"We're not leaving." Rick said.
"We can't stay here." Spoke Carol.
"What if there's another sniper? A wood pallet won't stop one of those rounds." Added Maggie.
"We can't even go outside?" Beth frowned.
Rick shook his head, "Not in the daylight."
"Rick says we're not running, we're not running." Hershel informed.
Merle, locked from inside a cell, scoffed, "No, better to live like rats."
"You got a better idea?"
"Yeah, we should have slid out of here last night and lived to fight another day. But we lost that window, didn't we? I'm sure he's got scouts on every road out of this place by now."
"We ain't scared of that prick."
"Y'all should be. That truck through the fence thing, that's just 'im ringing the doorbell. We might have some thick walls to hide behind, but he's got the guns and the numbers. And if he takes the high ground around this place, shit, he could just starve us out if he wanted to."
Glenn was angry, "Let's put him in the other cell block."
Daryl shook his head, "No. He's got a point."
"This is all you. You started this." Glenn snapped at Merle.
Beth spoke out, "What difference whose fault it is? What do we do?"
"I say we should leave." Carol said, "Axel's dead. We can't just sit here."
As everyone went to cool off and think of a plan, Hedley went towards the cell Merle was in.
Merle saw him and grinned, "Well, well. If it ain't my nephew."
Hedley tilted his head in confusion.
"Nephew?" Carol questioned, walking up as she heard the phrase.
"Darylina acts like his daddy so that makes me Uncle Merle!"
"Hey!" Daryl called, coming over, tugging Hedley's backpack, narrowing his eyes at Merle, "Ya didn't say anythin' to him, did ya?"
"Just saying hello to ma nephew, lil' brother."
Hedley looked at the Dixon brothers in deeper confusion than ever.
Carol smiled at Daryl, nudging him, "Awe, congratulations, Daddy Daryl."
"Stop." The archer scoffed, looking back at Hedley, "Go play with Carl or somethin'."
Hedley frowned, crossing his arms.
"For once, can ya just do as ya told?"
"Nah, let 'im stay, lil' brother." Merle encouraged, leaning against the bars, "I wanna get to know the little spaz."
Daryl gave his brother a serious look, "Do. Not. Call. Him. That."
Merle surrendered, then saw Hedley looking at his stump, "Like this, kid? I cut off my own hand with a rusty saw 'cause Sheriff locked me on a roof."
Instead of fear, Hedley's expression filled with awe, bouncing up and down.
"That's right, lil Dixon. Ya Uncle's a badass."
"Ya Uncle's a dickhead." Daryl muttered, earning a small slap from Carol.
"Wanna hear some stories about ya dad? I've got some good embarrassing ones about 'im." Merle ignored him, kneeling down at Hedley's height.
"Merle," Daryl spoke, rubbing his forehead, "Ya gotta stop callin' me-"
Volume of voices turned up, "Seriously, Rick, I don't think Merle living here is really gonna fly." It was Glenn.
"I can't kick him out."
"I wouldn't ask you to live with Shane after he tried to kill you."
Hershel came over to sit down in front of the cell, "Merle has military experience. He may be erratic, but don't underestimate his loyalty to his brother."
"What if we solve both problems at once? Deliver Merle to the Governor. Bargaining chip. Give him his traitor, maybe declare a truce."
Hershel just shook his head.
Merle decided to open his mouth, "Ya the farmer, Hershel?"
"And you're the black sheep, Merle."
"How'd you lose it?" He nodded to the missing leg.
"I was bit."
Merle frowned, "Bit? Ya hack it off yourself?"
"No. Rick did."
"Awful kind of him."
"Saved my life. Gave me more time with my girls." He nodded to Beth and Maggie, "Can't put a price on that. Can't put a price on anything anymore."
Merle hummed, looking at his brother then Hedley. "Hey, kid. Wanna hang out with Uncle Merle?"
Hedley nodded excitedly, going to open the cell but frowned when it wouldn't budge. He whined, looking up at Daryl.
"It's locked."
Hedley jiggled the door, making bangs to echo the block. He whined again.
"No."
Hedley jiggled the door harder, making the banging even louder.
"What's going on?" Rick asked, coming in. He saw the situation, "What-"
Hedley let out a little cry of frustration, wiggling the bars.
"He wants Uncle Merle." The oldest Dixon smirked, "Wanna get this open so I can bond with ma nephew?"
"No."
Hedley yelled out in disapproval.
"I'm sure it would be okay for Merle to sit at the table and do something with Hedley." Hershel said, "I'll keep an eye on them."
Rick sighed, "Fine." He narrowed his eyes at Merle, "But you make one wrong move, and you'll get a bullet in your ass."
Merle saluted with his remaining hand, "Scouts honour, Sheriff."
He opened the cell and Merle was guided to the table Hershel was sitting at by Hedley. On the table were paper and coloured pencils. Merle began to tell the story of how Daryl vomited on a teacher when he was seven while they both picked up some pens and did some drawing. Daryl watched from the side-lines, unable to comprehend what was happening in front of his eyes.
Carol huffed, "So he can control himself."
"That just means he was bein' a dick on purpose." Daryl reminded.
"This could be good for him." She said, wrapping her arm around Daryl's, "And you. Just don't let him push you around, okay? You're not some kid anymore. You're a good man with good instincts and good friends. You also have Hedley to keep in mind."
"So?"
"So, if you see something Merle is doing that you don't like, especially when it comes to that little boy over there, stand up, be a father and tell him to stop."
"And how do you know he'll listen to me?"
Carol smiled at Merle and Hedley - they were laughing. "Something tells me that he's about to have a change of heart."
"Rick!" Maggie yelled, appearing from the entranceway, "Andrea's outside!"
A moment later, Andrea, with Rick and Michonne close beside her, came into the prison.
Carol went to her and hugged her, "After you saved me, we thought you were dead."
Andrea then spotted Hershel and his missing leg, "Hershel, my God. I can't believe this. "Where's Shane?" Rick shook his head. "And Lori?"
"She had a girl." Hershel said, "Lori didn't survive."
"Neither did T-Dog." Daryl added.
"I'm so sorry." Adrea glanced at Carl and Rick, teary eyed, "Carl. Rick, I-- You all live here?"
"Here and the cell block." Rick pointed to the cell block.
"There? Well, can I go in?"
"I won't allow that."
"I'm not an enemy, Rick."
"We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up."
She looked shocked, "He said you fired first."
"Well, he's lying."
"He killed an inmate who survived in here. We liked him. He was one of us." Hershel said.
"I didn't know anything about that. As soon as I found out, I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shooting."
"That was days ago." Glenn frowned.
"I told you, I came as soon as I could." She made a face at Michonne, "What have you told them?"
Michonne was smug. "Nothing."
"I don't get it. I left Atlanta with you people and now I'm the odd man out?!" Andrea shouted.
"He almost killed Michonne and he would have killed us all." Rick said.
"With his finger on the trigger!" She pointed to Merle, who was still drawing with Hedley. "Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you?" She aimed the words at Glenn then took a breath and said, "Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."
Rick put his hands on his hips, "There's nothing to work out. We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."
"We can settle this."
"Hey! Look what I drew!" Merle yelled, showing Hedley his piece of paper. Two stick figures were on the page. One was dressed in black with an eyepatch, the other had one hand and a gun. A lot of red was scribbled. "It's me shooting the Governor in the other eye! You like, lil' Dixon?"
Hedley nodded, clapping his hands in applause.
Andrea gaped at the display, huffed then stomped out of the prison.
Merle looked around, "Was it somethin' I said?"