Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks to everyone for reading and whatnot. I'd be really grateful if you'd feel like reviewing. I haven't been getting any so I don't really know whether I'm heading in the right direction. If you guys want something a bit different? How do you feel that Merle is alive (do you want me to keep him alive)? Let me know!

Kat quickly shoved all of her belongings into a duffel bag. It was amazing that she had somehow accumulated some belongings over the short time that she had been here. Clothes, survival gear, other bits and pieces that had made the prison feel like a home. She was going to defend her home. They were all packing to make sure that the prison looked empty when the Governor arrived, however they had a secret plan of attack.

Kat wandered through the prison. It didn't feel right being so empty. She knew they weren't planning on leaving but it still felt like the Governor had succeeded in driving them out of their home. She went outside and packed her duffel into the back of one of the cars. The car would be driven down into the forest and kept out of site. Hershel, Beth, Carl and Judith would wait down there until it was over.

Daryl came over from where he had been packing arrows near his bike. 'I wish you'd reconsider' he muttered to her. 'You could go down into the forest with the others. They could do with someone to protect them.'

'You know that Beth, Hershel and Carl are all capable of protecting themselves when they're together in a group. They'll be fine. I'm needed more here' she replied. 'I'll be fine Daryl, stop worrying.'

'What if Judith needs you?' Daryl asked. He knew he was hitting on Kat's weak spot. Over the last few days Kat had been spending more time around Judith. She found it comforting to look after the child and it no longer brought back bad memories. She had found herself craving time with the little girl and Beth was all too happy to take a break and let Kat take over. Judith was a fairly calm baby but Rick had teased Kat by saying that she seemed to smile more when Kat was around.

'Judith is fine with Beth. Daryl, please. I am doing this, so just stop' Kat said with finality. She knew he was doing this because he cared but he needed to stop. He sighed and began to bite his thumb.

'Here, put this on' Merle suddenly arrived and slammed some body armour into her chest. 'Take care of yourself princess.' That was all that was said and Merle stalked off to take his place for the ambush. Kat had no time to say anything back before he disappeared.

'I'm not defenceless, I don't need this' she sighed at Daryl. She didn't want any special treatment.

'You're gonna be up on that walkway and it's gonna be dangerous. Glenn and Maggie are wearing the armour too. We only had two pairs but Merle searched the tombs until he found some more' Daryl told her. 'It's gonna keep you safe. If you have to do this, then you do it our way.' Daryl walked away to carry on preparing.

Kat stood in the yard and put the armour on. Daryl watched closely and made sure that it was all on from a distance. He nodded when she was done and retreated to take his place alongside his brother in the tombs. Daryl, Merle, Rick, Michonne and Carol were going to be in the tombs setting off smoke bombs, causing confusion amongst the Governor's men and firing on them. They had placed themselves there as they were in the most danger if anything went wrong. They had very little protection down in the tombs. However, the darkness and smoke bombs would hopefully provide enough cover for them.

Kat made her way to the walkway where she found Glenn and Maggie already in position and both in body armour. Maggie was up on the walkway with her, where as Glenn was off on a smaller raised platform. She had picked up her gun en route. She carried the helmet as the weight and tight fit of the body armour was already weighing her down heavily and she was sweating profusely under the sun. She hoped that the Governor turned up soon, before she passed out from sun stroke.

Glenn sat up straighter when the distant sound of a car could be heard. 'It's go time' he called to the two women. They all pulled their helmets on and retreated back into the cell block, just by the door of the walkway. They needed to stay hidden until later.

Kat flinched as suddenly one of the guard towers exploded. She cowered into the wall behind her more securely.

'You ok?' whispered Maggie next to her. Kat just nodded and tried to focus on the task ahead of her. More gunfire echoed around the yard and ricocheted off the walls. She heard the sound of walkers being taken out. All three of them remained silent and stayed as still as possible. The gunfire ceased and the silence that followed was earie.

The gate was forced open with a crash and then footsteps could be heard in the yard. Through the slightly open door, they could see roughly thirty armed people below them in the yard. They pulled the gate off and fairly quietly for such a large group, made their way into the cell block. Glenn peaked out from behind the door on his platform first and checked that there was no one lingering in the yard. He then nodded back to Kat and Maggie who joined him outside on their walkway. They pressed themselves into the metal plates that had been placed along the walkway and waited.

The silence seemed to stretch on forever while they waited. It was suddenly broken by muffled alarms, gunfire and screaming coming from the tombs. They made sure their weapons were ready to go and prepared for their attack. People suddenly started appearing in the yard and the three of them opened fire on them.

Kat still wasn't comfortable with ambushing these people and so mostly she sent warning shots towards people's feet. She only aimed at those who fired at them, dodging behind the metal plates whenever that happened. She didn't manage to hit anyone but watched as the large group piled into a vehicle and fled as fast as the car would take them. The Governor and what seemed like his main fighters piled into a second car and also drove away.

'We did it?' yelled Maggie to Glenn.

'We did it' Glenn sighed. 'Come on down.'

Kat pulled off her helmet and watched as the others came out of the tomb. She took everyone in and was relieved that everyone was there and no one seemed to be injured. They all joined her, Glenn and Maggie where they were stood by the gates.

'We did it. We drove them out' Rick said.

'We should go after them' Michonne added.

'We should finish it' Daryl agreed.

'It is finished. Didn't you see them hightail it out of here?' asked Maggie.

'They could regroup' Michonne contradicted her.

'We can't take the chance. He's not gonna stop' Glenn agreed.

'They're right. We can't keep living like this' Carol joined in.

'So we take the fight back to Woodbury? We barely made it back last time' Maggie argued.

'I don't care' said Daryl. He just wanted this fight over. The Governor had attacked his family and he wanted revenge.

'Yeah. Let's check on the others' Rick said, not giving away what he thought. Rick gave the signal to the others to signal that it was ok to return. They all headed back into the prison to wait for the car to pull up.

Beth was the first to enter, carrying Judith. Rick greeted his daughter first and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Kat went to greet the child next. She took her from Beth and cradled her in her arms. Judith had a calming effect on Kat and she knew she needed to be as calm as possible for what was coming next.

Everyone had gathered in the yard, preparing to head to Woodbury to hopefully finish this once and for all. Michonne, Rick, Merle and Daryl were packing weapons and ammo. Kat was preparing herself, however no one else seemed to notice that she was preparing to go with them.

'Maybe I should claim my bike back little brother' teased Merle as Daryl prepared the bike for leaving. He clapped him on the shoulder and threw his bag into the backseat of the car. No matter what anyone said, Merle deeply cared for his brother. He knew Daryl had gotten attached to the bike and was happy to let him have it. He wasn't going to be able to drive it very well with one hand anyway.

'Rick, we're staying. We don't know where the Governor is. If he comes back, we'll hold him off' Glenn said.

'Just the four of us? All right' nodded Daryl.

'I appreciate you staying' Rick said.

'Sure' agreed Maggie.

'Five of us' countered Kat.

'No. This is more dangerous than defending the prison. Yer stayin here' Daryl argued.

'I'm not letting you go without me. You need the numbers with Glenn and Maggie staying here. I'm doing this Daryl' Kat said stubbornly. Daryl just tried to stare her down, not sure what he could say to make her change her mind.

'She's right. We need all the help we can get' Rick agreed, nodding at her.

'Fine' snarled Daryl. 'If you're coming with us, you stick by me. I can't be distracted if I'm worried about you getting hurt. You stick by my side, you understand?'

Kat nodded and threw her bag in the backseat next to Merle's. She made to climb into the backseat but was stopped by a hand wrapped around her arm.

'What the hell did I just say?' snarled Daryl. 'You're with me.'

He dragged her over to the bike. Kat gave him a small smile which he returned. Daryl climbed onto the bike and made sure that Kat was secure behind him. Carol and Beth took out a few walkers whilst Glenn and Maggie dragged the damaged gate open. Kat wrapped her arms tightly around Daryl's waist and they left the prison.

'Oh my god' whispered Kat as they approached one of the Governor's vehicles. Something horrible had gone down here. The men and women that had attacked the prison were scattered across the road. Some of them were dead and were being eaten by walkers. Others had turned into walkers themselves.

Daryl got off the bike and took a few of the walkers down with his crossbow, Kat sticking close by him. Michonne attacked others with her katana. Rick, Merle and Kat took down a few others with their knives. Daryl and Kat stood with their backs to the truck when a thud behind them made them both jump.

'She's alive' whispered Kat at the woman who had pressed herself against the window of the truck. She was definitely not a walker.

Rick drew his gun and Daryl opened the truck door and forced the woman out. She came out peacefully with her hands in the air. The others all had their weapons at the ready.

'What happened here?' questioned Rick.

'The Governor. He just went crazy. He killed them all. Oh god, he killed them all' the woman cried.

'Rick, if he went that crazy everyone at Woodbury could be in danger' Kat said.

'Shit this just turned into a rescue mission didn't it?' groaned Merle.

''Fraid so brother' Daryl replied.

It was dark by the time they approached Woodbury. They stopped their vehicles a short distance away and decided to approach on foot. They crept forwards but as they got closer they were fired at. Kat was dragged behind the car by Daryl as they all took cover from the gunfire.

'Tyreese! It's me! Don't ...' Karen stood up with her hands in the air.

'Get down!' Rick yelled and pulled her back behind the car in case they fired at her in mistake.

'Karen! Karen, are you okay?' a man yelled from behind the barricade as the shooting stopped.

'I'm fine!' she replied, springing back up again.

'Where's the Governor?' the man questioned.

'He fired on everyone. He killed them all' she yelled back, getting upset again.

'Why are you with them?' the man asked.

'They saved me' she yelled back.

'We're coming out!' Rick yelled, looking at the others. Daryl shook his head in argument. They could open fire and kill them all if they wanted to. 'We're coming out.' Rick put his weapon away and raised his arms. However, Daryl refused to lower his weapon although he raised it in the air and Merle, well, his was attached to his arm. Daryl kept Kat firmly behind him.

The gates opened in front of them and a man and a woman appeared. Rick seemed to recognise them but Kat was clueless as to who they were.

'What are you doing here?' the man asked.

'We were coming to finish this until we saw what the Governor did' Rick answered honestly.

'He ... he killed them?' the man asked.

'Yeah. Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall going for the prison. She never made it. She might be here' Rick told them. The man indicated his head to allow the group into Woodbury. Rick, Daryl and Michonne led the way, seemingly knowing where they were going. Kat only vaguely remembered the escape from Woodbury and so nothing looked particularly familiar as they walked through the town.

'Hi, we haven't met. I'm Kat' she introduced herself to the new people.

'Tyreese and this is my sister, Sasha' Tyreese introduced himself with a handshake and a wary but warm smile.

'What did I say?' asked Daryl, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her into his side, glaring at the two new people warily.

'This is Daryl. Ignore him, he's just a bit protective' Kat told them.

'Are you two…?' Tyreese asked, leaving the question open ended.

'No' Kat replied but the glare that Tyreese got from Daryl told him another story.

'So are you two new to Rick's group? We didn't see you before?' Sasha asked, breaking the awkward silence.

'You've met the group?' Daryl asked.

'It was when you were gone with Merle. Kat was there but she was injured. She was kept in the cell block' Rick said gently. 'This is where he had Glenn, Maggie and Kat' Rick told them as they entered a building, focusing the group once more. Sasha and Karen decided to stand guard outside of the building.

'The Governor held people here?' Tyreese asked, looking at Kat with sympathy.

'He did more than hold them' Daryl replied. 'Will you be ok going back in there?' Daryl asked her.

'I'm fine. Besides, this time my interrogator is on my side' Kat smiled over to where Merle was smirking back at her.

'I've got your back princess' Merle replied.

'What the hell is up with you calling her princess?' Daryl questioned.

'I can call my lil' sis whatever the hell I want' Merle replied with a smirk. Daryl just glared in response.

They approached the door to one of the rooms. They all stopped when they noticed the pool of blood leaking from underneath the door. Whatever they were about to find in the room wasn't going to be good.

'Will you open it?' Michonne asked Rick, hating the suspense of waiting outside.

'One, two...' counted Rick and then swung the door open. They found a dead walker, who Daryl and Michonne recognised as Milton, one of the Governor's right hand men.

However, Michonne noticed some feet poking round the edge of the door. 'Andrea!' Michonne cried.

'I tried to stop them' Andrea said.

Michonne felt her forehead, 'You're burning up.' Andrea pulled back her jacket to reveal a horrible looking bite mark. Kat gasped and covered her hand with her mouth. Tyreese, Merle and Kat hung back as the rest of the group gathered closer to Andrea. They didn't really know the woman and felt like they were intruding on a private moment.

'I'll stand guard' Tyreese told Kat quietly and left the room.

'Judith, Carl, the rest of them...' Andrea began.

'Us. The rest of us' Rick corrected her.

'Are they alive?' she asked.

'Yeah, they're alive' Rick told her.

Andrea smiled and looked to Michonne. 'It's good you found them. No one can make it alone now' she said to them all.

Daryl pulled Kat closer to him and gripped her hand tightly. Kat squeezed his hand in response. 'I never could' he told Andrea.

'I just didn't want anyone to die' she said. 'I can do it myself.' Everyone knew exactly what she meant.

'No' replied Michonne, tears streaming down her face for her friend.

'I have to. While I still can. Please? I know how the safety works' she told Rick as he handed over his gun.

'Well, I'm not going anywhere' Michonne said resolutely.

'I tried' Andrea whispered.

'Yeah. You did. You did' Rick reassured her and then stood and left the room, followed by Merle.

Daryl went to follow him, pulling Kat along with his hand still tightly gripped in hers.

'Wait! Kat' Andrea stopped them. 'Look after them for me.'

'I will. I promise' Kat replied softly and then let Daryl pull her out of the room, the door closing with a certain finality behind them. As soon as they were out of the room, Daryl pulled her into his arms and clung to her tightly. Kat had tears running down her face but she knew that Daryl needed the comfort more than she did.

They all waited in horrible silence until it was broken by the echoing gunshot. It was over.

Michonne exited the room a short while later, shaking slightly with emotion. Kat detangled herself from Daryl and embraced Michonne. It was so odd to see these people who were usually so strong, so lost in their grief.

'We should get the people here back to the prison. Woodbury isn't safe anymore if the Governor comes back' Rick said, trying to take charge despite his own grief.

'We need to take Andrea…' began Michonne, still wrapped in Kat's arms.

'We will' Rick reassured her. 'Daryl and Merle can get Andrea ready to be taken back. You and me will work on gathering some transport. Tyreese, Sasha and Karen can get people ready to go back to the prison. Kat I want you to go with them. They'll need all the help they can get and, no offense, but you look the least threatening' Rick instructed them all.

'None taken' Kat responded. 'I doubt they'd take it well if Merle or Daryl showed up at their doors after what happened.'

'You ok with this?' Kat asked Daryl, after all she had promised to stay with him.

'I'll look out for her. No one here will harm her. I promise' Tyreese added.

Daryl looked unsure, he didn't want to leave Kat with this man that they had just met but Rick was right, they needed to get everyone ready as fast as possible. He nodded and left to get on with his designated job.

Sasha and Karen went off separately to get people ready and Kat stayed with Tyreese. It was decided that as there was two of them, they would try to go to the families first that might need help packing their children's things as well as their own. They went door to door and told people what had happened. Some were shocked and disbelieving that their leader would do such a thing. Others didn't seem that shocked. They told everyone to pack essentials and head for the gates where they would be put onto transport.

Rick was right when he said that Kat didn't seem that threatening. She was welcomed into most homes with a smile after she was introduced by Tyreese. Tyreese and Sasha seemed to have made a good impression on everyone in Woodbury in the short time that they were here. Everyone greeted Tyreese with a smile at the door despite the fact that he was knocking on the door in the middle of the night.

'The kids like you' Tyreese commented to Kat. They had just finished helping the last family pack. They had two small girls, the oldest being 6 and the youngest was 4. The four year old girl was still half asleep and was clutching Kat's hand as they walked towards the gate. Kat carried her pink backpack in the other hand.

'I've always liked kids' Kat replied with a smile at the little girl.

They approached the gates and saw that the rest of the group were loading everyone from Woodbury onto a bus that they seemed to have got working again. The girl's mother took the backpack from Kat with a smile of thanks and took the little girl's other hand.

'Come on Kayla, we need to get on the bus now' the woman said.

The little girl refused to let go of Kat's hand though. 'You're coming with us?' Kayla asked quietly.

'I'm going with you but I'm going in a different car. You need to get on the bus but I'll meet you at our home. I promise' Kat knelt down and comforted the small girl.

The little girl finally nodded and allowed her mother to take her onto the bus. They were the last ones to get on and the doors closed behind them.

'Making friends?' asked Merle, smirking at her.

'Looks like we're all gonna have to make some new friends' she replied with a smile. She headed over to Daryl, who was already seated on his bike ready to go. She slipped on to the back of the bike and they led the way back to the prison. This could be a new beginning for them all.