Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead.

CHAPTER FOUR

After that small tidbit with Lori, I'm sitting with Haylee in the shade near our tent while she is trying to write her ABC's, next to Gracie as she plays in her playpen next to us. I look up to see Jack helping some of the other men lug water to the fire so that it can be boiled, then over to Anna who is sitting near the other kids but is still not playing with them.

"I can't do it!" Haylee said throwing down her pencil before crossing her arms and pouting. I reach to the ground it pick it up with only a little bit of pain when i bend wrong. "You are doing fine Haylee. See here you just need to bring this line down ok." She just looks up at me still pouting. "Ugh, fine go play." I said waving over to the other kids. "Yay thank you." She giggles before running off to play with the kids.

I pack up her stuff, back into her bright pink backpack. I set the bag down in the playpen and then pick up Gracie, who looks like she is starting to get hungry. We are almost to the tent when I see Lori going off into the woods. "Oh I so called it." I whisper to Gracie who is chewing on my hair. "No don't eat that, I'm getting you some food just hang on."

It is some time after lunch when Anna and I check up on our clothes to see if they are dry yet. I felt weird about hanging up our underwear, but I just covered them with a shirt or something. I look up hearing thunder in the distance. "Man it would suck to put all these clothes up to dry only to have it rain huh." She just nods her head but I see a small smile on her face. "Can I go play?" She whispers so softly that I almost missed it.

I was so shocked that all I could do was nod my head and as she walks off I had to cover my mouth as I tried not to cry. Dale who was nearby saw this and comes over and rubs my back. "It's ok, at least she trying now. That's a real good thing." I just stand there too afraid to say anything or I would start bawling.

We just watch as she walks over to Sophia and Eliza and she sits down not saying anything but Sophia hands her a doll and they start to play. "Ugh I have to do something." I said shaking my head while wiping my face trying to think of something to do so I won't just stare at her.

I start going through my Expedition, since we have eaten almost all the food and stuff like the stroller, playpen, tent and blankets ae out, it needs to be re-organized. Since we left home so quickly and just threw everything in, it was a mess.

I'm about halfway done when the CB radio static starts up again. I close my eyes when hearing T-dog say that they are trapped. I watch as Shane tells Amy no one was going to go help. "That's my sister, you son of a bitch." Amy said before running off, Lori not far behind her. I shake my head at him and before going back to finishing putting things away, trying real hard to not think about them, hopefully they can find a way to get out of there safely.

I just finished and closed the trunk door when Jack walks up. "What are you doing?" He asks looking at all the empty boxes and bags. "I just went through the car. I even have a cubby hole behind the back seats when they are up. Anna can sleep in here if she wants, they would all have enough room now with the seats down." I tell him while walking back to our now dried clothes and start folding them with his help.

"You were right about Atlanta, I'm sorry I asked last night to go." I stop folding to look at him. "Yes I was right, but so were you and as much as I don't want it to be, you're not a kid any more. You and Anna both, you guys had to grow up way to fast." I said taking a deep breath. "I know you just want to help but you need to think first, because if you get hurt your also hurting Anna. She's been through too much to lose you too and me, I can't lose any more family ok." I said tearing up. He just nods and hugs me before going off somewhere to help around the camp.

I wipe my eyes before finishing folding the clothes. When I'm done I walk over to the playpen and pick up a yawing Gracie and after making her a bottle I take her into the tent for a nap. Sitting down I lay her on the sleeping bag and cover her with a sheet. I give her the bottle while lying down next to her both of us falling right to sleep.

I wake up to a high-pitched noise of a car alarm. I get up yawning and leave the tent to see Glenn stepping out of a red sports car then to a moving van that is pulling up. I can't hear what they are saying from the tent but I watch Amy as she runs to Andrea and Morales to his family.

I walk up to Haylee and I pick her up as I watch Lori trying to comfort Carl. I had to look away when he starts to tear up. I turn around to see a new guy in a cop uniform getting out of the new box truck.

"DAD, DAD!" Carl screams suddenly when he sees the new man and he run to him, the man falling to his knees as he hugs him. I squeezed Haylee tighter and look to Anna then to Jack, knowing that they would never get to see their parents again.

I'm happy for everyone, I really am, but it became just to much so I had to walk away, so I go back to the tent, Anna and Jack not far behind.

I sit near the fire that night next to Jack barely listening to Rick as he talks about how he got to Atlanta. All I can think about is Merle being left behind. I don't even want to think about what Daryl is going to do when he gets back. I half listen as the others talk about how and what they were going to tell him when he does come back.

"My point is that Dixon's alive and his still up there, handcuffed to that roof, that's on us." T-dog said before getting up and walking away. I sit there for a minute before getting up as well and going to check on the girls.

Anna's now sleeping in the car since it is far more comfortable and warmer in there. Walking to the tent I change into my clothes quickly before laying down, hearing the rain in the distance as I fell asleep.

The next morning I sit there with Tonya as she looks over Haylee, who had hurt her ankle while playing tag, I just wanted to make sure it was just a sprain. I look in the stroller to see that Gracie's light blue dress is bunched up, I go to fix it when I hear the other kids screaming in the distance.

I look at Tonya who yells 'go' and I jump up grabbing my side when I pull the stitches and I take off running to see Jacqui and the kids coming around some bushes, I run faster and skid down onto my knees in front of Anna who is shaking like a leaf.

"Are you ok, what's wrong, what is it?" I yell checking her all over. "It was a boogieman." She whispers before throwing her arms around me crying and I watch a several of the men go to take care of it. I get up and help Lori, Miranda and Carol gather the kids into the RV.

After we get them to stop crying, they leave to go talk outside. I start to read to the kids hoping to get them to calm down even more.

"And you just left him there!"

I stop reading when I hear Daryl yelling outside. "Damn it." I said handing Jack the book so he can keep reading to them. I push aside Lori as I leave the RV to see Shane choke holding Daryl. "Your brother does not work or play well with others." Rick tells him after Shane let him go.

"It's not Rick's fault. I had the key. I dropped it." T-dog said looking at him. "You couldn't pick it up?" Daryl asked looking back at him, trying to catch his breath. "I dropped it in a drain." T-dog said as Daryl gets up from the ground. "If that's supposed to make me feel better, it don't." Daryl said walking around, he looks at me and I go to say something but no words would come out.

He wipes his eyes and I had to look away, as T-dog tells him about pad locking the door. "To hell with all ya'll. Tell me where he is so I can go get him." He said looking around.

"He'll show you isn't that right?" Lori said only looking at Rick. "I'm going back." Rick said and as Lori walks backed into the RV, I watch Daryl as he walks off.

I go and grab the first aid bag from my tent before going to his, just to see him just sitting there. I step inside and sit next to him. "I'm sorry." I whisper while getting out the peroxide to clean his scraps from his fight with Shane.

"Why? You didn't leave him there." He said as he watches what I'm doing. "No, but I wanted to tell you so it wasn't so blunt or with everyone watching you, for some kind of sick entertainment." I said putting some of the peroxide on. Seeing him wince, I blew on it before lightly wiping it away with a cotton ball.

"You gonna tell me not to go?" He asked looking outside and I look to see Lori arguing with Rick, that's probably what she was doing. "No, he's your brother. If I knew that there was any chance my brother, my parents or any of my family was alive, I would take it." I said tearing up so I looked away and start packing the bag back up.

"All I can do is say stay safe and come back. I'm going to pack a bag. it will have some water, food and a first aid kit. He's going to be dehydrated so just tell him to drink slowly..." I stop as he grabs the back of my head and caresses his lips to mine softly, like he was unsure if he should have kissed me or not.

When I start kissing him back he grabs my waist with his other hand and pulls me towards him, which brings me up on to my knees, with my arms around his neck. We pull away trying to catch our breath as he leans his forehead to mine.

"I'll come back alright." I just nod pulling away before we get up and walk outside. I start walking to my tent to pack a bag when I over hear that Glenn is going, so I walk over and grab his bag to pack for him to take instead.

"Let's go!" Daryl yells after honking the box trucks horn. I quickly run and set down Glenn's backpack in the back of the van, giving him a small smile before looking at Daryl.

We stare at each other until T-dog climbs into the back, nodding a good bye to them all. I turn and pass Rick and Shane before going to check on the kids, I turn around to see Daryl watching me walk away, I wave as he shut the door down.

I watch as Sophia, Anna and Haylee play with some dolls while rocking Gracie, trying to get her to stop crying, she started teething again. All of a sudden Ed comes walking back into camp and he walks towards his tent his face all bloody and beaten with Carol crying after him, telling him she is sorry.

I grab Sophias arm before she can get up. "Why don't you stay here hun ok? Your mama's fine. Let Tonya look at him and you can see them in a bit ok." She nods then goes back to playing, but not as happy as she was before. I watch Amy and Andrea as they carry a canoe to a car since they are going fishing. "Good luck!" The girls and I said waving them off.