Author's note: HOLY FUCK LITTLE ZOMBIES! I'M ALREADY DIGGING SEASON THREE!

Except…they're stealing from me already, and it's only the first episode. I mean really, zombie baby? LFF totally coined that idea, but whatever. I'm just glad they're back. And holy shit! They gave Glenn a last name!

BUT I'M NOT GLAD CAROL'S TRYING TO BE A LITTLE WHORE BAG!

That was what my inner Cali was screaming the entire show. She didn't like how Carol seemed to think Daryl was hers, even though I tried to explain that she technically isn't in the show, so she can't get mad. Speaking Cali on the show, I have something new this season.

Dedicaton: This fic is hereby dedicated to DefenestrationByApple, because she was kind enough to catch Mr. Norman Reedus at a panel, and she told him about Blame It On Bad Luck, about Cali, about everything, and Mr. Reedus said, and I quote "Cali sounds bad ass!" And he took down the name. He took down the name of my fic. And she didn't stop there, oh no no, she also told him that Daryl calls Cali 'Nia' to which, he proceeded to test out the name.

I think I'm in heaven.

Reedus might actually check out Blame it on Bad Luck. How fucking amazing is that?

So here you go DefenestrationByApple, this is for you!

Also, people are different now, and I really hope we'll be getting flashbacks from the way winter worked for them, but I'm doubting it, so I'm adding my own!

There's always a story within a story.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Walking Dead, I just own Cali. And this chapter has swearing, slurs, killing, and all the delicious violence we've come to expect from TWD

Chapter One: So I'll Blame It On Bad Luck, And Shake Responsibility Out

For the last 70 miles, there hadn't been pause, hadn't been a slight decrease in speed in the slightest, and there hadn't been a sound stirring from anyone in the car. California took that as a good sign, she hated driving when they were awake. Hershel and his beard would try and make idle conversation, but Cali just wasn't one for talking much these days, Glenn would try and make her laugh, which worked sometime, and other times just left them both in a drowning silence, Cali and Maggie didn't really talk, because they didn't know what to talk about, so they would just sit in silence, and let everyone else sleep, Beth though, Cali would talk to Beth. Beth could still pretend that they were back on the farm, and Beth would mostly talk about books, which was something Cali had never been able to not talk about.

Every house they'd looted, tried to stay in, Cali made sure to pick up a few books, a small shout out to Dale, wherever he was, and people mocked her at first, but after spending as long in the car as they did that winter, no one mocked her long after that. Cali's freshly cut bangs fell into her face, the sun shone onto her hair, leaving a purple tint shining, Beth stirred in the back seat, and smiled at her.

"I like that you changed your hair." She whispered, letting the rest of the Gang Greene Gang sleep. "Looks good."

"Thanks," Cali offered a smile, and caught of glimpse of herself in the rearview mirror. Fuck, she looked tired. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept, in an actual state of sleep, not that weird in between where her body would shut down, but she could follow the conversations around her closely. "I kinda like it too." And she did, her hair had gotten longer over the winter, it was tied in a braid down to her shoulder blades now, and when it had started growing out, and the dirty blonde that was her natural hair color started peeking through, she couldn't stand it. She hadn't had blonde hair in years, she just couldn't help it. She wasn't that person anymore.

She was never going to be that person again.

So, Beth helped her scour through one of the houses that winter, it was the old lady's house, the one who had turned, and survived by eating all of her cats, where they found the Costco sized box of hair dye, which had maybe thirty boxes of the dark brown with purple tint in it. Beggars couldn't be choosers, so Cali had gone out in back, next to the creek, and she changed herself again.

She's gotten made fun of for that too, by most of the group. She just laughed it off, and said that just because she was a homeless street kid didn't mean she had to look like one, but she had to do it, it was important to her that she didn't look like who she used to.

Living in the past got her nothing, so she wouldn't bother with it anymore.

Suddenly, Rick's car in front of her was showing break lights, and Cali rolled her eyes. They hadn't gone that far from the last house, but hey, she sure as fuck wasn't going to say anything. Rick had his whole 'Ricktatorship' thing going, and no one spoke out against him. Cali pulled her car over behind his, and she snapped her fingers twice, waking up the car. Glenn and Maggie looked at her bleary eyed, and she jerked her head towards the windshield, where they could see Rick gesturing towards them to join him outside.

"Another one?" Glenn asked, rubbing his eyes, and Cali turned the key on the car.

"Looks like it."

"Well, maybe we can stay for a while at this one. Wish us luck." Glenn shrugged as he pushed the door open. Beth, Maggie and Hershel all piled out too, wanting to stretch their legs. Cali only smirked, and reached for a pack of cigarettes she's swiped from Daryl the last time she'd been sleeping next to him.

Luck? Yeah right.


While the group was inside, clearing the house, Cali leaned against the car, stubbing out her cigarette when she got to Lori's open car door, the expectant mother rolled her eyes. "You know you shouldn't do that."

"Yeah, I know." Cali grinned. "I'll stop with the baby's born."

"You said you'd stop when I got noticeably pregnant." Lori reminded her. "Then you said you'd stop when my boobs got bigger than yours."

Cali held up her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. I'll quit. I promise." Then she glanced at Lori. "And my boobs are still bigger."

Lori opened her mouth to respond, but they heard Rick's whistle, meaning they cleared the house, and Cali immediately went to grab her bag, and piled inside the house. When she walked in, the smell of death and decay hit her hard, and she swallowed back the nausea. She couldn't understand how that smell could still bother her, after everything that had happened. Powering through it, she went and plopped herself down in the living room, and looked around at the dejected faces around her. Few of them adjusted bags, and others had a few spoons in a jar of peanut butter, but Cali shook her head at that. Nothing sounded good anymore, nothing had really tasted good, her eyes met Daryl's and he pulled a few more feathers off the bird, and Cali actually smiled. "Shame. That one's cute."

"Fuck tha'." Daryl snorted. "Never liked 'em much. Creepy ass eyes." Cali was ready to respond, but Rick walked into the room, and she closed her mouth. No one really talked much around him anymore, because they didn't know when they could expect another breakdown.

After the night they'd escaped the farm…they just couldn't tell with Rick, not anymore, so the best choice was always to keep the head low, and pray that he'd start talking first. Carl crawled back into the living room, and just like every other time Cali saw him, she wanted to take some scissors to his mop of hair. She couldn't control that desire, but it was there, and she wanted him clean cut again, not looking like some flower child meets the Dukes of Hazard. Carl met her eyes, and he knew exactly what she was thinking, he shot her a smirk, and Cali almost considered diving for the kid, her hands were grasped around the metal instrument but Daryl reached out and pulled on her braid, something that annoyed the shit out of her, and she glared at him. He smirked at her, then winked at Carl, who smiled back and set down the two cans in his arms.

Cali looked up then, and her stomach sank when she saw the kid desperately working the can opener around a thing of dog food.

We have fucking failed this child. She realized, and clenched her fist. How the fuck was that possible? How could they try as hard as they did, and have nothing to show for it? Carl pulled the lid off, and Cali hated herself even more when she felt her stomach growl.

Hey, if dogs can eat it…

Rick stormed over to his son, and the food, snatched it, and tossed it away from him, leaving almost everyone in the room equally shamed, and hungry. He looked like he was going to say more, but T-Dog whistled from the window, and Cali's shoulders slumped, and she got a good grip on her bag. Not two minutes later, she was with the rest of the group, hauling ass out of the house, and diving back into the car. She found herself curled up in the front seat with Maggie shoving the keys back into the ignition, and the car peeling out of there, Cali closed her eyes, and listened to the other cars start up, and the motorcycle start up before she opened her eyes and saw what could've been their home disappear behind her, a few owl feathers still floating in the air.


When the cars stopped again, Cali immediately got out, and walked down towards the rear. They didn't even need to ask anymore, she knew where she was supposed to be. She hated it though, the isolation. The woods hadn't exactly been kind to them in the past, and she was sick of the trees, all the fucking trees.

She pricked her ears towards the conversation happening at point, and Camp Clueless arguing amongst themselves.

"It's like we spent the winter going around in circles." T-Dog argued, and Cali agreed. The winter had been horrible.

"Where could they possibly be?" Beth asked, shivering against the wall. Carl sat down next to her, and offered her a blanket. She accepted, and looked back out at the group. "It's been four days."

"We can't keep defending this place." Glenn shook his head. "We smell warm or something, we're getting Walkers flooding in on a daily basis. We have to move on."

"Without Rick and Daryl?" Hershel asked. "How are we possibly going to do that?"

No one spoke then, and they all shook their heads. T-Dog pulled his jacket closer around himself.

"It's been four days…out in that cold…I hate to be the one to say it-"

"Then don't." Cali spoke from where she was drowning in layers of flannel that the redneck had left behind. "We all know, but please don't say it." She ran her fingers to get her hair out of her face, and pushed it up, reviling blonde roots.

"We can't just leave." Lori said; hand over what was the beginning of a baby bump. "We wait one more day, then if they're not back, we have to assume the worst."

"I'm not sure we can wait one more day." Glenn shook his head and looked out into the snow covered darkness.

"They're probably thinking the same thing." Cali muttered, and brought the layers closer to fight out the impending chill. "One more day. Rick's been protecting us since day one, and Daryl's been feeding us since before that. Just give them one more fucking day."

"Cali-"

"Please? Please just give them one more day."

They didn't come back that next day.

"You mind if we stop by the creek? We need to fill up on water." T-Dog's voice brought her back to the summer, and Cali looked over her shoulder. Everyone was gathering up the watering jugs, and she assumed that meant she was to go help with that, so she made her way over there, and Beth handed her a jug.

"You okay?" Beth asked, and Cali nodded.

"Yeah, of course." Cali smiled and reached into the car for the almost empty smokes, and lit herself one, before turning back to her friend. "I think I'm just tired." She supplied, which made Beth smile, because who wasn't fucking tired? They started their way down to the creek, and they crossed paths with Daryl, who nodded at them both, before plucking the smoke from Cali's lips, and putting it in his own. "Hey!"

"Ain't good fer ya Nia, ya know that." He smirked, and Cali rolled her eyes.

"Come on, give it back, I'm almost out." She scowled, and crossed her arms. Daryl only shook his head, and took a deep drag. He threw his crossbow over his shoulder, and Cali narrowed her eyes. "Where you going?"

"Try'n find some food. Owl didn't much do shit." He answered, looking over at where Rick was talking to Hershel. Cali frowned, and shook her head.

"Be careful?" She mumbled, and Daryl pulled the smoke from his mouth, smirked, and pressed his lips against her forehead, and slid his pinky into hers before he walked past her, tugging on her braid once for good measure. Cali growled and stalked towards the river. "Fucking child."

"Don't act like you don't love it." Beth teased as they traveled down the slope to fill up the jugs. Cali did let a small smile cross her face.

"I kinda miss him." She mentioned. "Been a while."

"Since you got laid?"

"No, well, yeah, but that's not what I mean." Cali hit the bottom of the slope and sighed. "Wouldn't mind getting laid though."

"You and me both." Beth muttered before kneeling down to fill up her jug. "I miss Jimmy."

"Me too." Cali mumbled as she knelt down next to her friend. "But I miss sleeping. In one place, for more than a few hours."

Beth eyed Cali critically. "Have you been sleeping? I know you get in the back seat, and you close your eyes, but do you actually sleep?"

Cali snorted, and capped her jug. "Do you?"


"A prison?" Carol asked with a doubtful look on her face. "You want to shove us into a prison?"

"Jus' th' area around it." Daryl spoke up from the car he was leaning against. "'S surrounded be fence. Kill th' Walkers on th' inside, we might have us a shot a' something a lil more permanent."

"How many Walkers?" Glenn asked, and Rick shrugged.

"Not many, kill most of them through the fence, be an easier seize than we've done."

"How big is the space?" Cali asked, and Rick actually gave her a smile.

"Come on and see." He lead them through the woods, and brought them to the train tracks, where they walked in silence until they came to a clearing.

"Holy shit." Cali muttered, and her gaze locked on the prison. It was huge, and the moving dots around the premises that she assumed to be Walkers actually didn't number that high in comparison to the grounds. But, that was just the outside…how many Walkers were inside.

Everyone else seemed to be staring in awe at the place too, until finally, Glenn looked at Rick and gave a real smile. "What's the plan?"


This is a stupid plan. Cali decided as Rick clipped a hole into the chain link fence around the prison. She clenched the dented, bloodstained bat in her hands, and gripped the knife she'd picked up two houses after the old lady's tight. She didn't really want to play like this, but they would do what they had to.

The hole in the fence was open, and Cali grabbed Beth and pulled her through right after Lori, and the two of them stood in the gravel path that separated them from the Walkers on the outside, and the Walkers on the inside.

The ones on the inside were ugly, more decayed and rotted away then some of the recent Walkers she'd faced, and it made her believe that they probably weren't new, the outbreak had hit here early, and hit there hard. Good news, meant there was a very small chance of them running into any murders, rapist or child molesters, which was always a plus when trying to seize a prison, but the bad news meant that there was probably a huge amount of Walkers inside, just waiting for them.

Daryl waved his hand, and they took off following him down the trail, to a bigger opening and Camp Clueless gathered around. Rick stood at the gate to the field, and sighed. "It's perfect. If we can just close that gate, clear out the field…get rid of these Walkers, we could have it by tonight."

"Who's gonna close the gate?" Hershel asked, and Glenn swallowed.

"I'll do it." He sighed. "You guys cover me."

Hell no.

"No. it's a suicide run." Maggie shook her head. Glenn only sighed.

"I'm the fastest."

"No." Rick ordered. "I want you to take Maggie and them, and draw them over there, that way. Daryl, I want you to go back to that tower and take them out up there. Carol, you've become a pretty good shot. Take your time; we don't have a lot of ammo. Hershel, Cali, Carl, I want you up in this tower. Take them out. I'll run for the gate."

Cali cursed inwardly and switched her bat out for a gun, and followed Carl and Hershel up the stairs in the tower. The old Doctor looked back at her while they ran. "Your wrist going to be okay?" She glanced down at the jagged scar that spread across her wrist and she nodded.

"Hasn't hurt yet." She answered, and they continued up the stairs with the two men, before finally arriving at the top. Carl smiled at her, and she rolled her eyes. "Fine, whoever gets the most…"

"Wins." Carl finished for her, and took a Walker in his sights. Cali did the same, and she started picking them off. Cali focused on the herd closest to their tower, while Hershel and Carl worked on farther away. Her wrist might not be killing her, but she was still best with close range shooting. If she tried to shoot farther, the bullet usually went wide, not something she was willing to risk, so she focused on the one closest to her, keeping a close eye on Rick as he ran across the field, and made his way to the gate. Quickly, their fearless leader slammed the gate shut, and shot his way into his own tower. Cali grinned, and paused to make sure he made it up. When she saw a figure reach the top, she grinned again, and Carl and Hershel grinned next to her.

"Light it up!" Daryl yelled from a few towers over, and Cali and Carl opened fire, each going for whatever Walker they could hit, until finally, the last fucker fell, and the sounds around them stopped. Carl sighed and turned to look at her, expectant look on his face.

"Twenty one." Cali answered, and Carl grinned.

"Twenty five."

"Oh no way! Not possible."

"Actually," Hershel mentioned from where he was leaning against the railing. "I counted his too, thought he might try and cheat you. He got twenty five."

"Oh fuck me." Cali growled, and Carl laughed.

"You're about as good at this as you are at cards, Cali."

"Boy do not make me throw you over this tower." Cali snorted before pushing his hat over his face, and heading down the stairs. When she got down there, Daryl rounded the corner and mussed up her hair.

"No' bad kid."

"Thanks," she smirked, and pushed his hand away, trying to fix up her hair, but it was no good. She'd have to take apart the whole damn braid, but right now she didn't care. Daryl jerked his head towards her wrist.

"All good."

"Can't feel a thing."

"Still think it was worth it?"

Cali gestured to the empty field, and a real smile broke across her face. "How can you tell me it's not?" she argued as she passed Lori walking into the gate, and rubbed her tummy. "Thank you little Buddha!"

"Please stop calling my kid that."


After they'd started the fire, Cali went down, and she slept. Better than she had in months, better than when she had been able to sleep on the farm. After that, sleep had become few and far between, her pills had run out halfway through winter, and with Daryl suddenly becoming Rick's right hand man, she saw less and less of him, especially at night, which only kept her up more, because she'd worry, and she missed the body heat.

But laying there by Beth, and the fire, Cali was out, and she stayed out for most of the night. She didn't even move until Glenn was shaking her to wake her up, and she looked up at him with bleary eyes. "Hey." He smiled, and she grinned back.

"Yeah?"

"You wanna go take over watch from Daryl? Doubt he's going to say anything, but he's gotta tired as hell too."

Cali yawned, and nodded. "Sure, no problem." She looked over towards the overturned car, and saw the two figures on it. "Who's he talking to."

"Carol." Lori answered, chewing on a bone. Cali frowned, and got up, and headed over there, listening to the conversations about getting water in, and how good the soil was here.

Safe? Maybe this place would be?

When she got closer, she saw Daryl give Carol some kind of rub down, and a smirk crossed her face. She quietly leaned against the fence, and waited, but neither of the people on the car noticed her presence, and she just listened.

"Alrigh'" Daryl mumbled. "Let's go back."

Carol only shrugged. "It's pretty romantic up here. Wanna screw around?" She asked, and Cali's blood went to a boil faster than she ever thought possible, her hands went into fists, and she was immediately reminded of the last fight she went to over this man, although, Andrea hadn't made a move on Daryl, only shot him.

Cali preferred that to the other option.

But, it wasn't like Cali hadn't seen this coming either. The bitch had been putting the moves on him since last summer. The hickey had kept her at bay for a while, but apparently, Carol wanted some action, and T-Dog didn't meet her fucking standards.

Daryl froze for a moment, then he just snorted, and turned away. "'Ll go down first."

"Even better." Carol responded, and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Stop."

"Actually," Cali finally spoke up, and both of them froze. Cali idly wondered if Daryl had the 'deer in the sights' panic often, because it looked foreign on his face. "Daryl don't go down first. Ever. Gotta earn that." Cali spat, and Carol had just enough decency to look embarrassed, before practically sprinting back to camp. Daryl looked at the fire, then back to Cali and smirked.

"Didn't peg ya the jealous type Nia."

"Who says I'm jealous? I'm just merely stating fact." Cali smirked back. "You don't go down first."

Daryl moved a little closer, until he had Cali backed up against the fence. "Ya want me to?"

"Do I have to wait in line?"

Daryl smirked again, and shook his head. "Ya are jealous."

Cali snarled, and her face flushed red. "Just shut up and go back to the campsite huh? I'm taking over watch."

Daryl moved one of his hands from the fence, to Cali's back and slowly slid it down, until he could reach down and smack her ass. She yelped, and he smirked so wide, she figured she could call it a smile. "Ain't gotta worry about nothing, Nia."

"Who says I was."

"I seen tha' look before. Last I saw it, ya were staring at Andrea." He pressed a kiss against her neck. "Don' beat her up."

"Why not?"

"Wouldn't be a fair fight." He grinned into her skin, and Cali huffed out a laugh.

"Go back." She ordered, "I'm supposed to be on watch."

"Ain't nothing out here." He mumbled, and pulled away from her a little bit. "Trus' me. Ya don't have to stay out here. Com'n back."

"Don't wanna make your girlfriend jealous."

"Yer a fuckin' asshole."

"Whore." She spat back, and Daryl pushed off the fence.

"Com'n." He tossed his head back towards the fire. Cali set her jaw, then pushed off the fence, and followed him, his arm draped across her shoulders. "It bother ya tha' much?"

"I'm not talking about this anymore." Cali tried to shut him down. He sighed, and shook his head.

"Ya don't talk about much anymore."

"Nothing to say." Cali shrugged, and leaned into him slightly. "Just nothing to say."

"Never thought ya'd be th' one pushin' me out."

Cali closed her eyes and shook her head. "I'm trying, okay? I swear, I'm trying."

"I know, Nia." He answered, "Keep tryin' alright."

Cali stopped walking, and shook her head. "Go ahead, I'll be there soon." Daryl hesitated, but he nodded all the same and stalked back over to the fire, where Cali heard Beth start singing. The kid had a pretty voice, she sang all the time, before the new year, but after, well, things just…

Goddamn how did things get where they were? How does something that was so strong break apart so quickly? The Grimes family was broken, the Greene family was well on their way, and the rest of them, the stragglers who had lost everything, they were nothing now. She remembered telling Jimmy about what it meant to be a survivor, to be hard, and shiny and cold, but she never imagined it would fell so fucking empty.

Nothing was good anymore, but nothing was bad. Everything just was…

Broken.

Everything was broken.

And they had no idea how to fix any of it.


So what do you guys think? Please let me know! I love you all! I know it's shorter than what you're all used to, but I'll get back in my game soon, and trust me, the next chapter has something I think you'll like ;D

-Eris.