"Your brother's a tough motherfucker," I said to Daryl, looking at the charred skin from where he had cauterised the his arm. I knew that had to hurt like a bitch, Goddamn. I didn't even know if I would have the strength to do that to myself if necessary.

"Ain't nobody can kill Merle, but Merle," he confirmed.

"He might be 'a tough motherfucker'," Rick said, sending me an annoyed look―using air quotes and all. "But anybody can die from blood loss. From walkers."

"You made it through Atlanta, didn't you?" I asked, giving him a look.

"I had help."

"And so will Merle," the look on my face was challenging, daring him to argue with me.

"Why do you care so much about Merle Dixon?" Rick asked.

"Hey, best be watchin' yer mouth," Daryl warned.

"The more we look for Merle, the longer I get to be away from Shane." And fucking laundry duty.

"Can I talk to you...for a moment," Rick said a statement, not a question, tugging my arm out of earshot of everyone else. His hand stayed on my bicep. "This is not some sort of game so that you can escape Shane. This is dangerous."

"So what, you wake up from a coma and suddenly you're king of the fucking apocalypse. Acting like you know shit all of a sudden," I glared at him. His grip tightened. Rick Grimes had never been one for unnecessary violence―I kind of liked this side of him. This side was darker. Dare I say sexy? I don't know, it was certainly something. Maybe he was into some kinky stuff. I was really curious now!

"I may not be the expert but I know more than childish games."

"If I'm being such a child, Rick, what're you gonna do? Punish me?" I teased. Too bad I might like it if Rick Grimes punished me. Bend me over his knee, smack my ass a bit. I was shameless. Oh my God, I tried to remind myself that he was married. That did Lori a hell of a lot of good though.

"Let's just get back to what we were doing," he said, clearing his throat and heading back to the group.

"What's the matter, Rick? Afraid you might like spanking me?" I asked, grinning. I saw Glenn's cheeks flush right away as he looked away. "Maybe you could instead," I winked at him. "Y'know, if Rick isn't willing."

"I swear, this is the most I've ever heard you talk," T-Dog said and I shrugged.

Daryl just rolled his eyes at us. "Ya wanna git back ta findin' my brother?"

"What's the matter Dixon? Jealous? You wanna spank me instead?" I rose an eyebrow.

"Let's fuckin' go," he said. I swear to God, I thought I saw Daryl's cheeks flush. That may have been my greatest achievement! Even better than graduating from medical school!

"If I was going to do porn, I could probably find a better looking group then you ugly lot." I had to find some way to entertain myself. If that meant messing with the rest of the survivors, I might as well.

"Did that just happen?" T-Dog asked out loud.

"Damn right it did," I grinned. Rick made a plan for all of us to follow. To get the guns from the middle of the street―this way we would be better armed to get to the truck. But of course, this was the fucking apocalypse and it went to shit. Glenn got kidnapped, taken by someone who I couldn't see. But we took one of theirs. I left the planning to Rick once again and I went along with the plan. We ended up arguing with some Mexican guys about the guns. In the end, Rick did the noble thing. Even if it wasn't the smart thing. He gave them half the guns. It may have been the "right" thing to do, but this was the apocalypse. Part of me wondered if we should be in a world of "every man for himself". It was a conflicted decision, really. Rick probably made the best choice for the options he had. That's what I would have to do, make the best choice for me, it was really the only solution.

"Fucking wonderful," I said, throwing my hands in the air when we found out our van was stolen. We had to walk back to camp. I signed up for a few hours away from laundry duty and Shane, not fucking walking.

XxX

When we finally got back to the camp, it was a massacre. We were fighting. All the fucking walkers kept coming out of nowhere. I heard a childish yell and I surprised myself by not hesitating. I found Carl very close to getting attacked―where the hell was Lori? Oh where the hell was she ever? I pulled my gun on the walker and grabbed Carl's arm. "C'mon, kiddo, gonna get you on the RV," I told him.

"It almost got me."

"Well it didn't, you lucky little bastard, c'mon now." I helped him to climb up the ladder.

"You get up there too," Rick stated from behind me.

"This is not the time or the place to argue with me," I told him.

"I don't have time for your stubbornness," Rick said, giving me a dirty look. I saw the oozing face of the walker from behind Rick. I pulled up my gun and fired a shot into its head.

"I don't have time to let you die. You've got a kid who needs you," I refrained from saying that he especially needed his father because his mother didn't do jack shit. So Rick and I fought off walkers while trying to get people up to the top of the RV.

XxX

I should've known this place would end. It was stupid to not think that this place would go to hell in a handbasket sooner or later. I wouldn't make that mistake. Comfortability was a weakness now that the world was over. I had to remember that. Staying alert would be the difference between life and death.

Speaking of alertness, I heard someone walking up behind me. The steps sounded heavy against the gravel. It was Rick or Shane, the two had a similar sound when they walked, maybe that was because they had a similar build, I didn't know, but I could recognise their steps.

"You saved my son's life," Rick stated, sitting down beside me on the rocks. "And mine."

"Maybe the two of you can return the favour some day," I shrugged. He just nodded beside me. And I let out a sigh. "Where are we going? Y'know...after this place?"

"Shane wants to go to Fort Benning."

"And I take it that's not where you want to go," I stated, wanting him to get to the point instead of beating around the bush about it.

"I want to go to the CDC."

"Finally, someone has the right idea. I was supposed to go there―that was how I ended up near here again." I had been living in DC and I was a doctor there―a neurologist, actually.

"You'll side with me, then?"

"Side with you? There are no sides," I stated. "It's not siding with you or Shane. It's deciding on what's best for the group."

"However you need to look at it," he sighed. "We're taking a vote―more or less."

"All right," I stood up from the rocks by the bank of the quarry.

"And, Sadie, I'm glad you're here...I missed you."

"Don't get all soft on me now, Grimes," I punched his arm and headed back to camp.

AN: So I'm not sure how I, personally felt about this chapter. I have a lot of ideas for moving forward, but we'll get there. If anybody has ideas, please mention them, whether it's through a PM or a review, feel free. And, usually I will not update two days in a row, but I feel accomplished because I just got my last English paper of the semester written (go me!) and I wanted to update. Though, the more reviews I get, the quicker I'll update. Thank you to all of those who have reviewed/favourited/followed. And few free to leave a review of whether you want Sadie to end up with Rick or Daryl

~Michelle~

P.S. Sorry that I didn't go into great detail with everything that happened in Atlanta, but, by now, most people have a really good idea of how everything went down-I've seen those episodes so many times-and I didn't find it too important.