hey everyone! sorry my updates have been shit lately, it's because a lot of things have not been going properly for me...but anyway I won't bore you with that. today I took a day off from school to properly update all my fics in the way that you deserve. so here we go!
Chapter 27-
"Rick, for the love of God, please relax." Ariel sighed the next day. Since her return with Daryl, Rick had been following her like a puppy, which normally, she would have enjoyed, but it had come to the point of being unbearable. She loved him, she really did, but he didn't seem to grasp the fact that she still had all of her pieces attached.
"You're hurt, Ariel, I don't take that lightly." he turned to Daryl who had joined them outside. "You both almost got killed."
Daryl nodded solemnly, joining them along with Hershel. "It was a close call." he admitted. "That guy we met, really creeped me out man, and I don't take that shit lightly."
Rick ran his hands through his hair. "You can't do that to me, you understand?" he put one hand on her shoulder, pointing at her. "I need you to stay alive."
"Rick, relax." Ariel said. "Honestly, it's not so bad. It's cleaned up and already hurts a little less."
Daryl snorted. "Liar."
She whipped her head around. "Who's side are you on anyway?"
"Rick's," he grinned.
Rick looked at him, still keeping his hand on Ariel's shoulder. "Do you mean that?"
Daryl started at him. "Always have." he shifted on his feet, holding the strap of his crossbow. "Ariel told me everything." he treaded carefully, but when Rick didn't say anything, or look the least bit angry about it, he continued. "You gonna tell the rest of them?"
"Not till after," Rick said. "We have to do it today. It has to be quiet."
"You got a plan?"
"We tell her we need to talk, away from the others."
Daryl looked at Ariel, waiting for her to say something. Hershel and Daryl exchanged a look, before he looked at Rick with a sad expression. "Just ain't us, man."
"No," Hershel said. "No, it isn't."
Rick gripped Ariel's shoulder harder. "I thought you were with me on this." he whispered.
"What?" she asked. "I am."
"You are?" Daryl looked surprised.
Ariel shrugged. "What else can we do?" she whispered. "I just...I don't see a way out. If Rick thinks this is right..."
Rick turned around and shook his head, walking around in a few circles before coming back, his voice breaking on him in that way it did when he was begging for the people he loved to understand what he needed. "If we do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies."
"Okay." Daryl said quietly, nodding. No matter what, even if Daryl disagreed with Rick's actions, they all knew that he would stand with him in the end. Daryl was not a leader, not in the way Rick was, he enjoyed being the right hand man. He would not let Rick down, even now.
"We need someone else." Rick said.
"I'll talk to him." Daryl murmured.
"I'll do it." Rick shook his head. "Just me." and before he could say another word, he left Daryl and Ariel alone.
Daryl waited until Rick was gone before he looked at Ariel and started to speak. "You really think this is a good idea?"
"Of course not," she said sadly. "But neither do you."
"Nah, it ain't right." he chewed his thumb. "But it's Rick, and he's gotten us this far..." he trailed off, throwing his hand in the air. "Damn, this is fucked up."
"I hear you." she sighed and grabbed his hand, kissing it. She missed him, being with him. Not that they could never find the time, they could, but at the farm, they had been away in their tent, away from the others, and just were able to talk for hours. They would go to the forest and look at flowers...here, they were trapped. Prisoners in their own home, all because one psycho had it in his head that they all had to die.
"How are you really doing?" he asked, looking at her wounds.
"I'm better, honestly." she promised. "The pills are good, it hurts a little still of course, but if I don't over exert myself, we should be okay."
"Well you know what that means then," he frowned. "If we go head to head with the governor, you can't come."
Ariel flicked his nose. "I bet that makes you sad."
He chuckled. "Rather have you outside the line of fire. Better this way. Gotta only think about Rick's ass and not yours too."
"I thought you liked thinking about my ass." she teased, pressing her lips against his softly.
He grinned against them, his hands coming around to grab her backside. "You know it babe." he pulled back after their kiss, looking at her lovingly. "Let's get you inside, please? Come on, those stitches aren't going to hell if you keep standing up."
Ariel knew that arguing with him would do absolutely nothing for her, so she followed Daryl back inside the prison, to their cellblock, holding his hand the whole way.
"I gotta go help out outside and stuff." he told her, leaning against the wall of the cellblock, looking like walking sex to her. She kissed his jaw line.
"You be careful."
"Always." he promised. "You lie down, play with my girl." he nodded over at Judith who was in the arms of Beth.
"I think she misses her uncle." she told him.
"Well once this is over and done with, I can finally take a moment with her." he sighed. "And with you. We'll be able to breathe."
She nodded. "We aren't leaving this place."
Daryl kissed her forehead. "I'll make sure of that."
Ariel kissed him lightly on his lips, watching him walk away before going over to Beth. "Looks like it's just you and me." she told Beth.
"Actually," Beth grinned slyly. "If you don't mind, can you take care of her while I go help? I'd like to do something more for once."
Ariel sighed. "Sure Beth."
"Thanks." she handed Judith over to her and then whispered lowly. "Have fun with Merle." then she laughed and ran out of the prison cell before Ariel could realize what Beth had tricked her into agreeing to.
"God damn it." she moaned.
But for a long, long while, Merle didn't bother her. She walked around with Judith, passed a few words over to her friends that came in and out of the cell block, Maggie even taking ten minutes out of her day to talk with her. Judith was a bit fussy, and that made Ariel wish that Rick or Daryl was here, she was a total sucker for the grown men. Ariel couldn't blame the little thing, their strong arms were probably a lot more comfortable for her than her bony ones.
"Ain't no way." Ariel heard Merle say as she settled Judith into the crib, having finally gotten her to sleep.
"What?" Ariel asked, looking up at him, he was standing on the balcony, looking out the window.
"Nothing," he turned around. "We got any whiskey? Hell, I'd even drink vodka."
Ariel wanted to say go to hell, but then she remembered that the love of her life was Merle's brother, and no matter how much she disliked him, she had to tolerate him. "Merle," she said seriously. "Are you with us?"
"Sure." he shrugged, coming down the stairs.
"I'm not talking about occupying the same space. Are you with us?"
"I'm here for my brother."
"So am I." she told him. "And for the others. And Daryl's not here for you, he's here for all of us. He came back for us."
Merle frowned. "You don't need to tell me that shit, little miss. I already know how much you mean to him. Whined like a little bitch in the forest, I'll tell you that much."
Ariel smiled. "Your brother has done a lot for us. Rick needs him, and I need him. And he, he wants you here. So Merle, don't let him down."
Merle didn't say anything, but watched Merle frown only further, going all the way down the stairs and disappearing from her sight. Ariel sighed, wondering if she had made anything better or just worsened the situation. Honestly, she didn't know anymore. Could things even get worse than they were? At this point, with their backs up against the wall the way they were?
"Hey," Daryl came in, looking sweaty and dirty and gorgeous. He kissed the top of her head before sitting down next to her. "You seen Merle?"
"He left like five minutes ago."
"Where to?"
She shrugged. "You alright?" she grabbed his hand. "You seem preoccupied."
Daryl shrugged. "Got into it with Glenn a bit, still pissed about everythin' that happened with Merle and the governor."
"Well can you blame him?" she asked.
"No," he muttered. "I'm just trying to find a way to make it easy for everyone to live under the same roof."
"That's a big responsibility to take." Ariel sighed. "I wish I could help. Do you want me to go with you to look for him?"
"Nah, I think I gotta do it myself you know?"
"Yeah." she brought their foreheads together, her hand on the back of his neck. "You're too good for this." she whispered.
"And you're too good for me." he curled her hair around his finger. "Thank you for being here, with me, always."
"You're my life." she told him, pulling back to better observe him. "I love you."
"I love you too." he smiled lightly, but Ariel saw that he was sad. God this man burned her from the inside out, in a dangerous but also a beautiful way. She loved him, every piece of him, no matter how broken he was on the inside, she liked to think that she was helping him stitch himself up. She liked to think she did, or she had helped, ever since the farm. He had helped her in ways that she could not even properly explain. They needed each other so badly. This place, this prison, it could be their life together, the one they dreamt about.
But not like this.
"Go find your brother." she said. "I'll go find Rick."
Daryl looked at her. "You need to rest."
"I'm resting fine." she smiled lightly, kissing him again. "Go on, go find Merle."
"Okay." he stood up with her and hugged her, burying his face in her neck. "Jesus, I love you."
"I love you more, hot stuff." she kissed his neck.
"Not fucking possible." he pulled back and smiled lightly, walking away from her.
When Ariel found Rick, she stood still for a moment, trying to contain herself. She hated this, seeing him like this. She forgot when she was with Daryl, because Daryl made her forget the bad things, but looking at Rick now, she remembered how much her heart hurt.
"Rick." she whispered, walking up to him. He was kneeling on the floor, his head in his hands, a blue wire wrapped around his hand. "Rick, Rick, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" she kneeled down next to him, wincing a little.
"What are you doing?" he murmured, his hands going over to her. "You're hurt, you shouldn't be here."
"Rick," she wiped away the tears on his eyes. "Rick, I'm fine. Talk to me."
"She's not here." he shook his head. "She's not."
"What?" Ariel looked to where Rick's eyes were straying. He was looking at the balcony, like he had seen a ghost. "Oh...Rick...is it Lori?"
Rick shook his head. "I can't do this." he said. "I can't bring Michonne."
Ariel smiled lightly, taking his head in both her hands. "And that's what makes you the man I respect." she told him, kissing his forehead. "It's okay, it's okay Rick."
"You guys were right," he hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Rick, it's okay." she caressed his hair. "Come on, get up." she helped him up and wiped his eyes with her shirt.
Rick grabbed both her hands and held them tightly against his heart, closing his eyes for a moment. "Please, never leave me."
"Hey," Ariel said softly. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Please go tell Hershel," he opened his eyes slowly. "I'll find Daryl."
"Alright." she nodded. "And Rick...it'll get easier." she shrugged pathetically. "I know that doesn't help much, but it'll get easier."
Rick only nodded at her.
"I hate this." Ariel muttered.
"Me too." Rick sighed, holding Judith in his arms.
"I wish we were out there with him."
"He didn't want me there." Rick sighed. "I guess there are some things I can't help him with, as much as I would like to."
"Well that's dumb." Ariel murmured.
Rick chuckled. "Come on." he muttered, bringing her outside. "You alright, you've walked a lot today."
"I'm good." she said.
They walked outside where the others were sitting, and found a place next to Beth at the picnic table. They were all there, all of them except Daryl, who was recklessly off looking for his brother (which obviously gave Ariel anxiety). But right now Rick needed to speak, and so everyone was waiting to see what he had to say.
"When I met with the governor, he offered me a deal." Rick began. "He said, he said he would leave us alone if I gave him Michonne. And I was gonna do that, to keep us safe. I changed my mind. But now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late. It was wrong not to tell you. And I'm sorry. What I said last year, that first night, after the farm...it can't be like that. It can't. What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good because we are the greater good. We're the reason we're still here, not me. This is life and death. How you live, how you die, it isn't up to me. I'm not your governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together. We vote. We can stay and we can fight or we can go."
"We stay." Ariel smiled at him. "We stay and fight. That's what we do."
"Daryl will bring her back." Carl nodded. "Daryl's good like that."
Rick nodded. "I'm sorry." he croaked.
"It's okay Rick," Hershel said with a smile. "You're okay."
