In every battle there comes a time when both sides consider themselves beaten, then he who continues the attack wins. 

- Ulysses S. Grant 

Staring at the sky, she blew smoke from the cigarette she snatched off of Daryl's bike. She could really use some booze and relaxers right now. Smelling the bitterness in the air, Daryl looked back at her with a squint. Did she really just take the last cig? Noticing the stare, she looked down at him, "Yeah?" she asked, nodding at him. His gaze dropped to the cigarette on her lips and shook his head. 

"Finished my whole damn pack." he huffed, wiping his tools with a dirty rag. Not like he really cared that she finished it. Aliya rolled her eyes, "I'll replace it in the next run." she scoffed at him. The side of Daryl's lips rose as a chuckle left his lips, infecting her. 

They allowed themselves to feel light for a while. 

A similar head of hair made Aliya smile, inching away to give them space. Carol nodded at her with a sweet smile before making her way towards Daryl. She admired their special relationship, how Daryl relaxes as soon as he hears Carol's voice. Hearing the nearing footsteps, he looked up at Carol who gave him a sweet and comforting smile. He relaxed a bit, "Merle never did nothing like that his whole life." he shook his head, sighing. 

Merle was the type of person who picked and selected who he helped. To hell with the others! What benefitted Merle was next to what benefitted Daryl. But somehow, what Merle did made sense. He would be the one to go out with a bang. 

Carol offered her hand out to Daryl, "He gave us a chance." she squeezed it gently in comfort. What Merle did might just be the one thing that saved them. He accepted her hand, and with a grunt, pushed himself up from the ground. With a sigh, Carol turned to give him space. Daryl only needed a few words and your company to know that you're there for him. Aliya nodded at Carol before passing her by to get to Daryl. 

Aliya watched him fix his rag and tools for a little while, enjoying the comfort that it was bringing. There was just something about him taking his time to take care of his tools that felt mundane. It didn't take long for him to notice her stares before he turned and wordlessly gave him his pack of bows. She grunted at the impact before throwing her cigarette butt on the floor and stomping it dead. 

==+==

Aliya's heart dropped at the sound of low rumbling approaching quickly. The sound brought goosebumps to her neck, making her involuntarily shiver. She was about to check it out when an explosion nearby nearly deafened her. Her hands instinctively flew towards her ears as her eyes widened. She didn't need to see it to understand what was happening. 

The governor has arrived. 

Her chest heaved up and down as seemingly never-ending sets of footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. The governor and his army was no doubt armed to the brim and the confidence in their footsteps were haunting. She was staring at Rick for the go signal which she's been itching to see. The flash bang in her hand felt hot, like it was also itching for a fight. 

If the universe was feeling generous, the governor would drop dead and the fight would end. But  there are no more free things in life. 

At the nod of Rick's head, Aliya threw the flash bang and immediately fired a fleet of bullets. 

They all started screaming in fear as they scurry back, away from the bullets. Another flash bang was thrown as they started to scatter, their formations weakened. Smoke slowly engulfed the already poorly-visible hallways as blaring alarms blasted in their ears. The red hue of the warning lights only added to the cruelty of the situation. 

They only knew that they governor and his people were out when bullets started flying once again. Maggie and Glenn were positioned in the bridge and covered with the armour that the dead police force once wore. 

Defeated, the governor was pulled back into their vehicle by Martinez as he shot petty fires from his windows. It was like a toddler not getting his way, throwing a tantrum. Maggie and Glenn only stopped firing when they started driving away. They aimed for their feet and to drive them away, not their bodies and to kill. The sound of gravel crunching under their tires reminded them of a puppy with its tail in between its own legs. 

They won. 

For now. 

----

After making sure that the coast was clear, they all simultaneously made their way down to the ground. They all stood side by side with ragged breathing and exhausted hearts. It felt as though for even bullets they fired, pieces of their souls chipped away with it. There was one thing she was grateful for though. 

They cleared the walkers on the field, making things a little bit easier for them. But it just wasn't enough. 

"We should hit the iron while it's hot." she seconded Michonne. Michonne was right, they should follow them and finish the job. Driving them away wasn't enough, it just doubled the risk of them dying. Nothing is over until the governor was dead. Nothing. Daryl nodded too, agreeing with the two, "We should finish it." he stepped to the side, itching to chase after them. 

"It is finished. Didn't you see them hightail it out o'here?" Maggie rasped out, the excitement from driving them away put flowers on her lenses. Aliya shook her head, "It's the governor." she emphasised. They all should know by now how dirty the governor plays. Carol nodded at that, "They could regroup." she shrugged out, knowing that they definitely will. 

Aliya rolled her eyes, "They will." she ground out. There was no doubt about it. "Don't be too relaxed. This isn't over until the governor is dead." Maggie glared at her but she only challenged her back. Looking straight into her eyes, Maggie spoke, "We barely made it back last time." she snarled. Aliya licked her lips as her jaws clenched. 

She doesn't care if she doesn't come back. The governor will die. No matter whose hands under. 

Daryl looked at Maggie, "We don't care." he muttered, shaking his head. He failed to catch the double meaning in Maggie's tone, not realising that she was talking about that incident. All he knows is that he doesn't care if he comes back or not, this will end today. They have started a war and the only way they'll win and live is to end it. Rick motioned for them to follow him to check on the others which they gladly did.  

When Aliya first stepped foot inside the halls again, she felt a cold gush of wind on her nape. The emptiness of the halls served as a rude reminder that the prison will still exist even if they cease to. She shook her head as she walked towards the steel tables and set her weapons down. She only relaxed when Beth emerged with baby Judith in her arms. 

Daryl noticed how tense she was, how constricted her breathing has become. And so Daryl elbowed her slightly, "Come on." and motioned for her to follow him. She needed to focus on something else other than the stillness of the air and that's exactly what he would give. Aliya's brow lifted up as she did so. Wordlessly, they organised their things back into place, their sleeping bags, thin mattresses and some clothes. 

While she was looking through her stuff, Daryl cleared his voice. "You look tensed." he pointed at her tight hold on her stuff. Her gaze dropped on where he was pointing and her hands immediately loosened. Only then did she feel the sting of her sharp nail digging onto her sore palm. She sighed as she faced him, "It won't be as easy as that anymore." she stated, fear bubbling up her chest. 

Daryl frowned as he looked at her, crouching down to be levelled with her. "We have to kill him now." she pleaded. She has never been this desperate before, never needed something so badly that she was almost squirming in her seat in anticipation. Her heart has been painfully constricting non-stop ever since the governor's fleet ran away. It was like impending doom hung in the air and only a handful of them cared enough to react. 

He can see how desperate and impatient she was becoming, he can feel it too. But going head first without recuperating and planning things will be suicide. "We will." he coaxed, helping her with her stuff. She needed to calm down first, so that her head would be clear once they fell into action. He watched her face slowly relax as she blew out a breath to calm her nerves. 

Seeing her relax warmed his heart. 

----

Maggie and Glenn offered to stay just in case the governor comes back to the prison. Rick thanked them for staying while Aliya nodded at them. The others needed them both for protection and safety. Especially baby Judith. Daryl watched as Aliya walked towards Maggie and engulfed her in a hug. Her head tilted as she whispered something that made Maggie's eyes wide. 

He noticed the hesitant steps she took as she walked towards Glenn and hugged him tight. Glenn's eyes shut as he nodded, "I'm sorry." he apologised whole-heartedly. Aliya backed away with a smile, tapping him on his shoulder. Daryl's curiosity burned the back of his head as he looked at the fearful and worried expression on Maggie's face. 

Aliya opened the car door only to be pulled back by Daryl, "The hell'er you doing?" he grumbled. He cleaned his bike because he expected her to ride with him and here she was opening the car door. She frowned in confusion, "I'm coming with." she answered, looking at him up and down. Daryl 'tsk-ed' as he took her bag and threw it in the car before pulling her with him towards his bike. 

Rick and Michonne exchanged subtle glances with each other as they watched the two interact. It was incredibly entertaining watching Aliya and Daryl with each other. Always leaning towards each other even though they don't notice it, always looking for each other in any room they're in. Just incredibly entertaining. 

It's like watching two childhood best friends hide their feelings from each other. 

Aliya pouted her lips in order to hide her smile before taking her seat behind Daryl, hugging him from behind. She could feel the warmth radiating from his body, making her sigh. "You're clingy, huh?" she teased, craning her neck to whisper in his ear. It has started becoming a habit of hers, teasing him. Daryl pushed her face away as he started his engine, thanking Carol and the couple for opening the gates and clearing their way. 

Not long after going out of the prison, they skidded to a stop. In the middle of the road was one of the governor's trucks. It looked like it was abruptly abandoned. With their backs on the truck, they scoured the area only for a slam on the windows to make Aliya jump up. In the heat of it all, Daryl pulled her away before grumbling at the sight of a ragged woman. 

He opened the door and pulled her out roughly. 

They interrogated her for quite a while and discovered what had just transpired. The governor was enraged that they were running for safety, running away from the prison instead of marching towards it. Nothing was going according to his plan and he couldn't handle it. Their resistance enraged him so much that he gunned all of them down. 

She only escaped by putting one of her friend's body on top of her. Something that she would never be proud of. She held her breath and played dead when the governor started shooting the dead ones in the head. It was a miracle that the governor ran out of bullets just as he was about to shoot at her. 

It was dark out when they arrived at Woodbury with the lady from before. She was visibly shaken up, not even trying to shake them off and escape. The gates were only a few feet away when a bullet almost grazed Rick's feet. A warning signal. Once the gun went off, they immediately ducked down for cover. 

The lady then stood up with her hands up in surrender, "Tyreese! It's me!" she shouted. With gritted teeth, Aliya pulled her down as bullets flew in their direction. She only shook her off, "It's okay." she quickly muttered and reassured her as she shouted for her friends. Aliya only watched her explain what happened with the governor and their role in her being back here. 

Rick listened intently with his head down before arriving at a decision, "We're coming out!" he called out to them. Aliya's head almost rolled off with the speed that she looked back at Rick with. Even though she was confused, she followed his lead. She trusted him. Although she stood up with her weapon aimed, she put her arms up in a surrender mere seconds later. 

The same people that they rejected from the prison before were now guards of Woodbury. But unlike the governor, they had the decency to not fire while they surrendered. They couldn't believe that the governor opened fire on his own people. She couldn't blame them. That asshole would've been great if he wasn't sick in his soul. 

Karen told them that Andrea has been MIA for a while. That she might've hopped the wall to get to them but it never happened. Andrea would've went straight towards the prison has she escaped. She might be held against her will in here, just like how Aliya was. They were lead inside by Tyreese until they faced a steel door with dark blood seeping out of it. 

Aliya gulped as her heart beat hard against her chest. Rick and Daryl were at the door, weapons aimed. He counted to three before they opened the door widely only to reveal a dead Milton on the floor and a set of feet near the doorframe.

Michonne immediately came in and called for her "Andrea." and knelt in front of her, looking her over. She was in a bad shape, her face caked with sweat, her eyes sunken and her lips pale. This was bad. "You're burning up." Michonne's tone was riddled with worry. Andrea sighed as she pulled on her sleeve, revealing the huge bite mark on the space in-between her neck and shoulders. 

Aliya's heart plummeted to the ground, her breath knocked out of her lungs as she looked away. She suffered the same fate as her, forced to kill somebody she cared about without so much as a weapon in hand. Andrea gave Aliya a sad and sincere smile, their differences dissipating in the air. 

Aliya smiled back, her eyes brimming with angry tears. Andrea liked the governor and this is how he would treat her? Another person suffering in the hands of the governor. Another friend dying miserably. 

Even in her last moments, all she cared about was knowing if they were all safe and alive. Asking about baby Judith, Carl and everyone else. Andrea was put back into their collective 'us', peace slowly making her face glow. 

Michonne's face crumpled as she broke down in tears as Andrea made her last few words. Her heart aching. Andrea looked up at Daryl who has been memorising her face with pain in his face. She smiled at him, "No one can make it alone now." she affirmed as her eyes slightly move back and forth between Aliya and Daryl. He sighed and shook his head, "I never could." he admitted, glancing slightly towards where Aliya stood before putting his attention back to Andrea. 

Andrea wanted to do it herself. She wanted to end herself in an attempt to redeem whatever grave mistakes she just made. "I tried." she ground out, tears threatening to escape her eyes. Michonne stayed with her while the three gave them space. Aliya stood in between Tyreese and Daryl while Rick stood by the door, listening in. 

Aliya's eyes clamped shut at the sound of the gun going off. She swallowed painfully as they waited for Michonne to emerge from the doors. 

'Till we meet again, Andrea.