This Night

Chapter 221

Author's Note: I cried when I wrote the past couple chapters too. I think Merle got a better death then in the show. Now on to more writing and heartbreak. Please review!

Group POV:

Rick squeezed Jewel's hand and looked at her. "This was not your fault. Merle's death is not on you," he told her as he kissed her. "He died trying to save you. And for all his faults, for all he did before, at the end, he knew what was important, what was worth dying for. He died saving his baby sister, my wife, and I am extremely grateful."

Summer nodded. "He wasn't the same man that he was before this, he changed. All his big talk about family," she said as she wiped her tears away, "he proved it."

Abraham stood in the back. "I hate to break up this little family moment but it's time for a reality check. We all need to leave for DC right now."

Everyone turned and looked at him. "We just lost someone, we are in the process of losing someone else, we need time," Joey informed him.

"Daryl and Carol will be back, we're not going to leave without them," Rick told him.

"I respect that, but there's a clear threat here to Eugene. I need to extract his ass before things get any uglier. So if y'all won't come, good luck to you. We'll go our separate ways," Abraham told them as he turned around.

Jes moved to block the door. "Things are going to get real ugly if you try to leave," she told him.

"Get out of my way," Abraham warned her.

"You leaving on foot?" Rick asked.

Jes smirked as Abraham turned around and looked at him. "We fixed that damn bus ourselves."

"There are a lot more of us," Rick hissed.

"You want to keep it that way? You should come," Abraham told him.

"Axel helped you fix that bus. Carol saved your life, we saved your life," Rick hissed.

"Well, I'm trying to save everyone's," Abraham yelled at him.

"We're not going anywhere without our people," Rick screamed at him.

"Your people ran off," Abraham informed him.

"They're coming back," Rick yelled at him.

"To what? Picked over bones?" Abraham retorted.

"You're not taking…." Rick said as he grabbed him.

"Do not lay your hands on me," Abraham told him.

"Hey stop it!" Glenn yelled.

Jewel stood up and went over to Rick. "Hey, you need to calm down," she said as she kissed him. She glared at Abraham. "My brother is dead, Bob is dying. They are both going to wind up dead because we left the threat alive. We leave, whatever happens, whoever they do this to next, that's on us."

"I really don't give a damn about that, I care about saving the world, getting Eugene to Washington," Abraham told her.

Jewel took a breath and glared at him. "My brother is dead because we didn't take care of them! You want to go out there alone with Eugene, risking his life because you're to much of a coward to take care of a threat that's right here in front of your face?"

Axel looked at the group then went to take Jewel's shoulder. "Hey, come on."

"Hey, let's all calm down," Glenn said. "Do you think you're going to be any safer leaving right now, in the middle of the night?"

"Yeah," Abraham answered angrily. "Yeah," he repeated.

"What about tomorrow? We need each other for this. We need each other to get to DC. We can get through all of it together," Glenn told him.

"I have an idea. If you stay just one more day and help, I'll go with you to DC no matter what. Okay?" Tara questioned as she looked at Rick.

"I will too," Jes answered.

"I'm in," David offered.

"Glenn and Maggie too," Abraham counter offered.

"No," Rick told him.

"Good luck, then. I'm not interested in breaking up what you have here. Rosita, grab your gear," Abraham ordered.

"Abraham," Rosita countered.

"Now. Eugene, let's go," Abraham told him. "Eugene," he called again. "Move it."

"I don't want to," Eugene answered.

"Now," Abraham hissed.

"Ok," Eugene said as he got up.

"You're not taking the bus," Rick growled.

"Rick," Jewel said. "Please," she begged.

"Try and stop me," Abraham told him.

Rick took a few steps as Abraham did the same.

"Dad!" Summer yelled to get his attention.

Glenn and Joey both got in the middle. "Hey…hey..hey. Jewel and Summer, they don't need to see you do this Rick," Joey told him.

"He's right," Glenn said as he turned his attention too Abraham. "You stay and help us, and we'll go with you," he said as he nodded toward Maggie.

"No," Rick growled.

"It's not your call. You stay, help us," Glenn said.

"You leave now, all you have is yourself and Rosita. You stay and help, you've got Tara, Maggie, Glenn, David and myself. Those are a lot better odds," Jes told him.

Abraham looked around. "Half a day. Come high noon, we're taillights. I'm not waiting for the other damn shoe to drop."

"We will go with you," Maggie said.

"We'll bury Merle first," Jewel told them as Abraham looked at her.

Glenn nodded. "We'll bury Merle first. He's family," he assured her. "No matter what he did, we owe him that."

Abraham looked at them. "Twelve hours then we go," he said.

Joey and Jes's POV:

Joey walked over to Jes who was standing by the window as she looked out. "Hey," he greeted her. He turned her to face him and hugged her.

"Um….Joey what was that?" Jes asked as patted his back uncomfortably before pulling away. "You didn't get bit did you? This isn't your way of telling me that, is it?"

Joey shook his head. "No. I wanted to say thank you and I'm sorry, and that was the best way for me to know how to do it."

"For what?" Jes asked. "To both the thank you and the sorry."

"Thank you for watching out for me. You were more of a parent to me then my real parents ever were," Joey explained. "I wasn't your responsibility or one of your soldiers, I was just a messed up person who thought I didn't need anyone in this world. The truth was, I did and you were there," he told her.

"You don't have to say thank you Joey," Jes told him. "Truth is, at the beginning you were one of my soldiers, someone who I needed to protect. Difference between you and your father was that you had desire to stay alive. Your father was going to take the easiest way out, he was that way overseas too. Your brother has the potential to go either way, but he survived this long, so I'm thinking he's going to be alright," she told him. "Now what are you sorry about?" she questioned, knowing full well what he was sorry for.

"Merle," Joey simply answered.

Jes turned back to the window. "You should be saying that to Jewel and Summer," she told him.

"Jes, don't, alright? I know you and Merle…well I don't know what you were, but it was more then just two people who were surviving," Joey told her. "You don't have to pretend that you don't need anyone, Jes. We all need people. You don't have to pretend to be some statue, holding your feelings in. You cared for him. Losing Bob, that's going to hurt too," he told him.

Jes glanced at him. "Merle and I, we were two peas in a pod. Tough exteriors, had a whole lot of anger, resentment, bad childhoods. We were also self proclaimed believers in that we didn't deserve to be loved. We understood each other. We both could look at each other and saw the same look in each others eyes. Only difference was, Merle he had people out there that he wanted to get back too. I could see it every time he talked about Daryl, Jewel and Summer. I resented him for the longest time for that, for him having someone who might actually give a damn if he was still breathing," she said with a laugh. "Never told him that though. He was an idiot for what happened at Woodbury, he knew it. I saved Jewel, and because I did that, maybe in a way I redeemed not only me but him. He died protecting Jewel, he died to save her without a second thought to himself," she stated. "He died a good man, and I consider myself to have been part of that transformation," Jes said with a nod. "Now we got work to do," she told him as she nodded to the group up front.

Joey nodded. "Yeah, we do," he told her.

Author's Note: I know this was shorter then my other two, but it seemed like a perfect spot to stop otherwise it was going to get VERY long! Review please.