A/N: Hey guys, I hope you enjoyed Guts and Witches and I hope you are enjoying the story and haven't given up on me. I know I have other stories that you guys want me to write chapters for and I know I want to write chapters for them too, but this story is my main concern, because I really love The Walking Dead and Charmed and this is probably one of the few that might exist or this might be the only one, I don't know. But, I will be writing this one for the time being. Oh I was gonna call this chapter Tell It To The Frogs, like in TWD, but I'm gonna call it Tell It To The Witches instead, because with the arrivals of witches at the camp and you have to pay attention in this chapter to find out why I named the chapter Tell It To The Witches. That's all for now and I'll shut up now, I hope you guys enjoy and here is the chapter.

Rick drives the Ferenc cube van back to camp as the sun sets.

"Best not to dwell on it. Merle got left behind. Nobody's gonna be sad he didn't come back… except maybe Daryl." Morales said.

"Daryl?" Rick asks.

"His brother." Morales said.

The car alarm approaches. Glenn is whooping and hollering.

"Whoo-hoo!" Glenn hollers.

Glenn speeds past Rick and the others on their way out of town.

"At least somebody's having a good day." Morales said.

Piper makes her way up to Rick and Morales.

"Yeah well it won't last long." Piper said.

"What do you mean?" Rick asks.

"I mean with the way the world is now, a good day is something that never lasts long, even if we tried to make it last, something always happens." Piper said.

"You're wrong, good days can happen, even with the way the world is." Morales said.

"Maybe you're right. I just not myself lately without thinking I may never see Leo again." Piper said.

"Who's Leo?" Rick asked.

"My whitelighter husband. The Elders took him and every single whitelighter up there and are under lockdown." Piper said.

"What's a whitelighter and who are The Elders?" Morales asked.

"A whitelighter is sort of like a guardian angel for witches and The Elders, oh don't get me started. Let's just say there a pain in the ass." Piper said.

"Okay." Morales said.

At the hilltop camp, Glenn has already arrived in the Charger. The truck approaches.

Glenn smiles as Rick drives up in the Ferenc cube van. Inside the cab Morales pats Rick on the arm.

"Come meet everybody." Morales said. "That means you too, Halliwitches." He says loud enough for the sisters to hear him.

Morales gets out. Phoebe comes to the front. Rick stays in his seat and rubs his eyes.

"You okay, sheriff?" Phoebe asked.

"Yeah, I just really want to find my wife and son, that's all." Rick says.

"Oh don't worry, I'm sure they're fine." Phoebe said and pats Rick on the arm and gets a premonition.

Rick gets out of the truck to meet everybody. The scene changes to a woman and a boy hugging. The boy then notices something, he sees Rick. "Dad!" The boy yelled. He runs up to Rick and they embrace. The woman suprised stands there. Rick sees the woman, he runs to her and they embrace.

"What's wrong?" Rick asks Phoebe seeing that she getting teary-eyed.

"Nothing, I'm okay." Phoebe said. "I'll see you out there." She said and gets out of the truck to join her sisters.

Outside the truck.

Prue, Piper, and Paige stand nearby, quiet and watching everybody reunite. Phoebe joins them.

"Amy." Andrea yelled.

"Andrea! Oh!" Amy said, crying.

"Oh my God!" Andrea said.

"You scared the shit out of me." Amy said.

"Papi! Daddy!" A boy said.

"Hey." Morales said.

"Come here, sweetie." Lori said to Carl.

"Oh my god." Phoebe said.

"What?" Piper said.

"That's the woman and boy I saw in my premonition." Phoebe said.

"What premonition?" Prue asked.

"I was talking to Rick in the truck and I patted his arm and I had a premonition. I saw that woman and boy." Phoebe said pointing to Lori and Carl. "They were embracing Rick."

"And, what's the deal?" Paige asked.

"I think that's his wife and son." Phoebe asked.

"Okay, we should tell them." Prue said.

"No, no I want it to play out just like what I saw in my premonition." Phoebe said.

"Okay then." Prue said.

Morales is holding his daughter and hugging his wife. It reminds Carl of how happy he would be when his dad came home.

"Hey. I told you I'd be back, didn't I?" Morales said.

Shane watches as Lori kneels down before Carl who is upset and crying.

Lori speaks inaudibly to Carl, reassuring him. Carl nods. Shane watches tearfully.

"You are a welcome sight." Dale said and hugs Morales. They laugh.

"I thought we had lost you folks for sure." Dale said.

"How'd y'all get out of there anyway?" Shane asked.

"New guy and new women—they got us out." Glenn said.

"New guy and new women?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, crazy gente* just got into town. Hey, helicopter boy and halliwitches! Come say hello." Morales said.

Rick walks forward slowly, a sad unsure look on his face. The sisters walk over from where they were standing.

"The guy's a cop like you." Morales said. "The women said they're witches and they actually have magical powers too. Call it crazy, but its true."

Shane sees Rick, a look of disbelief on his face. Rick looks at Shane as Shane backs up shocked and no sign of happiness. Carl turns and sees his father. Lori turns her head to see what he's looking at. Rick reacts as if he can't believe his eyes.

"Oh, my God." Rick whispers.

Rick and Carl run to each other. Lori runs after Carl.

"Dad! Dad!" Carl yells.

Carl hits Rick with a hug and they both go down on the ground. Rick cries and both of them hug.

"Carl. Oh!" Rick says.

Rick picks Carl up and carries him to where Lori stands looking as if she'd seen a ghost. She is stunned and blinking, her eyes wide open as if she still can't believe them. She grabs Rick and pulls him to her. The three of them hug tightly, crying. Lori tries to understand how he could be alive. She looks up to see Shane with a sheepish smile. A look of disbelief comes to her eyes. Shane looks away but he smiles and tries to be happy. Rick looks around to Shane happy to see him. Shane smiles back at Rick.

The sisters watch the happy reunion. Piper's eyes become watery. She imagines that being her and Leo reuniting. Piper snaps back to reality and sees Leo again.

"Oh my god Prue, Phoebe, Paige. I see him again." Piper says.

"Piper who do you see?" Phoebe asked.

"I see Leo." Piper said, her eyes glaning at some nearby trees.

"Leo? Piper what are you talking about?" Prue said.

"Up on the roof back in Atlanta, she thought she saw Leo. But, T-Dog said it was probably a hallucination." Paige said.

"Maybe she did see him." Phoebe said.

"I don't know. She pointed to where he was, but I didn't see anything." Paige said.

"Or only she is able to see him and we're not." Prue said.

"I didn't think about that." Paige said.

Its nighttime at the camp. There are crickets chirping.

"Disoriented. I guess that comes closest. Disoriented." Rick says.

Rick is sitting with Carl in his lap. Lori is sitting close, her hands in Carl's hair.

"Fear, confusion – all those things but…" Rick says. "Disoriented comes closest."

"Words can be meager things. Sometimes they fall short." Dale says.

"They also make bad times better. Also the sad times, the scary times, even the happy times." Phoebe said.

"Spoken like a true advice colummnist." Piper said, smiling. Phoebe smiled back at her.

"Was that what you were before the world was like this." Dale asked.

"Yeah, I helped a lot people. I miss it too, it was a good distraction." Phoebe said.

"A distraction from what?" Dale asked.

"From demon fighting, magic, ex-husbands." Phoebe said.

"I felt like I'd been ripped out of my life and put somewhere else. For a while I thought I was trapped in some coma dream, something I might not wake up from ever." Rick said.

Carl looks up at his father.

"Mom said you died." Carl said.

Lori lays her hand on Carl's forehead. She doesn't speak.

"She had every reason to believe that. Don't you ever doubt it." Rick said.

Shane doesn't speak.

"When things started to get really bad, they told me at the hospital that they were gonna medevac you and the other patients to Atlanta, and it never happened." Lori said.

"Well, I'm not surprised after Atlanta fell." Rick said.

"Yeah." Lori said.

"And from the look of that hospital, it got overrun." Rick said.

"How bad was that the hospital?" Prue asks.

"There were rows and rows of bodies in the back parking lot." Rick said.

"Glad I wasn't there to see that or else I would of hurled." Paige said.

"Yeah, the smell in the air was really bad too." Rick said.

Paige acts like she is vomiting, then laughs. "I obviously feel sorry that you had to smell that." Paige said.

Rick chuckles and so does Piper and Phoebe.

"Yeah, looks don't deceive. I barely got them out, you know?" Shane said.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to you, Shane. I can't begin to express it." Rick said.

"There go those words falling short again. Paltry things." Dale said.

"Remember what I said, words can make things better too." Phoebe said.

"Have you given any thought to Daryl Dixon? He won't be happy to hear his brother was left behind." Dale said.

"I'll tell him. I dropped the key. It's on me." T-Dog said.

"I cuffed him. That makes it mine." Rick said.

"But see I was the one who kicked him in the gut and I yelled for T-Dog to hurry or he would've been left, so its my fault T-Dog dropped the key.." Phoebe said. "So its mine."

"Guys, it's not a competition. I don't mean to bring race into this, but it might sound better coming from a white guy." Glenn said.

"I did what I did. Hell if I'm gonna hide from him." T-Dog said.

"Like hell if I'm gonna sit back and you guys take the fall, its my fault T-Dog dropped the key. I rushed him." Phoebe said.

"We could lie." Amy said.

"Lying makes it worse." Prue said.

"How about we tell the truth. Merle was out of control. Something had to be done or he'd have gotten us killed." Andrea said. "Your husband did what was necessary. And if Merle got left behind, it is nobody's fault but Merle's." She said to Lori.

"And that's what we tell Daryl? I don't see a rational discussion to be had from that, do you? Word to the wise—we're gonna have our hands full when he gets back from his hunt."

"Merle backhanded me across the face and then asked all the ladies except Jacqui for sex. He's a pig." Paige said. "I'm glad he was left behind."

"I was scared and I ran. I'm not ashamed of it." T-Dog said.

"We were all scared. We all ran. What's your point?" Andrea said.

"I stopped long enough to chain that door. Staircase is narrow. Maybe half a dozen geeks can squeeze against it at any one time. It's not enough to break through that. Not that chain, not that padlock. My point—Dixon's alive and he's still up there, handcuffed on that roof. That's on us." T-Dog said.

T-Dog gets up from the fire.

"I'd rather not rescue Merle, me and him aren't on the greastest of terms. He hit my sister and I won't put up with that." Prue said and getting up from the fire and walking away too.

"I wish I could've orbed Merle's testicles away when I had the chance." Paige said.

"Paige, there will be no talk of testicle orbing in front of the child." Piper says and nods her head in the direction of Carl.

"Yeah, not in front the child's father either." Rick says and with that gets up and walks to his tent with Carl and Lori behind him.

The next morning Prue wakes up in the tent, to find her sisters gone. There are bugs chittering and kids playing. Prue looks at the foot of the bed. Her black shirt and pants and her black leather jacket had been replaced with a pair of black capri pants, a tyrian purple shirt, and a pair of black flats. After she gets dressed she walks out of the tent and into the camp.

"Morning." Rick said as he was talking to Carl.

"Morning." Prue said and continued on her way.

Prue walks up the hill and passes a young woman and her child.

"Hey." Prue said to them.

"Hi." The woman said.

Prue stops by Carol. She is pressing her leather jacket on an ironing board.

"Morning." Carol said.

"Morning." Prue said.

"They're still a little damp. The sun'll have 'em dry in no time." Carol said.

"You washed my clothes?" Prue asked.

"Well, best we could. Scrubbing on a washboard ain't half as good as my old Maytag back home." Carol said.

"That's very kind. Thank you." Prue said, smiling.

Prue catches up to Rick who's walking over to Glenn. He's watching Dale, Jim and Morales siphoning gas, removing parts from the sports car.

"Look at 'em. Vultures. Yeah, go on, strip it clean." Glenn said.

"Generators need every drop of fuel they can get. Got no power without it. Sorry, Glenn." Dale said.

"Thought I'd get to drive it at least a few more days." Glenn said.

"Maybe we'll get to steal another one someday." Rick said.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you we might be able to considering most of them have probably been abandoned." Prue said.

Rick pats Glenn on the back and walks over to where Lori is hanging newly washed clothing on a line. Prue walks off as well to continue hunting her sisters.

A woman screams. Prue looks in the direction of the scream, realizing its Phoebe.

"Phoebe!" Prue yells and runs in the direction where the scream came from.

"Mom!" Carl yelled.

"Carl, baby!" Lori said getting worried and scared over her son's life.

Lori runs out the camp, with Rick on her heels and into the nearby woods where Phoebe, Carl, and other children are calling out in alarm.

"It's over there." A man says.

Shane runs toward the commotion, with his shotgun.

"Dad!" Carl said.

"Baby!" Lori said.

"Prue!" Phoebe said.

"Oh my god, Phoebe!" Prue said.

"Mama! Mommy!" A girl says.

"Where's Piper and Paige?" Prue asked, worringly.

"I don't know." Phoebe said.

"Rick!" Morales said.

Rick catches the shovel thrown to him.

"Carl!" Lori said.

"Over here, Boy! Come on, come on." A man said.

"Carl! Baby!" Lori said.

"Mom!" A girl said.

"It's okay. I got him. I got him." Jacqui said.

"Nothing bit you? Nothing scratched you?" Lori asked Carl.

"Phoebe, did anything bite or scratch you?" Prue asked.

"No I'm okay Mom." Carl said

"No, I'm fine." Phoebe said. "Oh where are Piper and Paige?" She said.


In San Francisco, the town is crawling with walkers. There are cars with blood on them, some missing doors or wheels and some with the windows smashed.

At the manor, Paige and Piper orb in.

"Ah, just like we left it." Paige said. "Let's hope it stays that way."

"Okay so what's on the list?" Piper asked.

Paige read from the list. "Uh lets see.. Food, Drinks, Medicine, Clothes, Hygiene Products, Potion Stuff, Anything Used As A Weapon, and the Book of Shadows." She said.

"Let's get packing." Piper said.

Paige went upstairs and Piper walked into the kitchen.

"First things first food." Piper said and walked to the refridgerator. She opened up and quickly closed it. "Pee-yew, that's disgusting." She said from the smell the rotting food and potion ingredients inside the fridge gave off.

She went to the first cabinet and grabbed some coffee and put in her duffel bag. She then checked the next three cabinets and found snack bars, macaroni boxes, zip-loc baggies, paper towels and other food items that could be used at the time. She walked to potion cabinets and opened them up. She grabbed one of the boxes of zip-loc baggies from the duffel bag and grabbed every potion ingredient in the cabinet, one by one and putting each in its own separate bag. Then stuffing them all in the duffel bag. She then continued searching through the kitchen grabbing items like flashlights, batteries, cooking gear, and other things they needed.

Upstairs, Paige had just finished clearing out the medicine cabinet in Prue's bathroom of everything they needed. She then went to Prue's closet grabbing most of Prue's clothes and stuffing them in a duffel bag just like she did for Piper, Phoebe and herself. She put some of Prue's makeup into the bag as well. "Like I always say, you can always look good in an apocalypse." Paige had finished the upstairs and orbed the bags to the foyer and orbed to the attic to get the book and anything up there.

Piper and Paige finished looting the Manor. "Got everything?" Piper asked.

"Yes, I did." Paige said.

"What about potion vials and corks?" Piper asked.

"Be right back." Paige said and orbed out. She orbed back in with a smaller bag that contained lots of vials and corks.

"Now let's go." Piper said. They orbed out and back to the camp.


The men run under the tin can alarm system and past Jacqui Lori, Carl, Prue and Phoebe. In a small clearing they see a man hunched over a deer carcass. Shane covers him with his gun. The walker growls while he eats. With his back to the group the walker looks like a man as he tears meat away from the carcass and feeds on it. Andrea and Amy run up onto the scene.

Andrea gasps.

The carcass has arrows sticking out of it. Circling the deer the men attract the walker's attention. He turns and growls at Rick. Rick takes his shovel and hits the walker. The walker keeps trying to get up so Morales, Glenn, Rick, Jim and Dale continue to beat on it with their weapons until Dale cuts its head off with his axe.

Prue and Phoebe arrive at the scene.

"Oh my god." Prue said.

"It's the first one we've had up here. They never come this far up the mountain." Dale said.

"Well, they're running out of food in the city, that's what." Jim said.

A branch snaps. Footsteps can be heard. The group raises their weapons ready to kill any other walker. Shane raises his shotgun and scans the forest. A man with a crossbow comes around a rock outcrop. Shane lowers his gun, everyone relaxes.

"Oh, Jesus." Shane said.

"Woah, who is that? He is yummy." Phoebe said.

"Son of a bitch. That's my deer! Look at it. All gnawed on by this… " The man said kicking the walker. "Filthy, disease-bearing, motherless poxy bastard!" He said.

"Calm down, son. That's not helping." Dale said.

The man walks over to Dale, angry. "What do you know about it old man? Why don't you take that stupid hat and go back to "On Golden Pond"?" The man says.

"Okay, woah cut it out." Prue said.

The man sighs. "I've been tracking this deer for miles."

He pulls his arrows out of the carcass.

"Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison. What do you think? Do you think we can cut around this chewed up part right here?" The man says.

"I would not risk that." Shane said.

"Uh, no. No need for risking, because he isn't bringing it back and then my sisters and the camp residents get sick and die from eating the contaminated meat." Prue said.

"She's right." Shane said, agreeing with Prue.

"That's a damn shame. I got some squirrel—about a dozen or so. That'll have to do." The man says.

The head of the walker starts snapping.

"Oh God." Amy said. She and Andrea leave in horror and disgust.

"Oh my god. That's so gross." Phoebe said and left in disgust.

"Come on, people. What the hell?" The man says. He shoots the head with an arrow through the eye. He puts his foot on the head and pulls the arrow back out. "It's gotta be the brain. Don't y'all know nothing?" He says.

The man walks to the camp. Rick and Prue watch him, sizing up Merle's brother. Daryl calls out.

"Merle! Merle! Get your ugly ass out here! I got us some squirrel! Let's stew 'em up." Daryl yelled.

"Daryl, just slow up a bit. I need to talk to you." Shane said.

"About what?" Daryl asked.

"About Merle. There was a—There was a problem in Atlanta." Shane said.

"He dead?" Daryl asked.

"We're not sure." Shane said.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl said.

Rick, Prue, and Phoebe walk over to Daryl and Shane.

"No easy way to say this, so I'll just say it." Rick said.

"Go on Rick tell him." Prue said.

"Who are you people?" Daryl asked.

"Rick Grimes." Rick said.

"Prue Halliwell." Prue said.

"Phoebe Halliwell." Phoebe said.

"Rick Grimes, Prue and Phoebe Halliwell you got something you want to tell me?" Daryl asked.

"Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked him to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said.

"Of course that was after I kicked him in the gut, because he backhanded one of my sisters across the face." Phoebe added.

T-Dog comes into the camp with his arms full of firewood.

"Hold on. Let me process this. You're saying you kicked my brother in his gut and then handcuffed him to a roof and you left him there?!" Daryl said, even more upset.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we're saying." Prue said.

Daryl grunts and throws the rope of squirrels at Rick and Prue. Shane body slams Daryl knocking him to the ground. T-Dog drops the firewood and runs up.

In the Halliwell tent. Piper and Paige are organizing the stuff they brought back. Paige hears something. "Piper, do you hear that?" Paige asked.

"Yeah I do, it sounds like..." Piper said.

"Yelling." Paige said finishing Piper's sentence.

"I was going to say fighting, but that works too." Piper said.

Piper and Paige then run out of the the tent to see what's going on.

Back at the fight.

"Hey." T-Dog said.

Daryl pulls out his knife and goes after Rick.

"Watch the knife!" T-Dog said.

"Daryl, NO!" Prue yells.

Daryl swings the knife at Rick and misses wildly. Prue waves her arm and sends Daryl back a few feet on the ground. Rick gover over to Daryl and punches him in the gut while Shane grabs Daryl behind and puts him in a choke hold.

"Okay. Okay." Shane said.

Rick takes the knife away from Daryl as Shane forces him to the ground.

Piper and Paige arrive at the scene. "What's going on?" Paige asked.

"Daryl got into a fight with Rick and your sisters, because of Merle being left handcuffed on the rooftop back in Atlanta." T-Dog said.

"Oh." Paige said.

"Anyone get hurt?" Piper asked.

"No." T-Dog said.

Shane still has Daryl in a choke hold.

"You'd best let me go!" Daryl said.

"Nah, I think it's better if I don't." Shane says.

"Choke hold's illegal." Daryl said, grunting.

"You can file a complaint. Come on, man. We'll keep this up all day." Shane said.

Rick kneels down to be face to face with Daryl and looks him in the eye. Prue walks over too.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic. Do you think we can manage that? Do you think we can manage that?" Rick asked.

"So would I." Prue said.

"Hmm? Mmm. Yeah." Shane said.

Shane lets go of Daryl. Daryl pants.

"What I did was not on a whim. Your brother does not work and play well with others." Rick said.

"He also backhanded my sister Paige across the face and asked all of the women except Jacqui, to have sex which is totally rude and definately not how you charm a woman or most women." Prue said.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." T-Dog said.

"But I was the one who hurried T-Dog and made him drop it." Phoebe said. "He wouldn't have dropped the key if I wouldn't have done hurried him."

"You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked.

"Well, I dropped it in a drain." T-Dog said.

Daryl chokes up but pulls himself together.

"If it's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl said.

"Well, maybe this will. Look, I chained the door to the roof so the geeks couldn't get at him—with a padlock." T-Dog said.

"It's gotta count for something." Rick said.

"Look I don't like Merle Dixon and I do not want to help him after the way he behaved, but T-Dog chaining the door and everything like he said he did does in fact count for something." Prue said.

Daryl wipes more tears out of his eyes. "Hell with all y'all! Just tell me where he is so's I can go get him." Daryl asked.

"He'll show you. Isn't that right?" Lori asked.

"I'm going back." Rick said.

Lori, angry, goes into the camper. Rick sighs.

"Prue, you'll show him too, won't you?" Piper asked.

"Uh, no. Look I'm sorry Daryl but I'm sitting this one out. I know he is your brother and how it feels it to be in this situation. But I can't forget the things he did back in Atlanta. Not right now." Prue said and walking away with tense anger boiling inside, back to the Halliwell tent.

Piper, Phoebe, and Paige look towards their tent. "What's her problem?" Piper asked.

"I didn't think Prue could be so harsh." Paige said.

"Something has gotten under skin and no way its Merle Dixon." Phoebe said.

"So who's going with Rick and Daryl to save Merle." Phoebe asked. "Rock, paper, scisscors?"

They play the game. Phoebe and Paige have rock and Piper has scisccors. "Oh come on, do it again." Piper says.

"Nope you're going sister." Phoebe said, hugging Piper.

"Besides I don't wanna save him either, not after what he did to me." Paige said.

Rick and Shane are talking when Piper comes up to them. "Yoo-hoo, yeah, hi. I'm the witch that got picked to go help and get Merle." She says.

"Okay." Rick said.

"So that's it, huh? You're just gonna walk off? Just to hell with everybody else?" Shane asked.

"I'm not saying to hell with anybody. Not you, Shane. Lori least of all." Rick said.

"I'm not saying to hell with my sisters." Piper said.

Rick and Piper walk up the hill to the van.

"Tell her that, Rick." Shane says to Rick. "And why don't you tell your sisters that Piper, especially Prue." He says to her.

Rick and Piper turn back to Shane.

"She knows." Rick said.

"My sisters know as well. They have known that for several years now." Piper says.

Rick and Piper continue on up the hill, Shane following after.

"Well, look, I—I don't, okay, Rick? Piper? So could you just—could you throw me a bone here, guys? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your lives for a douche bag like Merle Dixon?" Shane asked.

They've walked up to the cooking fire where Daryl is.

"Hey, choose your words more carefully." Daryl said.

"Oh no, I did. Douche bag's what I mean. Merle Dixon—the guy wouldn't give you a glass of water if you were dying of thirst." Shane said.

"Oh no, you two better not start fighting again." Piper said.

"What he would or wouldn't do doesn't interest me. I can't let a man die of thirst—me. Thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That's no way for anything to die, let alone a human being." Rick said.

"Rick's right. Merle may be an asshole and a pig, but he is still a human being. I'm a Charmed One, I protect the innocent and I hate to say this, but Merle is still an innocent no matter what he did in Atlanta. If he's human then he's an innocent. We have to save him." Piper said.

"So you, Daryl, and Piper, that's your big plan?" Lori asked.

Rick turns and looks at Glenn.

"Oh, come on." Glenn said.

"You know the way. You've been there before. In and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It's not fair of me to ask, I know that, but I'd feel a lot better with you along. I know she would too." Rick said.

Glenn looks at Lori and Carl.

"Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean I can be trusted to keep you all safe. Meaning even with powers, walkers could overrun me and whoever is with me, due to drainage of power from extended use." Piper said. "That's why I'm glad Rick asked Glenn to come along."

"That's just great. Now you're gonna risk three men and a witch, huh?" Shane asked.

"Make that four men and a witch." T-Dog said.

"My day just gets better and better, don't it?" Daryl says and huffs.

"You see anybody else here stepping up to save your brother's cracker ass?" T-Dog said.

"Why you?" Daryl said.

"You wouldn't even begin to understand. You don't speak my language." T-Dog said.

"That's five, total." Dale said.

"It's not just five. You're putting every single one of us at risk. Just know that, Rick. Come on, you saw that walker. It was here. It was in camp. They're moving out of the cities. They come back, we need every able body we've got. We need 'em here. We need 'em to protect camp, especially the witches." Shane said.

"What is not clear to you about drainage of power from overusing them too much." Piper said. "I mean, jeez."

"It seems to me what you really need most here are more guns." Rick said. "Thanks to Paige, doing that thing she does and making the bag come to her."

"That's right, the guns." Glenn said.

"Wait, what guns?" Shane asked.

"Six shotguns, two high-powered rifles, over a dozen handguns. I cleaned out the cage back at the station before I left. I dropped the bag in Atlanta when I got swarmed. It was sitting there on the street, waiting to be picked up, but the sisters arrived and Paige made the back come to her and now we have them. The duffel bag is back at my tent." Rick said.

"It was Prue's idea for Paige to orb the bag to her." Piper said.

"Okay." Rick said.

"Ammo?" Shane asked.

"700 rounds, assorted." Rick said.

"You went through Hell to find us. You just got here and you're gonna turn around and leave?" Lori said.

"Dad, I don't want you to go." Carl said.

Piper watched this and getting teary-eyed. This family reminds her a lot of her and Leo, minus the witch and whitelighter stuff.

Rick is moved by Carl's plea.

"Shane is right. Merle Dixon? He's not worth one of your lives. Tell me. Make me understand." Lori said.

"I owe a debt to a man I met and his little boy. Lori, if they hadn't taken me in, I'd have died. It's because of them that I made it back to you at all. They said they'd follow me to Atlanta. They'll walk into the same trap I did if I don't warn him." Rick said.

"What's stopping you?" Lori said.

"I'm not sure. He's got the other one. Our plan was to connect when they got closer." Rick said.

Lori doesn't like it but she can't refuse him. Rick goes over to Carl.

"Okay?" Rick asked.

Carl nods yes.

"All right." Rick says.

A tear runs down Piper's right cheek, she quickly wipes it away and wipes her eyes. She didn't want anyone to see her crying, especially at a time like this.


In the quarry the women are working on laundry.

"Can someone explain to me how the women wound up doing all the Hattie McDaniel work?" Jacqui asked.

"The world ended, didn't you get the memo?" Amy said.

"I miss the way the world used to be. All the noise, crime, scandal. Its better than walkers roaming around. Phoebe said.

Carol looks up and sees Ed. He's sitting on the tailgate of the Cherokee smoking a cigarette, watching them intently. "It's just the way it is." She says.

The women continue with the laundry.

"I do miss my Maytag." Carol said.

"I miss my Benz, my Sat Nav." Andrea said.

"I miss my job as an advice columnist." Phoebe said

"I miss my coffeemaker with that dual drip filter and built-in grinder, honey." Jacqui said.

"I miss electricity and hot water." Paige said.

"My computer… and texting." Amy said.

"I miss my vibrator." Andrea said.

"Ooohhh." Paige said.

"Oh!" Jacqui said.

The women laugh.

"Oh my God!" Andrea said.

Carol looks around furtively. "Me too." She said.

The women laugh even louder.

Ed has gotten up from the tailgate and walked closer.

"What's so funny?" Ed asked.

"Just swapping war stories, Ed." Andrea said.

"Yeah." Amy said.

"Well, that and girl stuff." Phoebe said.

Still smoking Ed walks up behind Carol.

"Problem, Ed?" Andrea asked.

"Nothin' that concerns you." Ed says. "And you ought to focus on your work. This ain't no comedy club." He says to Carol.

Andrea huffs.


"I've got to tell you, I do not think you should be taking this out on him." Shane said.

Lori doesn't even turn around. "You don't tell me what to do. You lost that privilege." She said.

Shane gets up and follows her.

"Lori, could you just wait up a second? I think we should talk. We haven't had a chance—" Shane says and is cut off by Lori.

"No. No no. That's over too. You can tell that to the witches." Lori says cutting Shane's sentence off.


The four men and witch are in a darkened building. It's the sales floor of the department store they'd been in before.

Rick gets Daryl's attention and points out a walker that's still inside. The walker growls. Daryl gets in close so as not to miss the shot.

"Damn, you are one ugly skank." Daryl said.

"You got that right, that top so does not go with that skirt." Piper said.

Daryl takes the woman walker down with a headshot. The walker thuds and falls. Daryl pulls out his arrow from the walker's head.


Shane continues to watch Lori and Carl walk up the road. Ed, still standing behind the women, lights another cigarette. Andrea, exasperated, gets up, a wet piece of clothing in her hand.

"Ed, tell you what. You don't like how your laundry is done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself. Here" Andrea says and tosses the laundry at Ed. He catches it and throws it back at her, harder.

"Oh!" Andrea said.

"Ain't my job, missy." Ed says.

"Andrea, don't." Amy says.

"What is your job, Ed? Sitting on your ass smoking cigarettes?" Andrea asked.

"Well, it sure as hell ain't listening to some uppity smart-mouthed bitch. Tell you what-" Ed says. "Come on. Let's go." He says to Carol.

Carol gets up to follow Ed.

"Phoebe don't." Paige said. Phoebe hears what Paige said, but refuses to do what she says.

"No! Carol stay, you don't have to follow him. You are old enough to make your own decisions." Phoebe said.

"Phoebe's right, I don't think she needs to go anywhere with you, Ed." Andrea said.

"And I say it's none of your business. Come on now. You heard me." Ed says.

"Carol." Andrea said.

Andrea puts her hand on Carol's shoulder.

"Andrea, please, it doesn't matter." Carol said.

"Are you kidding? It does too matter, he has no right to treat you like this. Telling you what you can and can't do. He's not the boss of you. Come on Carol, stand up to him." Paige said, deciding to join in.

"Hey, shut up witch. Don't be giving her ideas." Ed says.

"Why don't you shut up and leave her the hell alone and don't tell me what to or I'll orb your testicles away. you prick." Paige said, giving Ed the death glare.

Andrea turns back around to face Ed.

"Don't think I won't knock you on your ass just 'cause you're some college-educated cooze. All right?" Ed said to Andrea.

Andrea gasped at what he said.

"And I'm not afraid to knock both you witch bitches on your asses too. I ain't scared of either of you." Ed says to Phoebe and Paige.

"Oh yeah, well maybe you should be." Phoebe said.

"Now you come on now or you gonna regret it later." Ed says to Carol.

"So she can show up with fresh bruises later, Ed? Yeah, we've seen them." Jacqui said.

"And it shows that you are a psychotic bastard. Who smokes and drinks to much, who do you think you are Hank from King of the Hill?" Paige said.

Ed laughs at what she says.

Shane hears their argument and turns back from watching Lori and Carl.

"Stay out of this. Now come on! You know what? This ain't none of y'all's business. You don't want to keep prodding the bull here, okay? Now I am done, talking. Come on." Ed says.

Ed takes Carol by the arm.

"No. No. Carol, you don't have—" Andrea said.

"Carol don't go, you can make your own choices. Don't let this asshole ruin your life." Phoebe said.

Carol mutters something.

"You don't tell me what! I tell you what!" Ed says to Carol. Ed then strikes Carol across the face. "You think you can—" Ed says but is cut off.

"Get off her!" Andrea said.

"Come here! Come here!" Ed yells.

"Leave her alone." Paige said.

"Get off her! Get off her!" Phoebe said.

"Get off her! Please! Get off her!" Jacqui said.

Phoebe kicks Ed in the gut and he goes stumbling backwards. None of them notice Shane coming up until he's grabbed Ed and is hauling him away from the women.

"Get off me! Let me go!" Ed says. Ed begins to grunt now.

"Ed?" Carol asks.

"It's okay. It's okay." Andrea said.

"Carol, you're okay now." Phoebe said.

"No!" Carol said.

"Let me go!" Ed yells at Shane.

"Okay, my pleasure." Shane says and throws Ed to the ground and starts beating him with his right fist. Ed tries to shield himself but Shane pulls his hands away from his face and beats him more. Ed loses the wits to fight back.

"It's okay." Amy says.

"Don't worry, you're fine now." Paige said.

"No!" Carol said.

Shane, holding Ed by the shirt front, keeps beating him with his fist until the left side of Ed Peletier's face is swollen cut and bloody. Shane, full of rage, doesn't stop.

The women start yelling at Shane.

"Shane, stop!" Amy said.

"Shane, that's enough. Let him go." Phoebe said.

Carol is crying. Andrea and Jacqui have to hold her back to keep her from running to Ed.

"Just stop!" Amy said.

"Oh my god Shane, stop it now." Paige says.

"Stop it! Stop!" Carol says.

Shane finally stops beating Ed. Still holding on to him he puts his finger in Ed's face.

"You put your hands on your wife, your little girl or anybody else in this camp one more time, I will not stop next time. Do you hear me?" Shane said.

Taking Ed's face in his hand he pulls Ed up closer.

"Do you hear me?!" Shane asks.

Ed slurring, manages to say something. "Yes." That was he could say at the moment.

"I'll beat you to death, Ed." Shane said.

"Ed!" Carol says.

Shane hits him in the face one more time.

"Oh God! No…God!" Carol says, while crying.

As Shane gets up off Ed he kicks him. Shane then grunts.

Andrea lets Carol go and she runs to Ed.

"Ed, I'm sorry. Oh my God. Ed, I'm sorry." Carol says, still crying.

Andrea looks at Shane in shock.

"Oh my God, Ed, I'm sorry." Carol says.

Jacqui, Amy, Andrea, Phoebe, and Paige watch Carol crying over Ed as Shane walks off.

"I'm so sorry, Ed. Ed, I'm sorry." Carol says.

Ed lies on the ground choking on blood and spitting. Ed starts to cough too.


The four men and witch in the city run up the stairwell. T-Dog cuts the chain that he had bolted to keep Merle safe.

As soon as the chain is loose Daryl kicks the door open and runs out on the roof.

"Merle! Merle!" Daryl yells.

T-Dog, Rick, Glenn and Piper follow him out. Merle doesn't answer and the men and witch run around to the side where Merle was handcuffed.

"No! No!" Daryl said. Daryl is beside himself with grief. Pacing around, he cries and cries out. No one says a word.

"No!" Daryl says.

On the roof is Dale's hacksaw, bloody. Nearby lays Merle's right hand in a puddle, a bloody handcuff still hanging from the pipe.

"Oh my god. He...his hand." Piper says, shocked. "I can't believe he did this to himself, did he not have the patience to wait for us." She says.

Rick looks at Piper with a 'not the right moment face.'

"What?" Piper asked, looking to Rick. "Its the truth."

"No! NO! No!" Daryl cries out. Daryl could feel it inside him, he was worried, confused, angry, scared, nervous, and all of the other emotions that we're finding their way out at the moment.

TO BE CONTINUED...

STAY TUNED FOR VATOS!

*gente - Spanish word for people.*