Newly Revised
Daryl pulled up next to the silos as Hershel and Rick stopped their car next to them, all of them having their weapons ready just in case. Tea, Daryl, and Rick worked their way around past the silos to wanting to avoid going straight to the assigned building while Hershel kept a lookout, double checking his own hidden gun. Daryl took the lead with his crossbow up and at the ready as they quickly and quietly moved towards the broken down buildings, making their way around the back of the dilapidated barn. They moved pretty quickly until Daryl slowed, noticing a walker that was already laying on the ground dead. Daryl checked to make sure that it was a fresh kill while she and Rick moved on ahead, Tea keeping to his back. They motioned for Daryl to head around the back of the building while they slowly made their way through the door in front of them. Quietly moving forward and keeping a lookout for their surroundings, Rick cocked his pistol as they heard a noise coming from ahead of them. Slowly, they continued into the center of the building where, on a raised platform, a table and two chairs sat. The man had clearly expected a one on one chat but that wasn't going to happen, at least not with her, unless absolutely necessary. Merle and Daryl both had been adamant about that and even Glenn and Maggie had asked her to be careful and not let the Governor get too close. She had promised that she wouldn't even though she knew there was a slight chance she would have to. Rick wasn't entirely in a position to tell truth from lies and the Governor undoubtedly knew now that he was a widower.
When the Governor walked out of the shadows slowly, Tea could see the calculations going off in his head and watched carefully as he made his way into the light. He raised his hands upon seeing their weapons, Rick's ready to fire but at his side while she raised her Glock to conveniently point right at his remaining eye. He huffed a laugh and kept the smile on his face, but it did absolutely nothing for the Sheriff's deputy and forensic psychologist. They just continued staring until the smile fell from his face and his hands being up in surrender turned into one that went up in a shrug before he just dropped them altogether. He knew that they weren't about to let their guard down and Tea could see the almost boredom on the man's face as he started his spiel.
"We have a lot to talk about," he told Rick, completely ignoring Tea, just like she'd said he would.
"Then talk," Tea told him. "I ain' got all day."
"I'm here to talk to him, sweetheart, not you," the Governor said.
"Well, too damn bad," she shot right back as she realized that his plan all along was to get Rick alone. "I'm Tea and the one ya gonna talk ta if ya want anythin' good ta come a this meetin'. Y'all attacked us first and then came for retribution when we took back what was ours from ya. People were lost and injured on both sides 'fore ya came ta the prison. All ya did was showboat and peacock, tryin' ta prove ya got big sacks. Mine're bigga."
"I could've killed you all, but I didn't," he said smugly.
"Cute. Ya think I'm goin' ta fall for that? The whole, 'Ya should be thankful I let ya live' trope?" she asked with a laugh. "Hell nah. Been there, done that, not intarested in doin' it again. The only reason ya didn' kill us straight away was 'cause that'd be too damn easy and would kill ya fun. Merle told me all 'bout ya inna circle. Shame Chrys ain' there ta entatain ya no more."
"She did say you were extremely smart. You're right. It would be no fun to just do away with you. How's Chrystal doing by the way? She enjoying her stay at the prison?"
"Took 'er a single day ta try ta kill me. She got what she deserved," Tea told him with no emotion in her voice, face, or eyes.
"And here we are," Rick finished.
"How'd she die?" Philip asked as he considered Rick's words.
"Like I said, she tried ta kill me, so I kicked 'er off the side a the guard towa. I don' take kindly ta threats ta my family, let alone my man," she told him.
He considered her words before moving his hands towards his belt, causing both Rick and Tea to tense up. Rick brought his gun to aim at the man while Tea took a single step forward, ready to dodge and then attack if need be. He held up his hands once again in surrender before he smiled briefly at them, clearly trying to make it look like he wasn't a threat. Tea had to admit that if he used the facade he was on anyone else, they would have a hard time seeing through it. Michonne had been right about him being a charmer and her was trying to use that charm to cover up his less than desirable qualities. He was really good at it, too, every word and sentence used to either feign concern or take control.
"I'm gonna remove my weapon," he told them, Tea noticing as Daryl peaked up through a window just behind the man. "Show that I mean to negotiate in good faith. I'd like you to do the same. May I?"
Tea shrugged as Rick gestured with his gun as to say whatever, neither really even blinking so they could watch his every move. He slowly reached for his weapon before pulling it out of the holster and placing it on the hook behind him. He moved with determined actions as they watched him with wary eyes, Daryl ducking back down right before he'd turned. It was rather plain to see that he was trying to play the part of a good leader as he turned back around, a sickening grin back on his face. She could feel shivers running down her spine at that grin since it was a mimicry of what she had seen on her family's faces every time they came up to her.
"See? No trouble," he said, smiling wider and raising his hands.
"We'll see," Tea said. "Keep 'im steady, Rick."
Slowly, she lowered to one knee and looked under the table hoping he wouldn't be so stupid as to try to pull a fast one over on them. Yet sure enough, a rifle had been taped at the perfect height to blow the stomach off of whoever sat in the chair opposite of the Governor. His lips rose into a scowling sneer as she brought it out and placed it behind Rick, clearly thinking he had been smart with that little move. Of course he would try something idiotic like that being the first person to get here but he obviously had underestimated her. That trope had been done in almost every criminal or shoot out style drama and action flick that she'd ever seen and was the whole reason she'd even bothered to check.
"Any otha tricks up ya sleeve?" she asked a bit cockily; he'd thought he was being smart with that, but he got here first.
"Alright, you got me," he said. "Still, I'm now completely unarmed. Now you."
Rick continued staring at the man as Tea placed her gun and machete down on the same crate she'd set the rifle, essentially claiming it as retribution for him even trying to pull that stint to begin with. After she had her visible weapons down, Rick chose to simply holster his gun so that he could have quick access to it. Tea had been given a new throwing knives by Rick that he'd found with Morgan and had put some in one boot and the rest in the other, the sheaths connected to the top of her boots. She also had a pair of daggers, actual fucking daggers that Michonne had given her, in sheaths under her shirt on her back. She was more than armed and prepared for whatever the man in front of them would pull especially since she would definitely be faster at getting to her weapons than he would.
"Suit yourself," the Governor said as he took a seat, gesturing for one of them to do the same.
They opted to stand instead of sitting while silence fell almost deafeningly around them as they all stared at each other. Tea began putting together a better analysis of the man's mental state while she stood watching him, waiting for him to try to pull something. She could already see the narcissistic personality disorder, a superiority complex, borderline personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder written as plain as day through his behaviors, mannerisms, and way of speech. This guy was an outright psychopath by the very definition of the word. He gave no thoughts for others, was a master manipulator and liar if Merle was to be believed, and he didn't care about the rights of others, either. If this man did not die by the time this war ended, he would come back again and again until he got what he wanted. She could tell he didn't want the prison just from how confident he was and the fact that he'd been playing good Samaritan by not killing them all. The man wanted them all dead so that they couldn't challenge him or make something like what he'd built at Woodbury.
"What's going on here?" Andrea's voice rang out from beside them as more light shown into the building.
"Nothin'," Philip told her. "Your friends aren't much for small talk."
"Tea's not much for talking at all if she doesn't have to," Andrea said, earning a rather seething look from Tea for sharing details about her.
"You wanna talk, talk like I told ya ta earlia," Tea told him.
"I wanted you to talk," Andrea replied. "Too many people have died for no reason. Let's end this. Save the bullets for the real threat. We can solve this. That's why I asked you to come here," she tried reasoning with the three in the room.
"I know what you've done," Rick told him. "I heard about the raids, the heads, Maggie. I heard it all."
"Merle did that," he said dismissively.
"The hell 'e did! That was all you," Tea spat out venomously.
"You know what we're talking about," Rick insisted.
"You know all about me and I know all about you," Philip said nonchalantly, missing the look of horror on Andrea's face. "I don't care about any of that. We're here to move forward."
The two just continued to stare at the man as he sat pretty in his chair while Andrea tried to play peacemaker, "Look, I've known all of you at different times, but only after the world went to shit. And you all stepped up for the good of others at great personal risk. There's no reason-"
"Get to it," Philip said impatiently, cutting her off.
Rick through a map down on the table, "Woodbury sticks west of the river, the prison takes east. No one crosses, no one trades."
"He's right," Andrea said. "We should hammer out boundaries, then leave each other-"
"I'm sorry, but what is this?" Philip once again cut her off.
"It's a solution," Andrea told him.
He laughed and tossed the map back on the table, "Absolutely not."
"Told ya he ain' gonna listen, Andrea. Jus' puffary and showin' off our cocks," Tea told the blonde. "Easiest, cleanest, nicest solution where everyone gains and nah one loses, but 'e ain' goin' ta take it 'cause 'e's got a tiny dick and thinks 'e can make up for it by showin' jus' how big and bad 'e can be. Too bad I'm bigga and badda. I already got ya game, Philip," she said with a cocky smirk.
"You told us he was willing to talk," Rick told Andrea angrily.
"I am, but the truth is, Rick, these ladies are really in no position to talk," he told the man.
"Excuse me? I'm primary leada a the prison. Rick's my backup, not the otha way 'round," Tea told him. "Ya ain' pullin' ya 'man' card 'ere, asshole. I know exactly what ya want, and the answa is nah. We ain' fuckin' surrenderin' and ya ain' gonna win against us. Ya ain' got the balls big enough ta even try."
"You think we hit Woodbury heavy last time?" Rick asked him.
"Just take it easy, alright?" Andrea said, trying to take control of the situation. "We're here to settle this."
"You're right," the Governor suddenly said to Andrea. "Would you girls take a step outside?"
"What?" came the reply from both of them.
"Rick and I, we got a lot to talk about."
"I'm not leaving," Andrea said.
"We didn' come ta talk ta ya, Andrea. We came ta talk ta the Gov'na. I ain' steppin' out. This is my call, not Rick's."
"Then why don't Rick step out with Andrea?" the man said.
"Think I'm stupid or somethin'? Ya almost raped Maggie and I put my bow down in good faith like ya wanted. I ain' dumb enough ta take that chance," she told him straight.
"Well, I'm only talking to one of you, so one has to go," he said haughtily, knowing Titania would be the one to leave as he smiled triumphantly.
That smile told Tea all she needed to know about what the man thought was going to happen and she refused to let it. As expected, he was going to try to use Rick's loss against him in an attempt to bring about a solution that he wanted and would most likely revolve around some type of revenge. She wasn't sure if it was Merle or Michonne he wanted revenge against since they both had done something to anger him but she'd be damned before she gave either one to him. If she did, the person would be dead within a fortnight and tortured the entire time until it happened.
"Fine," she said, a smile of her own plastered on her face. "Rick, leave."
"You promised," he told her quietly.
"I know, but I don' trust ya judgment dealin' with an douche like him," she reasoned while staring down at the Governor who's face was contorted in shock. Leaning in close to Rick she whispered, "Man's a psychopath, let me handle it." Once again returning her attention to the Governor, she sat down as she said, "Told ya, I'm the leada. Ya want ta talk, want ta negotiate? Ya talk ta the one who knows when ta call bullshite and not the one ya can fool."
They sat there watching each other for a minute, considering each other as his eyes showed that he was trying to come up with a new plan. There was no doubt in Tea's mind that he was thinking she was going to either be some pushover who would comply to his demands due to what Chrystal had told him. It was either that or he would try to take advantage of her past against her to make her vulnerable enough to persuade. Either way, she was completely on her guard against the man sitting in front of her as the silence continued. There was no way she was going to let him get under her skin or crack her composure with whatever tricks he would pull.
"So, ya the Gov'na, the man my sista got off tellin' my life to and then bumped uglies with. I can see why she liked ya. Psychopaths tend ta like people who think like them, afta all," she started with the pleasantries.
"That's their term, not mine," he laughed.
"Which one? Psychopath or 'Governa'?" she asked sweetly.
"You sure do talk a big game for someone who was so absolutely worthless as a child."
"Even coal comes out a diamond when put unda too much pressa," she responded. "Don' really matta anyway. We're both leadas. We both got responsibilities ta the people who look ta us ta lead and protect 'em. Hell, Merle was ya right hand man for the longest time, and 'e's damn good at bein' a soldia."
"You're right. He was helpful, yeah."
"Ya knew 'e was who he was. Knew 'e'd been abused, too. But ya blame 'im for scoopin' up Glenn and Maggie when 'e was jus' tryin' ta get back ta Daryl. That was ya man, Martinez was 'is name? Not Merle. So try again."
"I was tryin' to sort it out when you attacked."
"Bullshite. Ya forced Maggie ta take 'er shirt and bra off and felt 'er up at the threat a takin' Glenn's hand. Ya can' pawn off ya responsibility onta otha people when I already know what ya did. Thought bein' a leada, ya'd at least take a bit a responsibility. Can' even do that properly."
"And here I thought you were a forensic psychologist, not a lawyer."
"Surprisin'ly enough, bein' a forensic psychologist is a lot like bein' a lawya, 'xcept I can read people a whole lot betta. Ya the basic definition a a psychopath. Ya got nah empathy, take nah responsibility, manipulate and use people for ya own gains and desires with nah regards ta their safety. Ya don' care 'bout the rights a ya citizens and lie constantly. Hell, ya been lyin' this whole damn time 'bout everythin' and somehow Andrea still can' fuckin' see through ya manipulative bullshite."
"I told you, I'm their leader."
"Ya the fuckin' town lunatic that spends 'is night at the bar and 'is days screamin' the world's endin' at anyone who'll listen," she countered. "Ya stumbled 'round doin' whateva ya want, breakin' my fence and destroyin' my yard jus' 'cause ya could, nothin' more, nothin' less. Ya nah damn leada."
"Didn't you ever misjudge someone?"
"Once, and it was more a lapse a rationality on their part than a misjudgment on mine."
"That's right, Chrystal told me about Jessica, or should I say Jesse? You adopted her as your big sister when you left home. Then she stabbed you in the back for going off on her boyfriend. Almost charged you with assault and battery. Such a shame," he said, trying to get under her skin; it worked, but not in the way he expected. "She ever manage to find time to play with Merle's brother?"
"Fuck nah. Minute she threatened 'im was the minute she was dead. And if she had gotten a hold a him, ya would be the one ta pay for it. I think the most poetic revenge would be lettin' ya die by cuttin' ya dick off and stuffin' it in ya mouth ta be the first thing ya eat when ya turn. Afta all, it was 'er favorite play toy, and if she ruined mine, I'll gladly ruin 'ers in a worse fashion," she said with the devilish smirk everyone at the prison feared.
The man chuckled at her words, although it sounded forced and his face had paled before an impregnated pause ensued until he beat a drum on the table, exclaiming, "I brought whiskey."
"And I don' drink," she fibbed.
"Come now, whiskey used to be a favorite of yours. You drank it through a year and a half of college, even though you weren't old enough to get it. That friend of yours would get it for you to help you quit cutting. Ain't that right?"
"And that's the exact reason I don' drink now," she persisted.
The man ignored her and got up to get two glasses and a tumbler of liquor, placing one in front of her as he sat down and spoke, "I care about my people and I don't take their deaths lightly and I know you don't either. In a way, this fight, it's a failure of leadership."
"On ya part, not ours. Ya were the leada and ya should a let our people go ratha than takin' 'em hostage. I did what I had ta as the leada a my people and made the call ta rescue 'em. We lost two good people in the process, but y'all lost nine, at least. We may not have the numbas or the guns ta go against ya, but we got the skills and the tactical advantage. Hell, I doubt anyone in ya town knows close quarters combat, self-defense, or martial arts, but the people a my camp do. One a mine is worth ten a ya's at least, and ya don' got the numbas ta make up for the lack a experience, trainin', and know how. Ya the one who has failed ya people, not me. So ya can take that 'failure a leadaship' shite and shove it up ya dirty-ass brown eye. All ya got ta do is leave us alone and we'll leave ya alone, easy peasy pumpkin squeazy."
"Well now, that would be an even bigger failure," he said, sipping his glass while she didn't even look at hers.
"How so? Ya say ya care 'bout ya people. Care 'bout their deaths. Ya don' want 'em ta die, right? Stay on ya side a the riva and we'll stay on ours. No more death ta be had."
"You moved into our backyard. You shot up Main Street. If I let that threat persist, I look weak, and, well, the whole thing crumbles," he said, gesturing dismissively with his hands.
"Or ya tell 'em the truth. Ya were holdin' some a our people for questionin' and we found out 'bout it. Came ta get our hostages from ya. Big misundastanin' on all parts and ya bein' the benevolant man ya are found it in ya heart ta leave well enough alone ta protect the people left so they didn' have ta fight a bloody war," she countered. "Ya makin' it seem like there's only one route ta go when that's simply not the case. Ya got a perfect fuckin' solution danglin' in front a ya and ya refuse ta take it. Damn, the fuckin' narcissism that rolls off ya in waves."
"You chose to come here," he told her. "Isn't that why we're here? Choice?"
"Nah, I was 'ere ta try and come ta peaceful terms, but I see that ain' happenin', even if I give inta whateva cockamamie demands ya gonna give," she told him, earning her an unamused look.
"If we choose to destroy everything we've fought for over the past year, we're gonna kill everyone we know. At your prison. Back in Woodbury. People we love, Titania," he said, Tea having to seriously school her face as to not give away that that name alone could get under her skin. "You're hunter out there, Merle back at the prison. All of them, dead," he said before sitting back and reminiscing, making her internally roll her eyes at his attempt to provoke empathy from her. "I was at work one day taking shit from a boss half my age and an IQ even lower. And the phone rang. My wife had been in an accident. 'Sorry Mr. Blake, we did everything we could,'" he said quickly. "I sat there holding that phone, knowing that I would never see her again." He snapped his fingers in demonstration, "Gone. It was just an accident. No one's fault. She had left a voicemail asking me to call her, but I had yet to. I sat there clutching that phone thinking, 'What did she want?' Just to check in?" he said before smiling ruefully. "Ask me to pick something up for dinner? What did she want?"
"If that's supposed ta make me feel empathy, it don'. Rick might a toasted ya on that. He lost 'is wife not too long ago, and I'm sure ya already knew 'bout that thanks ta Andrea's big fuckin' mouth. Someone else attacked us and we lost a third a our group, 'is wife included. That's when 'is baby girl was born. We gained two more, then ya killed 'em. Now we got anotha two more, but ya got the otha two a that group 'cause they wanted ta take the prison and the two we got are quite protective a the babe. As for me," she paused and smirked at him, going over to her gun and put it back in her holster before grabbing the rifle and held it in her hands. "Ya depraved 'nough ta get ya rocks off listenin' ta stories a a liddle girl gettin' abused in almost every way, starved, neglected, tortured. Losin' ya wife might a been the catalyst ta that, but I think ya'd be like that anyway once the world turned. This world was made for the people like us. The people that do what it takes ta survive. Only thing is, it ain' a fight for survival on ya part. It's jus' a fight. And in a fight, it's the one fightin' for survival that's bound ta win. Thanks for the gift, by the way."
She watched as he got up and walked a little ways away, "You know, the truth is I didn't want any of this. They chose me because there was nobody else around. And they still think I'm the man that can keep them safe," he chuckled. "They still think I know what I'm going." He retrieved his belt holster and began putting it on. "I know you don't have the guns. Went on a run the other day and still got nothin' for your troubles. Now, my people, they're not combat tested like yours are, but I've got more of them. So this fight, it will go down to the last man. So let's end it. Today. Let's not do this. We can walk away."
"Sounds good, stay ta the west a the riva, we'll stay ta the east," she tried again, though quite cheekily knowing he wasn't going to go for it.
He chuckled, "You have something that I want. One thing that'll make this all alright," he said as he walked back up to the table.
"Yeah, like I said, we ain' goin' anywhere, so the prison is a nah go for nothin'."
"No," he chuckled. "No, no, I don't want the prison. It doesn't sound safe at all. I mean, Rick lost his wife, another man. Best you stay where I can keep my one good eye on you," he told her before taking off his eye patch, showing her the scar. "I want Michonne. Turn her over and this all goes away. Is she worth it? One woman, worth all those lives at your prison? Is she?"
She laughed at him then, outright and loud, "If Rick had stayed, he might a consida'd ya words. But ya know what I think? I think when it comes down ta it, ya'll take Michonne and kill whoeva brings 'er in, then kill everyone at the prison anyway. Like I said, ya a psychopath. I don' trust a damn word out a ya mouth. Ya good at the manipulation game, but Chrys was a thousand times betta. Ya couldn' make me believe ya if ya cured a walka right in front a me. I mean, ya obviously got big plans and nothin' I say or do is gonna change 'em, so why the puffery?"
"You could save your man. His brother. The baby. Everyone you know. It's your choice. You can have everything you want. You think about it. Two days. I'll be here at noon," he said, ignoring her question, before getting up and walking out of the building.
Tea stayed where she was for a moment before following after him and assessing the situation outside, noticing Daryl's grimace as she did. No one said anything as the Woodbury people loaded into their vehicles, the prison people going to theirs. There had been no solution made and no solution was even going to be made thanks to how the man behaved. All they could do was to return to their homes and wait for the final confrontation. With that in mind, Tea walked over to Andrea who looked lost and put a hand on the woman's bicep.
"There's room in Rick's car," she told her, the bad feeling she got settling in her gut growing with every second. "Last chance, Andrea. Ya won' make it back othawise. The man's a psychopath."
"I can't abandon the town," she simply said before walking to the Governor's truck as Daryl pulled the bike up in front of Tea.
~x~
Daryl came back around the silos as Hershel drove up and informed him, "He's already in there. Sat down with 'em."
"I don't see any cars," Hershel said.
"It don't feel right. Think Ania feels it too. Hand keeps twitching to her back. Keep it running," he said.
It wasn't a moment later that a car came into view, spurring Daryl into action as he raised his crossbow to take aim at whoever came out. He gave Hershel a warning before going to stand in front of the car when the truck came to a stop in front of them. The guy he recognized as having roughed Ania up stepped out, along with some nerd looking dude and Andrea. At least they had kept to what they'd agreed to and only brought the two people they were told as Andrea was supposed to be there to help with negotiations. Still, the fact that the Governor was here early combined with the lack of vehicles was concerning given the agreement they initially had.
"What the hell?" he asked her angrily. "Why's your boy already in there?"
"He's here?"
"Yup," Daryl responded.
She just walked away and made her way into the building while Daryl took to pacing in front of their car as everyone else stood around. The nerd guy was writing in a journal of all things, which just made Daryl even antsier because the man was just too calm. Hershel was getting agitated as well as he watched Daryl pace and the younger man write. The entire atmosphere around both vehicles was thick with tension while they all eyed each other up. Hershel could see Daryl becoming increasingly worried as he paced and knew that his worry would quickly turn into anger if the situation changed.
"Maybe I should go inside," he suggested.
"The Governor thought it best if he and Rick spoke privately," the writing man spoke up, looking away from his journal.
"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked none too friendly.
"Milton Mamet," the man said.
"Great, he brought his butler," Daryl quipped.
The other man from Woodbury laughed as Milton corrected, "I'm his advisor."
"What kind of advice?" asked Daryl.
"Planning. Biters. You know, I'm sorry. I don't feel like I need to explain myself to the henchmen," he said rather snarkily.
"You better watch your mouth sunshine," Daryl said. "That's my girl in there."
"Look," the Latino said, "if you and I are gonna be out here pointing guns at each other all day, do me a favor. Shut your mouth."
Daryl walked right up to the man and stared him down ready to bash his head in just for talking to him let alone what he'd done to Ani. It was his girl in there with a dangerous man, his girl who was in immediate danger, his girl that was taking the risks. This punk was nothing but a thorn in his side that he would love nothing more than to run through with his buck knife. If it hadn't been for Hershel trying to break it up by reasoning with them, he very well might have taken a swing.
"We don't need this. If all goes south in there, we'll be at each other's throats soon enough."
Daryl walked backwards slowly toward their car, the other man smiling as he did so, causing him to scowl back. Even after a week and a half, almost two weeks, he was still pissed and ready to fire an arrow in the man's eye. He could even picture it happening, wanting to recreate every bruise he'd found on Ani's body when they'd gotten back to the prison on the man. She'd had a shiner on her face and so many on her torso he wasn't sure where one began and the other ended. Ani being inside the room with Rick as her only backup made him want to pound the man into the ground all the more. He got even more antsy when Andrea and Rick both came out, leaving Ani alone in the storage shed with the Governor.
"The fuck you think you're doin'?" he angrily yelled at Rick.
"She told me to leave, so I left. Doesn't trust me enough to deal with the Governor she said," the man replied.
"Must have her reasons," Hershel said in an attempt to calm the fuming hunter down. "You know Tea would never break a promise unless she had to."
"Said he's a psychopath, so it must be somethin' to do with her field," Rick acknowledged. "She knows what she's doin'."
"That's beside the point. Whole reason for you comin' with us was to be in there 'stead a her if this happened," Daryl growled out, angrier than ever and eyes trained on the figures inside the shed before they disappeared as the Latino closed the door.
Daryl sighed as he paced back and forth, the sight was getting to Hershel and Martinez had already commented about it. But wearing a path on the ground was the only thing keeping him from marching over to the doors and banging them open to pull Ani out and take her back to the prison. She'd promised, she'd agreed, she wouldn't stay in the room alone with the man and she broke it so easily. In the rational portion of his mind, he knew that it was because she had picked up on something she deemed only she could deal with in the man's psyche and that she'd told them she wouldn't stay unless she had to. The illogical, rage fueled portion of his brain was on an eternal tangent about how the stupid girl was so quick to break one of the first promises she'd made to the group as a whole. He huffed another sigh as Milton walked over with his stupid book to talk to them.
"There's no reason not to use this time we have together to explore the issues ourselves," he offered.
"Boss said to sit tight and shut up," Martinez told him.
"Don't you mean the Governor?" Daryl sneered back at him.
"It's a good thing that they're sitting down, especially after what happened," Milton told them, getting the topic back on track. "They're gonna work it out. Nobody wants another battle."
"I wouldn't exactly call it a battle," Daryl smirked.
"I would call it a battle and I did," Milton told him, holding up his journal. "I recorded it."
"You wrote it down?" Rick asked.
"Of course," he said. "Somebody's gotta keep a record of what we've gone through."
"Well, make sure that record of yours shows that Tea's the one who killed most of your people. Wanna get the record straight, she's a killing machine," Rick told him seriously.
"Yes, the autistic. She was quite," he cleared his throat at the memory of what the men had reported to the Governor about the woman he was currently negotiating with, "intriguing. Her story, her life. And now she's leading your group. I would love to have a chance to sit down and talk with her."
"That ain't happenin'," Daryl told him. "So don' even ask."
"It'll be a part of our history, though," he argued, really wanting to talk to the woman who was a walking mystery.
"That makes sense," Hershel told him with a nod of her head. "But Tea's as likely to talk to you as she is to try to turn you to our side. She's compelling to those who think using logic. You may find you do not like what she has to say."
"I've done dozens of interviews, and-"
Milton's words were cut off by the loud sound of growling and metal clanking against each other in the distance, his face going pale. Daryl told Rick to stay with Hershel in case Ani came out and ran towards the sound along with Andrea and Martinez. Andrea had a pocket knife bringing in the rear, Martinez had a baseball bat at center, and Daryl held his crossbow taking up the front. There were several walkers coming towards them between the silos that he could easily take out by himself. His sites were trained on the closest one, but rather than take the shot, he lowered his weapon and gestured to Martinez.
"After you," he told the man.
"No way, you first," he said, pointing with his baseball bat.
Andrea rolled her eyes and made her way between the two posturing men and, with a battle cry, took out the first walker. Martinez looked at Daryl and called him a pussy before moving in with his baseball bat. After a rather spectacular swing that split the walkers head right open, he looked back at Daryl with a cocky smirk on his face, expecting some sort of reaction. All Daryl did was shrug before making his way forward and shooting the third walker. Andrea sighed and walked away as the two began peacocking around each other while Martinez swung his bat like a pair of nunchucks before taking out another. He continued forward as two more walkers shambled up, but Daryl fired his bow at the first one, his arrow going straight through and sticking out of the neck of the walker just behind it. As Martinez went to take a swing at the thing, Daryl carefully balanced his hunting knife and threw it, sinking it deep in the walker's forehead. It was Martinez who ended the dust up with an impressed look, even though he'd been trying to show off himself. The two men nodded to each other, Martinez going first, in a silent truce before Daryl walked over to the last walker he'd fallen. Digging through his pockets, he found a half box of smokes and held them up.
"Look what he's got," he told Martinez, sticking one in his mouth and offering the man one.
"Nah, prefer menthols," he said.
"Douchebag," Daryl said around the butt of the cigarette, digging into his back pocket for the zippo Ani had given him after he lost the first one when they'd been together for about six months, and lighting the stick. "You army or something?" he asked Martinez.
"Nah, I just- I just hate these things," the man told him. "Yeah, after what they did, to my wife...kids."
"Sucks," he said.
"Thanks," he said. "You know, your girl, he's going to save her for last. Her sister, she told us a lot about how much that girl can take. He's gonna break her. I follow my orders just so he doesn't try to break me. I've seen what he does when he breaks people. Chrystal gave him pointers."
"Why are you tellin' me this?" Daryl growled out, his anger coming back at the fact that Ani was alone in the room with the Governor.
"'Cause this is a joke," Martinez told him. "They ain't gonna work anything out. Sure, they'll do their little dance, and tomorrow, next day, they'll give the word."
"I know," Daryl told him, Merle already having said the same thing at the prison.
"Hey," the man said, gesturing to the pocket where he'd had stashed the smokes, Daryl offering one to him.
~x~
Merle was antsy as he watched all the people back at the prison loading guns and couldn't help the scowl that formed on his face. It was pretty surprising to see the kiddos helping out, though, as both Carl and Sophia loaded the handguns with full clips. They were all ready for the war to come in looks alone but if they could really hold out against an entire town was yet to be seen. Ani might be certain of their capabilities but until he saw it for himself, Merle wasn't thrilled that their lives were in the hands of a couple of kids. At least they've got their shit together 'nough for this, he thought asGlenn called Carl over to him, handing him three boxes of ammo.
"You stash these at the loading dock. Alright?" he told the boy before calling Sophia over and handing her the same. "These go up on the catwalk. If anyone gets pinned down, we need to make sure that they have plenty of ammo." He picked up the blow torch and a semi-automatic, "I'll go work on the cage outside."
"What we should be doin' in loadin' some of this firepower in a truck and payin' a visit to the Governor," Merle told him. "We know where he is right now."
"You suggesting that we just go in and kill him?" Glenn asked him.
"Yeah, I am. And by now, Ani knows I'd be in the right," he replied.
"We told Rick, Parker, and Daryl that we'd stay put," Michonne chastised him.
"I've changed my mind, sweetheart," Merle said flatly. "Bein' on the sideline with my brother and baby sister out there," he paused and shook his head as he pursed his lips. "It ain't sittin' right with me."
"The four of them are right in the middle of it," Glenn reasoned, internally wondering if the man realized what he'd just called Tea. "No idea we're coming. They could get taken hostage or killed. A thousand things can go wrong."
"And they will," Merle assured him.
"My dad can take care of himself. Tea and Daryl, too," Carl replied to him.
"Sorry, son, but your dad's head could be on a pike real soon," he said as the room went quiet while Carl walked out.
"Don't say that to him," Maggie told Merle, who simply held his hand up in surrender and cocked his head to the side, the most she was going to get to an admission of wrong doing.
"It's not the right move," Glenn told him after deliberating it for another moment. "Not now. Can't take the risk of putting them in the crossfire. That's my decision. It's final. You know Tea put me in charge while she's gone, so don't push it."
Merle tongued the inside of his cheek as the man walked away, slamming the doors behind him as he left the commons. Ani and Daryl were at that meeting and it was almost assured that something bad was going to happen. Merle was absolutely pissed and had nothing to take it out on while they were gone and all this watching and waiting had him seething. He spent his time pacing and wondering when the hell they were going to get back so that the farce could be over. It had been hours as everyone continued gearing up and preparing while Merle continued to boil in his growing rage. Glenn walked back into the commons as Merle finally was fed up and grabbed a bag, beginning to gather some weapons.
"Hey, you're not going!" he told him.
"I don't need permission," Merle shot back.
"I can't let you," Glenn said.
"You can't stop me. Only Ani can stop me and you know it."
"If you're gonna live here with us, it's gonna be on our terms. Tea told us to stay here, we stay here," Maggie told him harshly as he grabbed the bag off the table. "If Michonne can do it why can't you?"
"Because that's my brother and Ani out there, that's why!" he yelled back at her. "What's the matter with y'all?!"
He walked up the stairs where Glenn was barring his way and making him even angrier than he already was. The man just shook his head as Merle stared him down; he had to give the Asian boy some credit as far as the size of his balls. A year ago, he would have looked away and skedaddled out of there just to save his own skin. Now he was staring him down as if he actually had the power to stop him while Merle just glared at the boy. It was taking all of his willpower not to just throw a punch at him and knock the man out as he stood there.
"I'm not going to let you put them in danger," Glenn told him silently. "Think about it. Are you really going to go and take the chance that Daryl gets shot? Or Ani?"
"Nut up already, boy," Merle said back just as silently but twice as aggressive, though he had to admit, he definitely didn't mind hearing Ani over Tea from the others. "This guy cops a feel of your woman and you pussy out like this? Get out of my way."
"No."
"Get out of my way!" Merle said as he tried to force Glenn to move.
He did not expect Glenn to grab his hand, pressing his thumb into his palm and go behind him. As he grabbed a hold of the man's shoulder, Glenn twisted Merle's fingers as he brought his arm up behind his back, switching to the other shoulder to keep him in place. He kept squeezing the digits while he brought them as far up Merle's spine as he could get them, wrist facing up in a painful contortion of the natural bending of the appendage. Merle's eyes were completely wide as he was rendered immobile by the young man's move. The only other person who had been able to do anything like this had been Ani and damn if he wasn't even more pissed off that someone else could stop him. Especially since Glenn looked like a scrawny little man and yet had managed to make Merle unable to retaliate in any way.
"Let me go!" he yelled. "Let me go!"
"Not until you calm down," Glenn said. "Tea told us to stay put. So we stay put. She asked me to keep you here, Merle. Taught me to do a wrist bar from the moment the three of you came back just so I could restrain you if I needed to to help her keep you here. And this is the nicest hold she taught me to use on you, so be thankful. You get pissed all you want, but take it out on the walkers on the fence-line if you need something to do to pass the time and release some of that frustration. Either way, you're staying at the prison, and that's final."
He released Merle, shoving him so that he stumbled down the stairs, barely managing to catch himself on the table to break the fall he would have otherwise taken. Merle was breathing heavily as he glared at the young Asian, but then his words sunk in like a heavy hammer on his head. Ani had taught the man how to restrain him just to keep him safe and with her family. Somehow, amid everything she had still been thinking about protecting him. That was not something he expected at all as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, breathing deeply in an attempt to call himself down.
"Quit callin' 'er Tea. I hate that fuckin' name," he said angrily as he went over to the discarded bag, picked it up and then threw it on the table, working on emptying it back out.
"What are we supposed to call her?" Beth asked.
"Call her Ani, like I've been. Too much shit happened to her to still be usin' the names associated with those sick fucks she calls blood."
"Did she really kill people at a young age?" Sophia asked.
"Mm-hmm, her parents were sick fucks. She was 'bout your age when she had to protect herself and killed a man. Almost every other year 'til she was seventeen and managed to scare her parents off she'd have to do it again. Ani's a damn trooper, and she don't deserve no name connectin' her to the past holdin' her back or causin' her problems."
"Wow, didn't think you liked her so much," Glenn commented, happy to see that the situation had been handled somewhat peacefully and the man had changed topics to clear his mind.
"Hell, I didn't like her at all 'til I heard that Chrysie-bitch go on and on about her," Merle told them honestly. "Hated the bitch for takin' my baby brother from me. Was pissed when I found out it was her that I'd been hearin' about. Now? Shit, that girl grew on me from stories of her past and hell if she ain't still doin' it by forcin' me to be a part of this group."
"So, you picked up on that, huh?" Maggie asked him.
"Pretty darn easy. Who else she teach those holds to?"
Tyreese and Sasha were the only ones that had not received any training, and Maggie assured them that it was not because they would not be getting it. It was more along the lines of she didn't have as much time to observe them as she had the others to know where to start. On top of that, most of them had learned some of the simpler forms of the holds during the winter. These were more advanced forms that restricted movement even further so that even a bigger opponent would have a hard time breaking the hold. Considering most of their group was small, knowing those holds would be a matter of life and death if it came down to a fight. He watched as they all moved to different places, Beth moving to get the baby while Maggie and Glenn went out to watch. Merle leaned against the door frame to the entrance of the cell block some time later, watching Michonne as she filled a bag and walked back into the block. She took it and a rifle to another spot Ani had marked out for them to stash a gun or two and ammo as a defensive position. He had to admit, the girl really did have her shit on point and Michonne had fallen in line a hell of a lot better than he had.
"You know I'm right," he told her when she walked by. "These people, they're strong, good fighters. But they ain't killers."
"Rick is. So's Parker. And Maggie. Carl put down his own mother," she told him, putting down the bags and walking back up to him.
"Mercy killing. That don't make him an assassin."
"Mmm, but you are."
"When I have to be."
"Then how do you explain letting me get away?"
"Like I told you, I wasn't tryin' to kill you. Must have been seduced by your sterling personality," he said slowly with a small smile. "You comin' with me or not? Me and my brother, we have a few calls we use when we hunt. I'll give him a heads up. He'll warn the others and get Ani out of there. You shogun the Governor's ass, I'll take care of the rest. We'll be home before you know it."
"And what about Andrea?"
"Bullets fly, she's gonna have to make her choice real quick. Chances are, Ani will pull her along to keep her safe."
"You're on your own. Parker would take Andrea, but like you said, bullets fly. You get people killed, it's on you," she told him, backing away and going back to her bag.
~x~
As soon as she got onto the bike, they pulled out, the two groups going in opposite directions. They made their way back to the prison, Daryl pissed the entire time at Ani, but waiting to give her a chance to explain herself when they got back. It was a godsend that she kept a tight hold of him the entire way, otherwise he wouldn't have been so patient, not sure if it was the vibrations from the bike or her mind making them shake. She only took her chest away from his back when they passed through the broken fence of the prison and up to the courtyard. He pulled in and shut the bike off, waiting for her to get off before dismounting himself. He did not expect her to immediately pull him in for a hug, just resting her head against his chest as she found purchase in her safe space.
To say her talk with the Governor had been off putting was an understatement and it had seriously scared her to be with him. She had only been an assistant, reading and refining the notes for the one and only case she had dealt with at the Atlanta PD involving a psychopath. She had never been in that one's presence, only read what he had done. It was so similar to what the Governor wanted to do, but on a much, much smaller scale. There was no way she was going to give up Michonne when the Governor wouldn't care one way or the other. However, she still was badly shaken by the amount of apathy the man felt towards anything and everything but his own rabid desires. Pulling back, she stood on her tip toes to give him a gentle kiss, just needing him to know she was sorry, before walking over to the others.
"Let's get inside," she said, addressing everyone when they entered the block. "We met this Governa. We talked quite a bit."
"Just the two of ya?" Merle asked, irritation seeping into his town.
"Yeah," she said, looking down.
"Broke your fuckin' promise, Ani," he chastised her, walking past Glenn. "Should have gone when we had the chance, bro."
"Sorry, but I know a psychopath, a literal one, not figurative mind ya, when I see one. Ain' nothin' 'e said 'e means. He wants the prison ova run and wants us ta be some a the walka's runnin' it. This is war, and we're goin' ta win," she told them. "He thinks we ain' got the guns when we do. He thinks we ain' got the numbas when we don' need numbas so much as the element a surprise and bein' able ta hold our own. Woodbury'll bring othas that barely know how ta use their gun. I'm sorry, Michonne. I told Andrea ta come with us, ta come back home. She..." she took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"You don't gotta finish, Parker," she said quietly, watching Tea walk away.
Daryl nodded to Merle, who just gave him a look and then followed Ani with his eyes until she walked out to the catwalk. Daryl got the hint and followed her out, Rick and Hershel not far behind as she had told them they all needed to talk they'd come into the prison. While she thought it was a stupid idea, it was their family too, so they at least had the right to know what she was turning down and their thoughts on it. She would never agree to the Governor's request, especially since she knew exactly what the person who was handed over to him would be forced to endure. It didn't sit right with her to even talk about it, but if she didn't tell at least these four she would feel even more guilt.
"The group's taking it about as well as expected," Hershel told her. "Merle and Michonne are convinced we should hit first."
"Stupid," was her first response. "If we attack 'em on their grounds, we lose. We wait for 'em ta get 'ere, we can plan and take 'em by surprise propaly, maybe without even sheddin' a single drop a innocent blood."
"Carol and I think we should take our chances on the road," the old man said.
"Ta be gunned down by 'is men in waitin'? No, though makin' it seem like we have might not be such a bad idea."
"We're in this together," Hershel said. "If we stay and fight, so be it."
"The Governa wants Michonne," she said quietly, holding onto the fencing and resting her forehead against it. "He won' honor the agreement, though. He'll gun down whoeva shows up with 'er and then take 'er and torture 'er and kill 'er. Then 'e'll come 'ere, for the rest a us and do the same thing ta me. Prolly make Daryl, Rick, and Merle watch as 'e does it, too. I'm gearin' this place up for war. I ain' riskin' anyone for a deal that ain' goin' ta go through."
"But what if he doesn't?" Rick asked.
"Why didn't you tell them?" Hershel asked as Daryl placed his hands on her hips and leaned against her lightly.
"'Cause they got ta be ready. 'Sides, only one that'd honestly be fine with it is Merle, and I ain' givin' 'im the option a goin' off on 'is own."
"They'll be fine, Ania. We've got this."
"She's earned her place. She save my life, Carl's, Glenn's and Maggie's," Hershel said. "We wouldn't have know they were taken if she hadn't have come here."
"Why are you telling us this?" Rick asked.
"'Cause I needed ta get it off my chest. I won' go through with it. I refuse. It ain' goin' ta work. Or do ya have a diffarent opinion?"
"It won't work, Ania, not a man like him," Daryl said from above her, his forehead also leaning on the fencing to press his body more into Ani.
"Do you really wanna risk everyone's lives for one woman?" Rick asked.
"I think Hershel said it all. She's earned 'er place, like ya said. If ya want, we can put it ta a vote, but I don' think anyone but Merle, and maybe ya, Rick, would go for it. I certainly won' which means the majority won', not when I already got a few ideas a how we can make this work and it shouldn' take any casualties on our side, minimal on theirs. If I play my cards right with all the weapons we got, they don' stand a chance."
"No vote," Hershel said. "She's earned her place. We trust you, Tea."