OMG I'm sooo sorry that this has taken me soo long to post. Life has been kind of crazy! I hope that you guys don't hate me now :( In this chapter we get a good look into Rayne's past. Thanks soo much to everyone who reviewed. You guys are so amazing and I cant tell you enough how much it means to me! Please read and review as always because I LOVE hearing what you think!

Enjoy ;)

Chapter 13

They all headed back toward the highway still keeping an eye out for any sign of Sophia. Daryl and Rayne were walking side by side having one of their silent conversations. They did that more often now that they were in the woods a lot more. A gunshot rang out carried by the wind to their direction. Lori stopped and looked around. She looked back in the direction of the church thinking that it was Rick.

Lori said, "Why just one?"

Daryl told her, "Maybe they took down a walker?"

Lori went on to tell everyone that she knew Rick better than that and he would not risk a gunshot to take down just one walker. Rayne knew she was right and could feel something was wrong deep down in the pit of her gut. Lori looked over to her and asked what they should do now?

Rayne told her, "The same thing we been doing"

Daryl added, "Beat the bush for Sophia, work our way back to the highway."

There was a silent agreement between everyone but before they could get moving again Andrea started to talk to Carol. Rayne walked off only to get out of the direct circle of people. She was still scouting for signs of Sophia or food. She had to admit that her hunting skills were a little rusty when she first started to go into the woods with Daryl but with each passing day they got better and better. Rayne could hear Andrea and Carol talking about hoping and praying, that's when Rayne let her mind wander away. She hated talk of prayer and religion. It reminded her too much of her mother and how she would force her to go to church with her every Sunday. She was a very proud Irish woman but when it came to religion she left it alone.

She caught Daryl out of the corner of her eye walking over to the two women and couldn't believe what she heard come out of his mouth. "I'll tell ya wha' its worth, not a damn thing! It's a waste of time all this hoping and praying. We're gonna locate tha' lit'le girl and she's gonna be just fine. Am I the only one zen around here? Good Lord!"

Rayne couldn't help be tease Daryl, "Zen? Really? Since when did you become so zen?"

"I'm trying a new outlook on life. Got a problem with that?"

She started to walk with him but didn't notice the rest of the group was following them when she said, "Not at all, but I secretly love your mean and angry side too ya know."

"Oh I know you do"

He kissed her forehead and they continued to walk side by side through the brush. Rayne was kind of surprised that he had kissed her again in front of people but with how the day was turning out she wasn't really. They have had a few moments where they got so wrapped up in each other that they forgot that people were there. Most of the time it was Merle that was around and Rayne really didn't mind that too much. She liked to see how pissed Merle would get because he didn't have a girl always hanging around him. She thought that it was a nice change of pace for the Dixon boys.

After awhile of walking Daryl stopped and looked over to Rayne, "I think we should call it"

Rayne nodded and then addressed Carol, "We are losing daylight. Lets pick it back up in the morning. Don't worry Carol we will find her tomorrow."

Carol nodded and then Daryl gave a whistle for everyone to follow him. Rayne had had about enough of his whistling. Rayne picked up a nice sized rock and chucked it at his back saying, "I have had about enough of you whistling at me Daryl. I ain't your damn dog!"

Daryl stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at her with narrow but playful eyes. Only Rayne knew that look and that he wasn't really mad. They rest of the group didn't and backed up ready for another redneck mood swing.

He point his finger at her and said, "You quit throwing shit at me. You're a violent fucking woman, ya know tha' right?"

Rayne knew that Daryl wanted to play so who was she to deny him the pleasure. She folded her arms and cocked her hip out saying, "Well I didn't hear you complaining this morning"

Daryl was beyond shocked at her remark and just stood there as she walked passed him wiggling her eyebrows at him. She smacked him on the ass after she walked passed him. The rest of the group was either trying so hard not to burst out laughing or hide their shocked expressions. Daryl just shook his head and turned around to catch up with her. He had to admit he was slightly turned on by her playfulness. Even with a little girl lost in the woods and the end of the world, Rayne always knew how to have a good time and take his mind off things if only for a few minutes. Maybe that's one of the reasons why he loved being around her.

After walking for awhile Andrea asked Daryl how much farther it was still they got back to the road. Daryl said, "Another hundred yards as the crow flies."

Rayne just rolled her eyes at Daryl's southern expression. She knew that expression all too well from hearing it from her family in the south. Her dad's side of the family moved out of Jersey and into Virginia. She used to spend her summers out there when she didn't want to be around her parents.

Just as Rayne was thinking about her past she heard Andrea scream. She had walked off away from the group and a walker came out from behind a tree and was going after her. She tried to run but fell over a branch. Just when they were closing in on the walker, a woman came out of no where on a horse. She cracked the walker in the side of the head with a baseball bat. After the walker was taken to the ground the short haired brunette woman asked for Lori Grimes. Everyone looked at each other so confused that a stranger knew Lori's name.

The woman then said, "Rick sent me, you gotta come now. There's been an accident. Carl's been shot, he's still alive but you gotta come now! Rick needs you, just come."

Lori looked over at everyone and then handed her stuff to Carol. Daryl started to yell, "We don't know this girl. You can't get on that horse."

The woman explained that their farm wasn't too far away. She looked to Glenn and explained how to get to their house from the highway. She told him that the name on the mail box was Greene. Lori and the stranger rode off back into the woods.

James looked over to Rayne and Daryl and said, "What the fuck?!"

The walker that the woman took down sat back up. Daryl looks over to it telling it to "shut up" as he put a bolt through its head. Rayne shrugs her shoulders and the whole group takes off to the highway.

When they emerge from the woods they were greeted by Kelsey, "Thank god you guys are back. I don't think that T-Dog guy is doing so good."

James told her as he kissed her head, "We have been looking for Sophia. Carl got shot and Lori rode off with some bitch on a horse."

Dale didn't look too happy that Daryl let Lori ride off with some stranger. Rayne gave the old man a dirty look for blaming Daryl. Lori was a grown ass woman and could do whatever she wanted, she didn't need to be babysat.

Daryl told Dale, "Rick sent 'er. She knew Lori's name and Carl's"

Dale asked about the screaming he heard but Rayne didn't answer him. She left that for Glenn to do, he told him that Andrea was attacked by a walker. The group gathered in front of the RV to catch their breath and collect themselves. Rayne stood next to Daryl as usual putting her hair up high on her head to keep it out of her face. She had a feeling that things were about to hit the fan. When the idea of leaving the highway was presented Carol didn't seem to happy with the idea. Carol didn't want to leave in the event that Sophia might come back up to the highway looking for everyone. Dale explained to her that the group was split up, scattered and weak. Rayne knew that Dale was right they needed to get to that farm and reconnect with Shane, Rick and Lori.

Daryl spoke up, "Ok, we gotta plan for this. I say tomorrow morning is soon enough to pull up stakes. Give us a chance to make a big sign. Leave her some supplies. We can hold up here tonight, stay with the RV."

Daryl pointed between himself and Rayne as he was talking. Dale then said, "Well if the RV stays then so do I."

Carol told them 'thank you' for staying behind. Rayne and Daryl nodded to her at the same time. Andrea, James and Kelsey also said that they would stay behind and help gather supplies. Glenn wanted to stay behind too but Dale told him that he had to go to the farm and reconnect with the rest of "our people". Those words had a whole new meaning in this new world filled with the dead. Dale continued to explain that the most important job that Glenn had was to get T-Dog there. The cut on his arm has gone from bad to worse. Dale said that he has a very serious blood infection. He told Glenn to take Carol's car and get T-Dog to the farm as fast as possible. As Dale was still talking Rayne could see Daryl looking around. He placed his hand on her lower back as he walked away. She turned her head and watched him walk over to Merle's bike. He moved a dirty rag off the bike, while giving Dale a dirty look, he pulled out a huge bag of pills.

Rayne's eyes grew wide at the sight of the bag. Pills were always her downfall in life. Rayne used to be strung out for a few years almost as bad as Merle was. She was about 23 when she watched all her friends were settling down, getting married and having babies. She went off the deep end. She would go out to the bars and bring home strange men and have meaningless sex with them in the attempt to fill a void in her life. One night while she was out on a bender she found herself in a dominatrix club. She was offered a job there and since she didn't care about anything anymore she took it. She worked at that place for about 2 years. She started out as a submissive but after awhile she was told that she would be better as a dominatrix. She secretly loved working there and bending people to her will.

She was snapped back to reality when Daryl walked by her and told Dale, "Keep your oily rags off my brother's motorcycle."

He placed the bag on top of a car and dug around. Daryl started talking again, "Why did ya wait till now to say anything. This is my brother's stash, Crystal, X. No don't need that."

Daryl threw a bottle at Glenn and told him, "These are some kick ass pain killers."

He pulled out another bottle and handed it to Dale, "Doxycycline. Not the generic stuff neither. That's first class shit"

Rayne walked over behind Daryl looking over his shoulder. He looked at her with a smirk and said, "Merle got the clap on occasion"

He walked away and she rolled her eyes, "Why does that not surprise me"

Rayne helped Glenn move T-Dog to Carol's Cherokee. She could see the worry in Glenn's eyes and she grabbed his face and said, "Don't worry your going to do just fine. Just stay focused and get him to that farm."

Glenn looked up at her still with worry written all over his face. He said to her, "Thanks Rayne, your a good person."

"Oh well I try my best dear. Now go!"

Rayne waved to T-Dog as they drove off out of sight.

Night was upon the group as Rayne sat on top of the RV with Dale. She figured that Dale was always on watch so she thought that tonight she would keep him company. Plus it wouldn't be a bad idea to have more than just Dale's eyes looking out for walkers. Dale and Rayne made small talk quietly to each other. Rayne could hear Carol sobbing inside of the RV. She tried everything to get her mind off of it. She hated to hear people crying. She knew that the best way to help Carol is to get out in the woods and find Sophia but in the back of Rayne's mind there was that uncertainty of not finding her. She could hear movement inside the RV and figured it was just Andrea. She was surprised to see Daryl emerge from the camper. He looked up at her and said quietly, "I'm gonna walk the road. Look for the girl. Wanna come Jersey?"

Rayne smiled and said, "Of course."

Rayne stood up and made her way down the ladder to join Daryl. Daryl looked up to Dale and said, "Gonna shine some light in the forest. If she's out there it will give her sumthin' to look at"

Andrea came out of the RV and almost ran right into to Rayne. She looked like she wanted to come along but when she saw that Rayne was standing next to Daryl she went back into the RV without a word. Dale called down to the two saying, "Do you think that's a good idea right now?"

Rayne rolled her eyes and said to Dale, "Yes Dale. Don't worry we will be back soon."

The two of them started to walk to road and headed into the woods. Rayne could tell that Daryl couldn't sleep and that's why he was out walking in the woods in the middle of the night. After awhile Rayne couldn't take the silence anymore.

She asked, "So do your think we will find her?"

"You got that look on yer face same as everybody else. What the hell is wrong with everyone? We just started looking."

"Yeah, I know but I still have an awful feeling that we might not find her."

Daryl snapped at her, "It ain't the mountains of Tibet, it's Georgia. She could be hulled up in a farm house somewhere. People get lost. They survive, happens all the time."

Rayne rolled her eyes and said, "Very true, but she is still just a little girl Daryl"

"Hell, I was younger than her and I got lost. Nine days in the woods eatin' berries, wiping my ass with poison oak."

She raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "What happened? How did you get out?"

"Well my ol' man was out on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doing another stint in Juvi. They didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though, went straight into the kitchen and made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear, accept my ass itched something awful."

Rayne could help the giggle, just the way that Daryl loved. She thought of a young Daryl with an ass full of poison oak. Daryl stopped and narrowed his eyes at her and she put her hand up and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You poor baby"

She tried so hard to compose herself as she touched his arm. He just rolled his eyes and said, "Hey girl that shit itched like hell ya know."

"Yea I know. I've have had it a few times"

They looked at each other and laughed. Rayne just loved that wonderful smile of his. It seemed to light up the entire forest. It made her heart skip a beat every time, without fail. She smiled sweetly at him and he continued, "Well the difference is, Sophia has people looking for her. I'd call tha' an advantage."

Rayne touched the side of his face as she spoke to him, "I'd call it a huge advantage since your the one looking for her."

They walked in silence again just enjoying each others company still looking for any sign of the little girl. Rayne looked over to Daryl and said, "For some reason it doesn't surprise me to hear that Merle went to juvi."

Daryl looked over at her and just had to ask, "Ya ever been?"

She stopped walking for a minute thought about that question. She continued walking and then started to speak, "Actually yes I have. When I was about 14. I was dared by a group of friends to wake up a cop that was sleeping in his patrol car. I was a really good kid up until then."

Daryl looked over at her and with a grin he said, "You were a good kid? This story sounds like bullshit to me"

"I assure you it's not. Anyway, I lit an M-80 firecracker and threw it into the patrol car. He wasn't happy with his wake up call. He arrested me and when my dad showed up he was beyond pissed. My dad got most of the charges dropped but I still had to do time in Harbour Fields Juvenile Corrections Facility. It was the worst two years of my life."

Daryl was shocked to hear such a story from her but he just couldn't help but laugh. She looked over at him with narrowed eyes but laughed with him after a minute. Still laughing Rayne said, "Although the look on that pigs face was fucking priceless."

"Yeah, I fucking bet."

They continued their walk sharing stories of their childhoods. Daryl came to realize that they were very alike in more way than one. Rayne shared stories of how her dad used to beat on her and Daryl told her stories of how his dad did the same thing to him. They shared the same emotional damage, maybe that's why they felt such a need to try and push others away. Rayne also told Daryl about her drug abuse problem that she didn't think he would accept that well but he did. She knew now that there was nothing she could've done in her past that he would hate her for. He loved her for who she was. Her flaws were the most attractive things about her.

As they were talking they heard a noise off in the distance and immediately they put their game faces on. They walked toward the noise and came to a small camping area. Daryl noticed the tree shaking and when he came around to look at it he said, "What the hell?"

There was a walker hanging from a tree branch with a noose around his neck. All the meat had been torn off his legs below the knee caps. Daryl noticed that there was a note stuck to a tree with a knife.

He read it out loud, "Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit. Dumb ass didn't know well enough to shoot himself in the head. Turned himself into a big swinging piece of bait."

Rayne walked over to get a closer look at it and gagged at the putrid smell of it and said, "Holy fuck that's nasty."

She backed away from it and took in the sight of the man that had stole her heart and asked him out of curiosity. "So Daryl Dixon, where did you learn how to shoot so well?"

"Well my guess, the same way you did baby, gotta eat. That's the only thing these walkers and us have in common. This is the closest he's been to food since he turned. Look at 'em, hanging up there like a big ol' pinata."

The walker was grunting and snarling at the two of them fiercely. He was trying to grab at them even though he was no where near them. You could tell that the need to feed was intense. Rayne looked at the pathetic thing and said, "Looks like the other geeks came in and ate all the flesh off his legs. So we gonna put the idiot out of his misery?"

"Nope. I ain't wasting an arrow and neither are you. Let 'em hang", said Daryl.

"Come on Daryl. If you wont shoot him, I will. Either way one of us is going to waste an arrow."

Daryl looked at her and then to her surprise he said, "Alright I'll do it but you gotta tell me something after"

Rayne looked at him confused but nodded her head. He then continued to say, "Ya gotta tell me what happened to you in Juvi. I saw that look in your eyes, Rayne. Something happened to you in there didn't it?"

As soon as Daryl was done talking he sent a bolt straight through it head and it stopped moving. He didn't want to give her time to say no. He needed to know what happened to his girl. He had seen that look of fear in her eyes once before and never wanted to see it again. He had to know everything about her, the good and the bad. He turned around and looked at Rayne waiting for his answer.

She looked up to the sky for a few moments trying to hold back the tears that were coming. She was flooded by horrible memories of that place. She looked down at him and then said, "I have never told anyone this. Every week for two years straight I was raped, like clockwork, by a guard. It was the same guy every time unless he felt like sharing that week. Everyone knew about it but no one EVER did anything about it."