Disclaimer- I do not own the Walking Dead
Alwaysand- You can have that right.
Shadowoftheblackdeat- Hi, glad to have you back. I noticed you were missing on my last few chapters. I missed you. It's going to get real hectic for me especially now Christmas is coming around, way too quickly I might add.
Enjoy and review if possible.
Danny's POV
None of us say a word on our journey back to the prison, not because there isn't anything to say because there's so much to talk about but I don't think any of us want to talk. We only just scraped through this trip with our lives, it was an extremely close call and it seems to have thrust us all into a major reality check. Merle was willing to sacrifice his life for us, for mine. He probably doesn't even care anymore but I need to apologise for snapping at him yesterday. I have to make it right.
The prison gates finally come into view up ahead. "Slow down", Merle tells Michonne, "We're in a different car and I've been shot at enough for today".
She does as she's told and as we drive closer I can see Daryl come running towards the gate, gun in hand, the others are following after him. When they aim at the car Merle opens his window and sticks his arm out, he waves a little before flipping them his middle finger. Daryl is the first to lower his gun and then Oscars' opening the gate for us.
When Michonne pulls the car through the gate I grab her head rest. "Stop".
The car has barely stopped when I jump out of it, slamming my body into a confused looking Daryl. I wrap my arms tight around his middle, and despite him being utterly confused and surprised he immediately wraps his arms around me. One of his hands rests against the back of my head.
"What the fuck! Merle?" Daryl's clearly just seen Merle's busted face.
I pull away from Daryl's hug, "Where's Riley?"
"He's safe inside with Carol and Sophia, wha…."
Before he can finish what he's saying I basically start running towards our cell block. I have to hold him.
I hear Daryl call after me but when I glance over my shoulder before going inside I see he hasn't followed me. His need to know what the hell happened outweighs everything else.
Axel's the first one I see, he's standing in the doorway to the cells, gun in hand. When he notices it's me he looks over his shoulder. "It's Danny".
A second later Carol walks around the doorway holding Riley. "Here's mummy".
I rush to her and then carefully take him from her. As soon as he's in my arms I start to feel better, the events from today can be erased.
I cradle him right against my chest as Carol stands there accessing me. "What happened?" She shakes her head just as I start to answer her. "And don't downplay it. I know you". Sophia appears behind her mum and instantly looks me up and down to see if there's anything visibly wrong with me.
When she seems satisfied I'm not physically hurt she crosses her arms in front of her chest. "Something definitely happened, you're on edge".
I roll my eyes and smile, it's a mixture of real and forced. "I gotta stop hanging around with you two, I don't like that you can read me so easily".
Carol inadvertently copies her daughter's stance and crosses her arms to stare at me expectantly. "What happened?" She repeats.
I sigh heavily, "They found us at the hospital and Merle and Glenn got taken".
Carol gasps before I can keep talking and a look of utter panic washes over her face.
"They're back, they're outside. Michonne and I went after them but before we could actually work out what we would actually do to get them back they got outside the wall themselves. Andrea helped them escape but it was a trap. The Governor knew we'd come and rescue them but he wasn't expecting it to be just the two of us." I look at Sophia and Axel like I'm worried what they're going to think when I tell them the next part. "The Governor's dead".
The door slams open behind me, "You went alone?" I turn to Daryl, he sounds completely pissed off.
"If we hadn't followed them things could have gotten a lot worse. I made a call and I have no regrets. They're alive and we're home and our main problem is dead".
He keeps coming towards me. "It was a trap, you could have died".
"But we didn't".
Daryl stops right in front of me, his hand comes up and he latches onto the back of my neck, he then pulls me closer and then his lips are on mine, the kiss is desperate, needy and even though I kiss him back I'm well aware that he's doing this in a room now full of people. He's never done this before. He's a private person and doesn't like to show others how he's feeling.
"You killed him", the Sheriff's voice breaks our moment. Daryl pulls away and runs his thumb over his bottom lip before turning and standing beside me. "And you aren't expecting any repercussions from this? You shouldn't have made a decision like that without talking to us all first".
A little flash of anger runs through me and I go to take a step forward but Riley gurgles in my arms and I stop. Daryl gently wraps his fingers around my upper arm and steers me back to his side.
"Decision? It wasn't just a decision. It was life or death. They were going to kill Merle and then the rest of us would have been next. It was us or them and you can't stand there and act like you wouldn't have done the exact same thing if you'd been given the chance. I had that chance and now our main problem is gone, dead". I keep my voice calm, the words argumentative but not my voice.
"And what about all his men", the Sheriff's voice isn't as calm, "huh? You think killing the governor just magically makes them not want to kill us anymore?"
I roll my eyes, I don't mean to but the question is stupid.
Daryl's fingers flex on my arm. "She knows more than any of you how they feel about us even with the governor dead but that don't mean she didn't do the right thing. The main problem is dead, now all we can do is wait and find out if Andrea can fix this. We keep tellin' you that ya ain't gotta stay here if you don't like the way things are done here. She did what she did to survive and that's all that fuckin' matters to me".
The Sheriff comes closer causing Merle, who came in behind him to rush as quickly as he can around to stand between us, albeit a little off to the side. Like he's ready but isn't gonna get involved just yet.
"I've tried to go along with everything you've done". I scoff accidentally, because that is not true. He's argued at pretty much every decision that's been made. "You've convinced nearly my entire family that what you do is right and that what I do is wrong and a danger to them. You told us all to not do anything that would make Woodbury come for us but now you go and kill the man who controlled them all."
"I didn't start the fight with them, you did, by doing the exact opposite of what I had said. They followed you back, they killed one of their men who was in our care and they shot at all of us. You are the reason we are on their radar. You are the reason they no doubt followed us to the hospital and you are the reason Merle and Glenn got taken." I look pointedly at Merle, "look at him. They could have killed him and you should be so thankful they didn't because if they had I would have come back here and I would have finally pulled the trigger on you".
The Sheriff takes another step forward and Daryl's fingers tense on my arm. "Are you threatening me".
I laugh, like full on laugh as I turn to give Riley to Carol who is standing to my right. She takes him and moves backwards. "That wasn't a threat, not even close." Daryl lets my arm go, "This is a threat". I move forwards and take my gun from Merle who's now holding it in his hand. He lets it go willingly. "If you can't live here and accept the fact that you aren't in charge anymore then you won't be able to call this place your home anymore. I will force you out and you will have nothing and if you ever put my family at risk again," I point my gun straight at him, "This will be the last time I ever point my gun at you without squeezing the trigger. The only reason I haven't done it yet or even forced you out is because of your son, your daughter but I no longer care about that, I have my own family to protect which you are not a part of."
His hand is gripping his gun but he doesn't pull it out, "You hear that, she won't protect any of you because Daryl and Merle will always come first, so what she's been telling you is a lie".
"No! My family comes first and everyone here is my family, you are the only one I won't put my life on the line to protect because I know you won't do the same for me".
That stuns him a little because he knows it's true, he wouldn't risk his life to save mine and honestly I wouldn't want him to. I don't want to be indebted to a man like this. A man that can't accept the fact that he's going off the rails. His fingers tighten on his gun and I know what's about to happen and so does everyone else. He pulls his gun out but before he has the chance to fully point it at me Michonne has her sword pointed at his neck, Merle has sidestepped to block me and Daryl has moved forward and has his gun aimed right at the Sheriff.
"You do this and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Daryl's voice comes out very low. "Put it down".
I lower my gun as Michonne moves the tip of her sword closer. When it's just touching his neck Merle moves forward and takes his gun, he gives it to Glenn and then grabs the Sheriffs wrist, he twists his arm and pins it behind his back.
"I've wanted to do this since you first arrived". Surprisingly the Sheriff lets him do it, I honestly think if he wanted to he could get out of Merle's grip, but he doesn't try and that might be because Daryl is still aiming at him and Michonne still has her swords pointed at him. "Axel, grab the cell keys. We're locking him up".
I look around at everyone but no one seems to argue. "Maggie," Maggie locks eyes with me. "Can you go and find Herschel", and Carl but I don't say his name because I don't want to make the Sheriff any angrier than he already is. Dealing with Carl isn't going to be fun but he needs to know what's happening because if he finds out on his own it'll be worse.
Merle frog marches the Sheriff into the cells with Michonne and Axel trailing after him. When they're no longer in the room the tension seems to lift a little from everyone who's left.
I turn around to find Carol but she's no longer holding Riley, Sophia is and Carol is standing in front of her, her own gun in hand. I nod my head at her and give her a little smile as a thank you.
Daryl leans in closer, "I like it but you worry me when you do this". He whispers so only I can hear him.
I smile and hold my gun up so it's resting on my open palm. "It's not loaded. Merle emptied it back at Woodbury." It's why he still had it as he was going to reload it for me.
"Terrifyin' yet sexy".
I choke on a laugh. Never thought I'd hear him say something was sexy.
"What…" Glenn starts, "what happens now?"
Daryl stands back upright, "We keep him locked in there until he decides what he wants to do and as for Woodbury. There's nothin' we can do until we know if Andrea succeeds in convincin' them we ain't the bad guys. Until then we, under no circumstances, leave this prison and we carry on preparing for the worst".
"Oh", I look around for my bag that I had abandoned back in the car, Oscar has it. I rush over to him and take it from him before digging through it. When I find what I'm looking for I pull them out and throw them at Daryl. "These are for you". At least we got the antibiotics even if they're the reason this all transpired.