Sitting on one of the benches Alice watched from across the room as Glenn and Maggie talked. He looked at her so adoringly at her, his smile never fading and Alice couldn't help but wonder if she would ever actually have that. She cared about Daryl a lot. Her feelings had strengthened with their physical relationship but she couldn't help but notice that Daryl tended to avoid her around the prison except for those moments of passion when they were alone and even then there was barely any conversation, no sweet words or promises. She had felt increasingly low the past few weeks though she kept telling herself to suck it up, they were in the middle of the apocalypse and she moaning about how unsatisfactory her love life was.

"Right, what's up?" Alice jumped, her eyes shooting to Beth who had come from behind her, sitting opposite her.

"What? Nothing."

"Don't lie to me," Beth scolded, narrowing her eyes slightly, "You've been nothing but miserable the past few days."

"I'm fine," Alice rolled her eyes, shrugging. "Where's Judith?"

"With your mom," She refused to let her change the topic though and jumped up, "Come on, we're going to go walk and talk."


The sun beat down on them as they walked through the few walkways that were safe. Rick was on watch; they could see him looking out, his eyes seeking them both out to check that they were safe every once in a while.

"Come on then spill. I've been so busy with Judith that I feel like I've abandoned you recently."

"Don't be daft, we all have our jobs to do," Alice uttered, shrugging, "I don't know what you want me to say anyway."

"Preferably what's on your mind. Come on, unload."

"I can't."

"Hey," Beth stopped, turning to her friend and blocking the way, "You can tell me anything you know - who do you think I'll tell, the walkers? I don't think they're about to go and tell anyone else even if I did." Alice laughed lightly, nodding.

"I don't know though, it's just stupid and petty," Alice sighed but at raised eyebrow Beth cocked at her she carried on, "I just want what your sisters got, you know? Just want someone to look out for me the way that Glenn tries to for her. Someone to go to in the midst of all of this shit." They entered into the courtyard before stopping and sitting cross-legged opposite one another.

"I know exactly what you mean," Beth sighed. "You'll find someone soon though. I mean what about Daryl?"

"What?" Alice uttered in surprise, her heart leaping in her chest.

"You're always watching him," Beth laughed with a wink, "I'm not an idiot, I know you like him."

"He's nice," Alice simply uttered with a shrug, tracing patterns on her legs as she avoided the girl's eyes, battling with herself inside of her head.

Alice had always been close to the youngest Greene. She found a comfort in talking to her and there were only a few years between them – she felt like a normal person again when she was with her.

"Can I tell you something?" Alice started, not sure if she should really be saying anything at all but if she didn't it was just going to keep chewing her up inside, "You have to promise not to say anything to anyone though, especially not Maggie."

"I promise," Beth spoke, eyes brightening slightly as she leaned forward, eager to hear what her friend was about to spill.

"Me, uh, me and Daryl," She started, knowing she couldn't go back now even if she wanted to, "We've been, you know, fooling around and stuff."

"Oh my God, I knew it!" Beth squealed slightly, going onto her knees excitedly. "All of those times on the road, I knew it, I knew he was eyeing you up, I knew I wasn't imagining it!"

"Keep your voice down," Alice murmured, rubbing her forehead slightly.

"Wait, so what's the problem?"

"I don't know," She groaned, placing her head in her hands, "I just… I just want more. I don't want it to be just physical, I like him more than that but this is Daryl we're talking about, he's not exactly compassionate."

"Is he a bit of an animal? I bet he is-"

"You're really not helping," Alice murmured through her hands, "But yeah, yeah he is." She couldn't help herself, laughing lightly, not being able to believe she had finally told someone. Already it felt like a huge weight was off of her shoulders and this was Beth, she really wasn't going to say anything to anyone else. Alice had gone to her needing advice before and they had discussed intimate matters that she hadn't felt comfortable going to her mother about and now that she had come out with it she couldn't quite understand why she had kept it from her friend for so long.

"Knew it," Beth uttered under her breath, "Well you obviously need to talk to him Alice otherwise it's just going to keep boiling up inside you – I've seen you angrily explode and it isn't pretty."

"Thanks."

"I'm serious; you'll just end up having a fight if you let it get that far."

"I know. It's just… awkward, you know? Trying to breach that kind of subject when we're just screwing, we're not anything more. I don't know; I feel like I should just call all of this off, it's not worth it."

"Just talk to him, get it out of the way," Beth smiled at her friend before leaning over and embracing her in a hug. "It'll be alright."


Alice and Beth sat out there for a while, each of them catching up with things that they had managed to miss over the past few days. The prison felt like home when it was like this; there was no harm in them forgetting about the bad for that short time that they spent together because it was rare that they would get to do it again anytime soon.

After a while they headed back inside, both of them having jobs to be getting on with. Alice was supposed to be helping her mother whilst Beth took over with Judith duties. First however, Alice was going to find Daryl.

It didn't take long as she found him in his cell. Alice felt ridiculous as she leant against the opening to his cell, offering him a small smile when he glanced up at her.

"What's up?" Daryl murmured, not meeting her eyes as she watched him. He was looking for something, though she didn't know what, but it was clear that he didn't want to talk to her in that moment just from his body language.

"Can we talk?" Alice hated that phrase with a passion, nothing good ever came from it.

"Am busy."

"It won't take long."

"Aint got time. I'm going on a run with Maggie in five minutes and I can't find my knife anywhere."

"Take mine? It used to be yours anyway," Alice uttered. She watched as he paused in his search before finally looking at her expressionlessly. Holding out the knife to him he eventually took it, murmuring a 'thanks'.

"We can talk when you get back seeing as you'll need to get that back to me anyway, I'll probably be in my cell by then." Daryl merely nodded and Alice couldn't have felt any more out of place in that moment. Considering how much he had opened her eyes sexually in the past few months she felt like they were almost strangers. She left without another word.


Alice sat in her cell reading. She could hear the chatter of the group downstairs as they all gathered around for what she could only assume was a meal. She sighed, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she wondered what she was supposed to do. Daryl hadn't turned up at her cell yet, she had heard Maggie talking to her father so she knew they were back but he hadn't shown up. She tried to keep the anger at bay as after all he may have just forgotten.

The smell of food wafted up to her, her stomach growling loudly as she made the decision to abandon the hope of Daryl coming to her and instead went and joined the others. She couldn't pinpoint what it was that had been cooked but it smelt amazing either way and by the standards they usually went by that was a huge improvement. Placing her book down she ran a hand through her dishevelled hair, heading for the stairs, the sound of chatter getting louder.

"I knew the smell of this would get you to come down," Carol winked as she saw her daughter descending the stairs. She was handing out what looked like bowls of soup to those sat around the tables and Alice couldn't help but smile at her.

"It smells amazing," She uttered with a grin.

"I'll second that," Alice heard his gruff voice behind her before he brushed straight past her, heading for one of the tables. Daryl had been in his cell the whole time.

'He must have forgotten', she tried to reason though at the back of her mind anger was beginning to niggle it's way in.


Alice took a seat at the table, eating a spoonful of the simple tomato soup, her eyes almost rolling back in pleasure at the intense flavour.

"God this is good," Alice moaned slightly, others agreeing with her with a small laugh.

"Alice," She glanced up at Daryl as he spoke her name, looking at her knife that he was holding out to her, "Thanks."

The anger was bubbling up inside of her as she took it from him. He had purposely avoided talking to her and now that she had that confirmation Alice was ready to explode.

"Fuck you, Daryl," She growled, not being able to contain herself. "You're a fucking prick." A stunned silence spread out around her, all eyes were suddenly on Alice. Standing from the table she grabbed her bowl before storming upstairs, wanting nothing more than to hit Daryl.


There were footsteps following close behind her as she placed her bowl on the small table in her cell before clenching her fists in an attempt to calm down.

"Alice, what's wrong?" Beth watched her, worried that she was about to punch something.

"Him. He's a fucking dick, I'm sick of this shit!" Alice fumed, trying to keep her voice low though all she wanted was to scream and shout.

"He only gave you your knife," Beth uttered, not knowing what to say but if she hadn't chased after her friend then Carol would have.

"I tried talking to him but he said he was too busy so I told him to come and find me when he got back so that we could talk. He didn't.

"But then he comes downstairs behind me and only then hands me my knife when we're surrounded by other people. He purposely avoided me, how much of a dick move is that? I just want to punch him so bad!"

"Hey, he might've truly forgotten, he seemed as surprised as everyone else was when you snapped."

"No," Alice uttered, "He just doesn't give a shit, he didn't want to talk in the first place." Tears rimmed her eyes though she willed them not to. It was frustration more than anything, frustration that he was acting so blasé about everything like nothing even mattered.

"He's made it clear; unless he wants to fuck I'm not worth the effort," Alice murmured, giving Beth a sad smile that immediately had the younger girl enveloping her in a hug.