Ninety percent of you won't even read this, so all I have to say is thanks for reading and hope you enjoy! :)

After the terrifying events of the previous few hours, it was nice to catch a slight break at the quarry. Once everyone calmed down, I went and found Daryl and Merle, feeling safest with them for some reason. I looked around camp, holding Willow's hand, and took note of the new people.

There were three people that came in an RV, Lori, Carl, Shane, Carol, her husband and her daughter, and a mexican man and his family. All of us were shaken to the core- even the Dixon brothers, but I doubted they would ever be as open about it like the rest of us. I could easily guess that the kids were the most shaken. As Shane stepped forward to speak, I turned to Daryl and Merle. My heart stopped when I saw them.

Both of them were watching me, pale and frozen. "You guys alright?" I asked them softly as Willow squeezed my hand.

"Fine," Daryl said gruffly, looking down as Shane began to speak.

"We should all try ta get some sleep," Shane's voice boomed throughout the quarry, "We need rest."

"None of us are going to be able to sleep Shane," I dropped Willow's hand and stepped toward him, "We may as well set up camp."

"I think if we tried, we could get some," he snapped back at me, arguing.

"Yeah, maybe the kids," I grew irritated, "But us? Come on. If you really think that the mothers of these kids are going to be able to sleep, you're even dumber than I thought."

"Whatever," he growled at me, stepping another step toward me, "We are going to try and sleep."

"Who put you in charge?" Daryl asked, stepping between us angrily.

"No one," Shane sighed, "Jus' tryin' to keep some order here."

"You're doing a fine job Deputy," I spat at him, looking back at Willow, who was clinging to Merle, "I say we let people decide what they want to do," I paused, "If they want to sleep, fine. If not, they can help set up camp or keep watch."

"Fine," he tossed his hands in the air, "Y'all do what ya want."

"Willow, baby," I called over to her, "Come here." She ran over to where I was as Shane walked away. "Alright baby. I want you to go to sleep in Daryl's truck, okay?" she shook her head quickly, absolutely silent. I stared at her for a second before I put my finger on what was wrong with her. "Willow, you'll be okay. I won't be far."

"Aunty, I don't want you to go again," she stuck her thumb in her mouth, "I not sleepy anyway."

She yawned, her blonde hair falling back. I watched as her freckled nose scrunched up and her pale blue eyes shut. Her pink mouth opened wide and I couldn't help but smile. She was about forty-five inches tall- which was fairly tall for a six year old. Her blue overalls stretched with her body.

"I'll make you a deal," I crouched down and tugged on her overall straps.

"What deal?" her eyes widened excitedly.

"I promise to stay and sing to you until you're asleep," I whispered to her secretly, making sure no one overheard me.

"Okay!" she said excitedly.

I grabbed her hand again and walked with her to the Dixon's truck. We stood there for a moment, waiting for them to notice us as they unloaded the truck. When Merle noticed us, I waved slightly.

"Do you guys mind if Willow and I sleep in the truck?" I asked and decided to elaborate, "We don't have any tents."

"No," Daryl said shortly and walked to the side of the truck, pulling a door open, "Sleep well."

I picked up Willow in my arms and carried her to the side of the truck. When I set her down, she looked into my eyes curiously. I raised my eyebrows and laughed when she shook her head and climbed into the back. I climbed in next to her, closing the door behind me.

"What song baby?" I asked her, kissing her forehead as I covered her with her blanket.

She closed her eyes, hugging her bunny close to her. "Mommy's song."

I sighed and smoothed her hair back again. "You sure?" she nodded. Closing my eyes, I began. "Hey Jude, don't make it bad..."

It was a bright sunny afternoon in Georgia. You could smell the fresh peaches in the air, and taste the sweet nectar of their juices. It was truly beautiful. Which is why I wasn't surprised when my mother showed up to school that afternoon.

"Evalyn," she explained to me softly, her breath smelling thick with cigarette smoke, "I'll be back in awhile."

I stood there in my torn jeans, looking at her blankly. I reached up and moved my brown hair out of my face, trying not to hide my eyes from hers. Quickly, I cast my eyes down so I didn't look directly at her. Later that day, I realized I had been trembling as she stood in front of me.

"You be good for your daddy while I'm gone, you hear?" she raised her eyebrows. When I didn't respond, she glanced around the front office to make sure no one was watching. The fact that no one was happened to be a satisfying end for her, and a horrifying one for me. She reached back as far as she could and slammed forward with an open hand against my cheek. There was a loud smack that echoed throughout the room. "Stupid mute girl," she sneered, "Should have known I'd give birth to an idiot."

I didn't respond. I also didn't cry. I'd learned a long time ago that those two things were a death wish- especially with daddy. The big difference was that you could win with momma. With daddy, there was no winning. If you didn't respond, you were a retard and if you did, you were a smartass.

"Be good Evalyn," she said and I flinched away from her lips when she tried to kiss my forehead. "Bitch," my mother hissed.

She shocked me by not hitting me again. I watched as she walked out of the front doors, climbing into a car with a young man beside her. I shed a small tear when I watched her pull out a plastic baggy. Meth head, meth head. I could almost hear the kids teasing me in the class.

"I am not a meth head," I muttered to myself, barely audible, "My mother is, but I'm not."

That was when I decided to go home. It was two o'clock, and by now my dad would most likely be stone-cold drunk on the couch in our living room. I couldn't stay at school with a fresh bruise on my cheek right after my mother left. Honestly, I would rather face my dad than the students in class.

And so, instead of calling Nathan, I decided to walk to our huge house. If I was lucky, he'd be passed out instead of awake. Sadly, I was never all that lucky.

I sang the song four or five times to make sure that Willow was completely asleep. As soon as I was sure, I kissed her cheek and climbed into the front. I took a deep, shaky breath and wiped the tears on my cheek away.

The sky outside of the truck was now a dark blue instead of a black, and the white stars seemed brighter than ever. I rounded the corner of the back of the truck and nearly ran into Daryl. He ran a hand through his hair, blushing slightly as he looked down.

"Daryl," I breathed out, "You scared the shit out of me."

"Jus' comin' to say we took some of yer soup," he informed me politely and turned around quickly.

He stepped over to a log by a small fire and plopped down. Daryl began to work with his knife- picking at his fingernails. I didn't wait for an invitation because I knew I wouldn't get one. So, I walked over to the log and sat down beside him with a comfortable space between us. My head turned sideways as I looked at him, and I couldn't help but smile.

His hair was even messier than before, there were already dirt smudges all over his face, and his blue eyes sparkled in the light of the fire. Not only that, his sleeveless flannel was tight across the shoulders and chest and loose around the middle- leaving a lot up to the imagination. I felt weird studying him, but it was all I could think to do. Torn up jeans, heavy duty shoes... everything about him was harsh.

"Ain't polite to stare," he grumbled.

I blushed and cleared my throat. "Sorry Daryl," I whispered.

"'s alright," he spat into the fire.

"I know you want to ask me something," I looked at him again, trying to make eye contact.

Daryl looked away from me. "Nah," he denied it.

"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and stood up, "Where's Merle?"

"Takin' a leak," he responded quickly, looking up when someone approached.

"Fine," my voice grew smaller as I looked up to see Shane. I rubbed my face with my hands and dropped them. Daryl placed something in one of them softly, along with something cool in the other. I opened my hands and looked at them before smiling and nodding thanks to him. Lifting the cigarette to my lips, I asked, "What's up Deputy?"

"We need ta talk Eva," he ordered.

"I haven't taken orders since the day my daddy kicked me out Deputy," I lit the cigarette, taking a long, smooth drag, "Try again."

Shane sighed and snatched the lighter from my hands, "Smokin' is a pretty bad habit Eva."

"Like I give a damn," I pointed out.

"Didn't yer momma used ta smoke?" he asked me, taunting.

Ashamed, I dropped the cigarette and stepped on it. "Thanks for the thought Daryl," I muttered and looked back up at Shane, "Now what the fuck do you want?"

"Let's talk," he motioned toward his jeep.

"Hell no," I looked at him like he was crazy, "Anything you've got to say, you can say to me right here."

"Where's Audrey? Nate? Lyla?" he'd hit my soft spot and he knew it.

Tears came to my eyes as I stumbled backward. I wiped my cheek roughly and glared at him. "Once a dick, always a dick."

"Once a bitch, always a bitch," he retorted back smartly.

"Jesus christ," I looked up to the sky, which was growing lighter by the minute, "What the fuck Shane? Say what you've got to say and get it over with."

Shane stared at me for a moment before saying, "Willow sure has grown up since I last saw her."

"It's only been a year Shane," my eyes closed as I bit back the tears.

"I know," he sighed again, reaching toward me. I stepped back out of his reach. "You were eighteen then. Nineteen now. She was five then. Six now."

"No duh Deputy," I snapped.

I opened my eyes to see Shane turn his back on me. "Fuck you Eva," he growled, "I cared. I still do."

"Stop screwing Lori and maybe I'd believe it," I hissed softly, "How many times did you cheat on me Shane? Huh? Four? FIve? Or was it too many to count?" I shook my head and let out a little laugh, "At least you had the decency to not bring Willow into it. Horny fucking bastard."

"I ain't yer father sweetheart," he stopped and looked at me, a mischievous grin on his face, "I don't play with little girls."

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