I do not own The Walking Dead.

Previously:

Finally leaving the cell, Faye turned to see Carl leaning against a nearby wall, walking up to her when she saw him. "Hey, what took you so long? You get what you wanted?"

Looking the boy up and down once more, she replied. "Yeah, I did." She paused. "One question, though."

"Shoot."

"What's a Sherlock?"

"Woah, you weren't kidding about the guns."

"Nope."

If there was ever a smug face to be seen, it was Carl's at that exact moment.

Apparently, Faye's mouth had dropped open when she saw the guns, having not seen such a stash since the farm. So, naturally, the boy took most of the credit.

A pile of guns, ammo and even a new crossbow lay on the table, most of the group looking over the items. The guilt of looking at the stash like a bag of sweets was pushed far back into her mind. Daryl was currently comparing his current bow with the new one, Merle examining a rifle, and Glenn over the supply of ammo. "And this was only half?"

"Yep." Carl said as they walked up to the weapons. "If Morgan had come with us, it would have been double this. But, you know, we couldn't leave him with nothing." He said, as if showing off.

Narrowing her eyes slightly, she replied. "That was nice of you."

"I know."

Faye nudged him with her elbow. "Big head."

The boy simply grinned. "What? This is awesome."

After looking over the new weapons, Rick interrupted the quiet murmurings across the room. "Tomorrow, as Andrea arranged, I'll be meeting this 'Governor'."

This quietened the group quickly, turning their heads to watch as the leader spoke. "We don't know what he wants, or what he's going to do when we arrive, but that's a risk we're going to have to take. Daryl," Rick turned his head directly to the hunter as he continued. "I want you with me."

Merle's glare was ignored. Daryl nodded. "I'm in."

"And... Hershel, you should be there too."

While the old man nodded with a slight smile, Maggie protested, not wanting her father to leave. Beth didn't look pleased either. "What?"

"I think Hershel gives a good impression, keeps a cool head and could be underestimated. These are the two going."

"Leavin' us outta the party, Officer?" Merle said. "What do ya say we do while ya off chattin' with 'im? We should be giving 'im a surprise attack, won't know what hit him. He don't think you've got the guts."

"You're stayin' put." Daryl said to his brother, voice firm. "Don't need to make this harder, Rick can talk to 'im."

Said man seemed to appreciate the hunter's support. "Exactly. We're just gonna talk, for now at least."

"Maybe he's right. Ain't gonna get nothin' from talkin'. All he wants is our heads on spikes, ain't gonna stop 'till he gets 'em."

Rick scowled, but stayed strong against the Dixon. "This is the plan. We're sticking to it. We talk now, see what he's up to. If he turns on us again, we don't hesitate in retaliating."

"It'll be too late by then, bunch a pussies-"

"Shut up, Merle." Daryl voice cut through his brother's, voice firm. "We're doin' this. Rest a ya'll are stayin' here, got it? That means you too, no pullin' shit."

The two glared at each other, as if fighting for dominance, before Merle grunted a quiet response.

"What was that?" Daryl pushed.

"Said fine!" Merle spat back, turning his back to the rest of the group.

There was another pause before Rick continued. "Well, since that's settled, we all know the plan. Don't do anything stupid while we're gone-" The glance sent to Merle was unseen "-and stay safe. Make sure everyone is armed, just in case."

At this point, the group dispersed across the cell block, leaving Faye without much to do. When Carl went to talk to his Dad and Daryl to instruct his brother, the girl had originally planned on joining T-Dog on watch for a while - the man still avoiding contact with Merle at all costs. It was surprisingly peaceful on watch in the evenings, despite the memories of the battle with the Governor and walkers in the field. Well, the little memories she had.

However, she was stopped when she was called over by Hershel. "Faye?"

Turning around to see him, she saw Maggie and Beth walking away, annoyed looks on their faces. They'd probably tried to convince him to stay, but the old man was stubborn when he wanted to be. Faye replied, walking over to meet him. "What's up?"

The usual wise smile adorned the man's face. "I was going to ask you that. We need to check over the stitches again, make sure everything is healing right."

Faye frowned. "But you did that yesterday?"

Gesturing the girl to follow before he made his way to the cell - which had somehow turned into the groups make-shift infirmary for the group since the medical had been moved in there for Faye - assisted by the crutches. "And I'll need to check it today, tomorrow, the day after, and so on until it heals fully."

Ignoring Hershel's chuckle at her groan of annoyance, Faye followed after him quickly and sat on the bed when they reached the cell. Carefully removing her bandage, he looked under the newly thin layer of hair. "Sorry about the little trim, by the way, couldn't get a good look."

"It's okay, Andrea said it was just a little bit underneath." The girl narrowed her eyes a little. "But if I end up with a bald patch next time, there will be trouble."

The laugh from the old man made Faye smile. She liked making people laugh, it was something they rarely did, even if she hadn't meant for what she said to be funny. "I'll remember it."

There was a little more silence before Hershel nodded, leaning round to a bag to get something to clean the area. "It's doing fine, considerin'."

"Considering what? That we don't have many supplies?"

"Considering you mess around with Carl, punch walls and shout at people, yes, it's doing fine." At Faye's dumbstruck look, he elaborated. "I heard about the incident with Carol."

She must have looked sheepish. "Oh."

"Mind telling me what happened?"

The girl went with telling him the original plan, hissing a little as Hershel dabbed the stitches with the wet cloth. "She faced my wrath."

At this, the man laugh heartily, pausing his work for a moment. She hadn't meant for that to be funny either. "I'm sure she did, my dear." The man muttered something about the mind of a child before continuing with both his work and sentence.

"I take it you apologised?"

"Yes..."

"And you spoke to Daryl?"

"Yes..."

Faye felt like she was answering these questions automatically.

"So, you trust Daryl again?"

"...Yes."

Once again, he paused his work to look at her. "You hesitated."

"No, I didn't."

"I feel there may be some denial going on here."

"No, there's not."

Shaking his head, the old man continued to clean the stitches. "I saw the look on your face when Daryl was chosen to meet with the Governor, you don't want him to go."

She made no such face! Besides, of course she didn't want him to go! Faye didn't really want anybody to go, the Governor was a complete nutter. He could kill anyone of them, and all the group were important to her, not just Daryl. "I didn't make a face!"

There it was, the smile that knew something you didn't. "People tend not to realise they are doing it. However, I don't believe there is anything to worry about, my dear, Daryl will return. He is loyal to the group, especially now Merle is here."

Faye didn't reply. She didn't reply, because there was nothing she could say. Nothing she could say to help defend him, at least. He promised her he wouldn't leave again, he promised her he would return, but his word meant less now. His word might have apologised, but it had still lied, still given her hope to be knocked down. The silence said more than he ever could.

The silence seemed to give Hershel an indicator. "You still don't have all your faith in him, do you?"

There were still no words. She'd said them all to Daryl, cried them, shouted them. What good would repeating them do? Her faith in the hunter was still there, but it was a spark instead of a flame.

"Alright, if you don't trust Daryl, why not have confidence in me?"

Faye replied quietly. "What do you mean?"

"You might not fully believe Daryl will come back, then believe that I will bring him home. Believe me, dear, I am capable of controlling a Dixon. I'm not that old!" He chuckled at his own joke, a little smile growing on her own face.

"Alright."

"Good." He said with a nod. "Now, let's get this a clean bandage."

"How long will I have the stitches?"

Hershel only answered when he'd finished the job. "If all goes well and we continue to prevent infection, about two weeks or so. Even after that, the skin will be sore, so you'll still have to be careful."

"Two weeks? That's like, a fortnight!"

Hershel stood up with Faye. "That'd be correct. Rest more and it may reduce the time. After all, children tend to heal faster."

"Fine." That was okay, but she wouldn't admit it. The day had been tiring, the girl was more than willing to go to sleep. "And Hershel?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"No problem, dear."

The clicking sound of the guns was almost reassuring. Then, the memory that they had to use guns pushed the mood back to tension, to reality.

"Carl, Faye, come here," Glenn ordered, the two children obeying quickly. Finally, she was getting a job. "You stash these at the loading dock, alright? Stick together."

The children were each handed a box before they turned to finish filling theirs guns with ammo. Small job as it may have been, it was better than no job at all. Glenn addressed Beth next before speaking to the whole group. "If anyone gets pinned down, we need to make sure they have plenty of ammo. I'll go work on the cage outside."

Glenn picked up his gear and began to make his way out.

Not before, of course, Merle said his piece. "What we should be doin' is loadin' some of this fire power in a truck," He motioned his handless arm towards the guns. "And payin' a visit to the Governor. We know where he is right now."

Well, that was unexpected. Faye rolled her eyes, which she could see Carl give a tiny smirk at. She might have thought he was smart at first, but that was just because she had been annoyed and he told her what she wanted to hear. After that, she'd been given permission to ignore whatever 'crap' came out his mouth, as Daryl had put it. Daryl's word might not have been completely credible to her at that point, but she was more than willing to listen to this one.

"You're suggesting we just go in and kill him?" Glenn said.

"Yeah," Merle replied. "I am."

It amused Faye to see Michonne's glare now set on the Dixon, watching the scene as if it were a TV show as she picked up the ammo. "We told Rick and Daryl we'd stay put."

"I've changed my mind, sweetheart." Oh, how it looked like the woman wanted to slap him. Faye was unbelievably glad the look wasn't on her, it was bad before. Merle shook his head. "Being on the side lines with my brother out there ain't sittin' right with me."

Michonne simply turned away and shook her head at the man as Glenn continued. "The three of them are right in the middle of it. No idea we're coming, they could get taken hostage or killed. A thousand things could go wrong."

The TV show was getting repetitive, Faye thought, as she moved away from the table towards the door, Carl in front of her.

She almost bumped into him as he stopped and turned to Merle, Faye's serious face quickly taking over as she looked over with him. "My Dad can take care of himself." The boy glared for a moment before continuing, the girl silently applauding him for sounding cool.

"Sorry, son, but your Dad's head could be on a pike real soon."

Faye stopped and scowled, finding it strange Carl didn't stop to retaliate. Instead, she did it for him. Merle could say whatever he liked, but she was not fine with him being mean to her best friend. Besides, he got her in trouble!

Gathering up whatever courage she had, Faye gave the best glower she could pull off as she spoke. "Shut up, Merle. Don't talk to him like that."

Woah, she sounded bad ass, if she did say so herself.

Merle's eyebrows rose menacingly, as if daring her to say anything else. "What'd I tell ya 'bout respect?"

"Go to hell."

Hey hey, she was on a roll!

...

A roll that seemed to piss off Merle Dixon. Oh dear, this was bad, he was angry!

The man took an hard step forward, a deep scowl on his features, Faye desperately trying not to look afraid. "Stupid little bitch-"

"Hey!" Glenn intervened, stepping in front of Merle. "You wanna try something?"

Maggie joined in. "Don't talk to her like that, or either of them."

At that point, as things started to heat up, Faye left the room to catch up with Carl, who was already down the steps and opening the gate. "Hey, wait for me!"

Finally noticing her presence, the boy held the door open for her before he continued forward.

Frowning, Faye matched his pace. "Hey, you know Merle's just trying to wind you-"

"I know." He replied. "My Dad's fine, I meant what I said. He can take care of himself."

"Oh. Good." Well, that was easier than she thought. Faye had been prepared to do a little speech. "Well, I had a go at him anyway."

Carl raised an eyebrow. "You had a go at Merle?"

"I told him to shut up and not talk to you like that. Then I said he should go to hell."

The boy grinned, amused. "And he just stood and took it?"

"Not exactly." Cocking her head to the side, she continued, words coming out quickly as if it would mean Carl wouldn't listen. "He called me a stupid little bitch and earlier he had said about teaching me a lesson if I didn't respect him so he looked angry but Glenn and Maggie stopped him doing anything."

"He did what?"

Faye shook her hands. "Forget it. The point is: I was a bad ass!"

"You were a bad ass?" He sounded sceptical. How dare he!

She nudged him with her arm, scolding him. "You better believe it."

"I do."

"You don't sound like you do!"

"Totally do."

"Shut up, Carl!"

"What?" He laughed as Faye crossed her arms and pouted. "I said I believed you!"

"Whatever." Faye replied, going a little faster. "Let's go put the ammo in place and go back."

Matching her walking pace, Carl gave a little tip of his hat. "Yes, boss."

The girl gave him a harder jab in the ribs. "I said shut up!"

"Ow, ow, quit it! I'm sorry!" He still laughed, swatting away her arm.

The two continued down to the loading dock, Faye passing Carl the ammo to hide as she leaned against the fence.

"That's the last of it." He said, turning around to see Faye now sat down, head lolling back against the fence with her eyes closed. The boy crouched down immediately. "Faye! You okay?"

The girl gave a lazy smile as one eye slid open. "Yeah. The sun's nice, is all."

Closing her eye again, she sighed contently. This was a nice moment of tranquillity, sun shining on her face. No fighting, no Governor, no gunfire. Hell, even the walker's snarls seemed to fade into the distance. It made Faye feel sleepy.

"We should be getting inside."

Dammit, Carl, enjoy yourself for a little while! "Couple more minutes..."

"Faye." The boy said, and he must have tried to sound authoritative, but it ended up sounding a little like a whine. "We have things to do!"

"Glenn won't mind for a few minutes." When she didn't hear him relax against the fence, she reached out and pulled his arm. "Sit."

Knocking of balance, Carl finally agreed. "Alright, alright, I'm not a dog!"

A small giggle escaped Faye's lips. "Good boy."

"What do you want me to do, woof?" He grumbled as he sat down next to her, sighing as he did so.

They sat there for a while, simply enjoying the sun and each others company. After a minute or so of comfortable silence, Faye mumbled something. "I could fall asleep here."

"Don't do that." Carl said, but found himself more at ease.

Suddenly, there was a gunshot.

Both children snapped out of their daze, Carl reaching for the ammo to the left of him.

"Wait," Faye said, scowling at the feeling of tension back in her body. "That was from inside."

"Let me check." Carl said, picking up his gun and scanning the area above the barrier. "Your right. Come on, there might be trouble."

Pulling Faye up with him, the two children ran back to the cell block.

"I swear to God, if this was Merle, I'll- I'll-!" Faye snapped, tone irritated.

"You'll what?"

"...Make a load of threats I won't ever go through with."

"Sounds good."

Author's Note:

Here's chapter 25! Hope you all enjoyed it.

As requested by a few reviewers, I have gone back and extended the argument between Faye and Daryl.

Also, I reached a hundred reviews a few days ago! You guys are the best! So, as I haven't done it before and is probably a long time coming, here are messages to all the reviews! So, if you aren't interested in reading this part, I'll bid you farewell 'till the next update on Tuesday!

CharmedSuperGirl:

The first reviewer and you've been doing so since then, thanks for the helpful suggestions and support. I'm glad you look forward to the updates every week!

sugarbee14:

I'm glad you like the story so much, I'd love to see you review again.

Jailynn5:

Thanks for the support, it would be nice to hear more of your comments.

Kansas:

It's great that you love this story so much, I try to keep things interesting. Romance will come in Season 4! Ish. I hope it does, at least, I'm not used to writing romance. Man, I should have some more faith in myself!

French Fries:

I see you're all for Faye/Carl! I hope, when the romance finally, you'll enjoy it.

XxxBrEndAxxX:

As I wrote out your name, I only just realised it spells Brenda. Now, I feel stupid for not reading it correctly XD Anyway, my idiocy aside, thank you for the continued support! Also, as requested by a few people, I have gone back and lengthened the argument between Faye and Daryl. And, by the way, I cried when Lizzie died too. Hope to see you soon!

madstar95:

I'm glad you like it, and anything yet to come.

abritishbrew:

Here's the chapter! Hope you like it. Also, can I just say, your username is awesome!

alonealexbluerose:

Thanks man, I updated soon!

samiraye01:

I'm not going to quit! Hope you're still liking the story.

chyanne200:

I'm happy you liked it, here's the next chapter!

MonkeysGoBoo:

It's great you're enjoying my story, hope to see your comments again soon!

Savannah's Angels:

Thanks, I'm glad you like it.

ArchAngelInTheTardis:

I hope you're still enjoying it.

Mimi Salas:

I'm happy you thought so highly of the chapter! Thanks for the feedback!

ello:

I'm still hoping to add some more Glenn and Maggie interaction later, along with some other suggestions people would like. I hope you keep enjoying the chapters!

Amandapanda7:

I updated! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

GuardianAngel45:

Thanks for your thoughts!

Blackwidow99:

I gave more! I hope it delivered!

MegaReaderz:

I'm glad you liked the chapter!

Spacedragon1999:

I updated! I like that you look forward to the next chapter.

Fire Rebel:

Aah, I love big reviews! It feels great to know you like the story so much! Also, after your review, I checked out Secret Circle. Enjoying it so far!

green angel-01:

I provided the hat scene! I originally had it planned for later, but your suggestions brought it forward and it fits a lot better now! Thanks for the feedback.

SadisticKittenPoet911:

I'm so glad it made your day, I love adding those little comments from Faye.

stuwee:

I'm glad you like it!

BlondeKatniss:

Thank you for the comments!

ADayDreamingNerd:

I'm glad you enjoy the story so much. It's great to have detailed feedback, it is appreciated greatly.

HuggableMonsters:

Thanks for answering the questions, it's very helpful!

Pinned back Wings:

Thank you for the long review! Thanks to you, I now know what cacophonous means! And don't we all want to punch Merle? In the end, I liked him, but her never shut up. Glad you like the update!

110PercentHalfway:

Before I start, your username is awesome. Anyway, Faye will still have trust issues with Daryl, she still hasn't fully forgiven him, so it will carry on in that respect and I also went back and extended the argument. However, I'm glad you still liked the scene.

Guests:

To all the nameless reviewers, I thank you too! I have had many amazing reviews from you and they are all appreciated greatly!

Please review, I love to hear your thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

Cobalt Flame.