This Night

Chapter 217

Author's Note: I think I win the award for making one episode last a whole lot of chapters. Seriously, these people won't stop talking to me. Some scene's I'm not adding because it would be the same as in the show, I.E. Carol and Daryl, because it would be the same.

This chapter is brought to you today because I was rearended again. That's twice in four days, yeah…I'm not doing good. Review please.

Lexi and Carl's POV:

Lexi came out side the church and went to where she saw Carl. "Carl, you shouldn't be out here alone. I know we've had this conversation before. Plus we just promised your dad we'd be safe, and being out here is not safe, at all."

"Merle is just over there, he went to check on the bus. Look at this," Carl told her as he pointed out 'You'll burn for this," scratched on the wall of the church.

Lexi touched it and looked at Carl. "Do you think this was directed at Father Gabriel? Something he did?"

"What else could it be?" Carl asked.

"Well whatever he did, you know he didn't do it himself," Lexi told him as she went to the windows. "Scratch marks. Someone was trying to get inside. You're going to have to show this to Rick when he get's back," she told him. "Hey, this doesn't mean he's evil, right? It just means….that he's hiding something. Do you think he could be working with them?" she asked.

"Them?" Carl questioned.

"Them…the people from Terminus," Lexi explained. "Could he have sent people there, knowing what they were? Maybe that's why he's still alive."

Carl shook his head. "He hasn't mentioned Terminus. If he was working for them, wouldn't he have tried to get us to go? Plus, I think he's to afraid to do something like that."

Lexi nodded. "You're probably right. If we ask him, he's going to give us that bullshit answer that he answers to God."

Carl looked at her. "Did you say bullshit?"

Lexi rolled her eyes at him. "You aren't the only one whose allowed to cuss you know? I think with everything that's happened, I'm allowed to let out frustrations," she said as she looked at him. "You really want to believe that he's not bad, don't you?"

Carl nodded. "Everyone can't be bad, there has to be good people left in this world. You would think that a man who wears a collar is a good person."

Lexi smiled as she squeezed his hand softly. "We don't know if he's not bad or not. We know he's a coward, that's what we know. You show this to your dad when he gets back. If anyone can figure it out, it's you Grimes men," she assured him.

Carl gave a small smile as he looked at her. "You know, we never did discuss the kiss…back at the house…before dad woke up."

Lexi smirked. "I don't remember a kiss. I remember your lips meeting mine for like two maybe three seconds," she pointed out.

"I was scared that you were going to hit me," Carl explained himself.

"I didn't," Lexi pointed out.

"So should I kiss you again?" Carl asked.

Lexi rolled her eyes again. "With Ty around? I kind of like having you as a friend. We should get inside," she told him.

Joey, David, Mar and Summer's POV:

David balanced the bag he was carrying on his back and glanced at Summer as they walked. "You know, I remember when Joey was about 8, coming home with a bloody nose. Dad got pissed when he found out it was from a younger girl. If I remember correctly her name was Summer," he told her. "You wouldn't be that Summer would you?"

Summer grinned. "I am, and when we met up again, I punched him then too."

David let out a low whistle. "Damn, Joe, you let her get the upper hand on you again?"

"I think he preferred to get hit then being shot by Carl," Mar informed him.

"I definitely preferred being hit then being shot. Plus Summer's cuter then Carl anyway," Joey said with a wink back at her.

"Wait, the kid with the Sheriff's hat? Why was he going to shoot you?" David asked.

"I was part of a group that was attacking there home. I ran, with another kid, and Carl, Summer, and a few others were in the woods. Judy was just a baby herself. Carl thought he was doing the right thing, by protecting his family. He shot Jodie, almost shot me, but Summer made a judgment call," Joey told him.

Mar playfully hit Joey's arm. "Pretty good one at that. The group saved me, almost in the same way they saved you David. I was ready to put a bullet in my head, just like you were. But, forever reason, they were there when I needed them."

"So, you're saying that I was saved by divine intervention?" David asked.

Summer let out a laugh. "Not to sure I believe in divine intervention. We were where we were supposed to be, meet the people we are supposed to meet. The world is getting smaller, people are getting worse. Nothing is black and white anymore, wrong or right. Some people have to die, because if they don't, they'll kill you. But, some decisions, saving people, the good ones, those are the right ones. It makes this family stronger, it makes us stronger."

"Knew there was a reason I loved you," Joey teased as he kissed her.

"I did not hear the word love, nope, see if I heard the word, I would have to tell Rick that this was getting serious. I kind of like Joey here, so yeah, I didn't hear that," Mar told them as she shook her head.

Joey held up his hand as he stopped. "Do you hear that?" he asked.

Summer turned her head in the direction of the noise. "I see that," she said as she saw ten walkers' come from behind a house.

"Formation, don't use guns, stay back to back," Joey instructed.

"I can take them out on my own," David told them as he moved forward.

Mar grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "You are not alone anymore. We work as a team, we take them out and we get back to the church. Together. You watch our backs, we watch yours. Got it?"

Joey nodded at him. "That's how it works."

David looked at them then nodded as he took formation, the four of them taking out walkers' with there weapons. "Do you always do that? In formation?"

"When we can," Mar said.

"You know there was a time you were against team work, Joe. Couldn't even get you to go for a team sport because you had to rely on somebody other then yourself," David told him as he put his hatchet away.

"What I was then doesn't matter, David. Yesterday you were alone, I thought I'd never see you again. But today? We are together and that's all that matters," Joey informed him.

"For how long?" David asked.

"Doesn't matter for how long, you make every second count. We need to be getting back with this stuff," Mar told them.

Tara and Jewel's POV:

Jewel looked up as Tara, Glenn and Maggie came back from scavenging for weapons. "Find anything?" Jewel asked.

"Few guns, some ammo," Glenn answered.

"These guys are amazing," Tara told her.

Maggie smiled as she glanced at Hope. "How are you?" she asked Jewel.

"I'm feeling alright. You're the first ones back," Jewel told them. "Tara we haven't had a lot of time to talk. Why don't you come and sit down so we can get to know each other?" Jewel asked.

Tara looked at Glenn, who nodded, before going with Maggie. Tara took a breath as she sat down. "I'm sorry…about everything, about the prison. I saw you and I knew it was wrong."

"Rick knew you didn't want to be there. He's a pretty good judge of character," Jewel told her with a smile. "What you did for Mitch and Glenn, I'll never be able to thank you enough."

Tara lowered her head. "They wouldn't have needed help if it wasn't for what I was part of."

"The Governor, he was a smooth talker. He fooled a lot of people, he hurt a lot of people. The man could sell ocean front property in Arizona in the world before this. Or a used car salesman," Jewel told her. "Merle was with him for a while, and it wasn't easy for him to be accepted into this group, after the things he did. I was one of his harshest critics, but I always had been. You are part of this group because you are one of us. You lost people at the prison?" Jewel questioned.

"My sister, my girlfriend, my niece," Tara answered.

Jewel nodded. "More names to add to the Governor's list. I'm real sorry for that."

"How can you be so forgiving? How can any of you be so forgiving?" Tara asked.

Jewel gave a small smile. "You've seen Merle's hand?"

"You mean the lack of one?" Tara asked.

Jewel laughed. "Yeah, the lack of one. First time Rick and Merle met, was on a rooftop. Merle was high and being offensive, and Rick had just woke up from a coma and wanted nothing to do but find Carl and his wife."

"You?" Tara asked.

Jewel shook her head. "No, we didn't meet until after this. Lori was his wife, well ex wife. He had met with a divorce lawyer before all this. But, Rick handcuffed Merle to a roof, one of the members of the group dropped the key in a drain. First time I met Rick, he was telling me how he left my brother on a rooftop. Glenn, Daryl, Rick and T, they went back for him, but Merle had cut off his hand. He was never a patient person. I held onto a lot of anger with Merle for a lot of years, before all this. We couldn't be in the same room without war world three erupting. Then the world ended, and I fall in love with the man who left my brother for dead. If I let anger and didn't forgive Rick, I wouldn't have been loved more in the past two years then I ever was before all this. I wouldn't have Hope. I wouldn't have Carl as a son, or Judith as a daughter. And, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with Merle now, if I let stupid mistakes eat me up. You followed a crazed maniac into the depths of hell, and when the flames were raising up, you went through them to save people that you didn't know. In my book Tara, that erases anything that you did before," she told the younger woman. "Better learn now, I don't lose arguments," she said with a grin as she hugged her.

TBC

Review please