STRANDED PT 1

The RV sat up ahead, smoke billowing from beneath the hood. Daryl barely had time to stop and when he did stop, it woke up a sleeping Lana. She'd been asleep with her head on his leg again, the softness of her hair whenever he'd rub it reminding him that he actually wasn't alone. He found himself curious... She had to know he wasn't the ideal guy, not even by a long shot.

He knew. He hated it, but he knew. It'd been drilled into his head from a very early age... Whenever you can wander lost in the woods for a few weeks and your old man not even have the slightest clue, well.. As a kid you learn real quick where you stand with people when you can get away with stuff like that. He couldn't shut his mind off right now, he hadn't been able to for the duration of the long and slow drive from the CDC to where the 'caravan' of vehicles sat now, the RV right out front, broken piece of shit it was. He'd been thinking again when Lana stirred, sitting up and looking around. "Let me guess... Dale's piece of shit broke again."

"Mhmm. Reckon we're gon be stuck here a while. Maybe we should get out with the others, see what we kin find. Might be some useful shit in some o' these cars." Daryl's hand raked through his short but shaggy hair and Lana nodded in agreement, coughing when she realized that she was maybe staring at his lips a little too damn long again. "Yeah.. I mean all these cars there has to be stuff worth using, right?"

"Hope one of 'em has Tylenol. Got myself a bitchin headache." Daryl mumbled, sort of holding her gaze for a few seconds before shaking his head, killing the engine to the truck and getting out. Lana got out on her side and made her way around the truck, standing close to him, a fact that Daryl was painfully aware of as usual. She went to say something and he held a finger to his lips and shook his head, leaning in a second later to whisper, "No tellin if Walkers are out, Lana. Best we stay quiet."

When Shane shouted from up the road, Lana smiled to herself when she saw the slight annoyed eye roll Daryl gave that he probably thought she didn't see. She smiled a little to herself when seconds later, Daryl observed, "That idiot don't shut his face we're gon get killed."

"That's true. What are we lookin for?" Lana asked, peering into the open back of a station wagon just two away from her sister and Carol and Andrea. Andrea called her name and she made her way over.

"You might want these." Andrea put a big bottle of pills into her hand. Lana raised a brow and Andrea said quietly, "Prenatal vitamins... For baby Dixon."

"We're not... I mean..."

"You two are always together. You know Shane's planning to leave, right?" Andrea asked, shielding her eyes from the sun overhead. Lana sighed and then said quietly, "He's a damn idiot. It's all Lori's fault if he does, but I... I can't go with him, I won't try to stop him. If I keep going back, Drea..." Lana explained quietly as Andrea admitted -to Lana's shock- "He won't be alone. I didn't want out of the CDC. I didn't want to keep going, damn it, Dale, he... He forced my hand."

"So you and Shane.."

"He's handsome. And I don't want anything permanent, just the fastest way the hell out of here." Andrea admitted, searching her friend's eyes for signs of any feelings she might have left over f or Shane, shocked when she found none. Lana took her hand and said quietly, "Shane... He's not in a good place, Drea, I've seen him get like this before. Think about yourself, okay?"

"I am. That's why I wanna leave with him when he does. Or slip off alone, which I could easily do if Dale would stop breathing down my damn neck. I'm not his girlfriend or his wife or his child. He doesn't have to keep watching me. I just... Losing Amy was the final straw for me. I'm done. Either I'm getting out of here on my own or with someone. I wanted to tell you face to face."

"I appreciate that, Andrea... Just please don't fall for his words or that charm. Trust me. I did at least four times and..." Lana fell silent as she saw Daryl walking up behind her, watching her. He was standing kind of close but yet not close enough for her liking... He acted like he wanted to be closer, his posturing clearly showed that of a man claiming 'his territory' and when Lana looked around, she saw why.

Shane was watching her like a hawk, again. He stopped smiling and the stormy look was back in his eyes. Lana sighed to herself and Andrea leaned in and whispered, "You're done, okay? I think, Lana, you know what you want. I want you to promise me one thing, in case I do leave... Go for what you want. Don't let anyone or anything stop you and stop overthinking everything, damn it. It's not like tomorrow is promised, it never was but now it's even less of a guarantee."

"I'll keep that in mind, Drea.. you be careful if you leave."

"Will do." Andrea walked away after giving her friend a thumbs up.

"The hell was that all about?" Daryl asked, a sort of playful look on his face for just a split second and then it was gone and he was yanking her underneath a truck with him, his arm was over her and the crossbow on his shoulder was in his hand. She heard the shuffling and the moans and heavy breathing and she knew exactly why when the horde of walkers made it's way past...

"Shhh... Be still, woman."

"I am."

"Yer fidgetin."

"I am not."

Daryl grumbled as he caught sight of movement a few cars ahead, T Dog hadn't caught on to what was going on and he was stumbling around, ovbiously injured. Daryl slid out from under the truck partially but Lana stopped him, eyes widened in fear as she hissed, "Are you fucking crazy, Daryl?"

"He's one of ours."

"I know... But you can't just go out there in the middle."

"Less time we spend arguin, quicker I kin get back in ta hidin." Daryl pointed out, his eyes widening in shock when Lana, in a moment of horomones - or at least that's what she was telling herself after it happened- grabbed his face and gave him a peck on the forehead. She wanted to kiss him on the lips, a real kiss but... She didn't want to do something to guarantee she lost her best friend, the rock she relied on to keep herself together lately, the only person keeping her partially sane throughout all this, either.

So she just went with a forehead kiss, at least that she could play off with the worries and concerns of a friend... Even if she wanted with everything inside of her for it to be more than friendship.

CAVEAT LECTOR:

Another chapter posted and I am seriously beyond amazed at this point because I now have 21 reviews 24 favorites and 41 follows. And a special thanks to everyone who's favorited and followed and left r eveiws because they mean the world to me and they keep me encouraged.

Apologies to you guys big tiem because I haven't updated in almost 3 months. My computer broke and I just got the money to actually get it repaired. I'm going to keep the story going, no worries here. Thank you all for supporting and reading it so far. Next chapter begins their time on the highway. And maybe some lovely sexual tension and veiled flirting? And more drama?