-Rick's POV-

Beams of sunlight stream down through the gaps of the slatted wood roof, illuminating the large amount of dust swirling around the room. The only sound echoing through the quiet space is the repeated rapping of the Governor, Phillip, drumming his fingers on the surface of the table he and I sit at.

"You wanted to talk," I say shortly, needing to break the period of silence as I am beginning to lose my patience. "About what." I demand impatiently, his drumming starting to really annoy me. Just about everything he does is starting to really fucking annoy me.

It's hard to even look at him and not jump across the table to strangle him knowing what he's done to my people. To Cass. And he sits there, that frustratingly passive expression on his face, looking at me as if I'm the unreasonable one for being irritated.

Phillip's drumming falters as he studies me with his single usable eye, the other tucked away into his black eyepatch. A sudden wave of appreciation for Michonne goes through me as I look back at the one-eyed man.

"So." Phillip finally says, clearing his throat and readjusting slightly in his seat before his gaze meets mine again. "Where is she?" he asks me curiously, his voice dragging with a southern drawl and that eye boring into mine.

Irritation shoots through me but I just tilt my head to the side, squinting slightly at him. Assessing the possessive glint in his eye, the way he stares me down like a piece of meat, his gaze ice-cold. So that's why he's here. To get to Cass.

Not on my watch.

"I don't know who you're talking about," I respond nonchalantly, hoping my false indifference is believable as I shift in my chair, crossing my arms casually across my chest.

"Cassandra. E. Adams. I know you have her at your prison." Phillip says, a twinge of rage flickering through his features. "She's mine, you know." He snaps quickly, his evident bitterness and possessiveness heavy in his tone. I clench my jaw, a sudden feeling of protectiveness flowing through me.

Not any more she's not.

Controlling my expression carefully, I glance back with disinterest. "Oh, Dr. Cass. Yeah, I think she's back at the prison. Helping people. Not that you would understand anything about that." I respond roughly, my jaw tense and my hand clenched tightly on the table. The fact that this monster thinks that she owes him anything, that she's his, is outright ridiculous.

"Ohhhh. 'Cass'. You must know her well." Phillip responds condescendingly, tilting his head to the side, that dark iris hardened with fury. I sigh, pretending like his words aren't setting my skin on fire.

"I thought we were here to discuss peace terms. Not her," I interrupt roughly, pushing back the abrupt and remarkably strong urge to knock his teeth out.

"I have a plan. Peace terms. Woodbury can have the land west of the river marked out on the map and my people at the Prison have the east. No one crosses or trades." I declare, tossing the marked-up map at him.

The thick roll of paper slides loudly across the splintered wooden table, coming to a stop not too far from Phillip's hand. He doesn't so much as twitch a finger to touch the map or even glance at it, still staring me down with his calculated gaze.

I let out a huff of aggravation at his refusal to negotiate as his smile infuriatingly widens across his face. Glaring back at him, my nostrils flare with anger. Why did he invite me here then, if not to negotiate?

The wind howls through the slatted wood walls as we stare each other down. I wait for him to answer. To look at the map, to at least pretend to negotiate. My patience is wearing thin as he remains unmoved, that eye trained on me.

That eye slowly drags across my face. Drops down and then bounces back up to meet my gaze.

"Have you fucked her yet?" Phillip finally asks me, quirking an eyebrow.

Standing up abruptly, my chair clatters loudly on the ground behind me. "Don't talk about her like that." I snarl, my heartbeat pounding against my chest as I glower down at him. Phillip's sinister smile widens even more, despite it seeming impossible.

"Ah, so you have. Don't let her manipulate you. You'll think everything is great, hell- you'll be about to get married! Then she'll just up and leave. That whore can't stay long-"

I don't have a second to interrupt his infuriating speech at the loud sound slamming behind me. Whipping my head around, my hand flies to the gun on my belt but stops when I see it's just Cass. Standing in the doorway, breathing heavily. I sigh.

Shit.

"Ah! Heard me talking about you and couldn't help yourself?" Phillip questions, turning his head to the side, clearly delighted she showed up. White-hot hatred burns in her eyes as Cass walks up beside me, seething as she glares at the monster across the table.

"Cass, you shouldn't-" I start softly, worry starting to bubble up in me, but she just holds a hand up, not breaking her death glare at Phillip. His eye greedily takes her in, making bile rise up my throat. That look in his eye fills me with disgust.

"You don't get to act as if I left you for no reason. You don't get to say I'm a 'whore who couldn't stay long enough'. You and I both know I loved you," Cass spits angrily as Phillip just leans back in his chair, watching her patiently, smiling. The urge to choke him out gets stronger every minute that passes.

"I loved you. Then you- hurt me," Cass gulps, my heart breaking at her suddenly shaking voice. "Time and time again you hurt me. Broke my bones. Bruised my skin. Cut me. Choked me. Threw me against walls. Manipulated me. You ruined me," Cass breathes hoarsely, her eyebrows drawn tightly together, her chest heaving.

I glance down at her face beside me, contorted with anguish as she stares her abuser down, trembling slightly. The overwhelming desire to make sure she never feels this way again washes over me. In addition to watching the governor die a painful, painful, death.

"I escaped from you because I knew you were slowly killing me." Cass says, her voice cold. Phillip just tilts his head, seeming unaffected by her words.

"Two years later, we meet again. Not how you expected it to go, huh?" Cass questions, her tone quickly changing to bitterness. "When you promised you would kill me, you expected that version of me. The one you beat regularly. The version of me who was terrified of you." She says, making Phillip scoff slightly.

"And here I am. Stronger. Tougher. No longer under your manipulation. I'm not that small, weak, beaten-down puppy you remember," Cass grits through her teeth, searing hatred laced in her voice. Phillip just smiles, sending even more intense irritation through me. Fucking asshole. He has no idea how strong she is. What she has had to do to survive. Yet all he sees her as is his old fiance. The one he abused. Fucking coward.

His eye darts to me. Then back to Cass. I watch, fury boiling in my veins as I wait for him to say something. Anything. To assume responsibility for his actions. For what he did to Cass. To feel any sense of guilt. Regret.

"I'm curious." He starts, drumming his fingers on the table once again, still staring at Cass and me. There's a beat of silence. Then, "Is Rick as good as I was in bed? Or-"

"God ENOUGH!" Cass shouts, her voice reverberating off the walls, making Phillip falter, taken aback at her commanding voice. She takes a step forward, her usually bright green eyes dark with rage.

"No matter who I'm with or how good they are in bed, it doesn't concern you. And it never will." She informs him sternly, her face set in hardened anger. Phillip's jaw clenches, that former act of indifference and sarcasm far gone.

The two of them stare each other down for a moment. Then Cass just shakes her head, turning around, almost as if she's going to leave. I look down at her and the many emotions flashing across her face. She scoffs to herself before turning back around.

"For the record?" Cass asks coldly, turning back fully to face Phillip, "You and your tiny dick were awful in bed." she bites back fiercely, making surprise flash over Phillip's face.

My eyebrows shoot up my forehead at Cass's words, a proud smirk pulling at the corners of my mouth. Atta girl.

"You have no right-"

"I have every right, Phillip. Fuck you." Cass snaps ferociously, turning and storming out of the room without a second glance. Pride surges through me as she stalks out, slamming the door behind her.

Slowly, I look back at Phillip, my arms crossed across my chest, a smirk of satisfaction pulling across my face. He's breathing heavily, his red face crumpled up with anger.

"That's it. There is only one way you can save your people. Give her to me. Give her over to me and I will leave you and your prison alone." Phillip huffs through his angry heavy breathing. "Either her, or all of your people. Your choice." He snaps, his upper lip twitching as he awaits my response.

Shaking my head, I look down, my jaw clenching at his outrageous demand. There's no way in hell that's happening.

"That's not an option," I respond roughly, tilting my head to the side and stubbornly resting my hand on my belt.

His nostrils flare with anger. "Okay then. Be prepared to say goodbye to your people. And your precious prison." he snarls back, his face scrunched up in a frustrated scowl before he turns and storms out of the room, shouting incomprehensibly to his men. When I hear their car roar to life and speed off, I go out and meet my group.

The door slams behind me and Cass jumps up from the bench she was sitting at, her eyes wide and pleading for answers. Herschel and Daryl look over at me with curiosity.

"What happened?" Herschel asks, shifting forward on his crutches.

"He didn't even try to negotiate. He wants war. So be it. He's got one." I tell them, knowing if I even mentioned the idea of sacrificing Cass for the rest of the group, she would do it in a heartbeat.

Cass sighs, looking down. "I shouldn't have gone in there- but he just- I couldn't handle what he was saying," Cass explains with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples with wariness.

I shake my head, hating how she blames herself for everything.

"You and I both know he's not the kind of man to accept any type of negotiation. Even if you hadn't gone in there, he wouldn't have made any terms." I assure her, making her nod, knawing at her bottom lip.

I don't feel any hesitation with my decision. There's no way in hell I would ever put any of my people up for slaughter, especially not Cass. After everything we've been through, she's family.

-Cass POV-

The car ride back to the Prison is quiet and thick with tension. I sit in the back alone, picking at my nailbeds nervously. While finally giving Phillip a piece of my mind felt great at the moment, I now feel a pang of overwhelming guilt.

When I was waiting outside with Herschel, I watched him talk to one of Phillip's men who only seemed interested in cataloging what happens during the turn. He was curious about Herschel's amputation and bite. He seemed so friendly and inquisitive, not malicious or violent at all. At that moment, it hit me that Phillip probably has people in Woodbury who have nothing to do with this conflict. But, by association, will probably die because of it.

If it wasn't for me, Phillip wouldn't be so hellbent on wanting war. Wanting to get revenge. To fulfill his promise to me.

I let out a shaky breath, trying to calm the raging nerves wracking my body from the inside.

"Guys, I'm so sorry," I breathe out loud, my hands clasped in my lap to try to stop them from shaking.

Herschel turns from his seat in the front, his eyes full of concern as they meet mine. "What are you apologizing for?" He asks softly, his eyebrows furrowed. I shake my head, fighting the tears pushing behind my eyes.

"If it weren't for me, Phillip wouldn't be this violent. He's set on fulfilling his promise of killing me and if I weren't in the picture, all of your lives wouldn't be at risk. Maggie's, Glenn's, God. The kids! They're all at risk. Because of me," I say, my voice shaking as I run my hands over my face with distress.

"Cass. You can't blame yourself." Rick speaks up, shaking his head as he continues to stare out the front windshield as he drives. "It's not your fault that he's obsessed with getting you back. Because you escaped his abuse. There's not a world where that's your fault." Rick tells me sternly, his grip on the steering wheel tight. I nod, looking down. He does have a point. It doesn't make me feel much better though.

"If he is the type of man to lay his hands on his soon-to-be wife, I have a feeling he would be this violent anyway," Herschel comments wisely as he faces back forward. I blink. I hadn't thought of that.

"We just need to focus on protecting ourselves. And while they have the numbers, we have the upper hand. They are the ones attacking our prison. Our people. Both of which I intend to protect." Rick says with finality, and I nod.

Right.

That is our priority. And we have a damn-good plan.

Phillip and his men definitely made an entrance when they broke into the prison. After exploding two of our towers with launchers, they shot up the front yard full of walkers. Following that, they broke past our inner gate to the courtyard and fell into our trap of going all the way into the tombs, where we had booby traps rigged. After they ran out of the building and away from the smoke bombs, we gunned as many as we could down before they fled.

It was almost unbelievable how quickly it went by. It wasn't actually that difficult to get them to retreat.

As the last car of the Woodbury people drives off past the trees, we all gather by the courtyard gate, watching.

"W-we did it!" Glenn enthuses, laughing breathlessly. I smile slightly. We did do something... but this isn't it. He won't give up this easily. It was his people that wanted to leave. From what I could tell, they weren't as trained as his leading men. They were clearly just people he gave guns to and ordered to shoot. No wonder they retreated so easily.

"This isn't the end. It can't be." Rick says, shaking his head and glancing back over his shoulder where the cars disappeared. I nod, knowing he's right.

"We did a good job scaring them off. But they will just come back or worse. Phillip won't give up on this." I say darkly, hating the defeated expression on my friends as they look back at me.

"Then we have to go after him." Maggie says, sticking out her bottom lip in determination.

"But- we only won because we had the upper hand being here in the prison. We all know what happened the last time you attacked Woodbury." Herschel butts in, making me look at him. He's not wrong.

"We can't just let him get away." Rick says lowly, looking down at his boots. I nod, gulping nervously.

"We let him get away too many times. We need to end this." I say with confidence, meeting Rick's gaze. We stare at each other for a beat, our gazes heavy with dread.

"Well I'm coming with." Daryl grunts, readjusting his crossbow over his shoulder. I turn to him with an appreciative smile.

"Me too." Michonne states from beside me, making me turn to nod in thanks to her.

"Maggie and I will stay here. In case they come back." Glenn says, his hand grabbing Maggie's tightly making he turn to him with a smile.

"Good idea." Rick agrees, his hand resting on his belt as he exhales.

"Just the four of us? Sounds good to me." Daryl grunts, already loading up into the SUV. Michonne does the same. Turning to Glenn and Maggie, I smile at them encouragingly.

"We can do this. Just stay safe. And smart." I tell them reassuringly and they both nod.

"Always," Maggie responds with a wink. I grin in response, quickly hugging the both of them.

Carl hugs his dad goodbye, telling him something I didn't quite catch. I don't have a chance to say goodbye to Sophia or Judith as they are back in the cell block. "I'll take care of them. Don't worry." Carol says to me as if she could read my mind, making me smile at her.

"I know," I tell her with a nod, hugging her briefly before getting into the SUV.

Rick hops onto the passenger seat, slamming the door behind him. Herschel comes up to the driver's window, resting a hand on the door for balance. "Good luck" Herschel tells the four of us. We nod appreciatively, then set off.

As the car tears down the gravel path of the yard and out onto the road, I grip my knife tightly, searing determination and desire for revenge washing over me.

Our car has only been speeding down the abandoned Georgia roads for about forty-five minutes until we come to stop.

In front of us are the vehicles from Phillip's people. Two SUVs and a large truck that housed all the soldiers in the back. Scattered on the road and the field to the left of us are dozens of corpses, a few walkers already ripping them apart.

My stomach sinks at the sight as we get out of the SUV, a nauseous feeling washing over me. These are his people... even the higher-up commanders are dead. All of their bodies are scattered with bullet wounds as they lay motionless on the ground. They were killed.

The others take out the walkers quickly as I check every single corpse, disappointed at the lack of finding Phillip's. I realize that it must have been him. Who killed them all. God, Phillip. What the fuck happened?

I jump out of my skin at the loud noise beside me, coming from the large truck. Inside the front cab is a young woman, her hands pressed up on the window, her face desperate.

Glancing at us with suspicion, Daryl steps forward and opens the door. The woman throws her hands up in surrender as she slowly steps down from the cab, all of our weapons trained on her.

"M-my name is Karen." She stutters, her voice wavering. I recognize her as one of Phillip's people. She was one of them who barely shot at us, one of the runners.

"What happened here?" Rick questions her, his voice tough. Karen gulps, her eyes filling with tears.

"I-I don't know. We tried to tell the governor that we weren't prepared for a shoot-out like that and he just- opened fire on us." she chokes out, her tears streaming steadily down her face.

I close my eyes, bringing a hand to my mouth, fighting the sick feeling overcoming me. I know he is a horrible man. I know that. But this? slaughtering twenty of his own people? This is beyond horrific.

"Where did he go?" I question Karen, turning to face her. She blinks, looking around the bare fields and forest surrounding us.

"I'm sorry but I'm not sure. I was hiding under one of my friend's bodies. I think he just-walked away." She tells us, her voice cracking. Sympathy courses through me and I nod understandingly.

"Is Andrea with you?" Karen asks, her teary eyes darting between us. The four of us glance at each other with confusion.

"No. Why would she be?" Michonne asks, her eyebrows furrowed as she puts her katana back in its sling.

Karen blinks. "Well- the other day she left to go to the prison..." She trails off, looking between us with confusion. My heart begins to pound faster.

"We haven't seen her in days. She only came to the prison once." I tell Karen with wide eyes. She lets out a shaky breath, placing a hand on her forehead and looking around.

My heart sinks. This isn't good.

An hour or two later, just after the sun has set, the four of us, plus Karen, finally walk up to Woodbury.

The town is lit up by the familiar flickering flames but most of it is blocked out by the massive wall standing in the way.

The five of us walk down the road towards it, our weapons drawn. Our breath clouds in front of us as we look around. I'm not sure how we would get in again. They must have blocked off the broken-down wall we snuck through last time. At the gunshot exploding on the concrete beside us, we quickly duck down behind a neglected and rusted car.

The clouds of my breath appear rapidly as my breathing increases, my heart racing. Is Phillip here?

"Hey! Who's there?" a deep male voice calls out. Karen wastes no time jumping up, her arms raised in surrender.

"It's me Tyreese!" She calls out desperately, her voice carrying through the quiet night air.

"Karen?" The same voice calls out, lighter now, surprise laced in his voice. The rest of us slowly stand up, our arms raised and weapons put away. I look up at the towering wall and the two silhouettes standing on the top, both holding assault rifles.

"What are you doing with them?" Tyreese, apparently, shouts back.

"They found me. The Governor... He killed everyone. They're all gone." Karen cries out, her voice breaking with grief. "I was lucky to survive and then they found me." Karen shouts, slowly nearing the wall.

There's a beat of silence, then the large gate slowly opens. Karen sighs with relief, running forward. Slowly, the rest of us follow with trepidation.

Well, that was easier than expected.

As we pass under and through the wall, the five of us walk onto the familiar street of Woodbury, completely empty apart from the two people now standing in front of us. The large man, Tyreese, immediately hugs Karen. The woman next to him eyes us warily, her eyes darting between us. I suddenly recognize them.

It was months ago when they came across the prison. When Rick was still in a really bad place and went off on them, scaring them away. I remember being disappointed as they seemed like good people.

"When we found Karen, she told us about Andrea. She never made it to the prison." I tell them, my gaze darting between the pair.

The woman, Sasha I remember, furrows her brows. "Wait- she's not with you?" She asks, looking at us.

"Nah." Daryl grunts, shaking his head.

"We think he's keeping her here," Rick tells them, making shock flash across their faces, their eyes widening and faces draining of color.

The now seven of us run through the streets of Woodbury until we find the warehouse where Glenn and Maggie were held.

As we maneuver the somewhat familiar halls, Tyreese speaks up. "Wait- the Governor held people here?" He questions, his voice laced with confusion.

"Yep, two of our people. One of which he assaulted." I respond bitterly, my voice taught.

"Oh god," Sasha says under her breath.

"We had no idea," Tyreese assures us genuinely, his voice laced with disgust. I glance back over at his sincere expression.

"I'm sure you didn't," I tell him warmly, before facing forward. Phillip isn't exactly the type of person to make his behaviors public knowledge.

After searching the endless halls and then the empty rooms that Glenn and Maggie were in, we come across a closed door. My heart drops when I spot the sizeable puddle of blood underneath the door.

Daryl leads the way to the room slowly. He twists the doorknob and throws the door open. In the middle of the dark room, under a harsh spotlight, is a brutal metal chair with tight restraints and a table of tools beside it.

What the fuck...

On the floor in front of the chair is the corpse of a male walker, blood steadily oozing out of the gash on his forehead. With a start, I realize it's the man who talked to Herschel earlier. The one who was curious and wanted to keep a record of our lives.

The one who shouldn't have been involved in this.

At the sound of a groan of pain, we turn quickly to see Andrea, on the floor and slumped against the wall, shivering.

My stomach drops, and I bring my hand to my mouth in shock. Michonne quickly drops to her side, her hands hovering over Andrea's body. "Are you hurt?" She questions Andrea desperately, her voice shaking. Andrea just blinks slowly, looking over at Michonne. She pulls back her jacket from her shoulder, revealing a nasty walker bite on her pale, sweaty skin.

Michonne hangs her head, her face contorted in grief.

Shaking my head in disbelief, I have to walk away, my mind reeling. My eyes dart back to the chair and the torture tools beside it. God. I knew he was a monster but this? Jesus Christ.

I glance back at my old friend as she speaks up again. "I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Andrea says quietly, looking up at Michonne as they grip each other's hands. Michonne cries silently beside her, shaking her head, tears dripping down her chin.

Rick and Daryl look down at the pair, sadness written in their eyes.

"Is everyone okay? Carl- Judith?" Andrea croaks, her pale blue eyes searching Rick's face.

"They're okay." Rick assures her, making a dazed smile spread across her feverish expression.

"Oh. That's good. I just didn't want anyone to get hurt," Andrea repeats herself as Michonne lets out a sob. I crouch down beside both of them, my stomach twisting unpleasantly at the heart-wrenching sight.

"I'm so sorry he did this to you." I tell Andrea genuinely, a lump forming in my throat. Andrea and I never saw eye-to-eye, and definitely disagreed one time too many, but no one deserves to die like this.

"I should have listened to you," Andrea replies sadly, those pale eyes meeting mine, her expression troubled. I shake my head, my chin wobbling as I fight the sobs in my throat.

"No. Don't blame yourself. It's hard to see it when you're the one with him. I understand." I tell her sincerely, making her nod. Her eyes slide over to Michonne.

"I- It's time. I don't want to become one of them." Andrea chokes out weakly, making my heart sink.

Rick, Daryl, and I walk out, giving the couple some space. We murmur goodbye to Andrea, who seems to have stopped listening, sweat dripping off her forehead, the fever quickly taking her. I've seen some horrible deaths in my career, but nothing has made me feel this horrible.

I lean against the wall outside, my arms crossed tightly across my chest. As if it could protect me from the reality of the other room. Rick and Daryl wait silently behind me.

I flinch at the sound of the gunshot, tears springing from my eyes. Michonne's cries drone out any other thoughts I have, filling me with sorrow.

The sun lazily rises as we finally make it back to the Prison. I'm following Daryl's motorcycle in the SUV, Rick behind driving the bus from Woodbury.

After Andrea passed, we got to talking with Sasha and Tyreese, who told us about the women, elderly, and children who were left in Woodbury.

It wasn't a hard decision to invite them to come to stay with us. These people had nothing to do with Phillip's schemes. They just need a place to stay. A community to be a part of, and to be honest, so do we.

I can't think of anything better for the prison. A real, fleshed-out community is just what this place needs to flourish.

As drive into the prison courtyard, I pull the SUV off to the side to park so the bus can pull forward. I jump out of the car, walking over to help open the bus doors and let the people out.

The former Woodbury people begin to file out of the bus, and I step back, offering a comforting smile for them.

"Cassie!" Sophia shouts from across the courtyard, making me turn towards her with a grin.

I run over to Sophia, standing in front of the rest of the group. After hugging my girl tightly, I don't waste time embracing everyone else, making sure they are okay. Carol lets me know that Beth is inside, watching over Judith. Rick, Michonne, and Daryl come over as well, greeting the group.

"What's all this?" Carl questions Rick, looking over at the new people nervously filing out of the bus. Glenn and Maggie help guide the new residents inside the cell block, warm smiles on their faces.

"They're going to stay with us," Rick tells Carl, placing a hand on his shoulder. I smile as Rick glances up to meet my gaze. Those all too familiar butterflies flutter in my stomach at those damn blue eyes meeting mine once again. I wonder if that will ever go away. If I will ever be able to look at him and feel nothing.

"Hey, Cass!" Someone calls, and I look over my shoulder to see Glenn with a short elderly woman from Woodbury. I quickly walk over to see what's wrong.

"What's up?" I ask, my eyes darting between them with concern.

"Mrs. Fernandez here was asking if we have a doctor. She has some concerns." Glenn tells me, and I nod with understanding before turning to Mrs. Fernandez.

"Hi there. I'm Dr. Cassandra Adams, I can help with anything you need," I tell her with a friendly smile. Her face lights up. "A real doctor? Wow!" She enthuses, making my smile widen.

"A surgeon in fact," Glenn adds with a knowing grin, making Mrs. Fernandez even more excited.

"Oh my goodness! We barely had a nurse back at Woodbury. Oh, this is so exciting! Jerry! Get over here!" She screams over her shoulder shrilly, taking me aback slightly.

I hold up a hand to my mouth to hide my laughter as I glance over at Glenn, who's just as amused, the corners of his mouth pulling down to hide his laughter.

"What??"

"I said get over here! There's a surgeon!"

"A what???"

Chuckling, I look around the line of people continuing to flow into the prison, looking around with apprehensive eyes. My eyes dart past them to find my group again. My people. I suddenly feel extremely grateful we're all safe. Together.

Carl and Sophia are talking, eyeing some of the kids exiting the bus. Michonne talks with Carol, who offers her a reassuring hug. Daryl shakes hands with Tyreese and Sasha, nodding as he talks to them. Rick stands alone, looking off into the distance, with that far-away look in his eyes.

As I look around, at all these people here with us, I'm reminded of when we first found the Prison all those months ago. The strange hope I felt in my chest as I stared up at the concrete walls surrounding us for the first time. The vision I saw for what this place could be. And for the first time in a while, it feels like it's a real possibility.

A small, dark voice in the back of my mind reminds me we haven't found Phillip. That he's still out there somewhere. I push those thoughts down, focusing on the older gentleman beside me being ushered forward roughly by his wife.

"Come now honey, you have to meet The Doctor!"

___

A/N: AHH guys! Okay, I am SO looking forward to this next bit the yearning (horny) levels are about to be off the charts!! I can't wait for the slow burn to start burning ;) Thank you for your patience, I have so much planned for this part of the prison era that I literally cannot wait for you all to read it!! Again thank you all so much for the support you guys mean sm to me <3