Curative
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I'm going to be doing some imagines and OC prompts for Laura and the gang, even some drawings and junk. So stop by, read, look at stuff, stare longingly into the gaze of eternity, yell at the wall, and send me a message anytime! I'm usually somewhere online!
Laura had been taking in everything. Daryl had been talking to her for a while now, telling her about things she had forgotten and refreshing hazy memories she had started to remember. Though a lot of it wasn't really complete as Daryl was not a talkative person it was still miles better than her faulty memory.
He talked to her about the quarry, Atlanta, the CDC, the Greene's farm, and everything in between. He admitted there was a time between the farm and now that they were separated so he couldn't help her there. Those memories were tied into Carol and Red's group, their time surviving on the road together.
All Laura could recall of that time is how much of a struggle it was. With little food and water she managed to scavenge for Carol, she also struggled with her new found dietary need.
A truth she knew she would have to own up to soon. The group would decide what that meant for her place with them and she feared the worst. Yet not even that could get her down from this high. Daryl was speaking to her, a lot of 'speaking' too. He wanted to help her so he had pushed his discomfort aside for her.
She recognized his effort to be there for her and didn't want to interrupt. She watched him, listened, asked questions when she was able, and the two reminisced about the early days. Perhaps it was not all entirely fond memories; many included fighting for their survival. Regardless, the two were able to pick out times they had spent together.
Laura had a faint smile on her face the entire time Daryl talked. When he got more into it at a certain point, she gave him the widest smile she could, only resulting in sharp pangs of pain through her jaw which caused it to fade. Daryl was keenly aware of her discomfort and knew he was providing her much needed distraction from the pain.
"You're almost as suicidal as Rick." Daryl was now sitting on the bed with his back against the wall and Laura's legs over his lap. "Gettin' yourself in more trouble than you can possibly get out of." He teased her even though it was the truth.
Laura rolled her eyes back with a huff of air. "I learned from you. Always picking fights with Shane."
Daryl shook his head. "Nah. I ain't even picked a fight with him. He picked a fight with me."
With her brows drawn upward, Laura withheld a laugh. "Only person Shane tried to fight was Rick. Even then, not fight, but kill." She recalled Daryl's recollection of the events. He could not tell her everything during times he wasn't present, but he filled in most of the blanks. He didn't need to witness Shane attacking Laura and Rick when they tried to release Randall to know what happened.
"And you. Came atcha' just as much." One thing Daryl was glad to see is how Laura had healed from those bruises. They had faded entirely, the only marks on her skin were scars now. He almost felt guilty feeling relieved he didn't have to see those bruises anymore.
But as he looked down to her throat he could see vividly in his head when Shane strangled her. In front of the group without consequence. It drove Daryl mad at the time knowing no one would let him return the favor. He knew things changed, the group had changed; if Shane were here and did it now, everyone would stop Shane. If he survived long enough for retaliation.
Tough times on the road had changed everyone. The world was different, it was crueler, and they had to learn that. There was no easy way to train themselves up to it, they had to learn now or die. Well, they did it. Now they had the prison.
Now they had to handle the Governor and his people. They started a fight for the prison and Laura. Having seen what Woodbury did to Laura they knew it was only a matter of time before they met that viciousness in person.
Daryl's eyes traveled lower on Laura's body, taking in the sight of that blue skin. It was beyond strange, but this world had softened him to the idea of the improbable. The scars were slightly darker than her skin with clear differences between the freshest ones and the oldest. Some blended in quite well with her skin while others stood out.
Though his gaze roamed down from her neck to her chest, he wasn't ogling her. He saw the damage there, the stitched scar in the shape of a Y. Then lower just under her breast was a far more noticeable mark on her stomach.
Her tank top had shredded from the bottom hem to the middle. As she was laying on her back it fell to the side revealing more alarming scarring there. That mark on her abdomen was a burn, something seared into her flesh to cause her suffering. It looked like a brand though he wasn't familiar with the mark, if it had a meaning that is. Woodbury likely used any old hot iron branding rod they had on hand.
He was heavily focused on it and how obviously recent it was. That and a short line puncture, which appeared to be from a knife of some time. It had not been stitched nor had it enough time to heal, so it remained as it was when it occurred.
The skin, again, he could not fully ignore. She always looked strange before even back to the quarry outside Atlanta. He had seen how utterly terrified she was; shy and scared senseless. When they were in Atlanta and she was taken by the Vatos he experienced his first personal struggle with her.
He hated she was attacked when he was supposed to be watching her back, he was specifically in that alley to protect her. He hated that they took her knowing what he knows now and how useless he felt when they used her to stop him from shooting them. And later back at camp when he took her for a short walk in the woods to hunt.
Truly, that 'hunt' was an excuse to be alone with her, to see if she changed at all. But she was even more scared out there alone, even if her shooting a squirrel had made her momentarily distracted. He saw how she looked at him, as if his judgment of her could change everything in her life.
He didn't have that kind of influence in the group, he had stuck to the outskirts and ultimately avoided everyone. But she seemed to believe his opinion of her, or suspicion at that time, would make or break her chances of survival.
It felt odd being given such power and control over another person, especially someone as harmless as Laura. He faintly winced, as harmless as Laura was back then. Now she looked like a powerhouse... Daryl realized, a powerhouse that was still scared of his influence on her life.
It wasn't the same as it was back then in that quarry, but it was still control over her. He didn't know why she looking at him like he dictated her life, or even how she managed to do that while also looking happy to see him. Like she wanted him to have that control, to play such a vital role in her life both in general and with the group. Undoubtedly that is what she wanted though as she always kept trying to explain herself; as if Daryl had any suspicions about her.
She cared for him and made sure he knew it. He wasn't stupid or pushing himself away from her to spare himself the complications of a romantic relationship and the potential hurtful outcome of said relationship... As Carol might put it. Rather, Daryl readily accepted the relationship laid out before him with a certain balance of panic, insecurity, and deep interpersonal connection.
His eyes traveling along her body only made her more acutely aware of her abnormal appearance. She had witnessed herself turning while on the road with Carol. She had seen herself transition from her extremely pale skin to this deep dusky blue over time.
Laura wanted to look like herself again. To look normal with her long dark hair and green eyes. She knew she had a beautiful face and figure, she was always watching herself. That was largely due to the high pressure of her upbringing with her father expecting an extraordinary performance from his daughter.
Her father expected her to strive for perfection. She dressed finely, kept her appearance well maintained, and always presented the public with her best self. That 'best self' her father imposed on her of course. Between private schooling and his constant pushing her to excel in everything she was put in, Laura had little time for herself.
At the end of the day when she finally wiped clean all that make up, took off the waist trainer and expensive clothes, she could sit in front of a mirror and know her bare face, but nothing about the person underneath. A constant point of insecurity and fear of learning about herself and what she wanted. Deep down she always knew her wants and dreams would go against her fathers.
She knew how she looked bare naked, figuratively. With all the fine things her father forced her to do and to wear, only she really knew what she looked like.
And this small feeling that her bare self was worthless had grown in to a crippling self image. One that she was now forced to realize only she could ever see. No one here in this prison had ever seen Laura before she was bitten and turned, they would forever know the undead thing that stood beside them.
Or, at this very moment, was laying in a prison cot with her legs on his lap. He would never see that Laura, never know what she looked like or who she was. It made her sad to know somewhere along the way she lost the chance for anyone to ever see her unchanged.
She could see Daryl staring at all the oddities on her marred blue body. Her experience with others made her nervous, but she knew Daryl well enough to understand he meant nothing inappropriate. He simply looked and, when he saw her noticing him looking, he quickly found anything else to stare at.
"What were you looking at?" Her tone told him she was not bothered by his staring. She had expected it to some degree and his bashfulness did wonders to endear himself to her though.
Knowing denying he had been caught staring at her was pointless, he was honest with her. "Ya' look different... Since we saw you last is all." His attempt to assure her he was not ogling or harshly judging her appearance was a kindness she hadn't experienced she was with him on the farm.
"Is that alright?" She saw no disgust in his gaze, so she doubted he thought negatively of her. The dramatic and inhuman change could definitely derail a relationship even if the other person isn't bothered by the new appearance.
Daryl nodded, quick to assure her he had nothing negative to say about how she looked. He knew she had always been scared of people finding her undead likeness ugly. He never thought any less of her regardless of how strange she looked compared to the living.
"'Course, ain't nothing wrong with you. Never been." His matter of fact statement made her smile at him. "Woodbury, those bastards did all this to ya'?" His hand gestured to the marks on her stomach and the especially long Y shaped scar.
Laura lowered a hand to her stomach, her fingers brushing over the sensitive skin. "Over time. Governor found the only thing that makes me squirm. Something I always give in to." Her hand traveled closer to the brand mark, but stopped short. "Nothing compares. They took me away, interrogated me, and I never gave in."
Daryl's hand came towards hers without her noticing. Once she felt the unexpected touch she jolted from the contact, but released that tension knowing the only person here with her is Daryl. "You're tough. Tough as me." He offered an amused smirk, listening to her strangled chuckle.
"I was surprised I did it. But then he did this," With her other hand, Laura reached up and pointed to another burn on the back of her neck. Daryl couldn't see it so he raised a brow in question. "Heat. Burn. Nothing like it, so much worse than anything else. The second that happened I talked."
He lowered his head, his thumb rubbing Laura's hand resting on her stomach. "Anyone would, ain't no one here would blame ya'."
"No, not like you think. Burning you hurts bad. Burning to me... It's beyond just pain. Agony. So much I couldn't think, move, just screamed until my voice gave out then screamed more." Her eyes met his and it was a warning. This wasn't her giving into her interrogation, this was a weakness that could be exploited. She was helpless against this primal need to do anything to make that kind of suffering stop.
Daryl held her hand tighter, "This looks new, hadn't time to heal up." He referenced the burn on her stomach, the one their hands just barely stayed on the edge of.
"I got that for Merle."
Instantly, Daryl's expression changed. This deeper fear that his brother was in anyway responsible for the scars on Laura sent him into a confused panic. He couldn't see himself hurting his brother, not like he would knock out Shane. "You told me he ain't ever touched you."
Laura sighed, "Merle didn't do it. Woodbury man forced himself on me." Daryl's grip on her hand grew tighter. He had assumed, but to hear it... "Merle caught him and knocked him out. Then he took care of me, tried to protect me. The guy ran to the Governor, he didn't like Merle getting attached. So he made Merle watch when he burned this into me." She extended a finger from their hands to point to the brand on her stomach.
Daryl swallowed hard, finding his mouth had gotten dry all of a sudden. "I know he can be an ass, but he didn't mean for ya' to get hurt."
"I know." Laura smiled, showing Daryl she wasn't blaming Merle for the incident. "No one but Merle was ever good to me at Woodbury. They called me it and when I got hurt, shot, stabbed; they didn't give a damn. But Merle did. We ain't close personally, we survive together and that makes us family. What happened that night ain't no more his fault than it was mine."
He was glad to hear it though he didn't say it. His worst fear when Carol said Merle was here, that he was part of Woodbury's attack, was him screwing with the group. He had searched for Merle as much as he could, he thought the man was alive somewhere just outside his reach. For the last few months he only ever had time to survive and protect the others.
Knowing now that Laura and Merle found each other in Woodbury and had moved beyond their unsavory first meeting had put a lot of his fears down. Certain that their companionship was only beneficial to their safety made Daryl all the more thankful they were back.
"I hope you don't mind how much I've changed." Laura confessed herself, the doubt that had entered her mind and overran any rational thought against it. "I'm different now. I look different, act different; I don't even recognize my own voice."
It's true her voice sounded so breathy, every inhale was an exercise and made her sound husky. Her voice was not even close to the same as it had been, only a faint echo of her tone when she was still living. Her appearance... the closed off way she carried herself.
Very little was left of the girl from Atlanta. Daryl didn't mind that, he didn't care for her because of some type he had a preference for. She was a kind hearted person, someone so grounded and humble. She had an education he couldn't begin to imagine; she was wickedly intelligent. Yet she could see through all the superficial differences between them to see the genuine person underneath.
He liked her because... he really couldn't put words to it. He wasn't an adoring man that fawned over his girl like a love sick dog. There were no romantic insights to his life. He liked who he liked and thought that was enough. He could trust her and she adored him, he really didn't want much.
All he knew is he wanted her. There was something he felt for her that he couldn't explain away. The right words were hard to come by, so he didn't try any fancy admittance to love. And he knew she'd appreciate anything he said.
"Nothin' 'bout you changed what I think, blue or not." He smirked, "At least you been eatin' right. Used to be all skin and bones. Didn't think I could ever hunt enough to round you out." He chuckled at his own joke to assure Laura it was only a joke. She had grown to a much healthier weight since the farm. She was as light as a feather back then, twenty-ish pounds underweight looking like a walking skeleton.
Now her body was well toned, no overly protruding bones. She looked like she had been eating three square meals a day with snacks. A proper weight for her height and muscle definition to show the strength she had built up during their time apart.
Laura was much stronger than she used to be, no longer looking like she'd fall over from a gust of wind.
Even though Laura smiled at his teasing, she was harshly reminded of her undead nature. That starvation she suffered... he was correct thinking all his hunting wouldn't mean anything. Without proper food she would never have grown healthy.
He saw her mood shift for the worse and watched as she looked away from him. "I... told you I like you more than anyone I've ever known." Her words were sweet, but her expression told him something else was going on. "Even with my memories messed up I know that I..." She stopped and made no visible attempts to continue.
She was fighting some internal battle that he wasn't a part of. He wanted to know, so badly so he could help her. So many months apart risked driving a wedge between them, but it actually caused them to slingshot back closer than ever.
Still Laura couldn't say it, not unless he knew everything about her. "Daryl. I'm-"
"Hello?" A soft voice came through the curtain to Daryl's cell. Cursing the interruption, Daryl took a moment to gather his thoughts. He was in this separated place with Laura, his woman, and he had to come back down from that high. "It's Carol."
Laura looked to Daryl, letting him make the choice to invite her in. He nodded, "Come on, then." He called back to her and she drew the curtain open.
"Hey you two." Her smile just as bright and as welcoming as ever. Her company was always one that Laura appreciated. A person so fair that even the grey of the prison couldn't drain the color from her face.
"Hi, Carol." Laura's voice came out as raspy as ever and earned her a shocked response from Carol.
With a hand over her stomach, she gasped. "You can talk. Oh thank goodness." She stood just at the entrance to the cell. "I was worried something happened, that you'd lost it completely this time around."
"Only somewhat. Not the easiest to talk. Not used to having to breathe." Laura's simple explanation was remarkable to Carol. Even though Laura had not normal functions in the past, she still had them. Times have changed and Laura changed with them.
Straightening her shirt, Carol cleared her throat. "I wanted to see how you two were doing. Been in here a while and Rick said that... well, about removing that stuff..." She trailed off in her nervous attempt to bring attention to the troublemaker wandering the prison. "And to let you know Merle's been watching this cell since you got in here, Daryl. I think he's going to ask you about Laura and you." She whispered the last part, trying to avoid alerting Merle outside.
He was too far to eavesdrop anyways, but she still wanted to be careful.
Daryl bit the inside of his cheek. He didn't know how to stare down his brother and tell him he was with Laura. A proper couple; which is something Daryl never saw himself being part of.
"He'll get it." Laura jostled his hand that still held hers. "He's gotten soft the last few months. He'll talk shit, but he ain't gonna' be against it."
Wondering exactly where that insight came from, Daryl was just about to ask when they all heard a door slam open.
Alarmed, they all looked to the curtain out of the cell. Footsteps rushed passed the cell, people were talking; whatever was going on the group needed to get ready. Laura slipped her legs off Daryl's lap and swung them over the edge of the cot.
He rushed up, grabbing his crossbow before darting out of the cell with Laura right behind him. Carol came with them to see what all the noise was about.
People were rushing to the gun stash and grabbing whatever they could as fast as they could. "What happened, what's going on?" Carol asked before they had the chance to.
Carl came up to them, "Someone is coming up to the prison, dad says we gotta get ready." Sparing Carl a worried glance, Carol wasted no time taking up arms.
Daryl took his crossbow off his shoulder and Laura grabbed a rifle from the table, everyone getting armed to the teeth ready to throw down. Merle passed by his brother giving him a side eye before holding up his own gun. There would be words exchanged later; Daryl wondered if Laura was right or... if this could become a problem.
"Follow me out. Cover to cover, check our sides before moving up. Don't take any risks." Rick opened the door out of the cell block, everyone rushing out single file behind him with guns drawn.
Rick threw open the gate and took cover behind the pick up just outside. Everyone worked together as planned. Rick was followed by Daryl, Merle, Laura, Michonne, and Beth. Carol and Glenn on the bridge. Carl and Maggie in the makeshift sniper nests.
They worked like they were trained to fight, this time not giving the Governor a chance to drop them like he had last time.
"Clear!" Merle called, signaling them all to move up to the intruder. The entire group on high alert, anticipating another rain of bullets to send them reeling.
It seemed quiet, Laura couldn't hear anything but the shrill sounds of hissing walkers. She couldn't see anything moving outside the fences, it all seemed remarkably quiet. Considering the attack before this was an unexpected reunion.
Rick took lead and went directly to the gate, keeping his back to the guard post building just outside the fence. They were out in the open and exposed to an attack from any angle.
Michonne took spot behind a large wood pallet, giving her cover of the gate with Beth right beside her. It didn't take her but a second to recognize the tactic she used when she traveled alone. This person was doing the same; holding a walker where it couldn't reach her to keep the others off her.
No one else stood down like her, everyone still suspected an ambush. Michonne knew better at that point. This wasn't a diversion by Woodbury, the Governor would've never allowed her to risk her neck out here.
Carl had told them who it was approaching the gate, but it didn't automatically mean they were safe to see her. As far as they knew, this could be another attack from the Governor.
"Are you alone?" Rick reached for the keys in his pocket with Merle watching his far side and Daryl at the gate. Laura stayed right behind him, ready to reach out of the fence to grab the visitor.
"Open the gate!" She called, feeling the intensity of more walkers watching her. She made a lot of noise approaching and was only making more now.
"Are you alone!" His demand wasn't necessarily a threat, but it certainly sounded that way. Rick threw Daryl the keys and he got to work dropping the padlock.
"Rick!" She arrived at the gate with walkers starting to bear down on her. The walker on a leash only worked if you behaved like a walker. She had broken every rule of walking with walkers, earning her a small herd gathering just behind her.
Once the padlock dropped, Rick gave Daryl cover to step back while Merle opened the fence. Laura approached the gap and stepped out, grabbing the woman by the arm and dragging her back inside through the mess of walkers.
"Hands up! Turn around!" Rick ordered and got a stunned response from the woman. She didn't know if she should take him seriously or not. As far as she remembered they were good, not close friends, but nothing had happened between them. "Turn around now!"
Rick took control from there, spinning her to face the fence beside the gate. Merle slid the gate shut and Laura grabbed the chain and padlock, securing it back in place. The walker threat was minor compared to the Woodbury attack from before.
Laura brought her gun back up, looking out down the gravel road to see if anyone else was out there.
The woman gasped and screamed as a walker smashed its face against the chain link fence she was pressed to. "Get down on the floor." Rick pulled her away, practically dragging her to her knees with her hands up. She was beyond confused.
Rick continued to search her, pulling a knife and a gun from her belt. "I asked if you were alone." He growled, patting her down.
"I am." She was breathless, wondering why the people she had survived with were so hostile to her. Rick yanked the messenger bag from her shoulder, checking it for any other weapons.
"Welcome back." He took her by the arm and pulled her on her feet.
They all filed back into the safety of the cell block, seeing there was no threat allowed them all to relax again. Taking in the return of one of their lost members was a lot, especially after what Michonne and Merle had told them about her.
While they may have been sympathetic before, there was no love for anyone on the Governor's side in the prison. Rick was planning on making that abundantly clear that she had a choice to make today.
Rick dropped down the stairs and blocked the path to the cells, watching as the group all settled in.
Carol was the only person to give her a warm welcome. "Andrea." She gasped, embracing the woman. They had once known each other decently well, having spent time in the quarry together and facing the CDC. There was far too much to go over right now.
Glenn kept the path to the bridge and the tombs blocked, Maggie at his side. She had mixed feelings about Andrea, but didn't think she was a bad person. The two groups were stuck in a stalemate right now, waiting on the next move. Regardless of Andrea, they would have to fight the Governor.
Merle kept guard at the entrance door, Daryl took a seat on the table beside Rick, and Laura stood just beside Daryl. The whole group keeping every exit well protected, even though no one really thought Andrea would do anything.
Andrea took the sight of the prison in, how dark and grey. It looked like a terrible place to live, but it was the exact opposite for them. It was how they survived, the only reason quite a few people are alive. Yet was the end for others.
"After you saved me, we thought you were dead." Carol sucked in a deep breath, pushing down all those raw feelings. She knew this was a point of contention; Andrea and Woodbury. She had to hope for Andrea to choose.
In front of Andrea, stood Hershel on his crutches. She looked him over, seeing him missing a leg. "Hershel, oh my god..." She turned around, looking at all the faces that surrounded her and the sheer size of the prison. The group she escaped Atlanta with had survived. "I can't believe this."
Her eyes fell to every face, picking out one after the other and their names. "Where's Shane?" Rick shook his head and looked away, he didn't particularly want to discuss the man that tried to murder him. She got the hint though, he hadn't survived. "And Lori?" Another one of Andrea's friends missing from the group.
"She had a girl. Lori didn't survive." Hershel answered for Rick. Knowing full well the man was rocking on the edge of a cliff.
"Neither did T-Dog." Maggie confirmed before Andrea had a chance to ask. He died saving others, fighting for everyone. Outside they were all buried together, side by side.
"I'm so sorry..." She looked to Carl wearing his father's sheriff hat and body armor. But the boy didn't look any more welcoming than the others. "Carl..." He was just a kid, but he didn't spare her the same sharp look his father gave her earlier.
"Rick, I-" Andrea started only to see Rick turn off from her. He wasn't interested in her condolences. "You all live here?"
"Here and the cell block." Glenn gave her some peace. She was part of Woodbury and part of their group, it was hard to find the line for her. Still, Glenn wanted to give her a chance.
"In there?" She pointed behind Rick, "Well, can I go in?"
Before she could make it a few steps, Rick blocked her. "I won't allow that." His stern voice and intimidating posture told her he was not up for discussion.
"I'm not an enemy, Rick." Her outcast position was growing uncomfortable for her. She was not accustomed to the treatment and grew defensive.
"We had that courtyard and field 'till your boyfriend tore down the fence and shot us up." The broken gate outside with a field full of walkers made more sense to Andrea now. Yet more was still missing from this and she wanted answers.
"He said you fired first." She felt some doubt in the Governor's words, but not exactly faith in Rick's. She wanted to talk about the fighting, about the deaths between them.
As it stood, Rick and Red's group had fired first. They fought Woodbury before Woodbury could attack, having a solid source of information from Michonne that the Governor wasn't a man to play nice with other groups. Rick looked to the side, gesturing for Andrea to follow his line of sight.
She did and saw a blue skinned woman, unmistakably the walker woman that had joined them in Atlanta. She looked dramatically different with scars and a gritty appearance. Rick turned to the duffel bag just beside the cages, pulling out the all too familiar metal gauntlets and muzzle they had just removed from Laura.
He dropped them onto the table with a loud clang. "He had these nailed to Laura." He put heavy emphasis on 'nailed' to drive the point home.
"He killed my friend, Oscar." Axel spoke from beside Carol, bringing up such a recent wound.
Braddock nodded, "And our friend Markus."
"We liked them." Daryl enforced the unification of the inmates and Red's group. "They were one of us."
Andrea looked between the groups, the unfamiliar faces that dotted around her. "I didn't know anything about that. As soon as I heard, I came. When the explosion happened, then Philip said he sent Merle to find the people responsible." She turned to look at Daryl on the table, "He said he found his brother and his old group, that he turned on his men."
"Conveniently left out that he sent us before Rick and 'em even arrived in Woodbury. I think that means we attacked first, just took us longer to get here." Merle added to her lacking information. Hearing him, she looked taken back.
"So you didn't kill those men that followed you? That trusted you?" She snapped at him, watching as a smug smirk spread across his face. How deeply she wanted to smack it off of him.
This time, Red stepped up. "Don't forget the part where his men tried to rape Daisy and Maggie." His comment got Carol to send him an appreciative smile, seeing how he had calmed down from his prior rage.
Andrea, in her disbelief of this new info, turned to see Michonne leaning against one of the cages. "What've you told them?"
"Nothing." Michonne's tone was smooth as silk. She hadn't said anything but the truth to them which earned her a place at their side.
"I don't get it. I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?" She turned on her heel, staring down the cold people around her.
"He tortured Laura and sent her to kill Michonne. Then he sent Merle here to attack the prison and almost got everyone killed." Glenn insisted on being honest, though mentioning those attacks made Andrea doubtful. "We got lucky when Laura and Merle decided to turn on him. He would've slaughtered us if he had taken the prison."
"Laura wasn't in Woodbury." Andrea shook her head in denial. "I never once saw her there."
Daryl's eyes narrowed, "'Cause he kept her locked up in a cage like an animal. We been there, saw where he had her tortured. Can't tell us she wasn't."
Andrea put her head in her hands and took a deep breath. There was too much to take in at once. The man she loved and trusted had lied to her, she knew that. Everything they said though... "I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."
Rick jumped on that the second she suggested a peaceable option. "There's nothing to work out. We're gonna' kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will." He stepped forward and stared her down. He wasn't interested in the Governor's peace, because he knew it wasn't possible.
"We can settle this." She met his intensity, "There is room at Woodbury for all of you."
Merle chuckled lowly, "You know better than that."
"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate? Did he say that?" Hershel actually did hope for a better way out other than fighting to the death. Bloodshed between the living was not helping their chances for survival. The enemy was the dead wandering outside the fences.
"No." Andrea answered, having come here after sneaking out of Woodbury.
Rick put his hands on his hips, tilting his head. "Then why did you come here?"
"Because he's gearing up for war. The people are terrified, they see you as killers." She imparted that bit of wisdom with them. Something they already knew as if it would shock them. "They're training to attack."
"I'll tell you what. Next time you see Philip, you tell 'im I'm gonna' take his other eye." Daryl's threat dripped with venom. Hatred for what he's done to the group that had survived so much.
"We've taken too much shit for too long." Glenn didn't even hesitate. The kid she knew back from the Greene farm wasn't there anymore. "He wants a war, he's got one."
Andrea saw she was not going to get any discussion of a truce from the others. They were entirely unwilling to listen to her. She approached Rick, hoping to appeal to him in some way. "Rick. If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna' happen. He has a whole town."
She turned her back to him, pleading with the group. "Look at you. You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."
Rick disapproved of her emotional beg for peace and rounded her side, stepping up to her. "You want to make this right, get us inside."
Andrea balked at the idea, "No!"
"Then we've got nothing left to talk about." He was done discussing this. Rick brushed passed her and back into the cell block.
"There are innocent people!" She called after him, not getting a response.
It got tense having Andrea around for a while. She reminded them all of something they lost and the people that died along the way. She was hopeful and running on faith, a dangerous thing to have in this world.
The walls of Woodbury had followed her to the prison creating an invisible barrier between them. Andrea couldn't reconnect with them truly while she was still with Philip and she had fallen so hard for him she couldn't face the reality of his underhanded dealings.
Carol kept her company while she visited Judith. Everyone just let her be, not worried about her doing anything drastic. They kept their distance and watched her go about the prison, checking on folks she used to know.
Maggie stopped to and came to her, giving her a hug. Their friendship wasn't as strong as the others, but Maggie wanted her to know she still wished her well and that she would make the right choice. Others spoke to her before she left and a few remained watching. Laura didn't stop to talk to her even if her last conversation with Andrea was her apologizing for Shane, the way Andrea looked at her didn't sit right with the undead woman.
So she stayed away and helped Rick prepare the car and supplies for Andrea's return to Woodbury. They could've easily kept her there to hurt the Governor. But this group wasn't like Woodbury, they didn't capture and torture people to get what they wanted.
Seeing Rick giving Andrea a gassed car, gun, and knife to get back to Woodbury safely reminded Laura exactly why she chose this group to stand with. Glenn drove the car up and handed the keys to Andrea.
"Can you spare it?" She was unsure about their situation and how stable they were to just give out working vehicles. The prison was no Woodbury with supplies in stockpiles.
"Yeah." Rick was confident one car wouldn't hurt. They had others that worked fine and gas to run them. Andrea needed to get back and the safest route was by car.
Andrea stopped to look around the people she was leaving behind. Not a single one looking any more or less sad to see her go. She had hoped for maybe a few tears, maybe from Carol or little Sophia, but there was none. She sighed, "Well, take care." She was disappointed to go and to see them so committed to a fight.
She slid into the driver seat, starting the car and shutting the door behind her. The dust inside the seats filled the air for a moment. She waved it off as she let the car idle.
"Andrea." Rick stood at the door, pulling from his belt a pistol and a switchblade for her. "Be careful."
"You, too." Andrea regarded the weapons respectfully. He was giving her a sign they cared about her, they were worried for her, and ultimately wished she would come back to them.
Merle was the one on the gate, unlocking the padlock to drag it open. The moment the gate was open enough she drove out with the group watching her drive off down the gravel road. Merle was quick to lock the fence back up, kicking away a few shambling walkers clinging onto the gate.
They watched their old friend leave without any idea if they would see her again. It wasn't an easy choice, but Andrea made it. She left behind her group and Michonne, the woman that saved her when the horde tore apart the Greene's farm.
No one knew what this meant for Andrea. There was a fight coming and they could only hope for the best and plan for the worst.
The group dispersed, returning to their work. Carol cooked their dinner with Beth's help with a little collection of candles and lanterns just outside the cells. A place to quiet down and enjoy each others company. Something beyond rare these days.
"They hung a sign up in our town,
If you live it up, you won't live it down."
Daisy came out of her cell with Red beside her, enjoying the rice and beans Carol had put together for them all. Flavor wasn't what they cared for much right now after surviving on the road with scraps, pet food, and at best, a rare rabbit. Melanie and Sophia scribbled on folded pieces of paper, sharing their colorful artwork with each other and the group.
"So she left Monte Rio, Son.
Just like a bullet leaves a gun."
Braddock was all too happy to drop down by the lanterns beside Axel and Carol, a gentle smile on his face as he thanked her for their dinner. Axel and him had buried their friends together and found a new friendship between themselves. He talked to Melanie and Sophia about their art, sharing it with Axel. Their appreciation for the drawings earned them the two girls continually showing off whatever they made next.
"With charcoal eyes,
and Monroe hips.
She went and took the California trip."
Carol was glad to see Sophia so excited to just be a kid for a while. Through the last few days of high stress and gunfire, seeing the kids playing and drawing made everything that much better.
Maggie helped Micheal out of his cell as he wanted to join the group for their hangout. He sat himself on a step stool beside the stairs, carefully moving his leg to preserve Hershel's expert stitch work. He raised a metal cup to Hershel and Carol, a cheers to their help and generosity. The two responded with kind smiles and fond welcomes.
"Well, the moon was gold and her hair like wind,
Said don't look back now,
Just come on, Jim."
Laura found Hershel and Daryl by the cells overlooking the candle light. She came over quietly and caught Daryl's attention. He gave her a nod to acknowledge her and she stepped up right beside him. With a great deal of trying to keep her nerves still, she slid a stealthy hand behind his lower back. Daryl watched her with interest, uncrossing his arms to sling one across her shoulders.
He held her to him as she laid her head to rest back on his shoulder, he cracked a grin and looked at her eyes reflecting the candle light.
"You got to hold on, hold on.
You got to hold on."
Michonne took a seat at the opening of one of the cells, watching this group find comfort in one another. She wasn't used to it, to seeing people show their humanity. It had been a long time since she was with people that she didn't know exactly what to think of it. She was worried about Woodbury and how they would survive all this, yet she managed to find good people from it all. So she sat and ate her food, seeing her silver lining to it all.
"Take my hand,
I'm standing right here,
Got to hold on."
Glenn took his place beside Maggie, keeping each other company through the worst of it all. He still regarded her with gentle hands, being cautious to not inflame her injuries. She held his hand firmly with a loving smile which he returned. He brought her hand to his face and kissed the back of her hand before letting it back down. Maggie placed that hand on his knee and rubbed it, looking to see her sister in front of the lights.
"Well, he gave her a dime-store watch,
And a ring made from a spoon."
Hershel regarded his daughters with such pride even through this tough time. They all faced a fight they weren't sure if they were ready for and Rick was struggling with his leadership. Even with the world coming down around them, he couldn't help but be soothed by Beth's sweet voice.
"Everyone's looking for someone to blame."
He looked to his left and saw Maggie on the stairs with Glenn, her hand rested on his knee and his hand over hers. His eldest daughter was a strong woman and fought through more than he ever could see coming. She found love out here too, somehow discovering a good man he believed worthy of his daughter.
"If you share my bed, you share my name..."
To his right he saw Daryl holding Laura to him with her arm around him. Another case of people finding love in an impossible world. He knew Daryl was a good man and that Laura had survived a great deal. They fit together ever since the day he first saw them together.
Rick approached them with Judith in his arms, cradling her as she coo'd at him. She was quiet and sweet, rarely ever having a reason to cry. Beth and Carol had been caring for her so expertly she was healthy and happy.
Daryl looked to Rick and tested the waters. "Some reunion, huh?"
"She's in a jam." Rick knew he couldn't show it all to Andrea at the time, he was worried about her.
"We all are." Hershel lamented, both Rick and Daryl nodded in agreement. "Andrea's persuasive. This fella's armed to the teeth. Bent on destruction." The older man glanced between baby Judith and Rick, hoping for answers.
"So what do ya' wanna' do?" Daryl was ready to plan, to get this done so they could move forward. Every day they spent looking over their shoulder's for the Governor was another day wasted.
"We match it. I'm going on a run." Rick had made this decision earlier. With Merle explaining the details of Woodbury's guards and their weaponry, even with their armory destroyed they were still overwhelmed by their remaining arms.
It was as good a plan as any, so Daryl volunteered. "I'll head out tomorrow."
"No, you stay here." Rick didn't look up to see Merle at the end of the cell block, but he knew he was there. "Keep an eye on your brother. He has a knack for causing trouble."
Daryl really had no arguments there. "I got him."
"I'll take Michonne." The woman in question was sitting not far from them, admiring the song. He wanted to see what she could do and if she was trustworthy during a fight. Without testing her outside the prison he wouldn't be able to know for certain.
"You sure that's a good idea?" Daryl expressed some concern over a run with a stranger. She had helped them to this point, but most of it was done under duress.
"I'll find out..." Rick rocked Judith in his arms, clenching his jaw. "And Carl. He's ready... You hold it down here."
"You got it." Both Hershel and Daryl were seeing Rick returning to them. He delegated the weight of leadership, creating a group of people to lead.
Laura learned forward, seeing the infant Judith just sucking her thumb happily. She grinned, seeing this baby girl surviving in this prison. It was strange to think about an ideal place to raise a baby, but it worked somehow. Rick watched Laura looking over Judith and spared Daryl a glance to gauge his reaction. Daryl just offered a slight nod to tell Rick it was alright.
"How're you feeling?" He hadn't heard her speak yet, he hadn't the time to talk to her with all that went on since they removed the muzzle.
Laura snapped back to Daryl's side, fearing she had crossed a line when it came to Judith. "Hurts, but less now. Thanks for taking it off."
He was surprised to hear her voice changed. "You're welcome. Wanted to tear that thing apart the second it was off." Rick raised a curious brow, "Why do you wanna' keep those things?"
Laura shrugged, "Never know." Allowing that vague answer to be the last words anyone would get on the matter.
The night melted away into Beth's voice before people began to turn in. The candle light was put out and the lanterns set aside. A few people took their place on watch while others rested up.
Daryl went to return to his cell, pulling the curtain back as he fought back a tired yawn. It had been a long few days, he looked forward to a full night sleep. As he grabbed the curtain to draw it closed he saw Laura standing just outside the cell trying her best to look anywhere but at him.
He didn't say anything, he didn't want to make her any more nervous than she already was. He just stepped out of the way and made it clear he was inviting her in with a slight tilt of his head.
Laura joined him in the cell, the same as she used to join him in his tent on the farm. She pulled off her dirty blood stained jeans and torn tank top, ditching the old shredded garments. It felt good to get them off, being done with them.
Perhaps a bit taken aback to see Laura bare in just underwear, he averted his eyes to allow for at least some privacy. He felt her climb into the cot beside him and though she did seem pleased to be there, it took some time before he felt her finally start to relax.
He drifted off to sleep keenly recalling Laura didn't need to sleep. He knew she would be awake like she always had been before and when he got up, she would follow.
As for Laura, though she did not need sleep, she did find something she could do very similar to it back in Woodbury. Lying completely still and not doing or thinking anything at all. Like playing dead and for the most part it was just as rejuvenating.
With her head rested on the crook of his arm, her arm around him and his around her... She felt good, some part of her feeling those all too familiar butterflies just fluttering in her chest.
AtlasNerd:
Oh yeah, those gauntlets were cool as hell, but no fear. Her new 'nails' are definitely still strong and sharp enough to cause some serious damage. We get to hear her voice (well, you know) and she finally talks to Daryl about stuff and things.
I'm happy to hear you liked it! This one covers episode 11 "I ain't no Judas" which was fairly Woodbury focused. So not a lot happens for the group, but we get that sweet sweet Daryl x Laura interaction again :D
Jomobabe45:
It's nice to have a main character that is talking again, hahaha describing made up sign language can be tricky. You're more than welcome, thank you for reviewing! It means the world to me! I hope you liked this chapter too! :)