AN: Here we are, another chapter here.
I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!
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"He sent me after Miss Personality because he had a fucking personal bounty on her head," Merle said. "Prob'ly because she was snoopin' around an' diggin' up shit. Couldn't just let it be. He figured when she left that she'd be back. Better to take care of her. He prefers that'cha don't leave, you see? That way you can't come back when you ain't wanted. Can't bring nobody back an' try to get what he's got."
"Paranoid as shit," Daryl said.
"If you think he had a bounty on my head before," Michonne offered, "then I can promise you that he's got one my head now."
Everyone turned to look at her.
So that they didn't keep the entire prison awake, they were all gathered outside. The small fire kept just enough light in the middle of them that they could see each other's' faces, but it wasn't bright enough to draw too many Walkers up to press against their fences.
Most of the prison was asleep. They weren't sure how they felt about the Governor. They weren't sure how they felt about Woodbury.
Rick, for his part, was suggesting that they could maybe negotiate with the man for peace. He didn't like Merle's suggestion that the Governor wasn't a man that could be reasoned with. Hershel—always the pacifist of their group—didn't really care for the idea of doing what they felt was probably going to be necessary.
Michonne had made up with Andrea—or at least the two women had called something of a truce, because they weren't actively arguing—simply because she believed that the only way to deal with Governor was going to be to do exactly what it was that Merle Dixon wanted to plan.
The Governor was going to have to be permanently removed from the picture.
"What the hell'd you do?" Merle asked, drinking from one of the bottles that they were passing around. He passed it to Andrea as soon as he'd taken a swallow.
"When we went back, I went looking for Andrea first," Michonne said. "I didn't find her. I went looking for him after that. I thought I'd kill him. I'd end the whole thing before it even started."
Merle hummed at her.
"But you ain't done it, so I'm guessin' things didn't go accordin' to plan?" He asked.
"Did you know he had a cage in his apartment?" Michonne asked. "Heads?"
"In a cage?" Daryl asked.
"The heads were in a fish tanks," Michonne said. "Walker heads and people heads. There was a head there from a man that I'd seen before. Someone he brought in with supplies. He said he was injured and he died. I guess that, now, we know how he died. The cage—in the cage there was a Walker. He came in. He called the Walker his daughter."
"Governor had a kid," Merle said. "Penny, I think, was her name. Mentioned her from time to time."
"Well he was keeping her in a cage," Michonne said. "As a Walker."
"Sick fuck," Merle said.
"So you're saying you didn't know about it?" Michonne asked.
Merle laughed to himself.
"My job was to do what the hell I was asked to do," Merle said. "Handle shit so as he ain't had to get his hands dirty sometimes. My job weren't to ask questions an' it sure as shit weren't to go fuckin' diggin' around in his personal shit."
"I put her down," Michonne said. "I made it out of there, but if he wanted me dead before, he certainly wants me dead now."
"Well ain't that just fuckin' fantastic," Merle said. "Now he's got even more of a reason to scour the damned area lookin' for her."
"Listen—there's no need to fight about it," Andrea said. "It doesn't matter why he's coming. He's coming because he wants the prison. Now he knows that people can live here. He knows it's been cleared. He knows there's supplies here. He's coming because he knows there are people here."
"And he's paranoid enough to see everybody who isn't working for him as a threat," Michonne said. "We should have left that place a long time ago."
"And you'da been killed," Merle said. "One way or another. The only reason you ain't gettin' your ass killed right now is 'cause we gonna kill him 'fore he gets the chance."
"You got a plan or what?" Daryl asked.
"Simple," Merle said. "We gotta get in there an' kill the bastard."
"It's not going to be that simple, though," Michonne said. "He's going to be looking for us now."
"So we go at night," Daryl said.
"Wrong," Merle said. "That's when the hell he'll think we'll come. That's when he's gonna be on high alert. I know exactly what he'll do. He'll set a guard up. There ain't no negotiatin' with him, neither. Not like Officer Friendly thinks. He'll be ready to lie if he's gotta do it to get what he wants. But he won't come through on no honest deal. We go during the day. I know the area. He'll come out if he thinks there's somethin' good to investigate in the area. He'll be comin' out to decide if it's gonna be people worth bringin' in or if he'd be better to wipe 'em out. We'll create somethin' to draw him out. Get a couple vehicles runnin' an' make him think they's people comin'. We don't fuck around. The minute he's clear, we take his ass out."
"An' then everybody else opens fire on us," Daryl said.
"If he goes down, they won't fight," Merle said. He shook his head. "Not a damn one of us woulda kept fightin' for his ass after he was dead. Thing is—we all owed him somethin', but that didn't mean that didn't everybody workin' for him dream about someday payin' off that debt. Not goin' out to do some job knowin' that if you was to fail him—you'd come back to him havin' fucked up whatever it was that meant the most to you."
Carol saw Merle's eyes flick quickly in Andrea's direction. Andrea, for her part, had developed some interest in her knees. Carol wondered just how many times the Governor had threatened Andrea to keep Merle in line.
"So we gonna just shoot him an' they all gonna be cool with it?" Daryl asked.
"We call a truce with 'em immediately," Merle said. "They know me. Call a truce. Tell 'em we don't want no trouble. Chances are that none of them want trouble neither. Then it's time to do what Officer Friendly wants. It's time to negotiate. Sit down. Talk. Figure out what we got that can help Woodbury an' what they got that can help us."
"You seem sure that this is going to work," Carol said.
"The only reason that the Governor ain't dead is 'cause there ain't never been nobody on the outside that wanted him dead," Merle said. "He's used the element of surprise to make sure that he drops any enemy that he thinks he's got 'fore they end up even bein' an enemy. If you leave, you're out. If you're in Woodbury, an' you even know that side of him is there? You're in his debt. Owe him somethin'. An' he makes a debt so that'cha can't never really pay it off. Holds his thumb over you."
"And you never just raised up an' fuckin' took him down, Merle?" Daryl asked. "I knowed you my whole life. One thing I ain't never knowed you to do since you haired over was to back down to nobody. No matter how hard they hit—you ain't backed down."
"It's different when Woodbury's all you got, brother," Merle said.
"He would have cut Andrea's throat," Michonne offered. "Beheaded her, probably, from what I saw in his office. Whatever it took to get to Merle. Even I know that."
"And then he'da killed me," Merle said.
"So you were scared of him?" Carol asked.
"Wouldn't say that," Merle said. "But you can't be in all places at all times, Mouse. Sooner or later, you got'cha back turned."
"But you think that this is going to be simple to achieve," Carol said. "You're not worried that someone's going to get killed?"
Merle laughed to himself.
"I know somebody's gonna get killed. Kinda the whole damned idea. We gonna kill him."
"But you're not worried that someone else is going to get killed?" Carol pressed.
"Gonna be careful," Merle said. "Hell—I got no guarantees."
"We don't have guarantees even when we just go down to the creek," Daryl said.
"Those are Walkers we're dealing with," Carol said. "Not men with guns set on assassination."
"You forgettin' that we about to be men with guns set on assassination," Daryl pointed out. Carol felt a shiver run through her body. Daryl reached out and put an arm around her shoulder. He pulled her close to him. "You OK?"
"I don't like the thought of it," Carol said. "It terrifies me to think of you not coming back."
"Been plenty a' times I might notta come back," Daryl offered.
"This feels different. There's never been a time that you were going chasing after a madman," Carol said.
"I'll make a deal with ya, Mouse," Merle said. Carol looked at him. "You—make sure Andrea stays here. She don't go runnin' out the damned fences while I'm gone an' vanishin' somewhere, an' I'ma make sure my baby brother brings his scrawny ass right back in them gates." He raised his eyebrows at Carol. "We got a deal?"
"Andrea doesn't need me to babysit her," Carol said.
Merle laughed to himself.
"An' Daryl don't need me to babysit him," Merle said. "But—just the sound of it made you feel a lil' bit better, didn't it? So what'cha say, we got a deal?"
Carol sucked in a breath and let it out. She appreciated, at the very least, what the eldest Dixon was trying to do. She also appreciated that Andrea, rather than argue about being thrust into the middle of things, simply accepted the exchange that was taking place.
"What can we do to help you get ready?" Carol asked.
"We're gonna need ammunition," Merle said. "Firearms. Whatever you got so we don't run outta bullets in case they start firing."
"I can go through storage," Carol said. "There's not much, but we'll get together what we have."
"Divide it in half," Daryl said. "We don't want y'all bein' cleaned out just in case somethin' were to find its way here."
Carol nodded her understanding.
"We'll need at least two cars," Michonne said. "One for diversion and one for a car to bring back here—just in case something happens to the car we use for the diversion."
"We've got lot'sa runnin' cars," Daryl said. "And Axel can damn near get a vehicle runnin' in half an hour from totally dead. That ain't gonna be no problem."
"Gonna need a good breakfast," Merle said. "Somethin' that sticks to the ribs. Don't need nobody losin' their concentration 'cause their damned stomach won't let 'em think out there."
"I can make breakfast," Carol said. "I do every morning. I can make something filling."
"I'll help," Andrea said.
"I'll recruit help," Daryl said. "T-Dog'll be on our side without a doubt. I'm sure that Glenn will want to help as soon as he hears there's a plan to get some revenge. Everyone else is likely to fall into place after that."
"But we leave enough here," Merle said. "Just in case. We don't wanna expect just the Mouse an' Andrea to hold this place with a couple kids."
"Don't worry about us," Carol said. "Just—get rid of him and get back. All of you. In one piece. If you do? I'll make you a dinner fit for a king, Merle."
Merle chuckled to himself.
"That's damn near motivation enough in itself to get this shit handled," Merle said.
"And Andrea will handle whatever other motivation you might need," Carol offered.
Merle caught her eyes across the campfire and chuckled to himself. The laughter was contagious, and Carol felt it rollin' around in her chest. Andrea even laughed, though she did shake her head and divert her eyes for a moment.
"She damn sure will," Merle said. "I like you." He turned to Daryl. "I like her. She's got—somethin'. Yeah—Andrea'll take care a' me. But what I'm worried about is—if you takin' care of my lil' baby brother, Mouse. Like he deserves to be took care of."
"I certainly didn't get pregnant serving him breakfast, Merle," Carol responded. She didn't miss his shit-eating grin. "Don't you worry about Daryl. I'll handle him. You just get him—and everyone else—back here."
Merle chuckled.
"Yes ma'am," he said. "You heard the woman, Andrea. Seems like it's just about time to go an' find out how the hell we expected to sleep on that damn tiny ass lil' prison cot."
"We've got extra beds in storage," Carol said. "In another cell. We got them from a store we raided. Took a whole truck of furniture and supplies. Beds and mattresses."
"Good," Merle said. He got up and reached his hand out for Andrea. She took it and let him help her to her feet even though she could have probably gotten up without a problem. "Looks like you got you somethin' to do while we gone tomorrow. Find us a bed so we can sleep proper knowin' that asshole's sleepin' the longest damned sleep there is."
Merle didn't wait for a reply. He tossed out a few goodnights, received some in return, and tugged Andrea toward the prison as she did the same.
Michonne sat for a moment in silence before she got up and, without saying anything and without acknowledging a single goodnight offered in her direction, she walked away. She disappeared into the cover of the night, presumably walking the yard before she slipped into the prison to get some sleep. Carol sat there a moment longer with Daryl before he finally stood up and offered her hand.
"Come on," he said. "We might as well put this fire out an' get some sleep. We gonna have an early mornin'."
"You better come back to me," Carol said. She accepted Daryl's hand and let him help her up.
"I always do," Daryl said. "An' I always will—long as it's in my power. You just better be here when I get here. Don't'cha go runnin' off with nobody while I'm gone."
Carol laughed to herself.
"I'm serious," she said. "Don't do anything stupid. If it looks like you can't win it..."
"We'll be back," Daryl said. "An' when we get back, this asshole's gonna be gone an' we gonna do ever' damned thing we planned on doin' without a single reason to worry. You gonna see. Now come on—I want us to get a few minutes 'fore we fall asleep. Let's not waste no more of them minutes out here worryin' over shit that ain't even gonna happen."
Carol shivered at the thought of something happening, but Daryl slipped his arm around her and she immediately felt comforted. She felt confident that he would come back to her. He always did. She stood with him while he doused the fire and then she followed him inside the prison, letting him tug her along by the hand.
And, like he asked, she did her best to leave her worry in the prison yard.