++++++ I do not own the Walking Dead or any affiliated characters apart from my OC's ++++++

Forty

Ebony and I were sitting there exchanging ideas over what was happening in the meeting, we had been so absorbed in what we were talking about that we didn't notice Andrea approach us. When Ebony shushed me and pointed out behind me I turned. "Ah-hello Andrea."

"What are you doing here?" Ebony questioned with a scowl. "Shouldn't you be inside with your boyfriend or did they kick you out?"

"That was a little nasty," Andrea frowned. "I just came over to talk."

Ebony stood up, getting herself inches away from Andrea's face. "I'm sorry if my attitude seems a little nasty but when anyone threatens my daughter I tend to get a little nasty."

"I like a good cat fight like the next man," I spoke as I stood up, "but now isn't the time to be arguing. Yes, the Governor is a prick, yes he wants us all dead, and yes Andrea is a back stabbing bitch."

Andrea glared knives at me. "What's your point?"

I shook my head. "There was no point, I was simply stating fact." I pulled Ebony back a little and stood in front of her. "But I thought that I should add that if your boyfriend touches one hair on anyone in our camp I will personally come to Woodbury and paint the walls in your blood. You got that?"

"This is ridiculous!" Andrea argued. "We were friends once!"

"Until Merle delivered Glenn and Maggie to the Governor," I answered, "then your little friends beat up Glenn and almost raped Maggie. Our friendship is so far gone it's the Russian Aristocracy."

Andrea stared at me, going over thoughts in her head.

"You say we attacked first," I continued, "I can go with that. We attacked first to get our people back. When I met you all on the farm eight months ago, you were all clinging on to that last strand of humanity. You lost it and you're no better than Randall's gang or any of the murders or rapists out there. You wouldn't have even lifted a finger to help get our people out because you're a back stabbing bitch."

"I'm trying to broker a peace here!" Andrea scoffed.

"All you're trying to do is be better than the cockroach you are," I spat. "You come into my home and threaten my people-there is no peace here. I'm a soldier, Andrea. I know how to fuck you up."

"That's not what Rick wants!" Andrea tried to argue. "Rick wants peace between us, that's what I want. I though-"

"You thought what?" I cut her off. "That because I was sleeping with Rick that I would want peace? I want peace Andrea but the best soldier knows that to get peace, sometimes blood has to be spilt, lives have to be lost, sacrifices made…I will end the Governor and John and Michael and Martinez and Milton. I will end them and I will end you."

"Come on PJ," Ebony urged with a half-assed attitude. "She's not worth it." I backed away from Andrea and the two of us sat back down against the shed wall. "I admire the way you manage to put historical references in your insults," Ebony grinned.

"Thanks," I smirked.

"They've been in there for a while," Ebony pointed out, changing the subject. "When do you think they're going to come out?"

"I'd say now," I frowned, standing back up when Rick and the Governor walked out of the barn. The men walked off towards their groups, Rick hadn't seen me yet. "Eb's?"

"Yeah babe?" Ebony answered.

I grabbed her hand. "I don't think this is going to go down to well," I whispered.

"I'm here one hundred percent," Ebony answered. "Daryl's got your back and so does Herschel. Daryl would be dead now if we hadn't been here."

I wasn't sure about Daryl but I knew Herschel had our backs. He had expressed both his gratitude and amusement with Ebony and myself, even offered to smooth things over with Rick but I declined. This was my mess.

"Any problems?" Rick questioned.

"Yeah, walkers," Daryl answered. "That son of a bitch John almost killed me when they attacked."

"If PJ and Ebony hadn't been here, a walkers would have killed us both," Herschel spoke up. "They evened out the odds."

Rick turned around to find us both standing there. He ran his hand through his hair and crossed over to us. "I told you to stay at the prison."

"Well it's a good thing I disobeyed," I snapped. "Otherwise John would have killed both Daryl and Herschel than he would have killed you followed by everyone in the prison."

"We'll talk about this when we get back to the prison," Rick scowled. "You disobeyed me, PJ. I'm disappointed in you."

"What did you expect?" I continued. "Did you expect me to sit back and play house? I am not Lori, I'm not the house keeper or the home maker, I'm a soldier. If you don't like the way I play ball, I will pack up leave. Until then, you need to stop treating everyone like they're beneath you and start treating us all like equals. This my way or the high way shit has to end."

"I'm doing this to protect us all," Rick argued.

"You're circling down the drain, Rick," I informed him. "And I'm not going down with you and neither is anyone else."

"You disobeyed a direct order," Rick repeated.

"And you'd be dead if I didn't," I spat. "When the hairs stand up on the back of my neck I tend to listen to that gut feeling, especially when there is people involved that I love." I pushed past Rick and started on my way back to the prison.

"Where you going?" Ebony called out after me.

"Walking it off or I'll stab someone living," I spat.

Ebony sighed. "Well-how's it feel?" she questioned.

"How did what feel?" I replied.

"Your very first argument," Ebony smirked.

"He was being a macho assbutt," I growled.

"These things happen in normal relationships," Ebony told me. "Couples fight. Even at the end of the world…hey have you ever had makeup sex?" she grinned.

I groaned. "You're impossible, Ebony. Makeup sex? Really? We've got a long walk back and the last thing I need is you giving me relationship advice."

Ebony rolled her eyes. "Just because you're pissed off doesn't mean you get to take it out on me. It will take us a few hours to get back so we can either do it in silence or we can do some sweeps on the way back."

I sighed. "Sorry, doll."

"It's what I'm here for," Ebony smiled. She cleared her throat, "hey, listen…when we get back to the prison will you teach me how to fight?"

I nodded. "Sure. Why?"

"Because one day I'll be without a weapon and I'll need to use my hands," Ebony replied. "I just thought that I don't wanna be helpless, I wanna be like you."

I laughed. "Like me? Oh babes, that amount of perfection cannot be emulated. I'm original, one of a kind, there will never be another like me."

"Remember that," Ebony smiled, "because when it comes down to it, you're not Lori and you never will be. It's you're quirky uniqueness that Rick loves, not Lori."

I sighed. "What would I do without you?" I asked.

"Crash and burn," she laughed. "Crash and burn."