Chapter 2

Reagan hung on tightly to Daryl as the road back to the prison. Both of their bags were filled with things for the baby. It was getting dark and they both hoped that someone would be distracting the walkers as they came through. They heard banging on the fence and groans from the walkers. Glenn shot two or three down and Axel opened the gate for them. Daryl and Reagan ran into the cell blocks and the other three followed.

"Beth!" Reagan called and she ran over. Carl was holding the baby but soon let Daryl hold her. Reagan had the bottle ready as Daryl soothed the baby.

"Have you picked out a name?" Daryl asked Carl as he shushed the baby. "Here you go." He said as she latched onto the bottle.

"I was thinking Sophia, maybe Amy, Andrea, Carol, Jacqui, Patricia, or Lori." He turned his head at the mention of his mother's name. Reagan quickly went over to him and kissed his forehead.

"How about Little Ass Kicker?" Daryl suggested and they all, including Carl, started to laugh. Reagan had never seen Daryl be so gentle before. She didn't even think he knew how to hold a baby. It felt somewhat alien. "Huh? Do ya like Little Ass Kicker? You like that sweetheart?" He caught Reagan's eyes as he showed a quick smile. She was smiling softly at the newborn but soon pulled Glenn aside.

"Where's Rick?" she asked him and he looked down at the ground. "Glenn, where is Rick?" she asked more firmly this time.

"He's still in there." Glenn sighed and Reagan shook her head. "I tried to get him out but he…"

"Did he attack you?" she asked angrily and he nodded. "Son of a bitch." She cursed softly.

"Listen, Reagan, it's okay he's been through a lot." Glenn tried to reason.

"He needs to be here for Carl." She replied. She pulled out her tomahawk and walked towards the door. "I'm going after him."

"No! Aunt Reagan don't!" she heard Carl yell and everyone else went deadly quiet. She released her grip on the gate and turned towards the group. Reagan saw the look in Carl's eyes and realized, for now, she had to stay. When he fell asleep she would go after Rick. She put her tomahawk back in the sheath and walked back over to the group. She put her hand on Carl's upper back and patted it.

"I'm not going anywhere kiddo." She said and felt him relax. She was worried about Rick though. What if he went completely insane and just killed anything that moved? Axel and Oscar stood in the corner watching the group interact. They were like a large, screwed up family. The baby was finished eating and Daryl seemed to be at a loss. "Here." She said and walked towards him. He handed Little Ass Kicker to her and she propped her on her shoulder.

"How do you burp her?" Daryl asked.

"Yeah, how do you?" Carl asked.

"Well when you were little, I would hold you like this and just swing side to side." She started to sway as she held the baby's back. "Then I just softly patted your back until you relaxed." She started to pat the baby's back and talk softly to her. The baby relaxed and she smiled softly. "There you go, good girl." She said and kissed the side of her head. "I have some blankets in my bag." Maggie walked over and pulled out a pink blanket.

"Here." Maggie said as they both wrapped the baby in the blanket.

"Does that feel better?" Reagan asked Little Ass Kicker. The baby whimpered and she smiled.

"I can help make a crib." Axel said.

"That would be nice." Reagan said and Axel nodded. Axel looked around for anything that could be used. Herschel wanted to examine the baby a little more so Reagan gave her to him. Carl stayed close to Reagan for most of the day. He didn't allow himself to cry but she knew he was screaming inside.

Daryl had watch that night, like most nights. Rick still hadn't returned and he was getting concerned. Had Rick been eaten by walkers? He heard a faint noise in the background and turned quickly. He saw Reagan sneaking out of her cell with her tomahawk in hand. Carl must've fallen asleep. She was just about to go down the stairs when she heard the baby crying. She sighed and went over to the "crib".

"Hey there." She cooed. "Sh, it's okay. I'll get you some milk." She fixed the bottle quickly as she held the little girl. "Here you go Little Ass Kicker." She said but started to chuckled as the baby looked up at her. "I can't pull that off can I?" she asked and the baby whimpered as she ate. "I'll just call you LAK until we come up with a name for right now. Does that sound good?" she asked. She waited until the baby fell back asleep before she silently crept away from the crib. She turned and went to the door, opened it, and went through. Daryl quickly woke Glenn up so he could cover his watch and Glenn complained.

"She went after him!" Daryl said and that woke Glenn up.

"Catch her! I got watch!" Glenn popped out of bed and grabbed his hatchet. Daryl quickly went into the halls and got her in sight. There were walkers and blood spatter everywhere. She dodged the bodies and still had her weapon ready.

"Oh Rick, what did you do?" she asked quietly.

"What do you think you're doin'?" Daryl asked and she jumped.

"Rick is still out here." She replied. "I don't know about you but I'm worried about him. He needs to come back." They both stopped when they heard shuffling. Reagan was about to turn the corner but Daryl grabbed her elbow and pulled her back behind him. Rick stepped out from behind the corner, drenched in blood. "Rick?" she asked.

"Rick, come on man. Say somethin'." Daryl pleaded.

"She's dead." Rick said and Reagan ran over to him. She grabbed his hand but he pushed her away.

"Stop it." She told him calmly. "I'm gonna clean you up." She told her brother.

"Carl?" he asked.

"He's sleeping." She told him. "Daryl, do you have a rag?" she asked. Daryl reached into his back pocket.

"Here's some water." Daryl said and went over to Rick as well. Reagan cleaned off his face with the wet rag and Rick didn't even blink. His eyes were glued to the ground in front of him. "Come on man, you need to drink." Rick snatched the bottle out of Daryl's hand and took a long drink.

"You need to come back." She said.

"The baby?" he asked.

"Daryl and I went out and got a lot of supplies." She explained.

"Thank you." Rick said.

"Don't mention it." Daryl said as they walked back to the cell block. Rick went straight into his cell while Daryl thought Reagan would go straight to her cell. Reagan snuck outside and Daryl sighed. This girl just needed to sit down for one minute. He followed her outside and saw her climbing a watch tower and sitting on the roof. There were still stars in the sky but it was almost sunrise, they would be gone very soon. She sat with her legs bent in front of her with her arms wrapped around them. A soft breeze was occurring that night and she shivered. Daryl started to climb the ladder.

Reagan just needed some alone time just to clear her head. She loved the group but today was too much. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and turn away from the world for a minute. It's what she knew best to do. While her brother was best friends with the big man on campus and he was next in line, she had her close knit set of friends and a library in her room. When she wanted to get away from the world, she sat on the patio on the roof on the backside of their house, read a book, and listened to music, preferably Beatles. Or she would gawk at Shane when he, Rick, and some other guys would play football in the large backyard. Sometimes her friends would come over and they would have fun sleepovers and they would tell her how lucky she was to know Shane. Every girl in the town had a crush on Shane and for once everyone envied Reagan. She thought Shane was cute but knew he wasn't the boy she needed. She really thought he would get a girl pregnant in high school but that son of a bitch was that lucky.

Reagan sat on the roof overlooking the terrain. It was beautiful except for the walkers roaming the area. Some sensed that she was there and tried to reach for her but she blocked them out. She looked up into the stars. She saw one gleaming more than the others and smirked sadly.

"Hey Lori." She said softly. "I'm going to try and take care of them. I hope you know that. LAK is beautiful and she's not causing that much trouble anymore. Carl's taking care of her but Rick… he's having some difficulty. If there is some way you can help us out we need it. Rick went on a rampage and I don't know what to do. If there is any way you can help…please we just need it. I know we weren't the closest sister-in-laws in the world but you were my friend and I am very sorry that this happened. I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said about you, done to you, and I'm sorry I never forgave you. You were in a moment of weakness and I judged you for it. I forgave you a long time ago but I was so damn stubborn I never told you. I love you sis and sleep well." She wiped some loose tears away and laid down on the roof. She saw a boot stepping next to her and next some cargo pants. She propped herself back up and saw Daryl sitting next to her. "I don't care if you heard any of that."

"I'm not judgin' you." He said. "I've done it before."

"How's Rick?" she asked.

"He went to sleep as soon as he laid down." Daryl informed and she nodded.

"Good, at least he's getting some sleep." She replied.

"Why do you always think I'm gonna make fun of ya?" he asked.

"I don't know, I just go to defensive really easily." She said and sniffed in laughter. "The curse of being an FBI agent daughter and a cop's sister I guess." Daryl smirked. "I'm sorry."

"Nothin' to be sorry about." He replied. He knew how she felt. It was almost like they had switched places. In the beginning she was understanding and kind. Now she was harder and had built a wall around her. Daryl's walls had come down and after some talking hers seem to come down as well. "Rick'll be okay."

"I hope he will." She sighed. "I hope he realizes he needs to be for Carl."

"How's Carl?" Daryl asked and she shook her head.

"He finally let himself cry when he was about to go to bed. I stayed with him and sang to him until he fell asleep." She said. "He always goes to sleep when I stroke his hair and sing to him, no matter how old he gets."

"He's a good kid." Daryl said.

"The best." She replied. "He feels guilty because he snapped at Lori a couple of days before she died. I just can't understand why he has to go through this. It's just so tough growing up through this."

"It's tough growing up." Daryl told her and she nodded. The sun was finally rising over the land and light beamed across her face. "Come on, we're gonna go somewhere." He said and they both stood up. She followed him to the grave sites. There was one for T-Dog, one for Lori, and one for Carol who may or may not be dead.

"Daryl I don't-"

"Reagan, I think ya need to do this." He advised and she nodded. He reached into his vest and brought out a Cherokee Rose. He placed it on Carol's grave and Reagan had to look away for a minute as he fixed it. "They're over there." He said and she looked towards him. "The roses." She looked over to where he was pointing and walked over towards the roses. She pulled two from the ground and walked back to the graves. She took a deep breath and laid one on T-Dogs grave.

"Looks like you need a pick me up." T-Dog told her as she stared at a picture of her and Rick. She looked up at him and saw a broad smile that was infectious. He was holding a steaming cup.

"What's in there?" she asked.

"You like coffee?" he asked and her jaw dropped.

"How did you get coffee?" she asked.

"There was only a cup worth left." "He replied. "A little birdie told me that you love coffee so here."

"T-Dog I can't take this." She replied. It's the last cup, you take it. You deserve it."

"I will force it down your throat." T-Dog warned playfully.

"Alright, don't get all Sons of Liberty on me now." She giggled and he laughed. She drank the coffee and her eyelids fluttered shut at the warmth and taste of the wonderful liquid love, as she called it.

"How is it?" he asked.

"Don't ever tell anyone I said this but better than sex." She replied and he laughed a little harder.

"How ya doin'?" he asked. "I know it must be hard."

"He was my brother." She replied as she looked at the photo of them. "I'm just trying to take it all in."

"Lori seems to be handling it well." T-Dog said. He and Reagan were the only ones that knew about Lori and Shane. They had both caught them before and Reagan was that close to throwing up.

"You betcha, a little too well." She replied and T-Dog engulfed her in a large hug. T-Dog was really just a teddy bear.

"I'm always here for you White Girl." She laughed into his chest.

Reagan placed a little bit of dirt on the stem so it would stay in place and said a quick prayer. She moved over to Lori's grave and placed the flower on hers.

'Now be nice to her.' A text message from Rick read.

'I will, don't worry.' Reagan texted back. She was sitting at a coffee house waiting for Rick and his serious girlfriend Lori to arrive. If Rick wanted her to meet his girlfriend then that meant he was serious. She had only met maybe two other girlfriends before Lori so she was anxious to see what this one was like. She looked up from her coffee cup and saw Rick walking towards her with a thin woman with dark hair under his arm. She stood up and Rick attacked her with a huge hug.

"Hey sis!" he greeted and kissed her cheek.

"Hey bro!" she replied and they laughed. He pulled away and grabbed the thin woman's hand.

"Reagan, I want you to meet Lori." Rick said and Reagan stuck out her hand and Lori shook it.

Three months later:

"Hey bro, what's up?" Reagan asked her brother who was at the bar that night.

"You not performing?" he asked.

"No, me and the guys perform tomorrow." She said as she wiped down the bar. "What's up, I know something's up."

"I was going to wait to tell you until we were with Mom and Dad but I proposed to Lori." Reagan's eyes widened. "She said yes."

"Is she pregnant?" Reagan asked after some silence.

"What?" Rick sort of chuckled.

"Y'all have only been dating for six months, did you knock her up?" she asked.

"Reagan!" Rick replied, slowly getting angry. "I'm doing this because I love her!"

"You always said that-" she began.

"It doesn't matter what I said before, she changes it." He replied and she shut up quickly. "Look Reagan, I know it may seem a little crazy but I love Lori and I know she'll be a great sister-in-law for you. I know she'll be a great wife too."

"Congratulations." Reagan said sincerely and hugged her brother. She would be the best maid at the wedding. Not the maid of honor, the best maid. She wore a cute black dress with white outlines and Shane was behind her in a suit. Yep, they were sisters alright.

Not too long ago:

"I've known for a long time you were sleeping with Shane!" Reagan argued back when Lori was antagonizing her. Lori clammed back up and made her famous face when someone knocked her off her high horse. "That's right, I caught you two in the forests a couple of days after we were staying at the rock quarry! You think you can tell me how to be a perfect woman at the end of the world, huh? Do us all a favor Lori, go back, do the laundry, keep your legs closed, and your mouth shut!" The two girls stared at each other in silence. Reagan guessed that Lori wanted an apology or some sympathy but Reagan wasn't standing down. Lori wiped her eye and went back into the farm house. Reagan still stood there with relief on her chest that she had finally released all of her stress. That relief soon turned into regret. She never liked to say the things she wanted to say at the exact moment she wanted to say them. If she ever did get into an argument, she would keep the things that she knew would hurt people the most inside. She was rarely mean to people but Lori had pushed her over the edge. She was disappointed with herself for saying those mean things. Even though the world ended, she still wanted to be happy and help everyone else be happy. She started to cry in frustration and punched the side of the RV. The pain took a couple of minutes to set in and she clutched her hand to her chest.

Reagan placed the flower in complete silence. A tear fell into the dirt and she bowed her head to hide her face with her long locks of hair. She stood up but still held her face, she never liked it when people saw her cry. Again, she just wanted to curl up in a ball away from the world whenever she was upset. Since she was always a happy person, when something awful happened she took it hard. The walker apocalypse and Rick's "death" had taught her to be stronger and harder. Working at a bar helped out too. She learned to take things the way a person was supposed to take them. Not everything was sunshine and rainbows, it never was. She could feel her bottom lip quivering violently as she tried not to make a sound.