Hey y'all! So this one took a while! I got distracted by life in general and that episode on Sunday...WOW. Anyway, this one is my longest yet at 3500 words. It took me a bit to get it all out, but I wanted to get it all done in one chapter and I didn't want to prolong this any longer. I hope it's believable for y'all and not cheesy. Action scenes make me nervous and that's basically what this whole chapter is so I'm sure you can understand my hesitation at posting. I tried to keep it realistic and in character. I hope I suceeded in doing that! Here goes nothing!

It was, it seemed, the night for thunderstorms. As the time passed slowly by without a sign of the others or the Governor, the worry gnawing in Beth's belly increased. The first storm had ended some time ago and for a while all was quiet. Now she began to hear more rumbling in the distance that indicated that they might be due for another storm. She felt a cold chill run through her and she leaned her head back against the cool concrete wall. She was sitting on the floor towards the middle of the cell block. Carl was sitting on the bottom step and her daddy was inside of the cell tending to Judith. Merle and Michonne were each on opposite ends of the cell block, staring out through the metal bars. It was so quiet that Beth thought surely that the others would be able to hear the sound of her heart pounding within her chest. Even Judith had hardly made a sound.

She cast several glances in Merle's direction and each time his face was creased in quiet concentration. She was worried about him and what would happen to all of them if the Governor and his men had made it inside of the prison. What had once seemed so much like a fortress to them upon arriving, now seemed more like a death trap. She had the gun Merle had given her sitting in her lap and her knife was attached to her hip. She was prepared to do whatever was necessary to protect her family, but she prayed that she wouldn't have to.

Her thoughts kept straying to the others and why they hadn't heard back from them yet. Beth had figured that they would have made their way back by now, but then again it was dark and she didn't know if they might have encountered any walkers on their journey. Whatever the reason was, she prayed that they were safe and unharmed at least. It was the only thing she knew to do. She could see her daddy reading his bible in his cell, his head bent and his lips moving silently over the worn book. She let out a silent breath and that was when she heard the gunshot.

Not several gunshots, but just one shot and she gasped as her eyes darted to Merle who now stood stiffly at the door. Carl stood up and went to stand near Michonne and Beth pulled herself to her feet not sure if she should go to Merle or wait. Through the cell bars, she could see her daddy rise from his bed and his gaze met hers as he hobbled to the doorway of his cell and peered out. Neither of them exchanged words; they didn't have to. They all knew that a gunshot inside of a dark prison could only signify trouble, but all they could do was sit and wait restlessly inside. The worst part was that they didn't even know what or who they were waiting for.

Beth waited with a tense expression, her gun tucked closely in her hand by her side, but nothing happened. Merle turned and their eyes met briefly before he looked wordlessly past her to Michonne on the other end. She wasn't sure what was communicated between them, but she knew it couldn't be good. It felt like hours, but was probably minutes later when they started hearing the groans and Beth's eyes grew wide. She drifted closer to Merle without thinking and watched in horror as dozens of walkers spilled into the kitchen area. Merle cursed softly under his breath and she knew what he was thinking: They had just blocked off their exit.

"Well, well, well, it seems I should have made this my first stop. The best part seems to already be locked up nice and tight for me."

Beth knew without asking that that voice could only belong to the Governor himself. The tone of it chilled her to her bones and she searched for a face, but of course there was none.

Merle took her by the arm and shoved her into the cell with Hershel, slamming the door behind him without a word. She grasped the bars and wished he wouldn't have pushed her away, but she understood his need to protect her.

There was a loud laugh over the noisy groans of the walkers and Beth heard the man again, "You really think that's going to save her?"

She saw Merle's jaw clench as he hovered down low next to the doorway, "Fuck you," Merle replied.

"Now that's not nice. And after all I've done for you back in Atlanta when I saved your sorry soul from the herd of walkers that threatened to destroy you. I took you in and did more for you than that sorry piece of shit brother of yours ever did," The Governor said. "It was great fun watching him cry like a little bitch before I shot him."

Merle's body visibly twitched and Beth's heart ached for him. She pressed a hand over her mouth to quiet her startled sob and Hershel placed a comforting hand on her back.

"Prove it," Merle finally said back. His blade shot out between the bars and gored a walker in the head that had started reaching through.

"You calling my bluff?" The Governor asked.

Merle sucked his teeth, "Ya forget that I know how ya operate."

There was a moment of silence and Merle and Michonne exchanged a tense look between themselves. Beth could feel her whole body shaking as she fought to retain control of herself. It was hard to hear over the sound of the walkers and she assumed that that had been the Governor's plan all along. The sound of Carl shouting brought their attention over to the other side of the cell block where Michonne was now lying on the floor.

"Fuck!" Merle shouted as he made his way to the other side of the block. He kneeled next to Michonne and tilted her head to reveal a needle sticking from her neck. He placed two fingers against her skin, "There's a pulse," He said firmly. He looked up at Carl. "Get in tha cell with Beth an' Hershel," He commanded.

Carl looked torn between following Merle's orders and leaving him or staying behind and disregarding what he had said. Merle stared at him hard, "Go now boy!" He roared.

Carl finally nodded and approached their cell as Merle grabbed Michonne by the foot and drug her away from the door. He drug her into the cell with Beth and the others and Hershel immediately knelt beside her to see what he could do for her.

Beth's hands grasped at Merle as he turned to leave the cell, "Merle..." She begged him, her silent plea to be careful remaining unspoken between the two of them.

He looked down at her and his face softened for a fraction of a second before he responded, "Gotta take care o' business sugah. Ya remember yer promise ta me," He said softly.

She nodded grimly as he exited the cell, his eyes alert for the direction of the next incoming threat. It was clear to Beth just how outnumbered and vulnerable they were. Keys jangled in the lock from the darkened hallway where Michonne and Carl had been standing and Merle fired out a shot into the darkness before ducking down behind the stairs.

That was when chaos erupted.

Beth watched as walkers swarmed the cell block through the open doorway and she wondered how the Governor was managing to keep out of harm's way. There were more gunshots and she lost sight of Merle in the crowd of walkers. She and Carl stabbed at the ones that drew too close to the fence as Hershel worked on getting Michonne to come around. Behind them, Judith began to cry as if she sensed that all was not right in her world any longer.

"Where's Merle?" Beth shouted to Carl above the noise. "Do you see him?"

Carl shook his head as he stabbed at another walker, "No."

Beth's pulse raced and then she made a hasty decision. She was not going to just take the coward's way out and stand here behind some bars while Merle fought alone. She checked to make sure her gun was loaded and then she glanced back at the group in the cell.

"I'm going out there," She said.

Hershel turned to her with a startled expression, "Bethie, no! It's a death sentence," He replied.

Beth shook her head, her mind already made up, "We're wasting time! I'm not going to let him die like this!"

Without further response, she yanked open the door and headed out into the fray. She pushed the walker ambling closest to her hard and it stumbled backwards into two more, knocking them out of her way. She dodged underneath the arm of another and brought her knife down into the neck of one more. She barely felt the splatters of blood that stained her clothing as she worked her way into the throes of the walkers.

Too quickly she realized her error though, as she was surrounded by too many walkers to fight off at once. She could only duck and dodge so much and now she had trapped herself into a corner. Her mind briefly drifted to her family and to Merle as she stabbed and kicked, hoping for a miracle. Her last thoughts were that it wasn't such a bad way to die, saving the life of others. At least she hoped that her sacrifice would not be in vain.

Merle crouched beneath the stairs and stabbed two walkers simultaneously with both of his blades. He was forever thankful of his stint in the military and then Woodbury for keeping him in the shape that he was now. If it wasn't for the time he had spent there, he might be dead already. His eyes constantly scanned for the Governor. Merle knew the bastard would use this herd to his advantage and sweep inside when least expected. He hoped he stumbled upon the bastard because Merle had a message to deliver. You didn't fuck with anyone a Dixon cared about.

His mind was working overtime as he worked his way out from under the stairs. It had thinned slightly, but that wasn't saying much. There were still walkers straining at the bars of the doorway that led to their kitchen. If any of the rest of the group were alive, then they wouldn't be able to get through to help them now. They were on their own. His mind had pondered the possibility of Daryl being hurt, but then he had dismissed it just as quickly. Daryl was a tough son of a bitch and Merle knew it would take a lot to put him down.

When his eyes caught sight of Beth fighting a losing battle in the corner of the cell block, his heart damn near stopped. He barely had time to register the fact that she was out of her cell as he fought tooth and nail to make his way over to her. He could see the exhaustion and defeat marring her delicate features and he felt the adrenaline pumping into his veins as he took down one walker after the other. Frustrated and terrified at the possibility of losing her in this way, he aimed his knife and threw it straight into the back of the walker's skull that was trying desperately to sink its jaws into her. As she stabbed into another walker, her eyes drifted up and locked onto his, her relief evident. Something passed between them that he couldn't explain, but she suddenly found a second wind and the will to fight came back into her eyes.

That was Merle's last thought as his world went dark and the concrete rose up to meet his face.

Beth kicked at another walker and jammed her knife into its skull before glancing around the room. Carl had just stabbed another walker and its body slid down along the bars of the cell they occupied. Beth's first thought was Merle and as she stared around the room at the remaining walkers, she realized he wasn't standing anywhere in the room any longer and she panicked. Then she came to the slow realization that the remaining walkers weren't walkers at all, but part of the Governor's group. They were covered in blood and guts and suddenly Beth understood how they had managed to remain in the game this long. They had disguised themselves as one of the dead and they had more than likely been in the room with them the entire time. She felt sick to her stomach as her eyes located Merle facedown on the concrete and she made a move to go to him.

"I wouldn't do that my dear," The chilling voice rang out.

Beth had never been face to face with the Governor before, but she was beginning to believe the others stories about the man. She had heard that he was charming, but cold as ice underneath and now she could believe it. His face donned the black eye patch still courtesy of Michonne and Beth felt a small sense of satisfaction at seeing it. His men flanked him and trained several guns on the cell where the others were locked inside. That's when she saw him and she almost didn't recognize him.

Martinez's face was a bloodied mess and one of his eyes was swollen shut. He limped out from his position behind the Governor and finally lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"I'm sorry chica," He murmured, his voice barely audible.

The Governor laughed and slapped him heartily on the back, making the man wince, "You think she cares? You're a traitor! You wormed your way in here and deceived them all into thinking that you had left my protection," The Governor said.

Martinez wiped at the blood dribbling from his lip and slowly shook his head, "It's not true," He said as his eyes bored into hers.

A part of Beth wanted to believe him, but she wasn't sure. She had never been in this kind of position before. She had always been hidden in the background and never in the midst of any of the action. She could understand why Rick felt so much pressure and stress from his position as leader now. Her eyes flicked down to Merle's very still form lying on the floor. She didn't even know if he was bit or what had happened to him. She couldn't see any bite marks on the back of him.

"Come here my dear," The Governor beckoned.

Beth hesitated and one of the men with him cocked his gun, the sound spurring Beth forward until she was standing just in front of him. Her chin trembled slightly and she struggled to look the man in the eye. He reached out his hand and trailed a fingertip down her arm, sending cold chills through her body.

"You're a pretty little thing," He murmured.

Beth swallowed and summoned up her courage, "Go to hell," She replied.

He blinked and then threw back his head and laughed. His fist shot out so quickly that she never saw it coming. A burst of color spotted her vision as her cheek burned with the impact. She winced and raised a shaking hand to her cheek at the welt that was already beginning to form there.

"You've got spirit. I will surely enjoy breaking you of it just like I did to your little friend Andrea," He said.

Beth's ears perked at the mention of Andrea. She felt a moment of sorrow for her friend whom she had last seen on the farm. She couldn't imagine the torment Andrea must have suffered under this man.

Merle stirred then, and everyone's attention shifted to the man lying on the floor. The Governor frowned, "Who dosed him? I thought I told you to make it extra strong?" He roared to his men.

Beth's eyes darted to Carl who still had his gun and he nodded slightly to her. This was their chance to act while they were distracted. They wouldn't get another one and she seized the opportunity to ram her knife into the man's back as hard as she could. It was much different stabbing into live flesh instead of the dead flesh she had grown accustomed to as of late. Everything happened all at once then. It took much more effort to sink the blade into his back which was the closest place she could reach. Simultaneously Carl's gun was fired several times and Beth spotted Michonne's katana slicing through the bars and into the belly of one of the men. Beth remained focused on the Governor and hoped that Carl could keep the other men occupied. The Governor whirled on her, growling in pain and frustration as his hands tried to claw around at the knife in his back. She had aimed high so his attempts were futile and when he realized it, he turned angry eyes to her. She tried to take a quick step back, but his hand shot out and encircled her throat tightly. She gasped as her breath was effectively cut off and he lifted her off of the ground. She heard a whimper and vaguely realized that it had come from her own mouth as he squeezed. Around them there were shouts and the sounds of more people entering the room when suddenly the pressure was gone and she dropped to the floor. She glanced up in time to see Martinez struggling with the Governor.

Beth breathed in deeply to pull air back into her lungs and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw several members of the group were back in the cell block. Amidst the chaos, no one had noticed Martinez's struggle and Beth climbed shakily to her feet in an attempt to help the man. Before she could make it however, there was a groan and she watched in muted horror as the Governor's other eye popped out of his head attached to the end of Michonne's katana that she had just thrust through the back of the man's skull. The eye still had pieces of flesh attached and she shrank back from the eerie sight of it. The Governor collapsed in a heap to the floor and Michonne stood there staring down at him, panting heavily.

Rick cocked his gun at Martinez's temple and Daryl pinned him with his bow from the other side. Martinez held up his hands in surrender, "Go ahead, but please make it count. Don't let me turn," He pleaded.

"Gladly," Rick said coldly and Beth jumped up.

"No!" She shouted.

Both of the men blinked at her, "What tha hell? Move out tha way girl!" Daryl yelled.

Beth shook her head, "No. He saved me. He was trying to help. The Governor set him up," She told them.

Daryl and Rick glanced at each other and then at Martinez. "Say tha word Rick. I'll take this fucker out!" Daryl's voice was low and deadly.

Rick held her gaze for several minutes and then slowly lowered his gun. He turned to Daryl, "No. Leave him for now. We'll lock him in a cell," He said wearily.

Glenn led the man away and Beth sighed with relief before remembering Merle was still on the floor. She ran over to him and Daryl was at her side helping her to roll him over, "He ain't-?" Daryl asked.

Beth understood and shook her head no, "No, he's not dead. I don't think. He was moving a few minutes ago. They shot him with a needle I think," She replied.

Daryl spotted the needle first and pulled it from his brother's neck with a grimace. Merle twitched again and Beth pressed a hand to his face, "I'm here Merle," She whispered as she pressed a light kiss to his forehead. She didn't know what he had been dosed with, but she hoped that it was the same thing Michonne had been given because she seemed to be doing alright, although she was a little unsteady on her feet still. She did a quick head count and was relieved to see that everyone in their group was still alive.

All that was left was waiting on Merle to come around.

Don't fret about the ending loves! Trust in me! I would like to ask that if you're reading and you enjoyed this chapter, to please just drop me a line, word, gesture, smiley, or something and let me know I did okay. It was a tough chapter to write out and it would mean the world to me to know your thoughts. So enough rambling from me, REVIEW!

BIG HUGS TO YOU ALL!