NORAH POV:

"Why ain't you worried about being locked in that cell?" He asked after a long awkward pause. "I'm safer in here than out there." I said, motioning out the window behind him. He chuckled and raked his hand through his hair. "You've been alone since the beginning, and you're still alive?" "Yeah, I was with a group for about three days, then I realized that they were gonna get me killed. I don't play well with dumbasses. It seemed like none of them knew the first thing about staying alive out here. To be honest I left because I knew they weren't gonna make it and I didn't want to be around for that." He nodded picking at something on his shirt. "I know how that goes. My group here has gotten much better, they're all pretty decent shots now and they keep pretty level heads." I heard some noises from beyond my cell. The man watching got to his feet. "Rick sorta heads things around here, he's on his way to meet you." He paused frowning for a second. "I'm Daryl by the way." He said awkwardly. "Norah." I responded giving him a small smile. About that time a taller man with dark hair, and a boy that must have been his son, came up to the bars. "How's she doing?" The tall man, who I guessed to be Rick, asked Daryl. "She's doin' alright. She ate, and she's awake now, but goddamn is she a pain in the ass." He said shooting a playful look in my direction. Rick glanced back and forth between the two of us. "Well, Daryl seems to like you. How'd you manage that?" He asked with a grin. "My feminine wiles and abundance of charm?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm. "More likely that you're honest and only a little bit of a shithead." Daryl responded dryly. Rick's voice took on a serious tone. "Is there any reason that I shouldn't make you leave?" "None, and I won't beg. I can handle myself, but I may have some skills that could be of some use to you." I said. The boy was staring me down, analyzing me, guessing whether or not his dad would let me stay. "What's that?" Rick asked. "I have combat and medical training and I am a mechanic. I was a military medevac." " I'll have to talk it over with my folks, but for now," he turned his attention to Daryl, "is she safe to come out?" "Yeah, she's good." "I'm Rick, and this here is my boy, Carl." He said unlocking my cell. "I'm Norah, Norah Jameson."

"Thought you liked it in there." Daryl said glancing sideways at me. "I said it was safer in that prison cell than I have been in a long time." I returned rubbing my wrist. Once outside of my cell I was able to check out the true nature of my injury. It would heal just fine, but right now even breathing was a struggle. I tried to hide it, but every once in awhile I had to gasp to get my breath. A few more people came out to meet me, and one very unexpected person. A one month old baby was among one of the first to meet me. Rick introduced me. "This is Beth, and she's got my Judith." I looked at the two of them. "She's so young." I said in awe. "Beth's not my wife." Rick said in embarrassment. "No, no, I meant the baby, a month or so?" I asked. Beth nodded. "Yeah, her mama died in childbirth." "I'm sorry." I said looking at Carl and Rick. "This is Carol, Hershel, Maggie, and Glenn. Maggie and Beth are Hershel's daughters, and you've already met Daryl." Everyone seemed very interested in me, they wouldn't stop asking questions. My answers weren't satisfactory though, and the group soon fell silent. "Anybody got some jeans I could borrow?" I asked. Beth laughed. "No, but I am sorry about the dress, it's all I had." "By the way, who changed my clothes?" I asked kind of awkwardly. "I did," Carol said, laughing at me, "I got to you before Hershel, so I cleaned you up and dressed you." "Thanks, you even brushed my hair didn't you?" She nodded. "Figured I might as well, I would have appreciated it in your position." She said. "Well I certainly do." I said with a small smile. "You should," Daryl quipped, "you look a helluva lot better than you did when you got here, you looked like a half dead teenage boy." "Well, you still look like a trailer park threw up on you." I said scowling. "Bitch." He muttered. "Pussy." I retorted.

The room grew silent for a moment while everyone looked nervously between the two of us. Once they realized it was all in jest, they laughed hysterically and the tension dissipated almost immediately. I kept stealing glances at him. I could read him for the most part, but I still wondered what was going on in that brain of his. He had been making arrows, and adjusting his crossbow for the entire time we had been sitting there, but he glanced up now giving me a mock dirty look. I flipped him off, and he smiled shaking his head.