AN: Well, this break wasn't as long as the last one, right? Thank you for everyone that is reading, I saw a lot of story followers alerts, so welcome aboard my Brick train! :) We're just plowing through season 3 and I can't wait to see all your reactions to what's building ahead. Plus, two new POVs in this chapter! So read on!

Warnings: Hmm, Shane I suppose.

Chapter Twenty

"The Governor agrees to meet with you to discuss a ceasefire," Allen had delivered the Governor's message steadily although he was sweating and not just from the hot weather. The man had returned alone to the Prison, and Beth wasn't sure if that was a good or bad sign.

Beth watched Rick stare down Allen with a silent frown. Beth knew how uneasy Rick felt and she had to agree, it did seem too simple. Rick surveyed Allen with a hard look, one that Beth imagined he used to use on criminals to get them to confess. Allen shifted nervously but didn't break down and admit to it all being a trap.

All of the prison inhabitants were out in the yard, whether still down at the gate (T-Dog) or watching from a guard tower (Sasha and Oscar). Even Judith was snug against Tyreese's chest in a sling. Andrea was at Rick's side with a triumphant look on her face that Beth thought was unnecessary. There was no need to lord over Rick that Andrea's suggestion was working. Beth supported negotiating with Woodbury because she didn't think she could handle loosing anyone else. Just the loss of Lori left her reeling, what if next was her sister or father? Or Duane? Or, her worst fear, Rick?

Rick sighed and finally nodded his agreement, "Alright. We accept. We will see the Governor tomorrow at 'high noon'."

Allen nodded and retreated like he couldn't get away fast enough back to his car. It was the same beat up car that Rick had given him two days before when Rick had let him go with barely enough gas to make it further than Woodbury. Two frantic days of fortifying the prison against a future attack. Every scrap of metal they could get their hands on was up against the inner yard fence and walkway with strategic holes to shoot from. Morgan had lamented the lack of tools and electricity to weld but they had made do with what they could. Rick was working himself and Carl to the bone to keep Carl's mind off Lori's death. Shane was still a ghost haunting the prison, Beth hadn't seen him herself but Glenn had mentioned that Shane had come back at night to eat a can of food before disappearing again.

Rick hadn't left the prison again, much to Beth's relief, having Sasha and Michonne lead supply parties in search of any guns and ammo. But Beth knew that no way Rick would not be present at the negotiation with the Governor and the people of Woodbury. When Rick had sent Allen off it had been with the request for a negotiation discussion. He had asked for a neutral location with only six people present for each side. The Governor had chosen a location, marked on the map Allen had handed Rick, and agreed to the limitation on people present. And Beth was determined to be one of those six people. No way was Rick leaving her behind again.

Morgan and T-Dog were letting Allen out of their patched up gate as Beth approached Rick's side. Rick was speaking low with Merle, and Merle didn't appear to like what Rick was telling him judging from the scowl on his face. "I'm your best man here and I should be at that meetin', you know those sons of bitches are going to try sumthin'," Beth heard Merle hiss.

"That's exactly why I want you here. The Governor is going to think I'll bring all my toughest fighters to this meeting, and that would be a perfect opportunity to attack this place again. I want you here, along with Glenn and Oscar. I want people here who won't hesitate to pull the trigger if it's not me returning to our gates."

Merle huffed but clearly he saw the wisdom in Rick's words. "Fine, leave your best behind. But then take my pansy, baby brother with ya." Rick nodded and turned to leave but came face to face with Beth. Merle gave her a lecherous wink as he strode by and Beth didn't let it throw her.

"I'm going with you tomorrow," Beth didn't see the point of beating around the bush, especially with Rick.

Rick frowned at her words, "Beth, it's too dangerous—"

"No, I'm not letting you pull some King Leonidas self-sacrifice to rally the rest of Greece against the Persians without me," Beth stated firmly.

"…What?" Rick clearly didn't get her reference.

"It's from Shawn's favorite movie, but that's not important. What's important is I'm not being left behind. Again." Beth crossed her arms over her chest to take up a stronger, more defiant stance.

Rick glanced around, seeing Merle half way across the yard talking with Oscar, before speaking again, "I'm not planning on sacrificing myself, it's a contingency plan. Plus, I don't want Merle anywhere near negotiations, no doubt he'll find a way to disrupt everything."

"Well then, maybe having a pretty face like mine will help smooth the way."

"Beth—"

"No." Beth cut off Rick, she couldn't let Rick get his argument in, she had fallen for it last time, all his sweet words about keeping her safe because she was so important to him. "Rick, I was by your side on the road everyday and we never lost anybody. I let you talk me out of going with you to rescue Maggie but you will not talk me down this time."

Rick grabbed her upper arm and Beth let him lead her back into the prison. The prison was mostly empty, everyone was still working outside plus with the weather hot and humid the cellblock had a heavy, muggy heat that everyone was trying to avoid while the sun was up.

As soon as they were back in their cell, Rick had her pushed against the cement wall and was kissing her hard. Beth took a moment to enjoy the kiss, it had been days since they had a moment alone and Rick usually treated her like glass and rarely was this aggressive with her. But Beth was not letting anything distract her, so she pushed Rick away. Beth may not have a lot of experience with men, but she had read enough romances to know this ploy. "No, you are not going to use sex to talk me out of this. I'm going with you."

Rick let out a startled laugh and leaned back into her space. "That's not actually what this is about, but thanks for the idea."

Beth was happy to see a grin on Rick's face and couldn't help but grin back, lately there was nothing to smile about. "Then what's this?" Beth asked.

"You're just… I like it when you get all angry and speak your mind. You get this determined look and it's… cute."

"Cute?" Beth frowned. She wasn't going for cute, she was aiming for badass.

"Sexy," Rick amended. It did make sense, most of their relationship progression occurred when Beth was fed up with Rick's passive behavior.

"So, am I going with you tomorrow?" Beth asked hesitantly. This seemed too easy. But Rick had so much on his plate right now, maybe he didn't have the energy for an argument.

Rick was still grinning as he responded, "I know a losing battle when I see one."

"And that means…?" Beth probed.

"Yes. You're going," Rick confirmed.

Beth smiled triumphantly and reached for his shoulders to pull him down for another kiss. "Well, how long do you think we have before someone comes lookin' for one of us?" He asked against his lips.

"Long enough," Rick responded before kissing her again.

Her release was sweet, but not enough. Rick kissed her steadily while his fingers were in her panties stroking and pressing inside her while she fumbled to get a steady hand on him in his jeans. Only a few moments after their mutual releases was Andrea calling into the cellblock for Rick. Rick squeezed her close for a bare moment before calling back and leaving her alone. Beth waited a moment before leaving the cell to seek Tyreese out and relieve him of Judith. Even though she didn't get nearly enough alone time with Rick she was happy, Rick didn't see her as a fragile, little girl and treated her like an equal. She was content with that for now.

Morgan was one of the six present for the negotiations. He had only hesitated for a moment when Rick asked him along, thinking of how strong Duane had become, but he knew that he needed to be present to support Rick. Morgan knew Rick was unhappy with the plan to negotiate. No matter how the man's feelings changed Rick won't forgive the man responsible for killing his wife, not matter how far he and Lori had drifted apart. And Morgan understood. The walker that had taken Jenny from him was long gone from the world but he still felt a white hot rage and urge to kill every walker he came across, but he resisted the urge. He had Duane to think about, to keep safe and protect. Rick needed to think about Carl and about keeping his son safe. And even though Carl wanted revenge for his mother, Rick had to understand that what a kid wanted and needed were not always the same.

Morgan had thanked god for Beth when she supported the plan for peaceful resolution. Morgan was sure that if Beth had supported Rick to go after the Governor he would have, no matter the vote. Beth was even with them today, many had been surprised when Rick had let Beth attend the meeting with them and some even objected, mostly Beth's father and sister. Morgan hadn't objected, he knew Beth's calming influence on Rick and knew with her only steps away while he met with the Governor, Rick wouldn't take any risks. Rick was wrapped firmly around Beth's little finger.

It had been amusing to watch when it was only the four of them, and there had been few things amusing then, to watch Beth moon after an oblivious Rick but at the same time Rick would put herculean effort into the smallest request just to earn one of Beth's smiles. Beth was good for Rick, it had been easy to see even back then. Beth and Duane were kindred spirits, eternally optimistic and fountains of hope. Morgan knew that if he had lost Duane he would have slipped into a very dark place, and it was easy to see that the same went for Rick in regards to Beth. Even now, with Carl in Rick's life again, it was still Beth that was the beacon of hope. Maybe if Carl had been with his father instead of his mother he would be more like Duane and Beth, but the sad truth was that Carl wasn't. And if Rick wasn't careful, Carl would slide into the dark space that lurked for Morgan and Rick.

Morgan was drawn from his internal musings as one of the Governor's men approached Beth. He had a non-threatening vibe, and looked like a doctor or scientist, and he was clearly the most openly nervous one present. The woman, Carol, watched the interaction raptly while the short Latino man and the man that gave Tyreese a run for his money in size had their attention on their surroundings. Daryl was his usual silent self and kept eyeing his former crossbow on the back of Woodbury's silent man. Michonne was focused on the abandoned barn that the Governor and Rick were in like she had x-ray vision or supersonic hearing, as Duane liked to theorize.

Only a few moments ago Andrea had stomped out followed by Allen when the Governor demanded to speak with Rick alone. Michonne had been ready to march in and start the next round of battle right then and there but thankfully a calm hand and bright smile from Beth kept her put. For now. Michonne only broke her stare to send a glare at the man who dared to approach Beth.

"Nice weather we're having, yeah?" The man, Milton if Morgan had heard correctly earlier, greeted Beth.

"I haven't really noticed the weather lately, with my sister being kidnapped and home shot up," Beth replied in a sweet voice, not a drop of sarcasm present. Carol snorted and Morgan bit back a smile at Beth's brazen reply.

The man was clearly thrown off, "Yes, well. Um. I hope we can come to a resolution of some sort."

"Me too," Beth replied serenely. Beth and the man had broken the ice, and it seemed some of the tension lessened among the two groups. Morgan approached Carol, he was the most intrigued by her and wanted to know her side of the story of how she lost her daughter.

"I haven't noticed the weather either," She greeted as he came to stand a few feet away at her side.

"I have. I feel like I'm living in a brick oven," Morgan replied with a small grin. Carol snorted again, but he could see amusement in her icy blue eyes. Morgan let a few moments pass, watching Milton stammer out another question to Beth, before bringing up the topic directly. "As I understand it, you lost your daughter? And the others left you behind when they couldn't find her?"

The steely eyed woman only nodded, frown on her face. Morgan shook his head and let out a breath, "I hope I never know the pain you've gone through. If I lost my son and I was left alive… well, I'd not be doing as well as you. I'd be on the train to Crazytown, painting on the walls and more than half-mad. There was a near miss, you see, I couldn't take care of my wife after she turned and… she nearly got my boy. If it weren't for Rick…" Morgan shook his head to clear his mind. The image of Jenny, his beautiful, precious Jenny, going after Duane was still seared into his mind. It had nearly broken him. Just the idea of losing Duane… Thank God for Rick. "Duane. He's thirteen now. He's good with a gun and treasures comic books," Morgan said with a fond grin.

Carol was staring off into the distance, she seemed a hundred miles away lost in her thoughts. "Sophia. She had beautiful blonde hair that I forced her to wear short, we used to fight about it all the time. She'd be thirteen now too. Could be now. I've searched every body, every nook and cranny within a ten mile radius of that highway, once the Governor found me. He helped me keep it together, give me an outlet for my anger. He knows what it's like to lose a daughter." Carol's eyes cleared and shot a glare over at still as a statue Michonne, whom had resumed her vigil of the barn. But something bugged Morgan about Carol's words, itched at his memory.

"You lost your daughter before you met the Greenes, right? Hershel joined your group before you left?"

Carol's gaze turned suspicious as she again faced Morgan. "The old man? He's some sort of vet, right? Shane deemed him useful," Carol scoffed. "Shane took him and his daughter and then left me in the dirt."

"So you guys were near his farm? For a few days before they joined?"

Carol shrugged, "I guess, why?"

"Hershel and his family, before their farm fell, they thought everyone was just sick, that there'd be a cure. They were collecting walkers and keeping them in their barn. Beth is Hershel's other daughter, she ended up with Rick and I, and we went back to the farm to put her family to rest. There was…" Morgan paused, that had been rough, for both him and Rick. The image of the young girl, lying dead in the barn, clearly turned by not as decayed as the others, was still clear in his memory. "There was a young girl, looked around Duane's age. Blonde. She had on a blue shirt with a rainbow-"

Carol grabbed Morgan's upper arm, her eyes were wild and Morgan could see that she believed him. "We buried her, alongside Beth's mom and brother. We put flowers on the graves and Beth sang a beautiful song. I just… in case that was your Sophia, I wanted you to know."

The door opened from the barn, the Governor exited first with a confident smirk, Rick on his heels with a hard, unreadable expression. Carol straightened up, pulling herself back together. She nodded at Morgan uttering a quiet, "thank you," before Morgan left for to Rick's side. He hoped that he had eased some of Carol's rage against their group, and perhaps she would suggest leniency to the Governor on their behalf. Judging from Rick's steely silence, they would need it.

Shane didn't even know if his baby girl lived. He heard cries sometimes, echoing through the tomb-like halls of the prison, but he wasn't sure if they were in his head or if they were real, and he had no desire to return to the living if Lori wouldn't be there.

Shane had always been jealous of Lori and Rick's relationship. Not because he desired Lori but because of the easiness and closeness of their early relationship. He remembered when Rick's younger brother Jeff brought a fresh faced, eighteen year old Lori around to a Grimes' family barb-b-que. Shane had flirted with her, of course, he flirted with everyone, but Lori hadn't given him the time of day. She only had eyes for Rick and Rick didn't stand a chance against her long limbs and sparkling brown eyes. Rick was smitten from day one. Shane had always been jealous of their uncomplicated relationship, how Rick never grew bored with his girl (something Shane couldn't fathom at the time) and how the two of them were one of those sickeningly sweet couples even years after their honeymoon phase. Rick and Lori's problems didn't start until a few years back. It was a bit ironic, Rick started taking extra shifts at Sheriff's office fishing for a promotion to provide better for Lori and Carl, get Lori the big house she'd always wanted. The more Rick tried to be better the unhappier Lori seemed to get. And then Rick was shot and the world went to Hell.

Shane had done his best to provide for his best friend's wife and son, he did feel guilty for leaving Rick behind, but he knew Rick would rather have his family safe than die trying to save him. Shane didn't covet Lori even then, when he thought Rick was dead or close to it. It wasn't until Lori turned to him for comfort, she was scared, stressed and lonely. So Shane comforted her, he treated Carl like his own son and he treated Lori like he knew she had always wanted: he put her first. Shane became the leader of their pack of survivors but he always put Lori's needs above the others. And after they lost the quarry, they were on the road and Lori confided that she thought she was pregnant, he found himself with the family he'd always yearned over. Shane became like a dictator to his group, it was his way or the highway. No one and nothing could threaten his family. Carl pulled away from him right after he found out about the baby, he felt like Shane was trying to replace his dad. Shane had snorted, as if he could replace Rick, Shane had always been far superior to his friend. Rick wouldn't have been able to keep them safe, he would have tried to save every lost soul they came across. But then Lori started to pull away from him too, saying he was selfish and he needed to think of the others too. Selfish. Him. He had always put Carl, Lori, and their unborn child first and he gets called selfish. But Shane grinned and bore her criticism. She was pregnant and scared, her words could be forgiven. Rick would have pulled away from her, like he had done in the past, but Shane kept her close.

And then Daryl and Merle reported that they found a prison. It raised the group's spirit, to think about high, secure fences between them and the geeks. But of course when Shane and the others went to clear the yard they found it was already occupied. By Rick. His best friend risen from the dead but alive. Shane had been thrilled at first, Rick had been his best friend and partner for over half his life and there was no one he could trust more, or so he thought. But Shane had changed, and so had Rick. And Lori, she had been so relieved to see Rick again, Shane hadn't seen Lori smile in months but back in Rick's presence and she couldn't stop. Rick had understood why he had been left behind, he did care more about his family's safety than his own but now this was Shane's family. Shane had protected them for nearly a year and all of that crumbled away.

What really killed Shane though, was Rick had moved on, he had a bright, young girl looking at him like he hung the moon but Lori still wanted Rick. So Shane lashed out. Things had started to improve after his baby girl was born. Lori only had eyes for their perfect little being and when she finally looked at Shane she beamed. They let Carl name his sister, Shane had only cared that Lori and the babe were living and breathing. Shane knew he could fix their relationship, he had the chance now. Lori would want him again, would know that only Shane could keep her and baby Judith safe.

And then the rescue mission happened, a mission Shane had thought was a folly from the start. Shane had been so angry when Rick stayed behind to save Daryl Dixon. The Dixons meant nothing to Rick, he had a son and a girl back at the prison but Boy Scout Rick Grimes stayed behind for his foolish notions, just as Shane had always predicted. And Lori had been mad at him for leaving Rick behind. His last words to Lori had been in a fight, "I'm the one keeping you and our baby safe! Me! Rick and his bleeding heart will get everyone killed!" But it wasn't Rick that got Lori killed. Sure, she may not have died if Rick and the others had been back at the prison, but Lori was under Shane's protection and now she was dead.

Shane didn't know how long he spent down in the bowels of the prison, killing every walker he could find, grateful that the back of the prison was still breached to let in new kills. Occasionally he emerged for food at night, return to the occupied cellblock but he didn't check on his daughter, he couldn't see her perfect little face, just like Lori's, staring back at him.

He stayed away from the others until Carl came to find him. Shane couldn't help but admire the kid, he was fearless as his mother. But Carl's words filled him with a dark fury. "The others are negotiating with those murders. Those people killed my mom and dad wants to bargain with them."

"They'll pay. I swear they will," Shane replied.

And so he returned. And in the nick of time by the sound of it. "The Governor wants a trade. He wants Michonne in exchange for leaving the rest of us alone," Rick was telling everyone gathered in the common area outside the cells.

Shane studied the woman in question. Shane has no quarrel with Michonne. She knew how to handle her blade and was tough, even now she ignored her injuries and stood firm at Rick's side. "There's no deal. Michonne is one of us. We're not giving her to them. We aren't handing one of our own over to sate The Governor's desire for vengeance. He wants the prison. He wants us gone. Dead. He wants us dead for what we did to Woodbury. We're preparing for war."

The others plunged into discussion as Rick finished but Shane remained at the back for a moment to mull the situation over. Rick's words were all well and good, and Shane agreed that negotiating with those people was out of the question. None of them deserved to live. But in the Governor's desire for Michonne, who had apparently killed his walker-fied daughter, Shane saw an opportunity.

So with a plan half-formed in his mind, he approached the man whose ruthlessness had yet to let him down. "Merle, a word?"

AN: Shane, what'chu plannin'?

Review please!