Author's Note: While I love the show, I don't always agree with the writers' choices, to the point where I abandoned the show after the deaths of Beth and Tyrese. I'm all for killing characters when it serves the story, but they missed out on some great potential story-lines in favor of shock value. Even when I picked up watching again, I found myself rewriting episodes in my mind, so this story has been bouncing around in my head for a couple of years now. Beyond saving Beth and Tyrese (at least for now), there are a few other changes, which will be woven into the first couple of chapters and hopefully won't require much explanation. Standard disclaimer –these characters aren't mine, I just like to borrow them for a while.

Chapter 1: On the Road

Despite the chill in the night air, sweat dripped from the ends of Rick's hair as he watched his people, his family, being dragged to their knees on the gravel road, his heart sinking a little further into his gut as each one was lined up along either side of him. His emotions warred with each other, rage and heartache clashing for dominance.

Some of us are going to die tonight. He knew that, his law enforcement training and years of fighting for survival since the world went to shit both confirming that his situation was well and truly fucked. Still, part of him railed against what he knew to be true. After all, they'd been in worse situations and fought back. The Governor, the train cars, the massive hoard of undead swarming Alexandria's streets… they'd always found a way out, and he looked for one now.

Watching Daryl being unceremoniously thrown to the ground, arm and shoulder bloodied from an unseen wound, Rick couldn't help remembering another night on another road with another gun to his head, helpless while Joe and his "Claimers", as Rick had come to call them in his head after Daryl described their so-called code, threatened to rape and murder Michonne and Carl in front of him. Daryl wouldn't be materializing out of the woods to save them this time. Rick suddenly wished he were closer to both his wife and son, but Michonne was on the other side of Abraham, and Tyrese's hulking size blocked his view of Carl at the other end of the lineup.

Pay attention, asshole. Shane's voice in his ear brought Rick's focus back as Negan stood in front of him and began speaking. Best chances to fight are when they're moving you or when they're real comfortable in themselves, and you gotta be ready for both. Rick's subconscious wryly acknowledged that it was a sad day when the jackass who slept with his wife and tried to take his family for his own was the one making the most sense. Still, years of riding side-by-side with Shane into dangerous situations made his mind reach back to that familiar place to keep him grounded while Negan threatened to lay waste to his community's way of life. Look around, who can help you?

So Rick did just that, discretely surveying each person, mentally noting who was primed and ready for a fight, and who might end up being more of a hindrance than a help.

Eugene, set slightly apart from the group and sporting growing bruises on his face, was never someone Rick counted on in a fistfight and tonight was going to be no exception. The Saviors had clearly already gone to work on him and it wasn't a leap in Rick's mind how they had all been hunted down and herded to this spot so easily.

He could only catch glimpses of Carl without fully turning his head, and doing that would only call unwanted attention, but Rick knew his son. Kid might be barely fifteen years old, but if Rick gave even the slightest sign of a fight, Carl would be at his side. It was comforting, but also disconcerting – as much as Rick wanted to push back, he wasn't willing to risk his son unless he knew there was a good chance of getting him out alive.

Tyrese might not ever be the one to pick a fight, but Rick could see his fists clenched and knew the normally gentle giant would have no problem throwing his weight around, especially to protect his sister. And Aaron might look shocked and slightly panicky next to him, but Rick knew he would be just as quick to step up if the opportunity came.

Rick didn't even have to glance next to him to feel Sasha's anger and frustration rolling off her in waves. No, it wasn't the woman to his left that gave Rick pause, but the one on his right. Maggie was already in bad shape when they left Alexandria, and the trek clearly hadn't done her any favors. Sweaty, pale, and shaking both from fear and pain, Rick wasn't sure how long she'd stay conscious. At this point, it was only adrenaline keeping her upright and even that was bound to run out, sooner rather than later. And if they didn't get her out of her and to Hilltop, what was the point of all this? To risk everyone just to lose the very person, no, people, they were trying to save? Maggie and her unborn child were the mission, no matter what happened to the rest of them.

And it was obvious from Abraham's demeanor that he hadn't forgotten that for a second. He kept his hand discreetly on Maggie's back, steadying her, even as he rose up as high up on his knees as he could be without standing up. Michonne had done the same, as close to defying Negan's orders to kneel as they could without actually doing it, drawing the Saviors' collective attention in their direction. As much as Rick wished she wouldn't, he admired the hell out of Michonne for not backing down. She risked a glance in his direction as Negan began circling the group, Eenie…Meenie…Miney…Moe… and Rick knew she was thinking along the same lines as he was. Draw their focus, find an opening.

Rick was so focused on trying to catch the collective attentions of Daryl, Rosita, and Glenn that he was caught off guard when Negan stopped his sing-song parody of a children's game.

"Eugene. That's your fucking name, right? Eugene?" The leather-clad leader of the Saviors was standing directly in front of the fearful scientist, which meant that he and his barbed baseball bat were entirely too close to Carl for Rick's liking. He felt his gut clench up in a fresh wave of fear. Please, Carl, stay down, stay quiet. Please, don't let me lose my son tonight. Not like this.

Negan impatiently tapped his bat against the top of his shoe while Eugene stammered out a reply, "I…I am… Dr. Eugene Porter… yes."

"Rumor has it you're a smart man. Are you a smart man, Dr. Eugene Porter?" Though he never raised it, Negan's voice carried over the group. Somehow, the man made it so that, even with his back partially turned towards Rick, he could hear the wide smile in the man's tone, even as Eugene grew visibly more shaken by the exchange.

"I have been known to generate a clever idea or two from time to time."

"Oh, don't be so modest, Dr. Eugene Porter! I mean, these fucking idiots here," he gestured to the rest of the group with Lucille, "might have the brawn, the fighting spirit, but they'd be nothing without a motherfucking genius like you to back them up with your fucking brilliant ideas and inventions."

Eugene shook and looked everywhere but at Negan as he tried to figure out what he was supposed to say to that, but, apparently, Negan didn't require a response now that he'd gotten warmed up.

"I bet that's exactly how it works! Tricky Rick over there comes up with the big crazy scheme, you figure out how to make it work, and the rest of these jackasses all just fall in line. Is that how it works, Eugene? Yeah," Negan nodded to himself and stopped pacing, bringing himself back to Eugene and stooping down to force the frightened man to meet his gaze.

"I can't help but think back to my outpost, the one your people wiped out even though none of us had ever laid a fucking finger on you or yours. I had thirty people working there, thirty-one if we're being exact. I see a dozen here, and you and I both know that you weren't out there fighting that night. Ten, eleven people against thirty-one. How the fuck do my people all end up dead and yours walk away without a goddamned scratch? But then I remember that most of my people weren't killed with bullets or blades… it was the fire that got them. A few well-placed homemade fire bombs that swept through that satellite compound, flames sucking out all the air and scorching their lungs. Clever, really, only a few left to put up any kind of fight. Grenades would have been too strong a blast, damage the walls, maybe bring the building down. It was just enough to take out the people, just the right amount of force…" Negan let his voice trail off as he tilted his head, raised his eyebrows, until Eugene gave a shaky nod. Negan gave a slight nod in return.

"Were you there that night, Eugene? See your handiwork in person?"

Eugene shook his head, "There was no need, I calculated the ratio of explosive to ignition fuel perfectly from the get-go. Tailor-made, no muss no fuss means of neutralizing the enemy." He stopped himself short, suddenly realizing who he was talking to.

But Negan barked a laugh as he stood up, "No, don't stop or sell yourself short, Eugene! It was creative, a neat solution to your group's troubles. I like clever. I like creative. We need that, building a whole new fucking world out of the ashes and shit left by the old one. You gotta have smart people to make it work."

He turned and addressed the group more fully. "What I can't have, what I Can't. Fucking. Stand… are cowards. Gutless little bitches who stay behind and hide while everyone else risks their lives doing the dirty work. I can't have that at all."

And he brought the bat down on Eugene's head.

A brief prologue just to get the ball rolling... all reviews are appreciated!