When Rick and Michonne arrived at Hilltop, the first place Rick visited was Glenn's grave. Parker found him there, having yet to get rid of the sheriff's hat which she still carried in one hand, placing the other on her brother's shoulder as she stopped at his side.

"Hey," she whispered softly, her voice drawing his attention. Rick looked at her, his eyes landing on Carl's hat, which she still held in her hand.

"Hey..." He said, looking back at her for a moment before his attention returned to the wooden cross that had been surrounded by stones to mark Glenn's grave. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Parker nodded slowly. "Don't tell anyone, but I ran into some Saviors on the way here.." When Rick's expression changed, Parker hurried to finish what she was saying. "Don't worry, I.. uh, killed them all. I let one go- funny story, it was actually James. From before. Oh, and I stole one of their walkie-talkies. I don't even remember doing it to be completely honest with you. Can you believe they thought an empty soda can was a grenade?" Rick let out a sigh, simply shaking his head.

"You're an idiot. Was a soda can really your plan?"

"I learned from the best," Parker defended herself, her mind wandering for a moment before she cleared her throat.  "And besides, I also brought an extra rifle, which played a part." Her eyes locked onto Glenn's grave and she sighed sadly. "It seems crazy to think that we just buried another member of our family." Rick placed his hand on Parker's, which was still on his shoulder.

"Yeah.. I always thought I would be the first of us to go."

"No offense, but I did too. You know, with you being the sheriff and all."

"Why do you have his hat?" Rick finally asked the question that had been running circles in his head.

"I'm taking care of it," Parker answered, her thumb brushing against the gold design. "Until Judith is old enough to understand where it came from and who it belonged to." Rick nodded.

"It makes sense. He always liked you more."

"That's probably the biggest lie I've ever heard," She muttered with a forced laugh, sitting down beside her brother. "You know, you have a big head." Rick laughed at that, looking over at her.

"Alright, thank you," Parker didn't smile as he responded, but her eyes lit up some at the small banter.

"You're welcome," She looked down at the hat in her hands and sighed, tucking her hair behind her ear. "There's something else. I figured it would be better to ask you than just going through with it 'cause he was your son." 

"What is it?"

"I was thinking... one of us could wear his hat as, like, a way of letting him be there for the final stand-off with Negan and the Saviors. Because, I know that even if we can't make ends meet with the Saviors without a fight, he'd still want to be there to see things through." She lifted the hat from her lap, offering it over to him. "It was your's before it was his, this damn sheriff's hat meant a lot to him, and it'll probably make you feel like he's there with you."

"I had my turn with that hat," Rick said, shaking his head and lightly pushing her hand away. "You can wear it this time, I suppose it's your turn. We can take Carl with us one more time." After a while, Daryl joined the Grimes siblings, standing a few feet away from the pair. He didn't know how to start what he wanted to say, but he forced himself to say something. Even if it didn't come out the exact way he intended.

"You know, I... I look around and...I think about the people that are gone... and the people that are still here. It ain't right. And it ain't fair. Look, about... what I did at Sanctuary, trying to end it real quick... I just wanted it done. I didn't want to give them another chance, not again. And I didn't care who was there. I don't know if that makes it right or-"

"It does," Rick spoke up as he rose to his feet, helping Parker up too. "I didn't want to risk killing innocent people. I should've just been worried about our people. Hell with anyone else."

"We'll keep fighting," Daryl assured him, nodding his head. "Until you're ready."

"I'm ready," Rick stated, looking him in the eyes. "Maggie's got lookouts out there."

"Every half-mile," Daryl confirmed. "Waiting to signal each other, I know."

"Yeah. I'm going out too," Rick told him which was news to Parker, who looked at him with concern. 

"Are you sure?"

"To make sure we're all ready."

"I'll go with you," Daryl offered, not sure if him being alone was the best thing in the world at this very moment.

"We should split up," Rick replied, dropping his chin to his chest. "We're covering as much ground as we can."

"Alright," Daryl agreed, also not wanting to fight him on anything. Especially not something like this. But judging from the look in his eyes, Parker could tell that Daryl wasn't too sure that Rick was holding up as well as he was trying to make it seem.

"I'm okay," Rick told the both of them when he caught them sharing an unsure look.

"Yeah?"

"It's okay to not be okay," Parker said quietly, putting a hand on his arm which he shrugged off as he turned his face away.

"Okay. I'm gonna be okay," Rick reassured them, although, Parker wasn't able to tell if he was saying that for them or for himself. He walked away and then stopped. "Daryl... thank you. For getting them here." Once Rick left, Parker offered Daryl a slightly forced smile.

"He's going to be okay," She nodded, saying it more to herself than anyone else as she watched Rick disappear behind some tents. "Maybe not completely, but he will be okay. Are you planning on heading out there with rest?"

"No," Daryl replied. "He said it would be fine. I'm gonna stay here with you."

"You don't have to-"

"Don't try to stop me," Daryl cut her off, shaking his head. "You need to rest, alright? You and I are goin' to go to bed and you're gonna to rest." He grabbed her hand and started leading her towards the Barrington House.

"But there's still a lot to do," Parker argued weakly as Daryl dragged her toward the giant building that stood in the center of the walled-in community.

"Nah, it can wait," Daryl shrugged off her words, continuing to walk ahead of her. "I talked to Michonne and Maggie before comin' here, and they both agreed."

"Traitors," Parker murmured. Reluctantly, she let Daryl lead her into the big house and into one of the spare rooms. Parker recognized it as the room they had stayed in after being rescued from the Sanctuary. Everything was the same, but Parker felt different. She felt empty. Like she would never be happy again. Carl, the light of her life since the day he was born, was gone. When he was alive, even when he wasn't near her, she could feel his presence. It was part of being so closely related to someone and having a bond as strong as they did. It was like she could always feel him. Almost as if she was able to sense when he was okay and when he was safe and when he wasn't. 

However, now that he was gone, it seemed like a part of Parker was missing. It was as if someone had ripped out a part of her heart and left her to fight the aftermath of the violence. She staggered a little at the thought of Carl. Alone as he pulled the trigger, and let out a sob. Her hand covered her mouth to try to catch it, but it slipped through and then there were arms around her, holding her close to his chest as Parker's knees went weak and she collapsed against him. Daryl managed to hold her up as he knelt on the ground, taking Parker with him to keep her from falling. 

She clung to his arm as she sobbed, her eyes fixed on the wall opposite of her, but Daryl knew that wasn't really what she was looking at. She was lost in her head, living through memories. "He's gone," Parker whispered, trapped in a loop, forced to relive that fact over and over again. "He's gone, he's gone. He's gone..."

"I know," Daryl whispered quietly. "I got you. I got you. You're okay."

"He's gone," Parker cried again. "I can't believe this.."

"I know, I know," Daryl continued to whisper. "But you gotta breathe for me. Breathe for me, okay? Think about June and Alex, right? They need you to breathe right now."

"We get to meet them soon," Parker whispered, running her hands over her stomach, trying to distract herself. "It won't be long."

"No," Daryl agreed, still holding her. "So you need to make this as easy as possible for yourself, okay? You need to rest."

"Maggie has....lookouts?" Parker asked, slightly out of breath after calming down. "Are we expecting an attack?" Daryl seemed unsure as he answered.

"We ain't sure. I hope not but they could attack." Parker nodded, knowing that it was always a possibility.

"Then I need to be ready. We need to be ready."

"You ain't fighting anymore," Daryl told her. "It's over, alright? I'm serious. You're goin' to stay in this room and rest. I'm gonna have Siddiq check you out."

"No, I'm fine," Parker argued, ignoring Daryl's concerns as she stood up. "I just need to... I just need to help everyone with preparations. Especially if we're gearing up for another war."

"You're exhausted," Daryl stated, following after her and holding the door closed. "You haven't slept in almost two damn days. Just get some sleep and you can help after." He took Carl's hat from her and rested it on the bedpost next to Parker, removing the covers and helping her into bed. She was on her side, and Daryl covered his wife with the blankets. When he turned to leave, she quickly grabbed ahold of his wrist.

"Where are you going?" Parker asked tiredly, physically fighting back sleep as she looked at him. "Don't go."

"I-"

"Please," Daryl couldn't say no. If anyone needed him, this would be where they would find him. He had abandoned his wife quite a bit, but right now she needed him. So this was where he was going to stay. With her, for however long it took her to recover from this devastating loss she had suffered. He took off his boots, climbed onto the bed, and lay down next to Parker. She turned onto her other side to look at him and he gently tucked her hair behind her ear. His touch was still the same gentle caress as the first time he touched her. Almost as if he was still afraid of breaking her. Parker's lip twitched slightly, her eyes on Daryl. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah," Daryl said, staring back at her. "I love you too."

"No, I want you to listen to me," Parker insisted. "I read Carl's letter and he said he supported us from the beginning- from the start. Back in Atlanta. He said we will be the last man and woman standing." Daryl was taken back in time at her words, a familiar blonde ponytail and warm smile swimming in his vision, the words, 'You're going to be the last man standing' echoing in his head. "And... I think he's right," Parker said. "Together, we can do anything, so promise me you'll never leave me, and if... if you ever want space, tell me and I'll give it to you. We need to communicate more. The twins will arrive soon and we have to be prepared. I know we will be fine, but right now it is a little difficult."

"Everyone will get better," Daryl told her, his voice soft. "You and I... you're everything I ever wanted."

"You too," Parker said. "Without you, I would never have made it this far, so never say again that you're not good enough for me, because you are. You are everything to me, and if I lose you, I... I don't know what I would do."

"You ain't ever gonna lose me," Daryl promised, hugging Parker to his chest. "Never, okay? I'll always be here."

"Good," Parker whispered. "I love you. A lot."

"I love you too." And, for a split second, Parker smiled.