Alright, guys! Big chapter! The inspiration for one of the scenes was the song Fire In The Water by Feist. It was when I was driving and listening to that song that it hit me… Yep. Lol. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter! WARNING: Adult content. Just a heads up!

Skye hurried after Rick as they headed towards the courtyard, where the others were to be waiting to have a group meeting.

"Rick, wait!" As she fell into step with him, she added, "There's something I need to talk to you about."

"It can wait."

Skye jumped in front of him, effectively stopping him in his tracks. "No, Rick, it can't."

"What is it?"

"Something I should've told you a long time ago." Her breath came in short spurts from running to catch up to him. "It's someone here."

Rick's face grew worried. "Is someone in trouble?"

"No, it's not like that."

Rick waited, his face growing impatient.

"Someone in the group has been trying to hurt me, kill me even."

Rick's eyes grew wide. "How do you know?"

"I mean, it was kind of obvious, Rick. I know I can't prove it, but still I don't –"

"Who was it?" Rick interrupted.

Skye let out a breath of relief. "Carol."

"Why would Carol want you dead?"

"I believe it's because of my connection with Daryl." Skye knew she sounded like a silly schoolgirl to Rick, but she didn't care. The last thing she needed to worry about with the Governor on his way to kill them was Carol's petty jealousy issues.

Rick looked up towards the courtyard then back at Skye. "And you're sure?"

Skye nodded.

"You know I can't do anything about it without any proof…"

"I know, Rick, and I understand. I just wanted to let you know. If she tries something while the Governor-"

"She won't. I'll be sure to make sure she won't."

Skye gave Rick a weak smile and a slight nod of her head.

"Let's go."

Skye stood leaning against the fence surrounding the courtyard, her eyes watching the members of the group as theirs stared up at their leader. Rick picked at his finger nervously as he prepared for the discussion that was about to take place. None of them knew what to expect and the anticipation grew inside them as Rick glanced over his shoulder to share a quick glance with Skye.

His turned his head back to the group and took a deep breath. "When I met with the Governor," he began. "He offered me a deal. He said-" He paused, straightened up, and went on. "He said he would leave us alone, if I gave him Michonne."

Everyone sat quietly, taken aback. Skye looked over to Hershel, knowing they were the only two present that had known of this plan.

"I was gonna do that… to keep us safe."

Skye watched as everyone's face grew sad, realizing that there were some not with them. Michonne. Merle. Daryl. Skye bit her cheek, trying to keep from getting too angry.

"I changed my mind. Now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late." Rick stood, nodding. "I was wrong not to tell you. I'm sorry." Skye shifted in place as Rick looked back at her specifically before readdressing the group. "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 no my call. It can't be. I can'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 are not Woodbury. We don't attack our own." Rick's eyes fell to Carol, who quickly looked between him and Skye, unsure if he knew what she had done. "If anyone in this group attacks another member… you'll be cast out. There is no you, me, I anymore. Only we."

Skye felt goose bumps at Rick's speech. This was a moment that would define them. Not just as individuals, but as a group.

"We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together." Rick again looked to Carol. "We vote. We can stay and we can fight… or we can go."

No one said a word. They all just stared back at him. Shouldering his weapon, Rick turned to leave them to discuss it. As he passed by Skye, her eyes met his and she hoped they gave him the right message. She was proud. She was proud of his speech, proud of his decision, and proud to have him as their leader, because despite him saying it wasn't his decision, that didn't change the fact they all still looked up to him. Nothing could change that. Skye knew he would keep an eye on Carol. That was for certain… but could he always be watching?

After Rick's speech everyone had stayed behind in the courtyard to discuss what was the right path to go down when dealing with the Governor. As expected there were some mixed feelings…

"We can't just sit here and wait to be killed," Carol stated.

"We do that no matter where we are." Maggie crossed her arms.

"Maggie's right," Skye stood beside her friend. "No matter where we are there is always the threat of death. That's just the world we live in. We can't just let him get away with this. We can't just uproot our lives we have now because of some crazy man."

"You're just saying that because of your brother." Carol rolled her eyes.

"No, I'm not," Skye glared at the older woman.

"As if that would matter anyway. She has a good point. Plus, he needs to pay for what he's done." Glenn looked over at Maggie.

"At what cost?" Hershel spoke up from where he sat at the table with Beth. "Revenge tends to get people killed. I'm not willing to risk my daughter's lives for it. Skye may be right about always being a risk, but why should we add to it?"

"We have to fight. We're not just fighting for revenge… we're fighting for each other, for this place – this life." Skye's words made everyone go silent. They all knew it was true. Hershel, who had lowered his gaze to the table in deep thought, raised his head toward Skye.

"So we stay and fight. We'll need a plan and we'll need to work fast. We are down three people who are great to have in a fight, so we need to plan accordingly."

As if on cue, Rick walked back through the gate, but he wasn't alone.

Skye was in shock. "Michonne? But how-?"

"Merle let me go," Michonne looked to the group.

"Merle?" Glenn laughed. "That doesn't sound like Merle. You're kidding, right?"

Michonne shook her head slowly.

"Why would he just let you go? And why wouldn't he be back with you?" Skye didn't understand.

"Said he had something he had to do. Drove off."

Rick shifted and leaned in towards her. "And Daryl? Did he find you guys?"

"He didn't leave with Merle again, did he?" Carol asked the question going through everyone's minds.

"He found me and went after Merle."

Skye's heart began to beat hard in her chest. If he went after Merle, who undoubtedly was going after the Governor, he could be captured or worse… tortured and killed. Her hands began to shake and she jumped up. Brushing past Michonne and Rick she headed for the gate.

"Skye!" Rick called, but it was Michonne who caught her arm.

"I can't let you go."

Skye struggled against the woman's grip. "Let me go! I have to! If he walks into a group-"

"He told me not to let anyone come after him," Michonne tightened her grip.

"Merle can go to hell!"

Her eyes met Skye's. "I wasn't talking about Merle."

Skye knew she meant Daryl. Why wouldn't he want anyone to come after him? Wouldn't he want the help? Giving in, she stopped her struggle and Michonne cautiously released her arm.

"Daryl will be back. He's tough," Hershel tried to calm everyone's worries. "Right now we need to talk about strategy." Pushing up from the table he added while hobbling towards the cellblock, "But we should discuss it inside. Judith should be put down for a nap."

Once inside, they gathered up all the weapons they had into the first room in the first room and began going over everything. To Carl's dismay, Hershel had offered up the idea that he, Beth, Carl, & Judith go outside the prison gates and hide themselves during the fight. This would also make it so they could jump into one of the vehicles and leave if need be.

"We can't stay in here. They'd be expecting that." Glenn sat some flash bangs onto the table in the center of the group.

"No, we can't," Rick agreed.

"Then what? We can't just hang out outside until they come?"

Skye looked to Carol and then down at the number of weapons laid out before them. As the others continued the discussion, Skye thought things through in her head. What would Daryl do?

"I got it," Skye interrupted them, effectively earning their attention. "The tombs." Her eyes danced from one member to the next as they stared back in confusion. "Lead them down there. It's dark and practically a maze. We know our way around them pretty well and they don't know them at all."

Rick's head slowly began to nod as he thought it over.

"We can't just hide out in the tombs," Carol shot.

"But we can take some of them out down there," Skye defended her idea.

"There's no way we can risk that-"

Interrupting Carol, Rick said, "It's the perfect idea. Their numbers and military vehicles won't matter down there. We can set the stage for the battle, make it to our advantage."

Skye snatched up one of the flash bangs. "Create a panic," she smiled. "His men may start to flee or maybe even start shooting off without thinking."

"Someone should hide outside," Maggie offered. "Take down the ones that run. They'll be more focused on running away than taking us down."

"Good idea," Rick praised, his voice starting to get the hint of excitement. "Maggie, you and Glenn should be the ones. You can use the riot gear."

Maggie smiled back in return.

"One thing the Governor likes to use is walkers," Michonne informed them, reminding them of the herd he had dropped off at their doorstep the last time. "We could give him a taste of his own medicine." The mischievous grin that played on Michonne's lips made Skye smile. She was really glad she was back.

"You mean like round some up and set it up so they get ambushed?" Rick asked.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Skye smiled, but it soon fell as the group's attention was drawn to the sound of the door opening. It was Daryl.

Skye's heart dropped when she saw him. He looked awful and didn't say a word as he swept through the room towards the cells.

"Daryl?" Carol called.

Skye looked to Rick who gave a slight nod, a gesture telling her she should be the one to go check on him.

She found him on the second floor in the cell Merle had finally made his own. She knew this wasn't good. Creeping into the cell she gently sat down next to him on Merle's bed. The silence was overbearing.

"What happened, Daryl?" she asked, her voice a soft whisper.

After a moment, he answered, "Merle's not coming back."

Skye didn't know what to think. Had Merle rejoined the Governor or had the Governor taken him instead of Michonne?

Sensing her question, Daryl added, "He's dead, Skye."

Her heart sank. It was even worse than she thought.

"I found him eaten off some kid's face at the rendezvous point. Had to put him down."

"Daryl, I'm so sorry," she looked over to him, trying her best not to cry for him. She knew it would just make him feel awkward.

"He was a bastard. How could he go after the Governor by himself like that?"

"I'm sure he had good intentions-"

"Good intentions!?" Daryl started to sound angry. "Merle never once had good intentions in life."

Skye knew he was angry and felt cheated. His brother had finally made it back into their group and now he was gone…again.

"He's always been selfish. Everything was always Merle. Just like when he left me behind when we were kids. Left me with our father…" Daryl shook his head in frustration at remembering the past.

"Daryl, believe it or not, I think he did this for you and for us as a group. I would guess that he did it to give you a fighting chance here."

Daryl thought back to the numerous bodies littering the area around the barn and realized she may be right. Those had to be the Governor's men, and there were definitely a lot of them. Calming down a bit, he finally met her gaze. "I think I just need to be alone a minute."

Giving him an understanding smile, she said, "Sure. I'll be down with the others if you need me." Getting up she went to leave. Stopping at the door she looked back at him once more before returning to the others.

"Everything alright?" Rick asked as Skye reentered the room despite the fact everyone was pretty certain that it wasn't.

Skye shook her head. "The Governor killed Merle. Daryl found him as a walker and put him down."

There wasn't a single person in the room whose heart didn't go out to Daryl.

"He just wants to be alone for a little bit. We can fill him in later on the plan."

Everyone nodded and they went back to going over what they were all to do. Skye, however, couldn't keep herself from glancing back up at the door to Merle's cell…

The sun had gone down and Skye figured it was time to talk to Daryl about the group's plan. However, he was no longer in Merle's cell. In fact, she didn't see him anywhere around the cellblock and his things were gone. Descending the stairs she saw Rick entering the room carrying a rather large bag of supplies.

"Rick, have you seen Daryl?"

"Yeah, I saw him earlier packing up all his stuff. Passed me and said he was going to be up in the tower on watch all night."

Her brows furrowed and she wondered if he was okay, but of course that was a stupid question considering the recent events. "I'll go check on him."

"Alright, but hurry back. We should all get some rest before tomorrow. Gotta get everything ready."

She nodded and left the building. Walking over to the tower she took in the night. It was absolutely beautiful. The moon shone brightly from above and a gentle breeze carried the sound of the crickets chirping in the field. Climbing the stairs she ran her hand up the cold steel of the railing, sending chills up her spine. Reaching the door, she was caught off guard and her breath caught in her chest. Standing in the middle of the room looking out at the surrounding field was a shirtless Daryl. His back was to her and his scars glared back at her, saddening her as she thought back to the abuse that must've caused them. Brushing against the door, the hinges screeched ever so slightly alerting Daryl to her presence.

"Skye?" he squinted, surprised to see her standing there.

Now caught, she pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into the room. Embarrassed, Daryl turned and looked for his shirt, but Skye placed her hand on his arm, stopping him. Not knowing what to do, Daryl stood still. Skye's heart beat in her chest as she mustered up the courage to let her fingers graze a scar that decorated his chest. She began to move around him, studying each scar letting her fingers find each one. He had never let anyone really see his scars and was normally really careful, but now, as her fingers traced each one he wasn't ashamed. In fact, it was almost as if her soft touch made each memory disappear. The pain, the shame… gone with a single touch. As she came back around to stand in front of him, he watched her.

To be honest, Skye had no idea what she was doing. Her actions were terrifying to her, but with the Governor basically at their doorstep and walkers all around she had gotten a newfound bravery. Her eyes rose until the met the deep blues staring down at her. Both just stood there, staring back at one another, unsure of what they should do next. Daryl thought back to everything they had been through, about that day at the CDC, and to the words he had spoken to get her to leave with them. There's always somethin' worth fightin' for. You just have to find it.

It was all too much to handle and within an instant Daryl's hand was tangled up in Skye's hair as he pulled her into him in a passionate kiss. With that they were lost. Lost in a frenzy of passion that had been building since before the farm.

Without taking his lips from hers, Skye let him back her up until something behind her prevented her from going further. Just one swift motion and Daryl lifted her so she was atop the desk at her back and his rough hands moved to her sides. Their kiss broke just for an instant as he lifted her shirt over her head before tossing it aside. Skye had never felt this way before. Never felt so deeply for someone that it consumed her, and that's just what it did. The feelings between the two consumed every bit of her existence and she let it happen even in this world. Something ignited deep within her as Daryl grabbed a handful of her hair, pulling her head back to let his lips trail down her chin to her neck. His lips sent electricity shooting throughout her body, focusing on her most intimate of areas. Her legs wrapped around his waist as she tried desperately to get closer to him. His hands explored her body as hers found the muscles in his strong arms. His tongue invaded her mouth as grabbed a hold of her arms, slinging them around his neck, making it easy for him to lift her from the desk. Skye clung to him as they collapsed to the floor. Not wanting to waste any more time from one another, Skye laid back as Daryl whipped her belt off before sliding her pants down from her hips, exposing her soft skin to the cold of the night. She watched him with admiration as he did the same, never taking his eyes from her as he took in the beauty before him. Her hair splayed out all around her and her blue eyes reflected the moonlight as they shone back at him.

He couldn't help, but wonder how he had been so lucky that they had found her and that she had decided not just to join their group, but that he was the one she wanted to take the time to get close to? Him of all people, the most standoffish member of the group. It was this that made him do something that he had never had the courage to do before…

"I love you, Skye," his husky voice rasped out.

Skye's breath caught in her chest. She had never expected Daryl Dixon to utter such words. Her heart, which was already beating fast from desire, threatened to beat from her chest. "I love you too, Daryl."

With that, his lips crashed back down to hers. His hand slid up her thigh, pulling it higher around his waist and with that he entered her, making her his. No words could describe how he felt inside her. They both teetered on the edge of ecstasy as they moved in rhythm. Not breaking his speed, Daryl held on to her hip with one hand as the other raised her arms above her head, pinning them down. Raising her hips to meet his every move, Skye stared up into his eyes as he looked lovingly back into hers, his desire for their release anything but hidden. Before she knew what was happening he had flipped her onto her stomach. She smiled as his right hand pulled her hips back so that he could get even deeper as he held her close, the side of his face pressed tightly to hers. Their desire again took over and as his thrusting increased in speed they forgot all about the dangers surrounding them. All that mattered was right there in that room. For him, this was it. This was something worth fighting for. She was his reason to fight.

Sorry about the wait again… trying to get caught up to at least season 4 before the baby comes!