Rick returned to Hilltop and found Daryl and Parker- two of the last people he was respecting to see. He was confused at first, but after Parker explained that she'd been able to convince King Ezekiel to fight with them, Rick revealed that they had a lead on the whereabouts of some guns. Without waiting for an argument to break out, Parker demanded to accompany them. And Rick reluctantly agreed. Neither he nor Daryl wanted to leave her alone, especially after the Saviors' visit was such a close call. 

So Parker got into the RV with her friends and they discussed their plan of attack. Using the explosives that the others had recovered on the way home from the Kingdom a few days earlier, they would set off bombs right outside the Oceanside camp, forcing the people to flee into the forest, where they would be met by Alexandria's forces and their demands would be answered. Parker walked with Carl and Enid, behind everyone else, and Carl kept looking at her from the corner of his eye. Parker pretended not to notice the first few times, but after a while, she turned to him and caught him red-handed.

"Is there something on my face?" Parker asked sarcastically. "Because you seem to find me very interesting." Carl's face turned beet red from embarrassment as soon as she called him out.

"No, I... I was just wondering why you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" Parker asked him.

"Because you're pregnant?" Enid responded, phrasing it as a question as she walked next to Parker.

"Well, that part is obvious. But that doesn't stop me from shooting a gun," Parker pointed out. "I bet I'm still just as threatening as anyone else while holding a gun. Besides, I've never been one to hang back. Sure as hell wouldn't want to be stuck at Hilltop without anyone there."

"It's not that bad," Enid protested, starting to drag behind a bit.

"I didn't say it was," Parker assured her, knowing that Enid actually liked being there. "I just meant that I don't want to stand by while everyone else is risking their lives. Also, Gregory is there. And he is not someone I can stand. Also shouldn't be around him without supervision."

"I'm surprised Daryl and Rick let you come," Enid laughed.

"Me too," Carl seconded. Parker scoffed, staring at the two men who walked ahead of all of them.

"You know I would never settle for a no." Their plan was put into motion the moment the first bomb exploded, the countdown having started the second Tara had stepped foot into the Oceanside camp. The ideal way this was supposed to go was without having to scare all their people shitless with bombs but that compromise had gone out the window as soon as the countdown hit zero. Parker almost jumped when she heard the explosion and saw the flames and smoke rising into the sky. She was half tempted to return to the RV, but she had a job to do. Grabbing her rifle, she and a small group of Alexandrians, including Carl, Gabriel, and Enid, encountered the fleeing Oceanside residents as they attempted to run into the woods, Michonnes gunfire corraling them straight to where Parker was waiting. "Everyone on the ground, now!" Parker shouted, directing the aim of her rifle at all of them. "Get all of your hands on your heads! Now!"

"Everybody stay calm," Carl instructed as all of the Oceansiders huddled up on the ground with their hands on the tops of their heads. "We don't want anyone to get hurt. Stay down and listen to what we say."

"We want this to go as simply and as peacefully as possible," Gabriel tried to make an example by letting his rifle hang at his side. "All of you can make it that way." Rick, Daryl, and Jesus returned with two more women. Rick shouldered his gun as he walked to the front of the group, stopping beside his sister.

"Now, we made a lot of noise. We want to wrap this up quick so you can send people to redirect anything coming this way. Tara said your forests are relatively clear so we won't take any chances. No one needs to get hurt. This is just about what you have, what we need." Rick explained to the people on their knees in front of them. That was until three more sets of footsteps crunched over the leaves making all heads whip in the direction of the approaching people.

"Nobody's taking anything!" A woman's voice blurted from the trees, only getting closer. Parker turned and saw a woman pushing Tara forward, a gun to her head. Parker directed her aim at the older woman as she stepped into the clearing fully.

"Let her go." She ordered, grounding her teeth together at the sight.

"You need to let everyone go. And leave. Right now," The woman demanded. "Just walk away or this one dies."

"Yeah, we'll leave you alone," Rick nodded, slowly getting closer to her. "But we're taking your guns with us. That's not gonna change. It's Natania, right? Put the gun down and let's talk about what we can change."

"No. Leave. Right now," Natania responded sharply. Tara looked up at the trees and Parker followed her gaze, seeing Michonne trying to get a clear shot.

"Michonne, don't!" Tara yelled, looking up at her with just her eyes. "Parker, put your gun down."

"We just wanna be left alone," Natania stated, shifting her weight from foot to foot.

"Yeah, we'll leave you alone," Rick said, gesturing for Parker to lower her gun. "Just let go of her. Now. Or.. we'll kill you. None of us want that."

"They want us to fight the Saviors," The girl behind Natania - which Parker assumed to be Cyndie according to Tara's description- told her people.

"We tried that. We lost," Natania ground out through clenched teeth. "Too much. We're not gonna lose anymore. Not our guns, not our safety.... not after everything we've done to get here."

"We're gonna win," Tara insisted, steeling her voice. "With your guns, with or without your help."

"Natania, put down your gun," Parker told her, trying to sound calm. As a show of faith, she even decided to finally let down her own, letting it hang limply at her side.

"You kill me and you die," Tara let the words fly out of her mouth. "And my people take the guns and nothing changes."

"Maybe we should try," A woman on the ground with chopped hair suggested, earning a lot of hushed bickering- most for the idea.

"Grandma, stop," Cyndie whispered. "It's over. Just talk to them, okay?"

"It's not over!" Natania shouted, jabbing the pistol into the back of Tara's head.

"Hey! You shoot her, I gun down all your people!" Parker warned, instantly grabbing ahold of her own gun again. "Think about what you do or you lose a good hundred lives." 

"They've forgotten. You've all forgotten. Some of you actually want to fight them? After everything? We can lose our guns, but us leaving this place to fight? After everything?! I have to remind you! Yes, I am going to do this, and then I'm gonna die." Parker adjusted her grip on her rifle, sparing a glance at Rick who shook his head at her. "But it's that important. This is your life, all of you! Remember what it looks like! Remember what they did to us! You need to see this. Open your eyes!"

"Rick!" Michonne's voice alerted from the tree. "Walkers!" Parker turned around to look for the walkers while Cyndie tackled her grandmother to the ground, revealing Enid who had been waiting behind Natania with a gun aimed at her head, and took the gun out of her hands. Approaching them was a herd of walkers, enough that it would be a burden to have to deal with, but not so many that they would be easily overwhelmed.

"Everybody up!" Rick shouted, helping some of the Oceansiders to their feet. "Get the children behind us! They're coming!"

"First shift, join them on the line!" The woman who had suggested joining the fight against Negan instructed. "Knives out. Dead only. Dead only!"

"Don't go anywhere," Parker hissed out as she passed a pistol she had strapped to her thigh to the lady yelling out orders. "I'm actually starting to like you people for some reason."

"Everyone! Shots within ten feet of the line," Rick yelled as he joined the front line of people. "That's it!" 

"Now!" Parker called out, firing off the first shot once the walkers were close enough. The walkers here were disgusting, and the smell that lingered in the trees from their presence was absolutely going to make her vomit if she had to stay here much longer. They were covered in barnacles, their skin hanging from their bodies, some swollen from the water. Parker continued shooting, never missing a shot. She had taken over Sasha's position as sniper chief since she and Rosita had gone missing on what Daryl and Parker assumed was a suicide mission to take down Negan. 

Since they weren't sure where they were, they couldn't afford a search party for them, so the two were on their own out wherever they had gone. When the last walker fell, the shooting stopped. Parker lowered her gun and looked at Rick. "We did it." Rick approached the girl who was giving the orders and she returned the knife Rick had given her, and he reached out for a handshake. Parker smiled at the sight, knowing that this group of survivors was bound to stick around for a good while.

"Hey, here's the gun," She handed Parker back the pistol and Daryl watched the interaction with an unimpressed look. "My name is Beatrice by the way."

"Thanks," She smiled as she holstered the pistol. "I'm Parker."

"No," Natania muttered, walking away. "We're not fighting them with you. So take your damn guns and go." With a few passed looks between the group, they all shrugged before following the Oceansiders back to their camp. They began loading their newly acquired guns, given to them by the Oceanside residents, filling the truck with more guns than they needed. Still, Parker and Daryl waited by the RV, loading it with the boxes and baskets that other members of their group had brought them. 

"You really gave that woman a fuckin' gun?" He murmured, catching up to her. Parker stopped after lifting a basket and wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

"Yeah, we needed the help. And it sure seemed like it worked out in our favor. I couldn't last another second in those damn woods after those gross-as-shit walkers passed through." Daryl passed her the basket he was carrying and she gave him a fed-up look. "This is hard work. I don't have the energy for this."

"And shootin' all them walkers ain't?" Daryl asked with a raised eyebrow. Parker shook her head.

"Being pregnant drains the majority of my energy. I got up from the couch in Jesus' trailer and had to take a five-minute break. I just want this pregnancy to end. Once they're here, it'll be easier. We can share the hard work." A little girl with a resting bitch face followed behind Tara, nagging her with questions as she headed for the RV.

"So, what? You're not leaving us any?" She asked, jogging to keep up. "What if we need some guns to defend ourselves?!"

"Nope. See you later, Rachel." Tara looked over her shoulder, flipping off the little girl. Parker snorted in laughter as she saw the rest of her group's reaction to the interaction. They traveled back to Alexandria, and Parker slept the entire way, her head resting on Carl's shoulder. When the RV stopped inside Alexandria's gates, Enid gently shook Parker's shoulder to wake her up.

"We're back," Enid whispered loudly, already standing up.

"Hilltop?" Parker murmured.

"Alexandria," Enid answered.

"Oh..?" Parker whispered as she sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "I didn't think I'd see this place again. Not for a long time at least." Parker saw a familiar figure waiting for them when they were all out of the RV. She gasped as her eyes focused on Rosita, and she saw Enid running towards her. Rosita looked terrible, but she was alive, and Parker breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her friend. This relief was quickly destroyed by Sasha's absence, and her heart sank.

"Hey, are you okay?" Enid asked Rosita breathlessly. 

"Where's Sasha?" Rosita didn't answer their questions, but instead looked at Rick.

"There's someone here." She led the way to the house that had been remodeled into a jail- thanks to Morgan- equipped with a cell for anyone they deemed worthy of such a place. And when Rosita opened the door, Parker saw Dwight sitting inside. Even seeing him made anger well up inside her, but her eyes landed on Daryl, watching his expression change. Everyone struggled to restrain Daryl, who lunged at Dwight the moment he saw him. 

"Whoa.. whoa!" Rick grunted, all of them fighting against Daryl, trying to keep him from getting ahold of Dwight. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Slow down. Come on." Parker quickly snuck past Rick and stood straight in front of Dwight, just staring him down. She reacted without thinking, punching him in the jaw and knocking him down. She ignored the pain that erupted through her already injured wrist and broken knuckles upon impact, watching Dwight double over and spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Parker!" Rick exclaimed, wrapping his arm around his sister's shoulders, and pulling her back gently. "Parker, stop it!"

"He says he wants to help us!" Rosita yelled over all the commotion happening at once.

"Help us?" Parker repeated, laughing as she glared daggers at Dwight. "Is it true? You?" She spat in his direction. "You want to help us?"

"I do," Dwight answered. Parker looked at Rick, who had yet to fully release her.

"We can't trust him, Rick." 

"Okay," Rick nodded at her, pulling out his gun and aiming it at Dwight. "Get on your knees." Dwight's eyes were fixed on Parker. He knew that if he ever saw her or Daryl again, they would never forgive him or trust him after what he had done and what pain he had caused. He was the reason Denise was dead. He was the reason Daryl was shot and kidnapped. And he was responsible for tormenting Daryl in the Sanctuary cells. Of course, they were going to hate him.

"Stop looking at her," Rick demanded, drawing Dwight's attention to him. "Look at me," He pointed to himself. "Why?" Rick still had one hand on his gun, the other he used to restrain his sister as she stood behind him with her fists clenched.

"'Cause I want it stopped," Dwight replied. "I want Negan dead."

"So why don't you kill him?" Rick asked.

"Can't just be me," Dwight explained, looking up from where he knelt. "They're all Negan."

"That girl you murdered.." Tara began, crouching in front of Dwight. "She had a name. Her name was Denise. And she was a doctor. And she helped people.

"I wasn't aiming for her," Dwight said through gritted teeth. Daryl lunged past Parker, grabbed Dwight by the neck with one hand, and pinned him against the wall with a knife in the other. The tip of the blade pointed directly at his eye.

"Do it," Tara snapped. "Do it."

"You wanna end it this way... you go ahead," Dwight accepted his fate. "I'm sorry. I am. I know you want to."

"He could just be here to see if you and Parker were here," Rick thought out loud.

"Thanks for putting that thought into my head," Parker muttered, her eyes never straying from the two people in front of her.

"We can't trust him," Michonne finalized once Rick had said it.

"He owned me," Dwight told Daryl. "But not anymore. What I did, I was doing it for someone else. She just got away. So now I'm here. So are you because of her. Your wife is here thanks to mine."

"Do it!" Tara encouraged.

"There's another choice," Dwight continued talking.

"Daryl," Tara breathed out. "Daryl.. you knew her."

"Negan trusts me," Dwight brought his attention back. "We can work together. We can.. stop him. You knew me then. And you know me now. You know I'm not lying. I'm not."

"Do it. Do it!" Tara shouted.

"Tara! Shut up!" Parker yelled over her. She watched the scene unfolding in front of her eyes, waiting to see what Daryl would do. Daryl's breathing was shallow as he lowered the knife, still pinning Dwight against the wall.

"They have Sasha," Rosita spoke up from the cell door. "If she's even alive."

"Why didn't you say something?" Jesus asked her. "He could be our only chance to get her back."

"Because I don't trust him," Rosita responded as if it was obvious- which to Parker, it was. "But I trust Daryl."

"Negan's comin' soon," Dwight informed all of them. "Tomorrow. Three trucks probably. Twenty Saviors and him. I can slow them down, bring some trees down in the road, buy a little time for you guys to get ready. If you can take them out, that's where we start. You kill them, I radio back to the Sanctuary."

"The Sanctuary?" Rick repeated him.

"Where Negan lives," Parker explained bitterly. "That's what they call the place."

"I can radio them and say everything's okay," Dwight continued explaining his plan. "You drive the trucks back, I can lead you right inside, and, with the right plan, we can wipe out the rest. Check to see if your friend's still alive. Then, we get the workers on our side, build our numbers up. We go from outpost to outpost and end this." Parker clenched her jaw. 

"Rick?" She turned to her brother, waiting to hear his take on the idea.

"Keep talking," Rick said quietly. They let Dwight go after discussing their plan, and Parker stayed with Daryl and Rick as they watched him walk up to the truck they had left him.

"We just started it." Rick inhaled sharply. "The whole thing."

"If he's lyin', I'm gonna kill 'em real slow" Daryl warned the two. "When this is done, I don't give a damn if he's sorry. I will kill that son of a bitch."

"If he's lying.." Parker sighed, watching as he drove off. "Then this is already over. Come on, we should get some rest." Parker was grateful to be back in her own room, even though the mattress was missing from the bed. She didn't care much, but instead went to her closet, where her and Daryl's clothes were hanging. She pulled out a clean shirt and a pair of jeans, placing them on the floor for the next morning. She wanted to get ready, but first, she was going to take a shower. She let the water soak into her skin, running over her body as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back, letting the water droplets fall down her face unhindered. She sighed as she reached for the shampoo, but stopped when someone else picked it up before she could. She turned around and saw that Daryl had joined her, and she let a soft smile appear on her face "Hey.."

"Are you alright?" Daryl asked. Parker nodded in response.

"We just have to survive, and then everything gets easier."

"Rick and I were talking," Daryl started to explain as he squeezed some shampoo into his palm. "About you, where you'll be tomorrow. We want you on one of the rooftops, with a good view of the entire town."

"There's a building a few streets away with a view of the entire town," Parker told him, knowing the entire reasoning behind it. "Let me guess, I'll be up there for my own safety?

"And because you're our best shot," Daryl added. "We need you up high, watching our backs while all this happens." Parker nodded, hesitantly agreeing.

"I'll do it. Anything that doesn't involve me sitting in another cellar or staying on the sidelines is better than nothing." Daryl smiled, beginning to work the shampoo through Parker's hair, his fingers scratching her scalp and allowing the bubbles to take over.

"You trust Dwight?"

"Do you trust him?" Parker countered, raising an eyebrow even though he couldn't see her face.

"I don't know," Daryl responded. "We'll see what happens tomorrow." Parker sighed, submerging herself under the water and letting the shampoo rinse itself out of her hair.

"I hope everything goes according to plan."

"The garbage people will come too," Daryl told her. "But I don't think Hilltop can get here." Parker nodded, understanding that Gregory was probably behind that decision.

"It's better than nothing," She noticed Daryl's expression when her hands rested on his shoulders. "Hey, we're going to win."

"I ain't lettin' you go back there," Daryl said quietly. "I'll die before I let that happen."

"I'm not going back," Parker assured him. "I'm going to be here, with you, standing over Negan's corpse. We're going to win." Daryl closed his eyes, nodding slightly.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Parker whispered, a smile growing on her face. "I always will." Parker took a step back so her back was against Daryl's chest. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders as the water rinsed the remaining bubbles from her hair. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, looking up at him. "I could stay like this forever," Parker whispered. "Just you and me."

"Me too," Daryl agreed as he opened his eyes. "But the water is getting cold."

"Do you want to go out?" He nodded.

"Yeah, let's get some sleep." Parker smiled as she turned the water off and wrapped herself in a towel.

"Tomorrow will be a great day." She said through a sigh, squeezing water out of her hair. "Also, you should really work on foreplay. Talking about my brother and then Dwight? While we're in the shower? Complete turn off."

Authors Note:

Happy freaking Thanksgiving y'all!
(For some at least)