This Night

Chapter 215

Author's Note: I've been sick since Tuesday and working from home periodically so I won't get that far behind, other then that, I've been sleeping and blowing my nose. If any of you find it, please send it back to me. That's the reason this chapter has taken so long. Review please

Merle and Jewel's POV:

Merle walked into the church and sat down next to where Jewel was laying down and lifted her feet on to his legs. "Was a little afraid that the building might fall down around me when I walked in here."

Jewel gave a weak smile. "Think the man above is a little more forgiving these days."

"You feelin' alright?" Merle asked. "Hell Raiser doin' alright?"

"I'm alright, and she seems to like the Moses basket you found, as long as she's rocking," Jewel said.

Merle laughed. "Just as demandin' as her momma. You always wanted to be talked to," he told her.

"Yeah, I'm sure that went over well," Jewel told him.

"You don't remember, but daddy doted on you when you were little, before Mom died," Merle told her as he looked at Carl feeding Judith and Lexi talking with Ty. "Those are what big brothers are supposed to be like."

Jewel nudged him with her foot. "You're like that now, that's all that matters."

"No, it's not," Merle told her. "I shouldn't have left you and Daryl with daddy. I should have known 'bout Clyde. And, the Governor. I left you with him, I knew what he was capable of," he said.

Jewel sat up and put her head on his shoulder. "You made mistakes. The world we're living in now, it brings out the worst in people, made people do things we never thought of. Made me do things I never thought of. But you? It made you a better man, the man that you were always meant to be."

"Jewel, you don't know what I did for the Governor," Merle told her.

"You killed people. It wasn't hard to figure out, Merle. You did almost kill Glenn for him," Jewel told him. "But, the moment that you made the decision to help Daryl, and then Michonne, and fought with us, that's the moment that matters. I didn't see it at the time, but I do now. Now if I could get you to drop the grudge against Rick, and actually call him Rick instead of Officer Friendly, we'd be good," she teased him.

Merle chuckled. "Yeah, I'll just keep holding my grudge," he teased as he stood up. "I'm going to go check the outside. Carl, you want to come?"

"Yeah," Carl answered as he handed Judith to Ty.

"Don't go far, either one of you," Jewel warned as they walked outside.

Mitch and Mika's POV:

Mitch sat down beside Mika on the floor and handed her some water. "So, I was thinking, we're alike. You know with you losing your dad and Lizzie, and I lost my brothers. When I saw Luke come out of the barn at Hershel's farm, as a walker, I wanted to join him so I wouldn't be alone. I didn't understand it then, that I'd never be alone."

Mika looked at him. "We got lucky, being with this group," she agreed. "Do you ever think of your brothers?"

Mitch nodded. "Yeah, Luke more then Aidan. I'm sorry about Lizzie."

"My mom used to say things happen for a reason. I was supposed to be on the bus to help Jewel. You were supposed to be with Glenn. Maybe it hasn't hit me yet, you know? Losing dad and Lizzie in just a matter of days. I feel sad, I do, but I don't think I feel sad as I should. Does that make sense?" Mika asked.

Mitch nodded. "Yeah it does. We lost a lot of people, good people. Your dad, Patrick, everyone on the bus, Hershel, Lizzie. We don't know if Beth is alive or dead. I think because we deal with losing people all the time, well maybe we can't grieve the way we want because we have to focus on surviving. We can feel sad, but if we are distracted, then we can't protect the ones we still have left. I don't want anyone to have to worry about me unnecessarily, you know?"

Mika nodded. "Do you ever worry about becoming like the Governor? Or the people at Terminus?"

"I don't think we have it in us, not like that. I do understand that people like the Governor and the people at Terminus have to die so we can live. But this group isn't like them, Mika. We aren't like that. We love mostly everyone in this group. I'm still trying to figure out Abraham and Eugene," Mitch teased with a grin. "That's what makes us different, it's what makes us human."

"They seemed so normal…Mary and all of them. So welcoming. I could see us all living there, like at the prison. I could see Hope and Judy playing there, growing. But, Claire…she gave me these really bad vibes and I knew something was wrong. I couldn't imagine how bad it was. I think I could have killed Claire…if she hurt Hope," Mika confessed.

Mitch squeezed her hand. "That's because we still have our humanity, Mika. Just like we couldn't leave the priest to be eaten. As long as we keep that part of us, we'll never be like them. We won't be, we can't be," he told her. "We keep reminding each other of that, right Cousin?"

"Cousin?" Mika asked.

"Well, Jewel adopted you and Daryl adopted me, so yeah that makes us cousins now," Mitch said with a grin.

Mika laughed. "You are silly."

Tyreese and Lexi's POV:

Lexi smiled as Ty put Judith down. "You're good with her," Lexi told Ty.

"I had a lot of practice, with you and Sasha. You doing alright?" Ty asked her.

"Yeah, I'm alright. You were taking care of Judith, and Rick was making sure I was alright. Weird how things work out," Lexi stated.

"I'm glad that you were with Rick, he's a good man. What happened back at the prison, me hitting him, I was wrong. I let my temper get the best of me, and I shouldn't have," Ty told her. "I need you to know that I know I was wrong."

"Ty, you don't have to answer to me. You were mad, I get that," Lexi told him.

"There's something that I need you to know. It was Carol, she was the one that did that Karen and Ridge. She thought she was doing right for the group," Ty told her.

"You forgive her? Ronnie know?" Lexi asked.

"Yes to both counts," Ty told her. "Do you understand why I forgave her?"

Lexi rolled her eyes. "Ty, I'm not a kid. You forgave her because she's family. She got us out of Terminus. I mean she had help, but besides Summer she didn't know she had help. She would do anything to protect us. Did Rick tell you what almost happened to Carl?"

Ty looked at her. "Lex?" he asked.

"We ran into a bad group, Mar and I were getting water. Daryl and Axel ran into us, told us to stay there with Axel. I did, Mar didn't. They were bad men….I didn't see what they were going to do, but I could imagine. I shot a man, Ty, to help save them. So, I get it why Carol did what she did. Because she wanted to stop the sickness. It wasn't out of malice, it was out of love," Lexi said.

Ty kissed the top of her head. "When did you get so smart kiddo?"

Lexi rolled her eyes again. "I've always been smart Ty. It just took the end of the world for you and Sasha to start listening to me," she teased.

Author's note: OK that was short but I wanted to get a chapter out before season 6 started. And SHH…I won't be watching til tomorrow. I can't stay up til 10:30, my sick body won't let me! Review please.