Rick knew his control over the group was tenuous at best. He didn't worry about Hershel, Glenn, or Oscar. They were content to let him make the decisions. Even though he wasn't exactly comfortable solely being responsible for everyone's safety, he would do the best that he could to make sure their trust wasn't misplaced.

Merle Dixon was going to do whatever the hell he wanted to do and that was that. Daryl was torn between family loyalty and friendship. Martinez…he seemed content to go along with Rick's leadership as long as he thought it was in Amanda's best interest.

Whatever transpired on the road between the Dixons and the man called the Governor or Philip Blake…well that seem to open up a whole new can of worms. Rick questioned the female prisoner, Karen, thoroughly. She seemed to be in shock after finding out Woodbury's founder wasn't the benevolent saint he portrayed himself to be but Rick was able to get a little more information out of her than he was from either Dixon. Merle told him to go fuck himself and Daryl gave him a sketchy account so full of holes that Rick wasn't sure it was of any use.

Karen's main focus was her teenage son, Noah. He was still in that dangerous haven and she begged Rick to free her so she could go to him or, and this was the real kicker…he could send someone to "rescue" the boy and bring him to the prison. As much as he would like to have reunited mother and son, there was no way he could let her leave now nor was he risking any of his peoples' lives to retrieve the kid.

The woman also confirmed the story of the other two prisoners, Tyreese and Sasha. They were at Woodbury briefly. Then it got complicated. The brother and sister claimed to have left the town because they were not "comfortable" with the leader who they believed to be extreme since the man was training women and children to be soldiers under the guise of self-protection. They were allowed to leave but "soldiers" soon followed and tried to kill them.

Karen told him the Governor said that the two had thrown Woodbury hospitality back in the face of the residents, stole weapons, killed a couple of guards and escaped in the dark of night. End of story.

And if what else the woman said was true…that Blake was the father of Amanda's baby and that he vowed take the baby, then they needed to prepare for his attack…if he was still alive. Daryl said his brother stabbed him but he didn't know if it was a fatal wound therefore they would have to act like it wasn't so they wouldn't be caught off guard.

Rick still didn't know where Martinez fit into this whole mess. It couldn't be good since Dixon tried to kill him. Karen didn't mention Caesar or Rowan for that matter. That meant that she must not know he came here with Merle. She went on about how Merle Dixon had changed; she wanted to know why he was so mean now. That was ironic since Grimes didn't know the older Dixon any other way but high or ornery. Karen said he was a good, kind man…Rick shook his head. Nope. He couldn't picture it. The best he could come up with was tolerable. Merle Dixon was tolerable, more or less…

"Hello?" Amanda called out as she reached the top of the steps of the guard tower. She carried a blanket and pillow under her arm.

"Hey, Mandy," he replied, surprised to see her. Whatever transpired this morning with her dad and Martinez obviously involved her.

"Mind if I crash here?" she asked with a wide yawn.

"Not at all, hon." He gestured to the chair.

"Please don't look at me like that, Rick."

"Like what?" he cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"You know…with goddamn pity, that's what," she retorted flopping down on the chaise.

"Mandy…" Rick began.

"Save it," she interrupted. "I know you heard about the "new" baby daddy. Who didn't? There are no secrets here…at least none that stay secret."

"You're right." He turned back to scan the area surrounding the front of the prison.

"Instead of being raped by a sadistic monster it was by an egomaniacal psychopathic monster," she said grimly, hugging her pillow. "The fact is that I'm still pregnant so nothing has really changed, has it?"

Rick shook his head and answered softly even though he really didn't think she was expecting an answer. "No. I suppose it hasn't," Except the fact that the aforementioned egomaniacal psychopathic monster planned to take his baby. Whether she understood that or not, he didn't know and wasn't going to bring it up. She didn't need anything else to worry about.

"You have something to eat up here?" she asked hopefully, changing the subject.

He smiled regretfully. "Sorry, Mandy. I have some water." He held out his bottle.

"I have some too," she said holding up her own.

"I can look through the new supplies if you want," Rick offered. "Maybe they brought something good back."

She smiled. "I'd like that."

Speaking more to himself than to her, he said, "Let me get someone to take over guard duty…"

"I can watch Rick. I'm not an invalid," she grumbled, pushing herself up, almost tipping the chaise.

He raised a brow as if to contradict her statement.

"Asshole," she half-laughed and threw her pillow at him. Missing the intended target, it sailed over the wall and into a walker.

"Damn it!" she looked over the edge to see if her pillow was salvageable. It wasn't. It was currently hanging on the protruding bone of a fractured humerus of a female walker.

"That's the second time you did that. Maybe you oughtta work on your aim?" he teased. with a chuckle.

She punched his arm. "If I recall correctly, you promised to find me a good one…which you have not done…yet."

"I did, didn't I?" He rubbed his chin, watching the walkers mill about below. "Does that mean I owe you two?"

She turned to face him with hands on her hips. "Damn straight, it does, Grimes. And not two of these cheap prison-issue pillows. I want real ones."

He laughed. "Okay, Dixon. You keep watch and I'll bring you something to eat and a new pillow. You'll have to settle for prison-issue until I can go on a run."

Amanda stood up and held her hand out for his binoculars. "Deal."

Rick rummaged through the supplies that were stacked haphazardly in the pantry. Carol was usually more organized than this but today had been chaotic. There had to be something a pregnant woman would want to eat…sweet or salty? Shit. He wondered which one Mandy was craving—probably both. He threw a few possibilities into a bag…something to cover all the bases.

When he was just about to leave, a worn box peeking out from under the bottom shelf caught his eye. It probably got kicked under there, who knows when, and it went unnoticed…until now…otherwise it wouldn't still be untouched; that he knew for a fact. Smiling triumphantly, he stuffed the treasure in the bag and headed back to the guard tower.

The grin on Rick's face meant he must have found something good. Amanda couldn't help but smile back in anticipation. The canvas bag he carried was full but not to the top so she couldn't see a thing though she tried.

"Stop peeking!" he scolded with a chuckle, holding the bag out of reach of her greedy hands. "You'll get to see everything in good time."

"Rick, I'm really am hungry," she said with an exaggerated whine.

"Cut that out, Mandy! You sound like Carl!" He sat the bag on the floor and pulled out a large jar of pickles…dill to be precise.

She frowned. "I believe those belong to Rowan."

"You can have them if you want them," he said conspiratorially.

She shook her head. "Let me see what else is in there," she demanded.

Rick held up another can, rectangular in shape.

"Spam? Seriously?" She grimaced. She wasn't that hungry yet but who knows…

He laughed, setting it aside. "How about this?" he asked handing her a can.

"Peaches? Okay, give me those," she said. "What else?"

He pulled out another can…a flat, rectangular tin.

"Sardines? Rick? Now you're just being mean!" she pouted.

"I'm doing my best. I don't know what your craving, honey," he said apologetically.

"Chocolate? Is that too much to hope for?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Of course she wanted chocolate. He tried not to smile at the pitiful look on her face. "I'm sorry, Mandy…that is in short supply but I do have applesauce."

"I'll take it," she said grudgingly, "But for future reference, applesauce is not a suitable substitute for chocolate." She grabbed the jar out of his hand.

Rick laughed. "Don't snatch and you forgot to say please…or thank you," he scolded teasingly.

"Sorry. Please and thank you," Amanda replied contritely. "I'm hungry…you did bring a can opener, didn't you?"

Rick paused. "Oh shit…"

"Rick!" She moaned.

He grinned and pulled one out of his back pocket. "I was a boy scout. I am always prepared."

"Of course you were," Amanda smiled as she opened the can of peaches. She sniffed them, shrugged and began to devour them quickly with her fingers since Ranger Rick forgot a spoon. She wasn't complaining though, canned peaches never tasted so good. "What else?" she asked with her mouth full.

"There is one last thing, but I don't think you'll like it," he said doubtfully.

"It can't be worse than sardines. Let me see?" she asked swallowing the last of the peaches.

He slowly, teasingly, pulled out the faded cardboard package, the words were illegible but the shape was unmistakable.

Her blue eyes widened and she gasped. "What flavor?" Dare she hope? Please be pudding and not fruit!

"Can't tell, Mandy. Looks like the labels got wet." Rick held it out for her.

She grabbed the box which fell apart and four small metal pop top cans rolled across the floor of the guard tower. "No!" she cried, crawling after the closest one.

Rick retrieved the other three and handed them to her.

"I used to take these in my lunch…she smiled and popped open the small can and squealed in delight. "Chocolate pudding!"

Amanda stretched out on the chaise surrounded by empty cans and a grinned like a cat that got the cream. She ate all four chocolate pudding cups, the peaches and the applesauce. To be fair, she had offered Rick one of the puddings and he politely declined. She wasn't sure she would have let him have one if he said yes but she had to ask. Her mom had drilled politeness and good manners into her while her dad taught her every man, or woman, for themselves.

His handsome profile was silhouetted in the glow of the full moon and a small pang gripped her heart. She wondered if he was feeling any regrets about dumping her. She wanted to hate him but damn…he brought her chocolate pudding at the end of the world. Still…she had a little pride left and wasn't going to let him know that even now his rejection hurt. Amanda had been doing a pretty good job of pushing the pain aside with the distraction of Caesar but being here alone with Rick made it all fresh again. Damn him for being nice to her. Bastard.

She listened to the soft footsteps that carefully ascended to the top of the tower and turned her head slightly to see Rowan with her own pillow and blanket. She nodded to Rick and turned back to Amanda. "Mind if I join you?

"Not at all but I think Daddy's going to go ballistic at you climbing the steps," she answered.

The dark-haired woman shrugged and turned to Rick. "You've been up a long time. Get some sleep. Amanda and I will take this shift."

He looked at her like he really wanted to but was wondering if it was a good idea. "I'm not sure…"

"Get out of here, Grimes," Rowan ordered. "We're pregnant, not invalids."

Amanda burst into giggles. "You heard the woman, Grimes. Get out of here."

"Alright, ladies. I know when I'm not wanted." He handed the binoculars to Rowan. "Glenn and Maggie will relieve you two after midnight." He stopped briefly to pick up the empty cans that surrounded Amanda's chair.

"It wasn't that funny," Rowan said, after Rick left, taking her post at the wall.

"It was too because I told him the same thing less than an hour ago," she informed her father's girlfriend.

"Merle scared me, Amanda," she confessed, her voice carried a slight tremble.

She had seen her father lose his temper before but never to the point that she thought that he would actually kill someone. Not like this morning. "He scared me too," she admitted solemnly.

"I thought he was going to kill Caesar. I never saw him out of control like that before." Rowan let out a shaky breath and brought the binoculars to her eyes but she couldn't see much through the tears she was trying to hold back.

"Me either."

"Really?" She turned to see if Merle's daughter was serious.

The other woman hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. "Yeah, really."

"Can I ask you something…personal?"

Amanda snorted. There was nothing personal that living in confined quarters didn't reveal. She couldn't imagine what her daddy's lover wanted to know. "Of course, Rowan. Ask away."

"Was he like this before…you know…" she gestured to devastation around them. Abandoned cars littered the roadway. Overgrown vegetation did little to hide the forlorn vacant house houses. She paused for a second look at the biter with a pillow caught on its broken arm.

"Not with me but I only saw him a few months out of the year." Amanda thought about it for a moment then told her, "He was in military prison for beating the shit out of an officer."

They were both silent as they mulled over the oldest Dixon's foul and unpredictable temperament.

"I'm scared for me and the baby." Rowan put the binoculars down and turned to Amanda. "I know…I know that Merle was physically abused. I've seen the scars." And dreadful things they were, she shuddered. "Does Daryl have them too?" She seriously wondered if the father of her child would have to strength to break the vicious cycle of abuse.

"Yeah, he does," she answered quietly. Amanda never knew her grandfather. He died before she was born but she knew he was a violent drunk that took out his anger and frustration on his family. The first time she had seen the scars she was ten and she asked her uncle about it. He told her to forget she ever saw them. It was the first time Daryl had ever raised his voice to her and it scared her enough to keep her mouth shut though she could never forget the grisly sight.

Almost hesitantly, Rowan asked, "Has Merle ever hurt you?"

"Not physically," Amanda answered. She figured she didn't need to go into the emotional pain he caused her entire life…she still loved him. She couldn't help it but most of the time she didn't like him very much.

"What about your mom? Did he ever hit her?" For her own peace of mind, Rowan had to know.

"No. I don't think so," she answered. Honestly, she didn't know but her mom was a firecracker and Amanda doubted that Merle would still be alive if he had ever hit her.

"I don't know what to do." Rowan loved him but she was scared; and it was not like she could just leave. Where the hell would she go? Not back to Woodbury, that was certain.

Amanda rose from the lounger and went to stand by the other woman. "You do realize that I am the wrong person to ask for relationship advice."

Rowan sighed loudly. "My track record isn't so good either." First the psychotic Governor to the unpredictable Merle Dixon.

"What a pair we make," Amanda chuckled mirthlessly.

"You know, what Caesar did…it wasn't all that bad," the slightly younger woman commented.

"I thought you said I should to wait for Rick." Amanda reminded her.

Rowan pushed her long hair over her shoulder and said, "I think I changed my mind."

"Why?" She was puzzled by her friend's change of heart.

"If Caesar still stands by you after almost getting killed by your dad, he must really love you."

There was that but…"I don't know if he does….love me."

"Ask him," Rowan suggested. How hard could that be?

"I don't know if I can." What Amanda really didn't know was if she wanted to know. Caesar did say he thought was falling in love with her but those punches by her father probably knocked him right back out of it.

"Want me to?" Rowan asked, nudging her shoulder with her own.

Amanda laughed and shoved her back. "We aren't in high school."

Rowan laughed but stopped suddenly and turned to her friend and in all seriousness said, "I smell chocolate."

Damn! "No you don't," Amanda replied quickly not able to keep the guilt out of her voice.

Rowan's brown eyes grew wide with the realization that Amanda wasn't being honest. "Yes I do and you ate it! Whatever it was…you ate it all, didn't you?" she accused, her voice growing shrill.

Amanda backed away quickly and grabbed the sack of food Rick left behind. "There's some pickles left." It was true. She only ate a few of those.

"Dill?" Rowan asked, arms crossed, eyes that were usually soft turned cold and hard flashing with…skepticism and more than a…maniacal shine.

"Yep!" she answered holding the jar out at arm's length. "Take them."

"Okay. I guess I'll have to let you live," she conceded, taking a bite out of a slender spear. "But if you ever come across any again you better share!"

There was brief moment when Amanda actually feared for her life, well almost. "You are a perfect match for my daddy."

Thank you Siarh for the edits.

Thanks for reading and ESPECIALLY for sticking with me this far. Don't worry if your favorite characters didn't show up in this chapter, I'll do my best to make sure they are in the next.

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Happy summer and happy reading!