A.N: Hi Friends!

I really hope you are still enjoying my story. I still don't own the walking dead I just wish I owned Daryl (winkwink)

Please review I love reading you!

Steffy

Chapter 11:

"Ya left last night."

I turned to see Daryl leaning against my cell wall. I managed to avoid him most of the morning, but I really needed to finish putting stuff away.

"Yea why?" I asked, concentrating on my task again. I was folding Judith's and Tommy's clothes we washed last night.

"I thought I was goin' to wake up with ya in my arms."

I was so glad he couldn't see my face; with my back to him it would be easier to keep pretending. I was sure if I pretended well enough, for long enough I would finish believe it myself. "Oh no, that was not going to happen Daryl."

"I came back."

"You left."

"Ya know why I did."

"Yes I do." And I truly did, Daryl was a hothead who truly believe in the "an eye for an eye" precept.

"I came back ...for ya." He replied, and I could hear at his voice than he was much closer to me now.

"Well if this is really why you are back, it's a waste of time I am sorry."

"Ya sure bout that?" He whispered. He was so close now, I could feel his warm breath on my neck, and I couldn't help the small shiver going down my spine.

"Yes, I meant what I told you just as you meant what you told me."

"Ya know I didn't mean that. I was angry and..."

I swirled around. "And what?"

"Things were messing up my head. Merle said..." he shook his head. "Yer a doctor."

"Yes I know what I am thank you."

"And I am an idiot."

I nodded. "That's a given." I sighed. "Anyways you were right, you did the right thing by pushing me away."

"I jest...Yer too good for me. If it wasn't for the walkers, ya wouldn't even look at me."

"And you know that how?" I asked, resting my hand on my hip. "Because you are such an expert in me right?" I shook my head, and extended him a photo. "I could say the same."

He looked down at the photo, and looked back at me a confused look on his face. "I don't understand."

"It's me and Tommy before the apocalypse."

"Ya I see that. Such a bright smile, I wanna see one like that one day...It make ya even more beautiful."

I snorted." You don't see anything wrong?"

He looked at the picture again. "Nah."

I wouldn't help but laugh. "I was everything but Elena Christensen! Come on Daryl be honest, I know guys like you...you wouldn't have looked at me then or if you would have, it would have been to snicker behind my back with your friends." I shook my head. "If you think you wouldn't have been good for me then, well believe me I thought just the same."

"First, I think Elena Christensen is overrated, she ain't that pretty, and then ya can't say what I would have done or not. Y'all didn't know me."

I crossed my arms on my chest. "My point exactly Dixon...the same works for me."

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

The bags in the cells were done. I needed to go through the clinic one more time to make sure we took everything we needed. "You know what? You were right the other day."

"Bout what?"

"Everything. You and I, it wouldn't work. You don't want a relationship with me. Excuse me, I need to go." I gestured him to get out of my way.

He moved, but followed me. "Ya told me ya loved me."

I quickly looked around to make sure nobody heard me. "I was lying."

"I think ya lyin' now."

"Oh yea now you are an expert on what I say and how I feel?"

"Nah, I just saw how yer body reacted to me yesterday."

"Don't confused love and desire Daryl...Just let me be please?"

He walked faster, and came to stand before me just as I reached the clinic. "God woman jest listen! I'm trying to tell ya' how I feel."

"Don't bother, whatever you say, it won't change anything."

"Ya tryin' to get even with me?" He asked.

I shook my head; there was no point to answer him. I slid in the clinic going over the medication we had and put them in the bags.

"I admit, maybe once or twice I wasn't fair, I wasn't nice."

Once or twice? Understatement of the year. I thought but remained silent.

"But with what happened yesterday, I've got myself together. Ya don't believe me, do ya?"

"I believe you believe it...for today. You might say all these things, but it always turns out wrong."

"What d'ya want? I can write up in the sky 'forgive me, I apologize', give ya purdy flowers every day. What d'ya want to believe me and gimme a shot?"

I turned around, and met his eyes. "I'll believe you when everything you do and say don't turn out wrong but you were right, you are not made for me." I shook my head, "no...not for a second, I was just a fool and you made me realize I had been dead wrong all along."

"Ele please hear me out... I am just asking five minutes, don't ya owe me that?"

"Owe you? Owe you for what? Saving your life? No Daryl, I paid whatever debt I had toward you. I don't owe you anything. So please now just drop it and move on okay? We can be friends, friends is good."

Daryl shook his head. "No, I dropped everything in my life, always thinkin' it was not worth it or I was not worth it but not anymore. I'll fight for ya Ele. If ya think I'm goin' to let ya walk away from me without fightin' think again. Ain't gonna happen."

I sighed. He wanted me today, but sometime, maybe tomorrow he would think something else again and he will throw me out. "Whatever you say Daryl."

At this moment, Beth came in the clinic. "Here you are! Rick is looking everywhere for you two! We are about to leave."

"Great thanks. Could you just help me with the bags in my cell?" I asked Beth.

"Rick got those already. Want me to take some of those?" She pointed to the bags.

"Sure thanks."

"Drive with me." Asked Daryl, as we went outside.

"No." I took the direction of the Prius. "So how are we doing this?" I asked Rick as he took the bag from my hand.

"I was thinking, you, Tommy, Carl Judith and I in the Prius. Daryl and T-dog in the pickup, and the others in the R-V. Does it work for all of you? Glenn you are the best to drive the RV."

"Yep, it works for me" Said Glenn, opening the door of the RV already helping Hershel in.

"Ele?" I nodded.

"Perfect." Rick look at the group. "I will take the lead and Daryl will close."

"No problem brother." Said Daryl, but he was looking straight at me, and it took everything I had not to let go of his eyes.

"How is the arm?" Rick asked after we have been driving for a while.

"Pretty good thanks. Sore but I can work through the pain. You know if you want to rest, I can drive too."

He chuckled. "A woman behind the wheels...not sure I want that."

I slapped his arm playfully.

"You're going to pay for that, Ele doesn't take sexist jokes lightly. She punched one of her teacher once." Tommy said.

Rick gave me a quick look full of admiration. "Are you serious?" He shook his head. "Didn't know you had that in you."

"Yea and if Dean hadn't say anything, Ele would have been fired."

"It's not exactly how it happened. This dou—This man thought he knew better than anyone else, and he said that women has no place being surgeons and that how could her girl my weight stand for hours in a operating room. I don't know I just lost it and punched him straight in the nose." I chuckled. "He was screaming everywhere that he was doing to get me fired but the Director of Residency heard all of it and he knew me pretty well, he was sort of a mentor for me. He helped me out of this one."

Tommy and Carl chuckled. "Dean said she was the first to ever manage to shut his mouth. He said she did a douchectomy."

"Ummm I'll know better than to do that again."

It took us over four hours to drive 70 miles, and as the sun started to set, Rick found a good place to stop.

"If we set camp against these rocks we would have only two sides to protect...What does everybody think?"

Rick received a general groan of agreement.

We started to set the tents as Rick and Glenn were starting to get out what we needed to use for the night.

"What about the sleeping arrangements?" T-dog asked.

"How do we do that?" Asked Rick.

I couldn't help but look at Daryl, and of course he was looking at me with a tiny grin on his face. I rolled my eyes, and concentrated on Rick again.

Rick looked at me. "Why don't you take a stab at it?"

I glared which made him laugh. "Douchectomy?" I said threateningly, making both Carl and Tommy 'woot', and Rick burst in laughter.

Daryl cleared his throat loudly. "Ain't got all day. Just say things already."

"Okay" I said purposively not looking at him. "Carol, Judith and I in one, Rick Carl and Tommy in another, Glenn with Maggie in one, Hershel and Beth in the RV and Daryl and T-dog together?

"Sorry sweetheart, I get my own tent. I'm sleepin' alone...Well ya know what I mean?" He grinned even brighter." Yer welcome to join if ya wanna."

I blushed, but pretended to laughed it off. "You are so funny Dixon! You should have considered the Comedy club." I looked at T-dog. "It is okay with you."

"You betcha! Sharing a room with him will be torture."

"K then it's settled."

We got the camp set up, and light up a fire where Daryl had some meat cooking.

I sat on a log beside Tommy. "So how is it going buddy?" I felt like a terrible sister, like I had neglected my brother for the past few weeks.

"I'm okay, I kind of worry about what we are going to find in Jonesboro... The prison wasn't that bad."

"But you know if there is a vaccine, and an actual town, maybe you can go to school make more friends...I know you see Carl as a brother now but it will be great don't you think?"

"I guess..."

Rick came to sit on the other side of me, with the crying Judith's. "I need your help, she is fed, she is changed and yet she can't stop. Use your magical powers on her, sorceress."

I chuckled taking Judith from him. I starting to rock her while making funny faces. I leaned my face close and started to whisper a lullaby to her ear. I was not even half way through the first verse that she stopped crying.

"Seriously how do you do it?" Asked Carol, in awe.

"I told you, that woman has a gift with babies."

I laughed. "Nah, I just have a gift with that baby. Isn't that right Juju? I was telling her all my secrets."

"You didn't tell her about the douchectomy right? I think our daughter is a bit too young to be a feminist." Said Rick, laughing.

The camp became immediately eerily quiet. We all stared at Rick frozen...nobody missed the "our daughter" slip up.

"I mean my..." he laughed, but it sounded fake. "I mean my daughter."

"I still have my guitar, and I still don't know how to play." Said Glenn out of the blue. I would have kissed him on the spot for trying to divert the spotlight.

Daryl stood briskly, reaching for his crossbow. "I gonna walk the perimeter."

Rick nodded. "Okay take som—"

"I work better alone, jest let me be." He replied, already walking away in the dark forest.

Rick sighed. "T-dog?"

T-dog nodded. "I'm on it."

"I'm coming with you." Said Glenn, jumping up.

I watched them disappear behind Daryl, before turning to Rick. "I think we need to talk."

I saw Maggie and Carol exchanging quick glances.

"Hey boys, why don't ya come with us and help us get ready for the night?" Asked Maggie, to Carl and Tommy.

"Come on Dad, let get you in the RV." Said Beth to Hershel.

"It was a slip up I promise, it didn't mean anything."

"I love your little girl Rick, I swear I do, and If I can be a part of her life I would love to be there, but I will never be her mother, no matter what happens. We need to honour the memory of her mother, she died for her. She needs to know that her mother was Lori Grimes, and that whatever her flaws and fault might have been, she loved her children more than anything...enough to die for them."

"Lori was a good mother, she will always be the mother of my children."

I nodded. "Good, I'm glad we got that out of the way. Now I, ummm" I turned to look at the fire. "Did I...you know."

"Did you what?"

"Did I ever lead you to think we were more than friends?"

"No"

I let out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god, because if I did I am sorry, it was not my intention, not for a minute."

"No I know that, but I can't help but wonder sometimes if you know… maybe not now but in the future if—"

"Help!" Glenn shouted breathless, running toward us.

Rick jumped from the log as Carol and Maggie ran to meet him.

"He came out of nowhere…"

"Glenn focus, what is happening?" Asked Rick, resting his hands on Glenn shoulders.

"He got bit, fuck we didn't see it coming."

It felt like I had been punched in the stomach and it felt like I was swallowing ice. I gave the baby to Carol. I was terrified beyond words.

I looked around imagining my Daryl, lying on the floor as the virus was spreading through his veins.

"Take me to him" I said the voice breaking. He needed to know I loved him.