Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This

Chapter 79

Author's Note: So no updates become two updates in one day. What can I say? Summer is going to show a little bit of the Dixon temper. Girl's been through a lot, her mom's missing, she had to cut Lori open to save the baby and watch her die. I think it's expected don't you? And I'm veering a bit away from cannon with them knowing about Andrea, but all the little chess pieces have moved around! LOL Please review!

"A step parent is so much more than a parent; they made the choice to love when they didn't have to-Author unknown"

Summer's POV:

Summer glared at Rick as they were packing the car. "I'm going. She's my mother."

Rick took a breath, as he turned to the teen. He knew she was angry and scared. He was angry and hurt. "Summer, I need you back here; I need you here to watch Judith, Carl and Mitch. With Daryl and Mar going, I need to know that you are here."

"Maybe that bull works on Carl, but it doesn't work on me! She's my mother! I've known her for sixteen years. She is my mother, you are not my father," Summer yelled at him.

Daryl looked up. "Summer Grace!" he hissed.

Rick held up his hand. "Come on," he told the teen as he put his hand on her shoulder as he gave her no choice to walk with him. He took a breath and looked at the teen. "I know you're scared Summer. I'm scared too. I know you want to go, because she is your mother. But the truth is Summer, I'd be scared if you were there. I'd be more concerned sweetheart watching for you, then focusing on finding your mom, Glenn and Maggie. And God Forbid something happens, and you're there, I'd never forgive myself. Your mother would never forgive me. Be mad at me, Summer, you have every right to be pissed off at the world. But right now, your mother isn't here, and that makes me in charge of you. I made a promise to your mom that if something happened to you, that I would keep you safe. Just like you did to Lori about Judy and Carl. You are my daughter, you can be mad and you can huff all you want but the fact still remains Summer, I love you, just the way I love Carl and Judy. Do you understand?"

Summer nodded as she tried not to cry. "I just…can't lose her."

"Hey, neither can I. But I can't lose you either," Rick said as he hugged her.

Summer nodded. "I'm sorry..I mean…"

"Hey, you're angry, you're scared. I get it. I'm sure Carl's going to give me attitude as he's older, this is good practice," Rick said as he put his arm around her and walked back to the car.

Daryl gave Summer the Dixon glare. "Everythin' alright?"

"Everything's fine, she apologized," Rick told Daryl.

Daryl glanced at her. "You know better."

"Daryl, Rick said he handled it, it's done," Mar told him.

"Guys we got an incoming car that isn't one of ours!" Axel yelled from the guard tower.

"Is this visitation day or something?" Daryl asked.

The whole group turned as they heard the horn. "Oh great that's going to draw the walkers'," Mar murmured.

Group POV:

Rick and the group ran to the gate and saw the vehicle approaching. He stopped as he saw a hand go out the window with the blue sapphire on its hand. "Jewel…" he whispered as the beeping of the horn stopped. "Carl, Oscar, Mitch, Mar, Summer, draw those walker's away! Daryl get ready to open that gate. They got Jewel!" he told the group.

"Hey over here, look this way!" the group yelled as they lured the walkers' away.

"Hey you don't want that car! Here!" Mitch yelled.

"Hey ugly, yeah you in that ugly green turtleneck, come this way. Yeah, you had horrible fashion sense!" Summer yelled.

"Insulting walkers', interesting way to do it," Oscar told the teen.

"It works," Summer said. "Come over here ugly!" she said as she rattled the fence. "That's right. Come on."

Rick watched the walkers' follow the group. "Open it!"

Daryl opened the gate and let the car drive in and he closed the gate behind them. He held up his crossbow at the driver.

Rick ran to the passenger side door and yanked it open. "Jewel…"

Jewel nodded as she kissed him. "Glenn and…Maggie..they have them. I…Merle separated us."

"Merle?" Daryl asked as he opened the drivers' side door. "Nice and easy, I won't hesitate. Throw out your weapons."

"Don't have any, gave it to her," the woman told him as she got out with her hands up.

"Mom!" Summer said as she ran over to help her.

Jewel grimaced as she got out of the car. "She's…alright, I wouldn't be alive if it…wasn't for her. She…got me away from Woodbury and the Governor," she said as she leaned against Rick.

"That wackadoodle name again…" Summer said.

"Rick easy, she shouldn't be walking," Mar said as she ran to her. "Can you lift her?" she asked Oscar.

"I got her," the former prisoner said as he picked her up from Rick.

"I'll be right there," Rick told the teen. "Carl go with them."

"Right dad," the pre teen boy answered.

Rick looked at the woman. "You're the second person who wound up at these gates today from Woodbury."

Jes's dark eyes bored into his. "You're welcome, by the way."

Rick looked at her. "Excuse me?"

"You're welcome. I did just bring your wife home, your sister," she told the two men. "I plan on goin' back and helping you rescue your friends. But, why the hell should you thank me right? I mean the Governor just told me to go feed her to the walkers' and bring her head back to him. I don't even want to think what he does with the heads, but he got a damn collection," Jes told them.

"My brother wouldn't do that to his own sister, wouldn't let it happen," Daryl told the woman.

"Your brother walks a thin line between right and wrong. Don't know what the Governor told him to get him to leave them alone. But, if your friends name is Glenn and if he was part of the group who left him on the roof, he aint gonna be as friendly with him as he was with Jewel," she promised them. "Who was the other person who showed up?"

"Michonne," Rick answered.

"Well he didn't kill her, that's a start in the right direction," Jes told them.

Rick glanced at Daryl. "I need to go check on Jewel…before we go," he told him.

"You don't have to go," Daryl told the man.

"I do," Rick said as he turned around to go check on his wife.

Daryl's POV:

Jes leaned against the vehicle as he looked at Daryl. "Damn all you Dixons' got the same glare."

"Merle, he OK?" Daryl asked.

"He's missin' a hand, but guess that what happens when you're handcuffed to a roof and have a big mouth," Jes told him.

Daryl glanced at her. "He holdin' a grudge?"

"Oh, yeah, big time," Jes answered.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you bring Jewel back?" Daryl asked.

"Damn, do you Dixons' always got to ask why? A thank you would be freakin' nice once in a while!" Jes told him. "I'm Jes by the way. Like I've been tellin' your brother for a while, and like I told your sister, only a power hungry lunatic has his people call him Governor. Only a power hungry lunatic uses walkers' as entertainment. So, I waited, I pretended to buy what he was selling, I said yes Governor, I pretended to enjoy the way he'd give me that pretty boy grin and smooth talk newcomers. I baited my time, knowing anyone who came into Woodbury and tried to leave, even though he told them they could, would become walker chow. I set up some of the checkpoints, and trust me, they have small flaws. Flaws you'd only know if you were the one who put them there. I stayed close to Merle's place today because I knew the Governor wasn't going to trust her. I also knew if she was as stubborn as Merle said she was, she'd be lucky to come out alive. But the Governor, he never gets his hands dirty. So he ordered me and another guy, someone I used to trust, someone I knew before this, to dispose of her, and to bring back his head. I killed Mason, shot him, left him for the biters', and I gave your sister my gun. I did it because it was the right thing to do. I couldn't live with myself anymore if I didn't. Merle is gonna believe the psycho job when he says she ran. The governor wants to know where this place is. He's going to have Merle torture him, but he'll take the girl, just like he tried with your sister," Jes told him.

Daryl straightened up. "Did he rape her?"

Jes shook her head. "She bit him, that's why he got angry."

Daryl laughed. "That's the Dixon fighter in her," he told her. "Thank you…"

"You're welcome. Michonne alright?" she asked.

"Been shot," Daryl responded.

"Probably by Merle," Jes answered. "But he let her get away so that's a step in the right direction."

TBC