Author's Note: Thanks for all the favourites and watches, and thanks for reading! Reviews are always welcome!

I apologise for poor spelling, my computer doesnt have Word so I'm using Notepad, and my events are probably in the wrong order, but never mind :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead or any of the characters, however I do own Riley Addams.

Chapter 11

"Why was it just one gunshot?" asked Lori, to the other panicked survivors

"Maybe they took down a walker" mumbled Glenn, shrinking as Lori glared at him

"Dont patronise me, you know as well as I do that neither Shane nor Rick would risk shooting one walker. They'd do it quietly." she hissed. Riley put her hand on Lori's shoulder.

"We should carry on heading back, it'll get dark soon" she said firmly to Lori, whose expression softened and she nodded, tightening the straps on her backpack. Daryl rolled his eyes at the women, damn drama everywhere they go. They walked in silence for about fifteen minutes, before they heard Andrea shriek. Riley looked around, spotting Andrea lying on the forest floor, a walker pinning her down. She began to run over but Daryl tugged her back as a woman on a horse seemed to appear from nowhere, knocking the walker off of Andrea with a swift swing of a baseball bat.

"Lori? Lori Grimes?" she called, bringing the horse to a halt.

"I-I'm Lori" Lori gasped in shock, taking in the stranger who knew her name.

"You gotta come with me now, Rick's at my farm, there's been an accident and Carl's been shot" the woman explained quickly in a heavy country accent. Lori's knees almost gave way as she handed her backpack to Riley and clambered onto the horse.

"Hey, hey, you cant just go climbin' onto no damn horse! We don' know this woman!" Daryl yelled, waving his crossbow towards the woman. Lori glared at him.

"You're on the highway in that big traffic snarl?" the stranger asked, and Daryl nodded, still frowning. "Head down for about two miles and turn off, drive straight for five miles, look for our farm, you'll see our mailbox, take that turning, name's Greene" she explained, before giving the horse a kick to its sides, riding off with Lori clinging on for dear life. The group were left, stunned.

"Shot?" asked Riley weakly, feeling her blood run cold. Daryl took her hand in his as they emerged from the forest and back onto the highway.

"Andrea!" Dale calls, running over to her, still shaken from the walker attack. She glares at him, before storming into the RV. "I-I heard her screaming..." he muttered, Riley sighed.

"I'd leave it if I were you, Dale, she'll come around" she said gently, patting the old man's arm. He nodded weakly. "Where's Lori?" he asked, noticing her absence.

"This girl..she rode out of nowhere...on a horse! Saying Carl's been shot!" stammered Glenn

"Shot?! Whaddya mean shot?!" panic rang out in Dale's voice, Riley shrugged

"We know as much as you do, Dale"

"And you let Lori go with this woman?!" he almost shouted, frowning at everyone

"This girl knew her name, and Rick's...and Carl's" Riley reassured him "Besides, she was on that horse before we even knew what was going on, Daryl tried to talk her out of it but..man, the look she gave him.."

Dale sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Did this woman say where she was taking Lori?"

"Some farm, about eight miles from here" shrugged Riley

"Well, then can I suggest somebody takes T there as soon as possible, he needs medical treatment" Dale lead Riley over to T, who was wrapped in a blanket, shivering, the colour gone from his face.

"Oh shit" she breathed, crouching down next to him.

"Glenn, you need to take him, the rest of us will wait here until the morning" said Dale to the young man, who stared at him wide eyed.

"Yeah, we cin make some sorta sign fer Sophia before we all move out ta this...farm" agreed Daryl, looking down at T. He walked over to his bike and starting rooting through the bags on the side, before throwing Riley a bottle of pills. "Doxycycline, that's first class stuff too"

"Why the hell are you carrying around doxycycline?" she asked, emptying out two pills for T to take. Daryl shrugged.

"Merle got the clap on occasion"

Riley shivered in disgust, bringing a bottle of water to T's mouth so he could swallow the pills.

oooooooooo

Night drew in again, and Dale took watch on top of the RV. Riley climbed up to join him, as Carol, Daryl and Andrea tried to get some rest. Glenn and T-Dog were sleeping in the Cherokee.

"Howdy" she grunted, pulling herself up on top of the RV, and settling into a chair next to the old man. Even on top of the vehicle they could hear Carol's heartbroken sobs. "I dont know what to do"

"Not much we can do" Dale said, peering through his binoculars. "But we'll find her"

"You're sure of that? Twelve year old girl with no survival skills, alone..." Riley dropped her voice "Shes gonna be scared to death, fear takes over, can leave you even more vulnerable"

"We have to keep some faith" sighed Dale, but Riley could tell he was only thinking the same as her. "For Carol, at least"

"And Carl" Riley mumbled, staring ahead of her onto the highway. She heard someone climb out of the RV and she looked over the side. Daryl was slinging his crossbow over his shoulder. "Where you sneaking off to, Dixon?" she whispered, he peered up at her.

"Gonna go look fer Sophia, shine a light in the forest, give her somethin' to look at" he drawled.

"I'll come too, I'm just being useless here" Riley said, grabbing her shotgun and machete, clambering down the ladder. Daryl held out his hands to her as she hopped down, grabbing them.

"You kids be careful" Dale smiled at the pair, obviously smitten with each other but one too scared to make a move on the other. Oh, if he only knew what happened at the CDC...

They walked along the highway in silence, hopping over the barrier once more and heading into the woods.

"You really think we're gonna find her?" asked Riley, breaking the awkward silence.

"Sure, why wouldnt we?" he grumbled, shining the light in various directions.

"She's only 12.."

"So? I was younger than her and I got lost in the woods for nine days" Daryl grunted, pushing back a branch for her to duck under.

"Didnt anyone look for you?" she frowned at him, he shook his head.

"Naw, my ol' man was off on a bender with sum waitress, and Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. I survived on ma own eating wild berries an' wipin' ma ass wit poison oak. Nobody even noticed I was gone, I walked straight back into tha kitchen an made maself a sandwich. I wasn't no worse for wear, cept my ass itched somethin' awful"

Riley burst out laughing, covering her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles as Daryl glared at her.

"Sorry...sorry...that's not funny at all...that's a horrible story" she said, trying to keep a straight face, but failing miserably. Daryl chuckled and shoved her lightly.

"Shuddup, Jersey, you aint got no embarassin stories? What 'bout that scar on yer arm that ya tore open again, ya git that fallin' off yer pretty pink baby bike?" he teased, and her smile faded quickly, She avoided his eyes and marched on ahead. "I was kiddin.." he trailed off, shining his light in the nearby tree. Riley glanced up, her stomach turning. A walker was in the tree, a noose around it's neck and the flesh from it's legs gone. "Got bit, fever hit, world gone to shit, migh' as well quit..." Daryl read the note on the tree "Dumb bastard didnt know well enough to shoot himself in tha head" he huffed, turning his back on it. The walker snapped feebly, wriggling around. He looked at Riley, who was bent over, heaving. "Ya alrigh?"

"Trying not to puke" she mumbled, the sight of its legs almost too much for her

"Go ahead if you gotta" he mumbled, turning back around.

"Can we just talk about something else?" she pleaded, straightening up.

"Mmm...looks like the other geeks came an' ate the flesh offa his legs, poor bastard" Daryl observed, and Riley threw up what little food she had in her stomach. Daryl chuckled a little.

"Thought we were changing the subject?" she groaned and he shrugged

"Payback for laughin' at ma itchy ass" he smirked as she flipped him off. He turned around again and began to walk away from the walker.

"What, you're just gonna leave it there?" Riley asked in disbelief, wiping her mouth.

"He ain't hurtin' nobody up there" Daryl shrugged and she frowned at him "Be a waste of an arrow. C'mon, you never gave me an answer to ma question anways" he gestured for her to follow him. She sighed, not moving.

"An answer for an arrow?" she pleaded. He sighed, glaring up at the walker.

"Fine" he muttered. His expression softened as he watched Riley exhale. Maybe this was more serious than he thought.

"Fine. When I was 16, I met this guy. He was in my dad's hunting shop all the fucking time, with his dad sometimes, and other times he was on his own. He was about 21, real cute. I was young and naive and he was the only guy to ever speak to me, without calling me a dyke, or making fun of my..pudgyness. He actually wanted to get to know me. Turns out he was just coming into the shop to see me. So, we started seeing each other, on the weekends and stuff, I'd go stay at his house for a few days. Obviously, I'd tell my parents I was with my friends, and they never suspected a thing. We got really serious, really fast, and we were together for two years." Riley exhaled, shaking a little "When I turned 18, all my friends were going off to college and starting new exciting lives, and I was always stuck at my boyfriend's house, watching shitty TV on a Saturday night whilst my friends were out, doing whatever the hell they wanted. I'll admit, I got bored. I didnt wanna be the married couple at just 18. So I tried to end it, and he got all weepy, begging me not to leave him, saying he'd die without me. So I stayed. Then he started drinking, going out on a Saturday night with his friends, whilst I stayed at his, bored shitless, cleaning his fucking mess. When he'd get in, he'd get...nasty with me. Verbally. Calling me a whore, and fat, saying how he was the only guy who'd ever touch me and even then he'd have to be shitfaced to get it up.." Riley's eyes were filling with tears, Daryl stared at her, she exhaled again, her voice shaky "It went on like that for ages, I took that crap for a whole 'nother two years. And when I turned twenty, I decided that I'd had enough. I would pack my bags and be gone by the time he got home from the bar. So I did, and just as I opened the front door, he was there. He saw the bags in my hands and went ape shit, screaming and throwing things, he pushed me down and I hit my head on the coffee table" she brought her hand to the back of her head, feeling the slight bump that was still there "I must've blacked out cos I woke up...in the basement..my hands were tied and my ankles too..." tears crept down her cheeks, Daryl swallowed hard, his heart felt like it was breaking for her. "And he comes down...tells me how I'm never leaving him, I was his, and nobody would ever love me like he did...and then...and then he.."

"It's okay.." Daryl whispered, his hand on the small of her back, feeling her shake.

"He pulls out this knife and slices my arm..marking me...marking his property...and then he left me, left me to bleed out...I dont know how long I was down there when the police broke the door down...turns out the neighbours heard me scream when he cut me...they'd gotten concerned...nobody knew I was gone until then.." she sniffed "After that, I swore to myself that I'd never fall in love again...never let my guard down like that.."

"Ya loved him?!" Daryl asked in shock, the sick bastard had practically tortured her.

"I did...until I got old enough to realise it was just more that I wanted to feel...wanted..." she trembled "Wanted by somebody else...and that's why...that night at the CDC I told you I didnt know how to do this...it's because I dont, he was my first and only boyfriend and he...and then you come along and it's like I'm 16 again, I cant-" she cut herself off by bursting into tears, swaying on the spot. Daryl caught her before she fell and held her tightly to him, his face buried in her hair as she let out every single emotion in her body. He felt his own eyes burn a little, as the rage boiled up inside him. What sick motherfucker would do that to someone he claimed to love?! How could someone do that to..her? He held her until she physically couldnt cry anymore, she sniffed and pulled away from him, looking up at him.

"Ya know I'd never do anythin' like tha' to ya, righ'?" he whispered, looking into her eyes. She blinked, wiping away the tears.

"I-Daryl...it's so hard for me...I believe you, with every inch of me I believe you...but.."

"S'okay...I understand" he said softly, bringing his hand up to cup her face as he placed a soft kiss on her lips "I couldn' do tha to ya, and I wont force ya to do anythin' ya weren' comfortablt wit'...but...I care about ya...ya know? That night a' the CDC..tha' meant somethin to me, weren't just the whiskey" he admitted, still holding her face, she nodded.

"I know..me too...I'm just..scared" she admitted, resting her head against his chest "What are we doing Daryl?"

Fallin' in love, he wanted to answer, but he didnt. He sighed.

"I dunno, Jersey, but whatever it is...I like it"

"Me too" she whispered, bringing her face up to his and kissing him softly "Something about you, hick" she smiled weakly, he chuckled and kissed her again.

"C'mon, let's get back" he breathed as they parted, she nodded as he turned, raising his crossbow and shooting the walker right between the eyes. "Waste of an arrow" he grumbled, smiling at Riley and taking her hand. She poked her tongue out at him. "Do that again gerl and I'll bite it off" he smiled, pulling her towards him. She fit under his arm perfectly, and they walked back to the highway, cuddled together.

"Nothin'" Daryl muttered to Carol as she approached them from the RV. She blinked, sighing heavily before sloping back into the RV. Andrea sighed, her arms crossed. Dale climbed down from the RV and pulled her off to talk to her, the two hadnt spoken properly since the CDC. Glenn and T had headed to the farm, and Daryl spotted an empty car, he jerked his head towards it. "C'mon Jersey, let's git some sleep"

She nodded weakly and followed him, smiling a little as he held the door open for her. He rooted around in the trunk, pulling out a heavy blanket. He climbed into the back of the car with Riley and threw the blanket over the two of them. She shifted uncomfortably, trying to find a comfortable position to sleep sitting up. "Lie across the seats" Daryl mumbled, shifting up against the window.

"What about you?" she whispered, frowning. He shrugged.

"Ah'll be fine, ya worry too much Jersey" he smiled at her. She sighed and laid on her back, resting her head in his lap.

"Thank you" she whispered, looking up at him. He was chewing on his thumb, looking out of the window, but he stopped to look down at her.

"Shut up and go ta sleep" he said, but he was smiling as he said it. She yawned and closed her eyes, doing as she was told. He watched her as she slept, stroking her hair. His stomach knotted as his gaze fell upon the scar on her arm. He gently ran his thumb along it, sucking in a breath as she whimpered gently in her sleep. He took his hand away and pressed a soft kiss to her temple, before leaning against the cold car window and shutting his eyes, praying for some damn sleep.