The group devised a plan to defend their home, making the Governor believe they had abandoned the prison. In reality, they would be waiting in the wings for the right moment, waiting for the Governor to let his guard down as he assumed his victory, and that was the moment they would launch their own attack. They had to defend their home, no matter how many soldiers the Governor had. They would have to fight. The morning they tested their plan was a little colder than usual, almost as if the world was warning them.

Parker saw Carl heading to the car with his bag. She was worried about him. Ever since Rick told them about his plan to give Michonne over to the Governor, Carl had been cold towards him. Parker has never seen him like this, not even when his mother died. When Lori died, he simply closed himself off, but now he was actively showing hostility towards his own father. He had been fine with Parker when she talked to him that morning, but with Rick, it was like he couldn't stand to see him.

Parker sighed as she heard Rick tell Glenn that 'he was just a kid and it was easy to forget that,' before going over to Daryl. Her own bag had been packed that morning and was safely stored in one of the cars, so she walked over to Daryl, who was working on his motorcycle. 

He had needed time to process his brother's death, and although he thought he wanted to be alone, he couldn't stand the silence. The night his brother died, he found Parker in the cell she had for herself and climbed into bed with her, needing the comfort of another person. She went out of her way to offer him that. When she stopped behind him, Daryl sighed. "You know, Merle never did nothing like that his whole life."

"He wanted to give us a chance and he did." Parker responded, offering Daryl a hand. "He redeemed himself." He took her hand and pulled himself up.

"Yeah, you're probably right." They drove the cars into the forest, stashing them in the trees to hide them. Beth, Hershel, Carl, and Judith were down there with the vehicles, hiding in case their plan went wrong and they had to leave. Rick couldn't put his children in danger, nor let Hershel and Beth get hurt if things went wrong. Parker, Glenn, and Maggie were dressed in the riot gear they had cleaned of walker guts, along with the vests they had found when searching the prison. When Parker tossed one of the vests on, Daryl walked over. "I got it," Daryl said, helping her tighten the straps. "You ain't gotta do this, you know that right? You're barely back on your feet."

"I have to defend my home," Parker heaved a sigh, looking over her shoulder at him. "Our home."

"No one would blame you if you backed out," Daryl continued, trying to talk her out of it.

"I would," Parker stated, pointing to herself. "Besides, I'm bulletproof and ready to kick ass. The Governor doesn't know what's about to hit him." Daryl rolled his eyes. 

"Just don't let them kill you."

"You got it," Parker replied. "Don't do anything stupid."

"How could I? You take all the stupidity with you." Daryl held in his laugh as she turned to look at him. Parker punched him on the shoulder gently. 

"That's mean!"

"I'm not sorry." While Parker and Maggie took positions on the skyway, taking cover behind their defenses to stay out of sight, Glenn headed to the lookout, hiding as they waited for his signal. The sound of approaching trucks made Parker's fingers tighten around the gun she was holding, and when she heard the gunshots start, she took a deep breath. When the Governor's men arrived, they blew up the guard towers and shot walkers down in the field before storming the prison. Parker knew she was as safe as possible, but knowing Rick and Daryl were nearby made her tense. She was just waiting for the signal. The Governor needed to pay, for what he did to Maggie by humiliating her, for what he did to Glenn, beating him almost to the point of killing him. For what he did to her, almost killing her by watching her bleed to death from a gunshot wound... he deserved everything that came and more. The grenades and the alarm blaring were when the three started preparing. Waiting for them to emerge from inside the prison.

When the Governor and his men returned to the yard, it was time, once they heard the signal, Glenn, Maggie, and Parker started shooting. As they did, the Governor's men fled, not having the right tools to protect themselves while being shot at. They didn't expect a counterattack and as they ran, Parker rested her rifle on the fence and aimed mainly for the Governor himself. Rick told them to kill if they had the chance, but Parker wasn't a cold-blooded killer. The only one she wanted dead was the Governor, and currently, he was surrounded by his pathetic excuse for soldiers, using them as a shield. As they fled, Parker watched them go, feeling relief course through her as she looked at Maggie through her visor, taking off her helmet and pushing her hair out of her face. 

"We won?"

"We did it!" Maggie yelled happily at Glenn.

"We did it," Glenn replied. "Come on down."

"Let's go," Parker nodded heading towards the stairs, her and Maggie sharing a quick hug. As they ran down the stairs to the yard, Daryl met Parker at the door and handed her his hat. It was something she continued to steal from him, and as she took it, putting it on her head, she smiled at him. "That was incredible," She laughed, and he smiled at her excitement. 

"At least you ain't dead."

"Bulletproof, bitch," Parker smiled, knocking on the vest. "Although that helmet was squeezing my brain." They joined the rest of their group by the fence, looking out over the field. Dead walkers were scattered across the grass, watchtowers were smoldering and their gates were still broken, but everyone was alive. No one had died, so that was a victory. The Governor had retreated, hopefully gone for good, but not even Parker was stupid enough to believe that. If they had killed him, then maybe she could let herself relax, but he was still alive, which meant they weren't out of the woods yet.

"We did it," Rick scanned over the field as those who had stayed at the prison regrouped. "We drove them out."

"We should go after them," Michonne suggested, wanting the Governor dead.

"We should finish it," Daryl agreed with her.

"It is finished." Maggie pointed out, sharing a confused look with Glenn. "Didn't you see them hightail it out of here?"

"He could regroup," Parker breathed out. "He's not dead. He's going to be even angrier than before."

"Yeah, we can't take the chance," Glenn stated, agreeing with the majority. "He's not going to stop."

"They're right," Carol spoke up. "We can't keep living like this."

"So, we take the fight back to Woodbury?" Maggie asked. "We barely made it back last time."

"I don't care," Daryl argued, pissed off at the events that had taken place the last time they had gone to Woodbury.

"Yeah." Rick nodded, going along with their new plan. "Let's check on the others." Everyone shrugged their shoulders before catching up with Rick. "Come on." Hershel, Beth, and Carl entered the prison with their bags, and Parker noticed Beth carrying Judith and headed over to her to see how her niece was doing. When Rick went to do the same, Carl walked over to him.

"Dad, I'm coming to Woodbury."

"Carl.." He seemed hesitant, not wanting to put his son in harm's way.

"Dad, I did my job out there. Just like all of you," Carl pleaded his case. "Took out one of the Governor's soldiers."

"One of his soldiers?" Parker asked, looking up to Hershel for more details.

"A kid running away." Hershel answered her, staring at the back of Carl's head. "He stumbled across us."

"No, he drew on us." Carl quickly defended.

"I'm sorry you had to do that," Rick apologized to him, standing up.

"It's what I was there for," Carl responded, shrugging slightly. "I'm going with you." Rick looked at Parker. 

"Do you want to talk to him?"

"Sure," Parker gave in, seeing the look in Rick's eyes. "But I know that anything I say won't help." Hershel moved to stand in front of the two, staring between Parker and Rick.

"That kid was scared. He was handing his gun over."

"He said he drew." Hershel simply shook his head at Rick's words. "Carl said it was in defense."

"I was there. He didn't have to shoot. He had every reason not to-"

"Maybe... maybe you just didn't see what he saw?" Parker tried to reason, not wanting to believe that Carl had actually killed another human. Let alone a kid. "Maybe that's what it looked like to you-"

"Parker!" Hershel stepped closer to the two of them, mere inches from their faces. "I'm telling the both of you... he gunned that kid down." Rick walked away, a distraught look on his face and Parker decided it was best to leave him alone. Parker walked over to their shared cell, where she found Carl throwing his bag on his bed. When he saw her, he sighed angrily. 

"Are you coming to scold me?"

"No," Parker answered, shaking her head. "Your dad wants me to talk to you, so here I am." She dropped her hands to her sides.

"What is there to talk about?" Carl asked not bothering to look at her.

"You shot someone, Carl," Parker sighed, walking over and sitting on the mattress. "That's what we need to talk about."

"He pulled out his gun," Carl defended himself. "I did what I had to. What any of you would have done."

"Carl, you're just a kid," Parker said. "And sometimes we all forget that, but the bottom line is that you are. You're not supposed to be doing this. Let alone being okay with it."

"What about you?" Carl asked, pointing at her. "Why do you get to dress up in fancy gear and shoot bad guys? Why can't I? It's the same thing."

"It's totally different," Parker quirked an eyebrow.

"I didn't want to shoot that boy," Carl finally said. "But I did. To protect Judith, Beth, and Hershel. The same way I shot Mom to protect us from her."

"Carl," Parker leaned forward a bit, looking him in the eyes. "Carl, your mother didn't want this world to ruin you. Killing people is what ruins you. Just because the world went to hell it doesn't mean we have to go down with it."

"What if they try to kill me?" 

"Then we make an exception," Parker replied. "But Carl, please listen to me. Not just as your Aunt or the person who let you stay up past your bedtime and eat ice cream for breakfast. Do not do something if you don't think it's right."

"It was the right decision," Carl insisted, not changing his mind. "It was." Parker sighed, realizing she wasn't getting anywhere. 

"Well, your dad definitely won't let you go to Woodbury, so if you don't go, neither will I."

"What? Why not?" She studied him for a moment.

"You're just a kid, Carl," Parker repeated, brushing her thumb across his cheek. "A kid who was forced to grow up to fast in a fucked up world. We have to slow down. All of us." Parker did as she said she would and stayed with Carl. They explored the prison, clearing some hallways of walkers to pass the time. She taught Carl how to clean a gun. How to properly throw a knife, and helped him learn to bottle-feed his sister. Glenn and Maggie stayed on guard duty, in case the Governor returned, while Parker was inside with her niece and nephew. Rick and Daryl left the same day, and Parker replaced Glenn and Maggie on watch duty, although it was pointless. In the dead of night, she couldn't see anything, and there was a stagnant silence throughout the prison broken only by the occasional grunt or moan of a walker passing by the fence.

Parker was slowly falling asleep at her post, sitting against the fence with a gun in her lap, when she suddenly heard the sounds of vehicles getting close. Terror shot through her veins as she wondered if it was the Governor, and as she stood up and ran across the yard, she froze at the familiar sound of a motorcycle. She opened the gate as Maggie and Glenn ran out, anticipating a fight. They relaxed when they saw Daryl drive through the open gates, followed by Rick in his truck and an old school bus driven by Michonne, armored with sheets of metal to protect against bullets. When she closed the gates with the help of Glenn, she left him the task of checking to make sure it was locked and ran to where Daryl had just gotten off his motorcycle. Running towards him she mumbled a quiet 'thank god' before hugging him, clinging to him as she breathed a sigh of relief. She saw Rick get out of the truck and left Daryl to go hug her brother, glad he got back safe. Then she saw people getting off the bus and looked at Rick for an explanation. "What is this?" Parker asked, watching as all the people filed out of the bus. "Who the hell are all these people?"

"They're joining us," Rick replied.

"Are they armed?" 

"No," Rick shook his head. "Innocent people from Woodbury."

"Are you sure about this?" Parker looked between him and the Woodbury people. "I mean, what are we going to do about food? And space?"

"We'll clean out the rest of the prison," Rick told her his plans. "Parker, believe me. I wouldn't have done it if I thought there was another way. These people are innocent. They didn't know. We couldn't just leave them." Parker was skeptical and she could tell Maggie and Glenn were too. Inviting so many strangers seemed like a bad idea, but when she saw the number of men, women, and children, she figured Rick was right. Like he said, they were innocent. Children were the future of the human race, and without them, humans would soon go extinct. Like Jenner had told them a while back... this was their extinction event. They had to be protected, in the same way that their group was so fiercely protective of Judith. She turned to Rick, a skeptical look still masked over her face. 

"Well, I'm trusting you on this."

"Thank you," Rick gave her an appreciative nod.

"And the Governor?"

"He's gone," Rick assured her.

"Dead?"

"No," Rick said. "But I doubt we'll see him again. He doesn't have his little army to hide behind anymore." Parker sighed. 

"Alright."

"Why don't you go help people settle in?" Rick suggested. "Maybe we could clean out another cell block."

"What about the one Axel and Oscar used?" Parker offered up the idea. "Rick, no one has been there since-"

"We'll clean out a different one," Rick stated, not wanting to use that one. "This prison is ours now. This is our home, so we have to make it safe."

"Carl and I cleared out some walkers," Parker informed him, he didn't seem too happy with it though. "We could really use some lights in those hallways."

"We'll work on it," Rick said. "For now, we'll take these people in and take care of them. We don't kill people who don't deserve to be killed." Parker smiled slightly. 

"You're right. We don't."

"We're going to be okay, P," Rick promised. "It's over now." Parker looked at her friends gathered around her. Maggie and Glenn- newly engaged. Carol, Daryl, Carl, Hershel, Beth... all these people were her family, and even though her group had just gotten a lot bigger, she knew these people here were her family. And they were the people she would die for if it came down to it. Now, all they had to do was turn the prison into a home. It would be difficult, but she had no doubt in her mind that they could do it. It could take months, even years, but in due time this place will make a good enough home. They would fix the gates, clear out the rest of the prison, and create stability. As Parker walked alongside Daryl towards the fence, she sat cross-legged and he joined her on the ground. She looked out at the field, a smile on her face.

"What are you thinking about?" Daryl asked.

"I don't know," Parker answered with a content sigh. "About everything, I guess? I just.. I never know if you guys are alive or dead until you come back. And every time you do, it's always a relief. Makes me happy, knowing that we're all here to live another day.."

"Hey, I was thinking-"

"Be careful," Parker cautioned jokingly. "You might hurt yourself."

"Okay, you know what, I won't tell you."

"I was joking! I was messing with you," Parker said, laughing. "What were you thinking about?"

"Asking you to marry me," Daryl responded.

"We already had this conversation," Parker scratched her nose, staring out at the field, now with a bit fewer walkers in it. "I don't know if it will work."

"It will," Daryl replied, digging into his vest pocket. "I have this, and I've already asked Rick."

"What?" Parker raised her eyebrows at him, surprised. "When?"

"Last night." 

The gunshots were loud and Daryl was getting a headache from the ringing in his ears. He was behind a wall with Rick, protecting himself from getting shot. He had been wondering when to ask him, and considering that they were currently fighting for their lives, he figured now was as good a time as any. "Hey, Rick. I got a question," Daryl called over the alarm that had just started blaring.

"Yeah?"

"Can I ask Parker to marry me?" Rick seemed more terrified by Daryl's question than the fact that he was currently in the middle of a shootout and turned to Daryl with a surprised look on his face. 

"Sorry, what?"

"You heard me."

"Uh.. sure," Rick responded as he randomly shot off some rounds. "Did you really have to ask now?"  He asked tossing a smoke grenade into the hallway as the Governor and his men shot blindly through the smoke

"As good a time as any," Daryl shrugged, raising his gun and firing. "So, that a yes?"

"Just don't hurt her," Rick warned him, a serious look on his face. "And if she says, no, it's not my fault."

"Thanks."

"Did you seriously ask him in the middle of a shootout?" Parker asked, laughing. "Such a dumbass."

"Hey, I had to ask," Daryl said. "Just so you knew I was serious." He opened his hand and there was a ring. Parker's eyes widened in surprise, and her breathing hitched in her throat. 

"You're being serious?"

"Parker Grimes, will you marry me?" Daryl asked. "Is that serious enough for you?" Parker was speechless, looking between the ring and Daryl. She saw the hopeful look in his eyes, the first time she saw him smile since Merle's death, without hesitation, she nodded. 

"Yes, I guess I'll marry you." Daryl smiled, slipping the ring onto her finger. 

"Good."

"I can't think of anyone better to marry," Parker responded, hugging him. She pulled back, kissing him softly, before resting her head on his shoulder. "You're stuck with me now Dixon."

"I know, that's why it took me a while to ask. Had to think that part over." She laughed quietly.

"I can't believe it's finally over."

"Me neither," Daryl replied. "We could finally have a chance." Parker smiled. 

"For the first time in a long time, I can see a future for us."

"Me too," Daryl stared ahead of them. "Mine is looking pretty good."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Authors Note:

Here's the end of season 3! The next season is still in the works so it might take a minute.