the great war (r.g)

sixteen

glenn still wasn't back and that scared cora. it had been days since him and nicholas set off into town. if she was this scared for his safety, cora couldn't imagine what maggie was feeling. thats exactly what cora was thinking while being in the watch tower with her. "hey," cora spoke up. "do you want me to take over? maybe a fresh set of eyes will help." maggie was going on hour three in the tower, watching with those binoculars. cora wouldnt be surprised if they had molded to her face.

maggie momentarily took the binoculars off her face to look at cora. it didn't seem like she was fully there, her mind off in a completely other land. that was understandable though. "i'm pregnant," maggie blurted out.

that caught cora completely off guard. however, she should have expected it. maggie and glenn were the couple. if they weren't together, cora didn't know what she would do with herself. she often joked with rosita and maggie how they were 'the parents' of everyone.

cora's gaping mouth sprung into the biggest smile she could think of. she was ecstatic for her friend. "maggie!" cora exclaimed as she pulled maggie into a big hug. almost immediately after the hug started, cora felt maggie shaking, hearing soft sobs coming from her. "what's wrong?"

"i'm just-" maggie said, interrupted by more tears and a sigh. "i'm scared. this world is dangerous as it is. and who knows if i'll be a good mother. i know glenn will be an amazing father but...what if i mess up."

"hey," cora said, taking maggie's face in her hands, catching eye contact. "yes, this world is dangerous, but it's life now and we all have to deal with it. you see how good judith is, she's an angel child. and about the good mother thing. i had izzy when i was 17. you can't get much worse than parenting at 17 but she has turned out fine. everything's going to be okay. i'll be here. glenn will be here. we all will." maggie smiled at cora and pulled her back into a hug.

the two girls pulled back from the embrace when they heard steps coming up the stairs to the tower. "i'm just checking up on you guys," rick said, entering the small room that was far too small for three people.

maggie had already retaken her position at the window with the binoculars. "we're good, still no sign of glenn," cora told rick. "the walkers are blocking any safe possible way to reenter alexandria."

"then we need to lure them away. make a safe passage right up to the gates for glenn," rick proposed. it was a good idea. such a good idea it pulled maggie's attention away from her post.

"that could work," she said. "i'll do anything. how do we do it?"

***

later, cora found rick reinforcing the walls of alexandria. "rick," cora got his attention. rick turned his attention from the wood supports to her.

"hey," he greeted, wiping sweat from his forehead with a gloved hand. "you here to help?" he was joking, cora knew. denise still wasn't allowing her to do much heavy lifting. she was afraid cora's stitches might rip. cora knew, with her medical knowledge from the e.r, that she was fine by now but wanted to make denise feel better.

"thanks for rubbing it in my face that i am useless right now," cora said. "but on a real note, maggie is getting antsy about the whole 'luring the walkers away' thing. she wants to know if you have a plan."

rick sighed. cora knew it was going to be a hard task with as many walkers as there were but she felt bad for maggie. she couldn't imagine how scared she might be. "not yet," rick told her. "it's going to-"

"be a difficult task, i know," cora finished for him. "but maggie, she's..." cora didn't want to give any more information than rick knew. she doubted maggie has had time to break the news to everyone. "she's just scared."

"i know," rick said, stepping closer to cora. "we all are scared. for glenn, for the community, for enid who has gone missing. everything will turn out okay." rick put a hand on cora's shoulder. "now i know you know you're allowed to do heavy lifting and i could use a hand. come on." rick turned off back towards his work. with an eye roll, cora followed.

***

"oh my god." cora saw him first, bringing rick's attention over. spencer was trying to tightrope walk over the walkers and out the other side.

"spencer! turn back, this isn't safe," rick yelled at him. spencer didn't listen, he kept walking on. the walkers below him noticed and were reaching their arms and hands up to spencer.

"rick," cora said, noticing that the rope was about to give out and drop spencer. eugene and tara must have noticed too, seen as eugene ran away after tara asked him to get help. almost immediately, spencer dropped down in the herd. tara and cora sprung to action, shooting at the walkers around him to try and help. tobin, rick, and morgan eventually hauled spencer, unscathed, out of the hoarde.

"tara! quit risking your life for these people," rick chastised her. her response only being flicking rick off. cora couldn't help but laugh at the interaction, getting a side eye from rick. "you," rick turned on spencer. "why the hell would you do that?"

"i was going to find a car and lure the walkers away from the gates," spencer was trying to explain himself. cora expected rick to keep going off on him but, to her surprise, he just nodded along.

rick, cora, and tobin went back to fixing up the wall when, an hour or so later, maggie came rushing up to them. "rick. you're green balloons, look," maggie said, breathlessly, as she pointed up to the sky. cora looked up and saw the green balloons rick used as markers flying into the sky.

"glenn," she said, looking over at maggie.

"it has to be, doesn't it?" maggie asked, turning from cora to rick, needing to get his support.

before he could speak his opinion the three heard a large crash. the watch tower. it had crashed down, destroying part of the wall. cora looked at rick, who was looking at her with the same look in his eyes. panic.

***
a/n
little does cora know glenn doesnt-