"IT'S THE ONLY WAY."

Vivian leaned back against the cement wall, shaking her head, avoiding Rick's gaze as she stared at the two walkers on the other side of the fence that were reaching for the four of them.

Rick had gathered Daryl, Hershel, and Vivian for a meeting, bringing them to the far corner of the courtyard so they wouldn't be overheard. He finally told the other two men about the deal he had with the Governor. The deal to bring Michonne,

"No one else knows."

"You gonna tell 'em?" Daryl asked their leader,

"Not till after." Rick sighed, "We have to do it today. It has to be quiet."

Daryl thought about it for a moment before nodding, "You got a plan?"

"We tell her we need to talk. Away from the others." He explained,

The archer looked over Rick's shoulder to make eye contact with Vivian. They all knew her stance on the situation,

"Just ain't us, man."

"No. No, it isn't." Hershel added, speaking for the first time before he began to hobble away.

Vivian watched him go before Rick spoke again, "We do this, we avoid a fight. No one else dies."

The brunette scoffed, "You don't know that." She walked towards Rick, "There's no way he lets us live in peace. You're leading a valued member of this group to her death. You're being played, Rick." Vivian told him before following after Hershel,

Vivian went back inside, where Glenn and Michonne were discussing something. She walked over to see them building some sort of trap with barbed wire and wood slats.

"What's going on here?" Vivian asked, putting her hands on her hips,

"Michonne built these. Wants to put them in the field in case Woodbury wants to come crashing through our fences again. This way, their tires pop and there's no way out except to run." Glenn explained,

"Smart." Vivian gave the dark skinned woman a close lipped smile, trying to keep her from getting suspicious.

She might not agree with Rick, but she's not going to go over his head and ruin his plan. She's gotta talk him out of it.

Vivian helped them load the wood slats into the truck while Maggie and Carl went to the border fences, trying to get the biters' attention.

She drove the truck into the field, Michonne in the passenger seat while Glenn and Daryl were in the back. Vivian put the truck in park when she got halfway down the path, and the men began to set out the traps while she and Michonne killed any walker that got close.

"Come on, let's go!" Daryl called out as he and Glenn set out the last of the traps.

Vivian was quick to hop back into the driver's seat, waiting for everyone to get inside before driving up towards the courtyard.

Rick was there, opening the gate for them. Once she parked the truck, everyone hopped out and approached him,

"They try to drive up to the gate again, maybe some blown tires will stop them." Glenn told their leader,

"That's a good idea."

"It was Michonne's." Vivian commented, crossing her arms,

Rick turned and gave her a look before turning his gaze back to Michonne,

"We don't have to win. We just have to make their getting at us more trouble than it's worth." She stated,

Maggie and Carl began to approach the group with their pots and utensils in hand that they used to distract the walkers. Vivian smirked at the younger Grimes and flicked his hat, "Could start a band with that thing."

"Ha-ha." Carl laughed sarcastically before they all went inside.

Vivian went to grab Liam and brought him to their cell. He was old enough to start learning things like his letters, how to write and read. She sat with him, reading a book slowly and having him repeat her.

Carl had found a colouring book that helped toddlers with writing letters and tracing shapes. She let him draw in it as she watched.

She would do anything to keep Liam safe. Vivian made that promise long ago. She would murder for him.

But leading Michonne to slaughter? That wouldn't keep Liam safe. Rick was getting rid of someone who could help protect this place.

Vivian kissed the top of Liam's head, "Keep drawing, bud. I'll be right back."

She rushed out of the cell and went into the common room, where Hershel, Maggie and Beth were, "Do you guys know where Rick is?"

Before they could answer, the door opened and their leader stepped inside,

"Rick!" Vivian walked over to him, "What you're about to do-"

He placed a hand on her shoulder, "I can't. I won't." He whispered to her,

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded in understanding. He was making the right decision, she knew it.

"Thank you." She responded softly,

"What's going on?" Maggie asked,

"I'll explain later." Rick's eyes went over to Hershel, who gave him a proud nod. The sheriff left to go find Michonne, leaving the others behind.

She trusted Rick to handle it, but when he couldn't find Merle or Michonne, he gathered everyone outside in the courtyard,

Vivian sat on the bench, Liam playing with his cars next to her. Carl sat next to her while Hershel and Beth sat on the opposite side.

Carol sat off to the side, rocking baby Judith in her arms. But Daryl, Merle, and Michonne were missing. And Vivian knew something had happened.

Rick approached the group, Maggie and Glenn following after him. Rick waited for them to settle before he spoke,

"When I met with the Governor, he offered me a deal. He said... he said he would leave us alone if I gave him Michonne." Those who weren't aware of the deal stared at Rick in shock, "And I was gonna do that... to keep us safe. I changed my mind. But now Merle took Michonne to fulfill the deal and Daryl went to stop him and I don't know if it's too late."

Just watching him, his body language, the way his voice shook, Vivian knew he was at the breaking point,

"I was wrong not to tell you. And I'm sorry. What I said last year, that first night after the farm... it can't be like that. It can't." Rick's gaze met Vivian's, "What we do, what we're willing to do, who we are, it's not my call. It can't be. 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." He looked around at everyone once more, "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 walked away and Vivian looked around at everyone. She knew their answers. Winter was coming again, and the prison was their home. Their dead was buried there. Beth had started putting pictures on the walls, and everyone had gotten accustomed to their surroundings.

Vivian left Liam with Beth and began to climb into the guard tower after Rick. He was holding his rifle, staring out into the surrounding forest,

The brunette grabbed onto the railing and sighed, "This is our home. We're gonna stay, and we're gonna fight for it."

He nodded, glancing over at her, "Thank you."

"Thank you for changing your mind."

They spotted movement past the fences and Rick raised his gun to gaze through the eye piece. Vivian moved to grab the binoculars they left up there and brought them up to her eyes.

It was Michonne. And she looked just fine.

Vivian squeezed Rick's bicep before rushing out of the tower and towards the courtyard gate. She opened it for the dark skinned woman and wrapped her arms around her, "He changed his mind."

"So did Merle."