Y/N and Amy had walked up the hill to camp, blood dripping from Y/N's right fist and covering his chest. Dale was the first to see them and called out from the top of his RV:

"Jesus, what happened?"

The others at camp all looked across, Carl and Sophie running over and panicking

"Y/N are you ok?" "Was it a walker?"

Y/N looked around as the others gathered around him. Jim, Dale, his Nan, Lori and the kids, Morales and the others. About twenty people stood in front of him, afraid. Y/N sighed as it was leadership time again.

"I'm sure you're all aware of someone being hurt in camp. Someone turning up with bruises. I was only made aware of this this morning, I'm told some turned a blind eye. I couldn't do that."

Y/N looked around. Some looked at him fearful, some looked at him guiltily. Some couldn't look at him at all. He knelt down, getting to Sophia's height momentarily.

"This might be hard for you to hear, Sophia. You know who I'm talking about don't you?"

Y/N was trying to subtly warn the girl what was coming. She nodded and he stood once more.

"Ed Peletier started beating his wife just now, tried to hurt some of the other women on wash duty. So I hurt him. Let if be known now I've done everything I can for the last month to look after everyone in this camp, but I will not tolerate someone hurting another person, especially one they were meant to protect."

He looked down at Sophia and knelt again, asking her gently:

"You ok, sweetheart?"

The girl looked up and nodded. Y/N smiled before he was pulled to the RV by Amy by the hand and sat down. She disappeared for a moment, reappearing with a bowl of water and a cloth, as well as Margaret and Dale in tow. Amy sat and began cleaning Y/N's hand lovingly.

"Are you ok, darling?" Margaret asked worriedly as she watched Amy wipe.

"I'm fine, Ed not so much" Y/N replied calmly as Amy finished with his hand and dried it, lifting it up and kissing it gently.

"No cuts, not even a bruise" she smiled. Margaret smiled at the loving relationship her grandson was in. Dale did not:

"What were you thinking son? Attacking the man. There's a lot of scared people out there."

"Oh boo hoo" Y/n snapped back, surprising Dale as he shut the door. Margaret stood silently, Amy trying to conceal a smile as she began cleaning his muscular chest. Y/N continued:

"Did you ever hit your wife, Dale?"

"No of course not" Dale replied in shock.

"And I've never hit Amy. Shit, I'd shoot myself before I'd even try. That piece of crap was hurting his wife, maybe his daughter. He knows what will happen if he ever tries again."

Dale nodded and walked out the RV. Margaret smiled and placed a hand on her grandson's shoulder.

"I'm so proud of the man you've become, Y/N. Never forget that" she smiled before heading out, closing the door behind her. Amy finished cleaning and smiled, drying her hands as she moved over and straddled her boyfriend's waist.

"You know I know right?" she asked as she kissed his lips gently.

"Know what?" Y/N asked, kissing back slightly more intensely.

"I know you'd never hurt me. I feel completely safe with you" Amy smiled.

The last thing Y/N said before they began tongue wrestling was "I'm glad."

--~--

Shane, Ed and the women returned to the camp, Shane driving Ed's car after lifting him up onto the tailgate. He'd come back from his walk in the forest and found Ed laying on the ground bleeding and Carol crying next to him. He dumped the man in his tent before asking around and finding out Y/N was in the RV.

He knocked on the door and Amy answered, her hair frizzled and her face flushed.

"Uh, can I have a word with Y/N?"

Amy nodded and smiled back at her man, exiting the vehicle. Shane entered and looked around, sniffing:

"It smells like se- you two are hopeless man."

He chuckled before turning serious. Y/N took a seat on one side of the kitchen/dining table in the RV, so Shane sat on the other side and began to talk:

"This Ed situation man..."

"What situation?" Y/N asked calmly. Shane looked his young friend in the eyes.

"Y/N, you beat the living hell out of him. His nose is broken, maybe his orbital. His eye is already swollen shut. The bleeding out the mouth from missing teeth won't stop... if this was before you would be going away for a long long time, man."

Y/N leant forward and replied calmly: "It's not before. He slapped his wife down there and was about to hit one of the other women. Amy was terrified. I stopped didn't I?"

"Stopped?" Shane asked before realising what Y/N meant.

"Yeah I stopped, before I beat him to death. I told him though, he does that again and I won't stop next time."

Shane exited the RV a couple of minutes later and Y/N did the same. As he stepped out Amy approached with Clem and Andrea.

"Hey, you two alright?" he asked worriedly. The two women smiled and nodded, Clem replying:

"Yeah, you did good back there. Gave that asshole what he deserved."

She held her knuckles out to him and he chuckled, bumping fists back with her. Amy then jumped excitedly, as was her way when she was happy. It reminded Y/N of a puppy, in the best possible way, her joy and innocence. He definitely kept that opinion to himself though as she blurted out:

"Andrea and I are going fishing with Dale's rods and the boat that was down at the lake. Did you want to come?"

Y/N smiled again at her excitement.

"I would love to, babe, but this is a great chance for the two of you to have some sister alone time. Have a great time, do you have your guns?"

The two nodded and their hands went to the holsters on their hips Y/N had scavenged for them while in Atlanta. He nodded and winked at Andrea after she mouthed "thank you" to him.

"Have a great time. If I hear a gunshot I'll be down immediately."

"We hear a gunshot we all will be" Shane chuckled as he walked passed.

Y/N smiled, watching the sisters leave camp and quickly grabbed Clementine's shoulder.

"Head into the RV" he whispered. She raised an eyebrow but chuckled and did so as Y/N got Margaret and asked her to follow him. They entered and Dale was in there searching for something and asked:

"Is this a private chat, or can I stay?"

Y/N chuckled.

"As long as you don't breathe a word you're welcome to."

Dale nodded and the women looked at Y/N puzzled as he pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it.

Clementine gasped at the Mermaid diamond ring, asking:

"Is that?"

Y/N nodded and smiled as Margaret began to cry.

"It's an engagement ring. Andrea gave me her blessing yesterday. I'm gonna ask Amy to marry me."

Clementine squealed in excitement, realising too late she had made the uncharacteristic noise, but not caring as her excitement got the best of her and she rushed Y/N, hugging him tight.

"It's beautiful, Y/N. How did you find a mermaid ring?"

"A lot of searching on runs into the city, killed about fifty walkers getting that" he chuckled. Y/N turned to his weeping grandmother and she stepped forward to hug her grandson as well, kissing him on the cheek and saying quietly:

"I am so proud of you, Y/N. I've always known you and Amy were perfect for each other. I couldn't be happier."

Y/N smiled as he welled with pride, Dale stepping forward lastly with his hand out. Y/N shook it as Dale exclaimed:

"Congratulations son. Congratulations."

--~--

Amy and Andrea were sat in the rowboat out on the quarry lake, fishing. Amy was relieved there was a parasol inside the boat or she probably would have got burnt to a crisp, out on the water with her fair skin. She looked over and noticed Andrea kept looking at her fishing pole and when caught, looked away quickly.

"What?" Amy chuckled.

"Nothing" Andrea replied, unconvincingly.

"It's not nothing. It's always something."

"Didn't Dad teach you to tie nail knots?"

My looked at her sister confused.

"Why would he do that? He only ever used a fisherman's knot. One knot. It's what he taught me and Y/N."

"No. He didn't. No, he tied at least three."

"Clinch knots? No way" Amy said surprised.

"Fine, I'm making it up" Andrea said in her aggrieved tone as her reel clicked and she began to reel her line in. She looked over at her sister though:

"Did Dad teach you mostly dry lures?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Wet."

"You're kidding. But he was always so adamant. I mean, you know Dad on the fishing thing."

"Gee, you think? I only spent my entire childhood with my ass in a boat. But in my day it was all about getting the hook seated. We were fishing for the dinner table."

"Not us. We always threw them back. Always. At least we did. Y/N was so stubborn. Anything he caught he took home to Margaret for dinner. We had so many arguments as kids."

"Dad liked Y/N a lot, didn't he" Andrea smiled. Amy gushed.

"He did, even before we started dating, when we were best frenemies."

They both laughed.

"He always said to me, never in front of Y/N, 'that kid's gonna go far in life. He's lost so much but he doesn't let himself be a victim. He'll do well.'"

Andrea laughed at the deep voiced imitation of their father.

"He was right. I was wrong to judge him the way I did, back at the apartment. Evening he gave up to take care of Margaret, every way he's stepped up to protect all of us, literally kept us alive. I think Dad would be proud of him too."

When she didn't get a response Andrea turned to her sister to see proud and happy tears rolling down her cheeks. She decided to change the subject back before she broke down as well.

"Did he show Y/N the same as you? One knot?"

Amy nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Huh. I guess he changed things up."

"But that'd be like changing his religion or something" Amy countered.

"People change. It's not his fault we were born twelve years apart."

"No. no, because the minute you went off to college it was my ass in that boat, alone if Y/N had boxing or football, and he taught me dry lures from day one. This was not behavior developed over time."

The two sat puzzled before Andrea smiled.

"You think he did it for us?"

Amy began to happy cry.

"Because he knew we were so different. He knew that you needed to catch the fish and I needed to throw them back."

Andrea fought back tears of her own, again, and inhaled deeply.

"All right, remember his rule: no crying in the boat. It scares the fish."

"Mom and Dad, Clem's parents-I mean maybe Florida wasn't hit so bad. Maybe it's better there. Do you think?"

"I think you have a bite. Even with the wrong knots" Andrea sniffled as Amy reeled.

"Oh God. So much for the no crying rule" Amy chuckled tearfully.

"I think that was more for Dad than the fish" Andrea laughed and Amy nodded.

--~--

Dale was stood on top of the RV on guard duty, watching the sisters in their boat.

"They good down there?" Y/N called up as he chopped firewood, still topless. Dale nodded and replied:

"They look like they're having fun."

"I'm glad. Do them good to get some alone and down time together" Y/N smiled as he split another log, oblivious to some of the older women in camp not so subtly observing him.

Dale smiled at the sisters before looking across, noticing Jim on a nearby hilltop digging with a shovel.

--~--

Daryl looked down at the bloody hacksaw and handcuffs along with Merle's right hand. He inhaled deeper and deeper before turning with his crossbow raised, aiming it directly at T-Dog's face. Just as quickly Rick cocked his python and put it to Daryl's head. Neither man flinched in the stand off before Rick said calmly

"I won't hesitate. I don't care if every walker in the city hears it."

Daryl tried to hold back tears and lowered his crossbow, Rick doing the same as T-Dog released a sigh of relief. Daryl blinked away some tears and he asked T-Dog:

"You got a do-rag or something?"

T-Dog handed him one which Daryl used to wrap up Merle's hand.

"I guess the saw blade was too dull for the handcuffs. Ain't that a bitch"

He wrapped Merle's hand up carefully and, much to Glenn's absolute horror, placed it in Glenn's backpack. Daryl continued to examine the scene as he pushed his emotions down and his hunting and tracking skills kicked in.

"He must have used a tourniquet-maybe his belt. Be much more blood if he didn't."

Daryl follows the trail of blood across the rooftop, Rick and Glenn following as T-Dog collected the dropped tools and Dale's dropped bag. Around a corner there was another doorway into the building. Daryl entered first, his crossbow armed, Rick the same with his gun.

"Merle? You in here?" Daryl yelled as they descended the stairwell into the building.

--~--

Dale walked up the hill towards Jim, noticing close to a dozen grave shaped holes dug ar,ound where Jim continued to dig, not looking up.

"Jim? You okay? You keep this up, you're gonna keel over out here."

Dale offered up his water canteen.

"Drink some water at least."

Jim looked up at momentarily but didn't stop digging. Dale turned and went back down to the camp.

--~--

A walker turned and growled at Daryl, it was promptly taken down by an arrow to the head. The group carefully made their way through the building, T-Dog having caught up. They entered a reception area and saw two dead walkers on the floor, their blood 'fresh'.

"Had enough in him to take out these two sumbitches one handed" Daryl muttered.

"Toughest asshole I ever met, my brother. Feed him a hammer, he'd crap out nails."

"Any man can pass out from blood loss, no matter how tough he is" Rick answered as they continued on.

--~--

Amy and Andrea walked back to camp with a couple dozen fish on their strings, just as Y/N finished a large pile of fire wood, put down his axe, and took a big drink. Morales noticed them first and called out:

"Oh, baby. Will you look at that? Hey, check it out. Ladies..." He exclaimed at the fish.

Andrea handed the string of fish to Y/N while Lori applauded and Carol smiled.

"...because of you my children will eat tonight. Thank you" Morales smiled.

"Thank Dale. It's his gear" Andrea smiled as Amy kissed Y/N and then did her happy dance.

Clementine high fived Andrea and Carl exclaimed:

"Mom, look. Look at all the fish."

Y/N teased Lori, waving them close to her and she pulled away laughing.

"Whoa" Carl smiled poking them.

"Yeah, whoa. Where did you two learn to do that?" Lori smiled.

"Our dad" Amy smiled proudly.

"Can you teach me how to do that?" Carl asked excitedly.

Amy smiled, she had such a warm spot for all the kids at camp, but especially Carl and Sophia. She felt emotional again and tried to fight it off, replying happily:

"Sure. I'll teach you all about nail knots and stuff. If that's okay, Lori"

"You won't catch me arguing" Lori smiled.

"Most importantly Carl, I'm gonna teach you how to gut, scale and fillet these fish so we can have a good old fish fry tonight, all right mate" Y/N smiled. Carl nodded excitedly and ran up, hugging 'Uncle' Y/N again. The two began to walk off before stopping as Dale walked into camp with a worried look on his face.

"Hey, Dale, when's the last time you oiled those line reels? They are a disgrace" Andrea laughed before a serious look grew on her face. Dale looked around and spoke with genuine concern:

"I, uh, I don't want to alarm anyone, But we may have a bit of a problem."

Y/N hung the fish on the side of the RV and walked over with Shane to Dale, who pointed their attention up to Jim, who was still digging.

--~--

The men continued to follow the blood trail through the building, Daryl yelling out: "Merle!" at the top of his voice. Rick shushed him:

"We're not alone here. Remember?"

"Screw that. He could be bleeding out. You said so yourself" Daryl replied as they entered a kitchen area. Several sterno cans had been lit and were still burning as an abandoned bloody belt lied on the cook top nearby.

Blood was splattered everywhere. Rick picked up a flat iron that has been used and left with crusted and foul smelling remains.

"What is that burned stuff?" Glenn asked with trepidation. Rick studied the iron and replied:

"Skin. He cauterized the stump."

Glenn swallowed the sick that jumped up into his mouth.

"Told you he was tough. Nobody can kill Merle but Merle" Daryl said proudly.

Rick was quick to reply: "Don't take that on faith. He's lost a lot of blood."

"Yeah? Didn't stop him from busting out of this death trap" Daryl replied as he pointed to a broken window and walked over to it, looking out.

"He left the building? Why the Hell would he do that?" Glenn asked in shock.

"Why wouldn't he? He's out there alone as far as he knows, doing what he's got to do" Daryl answered plainly.

Rick looked out the window and saw a fire escape leading down. There was a bloody towel on the ground nearby.

"Surviving" Daryl muttered.

"You call that surviving? Just wandering out in the streets, maybe passing out? What are his odds out there?" T-Dog noted, setting Daryl off.

"No worse than being handcuffed and left to rot by you sorry pricks!" he snapped, looking at Rick and adding: "You couldn't kill him. Ain't so worried about some dumb dead bastard."

Rick answered without flinching: "What about a thousand dumb dead bastards? Different story?"

"Why don't you take a tally? Do what you want. I'm gonna go get him" Daryl scoffed, stepping towards the window. Rick reached out and grabbed him, telling him to wait. Darylanapped:

"Get your hands off me! You can't stop me."

"I don't blame you. He's family, I get that. I went through Hell to find mine. I know exactly how you feel. He can't get far with that injury. We could help you check a few blocks around but only if we keep a level head."

The two were face to face as Rick replied, but the heat seemed to dissipate out of the confrontation as Daryl answered calmly:

"I could do that."

T-Dog chuckled:

"Only if we get those guns first. I'm not strolling the streets of Atlanta with just my good intentions, okay?"

--~--

Jim still hadn't stopped. Dale lead Shane and Y/N up to him, with a number of others- Amy, Andrea, Clementine, Lori and Carl and Sophie and Carol among them, following. They arrived and Jim didn't even look up. Shane and Y/N exchanged glances.

"Hey, Jim. Jim, why don't you hold up, all right? Just give me a second here, please?" Shane asked.

"What do you want?" Jim replied tersely.

"We're all just a little concerned, that's all" Shane smiled, trying to de-escalate the situation.

"Dale says you've been out here for hours" Y/N stated. Jim snapped back aggressively:

"So?"

"So why are you digging? Are you heading to China, Jim?" Y/n chuckled.

"What does it matter? I'm not hurting anyone" Jim replied as he continued digging.

"Yeah, except maybe yourself. Its a hundred degrees today. You can't keep this up" Dale pleaded.

"Sure I can. Watch me."

Lori stepped forward standing to Y/N's right, as opposed to next to Shane who was on his left. Shane noticed and scowled as Lori said clearly:

"Jim, they're not gonna say it so I will. You're scaring people. You're scaring my son and Carol's daughter."

Jim paused and looked over to Sophia and Carl, who were stood on either side of Carol with one of her arms around each of them.

"They got nothing to be scared of. I mean, what the Hell, people? I'm out here by myself. Why don't you all just go and leave me the Hell alone?"

Y/N exhaled and took a step forward. He was beginning to get frustrated.

"We think that you need to take a break, okay? Why don't you go and get yourself in the shade? Some food maybe. I'll tell you what -maybe in a little bit I'll come out here. I'll help you myself. Jim, just tell me what it's about. Why don't you just go ahead and give me that shovel?"

Jim shoved it into the ground and looked at Y/N venomously, asking:

"Or what?"

Y/N's instincts immediately kicked up at the tone, but he pushed it down and replied calmly:

"There is no or what. I'm asking you. I'm coming to you and I'm asking you, please. I don't want to have to take it from you."

Jim looked at Y/N even fiercer, with something akin to hatred, and replied coldly:

"And if I don't, then what? Then you're gonna beat my face in like Ed Peletier, aren't you?"

"That was different, Jim" Y/N replied with all the warmth drained from his voice, his eyes hardening. Jim though didn't pick up on how badly things could go for him, yelling to the others:

"Y'all seen his face, huh? What's left of it! See, now that's what happens when someone crosses you."

Jim went back to digging as Amy immediately jumped to the defence of her man.

"You weren't there. Ed was out of control. He was hurting his wife."

Jim put the shovel back in the dirt and yelled:

"That is their marriage! That is not his. He is not judge and jury. Who voted you king boss, huh?"

Carol hugged Sophia to her as Y/N snarled.

"I'm gonna tell you this one time. Do not fucking yell at Amy again. Now I've had of this. Give me the shovel."

He took a step forward and Jim swung as hard as he could. Y/N lifted his arm and pushed Shane back, instead taking the full force of the curled top of the shovel, right in the left side of his rib cage. He seethed as his arm clamped down and he pulled with his torso, ripping the shovel from Jim's hands and pulling him forward in the process. As Jim was pulled off balance Shane tackled him to the ground and pulled his handcuffs from his back pocket.

"Okay, shh shh" Shane tried to calm Jim who was yelling "he's got no right! He's got no right!"

Y/N turned and lifted his arm, dropping the shovel and seething:

"Fucking-"

He stopped himself, saying loudly:

"Sorry ladies, sorry kids."

He looked down, and due to the heat still being topless, the others in his group began to panic as there were two large slices around the edge of where the shovel cut him. One was under his arm, the other lower on his ribcage.

"Baby" Amy panicked, Clementine meanwhile rushing over and looking at them:

"These are gonna need stitches. Lucky I started Nursing at UGA before the end" she chuckled.

Shane meanwhile was still trying to reassure Jim as he handcuffed him:

"Jim. Jim. Nobody's gonna hurt you. You hear me?"

"That's a lie. That's the biggest lie there is. I told that to my wife and my two boys. I said it a hundred times. It didn't matter. They came out of nowhere. There were dozens of 'em. Just pulled 'em right out of my hands. You know the only reason I got away was 'cause the dead were too busy eating my family."

Lori pressed her hands to her mouth in horror. Shane sighed.

--~--

Back in Atlanta the men were in an office near where Merle made his escape.

"You're not doing this alone" Rick warned. Daryl added:

"Even I think it's a bad idea and I don't even like you much."

Glenn argued: "It's a good idea, okay, if you just hear me out. If we go out there in a group, we're slow, drawing attention. If I'm alone, I can move fast. Look."

Glenn had used a marker to draw a diagram of the nearby streets. He indicate to a large black paper binder.

"That's the tank. Five blocks from where we are now."

He dropped a wad of paper.

"That's the bag of guns. Here's the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That's where Daryl and I will go."

"Why me?" Daryl asked.

"Your crossbow is quieter than his gun."

Glenn used a tab dispenser to indicate Daryl.

"While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag."

"You got us elsewhere?" Rick asked.

"You and T-Dog, right. You'll be in this alley here."

Glenn marked the spot on the map with a pink eraser.

"Two blocks away? Why?" Rick asked again.

"I may not be able to come back the same way. Walkers might cut me off. If that happens, I won't go back to Daryl. I'll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. Afterwards, we'll all meet back here."

The other three were impressed with the plan. Daryl asked

"Hey, kid, what'd you do before all this?" assuming he was in military intelligence or something similar. He was shocked when Glenn replied:

"Delivered pizzas, why?"

--~--

Glenn climbed down the same ladder he'd gone up with Rick when they first met. Daryl was behind him and the two were relieved the alley was now empty of walkers- Rick and T-Dog rushed to their position as Glenn and Daryl took cover behind a dumpster and Daryl primed his crossbow. He chuckled:

"You got some balls for a Chinaman."

"I'm Korean."

"Whatever"

Daryl had an arrow loaded as Glenn edged forward into the street. He avoided the attention of the walkers, grabbed the bag and Rick's hat, and rushed back to where Daryl was waiting with his adrenaline pumping.

"Simple as that" Daryl chuckled.

"Let's get to the others" Glenn smiled in relief.

--~--

Jim had been tied to a tree. Shane and Dale brought him water in a bucket.

"Jim, take some water?" Shane asked. Jim nodded and the former Sheriff's Deputy smiled:

"Yeah? All right. Here you go, bud." Shane smiled as he gave Jim a drink from a cup. Not far away Carl and Sophia were impatiently being homeschooled, wanting to go and help Y/N with the fish.

"Pour some on my head?" Jim asked, and Shane happily obliged.

"Is Y/N ok?" Jim asked guiltily. Shane gave a look that suggested he wasn't being 100% forthcoming.

"He's uh, the cuts were pretty bad, Clementine is down there stitching him now, he's bruised but doesn't appear to be any breaks."

Jim nodded and asked: "How long you gonna keep me like this?"

"Well, yeah. Until I don't think that you're a danger to yourself or others, and... everyone's cooled down."

Jim sighed before looking over to where Carol and Lori had just lost the fight with Carl and Sophia and were packing up.

"Sorry if I scared your boy and your little girl" Jim called out.

"You had sunstroke. Nobody's blaming you. Yes go on" Lori answered first Jim and then Carl who took off down the hill with Sophia close behind.

"It's nice to see her be a happy little girl" Carol said to herself, no louder than a whisper. Lori packed the school books away before Jim said to her on the way past.

"You keep your boy close. You don't ever let him out of your sight."

She nodded fearfully and walked off as Dale asked:

"Jim, do you know why you were digging? Can you say?"

"I had a reason. Don't remember. Something I dreamt last night."

--~--

Y/N was sat with his arm up, Clementine nearly finished with his stitches.

"How do you feel, Y/N?" Andrea asked sat across from him.

"Like I got smacked in the ribcage with a shovel" Y/N replied angrily. Andrea turned to Amy and whispered:

"Maybe Shane should keep him up there a bit longer."

--~--

In Atlanta the four men had spent three hours darting between buildings and checking various floors, with no luck. Rick turned to Daryl:

"Look I'm sorry, but I think we need to call it. We've been looking for hours, it's starting to get late, we need to get back."

Daryl sighed and nodded, the four men walking back to where they parked the cube van. They arrived ten minutes later, and as they approached Glenn chuckled:

"Admit it, you only came back to Atlanta for the hat."

"Don't tell anybody" Rick chuckled.

They walked around an abandoned metro bus and look to where the cube van should be. It wasn't.

"Oh my God" Glenn panicked.

"Where the Hell's our van?" Daryl snapped.

"We left it right there. Who would take it?" Glenn asked, Rick answering instantly: "Merle."

Daryl looked at the others: "He's gonna be taking some vengeance back to camp."

--~--

Y/N was patched up and sat at a campfire with Carl and Sophia, despite the heat. Lori, Carol, Amy and Margaret watched as Y/N sat with a water bucket in front of the three of them and each had a pile of fish.

"Alright guys you ready?" Y/N smiled. The kids returned it and nodded.

"Alright so take your scissors, slice up the belly from the butthole to the head."

Carl giggled and Y/N rolled his eyes.

"Alright, put your scissors up at the gills, snip, and then twist and pull-"

Y/N showed them how to pull out the guts in one.

"Then throw the guts in the fire that's why I lit it so early. We can't afford to have the smell of stagnant guts in camp" Y/N smiled again as he watched the two kids copy his actions.

"Then rinse the fish in your bucket and on to the next one."

"He's so good with them, isn't he" Lori smiled as the ladies watched. Margaret smiled and nodded proudly. Amy though felt her insides warm and heat, watching her lover acting so paternal, so caring with children. She wanted more than anything to start a family with him when the world returned to normal.

In the caravan Andrea was desperately searching for something in the cabinets as Dale entered. She looked around and asked him:

"Wrapping paper, color tissue, anything?"

Dale smiled and asked "is this for tomorrow?" and Andrea looked at him puzzled.

"Y/N was in here earlier, showed myself, Margaret and Clementine his present. He was so nervous. I haven't seen him nervous before. He was so proud you gave your blessing."

Andrea smiled happily and replied: "he asked me in Atlanta. He was nervous then too. I watched him lead us out of the city, when this all happened, facing I don't know how many of them with just a baseball bat, and he never lost his calm. I love that this is what it took to make him lose that cool exterior of his."

Dale chuckled: "He's a good man. He loves that sister of yours more than life, I don't doubt that for a second."

Andrea smiled and held the Mermaid necklace up to Dale, saying:

"This is what I found for her. You don't give a gift unwrapped."

"Deep breath. I'm sure I'll find something here." Dale smiled.

--~--

An hour later, the group were setting up for their fish fry, Amy and Dale putting chairs around the fire, Y/N cooking the fish as Morales showed the others something he'd been working on.

"I, uh, built up the rocks all around, see? So the flames can be a little higher and have 'em be hidden."

As he did Shane and Carl walked over to Jim who was still tied to the tree.

"Hey, Jim. How you feeling, man?" Shane asked.

"I'm better. More myself now."

"I hope you understand the need for this -this timeout. I've got others I've got to think about, and I just wanted to make sure everyone was calm. I just want to make sure there's no uh-there's no hard feelings."

"There's not. I do understand" Jim smiled.

Shane nodded and moved around to undo the handcuffs:

"Okay. Why don't you come join in with the rest of us? Big ol' fish fry."

"I'd like that very much" Jim nodded to Carl.

Meanwhile Sophia walked into the tent she had shared with her parents, placing a bowl of soup next to her father's bed. He would be on soup for a long time.

Sophia felt a lot of internal conflict. She hated seeing her dad hurt her mom. It's why her mom had shaved her head, after Sophia watched one night her dad grab her mom by the hair, drag her back, and use it to slam her head into the kitchen wall until she passed out. Sophia had also been happy when her dad had hit her, because at least he wasn't hitting her mommy.

She hated her father. But she loved him at the same time. She was happy though that Y/N had stopped her dad hurting her mom. Y/N was nice. He always protected them. Sophia didn't know what that felt like before. To have someone protect her.

Ed was laying there beaten to hell. His left eye was swollen closed, his right one bloodshot and blackened. His nose was swollen and misshapen, and his mouth was swollen, as was his cheek and jaw. He was missing most of his front teeth.

"Why don't you come outside with everybody?" Carol asked coldly. She hoped he would, if for no other reason than to see his shame in front of everyone as he was exposed for the coward he was.

"Hell with them people. Wouldn't piss on them if their heads were on fire" Ed snapped, his voice distorted by the missing teeth and damage to his face.

Sophia got up to leave but Ed grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"Hey. Why don't you stay here? Keep your daddy company" Ed said in a tone that sent chills up Carol's spine. She did something next she hadn't done before. She told him no, replying firmly:

"Ed, she wants to join in" and left the tent hand in hand with her daughter. She heard him yell as they walked away:

"Fine. Hell with the both of you. Ain't no need to be bothering me no more the rest of the night."

Carol smiled as she walked off. Ed didn't know it yet but Y/N had set up a spare tent for the two of them, right next to the one Margaret, Clementine and Andrea shared. They were free from Ed's tyranny now. He couldn't go near them again. He couldn't hurt them again.

--~--

In the last light of the day Rick and the others were running up the road toward the camp, panting and breathing heavily as their fear drove them forward.

--~--

The group were sat around the campfire, eating dinner.

"Pass the fish, please" Sophia asked, sat on Y/N's left. She smiled at the man as he offered her the tray and said kindly: "There you go little lady, last one."

Carol shared a smile with Amy at the interaction as Shane chuckled from the other side of the fire:

"Man o man, that's good. Whew. I miss this."

As everyone wound down their fish feast and happily drank beers Y/N decided now was the moment. He stood.

"Everyone if I could have some quiet for a moment."

The group all looked to him. Clementine tapped Andrea's leg excitedly.

"Amy, could you stand for a moment please?" he asked, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. Amy looked at her boyfriend puzzled, but stood, asking with a grin:

"What's going on?"

Y/N smiled. He took Amy's hands in his as the others looked on.

"Amy, I don't think it's a surprise to anyone that I love you. When we were kids and it was the three of us, we were all best friends, but there was something about you that just made me mad, made me crazy. If you remember we would fight like cats and dogs."

"Mmhmm" Clementine nodded to herself as the others, and the couple, laughed.

"I had no idea though at the time that it wasn't your actions making me mad, it was my frustrations because I knew I loved you, I just had no idea what that meant at that age. I love you Amy. I've always loved you, and I always will love you. When Nan was diagnosed with leukaemia and my world fell apart, you were there for me, my rock, holding me together. When I was donating blood and marrow, and still working full time and caring for Nan, you were the one who held me together. I don't know what I would do without you in my life and in my heart. I never want to know the answer to that, if I'm being honest."

A thought began to form in Amy's mind. But it couldn't be, could it?

"Now I know tomorrow is your birthday, but I wanted to give you your present early, if I could?"

Amy nodded, trying hard not to hope against hope only to be let down if she was being silly, but her heart soared and the women began to mutter excitedly as Y/N dropped down to one knee and pulled a box from his pocket. She gasped at the ring.

"Amy Harrison. I love you. I'll always love you. I don't know how long any of us has in this world, but I want to spent every moment with you. Will you marry me? Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"

Amy sobbed, tears streaming down her face as she exclaimed:

"Yes! Yes! Of course I will yes!"

Everyone cheered and clapped, most women wiping tears from their eyes as Y/N slipped the ring onto Amy's dainty finger before he stood. She wrapped her arms around his neck, the two fiancees kissing passionately.

--~--

Everyone had celebrated and congratulated the couple, and Amy now sat snuggled up to Y/N, unable to take her eyes off the ring on her left hand. She smiled as she looked down at it, golden mermaids circling the huge diamond.

"Where did you even get this? How did you find this? It's so perfect" she smiled, trying not to cry again. Y/N smiled.

"Before people would ask how much a ring had cost, for its value. Different currency now. I had to fight through a lot of dead, search a lot of jewellers to find the perfect ring."

Amy squeezed him tighter before leaning up and kissing him and then standing.

"Where are you going?" Andrea asked.

"I have to pee. Jeez, you try to be discreet around here" Amy replied and the group laughed, Margaret adding: "I'll come too, love."

Y/N quickly asked: "what is it with ladies and going in pairs?" to more laughs.

--~--

Ed had a nightmare of Y/N over him, leaning down, beating him relentlessly and refusing to stop, causing him to awaken with a fright. As he tried to catch his breath he heard rustling outside his tent.

"Thought I told y'all to leave me the Hell alone, didn't I? Hey!"

He crawled over and opened the tent flap.

"What'd I say?"

He opened it and came face to face with a snarling walker, his face bitten and his upper lip and cheek torn off before he could scream as more pounced on him and began to feast while he was still alive.

--~--

The two women walked into the caravan and Amy turned to Margaret, excitedly squealing. The two hugged as Margaret gushed looking at the ring on her finger.

"You're already family, but regardless welcome to the family, love" Margaret smiled before Amy jigged a little on the spot.

"Go" Margaret laughed, Amy apologising and darting in the toilet.

"Sorry, all this excitement" Amy said as she looked next to her.

"Huh, there's no toilet paper."

"I'll go ask" Margaret said with a smile, opening the RV door and stepping down. She called out:

"Dale, love. Where's the toilet paper?"

Before Dale could answer a walker appeared next to Margaret, growling as it grabbed her arm and sunk its teeth in. She screamed in agony as a chunk was torn from her forearm. Y/N looked up in horror as he roared:

"Nanna!?! Nanna no!" And shot to his feet, pulling his gun and rushing over, shooting the walker in the head. The others stood and screamed as more walkers emerged from behind the RV, and in a matter of moments the camp was under seige.

People were running and screaming, Carl and Lori calling to each other in fear as Carol grabbed Sophia. Lori grabbed Carl as people scattered, Shane rushing over to the pair as he cocked his shotgun yelling:

"Lori, get him down!"

He stood between them and the attack and started shooting the walkers.

--~--

Down on the road Rick and the men heard the gun shots and people screaming.

"Oh my God" Rick gasped as Glenn yelled "Go! Go!"

--~--

Y/N got to his grandmother as people screamed, Jim hitting a walker with a baseball bat. Y/N grabbed her before turning when he heard Clementine scream. A walker grabbed her but was promptly put down by Y/N's gun as he yelled:

"Get to the RV! NOW!"

Clementine grabbed a terrified Andrea's hand with one hand, and Carol's with the other, dragging them and Sophia through the chaos as Y/N fired and killed another walker in their path. They made it but screamed, Y/N turning and in the chaos another walker got behind Margaret and bit the side of her neck. She screamed in pain as it was shot and dropped to her knees as Andrea dragged Carol and Sophia into the door. Clementine sobbed saying: "Y/N I-" before he shoved her in, slamming the door for their protection and then quickly leaning down and grabbing his Nanna carefully as she fell backwards to the floor.

"Nanna I don't, I don't know, I don't" Y/N sobbed as Margaret looked up through her pain, wiping her grandson's face with her blood soaked hand.

Morales took down a walker with his bat as others fired and still others were attacked.

Even though Lori was holding him, Carl was panicking and screaming. She and Carl were sheltering behind Shane as she looked around in panic.

"I'm right here. Shane, what do we do? Shane?"

"Follow me!" Shane yelled.

Margaret's eyes began to fade as Y/N cried: "Oh God, I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do. Nanna I..."

"Come on. Come on. Stay close! Y'all get to the RV" Shane yelled as he, Morales and Dale tried to protect Lori, Carl, Jacqui and Morales' family. There were suddenly more gunshots as the four men made it to camp, Rick screaming out:

"Carl! Carl!" as Carl yelled back "dad!"

The men continued to fire, putting down walkers as Rick reached his family, Carl jumped into his dad's arms and Lori sobbed, relieved to see him.

Shane glared at the reunion as the the others looked around still amped up, looking for walkers to kill.

Y/N screamed a guttural, agonised roar, ending with a protracted "No!" The others looked over in horror as Margaret's body had gone limp. Y/N looked down at his now deceased grandmother, tears openly falling as he sobbed:

"No... no, no, no..."

The door to the RV opened as Amy broke down in tears, rushing out and hugged her fiancee from behind, heartbroken. The Grimes family and others looked over, still in shock, at the devastated family.

The attack was over, all the walkers dead. Jim looked around:

"I remember my dream now, why I dug the holes."