A.N. Apologies to all. I know it's been almost forever since I posted, but I haven't had much time for writing lately and was lucky to get this done. hope you enjoy.

He'd sat by her bedside, waiting. Night had crept in silently and only the glow from the few scattered candles flickered in the room. The others had all taken their turn and now the house was quiet. Only two other bodies were awake and they were patrolling the front of the house on watch, everyone else slept; lightly most probably, in comfortable beds for the first time in a long time. All except for the tiny body curled up in the cushioned tub chair on the opposite side of him. She hadn't moved an inch since they'd brought Olivia in here, the chair so close to the bed it was almost touching and her tiny body leaning towards her big sister.

He admired that, admired their closeness. He didn't have any siblings; at least none he knew about, he'd never known that kind of bond. He thought he'd had something close to that…he'd thought.

The tiny body whimpered in her slumber and the small blanket that had been draped over her fell from her shoulders. He was up quickly and quietly before it hit the ground, placing it back over her. Her tiny eyes fluttered open and stared up at him before they darted to the bed.

"Not yet." He answered her questioning gaze softly. She sighed and her heavy lids fell against red rims a few times, then she was steadily breathing in sleep in seconds.

He returned to his seat and continued his study of the young woman in the bed, her chest steadily rising and falling, body still and unmoving. When it was apparent she wasn't going to wake, Carol and Beth had given her a sponge bath earlier in the day and combed out her hair, ridding her of caked blood all over her and her clothes, leaving her skin glowing against the golden candlelight. She looked so peaceful, angelic almost in her slumber and he was a little jealous, he wished he could have that; could find that easily, but he didn't have that luxury.

He placed his gun on the nightstand and slowly slid forward onto his knees before the edge of the bed – maybe if he got close enough he could feel it, absorb some of her tranquillity. He reached out gently and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, ghosting his hand down her shoulder and along her arm. He could feel the heat that emitted from her body or was it something else? His eyes darted to the little girl across from him as she fidgeted and adjusted in the seat, her eyes never once opened and he swallowed deeply before turning to the doorway finding no one there. He fell back against his heels and his conscience weighed heavily in his mind.

What was wrong with him?

His rubbed at his face with both palms and shook his head before getting to his feet. He looked at the two sisters, his head going back and forth like he was watching a tennis match and he couldn't help but see the similarities and differences now.

Lilly had darker golden skin, her hair was darker too and curly, ringlet curly. Her nose was like a little button above her very pink full lips and her eyes…he closed his and remembered staring into them at the cabin and seeing the grit behind them…they were dark brown, almost black. Olivia on the other hand had an olive tone to her skin, but more like a rich tan from time spent in the sun. She had the same dark hair, but it had natural sun-kissed highlights running through it and it was straighter. Her eyes were a green brown that seemed to change with her temperament. They had the same cheekbones, shape of face and eyes and though Lilly was still a little girl he could see she was going to have the same, slim athletic build as her sister.

His eyes came to rest on the older of the two and he couldn't help but drink her in, his eyes feasting like a thirsty man in the desert as they'd done since he'd first laid eyes on her. He didn't know what it was about her, he couldn't put his finger on it, but she was like a flame dancing, burning bright and beautiful. He wanted to reach out and let it burn him and he would go up in flames willingly.

Maybe it was her youth? Or maybe it was her strength, he didn't know, but he found himself so drawn to her. He wanted her and not just once, he wanted her the way a man wants a woman, he wanted her to be his. The things he imagined doing to her were not always gentlemanly and when she'd stumbled in front of the truck; battered and a little broken, but strong, even then his worry had turned to slight desire until she passed out.

He'd wanted to carry her, to hold her and be her saviour, but that soldier had beaten him to the punch. "Rick?" Hershel's voice broke into his mind and he looked at the strange expression on the older man's face. He followed the old man's gaze down to where his hand held hers, his thumb stroking across the top of her hand. When had he done that? He cleared his throat softly, still aware of the tiny ears in the room.

"She's still not responding." He whispered, slowly removing his fingers from her palm. The loss of contact hitting him harder than he thought considering he had no idea he'd been holding her hand.

"She just needs rest Rick. We're fine here for the moment, no harm." he offered in his slow southern manner, a slight caution in his tone.

"But it's been 2 days Hershel. Tomorrow will be the 3rd. That little girl over there can't spend another day in that chair." He said angrily, but his anger was more at himself for not being able to do anything.

"She'll be fine." He said nodding to Lilly. "But her body and mind went through a trauma…" He nodded to Olivia. "…And from the looks of it a pretty big one. But it's here." He pointed to his temple. "That's what keeping her where she is."

Rick sighed and sat back in the chair. "What about smelling salts?" he asked.

"In my assessment her brain shut her body down for a little while because she was exhausted and running on adrenaline with no food in her system. For lack of a better term, she's in an almost self-induced coma." He came around the side of the bed, checked the IV, her pulse and felt her forehead. "She fought hard and it didn't only tax her body, it assaulted her brain. We can only fight the physical element. The rest of the fight is up to her." his hand brushed over her hair in that Fatherly way he had, then he turned and began making his way back out.

"She will wake up!?" Rick wasn't sure if he was asking a question or making a statement and that scared him.

"Hopefully! We just have to wait and see." Hershel stopped and turned back. "Try talking to her some more. Everybody has given it a try." He suggested lightly. "Call me if there's any change."

"Yeah." But Rick eyes remained on the woman in the bed and the old man exited quietly.

He sat there for a few minutes contemplating what he was going to say, his eyes fixed on Lilly. He rose slowly from the chair and hoisted the little girl into his arms and she wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, her tired eyes fluttering open to look at him.

"Did she wake up?" she whispered in a sleepy state.

"No baby girl."

"I don't wanna leave her." She fussed in his arms futilely, her sleepiness winning in the battle between heart and body.

"I'm gonna put you in with Beth. You need to sleep and Olivia's not goin' anywhere." He soothed gently. "I promise if she even flinches I'll come get'cha ok."

Her arms tightened around his neck before relaxing once again. "Ok." She said breathily. "You make…sure…cause…you promised." He head lolled against his chest and she was asleep before he reached the door. He pushed it open gently and Beth roused a little when he placed the child next to her.

"Rick?" she questioned hazily.

"She's not comfortable in there. She needs to get a proper sleep tonight." He said softly.

"Is there any change?" Beth asked as she tucked Lilly under the covers, the little girl snuggled into her side.

"Nah, nothin' yet. I'll come get her if there's any change." He stroked Lilly's hair. "Get some shut eye. It'll be your turn in 4 hours." She nodded and cuddled down with the little girl.

He spotted his son sleeping on the small chaise that sat underneath the window. He moved over to him a stared down for a minute until he reached out and stroked his head, the boy exhaled and turned over, facing away from him. He wondered why his son had decided to stay in here and not next door with his mother, but then looking over at the girls in the bed he realised why.

He went back to the other room and softly closed the door. He rested his forehead against the grainy wood and sighed deeply to himself before turning and moving to the end of the bed, staring down at the still body upon it.

"So…what do you wanna talk about?" he asked, but only silence was his reply.

He pulled the chair up closer to the bed and sat, resting his arm on the side of the bed just a few inches from her hand. He looked at her steady, smooth breath and perfectly still face wondering what exactly he was supposed to talk about with someone he'd only ever really barked orders to. Orders were a good start.

"I think you've had enough sleep. Now get up! There's things gotta be done." He began. "This laziness is costin' us a lot of time and resources. If there's one thing I know bout ya, is that you, are not lazy." She remained still and he chuckled slightly at himself for thinking such a lame attempt would work. "Ya made me laugh, did ya hear that. I laughed." He paused. "You have some power if you can make me do that and ya not even responsive or lucid, but then you know the kinda power you have over all us men." His voice seemed to drop a few octaves. "I seen it in all of 'em, even Daryl and he don't like hardly anybody. That Soldier though, now he's most definitely spellbound by you. His eyes follow you with every step you take."

He could see the utter devotion the man had for her, could see the way his eyes followed her wherever they went and he could see the jealousy that filled his body when she was with Daryl because; if he was honest, he felt it a little too. The way her and Daryl acted towards each-other, he knew there was nothing in it aside from a brotherly/sisterly affection, but it doesn't mean that his alpha male tendencies didn't spring to the forefront from time to time. He didn't even know why. Just that she seemed to make them all feel at ease around her and each of 'em wanted that for themselves...wanted to feel that calmness she seemed to elicit from them without effort.

He and Lori hadn't been able to be that at ease with one another, even before this whole shitstorm of an apocalypse had taken over their lives. Lori just didn't have that anyway. Sure in the beginning it had been all flowers, chocolates and roses and he had loved her, loved her with all his sappy heart. When he'd found her and Carl that day at the quarry, he had thought he was the luckiest man alive, that God was looking out for him and his family.

"Do you know after I found my wife and son in all this chaos, I thought the world was gonna be ok. I thought everything would right itself because…someone had to be looking out for us. How else would we have found each other against all odds?" He really had believed it. Little did he know? "When we found out she was pregnant, I was happy, but anxious. We weren't comfortable and this new world was nowhere for a baby, but I was…happy." He paused and took a deep breath, scooting a little closer to her. "But…I found out my wife had been screwing my best friend and then I killed him." He waited for the guilt, but it never came and he quickly added. "It's not what you think; he tried to kill me first. What I did was in self-defence. We lost people that night. We lost a lot more too. But then we gained you and your trio and if I'm honest, accepting you bunch was one of the best decisions I've made thus far."

He didn't even really know her, hadn't spoke more than 10 words that weren't an order he'd given. Yet still there was something he saw...that he felt from her that he wanted to claim, wanted to have all for himself in this crazy world. He'd watched her, the way she asserted herself, how she was always the first one up to do something that needed doing. He admired her courage, her tenacity. She was strong, powerfully strong, but not in a physical sense and he'd been thinking about why she was the way she was. It all came back to Lilly and the bond they shared, the bond he now saw forming between Beth, Carl and Lilly…between them all and he wanted it too. He might have been being selfish, but did he have to sacrifice his desires, his humanity to save the rest of it?

He licked his lips which had suddenly gone dry and ran his hand down his face. He thought about the story of sleeping beauty that he'd read to Carl when he was just a toddler and how she was awakened by the prince. The prince had been her saviour, her knight in shining armour. Olivia was in what seemed to be an eternal slumber. He drew closer to the bed, gazing down upon her sleeping form. She was like sleeping beauty. He leaned closer until their faces were only just inches apart. Maybe a kiss was all she needed. And sleeping beauty awoke with a single kiss.

He caught himself before he pressed his lips to hers, all coherent reasoning about what he was about to do fleeing from his mind and it was like looking at himself from a different point of view. Time froze and his old self stood watching the man he'd become about to take advantage of an unconscious young woman...his mind reeled and horror filled his being as the images flashed within him of what he saw himself becoming, he wasn't that guy, didn't want to be that guy! He sucked in a breath to stop himself from screaming and tears filled his eyes. He moved from her lips to her forehead and planted a tender, caring kiss upon it along with a few drops of his regret.

It was a strange sensation, a strange feeling, screaming…screaming so loud to tell yourself to wake up and your body just didn't respond. The feeling of drifting in and out of the conscientious darkness and then into the awareness of your mind and hearing people talking to you, telling you things and showing their concern, but without being able to reply however, that was different altogether, they revealed things she would have never known had she not been in this current state. Her little sister had been the one who talked most, telling her she needed to wake up because she was bored of 'these people' and she missed her voice and her hugs…that had been hard to hear because as hard as she tried she just couldn't will her arms to move and reach for the girl.

Jackson had been in a few times; she thinks, just to check up on her, but she couldn't be sure of anyone or the time they'd come as she flitted in and out of being aware. He'd held her hand, asked her questions and made a complete ass of himself with his stories about being in the army. She must ask him to tell her again about the hot sauce incident when she woke up…she had some questions about that. The others had all taken their turn; thankfully they had given her a bath and she needed to thank Beth and Carol when she woke, they had talked to her incessantly before she faded into the darkness.

Hershel was a good man, a great man. He was continually checking on her, he'd read her a few passages from the bible that were meant to be affirming and hopeful. If only he knew the truth of the matter. She was more than sure now that God was definitely no longer with them!

Then there'd been Rick, the man who was currently watching over her. He'd been quiet for the most part, but she could feel his eyes watching her. She felt his presence next to her. She was listening; she heard the longing in his voice and the torturous guilt at his wanting. It was all their and she wondered how he managed to keep such a calm, controlled exterior, when all he seemed to want to do is break down. She supposed that what true leadership was, putting everything and everyone above your own needs and wants. Yet here they were and now, now he was barking orders at her, and then laughing, talking to her like they were the best of friends.

Then she felt the bed shift as he put his weight on it and his voice dropped low as if he was confessing. The things he was divulging were intimate things a man should not share unless on a couch at a hundred bucks an hour and definitely not with her. While she was a part of their team now and all her well thought out plans had gone down the rabbit hole, she didn't like that he thought she was the best choice for this conversation. Although if the shoe was on the other foot, confessing to someone who couldn't respond seemed the best option…no judgement, no interruptions and a little weight off your chest.

So she listened and when he said about the best friend, she felt her hand twitch and a feeling in the pit of her stomach began to work its way up her body in a tingling sensation. She was angry, angry for him and at Lori even though she had no right to be. Then it hit her, the why! He was angry too, his insinuation at his uncertainty and he couldn't do anything about it. He'd have to live with not knowing the rest of his life whether or not the baby growing inside Lori was his. Her other hand began to tingle now and she excited that her body was finally responding to her brain to move. She just needed a little more…warmth…he was so close she could feel his breath on her lips and chin.

What the hell was he doing? Oh God please she found herself asking, realising she wouldn't get any help. She willed her body to hurry up, to move, but it wouldn't react quick enough and the darkness began to creep in. The warm sensation disappeared; she heard the intake of breath and then felt his lips press softly against her head, but it was the small wet drops that fell on her head that caused her body to twitch involuntarily upon contact. She heard his quick intake of breath and it was silent for a few minutes "Olivia?" He asked faintly, like he didn't believe what he'd felt.

Her skin prickled, breathe coming in quick succession and the darkness began to flash with white sparks. She heard the creak of the door as she struggled to control her bodies' rapid awakening and then multiple footsteps enter the room. "Livvy?" he little sister's voice called. Her heart raced in her chest and sweat trickled from her brow, but she tried to focus on the little frightened voice that called her. "Hershel…" Rick said with worry. "What's happening?"

She felt the old man's hands at the hem of her shirt just before her eyes popped open and she shot up from her position like a wind-up toy. Her eyes connected with Rick's as her breath came rapid and her heartbeat raced, the shock was ever present on his face. Their eyes remained locked until little arms wrapped around her neck and lips peppered kisses on her face. Her own arms slowly encircled the little girl's tiny body, but it took effort and she revelled in being able to finally do so to comfort her. Lilly pulled back with tears swimming in her eyes and Olivia smiled at her. "What are these for? I'm okay." Her voice was a little hoarse and Hershel handed her a cup of water with instructions to sip slow.

The little girl swallowed down and swiped at her face. "I'm just happy." Her hand held fast in Olivia's palm as if she feared she might disappear.

"I hate to break up this party, but I need to check your sister over ok." Hershel uttered carefully. At the despairing look she shot him he gently spoke. "I'll be 5 minutes and then you can come back and not move from this very spot. Deal?" His soft tone and wise eyes put Lilly at ease and she moved to leave the room. Olivia once again found herself locked onto his gaze and he stepped forward, only to be halted by Hershel's voice. "You too." He stated.

She fell slowly back onto the pillow and he remained rooted to the spot before Lilly slipped her tiny fingers into his hand and he tore his gaze from hers as she led him out of the room.

A.N.2. Tried to get into Rick's mindset a little and I'm not 100% sure on the medical side of things, but this is fiction.

Much Love

J