happens, I'll be alright." Rick agreed, nodding along.

"My little sister is going to have a kid. It doesn't seem right."

"I know." She chuckled, picking at her nails. "It seems so strange. But at least Judith will have someone." She furrowed her eyebrows at Rick when pain flashed on his face and she gasped once she realized why. "Oh my God. Rick, I'm so sorry." Parker had forgotten to ask about Judith in all the madness, but now she knew what happened. She was dead. And once she realized the fact, she felt her heart shatter. "Rick.."

"No. Don't apologize." Rick stopped, his head hung low. "I'm happy for you. And Daryl." He gestured for Daryl to join them. "Thank you for looking after her."

"She did most the work," Daryl nodded toward her. "I only found her a bit ago."

"Still. That's more than I did for her." Rick said grateful for Daryl's help, pulling him into a hug. Parker smiled at the sight.

"God, I can't tell you how happy I am that we found you."

"I'm glad you did," Rick responded as her eyes widened.

"I still haven't told Carl about the baby." She quickly hugged Daryl, kissing him on the cheek before heading to the car and opening the door. Michonne moved to the front seat, and Parker climbed into the back, sitting with Carl's head in her lap. He looked up at her with expectant eyes, as if he knew she was about to tell him something. "My beautiful boy." She whispered, a soft smile on her face as she brushed his hair out of his face.

"Are you okay, Aunt Parker?" Carl asked in a quiet voice. "I mean, like really okay?"

"Maybe not right now.. but I will be." She sighed, looking down at him. "It's just going to be a long nine months."

"Nine months?" Carl repeated slowly. "What's happening in ni- no!" He pushed himself up, figuring out what she meant. Parker nodded, laughing at his reaction.

"Yup."

"You're having a baby!?" Carl exclaimed excitedly. "What? How did you find out? When?" He rapidly asked, not a single pause between for her to answer.

"I found out a bit ago." She answered once he stopped, she glanced back at Michonne who was smiling in the front seat. "A few days before I found Daryl."

"You're going to have a baby." Carl said again in disbelief, placing a hand on her stomach. "Wait, will the same thing happen to you as..?"

"No." Parker interrupted him, shaking her head. "No, okay? I'm going to be fine."

"Is Daryl excited?" He asked curiously, she nodded instantly.

"Of course he is. And I just told your dad, so now everyone who needs to know knows. I'd prefer that we keep it a secret for a while, just until we're safe." Carl smiled, nodding to say that he understood.

"Who are you making the godfather?"

"I'm afraid Glenn already asked for that role a long time ago." Parker laughed, remembering the little pact she made with Glenn back at the supermarket. "But you're going to be the best cousin this baby could ever have." Carl heaved a quiet sigh.

"I can't believe it."

"Congratulations," Michonne smiled over her shoulder, slightly turning in her seat. "I'm happy for you. For both of you." Parker couldn't stop the smile from making it's way onto her face.

"Thank you." Carl gently placed his hand on her stomach, moving his ear closer to her.

"Hey, I don't know if you can hear me, but it's your cousin. Carl. I just wanted you to know that you're going to have the best parents and the best uncle and cousins. Michonne's going to be the fun aunt, and Glenn and Maggie will be the best godparents. You're going to grow up safe, okay? We're going to keep you safe." Parker chuckled quietly, running her hands through Carl's hair. None of them slept well that night, not after everything that happened. And although they shared their stories and adventures, as soon as the smiles and laughs faded, the monsters emerged from the shadows. 

The memories hovered over the group like a storm cloud. The silence was stronger than ever. Parker would never forget that night. Tonight was the night something inside Parker Grimes broke. Something that had been threatening to snap for a long time. When morning came, both Carl and Parker had finally fallen asleep. She startled awake at him shifting his position, and she found herself staring at him. Watching his expressions as he slept. There were scratches on his cheek from where his face had been pressed into the pavement and Parker wanted more than ever to take his pain away. She smiled softly at her nephew who was sleeping soundly in her embrace before drifting back to sleep and letting the darkness take her. 

Outside the car, Rick sat thinking, reliving what happened through flashes of memories in his mind. He knew Carl and Parker were safe, tucked inside the car, shielded by the t-shirts covering the windows, providing enough darkness to allow them to sleep. Daryl joined Rick after a while, pulling out the red cloth that he always carried in his back pocket and poured some water on it.

"No. We should save it to drink" Rick pointed out, nodding at the water as he poured it on the rag.

"You can't see yourself," Daryl glanced at him, mentioning the blood that still covered his face. "They can." He sat down next to Rick, handing him the cloth, Daryl looked at his feet as Rick tried to clean the blood off his face "I didn't know what they were."

"How'd you wind up with them?" Rick asked, hearing the guilt in Daryl's voice.

"I was with Beth." Daryl replied. "We got out together. I was with her for a while, looking for Parker."

"Is she dead?" Rick asked hesitantly.

"She's just gone" Daryl responded, giving Rick the same answer he gave Parker. "After that, that's when they found me. I mean, I knew they were bad but they had a code. It was simple. Stupid. But it was something. It was enough.."

"And you were alone," Rick added, understanding why he stayed with the Claimers. "When did you find Parker?"

"The day after I joined them." He told him, looking back at the car they were sitting against. "I heard screams and they... they had her, and they were gonna... I stopped them."

"You saved her." Rick stated, looking him in the eyes. "If you hadn't been with them, she would be dead."

"They wouldn't have killed her." Daryl shook his head, chewing his thumbnail. "Would've done much worse to her."

"But you stopped them," Rick repeated his words. "You saved her and you kept her safe. She's alive because of you."

"Yeah." Daryl nodded, allowing himself to believe Rick. "Said they were looking for some guy. Last night, they said they spotted him. Parker and I were hanging back. We were gonna leave, but she convinced me to stay, she didn't want to leave anyone with those people. That's when we saw it was you three. Right when you saw us. I didn't know what they could do. I mean, I knew what they could do cause of what they almost did to Parker, but I didn't know they were like this."

"It's not on you, Daryl." Rick assured him, trying to get him to meet his gaze. "Hey. it's not on you. You kept my sister alive, you brought her back to me and Carl. Being with her, helping her through all of that, that's what matters."

"I almost lost her." Daryl admitted almost silently. "I told her to run. Back at the prison. And then I lost her."

"But you found her again." Rick tried to reason, trying to get him to stop blaming himself for everything that went down. "We always find each other. Now more than ever. We need each other. Parker needs us all. You being back with us here, now. That's everything." Rick looked at Daryl, blood still covering his mouth. "You're my brother."

"Hey, what you did last night... anybody would have done that."

"No. Not that." Rick looked down at his hands.

"Something happened. Your family was in trouble." Daryl continued. "That ain't you."

"Daryl, you saw what I did to Tyreese," Rick argued, knowing that in some ways, they had all changed. "It ain't all of it, but that's me. That's why I'm here now. That's why Carl and Parker are. I want to keep them safe. That's all that matters." Little did he know that Carl and Parker had woken up just in time to hear him say that. They shared a look, knowing that they would do anything to keep Rick safe, just as he and Daryl would do anything for them. They were no longer just a group. They weren't just a bunch of survivors trying to survive the end of the world. They were family.