Heart of a Hunter

by ChamberMom88

Tea spent her life being the odd man out. Having spent her younger years suffering abuse for being autistic and ADHD, she came into the apocalypse ready to take on the world all alone if she had to. Neither she nor a certain redneck expected to be pulled towards the other, but at the end of the world, who can say no to love?

43. Chapter 43 - Season 3 Ends

Newly Revised

Tea hopped on behind Daryl and moved to where her entire front was pressed as tightly against his back as she could, even her thighs were held tightly against the backs of his. Her arms wrapped around his waist in the tightest embrace she could give him without hurting him or hindering his ability to drive the bike. As they got up to speed, he took one hand from the handlebar and grabbed hers tightly for a minute before returning it to it's spot. He was happy that she'd taken him seriously when he said he needed to feel her; it was helping to settle the fear and anger he was still trying to work through. The trip to the prison took a lot less time than he'd have liked, but at least Ani was safely back home as they entered the gates. She didn't let go even after he'd parked and turned off the engine and just leaned her forehead between his shoulders and apologized yet again. Daryl sighed as he wrapped his arms around hers and held them tightly as the others came out of the prison. No one said a word as Merle got out of his car and the hunters had their moment on the bike, but they both knew it couldn't last forever. They both took a deep breath and let go before Tea got off the bike, although she didn't move. She waited for Daryl to get off the bike and wrap an arm over her shoulder as they moved towards the group that were standing and waiting to find out what had happened.

"So, I got a few things ta say. First, the Governa offa'd me a deal. Michonne for peace. I didn' agree with it and adamantly denied we take it. Rick, he went behind my back, and trust me, we're gonna talk 'bout that," she said, looking directly at the man and gave him a glare; she still blamed him for the problems she and Daryl were having. "If it weren' for Merle takin' my side, well, I don' know what would a happened. We wouldn' a been left in peace, I'm still sure a that, and we'd a been down a strong fighta. This decision, it caused me ta react. And in a bad way at that. I went and rigged the meetin' place 'fore the Governa got there. Several a the Governa's men are dead now, the meetin' place is in shambles, and we're down roughly fifteen grenades. I wasn' thinkin' when I left, and I put us all in danga and I'm sorry. I can' do that again. From now on, if we stay, it's our choice. If we leave, it's our choice. I'm still goin' ta lead ya, still goin' ta make the choices. But I need y'all ta keep me grounded, help me make the best choices and speak up if ya think my choices are wrong. Think a it like this, I'm the President, and y'all are my House and Senate," she told them seriously. "We all savived this tagetha, not 'cause a me alone. We all did this. We all are makin' this place a home. So we all need ta have a voice in who we are and how we savive.

"Second, Carol, Sophia, ya helped me taday. And while I am thankful it went well, ya should a stopped me. Ya should a held me there and gone and got Daryl or Merle," she chastised. "What I did taday was idiotic and reckless. Not only did it potentially put us at greata risk, I put myself at risk. I'd neva driven a motorcycle 'fore and a lot could a gone wrong with jus' that alone. On top a that, the Governa could a easily been at the spot 'fore me and grabbed me up 'fore I could a done a damn thing. I didn' know what the hell I was doin'; I learned how ta make the traps from fuckin' movies! The two a ya aided in that 'cause ya put too much trust in me ta make choices based on my intellect. Problem with that, I don' always act on my brains. Especially when I am upset as I was this mornin'. Ya let me go 'cause ya thought I had a plan more'n booby trappin' the place when that was literally all I had when I left. That was as stupid a ya as it was a me ta go. But I blame myself for that partly; Rick gets the most fuckin' blame for goin' behind my back. I've told y'all 'bout my condition, but never fully explained what happens sometimes. I was so focused on keepin' Merle and everyone else 'ere and safe I neglected ta teach ya safety measures for myself.

"That brings me ta my last topic. Y'all know I'm autistic and ADHD. I go through bouts a anxiety and depression, too. Taday was prolly the worst day ya witnessed a me losin' my control when my anxiety goes through the roof. Ratha than shuttin' down, per say, I acted on impulse and impulse only, 'til I got ta the site, then it was jus' on instinct. Used ta be, I'd drink or get high ta deal with it," she informed them, several of the members looking shocked. "Hey, we all have a past. I can' do that in this world nah more, and that's fine. But I need ya, my family, ta keep me in line from now on. If I'm actin' erratically, y'all need ta do ta me what I told ya ta do ta Merle. Ya restrain me, lock me in a cell if need be, and ya get anotha Dixon pronto. Don' matta how much ya trust me. Truth is, I can' even trust myself ta make the right choices sometimes 'cause I get blinded by emotion. That's why trust is such a big thing ta me. If I trust ya ta keep me in line, I trust ya more'n I trust myself. So this is me tellin' y'all how much trust I got in ya, even the two a ya, Tyreese, Sasha. This ain' exactly a democracy, but it ain' a dictataship eitha. I need ya."

The group had grown silent as she spoke, Daryl taking up his place behind her with his arms wrapped tightly around her, growing tighter as she spoke. Merle was standing with his arms crossed off to the side behind them, listening intently to what she was saying. Rick wouldn't meet anyone's eyes as he turned away from the group, knowing full well that the anger she had placed on him was rightly earned. Carol and Sophia looked ashamed of themselves for not having stopped her, Sophia realizing that the woman she called sister was actually fragile like her. Tyreese and Sasha were sharing a look of astonishment on what she was saying because they'd been around only a few days. The rest listened closely to her and considered her words and how she was asking them to do what they had all along as far as voicing opinions. More than that, Glenn and Maggie realized that she hadn't been teaching them what she had for Merle until he got there; she'd been training them to stop her.

"You barely know us," Tyreese commented after a moment's silence.

"But ya were willin' ta protect the prison 'fore ya eva knew ya could stay. Knew we were in some deep shite and decided ta help even when ya got kicked out. Ya are willin' ta risk ya lives for my family, and that makes ya family, makes ya one a us," she told him. "Now, I need ta know what y'all want ta do. Do ya want ta stay, or do ya want ta go?"

"What do we do if we stay?" Beth asked.

"There's a few things we can try," Tea said. "Mostly, I'm thinkin' we empty out the prison. Get Beth, Hershel, the baby and the kids up inta the woods out behind the prison with all the supplies and vehicles. Set trip wires in the tombs for smoke bombs and flash bangs once they get in there ta drive 'em back out. Then we saprise 'em from the inna guard towas. We cannot risk anyone bein' in the top a the guard towas. These people may very well have grenade launchas or some otha kinda explosive device that they'll take out the tops a the towas with, guaranteein' nah one is in there. So we wait in the lowa levels. In the darka cells near the catwalk. The places they won' be expectin' us ta hide. They're civilians holdin' guns, not killas, not savivas. They'll piss and shite 'emselves as they run screamin' for the hills so long as we get 'em panicked in the tombs and shoot their feet out 'ere."

"My thoughts exactly," Michonne said. "Make it more trouble than it's worth to face us. Smart thinking, Dixon."

Merle chortled as Tea seemed confused, "Alright, is everyone jus' tryin' ta fuck with me now? What the fuck are y'all tryin' ta say my name is, eh?"

"Well, Merle seems to think you're Ani Dixon and tends to correct people rather adamantly about it," was Michonne's reply. "His reasoning is kind of noble, to be honest."

"And what reasonin' is that?" Tea asked, looking back at the older redneck.

"Your family's here, girly. Our name for ya, not theirs," was all he said, ears completely turning red.

"'Sides, your my woman, which makes you a Dixon," Daryl input smugly with a million dollar smile that made Ani's heart race as she looked up at him.

"Guess I really will take up the name Ania Dixon, then, though ya still the only one that can call me Ania, D. The rest can call me Ani," she told him with a smile of her own.

~x~

Ani stood in the catwalk as Rick came out, her looking over at him as the door sounded before scoffing and looking back out at the field. She and Daryl had their own issues to deal with and all this man had done was add fuel to the fire with his piss poor decisions. While he wasn't solely to blame, his choices had made things exponentially worse for the two of them. If he hadn't have gotten Daryl involved, she would have never left, and while the Governor wouldn't be down so many men, she and Daryl wouldn't have fought. It was also the second time he outright went against her and both times had landed her in hot water with Daryl. She didn't even know if she wanted to talk to him or hear whatever excuses he would make to try to appease her anger. Rick took one look at her before he looked down, ashamed at what he'd done, after seeing Ani's face betraying the underlying anger in her eyes the mere second he'd seen them.

"I had to try," he told her melancholy.

"Nah ya fuckin' didn'!" Ani yelled back. "Ya should a listened! Ya should a trusted me that I knew what the fuck I was talkin' 'bout! I was the one in the damn room with the man! I was the one who observed 'im! It was fuckin' ME who made the damn assessment 'bout 'im and I am the one who knows what the fuck I'm sayin' when I say someone is a fuckin' psychopath! Ya went behind my back and tried gettin' both my brotha and my fuckin' husband killed 'cause ya 'had ta try.' Fuck ya, Rick. Hard, up the ass, with a fuckin' rusted wooden spoon! Ya make any more problems for me ta clean up, make D and I fight again, and it's goin' ta be ya ass I take it out on! And trust me, ya didn' see what Merle looked like afta I went ape shite on 'im! Ya don' want me ta go ape shite on ya!"

Rick looked shocked at her before he nodded his head and responded, "Alright. I get it. I'm not sorry I wanted to try, but I am sorry I made you and Daryl fight again."

"Why didn' ya come ta me and talk ta me 'bout it?" she asked tersely, not wanting to keep fighting after saying her peace. "Why rope Hershel and Daryl into it? Why ask Merle? If ya can' do somethin' yaself, especially somethin' like that, ya shouldn' be doin' it at all. If ya have ta turn ta someone else who's rough 'round the edges ta do it for ya, why'd ya think it was a good idea in the first place?"

"I knew you'd argue it," he answered firmly, but quietly. "It's no use tryin' to argue with you. You're always logical and you point out the moral aspects too, like you just did. You're right. I couldn't do it myself, so I went to Merle. Even he said no."

"That's right. 'Cause he knew what the Governa'd do. I should a known 'e wouldn', but I wasn' sure. I should a trusted 'im ta do the right thing, but I didn' 'cause I didn' trust 'im enough ta change that much," she said, her own head hanging in shame. "He'd a done it if it was 'fore, when we were at the quarry. That's my fault, but Rick, ya can' be doin' shite like that. Makin' decisions on ya own like that. Handin' Michonne ova was as stupid and reckless as me goin' out taday. Ya could a lost two good fightas or more right 'fore the biggest battle we have eva had ta face. Goin' against people is diffarent from goin' against walkas. We can run from walkas and don' got ta worry 'bout them doin' much fightin' back. But we can' from people and we need all the damn people we can get."

"I realize that now," he said quietly.

"Ya saw 'er again, didn' ya?" she asked, looking over at the man and watching him as he looked down and nodded his head.

"Yeah. Outside on the catwalk. I was down there tryin' to find some wire. Had it wrapped around my wrist and she was just there. Wouldn't go away either, not 'til I threw the damn thing down and walked away."

"Post traumatic stress disorder," Ani said in confidence. "Ya sufferin' from it, Rick."

"Isn't that for war veterans?"

"Look 'round ya. If we ain' livin' in war times, what are we livin' in? On top a that, the loss a Lori with the stress a leadin', ya mind jus' can' handle it nah more. When ya get too stressed, ya eitha goin' ta snap and become a monsta like me, or ya goin' ta see her."

"Does it get any better?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes it stays steady, the same basic copin' mechanisms; violent outbursts and hallucinations. Sometimes it gets worse, and the person can't separate reality from whateva situation ya brain has a problem with. I don' see ya gettin' too far gone inta that last one, but I definitely see ya havin' the outbursts and hallucinations. Can always meet up with me ta talk, if ya wanna."

"I'll think about it," Rick said earnestly.

"Rick," she said, forcing the man to look at her as she lay a hand on his shoulder. "Ya ain' in this alone. Ya got us all, and we'll help ya through it. The weight a the burden ya carry, it ain' jus' carried by ya own two hands alone, okay?"

"After what I did?"

"I'm pissed as all hell at ya and I meant what I said; I will beat ya down if ya fuck up like that again. But ya still family. Family don' abandon each otha in their time a need, nah matta how fuckin' stupid they are."

"Thanks," he said, after a pause adding, "Ani."

She just smiled and walked back into the prison to find both Sophia and Carol, who apologized and tried to explain why they'd helped her. Ani just laughed and smiled at the pair, telling them that she understood; it was hard to think that someone you look up to can have weak and reckless moments, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. After that, she made her way back to Daryl, whom she had promised she would return to after her talk with Rick. He was still pissed at her, which meant that she was probably going to be reporting even every piss break to him before he was willing to trust her again. She couldn't blame him, and if it was what would make him happy, then that's what she would do. Walking up to the cell, she found him leaning against the door frame with their bows and each of their small bags sitting next to him. Merle was in his cell as she passed and she waved at him with a smile he just scoffed at before she walked on. She didn't notice his shiner until the next day, but she did notice Daryl's swollen knuckles as soon as his hand became visible.

"The hell happened?" she asked him, grabbing his hand and checking to see if everything was okay.

"Nothin'."

"D?"

"Just had a little chat with my brother, Ania, don't worry about it," Daryl said, grabbing her hand and pulling her out of the prison and towards the woods. "Let's go hunt. Need to clear my head."

Everything his brother said was true, but he didn't want to think about not having Ani in his life ever. In his mind, there would never be a day where he wouldn't see her, where he wouldn't be able to touch her. She was the rock he'd come to build everything on, and while there were supports from the others around him, it was Ani that kept him sane when the weight of everything had crashed down on him. It was Ani that made him think a little bit better about himself. He lead her out into the woods where they split up to try to see if they couldn't find anything more than a squirrel before they headed back. He was still pissed as all hell as he tracked down and killed a small doe, leaving it in a tree and going to find his girl. Daryl was going crazy with his anger and need to make Ani his all over again, making him find her trail and quickly go down it. He was somewhat hidden behind a tree when she came into view even though she hadn't noticed him yet. While her back was turned, he tried to sneak up behind her only for one of her throwing knives to slice his cheek as she ducked behind a tree of her own.

"I'm warnin' ya! Try anythin' and I'll kick ya ass!" she called out, moving away from the location and coming around behind whoever it was that was following her as quietly as she could. Seeing Daryl, she cursed under her breath before stalking up to him, "The hell do ya think ya doin' sneakin' up on me like that?! I could a killed ya!"

"Thought you'd turn around to check," Daryl said as he turned around to see her coming from behind him.

"Daryl, ya know I don' work like that! I attack first, ask questions lata if ya comin' up behind me all sneaky like that! Don' do it! I don' wanna hurt ya," she said, a look of pain on her face as she started wiping the blood off his face with her thumb. "Won' need stitches, but I got ya good. Got some herbs in my pack. Hold on a sec."

Grabbing the herbs from her bag, she threw them in her mouth and chewed them up a bit while fretted over the cut on his cheek. Daryl just watched her working, looking down at her as she worried over a minor fucking cut on her face. His hands seemed to have a life of their own as they moved to her hips, fingers splaying low under her shirt. She was fussing with his cheek as he sat on a rock to make it easier for her to see. He pulled her closer to him as his pupils began to dilate looking down her shirt at her breasts as she pulled took the herbs from her mouth and gently pressed them onto his cheek. Leaning his head in, he licked a trail from her cleavage to her clavicle, sucking and biting when he got to the offended junction as her head started falling back, giving him better access.

"Mmm, gods, D-D-D...oh fuck, I gotta get ya wound clean, ya freak!" she huffed with a laugh as she pulled his hair to pull him away.

"Need you," was all he said before grabbing her face and bringing her lips to his in a heated and domineering kiss that had them both gripping at the other before they managed to pull away.

"Ya gonna be the death a me," she breathed in his face, bringing her lips back to his as he picked her up and braced her knees against the rock on either side of his hips.

She ground down against his growing erection, garnering a guttural growl that had her moaning into the kiss herself herself. He managed to drop her utility belt to the ground and get that damned thigh-sheath for her throwing knives off before he couldn't handle it anymore. He lifted her as he stood, bringing her to a tree while pressing her back against it as he ground against her core. When he pulled back from the searing kiss, he gave her a pointed look, taking in her swollen lips, heaving chest, and blown pupils.

"Pants, off, now," he ordered looking down at her, knowing damn well she was not only more than willing to do as told, but was dripping from his command.

He didn't even bother to pretend he wasn't watching, staring straight at her as she wiggled out of the tight skinny jeans she'd been wearing. As soon as she was out of them, kicking her boots off in the process, he was on his knees, one of her legs tossed over his shoulder as he lapped at her core, sucking the juices she offered him down. She had to use the tree as support as she involuntarily bucked into his mouth while moaning, looking down to see his blue eyes watching her. That snapped the thread inside her as her juices exploded all over his tongue and in his mouth as she moaned and gripped his hair, staring in his eyes as wave after wave of the orgasm crashed through her.

As he stood, he wiped his mouth and chin off, making her blush and look down. "Nuh-uh, none of that," he said, grabbing her chin and making her look him in the eyes as he grabbed her hand, bringing it to his bulging erection. "This is what you do to me. You let me see. I wanna see it all, you hear? Don't you dare try to hide from me."

Crashing his lips back to hers, he released her hand and then himself from his pants, lifting her in his arms with her knees in the crook of his elbows as he held her at the right angle, thrusting up into her to the hilt in one quick movement. Her walls quivered around him and made him moan and throw his head back. As her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips and teeth sucking and biting on the tender flesh she found there. He growled when she did that, pressing her against the tree before he began ruthlessly pounding into her. She hissed from the feeling of the bark biting into her back as she held on for dear life, her second orgasm being pulled from her by the harsh and deep pace he was taking with her.

Pulling out of her, he put her down and pushed her towards the rock, a pointed command falling from his lips, "Bend over."

"Please," she begged as she did what he wanted, jutting her hips out and spreading her legs as she bent over the rock he'd previously been sitting on.

"Take your breasts out," he ordered, watching as she stretched the material of her top down under her breasts, leaving them hanging while the hardened nipples barely dragged across the rock.

Walking up to her and realigning himself, he pushed into her with a smack to her ass, bending over her as he roughly groped her breasts. He teased her by barely moving forced her to bend over until her stomach was flat against the rock, one hand moving from her breast. Wrapping his hand around her delicate neck, he squeezed just enough to block her from making too much noise as he sat a relentless pace, rutting into her like an animal. Her choked gasps at his roughness came out faster and faster as her walls began to clamp down around him. The strangled cry that left her was drowned out by Daryl's own shuttered moan as he bit down hard enough on her shoulder to form a bruise, filling her with his seed before they both slumped to the forest floor, completely sated.

"Dammit, Daryl," Tea said as she went back over to her pants. "Ain' got shite ta clean up with!"

"I know," he said with a smirk, watching her thighs glisten in the light the sunset was giving them as she pulled her pants back on.

"Ain' fuckin' fair! Gonna be feelin' that the entire damn time!" she complained, not realizing Daryl had crept up behind her as she righted her shirt.

"Good," he growled into her ear as he pulled her flush against him, hand going between her leg to emphasize his statement, making sure to press her jeans against her core.

"We got ta walk back," she moaned, bucking back into him. "It's goin' ta feel so fuckin' weird walkin' all wet like this."

"Serves you right. Call it a punishment for takin' off."

"We still got ta hunt, too. All I got was a couple squirrels."

"Got a doe in a tree not far from here. C'mon, lets get it and head back."

~x~

"Merle," Daryl said as the man walked away from him while Ani was talking to Rick. "Merle!"

"What do you want?" said the man as he turned around.

"Did you think I was done just 'cause I walked away back there?" he said angrily. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me my girl was missing?!"

"I thought it best I took care of it on my own," Merle told him honestly.

"Fuck's that supposed to mean?"

"It means you've gone soft, boy!" Merle shouted at him. "Means you wouldn't a been any damn good to me if I'd shown up there and she was already gone or captured. You couldn't handle it."

"Fuck you! I'd have been just fine!"

"Really now? So, say we went together. Say we show up and the Governor and his men already had her. Could you bear to hear her as she screams for you to make it stop? Could you end her sufferin', even if it meant a bullet in her brain?"

"She's my girl, not yours!" Daryl fumed at him.

"Maybe that should change," Merle taunted him, needing the boy to cool off before he could tell him the real reason he didn't let him go.

Daryl shouted at Merle to fuck off when he said that and sucker punched him in the jaw as hard as he could. Glenn and Tyreese had been standing the closest to the pair and went to keep them separated in an attempt to keep the fight from getting worse. Tyreese grabbed a hold of the much smaller Daryl by wrapping his arms around his biceps from behind while Glenn got in between the two. Merle was knocked right back to the floor, thankful the man had finally worked up to the peak of his rage and released it on him instead of the shit he'd pulled with Ani. As Merle got up, he laughed and spat blood on the floor since Daryl had hit him harder than he used to. When his girl was involved, the boy was too worked up for his own good and that could get them both killed if he didn't learn how to control himself.

"And that right there's proof ya couldn't handle it if she got hurt!" he chortled before turning deathly serious and, shoving Glenn aside, walking right up to Daryl and looking down at the man menacingly. "You'd have gotten her killed if you went. You're still too soft, baby brother. Gonna have to toughen up about her eventually."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" Daryl growled.

"It means get used to the idea of her not being around!" Merle yelled at him, making everyone in the room flinch at the thought before he addressed the room. "You're all too dependent on her, and that's why she got out today. Like she said, she might be able to make all kinds of those smart, tactical choices, might be able to keep us alive, but you all gotta do it on your own too! Shit, been here maybe a week and this whole group would fall apart without that little girl. One day, that's goin' to bite y'all in the ass."

~x~

Andrea had tried to run and had even made it over the wall and right to the prison before the Governor had managed to capture her. He'd had Martinez take her gun and try to take her knife, Andrea asking if he wanted to frisk her to get it. Philip 'wanted to keep her separate,' which she took as code for wanting to keep her in Woodbury indefinitely so that she couldn't tuck tail and run back home. She'd gotten out anyway only for the man to chase her down in his truck even when she thought she'd managed to get away. She'd hoped she'd killed him after she'd left him in an abandoned factory to face off against a group of walkers right up until he snuck up behind her at the prison. It was when she was handcuffed to the old medical chair that Andrea realized Tea was right; she was never going to make it back to the prison.

She'd been in the room for a couple days when the Governor marched in with a beaten Milton, "See? She's still alive. I'm gonna need her for something."

"I heard you in the other room," she said. "You don't have to lose any more of your men. Just stop this."

"Your friends at the prison. I'm gonna kill them all. Especially that Michonne and Tea you love so much. The people are gonna help me. Didn't even have to stretch the truth. They brought in biters, booby trapped the place, rigged it with explosives. They had no intention of peace and killed thirteen good men. Now the people are foaming at the mouth," he told Andrea before speaking to Milton. "You, get those tools. I'm not gonna need 'em anymore."

When Milton paused, the Governor insisted and forced the man to move forward while limping, clearly still in pain from the torture he'd endured. His hands were shaking badly and made him drop the tray of tools on the floor, earning him an admonishment from Philip as well as a demand that he pick them up. He did, though he noticed a pair of pliers hidden in the darkness behind Andrea and made a split second decision. He left those pliers there and nervously brought the rest of the tools to the Governor and tried to walk out the door. Milton had hoped that he could prevent the war and prevent any more children from dying when he burned the walkers. He never could have imagined that the man would find out he was the culprit so quickly, let alone turn on him as he had. It was deplorable what Philip had become after losing his daughter and even if he had given the man hope that they could get her back, he'd quickly found out that wasn't the case. After watching Mr. Coleman die and come back only to try to kill him, he'd realized that there was no telling if there was a conscious or not. He wanted to believe it, but now, seeing how the Governor was behaving and what he had done, he realized he should have never given her false hope.

"Hold up," the man said as Milton passed him. Grabbing a tool from the tray and then Milton, he slammed the man against the door frame and offered him the tool, "You're gonna kill her now. You're going to show me that you've learned something." When Milton shook his head no, Philip warned him, "Milton, there is no way you are leaving this room without doing it. So don't make it hard. Just—just do it."

He handed the tool over and let the man go, looking expectantly at him as if he had been given a choice in the matter. As Milton took slow steps towards Andrea, the Governor leaned back against the door frame, completely relaxed. He was slightly surprised when Milton decided to turn around and take a swing at him instead. However, Milton wasn't a combatant and was exactly strong, so it was very easy for Philip to dodge and grab his wrist, bringing the knife up and into Milton's own stomach as Andrea gasped. The Governor stabbed him three more times after slamming him against the wall before letting him drop.

"I told you you were gonna do it," he whispered venomously. "And now you're gonna die. And you're gonna turn. And you're gonna tear the flesh from her bones." As Milton slid to the floor, the man looked at Andrea and told her, "In this life now, you kill or you die. Or you die and you kill," he said as he left the room.

"Milton?" Andrea asked after the Governor had left.

"When the tools dropped," he struggled to say, "I left some pliers on the floor behind her. If you can drag—if you can drag your right foot back, you, you can get them."

Andrea struggled to reach the things as she bent as low as she could with the handcuffs, only barely managing to get her butt to the footrest. It was an odd angle to try to get the pliers as they were directly behind the seat, but Milton encouraged her. The pliers themselves weren't even in view as her toe scraped against the floor and barely brushed against the handles of the tool. She could hardly reach the things and kept having problems dragging them towards her because she kept almost moving them back instead of forwards. Milton wasn't looking too good and Andrea knew that she would forfeit her life is she did not get to the pliers in time.

"I'm gonna get us both out of here," she told him as she worked. "And you're gonna be okay."

"No, when you get free, you are going to find something very sharp," he told her. "And you are going to stab me in the head. That is what you are going to do. Keep trying."

She did everything she could and even contorted her leg painfully until she finally managed to drag the tool close to her, "I got it! I got it!"

Her face fell as she looked at Milton, who had become unresponsive, until he coughed and stuttered, "Why did you stay after you found out your friends are out there?"

"I wanted to save everyone," she told him. "Even the Governor for a while. I had a chance to kill him."

"I stopped you," he said, thinking he was referring to the time she had watched Philip sit right in the same chair she was handcuffed to when he showed her who the Governor really was.

"No, this was before. He was asleep after I...after I slept with him. I had a knife. But I tried to stop it all another way," she confessed, "because I didn't want anyone to die."

"I'm still here," he whispered quietly. "I'm still alive."

"Yeah," she whispered. "You are."

"You need to hurry," he told her as he lost consciousness.

"Right," she said as she kicked off her shoes.

She worked tirelessly trying to get the pliers stable between her toes and up to her hand only to drop the tool from her hand the first time she had a hold of it. When she tried the second time, she managed to get the pliers securely in her hand with a jubilant shout. She worked hard trying to free herself from the handcuffs while also convincing herself that Milton was still alive. He had been motionless for a few minutes while she worked and she could only hope that she would have time to do what she needed to. The snarling she heard made her look up as she worked furiously to get the damn handcuffs off as Milton rose from his position by the door. She managed to get one wrist free, but was working on the other when he closed in on her and she realized that she there was no way she would make it in time. Andrea couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips as he lunged, barely managing to free herself from the other set of handcuffs as the walker fell on her.

~x~

Ani walked into the cell Carl was in and checked on him as he looked at a picture of his mother with a proud smile on his face. They were all gathering everything from the prison and she had told him that he wasn't allowed to be a part of the defense. All the supplies, the food, the weapons, everything and anything that showed signs that they had been there, they packed up and took out to the cars. Carl had been acting out against his dad since the day before and she wasn't too thrilled about it. While she didn't know the entire reason for his annoyance, she could pretty well guess it. The boy was as easy to read as an open book when she looked at him close enough and she knew damn well she had messed up big time as he refused to look up at her.

"Hey bub, wanna talk?" she asked cautiously.

"About what?" he said gruffly, trying to make her back off.

Ani laughed at him, "Try doin' that ta someone who can' read ya like the back a my hand. Ya pissed at ya daddy, eh?"

"And you!" he told her.

"I deserve that. I'm sorry that I did what I did."

"You left us!" he accused.

"Yeah, I did, didn' I? I'm so sorry, Carl. I really wasn' thinkin' when I left, jus' actin' on impulse. That's why I said what I said outside. I need all a ya, and that means ya, too, Carl. I need ya help ta keep everyone else safe, but know I don' mean for ya ta take mattas inta ya own hand like I did. That is stupid and reckless and I was wrong."

"It's weird," he said.

"What is?"

"Hearing an adult say they're wrong," he admitted in a mumbled manner.

"Well, news flash, we're still human. Ta be human is ta make mistakes. I want ya ta be smart, though. I don' want ya ta be reckless like I was yestaday. I want ya ta pay attention and do not unda any circumstances act irrationally like I'd done," she told him. "Ya so much betta than me, Carl. I don' want ya ta become cold. Don' want ya ta get any more blood on ya hands that ya don' have ta, okay? If any a 'em come ya way, ya detain 'em, got it? Do not fire unless ya absolutely need too. Try ta talk ya way out a it. They're goin' ta be runnin' scared. They fire on ya, they raise their gun, ya take 'em out, nah questions asked. But Carl," she told him, grabbing him by the shoulder as she handed him his gun. "Make damn sure they're raisin' their weapon, not lowerin' it. And if they lower it, ya offa 'em sanctuary, okay?"

"Why offer sanctuary to people who want to kill us?" he asked, confused.

"Ya know how ya daddy was controlled by Chrys?"

"Yeah, kinda. You said she played on his emotions and the loss of mom," he responded.

"And that's what the Governa's done with the people a Woodbury. They don' know any betta," she said. "They see what 'e wants 'em too, they don' know who we are. We gotta be the bigga people if they're goin' ta trust us ta not kill 'em like the Governa's got 'em believin' we will."

"Oh," he said, looking at the gun in his hand. "If you leave again, can I use those holds on you, or would you be able to get out?"

"Oh, I definitely could get out a it if I wanted ta," she chuckled. "But that don' mean I will. Honestly, for ya, jus' give me a hug. Ya see me outta control, jus' give me a hug. That's all ya'll eva need ta do with me. I dunno, kinda feels like ya are my little brotha, but at the same time, I think a ya as my equal, my peer. That's why I wanted ta make sure I talked ta ya and apologized for goin' off on my own personally. I can' imagine how that must a felt ta ya."

"Yeah, it was pretty shitty," Carl told her with a chuckle of his own, making Tea scoff a laugh herself. "Thank you. For admitting you were wrong and apologizing. I can't lose you or dad or Judith. And when you left, even dad freaked out. And he went behind your back to make you leave."

"Now, now, don', don' be blamin' 'im for my mistake. He didn' even go through with 'is mistake. I did. Ya do not blame 'im for me leavin'," she said harshly before her voice grew softer. "He was tryin' ta keep ya safe. That's all."

Carl sighed and nodded his head as he finished packing his bag, making sure to grab everything left in the cell as she watched. She left the room and continued on to Carol and Sophia's cell where the girl was packing her own stuff. The girl had been down since Ani had chastised her and her mother about helping her and Ani wasn't happy about that, either. She hadn't meant to make the little girl feel bad and had honestly just been giving a warning, but that was exactly what she had done. It wasn't that Sophia or her mom had done something unforgivable, just incredibly stupid. It was her own fault that they'd made that choice and her own choice that had caused them to act. Ani wasn't putting the blame on them at all and decided it was time that she cleared the air with the girl.

"Hey, Phia. How ya doin'?" she asked as she entered the room.

"I'm okay," she said quietly.

"Ya know I know betta than that. Speak ya mind, sweetie."

Sophia turned to look at her and then went back to packing, "Are you mad at me and momma?"

"Nah."

"Then why-"

"'Cause I needed ya ta know what was what. Needed everyone ta know. I don' blame ya and I ain' angry with ya. I can' even be disappointed in anyone but myself for not preparin' ya betta. I ain' nah hero, Phia. I ain' perfect and I ain' eva goin' ta claim ta be," she told the young woman.

"You're my hero," Sophia said.

Ani laughed, "Well, that may be, but that still don' mean I'm perfect. And even heroes need back up, too. That's why they have sidekicks and teams."

"I guess."

"I know," Ani told her, sitting next to her and nudging her with her shoulder, earning a small smile in return. "Ya been doin' everythin' ya can ta protect the camp. Ya a hero in ya own right, kid."

"I don't think so."

"Really? 'Cause the way I see it, ya saved Sasha and Tyreese. Ya helped with gettin' Osca and Axel brought inta the fold."

"They're dead. And you don't want Sasha and Tyreese to help here."

"That's 'cause it ain' their fight. We started this, now we're goin' ta end it," Ani told her seriously as the girl stood up with her bag. "Now, I need ya ta cheer up and help Carl keep Judith and the othas safe while we're protectin' the prison, got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Sophia said with a little salute that made Ani chuckle.

Walking down into the tombs, she checked on Merle, Tyreese, Sasha, and Michonne as they set snare traps, making note of each place they had put them. Commenting on the good work they were doing, she pulled Tyreese and Sasha over to the side. She double checked their work before she offered them a chance to wait with the kids so that they weren't in the thick of it all when shit hit the fan. Ani wasn't about to leave Carol, Beth, Hershel, Judith, Carl, and Sophia to defend themselves when she didn't know how many people could run their way by accident. They tried arguing back, but she hit them with the biggest card she had to play when they finally quieted down.

"Listen, I trust the kids ta protect the othas, but what if, on the off chance, the rest a us don' make it out? What if it don' go the way I'm hopin'? I'd ratha the two a ya be with Hershel, Beth, and the kids. Keep 'em safe as long as ya can. Try ta find anotha group that'll take ya in. But I'm literally leavin' our future in ya hands and askin' ya ta help keep it safe," she pleaded.

The pair of brother and sister looked at each other and breathed a deep sigh before looking back at her and agreeing. Merle told her that was a smart decision, but asked why she hadn't asked one of their people to do it. When she looked back at him with a small smile, he understood immediately why she had persuaded them. Tyreese and Sasha were the only ones she could manipulate with that card since they didn't really know what everyone was capable of. The rest had lost too much or been through too much to lay back, except Carol, and Carol wasn't yet hardened enough to be able to keep a group alive. Maybe someday she would fully grow into the woman that Ani thought she could, but not yet, not when she was still having problems coming to terms with Sophia's change and Ed's death.

When she exited back out of the tombs, she grabbed a container to help Carol load up one of the cars and smiled to herself when she saw Carl and Rick talking. Carl was still tight-faced, but he was listening to his dad talk and responded in a way that made his dad smile proudly, albeit small, at his son. Carl walked away towards the back of the vehicle Ani was at and put his bag in, giving her a tight nod that affirmed he understood what he was meant to do. He still looked pissed off and begrudgingly doing as asked since he still wanted to help the adults in the fight; no one would let him. He started pulling away, but she grabbed him back and gave him a hug and told him to be safe. If it was the kids, she'd make all the exceptions in the world when it came to hugs, but only for the kids. They were the ones who needed the most encouragement and love in this world and she wasn't about to deny them that when it was the most important thing to keep their spirits up. She didn't ever want any of the kids to forget that people cared and therefore forget how to care themselves. If it helped keep them grounded and emotionally secure, she would do whatever she needed to.

She walked over to Daryl with Glenn as Rick and Daryl were worked next to each other on the last bit of defense Merle had helped them with. Glenn mentioned about how angry Carl was, but Rick quickly shut him down because Carl was a kid and it was easy to forget. Ani added that they had treated him like an adult for so long, suddenly lumping him with the kids made him feel less adequate, less of an equal than he really was. He'd be fine now that he'd talked to both Rick and her and got the reassurance he needed that what he was doing was for the good of the group. She watched as Carol walked up to Daryl, who commented about how Merle had never really stuck his neck out for anyone his whole life, but did for Ani. Carol commented about how they were family, and that's just what family does before helping him up and leading him over to Ani. She gave her a nod before placing a hand on her shoulder and telling her to be safe for Sophia's sake as well as the group; they needed their leader. She left then, leaving the two hunters alone for a moment, and choes to go and stand by Merle, who leaned over and whispered something to her that made her chuckle.

"Ya ready for this, my lova?" she asked him.

"Ready as I'll ever get. You?"

"Ya know it," she said as she leaned in and kissed him with everything she had.

He could feel her shaking from the nerves, betraying how scared she really was at the fight, but this was what it was. This was the big moment that they would either defend the prison or fall with it and lose the first place they'd been able to call home since the farm. She walked back into the cell block and, along with Rick, did a double check of everything, making sure nothing had been left behind. Michonne came in and informed them that the rest were ready to go and were mostly in the areas they were told to defend. Walking over to her while Rick came down the stairs, the woman spoke up about the happenings of yesterday while looking at the man.

"The deal the Governor offered about me—you had to think about it," she told Rick. "You had to, I get it."

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I'm sorry. I came real close."

"But you didn't," she told the man before turning to the girl. "And you never even considered it."

"Nope. Didn' even think 'bout consida it," she said. "But I got more smarts when it comes ta readin' people than most do. Sure ya saw it in the Governa too."

"You know, I never thank you," Michonne randomly said.

"For what?" came a unison reply.

"For getting me out there that day, taking me in," she admitted.

"Well, if you didn't have that baby formula, I wouldn't have. It's Tea—Ani that made that call, not me. Hell, it was Carl that made the final call. He said you belong here. That you're one of us," he told her walking away.

"Come on, we got places ta get ta," Ani told the woman before leaving the cell block and returning to Daryl in the courtyard.

They road the bike out and around the prison, leaving it in the spot Ani and Glenn had designated all of the vehicles to park before quickly returning to the prison. Ani waited with Daryl in one of the guard towers, holding their breaths as they huddled beneath the first flight of stairs so they couldn't be seen. As soon as she heard the first explosion, she whispered 'called it' to Daryl who told her to shut it in return as they both tensed when gun fire opened on the field. Daryl kept her underneath him, protecting her head with his torso, as they crouched beneath the steps. Another explosion sounded closer to them, probably hitting the other guard tower as gunfire cut through the field. She and Daryl stayed silent and still as they stared in each other's eyes, waiting for when they would move or when the next explosion would occur.

Ani listened with baited breath, barely catching the screeching sound of the gate being torn off to open the the courtyard and get to the cell block. It was the moment of truth; if they didn't manage to drive them out once they entered the tombs, they were dead. If everything went according to plan, Rick and Michonne would be able to keep the Woodbury people distracted making random noises in the tombs and leading them right into the booby traps. As soon as the booby traps were tripped, Merle would turn on the alarm system in the boiler room, further adding to the spookiness of it all. The people of Woodbury being so untrained should run for the exit after that and give them their opportunity to get them to leave their group and their home alone. If the people didn't get spooked, there would be nothing they could do except hope and pray that there were enough walkers further into the tombs to take care of the problem.

Giving Daryl a quick but passionate kiss, Ani made her way out from under him and quietly out the door of the guard tower. One of the trucks was straight from the military and was probably what had taken out the windows of their guard tower with how powerful the gun mounted to it was. Making her way over to the machine gun, she carefully climbed onto the truck and removed the firing pin. She booked it back to the guard tower, taking the stairs two at a time until she was back with Daryl up at the top of the guard tower. It was where they were to wait for the final assault as she smiled up at him while dangling the pin in front him and made him smile back. They crouched under the cover of the concrete that surrounded the bottom of this guard tower and waited to see if the intruders would come back out. Even though Woodbury's army had taken out the glass, that actually helped them since they wouldn't have to leave cover to shoot and risk getting shot themselves.

They waited and listened as the alarms began going off while taking a few deep breaths and gearing themselves up, bracing their rifles on the concrete to take careful aim. Along with Maggie and Glenn, the four of them yelled and herded the Woodbury townsfolk away from the prison and back to their vehicles. Using the barricades they'd previously built and the concrete from the lower portion of the guard tower, they fired round after round at the feet of the Governor's people, not felling a single one. They jumped in their vehicles and started them up, fear taking over them completely as the Governor was shouting at them to stay put and fire back. The man simply didn't get his wish as the vehicles drove as quickly as they could back out of the gates and towards their own home.

As everyone emerged and gathered in front of the courtyard gate, Rick commented, "We did it. We drove 'em out."

"We should go after them," Michonne said.

"We should finish it," Daryl agreed, looking at Ani.

"It is finished," Maggie said. "Didn't you see the way they high-tailed it outta here?"

"Nah," Ani denied. "They could easily regroup. Don' want ta take the chance."

"They're not gonna stop," Glenn backed her up.

"They're right," even Carol chimed in as the others came back into the yard and listened in on the conversation. "We can't keep living like this."

"So we take the fight back to Woodbury? We barely made it back last time," Maggie countered.

"I don't care," Daryl told her, Rick sighing his agreement.

"They'll be flusta'd and flounda'rin' 'bout like fresh liddle fishies when ya chop their heads off. We'll be fine," Ani tried to console the woman.

"Don't you mean a chicken with it's head cut off?" Glenn asked.

"Depends on who ya ask, I s'ppose. Neva seen a fresh chicken without a head. Cut plenty a fish heads off, though," Ani said with a shrug.

"Let's go check on the others," Rick told them, prompting them to move back towards the cell block from the courtyard.

As they entered the commons from the cell block, Daryl grabbed Ani and brought her in for a quick kiss to the temple before turning towards the sound of door to the commons opening. The first person to come into view was Beth holding Judith. Following her was Sophia and behind her was a boy about Beth's age in a beanie and a zipper hoodie that none of them knew. Carl and Hershel took up the rear as the group turned to Ani since reading people was still her job and they wanted to know if she was okay with the boy.

"And where'd we pick 'im up at?"

"He was running from the prison," Carl told her. "I was going to take the shot, but I made sure, like you said. He handed Sophia his weapon, so we offered him sanctuary for the time being."

"Smart," she praised him. "What's ya name, boy?"

"Noah," he answered with a shaky voice.

"Well, Noah. It ain' much, but it's somethin' betta than nothin'," she told the boy before turning to Carl and Sophia. "Ya two, watch guard, all times 'til we get back." When the two started to move, she chuckled, "Not the prison, sillies. Ya brought 'im in, ya keep an eye on 'im. Jus' 'til we get back, though," she assured the boy.

"You're going back to Woodbury?" he asked.

"We got ta," she told him with a sigh. "If we don' end this, with how the Governa was hootin' and hollarin' and wantin' y'all ta stay and fight, he'll bring 'em all back 'ere ta finish what 'e started. We scared ya off. Ya think 'e'll make it that easy?"

"No," he admitted.

"Then ya know why we got ta go back. Ya have my word that we will do all we can ta protect innocent life," she said seriously.

"Best not take it lightly," Merle piped up, earning a gasp from the boy.

"Merle?!"

"Yeah, Noah, it's me, and trust me, if Ani gives you her word, she'll keep it," he responded.

They spent time gathering various weapons and gear, Ani handing out assignments to everyone who was staying at the prison. Merle was going with them in an attempt to show the people of Woodbury they could trust their group in an attempt to stave off another round of fighting. Ani watched as Rick and Carl talked once again and whatever the subject was had the boy frustrated all over again. Carl was obviously not overly happy with Rick as he tossed something down on the ground to him. When he walked over to them, she noticed Rick was holding his old police badge in his hand that he was supposed to have lost at the farm. Carl looked over to her and gave her a small smile that she returned with one of her own along with a nod before he walked back to the cells.

"Ani, Rick, we're not going," Glenn said. "We don't know where the Governor is. If he comes back, we'll hold him off."

"Sounds good," Ani told them.

"Just the five of us? Alright," Daryl said before climbing on his bike, Ani climbing on after him.

They booked it as quickly as they could to Woodbury only to come upon a gruesome sight less than half way there. The members of Woodbury's army were either turned or being eaten, not one of them spared or alive. The four of them making quick work of the walkers, Merle not letting Ani deal with anything more than keep watch behind them. She was looking towards their vehicles when a bang on the door of the large truck beside them made her jump nearly out of her skin and turn around letting a knife fly, lodging the damn thing into a tire and blowing it out. Merle full on laughed while Michonne chuckled as her face turned a deep shade of red and she turned her back on them. Daryl had the decency to at least try to cover his own chuckle while Rick just trained his pistol on the door, ignoring the entire situation. A survivor of whatever had happened here was hiding while safely tucked away from the carnage in the cab of the truck.

Ani grabbed her knife back as Daryl pulled his own buck knife out and cautiously opened the door and told her to get out. The woman, Karen, explained to them what happened, that the Governor had turned his gun on all of them and left them for dead. She told them she would help them get back to Woodbury if she promised to help the rest of the citizens get away before the Governor went back. If the man was willing to gun down the entire able bodied force of Woodbury, she was positive he'd go back and do the same there with the elderly and children. She informed them that there were only a couple people left on guard ahey continued their way towards the town with the woman in tow. It was nearly midnight when they reached the wall, only to be met with gun fire that had Ani curse and quickly duck down to check her arm.

"Dammit, that fuckin' stings!" she hissed.

"You get hit?" Merle said furiously.

"Jus' anotha graze, barely even that," Ani assured him. "More like a papa cut, jus' saprisin' is all."

Daryl and Rick were firing back as they found cover, Merle pulling her between him and Daryl and bringing a flashlight up. She was right, there was barely a scratch on her forearm and it was barely bleeding. Neither of them fretted too much, but both brothers told her to stay between them at all times inside and made her roll her eyes. Karen yelled at one of the men on guard watch; those who stayed behind were less than willing to fire on the living and volunteered to stay behind to protect rest. This caused a cease fire, especially when she left the safety of cover with her hands raised and empty. She and the guard shared words where she explained what happened with the Governor once more and then told them that the group of five had saved her.

"We come in peace!" Ani yelled, getting up and standing next to the woman.

"Ani," Merle said at the same time Daryl grabbed for her and told her no.

It was too late though, and the pair looked at Rick and Michonne, the prior of which yelled, "We're comin' out!"

The four raised their hands and walked with Ani and Karen to the front gate and stared at the guard who asked what they were doing here. Looking between each other, they all looked to Ani and gave her a nod to take the leave. All she could hope for now that the cat was out of the bag was that the man would allow a peaceful solution to their situation. The Governor had taken off to who knew where since he wasn't here, but she had no doubt the man would return at some point. Losing his daughter, even as a walker, had driven him over the edge and then losing the battle to their group pushed him even farther. It was only after she had weighed all of her choices that she looked at the man and sighed before taking a step forward.

"We came ta finish this," she told the man. "But then we saw what the Governa did."

"He really killed 'em all?"

"Yeah. We'll give ya shelta at the prison for anyone else who wants sanctuary, but Woodbury ain' safe for ya," she told him. "Now, I got question for ya. Karen told us Andrea jumped the wall. Said she was headin' towards the prison, but she neva made it."

"She's here?" the guard asked.

"Sure as I am," Merle said. "Follow me."

He lead them to the area where they had held Maggie, Glenn, Daryl, and Ani and explained the reason for the area to the man. She told him about how the area had been used to hold and torture who knew how many people. He had a hard time believing it until both she and Maggie told him about how they'd been captured and treated. While the man believed they had suffered in the rooms, he had a hard time reconciling who the Governor had really been with who he showed to everyone. It seemed like the only people who truly knew the man were in the inner circle and Chrystal. No one even knew about Chrystal's true nature, either, apparently as the man gave a shocked gasp at learning that Ani was her sister. He was even more surprised to hear that she hadn't been looking for her for a reunion but to either torture or kill her. They got to the place Ani and Maggie had been held in only to find a pool of blood underneath one of the doors, making both Ani and Michonne tense.

"Will you open it?" Michonne asked Rick as Ani stood behind her, next to Daryl, who had his rifle at the ready.

Michonne and Ani rushed into the room as they saw Andrea's bare feet on laying near the door, the blood obviously coming from her. Andrea was burning up as Michonne noted and trying very hard to comfort them by saying she tried. Daryl could see Ani closing up as she took in the situation in front of her, the pool around Andrea and the corpse of Milton on the floor near what looked to be a dentist chair. Ani carefully removed the shoulder of Andrea's coat and saw the gaping, bleeding bite to her collar bone. She breathed heavily through her nose out through her mouth as Andrea asked about the rest of the people at the prison. It was hard to believe that the woman would be asking them about that when she was on her deathbed. Andrea had tried so hard to make peace and it was thrown back into her face by the Governor and she had paid the price.

"Are they alive?" she asked.

"Yeah, we're all alive."

"It's good you found them," she told Michonne. "No one can make it alone now," she said looking at Daryl, Merle, and Ani.

"I never could," Daryl said, looking towards Merle and Ani, who'd gone to kneel down by behind her.

"I love ya, ya bitch," Ani choked out, barely keeping her tears at bay as Michonne broke down.

She leaned in and kissed her the forehead before Andrea spoke again, "I just didn't want anyone to die."

"I know."

"I can do it myself."

"No," Michonne and Ani said at the same time.

"I have to," Andrea told them, looking each one in the eye for a moment. "While I still can.."

Michonne nodded in understanding and looked down as Andrea looked to Rick, "Please. I know how the safety works."

Rick handed over his pistol as Michonne sat up, "I'm not going anywhere."

"Me eitha."

"Ania, no," Daryl said, knowing she was going to blame herself like she always did.

"Ya were my first friend afta everythin' went ta hell. I left ya at that damn farm. I ain' leavin' ya again," she said to Andrea, though answering Daryl's silent question.

The other three left the room after Andrea told them she tried, Rick's eyes tearing over. Daryl and Merle said nothing as they exited while Ani remained standing and gave Michonne and Andrea space. She was there for support, not the same reason as Michonne; Andrea had chosen this route as her way out and she had to be there for that. It had been her fault for not checking is she was actually dead and her fault that Andrea had gotten into this mess. She knew she'd tried to get her to come back to the group and Andrea hadn't listened, but it was still her fault for not getting her to safety at the farm. As Andrea held the pistol up to her head, Michonne broke down sobbing, not simply in tears anymore. When she pulled the trigger, Michonne held her body for a long while before Ani felt comfortable going to her side. She simply put a hand on the woman's shoulder and squeezed before leaving the room herself. All but collapsing into Daryl's arms, she let the tears she'd held in fall freely as Merle stood next to them in a mild state of distress himself.

It was just before dawn, the sun still below the horizon but the sky beginning to show the morning's colors when Michonne and Ani were finally composed enough to begin the return journey to the prison. While the two of them and Daryl were out of commission, Merle and Rick had taken up the reigns of gathering the citizens of Woodbury and letting them know what had happened to the people who had ventured tot he prison. Along with Karen's testimony, they convinced the remaining citizens to return to the prison with them so that they could be protected. They helped them gather whatever they needed plus any goods and weapons they could find and piled into two busses, one of goods, one of people, and headed towards the prison. Michonne and Ani had insisted they bring Andrea's wrapped body back to be buried with their loved ones, a sentiment that was quickly agreed to. They stopped to retrieve the truck and bike, Michonne taking time by herself while Ani resumed what she now considered her death grip on Daryl when they were on the bike. Although she was saddened by the loss of her friend, Ani couldn't help but feel relieved that it was all over as they left Woodbury. We're safe at last, she thought to herself as Daryl flew down the road towards home.