They took Carl to the church and laid him down inside. Parker had gone ahead, clearing the area of ​​walkers with her rifle. All around them, the houses of Alexandria were burning and the town was submerged in smoke.

"Thanks.. for... for getting me here," Carl whispered, looking ten times worse than before after making the trip there.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Rick apologized, knowing how hard the trip had been on his sons body. "I- I just... I didn't... I didn't want to leave you out there. I.. I-"

"No. No... for getting me here.." Carl said again. "For... for making it so I could be who.. who I wound up. Back at the prison... when we got attacked.. there was a kid, a little older than me. He had a gun. He was... he was starting to put it down, and I... I sh- I shot him. He was... he was giving up, and I... I just... shot him. I think about him. What I did to him and how... how easy it was to just... kill him."

"Carl, no," Rick shook his head. "No. What happened... what you'd lost... all the things you had to- all those things that you had to do. You- you- you.. you were just... you were just a boy."

"And you saw it," Carl nodded slowly, looking up at his father. "What it did. How... how easy it got. That's why you changed... why you brought those people from Woodbury in... you brought them in, and we all lived together. We were enemies. You put away your gun. You did it so I could change, so I could be who I am now. What you did then, how you... how you stopped fighting... it was right. It still is. It can be like that again. You can still be like that again."

"I can't be who I was," Rick whispered quietly, his voice gravely. "It's different now."

"You can't kill all of 'em, Dad," Carl insisted, barely able to lift his head. "There's gotta be something after. For you... and for them. There's gotta be something after. I know... you can't see it yet... how it could be. But I have. You have a beard. It's... it's bigger and grayer. Michonne's happy, Judith.. is older and she's listening to the songs I used to before with Aunt Parker's kids. Alexandria's bigger. There's... there's new houses... crops.. and people working. Everybody living... helping everybody else live. If you can still be who you were... that's how it could be. It could."

"Carl..." Rick blinked back tears. "It was all for you. Right from the start. Back in Atlanta, the farm... everything I did, it was for you. Then, at the prison, it was for you and Judith. It still is. It's gonna be. And nothing...nothing is gonna change that."

"I want this for you, Dad," Carl told him. "For you and Aunt Parker."

"I'm gonna make it real, Carl," Rick promised him, carefully placing a hand on his cheek. "I promise. I'm gonna make it real."

"Do you have my letters?" Carl asked, looking over to Parker.

"I've got them right here," She nodded, pulling them out to show him.

"Okay," Carl nodded, groaning slightly as he shifted uncomfortably. "Promise me that everyone gets them."

"I promise."

"Carl... I'm sorry," Rick whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. A father's job is to protect his son."

"Love," Carl said back to him. "It's just to love." Carl took his gun and Parker shook her head, quickly covering his hand with her own.

"Carl, no. No. It should... it should be..."

"I know, I know," Carl mumbled, pulling his hand away. "Somebody you love. When you can't do it yourself. But I still can. I grew up. I have to do this."

"You've grown up," Parker whispered in agreement. "And I'm so proud of who you've become and how far you've come since Atlanta. You're so brave and so strong, and you'll be okay. Whatever comes next. My beautiful boy, I love you. I love you so much."

"I love you too," Carl said softly, reaching out to place his hand on Parker's stomach. "I'm sorry, I'll never get to meet those two. Tell them... tell them that cousin Carl loves them, and that I'll be watching over the both of them."

"Rose," Parker whispered tearfully. "We're naming her Juniper Rose." A small smile washed over his face when he heard the middle name.

"Rose?" He repeated weakly. "Like the ones in moms backyard?" He raised an eyebrow, tears in his eyes. "For..."

"For the wild roses that used to grow in the backyard. By the woods." Parker said, nodding her head. 

"Juniper and Alexander. They're going to beat this world, just like Judith, and you've gotta help them. You have to be strong, Aunt Parker. You have to... you're going to beat this world too."

"I'll do it for you," Parker said, her voice barely audible. "I'll do it for you, Carl." Carl smiled, his eye moving to Michonne.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Michonne said through her tears. Carl then looked at his father.

"I love you, Dad."

"I love you, Carl," Rick whispered, barely able to get a proper word out. "I love you so much." He leaned forward, planting a kiss on Carl's forehead. "I'll make it real. I will. I will." They stayed with him until the sun began to rise, at which time they said goodbye for the last time. Parker stayed a moment after Rick and Michonne left, still kneeling next to her nephew. She didn't want to say goodbye. She didn't want this to be the end. She didn't want to wake up the next morning to a world without Carl Grimes.

"You're so brave," Parker told him, her voice just above a whisper.

"Don't get lost, Aunt Parker," Carl whispered. "I know you almost did when you killed those people who kidnapped you, Carol, and Maggie. I know you got lost for a while. Please don't get lost." Parker nodded her head.

"I won't. I love you. I always will."

"I love you too," Carl replied. "Go. Stay with Dad. Take care of him. Take care of Judith, Michonne, and Daryl. Take care of all of them for me."

"I will," Parker promised. "We're all gonna be okay."

"Good," Carl said, nodding. Even through the pain caused by the infection spreading through his veins, when his eye closed, Parker thought he looked peaceful. He didn't open his eyes when Parker left the room, but as she walked away silently, she heard him whisper something under his breath. The letters seemed to feel like an added weight in her pocket, the last piece of Carl Grimes that she had left. Parker helped Rick and Michonne dig the grave once they were able to. Her eyes often straying to the white sheet covering her nephew's body. Neither Rick nor Michonne had said anything, and Parker hadn't spoken since she left Carl's side. 

She continued digging, trying to forget that it was her nephew who was being buried. They marked his grave with a cross made of tree branches, tied with a piece of rope, and as the sun rose over the burning town, Parker knelt before her nephew's grave, replaying in her head every memory she could recall. It was just her, thinking about Carl, wondering where it all went wrong. The world seemed to have frozen around them, the silence deafening after a night of constant explosions. Her ears were ringing as she managed to focus on her surroundings, and the smell of burning buildings filled her nostrils. When she got up, she turned to look at Rick,

"I have to get to Hilltop.."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Rick asked her, his eyes trailing back to the newly dug grave.

"Yeah," Parker muttered. "I need to do this alone, okay? I'll be fine. I know the way there."

"It could be dangerous," Rick pointed out, not wanting her to go alone. "The Saviors..."

"I'll make it," Parker promised. "Even if I have to crawl, I'll make it."

"Okay," Rick nodded. "Are you leaving now?" She shook her head in response.

"There's a few things I have to grab." She headed to her old house with Rick and Michonne not far behind her, and on the porch she saw something that hadn't been there before. At least not that she could remember. In the corner, on one of the boards, were two hand prints in blue paint. One was from Carl and the other from Judith. Parker broke into a new wave of tears as she backed away and headed inside, staying no longer than necessary. 

She got what she needed, put everything in her backpack, and then went downstairs. When she left her and Daryl's room, she saw something hanging on the back of the door. It was her hat. She almost laughed at the sight, slowly picking it off door as if she were carrying an explosive. It seemed surreal that after all that had happened, the hat had been there all that time, surviving the night of explosions and fires. But it did, and while Parker put it on her head, she went back down the stairs. Rick was walking up the steps and met Parker in a hug.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah.. I have some food and spare clothes. I have a couple rifles, a knife, a gun... I'm fine."

"Two rifles?" Rick furrowed his eyebrows when he realized what she said. Parker nodded.

"Trust me, I know what I'm doing." Rick smiled sadly.

"Be careful out there."

"The same goes for you," Parker said back. "Don't let those trash people mess with you, and if Jadis shoots you again, tell her I won't miss next time." She reached into her pocket and took out Carl's letters, handing two of them to Rick. "Those are yours and Michonne's."

"And the others?" Rick asked, staring at the folded letters in her hands.

"I don't know who they're for," Parker shrugged, putting the letters in her pocket. "I'll see you later."

"See you later, P," Rick mumbled, watching her walk away. Parker found a car that hadn't been blown up and had half a tank of gas left. She stowed one of her rifles under the back seat, placed the other on the seat next to her, and threw her backpack on the floor, starting the engine. As she left Alexandria, she saw the walkers approaching and sighed,

"We're going to be back. Don't get too comfortable." The silence was overwhelming, but all Parker could think about was Carl. She desperately wished she had more time with him, and every minute she spent with him was a treasure. The roads were empty as she drove towards Hilltop, fully anticipating that the Saviors would catch her. She could feel the twins kicking in her stomach, and ran a hand over her belly. Carl would have loved to see them grow up, but he couldn't do it. Not anymore. Hell, he barely had the chance to watch his own baby sister grow up. 

Parker already missed him, but she could still hear his laugh in her head and his voice and she could see his smile. Gosh, she loved that smile. It always filled her with so much happiness and joy and gave her a warm feeling in her heart every time Carl smiled at her. She hoped she would never forget his smile. 

As she rounded a sharp bend in the road, she took quick notice of the army of cars blocking her path. She counted four military trucks, and maybe twenty Saviors. With a sigh, Parker slowed her vehicle and stopped about twenty feet away from them. The leader of the group, a man she recognized from the world before as James, stepped forward from the trucks.

"Get out of the car with your hands in the air. We'd hate to have to kill you." Parker reached into her backpack and pulled out an empty can. She had a plan in case she ran into any of the Saviors, and when she opened the door and got out of the car, she stood behind the door for added protection, hiding the can from view. "Shit," James chuckled as she climbed out. "If it's not Parker Grimes. Negan has been looking everywhere for your pretty ass."

"Well, here I am," Parker said sarcastically, looking around at the trees that blocked in both sides of the road.

"We're going to need your weapons," Jared told her, a man she new from her time in the Sanctuary.

"And... let me guess? You're gonna need me on my knees, right?" She cocked an eyebrow.

"If you could just reach into that there car and hand over that gun, that would be great." Parker threw down her knife and pistol, reaching into the car for the rifle, which joined her other weapons on the ground at her feet. 

"That's all I got, I swear. I'm really not in the mood to fight today."

"Step away from the car," Jared ordered, nodding his head in the other direction. "We just want to talk. No one needs to get hurt."

"Tell that to the people you killed in the bombing last night," Parker spat, stepping out from behind the car door. "But that's okay, because I have my own tricks."

"Oh, really?" James raised an eyebrow in disbelief, not believing her. "What are you going to-" Parker pretended to pull the pin of the 'grenade' and threw the can towards the Saviors. In their moment of blind panic, none of the Saviors stopped to consider that it wasn't actually an explosive. Instead, they ran for cover behind their cars, and Parker, who had yanked open the back door of the car to retrieve her other rifle, began shooting at them. James stepped out from behind the truck with his hands up and Parker raised her finger off of the trigger.

"If I were you, I wouldn't try anything," She snapped, eyeing the bodies now decorating the road. "I'd hate to have to kill you too."

"Smug bitch," He spat, kicking the can across the road. "A can? Seriously?"

"Yeah.. well, it worked because all your friends were dumbasses," Parker retorted, gesturing towards them with her rifle. James laughed angrily, pushing his hair from his face.

"Negan is going to kill every last one of you."

"I don't think he will," Parker said back, and for good measure she shot him in the arm. He fell with a pained grunt, grabbing his arm. "Stop being a baby. I'll let you go. Tell Negan I have a message for him and listen carefully because I'm only going to say it once. Tell him that he may have bombed our houses, and that he may have burned our town to the ground, but as long as we're here, we are going to fight, and sooner or later he's going to lose. Tell him that. Now get the hell out of here." James ran away, clutching his bleeding arm. When he left, pulling away in one of the trucks, Parker took her time checking out the dead Saviors. She stabbed each one in the head to prevent them from reanimating before going to their vehicles, rummaging through anything she could use. 

When her car was full of Saviors weapons and supplies, she pulled the trucks off the road and onto the grass, dragged the bodies in a pile just inside the trees, and then stayed in her car for a moment. She reached into her backpack and pulled out Carl's letter. There was one addressed to her, another to Enid, others for Maggie, Daryl, Judith, and even one for Parker's kids. She smiled at Carl's familiar handwriting, but when she reached the bottom of the pile and saw who the last letter was addressed to, her blood ran cold. Carl had written a letter to Negan. Parker didn't dare to read it and left the letters on the seat. She started the engine and set off towards Hilltop. She didn't want read her letter. Not when his death was so fresh in her mind

As she drove, she let the silence fill her head. Killing those Saviors had been easy, and maybe Carl was right. Maybe she had lost herself, especially after those women kidnapped her, Carol, and Maggie. Killing them had been easy, and it was that fact alone that instilled a fear within her that not even Negan himself could muster. Carl was right. She couldn't lose herself. She would not allow herself to forget the good that was left in the world. She couldn't become a monster. As Parker pressed her knuckles against the steering wheel, she knew it might be difficult to hold her ground, especially if they were going to war. People would die, people had already died, and Parker knew she would do whatever it took to prevent more lives from being lost. She looked at the seat next to her, her eyes lingering on the Saviors' walkie-talkie and the letter addressed to Negan. She took it and turned the dial, finding an active channel.

"Put Negan on," Parker demanded quietly, holding down the button on the side of the walkie.

"Who is this?" A man's voice asked in response.

"Tell him it's Parker Grimes," Parker replied. "I'm sure he'd want to talk to me." There was silence for a few seconds before Negan's voice replaced the other. 

"Well, hello Ms. Grimes- Dixon! Have you gotten in touch to discuss the terms of your surrender?"

"In your dreams, asshole," Parker ground out, holding the now opened letter in her shaking hand.

"Last night was something, huh?" Negan asked, and she could hear the smirk in his voice. "I don't think I've ever seen so many houses on fire."

"Those Saviors on Alexandria's path to the Hilltop?" Parker raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk on her face. "Your little patrol of douchebags? Yeah, they're all dead now. Don't worry, James is still alive, sent him back with a message."

"Well, damn," Negan chuckled bitterly. "You're just as brave as Carl. Tell me, are you proud of him? For what he did last night?"

"Yeah. We were all proud of him," Parker answered through clenched teeth. "But you should know something."

"And what is that?" He asked her.

"Carl is dead," Parker responded, pulling over to the side of the road. There was a long pause before he said anything. 

"How did it happen?"

"It wasn't anything you did, if that's what you're insinuating," Parker said in response. "He was helping someone. He was doing something good and he ended up paying the ultimate price for it."

"Shit," Negan sighed. She could hear it in the way he spoke that he felt something. Even if it was just a small feeling. He was hurt by the news. "I'm sorry."

"Stop lying," Parker ground out angrily. "He wrote you a letter."

"What does.. what does it say?" Negan said through another sigh. Parker took the letter for Negan and her eyes scanned over it. She held down the button as she read it, her eyes scouring over the words.

"Negan, this is Carl. I was helping someone. I got-" Parker cleared her throat, setting the letter down to wipe her eyes. "I got bit. We didn't even have to be doing what we were doing. I was.." She sighed, taking another second. "I was just helping someone and now I'm gone. You might be gone. Maybe my dad made your people give up and.. and he killed you, but I don't think so. I think you're still around and you're working on a way out. Maybe you got out. Maybe you think we're  a lost cause and you just want to kill all of us. I think you..." Parker swallowed around a lump in her throat as she looked at the blurred words. "I think you think you have to be who you are. I just wonder if this is what you wanted. I wanted to ask you.I wish I could have. Maybe you'll beat us. And if you do, they'll just be someone else to fight. The way out is working together. It's forgiveness. It's believing that... that it doesn't have to be a fight anymore. Because it doesn't. I hope my aunt and dad offer you peace. I hope you take it. I hope you take it. I hope... I hope everything can change. It did for me. Start over. You still can. - Carl." She put the letter down, blinking through her tears. "He's asking us to stop. To stop fighting amongst ourselves and find a way to live in peace."

"And you think that's going to happen?" Negan questioned.

"No," Parker whispered, staring at the road ahead of her. "And I know you don't think it's going to happen either. All I have to say is this. We're coming for you.. so you better be ready when we do."

Authors Note:

Welcome to 2025 everyone! And happy New years! I literally just finished writing and editing this cause I wanted to give y'all something before 2025 but.. close enough.