A/N All characters belong to the writers and creators of The Walking Dead. Except those that arose from my own twisted imagination.

Yes, I started writing this after "I ain't a Judas"…it completely inspired me. It also made me happy that I was on a similar track with the writers in that the Governor in this fic & on screen were both making the excuse of "we were attacked first" and how Andrea wanted to negotiate a peace deal between the prison & Woodbury. If things hadn't been filmed so long ago, I might have said "Hey! Are y'all reading this?" Anyway, enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter Twenty One-So It Begins

Milton rushed into the Governor's study, his face a mask of worry.

"Cash, Tripp and a few others went down to the prison." The Governor didn't look up from the notebook where he was scribbling information. Milton frowned. "Didn't you tell them not to go there? To wait until Andrea returned?" The Governor looked up at Milton.

"The last count we did, we had about sixty able-bodied adults right?" Milton was stunned.

"I think so. If you count the teenagers. Governor what are you working on? We have a possible problem here…" The Governor slammed the notebook shut, cutting him off.

"I don't see it as a problem. Cash and his boys left to escort Andrea home. That's all." Milton could hear a coldness in his voice, something that hadn't been there before.

"Governor, I don't think…" The Governor slammed his hand down on his desk and glared at Milton.

"I didn't ask what you think! I'm telling you what the reality is now. No more garden parties. No more of the easy life. These people that live here, they will start pulling their weight and learning what life is like out there. They need to be grateful for what they have, for what I have given them." He looked back down at his notebook. "They need to show their appreciation, their dedication, to this town." Milton swallowed hard.

"What are you suggesting they do?" The Governor picked up a pen and flipped through a few pages of his notebook.

"First of all, every man and woman over the age of thirteen will be armed at all times. I'll need Martinez to start training them, since Cash is busy with other duties." Milton was stunned.

"You're talking about arming children." He was rewarded with another cold stare.

"The line between child and adult has been erased in this world. If they're old enough to hold a gun, they're old enough to use it in battle." Milton could feel things were spinning out of control. He wished that Andrea was here. She could probably talk Phillip down from whatever he was planning.

"Battle? What battle? We're not at war." Phillip stood and walked to the window. Outside, people were gathering in groups, sharing the latest gossip about the attacks and the Governor. Some people had tried to leave the town but had been stopped by Martinez and his crew on the wall. When Phillip spoke, his voice was calm again.

"Of course we're at war Milton. We've been attacked. We've had blood spilt in our streets. We cannot let that go without a response. We need to go to that prison and level it to the ground. Make those people pay for destroying our way of life." Milton blanched.

"I think we should wait for Andrea to come back before we do anything rash. If those are her friends, maybe we can work something out." Phillip glanced over his shoulder at Milton.

"There's the door. You can join her there if you wish." Milton saw he was serious and he did not want to leave Woodbury. If he did, it was a death sentence for him. He wouldn't be welcome at the prison even if he did make it. Danielle Robertson would kill him on sight for what he had done to her daughter. He hadn't allowed himself to think about it at the time, had kept his distance as a scientist but he knew that Phillip had murdered Abigail Robertson and he, Milton Mamet, was culpable in that murder. He pushed that thought far from his mind and tried to focus on the here and now.

"Governor," he tried again, "do you really think it's going to come to a full scale war? Some of these people, they'll die. They'd never have survived on the outside if it wasn't for this town." Milton knew he was speaking as much for himself in making that statement as he was for others. Phillip turned and walked back to his desk. He handed the notebook to Milton.

"Make sure that these people report to Martinez by tomorrow afternoon. I'm counting on you Milton. We need to pull together if we're going to win." Milton took the list of names, closed his eyes, and nodded. He quietly walked to the door, his head bowed in defeat.

"And Milton." Milton turned to see the Governor staring at him intently. "Tell Martinez to let me know as soon as Cash and the rest get back. We need to go on a run first thing in the morning."

Carol, Axel, Carl and Oscar were the first ones awake and decided to get started fortifying the inner prison walkways and access to the guard tower. They had already ripped up the tables from the cafeteria and gathered a number of wooden pallets that had held supplies. Carol had no trepidation working alongside the two former convicts. Oscar had more than proven himself when he sat watch over little Abigail's body that night and Axel was so eager to pull his weight around the prison. They talked as they worked, discussing their former lives and smiling at the irony that the position they were currently in were infinitely better than where they were before the world went to hell. Carl worked hard to keep up, pulling his weight and behaving every bit the young man he was becoming. Axel was in awe of the kid, how he behaved and silently wished that he could have had a chance to have a son like him.

Tyreese stood in the guard tower with Allen, watching the four of them pulling together and laughing. The touch of normalcy made him sad. Being in prison was now his life, and a better life than it was on the outside. Allen was starting to doze off and Tyreese thought about waking him but decided against it. Allen really wasn't pulling his weight at all, Tyreese had to admit that. He tried to chalk it up to the fact that the poor guy was probably still mourning his wife but he knew that Allen would never fit in. Tyreese saw movement in the trees and raised his binoculars. He couldn't tell if it was a roamer or another of the Woodbury scouts but there was something out there, just like there had been the day before.

Rick woke when he heard Judith stirring. He picked up his daughter. His daughter, he had to remind himself. This was not Shane's baby. She was his baby, Lori's baby. Sometimes he flashed to the phone conversation he had with Lori and Amy and Jacqui and Jim. He thought that he could see Lori out of the corner of his eye at times but she was never there. He tried to keep those thoughts to himself, lest anyone think he was losing it. Rick prepared Judith's bottle and fed his baby girl. Beth and Hershel joined him, starting the pot of oatmeal that would be breakfast for everyone

Michonne left the cellblock, walked across the field and sat in the overturned bus. She had to get away from Andrea. She was so angry, so hurt and betrayed by the woman she had called friend. Rick was planning on giving Andrea one of the warden's cars to drive back to Woodbury today. Michonne doubted that Andrea could say anything that would make the Governor change his mind. The man was crazy. And he would kill them all if they didn't kill him first, she knew that for a fact.

Maggie and Danielle sat at the table to check the weapons. They needed to make sure everything was in proper working order at all times and Rick had decided that they needed to do that first thing that morning. Glenn came in for breakfast, followed by Daryl, Sasha and Ben. Danielle looked up at Daryl when he walked in and smiled. The shy smile she got in return relaxed her, especially seeing the smile reach his eyes the moment he saw her. She caught Maggie watching them both. Maggie winked at her and both girls continued their weapons inspection.

Andrea stood back in the doorway. She felt like an outsider, like she didn't belong. She was going back to Woodbury, alone this time. It hurt to know that no matter what was said, they wouldn't accept her as one of them any longer. She had made her choice when she decided to stay in Woodbury and have a life. Maybe that was stupid cowardice on her part but there was no going back on it now. She had to try to stop this war between Woodbury and the prison.

"Rick, I'm really sorry for the way everything has been." Rick looked around the yard and the woods beyond. He knew it was risky for them to be out in the courtyard, especially with Woodbury on the offense. He had given her one of the warden's cars, all gassed up and ready to go, so she didn't have to worry about getting her car and possibly getting stopped by Cash's crew. Rick didn't think that Andrea would stand a chance if they were waiting for her but he was truly beyond caring at this point. He was trying to get the prison ready, keep it together. And he was trying to ignore the persistent shadows that were creeping into his vision. Shadows that looked remarkably like Lori. It was bad enough that he could hear her voice speaking his name as clear as day more often now. He looked down the drive at Axel who was waiting to open the gate and then to Andrea.

"Take care." Andrea nodded and Rick turned to walk away. He heard the gate open and close and the sound of the tires on gravel fading away. He looked up at the guard tower and saw Tyreese. He waved his hand and Tyreese nodded in response. Rick turned to wait for Axel, remembering that the man was unarmed. He had admitted to Rick that he was actually afraid of guns and was honestly afraid he would shoot off his foot if he were given one. Axel smiled at Rick when he reached him.

"Gonna be another hot one today, soon as this haze burns off." Rick nodded. The humidity was already high and it wasn't even nine in the morning. Axel looked around the yard. "You know Rick, I've been thinking…"

The bullet that went through Axel's skull silenced that thought forever.

A/N Sorry that this is a short one but I wanted to get this up. I tried to keep Axel alive as long as I could but needed to start killing off some people, which makes me sad.

And I want to say thank you to everyone for sticking with this and for the reviews. =) I really appreciate the support and feedback.