Chapter 37
"You're kidding right?" Andi fumed at Daryl as he told her of Rick's plan to bring some of Blake's men into the group "tell me your joking Daryl."
She could not believe that anyone would even consider letting the men integrate with the group after what they had been involved with.
"Didn't say I agreed with it Andi" Daryl said calmly, in all honesty he wanted to kill the lot of them as much as Andi did. They were all killers even if they showed a certain amount of remorse for what they did. He scratched his head and leaned against the tower at the front of the prison.
"Well then" she said suddenly, stepping closer to Daryl "we need to do something about it. Surely Herschel can't be too happy about it, letting child rapists in with his daughters at risk" she now walked away from him and turned away from him thinking. "What about Judith's safety?" she turned to face him again "has he thought about that?"
Daryl knew she had a point, he also knew that the men that Rick wanted to bring into the group were probably more at risk of Andi killing them before they could do the same to the group.
"How are we killing the others? What happens now?" she demanded of Daryl, her hands on her hips.
"We are doing Tyler first then the others but the three Rick thinks are Ok" Daryl told her solemnly "Andi" he said stepping towards her "I want them dead as much as you do but Rick is the leader."
"Hang on" Andi said interrupting him, holding up her hands "shouldn't this be a group decision? This affects the whole group, and the group needs to talk about this."
Daryl nodded and agreed, he looked at Andi carefully "can I ask ya somethin'?" he said still looking at her, and she shrugged, stabbing a walker through the head that was groaning loudly next to her on the other side of the fence.
"You ok?" he asked.
Andi looked back at him "yeah, I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be?"
Daryl sighed "Just wanted to make sure Andi, after everything that's happened to you since you have been here" he paused and stepped in closer to her "I don't wanna loose ya, Carol's gone and I don't wanna lose you the same way. If ya need to talk, I'm all ears."
Andi smiled sadly at him and looked down at the floor shaking her head "I can't Daryl, if I stop and think about it, it'll take me over. Life goes on, it don't stop just because bad things happened to me. No, this place still needs protectin', the people in there need protectin' and even though I might not be as strong as I was before, I can do that." She paused and looked up at the prison, her home now and then to Daryl, one of the few people she actually trusted in this world.
She smiled weakly "but thank-you" she said touching his arm gently before moving to walk back up to the prison. "You comin'?" she called back to him "we gotta sort this shit out with these men, we gotta stand up to Rick and tell him that we ain't comfortable with having them in with us" she said waiting for him to catch up.
Daryl nodded, he had been happy to go along with Rick's leadership on almost every aspect, he had lead the group here and by most parts kept them alive until now. But letting these men into the group could be the thing that will destroy them and like Andi, he was not about to let that happen and he knew that Michonne would stand with them as well against him.
"Let's do it then" he said with his gruff voice.
Rick was holding Judith in the sun with Herschel, Carl and Beth when they saw Andi and Daryl walking back up to the prison with a sense of purpose across their faces.
"I'm worried about her" Rick admitted to Herschel "she isn't accepting that anything has happened to her."
Herschel looked at the pair as they came into the yard "I know but we can't force her to talk about it, it's got to be up to her to open up about it. If we push her we will end up pushing her away. I'm confident Daryl's got it all under control, they're like two peas in a pod."
Rick nodded and looked down at his daughter and thought of Lori, his mind often went to her when he held Judith, the baby looked like her mother.
Maggie and Glenn had seen Andi and Daryl walking back up to the yard and come over to stand with the rest of the group while Michonne stayed in the tower over looking everybody. Most knew that she would go with whatever Daryl and Andi were going to propose
"Rick" Daryl shouted out as he approached the group "I think we need to have a group meetin' or somethin' about what we're going ta do to the men" Daryl said before Rick could argue.
"You can't be serious that you want let those men into this prison Rick" Andi said sternly, staring right at Rick "that ain't something that you can decide, it has to be a group decision."
Rick sighed and looked to Herschel for help but the farmer just looked at him with a passive look on his face. He sighed again "what do you want me to do then? Let them go?"
Andi shook her head "No" she said calmly "only one thing we can do to them Rick, even the ones you seem to think are 'OK' to come into this group. You know you're endangering all of us by doing that right? Including your baby girl, Herschel's daughters, all of us."
"We ain't killing them" Rick said his voice wavering slightly, this was really the first time that the group as a whole had stood up to any of the decisions he had made so far for them.
Andi stepped closer to him with Daryl close behind "you bring them in here and I promise you I will make their lives a living hell. You do understand what they did right?" she asked him "because the way you're thinkin' at the moment kinda says you don't."
"She's right man" Daryl interjected "you want ta let known rapists and killers into our group? That ain't good leadership man; ya may as well break our legs and throw us out to the walkers."
Rick looked at each group member, rubbing his temple he sighed "do you all feel like this?" he asked. Each member of the group nodded at the leader but said nothing.
"If ya don't you don't have to side with either" Andi said breaking the silence "what do y'all think? If you think they should be given a chance, say."
No-one spoke. "I think you got your answer Rick" Daryl said calmly.
"We all appreciate what you're doing for us Rick" Herschel interjected "but I really don't feel comfortable with letting like that near my girls, near Judith."
Rick sighed again "OK, Andi, at least see the guys, maybe they had nothing to with what happened to you and your family" he tried to reason with her "and if they did then fine, we kill them all, but at least humour me and take a look at them. Please."
It was Andi's turn now to sigh "and if they are you won't try to stop us from killing them?"
"As long as you are honest in identifying them as men that were involved with what happened to you and your family" Rick replied.
Andi nodded "I will be" she paused "I'm not a cold blooded killer Rick, if they had nothing to do with it then so be it. But if they did" she trailed off and shrugged her shoulders. Each member of the group knew exactly what Andi meant by that and each member of the group also knew that she would deal with the issue if it came to a head and the men were needed to be killed.
"Right then" Rick said "let's get this done" he started walking towards the cell block that the men were being kept. Andi and Daryl looked at each other and nodded each following Rick. Maggie went to follow but was held back by her father who shook his head.
"No" he said, taking her arm "let them go, we don't need to hear what those men have to say. Maggie sighed, she really did want to hear but she would listen to her father.
"Okay daddy" she said in her southern drawl "I'll go tell Michonne what's happening."
Herschel nodded and waited.
"Ok" Rick said pausing at the cell doors "I'll go bring the men out of their cells, one at a time and you tell me if you recognise them."
Andi nodded and looked at Daryl who gave her a reassuring smile, they watch Rick disappear into the cell block and go to one of the cells, opening the door and walking inside.
Daryl noticed Andi had started fidgeting with her hands "it's gonna be ok" he said with little conviction.
"I ain't worried" Andi replied defensively "it's just" she paused "bringing back some old memories, that's all" she admitted. For the first time she actually felt very vulnerable, even with Daryl next to her, she still felt as if anything could happen as they stood here. "Why is Rick takin' so long" she said looking in to the block.
"Probably just talkin' to the guy, tellin' him what's going on and that" Daryl shrugged. He wished he had a cigarette, something to do with his hands, it was one thing he hated and that was waiting.
As if on cue Rick came out of the cell followed by a middle-aged man with long shaggy hair. Andi stepped forward, staring into the cell block. Daryl heard her catch her breath, a sure sign that she recognised the man. Rick saw her face and his heart sank.
Andi looked up at Daryl and shook her head as Rick led the man back into the cell.
"Ha!" they heard the man shout as Rick locked the cell door again and moved to the next man's cell.
It was the same reaction for the next man and the third.
"I'm sorry" Andi said quietly to Daryl as they watched a dejected Rick lead the third man back into his cell.
"Andi" Daryl started to say but they were interrupted by Rick shouting from inside the cell. Their eyes widening with the realisation of what could be happening in the cell.
Daryl pulling his bow and aiming it in the block and Andi grabbing her machete, the pair walked slowly into the cell block.
"Oh it's the spitfire boys!" Tyler shouted from his cell which was accompanied by a round of cat calls and whistles. Andi pushed the sounds out of head and focused on Daryl's back, following him to where Rick had followed the man back into.
"Stop" came the voice from inside "or I'll the bastard" he shouted. Daryl looked into the cell.
"Oh shit" he said staring into the cell and seeing the man with Rick in a headlock and holding his own colt up to his head.
A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this out guys! Thank you for your reviews and follows! I love reading them and it helps me to know I am going in the right direction! Please let me know your thoughts! As always, thanks to Darkshadow008.