Hey, guys…

I really tried to have this chapter up at the end of last month, but work and personal things got a little hectic.

However, here is the latest chapter.

I want to say thank you so much for the views, favorites, follows, and reviews – I really do appreciate it and it makes me happy that you guys are enjoying this story so much!

As you know, I do not own anything TWD.

Without further ado… please enjoy!

….

Eye of the Storm

Sophia stood quietly beside Lucien as he hummed softly, scanning the surrounding area from the vantage point of the tower. His mind thinking of ways to strengthen the fences. Meanwhile, Sophia had her wooden knife in hand, becoming more and more accustomed to holding the knife the way the Portuguese man taught her to, blade facing outward. She practiced defensive stances and quick hits that incorporated the knife. Lucien placed the gun over his shoulder and glanced over to her briefly before turning his attention back to the perimeter, his foot on the lowest rung of the railing as he leaned his upper body against the top of the rail.

"You're very serious about your studies." Lucien smiled. "That's good… Still, I'd rather you not do that so high up, or at least out here on the ledge, Sophie."

"There's a railing." Sophia offered to Lucien with a cute smirk to try and convince him to let it slide. Instead, she earned the "Now, Sophie?" look from him before he shook his head no. "All right." The girl sighed and put the wooden practice knife in her pocket. "Kinda boring on my own, anyway." She shrugged.

It was silent between them for a while as the leaves rustled lightly in the warm breeze. The sound of the walkers in the surrounding field had become a mundane thing to them at this point, like any other ordinary background noise.

"I've noticed that you've …. upped your training schedule recently, too." Lucien stated. Sophia looked at Lucien and his eyes seemed to ask if something was bothering her or if she had something she wanted to talk about.

With a sigh, Sophia looked at the pink hair elastics and leather cuff on her wrist that had a compass fastened onto it. She remembered when Carl gave it to her a few days before the group found a place to bunker down in for the winter. He had found it some time ago on one of his out of the house adventures and though it was something cool that Sophia might like… or he hoped she would. It seemed like it was one of the last times she'd seen him smile.

"… Is it wrong of me to want to hold onto… onto me?" Sophia asked.

Lucien turned his head and met Sophia's pensive, slightly saddened expression. He offered her a shoulder to lean on and an ear to listen, encouraging her to tell him what is on her mind that was so visibly burdening her.

"I just… I want to hold onto something…. Something that lets me know that I'm still me." Sophia began to explain "I don't want to look in the mirror and see a monster… That's all I want." She said before she looked away from Lucien. Her ears picked up the sound of the metal door scraping as it opened. Out emerged Daryl, Thaliana, Emiko, and Carol.

A smile came to the girl's lips when she saw her mother and "big sister" talking and joking around, Thaliana straining to keep from laughing too hard so she didn't hurt her side. Daryl held Emi's hand as they walked and had the slightest of smiles on his face as he listened to Emiko talk about her the first thing she wanted to do after all the walkers were gone: go to the beach with her family. That smile on Sophia's face faded when she saw the discomfort from the bullet wounds and rib fractures on Thaliana's face. It wasn't that long ago that the young woman was bleeding out and she remembered what she had said before it all happened.

"After the other day, I'm starting to think that…. Carl was right; that we can't afford to be children anymore." Sophia admitted quietly.

Lucien took in the girl's concerns with a thoughtful nod. With a sigh, Sophia leaned her head on Lucien's arm as he hugged it around her shoulders for a while. "My dear, welcome to the Grey Area…." He exhaled. "We're all constantly asking ourselves how far we'd be willing to go to stay alive – keep our loved ones alive. Decisions that would be so clear cut forever ago now can leave us conflicted… but Sophie… the fact that you recognize there's a clash of what's right and wrong? …you're not a monster."

Sophia shook her head. "I'm scared that' I'll stop thinking about it…. That I'll stop caring." She spoke softly. "Is there a right way?"

Lucien stood upright and Sophia moved in to hug him, seeking some sort of comfort. With a slight smile, he reciprocated the girl's hug, gently patting her head as he did. As she hugged him a little tighter, his mind wandered, thinking about Aliciana. He saw so much of his daughter in Sophia. He assured her that the right path can vary from situation to situation. What mattered was making sure the group – the family was safe – being able to avoid as much bloodshed as possible would be ideal, but they would always have to be prepared for the worst.

"You're a strong girl, my darling dove… a smart girl." Lucien said. "And even with all that I've said… you can still live, not just survive, but live and enjoy life where you can… you just have to be willing to fight to protect that."

Sophia chuckled as a small smile formed across her face. "… That was so long-winded, Lucien." She commented in jest, which only made the man laugh as well.

"I do have a knack for that, don't I?" Lucien replied

Sophia looked up and noticed Lucien offering a kind smile even though his eyes seemed a little forlorn. She recalled the nickname 'darling dove'… something he called his daughter when he made her memorial grave. Sophia took it to mean that she was like a daughter to him. She certainly had become a father figure to her over time. The young lady was aware of how painful the loss of Aliciana still is for Lucien. At first, she hugged Lucien to seek comfort, now this time she hugged to comfort him.

"Thank you." Sophia said softy.

It was only a few moments later that Carol had quietly come up the tower and started to open the door to meet Lucien and Sophia out on the walkway, but stopped when she saw them. She couldn't help but smile to herself a little witnessing them bond. Once the hug ended, Lucien advised her that if she still wanted to practice that she needed to be on the ground and he would help her later, if she wanted – to which, she said that she would try and see if Carl wanted to spar with her and thanked the man before she started making her way down, stopping and spending a little time with her mother before she did.

Lucien glanced at Carol as she made her way outside and over to him, a little grin forming on each of their faces. She leaned on the railing beside Lucien shoulder to shoulder and nudging him gently. In her heart, Carol was thankful for this man, however strange their first meeting. As he and the group warmed up to each other, he's shown himself to be loyal and thoughtful, gentle but protective. It was so easy to forget that this warm, kind man used to make money torturing people for information. Thankfully, that would only be a problem for those that would harm the people he cared about. Without saying a word, Carol leaned toward him more and placed a kiss on his lips and he quickly reciprocated, a hand reaching up to caress her face.

"What was that for?" Lucien smiled softly, his eyes locked onto the beautiful woman.

"Just… because." Carol answered with a soft, flirty smile of her own.

It made Lucien smile a big broader as he moved to hug her close to him, kissing the top of her head as he did.

….

The dead heat of the afternoon was suffocating, to say the least. Though Rick and his little team were probably a bit grateful that the constant offending odor of rotting corpses wasn't choking the air as much as in days past. It didn't make the day any less unusual; they were shot at by, what turned out to be an old acquaintance of Rick's… Morgan. Once they carried the unconscious man upstairs, it became evident that his old friend… the man that saved his life… he wasn't okay. Rick fought with him, talked to him… sometimes, it seemed as though Rick was talking to himself when he spoke to Morgan. It wasn't long after that when Morgan told Rick to take the guns.

He and Alissandre stayed to pack what they needed. Merle went to look around town for other supplies with Michonne. Carl, on the other hand, spent a good amount of time staring at the wall Morgan chalked over. He hadn't been keeping track of the days like Sophia and Lucien had, but he still remembered things… like the block party his neighborhood had over two summers ago. Really good food and fun… he recalled Mr. Erickson had started shooting off fireworks when it was dark enough…. Carl chuckled when he remembered feeling a little embarrassed when his dad went up to Erickson and asked if he had a valid federal explosives license to use projectile explosives.

The young man had often wished that the end had waited just a little while… just so Judith could get to experience a world where she didn't have to live like this. With a sobering sigh, his mind came back to reality.

"You know how to use one of these?" Rick asked, aiming his voice at Alissandre after he gently tapped her elbow to get her to stop packing the duffle on the floor in front of her. He waited until he was sure he had her attention before he spoke, knowing of her impediment.

Alissandre's eyes fell from his face to the SIG Sauer handgun he held out to her. She slowly and carefully took the gun from his hand and studied it briefly.

"P229 DAK… dual action pistol." Alissandre murmured before nodding her head. "Yeah…. I know how to use this." She answered as her brow furrowed slightly. She set it down beside her and resumed packing the duffle.

Rick was actually a bit surprised by her answer. Her tone was still very soft and calm as she normally was. To Rick, she seemed like a more delicate person, but he then remembered that her late husband was military; if she hadn't had any experience with guns before, then she most likely would have learned from him. Alissandre pushed her copper hair back out of her face and sighed quietly.

"Most days, I can't help but wonder how long this will go on." Alissandre said, looking over to Rick. "This… nouveau dark age we're living in."

"…'Nouveau dark age', huh?... sounds about right." Rick nodded. "I guess these days, there's plenty of time to think about thangs like that… much as I try not to."

"I get that." she replied. "You have people that rely on you to keep them moving forward… that takes a lot."

Rick simply nodded. How the group got to where they are now wasn't an easy path and was very trying on many an occasion. Even when they didn't agree with him, they looked to him to lead them. Ninety percent of the time, it felt like the rules kept changing. They had to change. The threats they were faced... he had to keep everyone safe. The sheriff turned back toward Alissandre as she slowed in her movements. Her eyes seemed to bore into the duffle bag in front of her, but it was pretty clear that her mind was preoccupied.

"I overheard you the other day… talking with Hershel." Rick spoke up. "I can't imagine all that was easy… having to do what you did before you found Woodbury."

"It was nothing short of a miracle that he lived after losing both his legs…." Alissandre spoke of Cameron. "He's.. He was a fighter… always had been. After his father was killed in a hit and run, he joined the military to serve the country and as means to earn income to help his mother and four younger siblings out." She smiled a little as she recalled her memories of him, the stories her mother-in-law – rest her soul- told of her baby boy. She saddened soon after that. "He lost all of his sisters and his mother when the safe zone in Marietta fell… we lost…." She stopped herself, still unable to speak of her lost children. She felt her stomach start to churn and held her hand over it as if to help soothe it. "He was strong, when I crumbled…." Her voice was on the cusp of breaking, but managed to hold it together.

"You were the one that kept thangs goin' when it seemed really bad." Rick offered. "That's plenty strong."

"… Not strong enough." Alissandre remarked after a while. "But I will be… I have to be." she added, beginning to smile a little bit as she began to remember better memories of her late love. "I think he'd be disappointed in me, otherwise." She said before pulling another bag to fill up.

Carl walked into the room and Alissandre turned in his direction in time to see him round the corner and come through the doorway. She felt the floor vibrate a little when there was movement. Knowing that Michonne and Merle were out and about, Rick and Morgan already in her line of sight, she could only infer that it was either Carl or a stranger. She felt relieved that it was the kid.

She watched the sullen boy as he told his father that he was going on a run to get a crib for Judith. After Rick and Carl had a small conversation about it, Alissandre offered to be there, just in case anything happened. Rick was unsure if it was the best idea, with Alissandre being unable to hear. Still, she assured the sheriff that she would keep a close eye on the young man. Rick watched her as she picked up the gun he gave her and a nearby knife in its holster. With a nod from Rick between the other two, Alissandre and Carl set out to find a crib, which Alissandre soon discovered wasn't the only thing Carl was in search for.

….

Merle and Michonne met up about a block from Morgan's hideout. Both the bruiser and the samurai locked eyes with each other, a simple nod to let the other know that everything was okay. The elder Dixon could only come up with a couple of handguns and next to no ammo out of all the buildings he searched, he did managed to find some first aid kits that were affixed to walls in some buildings and cleaned them out for whatever they had left in them, which also wasn't all that much. Michonne noted quite the spattering of blood on his over shirt.

"Couple o' flatfoots stumblin' 'round'n a convienence store." Merle explained. He reached into his carrier and handed her a small bag of Crunchy Cheetos, which she thanked him for. "What'chu think o' this Morgan business?" the bruiser asked as the two walked down the sidewalk.

"Same thing I told Rick: I think he's dangerous." Michonne answered. "I shudder to think what might've happened to him to get him there." she added quietly.

"You saw how Ol' Officer Friendly reacted to that walkie?" Merle inquired, to which Michonne nodded. "Wonder how far them two go back?"

Michonne could only shrug. She knew next to nothing about this man… just that he seemed like he was hurting from something and it made him this way.

They couldn't talk about it long when they saw Carl and Alissandre exit the building. After quickly catching up to them and learning what was on their agenda, Michonne volunteered to go with them, leaving Merle to head upstairs to where Rick was.

"How are you doing?" Alissandre asked Michonne, wondering how she's been after her fallout with Andrea.

"I should be asking you that." Michonne replied. She knew that Alissandre happened upon her and Andrea's spat and Michonne wanted nothing more than to think about anything other than that right now.

"I've… been asked that more than enough." Alissandre responded with a single wry, bittersweet chuckle. "But I worry about you, too."

"…you saw what happened." Michonne sighed quietly. "It is what it is and at the end of the day, Andrea's her own woman…. so am I." she added.

Alissandre couldn't help but study her expression, the samurai's sad eyes betrayed her otherwise stoic expression. "I imagine that… that you're hurting. I can't imagine how much, but…" Alissandre began quietly, but stopped herself. "I'll leave it alone, if you want me to."

"Thank you." Michonne sighed, wanting to rid herself of the agitation she felt creep up at the mention of Andrea. She hoped she hadn't seemed cross with Alissandre; Michonne, for the time she knew this woman, always found her to be a kind person, rather selfless. It wasn't her fault, what happened. The wounds were still fresh for Michonne and she wanted to leave it alone.

It was a little while before Alissandre spoke up again. "Though, if you want to talk… I'm here." she spoke gently. "Believe it or not… I'm actually a good listener." She joked

Michonne chuckled softly and looked over to the redhead, who was studying her face, anticipating her response. Even now, after all Alissandre lost and how devastated she still is, she managed a small, warm, genuine smile. Michonne could only return the gesture. "… Thank you…" she replied in a softer tone than before.

Alissandre nodded and continued to follow alongside Michonne and Carl toward the diner, Both women asking why Carl totally bypassed the baby place. Meanwhile, Merle could only ask Rick what the hell kind of party he missed after seeing the state Rick was in. It was painfully silent and the awkward tension in the room was suffocating. Merle could only watch the two men as they stared at each other in silence, before Morgan slowly turned away to the window.

Rick couldn't stand to see Morgan like that... grief-stricken, despair-ridden, and alone. This wasn't the same man that saved his life and caught him up on the world. Losing his wife broke his heart. Losing Duane broke him. Quietly, the former sheriff quickly picked up a few of the bags before looking back at Morgan, who hadn't turned to face him in what seemed like forever.

"The door will always be open for you… Morgan." Rick said weakly. "You don't have to be out here alone."

"…You got what you needed." Morgan replied after a long silence between the two men.

Merle could only look on and watched as Rick slowly turned to leave. Not feeling a particular need to voice anything at that moment, the bruiser just picked up the remaining bags and walked out behind Grimes. As they got to the car, Alissandre, Michonne, and Carl were standing there with the boxed crib leaning against the vehicle.

"We were just about to come upstairs." Michonne said, her brows furrowed when she noticed Rick's wound, as did Carl's. Alissandre looked concerned.

"It's nothin'; I'll be fine." Rick said simply before handing the keys to Carl to open the trunk.

It was nearly night time when the Rick and the others got back to the prison with all that Morgan let them take. After dinner and other nighttime rituals, Thaliana slung her Remington over her shoulder and she looked upon her child as she slept peacefully in the top bunk, her tiny chest gently rising and falling with each breath. It had been hard to get Emiko to go to sleep the last few nights since the shootout, having reoccurring nightmares. Tonight was only the second night since the event that she slept without clinging to Mr. Whiskers so tightly and murmuring for "Mommy" in her sleep. The young woman exhaled, her mind could only think about all the Governor business going on lately. Something about it all just kept nagging at her and left her feeling unsettled. She was weirdly glad that she had clearance from Hershel to move around a little more with less supervision. Tonight, she could get some 'fresh' air as she sorted her thoughts and Daryl could get some decent rest. Carefully, the young woman pulled the covers higher up to keep the girl's shoulders warm before leaving the cell. She almost walked right into Lucien, who was carrying an armful of comforters for the chill that was coming this evening.

"You're not going on watch are you?" he asked. "The last flight to the top of the tower is a ladder and hatch; you're in no shape to climb anything."

Thaliana sighed and shook her head with a small smirk. Lucien could be a worrywart sometimes. She assured him that she was only going to sit outside for a bit and get some air, taking the Remington for protection. With a nod, Lucien watched her as she walked outside before adjusting the load in his arms and walked into a cell where Sophia grabbed some of the sheets and started helping to set comforters down. The Ethiopian woman went through the quieter entryway to the courtyard and looked out toward the tree line, taking in the darkened edges of it as it brushed against the starry sky. Barring the walkers out in the field, it was actually kind of peaceful. Her eyes fell to the bench and table and she spotted Michonne, sitting with Alissandre in silence.

Silently, Thaliana walked over to the table and sat on the other end.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Alissandre asked. "You got clipped pretty badly during the firefight a few days back ." hearing this made Thaliana head drop in frustration. If it wasn't Carol or Daryl, it was always someone asking here if she should be up and about.

"I'm taking things easy." Thaliana answered simply.

"It's too quiet tonight." Michonne said. "Even the walkers aren't making as much noise as they usually do…. This is definitely the quiet before the storm."

"That it is." Thaliana exhaled "If this guy is like you and Merle say… this talk is gonna be pointless."

"Pointless… you put it milder than Merle did." Alissandre chuckled a little.

Thaliana, Ali and Michonne thought about how Merle felt about Rick's plan of action, saying it was akin to 'a fuckin' pogo stick in quicksand'. It made the women laugh a little over the expression. Merle was hotheaded and impulsive, but sometimes, one could tell what kind of place it was coming from. It wasn't long before that brief moment of ease subsided. After Rick revealed that himself, Daryl and Hershel were going to the meet up, Merle immediately disagreed. He really didn't like the idea of just three of them going. He really didn't like that Daryl was going. He was adamant about getting all the heavy hitters together and taking the guy out when he'd least expect it. Rick understood Merle's frustration and did his best to talk him down, which resulted in Michonne going to smooth things over.

"He may not act like it much, but he's afraid for you guys." Michonne sighed as she looked at the stars. If only life could be as peaceful, she thought. "Knowing what this man really is, I can't blame him one bit."

"… Merle's afraid for you, too." Thaliana said after a while. "He's not in the best headspace right now."

"Couldn't agree more." Michonne replied calmly, knowing that she'd have to keep a bit of an eye on Merle… not that he would mind that.

"I'm sure Rick is already thinking of the next steps… he seems like the kind of guy that would do that." Alissandre exhaled, her subtle anxiousness escaping her body. She just wanted this whole ordeal with the governor to be over.

"Yeah." Thaliana sighed. The whole situation was giving her a headache. "We need that; from what I hear, Woodbury has a lot of people… we need that kind of planning. I don't… I don't think I can take losing more people."

Michonne stiffened up when Thaliana said it, instantly going back her mind instantly going back to her camp. It was a punch to the gut. The place was fine when she left. It was still standing it was safe… or at least she thought it was. To come back and see it ravaged… to come back and see her child dead. She was devastated and it could only fester and grow until she shut herself off…. Not feel anymore. Thaliana looked over to Michonne and Alissandre and really studied them this time, noticing Michonne looking down and firming her grip on her katana sheath. Her expression seemed pained and sad, even more so than Alissandre at the moment. It bothered Thaliana. It made her feel guilty for saying it. She still had Emiko. She had her family and she had no idea what this woman had been through.

"I'm sorry…. I was insensitive." Thaliana expressed sincerely to both women as her eyes fell downward to her hands in her lap.

"You didn't know." Michonne said quietly. "But don't be sorry about that. you lost people too, didn't you?"

The three women sat together and talked about their lives before: a highly sought after criminal lawyer, a reputable physician… and an assassin, who they lost: family, friends, former groupmates. Michonne and Alissandre seemed almost unfazed by Thaliana revealing her former occupation - almost seemed relieved that she had these skills… and they were saddened to hear of some of her past hurts and trauma. Thaliana and Alissandre cringed and felt their hearts sink when Michonne recalled Andre and the horrid fate that swallowed him. Michonne missed her little 'peanut' every single day and blamed herself for not trusting her instincts then. Both Michonne and Thaliana's eyes burned with tears when Alissandre revealed her miscarriage and how it threw her into depression, going as far as having suicidal thoughts and even coming close to downing a half empty bottle of Ambien while Cameron was out on a run for food. She never forgot when she saw him in tears: he had returned and saw the bottle of sleeping pills spilled onto the table and feared the worst when he found her quietly curled up in bed, slumbering.

Sharing their struggles seemed to bring the women closer together as they looked at the stars once more in thought, mostly about what the next day would bring and their current issues. Eventually, Alissandre broke the silence, stating that the three women never officially introduced themselves to one another. Michonne gave a raised eyebrow while Thaliana could only chuckle, finding the timing of this a little amusing. Still they went through the introductions: Alissandre Nicoli-Talbert, Thaliana Demissie, and Michonne DesJardins. Alissandre felt that this was good that they seemed to click right away.

"Soooo, Madamoiselle DeJardins…." The familiar gruff voice that called to her made her eyes roll. Michonne never told Merle her last name and she knew he was probably going poke fun for it. She could feel the simpering expression on his face. "Fittin' for such a strikin' beauty."

"What do you want, Merle?" Michonne asked with a crooked smirk and a shake of her head. Merle let out a solitary chuckle and explained that he was commissioned with patrol duty and asked if would be willing to accompany him for a while. Michonne teased him a little, telling him that he'd get distracted, but agreed to go with him for a little while before she turned in for the night. Afterward, Alissandre took her leave as well, saying good night to everyone present and urging Thaliana to get as much rest as she can. With that, Thaliana was left alone with her thoughts and no pleasant distractions. Back to the bad feelings and dread she was feeling about this whole meeting thing… still, it was Rick's call and out of her respect for this man, she would support him and do whatever was in her ability to do to help. She scoffed at even thinking the phrase… "whatever was in her ability to do". She felt close to useless with her injury.

"Donkey balls…." Thaliana sighed under her breath and put her weapon in her lap. "That's how much this sucks…" she said as she moved to rest her head on her hands.

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So, that is the end of this chapter. There is a general feeling of apprehension about this whole thing with the Governor, which is more than fair considering what happened. What do you think will happen next?

Thank you for taking the time to read this work of fiction and I hope to have another chapter up for you guys soon.

As always – Thanks for sticking with me!