FanFicReader47: I'm glad I did justice for Tea's character, though I am transitioning that name to Ani. The reasons are just as Merle said. Have had that planned for a while, to be honest. I didn't want the drama at the prison to take place because if it did, it would set Merle back as far as his image with everyone and I don't want that to happen. I want them to realize that he's Tea/Ani's protector more than anything else, and everyone to help him do just that. As you'll read, your fear was right, but oh so wrong...^_^ Happy reading, my friend!
"D? Mer? Can I talk ta ya a min?" Tea asked as the four entered the prison again.
The three of them secluded themselves in Daryl and Tea's cell, two angry men and a woman hoping to be able to explain herself. She had promised both she would not stay alone with the Governor, but she'd been forced to break that promise because Rick would have been manipulated bad. He would have been dead set on giving Michonne up, only for his morals to fold last minute. She couldn't have him negotiating after what happened with Chrystal.
"You broke your promise, Ani," Merle accused as soon as they were alone, irritation lacing his voice.
"I had ta! Think I wanted ta?! The man is a bonafide psychopath, Mer! And I fuckin' insulted 'im straight ta his face several times! What the fuck was I thinkin'?" she asked as she paced, her hands in her hair as she fretted. "Rick wouldn' a so much as bat an eye, but he'd take the Gov'na for 'is word! I couldn' risk it! Not with the baby, not with the two a ya. I jus', Rick would a been played. I wasn'. I had ta stay," she tried to explain.
"Don't tell us why you sent Rick out," Daryl gruffed.
"It was Rick or me. He really wanted ta talk ta Rick. Like, 'e was hopin' ta talk ta only Rick. I think Andrea told 'im more than she should a and he thought 'e'd get what 'e wanted from Rick. Ya saw him out there, D! The Gov'na knew he could get ta Rick. He's givin' thought ta who he could get ta and who would be easia ta phase. Told a story 'bout 'is dead wife that would a sunk Rick ta his knees. Tried ta use the two a ya as bait ta get me ta believe 'is bullshite. Rick would a fallen for it. He'd a contemplated everythin' the man said and potentially wasted time and gotten everyone 'ere killed," she said as she wrapped her arms around herself, still feeling the anxiety from sitting with the Governor alone for so long.
"What'd the Governor want anyway?" Merle asked.
"Nothin' we can give 'im," Tea said dismissively, still pacing back and forth.
"You sure about that?" Merle questioned.
"Positive. Even if we could, 'e'd kill everyone with the package, then kill everyone 'ere but the two a ya, Rick, and me. And I think we all know why. So we ready the prison. Make traps in the tombs. We lure 'em down there, spook 'em out, scare 'em off," she told the two, Daryl pulling her onto his lap protectively when he saw her distressed actions.
"Still don't like the fact you broke your promise, Ani. I kept mine, stayed here," Merle told her.
"Not 'fore ya had ta be restrained," she shot back with a smile, earning a shocked look from Merle. "Dude, first thing Glenn told me when we got back was that the wrist bar worked wondas. Easy ta put two and two tagetha."
"And I shoulda gone!" Merle yelled. "Why the hell you teach 'em those holds anyway?"
"You taught Glenn holds?" Daryl asked.
"I taught everyone holds," she countered. "I had Glenn try 'em out on Maggie and only showed how ta do the holds on Maggie and the girls. Don' worry, D, only man I'm eva gonna teach one on one is ya, like I promised when I started sparrin' with ya."
"You spar with Daryl?" Merle asked, shocked as hell that his brother, who was good enough as a fighter, would actually spar with his girl.
"Well who the hell else am I s'pposed ta keep me skills sharp with? Well, aside from Michonne if she's up for it," Tea said. "Gotta keep fit somehow, and Michonne's workouts are nice, but slow. Not me style at all. So I spar when I can and I do a lot a heavy work. Neva was one for the workout routine route."
"And here I thought you'd be workin' out with her," Merle told her honestly. "Such a damn shame."
She laughed out loud, "Nah, I'll spar with 'er no problem, but like I said, workin' out ain' me style. And Mer, I thought it'd be obvious by now why I taught everyone those holds," she looked at him and offered a warm smile that actually reached her eyes, a look of pride and wonder showing on her face that made his ears full on turn red. "I like havin' a brotha."
~x~
The sun had just risen the next morning as Tea was on watch. Rick pulled Daryl and Hershel off to the side. He wanted to talk more about the Michonne situation without her influence. There was only so much one woman could plan, could know, and while he didn't doubt her, he doubted the situation could get any worse if they handed Michonne over. If there was even a chance to end this without losing their people, Rick wanted to take it. They gathered in a secluded area out of eyesight and earshot of anyone by the guard tower; Tea should be doing rounds on the other side of the prison right now, leaving this area open.
"If the Governor honors his agreement, we'd be trading Michonne for safety," Rick argued.
"Ania don't want that," Daryl said.
"That's why I'm talking to you directly. Think about it. Do you really want to let this opportunity slip by? Who do you value more, Daryl? Tea or Michonne? Glenn? Maggie and Beth? Are they worth handing Michonne over?" he asked Hershel.
Both of them looked to each other and then down, sighing heavily. They both had to admit, they had thought about it. Daryl didn't like the thought of going behind Ania's back, though, and if they did, he felt like he was betraying her. She had been adamant that it wouldn't work, but what if it did? The thought had driven him half mad all night as he watched her sleep.
"It's the only way," Rick said. "No one else knows."
"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl asked.
"Not 'til after. We have to do it today. It has to be quiet," Rick said. "We can't risk Tea finding out about this. She'll stop it."
Daryl looked around and paced, really not liking this, "You got a plan?"
"Tell her we need to talk. Away from the others," Rick said, walking up to him. "We have to do this."
Daryl looked to Hershel who looked down, unable to make eye contact, and back to Rick before voicing his opinion, "It ain't us, man."
"No," Hershel said as he walked off. "No, it isn't."
"We do this, we avoid a fight," Rick told him, knowing he was having issues with it. "No one else dies. Tea doesn't have to plan a war or get more blood on her hands. We can end this."
Daryl saw the logic in what Rick was saying, but lying to Ania might have an even worse consequence. Coming to terms with the fact that he was between a rock and a hard place, he gave a single nod of his head and said, "Alright."
"We need someone else," Rick said, giving him a pointed look.
As understanding drew on Daryl's face, he told Rick, "I'll talk to him."
"I'll do it."
"I'll go with you."
"No," Rick said. "Just me. This is on me."
As he walked away, Daryl just stared after him. Not one of the three men noticed Tea laying up at the edge of the guard tower, having overheard some of it and lip-read everything. It was a good thing she'd gotten bored and done her rounds early. She was angry, livid to the point of shaking, that they would ignore her orders. They were going to get Merle killed doing this. Michonne would be fine; Tea dared to think she would make it back to the prison due to Merle deciding against it at the last minute. But Merle wouldn't come back, no, he'd go forward. Try to take out the Governor and end it all by himself. There was no way in hell she was going to let that happen.
Waiting for Daryl to walk away and to complete her shift roughly twenty minutes later, she made her way out of the tower and into the commons. Thankfully, no one else was there to stop her or to send on watch. The lapse would work perfectly if she was going to pull this off. If they thought sending Michonne and Merle to the Governor would lessen her load, they had no idea what they just released. Tea was on a warpath, and took a duffle bag and began filling it with grenades, trip wire, and some of the smoke bombs and ammo. Carol came into the room in the midst of what she was doing and saw the fuming woman.
"Ani, what's wrong?"
"Ani? Since when did me fuckin' name become Ani?" she wondered angrily.
"Merle, he doesn't like us calling you Tea. Says you shouldn't have any connection to that life, and I agree," Carol said, coming up to her and giving her a comforting kiss to the temple and holding her shoulders. "So, if you don't mind, I'd like to call you Ani, too."
"Fuckin' Merle!" Tea shouted, the tears she'd been restraining since getting angry springing to life.
"Oh, honey," Carol crooned, rubbing the girl's arm. "He's quite thoughtful, isn't he?"
"It ain' fuckin' that!" shouted Tea as she ripped herself out of Carol's arms. "They're goin' behind me back, Carol! The guys! Rick, Hershel, and Daryl! I made a choice and they're doin' the exact opposite. And ta do it they're gonna rope Merle inta it! I gotta get ahead a it. Please, Cars, please! I can' lose the closest thing ta a family I'm eva gettin'! He's me brotha, the only one I'm gonna get. I gotta get ahead a this!"
"What are you planning on doing?" she asked the nearly hysterical woman, thankful most of the others were off doing their own things elsewhere in the prison; only Sophia was left inside the cells, and she was standing at the entryway watching Tea.
"I'm goin' back. Goin' ta the meetin' spot. And I'm booby trappin' the shite outta it. When Merle shows up, I'll drag 'is ass back 'ere by the balls if I gotta. But I gotta go and make sure 'e comes back."
"We'll cover for you, Ani," Sophia said, coming up and giving the woman a one armed hug around her middle.
"Ya too with the Ani, huh?"
"Can I?"
"Fine," she sighed, resigning to the fact that she was going to have another name to some of the people. "Jus', jus' fuck it. Whateva ya wanna call me. Gotta make sure no one else is 'round the gate and Daryl's bike. Neva takes the keys outta it when it's in the courtyard. Don' see much point in it."
"Can you ride it?" Carol asked.
"Can drive a snowmobile betta than Daryl and seen him operate the bike 'nough ova the months I can manage it," she said. "Jus' need a clear shot ta get out with no one noticin'. If they ask ya, ya don' know nothin'. Haven' seen me since I went on watch, ya hear?"
"You got it," came Sophia's reply as Carol nodded and gave Tea another side hug.
"Everyone's busy now, it's best we take the chance now before we miss it," suggested Carol.
"Let's go," Tea replied immediately, hefting the bag onto her shoulders and using the handles as backpack straps.
They moved swiftly, Tea handing Sophia her keys and Carol following her to the motorcycle. Together, they moved the vehicle closer to the gate before Tea got on, turning the key and making the engine roar to life. Gripping the front brake lever like she'd seen Daryl do a thousand times, she kicked up the stand and engaged the clutch lever. Bringing her left leg up, she pressed her foot down and shifted the bike into first gear. She then released the brake lever, letting the bike start slowly moving forward before engaging the clutch, hitting the breaks as she reached the gate.
"Be careful and come back," Carol told her.
"I will."
As she passed through the gate, she slowly began releasing the clutch, placing her feet on the footrests as she picked up speed. When she got to the speed Daryl usually did when he shifted gears, she simultaneously pulled in the clutch lever while pulling up on the shifter and placed the bike in second gear. As the bike roared underneath her, she reveled in the feeling of driving the bike more than she ever thought she would. This is what freedom feels like, she thought to herself, smiling widely to no one. Even though she was angry at the men at the prison, she could understand where they were coming from. They didn't understand the psyche of the Governor as well as she did, and therefore were willing to place the hope that he wasn't what she said he was and would agree to withdraw over a single life. That didn't mean they weren't going to be reamed a new one when she returned.
~x~
Rick walked into cell block after talking to Hershel and Daryl. He felt bad for going behind Tea's back, too, but it was Carl's life, Judith's, Tea's, everyone's life she was risking on the possibility that the Governor wouldn't honor his agreement. Sure, he was iffy on that detail himself, but he just couldn't risk not taking the chance and ending the war before it began. She would just have to understand. He was thankful she'd been on watch since early morning and he'd been able to talk to the guys without her finding out. She wouldn't forgive him for roping Daryl and Merle into this unless it worked.
There was a trail of destruction leading to the upper levels as every single cell that was not in use, which was most of them, were now void of mattresses. Or rather, void of usable mattresses as Merle was ripping each and every unused one open. Rick watched as Merle tore open another mattress as he walked up the stairs. Merle looked up and saw the copper watching him, scowling and looking back to the mattress.
"Just looking for a little vacation," he told the man. "Best dope I ever had was in a mattress. Nothin'. This place must have been no fun at all."
"We need your help," Rick told him as he sat back, disheartened. Merle laughed as Rick finished coming up to the stairs. "Do you even know why you do the things you do? The choices you make?" He looked away and then took a few steps away from the cell before turning back around and bracing himself on the doorframe. "If we give the Governor Michonne, Woodbury stands down. I don't like it but it needs to be done. We need to make it quiet. We need you help with that."
"And what did Ani say about this?" he asked, feeling like this talk should have come from the tiny woman if she was on board.
"Like I said, it needs to be quiet. She won't even consider it," Rick told him honestly.
"So, that's how it is," he said, sizing the man up. "And you ain't told the others about this, huh?"
"Just Hershel, Daryl, and you. Tea knows the deal, but won't go for it. We have to keep her in the dark until it's already done."
"Huh, the inner circle. I'm honored," he chuckled. "You know, when we'd go out on runs, he'd bash somebody's skull, slash somebody's throat and he'd say, 'Never waste a bullet.' I always thought it was just an excuse. You go on. Give him that girl. He ain't gonna kill her, you know. He's just gonna do things to her. Probably take out one of her eyes. Both of 'em most likely. Do things Ani's had done to her before, only on a grander scale. You'd let that happen for a shot? Whew. You're as cold as ice, Officer Friendly. No wonder the people like Ani better as a leader. She's warm and soft on the people she chooses to protect. Not you," he paused for a moment while thinking. "You're gonna need wire, not rope. Wire. Nothing she could chew through. Oh," he scoffed. "You know somethin'? You're right. I don't know why I do the things I do. Never did. I'm a damn mystery to me. Mostly. 'Ccordin' to Ani, it's 'cause I learned from my daddy and am just now learning for myself. Girl knows more about me than I ever have," he said as he leaned against the door frame opposite of Rick. "But I know you, Rick. Yeah, I thought a lot about you. You ain't got the spine for it."
"We need to get her to the Governor by noon," was his only reply before Rick walked away.
Ani didn't agree with it. Merle was even disgusted by it, and here Rick was trying to force the dirty work on him? Rick would fold like a two bit napkin the second the ebony samurai did something worth anything for the group. He decided he was going to find Ani and tell her what Rick was planning on doing, and also find Michonne. Have the woman lay low for a bit while he and Ani sorted everything out. Rick would fold before the time lot he set was done, but that didn't mean he might not try something himself if he saw her.
After looking for some time, he stood in the commons on the second floor, looking down at the group out the window. Rick was folding as he thought he would, and he smirked to himself, saying out loud, "Ain't no way."
"What?" Carol asked.
"Nothin'," Merle said, turning around and watching the woman lay the baby in the playpen.
"What happened here?" she asked him, nodding to the mess in the cell block.
"We got any whiskey?" he deflected. "Hell, I'd even drink vodka."
"Now you sound like Ani," she quipped, earning an honest laugh from the man which forced a small smile on her face as she sat down and filled clips. Looking at the man, she couldn't help but ask, "Are you with us?"
"Sure," came his response.
"I'm not talking about occupying the same space," she said as she looked over at him. "Are you with us?"
"I'm here for my brother and Ani," he said while resting one foot on the bottom rung, leaning his elbow on his knee.
"It's not the time to be doing shots. It's time to pick a damn side," she scolded, giving him a hard stare.
"You ain't like you was back at the camp- a little mouse runnin' 'round, scared of her own shadow."
"It wasn't my shadow, it was my husband's," she told him, going back to filling clips.
"Well, you don't seem scared of nothing anymore," Merle told her as he watched her fill a pack with the clips as well as a couple grenades and knives.
"I'm not," she said after a short pause.
"You're a late bloomer," he said.
"Maybe you are too," she said as she stared at him long and hard before speaking up again. "About the choice you're going against?"
"What do you know about that?" he asked, standing straight again and slowly coming down the stairs.
"Nothing more than it's something she decided against," she told him honestly. "And that she's scared of losing her only brother."
His entire being seemed to soften at that, "I ain't goin' against her. Rick will fold soon enough, and I won't do that sort of work no more, not when what happened to Ani'll be done to someone else."
"Ani knows."
"Where is she, Carol?" Merle asked, suddenly very anxious about the fact that he hadn't found her all day.
"She wouldn't let them risk you," she told him as she stood, handing him the bag she'd just filled and a rifle. "I would've lied if you gave any other answer. Go out through the tombs. She went to the meeting place. But be careful. Ani took a lot of grenades and trip wire and mentioned booby trapping the place."
"How the hell do you know that?"
"I helped her escape, just like I'm helping you."
"And why the hell would you do that, you dumb bitch?!"
"Go ahead and yell all you want, but she did it for you. Time's wasting. Now go. I'll cover for you with the others."
Merle started walking away before he turned back to Carol, "How's she gonna get there?"
"She stole the bike."
~x~
Rick ran outside upon hearing yelling after having dozed off from being on watch the night before. Although he'd been sleeping, he could have sworn he heard Tea's voice angrily yelling at someone; he figured he was just dreaming when he woke up. He watched as Sophia, Carl, and Maggie banged on pots and pans and yelled as loud as they could, distracting the walkers inside the yard. Glenn, Michone, Daryl, and Carol were using the truck to place spikes. Michonne was just casually swinging her sword, taking out two walkers at a time. He ran to the gate and opened it for the truck as the three returned to the truck and Carol drove it up.
Hoping out and walking up to Rick, Glenn told him, "They try to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them."
"That's a good idea," Rick said.
"It was Michonne's," Daryl immediately chimed in, giving Rick a fixed look.
"We don't gotta win. We just gotta make getting at us more trouble than it's worth," the woman in question told him.
As the others walked up, Rick looked around and then gave Daryl a meaningful look. They all piled into a disheveled line and went back into the prison, splitting up into various groups. Daryl went looking for Merle, but no one had seen him as of yet. Finding Glenn working on some of the doors, he walked up and helped him.
"Have you seen Merle?"
"No. Haven't seen Ani, either, if you're wondering," he replied.
"Ani? Thought that was Merle's name for her?"
"Apparently, Merle hates what happened to her so much, he'd rather us call her Ani than Tea. Break all ties to her family, you know? Makes sense when you think about it. I mean, who talks their sister into committing suicide?" Glenn said as he paled.
"Merle said he sorry yet?" When Glenn just scoffed and rolled his eyes, Daryl begged, "'Cause he is."
"Daryl, it's okay. Well, what happened to Maggie, that wasn't. But he tried to tell her to run and was trying to help us get out. I'm angry. I'm so pissed that I want to bash his face in," Glenn scoffed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "But he was trying to help. He wasn't in the room when it happened. He didn't pick us up. Like Ani says, what happened doesn't matter. Why it happens does. And why it happened had nothing to do with Merle. So, while it'd be nice to get an apology, I think the only one who will ever get one will be Ani or you."
"Thanks, man. I know he's difficult."
"Not really," Glenn said. "Tea...Ani, sorry, still getting used to that. Ani taught us all how to do some holds to keep him restrained, and once I told him that and he found out that even Carl and Sophia could do them, well, he changed his tune real quick. He's rough around the edges and an asshole, but he's got potential. If anything, we know our fearless leader will be safe with her new bodyguard," Glenn joked, earning a chuckle from Daryl.
They walked back through the prison and into the commons, though where Glenn went to the cell block, Daryl went out to the courtyard. The first thing he noticed, something he couldn't believe he hadn't noticed before. His bike was missing.
"Where the hell is my bike?" Daryl growled as he stormed back into the commons.
"What?" Glenn asked.
"My bike! Where the hell is it?!" he repeated.
"Who's all not here?"
"Merle, Michonne, and Ani," Maggie told him.
"Merle and Michonne went to the tombs a few hours ago," Sophia said. "I haven't seen Ani since she left for watch."
Rick came in then looking worried, Michonne following along behind, "I can't find Merle or Tea. There's quite the stash of grenades, clips, and a couple of the high-powered rifles that have gone missing."
"They took my bike!"
"She took your bike," Carol corrected, earning a glare from Sophia. "I saw Merle after the trip to the tombs, and Ani wasn't here."
"That dumb fuckin' bitch! Why would she do that?!" Daryl roared as he punched the wall behind him.
"She knows," Michonne told him. "It's the only logical conclusion. Somehow, she knew about the deal. Merle was looking for her when he found me and told me to lie low, so she had to have left before that."
"Maybe she went just in case," Rick reasoned.
"Without tellin' anybody? Come on, Rick, even that's a stretch!" Daryl said. "I'm goin' after 'em."
"I'll come with you," Rick told him, hoping she really was just going just in case and not because of what they were willing to do.
"No, I'm goin' alone. Faster that way," he said as he left the room.
As he looked around the prison, he found where Merle had exited out of the prison and began following the trail. He knew Rick's choice was going to bite them in the ass. Now Ania was out here doing gods know what while Merle was gods know how close to catching up and forcing the vixen home. He swore up and down he was tying her to the bed when they got back for this little stunt. Never did he think she would take matters into her own hands like this. He was prepared for yelling, screaming, maybe even the silent treatment or simply shutting down towards him. It would hurt, but he knew she had every right to do whatever she wanted to because of their choice. However, that didn't mean she got a free pass at endangering herself like this. And what was she going to do with all the grenades she'd taken? Create booby traps? Make a set of explosions go off one after another? This wasn't a damn action movie! It was the zombie apocalypse as she'd so adamantly argued three days ago.
"Dammit, Ania!" he growled out as he ran as fast as he could towards the meeting place.
Updated 9/10/21