.
.
.
.
.
.
Dean looked hurt as Julia stares at him with utter confusion as Raya makes a cringing face for the poor man. She kind of wanted to tell him he deserved it but- that could wait.
"I'm uh- uh Dean Warren..... We used to go to the same church together." He says the last part like he loathes even mentioning that place as Julia narrows her eyes at him.
"And I'm supposed to what? Give a shit that we were both raised in the same cult or something? Is that what you thought was going to happen right now? I was supposed to tell these guys your all good to come back with us? Is that seriously what you thought was going to happen?" Julia spat as Dean gulps against her blade that had definitely cut a little under his chin.
"I mean-..... I don't know..... I just- Julia I'm not a bad guy I swear, and I can explain better when we don't have a full audience." Dean says simply but his eyes flick to Raya as if to say not in front of the child at least.
Julia scoffs and shakes her head, "Yeah no thanks you might as well run back to that tiny dicked loser with your tail tucked between your legs. Anyone that went to that church is nothing but a monster."
Dean closes his eyes and sighs he kind of felt- empty now. His whole purpose after finding Raya was to keep her safe and find Julia. And right now he was on the verge of losing both of them.
But Dean didn't care for his own feelings.
If Julia Wilson wanted him gone for her own comfortability then he'd leave. He'd constantly be thinking of her and Raya but- he'd just keep going through this world like he did before the governor. By himself.
"Okay." Dean says firmly before glancing at Julia's group and beginning to walk away.
"NO!" Raya yells running after Dean and grabbing his hand and facing her group. "If he goes then- then I'm going with him." Raya says with determination as Rick runs a hand down his face sighing.
"We can't take him Raya he's a stranger." He tries to calmly explain but she shakes her head with glazed over eyes. "Not to me he's not. He..... tries to cook, gets me toys and snacks while on runs, and he's funny and nice. Please let him come with us." Raya pleads and her eyes look at everyone that still looks uneasy.
Her eyes stay glued to Julia who looks stoic her eyes slowly moving to Dean before clenching her jaw.
"I say- he can come. We lost Oscar we could use the man power." Julia says it like she's been shot in the foot and would rather be doing physically anything else.
"Hold on you'll let this prick back with us but not Merle?" Daryl asks with annoyance as Rick shoots him a look.
"Merle's blood." Daryl says again as Rick looks amongst his group eyes trailing to Raya and then Michonne. "Watch her right here. We need to discuss." Rick says making Michonne narrow her eyes at him before slowly looking at the blonde child that tries to smile at her. She immediately looked away.
Rick, Daryl, Julia, Maggie and Glenn stand together and lowly discuss their options. Julia staring Dean down as he leans on the car next to Raya saying something that make she'd scrunch her face before saying something that makes him hold a fake wounded chest.
She had told him he deserved that from Julia but he didn't take it personally.
".......This won't work." Rick says finality shaking his head. "It's gotta." Daryl insists Merle now awake keeps his distance from Michonne but appears to be giving g Dean looks.
"It'll stir things up." Rick says while Julia puts her hands on her hips. She was feeling too tired for a long conversations, all she needed was for Rick to say a simple no to Merle coming back with them but daryl kept fighting it.
"Look the governor is probably on the way to the prison right now-" Daryl's says and Julia gives a pointed look at Maggie who didn't take Julia prickly side personally.
"Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle." Daryl informs trying to sell Merle but Julia it was pointless.... Merle Dixon would not come to the prison unless it was over her dead body.
Literally.
"The same could be said for Dan." Julia says pointing at Dean butchering his name but not caring. She was allowing him in for Raya, she just got her kid back and she wasn't losing her anytime soon.
Daryl audibly scoffs at this and stares at Julia with a weird look that makes her cross her arms and stare right back.
"We don't know that fucking jackass, you couldn't even remember him. Merle- Merle is blood." Daryl says with no hesitation and something bitter as Julia snorts shaking her head with disbelief. "Un fucking believable." She mutters with a dirty look thrown at Merle who smirks.
"I agree with Julia..... At least about Merle. I'm not having him at the prison." Maggie says with certainty and Julia points at her. "That's already three to one dip shit and something tells me Glenn is number four so quit kicking the dying horse. Let him lose, and we all go home." Julia says as if it's simple but Daryl just shakes his head at her nonsense.
"Do you really want him sleeping in the same cell block as Carol, Beth, Raya,... or Julia?" Glenn asks with disbelief and Daryl looks offended at the insinuation.
After what Julia had heard from his vulgar mouth she didn't doubt Merle to be that low of vermin.
"He ain't a rapist." Daryl says simply but the word makes Julia tense and look away with a tense jaw Maggie watching her reaction and going a bit pale. She'd figured out a little of Julia past by herself.... She didn't know the full extent but..... she could now see the signs of a woman who had been violated.
Because she had been too just in a different way.
"Well his buddy is." Glenn says and immediately Maggie looks upset she didn't want her business aired out there and Julia could relate and gave Glenn and a look. He didn't seem to acknowledge her warning.
"They ain't buddies no more. Not after last night." Daryl excuses and Julia shakes her head moving her gaze to him once again. "Your pathetic brother was his little butt buddy okay? We are definitely not the first they've done this to and your brother knew exactly what monster he was residing with. He doesn't get sympathy entry from me." Julia spat and Daryl glared at her his jaw clenched as his eyes flick to Dean.
"But you'll let some stranger in that worked for the same guy? That's fucking stupid." Daryl seethes as Julia gives him a dead panned look. "Dan didn't torture us like your brother did. He wasn't even down there until you guys saved us." Julia says like it's simple but she did know it was a little weird for them to just accept Dean.
But he wouldn't just walk in getting to be one of them, he'd have to prove his worth and he'd be under her watchful eye.
"That's bull shit and you know it." Daryl says with a tired and angry voice.
"There's no way Merle's gonna live there without putting everyone at each others throats." Rick says as Julia wears a triumphant smile. "So you're gonna cut Merle loose and bring back the last samurai and that freak home with us?" Daryl says keeping his eyes on Rick he didn't want to lash out at Julia anymore.
"She's not coming back. And Dean..... we can't let Raya go we just got her back." Rick says with finality on that one making Daryl scoff.
"She's not in a state to be on her own." Maggie says vouching for Michonne which Julia didn't really talk to the woman but she had a sword..... Juli had swords. It seemed like a good fit.
"She did bring you guys to us." Glenn says with some compassion as Julia nods firmly. Screw Merle they could just take everyone else.
"And then ditched us." Rick says with some suspicion as Julia shook her head and raised her arm despite the absolute pain she was in. She was hiding it well.
"I say we bring her back. Woman who wield swords are cool...... or so I've been told." Julia teases with a bit of a wave to herself.
Yeah she was definitely feeling a little unlike her self from blood loss.
"At least let my dad stitch her up." Maggie offers and Julia makes an unsure hissing noise. "I say we only sue the resources in her if she's staying." She says while they all look at her funny she was acting.... Strange.
Plus the smile she was wearing kind of unsettled them since they were just she'd to her psychotic one or smirks. "What? We can't be just giving g shit away like candy on Halloween." Julia defends herself with a small airy chuckle that makes Rick decide they needed to finish this sooner.
He seemed to only just remember what her back looked like as he had been so preoccupied with saving Daryl and discussing Merle's possible return.
"She's too unpredictable." He says with finality and Julia rolls her eyes. "That's right we don't know who she is." Daryl says a little too quick as they all glance at her to see Raya talking to her about something as she looked unsure. She had no clue why the small kid was so I obsessed with talking to her.
Dean just looked amused by Michonne reaction and soon turned to see the group staring at them. He does a little cutesy wave and both Daryl and Rick make noises of uncertainty at it.
They really didn't like him.
"Merle Merle's blood." Daryl says again as if that's a deal breaker but Julia begins muttering in the stupidity of men. He was Merle's blood.
"No Merle is your blood. My boood my family is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison." Glenn says and Julia wouldn't use the term family. She'd still say she was close friends with them and nothing more.
Because she didn't know what family felt like besides the bad stuff, and she didn't want to relate that to her people.
"And your part of that family. But he's not. He's not." Rick says with finality as Daryl stares at him looking to be having a mental battle with something. And Julia began to realize what possible idea he could be having..... leaving.
Julia didn't know why but the thought of Daryl leaving made her throat itchy, and her eyes want to glaze over a bit.
Allergies she decided it was.
"Fine..... we'll fend for ourselves." Daryl says the words Julia had tried to prepare for but actually hearing them made her feel sick.
"That's not what I was saying." Glenn tries to excuse but Daryl shakes his head. "No him no me." Daryl says again as Julia stares at him with some huff.
He couldn't even look at her.
"Daryl you don't have to do that." Maggie tries ti say but he wasn't hearing it and Julia's mouth felt too dry to speak. For now.
"It was always Merle and I before this." Daryl's says simply as if it didn't bother him at all to leave. "Don't." Maggie says with some hurt as Glenn looks offended and sad at the same time, "Are you serious?" Glenn asks.
Rick just stared at the man conflicted. Truthfully if Merle hadn't done what he did to Julia maybe he would have considered the idea of Merle returning. But knowing what the loud mouthed red neck had done to her he just..,.. he couldn't let him come back.
"Your just gonna leave like that?" Glenn asks with some betrayal in his voice as he looks to Julia who stares blankly at Daryl who had yet to even look at her.
"You'd do the same thing." Daryl says like it's obvious but Julia just shakes her head growing angry and no longer sad.
If he wanted to leave he could leave but she had something she wanted to say before he did.
"What do you want us to tell Carol?" Glenn asks apparently they had found her while Julia was kidnapped and someone told Glenn. Maybe they told her too but she couldn't remember some part of the night that clearly.
"She'll understand." Daryl says with certainty but Julia scoffs shaking her head like she was fighting biting her tongue. She couldn't anymore.
Daryl gives a quick brief message to Maggie about saying goodbye to her dad for him before walking away. He didn't make it dad before Julia was standing in front of him with a scowl that could make anyone run in fear.
The two had some space from the others to speak and Rick was hopeful that maybe Julia would convince Daryl to stay. But that's not why she wanted to talk to him, she had some things she needed to say for their last conversation.
"So this is it huh? Just gonna go walking off into the sunset with that asshole." She spat lowly trying to keep their conversation between them.
"Don't." Daryl says with annoyance as Julia crosses her arms. "Don't what Daryl? Beg you to stay? talk shit on that fucking tiny dicked loser? Which is it?" She asks because she was fed up with him avoiding her gaze. She wanted him to see how angry this made her.
"All of it." He says gruffly meeting her hostile gaze with a calm one. "Well first I'm not begging you to stay. Two talking shit is what I do and at least it's to your face." Julia says with venom before throwing Merle a look over her shoulder as he smirks comfortably.
"........ Look-...... I'm not good with talking emotions okay? But- this group you guys call it family but I consider you all friends if I'm being honest. We are all part of this group. If you leave now then- you know your leaving us there to be sitting ducks for that dictator asshole to come wipe out. Can you honestly look me in the eye and say your fine with that? And if you are-...... then clearly your just as bad as your brother." Julia says the last part in a cold icy tone. A double meaning.
Merle was one of the bad men, one added to a long list for Julia and Daryl had worked his way to being a good guy. This would ruin that.
"I don't want that. But I'm not leavin him Julia. He's my brother, you-..... you all started as strangers I've known him my whole life. I can't leave him." He says simply and Julia stares at him as if she's processing those words before slowly nodding.
"....... Then-....... Your dead to me Dixon. Don't come crawling back once you notice just how fucked in the head your dumbass brother is...... and if you do come back and you bring him with you? It will have to be ivwr my dead body." Julia sneers before walking away from him as she walks away she turns around with own alst thing to say.
Something she didn't mind if everyone heard.
"I'm keeping this vest on for obvious reasons so- it's mine now asshole. Dibs." She spat turning around and walking to Raya who looks confused as Dean smiles at her adoringly. His stare was ignored.
Daryl stared at Dean for a long minute allowing Rick time to run up beside him and try to convince him to stay. Julia just turned away from the scene and rested against the car.... She felt ready to faint any second now.
Merle yells a loud goodbye to Julia that she promptly ignores throwing him the finger which he laughs at.
The ride home Julia could hardly keep her eyes open, every time they dropped to close someone was snapping her awake telling her not to sleep yet. She wanted to cuss them out, hit them, maybe even throw them out of the car because she just felt so tired.
It's not like she had a concussion a little nap wouldn't hurt.
When the prison came into view it no longer gave the sense of security. Julia couldn't help but wonder if snipers were watching them from the woods right now.
When the car pulled in Julia didn't hop out right away, in her dizzy state she could hear Carol and Carl gushing at the sight of Raya and sounding confused as Dean introduced himself. Carol asking where Julia was made her sign and finally make her way out.
Arms wrapped her in a hug and Julia went absolutely rigid and whimpered out in pain as the woman's hands and arms touched her back.
Carol immediately pulled away and noted the best, a smile on her lips to tease when she noticed.... Julia was topless in nothing but a bra under it. And- Daryl wasn't there either.
"Where's Daryl?" Carol asks Rick as she tries to look for why Julia had cried out but she sees nothing..... yet.
"It's all right. He's alive. We ran j to his brother. They went off." Rick says calmly hoping Daryl was right and she would just understand but- the pain in her face said she didn't. This hurt.
"He left?" She says for clarity as Julia begins her pain filled walk to the prison. She needed to just- lay in bed. That's all she wanted right now.
"Need help?" Dean asks with a friendly smile but Julia gives him the dirty side eye. "No. I can handle myself." She says while stomping to the cell block. Getting to the door to the cell lock Hershel and Beth hug Maggie in greeting before Hershel turns to Julia.
"Glad your back Julia." He says with a friendly smile but she doesn't smile back. "Are you ok any injuries?" He asks coming ti meet her in the middle as she winced indicating there was but she didn't want ti say what.
"We can deal with it later." She says before going to walk inside but Hershel stops her and Dean ti wait for Rick. As Rick approaches Beth hugs him and kisses his cheek making Julia loudly gag. Rick smiles at the noise as Beth rolls her eyes but smiles none the less.
At the sight of Raga who still was clung to Carl telling him all about her time at Woodbury Hershel looks amazed. "Is that little miss Raya?" He asks and the small girl shyly nods and comes up to him uncertain if she could hug him with hai crutches.
None the less the pair hug and Hershel's eyes stare at Dean who also stood close but if Rick and Julia brought him back he couldn't be that and a guy.
Everyone else enters the cell block and Carl animatedly tells Raya about his sister and getting her a cell. She glances at Julia who nods and Raya says very loud and proud how she will be sleeping in the same cell as Julia.
Rick slowly approaches Hershel and Julia, the old man needed to want the pair of the.... New company.
"You came through, like always." Hershel says before looking grim at the door of the cell block. "Sounds like we have a new problem in our hands." Hershel says while Rick agrees and Julia looks away.
She really just- wanted to sleep.
"Did you get a good look at him?" Hershel asks Rick who shakes his head but Julia makes a face to show her disgust for the governor. "He's a bad man Hershel. Like-.... Marvin." Julia says slowly because she would not say what happened to Maggie that was for her to tell people.
"He had Daryl and Merle pitted against each other. A crowd cheering for them to fight to the death. What kind of a sick mind does that?" Rick asks with disbelief but Julia wanted to say that all men were sick.
But she just wanted to sleep.
No more talking.
No more feeling sad that Daryl left which- she definitely wasn't she was pissed. At least that's what she kept telling herself.
"The kind this world creates." Hershel says and he looks..... uncertain tk tell them something which gets Julia back in full alert. Had something happened to the baby while she was gone? That would truly be the final straw for her she wouldn't be able ti stomach anything anymore.
Rick asked the same thing but aloud but Hershel said no yet still looked grim.
Julia felt all the hair on her neck standing up as she could tell.... This was going to be something she didn't like.
"No she's healthy. Eats like a horse sleeps like a rock." Hershel informs them as Rick asks what it is. Hershel's eyes slowly pan to Julia and instantly Julia knew..... this had something to do with a man.
Was it Axel? Had he done something to one of the women while she'd been kidnapped?
Hershel instead tells them...... a group of civilians had broken into the prison. One woman. Three men. Julia was ready to storm in and kick them out but Rick grabs her and she whimpers in pain before roughly shoving away from him. "Don't fucking touch me." She mutters coldly and he holds his hands in surrender.
When Julia was considered 'calm enough' they finally went into the cell block. Rick definitely looked intimidating and Julia- despite being utterly pale with barely any coverage on her body she stared at the group with cold dead eyes. A warning.
More so the men then the woman, they all looked jittery as they passed. Rick barely even looked at them but Julia kept her eyes on them until she was in the actual cell block.
She definitely could take on the two men but the one black male looked huff as shit. He looked like one punch could kill her and that made Julia want to kill them all right there but Rick told her no before they even went into their cells.
Didn't want her killing anyone yet.
Julia could have sworn she heard one of the men say something after the door was closed but she didn't care enough to turn around. Her bed was calling her.
Julia went to the stairs but- she couldn't even lift one foot up before it fell back to the ground and her body quavered side to side.
"Julia?" A male voice called but Julia couldn't even focus on who as she saw the floor coming up to meet her face before she was surrounded by nothing but darkness.