LXIV

—/<3/—

"I can't believe it... I'm so angry," Rory huffed and puffed as she paced back and forth. "If it were one of the Woodbury people we didn't know as well that had killed them I might have understood exiling them a bit more...but Carol? She's only had good intentions from the start! Everyone knows that! It's all well and good for Rick to kill people whenever he wants 'for the safety of the group' but the minute someone else does the same thing he throws a tantrum and acts holier than thou! He's not even in charge! He doesn't have a seat on the council!" She ranted, steam practically shooting out of her ears.

"I'm pissed off too, Carol don't deserve to be out there alone, she ain't ever been alone through this shit," Daryl seethed. "We can go out, see if we can find her and keep in contact."

"She's probably long gone," Rory laughed humourlessly. "Why couldn't he have just consulted us? Waited until we got back and held a meeting or something? He says he doesn't want to be in charge, doesn't want to have to make decisions for everyone and then he goes out of his way to make more decisions!"

"I know, that's what I said to him, but he said she had a car, supplies and was a survivor... he didn't even look like he believed his own words." Daryl sighed and pulled Rory towards him, stopping her from pacing anymore. "C'mon, you haven't seen pumpkin and your family in while and you're all clear from infection, let's go hang out with them."

"Okay," Rory nodded, biting her lip.

—/<3/—

"Rory!" Niamh squealed as the couple walked into the cell block. "I'm so glad you're okay!" The two best friends rushed to hug each other tight.

"How did the run go to the college?" Mikey asked, he was holding Judith, bouncing her on his knee.

"It went alright, got caught by a huge herd on the way there though," Daryl answered.

"Can you go take that baby away from him? Seeing him with her is making me want one," Niamh said lowly so that only Rory and Daryl could hear.

"Only if you bring me Pumpkin, I haven't seen her in so long," Rory agreed.

"Deal." Niamh nodded, rushing upstairs to her cell where the cat was sleeping.

Rory strolled over to her two bandmates, Daryl hot on her tail, and held her hands out to take Judith. Mikey didn't. think much of it and handed the baby over without any trouble. Judith cooed at the movement, smacking her lips together. Rory perched the baby on her hip and turned back to the men as Niamh walked down the stairs, cradling Pumpkin like a newborn.

Rory smiled and reached out a hand to pet the soft black fur. Pumpkin began to purr immediately and tried her hardest to fight her way out of Niamh's grip and into Rory's. So there she stood, a baby on one hip and a cat on the other. Judith reached out curiously towards Pumpkin, heavy-handedly slapping her tiny hand on the cat's back.

"Rory, Daryl, I need your help with something," Rick said as he poked his head around the corner. His eyes drifted to his daughter automatically, checking she was okay, and then back to the two people he needed.

"What is it now?" Rory sighed. She handed Jonah the cat and Niamh the baby, then turned to Rick with an exasperated expression.

"Tyreese found something weird down by quarantine, I need you two to come have a look with me so we can figure out what it is," Rick explained.

"You can't find someone else to be your lackeys for one day? They only got back last night and Rory spent all night taking care of the sick people," Jonah frowned.

"This ain't a task, I just need them to come look. You're free to come too if you're really that bothered," Rick glared at him.

"Sure, bee stuck in this cellblock for days." Jonah lifted Pumpkin from his lap and placed her on the table behind him, hurriedly following after Rory and Daryl.

"Ew what the fuck?" Rory grimaced, looking away from the dissected rat.

"The same person who killed Karen did this! We're living with a psychopath!" Tyreese yelled.

"No, they didn't," Rick said, "Tyreese, the person who killed Karen and David is—"

Rick was cut off when a large crash sounded through the air and the ceiling shook, dust flying over them.

Everyone wordlessly took off in a sprint towards the guns upstairs, knowing they were under attack. Rory grabbed a pistol, tucked it into her shots and then a rifle and ammo, sprinting off to the courtyard ahead of everyone. Rick, Jonah and Daryl, followed closely behind.

"You, you had Judith, where is she?" Rick pointed to Niamh who was already outside.

"I left her with Beth, if we're under attack then you'll need help shooting. Pumpkin is with her too," Niamh turned to Rory.

The group ducked behind the wall after seeing a row of cars lined up outside their fence with someone stood on top of an army tank in the middle.

"Is that Philip?" Rory asked rhetorically, shocked.

"Rick! Come out and talk!" The governor yelled. Everyone stared down at them, baffled.

"It's not up to me!" Rick shouted back, "There's a council now, they run this place!"

"Is Hershel on the council?" Philip questioned. He waved to someone and Hershel was pulled out of the car, his hands tied behind his back. "What about Michonne?" She was pulled out next.

"I don't make decisions anymore!" Rick yelled.

"You're making the decisions today, Rick."

"I'll go, I'm on the council," Rory said without hesitation.

"No, he wants me, I have to go."

"To think you're going down alone? They've got a tank. We'll go down together, buy some time for the rest to get armed and get the others to the evac bus." Rory stared at him unwaveringly.

"Okay." Rick agreed. He looked to Daryl and they nodded at each other.

"How are we approaching this then?" Rory asked as they walked down the field. "You know I'm always up for a good argument."

"I don't know how to handle it, but we can't let Hershel and Michonne die." Rick seemed panicked. "Don't say anything that's gonna make him angry, I know you like to provoke people but it ain't gonna work this time."

"Making people angry makes them sloppy, they forget their plan and start winging it, I do it for a reason Rick, not for fun."

"There's guns pointed at our people's heads this time." Rick said finally.

"Hey Philip! Long time no see!" Rory feigned cheerfulness as they approached, a gorgeous, teasing smile on her face.

"Philip?" A couple of people whispered looking confused.

"Did I ask for you to come down? I wanted Rick."

"And he's here, isn't he? Unfortunately, Rick retired as leader and since you kidnapped a third of our council, you've got me here to approve decisions," Rory didn't drop her smile, she didn't dare look to Hershel and Michonne, instead she stared directly into Philip's single eye.

Her unabashedness clearly took him and a good number of his group by surprise because a few of them faltered.

"Let them go," Rick said, "I'll stay down here and talk as long as you want, but you let them go. You've got a tank, you don't need hostages."

"I do. This is an attempt to show you I'm serious, not to blast a hole in our new home."

"C'mon now, Philip, we could've lived peacefully six months ago, you in Woodbury with your people and us here, but you had to get all weird about another group in the area. You already did so much damage and then you had to face the consequences, why are you acting like a messiah all of a sudden?"

"Stop calling me Philip little girl!" He growled.

"Oh there's the Philip we all know. Would you prefer we call you the Governor again? Or do you go by 'God' now?"

"Shut your mouth. You and your people have until sundown to get out of here, or they die."

"It doesn't have to go down this way," Rick insisted.

"We have more people, more firepower and we need this prison," the governor smiled.

"You don't even have half of the people that we have," Rory scoffed. "You may have killed half of your last group but the half that survived? Where do you think they went? They came here. We look after them! We grow food for them, we built a library for them and we gave them a reason to live. What did you do? You built a ring where you'd gather people to watch others fight to death whilst walkers got closer and closer to them. You want to do that to the prison too?" She raised an eyebrow.

"You want these people to think you're kind and you're doing this to save their lives but I'm willing to bet that you uprooted them from somewhere safe in order to get revenge. If you were smarter, Philip, you could've won back then, but you just went straight in with guns and no plan. You've got a gun to the head of your self-proclaimed worst enemy and an old man with one leg and yet these people still think you're doing this to save people? You can try and convince yourself you've changed all you want but you're still the Governor."

"We can't leave. We have children here and some of them are really sick. They won't survive," Rick declared.

"I have a tank and I'm letting you walk away. What else is there to talk about?" Philip seethed.

"Innocent children, the elderly and a whole cell block of sick people live here with us protecting them from the outside. We can give you supplies, help you find a safe place to settle, but you can't have the prison." Rory pointed past the first fence, "See that farm over there? That's my work. I can build you a farm, get you all the seeds you need and instructions on upkeep and harvest. I can give you any medication you can think of for your people, but you can't take out home."

"I don't want another place. I want the prison and that's the end of it."

"That's such a child's argument, Philip. You're a grown man, act like one. I can give you a better offer. We'll take all your people, give them a safe place to live, but you walk away. If it's really the people you care about and not yourself or petty revenge, you'll take that offer."

Philip stayed silent for a minute and his people look at him, waiting for his answer. He knew if he didn't accept the offer, his people wouldn't be as loyal to him, but if he did, he wouldn't get what he wanted.

"C'mon, Phil, I can't do any better than that," Rory urged. "You know damn well why we won't accept you in, but your people are innocent, you probably have kids and elderly too, think of them, if you've really changed."

"That's right," Rick looked at Rory, relieved. "We can take everyone but you. We've got the room and we'll even give you a car and some supplies so you're not completely stranded."

Philip's jaw clenched and he shook his head. After a few beats he said, "no. Get your people out by sundown."

—/<3/—