A/N: Daryl's thoughts on things after Lori is gone and Rick comes back for a few minutes goes into his thoughts as he talks to Carl as well. NOT A SLASH JUST FRIENDSHIP. (Ties to my MULTI CHAP kind of, but do not have to read it to understand.)

Rick had just walked into the cellblock while everyone was eating, and had told them that he had just cleared the boiler block of a couple of dozen walkers like it was nothing. Daryl was angry. He understood that Rick was hurting, grieving, and lost. Daryl probably understood more than most, but that was no excuse to endanger his life. He had two kids that he needed to take care of. Both children had lost a parent. Little Ass Kicker didn't know that yet, but she needed to grow up knowing her dad. Daryl knew that he wouldn't let anything happen to the kids or the rest of the group, but they needed Rick there. He felt like Rick was being selfish, his son was grieving too. Daryl also knows that wasn't fair to say either. The man needed time in a perfect world there would have been someone to take care of the kids and he could grieve properly and he would heal, there would be a body to burry and a beautiful funeral or they would have saved her and everything would be okay, but this wasn't a perfect world or hell the old one. The only people left to care for his children was a rough around the edges a redneck, a crippled vet and his two daughters, an Asian kid and a couple of prisoners that Daryl was still leery of. A funeral was an empty grave that had been dug and filled again with dirt and a few tears shed no one knowing what to say and a man's way of grieving was taking out all of the nightmares that had stole his wife. Daryl understood even if he was still pissed at his friend for being so reckless. Tomorrow he would take Carl with him and start cleaning out more of the prison.

As Daryl Carl and Oscar walked through the prison clearing it inch by inch, he and Carl moved just where they could hear Oscar behind them. "You know my mom she liked the wine and she liked to smoke in bed, Virginia Slims. I was playing out with the kids in the neighborhood, I could do that with Merle gone. They had bikes, I didn't." Daryl paused to look down at Carl, who was listening intently with his head held down, as they sweeped the lower levels of the prison. "We heard sirens getting louder, jumped on the bikes and ran after, you know hoping to see something worth seeing. I ran after them, but couldn't keep up. I ran around the corner saw my friends looking at me, hell I saw everyone looking at me. Fire trucks everywhere, people from the neighborhood, it was my house they were there for. That was my mom in bed. Burnt down ta nothing, that was the hard part. You know she was just gone. Erased. Nothing left of her. People say it was better that way." He huffed before continuing through the cells. "It just made it seem like it wasn't real you know." Carl sighed he stopped and looked at Daryl. "I shot my mom. She was out, hadn't turned yet. I ended it, it was real." Daryl and the young man locked eyes. There was no malice in his words just pain, Daryl wondered if he had told anyone else this or if he and Maggie was the only one that knew. Daryl had suspected as much, but didn't want to ask in case the boy was too fragile. After a pause the kid with honest compassion and care in his voice said "I'm sorry about your mom." How could a kid that just admitted to having to put a bullet in his mother's brain feel bad about a man in his thirties loosing his mom when he was kid. "Sorry about yours." Daryl reached forward and squeezed his shoulder gently and pushed him forward. Things in this world had formed a small family out of a group of unlikely strangers, now they would do anything to protect one another. Daryl knew he needed to find Rick and talk some sense into the head of his before his son watched as another empty grave was filled for someone else that they loved.

A/N: Hope you all enjoy this little one shot came to me while I was driving today.