CHAPTER FIVE,
beth greene.

The group was literally tearing apart the church to make it safer for Michonne, Nathaniel, Macy, Carl, and Gabriel who were staying behind.

Daryl had told the group that Beth was still alive and the same people who had taken her had taken Carol as well. Aiden refused to stay behind so Rick finally caved in and allowed her to come.

Aiden hugged Carl and Michonne and kissed Judith's head before grabbing her bag, "stay safe." She told them.

Aiden, Daryl, Rick, Tyreese, Sasha, Noah, and Payton were all part of the group going to retrieve the two.

»

The group of seven made it to Atlanta where they knew Beth and Carol were being held. In Grady Memorial Hospital.

Aiden felt a sense of... home being back in Atlanta. This was where their first ever camp was, where she formed her first little family.

The seven stood in a circle around Rick inside a building, "at sundown we fire a shot into the air. Get two of them put on patrol. Then once it's dark enough that the rooftop spotter won't see us, we go. We cut the locks on one of the stairways, take it to the fifth floor. I open the door, Daryl takes the guard out."

"How?" Tyreese asked.

"He slits his throat. This is all about us doing this quiet, keeping the upper hand. They're not expecting us. From there, we run out. Knives and silenced weapons. We need to be fast. Tyreese, Sasha, and Payton, take them. Daryl and Aiden, you take care of whoever is in the kitchen. I got Dawn. If they're smart, the rest of them will give up. Then it'll be seven on three. Eight on three once we get a weapon to Beth." Rick said.

"Twelve on three. The wards will help." Noah stated.

"That's the best case? What's the worst case?" Tyreese questioned, "all it takes is one of those cops going down the hall at the wrong time. Then it's not quiet. All hands on deck. We're talking about a lot of bullets flying around. Around Aiden."

"If that's what it takes." Sasha said.

"It's not. If we get a couple of her cops alive out here, we do an even trade. Theirs for ours. Everybody gets home." Tyreese tried to reason.

"Yeah, I get it. And it might work. This will work." Rick said to Tyreese.

"Nah, that'll work, too. I don't want Aiden gettin' hurt, too risky, man. You say this Dawn, she's just trying to keep it together, right?" Daryl said to Noah.

"Trying and doing are two different things." Noah replied.

"You take two of her cops away, what choices does she have?" Daryl piped.

"Everybody goes home. Like he says." Aiden spoke after having not said a word in a couple hours, "no one dies. No one gets hurt. We all leave like we never planned to kill a soul."

»

Aiden heard Noah shoot the gun. She saw the younger boy, she already felt a sense of protection for, run their way. A cop car pulled up and hit him but not hard enough to do any serious damage.

Two cops, a male and female, got out and pointed their weapons at Noah. "Put it down, Noah."

"Put the gun down." Noah looked at the two and placed his gun down, "hands up. Turn around."

Aiden couldn't hear their conversation with Noah as the male cop zip tied him. Rick whistled and the two whipped around.

Payton and Aiden walked out from behind the building behind the two. Aiden whistled this time. Again, the two turned and saw they were cornered. "Hey, assholes."

"What do you want? Whatever this is, we can help." The woman said. Her eyes trained on Aiden.

"You do what we say, we don't hurt you." Rick said sternly.

"Okay." The male said and raised his hands.

"Good. Now turn around. Put your guns on the floor and kneel." The two obeyed. Noah limped towards Aiden who cut off the zip ties.

"You good, kid?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He replied.

"Mind if I ask you three something?" The male cop asked Rick, Aiden, and Payton, "they way you three talk... the way y'all carry yourselves... were you cops?" None replied, "believe it or not, I was, too."

"That's Lamson." Noah said to the two leaders, "he'll be down for this. He's one of the good ones."

Tires squealed and another cop car sped their way, "oh shit!" Aiden yelled out as she quickly moved out of the way and ducked behind the metal. She fired her M16 at the car while Lamson and the other cop got in.

"The tires!" Aiden yelled to Sasha who listened and fired at the back tires. "Go!"

The group ran after the three but stopped when they saw the scene in front of them. An abandoned cop car and several corpses.

Disgusting corpses that caused Aiden to throw up. "Bad timing." Payton muttered to her. She glared at him once she finished throwing up. Everyone looked at her, "you good?" Daryl asked her.

"Yeah." She replied. The group moved forward. Aiden gagged at the smell and covered her nose, her eyes watering.

The saw the two cops from before run, "two, on me!" Rick yelled. The group ran after the two.

Aiden noticed Daryl wasn't with the two, her and Rick took off back to the burned FEMA trailer and saw the cop that tried to save his fellow cops only few feet from Daryl. Rick shot one of the walkers and moved his gun to the bald cop.

Aiden helped up Daryl, "are you okay?" She asked him. He nodded.

"You win, asshole." The cop said to the two. He stood and stared Rick down, as if he were challenging him.

Rick looked about ready to shoot the man, Aiden was seconds from doing it. She pressed the barrel of his pistol against his head, "don't be stupid." She hissed lowly.

"Rick. Rick! Aiden!" Daryl said to the two, "Rick, Aiden, three is better than two."

The two lowered their guns and shared a look while Daryl zip tied his wrists.

»

Aiden leaned against one of the pillars, she was tired. Her entire body was covered in sweat, she tasted the vomit in her mouth, she just wanted Beth and Carol back.

She just wanted to brush her fucking teeth.

The cops asked about her, "what's her deal?"

"That's none of your damn business." Daryl snapped.

"I'm pregnant, assholes." Aiden said.

"We have a doctor that can help you." The woman said, "get you the right stuff."

"That'd be amazing." Aiden said.

»

Daryl's three better than two statement didn't mean shit to Rick. Lamson had knocked out Sasha and bolted. Rick returned and informed Daryl and Aiden that he had killed him. The three walked back to the others.

"He was a good man. He was attacked by rotters. Saw it go down." The woman lied.

"Huh. You're a damn good liar." Rick said.

"We're hanging by a thread here. He was attacked by rotters. That's the story."

"You said the trade was a bad idea. What changed?" Daryl asked.

"Lamson was our shot. So it's this or you go in guns blazin', right? You don't want that."

"If this is some bullshit you're spinning and things go south-"

"I know. I know the good ones from the bad. Let us help you."

"What about you?" Aiden asked the guy, "you wanna live? How much?"

He glared up at her, "Dawn's afraid she'll look weak in front of us. Think it'll tip things against her. Hell, it will. She'll see this trade as rip-off if she thinks you took out one of our guys. So it's a good thing Lamson got aced by rotters." Aiden rose her eyebrows with a nod.

"He's not a bad liar either." She said to Rick and Daryl.

»

The group walked up the stairs where they were about the make the trade, being led by a cop.

Aiden's heart was pounding once they stopped outside of a door. "Holster your weapons." Dawn said over the radio.

"You, too." Rick said. Aiden put her pistol into its holster but left her hand resting on her machete. The two cops opened the doors and led the group towards the other small group standing down the hall.

Beth wheeled Carol up a little, Aiden's hands were shaking in anticipation to hug Beth. "They haven't been harmed." Aiden stated.

"Where's Lamson?" Dawn asked.

"Rotters got him." Shepherd, the woman cop, replied.

"We saw it go down." Lacari replied, the bald cop.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. He was one of the good guys. One of yours for one of mine." Dawn said to the two leaders.

"Alright." Rick said.

"Move." Daryl shoved Lacari forward and a cop wheeled Carol towards them.

Aiden then moved Shepherd along as Dawn dragged Beth towards her, "oh, my God." Aiden sighed when the blonde girl reached her. Aiden wrapped her in a hug. Beth buried her head in Aiden's shoulder. Both of their eyes watering. "Hey, Bethy."

"Are you alright? How's the baby?" Beth asked, placing her hand on Aiden's still flat stomach.

"We're okay, we're both okay," Aiden said to the younger girl.

Beth handed her a backpack, "they said it's for the baby." Aiden took and threw it over her shoulder.

"Glad we could work things out. Now I just need Noah back." Dawn said. Aiden turned around and glared at the woman.

"What the fuck did you say?" Aiden seethed.

"I need Noah back. And then you can leave." Dawn said to the woman.

"That wasn't part of the deal." Rick walked forward.

"Noah was my ward. Beth took his place and I'm losing her, so I need him back."

"Ma'am, please, it's not-"

"Shepherd!" Dawn yelled, "we gave them their people back and the woman medicine for her pregnancy. My officers put their lives on the line to find him. One of them died."

"No, he ain't staying." Daryl said. He walked forward and stood beside her best friend and wife.

"He's one of mine. You have no claim on him."

"The boy wants to go home, so you have no claim on him." Aiden said.

"Well, then we don't have a deal."

"The deal is done.

"It's okay."

"No, no." Rick put his arm out in front of Noah.

"I got to do it." Noah handed Rick the pistol back.

"It's not okay."

"It's settled." Noah began to walk towards Dawn.

"Wait!" Beth yelled and walked towards Noah and hugged the boy.

"I knew you'd be back." Dawn said cunningly.

Beth let go of the boy and stood in front of Dawn, "I get it now." It happened so fast. Beth stabbed Dawn with a pair of scissors. Dawn fired into Beth's head, killing her instantly. Beth's blood splattered onto Aiden's face and shirt.

It was silent for a split second, everyone registering what the hell just happened.

It was Aiden's scream that set it off, "Beth!" The woman dropped to her knees beside the dead girl.

Daryl didn't hesitate to let a bullet fly into Dawn's skull.

She cradled Beth's bleeding against her chest, not caring one bit about the blood staining it.

Sobs racked her body as she held onto the younger girl.

Everyone stared at the woman who held onto Beth. Daryl's own cries could be heard. He stared down at his wife and friend.

He could feel his own heart breaking. Aiden's entire body was shaking with sobs. Daryl crouched down and picked her up from Aiden's lap. Aiden sat there a moment until Payton helped her up. Her hand gripping his.

The group left the hell hole and walked out, seeing the rest of their group. Abraham, Rosita,  Eugene, Maggie, Glenn, Tara, Nathaniel, Macy, Michonne, Gabriel.

Aiden walked out behind Rick, still sobbing with blood covered hands, face, and clothes.

She watched as Maggie fell to the ground, wailing at the sight of her sister. It only caused Aiden to cry even harder than before. Watching her best friend go through the same thing she had.

Aiden watched Daryl set Beth's body in front of Maggie gently. Glenn kneeled behind Maggie, gripping her shoulders.

Maggie screamed so loud at she held onto her baby sister.

It was a sound embedded in Aiden's head.

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word count: 2,074
episodes: crossed & coda

and that's that :(. edited chapter and it's beth's death. that means next chapter i have to edit tyreese's death as well :/.

this chapter absolutely broke my heart. i cried while typing it. beth's death will always be one of the hardest to watch and write.

aiden screaming "beth" destroyed me! aiden keeps losing everyone she loves and it hurts me because she's my baby.

but beth will forever be one of mf favorite females on the show. 

rest in paradise beth greene 🤍.