Disclaimer- I do not own the Walking Dead or any of it's characters.

I hope you guys are still enjoying this, if it's not too much of a hassle I would love it if you could drop a review.

This chapter was already planned out but Shadowoftheblackdeat has some good ideas so I incorporated some of them into it. Thank you for all you help.

I already know what I'm going to with the next couple of chapters so as long as I don't struggle with putting the ideas into words then hopefully I'll be able to upload a little quicker.

Danny's POV

"They're back". I'm immediately awake. I open my eyes but Merle already disappeared back out onto the balcony of the tower, beside me Sophia is jumping to her feet and rushing off towards the door but as I start to sit up she comes rushing back to help me while wearing a sheepish grin.

I go straight down stairs and out into the early morning sun to meet Daryl and Carol at the gate. They look exhausted, Carols gone from an all day scavenge trip to an all night tracking trip. How she's still on her feet is beyond me.

I open the gate just as Merle and Sophia emerge. Sophia comes hurtling past me and slams straight into her mum who then wraps Sophia in a tight hug. I step straight into Daryl, his bow clatters to the floor as he wraps his arms around me.

"Are you okay?" I mumble against his chest.

"We didn't get him." I go to step back but he tightens his arms. "Lost his tracks out on the road, we tried to find them again but I got fuck all".

Sophia finally releases her exhausted mother from her grip, "Do you think he's coming back this way?"

Daryl shrugs as I finally step away from him. "He could have easily come back this way or followed the road in the opposite direction."

Merle sighs. "Well shit, little guy like that ain't gonna be a problem. Sophia's taller than he is". He chuckles and then winks at Sophia.

"Uh, guys". I look at Carol to find her staring out the fence, I follow her gaze to find two people walking towards the prison.

Merle pulls out his gun, "What now!"

Daryl moves closer, "It's Axel and Oscar".

As the pair come closer they hold up their hands in surrender, their weapons raised in the air. No guns can be seen just a metal pipe and a crowbar.

As Axel and Oscar reach the gate Glenn comes sliding to a stop on the gravel beside me, he casts me a quick glance but then his attention goes straight back onto the prisoners at the gate.

The Sheriff comes up beside him, gun in hand. "Leave!"

"No", the word slips out before I'd even had the chance to think about what to say. Every pair of eyes here turns to me. "They don't need to leave, not yet. Not before we talk to them".

I recognise the scoff from behind me with out even having to look at who it's come from. Lori. "She cannot let them in".

"I don't think she was saying let them in", Glenn tells Lori before looking at me, "Right?"

Honestly it wasn't but you know what, we should let them in. It'll be safer and easier to talk to them. "I was, is that a problem?"

Carl stalks past his mother, "Yes it's a problem. Dad is in charge and he says they are to go away".

Sophia's arm brushes against mine as she stands beside me. "Carl, shut up!"

I ignore Carl and glare straight at the Sheriff, "You aren't the leader of this group", I look over my shoulder at Merle. "Let them in". He immediately nods his head and turns to the gate to unlock it.

The click of a gun uncocking. Before the Sheriff has his gun fully pointed at the two men outside the gate I step in front of his line of fire. Before anyone can even blink Daryl has his crossbow raised straight at the Sheriff. Carl fumbles with his in the shock and then aims it at Daryl, and that shocks me right to the core. He is completely different to the boy we left at the farm. Sophia's gun is also in her hand but that doesn't shock me as much.

"Carol?" Lori hesitantly says her name. "We are not the bad guys here, We..."

"You just hate the Dixons", Carol says sarcastically. "Well I hate to break it to you, but I'm a Dixon. You keep picking fights with us like we're after you but we aren't the ones that have changed".

"You haven't change...".

"Enough". Herschel's booming voice shuts everyone up. I don't look away from the Sheriff and his gun though. "We are guests in this prison. This prison belongs to Danny's group and this grudge you have against them has to stop. They aren't responsible for what happened back at our farm so whatever grudge you think you have against them it needs to stop. Lori, you are overdue and you can't be picking a fight with Danny every time she walks into your line of sight. It's unnecessary stress on both of you and your babies. And you". I look up to see who Herschel is talking to. He's looking past me at Merle. "Have got to stop provoking them. We are two groups in one prison and we have to make it work, we can make it work because if this right here is how it's going to be all the time then I can't be part of it and I know I'm not the only one". The Sheriff doesn't seem to even need to be told who Herschel is talking about as he looks straight at Glenn who looks a little caught of guard but finally nods once to confirm. "Listen to me Rick, they have let us join them here, they took us in which means you don't run this place, not by yourself. You have to work along side them".

Nobody says anything, I don't think anybody knows what to say, especially me. I wasn't expecting Herschel to react this way, he has our back. He trusts us, believes in us and doesn't blame us for leaving... And he called it my group. I am definitely not the leader of this group.

The Sheriff finally reacts to everything that Herschel said and lowers his gun, I gesture for Daryl to lower his bow as the Sheriff pushes Carl's down. But still nobody speaks so I start.

"I want them inside safe so we can talk. I promise they won't get anywhere near your family". I keep eye contact with the Sheriff and finally after what seems like an age he finally nods which does cause Carl to scoff and for Lori to turn her back on us completely but there's no arguing. "Thank you".

"I would like to talk to them with you".

I offer a tiny smile. "Wouldn't expect it any other way, but we probably should take this closer to the prison, I've gotta sit down".

Daryl is suddenly as close to me as he can possibly get. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing", he doesn't look like he believes me. "Nothing I promise. I've just gotta get some weight off".

I take a seat on one of the benches near cell block C and gesture for Axel and Oscar to sit opposite me, after they share a quick look Axel sits down while Oscar remains standing.

I get straight to it. "Why'd you come back?"

"We came to warn ya" Axel rushes out. I don't say anything, gotta see what they say first. "Tomas and Andrew, they're comin' back for the prison. Plannin' on shootin' as many of ya as they can".

Merle lays his gun on the table and then sits down beside me with a noise like a groan that only men seem to make. "Ya a day too late".

"They already came?" Oscar looks around at the faces still in the yard like he's trying to tell if someone is missing since he last saw us.

"They didn't get in, they failed at whatever it was they were trying to do", I reassure him.

Oscar finally takes a seat. "They killed Big Tiny. He was bit and they just killed him".

"If he was bit then he was a dead man walkin'." Daryl doesn't mean it as harsh as it sounds but he's not wrong.

Oscar shakes his head, "Yeah I get that man but you didn't see it. It literally just happened, he was fine and Tomas just bashed his head in. They then decided they were comin' back here, they wanted the prison back and they were going to kill as many of you as they could. especially those that kicked us out." Oscar looks pointedly and me, Daryl and Merle causing my cheeks to get a little warm. I don't regret wanting them to leave but I do feel bad for these two, even a little guilty.

"Why'd you two decide to come warn us"? Merle asks.

"Cause we ain't like them "Axel defends, "You don't deserve what they were tryin' to do. In fact we get why ya kicked us out. No hard feelin's over it".

Oscar looks me right in the eyes. "What happened to them?"

I don't answer, they came back to warn us but how would they feel if they find out we killed one of them.

"I shot Tomas," Merle tells Oscar. "He threatened one of us, weren't gonna let that go. Andrew ran off".

"I went out to try and find him but he got away. You think he'll try somethin' else". Daryl asks.

Oscar sighs. "They were close but I don't know, I really don't".

"We'll just have to make sure we keep a couple of people on watch from now on". It's the first thing the Sheriff says since we sat down.

As I sit here looking at the two former inmates I realise how wrong we were about them. Not only that but they could be useful. They know Andrew. I turn to look at Daryl who is stood just behind me. "We need to talk."

He nods once and gestures for Carol and Sophia to also come over. The five of us walk off to the side.

"You want them to stay?" Daryl asks before I even have a chance to say anything.

"Yeah, I feel bad for them and they could help us".

Merle scoffs lightly, "Officer friendly ain't gonna like that".

"They wouldn't need to go anywhere near him or his family. You guys cleared out D block we can all move in there".

"And you'd be okay living so close to them?" Carol asks.

I nod, "I would doesn't mean we don't take precautions. They don't get weapons and they don't get left alone".

"I'll be their guard", Merle offers up. "Don't bother me".

Carol looks at her daughter who nods before looking back at me. "We 're okay with it".

Daryl sighs and runs a hand across his mouth, he looks overs to where Axel and Oscar are sitting. "Fine, we let them stay". I smile at him but he just rolls his eyes at me. "You can tell them and tell 'em the rules".

"Fine with me".

We make our way back to the table as a group and then I offer the two men a small smile. "If you want to, We'd like to offer you to stay... With ground rules".

Axel immediately says yes.

The Sheriff tries to protest but we ignore him until he stops.

"What about you?" I ask Oscar.

"What are the ground rules?"

"You stay away from C Block and the people in there, We all move into D block and you stay as part of our group. And just to start with you don't have weapons unless you're doing something that requires one."

"Anything else?"

"D block is the only place you can be without an escort, we don't know you" and it's kind of difficult to forget where we met them although I don't say that part out loud. "If we can get trust between us then that can change".

"And how do we become trusted?"

"Being part of a group means we work together it's not every man for himself. We make decisions together not alone. You just need to show that you can do that, that's all we need".

Oscar finally nods, "We'll stay".