GRIEF HAD A wild way of materialising. With five aggregate stages, one has to not only endure the unbearable loss, but undergo a procession of agonising emotions, so suddenly, just to feel only half fine. For most, grief will ostracise them wholly from loved ones; numbing all candor to the world. It had been like that for Daryl. Seeing Merle as a walker had numbed his body, paralysing each last muscle down to the very fibres that assembled his body. Merle was his only role model when growing up, despite how awful of an influence he truly had been. Merle was the reason Daryl made it.

Ellie and Daryl, finally, returned to the prison in the early hours of the morning, roaming silently into the prison, hand in hand. Many of the group members that had been awake enveloped them, but neither had a remote interest in any discussion. They headed instinctively to the perch together, mirroring their relationship prior to its destruction, leaving many of the group baffled at their behaviour. Rick's squinted eyes remained sewed on the two as he
identified how lifeless Ellie's eyes appeared to be; how different they were since the last time he had seen her the day prior. Their trauma hadn't been apparent to anyone but River.

"Ellie," River called out gently upon their arrival at the perch, reaching out slowly to clutch her sister's arm, "what happened?"

"I'll explain tomorrow, okay?" Ellie whimpered, her eyes pooling with hot tears once again as the events replayed over in her mind deafeningly.

"Mi dispiace," River whispered as she promptly gave her sister's arm a squeeze, before allowing her to continue to the perch alone with Daryl, "I'm supposed to tell you that we're packing our shit and leaving for the night, sorella."

Ellie couldn't discuss the matter at hand, no matter how hard she tried to. Even if she wanted words to make sound, it was as though her voice box was exhausted. All that she was able to do was nod. Once River had left, neither one hesitated to sink down onto their backs, permitting the softness of the mattress to drink them whole as they slowly shut their eyes in unison. All they needed was some silence. Daryl was blindly entering his grief cycle, unbeknownst to him the first stage was the most brutal of all. Denial.

"He can't be dead," he whispered, not bothering to wipe away the tears that dripped down his face from his elevated angle, "Merle can't die."

Ellie sighed as she pushed her body closer to his, and hesitantly folded him into a soft embrace, "Nothing could kill Merle, but Merle."

"The Governor couldn't have killed him," Daryl growled as the image of the Governor slaughtering his brother simply played on repeat in his mind, "He ain't dead..."

"I won't let him get away with this, I promise you," Ellie asserted, her teeth gritted viciously as the pain of losing Merle really had affected Ellie, too, "I'm going to kill him... not before I make him suffer, first."

"We both will," Daryl whispered once again, before, finally, his sobs ceased, forming rapidly into rage as his chest surged and collapsed quicker than ever, "This ain't enough!"

Daryl hauled his body off the ground in an instant, prompting Ellie to follow after him sheepishly as he stormed down from the perch. He briskly darted down toward the dining area, halting ahead of the group as they gathered their belongings in the dining area for the mission ahead. Daryl simply had no interest in their mission unless it directly involved the imminent murder of the Governor. With his hands responsible. Daryl had slipped suddenly down the slippery slope of the second stage — anger.

"This ain't shit, Rick!" Daryl boomed, freezing the leader in his tracks as he had been stunned by Daryl's outburst, "We gotta end this now. We gotta get out there and kill that prick!

"We are ending this," Rick asserted, gesturing around at the members that had been assigned to leave the prison for the evening for the own safety, "That's exactly what we're doing here, brother."

Daryl scoffed bitterly, pacing back and forth irritably, as though the very moment his body stopped, it became real. He scoffed once again, "We ain't doin' enough against this guy. He's a psycho, we're barely packin' any heat!"

"Daryl..." Ellie whispered as she attempted to reach out to console the enraged man, only for him to swat her hand away as he released a shaky breath, "he will never get away with killing Merle, I promise."

A chorus of gasps encircled them as the truth had ultimately been revealed — the Governor had truly murdered Merle in cold blood. An unnecessary event in an already blistering hot feud was a step backwards, proving the Governor had never truly wanted to negotiate to begin with. Merle had been his most loyal lieutenant; single-handedly responsible for all the duties the Governor, himself, would never do himself. To keep his reputation clean, perhaps. Or simply because he knew he would never have been as strong as Merle Dixon.

"Daryl... I'm sorry. We all are to hear that," Rick muttered, his head swinging low at the revelation, "We can do this. We won't let him win." Rick shuffled slowly over in Ellie's direction, gesturing towards Glenn anxiously, "We assigned you to stay, but you can change your mind."

Ellie raised her eyebrow at his question, her eyes glowing with the desire to kill, "I'll be at your side, partner." Rick smirked at her comment, admiring her determination to exterminate the parasites of Woodbury.

"Wear this," Rick stated, gesturing over toward the riot gear provided from the prison itself. The perfect armour, "You're up with Glenn and Maggie. Ready?"

Once Ellie had been strapped into the armour with the humorous aid of Brett, she spun on her heels excitedly, cocking her gun as she grinned menacingly, "Let's kill these fuckers."

The whole group chuckled quietly at her enthusiasm, prompting Rick to ultimately place a hand on her arm to halt her as he announced, "Stay safe. All of you. This has to work."

Ellie nodded at the command, glancing down at her daughter who had been staring in admiration up at her mother. She kneeled down beside her, cupping her face with her hands as she absorbed all of the perfect details. Coda could fix absolutely anything with just one simple smile.

"I love you so much," Ellie breathed out, yanking her daughter into a difficult embrace due to the gear, which Coda merely found humorous, "I can't wait to hear all about your day later."

"Mommy..." Coda sighed with a slight shake to her head, "I know you're going out there and being the hero again, Daddy always tells me that you're a hero. But, I'm scared."

Ellie's lips twisted into a long frown as she gave her daughter a gentle squeeze of reassurance before continuing, "Your daddy is right, I am a hero. It might be scary, but I've got this. We all do. This is important for us so that we can keep being the good guys."

"You're the best," Coda whispered, chuckling slightly at the image of her mother running in the absurd riot gear, due to her lack of understanding, "River and Carl are gonna teach me how to tie stuff like knots."

Ellie's eyes trailed over toward the two teenagers, an involuntary smile plastering at her lips. She approached the two quietly, "I trust that you'll both look after her well today. And yourselves."

"Of course," Carl replied, a quasi-warm smile plastered on his face, "Hey, be careful out there, we really need you here."

"It's them that should be careful with Ellie," River nodded at Carl, before flashing her sister a proud grin. There hadn't been a more supportive sister since River as she teasingly stated, her accent thick, "Don't die, sorella, I sort of like being around you now."

Ellie allowed a soft chuckle to escape her lips, before she pulled the two into an embrace, squashing them together humorously. She pressed a kiss to each of their heads before whispering, "I have, like, so many children. I love you all. I'll see you guys later."

Ellie hesitantly stepped away from the teenagers, her eyes lingering over them worriedly. They wouldn't be apart for long, but a mother's distance from her children would pain her until she had them back in the safety of her arms. She nodded proudly at them from afar, observing their weakened smiles flashing back at her. She was going to ensure they succeeded — for them. Rick suddenly released a shaky breath as the time had come. His eyes wandered over his family, remembering them as they are if the Governor were to somehow win. But, Rick knew deep in the pit of his stomach that there was nobody that who could ever take him away from his children. Nobody.

>>>

Ellie released shaky pants as she clutched her gun in her hand tightly, its cool steel brushing against the sweatiness of her palms. It wasn't that she had been afraid of the Governor, he would never be powerful enough to evoke such a threat. No, it was the simple notion that others hadn't been as reckless as she had. If need be, Ellie would do anything to ensure the safety of her family, yet, she had been unsure if they would have done the same. Some had been weaker than others; some had been more intelligent than others; but simply none of them were Ellie.

"We've got this!" Glenn yelled out to Ellie once an ambush of bullets encircled them suddenly. He had arrived. "Ellie, stay with me!"

Glenn's words remained weightless as Ellie focused entirely on releasing every bullet from the chamber in her gun, splattering his soldiers down the very moment they attempted to infiltrate. Bullets whizzed past by their limbs, luckily, they had been fortified by the riot gear, providing a relentless desire to kill. If Ellie had been invincible in her armour, there had truly been nothing that made her afraid anymore. She skilfully shot at every soldier that dared enter the prison gates, squeezing the trigger almost every millisecond that happened to roll by. Until, the click. Her gun was empty.

Ellie plummeted to the ground as she fiddled nervously with the ammunition box, searching for the correct bullets for her gun. With nothing but the thick stench of smoke encircling her, Ellie rose through the fog with her gun replenished, along with her determination. She proceeded with her routine of knocking men to the ground by taking out their legs first, and then their brains. Ellie couldn't wash away the nagging feeling in her chest that she had been murdering countless of innocents, simply caught up in the wrong settlement.

In order to survive, she had to remind herself that every death that wasn't her own, was justified.

The gunfire had been scorching and blazing, virtually impossible to hear a mere thought with such commotion. Their retaliation had proven to be superior, prompting the Woodbury parasites to retreat to their vehicles in fear. Distant wails of anguish, perhaps defeat, encircled them as they observed the Woodbury soldiers ultimately driving away rapidly, fearing for their own lives at the display of massacre before them. This was their submission, finally, acknowledging the prison as superior.

Gunfire ceased entirely as Rick held his hand up tall in the air, motioning for the individuals scattered throughout the prison to regroup in the centre. It was over. For now. Maggie squealed in delight as she tore the helmet from her head, breathing out in relief as she felt the air hit her sweaty skin.

"We did it!" Maggie bellowed happily, flailing her arms into the air at the satisfaction.

They each jogged happily to the centre of the courtyard, greeting one another with widened grins of pride at their success. Rick instantly pulled Ellie into a celebratory embrace, feeling her hands clutching tight onto his shirt as she released a breath she didn't know she was holding. He patted her back gently, edging her in Shane's direction as he had been hollering excitedly to rile the group's excitement.

"We did it, we drew them out!" Rick announced chirpily, overwhelmed with the success surrounding him. Ellie couldn't help but melt at the sight of his excitement.

From her right, Ellie's eyes fastened on Daryl as he flashed brief smiles at the individuals surrounding him, prompting Ellie to call out, "For Merle!"

"For Merle!" the group encircling them boomed, stunning Daryl with their desire to honour someone they had considered an enemy.

"He may not have been everyone's favourite person, but he is a hero in our family, now. He died so that we could live. Every moment we're still breathing we remember those we died before us," Ellie rallied the group, feeling Daryl's intense eyes lingering over her like everyone else. Only his eye contact had been from total adoration, "Booyah!" Ellie chuckled as she mimicked Daryl from the CDC, prompting him to crack a wide smile.

"Booyah!" the group called out humorously, each giggling and chucking loudly with one another as they celebrated their victory.

Through the fits of laughter, Carol roughly brushed past Ellie's shoulder, standing directly ahead of Rick as she hissed, "Why are we celebrating? We should go after them!"

"We should finish him," Daryl agreed, shooting a nod in Carol's direction, much to Ellie's dismay, "If only we had finished him sooner... Merle would be here."

Daryl had found himself sliding rapidly down the dark rabbit hole of his next stage of grief — bargaining.

"We barely got back last time," Maggie interjected, her head shaking at the thought of ever stepping foot back in Woodbury.

"If we had just... if we had just shot that bastard between the nice when we had the chance..." Daryl croaked out, his head shaking as it bowed low to conceal his tearful eyes.

Ellie swallowed hard as she squinted her eyes at Carol, identifying the taunting nature to her comment. She then stated, "Even small victories are victories. We don't know what will happen next, but we're all here together, now. Isn't that enough?"

"You know we should be doing more," Carol hissed in response, her once innocent eyes flashing with a burning hatred, "We have to go there and finish him! We can't keep fighting. We're exhausted. This isn't how it should be."

Ellie stepped forth through the silence after Carol had finished speaking, slowly edging closer. She halted as close to Carol as she could without being dubbed threatening, and spat, "Things stopped being how they should be the moment dead people started eating one another, Carol!" Ellie shook her head she rubbed at her temples in frustration, "We don't get to choose between violence or peace anymore. This world belongs to destruction. It's time we started working with that instead of against it."

The group nodded in silence at Ellie's statement, admiring her courage to speak so freely on violence. She was right. No matter how much one clings to the notion of peace, the world would be right there, a reminder of violence around the corner.

"Now, if you don't mind, I would like to get back to my children."

>>>

Ellie clutched Coda close once the entire group had arrived back at the prison, ensuring her grip on her daughter had been as tight as possible. Ellie cradled Coda as she felt her giggles vibrate against her, with Daryl simply watching from afar with adoration deep in his eyes. He combatted against the instinct within him to dart over, scoop the two into his arms and to never allow either of them to be in harm's way again. There wasn't a single thing he wouldn't do for those he loved.

"Was it scary?" Coda inquired, her eyes darting back and forth between both parents as she ensured to include Daryl.

Ellie glanced up at Daryl through the ghost of a smile, her eyes twinkling against the dim light of the prison as she replied, "Nothing could scare me if it means getting back to you."

"The baby wouldn't stop crying because you weren't there," Coda replied after grinning wildly at her parents, her eyes wide with innocent bewilderment, "Hershel said it's because you weren't there, I think it's because she's annoying."

"She is always unsettled when you're not around," Beth smiled warmly, gesturing down to the baby in her arms as she attempted to hold her out. Ellie instantly shuffled to graciously accept the baby in her arms as Beth continued, "I think she thinks you're her mom."

Coda scoffed loudly, drawing the attention down to her from the baby as she folded her arms across her chest, "But, she's my mom."

A gentle chorus of laughter erupted through the group as they observed Coda's attitude as she glared daggers at the baby, prompting Daryl to question through a huff of laughter, "Ya can't share?"

"What if I don't want to?" Coda challenged, her eyes squinted as she pouted at the thought, "She doesn't even have a name!"

Carl instantly approached Ellie, his face painted with an evident perplexity as his eyes squinted with thoughtfulness, "Actually, I want to name her Judith."

"Judith?" Ellie inquired, approaching the young boy as they both peered down at the baby with warm eyes.

"It was the name of one of my favourite teachers," Carl explained, his voice laced with a distinct embarrassment, "I wanted to name her Sophia but it feels like we'd be replacing her."

Ellie twinkled an illuminating smile as she connected her eyes with Carl's, "Did you check with your dad about this?"

Carl nodded eagerly, peering down at the baby once again, "He likes the idea. We wanted to check in with you."

Ellie felt her body freeze in her stance, her muscles rigidly tightening as his words washed over her. She couldn't fathom why she had been chosen to be such an integral person for the baby's development when she considered herself to be a liability. She was simply the only one to think that.

"Why with me?" Ellie managed to squeak out, her eyes slowly trailing up to Daryl's as he stared ahead at her, with only confusion painted on her face.

"Because you're the one who looks after her," Rick's voice boomed from behind her, his tone soft and welcoming as he slowly approached the group. Ellie's eyes connected with his as they both instinctively smiled at one another, "I don't doubt that... Lori is happy with you looking after her."

"She's not here," Carl snapped at his father bitterly, "I want you to be like her mother."

Ellie broadcasted a short sigh as she peered down at the baby, shaking her head back and forth as Judith's eyes glistened with innocence, "That's a lot to ask someone, Carl."

"Look," River interrupted, her blonde hair bobbing fiercely against her shoulders as she strutted closer, "Rick, you're losing it. Do you not see how you being so absent is affecting everyone? Ellie, Judith needs stability, no?"

Shocked at how bold the teenager had been, the adults surrounding her stood silently, their eyes widened as they feared Rick's response. They turned to gape at him, observing as he simply stared at the ground as he blinked repeatedly. There was nothing he could say to deny River's statement when every word had been the truth. He sighed loudly, slowly bowing his head down as it shook at his own absurdity.

"She's... right... Judith needs someone stable to look after her," Rick, finally, responded, his voice barely audible.

Ellie scoffed loudly as she rocked the baby back and forth to quieten her whimpers, hissing, "If you think I'm stable then you are wrong."

"Ellie, stop. Everyone needs you and you're so dismissive of how important you are," River roared, her voice loud enough to startle the baby as she proceeded to wail loudly, "I'm sorry. Everyone relies on you, sorella."

"I didn't ask for any of this," Ellie gritted, her eyes squinting bitterly as she avoided their intense eye contact. As she exhaled loudly, she soothed the rage commencing to erupt in her stomach, and quietly retorted, "I'll always look after her, but I'm not sure I can ever fill Lori's shoes like that..."

"Nobody could do that," Carl replied softly, his eyes clasping shut as he thought of his deceased mother, and the final image he had of her before her death. It was endless torment, "I–I just don't want her to feel the pain I did."

Ellie sighed once again, allowing her eyes to fasten entirely on Judith as she wriggled in her arms, prompting her to nod, "I'm always going to be here for her. I wouldn't let anything happen to her... Ever."

"Stay here instead of comin' with us," Daryl announced, drawing their eyes to him as he awkwardly shuffled from foot to foot, "To look after her. Ain't no point to nothin' anyway..."

An arguably oppressive stage of grief had been one of the final ones. Depression. A dangerously hazardous slope to slide down, Daryl had barely been clutching at the sides to refrain from falling. What was the point when things had never been darker?

Ellie simply rolled her eyes at the man, awkwardly muttering, "I'm going. If I get a single opportunity to kill that bastard, I'll take it."

Ellie's lips twisted into a devious smirk as she handed the bundle over to her sister, who bounced her graciously as she commenced to fuss once again. River awkwardly held the child as she wailed, pleading with her older sister to remain at the prison to aid her with the difficult task of caring for an infant. Ellie merely shot her sister a merry wink, and proceeded out of the prison with the men hot on her heels.

"Just us five, then?" Daryl inquired as he counted the individuals nearing them as they were to prepare for their journey ahead. Back to Woodbury, "Five people who could die," though his voice has only been loud enough for Ellie to hear.

"I want ya to know I won't let a damn hair on their heads get hurt, ya got that?" Bradley announced to Rick, gesturing around at the prison with pride as Rick had placed him as the acting leader while they were to be away, "We'll protect them. The real Scottish way. A' bhiast as mutha ag ithe na beiste as lugha."

The group surrounding the man flashed confused glances at Bradley, their heads tilting at his unusual tongue. Ellie simply grinned as she responded, "Big fish eat the little fish," she spun on her heels to face Rick, shooting him a nod of confidence, "It means we're going to kill this son of a bitch."

With a gentle smile toying at the corners of Bradley's lips, Rick patted him on the arm with gratitude, flashing the man a sincere smile as Brett arrived at the group to offer his services. He halted anxiously ahead of the group, ensuring his eyes had been pertained to Ellie's only as he cleared his throat.

"I... I wanted to offer my services today, since I don't have to guard... I just thought I could be of use," Brett hoarsely declared, evidently still shaken by the death of Merle. It had been no secret that since Merle had been at the prison, Brett had grown fond of the man due to his guarding of his cell. They had become the unlikeliest of friends.

Ellie nodded slowly, flashing a saddened smile to the soldier as she replied, "We could use your help." She spun on her heels to count heads once again, counting a total of five to accompany them on their quest, "Rick, Shane, Daryl, Brett, Michonne and... me. That seems about right. Daryl, take your bike. The rest of us take the truck."

Rick shot the group a nod of approval, prompting them to follow his lead as he directed them down toward the vehicle they would be taking with them. They each took their designated seat, anxiously awaiting the mission ahead of them as Shane started the truck, allowing the engine to roar generously. They continued down the long, Georgia road, encapsulated by the vast ocean of trees surrounding them, until the truck suddenly came to a halt. Shane shut the engine off rapidly, instantly leaping out of the car as he had been alerted to commotion ahead. They each followed suit as they approached a truck by its lonesome, accompanied solely by snarling walkers scattered around as they ate from fresh corpses.

Rick instantly killed the closest walker to him, with Michonne mirroring his actions by slicing a walker nearest to her. He quietly crept towards the truck, cautiously holding his weapon up as he searched around the truck. Rick leapt backwards in fear as a lady thumped against the window of the car, begging for assistance as she had been evidently distressed. Rick's gun aimed at her head, his eyes squinting with a dark distrust, despite her evident distress.

"What's your name?" Ellie inquired softly, moving Rick aside as she took control of his hostility.

"K-Karen," the woman stuttered, gulping as she had been overwhelmed by the remainder of the group huddling closer.

"We could use her as bait to get inside there," Brett whispered, nudging Ellie slightly as she peered over at the soldier.

Ellie's eyes instantly shot up at Rick, flashing an uncertainty. The Governor had successfully depleted all supply of trust the group had once acquired, leaving only doubt in its place. How could they have trusted a stranger in the vehicle of the enemy? Despite her distress, they were not prepared to take any risks when it came to the Governor. There was to be only one result of the game of war — the Governor's demise.

"We're going to Woodbury," Rick announced to the woman, his voice deep and threatening, "You're coming with us."

>>>

The wall. The tall, dark fortifying walls greeted the group once again as they crept silently along the back of it, with Michonne guiding ahead. She directed them behind a nearby car, certain that the silence had been an indicator for free entry. Until, a bullet whizzed past Ellie's shoulder, propelling her backwards as she staggered from fear, her weapon instantly raised as she scouter the direction it had come from. Daryl had instinctively gripped at the blonde's arm, stabilising her as she found her footing once again. She flashed an awkward smile of gratitude, but even that had the power to melt him.

"Tyreese!" Karen called out to the man hovering above the wall, indicating he had been the one to shoot. She began to ascend to her feet, prompting Rick to tug harshly at her.

"Get down!" Rick ordered, his grip startling her slightly.

"Karen? Are you okay?" the man presumed to be Tyreese called back, his voice laced with concern for his evident friend.

Karen instantly hauled herself from where the group had been hiding behind the vehicle, and slowly
peered up at Tyreese as she reported, "Tyreese, I'm fine."

"Where's the Governor?" Tyreese inquired, suspicious of the absence of the group that had sheltered them since leaving the prison.

Karen's head shook slowly, drooping low as she thought back to the massacre, and managed to squeak out, "He fired at us all. He killed them all."

"Why are you with them?"

Karen spun on her heels to face Ellie behind the vehicle, her grateful eyes connecting with hers as she replied softly, "They saved me."

"We're coming out!" Ellie boomed to Tyreese, her eyes remaining fastened to Karen's as her gratitude had been an indicator of Karen's sincerity.

They each propelled upward, their arms raised in surrender as they slowly approached Karen, with the exception of Daryl as his crossbow remained raised. He would never take such a risk. With a ghost of a scowl painted on her face, Ellie gently smacked Daryl in his stomach, gesturing for the man to lower his weapon out of respect. With a slight groan and the roll of his ocean eyes, Daryl slowly lowered the weapon. With a sigh, his eyes remained glued to Ellie's dazzling sapphire orbs as they could hear the gate opening beside them. Tyreese stood cautiously at the opening, his untrusting eyes lingering over each member of the group slowly as he surveyed their intentions.

"What are you doing here?" Tyreese challenged, his voice suddenly triggering a memory for Ellie. They had been at the prison during Rick's apparent breakdown, sending them out on their way without a moment's glance.

"We were coming back to finish this," Rick declared openly, his voice low and assertive, "We saw what the Governor did."

Tyreese's eyes widened slightly as he absorbed Rick's words, allowing his eyes to peer between the leader and his dear Karen, "He–he killed them?"

Rick nodded in response, with the group nodding along, too. "Karen told us Andrea hopped the wall to get to the prison. She never made it. She might be here."

After a brief pause, Tyreese kindly gestured first the group to follow him inside the dreaded hamlet of Woodbury, following Rick's directions. He had been directing us to where Maggie and Glenn had endured their painful suffering of interrogations at the hand of the Governor; where he had assaulted and humiliated Maggie's integrity; where he had stolen the final vial of River's youthful innocence; where he simply decided that the world belonged to him and no other.

"This is where he held Glenn and Maggie," Rick explained once they had entered the dark building, each staring around suspiciously, "And where he... River knows this place well, she mapped it out perfectly."

Ellie's jaw clenched tight at his words, her eyes slowly fastening shut as she attempted to block out the intense image of her sister being terrorised. She sighed, "She is a hero in all of this. They all are."

A chorus of gasps disrupted Ellie from her brief encounter with Rick, authorising her eyes to slowly peel open once again. She peered around suspiciously, unaware of such a commotion that had disturbed the group to their core as they glanced down through a door. Ellie gruffly pushed through the masses of people surrounding her, hoping to catch a glimpse of the sight. Her arms pushed against the others until, finally, she halted.

The breath hitched in her throat as she stared down at the bloody mess beneath her. Blood funnelled through the door like a thick puddle of disaster, pooling in intervals in the dips and crevices of the ground. Ellie's eyes widened as she attempted to knock down the door, with the men surrounding her aiding her in her frantic endeavours.

Once the door had been down, she shakily darted past the Governor's advisor, Milton, deceased on the ground, sporting an elephantine stab wound. Michonne had been hovering over Andrea tearfully, holding the blonde close as it had been evident she was hurt. Those same very blonde locks drew her attention through the river of crimson. Andrea.

Ellie didn't hesitate to plummet to the ground, shakily grilling at Andrea's face as she brought it to the light, only to observe the bite mark on her neck. Ellie's body became infiltrated with goosebumps as she felt the air knock from within her, her trembling hand gently reaching down to touch her bleeding skin in denial. Her head shook frantically, despite Andrea's evident acceptance on her face. She knew her fate.

"No!" Ellie sobbed quietly, her voice squeaking as she allowed the sobbing to control her body. She vibrated mercilessly as she clung onto her old friend, afraid to let go, "Andrea..." 

"I tried to stop him," Andrea announced, her words slurred as she attempted to remain conscious to see her friends once again. She knew it was only a matter of moment before she were to be taken, finally, to bliss.

Ellie shakily reached over to dab at her forehead gently, feeling the intense burn and beads of sweat against her skin. She whispered, "You're burning up."

"Oh, Ellie..." she sighed, cupping her old friend's cheek weakly, which had only served as a reminder of her imminent death. Her cold hands lingered across her skin, leaving remnants of herself behind, "Carl, Coda, the rest of them—"

"Us," Rick corrected her boldly as a small tear trailed down his cheek. He might have been invariably enraged with Andrea, but he knew where her loyalty had truly remained. It had always been them, "the rest of us us."

Andrea broadcasted a weak smile onto her lips, her reddened cheeks glowing with delight at his acceptance, "Are they alive?"

"Yeah, they're fine. They're alive," Rick replied quietly to her, whispering his words.

Andrea allowed a smile of relief to wash over her face as she peered up at Michonne, who had been kneeling beside Ellie, with Daryl behind her. She glanced around the group with tearful eyes, proud of how far they had come with the very little resources given to them. Her eyes slowly trailed back to Michonne, and remained there as she attempted to take in every last detail of her silent saviour.

"It's good you found them," Andrea announced to Michonne, smiling warmly at the woman, "They're good people."

Ellie gulped down the lump in her throat, allowing her hot tears to drip freely onto Andrea's arm beneath her as she hoarsely stated, "Andy, I'm so fucking sorry..."

Andrea's head shook weakly, her eyes slowly shutting as she reached out to squeeze Ellie's hand, managing to whisper, "You have nothing to be sorry for," her other hand reached out to Michonne, clinging tightly to her hand as Michonne stroked her damp, blonde locks from her face, "You all need each other."

Ellie connected her eyes with Michonne's, nodding slowly to display her allegiance to the woman once considered a stranger, "We are all family."

"No one can make it alone, now," Andrea stated, her eyes lingering over Daryl as he sadly stared down at Andrea's pitiful sight.

Daryl nodded slightly, his voice low and hoarse as he stated, "Never could." His eyes trickled with tears at Andrea's dying body, how she still remained still with the brightest grin on her face, despite her imminent death. It was admirable to Daryl, and instantly shifted him into an unknown peace. This was his acceptance.

Rick's hand outstretched slowly, taking Andrea's weak hand from Ellie's as he clutched her close, hearing Andrea's small whisper of, "I just didn't want anyone to die." Ellie's eyes trailed over to the gargantuan bite mark on her neck, prompting Andrea to shake her head at the blonde as she attempted to sit up, "I can do it myself."

Michonne shook her head valiantly, and stared down at Andrea, "No!"

"I have to, while I still can," Andrea whispered to the woman, squeezing her hand to indicate her gratitude.

Ellie sniffled loudly as she shook her head, refusing to accept such an absurd notion as she squeaked out, "Y–you can't do this. I can't let you go... I'm not done yet! This isn't how it's supposed to go!"

"You'll be fine without me. Hell, you lived without me for nine months!" Andrea chuckled weakly, her head shaking slightly.

Ellie's head dropped low as she concealed the anguish on her face, her breath shaky and uneven as she exhaled loudly. She then raised her head back and gritted, "We were supposed to end this! We were supposed to kill him and bring you back. You can't be... Please..."

Andrea's hand squeezed Ellie's once again, drawing Ellie's eyes to connect with Andrea's once again. Ellie could see the evident pain in her eyes; the twinkling gleam of desire to be removed from such a painful endurance of life.

She peered between both Rick and Ellie, pleading with her eyes as she softly stated, "Please, let me do this. I know how the safety works."

There it was. Rick's head snapped upward, his tearful eyes meeting hers as the memory of the very beginning. Andrea truly had no skills when it came to combat, leaving Shane to teach her how to handle such a weapon. She had been responsible for almost killing Daryl at the farm, with her lack of patience and training in weapons. Yet, she was Andrea. She was the bright light in the group; the woman whose smile had been intoxicating and beautiful. The woman whose life had been nothing but tragic until her very last breath. Shane instantly dropped to his knees beside Ellie, allowing himself to be submerged in grief as she clutched at Andrea's hand, and gently tugged it to meet his lips.

Rick hesitantly outstretched his trembling hand, with his gun sitting in his palm. Michonne eyed the weapon in disgust, observing as Rick handed it to the dying woman beside him. Michonne squeezed Andrea's hand once again, indicating her overwhelming connection to the woman. It would be entirely false to brand Michonne as Andrea's saviour, when it was Andrea who had saved Michonne from the damnation of her soul. Andrea had brought her back to life.

"Well, I'm not going anywhere," Michonne told Andrea softly, her voice laced with the utmost of sincerity.

"I tried," Andrea whispered to Rick, her smile twisting into a saddened frown at the thought of her demise. She had failed them, once again.

"Yeah," Rick replied, enabling sporadic tears to trail down his soft cheek, "you did."

Ellie broadcasted a loud sigh as Andrea leaned her head back in preparation, slowly exhaling as she pushed the safety off the gun. Ellie clutched tighter at her arm as Andrea shakily placed the gun on her own temple, allowing the steel to linger as she took in the details surrounding her before her last moment. How beautiful the union between Ellie and Michonne had been; how united the group had been together once again. That was how she was going to be remembered. Forever as their family member.

The very last few moments left the air thick with anguish; intensifying each painful moment they had to endure before her death. The world became heavier with each moment that it became closer to her final breath, pressing heavily against Ellie's chest as she awaited the defeating sound of the bullet, finally, escaping the chamber. Andrea was gone.

Ellie released an earth-shattering wail as Andrea's lifeless body slumped beside her, her trembling hands slowly releasing her arm as she hauled herself to her feet. From behind her, she could feel the radiated grief from each individual that had turned to face the blonde, only it hadn't quite been Ellie they had faced. This was an empty vessel of pain, darkly hovering in her stance as she contemplated her next move. She couldn't continue like everything had been normal, as though she hadn't bore witness to her old friend's demise. As though the world hadn't been entirely upside down.

Ellie instantly brushed past the group, clambering to relieve herself of the pain and exit the death chamber they had found themselves in. She propelled our of the door, approaching Tyreese near the gate as his concerned eyes hovered over the blonde with caution.

"Ma'am?" Tyreese called out, attempting to sway her back in the direction of Woodbury, until his eyes widened as she halted.

Ellie froze in her stance at the man's voice, suddenly reminded of the mission they had been at Woodbury for. She slowly approached Tyreese with her dark eyes twinkling against the dim moonlight, her hair draping across her damp face from old tears. She was all but washed in the tide of her own breathing, drowning in the intensity of hiraeth; merely pining for her home. Where had home been anymore? Certainly not at a barely functioning prison, where fear had been their only neighbour; nor out in the the open wasteland where hopelessness bred hopelessness.

"Tell the Governor he's over," Ellie gritted bitterly, with only a menacing grin twisting at the corners of her lips, "There's nothing left here that is keeping him alive."