Rick watches through the small crack in the door. Judith coos and grips onto my curls tightly, sucking on the ends a little.

"When the world was still the world, I worked for an NGO. Our mission was to deliver medicine and food to the Niger River Delta. Bad people pointed guns in my face every other week," Aaron says. "You're not bad people. You're not going to kill us. And we are definitely not going to kill you."

"Just because we're good people doesn't mean we won't kill you," Rick responds, shutting the door. "If the five of them aren't back in an hour, I'll put a knife in the base of your skull."

Judith crying starts crying and Rick walks over to the pair of us. I shush her softly as he grabs a bowl with some acorns in it. He starts crushing them with the butt of his gun and I watch, feeling the hunger pangs in my stomach growing with Judy's.

"You did see the jar of applesauce in my bag, right?" Aaron asks. "This isn't a trick. This isn't about trying to make you like me. It's self-preservation, because if the roamers hear her and come this way, I know I'll be the first to go."

Rick ignores him, giving up on the nuts and moving to the jars.

"Hope, you seem like a level headed person. Please, you've got to believe me."

A shiver runs down my spine. He knows my name too, even though I was never introduced. Creepy.

"You don't need to talk to her," Rick says before I can reply.

"Rick..." I groan.

He takes a spoonful of applesauce and walks over to Aaron, holding it up to his mouth. The prisoner looks up at him, horrified.

"You think I'm trying to poison your baby daughter? I'm tied up and you've already expressed a willingness to stab me in the head. How would cruelly killing your daughter in front of you in any way help the situation?"

"Maybe she doesn't die," Rick says, lowering down onto one knee. "Maybe she gets sick. Maybe you're the only one that can help her and I just lose."

"I am the only one who can help her, because I have applesauce, and we all win."

"Rick, I'll try it," I say, exasperated.

"No," he snaps.

"I hate applesauce," Aaron whimpers.

I shush Judith again, and she keeps making little noises of hunger as she tugs on my hair.

"Rick, for the love of all that is good and holy-" I start.

"Hope, I'm not letting you try anything."

"My mom used to make me eat foods I didn't like to make me more manly. Salmon patties, applesauce, and onions. She was a very confused woman who tried her damnedest. I just bring the jar to show that we have apple trees nearby," Aaron rambles, and I lean against the wall.

"Like you said, you'll be the first to go." Rick keeps holding the sauce out to him.

He grimaces and takes the spoonful, swallowing with some difficulty. Rick tries a little, licking his lips before nodding. He moves towards Judith and I, eating the rest of it off the spoon. I move to the jar and sit down, spooning little swallows into her mouth as she stops crying.

"The community is big enough. We can find a place for you to live where even when she cries, no one, nothing can hear it outside the walls," Aaron says. "Hope...your husband and you, you could have a place where you could raise your family."

Rick looks at me, his eyes softening a little. I exhale heavily, wanting so badly to believe that this guy is legit.

"You got forty-three minutes," Rick tells him.

Rick takes Judith from my arms, taking over feeding duty. I pace back and forth on the barn floor, feeling Aaron's eyes on me the entire time.

"How far along are you?" he asks.

I stop, looking down at him. "Four weeks."

"Relatively new then." I nod. He shifts a bit. "I'd imagine this trip is tiring you out a lot too."

"I don't need you to convince me," I say. I move closer and kneel down in front of him. I drop my voice to a whisper. "Convince Rick, and my husband."

He swallows and nods, and I give him a tight-lipped smile as I ease myself back up.

----------

The group returns, and Daryl immediately pulls me into a hug. I return it gratefully, and we retreat to a spot in the barn while the car run group puts out the stacks of canned goods they found. Rick examines them as we wait in a terse silence.

"This, this is ours now," Rick says to Aaron, shaking one can a little.

"There's more than enough," he replies.

"It's ours whether or not we go to your camp."

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't we go?" Carl asks.

"If he were lying or if he wanted to hurt us," Michonne answers. "But he isn't, and he doesn't. We need this. So we're going, all of us. Somebody say something if they feel differently."

"We do need this, man," Daryl chimes in, wrapping an arm around my waist. Everyone looks at the two of us, and I sigh. "Plus, this barn smells like horse shit."

Rick's eyes scan over every one of our tired faces, and his head gives a little nod.

"Yeah. We're going," Rick finally agrees. He turns to Aaron. "So where are we going? Where's your camp?"

"Well, every time I've done this, I've been behind the wheel driving recruits back," he replies. "I believe you're good people. I've bet my life on it. I'm just not ready to bet my friends' lives just yet."

"You're not driving. So if you want to get home, you'll have to tell us how," Michonne says calmly.

"Go north on Route 16."

"And then?"

"I'll tell you when we get there."

"We'll take 23 north," Rick says. "You'll give us directions from there."

"Rick, I don't think I that's a good idea," I cut in.

"Let me handle this, Hope."

"No, she's right. I don't know how else to say it. That's a bad idea," Aaron says. "We've cleared 16. It'll be faster."

"We'll take 23," Rick repeats. "We leave at sundown."

"We're doing this at night?" Sasha asks.

"Look, I know it's dangerous. But it's better than riding up to the gates during the day. If it isn't safe, we need to get gone before they know we're there."

"No one is going to hurt you," Aaron insists. "You're trying to protect your group, but you're putting them in danger."

"Tell me where the camp is, we'll leave right now." Rick stares at him, and he opens and shuts his mouth a few times before giving up. Rick nods, standing up. "It's going to be a long night. Eat. Get some rest if you can."

He leaves the barn, the door slamming shut behind him. Daryl grabs a can of stew and pries it open with his knife. He hands it to me and I eat hungrily. Everyone else takes food while I grab a water bottle. I move to Aaron's side and he looks up at me.

"Water?" I offer.

He nods. I put the bottle to his lips and tilt it a little. He gulps down some, swallowing as I pull it away again.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"You're welcome," I respond, getting up and walking back to Daryl's side. I give him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm going outside. See you soon."

"Be safe."

"I will." I pat my trusty knife.

I head outside, seeing Rick and Michonne talking quietly. They turn to look at me, and I smile lightly, hooking my thumbs in the belt loops of my jeans.

"I want to ride with you tonight," I say. "I know you two are probably going, but I want to be in that group."

"Hope-" Rick starts.

"I want to help. I can't stand sitting around like a helpless damsel all the time. There's plenty of time for that once this starts getting bigger." I point to my lower stomach to emphasize my point.

"You know Daryl will probably flip," Michonne reminds me.

"Let him. I need to do something while I can still move without a ton of difficulty."

Rick sighs, placing a hand on his forehead. "Fine. You can come."

I smile. "Thank you."

He nods, and I spin on my heel and head back to the barn.