I was sitting on my bed and staring at my photo frame. The photo frame which held the photos of two people I loved dearly and lost too soon, as well as the A4 piece of paper which made me feel loved. Love... Something I hadn't experienced much of in my life, but recently? With my dad? With Carol and Sophia? Hell, Mama Rick and Carl? Beth, Maggie, Hershel, Glenn? Even Michonne? I've never felt more loved... It was weird. I was worried though as well because I've never loved so many people before and with the Governor planning to go to war with us? Would I lose them?

Suddenly someone came into view as they walked through the doorway to my cell that I was currently alone in. I peered over and saw Uncle Merle. "I'm looking for some ice. Ya seen any. I'm assuming you already know what it looks like."

I scoffed and shook my head. "Yes, I know what it looks like. No, I haven't seen any drugs. Goodbye"

Merle grinned. "Someone's feisty today. Little young for that time of the month, ain't you?"

"What are you blabbering on about?" I questioned.

"Ah, forgot nobody's told you about the birds and the bees." Merle laughed in the doorway.

"Birds and bees don't usually hang out together." I furrowed my eyebrows.

Merle laughed and looked like he was going to say something when Carol came over and stood in front of him. "Leave her alone, Merle."

"Hey, don't tell me what to do. She's my niece. I can say to her what I want." Merle bit back.

"Well, she's my daughter and I'm telling you that if you want to talk to her. You will do so with conversation topic that is appropriate for a nine-year-old girl." Carol crossed her arms over her chest.

Merle laughed. "Worlds gone to shit-"

"Language like that is not appropriate for Ellie to hear so I suggest you take that mouth of yours somewhere else." Carol responded.

"What you gonna do? Wash my mouth out with soap?" Merle mocked.

"No, with a bullet." Carol answered, simply.

Merle scoffed before pretending like he was going to hit her so Carol flinched back. "Hey, dickhead!" I yelled at him and jumped down from the bunk. "You're only here because my dad wants you here. The seconds that stops, what do you think is going to happen to you?"

Merle chuckled before squatting down to be at eye level with me. "Why would my brother stop wanting to be around me, little girl?"

I scowled at him. "You've been openly racist, sexist and not to mention violent. I say one thing to my dad? You called me a word that racist pigs like you call people like me? You raised your hand at me, or at Carol, or Sophia? I tell him that you said that you wished that you left me behind?" I laughed at him. "Who's he going to believe? Huh? His older brother that left him with an abusive father? The brother who's racist towards his only family?" I asked before smiling innocently and softening my voice. "Or daddy's little princess?"

Merle looked taken aback. "You sneaky little-"

"I'm a kid, asshole. Watch your language." I warned him.

Carol put her hand on my shoulder. "You heard her."

"I only came to say goodbye. I'm going to take Michonne down to the tombs to clear it. Find the breech." Merle informed me.

"Don't try to guilt trip me into apologising. You came looking for drugs. If you're gonna be a dickhead, at least be loud and proud about it." I crossed my arms over his chest.

Merle scoffed before standing up. "See ya, bitch."

"Hopefully not anytime soon." I smiled sarcastically as I watched him walk down the stairs before I rolled my eyes. I turned around and looked up to Carol. "Are you okay? He shouldn't have raised his hand at you."

Carol gently pinched my cheek. "I'm fine since you saved me." Carol smiled at me. "That was amazing by the way. You should stand up to dickheads more often."

I gasped dramatically. "Language, Carol. I'm nine."

Carol laughed at me. "I'll see you in a bit." With that Carol walked away.

I'd been trying to hang up my photo frame on the wall when suddenly someone walked in. I looked over and saw Carl. "Oh, hey, pal." I smiled, giving up and deciding to put my photo frame back in my bag. "You wanna play Uno or something? We could go skipping in the cafeteria or kick the ball around-"

"So, you don't care about me anymore?" Carl interrupted.

I stared at him with furrowed eyebrows. "I haven't heard of that game."

"I saw you in the table room yesterday with Sophia, Carol and Daryl." Carl interrupted.

"Uh huh. I'm not following." I shook my head.

"That document? It's just a way of you and Sophia telling me that I'm not your brother. That I'll never be a part of your little friendship. That I'm not good enough just because I wasn't stupid enough to get lost in the woods with you!" Carl yelled at me before storming out of the room.

There was no way I was going to let him walk away while he was thinking that. "Carl." I called after him, I followed him into his room. I saw him lying on his bed on his stomach with the pillow over his head, being held down by his hands. "Carl." I said softer, approaching him and having a tug of war with him to get the pillow away. He sat up and went to walk away but I pushed his chest back. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the back wall. "Carl." I sighed.

"What?" He demanded.

"You're my brother no less than Daryl's my dad." I smiled.

"Bullshit." Carl spat.

I shook my head. "That document? It's just a way of my dad and Carol trying to make me and Sophia feel better about the fact that we're all going to die if this war goes ahead. It's a way of letting Sophia experience what it's like to have a good father before she dies. It's a way of letting me experience what it's like to have a good mother before I die. It doesn't mean anything. You weren't included because you have a good dad. You had a good mum. Do you want my dad to replace Rick?"

Carl shook his head softly. "He's more of the cool uncle that scares the shit outta me in a fun way."

"And do you want Carol to replace Lori?" I raised an eyebrow.

Carl shook his head. "Aunt Carol all the way."

"Exactly. You had a good childhood with good parents. You had a good mum and dad. I didn't. Up until the end of the world, even though my dad loved me... He wasn't a good dad. Visiting you kid twice a year? Making Christmas's and birthdays filled with memories of him and your mum constantly arguing? Sophia didn't have a good dad either. The way he treated his entire family? Had them live in fear?... Nobody was saying that you ain't part of the family, Carl. We're all one big, massive unconventional family. You, me, Beth, Hershel, Maggie, Glenn, Rick, my dad, Carol, Sophia... Even T-dog, Lori, the baby, Jacob, Amy, Dale, Andrea, Jacqui, Jim... Not really Shane but we don't need to talk about him. We're different than The Governor, than the walkers... You wanna know why?" I explained.

"Why?" Carl questioned.

"Because we're the ones who live." I answered.  

Carl nodded and a small smile graced his face. "Sorry, I threw a fit. I was just feeling like you and Sophia liked each other more than me. I thought we were in it together. The three of us... I tried to get Beth to join the club, but she said she was too mature."

"The club? What club?" I questioned.

"Me, you and Sophia. The golden trio." Carl grinned.

"Like in Harry Potter?" I raised my eyebrows.

"I'm Harry, you're Ron and Sophia is Hermoine." Carl nodded.

"Since you're my brother I'm going to take this piss outta you for this. Forever. Until one of us is bitten by a walker." I smiled.

Carl grinned, putting his sheriff's hat on my head but it was too big, so it covered my eyes. He flicked it back on my head so he can see my face. "You can do that. But you're a part of the club, Ron." Carl wiggled his eyebrows.

"I'm taking the family thing back now." I nodded, chucking his hat at him with a smile.

Carl laughed, putting his hat on and throwing the ball at me. "Too late. You can't escape, Ellie!" Carl called after me as I walked down the hall and back to my cell.

We were all sitting outside in the only place that was safe to be outside since it was deep in the yard, surrounded by the prison's walls. Everyone was there apart from my dad, uncle Merle and Michonne. I looked around wondering where they were. There was a bench in this yard. Sophia was sitting on it next to Carl who was next to Hershel. Maggie, Beth and Glenn was standing to the side of the bench while Rick stood in front of us. I was the last the walk over, I stood up in between Carl and Sophia before moving to sit behind Sophia on the table, flicking Carl's hat on the way. I put my legs on either side of her as I started to play with her hair.

Rick looked like he was struggling to say something before he just gave in and started speaking. "When I met with the Governor, he offered me a deal. He said... He said he would leave us alone if we gave him Michonne. And I was gonna do that to keep us safe. But, I changed my mind. But now Merle took Michonne to fulfil the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late. I was wrong not to tell you. And I'm sorry. What I said, just after we all left the farm, the first night... It can't be like that. It can't. What we do, what we're willing to do... Who we are, is not my call. It can't me. I couldn't sacrifice one of us for the greater good because we are the greater good. We're the reason, we're still here, not me. This is life and death. How you live... How you die... It isn't up to me. I'm not your Governor. We choose to go. We choose to stay. We stick together. We vote. We can stay and we can fight... Or we can go." Rick ranted, looking at us all before he turned around and walked away.