THE DARKNESS OF night never unsettled Ellie. It was another fact of life, when the sun strode behind the moon, it became night. Simple. Yet, there was something delicate that the moon radiated that helped her come to life at night; the time where most would sleep, rejuvenate and replenish their energy. Not Ellie. If she was awake, the moon caressed her until her pain became nothing. If she was asleep, there was no fleeing the torment of her nightmares. She chose to stay awake. There was something more fragile that left Ellie clinging to the nighttime; deep within the empty sac in the place of a beating heart. The silver crust of the moon filled that space with light, igniting her from within. It was when she came alive.

The daytime was never about survival. It was merely routine. Survival had a comical way of trimming away the edges; cutting out the weak ones and positioning the strong ones on a high pedestal. Survival was more about winning than it was about breathing, and that's when Ellie knew she was barely living. 

The alarm clock to her left pulsed jovially as Ellie stared up at the ceiling of the perch, allowing the silence of the prison to wash over her. The serenity reminded her that despite the mayhem, she would be granted moments of peace, just like that one. The only other sound to be heard other than the gentle ticking of the alarm clock had been the calm gurgles from the bundle to her right as she sleepily moved around. Shakily, Ellie dragged her body upward to glimpse inside the crib, permitting a gracious smile to curve at her lips as she caught sight of the baby.

"You haven't slept," a deep voice enticed her, but she resided in her position as she gently ran her thumb across the baby's cheek, "Ellie, you need to sleep."

Ellie groaned as she pinched the bridge of her nose, a burdensome throb beginning to form in her head as she mumbled, "Rick, I don't need you to babysit me."

"It's not babysitting if I'm here because I care about you, " Rick replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Ellie's attempts to rid of him. "I know you. Talk to me."

"I didn't even tell Coda that he was gone," Ellie whispered, feeling the words ebb from within her like word-vomit, "She hasn't noticed he isn't here, Rick. What does that tell you about him?"

All Rick could do was broadcast a soft sigh before he spoke, "Maybe that's a good thing. She would be distracted by the pain."

Ellie scoffed, feeling the corners of her mouth curling into a crimson smile of mockery, her words seeping with venom, "If you had let Merle stay, he wouldn't have left."

Rick froze upon hearing Ellie's expression. He hadn't noticed how agonising his judgment to turn Merle away had been for Ellie, and it crushed him. He was accountable for her sorrow, and there wasn't a single way he would be competent enough to rectify it. Rick stooped his head low with shame, shaking it gently back and forth as he contemplated his next words carefully, conducting a perfect response to the grieving woman.

"If I knew how this would hurt you, I never would have turned Merle away in the first place," Rick breathed out, ashamed with himself for deciding so irrationally.

Except, it hadn't been unreasonable. Rick was doing his duty, very well, and deemed Merle unfit to integrate with the group. It was a mere obligation to refuse Merle's presence at the prison. His verdict wasn't wrong, with the responsibility of a leader weighing heavily on his heart as he knew it was simply impossible to please everybody. Merle was capable of horrendous things, and Rick could never have trusted to chance such a potentially hazardous entity to enter their lives. Rick was proud of his decision, but if he could take it all back just to limit Ellie the misery she had been feeling — he would.

"You can't lecture me about being awake when you're also awake," Ellie expressed, avoiding the subject of his forgiveness.

Rick scoffed, and strode closer to the woman on the mattress, motioning politely to inquire if he was able to join her. When she shrugged, a frown ambushed his lips as he gradually lowered his body to the mattress. Rick folded one knee up, and leaned his elbow against it as he leaned out to Ellie, attempting to hold her hand in his, platonically. He wanted to do something – anything – to illustrate just how much he truly cared for her.

Hesitantly, Ellie outstretched her rigid fingers, and allowed her head to fall gently onto Rick's hand as they intertwined their fingers. The rigidness in her muscles ceased as he stroked his thumb against her skin, allowing her to relax at his touch from the tenseness in her body. The gentle vibrations of his pulse steadied her mind, rhythmically relaxing the pain in her mind.

"Can you stay here tonight?" Ellie whispered as she peeked over at the alarm clock that displayed the time as 3am.

Rick simply tucked his arm around Ellie to hold her close as she rested her head onto his chest, and whispered, "Always. Goodnight, Ellie."

>>>

Ellie's eyes gently fluttered open as the sunlight from the window beamed brightly across her face, summoning her from her slumber. She shuffled slowly as she came to, and glanced over at Rick, whose arms had been holding her close the entirety of the night. Ellie's lips curved into a frown as she observed the sleeping man, pained by the reality that it hadn't been Daryl beside her. She instantly leapt to her feet upon noticing the crib hadn't been on the perch, propelling Ellie to frantically spin around on her heels, unintentionally waking Rick from his slumber.

"Ellie?" he sleepily questioned, rubbing at his eyes as he came to.

Ellie halted, her frown painting on her face once again as she turned to greet the leader, "The baby's not here, Rick."

Rick hauled his body from the mattress, and stormed down from the perch, peeking into each cell as he made his way down the line. He halted directly before Coda's cell, and cupped his mouth as he sighed in relief. Once Ellie had caught up to the man, he flashed her a quick smile before she peered into the cell herself. A smile crept across her red cheeks as she observed the scene — the children had dragged a spare mattress through to the cell, and had arranged a sleepover. River and Coda shared a mattress as Carl had slept peacefully beside them, along with the makeshift crib sitting beside them.

The children had been awake and submerged deeply in their own conversations, not one of them noticing that the two had approached the cell. The children greeted Rick as he passed by, positioning the baby gently in his arms as she gurgled and moaned. Ellie and Rick exchanged brief smiles as they stepped away from the sleeping children, and pursed the dining area as quietly as possible. Ellie sighed as she sat at a nearby table, and instantly buried her face into her palms as she clenched her eyes shut. She just wanted to shut it all out for a while.

"I think we all need to talk about this," Rick declared, simultaneously nodding as many of the group members had joined them in the dining room.

"What do we do now? Do you think he'll retaliate?" Ellie questioned as she nibbled at the skin on her thumb anxiously.

"Yes." Maggie spoke up, venom spitting from her mouth as she thought back to her experience with the Governor.

"We could use some enforcement," Hershel suggested to Rick, referencing to the new people that had been in the dining area the day prior.

Rick shot Hershel a quick nod, simultaneously placing the baby in Ellie's arms as she cooed quietly. He gently tugged at Ellie's arm as he connected his eyes with Shane's from afar, "We gotta go talk to the new people."

Shane proudly joined his partner at his side and the two ventured off to find the strangers that had arrived at the prison. Ellie followed after them shortly, with the baby wriggling in her arms, silently staring down at her with the smallest of smiles curling onto her lips. She rocked her back and forth gently, whispering soothing words as the baby began to fuss, and successfully hushed her as she continued to suck on her pacifier. Ellie entered the room after the men, and paused as she attempted to tune into the conversation, despite the baby's sudden wails that commenced by chance.

Through gentle hushes, Ellie weaved in and out of the conversation as the baby became louder, wailing and sobbing uncontrollably. The small group turned to face her, alerted by the baby's sudden wailing during the conversation.

"Can you shut that thing up?" one of the enraged men of the group asked.

A beautiful African-American woman gently slapped the man's arm as she shot him a scowl, "Alan, it's a baby. You can't expect anything else from it," she glanced up at Ellie through apologetic eyes, and smiled, "I'm sorry for his insensitivity."

Ellie plastered a fake smile across her plump lips, and replied casually, "Thank you, but God knows she drives us crazy sometimes, too."

"But I suppose that's part of the experience of motherhood, right?" she asked with a smile. To her knowledge, Ellie had been the mother of the baby, as it appeared to be so natural between them.

"Of course," Ellie replied chirpily as she placed the bottle back into the baby's mouth to feed her, "Once you get used to the crying you realise it's this stage that's the easiest. It's when they grow older you realise."

"Oh, you have other children?" the woman inquired eagerly, her face instantly brightening at the mention of more children.

"I have a little girl, she's seven," Ellie declared proudly, glancing over at Shane as he smiled at the mention of Coda.

The woman released a gentle giggle, and flashed a toothy grin, "You guys must be so proud of how far you've come," she glanced between Rick and Ellie, raising her eyebrows at the two.

They exchanged a brief glance of confusion, but simply flashed her a smile of gratitude, prompting Ellie to reply, "I think we should all be proud that we're standing here today."

"Hear, hear," the woman replied, nodding gently in Ellie's direction.

Such a simple indication of admiration — questions. To the ordinary eye, questions would imply anyone had been trying to engage with Ellie. To her, it was a reminder than even strangers needed to gain a victory. The glistening sheen of hopefulness in the woman's eye told Ellie she had been there for more than she had led on. Something deeper. Or to a healthier eye, it might have been Ellie's judgement that had been misplaced. As Rick commenced his discussion with the new people, Ellie slumped out of the room as the baby refused to settle down after her feeding. She slowly slipped back into the hallway, hoping to find just a moment of stillness to put out the fire in her mind.

Ellie slumped her way back towards the perch, dismissing any sounds that chanced to sway her away from being alone. She hauled the crib behind her loosely, ignoring the deafening screeching it had been making. The baby had been crying far too loud for that. She shoved against the invariant ghoul draining the life from within her, and, finally, reached the perch. Ellie positioned the baby down gently, handing her a pacifier in order to hush her, and spun on her heels.

Ellie declined harshly against the mattress, ignoring the burn that was metastasising through her muscles. Despite the baby's overpowering wailing, Ellie's eyes whirled shut, calming the ache behind her eyes. The outside simply became a whirlwind that she didn't want to be stuck in anymore, and into a slumber she fell.

>>>

Daryl. Ellie's mind shot awake as the force of her will woke her, shaking off the dream she had found herself in with Daryl. She rubbed sleepily at her eyes as she glimpsed over at her alarm clock, and released a disappointed sigh as the clock read early hours of the morning once again. Her sleeping pattern had proven to be non-existent when all she truly wanted to do was sleep forever. Ellie's eyes instantly darted to her right for the baby, and sighed upon noticing she had been gone. Rick.

Ellie battled against the persistent fatigue in her limbs, and strolled carefully down from the perch, heading for the courtyard. She curtailed when she saw Rick staring intently at her from the doorway, waiting for her. His left hand rested gently against his hip as the other had been raised on the wall as he leaned against it casually. Rick shot her a nod, but spoke no words.

"What are you doing here?" Ellie challenged through a slight whisper, dropping her gaze to the ground as she avoided his eye contact from fear. She felt herself relying far too heavily on him, it was beginning to terrify her.

Rick shrugged, and dropped his arm from the doorway as he sighed, "I haven't slept properly since... It's just hard."

Ellie's eyes instantly softened as Rick's words settled against her skin like a gentle breeze, shifting her back into her ordinary self, just for a few moments. She nodded, and politely replied, "It'll take time, but you're getting there."

Rick could only smile. He hadn't scheduled to confess how their symposium had been entirely premeditated on his behalf to soothe Ellie's mind. Yet, somehow, despite the chaos in her mind, it was Ellie who wanted to help Rick. With all the pain inhabiting her, she was still willing to aid a friend; a companion; her family. She would always have time for her family.

With a warm smile plastered across his lips, Rick held the door open as he signalled for Ellie to step out into the courtyard as he'd follow her. The two set off together unhurriedly, strolling along the darkened courtyard as they absorbed the silence encompassing them. It certainly proved different to the daytime, where mayhem was nothing but inevitable. The two strolled casually alongside one another, exchanging engaging discussions along with gentle laughs as they absent-mindedly found their down in the grass area towards the gate.

Ellie leaned against a nearby vehicle as she shut her eyes, permitting a gracious smile to slither onto her face as she relaxed against the car, "This was good."

"It really was," Rick muttered as he glanced over into the distance, unexpectedly stunned by what he had prayed to be his own imagination. Lori.

"Rick?" Ellie polled as she examined his anxious eyes glancing ferociously down outside the gate. Ellie reached out and gently placed her hand on his arm, feeling it tense at her touch, "Rick, what's wrong?"

Rick remained silent as he persisted with his staring and broadcasted a shaky breath. The air knocked from his lungs as his eyes settled on Lori, despite the nagging idea that it had to be impossible. His legs carried him instinctively down towards the gate in a jog, hauling him directly next to the image he had been seeing. Ellie pursued after the man, calling to him quietly as she raised her gun from her side, keeping it close in case she needed to use it. She paused as she observed Rick talking to the air, seemingly engrossed in the nothingness before him.

Rick had halted directly before the makeshift gravestones the group had erected for T-Dog and Lori, leaving Ellie to tilt her head as she attempted to comprehend the concerning matter at hand.

"Rick?" Ellie hissed once again, only to receive the same silence as she had previously.

As Rick strode forward slightly, Ellie released a gentle gasp as he extended his hand upward, and proceeded to kiss the air as he caressed what Ellie could assume to be a cheek. He suddenly flinched away from himself, shaking his head as the disturbance grew deep within his stomach. Rick broadcasted a shaky gasp as he lost his footing and staggered backwards, propelling Ellie forward as she steadied him gently.

"Rick?" she begged softly once again, gently swaying his jaw to the side to connect their eyes.

Rick's eyes blinked repeatedly as he simply stared deep into Ellie's eyes, searching for the answers he was desperate to find. He shook his head, and shakily whispered, "L-Lori?"

Ellie frowned as she kept her hand gently resting on his cheek, and sighed, "Was she here?"

Rick nodded continually, almost stuck in a loop as he gulped down the lump in his throat. He then shakily sighed once again, "I saw her."

"Is she good?" Ellie whispered, gently clasping her eyes shut as she allowed an image of Lori to play in her mind, enabling a gentle smile to curve at her lips.

"She–she was good," Rick replied, evidently shaken by whatever image he had seen, but chose to remain silent on the matter. He immediately snatched Ellie into an embrace, resting his head against her shoulder as he held her close, "I think."

Ellie leaned her chin against his chest as she glanced upwards, and sighed, "She's telling you she's okay. You can move on, now."

Rick simply clenched his eyes shut as he felt the warmth of Ellie's body ignite his own, and felt the rising sun flash against his skin, "Maybe."

"Rick!" A distant yell postponed the two as they leapt apart from their comfort, and held their weapons up in fear. The two exchanged a brief, fearful glance as they feared the worst — Woodbury had arrived, but they stayed still as they heard, "Rick!" being yelled once again.

The duo tracked the voice up toward the fences encircling the prison near the gate, and were both greeted with the familiar face of Hershel Greene. He stood casually with one hand pleated in the fences, while the other kept him on foot as he leaned on his crutches.

Ellie's eyes widened as she spun on her heels, observing for any nearby threats as she spoke, "Mr Greene, you shouldn't be out here; it isn't safe."

"I wouldn't come down here if it weren't important," Hershel reassured through a gentle, yet emphatic, tone as he studied the two distrustfully, "When are you coming back, Rick? Glenn's on a warpath. As smart as he is, he can't fill your boots. We need you now more than ever. When are you coming back?"

"Is Glenn okay?" Ellie investigated as she shook her head, nervously thinking back to how bitter he had been after evacuating Woodbury.

Hershel shrugged his shoulders as he cast an elongated sigh, "He isn't right for this sort of role."

"If you're so worried about him, then go, and you lead," Rick mumbled, glancing at the floor as he felt Ellie's hand caressing circles on his back.

Ellie shook her head as Rick lifted his head to greet her, allowing her to gently declare, "Not only do we need you for us, but you need us for you. Look at what being alone is doing to you."

"I'm not alone," Rick responded monotonously as he connected his eyes with hers once again. He didn't need anyone else when he had Ellie.

Ellie broadcasted a gentle smile, but it faltered as she continued, "Our kids need us both to work together to keep us afloat. This is about more than us losing people, Rick."

Rick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as the overbearing suffering in his heart launched once again, "I've got stuff out here... stuff."

Hershel simply shook his head in disappointment as he hiked away from the duo, staggering with pride as he utilised his crutches so efficiently. Rick bowed his head down low as Hershel became a distant figure, leaving him to release a sarcastic laugh as he thought of how pathetic he had been during recent days and weeks at the prison.

"What am I doing?" Rick implored, shaking his head as he felt his eyes begin to pool with tears, "I-I keep seeing and talking to Lori."

"You're grieving," Ellie hissed, not angrily but assertively to illustrate how worried she had been about him, "You are entitled to feel these things, and you were certainly entitled to your hiatus. Nobody here has lost someone the way you had to, Rick."

Rick's head instantly snapped upward; her words stunned his body in place as he rigidly stood still. He replayed her words repeatedly in his mind, stuck on a loop as each time they reverberated through his mind; he could feel the resentment merely melting away. Those words were the only thing keeping him afloat. Nobody had lost someone the way Rick had to. Nobody knew how it felt to be so close, yet so far, from someone you love as they wither painfully just to bestow life upon someone else. It was a paradox.

"Ellie—" Rick cut himself off as he simply closed the gap between them, and ushered her head to rest against his chest. He couldn't let go of the one person who understood him. "I'm going crazy..."

The two leapt away in fear as a singular bullet being released from its chamber astonished the two, instantly resulting in their own weapons being raised. They stood skilfully back to back as they circled around, panting as they surveyed for the source of the bullet, to no avail. Ellie released a whimper of disturbance as she scrambled away from the bullets that had commenced to shoot at their feet. Her mouth had unlocked to cry, but Rick had clamped his hand tightly around her mouth to suppress the noise. Rick jerked both of their body weights to the ground as he kept his grip around Ellie tight, despite his trembling fingers gripping onto the fabric of her shirt.

Ellie couldn't respond; she could simply endeavour to pant through the bumpiness of her lungs. It wasn't working. She desperately grasped onto the grass as she struggled to breathe, feeling the panic rise in her throat like the burning of bile, resulting in Rick grabbing her face gently to draw her attention to his face.

"Ellie, you can do this!" Rick consoled her, cupping her face with his strong hands as she gawked up at him, "You said it yourself, we have to work together for the kids."

The two remained on the ground, encapsulated in their own folded arms as Ellie sobbed quietly, hearing the bullets fill the deep depths of the earth surrounding them. Ellie suppressed her head deep in Rick's chest as she blocked out the bullets echoing, until, in one sporadic second, the shots ceased. Rick carefully hoisted his gaze from the grass, and peeked over in the direction of the prison, observing how there had been a new truck sitting right at the gates they had destroyed. This was the epitome of retaliation.

Rick dragged himself and allowed Ellie to cling onto him as she followed quietly, leaning to face the truck as it appeared to be still; rigid and abandoned in its place. That was until the back of the truck instantly fell, enabling several walkers to flow outward as they snarled hungrily. They flowed into the courtyard eagerly, with some spilling outward in the duo's direction. Ellie shakily raised her gun as she shot down two of the closest walkers to them, leaving Rick to aim his at the third. The gun clicked empty as he had used all his rounds, resulting in him stuffing his gun back in his holster in irritation.

Rick clasped his fingers around Ellie's arm as he dragged her roughly towards the gate, until they had been caught up by the walkers. An alarmingly overwhelming group of walkers huddled closer and closer as Rick fell backwards against the amount that had been approaching, leaving Ellie to whimper as she attempted to shoot the remaining bullets in the chamber, successfully downing the front walker. The walkers eagerly pursued as they persisted against Rick, causing Ellie to squeal as she yanked out her trustworthy knife from her holster.

The mouth of a walker dared to get as close to Rick's skin as it could, resulting in Ellie to plummet her body force into the walker, knocking it to the ground. She gripped it by its slimy throat as she shoved it to the ground, and plunged her blade directly through its skull with a loud grunt, feeling the blood splatter back in her pale face. There was no time to celebrate the victory as Ellie stood to her feet, a large walker that stood a lot taller than she did instantly shoved her back against the fence as she attempted to keep it at bay.

Ellie screamed out as she battled against the walker, praying internally that she be rescued by a saviour or the sweet release of death. Until, the familiar whiz of a crossbow bolt sunk deep into the back of the walkers skull, resulting in Ellie to scream once again as she dropped the body to the ground. She clenched her eyes shut as she prayed that the sight behind the walker hadn't been what she had predicted, until she peeled open her streaming eyes to see him. Daryl.

The two made intense eye contact as Daryl dared to step closer, resulting in Ellie taking one step back. His mouth hung open as his sad eyes searched hers, until he decided to remain silent in their encounter. The commotion encompassing them had ceased, leaving them all panting heavily as they stared between one another awkwardly. Rick stood protectively at Ellie's side as Merle neared her, instantly causing Merle to raise his eyebrow.

Ellie's eyes hadn't left Daryl once, and neither had his. The two stared intensely at one another as the silence surrounding them had only meant one thing. Relief. Ellie hadn't wanted to admit it, but seeing him had confirmed all of her worst fears. She truly loved him.

"I told you not to come back," Ellie spoke suddenly, her voice cracking as it had barely been audible.

Daryl bowed his head as he contemplated a response, only Merle had beaten him to it, "Hey, if we hadn't, you'd both be walker grub by now!"

Ellie released a sarcastic chuckle as she turned to face Merle through tearful eyes. She shook her head repeatedly as she brought him into an embrace, ignoring the overwhelming scent of cigarettes and sweat, "This is your fault."

"I know," he whispered, ensuring only Ellie could hear is revelation in their embrace. He released the woman, and turned to face Rick, "Are you gonna show us in, like the good host?"

"Not with him," Rick muttered, nodding in Merle's direction as he felt Ellie link her arm with his.

Ellie scoffed as they turned back to face Merle from the prison's direction, and gestured toward him with her trembling index finger, "Merle is the biggest asshole I've ever met. Daryl being a close second, but that's what you get with the Dixon's." The bitterness rolled from her tongue as freely as ever, leaving Daryl to swallow the lump in his throat, "He's racist; misogynistic; illiterate to say the least—"

"Yeah," Merle breathed proudly, allowing a smirk to curl on his lips playfully, "Keep them comin', sister."

"But, he's family," Ellie finished, turning to face Rick as he soaked in her words, "If Merle was still with us, and it was Daryl that had been missing, I don't doubt for a second that Merle would do anything to get him back."

Rick shook his head slightly as he kept his gaze intently on Ellie, "That doesn't mean anything."

"Don't you get it?" Ellie questioned as a smile twisted on her lips, "We've all done it. I did it for... Daryl. I did it for Luke; River; Coda. You did it. For Lori; Carl; Shane. You did it because that sort of love knows no bounds, it's the very essence of family."

"That's different."

"But, it isn't, is it?" Ellie smiled, her sapphire eyes twinkling against the light above her, "That sort of love brings many great assets. I'm not sure what Merle's are yet, but we can all find out together."

"Let's just go," Rick mumbled in defeat, feeling his arm connect with Ellie's once again as he led them back up to the prison.

Daryl couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy hit his heart that it was Rick that she was feeling, and not him.

>>>

"Coda!" Ellie called out once the small group had made their way back to the prison. Ellie had led Merle and Daryl to the cell she had been staying at, allowing them both to greet her as she approached her mother.

"Mommy," she breathed out, and instantly clutched her mother close. She glanced up at Daryl and tilted her head as she sarcastically stated, "I see you're back."

Merle breathed out as he patted his brother on the back, chuckling slightly, "You have Ellie, and then a tiny, little version of Ellie! This ought to be good."

"Coda, you know we haven't talked about him not being here..." Ellie mumbled as she felt Daryl's intense stare burning into the side of her head as her words rolled from her tongue, "Who told you?"

"River," Coda replied sheepishly as she cowered from her mother, "I'm sorry. I asked her to tell me where he was, Mommy. And he left!"

Daryl slowly kneeled down to the floor, feeling his chest intensify with pain as he saw his daughter stare so blankly at him. He felt his bottom lip tremble as he reached out to her, "I'm sorry, kid. I'm back now, for good. I promise."

Coda glanced up at her mother for confirmation, to which Ellie simply nodded as she gestured for her to hug her father. Coda gave into the temptation, and flung her arms in the air as she pushed her body into Daryl's, holding him close. Daryl's grip on Coda had been enough for her to know he wasn't going anywhere.

"Are we gonna be a happy family now?" Coda giggled as Daryl lifted her in his arms, despite how heavy she had become.

Ellie gulped, before she declared monotonously, "No. We both love you very much, but we're spending time apart."

Ellie's eyes trailed over to Daryl's as she recognised the pain in his eyes to be a mirror of her own, but remained insistent on her words. He nodded along, despite the ache that formed in his chest, and clenched his jaw to stifle any sound that dared escape his lips.

"I know who you are," Coda gasped suddenly, edging from Daryl's shoulder to face Merle with widened, sparkling eyes, just like her mother's.

"Who am I, kiddo?" Merle grinned, his face suddenly beaming as the child had acknowledged him, as he had reminded himself she wouldn't.

Coda turned back to her mother, and leaned over to whisper in her ear, "He's the man Michonne doesn't like. Merle."

"How do you know that?" Ellie questioned as she tilted her head in confusion.

"She told me to never talk to a man named Merle alone, and look, she's killing him with her eyes right now!" she laughed, and pointed over Ellie's shoulder to reveal Michonne, lingering behind them like a shadow once again, with the biggest scowl painted across her face.

Ellie gulped as she turned back to the child, and cupped her face with her warm hands as she explained, "Coda, Merle is your uncle. He is your Daddy's brother."

Coda did not reply as she simply turned to face Merle, her face frozen in place as her expression remained neutral. She analysed his face as he stared back with an embarrassed smile on his rugged face, resulting in her to huff slightly.

"You don't look the same," Coda announced, grabbing at Daryl's face as she analysed his features, "I like your face more, Dad."

"Thanks," Merle snorted sarcastically, earning a gentle smile from Ellie. "Hey, kid. I am your uncle Merle, and I, uh, I guess I haven't been the good guy in a long time. I'm tryin' to fix that, if you'd let me."

Coda merely allowed a grin to twist at her lips as she reached out to her uncle, who took her willingly in his arms. She whispered into his ear, "I can help you become a prince if you come with me."

"I was going to take Merle to a cell," Rick cut across the small family reunion, resulting in Ellie to spin on her heels to face him.

Ellie nodded in understanding, and nibbled at the skin on her thumb anxiously, before she replied, "Maybe she can go with him. She just wants to keep him company." Rick nodded, and gestured for Merle to enter the cell with Coda in his arms, before he turned back to be greeted by Ellie's wondrous smile.

"We need to leave the prison," Hershel announced as he approached the adults where they had been standing, and quietly gestured for River to take the children elsewhere. "Now that Rick and his companion, our deputy leader are back—"

"Hold up," River interrupted, snorting slightly at Hershel's terminology, and held her hand up, "You made Ellie your deputy leader? Ay, mi dispiace. Good luck."

"River," Ellie hissed as she shoved her teenage sister slightly, but the two allowed a small smile to toy at their lips. "I'm honoured to be a deputy leader, or whatever, but I could never fill Rick's shoes."

"Hopefully you won't need to," Hershel smiled warmly at both the siblings, before he continued, "We need to talk Woodbury."

"If Rick says we're not leaving then we're not leaving," Ellie refused, shaking her head as she turned to face Rick with a nod of reassurance, "Despite what happened today the prison is the safest place we could be."

"What if there's another sniper? Another wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds," Maggie anxiously stated, her voice quick and irritated by Rick's dismissiveness.

From above the stairs, Beth materialised with a saddened glare on her youthful face, "We can't even go outside."

"If Rick says we're not running, we're not running," Glenn asserted, shooting Ellie a hopeful nod as she flashed a grateful smile.

"No, better to live like rats," Merle scoffed, his arm dangling loosely from the prison cell as he stared intently at Rick upon emerging from his playtime with Coda.

"You got a better idea?" Rick sarcastically questioned, his head tilted sideways as he awaited Merle's pathetic attempt at a solution.

River stepped forth, shaking her head as she glanced around the room at the array of confused faces gawking back at her, "Sí, signore, We should have slipped from here last night."

"The kid's right," Merle contended, a slight smile toying at the edges of his lips at how eloquent she had been with handling the situation.

"The prison is the safest place we can be, Ro," Ellie replied, sighing as the teenage girl had defiantly pursued the discussion once again.

"Ellie, I've been there. I know how he works, I know how he thinks. I know everything about him," River spat viciously as the Governor's face entered her mind; she slowly fluttered her eyes shut as she continued, "You need to use that advantage."

Ellie froze as she analysed River's behaviour, eyes dropping instantly to her fumbling fingers as she picked nervously at her nails. Ellie stepped closer to her sister in the midst of the silence, and cupped her face in shock, "He hurt you, didn't he?"

"Che osa?" River's head instantly snapped up in Ellie's direction as she released her fingers, and shook her head repeatedly, swatting Ellie's hand away as she stuttered, "That–that's not what I'm saying."

Ellie breathed out as the panic in her chest had risen up in her throat, clenching her airways shut as she struggled to say, "What did he do?"

"Ellie..."

"What did he do?" Ellie questioned once again, her voice wobbling as she attempted to rid her throat of the lump it was forming, "Tell me!"

"I can't!" River snapped, shaking her head continually as she glanced over at Merle, "But, signore can."

The entire group turned to face Merle with glances of disgust as they had deemed him dangerous before, but without a clear explanation, it seemed to steer even further from his favour. Merle stood to his feet, and clutched onto the cell door as he allowed his eyes to roll shut. The thoughts of what happened at Woodbury antagonised him, reminding him that in everyone else's story but his own, he was the villain. Except for River's.

"The Governor ain't big on talkin' to women,"
Merle begun, bowing his head down as he commenced his story, "Maggie... River... they were the only two women he had ever given the time of day."

"Don't forget that blonde skank," River hissed, rolling her eyes as she folded her arms across her chest, "Stronza."

Merle chuckled at her comment, but simply nodded as he continued, "He hardly talks to Andrea, are you kidding me? She knows pretty well that she's head over heels for a robot... The things he likes to do... man."

"Get on with it," Rick impatiently hissed, not bothering to raise his gaze from the ground.

Merle cleared his throat, and attached his eyes solely to the teenage girl ahead of him, whose bravery never ceased to amaze him. He continued, "I remember the time she came to us, how he sent her straight for a shower. A shower when she needed medical help? Her little were all cut up, she was near walker grub," his voice trailed off in disgust, before gritting, "Nah, it was because he needed her clean for what he... wanted."

Ellie felt her knees buckle beneath her as she felt the several different possible scenarios swirling through her mind on repeat, "Not..."

"He's sick... a freak. Somethin' ain't quite right with him," Merle gulped, attempting to swallow down the lump in his throat as he thought back to their experience, "After her shower, he put a bag over her head, put her in the room Maggie was in after. It was his routine." The bag. A common theme.

"Routine?" Ellie breathed out as she turned to face River, feeling the agony she had been subjected to radiating from within her.

"Once the bag was on her head, that was it. He could do what he wanted without seein' the hurt he was causin'. It was all to block out the part of him telling him it was wrong," Merle's voice cracked as she stared down at his worn out boots. He clenched his jaw for a few moments, before he continued, "He didn't ask her age until after. It still didn't bother him when he kept going back for more."

"Sick bastard," Shane gritted as he ran his hand across his face, mirroring the difficulty the rest of the group had been feeling when taking in the story.

Merle chuckled at Shane's comment, before he continued, "I said to her it was the last time it would happen. I brought her a hammer, so that she could maybe—"

"Enough!" Ellie screamed as she buried her face her hands, repeatedly shaking her head as the anger within her had begun to claw its way out, "River, tell me it's not true."

River's emotionless eyes simply stared up at her sister, until she raised her shirt, to reveal the countless stitches and scars she had amassed since being found at Woodbury. She barely lived since the moment they had found her, her life suddenly became theirs. Ellie crumpled to the floor in a sobbing heap, holding her knees up to her face as she rocked gently, unable to comprehend that her sister had been subjected to such horrific living standards. He had stolen her dignity, and Ellie would be damned if she would allow him to live.

"I am going to kill him," Ellie hissed, slowly removing her head from her knees as she glanced up at Shane through the same feral eyes he had once sported, "I promise all of you. The second I see him, his throat better be between my hands."

"He's probably got scouts on every road by now." River stated, pointing to the outside with her index finger, "Per favore, he's a lot smarter than you think."

"We ain't scared of that prick," Daryl grunted, glancing down at River through fearful eyes. Daryl hadn't wanted to admit it, but seeing such a young girl be subjected to such abuse angered him more than anything before.

"Y'all should be. That truck through the fence
thing? That's him ringin' the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind but they've got the guns and the numbers," Merle explained with a smirk, crossing his arms over his chest, "And if he takes the high ground around this place... shoot. He could just starve us out if he wanted to."

"You guys have me," River announced proudly as she stood ahead of the group, folding her arms across her chest with pride.

Shane scoffed as he patted her head, "What's some fifteen year old going to do?"

"The harder you beat a man, the taller he stands," River gritted as she curled her hands into fists at her side, baring her teeth slightly, "I'll kill that figa with my own two hands if I have to."

Daryl scoffed, shaking his head as he piped up in the conversation to declare, "She shouldn't be involved in this, she's just a kid."

River gritted her teeth at him, shooting him a bitter smile, "I don't need you to dictate what happens to me. I am not some kid."

"I'm tryin' to protect you," Daryl growled back, shooting daggers in her direction at her attitude.

"Grazie, but I don't need your help," River spat as she stepped closer, repeatedly shaking her head as she connected her dark eyes with his, "You of all people have helped enough, cazzo."

"River, that's enough," Ellie warned, despite her voice being barely above the volume of a whisper. Ellie sighed as she turned back to the group, stating, "The Governor's unstable, he collected walker heads in fish tanks and kept his walker-fied daughter inside a cage. With a bag on her head..."

"Michonne took his eye, that's probably made it worse," Merle chuckled, glancing over at the woman who had impressed him once again.

"This is all you! You started this!" Maggie spat at Merle, anxiously rubbing her hands together as she prayed for Merle to stop talking. 

Beth's body rushed down the stairs like a storm, her sweet voice shrieking, "What's the difference whose fault it is? What do we do?"

"I say we should leave. Now Axel's dead. We can't just sit here," Hershel informed Rick, whose eyes remained glued to the ground as the information attempted to sink into his mind. He couldn't help but allow the words to run freely, escaping from his grasp. Evidently distressed, Rick proceeded to walk away from them, until Hershel stood to his feet, and boomed, "Get back here! You're slipping, Rick. We've all seen it, especially Ellie. We understand why, but now is not the time. You once said this was a democracy. Now, you have to own up to that! I put my family's lives in your hands. So, get your head clear and do something!"

As Rick proceeded off into the distance, Ellie turned back to face Hershel with a sad smile decorating her lips, "I'm here."

>>>

Ellie sat patiently as she fed the eager baby, feeling her tiny suctions growing stronger by the day. She was blossoming into a beautiful baby girl already, and Ellie couldn't quite believe her eyes. She sat in the quiescent, absorbing the serenity as the peace she had been wishing for had been restored, despite the chaotic atmosphere between herself and Daryl. As the baby finished the bottle, and sleepily rubbed at her eyes, Ellie gently positioned her inside the crib, and tuned into distant giggling in a nearby cell.

Ellie craftily sneaked down the hallway, and slipped down toward the cell where the giggling had been coming from — the cell that Rick had given Daryl upon his arrival. Ellie slumped her body against the outer wall as she tuned into the conversation at hand, frowning as she recognised the voices to be those of Carol and Daryl.

"He's your brother, don't let him bring you down," Carol spoke softly to the man, which eased Ellie's thoughts from afar.

Ellie could hear Daryl broadcast a sigh, before he announced, "It's Ellie... she ain't talkin' to me no more. I don't blame her, but this is hard."

"Maybe things need to change between you," Carol replied, her tone had been sweet and thoughtful, but Ellie knew better. "Maybe, better things will happen." A silence lingered in the cell, before Ellie could just about make out the small sound of kissing from the cell.

"Hey, what the hell?" Daryl gasped as he scooted away from the woman, wiping his lips from the collision with hers. Ellie smiled at Daryl's resistance, but felt the pang of pain hit her heart the same very moment, "I-I love Ellie."

Carol scoffed at his comment, shaking her head at his absurdity, "She doesn't want you anymore. You said so yourself."

Daryl bowed his head as her words echoed painfully in his mind, until finally he replied, "I'm always gonna want her, even if she doesn't want me."

Ellie hadn't realised it, but Daryl had promptly stormed from the cell, dismissing Carol's attempts as he shook his head repeatedly. He froze in his place as the two alerted one another, both rigid in their stances with widened eyes. Ellie's cheeks flushed a deep crimson shade as she dropped her gaze to the ground, as Daryl mirrored her actions entirely. He remained silent, unsure of how to speak as Ellie nervously shuffled from foot to foot.

"You didn't kiss her back," Ellie announced, despite Daryl being aware of the circumstances. He shook his head, earning a slight sigh of relief from Ellie, "Thanks."

Daryl clenched his jaw as he prepared his response. He decided against the sweetness he had brought along with him, hoping for Ellie's forgiveness, and simply settled on, "I did it for Coda," and with that, he brushed past her, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

Ellie merely looked to the floor, pursuing the trail that led her out to the courtyard. She burst through the door, feeling the air suddenly fill her lungs as though she hadn't been breathing before. There wasn't a way for her to think, nor feel, nor speak. It was almost as though her brain had been installed on autopilot, merely allowing her to traverse without a singular thought in the process. Her trembling legs carried her further than she had known, pushing outward until she had left the prison, all alone, without a single weapon at hand, out into the wilderness.