I knew what was going to happen. Eric and Kyra were back. The second I heard his voice, my body filled with frantic panic. The little girl I was holding was going to be wrenched from my arms and given to a mother that never truly loved her. I didn't even feel anything for the fiancé I'd believed dead. I simply felt fear, a reaction mirrored by Daryl, who moved in front of the two of us quickly and glared at the advancing couple. The two of them ignored Daryl completely.

"Jesse! You're alive! And Arlene's alive too! I've been looking for you!" Eric cried out.

"Keep yer distance," Daryl growled as they drew closer. "Won' tell ya twice not to touch 'em."

"Excuse me?" Kyra snapped. "That's my little girl and that's Eric's fiancé!"

"Ain't his fiancé no more," Daryl informed her roughly. It didn't even bother me that he didn't ask my opinion. I knew he was just protecting what he viewed as his. "An that lil girl ain' never been yers. So keep yer fuckin' distance."

"Daryl, mouth," I said more out of habit that anything else.

"Jezze Momma, what's going on?" Arlene asked.

"Jesse Momma?" Kyra repeated, her blue eyes landing on the two of us and a frown decorating her face. "You're not her momma. You're not even her stepmother! Eric never married you! She's not your daughter! Give me my kid! You should have run to us the first thing we got off the bus!"

"She is my daughter and you'll keep yer fuckin' distance!" I snapped. "Ya haven't been around to take care of her since she was bout two years old. And, Eric, ya left us to look for her!"

"Jesse, I know I hurt you when I left, but I'm back now. I'm so glad you're here. I've been out of my mind with worry. I've been…"

"Fuckin' that girl." Daryl said darkly, nodding towards Kyra.

"Who are you again?"

"Johnny!" I screamed. He looked up from where he was with Beth, Carol, and Judith, cooing over the incoming children. He followed my line of sight to where Eric and Kyra were standing and he grabbed Beth's arm to yank her over. He took Arlene from me and handed her to Beth quickly. He ordered, "Take her into the cell. Don't let nobody in til Daryl, Jesse, or me come get her an ya. Fuckin' go."

He took his spot on the other side of me and blocked Kyra's effort to move towards Arlene. Once she was safely taken to the cell block, Daryl stepped back to my side and we stared at Eric and Kyra dangerously. Eric said diplomatically, "Let's talk about this. Come on. The two of you know we are Arlene's real parents. Her name is Arlene Edith Finnigan. Not Arlene Edith Rogers. Not Arlene Edith…whatever this douchebag's name is."

"Watch yer fuckin' mouth or I'll break yer fuckin' jaw. Ya was the one left Lil Bit an Jesse. Ya don' get to come back now an say ya want 'em. Ain't fuckin' happenin'. Ya ain't gettin' 'em."

I reached down and took Daryl's hand in my own. I needed his strength and I needed him to keep me from punching Eric in the face. Johnny said in agreement, "Ya left, Eric. Arlene an Jesse begged ya not to go. They begged ya to stay with them an ya left both of them. We were there for months. We stayed there til we couldn' no more an ya never came back."

"He doesn't want you, you ugly whore," Kyra snarled. "We just want our daughter back. We would have been polite if you'd have just handed her over."

"Ain't never hit a woman in my life but ya better watch yer fuckin' mouth or I'll take ya over to that fuckin' fence an I'll toss ya to 'em walkers, ya get me ya scrawny bitch?" Daryl's voice was getting lower and lower and his accent was becoming thicker and thicker.

"Ya ain't gettin' that lil girl. I don' care," Johnny agreed. "Ain't neither of ya gettin' her."

I reached down and took Johnny's hand with my other hand and he squeezed it tight. I snapped, "I have taken care of Arlene. I have been there when she woke up from nightmares, screaming her lil head off. I was the one who slept up in trees with her tied to me so she wouldn't fall. I walked miles every single day with her on my back. Daryl and I taught her the alphabet! Because of us, she knows her entire alphabet and she can count to 43! What the fuck have ya done for her? What have ya ever done for her?"

Rick looked up at us. The screaming was attracting everybody's attention but I didn't care. It was over my dead body that those two would be taking my little girl. I realized in that second that I had never loved Eric. Not for a single day in our relationship. I loved his little girl and, because of that, I needed him. But, with the end of the world, I didn't need him anymore. Arlene was mine more than she was ever theirs. Even Daryl had more claim to her than either of them did.

Rick made his way over and stepped between us. He asked, "What's going on, Daryl?"

I kept my eyes on Eric and Kyra. Their blue eyes flashed back at me angrily. They didn't have the same type of anger I did. They had the anger of people who believed they were owed something. Johnny, Daryl, and I had the type of anger of people who were protecting what was theirs.

"Rick, you're the leader. Tyreese told us that you're a good man who does the right thing," Eric's voice was level. He could always have a level voice when he wanted something. It was how he'd always convinced me to look the other way when he'd come in at night smelling like his whore of an ex. "We're Arlene's parents and we just want our daughter back. You have to understand that we thought she was dead. I don't know why Jesse is acting this way."

"Rick," my voice was cracking, I could hear it. But I was desperate. I couldn't lose my little girl. I would die first. "Johnny and I have been here for about two months now. Please, you know us. You know Arlene. We've told you about how things were before. Don't let them take my little girl. Please. Don't let them take her from me."

"What's going on? Why is anyone taking Arlene away from you?"

"We are her real parents," Eric restated. "And we are sorry that we've saddled Jesse here with her for so long. I meant to return to the farm in days but after I found Kyra, a herd came through and chased us South. All I ever wanted to do was get back to Jesse and Arlene."

"Bullshit!" I screamed. "Ya were fuckin' Kyra before all of this happened! I know ya were and I never cared because I loved Arlene too much to lose her! So fuck Kyra all ya want but ya aren't takin' Arlene away from me! I have raised that lil girl since she was two years old. Ya bastards lost her in a supermarket. I found her and I took care of her!"

Suddenly, the hands I was grasping weren't for support. They were holding me back. I didn't even realize I was moving forwards until Daryl and Johnny yanked me back. Rick ordered, "Calm down, Jesse. We can talk about this. We can do this civilly. It's just like a custody battle. They are her real parents. We can't write them off."

"She doesn't even know them!"

"Rick, ya can' let 'em take Lil Bit."

"Daryl, this really isn't right. Arlene should at least get the chance to know her real parents."

"Rick, I ain' gonna let 'em take Lil Bit from me an Jesse. We're her family an I'll take my fuckin' family an I'll leave."

"You won't go anywhere with my daughter."

I wrenched my hand away from Eric's and drew my Beretta from the back of my pants. I leveled it at Eric's head quickly. I snarled, "Ya have no claim to her and I'll blow yer fuckin' head off fore I let ya near her."

"Fuck! Jesse, put the gun down," Rick ordered.

I stepped out of his arms reach and circled around Daryl. I said as calmly as if I were talking about the weather, "See, Rick, when ya brought these new refugees in, did ya check 'em for bites? Because Kyra here," I moved the gun to her. "she looks kinda shaky. I'm almost certain she's been bit."

"I'm not bit!" she squealed.

"And, Eric here," I returned the gun to dead center of my ex fiancé's head, "if he's been fuckin' her like I know he has, I bet he's been infected too. I think we have a damn crisis on our hands. We can't let infected people into the prison. They'll turn in there. Kill everybody around them."

"Jesse, stop it," Rick ordered. He moved towards me and Johnny grabbed his arm quickly to stop him. Michonne stood behind Rick, assessing the situation with her mildly bored gaze. I would almost be worried about her stepping in if I didn't know for sure that she didn't like to get involved.

"Shit, I think it's my duty as a part of this group to put them down. Like rabid fuckin' dogs."

"Daryl, stop her. If she shoots them, she'll have to leave."

"Make 'em agree not to take Lil Bit from us," Daryl bargained coldly.

"Daryl, please."

"Don't let them take Arlene from us," Daryl repeated, enunciating each sound of each word.

"We'll work something out," Rick promised. "You won't have to lose her. You can share her."

"I don't want this fucking psycho bitch near my daughter!" Kyra screamed.

I returned the gun to her and cocked it quickly. Everybody in the yard was staring at us by this point, not knowing what to do. I said quietly, "Kyra, I'll let ya know that I've killed before to keep Arlene safe. I have no problem doin' it again."

"Jesse, Arlene is safe."

"Not 'round those two she ain't!" Johnny joined in. "I fuckin' know how they are! Fuckin' saw that dumbass wit my sister an that lil girl! Ain't no good gonna come outta lettin' Arlene near 'em!"

"Look, calm down. For now, Arlene will stay with Jesse and Daryl…"

"Ain't no 'fer now' 'bout it," Daryl snapped. "She's stayin' wit us. Our lil girl."

"She isn't your little girl! I'm her father!" Eric yelled.

"Calm down. Calm down! Jesse, put the gun down. Put the gun down and when everybody's moved in, we'll talk about this. It will be just like having custody. Daryl and Jesse will keep Arlene until we get everything settled. Understand, Jesse? Nobody is taking Arlene from you."

"Damn right they ain't!"

"You too, Daryl. The three of you, go inside. I'm going to stay out here and talk to Eric and Kyra. Go inside and get Arlene. She's probably freaked out and scared right now. Go calm her down."

I lowered my gun and spat at the ground near Kyra's feet. I warned her, "This is not going to end well."

"Damn right it ain't, bitch."

I tucked my gun into the back of my pants and Daryl grabbed my hand. Johnny, Daryl, and I walked slowly to the cell block, not taking our eyes off of the two offenders. We made our way to the cell where Beth was holding Arlene and joined her quietly. Johnny sat on the bed next to Beth and Daryl and I sat on the floor. I pulled Arlene into my lap and wrapped my arms around her tight. Daryl wrapped his arms around both of us. He murmured into my hair, "Ain't gonna let 'em take her. Ain't gonna let 'em take our lil girl."

"Over our dead bodies," Johnny agreed.

"Who were those people Jezze Momma?"

Arlene's voice broke my heart. I hugged her closer and murmured, "Don't worry about it, baby girl. I got you. I love you."

"I ain't gonna have to go with them, am I?"

"Baby, I'll only ever make you go to them if you ask me to."

She nodded and I looked up into Daryl's sad blue eyes. I looked over at Johnny and found him staring at both of us. He ordered, "We all share a cell tonight. Even you, Beth, okay?"

"Johnny, I don't know if my daddy will let me…"

"I'll talk to Hershel," he promised. He leaned over and pressed his lips to her forehead. We were all scared.