CDC PART ONE

warning beforehand: events are not at all as they were on the actual episode. neither is dialogue. And Daryl might be just a slight bit OOC. I tried my best to keep him as IC as possible, but... fluff for my favorite redneck, okay? But I did try so hopefully he's not too badly OOC.

But taking a breather, like she promised herself that night a week before, it was not an option. He was on her brain most of the next following days , because anyone who really looked at Daryl Dixon could just tell.. He was sort of coming apart quietly, but true to form, he was angry and surly, sneering and seething quietly.

She spent most of this particular day avoiding him. It just seemed like the best thing to do. She didn't know what she could say to make things better without making them so very much worse, she knew this because she'd tried every day since the day they came back from the ruins of the city minus Merle. She'd just sat down and taken out the magazine she'd bought with her during one of the last supply runs she'd went on when she heard the subtle flick of the Zippo he used for his cigarettes and smelled the smoke.

He sat there, quietly.

Neither of them really seemed to need words, honestly.

Finally, he spoke up and said quietly, "Spotted a walker, reckon it's gon be unsafe here soon."

"Yeah, earlier… Shane and Rick were talking about finding a new place. Rick thinks going to the CDC is a good idea. I'm just not sure. I figure that maybe when we're all on the road again I can just slip off. I can make it out there on my own. It'll be less stressful..." Lana started, not even getting to finish her thought because Daryl spoke up quickly, a stern and slightly angry voice, "Yer not leavin the group."

"It'll just be one hell of a lot less stressful. I can't sit here and watch what all this shit is doing to the father of my kid. I may hate him for what he's doing and where he's heading right now, but I can't watch the way she… Nevermind. Look, it doesn't matter anyway."

And then things went to hell in a handbasket in a matter of literal seconds. The Walkers slipped up on the camp and everyone was scrambling for higher ground, for weapons, anything to keep from being bit. Daryl stiffly picked Lana up and stood her in the RV, barked at her to go and hide in the bathroom or in the back with Carol.

"Lana's in the RV, ain't she?" Shane asked him, a glare as they fought off Walkers. "She is. Don't reckon it matters to you, Walsh. I got 'er inside, outta this." Daryl grumbled, a possessive tone he didn't quite pick up on but Shane did, as he stabbed a Walker with an arrow and yanked the arrow free again.

Shane fired off a few shots and pushed the whole thing just then out of his head. It killed him, he'd burned the bridge with Lana and he knew it… But stupidly, he just kept hoping she'd give him one more chance, he knew if he had one more chance he wouldn't screw it up this time. As soon as there was a break in things, he made his way in to check on her. "Lana!"

"Back here. I need more ammo, god damn it." Lana called out and Shane found her perched in the small window above the RV's double bed, fi ring shots out. "Get yer ass somewhere safer. If they catch ya, hon!"

"God damn it, Shane, I am not letting you two get hurt. And I'm damn sure not sitting in here like some princess in an ivory tower. So either hand me the ammo or move and I'll get it myself."

Andrea tossed the shells at her friend, earning her a glare from Shane as she did so. And then Andrea ran back out and into the midst of it all just in time to watch her sister get taken down by a walker. The tears came fast and she felt like throwing up but she ran over and fired off as many shots as she could. Unfortunately, Amy had been bit, the damage was done.

The last of the Walkers was down and everyone stood there shocked and horrified. What the hell were they going to do now?

Daryl made his way into the RV as the others started to argue over burning or burying their dead and Lana stood, made her way over, grumbling in annoyance as she saw a few scratches on him. He looked at her and said calmly, "We're gon have to leave. Place ain't safe no more."

"Yeah." Lana answered quietly, looking at her hands, trying to get her heart out of her throat. Everything that happened just now just made everything more real to her. Could she really do this, have a baby in this kind of a world? 'Yes. Because you love the baby and once upon a time, Lana, you loved their daddy too… and you'll make this work somehow.' she reassured herself mentally. She was lost in thought, she missed what Daryl said next.

"Rick said we're gon leave at first light."

"Huh?"

"Said we're leavin real early." Daryl said simply as he turned and walked away before he did it again, stood there too long, around her. Being near her threw him into this internal uproar, he wasn't sure if he liked it or not… It was different.

Lana gathered her things together so she wouldn't have to first thing in the morning. And then she went to sleep again, burrowing down in the blankets, her mind full of thoughts.

All of them about a certain hard as nails redneck, much to her chagrin.

When she woke up, the sun was just starting to rise and it was because she kept hearing somebody hissing her name through her tent flap. She peeked out and her eyes met his. "We're leavin."

She gave Daryl a thumbs up and grabbed her stuff, standing there a few moments, trying to decide where she'd ride. She was about to get into the RV with Carol and Sophia and Dale, but then Daryl stopped the truck next to it, his brother's bike strapped into the bed.

When she saw Shane heading her way, about to call her name, ask her to ride to the CDC with him, her mind made itself up spontaneously and for reasons unknown to her, she slid into the passenger seat of the truck Daryl was driving. "At least you ain't got a lot of shit." he mused as he put the truck into drive and started to get into line behind the RV and Rick's SUV.

The drive to the CDC was quiet mostly, neither of them really said much. Lana nodded off a time or two and the last time she nodded off, she inadvertently leaned against Daryl slightly. At first, he was stiff all over, and he started to wake her, but instead, he let her keep her head against him and kept his eyes fixed on the road, a tight grip on the steering wheel.

Having her in there sort of made things less lonely for the man, though he'd die a thousand agonizingly slow deaths before ever admitting it.

CAVEAT LECTOR:

Another chapter written and posted and woooow... I logged on to 10 reviews. TEN. I didn't even expect one from anyone. I honestly think my writing is v. shitty. And not only that, 12 favorites and 17 follows! For that many people to actually want to read this, it... It blows my mind and it definitely means the entire world to me, you have no idea how much so. I just wanted to take time out to thank you all, every single one of you, for the encouragement you give me because without it, I probably wouldn't have kept going with this small grain of an idea that I had at first.

LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH.

Also, sorry if Daryl is OOC at times. I try my very best to make him not be OOC, but obviously, things have to change a little for him 'falling for someone' to work. And it won't be perfect or sappy or anything either, trust me. I've actually sat down and started outlining things. This chapter was the first part in the CDC episodes, the next part will be the conclusion to that.

Soon, dearies.. Soon you'll know who I've chosen. If you haven't figured it out already. In the meantime, have some non fluffy fluff.