"Thanks." Austin mumbled to Beth as she pulled the gate open, Austin walking in with Judith in his arms. The entire new group gapped at the sight, all taken back by a baby. "She doesn't bite, don't worry."

"How old is she?" Sasha stared.

"Barley a week." Hershel said in return as the trio walked toward the table, Beth getting a bottle prepared.

"To be honest we never thought we'd see another baby." Sasha walked a little closer.

"Wanna look at her?" Austin suggested, turning some so they could see her. "Judith."

"Beautiful." Sasha gave a small smile, Ausdin did in return. "She's yalls?"

Beth and Austin both laughed, giving each other an odd look. The room was quiet in confusion, Carl hide a laugh. Austen cleared his throat. "No, no. She's my sister."

"Where your mother?" Sasha looked in confusion.

Austin frowned, shaking his head. "Didn't make it."

"I'm sorry." she mumbled.

"Don't be." Austin reassured her. "You didn't know."

"Want me to feed her?" Beth suggested, Austen placed Judith in her arms delicately.

"Man, you people have been through the mill." Tyrese spoke as he looked around.

"Haven't we all?" Hershel asked, Austin got the door with Beth and Judith, following them out.

"That was kinda funny, right?" he gave an awkward laugh while walking by her side. "Sasha thought Judith was our kid, meaning we'd be together."

"Guess she saw how much y'all look alike." Beth grinned as she nodded down at Judith. "But, yeah, that was funny."

Austin inhaled, nodding. "So funny."

"Dad!" Austin ran down the rock way as he heard the truck pull up. "Dad, it's Austin!"

Rick tried not to laugh as he let Carl go, standing up. "I know who you are, son."

He hugged him tightly when he finally got down there. "You were taking so long, did you get Glenn and Maggie?"

"Austin!" Glenn hung out the window, Austin hurrying over. "Get in!"

"Are you guys okay?" Austin pulled himself into the passengers seat. "Beth was on the verge of a panic attack every few seconds."

"Bet you took good care of her though, right?" Maggie hugged him as they started to drive back to the prison. When they pulled back, he leaned over and laid a good kiss to Glenn's right cheek.

"Of course." he promised. "You okay? They hurt you?"

"We're okay." Maggie gave a tight lipped smile. "We are now."

"Daryl took off with Merle." Glenn sighed as he shook his head. "Ran into him at that place."

"The racist?" Ausdin gapped. "He's alive?"

"Apparently." Glenn shook his head.

Austin frowned. "Why would Daryl leave us?"

"He'll come back." Glenn promised him with a nod. "I can feel it."

"Whenever Thomas went off, Oscar always stood up for me." Axel spoke as he stood with Carol, the group crowding in the dining hall. Austin walked down the stairs, touching Beth's shoulder with a small smile as he sat down with her and Judith. "He was my friend."

"He went out fighting." Rick reassured him.

"So, what now?" Beth spoke up, Rick looked toward the two. "You think the governor will retaliate?"

"Yes." Maggie agreed.

"Let him try." Glenn said bitterly.

"Sounds like he's got a whole town. We're out number and out gunned." Carol pointed out as she looked toward Rick.

"We could bomb them." Austin suggested.

"With what bomb, son?" Rick nodded in his direction.

"We could use some reinforcements." Hershel pointed out to their leader.

Rick looked around the group, lost of words it seemed. Hershel lead him toward the gate with Sasha and her people in it. Austin walked with Beth, pushing the gate further open for her and Judith to head in. The group all stood, approaching Rick. "I'm Tyreese."

Rick hadn't shaken his hand, Austen have a stumble thumbs up toward Tyreese to excuse the behavior. Hershel realized the weren't gonna say much. "Sasha. Allen. Ben."

"How'd you get in?" Rick asked Tyreese.

"Fire damage to the administrative part of the prison." he answered honestly. "Walls down."

"That sides completely overrun with walkers." Rick pointed out with a knowing look. Austin and Beth shared a side eyed look. "How'd you get this far?"

"We didn't. We lost our friend Donna." Tyreese frowned in the slightest.

"They were lost in the tombs." Carl told his dad from behind his older brother.

"You brought them here?" Rick turned around with a glare

"I did." Austin spoke up with his head held a little higher. "They were hurt and seconds away from all being bit. It's not like I was letting them roam the place, there's a gate for a reason."

"He had no choice." Hershel defended Austin.

Rick looked at Tyreese again. "I'm sorry about your friend. We know what that's like."

"Hershel said you can use some extra hands." Tyreese pointed out as he looked around. "We're no stranger to hard work. We'll go out and get our own food, stay out of your hair. You got a problem with another group, we'll help with that, too. Anything to contribute."

Rick looked down. "No."

"Please." Sasha begged. "It's like 10 Little Indians out there. It's just us now."

Rick seemed to think a moment longer. "No."

"Dad-" Austin started.

"No." he pointed a finger at him. "You brought them here, you don't get a say in this."

"I saved them when I had the opportunity to." Austin defended himself with a finger toward his chest. "All for what? To send them out there to die by the walkers?"

"We've been through this." Rick rose his eyebrows his way. "With Tomas, Andrew. Look what happened."

"Axel and Oscar weren't like them." Carol pointed out.

"And where's Oscar now?" Rick shot back her way. They were all quiet a second long before Rick turned back to the new group. "I can't be responsible."

"You turn us out, you are responsible." Tyreese pointed out, staring into Ricks eyes.

"Rick." Hershel spoke up again. "You've done so much for us. I appreciate that. We all do. We owe you our lives. We've done everything you asked without question. And i'm telling you you're wrong on this. You've got to start giving people a chance."

Beth wrapped her free arm around Austins, leaning on him slightly as they watched what was going to happen.

Rick looked toward Tyreese and his group again, then to his own. He sighed loudly. Rick started up toward the stairs a moment. "No, no, no, no."

Austin looked in worry at the way he held the bridge of his nose. "Why are you here? What do you want from me?"

Austin looked panicky as he followed his dads gaze, seeing nothing. Carl did the same. "Dad?"

"Why are you- no." Rick looked away from the stairs, Austin looked around in a panic. "I can't help you! Get out!"

"Dad!" Austin moved away from Beth to grab his dads shoulders. "What's wrong? What's happening?"

"Woah, it's all good." Tyreese was clearly worried.

"Hey." Austin grabbed his dads face, scanning over his pupils. "You're scaring everyone right now, including me. Talk to me."

"You don't belong here! Get out!" Rick shouted, scaring Austin as he jumped. For a second he thought he'd been talking to him, but Rick pointed over toward the stairs as he spoke. "Get out! Get out!"

"We'll leave. We're going." Tyreese spoke quickly, Ricks out burst clearly frightening him. "Ain't no body got to get shot here. We're going."

"What are you doing here!" Rick yelled again.

"I'm so sorry." Austin apologized to Sasha and Tyreese.

"What's happening to him?" Sasha gave a look at Austin.

"I don't know, but I think you gotta go." he spoke quickly and in worry of what his dad could do next. They did, all hurrying away. Beth came to Austin's side again with Judith, staying close beside him.

"You okay?" Beth stood at the end of Austin's cell a few hours later, seeing him holding his head in his hands. "Austin?"

"Yeah." he looked up with a deep exhale. "I'm fine."

Beth walked in more. "What was your dad talking about?"

"I have no idea, i've never seen him like that before." he shook his head honestly as Beth sat next to him. "It's really freaking me out and I wish my Mom was here."

"He's okay right now." she rubbed his back. "Maybe he just needed a minute to calm down. Right after getting back here, loosing Daryl, now seeing new people here."

"I shouldn't have brought them." Austin blamed himself with a shake of his head. "It's not my decision to make and I just made a bad situation a hundred times worse."

"You did the right thing." the blonde corrected him with a stern look. "They would have died if you and Carl hadn't gone down there, you heard how it sounded. Your dad would have done the same thing, he just needed to take his anger out on someone."

Austin's body was tired, leaning toward the side some. Beth reached behind him to give a small pull so his head fell onto her lap, running a hand through his hair. "You aren't the bad people. You save people, not let them die."

Austin shut his eyes in content.

•

kylie speaks

i had a dream about austin
and cyndie hooking up at
oceanside and woke up
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