Author's Note: Like I've told the readers from my Red Canyon fanfiction, if you have any ideas or suggestions for the next chapter – when I get the chance to get started on it and I'm starting to kick some ideas around – you're always MORE than welcome to shoot them my way. I love hearing from the readers and I promise I'm not hard to get along with. I enjoy making new friends and it never hurts to listen to ideas that readers have. Hell, sometimes they can come up with better ideas than the writer themselves can at the time. So you're always welcome to message me about anything.

Chapter 7: So Many Secrets

~*Andrea*~

Andrea headed out of the laundry room, completely determined. She saw Rick talking to Ana in the kitchen and headed down the hall to his cell. She'd wait for him there and make her move when he got there.

She got her chance a few minutes later. She heard heavy feet shuffling down the hall and held her breath. Rick turned into his cell and she gave him a bright smile. She just hoped he couldn't tell that it wasn't sincere. If he saw through her façade and could tell that it was all fake and she wasn't really interested in him, her plans would all fall through.

She crossed one leg over the other, thankful that she'd worn shorts that day, and her smile fell into a big pout as she told him, "I've got somethin' I wanna talk ta you about, Rick."

"And what's that?" he asked her, standing in front of the opposite bed and crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for her to start in.

Her pout grew bigger when she saw that he wasn't going to come sit next to her on the bed.

"I thought Ana and Bella were supposed to leave after Ana got back from that hunting trip with Daryl yesterday," Andrea commented.

Rick shook his head and informed her, "Ana decided to stay and I haven't heard any complaints out of any of the members of this group after she came back."

"You really think it's a good idea to keep them around?" Andrea pressed.

"Well I don't think Kyle, Liam, or Steph are complainin'. She saved their lives, ya know. And she makes patrols on horseback ta make sure there aren't any holes in the fences that surround the prison grounds, that no walkers have gotten onto the grounds. She's helped cook meals, provide food for the group, AND do their laundry," he pointed out, "She's also been givin' Carl riding lessons and teachin' him how to help out around the prison and prison grounds. Hell she's done more for the group than some of us men have lately!"

"You really trust her around your son, Rick? You trust her around your BABY?" she questioned.

"I think Ana's paid more attention ta that boy than even his mother did. And, as the leader of the group, I don't exactly have a lot of time ta spend with the boy. I know I should but I just don't. There are too many things ta be done around here. I wish I could spend more time with him but I just can't. So I couldn't be more thankful that Ana's stepped in ta look out for Carl and Judith," Rick explained.

"But she's a FREAK!" Andrea cried, no longer able to keep her cool.

Rick's brows rose and he let his arms fall to his sides as he stated, "Andrea, I think this conversation is over. As the leader of this group, I'm the one that has the final say on whether people stay or go. Ana's never done anything wrong since she's been here, Andrea. She's good for this group. She stays."

"And Bella? You've seen what she's capable of. Hell she slammed me up against the cell bars right in FRONT of you, Rick. She threatened to KILL me," she reminded him.

"Yes she did, AFTER you slapped her," he pointed out.

"What about the time she gave me a bloody nose in the kitchen? I didn't do anything to her then," she insisted.

"Daryl, Ana, and I will handle Bella. If you're afraid of her, I would suggest you steer clear of her-," he started to say.

But she interrupted him to inform him, "I am NOT afraid of Bella."

"And I'm not stupid," he remarked, "I'm the leader of this group, Andrea. If I feel that someone is a threat to the group, I'LL deal with them as I see fit. If Bella gets out of line, you come tell me what happened and I'll take care of it. But you seem to be on her shit list already. So I wouldn't advise provoking her anymore. She's given you a few warnings before she lashed out and she could've done worse than she did. I'm not sayin' it was right. But you got lucky. I think it'd be best if you just avoided her as much as possible."

Andrea shook her head, getting to her feet, and took a couple steps closer to Rick, her lips curling downward into a pout again as she said, "I think it's awful sweet of you to give those girls a place ta stay, a group to belong to, Rick. I think you're misunderstanding me here. I'm not sayin' you should kick them out on their asses. I'm sayin' I think you should just keep an eye on them is all. For your sake, for Carl's sake. Hell for EVERYONE'S sake."

She took another couple steps toward him and tried batting her blonde lashes at him. His brows wrinkled and he just stared down at her warily. She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him and sigh, choosing to lean up and press her lips to his instead.

Andrea felt him start to pull back and she brought a hand up behind his head to sink her fingers into his wavy locks and make him stay.

But he reached up to loosen her hold on him when her tongue prodded at his lips, stepping to the side and moving away from her. In fact, he walked clear out of the cell, putting some distance between the two of her and leaving her standing inside his cell by herself as he reached up to scratch the back of his neck and look down at the floor.

"Andrea, whatever you think this is, it's not," he told her, "I'm not interested in you like that. If you think I've ever flirted with you, I haven't. I never meant ta give you the idea that-,"

But Andrea shook her head, heading for the cell's entrance, cutting him off to say, "Stop."

Rick stopped mid-sentence, watching her suspiciously as she walked out of the cell and towards him.

"Just stop," she snapped at him, glaring up at him with her pale green eyes, "You don't hafta say anything else. I get it. Just save your fuckin' breath."

His brows rose and he blinked as he looked down at her. She headed down the hall, making her way to the laundry room to recollect her pride and what was left of her dignity. She needed to cool down.

But wouldn't you know that it was JUST her luck that she found Ana in there, folding the group's laundry for them and putting it into a big basket.

"Oh. Hi, Andrea," Ana greeted her, offering her a cheerful smile.

Andrea's eyes narrowed into little slits. The cheeky little bitch! SHE was the reason Rick had turned Andrea down. Well she was going to teach the bitch a lesson. Maybe then Ana would steer clear of the group leader and give Andrea the opportunity she needed to convince Rick that it was HER that he wanted, that he NEEDED.

"Don't you 'Hi, Andrea' me," Andrea snarled at her, marching right over to her.

She got right into the younger woman's face to snap, "You stay AWAY from Rick, do you hear me?"

"RICK?" Ana questioned, looking quite confused, "What would you want with Rick? You've never seemed interested in him before."

"Oh! So you're not denying that you're tryin' ta weasel your way in and SNATCH him up?"

"What? No! I'm not tryin' ta win Rick over. Hell I'm not even INTERESTED in Rick. He's not exactly my type," Ana stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Now you're just lyin' to my face," Andrea accused.

Ana's brown brows furrowed a bit more in confusion and she informed Andrea, "I am NOT attracted ta Rick. He's a good group leader and all but he's not the one I want. I might be interested in a man from this group, Andrea, but it's not Rick. I've got NO interest in Rick like that."

"You LIAR!" Andrea shrieked, bringing her fist up to make a solid connection with the side of Ana's jaw.

She heard Ana gasp and saw her hazel eyes grow real wide as she reached up to press a hand to her injured jaw. The little brunette narrowed her eyes at Andrea a bit.

Ana went back to folding the last of the laundry without a word. When she'd finished, she picked up the basket with both hands and headed for the door.

She stopped when she was standing right beside Andrea, stating once more in a firm tone, "I am NOT interested in Rick."

She headed out the door and left Andrea standing in the room by herself, realizing that what she'd just done probably wasn't a good idea. But Ana had to be scared of her to just walk away without raising a fuss… Didn't she?

~*Ana*~

Ana went to start handing everyone's laundry out. She found Rick in his cell, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands.

She asked, "Is this a bad time?"

She didn't want to intrude if he was busy.

He lifted his head out of his hands and turned his head to look at her.

"Nah," he answered, giving a half-hearted wave of his hand for her to come in, "Come on in."

He sounded just as deflated as he looked.

"I can come back later," she told him, already starting to turn around.

"It's all right," Rick reassured her, "Thanks for doin' that by the way. You didn't have to."

She turned back towards his cell and he gestured with one hand towards the laundry basket. She smiled at him and came into the cell to set the basket down on the floor beside his bed.

"It's not a problem at all," she assured him, "Gives me somethin' ta do, keeps me busy, ya know? And it helps to relieve a bit of the workload off from the other women."

She fished into the basket to pull out his and Carl's clothes, setting them in neat little piles on their beds.

"I think this is all of your and Carl's clothes. If I missed anything or if some of this stuff isn't yours, just let me know. I'll go fetch yours if I gave it to someone else by accident or I'll take someone else their clothes if you got theirs. I'm still learning what everyone wears," she joked.

He gave a little chuckle and nodded his head, telling her, "Will do."

She picked up the laundry basket and said, "You know… if you wanna talk ta someone, just let me know. We all need someone ta listen to us every once in a while. We all have our ups and downs. And sometimes our downs can really bite us in the ass."

He nodded and gave a laugh that lacked any humor, looking up at the wall in front of him as he commented, "Yeah they can."

He seemed so distracted. She couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

"Just don't bottle it up," she murmured quietly, "Talk ta someone before it gets too bad, if it gets to that point."

With that, she headed out of Rick and Carl's cell and started to set everyone's clothes on their beds. She went from cell to cell, finding that no one seemed to be in their cells for the most part. The fewer people she saw, the fewer questions she'd get about the bruise she knew was forming on her jaw.

Ana got to the cell she shared with her sister and found Bella in there, sitting on her bed as she cleaned their weapons.

"Hershel was givin' me the eyeball while I was tryin' ta clean 'em in the kitchen, sittin' on the countertop-," Bella started to explain as she looked up.

But her previous statement was cut short and she jumped up off the bed, tossing the knife she'd been cleaning down onto the bed as she demanded, "What the HELL happened to your face?"

"Bella, please," Ana started to protest.

"No. You tell me what happened," Bella insisted, cutting her off.

"No," Ana replied, "I know EXACTLY what you'll do if I tell you."

"No?" Bella questioned, "NO?"

"No," Ana repeated, shaking her head as she reached into the laundry basket to pull out their clothes and set them down on their beds.

"Ana, I'm not gonna ask you again," Bella informed her, before it was as if a thought hit her and she asked, "Did Daryl do this ta you?"

"GOD no!" Ana was quick to answer, "Daryl wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, well, we'll just see about that," Bella retorted, heading out of their cell.

"Bella," Ana called from inside their cell, leaning her head out of the cell's entrance.

But her younger sister kept RIGHT on walking.

"Bella!" Ana called a little louder.

But, still, her sister didn't stop.

Ana sighed and set the basket back down, hurrying out of the cell she shared with her teenage sister and down the hall.

"Bella, Daryl didn't do this," Ana informed her sister when she'd nearly caught up to her.

"We're about ta find out, now aren't we?" Bella replied.

Bella marched RIGHT into the kitchen and walked RIGHT up to Daryl, demanding, "Did you do this?"

"Did I do WHAT?" Daryl asked, turning around to face the girls, Judith held in his arms as he fed her a bottle.

But the bottle and the baby were BOTH passed over to Maggie as he saw Ana's face.

"What the HELL happened to your face?" he questioned, reaching out to gently cup the uninjured side of Ana's face in one hand and using a couple fingers from the other hand to tilt her head to the side a little so he could get a better look at the nasty bruise on her face.

"She won't tell me," Bella snapped, setting her hands on her hips, "I wanna know if you did it because, so help me GOD, Daryl, if you did this-,"

"I didn't fuckin' do it!" Daryl snarled at her, glaring at her with those intense, blue-gray eyes full of anger.

His nostrils flared and his jaw clenched and Ana knew just how pissed he was.

"I would NEVER lay a hand on Ana," Daryl growled at the younger Spenser sister.

Ana cocked one brown brow and Daryl pointed out, "I might've raised my hand at you but I never fuckin' touched ya, Ana."

"You WHAT?!" Bella practically shrieked.

"Bella, he didn't hit me. He didn't hit me when he had the chance and he didn't leave this bruise on me either," Ana told her, "Daryl's only raised his hand at me ONE time and, sure, we might have had an argument a couple days ago but all it took was one comment from me and he lowered his hand. He hadn't even realized that he'd raised his hand at me in anger. And, in his defense, I slapped him first. He wouldn't hurt me, Bella. It'd tear him up inside if he ever hurt me."

"You slapped him?" Bella asked, her head snapping around to look at her.

"I won't disclose the reason but yes. And I sincerely apologized for it. I felt GODAWFUL after I realized what I'd done. He KNOWS I'll never be able to tell him just how sorry I am. I wasn't thinking. It just happened. But that has NOTHING to do with this," Ana explained.

"I want a name," Daryl said, his voice low as those blue-gray eyes pierced her with the most intense gaze.

She knew that tone. That was his "no-nonsense, Ana" tone.

She lowered her eyes to look at the floor, not meeting his gaze, and told him, "No."

"Ana, so help me God, if you don't tell me, I'm gonna question EVERY single one of the members of this group 'til I find out who did it," he stated.

Her head snapped up and she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Daryl, I don't wanna start a fight!" she tried to reason with him, "I know that you'll blow up on whoever did this and I know Bella will too. I don't wanna cause a problem."

"Whoever did this to your FACE caused a problem, Ana. And I'm gonna fuckin' fix it," his deep voice rumbled.

She looked down at the floor again and nibbled at her lip nervously.

"Who did it?" he questioned one more time, "I'm not gonna ask you again, Ana."

She knew Maggie and Glenn were watching anxiously and she finally murmured quietly, "I can't say."

"They're dead," Daryl said as he headed for the doorway of the kitchen.

Bella and Ana were quick to follow after him. Ana knew that her sister was just as eager as Daryl to get her hands on whoever had hurt her. But Ana wanted to avoid a fight between the members of the group as much as she could.

She saw Rick coming out of his cell and Daryl growled, "Did you know about this?"

"Know about what?" Rick questioned as the group met up.

Daryl pointed to Ana and said, "Her FACE. You mean ta tell me you don't see that bruise right there?"

Ana hung her head and Rick tilted his to the side, approaching her and gently taking her face in his hands to look at her.

He gasped and asked, "God, Ana! What happened ta you?"

"Do you know who did it?" Daryl demanded, "Do you have ANY idea who would do this?"

"No. I…" Rick started before trailing off.

Bella and Ana both cocked their heads to the side and Bella glared at the group leader, narrowing her dark brown eyes to inquire, "What aren't you telling me that you SHOULD be telling me right now?"

"Rick, does this have somethin' ta do with why you seemed stressed out in your cell?" Ana asked quietly.

"I think it does," Rick commented, "Because there's only ONE person I can think of that would do this ta you and I'm pretty sure I know now why she did it."

"She? So it's a she? Beth's too innocent ta do somethin' like that. Carol wouldn't lay a hand on anyone after the way her husband treated her. Maggie doesn't have a reason ta lay a hand on Ana. Steph's too shy and Ana saved her life. I can't see her doin' this either. Bella didn't do it. Ana clearly didn't do it to herself. So that just leaves one woman…" Daryl started rattling off the list of female suspects before it dawned on him.

"Oh I'm gonna KILL her!" he cried, whirling around in a circle and starting to head back down the hall.

"Daryl, please don't do anything stupid!" Ana cried, rushing after him, "This is why I wouldn't tell you. This is why I wouldn't tell Bella. Daryl, Rick didn't know. He was stressed out when I saw him after it happened and he probably didn't even notice the bruise. So don't blame him for not telling you. But you can't hurt her, Daryl."

"Why the fuck can't I?" he growled, "Look what she did ta your FACE, Ana!"

"Daryl, please. PLEASE don't do anything you'll regret," she pleaded.

"I won't regret it. Hell I think I just might ENJOY it," Daryl commented in a matter-of-fact tone, "That bitch has had it comin' for a LONG time."

"Daryl, just wait-," she tried to protest again, reaching out to gently wrap her hand around his arm this time.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. She looked up into his eyes and she knew he'd find tears in hers.

"We've got it good here. I don't wanna go back out there. Hell I'm still healin' after all the shit we've been through out there, Daryl. PLEASE don't do this. Look, I know you're pissed but they'll throw the three of us out if you and Bella tear into her. You KNOW they will. We have food here, clothes, shelter, protection, BEDS, hell even SHOWERS. This is luxury compared to out there, Daryl. And God I HATE myself for cryin' as much as I have these past few days but I can't handle it out there again. Not for a while at least. I just… I need this…" she whispered the last sentence as she looked away from him and brought a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"Why would she do this ta you?" Daryl asked, his voice soft this time, "Why would she hurt you?"

She gave a laugh that lacked any humor and rolled her eyes as she informed him, "She's got it stuck in her head that I'm out to get Rick or something. Hell she wasn't making any sense, Daryl. She just kept accusing me of being a liar and trying to 'weasel my way in' and 'snatch him up'. She told me to 'stay away from Rick'. I don't know what the hell she thinks is going on between us but EVERYONE knows there's nothing going on between Rick and I. I even told her multiple times that Rick wasn't my type, that I wasn't attracted to him or interested in him like that. She finally just got frustrated and decked me."

"Did you get a good swing in back?" he questioned.

She just looked away and told him, "I do what I always did during the fights with my dad. I told her ONE last time that I wasn't interested in Rick – proving to her that I wasn't in the wrong – and then I glared at her and walked away. I could've hit her. God knows I wanted to. But I didn't. I walked away."

"Well now she probably thinks you're scared of her," Daryl pointed out, "And I won't have her fuckin' pickin' on ya. That shit's gonna stop RIGHT now, TODAY. And we're gonna get this whole Rick thing cleared up too."

Ana sighed. She knew that he wasn't going to stop until he'd settled things between her and Andrea, even if that involved him beating the bitch's face in. She wouldn't let it get that far though.

-=Daryl=-

"Hey, Rick!" Daryl called down the hall.

Rick's head snapped up and he looked at Daryl.

Daryl motioned with a wave of his hand for Rick to follow him and Ana. Both Rick and Bella followed after them as he led Ana towards Andrea's cell.

They found that it was empty and Daryl gave a growl of frustration before he looked down at Ana, asking, "Where did you see her last? Where did all this shit happen?"

"In the laundry room," she explained, "I was just folding the laundry for the group when she came into the room. I told her hi and she started right in on me."

He gave a single, downward nod and started in that direction. He was going to straighten this shit out, one way or another.

Daryl led the small group to the laundry room, where they found Andrea, pacing back and forth across the aisle between the washers and dryers and the row of tables that sat across the aisle from them. Her head snapped up when she heard the door open and she froze.

"What? Didn't think ya could handle me yourself so ya brought in reinforcements?" Andrea snarled at Ana, shooting her a harsh glare.

"Let me tell ya somethin'," Daryl informed the mouthy blonde, "Ana doesn't need ANYONE ta fight her fights for her. If she really thought you were a threat, she wouldn't have hesitated ta kick your ass. She didn't wanna tell me who left that bruise on her face but I wasn't gonna take no for an answer."

"So that's why she lied ta my face and walked away from me?" Andrea questioned with a smug smirk on her face, her arms still crossed underneath her chest.

Daryl glared down at Andrea, taking a couple steps closer to her to tower over her, and stated, "Ana doesn't like ta fight. She avoids confrontations as often as possible."

Andrea's smirk stretched wider and she gazed over at Ana.

Ana just looked at Andrea, staring her down but not narrowing her eyes. Not yet anyway. But that was all right. Daryl had done nothing but glare at her since they'd arrived at the laundry room and found the blonde bitch in there. He was doing enough glaring for BOTH of them.

Daryl took a couple steps away from Andrea, giving Ana space if she wanted to go after the blonde. Hell he wasn't going to hold her back. Ana had EVERY right to kick Andrea's ass. Shit the bruise on her face proved that! And he knew that Ana only gave a few warnings before she jumped into action, most of them being with her body language or facial expressions.

"But that DOESN'T mean that she doesn't know HOW ta fight," Daryl continued on to say as the women stared each other down relentlessly, "When Ana DOES get into a fight, it's always ugly. She doesn't have any rules. She's learned just where the pressure points in the human body are and how ta use that ta her advantage, giving her the ability ta inflict more damage on her opponent and in less time than the other opponent can even get a swing in. She's quick and she's downright VICIOUS in a fight. She blacks out when she's backed into a corner and she just loses it. She has ta be PULLED off of the person that puts her in the corner. I've seen it for myself, TWICE. And let me tell ya, I've seen MORE than my fair share of fights. But that is one person I'd never wanna face in a fight. She's not afraid ta bite, scratch, pull hair, slam someone's face into a closed, metal door. Hell she'll do ANYTHING in a fight. She's taken on people that were a LOT bigger than her too, girls OR guys. She's FEARLESS in a fight. So, trust me, Ana didn't walk away from you 'cuz she was scared. She walked away from you 'cuz she didn't think it was worth a fight. Ya got lucky, Andrea. And I don't think you'll get lucky if ya pull some shit like that again. She might let it slide once, MAYBE even twice. But it WON'T happen a third time. I can PROMISE you that."

Ana's eyes were fixed on Andrea but her breathing was slow, calm, unlike Andrea's racing pulse. Daryl saw the blonde's nostrils flaring rapidly as she took in quick, shallow breaths. He knew that Ana's calm demeanor was what scared people the most. It was the quiet, calm ones you had to watch out for in a fight. You never knew what they were capable of.

Andrea's smirk faltered for a few seconds before Daryl saw her force it back onto her face. He knew she was definitely scared now. And she might think that what he was feeding her was all just a pack of lies to scare her. But it was all true, every word he'd said.

"What the hell was your beef with my sister?" Bella growled, glaring at Andrea, "What was so damn important that ya left a bruise on her face? And it BETTER be good. 'Cuz she said it was over somethin' petty, somethin' ridiculous. And she might not think it's worth a fight but I do. Anyone that hauls off and hits my sister deserves ta have their ass kicked."

Andrea's smirk fell completely from her face now and Daryl could tell from the look on her face that she was starting to realize that she'd bitten off more than she could chew this time.

"You wanna tell us what this was all about?" Rick questioned.

Andrea shook her head and glared at Ana, trying to intimidate her into keeping her mouth shut.

Rick and Daryl looked over to Ana, who informed the group, "It had ta do with Rick, somethin' about 'keep away from him' and 'you're lying' and 'you're just tryin' ta snatch him up'. I couldn't really make heads or tails out of any of it. I told her I wasn't into Rick like that but she just kept insisting that I was lyin'."

Rick and Daryl both looked at Andrea and Bella rolled her eyes, before casting a glare at Andrea as she pointed at her and snarled, "Ya touch her again, for ANY reason, and you're DEAD. I'm fuckin' serious."

With that, Bella headed out of the room. Daryl knew she had to get out of there before she knocked Andrea on her ass, ESPECIALLY since she'd decked Ana for such a ridiculous reason.

"Andrea, there's nothin' goin' on between Ana and I," Rick explained, "But, even if there ever was, it wouldn't be any of your business and you wouldn't get a say in any sort of relationship we had. I'm not stupid. I know you're not TRULY interested in me. I don't know what it is that you're after, but you're not gonna get it. I think a big part of it has somethin' ta do with you wantin' ta get in good with me and start tryin' ta call shots that involve the group or individual members of it. I know you want Ana and Bella gone. But we've been over that already, even just today. That's NOT gonna happen. So I know you think that I turned you down for Ana, but that's not it. That's not it at ALL. I told you I wasn't interested in you and I meant that. I didn't turn you down because I wanted Ana instead. So you lashin' out at Ana was uncalled for an you made yourself look like –,"

"An ass," Daryl finished for him.

Rick brought a hand up to scratch the back of his neck and looked over at Daryl, nodding and stating, "Well I was gonna say 'an idiot' but I think you're right. That was a bit too nice. You're wording was more accurate."

Daryl gave him a single downward nod in agreement and Rick looked over at Ana, asking, "What do you think we should do ta her for punishment?"

"As much as I'd like ta say 'throw her out on her ass' since I know she's not gonna stop 'til either her or I are kicked out of the group, we all make mistakes. I'm willing ta overlook this one. I just hope she learns from it. Do whatever ya want with her, Rick. But be merciful. 'Cuz the NEXT time she pulls a stunt like this with me or someone I'm close to, I won't be," Ana replied, glaring at Andrea for the first time since the group had found her, "I like ta try ta give people the benefit of the doubt. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But you WON'T fool me a third time, if it makes it to the third time. I don't usually give three chances unless the person's REALLY worth it. And, in this case, she's not. So you do what you want with her this time. But she fucks up where I or another member of this group that I'm close to is concerned and I'll deal with her myself. And, believe me when I say this, Rick: you WON'T like how I deal with it."

Rick nodded and Daryl gave a growl, storming towards the door of the laundry room to yank it open and glare over his shoulder at Andrea. Then he walked out and slammed the door shut behind him. He wasn't happy about this at ALL. He wanted Andrea to pay for what she'd done to Ana.

He heard Ana's voice call out to him as she walked out of the room after him, joking lightly, "I told him I had ta go after you or you'd break somethin'."

"Right now, I really wanna break her damn jaw," he replied.

She grew serious and murmured quietly, "I know. Thanks for keepin' your cool in there."

"I didn't do it for her sake. That's for DAMN sure," Daryl stated, "I kept my cool for your sake, for Rick's. Two wrongs don't make a right."

Ana just shook her head and pointed out, "Never stopped ya before. Hell I've seen you whip the shit out of TONS of kids back in school when we were growin' up for lookin' at me funny, let alone makin' fun of me or tryin' ta beat me up. Ya might not wanna admit it, Daryl, but you're makin' little changes here and there since I told ya I liked ya. I mean, I know we're not datin' but-,"

"We're not?" he questioned.

After the conversations they'd had out at the pond, he'd thought there might be something more than friendship between them.

"Well, I mean, neither one of us asked the other out and I didn't think-," she started to say.

"Do you WANNA give it a shot?" he asked her.

"Do we hafta be secretive about it?" she countered, a playful grin on her face to let him know she was just joking.

"I don't do any of that PDA shit, Ana," he commented, giving her a stern look.

She rolled those pretty eyes at him and retorted, "You're always jumpin' ta conclusions, ya know that? I didn't mean we'd fuck or make out in front of the rest of 'em. For Christ's sake, Daryl! I just meant like a grin or a wink or a playful hip bump, maybe holdin' hands. Nothin' serious. I wasn't lyin' when I said I'd never push you or rush you. We don't hafta do anything at all if you don't want to. We don't HAFTA date. I told you you'd get ta call all the shots and I meant it. Yeah, I like you. No I wouldn't turn ya down if you wanted ta give it a shot, you and me. But I'm not gonna put up with a buncha damn fightin', Daryl. And if you ever DO lay a mean hand on me, we're DONE, no questions asked. I know you didn't the other day but I know we BOTH know you were GOING to before I made that remark. I knew it'd snap ya out of it. I know it's hard ta let go of the past. BELIEVE me, I do. After all the shit we've both been through, we're both more than a little fucked up. But that doesn't mean that we can't make things work. Hell we've been friends for the majority of our lives, haven't we? I don't wanna hurt you. Not EVER. And I KNOW you don't wanna hurt me either. If shit starts goin' south, I'd rather break it off and try ta salvage what's left of our friendship than sink the damn friendship right along with our relationship. Daryl, I care about you, all right? I LOVE you. But it takes two people givin' it their all ta make ANY kind of relationship work, whether it's a friendship or a couple or whatever. Do I want this to work? HELL yeah I do. But not if that means hurtin' you or fuckin' up our friendship. We've gotta talk ta each other, be open and honest with each other. If you're not okay with somethin', tell me. If I say or do somethin' that pisses you off or hurts your feelings, tell me. 'Cuz, if we can't talk through the little shit, we'll NEVER get past the big shit."

He nodded his head, letting her know that he was listening and that he understood.

Then she surprised him, reaching down to lace her fingers through his. He looked down at their hands and then up at her. She tugged gently at his hand, giving a jerk of her head in the direction of the cell block, and he nodded, letting her lead him towards the cells.

"I think we need ta get some stuff squared away," she said, "We need ta come up with some boundaries, some dos and don'ts so that we know what's okay and what's not."

Daryl looked down at their hands again. It was so weird feelings her fingers laced through his, the palm of her hand pressed against his. Her hand was small compared to his, softer and more delicate. But her hands were still rough from manual labor since the start of the zombie apocalypse. She was a hard worker, a SURVIVOR.

She led him into his cell at the end of the row, gently pushing at his chest to get him take a seat on the bed before she sat down next to him, turning to face him as she started to speak to him.

"You can't hold anything back on me," she told him, her voice soft and quiet as she slowly reached up.

For once, he forced himself to remain still. He always flinched by pure instinct after all the shit his father had put his mother, his brother, and even himself through. But he knew that it hurt Ana's feelings every time he pulled away. She wouldn't let on like it did. But he knew that it did. And he didn't want to hurt her anymore. He HATED hurting her. And he'd seemed to do an AWFUL lot of that since she'd come to the prison.

She gave him the brightest smile and gently brushed his hair away from his forehead, slowly leaning in to press her lips to his forehead. He fought the urge to pull back. She was trying and he would too. She wanted to shower her affections on him, a little at a time so he'd get used to them. So he'd have to make an effort to let her if planned to get used to it.

"Sometimes it'll feel like the easiest, most natural thing in the world," she stated, "Sometimes it'll feel like it's the most complicated, impossible thing in the world. But we can DO this. If you ever want out, all you've gotta do is tell me, all right?"

He nodded to her and she smiled at him, commenting, "I know. You're gettin' uncomfortable. This is unfamiliar territory, talkin' about feelings and relationships. Just a few more minutes and we can talk about WHATEVER you want, all right?"

Again, he nodded.

"So I need ta know what things you're not okay with, so I don't do 'em," she pointed out, "And that means that I don't want you ta hesitate ta tell me if I ever do somethin' that you don't like that you haven't told me about already. Like if you don't bring it up in your list now but I do somethin' at some point that you don't like, just tell me and I won't do it again."

He nodded and thought for a while.

She laughed and commented, "You've gotta have SOME pet peeves, Daryl. I KNOW you do."

Daryl looked at Ana before looking away. She was trying. She was making an effort, so he would too.

He gave a nod and told her, "I don't like feelin' caged in. I don't like talkin' about my feelings. I don't like talkin' about my childhood. Hell I don't like a LOT of things ta be honest."

She laughed and nodded, replying, "I kinda picked up on that."

He gave her a playful little glare and she giggled some more, sticking her tongue out at him. That made him chuckle and he shook his head at her.

"You're somethin' else, ya know that?" he teased lightly.

"A good somethin' else or a bad somethin' else?" she inquired.

"A good somethin' else," he answered, offering her a tiny smile.

She just grinned right back at him and asked, "Can I kiss you?"

"Can I say no?" he questioned.

He saw her smile fall but she nodded and replied, "Of course you can. You can ALWAYS say no if you don't wanna do somethin', Daryl. Or if you don't like somethin'."

"Then yes," he told her.

She gasped, her hazel eyes growing real wide. He'd clearly taken her by surprise. But it didn't take long for a huge grin to stretch across her face and she leaned in to press her lips to his, letting her eyes drift shut. And, for once, he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of her soft, warm, full lips pressed against his. She didn't push it past a kiss on the lips either. He knew she didn't want to cross any boundaries with him.

"Thank you," she told him when she pulled back.

"For what?" he asked her.

"For lettin' me kiss you," she said, "And for givin' this a try. Ya didn't have to and we BOTH know it. But I'm glad you did. And you're actually tryin'. So thank you."

He just nodded.

"We'll be the most badass couple to survive the zombie apocalypse," she joked, leaning in again.

He just chuckled before their lips met and she stole another kiss from him.

"Better watch it with those kisses," he told her, "We're gonna hafta put a limit on 'em."

She just giggled and inquired, "And why's that? 'Cuz you're already growin' addicted to 'em?"

"No," he replied, "'Cuz I HATE 'em."

"You lie," she stated, giggling some more.

He just laughed right along with her and she said, "You start gettin' grumpy with me and I'll save up my kisses and I'll sleep in the other bed in your cell here."

He didn't say anything but he knew that SHE knew he didn't like that idea.

But he had to admit, he liked this whole dating Ana thing… so far at least.

"Does this mean you're gonna start takin' showers with me now?" she razzed.

"NO," he answered firmly.

She just laughed and nodded, saying, "RIGHT. That'd mean you'd hafta control yourself."

He rolled his eyes and pointed out, "You're incorrigible."

"Ooo… There ya go. Usin' big words on me," she purred, pushing herself up from his bed and heading for the cell's entrance.

She stopped just inside the doorway of the cell and added, "'Sides, ya know ya like it."

He chuckled and shook his head. She ALWAYS had to get the last word in. She blew him a kiss and turned to leave.

He watched her ass as she walked away, biting his bottom lip. He was in trouble. And he knew it. Ana was the ONE woman he'd ever even CONSIDER committing himself to. And now he'd gone and done that. So he was in unfamiliar territory with no one to turn to but her. Still, it had always been easy to be her friend, with the exception of the past few days since she'd arrived there at the prison, so he wasn't stressing about it. In fact, he was curious to see what would become of them. Sure. He was scared of fucking things up. But he was confident that they'd work things out if something came up.

~*Steph*~

Steph saw Ana heading down the hall, a huge, shit-eating grin stretched from one ear to the other.

"Well you look awful happy," Steph joked.

Ana just nodded and Steph asked, "Can I ask what put that smile on your face?"

Ana bit her lower lip and thought for a few moments before finally deciding aloud, "Well I REALLY wanna tell someone and Glenn can't keep a secret. And Maggie's busy anyway. Actually I'm not really sure WHERE she is. And I'm not really one ta confide stuff in Bella 'cuz she'll turn stuff around and use it against me if we get into a fight. Besides, I think I can trust you. I could use a good 'female friend'. We women need ta stick together."

Steph laughed but nodded to her and said, "All right."

"Honestly, I trust you more than any of the other women in the group," Ana commented, "You're pretty chill about things. Why don't we go relieve Bella and Carl of watch duty and I'll tell ya that secret?"

Steph nodded and smiled at her, following her through the kitchen and out of the building. They headed for the watch tower and climbed the stairs to find Bella gazing out of the tower towards the gate, where a bunch of walkers were gathered. The walkers were gnashing their teeth and rattling the fence, making those god-awful noises the undead creeps made.

Carl turned towards Steph and Ana.

"Holy CRAP!" the boy cried, his hazel eyes growing real wide, "What happened to your face, Ana?!"

This caught Steph's attention and she gazed over at Ana to see a large, ugly bruise on the side of her jaw. How the hell had she missed THAT?!

Ana sighed and said in a quiet, gentle tone, "I REALLY wish everyone would stop askin' me that. But, to answer your question, someone decked me. Don't worry, your dad said he'd deal with them. I don't really know how he plans ta deal with them but I believed him when he said it and I trust that he'll take care of it."

"But why would someone hit you?" Carl asked, clearly confused.

"Because the woman that hit her is a moody, blonde bitch," Bella growled.

Carl looked over at Steph and she shook her head, telling him, "I didn't do it, hone. I'd never hit someone unless they REALLY deserved it."

"Andrea," Carl stated, nodding, "She causes problems for EVERYONE."

All three of the women nodded. Steph hadn't been a member of the group for long but she'd been there long enough to know that what the boy said was true. And she didn't doubt that Andrea had been the one to give Ana that nasty bruise.

"Did you hit her back?" Carl questioned, looking up at Ana.

Ana shook her head, surprising Steph.

"Hell I would've," Steph commented, even as Carl informed Ana, "I would've."

"She ever lays a hand on me again and I WILL," Ana replied.

Steph nodded. She believed the brunette would do it, even though she usually seemed sweet and harmless.

"Well you guys are free ta go," Ana told Bella and Carl, "We'll take it from here."

"I wanna stay," Carl protested, giving a big pout.

Steph thought it was adorable.

Ana looked over at Steph to see if it was okay if he joined them and Steph nodded.

"Suit yourself," Ana said with a shrug.

"Well I'm goin'," Bella huffed, "If I look at that bruise on your face any longer, I'm gonna break HER face."

Ana and Steph laughed and Steph watched the teenager disappear down the stairwell.

"Why didn't Daryl do something about it?" Carl questioned.

"Oh he wanted to," Ana commented, "BELIEVE me, he wanted to. But he kept his cool and walked away since I told him not ta make a big deal out of it. Rick's gonna deal with it this time. But, if she does it again, I'LL be the one ta deal with it. And I can promise you that Daryl and Bella will too."

Carl gave a little glare and informed her, "If someone were ta hit MY girlfriend, I'd beat the shit out of 'em."

"Language, mister," Ana scolded gently, wrinkling her brows and setting her hands on her hips.

Steph fought the urge to laugh. Ana was really stepping up to fill the role of the boy's mother figure.

"Sorry," Carl apologized, "But it's true. I would've."

"Oh I don't doubt it," Ana said.

"So you and Beth are dating then?" Steph asked the boy after a few moments of silence.

"You can't tell dad!" the boy was quick to tell her.

"Honey, pretty much everyone in the group knows that you like her," Ana commented.

Carl frowned and looked down at the floor, asking, "Do they know that we're actually dating now?"

"I don't think so," Steph answered.

"Don't worry about it, little man," Ana reassured him, "Your secret's safe with me and Steph. Right, Steph?"

Ana winked at her and Steph nodded, replying, "Right. My lips are sealed."

The boy grinned at them both and nodded.

"So when did you two start dating?" Steph inquired.

Carl's grin widened as he told her, "Just last week."

"Well congratulations, Carl," both women told him.

He shrugged as if to make the women believe that it was no big deal. But Steph wasn't buying into that one and she knew Ana wouldn't either. The boy was clearly excited about it but he was trying to downplay it.

"Now… I've got a secret ta tell both of YOU," Ana said grinning from ear to ear, "I was just gonna tell Steph, but I think I can trust you. You kept the last secret I asked you to."

Steph saw Carl's eyes light up and he nodded energetically, eagerly awaiting whatever secret she had to tell him.

Steph watched as Ana bit her bottom lip before blurting, "Daryl and I are dating! But you can't tell ANYONE, not even Rick or Liam. I don't know if Daryl wants anyone ta know yet."

Both Steph and Carl nodded. So THAT was what had put that big grin on her face?

"Well, since we're all sharing secrets here and you both trusted me with your secrets, I suppose I could share one with you. Liam and I had sex in the shower room last night," Steph informed them.

Ana gasped before she started to giggle, teasing, "Oh you're SHAMELESS!"

Steph just laughed right along with her, blushing a little.

But Carl's reaction was TOTALLY different from Ana's.

"EWW!" Carl cried, "Which shower? Oh my God! Was it against the wall? Or on one of the benches? I'm NEVER using any of them again!"

Both women laughed and Steph reassured him, "No. It was against one of the pillars, the last one on the right side of the showers."

Carl shuddered before exclaiming, "Thank GOD!"

Steph and Ana laughed again.

"So how is it that you know about different sex positions?" Steph asked the boy.

He shrugged and commented, "I know a few things."

That was a typical male's answer, whether they were men or boys.

"I think you and I need ta have a talk," Ana stated, looking down at the boy as she crossed her arms underneath her chest, "A very SERIOUS one."

"No we don't," he informed her, "Beth and I haven't even kissed yet. We held hands ONE time, but only when no one was looking!"

"Well you keep it that way, mister. Don't you do anything more than kiss her. And NO tongue!" Ana told him in a firm tone.

The boy's face scrunched up and he shook his head hard.

"I mean it, young man," she persisted, pointing at him, "I hear you did somethin' more than kissin' that girl on the lips, and the next time you see me will be when your dad and I are havin' a talk with ya."

He just gave a jerky nod and said, "I'm gonna go make sure Bella doesn't kill Andrea."

"I mean it," Ana commented.

The boy just nodded to her and she informed him, "All right. And your secret's safe with me. I trust you ta make wise decisions. You and Daryl and I need ta have a talk about you sneakin' out of the gate ta go find us though. We'll do that tonight, after supper. If you're not in his cell after I'm done with the dishes, I'll come find you."

The boy gave another nod and then headed for the stairs, jogging down them.

Steph turned to Ana and stated, "You're awful good with that boy."

"He needs someone ta act as a mother figure. EVERY kid needs both parents. They might not admit to it but they wind up PRETTY screwed up if they don't have both parents, or at LEAST surrogate parents. The boy's mother died. He watched her be cut open to perform an emergency C-section ta get his baby sister out. THEN he had ta shoot her dead body in the head before she turned. He's got more problems than he's willing ta admit. Most kids wouldn't have survived through that without goin' insane or lashing out, Steph. His mother's not here ta look out for him anymore, so someone's gotta fill that place in his life. No one will ever replace her in his heart. But someone needs ta be there for him and assume her role as a surrogate mother."

Steph just nodded, a saddened expression on her face. The group was still broken. They needed some stability. Ana was doing her best to try to become the leading female in the group members' lives. And Steph didn't want Ana to have to bear that load alone.

It's been a fun ride so far and I'm hoping that you've enjoyed it too. I know that I can't wait to hear from all of you and I hope to hell that I can get started on the next chapter soon. Any and all suggestions, ideas, comments, concerns, or questions are welcome. Thanks again!

Libby