Sorry for the wait. This chapter was giving me some trouble. :( Oh, and with this update, I now have over a million words on ff! :)


Chapter Twenty-Eight

"What do you mean he's dead?" Rick was the first to react to the news as Andrea stepped out of Carol's embrace. "You killed him?" The last time Andrea had been there, she had defended the Governor so Rick and everyone else was surprised that she had actually killed him.

"His body is in the back," Milton spoke up, meekly. "If you want proof." Daryl was the first to step forward to see the body, but Rick stopped him with a grip on his arm.

"Could be a trap," he said, lowly.

"You think Andrea would do that to us?" Daryl kept his voice down so that no one else could hear them.

"I don't know. She could have been forced. We approach with caution."

Daryl resisted the urge to roll his eyes. If the Governor wanted them dead, he wouldn't have sent Andrea and Milton to do the deed. But he did as Rick said and approached the vehicle slowly. Rick had his hand hovering over the gun at his hip.

"T-The trunk is locked," Milton said and joined them. "I'll have to open it for you." His eyes went to Rick's gun and his hand shook slightly as he brandished the key.

"Go on." Daryl motioned with his hand, keeping the irritation from his voice. When he had been back at Woodbury, Milton had been one of the few he had actually liked and it was clear the man was terrified, so he tried to make it easier on him.

Milton placed the key in the lock, fumbling a few times before it finally clicked and he lifted the trunk. Once it was open, he took a few quick steps back and looked away. However, Daryl and Rick walked closer to see.

It was the Governor all right. He was naked from the waist up and there was dried blood on his chest, a stab wound in his heart and blood on his temple from the knife killing him a second time. Rick seemed to sag at the sight and Daryl knew that it had to be from relief. A weight was lifted off his shoulder. They no longer had to give up Michonne and no longer had to worry about Woodbury attacking them.

"He's really dead, then," a solemn voice spoke to Daryl's left. Turning, he saw that it was Michonne. No wonder he hadn't heard her approach.

"Yeah," Andrea said and stepped close to her friend. Carol wasn't far behind. When Daryl locked eyes with her, he saw that she was just as relieved as Rick to see that the man was dead. The only regret that Daryl had to see the body was that he hadn't been the one to kill him. But his brother was still avenged and for that, he was grateful.

"Andrea, drive the car up into the yard," Rick ordered. "We'll burn the body and you can tell us exactly what you did."

"Carol knows." Andrea looked back at her friend. "She's the one who told me to do it."

Everyone looked at Carol, who wasn't used to attention and blushed. "I'd still like to hear it from you, Andrea. You were the brave one who went through with it."

"I almost didn't," Andrea admitted and wrapped an arm around Carol's waist. "But I'll tell you what happened." Together, the group started to walk back up to the prison. Milton went to the driver's seat of the car and started it. Daryl slipped into the passenger's seat before it started to move and startled the other man.

"Why are you here?" Daryl asked. The words weren't said forcefully or with anger. He wanted to know why this man, who used to hang off the Governor's every word and lie, would come to the prison with Blake's dead body.

"I realized you were right. Phillip was a terrible man. I just wanted to tell you that." His eyes never left the gravel road that led up to the main part of the prison yard. He made sure to drive slowly and to keep a distance away from the group leading the way.

"You didn't have to do that," Daryl said. "I already knew I was right." He clapped the man on the shoulder and smirked, feeling camaraderie with him. Merle, also, had a weird relationship with the bespectacled man. Most days Merle had acted as if the man had annoyed him, but deep down Daryl knew that he cared about Milton.

"So, were you in on Andrea killin' him?"

"Actually, no. I went to see Phillip about something yesterday morning and found Andrea covered in blood and...naked." He seemed more embarrassed about seeing a naked Andrea than troubled about the blood.

"That's when I saw his body on the bed. Andrea thought I was going to tell everyone what she had done and I thought she was going to kill me, too." He gulped. "I had a knife pressed to my throat and everything. But, when I convinced her I wouldn't say a word, we came up with a plan to tell the people of Woodbury want happened. Of course, we couldn't tell the truth. We said he had turned in his sleep and Andrea had to kill him."

"And they believed you?" Daryl asked in disbelief.

"Andrea can be pretty convincing," he said simply.

Now, that Daryl believed. The woman had come to despise the Governor, or she had to to be able to kill him, so to act like she had wanted to sleep with the man had taken some great acting skills on Andrea's part and Daryl respected that.

"We told him that we were burying him with the rest of his family and left," Milton spoke, again. The car came to a stop in the yard and Carol gave Daryl on odd look when she looked at him through the windshield of the car.

"Well, he's gettin' what he deserves, now and that ain't no funeral." Daryl climbed from the truck and walked over to Carol, who was still standing near Andrea. Axel and Rick went to the truck to retrieve the body. Glenn went off to find a can of gasoline to help with the fire and Michonne watched everything with hooded, unreadable eyes. The woman was a mystery to them all, but Daryl knew that she was happy the Governor was gone.


Everyone in the group stood around the smothering remains of what had been the Governor, except for Beth, who was inside with the baby. The fumes weren't good for the baby and Beth was the only one willing to stay with her. Everyone seemed to have a personal investment in watching the Governor burned. He had threatened their family, killed Merle and had tried to kill Michonne.

Years seemed to shed from Rick's face as one of their threats was burned away. They still had walkers to deal with, but without Blake breathing down their necks, taking out walkers and keeping everyone safe within the prison had gotten ten times better. "Now," their leader said and looked toward Andrea. "Will you tell us what happened?"

Andrea looked briefly at Carol before speaking. "I slept with him and then, I kill him. Milton helped me make up a story to tell Woodbury and we brought the body here."

"What's going to happen to the people there?" Rick asked.

Andrea shrugged and Milton fidgeted a little in place. "We don't know. Despite being a sick bastard, Phillip ran the place well. Without him, I don't know what will happen to him. Unless... Milton steps up." The way she was looking at the other man made Daryl think that this wasn't the first time the two had this conversation.

Milton flushed. "I can't do that!" He protested. "I'm just a scientist and the people wouldn't respect me."

"You can do it, Milton. Honestly," Andrea's voice grew soft and it suddenly felt like an intimate moment. Everyone else seemed to sense it, too and shifted nervously in place. A hand slipped into Daryl's and he looked down to see Carol standing close.

"Do you want to get out of here for a bit? Hershel said he'd try his hand at cooking something and I even think he's going to coerce Carl to help."

Daryl snorted and allowed himself to be led by the hand. "That should be interestin'."

"And I ran out of my last granola bar this morning."

"Fuck."


The next several days, the mood at the prison seemed lighter. Tension had left Rick since he no longer had to make the tough decision about Michonne and Glenn had lost the feeling of being constantly angry now that the Governor was dead and just a pile of charred bones. Andrea had gone back to Woodbury with Milton before it had grown dark the day they had arrived and promised to return sometime in the next few days. It wasn't clear if she planned on staying with them or at Woodbury...with Milton. She and Michonne had seemed to have repaired their friendship and the woman didn't seem as scary, anymore.

Carol didn't envy Andrea, though. Over the next few days, she would have to make a difficult decision of where she would call home. Andrea had even asked if Rick and the group would want to live at Woodbury now that the Governor was gone. Rick had declined, of course. They had worked hard to make the prison their home and they weren't going to abandon it, now.

Things with Daryl had changed over those few days. Changed in a good way. He had practically moved into her cell, though some of his stuff remained in his. Everyone knew that they were together and didn't seem to mind. Carol was grateful. Daryl was a good man, one of the best she had ever known, and she didn't know what she would have done if her family hadn't accepted him.

They hadn't slept together since that night a few days ago, but he was in her bed every night and Carol wouldn't have changed it for their world.

"We need a real bed," he groaned that morning as he sat up to climb from the bed. "Pretty sure a spring was diggin' into my spine all night and my bed ain't any better."

Carol giggled and rummaged for something to put on before heading out to start breakfast. "Things have calmed down some. Maybe we can go out and look for one sometime. Good luck lugging it up here, though."

"It would be worth it." He settled at the edge of the mattress and watched her undress, just as he had done for the past few weeks. At first, Carol had been embarrassed to shed her clothes in front of him, but she quickly realized that Daryl made her feel better about herself and not worst.

"Maybe we can take it up to one of the unused watchtowers and make it our own little home."

"Why Daryl Dixon, are you asking me to move in with you?" Over her shoulder, she gave him a sweet smile and batted her eyes.

"Ain't that what we're doin' now?" He stood and crossed the room to wrap his arms around her. Things had moved extremely fast for them. They had only met little over a week before and now, they were living together. And Carol was pretty sure she was in love with Daryl.

"Hm. I just thought you liked my bed better and that's why you sneak in it every night." She turned in his arms and kissed his chin.

"Sneakin' in? Last time I checked, you stay up and lift the covers for me every night. You're just as eager to be in bed with me as I am with you." Daryl leaned down and gave her a proper kiss. His lands slid upward to her hair, where they tangled in her curls and he pulled her closer...

A throat clearing had them moving apart. Turning to the open doorway of Carol's cell, they spotted Axel standing there nervously. "Uh, sorry to interrupt." He didn't look either one in the eye. In fact, he avoided Daryl's all together. Ever since Axel had taken a liking to Carol, Daryl had glared at the other man and made sure that he knew Carol was off-limits.

"Uh, sorry to i-interrupt, but Beth would like your help with breakfast."

Carol pulled away from Daryl and placed her hands on her hips. "What were you doing near Beth?"

"U-Uh, I got up early and she was in the common room. I stayed on the opposite side of the room. Honest." Carol seemed to soften. Axel was harmless. A little slow on the uptake, but harmless nonetheless.

"Okay, tell her I'll be down in a few." Axel quickly retreated at her words.

"Why do you always have to help her?" Daryl grumbled and plopped back down on the mattress. "Doesn't she have a sister?"

"Today was my day for breakfast, so she's the one helping me." Carol glanced in the small mirror propped on the only dresser in the cell and finger combed her hair. Daryl snorted and rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"I thought your hair looked pretty damn perfect a few minutes ago."

Carol turned and fixed him with a look and pursed her lips. "You would." Once she deemed herself presentable enough to cook breakfast, Carol turned to leave the cell.

"Wait," Daryl called. "I was serious about us finding a real bed...and maybe calling one of the towers ours." He looked very shy, then. "If you want to...that is."

In the normal world, moving in with a guy after knowing him for only a little over a week would have been strange, but this wasn't a normal world. This was a world where every moment could be your last and Carol found that she wanted to spend every moment she was allowed with Daryl Dixon.

"I very much want to," she answered. "We'll talk about it later, okay?" She felt giddy at the prospect of having her own little space with Daryl. No one would be able to interrupt them in the morning like Axel had and if they were to take over a tower, there would be more than just a flimsy curtain to keep the outside world out.

Daryl beamed, the smile making the corners of his eyes crinkle. "Okay."


I'm still having a few problems with the story. I can end it soon, like in the next one to two chapters, but I don't want to. I've enjoyed writing for it. Does anyone have any suggestions? I may not take them, but they may be able to help get my brain to work on some new ideas lol

Thanks for reading!