This Night

Chapter 227

Author's Note: So if you are caught up with this season of Walking Dead, there was a scene in season 6 episode 5 that JUST isn't happening. I'm just saying. Yep we're ignoring that. Now with that being said, let's go forward shall we? Review please.

Groups POV:

Michonne took a breath as she walked onto the stairs of the church with Daryl and Noah. "Daryl, just wait out here for a minute alright?"

Daryl looked at her. "Michonne, I need to talk to Rick. They have Carol and Beth," he told her.

"I know…but just wait alright?" Michonne asked as she opened the door. "Daryl's back," she said.

Summer and Mar looked up at the door as Jewel handed Hope to Mika as she went out to the porch. "Where were you?" she asked as she looked at him.

"Jewel, not like this," Mar told her.

"What's going on? Jewel?" Daryl asked as he saw the black eye on her face. "What happened?" he asked.

"Merle's dead! He's dead because of me! He died saving me! And I needed you!" Jewel yelled as she pounded his chest.

Michonne looked at the new comer. "Go inside," she told the kid.

Daryl grabbed Jewel's arms and looked at her. "What…how?" he asked as he took her into a hug crying.

"People from Terminus…." Mar told him.

"Jewel and Merle took a walk. Grayson was waiting in the shed, for someone, for anyone to come by," Rick said. "He knocked Merle out….tied Jewel up, hit her. Merle woke up, grabbed for his prosthetic, Grayson and him fought over it, and the gun went off."

Jewel cried into his chest. "He didn't have a chance. I had to put him down…I needed you."

"Carol and I saw a car like…the one that took Beth. We went after it, we didn't have time to come back here," Daryl explained as he kissed the top of Jewel's head. "I'm sorry," he said as he was crying.

"Where's Carol and whose that you brought back?" Mar asked.

"They've got Carol, the same people that got Beth," Daryl explained as he continued to hug Jewel.

"Let's give them a few minutes," Rick told the group as he held the door open for them. "I'll be inside if you need anything," he told both of them as he went inside and closed the door.

Daryl guided her to the steps of the church and sat her down and bent down beside her. "Look at me," Daryl told her. "Jewel," he told her before she raised her head to look at him. "You did not kill Merle. It wasn't your fault," he told her. "Merle, he wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

"If I hadn't killed Grayson's daughter back at Terminus…" Jewel started to say.

"Then you'd be dead," Daryl said. "Merle gave his life to save you, and I would have done the same. I'm sorry that I wasn't here, I'm sorry that you had to put him down," he told her. "Merle he died saving you, and in turn saving Hell Raiser. I wish I was here, I wish I could have done it for you," he said as he kissed the top of her head and wiped his eyes.

"We lost Bob…he was bit then Gareth and some of the other Terminus people…they ate his leg in front of him. His leg…" Jewel told him. "You said they have Beth and Carol? Who? And who did you bring back?"

"Noah. He was in the same place in Atlanta as they're holding Beth," Daryl told her. "Let's go inside, alright? I'll explain," Daryl told her. "This was not your fault alright?" he told her again.

"Alright…" Jewel told him.

Inside the church:

Mar leaned against Daryl as they listened to Noah tell them about Grady Memorial.

"So they rescue people and then make them work off there debt? At a hospital?" Ronnie asked. "And there's a doctor there that just letting it happen?"

"Dawn has them afraid, and Dr. Edwards is a coward," Noah told them.

"So, we're going to go to Atlanta right? To get Carol and Beth?" Summer asked.

Rick looked at Jewel. "Some of us should stay here, with everything that happened."

Jewel looked at Rick. "I'm not going to break, Rick. We need to do this, we have to do this. We owe Carol, we owe Hershel. There's no question about us doing this, there isn't. I'm not asking to go, I'll stay here with the kids and the coward," she said as she nodded toward Gabriel's office.

"You aren't staying alone," Rick told her.

"He's right, Rick can stay with you," Daryl told her.

Jewel took a breath. "I assume that this hospital is well guarded Noah? Has a lot of guns? Not going to be easy to get into?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," Noah answered.

"Please don't call me ma'am, it's Jewel. If they have a lot of guns, and man power, then we are going to need full force in there. I'm betting this Dawn person isn't going to be to happy that you escaped Noah?" Jewel asked.

"Jewel's in emergency planning mode, there's no arguing with her," Mar told Rick.

"No, Dawn's going to feel like she's losing control," Noah answered.

"So, she's going to take it out on people? On Beth?" Joey asked.

"If no one else is going to go, I'm going," Sasha told them.

"We are going," Summer told her.

Rick nodded. "We are," he reassured them.

"We'll need to fortify the church, put wood on the windows, make a barrier to keep the walkers' out," Michonne told them.

"With what? We don't have a lot of supplies," Tyreese told them.

Jewel looked around. "Yeah we do," she answered.

"We're going to destroy a church?" Tyreese asked.

"It stopped being a church a long time ago," Mar told them.

"Like Maggie said, it's just a roof and four walls," Summer reminded them.

"Whose going to tell Gabriel that we are ripping his church apart? I don't think that's going to go over well with him," Ronnie told the group.

Jewel gave a small smirk. "Well he doesn't have much of a choice does he?" she asked as Hope let out a not so happy cry from the other room. "That's my feed me alarm," she said as she stood up. She squeezed Rick's shoulder. "Keep me in the loop, will you?"

"Of course," he told her as he kissed her. "I'll be in in a few," he told her.

Mar and Daryl's POV:

Daryl looked over his shoulder as Mar walked out of the church. "Mitch asleep?" he asked as he lit up a cigarette.

"He is," Mar answered.

"It isn't like it was at the prison, I didn't run away," Daryl told her.

"I didn't think you did," Mar told him as she looked at him. "I didn't," she told him.

"You should stay, with Jewel and the kids," Daryl told her.

"I should," Mar told him. "But I'm not," she told him.

"Mar," Daryl started to say.

"Daryl," she answered back with the same tone.

"Damn it Mar, Mitch needs you. Jewel needs you. She just lost Merle," Daryl told her.

"We just lost Merle, you just lost Merle. I know we don't have the luxury to mourn our dead like we should be able to," Mar said as she grabbed the sides of Daryl's face and kissed him. "I'm tired of worrying about you, worrying if something's going to happen to you because I'm always left behind. I know you do it because of Mitch, because of Jewel, because you worry about me. But, Jewel and Mitch both have people who will watch over them. This time I'm going with you," she informed him.

Daryl sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "I think Jewel needs you more. These people," he started to say.

"These monsters are dangerous, they are keeping people against there wills. They are holding Carol and Beth. They are holding them in a hospital. A hospital where there may be medical supplies," Mar pointed out.

"Like they are just gonna hand them over because we ask nicely," Daryl told her.

"I think they lost the right to be asked for anything once they started taking people hostage and making them work like slaves, don't you?" Mar asked. "Look, I get it why you want to keep me out of there, I do. But, I can't sit on the sidelines, not this time. We don't have the luxury of the prison anymore. We just lost Bob and Merle. Some of our best people are gone and headed to Washington. One of our best people just had a baby. So, to even have a chance, we need to use what we can, who we can," Mar told him. "You know I'm right," she said as she kissed him.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Yeah," he answered. "How is she? Really."

"Typical Dixon, says she's fine cause she has to be. She's struggling between being strong and breaking down. She's struggling having to be on the sidelines, not right in the heat of the battle. She really doesn't like Gabriel. He locked his congregation out, he listened to screams of help and did nothing. That's what he was hiding," Mar told Daryl. "Jewel almost hit him today. We stopped her," Mar told him.

"Why?" Daryl asked.

Mar looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously. Sounds like he deserves it, plus it let's Jewel take out some of her anger," Daryl answered.

"I can't believe I'm having to explain to you why that would be a very bad idea. She wouldn't have stopped at one punch, she would have probably killed the man," Mar answered. "And before you say he would have deserved it, we do have children that we are trying to teach that good people still exist in this world. I know it's becoming harder, but Mitch and Mika, they don't need to think punching is the right thing to do because you just don't like someone. Jewel wouldn't have liked herself if she had done that," Mar told him. "We should get inside," she said as she kissed him.

"Merle buried out in the graveyard?" Daryl questioned.

"Right next to Bob," Mar answered. "You can visit tomorrow, not tonight, not in the dark. I don't want Jewel taking a punch at me because I let you go out there. Come on," she said as she led him inside.

Summer, Carl, Jewel, and Rick's POV:

Jewel rubbed Hope's back after she nursed and looked up as Summer, Carl, Judith and Rick came in. "You three look like you've been in serious discussions," she said as Rick sat down beside her and kissed her.

"Dad won't even entertain the idea of me going to Atlanta. I can handle myself, you both know that," Carl said as he sat down with Judith.

"It's not that you can't handle yourself, Carl," Rick told him again.

"It's not fair. You're not giving Summer a hard time about going," Carl told him.

"I'm older," Summer answered.

"Why does that even matter? I can handle myself," Carl said.

Jewel put her hand on Rick's leg as she adjusted Hope. "Carl, we know you can handle yourself. You have proven over and over again that you are more then capable. But, I'm asking you to stay and help me. If something happens, I'm going to need yours and Lexi's help. I know how bad you want to help get Carol and Beth back. I want to do the same thing. I want to go too, but sometimes we have to make decisions that are best for the group. It's not because we don't think you can handle it, it's not because we are trying to punish you, it's not. The easiest thing is for all of us to go, not to be separated again. But, I don't want to subject Judith or Hope to the dangers of Atlanta. Mika or Mitch either. So the best decision is for me to stay here with them. I'm asking you to please stay and help me Carl. Mika, Mitch, Judith and Hope, they need us."

Carl nodded. "I still want to go, but alright. You did say Lexi was staying right?"

Summer tried not laugh. "I knew you'd catch that."

Jewel laughed. "Yes, she's staying."

"I still want to stay or have someone else stay with you," Rick told her as he took Hope.

Jewel nodded. "I know. We have tomorrow to figure it out."

"I don't think Gabriel is going to be to happy with us dismantling his Church," Summer pointed out as she made Judith giggle by kissing her stomach.

"Well, to bad, he really doesn't have a choice does he?" Jewel asked as she grinned at Judith.

TBC