A/N: Alright my beautiful people. I am out of my writer's cramp. This particular scene/set of scenes kept me cramped up for WEEKS. I had trouble channeling the Governor, but knew that I had to, in order to make the story make sense. So, it took me weeks and weeks to channel him enough to make this entire chapter a good one.

That will NEVER happen again. I have never made you guys go over a month with waiting and for those of you who are still around, thanks for sticking around.

Please review and let me know you're still reading. It's disheartening when I come up with something, and then no one says good or bad about it. To those of you who review a ton: I love you. R&R and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 4: Welcome To Woodbury

"Milton tells me we have a guest…", the Governor confronted Merle before he could open his mouth, "Someone you've brought in? Should I call her a guest?"

Merle gritted his teeth, his hands coming to rest on his hips as he cursed the damn nerd for not having the balls to keep his mouth shut. At this rate, Shan would end up stuck in Woodbury. At this rate, he would never find Daryl. He thought fast, and pasted on a smile, raising his eyes to the Governor's.

"She's my guest.", he replied with a nod, "Found her half dead, broken arm…bleedin' to death from the damage the bone did to the insides…She's doin' good now."

"Three weeks ago…", the Governor called, a smirk playing at his lips, "Is there a reason you didn't think you could come to me…account for the food that's been missing?"

"She was under my care…half dead. I didn't think it's somethin' you'd want to be bothered by, with all yer work. The food was my own…any other ain't because of her bein' here, honest."

The Governor nodded, taking a seat behind his desk. He propped his feet up, and snatched a glass of amber liquid from its coaster, taking a quick sip, before clearing his throat, "We welcome visitors. You seem to care a great deal for this girl…I'd love to meet her."

Merle once again gritted his teeth, trying to come up with any explanation in his brain not to allow the Governor to even see Shan's face. Throwing her out would be a lot easier without being recognized. Leaving with her would have been even easier.

"How's seven? I'll have the ladies cook us up some dinner…and we'll meet here, before the fights.", the Governor interrupted Merle's thoughts, causing his head to snap to attention. The look on the Governor's face was definite. The plans were set in stone, whether Merle was ready for them or not. So, he nodded, and the Governor smiled, "Great! Pick her something nice out to wear. I'm sure she's been through a lot. I'll see you tonight."

The closet door flew open, as Merle burst in. His face was red, and hanging from his arm was a duffel bag, which he quickly discarded onto the floor. He walked over to me, his pace quick, and with a few swift motions of his one hand, unchained me.

"What's going on?", I asked, confused by his sudden urgency. He unzipped the duffel, lying it on the floor wordlessly. What I expected to be guns, or knives…or anything else apocalyptic, turned out to be a dress. I narrowed my eyes, convinced that Merle was shitting me. He turned the duffel upside down, emptying it out. Makeup, shoes, bracelets, watches, and a few other odds and ends fell out onto the wood floor, and my eyes only narrowed more, "What's all this?"

"Remember that damage control I was doin'?", he asked. I nodded, although I didn't understand what he was getting at, "Boss man wants us to come over for dinner. He wants to meet ya."

"Alright. Well…That's something we can handle, right? That's…that's a good thing."

"I don't know how to tell ya how he is. I didn't want ya to meet him, because I wanted to throw you out…You'd be safer out there. You'd find Daryl…", Merle said sadly. He cleared his throat, "We gotta make the best out of this. If you play yer cards right, he'll want you as a recruit. Better than bein' locked up, right?"

I had to nod, but quickly narrowed my eyes, turning my head to the side a bit, "Recruit?"

"I ain't got time to explain it to you now. You've been with Daryl and them…You know how to kill the biters."

"Well…yeah.", I whispered. He nodded, holding his hands out in a way to say 'see?', "So, what's all this?"

"He wants you dressed up or whatever. So, I got you some clothes from down the road. If they don't fit, make them fit…just long enough to impress the Governor."

"The Governor?", I asked, before a scoff left my lips. Merle didn't smirk. He didn't smile. He only stared at me as if I was being disrespectful, "Sorry…"

"Lemme see yer arm.", Merle whispered. I delayed, a bit confused, and suddenly his hand was clasped over my left wrist. I yelped, but that didn't stop him from tearing at the bandage. As quickly as he had grabbed me, was the bandage off. Along with it came a hunk of skin and blood began to ooze from the bite wound that seemed a lot worse…three weeks later.

"Merle! What are you doin'?!", I bellowed, instinctively covering the bite with my hand. The blood began to ooze from between my fingers as he stared, trying to decide his next move. In a couple of seconds, he reached up, grabbing a black tshirt from the rack above us, and folded it; holding it to the wound tightly.

"Hold this…", he murmured, "I'll be right back…"

I hissed, pressing down on the tshirt with all the pressure I could muster from one hand, and watched him sprint from the apartment. What the hell was going on? Was this 'governor' some sort of maniacal freak? Did he want to see the wound?

After what seemed like hours of staring into space, I heard footsteps outside the apartment door, along with muffled shouts and a scuffle. The door flew open, and Milton stumbled in, his hands up and shaking at the sides of his head as Merle followed him in with his gun drawn.

"N-now…now what do you think you're accomplishing, here?", Milton stammered, flinching as Merle flicked his gun toward me, in the closet, "Hel-Hello, Shan…"

"Hi…", I whispered. Milton kneeled in front of me, and I glared over his shoulder at Merle, lowering my eyes to his gun. As if commanded, he pushed the hammer forward and lowered it into the holster at his waist.

"Let's see what we have, here.", Milton whispered to me, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, before taking my wrist into his hand. He removed my hand slowly, along with the tshirt, and smirked, "It's not too bad…Really, I expected worse. The scarring is coming along well. The infection is leaving the site and the smell is practically gone…"

"So do it then.", Merle croaked.

"I don't think it's a good idea to hide this sort of thing from the Gover-"

"Yer the reason he's wantin' to meet her! Did I not tell ya I was kickin' her to the curb?! She's got people…and we ain't the right sort of shit for her to get wrapped up in! But no! She's stuck here, because of you…you little pussy. I oughta…"

"MERLE!", I yelled, halting his words, "Just…shut up. Wait…You wanted to kick me out? After all this?!"

"I told ya before! You just weren't listenin'. Besides…It ain't like that. You don't understand…what yer gettin' into."

"Well, I see food. I see running water. I see a doctor and a leader who apparently wants what's best for his people. Compared to the conditions that Daryl and the others are probably dealing with…I'd say that's a pretty good bet.", I explained, "Besides…we don't even know if Daryl's alive, Merle…"

"I said ain't nothin' gonna happen to ya.", Merle whispered, lowering his head, "So…we gotta make you look healthy. The rest…we can talk about after dinner."

"Well I ain't leavin' without you. Not after this…"

"You won't have to.", he finished, waving the gun at Milton. In response, Milton lowered his messenger bag onto the floor, and began unloading it. He unloaded a pair of scissors, a relatively thick roll of bandage, a bowl, and a bottle of water.

"So, what exactly are we doing?"

"We're breaking your arm.", Milton said in an excited voice, unrolling the bandage into the bowl of water he had just filled. I narrowed my eyes at him, causing him to stop and smile at me reassuringly, "N-not really. It's just…the Governor thinks you came to Woodbury with a broken arm, and some other issues that were relatively minor. If he's going to be with you…we have to be authentic."

"Wonderful…", I whispered, as Milton began wrapping my hand in the wet bandages. My eyes traveled to Merle, who seemed worried. I had never seen this side of him. He looked like a little boy, or a big brother; trying to protect me from someone who wanted to hurt me. However, his stern attitude fit him. He had always been a bit cut throat, and rude, but one thing was always true: He loved his brother.

The process of wrapping my arm in the heavy gauze didn't take as long as I expected. The drying time, however, made me want to murder one of the men. They stood quietly, speaking of the dinner with the Governor casually every now and again. Milton gave his advice to me, and to Merle about what not to say. Merle, however, seemed to tune him out, lost in his own thoughts as the clock on the wall loomed closer and closer to seven. As six-thirty rolled around, Milton lowered himself back down to the ground beside me, lifting my arm, which was now incased in a hard shell.

"Wiggle your fingers for me…", he instructed, laying my hand flat against his palm. I picked up my middle finger, and wiggled it, slowly moving the other fingers with it, "Wonderful. Don't lift anything with this hand. Any pressure might cause the wound to bleed, and that's the last thing we need…"

"So, I'm done?", I asked, glancing at Milton's eyes. He met my gaze, and nodded, but didn't move, "…then…Privacy? I need to get dressed…"

"Oh! Um…Y-yeah. Of course…", he stammered, standing and backing away. Merle stood where he was, turning his back to me. I narrowed my eyes, but figured it was just a Merle thing, picking up the dress from the floor. He had done well, picking out clothing that would fit me well, and would cover me. In that moment, he reminded me of my dad. I smirked, before standing and removing my loose clothing. As it pooled on the floor, Merle shuffled, shifting from foot to foot as he stared at the door.

"You can go out there, if you want…", I whispered.

"Nah. You ain't been on yer feet for more that a day…Stress and all that. Someone needs to stick around."

I nodded to his back, and slipped the little black dress over my head, pulling it down to rest against my thighs. It was long enough that it flowed close to my knees, but wasn't uncomfortable. For that, I was thankful, because it would cover most of the scars and scrapes that still covered my inner thighs. What I couldn't cover, though, were the scars that covered my chest and neck, and parts of my arms; from my time in Atlanta. The familiar cramp shot through my stomach as I remembered back to the trauma, but it was over. It would never happen again…

"I'm decent…", I whispered, swallowing hard afterward. Merle turned to face me, slowly, raising an eyebrow at how I looked. I narrowed my eyes, crossing my arms over the front of my body and shifted from one foot to the other, "What?"

I knew what he was looking at. He was staring at the scars that he had never noticed before. He was staring at everything the Governor would see, and probably judge on my body. But he shook his head, and smirked, "Nothin'. You look…perfect."

"I look disgusting."

"Nah. Just a little scrawny. Let's go get some food in that belly of yers, m'kay?", he almost cooed. My entire common sense wanted to scream at him; ask him what he had done with Merle, and who the hell he was, but I didn't. I simply nodded, slipping my feet into the matching black boots, and linked my arm with his to leave the apartment.

As we walked down the streets of Woodbury, I received more stares than I had in my entire existence on this earth. Merle seemed to be very respected amongst the people, as they all nodded as he passed, before whispering amongst themselves; words like 'pet' and 'new mouth'. I frowned, looking back at a few of them, who turned their heads quickly, as if they hadn't noticed me.

"Hospitable, eh?", I murmured to Merle.

"Just ignore 'em. All of 'em are just an excuse to keep this place up and runnin'. I could put a bullet in every brain, and I don't think the boss man would care."

I frowned again, looking up at his face. He didn't elaborate, only shrugged a bit, and opened a door for me. As I stepped through it, I noticed a strong smell. It knocked me almost backward, and I covered my nose for a second. Merle's hand instantly slapped my own away from my face, forcing me to smell what seemed like rotten meat, masked in flowery perfume. It was terrible…

"Keep the ideas to yerself, and I'll explain later, alright?", he whispered, before knocking on a door in front of us. The door swung open, as if expecting us, and we were greeted with a new face. He was a middle-aged man, close to Rick's age. He seemed charming enough, his hair slicked to the side professionally. He wore a rifleman's shooting jacket, and a gold watch around his wrist; along with a holster vest, holding two small pistols. I sighed nervously, in the presence of my new leader.

"Good evening.", he smirked, reaching for my hand. I extended it politely, trying not to notice the way his eyes traveled all over my chest and neck, taking in the scars. He brought my hand up to his lips, placing a soft kiss across my knuckles, before releasing me, and opening the door a bit wider for us to enter. The smell grew a bit stronger as we walked through the small apartment, to a table, which sat dressed and covered in food.

I carefully pulled one of the chairs out from under the old wood table, and flattened my dress against the backs of my legs to sit. The men followed suit, The Governor sitting at the head of the table. Merle didn't eat. He didn't drink, until he was sure that I was settled. He locked eyes with me, a million words radiating through his pale blues. The Governor snapped us out of the stare with a clearing of his throat.

"So. How are you feeling?", he asked offhand. I took a drink of water, sitting it down with a shaky hand, before answering.

"I'm feeling alright. It was a rough few weeks…", I murmured, offering a small smile. He nodded, lifting his chin to gaze down at me.

"A broken arm, I heard."

"Yes. It was messy. I lost a lot of blood. If Merle hadn't come along when he did…Well…", I broke off, glancing across to Merle, who was still staring at my face intently.

"Then let's all be thankful he found you. It'd be a shame for anyone to go out, that way…Especially someone who looks as if she's been through enough. If you don't mind my asking…where did you acquire those scars…"

I continued to stare at Merle's eyes for a second, before turning back to the Governor, as my stomach cramped. Once again, I was explaining something to someone I didn't know. I was proving myself to someone, just to stay alive in this world. The only person, other than myself that actually knew the details of Atlanta, was Daryl…

"Um…", I whispered shakily, "During the first week…I um…I ran into some men in Atlanta…"

"They did this to you?", he asked, his voice full of concern. I simply nodded.

"That's not all they managed."

"And you got away. That's what really matters, right?", he asked, once again laced with concern.

"Right. I got away. I…um…", my voice quivered so hard that I feared I was vibrating. Tears began to pool along the bottom eyelids, and I reached down to pick at my food a bit.

"Blood was spilled. How did you…get away?"

I knew that was the next question. I knew he would go there. Merle had called me a recruit, for a reason. The Governor was looking for someone who could handle a gun…

"I um…I killed them all."

"All?", he asked, glancing from me to Merle, who still hadn't taken his eyes from me.

"There were…", I stopped, taking in a deep and shaky breath, "There were three in the house when I escaped."

"And you killed them…Wow. That must have taken a lot of strength. I know how hard it must be to talk about what you went through…I'm so sorry for that.", The Governor comforted, bringing a hand across to rest atop of mine. His thumb drew itself across the soft back of my knuckles, before he retracted the hand and smiled, "For the record, though…I would have done far worse. Sexual assault is amongst my worst offenses a man can commit. You let them off easy."

I narrowed my eyes, lowering them to my lap, before raising them to Merle's, which were now hazy. I couldn't tell if it was tears, or pure anger coursing through his body. His shoulders were stiff. His jaw was clenched, and he didn't move, only stared. I returned my gaze to the Governor, and smiled weakly.

"I've dealt with it, but there's blood on my hands. It'll never be gone…"

"I completely understand, which is now why I'd like to ask you to stay here…in Woodbury.", he chimed, "We have food. We have hot running water, and the grid is almost intact. There are dark parts of the town. Best you avoid those. There's a curfew, in case of any accidents. It's safe. You'll be safe here."

I nodded my head, waiting for the catch.

"I just ask that you pull your weight. Merle will take you along…if you'd like. You can go with him on supply runs, to take care of issues, and whatever else he needs. Other times, you guys will take watch together. You're his responsibility. All I ask is that you report anything strange to me, and if you ever decide to leave…you come to me first…", he explained. I nodded, and glanced back at Merle for clarification. His head seemed a bit clearer, as he nodded, and finally began eating.

"I can do all of the above."

"Great. I was hoping you would choose to stay. It always disappoints me when we lose people…Woodbury can be a great opportunity for those who accept the challenges with the rewards. I would never…ask you to do anything I wouldn't.", he explained like a politician, "Let's eat. Enough with business for now, right?"

"Right.", I whispered with a small smile.

"Welcome to Woodbury, Shan."