We couldn't have been in this place for more than a day. I knew that Rick and Daryl would suspect something was up, I only hoped that they would be able to find us. Glenn and I sat on the floor leaning against the wall. He was still pretty weak and bleeding. In the extremely short time I have known him, he had become an amazing friend and I was glad to have him there after everything the Governor had done to me.

"You forget you know." I said breaking the silence.

"Forget what?" Glenn asked, clearly confused.

"All this time running from walker's, you forget what people can do." I said sadly. "You forget the evil that's always been in people."

"Vi..they'll find us and get us out of here. I know they will." Glenn said trying to stay positive.

"I know they will. I just hope we're still alive to see it." I said before a crowd of men and the Governor came bursting into the room.

"Well unfortunately we have no use for the two of you any longer." The Governor said as he nodded at Martinez, who then placed sacks over our heads and bound our arms.

While only a few hours ago I had wished for death, the moment they put that bag on my head all my survival instincts kicked back in and I began to fight against the men holding me. I heard the click of guns getting locked and loaded, but the shots never came...at least not to our heads. Instead we heard the bang of a bomb and then smoke filled room. I felt hands grab my bound arms as gently as they could and lead me out of the room. Assuming it was still one of those idiots I still tried to fight against them. At least I did until I heard a familiar and welcomed voice whisper in my ear.

"You're okay girl." Daryl whispered as we made our way out of the room He quickly removed the bag that sat on my head and sliced the zip ties that were binding my hands. I looked up at him in disbelief. They had found us. So many questions entered my mind. How did they find us, was front of mind. "You're safe...or at least you will be."

"Daryl..how?" I said as ran out into the town. Rick and some woman I had never seen before were helping Glenn move. He was definitely too weak to be running, but we had to get out of here. We ended up on a doorway/alcove of one of the buildings and a fire-fight ensued. "I need a gun."

"We've got this Violet. We just need you to help us get Glenn out of here." Rick said as he shot rounds into the town square.

"Fine." I said with a sigh. I knew now was not the time to argue, they were sort of busy and we had to get out of here together.

"Daryl...it was Merle." I heard Glenn say.

"What? He's alive? Merle's this Governor?" Daryl asked us confused.

"No...he's more like a general or something." I said trying to help hold Glenn up. In that moment Daryl actually got a full look at me. Bruised and bloody face and basically topless.

"He do that?" Daryl asked getting close enough to softly touch my cheek. The expression in his eyes broke my heart. They held questions, ones I was not prepared to answer.

"No this was all Governor. Not to say your brother didn't try." I said softly trying to avoid his eyes. "I'll be fine, once we get the hell out of here."

"Go with Rick, I will lay down some cover fire." Daryl said as he pulled out another smoke bomb.

"No Daryl we should all stay together." I yelled, Rick and Glenn nodded in agreement.

"Daryl, you are part of this family. We can't leave you." Rick said placing a hand on Daryl's shoulder.

"My brother's here, I have to talk to him." Daryl said, now he was the one avoiding my eyes. Everyone began grabbing their shit and heading off, but I couldn't not just yet.

"Hey!" I yelled at Daryl as I turned back around towards him.

"Violet go…" he began but I cut him off with a searing kiss. Taking the moment to thread my fingers through his shaggy hair, and really put all I was feeling into the kiss.

"We better see you outside those walls. You hear me?" I said as I pulled away and still held his face in my hands, forcing him to look me in the eye. "Because if you don't I'm coming back in here guns a blazing to get you."

"I hear you." Daryl said barely above a whisper before capturing my lips in a much softer kiss. "Now go before you get yourself killed girl."

I looked back at him once I reached the others. Begrudgingly, I took Glenn's arm and helped Rick in supporting his weight. We made it to the buses and the woman, who I learned was named Michonne, managed to rip open a panel in the wall so we could sneak back out. We hid behind some of the vehicles, when we noticed that Daryl still wasn't behind us. Instantly my stomach fell, and I knew something was wrong.

"We have to go back for him Rick!" I whispered. We were still within ear shot of Woodbury so we would have to be careful not to be heard.

"He'll be here Violet." Rick said trying to sound convincing, but I don't think even he believed his own words.

We waited a few moments and then I gave Rick an I-told-you-so look. Daryl was nowhere to be seen and we had to go back in and get him. Glenn could barely walk, and Michonne and Rick had decided it was best that I go back to the car with him. I sighed in frustration. I knew they were right, especially given my current state of dress and physical weakness at present. I would be a liability, one that could get Daryl or the others killed and I was not about to let that happen.

I waited for what felt like hours, heard the gunshots in the distance and my heart ached. They had to be okay. Daryl and I had just sort of gotten out heads out of our asses, we needed the chance to see that through. As the daylight started to come up I heard rustling leaves and the cracking of branches. Someone or something was approaching. It sounded to steady to be a walker, so I cocked the gun and held it at the ready. I half expected someone from Woodbury coming to finish the rest of us off, but was extremely relieved to see Rick, Michonne, Daryl and...Merle. What they hell was he doing here? I had thought he was the governor's right hand man, why would he come with us now?

"Thank god you're all okay." I said in a whisper as I ran to Daryl, practically knocking him over with the force of my hug. "What happened?"

"Got caught trying to find Merle. Governor decided to try and make us duke it out." Daryl said looking over to his brother. Glenn must have just noticed Merle was here, because he then decided to pipe in.

"What the HELL is he doing here?" Glenn yelled as he approached Daryl.

"He's my brother man. My family. I couldn't just leave him." Daryl yelled back in response.

"He did this Daryl...he let the Governor R…" He began, but I was quick to cut him off.

"Glenn, stop!" I yelled giving him a look. "Look we're all pretty heated right now okay."

"He can't come back to the prison with us." Glenn said. "He's a liability. He may be your family man, but my family is right here and I don't feel safe having him around."

" Daryl, Glenn is right." Rick began, but Daryl was quick to interject.

"No Merle, than no me." Daryl said in response, causing me to look up at him with tears pooling in my eyes. He was going to leave.

"Daryl, come on you are a part of this, you are part of this family. We need you, but Merle he is hot headed and frankly the Governor will probably come back for him." Rick said as he got up close to Daryl.

"We bringing Samurai Sue with us? We known her all of five minutes." Daryl said.

"She helped save us and she is wounded. She won't get far on that" I said sadly, knowing I wasn't going to be able to convince him to stay.

"No Merle, no me. It's that simple. I lost him once man, he's my blood. I can't lose him again." Daryl said before walking back to the trunk of the vehicle to grab the rest of his gear.

"So that's it then? We all almost died and you're just going to walk away?" I said angrily. Trying my best not to let him see the tears falling from my eyes.

"Violet..I don't...you don't want anything with a guy like me anyways." Daryl said sadly. "He's my brother, I can't just walk away from him."

"Guess it's good to know where I rank in the scheme of things. Go then, run off with you brother. Abandon everyone who actually cares about you. What am I supposed to tell my mom? I thought ya'll were friends?"

"Tell her whatever you need to." Daryl said as he moved to walk away from me.

"Hey!" I yelled as he continued to walk in the direction his brother was. I didn't say anything else, just walked up to him and captured his lips in a kiss. I threw everything in my heart into that kiss, but I knew it wouldn't change his mind. "Don't tell me who I should and shouldn't want to get involved with."

"Violet.." Daryl said stumbling on his words.

"You're a good man Daryl Dixon, I may be furious with you right now, but know that I wanted this. I still do." I said before kissing him again. Pulling away I felt him move to kiss my forehead and as he did I whispered "Stay alive."

"Let's go Darlina, we're losing the light." I heard Merle said in a mocking tone. That guy was such an asshole.

"Violet, we better head back, who knows whether or not the Governor is already on his way to the prison." Rick said reaching a hand out to usher me into the car. I watched as Daryl and Merle walked off into the woods. Praying he would look back and change his mind, but he never did. I sat in the back and let the silent tears fall the entire drive back to the prison. I could have loved that man, and he just walked off, quite possibly to his death.