I would like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Seriously, it means a lot. If you haven't done so, please do! I really want to know what you think. And now, for your enjoyment, Chapter 6. :)

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Addison's head was pounding.

"Daryl provoked him," she heard Lori saying. She assumed that someone had found Rick and Hershel. "She tried to break it up."

Sure enough, Hershel came around to kneel in front of Addison. He gently tilted her head up to look at her eyes. "Well, her pupils are reacting to the sunlight, so it doesn't look like there's a concussion." His hands moved to her nose, and Addison became aware of the slightly metallic smell of blood. "Just swollen," said Hershel, feeling along the bridge of her nose. He turned her head to the left and prodded at her right cheekbone. Addison hissed and dug her fingernails into her palms, resisting the urge to jerk away. "Looks like this got the worst of it. Bone bruise, I'd say. That'll be sore for a while." He turned to someone out of Addison's field of vision. "Beth, you and Carol go down to the creek and soak some of the washcloths. The water's cold enough that it might help a little with the swelling and the pain. Rick –" Hershel motioned for him to come over. "Let's get her to her tent." Addison felt a strong pair of arms lift her off the ground. She groaned as the movement jostled her head, worsening the steadily growing headache.

"Sorry," Rick said, and Addison felt him adjust his stride to keep from hurting her further. They ended up sitting Addison on a blanket outside her tent since Rick was unable to maneuver her inside without causing more pain.

Beth and Carol came back with the cold washcloths. Beth went to help Maggie with Glenn while Carol and Lori sat down next to Addison to clean her up. "Here," Carol said, gently pressing one of the cloths to Addison's cheek. "Hold that there until it's not cool anymore." Addison took it as Lori tilted her chin up to better clean her bloody nose.

"You really don't have to do that," Addison told her. "It'll be fine. Goes with the rest of the bloodstains."

Lori gave her half a smile. "He didn't mean it," she said, trading her washcloth for a clean one.

"What?" Addison asked, dropping her now-warm cloth on the blanket next to her.

"I mean, I don't know what's going on between you two, but as much as he appears to hate you, I know he would never hit you. He's not that kind of man. "Addison saw her glance quickly at Carol before she continued. "It was an accident."

Addison sighed. "Yeah. Though I don't doubt that he's wanted to hit me – hell, I've wanted to give him a good kick or two. It's just – Why is he so…" Addison paused, struggling to find the right word. "So un-personable, I guess."

Lori and Carol shared a look, and then Carol said, "This group has been through a lot, and Daryl's been right in the middle of most of it." They had both stopped cleaning her up, and Addison sensed that she was about to get the gritty backstory of the group.

"Daryl had a brother, Merle," Lori began, piling the dirty washcloths together. "They were both a part of the group before Sh- Carl and I joined. Merle… well, Merle was an ass. He treated everyone like shit, including Daryl. He kept Daryl on a leash. If Daryl went hunting, Merle took whatever he brought back and kept it from the rest of the group.

"One day, a small group went on a supply run. At this time, we were camped outside of Atlanta. They got trapped. Merle was being his usual self, so Rick handcuffed him to the roof for the safety of everyone else. Then the situation got worse and they had to get out quick. But there was an accident, and the key to the cuffs got lost. They didn't have a choice; they had to leave Merle there."

At this, Addison's eyes widened. "They left him? I get that he was a piece of shit, but –"

Carol shook her head. "They couldn't risk the whole group. There was only one chance to make it out; they had to take it, even if it meant leaving Merle."

"Can't imagine Daryl was very happy about that."

"He wanted to kill T-Dog, who lost the key, and especially Rick because he cuffed Merle in the first place," Lori replied. "But they convinced Daryl that his brother was still alive and those three and Glenn went back for the son of a bitch, despite it being such a stupid idea. Well, as you might've guessed, Merle wasn't there. He escaped the cuffs and ran off."

"Ever since Daryl got out from Merle's shadow," Carol went on, "he's been different. You could tell he wanted to be part of the group once his brother wasn't around. And he was – is. He really stepped up and became a big contributor. As you've seen, he's the main food provider; we'd be living off berries and mushrooms if it wasn't for his hunting abilities. He became much more comfortable around the group, didn't try to distance himself."

Addison frowned. "Doesn't seem like that now. His tent's way off to the side and the only time he spends around the rest of us is when it's time to eat."

"It's because of what happened to my little girl, Sophia," Carol explained quietly, her eyes downcast. Addison bit her lip, guessing what probably happened, because there was no little girl named Sophia in the group now.

Lori reached over and squeezed Carol's hand. "We were escaping Atlanta. Camp had been attacked. A couple hours later, we hit a traffic snarl and couldn't get the cars through, so we had to stop. Out of nowhere, this huge herd of Walkers came through. We had to crawl under the cars to hide. Sophia thought – she thought that the coast was clear a minute too early. A couple of Walkers saw her getting up and chased her into the woods on the side of the highway. Rick went after her, but… he didn't come back with her. He said he told her to hide while he drew the Walkers away and to head back to the highway when they were out of sight. Somehow, she must have gotten turned around. Rick and Daryl went back in after her, but Daryl said her trail went cold, and there was no use trying to find her in the dark. The next day, a bunch of us went to search… but we still couldn't find her. We had to leave the highway in case any more Walkers were headed our way. We left a sign and supplies in case Sophia made it back after we left. The plan was to go back every day to check if she was there.

"We ended up staying at a farm – Hershel's. That's where we met them. It was like a safe haven." Lori paused, clearly missing the days when they didn't have to worry so much. "It didn't last, obviously. But while we were there, Daryl went out every day to search for Sophia. It was like he felt responsible or something. One day, he brought back her doll, and he nearly died trying. He refused to believe that he couldn't find her after that, like that doll was some sort of sign telling him he was close. Around that time, we also found out Hershel and his family had different beliefs when it came to Walkers. They viewed them as people who were just sick. They kept any Walkers they found in the barn – I know; none of us were comfortable once we found out," she added, seeing Addison's reaction. "Tensions ran pretty high. Some people wanted to kill them all, but Rick and a couple others wanted to keep the peace with Hershel. But…" Lori sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "We had a hothead in the group. Shane. He and Rick were always arguing. He took it upon himself to break open the barn and shoot the Walkers. It was –"

"Terrible," Carol broke in, clenching her hands together in her lap. "They came out and met a firing squad led by Shane. Hershel and his family couldn't do anything but watch the people they knew and loved die… again. And when we thought it was all over, she –" Carol buried her face in her hands, unable to go on. Addison put an arm around the grieving woman's shoulders.

Lori took a deep breath. Her voice was shaking slightly as she took over for Carol. "Sophia came out of the barn. That's why Daryl could never find her. She had been bitten and turned, and then was found and put in the barn by Hershel's family. Rick… Rick ended it."

Addison pulled Carol closer. "I am so, so sorry," she whispered to keep her voice from breaking. She didn't know what else to say. There probably wasn't anything else to say.

Carol sniffed and pulled away, wiping at her eyes. "Daryl hasn't been the same since," she said, her voice thick. "He pulled away. I think he put so much pressure on himself to find her, and when… when it was all over, he became the old Daryl again. He distanced himself from the group, doesn't want to care about anyone anymore. It's not as bad as it was when his brother was around, but…" She sniffed again.

Addison bit her lip. "He thinks he failed. You said he basically made himself responsible for finding her, getting her back safe and sound. But when that didn't happen, he put himself under some sort of self-imposed solitary confinement. Maybe it's not that he doesn't want to care, but failing Sophia has made him seriously doubt his ability to help keep people safe…" Addison stopped, realization dawning.

Lori raised an eyebrow. "That's quite an understanding of someone you apparently hate."

Addison frowned. "I know it doesn't make sense. I don't get it myself, but… I get him."

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