A lot is going on in this chapter and I'm sorry I haven't updated in quite a while but it was simply just a matter of getting up the energy to write. The chapter, as a whole, I'm not that in love with and it does bounce around somewhat but there's a very important part in it that WILL shape the future of the story a little bit - nothing major, but keep an eye on it.
HaloHunter89: Thanks for another great long review - I love them so much :) I feel a little . . . I don't, lighter (?) since having Daryl and Ethan talk. I feel like, how I've written them, Ethan will be the only person that can get through to Daryl at times and especially at this time, I think he got through to him. And yeah, I'm pretty sure that whether or not he realizes it, that Ethan might have earned himself Merle's respect. Not just anyone can have the balls to just stand there and cold-cock Merle Dixon in the face - let alone his brother's fourteen-year-old son ;)
As always, HermioneandMarcus and Smittendebs, thank you for reading and reviewing - keep them coming :)
With love, as always!
- Nagiana
PS - I also might have stolen Carol's scene with Andrea and put it with Tessa, but do I look like I care? ;)
"Ethan, baby, will you do me a favor and go see if Glenn and them need any help with the watch? We're a little strapped today and I'm sure he could use the help."
Ethan nodded at his mother's request as he hefted the strap of his rifle a little higher on his shoulder before turning around and heading towards the door leading to the outside world. Tessa was standing in the common room, sorting through the ammunition and taking a tally on how much food they had left with Maggie and Beth and didn't even look up when she heard Seth give a little laugh. Things were still tense around the prison, even when it was pretty obvious that the Governor wasn't going to launch an attack anytime soon but Tessa still found herself swamped with things to do. Ammunition needed to be tallied up daily, as did how much food, formula and diapers they had (even though diapers weren't that high on the list of things they needed to exactly worry about. If it boiled down to it they would simply just go back to the old way of the cloth diaper). Laundry needed to be done, the babies needed taking care of, Merle and Rick still needed to be kept a careful eye on as well and Daryl . . . Daryl still needed to apologize to Rick.
But like that was actually gonna happen.
"Seth Williams, if all you insist on doing today is to stand somewhere looking pretty, then you can at least you can go help with the watch or something of the sort. If not, then I'm sure we can find you something else to do." Tessa spoke up without even looking at him, her voice slightly terse and she could see Seth cross his arms in front of his chest and glance at her from his spot by the gateway leading to the cells, his back planted against the wall.
"Tess, ya might wanna come look at this . . ."
Tessa, Maggie and Beth's eyebrows furrowed in both interest and confusion as Tessa put down the pad of paper and pencil that she had been holding and moved to join him. "What's up?" She asked and with a smirk on his face, Seth gestured up towards the second floor landing. Even though she knew it shouldn't bother her, she still couldn't banish the slight jump her heart made when she saw Carol leaning against a wall talking to Daryl. Her arms crossed in front of her chest and she bit down on the inside of her cheek as the both of them stood there and observed them for a minute, Tessa giving a shrug after a while.
"Its . . . it's nothing. They're just . . ." She heaved a sigh then as she glanced at him. "Daryl was the one who found her right?" She asked him and Seth nodded.
"Yup. He was clearing out one of the lower cell-blocks when he said he stumbled onto her. Wasn't long after you three were kidnapped, actually . . ." His eyes flashed in the light when he noticed just how much on edge Tessa had become when she saw the two of them talking and her arms tightened ever-so-slightly across her chest. Was Carol seriously the one crack in their otherwise pretty normal looking relationship? Seth supposed that every relationship, no matter how perfect, had to have its cracks, but Carol?
Seth shook his head in bemusement, not quite knowing how to feel about it but he brought himself back down into reality when Tessa quietly asked him what they were talking about. He gave a shrug.
"Beats me . . ." He nodded towards her. "You should go see."
"You know, I haven't had a chance to say that I'm glad you came back, yet."
Daryl looked up, eyebrows rising in interest when he saw Carol sidle up to stand across from him. He had been sitting on the stairs leading to the guard office, making the arrows that Ethan had failed to make the previous day and deep in his own thoughts when he heard the older woman's voice reach him. He smirked and gave a laugh as he went back to what he had been doing.
"I came back to wha'?" He gestured around them at the prison and gave another laugh. "All this – whatever this is? Naw, I didn' come back for this shitheap – I didn' come back for ya or Rick or whoever else. I came back 'cause of ma family – 'cause I couldn' bear to live without 'em anymore," He gave a shrug. "It's as plain and simple as that."
"This . . . shitheap, is our home, though," She told him as an interested gleam appeared in her eyes as she moved to take a seat on the stairs beside him. "And so when you came back because you missed Tess and Ethan and the twins, you came home, Daryl, whether you want to admit it or not." Daryl shrugged.
"Maybe . . . but our home's a tomb. It ain' exactly the white farmhouse and horses tha' I had originally envisioned when I first thought of where me and Tess's kids would grow up." She gave a little smile then.
"That's what T-Dog called it," She told him, her voice growing quiet. "And I thought he was right . . . until you found me . . ." She turned a soft look onto him then and immediately Daryl stopped everything he was doing, his male instincts screaming at him something about this situation would either get him killed by Tessa or have him sleeping on the proverbial couch later that night (which would probably be one of the cell bunks or the cold floor of the guard office). And that feeling only intensified when his eyes snapped onto Tessa climbing the stairs towards them, a smile on her face.
But it wasn't her normal smile, though, oh no . . . it was a smile that practically screamed that nothing better be going on than them just talking about the weather.
"What are you two kids talking about up here?" She asked them as a note of false cheer crept into her voice and for once, Daryl didn't know how to react. Nothing had happened between them - nothing would ever happen between them - but he knew by Tessa's body language that, that probably wouldn't be the safest thing to say. So instead, he jumped to his feet and wrapped an arm around her waist, where he placed the most loving, warmest kiss he could on the nape of her neck. He felt her relax slightly while he knew Carol tensed.
"Nothin', babydoll . . . jus' chattin'." He told her and her eyes flashed slightly but she gave him a small smile nonetheless as she nodded towards the guard office behind him.
"We're gonna be putting the twins down for their nap in a few minutes . . . you know you're gonna have to help with Aayla, right? Now that your back, she's become positively difficult about getting to sleep by anyone else but you again." She reminded him with a little laugh and he nodded as he gave her a pointed gaze.
"Of course - you know that I would never forget that!" He nodded to where he had been sitting seconds ago. "That was why I was hangin' around up here. I saw ya and Wren get things ready for their nap and I figured I'd sit here and, ya know . . ." He showed her the arrows in his hand. "Finish up the arrows from last night that Ethan didn' for whatever reason." She nodded slowly and he saw her swallow hard as she relaxed a little bit more.
"And Ethan's been wanting to talk to you as well about something. Don't forget about him either." She told him and he sighed.
"Tess, they're my kids. How could I possibly ever forget about them?" He asked her with a laugh and she gave him a tight smile as he bent down and placed another kiss on the corner of her mouth. "How could I ever forget ya, ma beautiful girl?" He asked her, his voice barely above a whisper and Tessa's smile grew a little warmer as she returned the kiss with a light peck on his lips.
"Wren and the twins are down in the common room. You might wanna go wait for them down there - I'll only be a minute." She told him and Daryl nodded as he moved past her and jogged down the stairs towards the common room. Tessa buried her hands deep in her front pockets and averted her eyes to the floor as Carol got to her feet as well.
"Tess, I was just thanking him -"
"Look, Carol, I understand that you've been through some things these last couple of months, what with Axel dying and you being lost and then watching T-Dog die for you, but . . ." Her eyes hardened. "But I have too – much more than you have, so please, do me a favor and stay away from Daryl, okay? He's my husband, so he's my support system, not yours. He's a father – the father to my children, something that I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be able to compete with anymore, even if you wanted to!" She spoke before giving a laugh and a shrug. "He doesn't want you – he never has, so one last little word of advice, okay? Save yourself some heartache and don't even try to compete with me, because you can't." She spun around then and moved to head down the stairs then but Carol's voice stopped her dead.
"You're right, Tessa. Trying to compete with you would be more than futile – it'd be downright embarrassing!" She told her with a laugh before her lips pursed. She crossed her arms in front of her chest as she took a couple of steps towards her. "But right now, Tessa, I think he could use a friend as well as a wife. Sex is amazing for a lot of things, but sometimes people have to talk things out, not hump them into submission."
Tessa's teeth immediately gritted in anger as her hand tightened on the railing of the staircase. She turned around to fully face her again, her body language tense. "For your information, Carol – and I suppose a little shockingly - but me and Daryl do not spend every waking moment together fucking. Hell, half the time at night, the both of us is so Goddamn exhausted from the shit we have to do on a daily basis and from the twins, that sex is the last thing on our minds! Granted, when we can summon up the energy to sleep with each other's, it's pretty damn good but I suppose you wouldn't know anything about that, now would you?" She asked and immediately saw Carol's face pale slightly before she cut herself off. She closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down before continuing. She had Wren and the twins now that could hear every damn thing she said – she couldn't hop on people with both feet anymore. She had to be more diplomatic now. She had to – as Carol so aptly put it – talk things out.
"And we do talk – about shit you don't even have the business of knowing about! And not-to-mention, he has Ethan – he has our son – who he also knows he can talk to and who is more than willing to listen to him whenever he does - which, again, is more than you have the business of knowing about! And when this whole shizzard between him and Rick is finally put to rest, he will have a friend!"
Carol looked away then and Tessa gave a sigh then as she slowly climbed the rest of the stairs to the landing. "Carol, honey, we have been cordial to each other since we first made up in the church and I like to think that we have developed something of a friendship together. Hell, you delivered my twins and you guided me through that when you didn't have to!" Carol gave her a small smile then and Tessa returned it briefly before continued, "And I like to think that I am a confident woman who is also confident in her relationship, but I am sorry if I don't like the way that you look at my husband sometimes! Hell, would you?"
Carol opened her mouth to speak but they were interrupted when a roar of anger split through the air from the common room accompanied by the crashing of pots and other things hitting the cement floor. A stricken look passed between Tessa and Carol before the two women took off as a run down the stairs to the common room, right when Daryl slammed Seth up against the nearby wall, his hands gripping the scruff of his shirt so hard that his knuckles were starting to turn white. The twins were crying, their screams splitting harshly through the air and as Tessa gestured for Beth to help a stricken Wren take the twins into the guard office, she heard Daryl grit out in a voice that was beyond angry:
"Ya little fuckin' shit!"
"I'm a little shit? But . . . I haven't done anything wrong to warrant such a nickname, have I?" Seth laughed with an amused look in his eyes before heaving a sigh. "Well, look, Daryl, I think you have the wrong type of beef with me! But can I make a suggestion? If you want my opinion, I think that you need to drastically accept the fact that you have some pretty bad anger problems -!"
"Ya little -!"
"Daryl!"
"Little shit – yeah, um, where have I heard that before?"
"Seth!"
"Listen here, ya little runt!" Daryl hissed, his teeth gritting with anger as well as his eyes as he brought Seth close to him, ignoring Tessa's more than shocked look as her hands appeared on his arm, trying to yank him off of the much younger man. However, this time, Daryl wasn't budging and that made Tessa feel more than nervous. "Ya take one more look at her in a way I don' particularly like and I swear ta God that I'll rip ya eyes out by the Goddamn nerves!" Seth gave another laugh then as Daryl finally allowed Tessa to rip him off of the younger man and drag him back a few paces. His eyes were pinned on him and his teeth were still gritted in anger as Seth landed on his feet and gave a shrug.
"It's a free country, ain't it? I can look at whomever I want, can't I? So, knowing that, I'll look at her however I Goddamn want!" He spoke and Daryl's eyes quickly adopted a bloodthirsty gleam as he lunged at Seth again, his hand curling into a fist as he did so. Tessa lunged at him with an alarmed yell, desperate to hold him back but they were all shocked when Merle quickly stepped in-between the two of them, his expressionless face and cold eyes immediately finding Daryl's. Daryl came to an immediate stop to avoid smashing into his brother and Tessa couldn't help but allow herself to release a breath of relief, as did everyone else there. She glanced behind her and saw that the others - Michonne, Carol and Maggie - were standing in the same spots they had been when the whole thing had first started, frozen in either shock or horror. When she turned back, she saw an intense, loaded scene: Seth pinned back against the wall, chest heaving and cold eyes pinned on Daryl's over Merle's shoulder while the eldest Dixon, who was still standing in-between them, had his hands on Daryl's neck, forcing his brother to look at him as his lips moved in fast, indecipherable words as he quickly tried talking him down.
For once, Tessa found herself thanking God that Merle had been there.
Chest heaving, she placed one hand on her waist as the other flew to her head. "What the Hell just happened between you two?" She demanded of them, her voice tense and brooking no argument. Daryl's teeth remained angrily gritted as he yanked himself out of his brother's grip and turned to face her. His enraged eyes calmed slightly when they landed on her and she allowed him to take her into his arms and hold her close, the whole movement more as a calming effect than a romantic one. Merle, teeth gritting as well, but in an emotion she couldn't rightly place, grabbed Seth by the back of the neck before he propelled him none-too-kindly in the direction of the door. The younger man sent both Dixons a glowering look over his shoulder before he threw open the metal door and disappearing into the bright outside world beyond.
"What happened between you two?" She asked Daryl again, her voice coming out much calmer as she glanced at Merle who had moved to join them. Her lips pursed in distaste and she opened her mouth to speak but he shook his head, interrupting her before she even began.
"Don' mention it, sweet-pea."
"What jus' happened, Tess," Daryl finally spoke, his voice causing her eyes to fall back onto him as he shook his head. "What jus' happened is that kid just gave me the excuse I needed to fuckin' hate his ever-loving guts!" He hissed before Merle nodded.
"I'll vouch for ya there, little brother. Kid's fuckin' scum," He gave Tessa a pointed look then. "And ya insist on keepin' me at arm's length!" He shook his head. "The shit I done ain' nothin' compared to what I bet tha' kid has goin' on in his head, Tess - I promise ya tha'!
Tessa was still reeling from what had gone on earlier that day, when Carl had come running into the cellblock yelling that Andrea was quickly approaching the gates. And likewise, Tessa didn't think she had ever hugged someone as tightly as she did the blonde woman when she first entered the cellblock.
"You have no idea how much we've missed you!" Tessa murmured in clear relief and Andrea laughed a little.
"I didn't think you would be happy to see me, Tess. We, uh . . . we didn't exactly get along back on the farm, remember?" She reminded her and Tessa shook her head as they parted.
"That doesn't matter. We've . . . we've lost so many, Andrea, that seeing anyone from that life is almost a Godsend!" Andrea nodded and swallowed hard as she looked around at her surroundings and everyone that was grouped around her, searching for every each and individual face she could remember.
"I can't believe this, Tess!" She marveled and she nodded as she stepped away to move next to Daryl. She had tears filling her eyes and could practically see the grin on Daryl's face as he curled a hand around her hip. She didn't doubt he wouldn't tease her about her happiness to see Andrea later, considering how much she didn't like her back on the farm, but for right now, they were just happy to see someone they thought had been dead.
"Where's Shane?" Andrea eventually asked and immediately, everyone tensed up, their lips pursing slightly. Rick glanced at Daryl who looked down and she swallowed hard and nodded. "T-Dog?" Carol shook her head too and Andrea looked at Rick. "And Lori?" She asked and Tessa felt Daryl's hand tighten around her hip slightly when she felt tears come to her eyes faster.
"She, uh . . . she had a baby girl but . . . she didn't survive." Tessa spoke up in Rick's place as she crossed her arms in front of her chest and Andrea turned her eyes onto her.
"What about you? Did you . . . did you have your baby?"
"There were twins," Daryl replied, his voice quiet and he gave her a small smile, one that she tried her damndest to return. "They're up in the guard office nappin'."
Her eyes fell onto Carl standing with Ethan and her eyes softened as she shook her head. "Carl, I'm so sorry!" She told him and he stayed silent whereas Ethan quickly moved to join Daryl and Tessa. Tessa wrapped her arm around his waist, pulling her son closer to him and she smiled at him too. "You've grown even more, Ethan . . . damn . . ." She told him and Ethan gave a shrug.
"Yeah, I guess so . . ."
"So, you all live here?" She asked and Glenn nodded.
"Here and the cellblock." She turned to glance at him as she pointed in the direction of the open gate.
"There?" He nodded and she took a few steps towards it. "Well, can I go in?"
"I won't allow that." Rick immediately spoke up and he quickly moved to stand in-between her and the opened gate. She gave him a slightly incredulous look.
"I'm not the enemy, Rick." She told him pointedly and he shook his head.
"We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up." She gave him a confused look.
"He said that you fired first . . ."
"Well he's lying."
"He killed an inmate who had managed to survive in here," Hershel spoke up, his voice gentle. "Close friend of Carol's . . ."
"And we liked him," Daryl added as Ethan nodded as he turned his eyes onto Andrea.
"Yeah, he was one of us."
"I didn't know anything about that," Andrea told them, a slightly shocked look appearing in her eyes and she shook her head as she returned her eyes onto Rick. "As soon as I found out, I came," She moved to face Tessa then. "I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shoot-out, when I saw you in the arena."
"That was still days ago." Glenn spoke up and she turned around to face him.
"I told you – I came as soon as I could!" She told them as her eyes moved from Glenn to Maggie and back again before she whirled around to face Michonne. "What have you told them?"
Michonne shrugged and shook her head. "Nothing. I didn't have to."
"I don't get it. I left Atlanta with you people and now – now, I'm the odd man out?" She asked, her tone betraying how irked she felt inside.
"You almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us and Tessa and Daryl -!" Glenn spoke, a hint of anger underlying his voice.
"Yeah and it would have been with his finger on the trigger!" Andrea interrupted him passionately as she pointed at Merle standing not that far away from her. "Hell, isn't he the one who kidnapped you guys to begin with? Who beat you and done God knows what else to Tessa?" She sighed when no one deigned to answer her and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, her eyes met everyone's at some point as she spoke. "Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out -!"
"There is nothing to work out!" Rick interrupted her with a snap as he crossed the space between them. "We're going to kill him. I don't know how and I don't know when, but we will." Andrea shook her head.
"Rick, we can settle this!" She told him, her voice determinedly level. "There is room for everybody at Woodbury for all of you!" She told them and Merle's laughter is what stopped her.
"You know better than that, Blondie." He spoke up, a grin on his face and Andrea shot him a look full of hatred as Hershel turned his gaze onto her.
"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" He asked. "Did he actually say that?"
"No . . ." She answered him, her voice quiet.
"Then why did you come here?" Rick asked and she glanced at him.
"Because he's gearing up for war," She replied, her eyes settling onto him with an all manner of emotions flickering through her eyes – anger, concern, frustration to name just the ones that Tessa managed to catch. "The people are terrified – they see you guys as nothing more but heartless, bloodthirsty killers! They are training to attack."
"I'll tell ya what," Daryl spoke up, his voice dangerously calm and Tessa's hand appeared on the back of his neck, where she massaged him slightly, trying to calm him down. It worked, but barely. "Next time ya see Philip, tell him I'll take his other eye for wha' he put Maggie and Tessa through – for how he put the three of us through that sick, fuckin' game of his."
"We've taken too much shit for too fucking long," Glenn spoke up next. "He wants a war? Well, he's got one."
"Rick," Andrea spoke, turning her attention onto Rick. "If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's going to happen. He has a whole town!" Rick gave a shrug and she let out a sound of frustration as she turned around and gazed at them all again. "Look at you! You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore. Tess, you know Dale would have looked at this and -!"
Tessa opened her mouth to interrupt her at that moment but Rick beat her to the punch. He moved to stand in front of her, once again reclaiming her attention. "You want to make this right, then get us inside!" She shook her head.
"No!"
"Then we got nothing to talk about -"
"There are innocent people!" She shouted after him, drowning his voice out as he headed for the cells. They stayed in silence then and eventually, Ethan was the one who surprisingly broke it.
"And like my little sister and brother ain't?" He asked her, his voice quiet as he turned interested eyes onto her. He took a few steps towards her, his arms moving to cross in front of his chest, the same as pretty much everyone else there. "Like my girlfriend ain't innocent?" Daryl and Tessa both shot him slightly surprised looks then but they didn't speak when he continued, "Wren hasn't bothered a hair on anyone's head and Danny and Aayla . . . they're babies, Andrea. How can you get more innocent than babies?"
Andrea smiled a small smile as she gazed at him. "Dale would be proud of you, Ethan. You've matured a lot." She nodded and Daryl gave a laugh as he wrapped his hand around his son's upper arm and pulled him away. So that was what Ethan had been wanting to talk to him about . . .
"Yeah, he is – can I talk to ya?"
Ethan had no choice but to comply as Daryl steered him off and Tessa smiled a tight smile as her as she placed a hand on her back. "Come one, I'll show you the babies . . ." She told her, her eyes meeting a few people's there, but no one reacted as Tessa steered her in the direction of the cells. Silently, she led her up the stairs towards the guard office and when they entered and saw Wren curled up on the bed with a book in her hand, the twins lying contentedly awake in their cradle beside her, Tessa and Andrea smiled.
"Wren, this is Andrea. She's an old friend," Tessa told her and Wren smiled as she got to her feet and shook her hand. "Andrea, this is Wren. She's the daughter of an old friend of mine and is . . . Ethan's girlfriend." Wren shot her a slightly stricken look at her words but Tessa simply smiled and winked at her. Wren relaxed as Tessa's hand flattened on her back. "Can you do me a favor and go get Judith for me? Andrea wants to meet the babies before you go and we need to Judith to do that." Wren grinned.
"Little Ass Kicker, you mean?" She asked and Tessa nodded and laughed as Andrea shot her a look of amused confusion.
"It took a while to name her and in the meantime, Daryl nicknamed her." She explained and Andrea nodded in understanding as she moved to take a seat on the bunk as Wren left the guard office. Andrea continued to grin as well as Tessa as she picked up Danny and handed her to her. "Aayla Dae Dixon is my daughter's name and this one . . ." She spoke as Andrea gently took him from her, Tessa swallowing hard as she did so. "Is named is Daniel Dale Dixon." She told her and Andrea immediately shot her eyes onto her,
"Dale?" She asked her with a look of interest and Tessa nodded.
"Yeah. Daryl and I both agreed that since Dale had been such a huge part of our lives, that he deserved . . . a thank you, of sorts. And I know that it's Danny's middle name and not his first, but I thought . . ."
"He'd like it," Andrea finished for her, her voice quiet and gentle and Tessa nodded. Andrea swallowed hard as she returned her eyes onto Danny being cradled in her arms. "No, actually he wouldn't like it . . . he'd be honored. He'd be honored knowing that he meant that much to you." She spoke as a tear slid down her cheek and Tessa nodded in agreement. Andrea gazed down at them both for a moment before smiling. "They're absolutely precious, Tess . . . and Daryl?" Tessa grinned and laughed.
"He's head over heels in love with them. I couldn't have asked for a better father for them." She told her and Andrea nodded as they heard the pounding of Wren's feet on the metal stairs before she appeared holding Judith. Andrea grinned when she saw the baby and Tessa gently took Danny from her as Wren handed her Judith. After depositing Danny back into the cradle beside his sister, she found Andrea's eyes on her.
"What happened to Lori?" She asked and Tessa's face fell as she swallowed hard.
"She died . . . during a C-Section. I, uh . . . I had to do it. Carl had to -"
"Oh my God, Tess, that's horrible!" Andrea breathed, interrupting her once she got the picture. She returned her eyes to Judith and Tessa nodded solemnly in agreement. Even Wren seemed to carry a saddened air upon the mention of Lori. "T-Dog died leading Carol to safety during an attack."
"And Shane?" She asked her, turning a slightly hopeful look onto her and Tessa smiled a small smile.
"Rick killed him," She told her and continued as Andrea turned a stunned look onto her. "The night we left the farm, we figured out that the whole Randall thing had been a lie. Shane did it to kill Randall, because he wanted to all along, and then use it to try and kill Rick."
"Shane loved Rick." Andrea spoke and Tessa shook her head.
"Shane loved Lori, honey." She gently corrected her and Andrea shook her head.
"Rick's become cold . . . so damn cold – unsteady, you know?" Tessa reluctantly nodded in agreement as she averted her eyes to the ground.
"He . . . he has his reasons." She glanced at Wren as Andrea handed Judith back to her. She gave her a smile as the young woman turned around and headed back to replace her in her cradle. "The Governor - you need to do something." She told her and Andrea nodded.
"I am, Tess - I am." Tessa shook her head as she took a seat on the bunk beside her and took her hands. Her eyes found hers, unwaveringly in the slight gloom.
"You need to sleep with him, Andrea. Give that man the greatest night of his life. Get him to drop his guard and then when he's sleeping, you can end it – end this before it even begins!" Andrea shook her head as she gazed at her.
"Tess, how could you -?"
"Sometimes, Andrea, to do what is the best for everyone, you must do things that you otherwise would never do. And as a woman, we have a great weapon – a weapon that can build a man up or tear him down," She swallowed hard as she gripped her hands a little bit tighter. "Honey, you need to tear this man down – and fast!"
