Newly Revised

Andrea was sitting quietly in her room, thinking about everything that had happened the day before. A knock on her door brought her out of her reverie. Opening it, she found Philip, who looked like he was much calmer than he had been, thankfully. She allowed him entrance, although she was still pissed at him for lying to her about her friends and then what he had said afterwards while the citizens looking up to him were already scared. While she could understand the fact that he was going through grief after losing his child to Michonne, she couldn't help but blame him for how he had acted in front of the others. At the same time, she knew firsthand how grief could make people change to the point of no return; after Amy's death she had wanted to die and then stopped caring about her own safety altogether as a way to cope. Penny's death as a walker and the loss of the man's eye would change anyone for the worst while they learned to cope and all she could do to help him was to calm the others down as best as she could.

"That was, uh, that was quite a speech you gave," he praised her after a moment of fidgeting. "Exactly what these people needed to hear."

"What about the prison?" she asked him.

"As long as they leave us alone, we have no problem," he told her as he walked up to her and pulled her back into his chest.

"So no retaliation?"

"No. What would it get us?" he asked her.

"I need to go see them," she told him while turning in his arms.

He scoffed before dropping his hold on her and walking away, "I thought this place could be something else, you know? Something better? I wasn't up to the challenge and I screwed it up. I've done some terrible things. I'm not fit to lead these people. But you are. They don't need to be terrorized. Certainly not by their own leader."

"So you're abdicating?" Andrea asked, flustered that he would consider her a leader.

"You know, I really believed if I kept her alive long enough, Milton would find a-" he left that sentence unfinished as he sat down, Andrea walking over to him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I just need time to get myself together."

"So you want me to fill in for you?"

"Well, who else can? Milton? Martinez?" he asked with a chuckle. "If you choose your friends in the prison, I understand. But these people need you. I- we need you."

He walked out after that leaving Andrea to think by herself, wondering if everything Merle had told her was true or if everything he had told her was nothing more than lies. It wouldn't be too far away from how he acted at the quarry and the change in the man had been strange; he'd warned her off Chrystal when the woman had been very nice. Of course, Chrystal had disappeared after the night of the attack and many people were scared that she had been abducted during it, thinking she must be dead since she hadn't come back yet. Andrea didn't know a lot about Chrystal other than what she had told her of herself and what Merle had told her and both stories were somewhat different. It was confusing to think about the whole situation, but Philip was right that the people of Woodbury needed a leader and one who could help them calm down and handle things without fear or threats. She still needed to get to the prison at some point, but it would be easier to get things going if she knew how things were run both on the wall and in the town. With that idea in mind, she walked towards the wall, intending to talk to Martinez about the watch schedules when she noticed there were new people on the wall and Martinez and Shumpert were no where to be seen. Those on the wall were either relatively old, as in older than Merle, or barely even had any gun training, including Karen, who had been grateful for what Andrea had said. Yet now she looked like she couldn't be bothered by her even as Andrea called up to find out what was going on and would barely say anything to her.

"Where's Martinez?"

"I don't know," came her reply.

"Did you see him leave?"

"Yeah."

"Who was he with?" Andrea asked. When Karen refused to answer, Andrea told her, "Karen, it's okay, you can tell me."

"I don't know anything," Karen told her before turning back around.

Andrea became worried as everyone on the wall was either astutely ignoring her presence or was trying their hardest not to look at her with something on their faces akin to guilt, though what they were guilty of, she didn't know. It was quite annoying that just a few hours ago all these people had been singing her praises and now wouldn't even look in her direction on top of Philip being no where to be found. She turned around with a scoff and a face full of disbelief at what was happening only to see Milton walking down the street, turning on his heel when he saw her and trying to walk faster. She ran up to him calling his name a couple times as she tried to get him to turn around until she was right behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. Only then did he turn around while acting startled, Andrea seeing right through it and new he knew what was up with the Governor and the other missing people.

"You startled me," he told her, pretending to check his pulse.

"Where is he?"

"Where's who?"

"The Governor?"

"He's out on a run?"

"Is that an answer or a question?"

"I'm not sure..." Milton said before quickly tacking on, "where he is. I mean, not whether it was a question or an answer. It was an answer."

"A run meaning what?" Andrea asked, fed up. "Specifically."

"Supplies would be a safe bet. We were wiped out."

"Milton, I want you to give me a specific answer to a specific question. Where. Is. The Governor?!"

"On a run?" the man answered, still as unsure of himself as ever. "You know, I...I'll bet he'll be back soon. And I, I'm sure he's okay if that's what you're worried about."

Andrea just scoffed and started walking off feeling like something was going on now that no one would talk to her or give her a straight answer. Philip had to be up to something, but then again, he had promised her that he wouldn't retaliate against the prison. He hadn't broken a promise to her yet and she wanted to believe that he was a good enough man to leave the situation alone as it was rather than make things worse. Even if he was grieving, going against her old group would be like trying to disarm a time bomb in less than five seconds. They had taken out nine of Woodbury's men during their attack rather efficiently and Andrea had no doubt that they would be able to fend of an attack from Philip just as easily as they had attacked Woodbury. Daryl and Tea had managed to make it out with Merle with relative ease and only a few smoke bombs to cover their escape. Whatever Philip was up to by taking Shumpert and Martinez out would only add fuel to the fire that had already started to burn; Andrea just had to hope that it wouldn't result in more deaths.

~x~

"Why don't we just stick it out here on our own?" Merle asked. "Three of us could survive just fine."

"Ain' leavin' my family ta fend for 'emselves," Tea told him.

"They ain't your family, girl. We are," Merle said seriously.

"The blood a the covenant is thicka than the wata a the womb, Merle. My covenant is at that prison, and right here, too. Ya my family jus' as much as the people at the prison are. Always were. Consida'd myself a Dixon for a while now, and ya bein' Daryl's brotha makes ya mine, too," she said, shocking the older brother.

"'Sides, they got food, shelter. A pot to piss in. Might not be so bad," Daryl told him.

"Yeah, for the two a you maybe. Ain't gonna be no walk in the park for me."

"That's 'cause ya a surly old coot that needs a good smack upside the head every now and again," Tea teased, earning a chuckle from Daryl.

"I dare you to say that again. Just 'cause I respect you now don't mean I like ya."

"Uh-huh," she said. "That why neitha a ya woke me up for my turn for watch last night?" The Dixon brothers shared a look, "Uh-huh, that's what I thought. I got a cuddle bear for a lova and a teddy bear for a brotha."

"The fuck you just call me?" Merle said, his face becoming red as Daryl tried not to laugh himself.

"Don't worry Mer-man, I won't tell anyone," she laughed, ducking behind Daryl as Merle tried to lunge for her.

Daryl had no problem being in the way as he told Merle, "Knock it off, man. She's just teasin'. Gives everyone a nickname, even if it sucks."

"Ya neva had much problem with me callin' ya 'D,'" Tea responded. "Think the only one ya got a problem with is baby."

"Stop."

"Fine," she sighed, starting to walk north to get back to the prison, Daryl trailing behind her; she wasn't sure how far she'd run before collapsing, but she knew she'd only ran south.

"You know they're all dead, right?" Merle asked as he followed behind the two.

"How can you be so sure?" Daryl shot back, his arm draped over Ania's shoulders.

"Right about now, he's probably hostin' a house-warmin' party where he's going to bury what's left of your pals."

"Don' say that," Tea said as her anxiety began to build over the situation since she'd taken the three strongest players in the group and put them out of commission with her little outburst. "It'll be my fault if somethin' happens ta 'em. 'Cause we're out 'ere and not back at the prison. We need ta go!"

"Do you even know where you're goin', little girl?" Merle asked as she trudged along. "Smells to me like the Sawhatchee Creek."

"We didn't go west enough," Daryl tried to correct him. "If there's a river down there, it's gotta be the Yellow Jacket."

"You have a stroke, boy? We ain't never even come close to Yellow Jacket."

"We didn't go west. Just a little bit south. That's what I think."

Merle stopped walking and scoffed, "You know what I think? I might a lost my hand, but you lost your sense of direction."

"Nah, he's right. I only veered south. Even when I ran off and ya had ta come find me, we only really went south, so we head north ta get ta the prison," Tea chimed in.

"What do you wanna bet?" Merle asked.

"Don't wanna bet nothin'. It's just a body of water. Why does everything gotta be a competition with you?" Daryl asked.

"Whoa, take it easy little brother. Just trying to have a little fun here," Merle said. "No need to get your panties in a bundle."

"Ya here that?" Tea asked, silencing both men and sharing a look at Daryl who's eyes widened.

"Yeah, wild animals gettin' wild," Merle said.

"That's a baby!" Tea said as she began running towards the sound.

"Oh, come on," Merle replied. "Why don't you just piss in my ear and tell me it's raining, too?"

"There's a baby at the prison," Daryl informed him. "We know what a cryin' baby sounds like."

"There's a what now?" Merle said.

The brothers followed after her and quickly cleared the trees only to see two people standing on a trailer while screaming and crying came from a car that was surrounded by walkers. She and Daryl took off for the bridge immediately, Tea wielding a knife Daryl had been kind enough to grab from the vehicle for her. All of her knives had been confiscated by Woodbury, and she suddenly felt very naked without her trusted throwing knives and didn't know where she would ever find another set like those. She'd bought the first set from an actual blacksmith that liked to forge weapons as a past time and she doubted that any place they could ransack would ever have them. As Daryl used his bow, Tea used a combination of striking the walkers with her knife and using various kicks to keep the others at bay or knock them down to the ground so she could stomp through their rotting heads. The Mexican man that had nearly been bit when they walked up jumped for his gun and began helping as well while Merle leaned against the railing and just watched the commotion.

"I got ya, D!" Tea told Daryl as he went for the car.

And she did for the most part, although Merle did have to take out a single walker that was a little too close for comfort on Daryl's other side. In the end, they were able to quell the oncoming walker assault even with the language barrier making it difficult to work together. Tea was greatly disappointed in Merle as she stood and shook her head at his behavior as he raised his gun to the man they'd just helped. It was ridiculous to her that the man still acted like this after everything he'd gone through in Woodbury and what he'd seen the Governor do. Even Daryl was done with Merle's bullshit as he watched the man they'd help look over at him again, seemingly resigned to the fact that Merle was in his car shifting through his stuff.

"Let 'em go," Daryl told his brother.

"The least they can do is give us an enchilada or something," he said, crawling through their things. "Easy there, seniorita."

"Merle, ya got two seconds 'fore I kick ya nuts up inta ya spine ta get the fuck out a that car," Tea seethed, sounding dangerously close behind him.

Daryl came around the car as well, raising his bow and warning him, "Get outta the car."

"I know you're not talking to me brother," Merle groaned.

"Get in your car and get the hell out of here!" Daryl told the man and his family. "Go! Get in your car."

Merle closed the door and stood there looking about ready to murder them but Tea didn't care one little bit. She simply followed after Daryl as he headed back north through the woods after crossing back over the bridge, showing it was indeed the Yellow Jacket. They were done with Merle's bullshit if he thought it was cool to steal from babies or the people keeping the child safe. If anyone had tried to pull a stunt like that against Little Lady, Tea would have no problem killing the person in order to protect that baby. Merle's temper got the better of him as he stormed up behind them like a bull on a rampage before he pulled Daryl to a stop.

"What the shit you think you're doin' pointin' that thing at me?" he asked.

"They were scared, man."

"They were rude is what they were. Rude and they owed us a debt of gratitude."

"They didn' owe us shite, Merle. If that's what the Governa taught ya, it's wrong. If that's what ya learned 'fore the world went ta shite, still wrong! We helped 'cause that's what doin' the right thing means, with or without gettin' somethin' in return. I know I once said nothin' worth doin's free, but I was wrong 'bout that too. Bein' human, doin' the right thing, that's worth everythin'. That's how we don' end up like the Governa."

"Even if it means dying? Is that what this bitch taught you?" Merle asked his brother.

"There was a baby!"

"Oh, otherwise you would have just left them to the biters, then?"

"Ya don' know shite, Merle!"

"Oh, so what, your bitch got a bleeding heart so you gotta have one too?" Merle asked Daryl who just stood and stared at him for a good minute.

"Man, I went back for you! We both did! You weren't there. I didn't cut off your had neither. You did that," Daryl said, standing up for himself for once, making sure Tea was behind him. "Way before they locked you up on that roof! You asked for it!"

Merle started chuckling before responding, "You know—you know what's funny to me? You and Sheriff Rick are thick as theives now. Right? And you got her finger so far up your ass you might as well be her puppet. I bet you a penny and a fiddle of gold that you never told them that we were planning on robbing that camp blind."

"Didn' have ta with me, called it the second day a camp, or don' ya rememba?" Tea said with a chuckle before Daryl had a chance to respond.

"It didn't happen," Daryl finisihed plainly.

"Yeah, it didn't," Merle said, ignoring Tea to deal with his brother, not realizing how tense she was. "'Cause I wasn't there to help you."

"Ya mean ya weren' there ta force 'im inta doin' ya dirty work with ya," Tea countered, earning her a glare.

"What do you know of it, huh?"

"I know ya tried ta help Glenn and Maggie and told Michonne ta stay put so she wasn' caught! Ya betta than that, Merle. Betta than what ya jus' pulled. Definitely betta than ya daddy."

"What the fuck do you know?" he roared at her, his turn to be angry at her knowing about his past as he tried to storm through Daryl, who held him back.

"I know ya got the same scars Daryl's got. I know ya get ya anga and aggression from ya daddy. And I know ya got a hell a lot more control ova it than ya daddy. Othawise ya'd have smacked me 'round a hell a lot at the quarry and would be fightin' Daryl ta get ta me. Ya know I'm right and ya know ya got a damn good man unda all that anga. Ya were a damn soldia! Did ya forget the honor, pride, and dignity that comes with that?" she asked him in her professional voice, the man no longer struggling against Daryl. "I know ya left Daryl ta fend for 'imself a lot and I know that it wasn' 'cause ya don' care for 'im, but 'cause ya would a killed ya damn daddy if ya didn'. Daryl gave me 'nough a the cliffnotes for me ta get a pretty decent picta a the hell ya went through." Merle stood there in stunned silence, looking at Daryl who refused to look at him before Tea finished what she had to say, "Ya don' gotta be like that, Merle."

"Man, I don't need to get my head shrank," Merle said.

"Ya brotha said that, too. Eitha way, it don' matta. What matta's is that now that ya back with family, I ain' lettin' ya keep thinkin' that ya a bad guy or anythin' like that. 'Sides, ya ego definitely needs some deflatin'."

~x~

Glenn was using a piece of chalk to draw a basic sketch of the prison schematics on the floor, huddled between Sophia and Carl, "Now you said you found Tyreese's group here?"

"Yeah, though we can go talk to them if you want to," Sophia said.

"What?"

"They're in the laundry room," she whispered.

"Let's just keep that between us for now," he whispered right back, eyeing the newcomer as she got closer.

"Good idea. But we found them here and there were walkers that looked like they came through here."

"We secured this!"

"He thought he came through here," Carl said, helpfully pointing out a different but connected passage.

"Means there's been another breach," Glenn said thoughtfully. "The whole front of the prison is un-secure. If walkers just stroll in, then it's gonna be cake for a group of armed men."

"Why are we even so sure he's going to attack?" Beth said. "Maybe you scared him off."

"He'll attack," Chrystal said sadly. "He lost his daughter in the attack on Woodbury. She was such a sweet girl."

"His daughter was a walker," Michonne told them coldly, squinting her eyes at the woman who gave her an angry scowl in return; Chrystal couldn't lie with her there. "He had fish tanks full of heads. Walkers and humans. Trophies. He's coming."

"We should hit him now," Glenn said.

"What?" Beth asked.

"He won't know be expecting it. We'll sneak back in and put a bullet in his head," Glenn said.

"We're not assassins," Carol said. "And even if we were, Tea would be the only one even potentially capable of it."

"You know a lot about my sister. Can you tell me what she's been like since you met her? Has she regressed any? Like, not talking or getting distant from people? She always used to do that to make people feel sor-"

"It's none of your business how my sis has been," Sophia interrupted in irritation; she didn't like this woman calling Tea her sister when she was the one Tea called 'sister.' "This is an 'a/b' conversation. Would you be so kind as to 'c' your way out?"

"You know where his apartment is," Glenn told Michonne with a hint of a smile on his face after Chrystal huffed and stomped away. "You and I could end this tonight. I'll do it myself." Michonne looked at him in consideration for a moment before nodding in consent, Glenn nodding back with, "Okay."

"He didn't know you were coming last time and look what happened," Hershel said. He turned to Michonne, "You were almost killed. Daryl and Tea were captured. And you and Maggie were almost executed," he finished turning to Glenn.

"You can't stop me," Glenn said.

"Rick would never allow this."

"You really think he's in any position to make that choice?"

"Tea wouldn't be alright with you going alone, either. She'd want you to wait at least for her."

"She's not here now. We can't always rely on her to make the hard decisions."

"Think this through clearly. T-Dog lost his life here. Lori too. The men that were here. It really isn't worth any more killing. What are we waiting for? If he's really on his way, we should be out of here by now."

"And go where?" Glenn argued.

"We lived on the road all winter," Hershel said.

"Back when you had two legs and we didn't have a baby crying for walkers every for hours," Glenn shot back. "And where would we go for the others to know where to get back to us? They're coming back, so we need to stay."

"We can't stay here," Hershel tried.

"We can't run," Glenn told him. "And Tea wouldn't want us to. We'll stay put. We're going to defend this place. We're making a stand. Carl, you and I will go down to the tombs. We need to figure out where the breach is."

"Got it."

"You'll need some help," Michonne offered.

"No, in case anything happens, I need you out here," looking around he realized everyone except Rick was in the room. "Who's on watch?"

"I can keep watch," Chrystal suggested.

"No, Carol, you and Axel take watch. Michonne, keep an eye on our guest," Glenn said before walking away.

He and Carl suited up in riot gear before going down to the tombs only for them to find them completely overrun and be forced to run back up into the commons. Everything was falling to hell and Rick was outside the prison doing who knew what after he'd run out this morning and Tea and Daryl were gone who knew where. They didn't even know how long it would take for the Dixons to get back to the prison and they were starting to be pinned down by the walkers in the tombs. The rest of the food was down in the cafeteria and now they didn't have a way to get to it without great risk, meaning their own dwindling food supply was all they had if they had to bunker down. It wasn't looking good and Glenn came out of the tombs with Carl with irritation plastered on his face as he threw the riot gear off.

"The tombs outside the boiler room are over run again," he informed everyone.

"That whole section had been cleared!" Beth said as she locked the gate behind them.

"There's a steady stream of walkers," Carl told her.

"We're wasting time," Hershel said. "The Governor's supposedly on the way and we're stuck in here with walkers."

"Trapped between a rock and a hard place," Carol said, side-eyeing Chrystal who was hiding a smile at the situation they were in.

"For the last time, running is not an option," Glenn told them.

"Glenn, if the tombs are filled up again, it may just be a matter of time before they push in here," Carol told Glenn logically.

"Or until some fence gives way," Beth added.

"What if one of them herds is passin' through?" Axel asked. "Or settled?"

"Can't handle that with just the few of us," Carol said.

"We're waiting for sis to come back!" Sophia yelled. "We aren't gonna give up! When sis and Daryl and his brother get back, we'll be able to deal with all of it."

"But the question is, are they coming back?" Chrystal asked, seizing her chance to sow discord. "Titania's not a very reliable person. If the Dixons wanted to stay out there, she'd stay with them and wouldn't fight it."

"You don't know your sister," Glenn said to her. "She'd never abandon her family."

"She already abandoned one family as soon as she could. Who's to say she hasn't already abandoned this place by running off?" Chrystal asked in a worried manner.

"No," Maggie said. "She just needed time to process. Whatever Merle knows, she didn't want anyone to know."

"I can't imagine it's easy being charged with murder so young," Chrystal sighed in understanding, making several lips turn up in disgust; those present at least had picked up on her game.

"We just need to scout the far side of the prison. Find out what's going on," Glenn said, bringing the conversation back to what was important.

"You're going out there?" Hershel asked.

"I'll take a car, make it quick," Glenn said.

"I'll drive," Axel offered.

"No, you stay here. Help with the fortifications. I'll take Maggie," Glenn said.

"You sure she's up to that?" Hershel asked.

Glenn just walked away to check on the woman, leaving the rest of the group to themselves. He talked to Maggie, seemingly making things worse over what happened between her and the Governor in Woodbury. Things had been tense between them and the last thing he had expected was for her to push him out and tell him to go away, hurting even more than when he had walked into their cell. Glenn was starting to feel like a failure as a leader and wondered how Tea had held it together for so long even with all her issues, especially with how many problems she'd had over the winter. She had kept everything together even when she couldn't verbalize what she was thinking when Rick was cracking under the pressure now the Lori had died; he wasn't even able to handle leadership after that for twenty four hours. Glenn couldn't believe that the two of them had managed to be leaders all this time when he was finding it stressful to even get through one day of it on his own, even as he stormed out to the courtyard with Hershel following him.

"You're not going back to Woodbury are you?" he asked as he caught up to Glenn.

"No," Glenn said dejectedly. "I'm just going out there."

"I'll go with you."

"I got it."

"By yourself? How can you possibly think that's a good idea?"

"I can't just sit on my hands and I can't take someone from watch and I can't trust Chrystal enough to leave her without a guard."

"You went on a simple formula run and got the crap beat out of you and Maggie was attacked."

"Are you saying this is my fault?" he asked, suddenly very angry.

"No," Hershel tried.

"I did what I could!"

"I know you did. So does Maggie. She's one of the two people most precious to me in this whole world. I trust you with her life. I still do," Hershel told him. "This rage, it's gonna get ya killed."

"With Daryl and Tea MIA and Rick taking a trip to Crazy-town, I'm the next in charge," Glenn told him.

"What are you proving?"

Glenn didn't answer him, simply got in the truck and drove away, leaving Hershel standing in the courtyard before he scanned the fence line and saw Rick out beyond it. He wondered how soon Tea would get back to help their other leader get through whatever he was dealing with and also deal with the intruder. Tea had warned that there could be a longer psychological break if there was a history, and Rick's family had indeed had a history that skipped a few generations. She was the only one who would be able to help the man get back on track and probably could help them plan whatever counter-attack they could make. Taking a deep breath and sighing, he started making his way down to the fence, spending a decent amount of time getting down there and calling to the man to get his attention.

"You know I wouldn't hobble all the way down here if it wasn't important," he told the man as Rick walked up to the fence. "Are you coming back soon? Glenn's on the warpath. As smart as he is, he can't fill your boots, let alone Tea's. We need one of you, and you're the one that's here. We need you now more than ever."

"If you're so worried about him, you lead," Rick told him.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I've—I've been...I've got...stuff out here," he stuttered and stumbled.

"How much longer do you need?" Hershel asked him.

"I don't know," he said, sounding like a small child, repeating himself twice.

"Anything I can help you with?"

Hershel went to turn away when Rick didn't reply until he said, "I saw something. I saw. Lori. I saw Lori. I'm seeing Lori. Listen, I know it's not really her. But there's gotta be a reason. It's gotta mean somethin' you know. Shane too, in the town."

"Do you see them now?" When the man shook his head no, Hershel said, "You're looking for them."

"I'm waiting."

"For what?"

"I don't know. Something. There's an answer. I know it doesn't make sense. I mean it does. I think it does. I mean, I think in time it will make sense," he said, stumbling over his words.

"Rick?" Hershel called, gaining the man's attention. "Come on in. You need rest. It's not safe out here."

"I can't. I can't," Rick said, walking away from the prison.

Michonne watched the whole conversation from the back of the bus before turning to watch the two inside the courtyard, Carol and Axel standing there and watching the others as well. Gunfire broke out all around them as Michonne saw the Governor standing on the other side of the fence and tried to take aim with the rifle she'd put inside the bus. Carl and Beth managed to take cover behind a cement block as the man in the guard tower fired at Carol hiding behind Axel's fallen body. Maggie came out and called to Beth, handing her a rifle and laying down cover fire for Carol to make it to safety. As the gun fire calmed down, an engine could be heard as a delivery van broke through the gate and into the courtyard, dropping its tailgate as the driver ran out, shooting at Michonne as well. Hershel and Michonne were caught in the courtyard as nearly three dozen walkers poured out of the vehicle with nothing more than a rifle and a sword. They got lucky that Glenn came back up the road with his truck just as the Governor's truck swung around and took off, leaving him shocked at what he was seeing. Not stopping, he drove straight into the field and towards Hershel as Michonne made her way towards the older man, too, sword raised and taking out as many of the walkers in her path as possible. Together, they managed to get Hershel and Michonne into the truck and to the safety of the courtyard above before the walkers managed to break through to the prison.

Rick tried his hardest to help and to get up, but there was very little he could do to help those inside as he was pinned down by gunfire and then attacked by the walkers He was holding three back when one stopped moving, a bolt an inch away from Rick's forehead through the walker's. With a battle cry, Merle came up and shoved a thick branch straight through the skull of the second, and Tea with her knife took out the third as Daryl came into view. Between the four of them, they fought their way back through the gate and up through the field into the courtyard, taking out as many of the walkers in their way as they could. Tea looked absolutely pissed and was cussing up a storm while trying to figure out exactly what had happened in less than twenty four hours that had everyone so spread out to begin with, though she didn't get very far before Sophia ran up and hugged her. Tea sighed and decided there was no use in her anger towards what had happened and decided she needed to direct it at the Governor and the bitch he wanted to hand her to. Several of the others came out with smiles on their faces that Tea and Daryl were back and exchanged some curt welcomes for Merle considering what most of them had either dealt with or heard about the man. Tea was happy to be back with the rest of her family before the bomb was dropped and Rick came out from the commons with someone she never wanted to see again.

"Baby sis!" Chrystal cried as she ran to Tea.

Daryl pulled Tea out of the way before the woman could even touch her and asked, "Rick?"

"It's true. She was in Woodbury. Followed us out after Merle," Glenn answered, nodding to the man in question. "Talked the whole way here about you and your achievements. She made it sound like she really missed you, Tea."

"T? Is that what you go by now? Oh, Titania, do you really hate us that much you won't even use your name?" the girl asked, sounding hurt, though Tea knew damn well the show she was putting on and had no intention of letting her continue.

"Has every right to hate you, bitch," Merle growled out, moving to stand in front of both Tea and Daryl.

Now that he knew who she was, he understood why she always had reacted how she did at the quarry towards Shane and Lori and even towards him. He was an abusive asshole to his blood when he'd hit Daryl and she wouldn't stand for it because of what hers had done to her as such a small child. Merle had even come to the conclusion that she learned how to fight and became as strong as she was in an attempt to make sure nothing ever happened to her again. Her parents always had to find a way to drug her to even try to get her to cooperate with them and somehow she had still managed to always get the upper hand in the end. The girl was stronger than he'd ever been and had stuck it out without getting into trouble her parents didn't have a direct hand in causing, and the bitch standing in front of them had had a hand in every single torment Tea had gone through. Merle still wasn't happy that it was Tea that he had been ready to look for, but damn if he hadn't resolved some time ago to protect Titania if he ever found her and he had.

"Oh, Merle!" Chrystal whined. "Is that how you treat an old friend? And you found your brother! He's quite the looker, just like I thought."

"Stay out of this, Merle. Tea," Rick said, sounding disappointed as Tea brought Daryl behind her, literally growling at Chrystal's ogling of her man. "She's been looking for you everywhere since this all started. Said that there was some sort of dispute and you ran away when you were a teen. Said she's been keepin' an eye out for you even though you kept getting in trouble," Rick said, as if there was a deeper meaning to the words making Tea cock a brow and scowl deeply at him. "Now's not the time for grudges. With Lori, I...I didn't get a chance to make things right. Don't make my mistake."

"Grudges? Fuckin' grudges?!" Tea roared, completely pissed off at what Rick was insinuating. "Don' fuckin' speak a shite ya don' know 'bout, Rick! That bitch ain' got nah business bein' with us! Whateva she's told ya happened, 'twas twisted ta make her look betta or a damn lie ta make it seem like she ain' done shite 'erself yet I'm the crazy and unstable one!"

"It wasn't my fault, Titania! I wasn't the one who wanted those things to happen to you! I stood up for you!"

"Ya ain' stood up for shite! Now get the fuck out a here 'fore I fuckin' lose my shite and toss ya out myself!"

"She's staying, that's final," he told her, giving her a cold glare as Chrystal started fake crying, Tea rolling her eyes at the sound; this was why she hated it and it grated on her nerves every time someone started crying.

"Ta hell with that! Ya want 'er ta stay? Ya can stay in a damn cell locked in solitary with 'er then, Rick! She ain' comin' in with my family!" Tea responded venomously.

"She's already been in the cell block," Carol told her.

"WHAT?!" Tea roared so loud Merle was sure Woodbury had heard her. "Ya wanted ta keep Michonne out 'cause ya didn' know 'er! Threw the convicts in a different cell block! But let in a bitch ya know nothin' 'bout jus' 'cause she tells ya she knows me? Are ya fuckin' out a ya gods damned mind, Rick?! Fuck, am I gonna have ta take control? Is that it? 'Tween ya psychotic break and ya bringin' this sick bitch back and fuckin' lettin' 'er in the cells, I don' trust ya fuckin' judgment anymore! Ya don' even know that bitch and ya think ya can bring 'er back jus' 'cause she knows knows me?! Fuck nah! Even Merle agreed ta wait 'til Glenn and Maggie brought Daryl ta him!"

"That's true," Glenn said sheepishly.

"We didn't even know you had family," Rick tried to reason, not wanting to bother with her quirks anymore.

"Yeah, ya did, Rick. I ain' been shy 'bout not likin' my birth family and have always talked 'bout family bein' more'n jus' sharin' blood! Ya don' even fuckin' know what that sick bitch is capable of! Ya've seen my fuckin' scars!"

"I knew," Sophia told them, still staring at Chrystal with a grimace on her face. "She's just as bad as my daddy was."

"She's mentioned her family a few times, now that I think of it," Maggie said thoughtfully. "It's never been anything good."

"Obviously, I knew," Daryl told him. "I know more'n all a y'all."

"Hell, even I know, more'n any a y'all, and it's all thanks to that little vixen over there," Merle said, pointing at Chrystal.

"I told ya how I view family. She ain' my fuckin' family. My family is 'ere, right 'ere, in this prison. Not some outsida tellin' a sob story ta get my family ta turn on me," Tea told them, looking to Maggie. "Ya asked me ova the winta 'bout my scars. I told ya, my blood gave me 'em. That was fuckin' her, Mags. All them damn tally marks. Those were her! It's how she celebrated my birthday."

"Had no problem tellin' all the bad seeds in Woodbury 'bout all the fucked up shit she'd done. Hell, I thought my daddy was a mean bastard, but I think hers could a taught mine a thing or two. Shit, even Chrystal herself could give him a few lessons! Even the Governor took a page outta her playbook with Maggie!" Merle input, earning him astonished looks before Glenn and Maggie looked at Chrystal in disgust.

"Tea," Rick tried to reason, walking up to her with his hands out as a calming technique. "Whatever grudges you had in the past need to be buried. Don't make the same mistake I did with Lori. Maybe she's changed, maybe you're remembering things wrong. She doesn't seem like the kind of person who could do anything to anyone."

"Fuckin' grudges, Rick?! Again with fuckin' grudges?!" Tea roared all over again as she shoved him harshly, forcing him to stumble back and have to catch his balance. "Ya don' know fuckin' 'er, Rick! And ya gonna regret bringin' 'er back 'ere! She's gonna start shite ya can' even undastand and find a way ta make y'all blame me for it! That bitch'll take pride and pleasure watchin' ya tear me down as ya lift 'er up! And that's 'fore she starts the shite she did as a kid up! It's what she always does! What she's always done! Trust me when I say, ya eva leave us alone, one a us is dead! She'll try 'er damnedest at kill me if she don' get what she wants and is won' be the first fuckin' time she's tried and I sure as shite don' plan on layin' down and takin' it! I die, that blood'll be on your hands, Rick! Hope ya fuckin' happy with ya choice!"

She walked away with Daryl, Merle, Carol and Sophia in tow as Hershel watched her leave, turning back to secretly look at Chrystal. She had a small smirk on her face and a look in her eyes almost like a cat watching a mouse that he did not like at all. Glenn and Maggie were just standing and looking at each other with worried expressions; they had been beginning to question whether they were right not to trust Chrystal right up until the attack. Even Carol had been more worried about Tea than Rick had in that moment and that alone should have told the man all he needed to know about the unwelcome guest in their midst. Rick walked up to Chrystal, who's face morphed from the almost predatory look to pitiful and hurt under Hershel's watchful gaze, and assured her that everything was fine.

"Tea's just difficult sometimes," he told her, walking her into the prison, only to find the cells locked and his keys missing.

"Told ya, the bitch ain' comin' in here," Tea said as she stood on the other side of the bars with a smug look on her face and all three sets of keys in her hands; she wasn't proud of her past as a pick-pocket when she was first on her own, but damn if it wasn't a useful skill. "Take 'er ta the otha cell block if ya insist on keepin' 'er in the prison, but she ain' comin' in here eva. 'Specially not with the baby and Phia. I don' even trust 'er 'round Carl."

"That's enough, Tea," Rick said, completely put out. "She's been in here all day so far!"

"Are ya fuckin' kiddin' me?! Ya right, Rick, that is enough. 'Nough a ya not listenin' when I tell ya shite! She ain' comin' in 'ere so long as I'm in control a this damn prison, Rick," she restated. "There's a reason I didn' tell ya 'bout my kin. Nothin' good eva came from 'em. Ya wanna believe 'er sob story? Fine. But don' 'xpect me ta lie down and take 'er shite like I did as a kid. Ya ain' fuckin' callin' the shots nah more. I don' fuckin' trust ya anymore! I'm takin' ova this non-fuckin'-democracy. Now, I'm goin' ta check on the baby. I find one fuckin' bruise on that child, one fuckin' bruise, Chrys, ya dead."

"She hasn't held the baby," Carol told her. "We haven't left her alone with her, let alone let her touch her."

"Well thank the fuckin' gods at least one a ya has some common fuckin' sense!" Tea growled out before storming further into the cell block, punching a wall in the process.

~x~

Tea stood in the guard tower playing with one of her new knives on watch as she thought about the day she'd had thanks to Rick and that bitch. It still pissed her off to no end that he'd even brought Chrystal back to begin with, let alone kept trying to pressure her to talk to the person who tortured her since the day she was born. She'd sent Daryl back to the cell block when Glenn came out asking for one of them to go handle Merle who was causing everyone to go crazy with his comments and rudeness. It was just Tea, the walkers, and the night breeze as she hoped Chrystal saw the marks she left on Daryl when he'd dragged her out here. He'd left a couple marks on her during their heated make-out session that was cut short by the damn bitch trying to come up and talk to Daryl, who looked just as pissed as Tea felt. The woman had taken to trying to split the two of them up the entire afternoon by trying to go sit on Daryl, touch him, try to keep Tea from getting close to him and just generally being overly clingy with her husband. Merle had been berating Rick and Chrystal the entire day, as well as anyone who tried to get in his way except Tea and Daryl, and even they still got tart words from the man.

She was still livid over the fact that Rick had even bothered bringing the bitch back here, although she he wasn't completely at fault; Chrystal could play a good game. She always pulled the same damn thing to anyone Tea had ever managed to get close to and damn near every time she always managed to get the same results she got from Rick. From what Maggie and Glenn said, Chrystal had sung her praises while throwing in worrying comments about her behavior and something hadn't added up with how they'd perceived her, Michonne standing up for her as well. While the sword wielder wasn't able to tell them much, she was able to tell them that the incident at seventeen was in fact self-defense and that there had been video evidence in her favor. Neither of them, Carol, the kids, nor Hershel ever doubted her and she couldn't help but blame the fact that Rick was still trying to recover from Lori that he'd listened to the lies. Hell, he'd thrown four people out in the blink of an eye as she and the Dixons made their way back, but he'd let Chrystal stay without question. She was standing firm in her decision to take over simply because of that; Rick was in no place to make any decisions regarding the safety of the group.

She just wasn't entirely sure how she wanted to do it. Ultimately, the control had to be left in her hands, but knowing the opinions of others was important. With how small the group was now, that was easy enough. But what happened if they expanded? What would happen if they ended up with a large group like Woodbury? Did she really want to bear sole responsibility for that many people? Perhaps setting up some kind of council would be the best way to govern, similar to the House and Senate. She could still be the presiding leader, but the entire burden wouldn't be hers alone. Tea was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the door to the guard tower open, nor sense the presence behind her. All she felt was a hard whack to her left shoulder, forcing her to drop Jewel. What is it with me and me left lately? she thought to herself as she stumbled and turned around. Chrystal stood with a wicked grin on her face and a metal bar in her hand. How the hell she'd managed to get out of the commons when the door was locked was beyond her. Tea was extremely surprised that the woman was already trying to do this; she was sure that Chrystal would wait until she'd gotten everyone in the group to trust her instead of Tea.

"Rick was kind enough to let me come have some time with my baby sister to make things right," Chrystal said with a grin. "Of course, he's the only one who sympathizes me." Her voice went sing-songy, "Tragic how his wife but oh so good for me. He even gave me weapons!" She started laughing like a hyena, "The rest actually fucking trust you! Who would have thought?! They actually think of you as one of theirs! The person who's been killing all her life and they think you're some great leader! It's laughable! And Daryl, mmmm, that fine hunk of a man. The things I am gonna do to him, with him. I'm gonna have fun breaking a stallion like him. I can tell. He's like you; a scared little child that can't fight back," she snarled. "I can't wait to carve him up while forc-"

Chrystal didn't get a chance to finish what she was saying before Tea began to strike, her anger taking complete control over her strength while her mind remained focused on the task at hand. Raising her leg high, she brought her heel straight down in an ax kick to the taller woman's shoulder, a feat truly worthy of her skills as her sister was a foot taller than her, forcing Chrystal to drop the bar she was carrying. Bringing her leg back to the ground, she stepped in close with a right hook, connecting with her jaw before delivering a spinning elbow strike to the other side of her head. Chrystal was completely taken back by the onslaught of the woman's attack, but that didn't stop her from pushing forward with her shoulder and knocking her sister off balance. Unable to feel anything in her good arm, Chrystal pulled the knife she was given out and lunged down at Tea. If Tea had not been as flexible and agile as she was, Chrystal would have killed her right then and there as the woman had aimed at her heart only for Tea to twist and make it land in her shoulder. Chrystal ripped the knife back out, but had no time to aim another blow before Tea delivered a haymaker to the side of her face. It knocked her off the smaller woman, who rolled the opposite direction.

They both got to their feet, Chrystal thinking she could get the upper hand by grabbing a hold of the back of Tea's head with both hands, only for the action to be responded in kind, aside from Tea using the momentum to deliver a Muay Thai diagonal knee strike which broke Chrystal's hold. How her sister managed to pull a knife out in the time it took her to let go of Tea's hair, she wasn't sure, but Chrystal made damn sure to slam it into her thigh right after receiving the blow. Tea cried out from the feeling of her muscle being sliced open, but didn't let it stop her as she stepped up into her sister's personal space and delivered three quick back-fist blows to her side. Chrystal stumbled back while removing her blade from her younger sister's leg before regaining her balance and kicked at the stab wound. The position of the wound and the aim of the kick sent Tea reeling a couple steps back as Chrystal stepped up and stabbed her low along her pelvis, right above her left inner hip bone. Tea grabbed the woman's hand and ripped it away from her, the knife coming along, twisting her wrist until the knife was dropped and Tea kicked it away.

"Dammit! You never used to be this difficult! Why don't you just die already?!" she shrieked at Tea as she pulled away.

Tea didn't waste any time with words as she delivered superman punch to the woman's face, effectively shutting her up by breaking her jaw. Having officially knocked the woman off balance, Tea took her finishing stance and stepped up, delivering a bone-breaking right kick to her sister's side before returning her leg behind her. Immediately pushing up with her left leg when her right foot hit the ground, Tea used all her strength in a push kick, making Chrystal fall against the railing of the guard tower. As soon as her left foot fell flat on the floor, she was jumping up with her left knee forward and lifted her right leg in mid air to use the momentum for a powerful push kick that landed right in the middle of her sister's chest. She heard the bones crunch right before the scream that sounded as Chrystal went over the railing, landing hard before crumbling in a heap. Tea's breathing was coming out labored and she knew she was losing a lot of blood as her legs gave out beneath her, her strength spent making sure she'd survive against the bitch. She struggled to get to her knees only to collapse all over again, barely able to roll over so she could breath, her vision blurring as she thought to herself, I gotta stop doin' this.

"Oh my God! Tea! Get Hershel!" she could hear Glenn call as she fully passed out.

Glenn, Rick, and Maggie ran towards the guard tower after Merle and Daryl, who had started there as soon as they'd heard Glenn yelling. They could see the heap in the yard in front of the guard tower, the brothers running as fast as they could and only breathing a sigh of relief when they saw it wasn't Tea. But the fact that it wasn't Tea had them even more worried as Daryl threw open the door to the tower and booked it up the stairs two at a time with Merle right behind him doing the same. The others made it to the tower about the time Merle started cussing loud enough for Woodbury to hear before coming to the side and yelling down threats as he and Daryl burst through the door. There was blood spattered on the floor and several walls, the obvious signs of a struggle, both a knife and a metal bar thrown on the floor, the knife stained in blood as well. It wasn't hard to find the main source of the blood as they found Tea laying by the railing in a pool of the stuff, Daryl immediately going to her side and picking her up, both Dixon's running back down the stairs.

Merle sucker punched Rick in the face as soon as they were out of the guard tower and angrily told him, "If she dies, Sheriff, it's on your hands!"

Tea had blood pouring down her arm and leg and Daryl was covered in it along his stomach and arms as he carried her towards the prison. Merle was hot on his heels as Rick heard the gargling behind him that signified a walker, turning around only to pull his knife and jam it into Chrystal's head over and over again as he practically screamed his frustration. The woman had played on his guilt and grief and he had betrayed one of his best friends and family member for a woman he didn't know, one that everyone else knew was bad news. They had tried to tell him that Tea wouldn't want her here, they had tried telling him not to trust her, not to let her stick around, and he hadn't listened. Tea had warned him of what would happen if they were left alone together and he still allowed Chrystal to go out to the watch tower to talk to her sister by herself. It was all his fault, and the guilt consumed him as he slowly walked up to the prison and simply sat on the steps of the cell block with his head in his hands.