THE GROUP KNEW they were outgunned. Rick took it upon himself to acquire more guns so they can have a fighting chance against the Governor and the Woodbury soldiers.

He remembered the armory at the King County Sheriff's Office. It was the place he first got supplies in the early days of the outbreak. Rick assumed there would still be some weapons left.

Rick decided to bring Carl and also brought along Michonne and Y/N. Some trust was built between them but not entirely. Still, he understood they had a common goal and enemy and wanted extra hands.

They drove to King County. Michonne drove while Rick sat in the passenger's seat. Y/N was in the back with Carl, who was looking out of the window most of the time.

They had passed a hitchhiker with an orange backpack. The man called for help but they kept going. Carl looked back as the man fell on the road. Nobody said a word as they kept going.

They stumbled upon a wreck involving two cars. There were bodies everywhere along with some in the seats of both. Michonne went off the road and tried to go around, but got stuck in the mud.

Rick just looked at her. Suddenly, a group of walkers swarmed their vehicle and pounded at their windows.

"Cover your ears." Rick told them.

They did as told. Rick took out his revolver and rolled the window down a bit. He stuck the barrel out and shot down one of the walkers.

BLAM!

He did this for some time. Finally, they were able to leave the car to find a way to move the vehicle. Rick had found a blouse inside a suitcase from one of the cars.

"This'll work."

He started making his way to the front of the car. Michonne sheathed her sword and walked to the driver's side.

"Tell me when."

She entered the car. Y/N had been leaning against it and decided to go back inside as well. He sat back and looked at the swordswoman through the rearview mirror.

"I would've gone the other way." He remarked.

"You drive?" She replied and looked back at him through the mirror. "Would've thought you had someone to do that for you back then."

Y/N chuckled at the jab at his celebrity status in the old world.

"Ah. Thought you'd never bring it up."

"You looked familiar when I first saw you in the woods. Couldn't tell with all that dirt on you."

"And I thought I'd just stumbled upon a scene from Kill Bill seeing you. Where'd you learn to use that anyway?"

"Self-taught."

"Wow. Care to give me some pointers?"

Michonne snickered. She ignored his request and asked her own question.

"I noticed that bow and the arrows were makeshift. Where'd you learn that? They don't teach that in Ivy League where you went."

Y/N let out an exhale. He thought about whether to brush it off or not. He chose the latter, wanting to be truthful to the woman who ultimately lead him to the prison which in turn allowed him to get to his friends.

"Growing up, my dad often took my brother and me to the woods. Learn some basic survival shit. He was a nut like that. Showed me how to make a bow. Made me do it right until my fingers bled."

Michonne nodded. "Good dad, I guess."

"Yeah..." Y/N droned out.

Rick and Carl came back inside the car. They all could hear the yells of someone from down the road. It was the hitchhiker from before.

Michonne started the car and drove forward, the gravel, stick, and blouse combination beneath the tire allowing it to free itself from the mud.

They continued, leaving the hitchhiker alone again.

They made it to King County. Rick, Michonne, Carl, and Y/N exited the car and walked down the road. They made it to the sheriff's office and entered the building, where they followed Rick into the armory.

Unfortunately, there was nothing there. The door was opened and everything seemed to be picked clean. Rick rubbed his head and exhaled.

"Damn it!" He cursed and kicked the wall.

Rick paced around and continued rubbing his hair in frustration. Michonne bent down and picked up a single bullet.

"Any other police stations in town?" She asked.

"I was the police here." Rick shot back. "Me and a few other guys. Ain't a big town."

Y/N sighed and rested his hands on his waist. "You say small town. Means maybe there are other places looters haven't bothered checking."

"True. May not have as many guns as were in here, but—"

"We need as many guns as there were in here." Michonne interjected. "Ammo, too."

"Yeah, we do." Rick replied. "But right now, I only got a line on a couple. There's a few places out on the main street. Bars, a liquor store. Owners had a gun or two behind the counter that people didn't know about. I did. I signed the permits."

"So they might still be there." Y/N said.

Rick nodded. "They might be."

He noticed that Michonne didn't respond. Rick was good at reading people so he knew by her body language that something was wrong.

"You have a problem with that approach?" He asked her.

Michonne turned around and looked at him. "No, Rick. I don't have a problem."

She handed him the single bullet, which Rick took and put in his front pocket. Michonne walked out first, then the other three followed suit.

The quartet made it to the main street. They saw blockades, inactive cars, and what seemed like traps set up on the road. The streets were also covered with graffiti.

"You King County folk love to decorate, huh?" The young man quipped but got no reply from Rick or Carl.

They kept walking forward, passing by the traps and cars.

"It looks like someone's already made this theirs." Michonne said.

"Doesn't mean they found what we're looking for." Rick replied. "Couple of the places are just up ahead. Let's get in and get the hell out of here."

They ducked under a line of rope. Rick looked ahead and pointed at a building.

"There. Tyrell's. A shotgun and two handguns. License issued to Tyrell Debbs."

"You know every permit you signed?" Y/N asked.

"As I said, not a big town."

They heard the snarling of a walker a few yards behind them. Carl noticed it first and informed his father. Michonne was prepared to take it down.

"Wait." Rick stopped her. "She'll get caught."

She watched as the female walker stepped into the rope. It caused some bells to jingle, then it was suddenly shot in the head.

POW!

They looked up at a nearby rooftop. A masked man held a rifle and aimed at them.

"Hands!"

They did as instructed and raised them. The man kept shouting from above.

"Now you drop what you got and you go! Your gun, your shoes, and that sword! All of it! Ten seconds!"

"Run for the car, now." Rick whispered to Carl.

"Dad—"

"We need that rifle." Michonne interjected.

The man started to count down. They still had their hands up.

"I think I can get up there." She added.

"We can distract him." Y/N told Michonne and then glanced at Rick.

The man reached six. That was when Rick chose to act.

"Carl, go."

BLAM! BLAM!

Rick fired twice in the gunman's direction as they ran the other way. Michonne went another way and the man fired at both.

BRAKA! BRAKAKAKA!

Rick got behind a truck. Carl ran behind another car while Y/N did so as well. He took out his pistol and fired at the man.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

The man fired back.

BRAKAKA! BRAKAKA!

Y/N got behind cover. Rick unloaded his revolver and put in the bullet that Michonne had given him. He popped out of cover but there was no sight of the gunman. Michonne was on the rooftop and gestured to the group that the man seemed to have fled.

BRAKA! BRAKA!

The brief quiet was soon broken by gunfire below. The gunman had exited the building and stepped into the street to engage the group.

Y/N got out of cover and ran. The man tried shooting him but wasn't able to land a hit.

BRAKA! BRAKAKAKA!

Y/N got behind a barrel. He tried to peek out but the man kept the pressure on and continued firing.

BRAKAKAKA!

It would not be long until the man would reach Y/N and dispatch him. Y/N took a breath in as he deliberated what to do next.

POW!

The man was shot and he fell with a groan. Carl came out of cover and fired his gun. At that exact moment, Michonne came downstairs and stood over the downed man with her sword drawn.

Y/N panted and came out of cover. Rick did as well and they all went up to the man's body. The young man looked at Carl, who had saved him for the second time now.

"Thank you." He breathed out.

The boy simply nodded. Rick turned to his son.

"You okay?"

"Yeah." He replied.

"I told you to run for the car. I didn't want you to have to do that."

Carl finally turned to him. "I had to."

Rick looked at the man's body. He knelt and brought his fist down to his chest, noticing a familiar clank.

"He's wearing body armor." Rick took off his chest piece and rolled up his shirt, seeing that the man only sustained a nasty bruise. "He's alive."

"Do we care?" Michonne retorted.

Rick went for his mask and took it off. His eyes widened upon seeing the gunman's face.

"...yeah."

Rick explained that the man was Morgan, a friend who has saved his life when he first woke up from a coma in the early days of the outbreak.

He didn't want to leave him on the street so they carried Morgan back inside his base. They made sure to avoid the many traps that he had installed on their way upstairs.

They went inside the room. Upon entering, they were in awe at the vast amount of weapons that man had amounted. Y/N felt like they could supply the entire U.S. Army with that stash he had.

"I showed him that weapons locker last year." Rick mentioned, he and Y/N still carrying Morgan's limp body.

Michonne stood beside Carl. She gazed upon the array of guns.

"And it had all this in it?" She asked.

"No, not even half. He's been busy." Rick looked at the bed nearby. "The cot. Come on."

Y/N and Rick carried him to the cot and laid him on it. Michonne and Carl immediately started putting things into bags. Y/N joined them soon afterward.

While they were doing so, Rick was looking around...surveying the writing on the walls that Morgan likely did himself.

Y/N packed up some ammunition into a bag. By a crate he was near, something caught his eye. It was a collapsible bow. He chuckled as he picked it up.

"God damn..." He muttered. "This is a beauty."

Suddenly, Rick spoke up. He had read most of the writings and empathized with Morgan after understanding his current state of mind.

"No. We're gonna wait for him to wake up. Make sure he's okay."

Michonne disagreed. "He tried to kill us."

"He told us to go. He didn't know who we were."

"He tried to kill us and we didn't leave him for the walkers."

Y/N backed up the swordswoman. "Honestly, I'd say he had a good day. Makes us even."

"And he doesn't need half of these guns." She added. "We do."

"We're waiting for him to wake up. That's it." Rick stood firm with his decision.

"Have you taken a look around this place? The axe, the spikes, the walls."

Rick raised his voice. "You think he's crazy?"

"No. I think he's dangerous."

"I know him."

"He wasn't like this then."

Rick took a beat. "We're gonna wait for him to wake up."

At that point, they knew there was no way Rick was going to change his mind. So they relented. Rick picked up some zip ties and went to tie Morgan's hands.

Y/N sighed, looking at the compound bow he'd just picked up.

"Hope I can sweet talk him into giving me this."

Carl had noticed the drawing of a map on the wall. Rick spoke to his son and the boy revealed he wanted to come for a chance to go back to their house. Unfortunately, the map Morgan drew let them know that it had been practically destroyed along with the neighborhood.

As they talked, Michonne found the man's stash of food. She ate a small bag of chips and informed Y/N of the stash. One thing caught his eye...his favorite protein bar. Again, that snack seemed to meet him everywhere he went.

He took it and started eating it. Rick heard the crunching of Michonne's chews and looked back at them.

"We're eating his food now?" He asked.

Michonne shrugged. "Mat said welcome."

Carl walked back to them. "I'm going on a run."

"Where?" Rick asked, crouched down as he checked a cabinet.

"I thought maybe the one thing people didn't loot was cribs and there's that baby place that Mom's friend Sara ran. It's just around the corner."

"Carl—"

"Dad, it's just around the corner. And there's all those walker traps."

Michonne spoke while chewing. "You're gonna need some help carrying the box."

"What?" Carl replied.

"If you're gonna get a crib you have to get the box. It's big and heavy. You're gonna need help carrying the box."

She was met with silence. Michonne turned to the boy.

"You are getting a crib, right?"

He nodded. "That's what I said."

Y/N was listening in as he finished his snack. He looked at Rick.

"We can go with him. Who knows? Maybe there's some things I can get for Lili."

Rick glanced at him and then at Michonne, who nodded in agreement. Rick stood up.

"Right there, that's the deal." He told Carl. "You get into trouble, you holler, okay? I'll hear it from here."

"Okay."

Carl walked away. Michonne picked up her sword and followed him out. Y/N tossed the wrapper aside and did so as well, leaving Rick alone with the unconscious man.

Turned out that Carl wasn't planning on getting a crib. First, he wanted to stop by somewhere. Y/N and Michonne relented and followed him to a bar a couple of blocks away. He was about to go inside despite seeing walkers but Michonne stopped him. He walked away angrily.

"You think I was gonna let you go in there?" Michonne called out.

"Did you even see the walkers inside? I can hear them from out here." Y/N added.

He turned around. "I just think it's none of your business. You don't know me. You don't know my dad."

"We came out here to help." She interjected.

"You came out here for common interests." He shot back. "We have the same enemy and the same problem. And that's why you're both here. That's it. This is important. I'm going to do this. And I know how I can. You can't stop me."

Carl started walking away. Michonne called him back with a psst.

"We can't stop you." She said. "But you can't stop us from helping you."

Finally, Carl relented. The trio ended up using the boy's idea and used one of Morgan's baits to get the attention of the walkers inside. The encaged rats were rolled in on a skateboard and the undead was drawn to their sounds.

Y/N, Carl, and Michonne slipped inside when they were distracted. They crept along the side of the room and followed Carl with their weapons drawn.

They made it to the bar counter and Carl climbed the still. He spotted a picture frame at the top and carefully brought it down. Suddenly, his foot was grabbed by a walker hiding behind the counter.

SULK!

Fortunately, Michonne was there to dispatch it with her sword. She slowly removed the blade and let its corpse drop quietly to not get the attention of the walkers.

They all retracted their steps and were on the way back to the exit. A rat then scurried past their feet. Immediately, Y/N knew something was wrong.

"Shit..."

Walkers that were chasing the escapee rat shambled in front of them. They snarled at the sight of the three and they ran the other way. A door leading to the kitchen was ahead but walkers burst out of there too.

BLAM!

Carl shot one down. Y/N aimed his pistol at two more coming out of the kitchen.

POW! POW!

Michonne held her sword and stabbed one that was behind her through the head.

SULK!

They looped around and made their way back to the entrance. Carl, Y/N, and Michonne killed walkers that were in their path.

BLAM!

POW POW!

SVAASH!

As they opened the door, Carl dropped the picture frame that was in his hand. Y/N took notice. Michonne immediately grabbed Carl and shoved him out. Y/N rushed out with Michonne and she closed the door. Walkers started pounding at it.

"I gotta go back in!" Carl exclaimed. "We have to go back. We have to. I have to. It's the only one left!"

Y/N held his hand and shushed him. "Relax. Relax..."

He then held out his other hand and showed Carl the picture frame with the photo of him and his family. He had quickly retrieved it before rushing out the door. Carl was in awe.

"Oh..." Carl held it and looked.

He admired the photo and Y/N smiled. The boy continued.

"I just...I—I just thought Judith should know what her mom looked like." Carl said and looked up at Y/N. "Thank you."

The young man simply nodded as he smiled. They walked away from the bar and Michonne gave Y/N a smirk.

"Couldn't swipe that rainbow cat statute we saw earlier?" She asked.

Y/N chuckled. "If we ever come back here, this'll be our first stop."

The trio ended up stopping by the baby place and getting the crib Carl mentioned. They made their way back to Morgan's base and saw Rick already walking out carrying bags of weapons and ammunition.

"Hey. Was just about to look for you."

"It's all right." Carl replied.

"You're here now."

They noticed Morgan ahead rounding up the corpses of walkers. Carl even saw blood seeping out of Rick's shoulder. He brushed it off.

"It's nothing."

Rick handed bags to Michonne and Y/N. The young man slung it over his shoulder but Rick stopped him before he could walk away.

"I saw you eyeing this earlier." The leader picked up the collapsible bow on the floor and gave it to him. "Morgan's not gonna miss it."

Y/N smiled as he held the weapon, also nodding at Rick. He looked at Morgan in the distance.

"He coming with us?"

Rick shook his head. "Nah."

Carl and Morgan had a brief exchange before they all went back to their car. Michonne and Y/N were helping Rick and Carl load in their supplies. The two Grimes members were at the open trunk.

"Everything okay with them?" He asked the boy.

Carl nodded. "They're cool. I think they might be one of us."

"What?" Rick gave him a surprised look.

"Everything went okay."

Rick looked at his son, letting out a chuckle and smiling. Carl walked away to get hop inside the car, leaving his father there. He looked ahead, taking in what the boy said about the strangers he had invited on the run.

• • •

THREE DAYS LATER, the meeting between Rick Grimes and Philip Blake came upon them. Andrea was personally responsible for the negotiation being planned, as she still believed there was a chance the conflict could be averted if both men just talked.

Rick, Daryl, and Hershel arrived. Andrea, Martinez, and Milton were already there. The prison survivors figured the Governor was around as well.

The old man stayed behind while Daryl served as a guard for Rick as they walked through the abandoned farm feed store. Rick recognized a barn and entered by himself. He looked around with his hand by his gun. Suddenly, a man stepped out of the shadows with his hands up.

It was the Governor. He didn't have his bandage over his maimed eye anymore...having replaced it with an eye patch.

"We have a lot to talk about."

There was tension throughout. Philip had removed his holster as a show of good faith, which Rick decided to not reciprocate. Unbeknownst to him, the Governor had a gun tapped under the table in case things went wrong. Andrea had come in to be a sort of mediator for a moment.

"I know what you've done." Rick began. "I heard about the raids, the heads, Maggie."

"Merle did that." Philip retorted with a smug look.

"No. You know what I'm talking about." He gave him a stare. "You tried to do to her what you did to Y/N's girlfriend. I know about that too."

He scoffed. "What are they telling you? Lili and I had a thing going on. Poor fella just doesn't know it or is in denial."

Rick grumbled quietly, knowing that the Governor was not being truthful. Philip continued.

"Look, I don't care about any of that. We're here to move forward."

Philip grinned. Rick was still expressionless.

"I've known you both at different times but only after the world went to shit and you stepped up for the good of others at great personal risk." Andrea spoke. "There's no reason—"

Philip ignored what the blonde had to say and spoke to Rick. "Get to it."

Rick took out a map from his front pocket and tossed it on the table.

"Woodbury takes west of the river. The prison takes east. No one crosses, no one trades."

"He's right." Andrea said. "We should hammer out boundaries, then leave each other—"

Philip looked at the map. "I'm sorry, what is this?"

"It's a solution." Andrea replied.

"Absolutely not." Philip laughed and threw the map aside.

Rick turned to Andrea. "What the hell am I doing here? You told me—"

"Told him what?" Philip questioned.

"You told me he was willing to talk!" Rick exclaimed.

"I am, the truth is, Rick, she's in no position to make such an offer anyway. I'm here for one thing and one thing only...your surrender."

"Oh, you want surrender? Come get it. You think we hit Woodbury heavy last time?"

"Just take it easy, all right?" Andrea blurted out. "We're here to settle this."

"You're right. Would you step outside?" Philip told her.

"What?"

"Rick and I, we got a lot to talk about."

"I'm not leaving."

Rick agreed. "I came to talk to him."

Andrea inhaled and finally relented. She walked away and exited the barn.

Rick sat across from Philip. There was silence for a moment before the former officer spoke.

"So you're the Governor."

"That's—that's their term, not mine."

"But still, you're beholden to your people."

"Well, of course."

"You have responsibility to them. Wasn't Merle your lieutenant?"

"He was helpful, yeah."

"But you knew he was erratic. You blame him for scooping up Glenn and Maggie in the first place?"

"Exactly." Philip replied. "I was trying to sort it out when you attacked."

"So...it was his fault?" Rick asked.

"He's a wild card, but he's effective. He gets the dirty jobs done."

"I thought you'd take responsibility."

Philip quietly snickered. "I thought you were a cop, not a lawyer."

Rick shook and tilted his head. "Either way, I don't pretend to be a governor."

They continued their discussions, with Philip bringing up misjudgment of people and mentioning Rick's situation with Judith, who is likely the daughter of his late friend, Shane. The Governor introduced a bottle of whiskey to the talk but Rick declined initially. Nonetheless, Philip drank as he told the story of his former life at a desk job, his family, and how his wife died in a car accident. Philip mentioned how she called him right before the accident and still wonders what she was going to tell him.

Him talking about his wife and regret of not knowing her last thoughts seem to affect Rick, as he thought of Lori and how he wasn't there when she eventually died. Finally, Rick took a sip of whiskey that was ready for him on the table.

"You know, the truth is..." Philip got up and paced around the room. "I didn't want any of this. They chose me because there was nobody else around. And they still think I'm the man that can keep them safe. They still think I know what I'm doing."

Philip went up to his holster that hung on the wall. He started putting it back on as Rick attentively watched. He continued.

"I know you got guns. Mmm. That was quite a stash you brought back the other day. Now, my people, they're not combat-tested like yours are, but I've got more of them. So this fight will go down to the last man. So let's end it. Today. Let's not do this. We can walk away."

Rick continued staring at him. Philip stepped back up to the table.

"You have something that I want. One thing that makes this all all right."

"I'm not giving up the prison." Rick stated.

Philip laughed and sat back down in his seat.

"No, I—I don't want your prison. That doesn't sound safe at all. I mean, you lost your wife, another man..."

"We're not moving on."

"What good would that do me? Best you stay where I can keep my one good eye on you."

Philip smiled but his face quickly changed expression, to a more stoic and cold look. He looked down and began to remove his eyepatch.

He looked straight at Rick, the former officer getting a good sight at his maimed right eye.

"I want Y/N. Turn him over and this all goes away."

Rick stared at the Governor and didn't respond. The man kept speaking to convince him of the offer.

"Is he worth it? One man...worth all those lives at your prison? Is he?"

There was no initial reply from Rick and they stood there in silence. Philip kept staring at Rick as the man leaned on the seat and looked down. Rick finally responded.

"Yeah, I don't get it. You obviously got big plans. Like you're the guy who's gonna lick this thing. Bring us back from the brink. So why waste your time on a two-bit vendetta? Why risk it all? You could have a statue of yourself in the town square, Governor. Killing Y/N is sort of beneath you, don't you think?"

"You could save your son. Save your daughter. Everyone you know. It's your choice."

Those words actually got Rick thinking. The man exhaled as he looked down at his hands.

"If I give you Y/N, how do I know you'll keep your word that you'll stop?"

Philip scooted over and brought Rick's map closer to him. He leaned over the table and folded his hands.

"You can have everything you want. I told you, I don't care about you." The Governor explained. "You might be wondering about Lili's baby...but I don't care about that either. They can stay with you. I just want the ball player."

Rick looked away as he continued to think. Philip had an inkling that he had gotten Rick to seriously consider the offer.

"You think about it." Philip got out of his seat. "Two days. I'll be here at noon."

The Governor walked out, leaving Rick to stew in his thoughts for a moment. Afterward, he regrouped with everyone outside. The Governor left with his people while Rick left with Daryl and Hershel.

• • •

RICK HAD CALLED over the entire prison group to the cell block. They were curious to know how the meeting went. Y/N stood by the cell with Liliana by his side. Ramon and Erica were by the doors leading to the chow room.

"So, I met this Governor." Rick began. "Sat with him for quite a while."

"Just the two of you?" Merle asked.

"Yeah."

The redneck exhaled and walked away, going past Y/N.

"Should've gone when we had the chance, bro."

Y/N sighed, recalling how Merle mentioned ambushing Philip while they were negotiating. Y/N ended up supporting Glenn's plan of not interfering yet and disagreed with Merle.

Rick continued. "He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead for what we did to Woodbury."

The group glanced at one another. Rick looked around as well then eyed Y/N who was looking back at him. He recalled what the young man said a few days ago to Andrea...and today he seemingly agreed.

"We're going to war."

Rick walked away after his final statement. The group stood around for a moment before dispersing.

On his way out, Rick thought about the Governor's offer. He deliberated whether or not to take it. Was he willing to give up the life of one group member, a new one at that, in order to ensure the safety of everyone else?

He had two days to decide...and Rick hoped whatever he chose would be the right call.