Chapter 21:

They made it through almost the entire CD before the light game on for gas. "How much further?" Rory asked.

"A few miles," Daryl said squinting against the sun to see further down the road. The only upside was that since the group came out this way a lot they had already cleared a path in the cars. "No gas in these cars?" Rory asked.

"Na," Daryl said skipping a song that came on the CD, "We took all that was left."

"Oh," Rory said as she rested her head against the window and let her mind wander.

"What?" Daryl asked after he felt she was quiet for too long.

"Just thinkin," she said glancing over at him.

"Bout," Daryl asked glancing over at her before looking back to the road.

"I don't know if I want to go back," she said, this time looking only out the window and not at Daryl.

"Why the hell wouldn't ya?" Daryl asked fighting off the sinking feeling in his stomach.

"Don't wanta talk to them. Not yet."

"Ya don't have to Arora. I told ya, ain't gotta do nothin' ya don't wanta," Daryl said hoping she would change her mind, "But ya gotta promise me ya just ain't talkin' cause yer scared."

"I'm not scared," Rory said, "I'm just not ready to deal with that right now."

"Ya don't have ta," he said again, still not looking at her, "Ya talk when yer ready. You and I are the only ones that need ta know yer talkin."

Rory nodded but didn't say anything. She knew that he wasn't going to pressure her, but she also knew that the others would continue to try to get her to talk. Daryl glanced over to her when she didn't say anything and studied her profile while she looked out the window. He let out a quiet sigh before looking back at the road and said, "I ain't gonna make ya."

"What?" she asked looking back to him more than a little confused.

"I ain't gonna force ya to stay at the prison. If ya want to leave," Daryl said refusing to look at her, "I'll get ya some gas and then ya can take off."

"Daryl," she said reaching to place a hand on his arm. Her hand hesitated for a moment, floating over his arm before she was able to place it on his warm skin. "Thank you," she said and Daryl nodded, this time he didn't look back over to her and she let the little smile she forced on her face fall before lifting her hand and looking back out the window.

They sat in silence again as Daryl drove until the truck used up the last fumes of gas. "That's it," he said turning off the truck, "We walk from here." They locked up the truck and hoped that no one else would come along before they could come back for it.

The sun was directly over them as they walked off the side of the road so that they were in the little shade that the trees gave. Rory was a few steps behind Daryl and she stopped for a moment to wipe off the sweat that was forming at her hair line before pulling out her water and taking a drink. Daryl stopped when he didn't hear her footsteps anymore and turned to check on her.

"Want some?" she asked, a little breathlessly. Daryl nodded and walked back to her and took the water bottle. She squatted down for a moment in the grass to catch her breath and Daryl watched her as he took his drink. "How much farther?" she asked looking up at him and holding a hand up to block the sun.

"At this rate," Daryl said as he looked in the direction they had been walking, "Twenty minutes or more." Rory let out a humorless laugh as she plopped backwards into the grass and spread her legs out in front of her. "What?" Daryl asked shifting his weight to his other foot as he debated sitting down with her for a moment.

"I feel like we aren't getting anywhere," she said patting the grass next to her.

"We aren't if ya keep sittin' around all day," Daryl scoffed before he sat down next to her.

"I'm injured," she said sticking her bottom lip out in a fake pout, "Remember?"

"Mhm," was Daryl's only response as a gentle breeze blew through the trees cooling the sweat on their bodies for just a split second.

"God that feels good," Rory said closing her eyes and tilting her head up towards the sky until the breeze died back down. Daryl had watched her from the minute she had closed her eyes and watched as a bead of sweat trickled down from her hair line and down her neck until it reached her collar bone and settled in the dip of her neck. He ripped his eyes away from her as when he realized how hard it was to keep from leaning over and licking up the little bead and follow it back up to her neck. "Daryl?" Rory called out to him.

"What?" he grunted out a little harsher than he meant to.

"Where'd ya go?" she asked as she studied his face.

"Whatcha mean?" he asked standing up hoping that she didn't see the truth of what he was thinking on his face.

"You just zoned out. I called you like three times before you heard me," Rory said standing up and brushing off her pants and fixing her shirt.

"So," Daryl said as he started walking again.

"Just wondered what you were thinking about is all," she said catching up to him with a bit of a limp. Daryl mentally cursed when he saw her limp and slowed down so that she didn't have to walk as fast.

"Just want ta get back," he said keeping an eye on her from the corner of his eyes.

"Oh," she said quietly, "I was thinking about that."

"And?" Daryl asked already putting up a wall for when she said she was just going to leave.

"And," she said fidgeting with the straps on her pack, "I think I want to stay?"

"Ya think?"

"I want to," she said a little stronger, "As long as you don't mind me being there."

"Why would I care?" he said before he realized how that sounded.

"I just don't want to be a burden," she said now picking at her finger nails, "It's not that everyone there isn't nice to me, but I just don't feel as comfortable around them as I do with you."

"I don't care," he said getting angry that he wasn't making it sound right. He wanted her to stay, he just wasn't so sure on how he could tell her that he was ok with her being around him, that he actually liked it

"Ok," she said trying not to take his tone of voice to heart. A beat went by before Daryl huffed out a sigh and turned his head to see her. She was trying so hard to keep up with him, but she was looking down at her feet as they walked. "Anytime ya want to come out huntin with me," he said looking back down the road as the prison started coming into view, "Ya can."

"Yeah?" Rory asked looking back up to him. Daryl looked at her and she looked like a puppy who had just been given praise by it's master.

"Ya," Daryl said looking away from her again, "Even if ya just need to get a way fer a bit, let me know."

"Ok," Rory said smiling before looking up the road to the prison again and her steps faltered.

"Just remember," Daryl said as he stopped to look at her, she turned to face him and he continued, "If I ever see ya doin stupid shit like that again," he said motioning to her thigh, "I ain't takin ya nowhere."

"Deal," she said holding out her hand to him. Daryl smirked and huffed before his large hand wrapped around hers. They shook and then Daryl readied his bow as they got closed to the gate. Rory readied her knife a moment later and her smile vanished from her face. "Ya ain't gotta talk ta no one," Daryl said once more as they moved through the walkers that were gathered around the gate.

Rory nodded to him as they stayed side by side taking out the walkers that got to close while the people on watch inside the prison called out to the other walkers to get their attention. The gates opened and Rory hurried in while Daryl pulled a bolt out of one of the walkers he shot down before he followed her inside.

No sooner were they in the safety of the fence did Rick come up to them. "There you are," he said first looking over Daryl then Rory, "We were wondering where you got off to. Find anything?"

"Yeah," Daryl said as he nodded his head for Rory to walk with him and Rick followed, "Found her truck. Drove it more than half way 'ere, but we gotta go get it."

"Supplies?" Rick asked glancing at Rory before turning back to Daryl.

"Yeah," Daryl responded as they walked into the prison and up to their rooms, "Hell of a lot of 'em."

"When do you want to leave?" Rick asked and Rory's hand shot out to grab Daryl's wrist silently asking him not to go out again so soon.

"Gotta get it 'fore anyone else does," Daryl said to her before turning back to Rick, "Just gotta grab a few things then I'll get some people to go with. Hershel needs to look over Girl though."

"You alright?" Rick asked looking her from head to toe.

"Just want to make sure she didn't push too hard out there," Daryl said speaking for her.

"I'll let Hershel know," Rick said turning to leave, "I'll see who wants to make the trip with you."

Daryl nodded his good bye to Rick before following Rory back into her room. "Ya need to take a shower and wash off whatever yer covered in," Daryl said to her as he dropped down in the chair by the wall of her cell. Rory turned to him with one eye brow raised as if to tell him he didn't smell so hot either.

"I'm not the one that's 'injured,'" he said mocking her from earlier. Rory rolled her eyes as she leaned against the wall next to where he was sitting before sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. She pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them to her before resting her chin on them and closing her eyes.

Daryl watched her as she got comfortable and when she closed her eyes he reached one hand out and patted her head softly. "Ya did good out there," he said now resting his hand on her head, "Don't think I told ya that. But ya did."

He picked his hand up and Rory turned her head to smile up at him. He could see how tired she was now that she was safe again and he was a little upset that he had pushed her so hard. But even though she looked like she was about to fall asleep leaning against the wall, he could see how much his words meant to her. He nodded to her once and she closed her eyes while a soft smile spread across her face.

Daryl took that moment to really look at her. Her injuries weren't very old, but they were healing quickly and Daryl could already see the beautiful girl under the fading cuts and bruises. The most recent, on her face, but even they were fading to show the girl he had seen in her photo book.

While Daryl had started thinking about the book he zoned out a little again and her light snoring brought him back to reality. He smirked at her as she sagged against the wall. He didn't want to put her on her bed with how dirty she and her clothes were, and luckily he didn't have to worry about it long because Hershel walked into the room.

"She asleep?" Hershel asked walking over to Daryl.

"Yeah," Daryl said standing up and looking down to her, "Pushed her hard out there."

"Should've let her rest here," Hershel said, but the minute Daryl looked back up to Hershel, he knew that Daryl was right in taking her out of here. She could've hurt someone at the rate it was going and she had already hurt herself. "It's good she got out though," Hershel said smiling down at the girl.

When she was like this you could almost forget how dangerous she could be. "Don't want to leave her there," Hershel said looking back up to Daryl, "Think you could wake her up?"

Daryl raised an eye brow at the older man and realized that he was the best person to wake her up, just in case she forgot where she was and lashed out. He squatted down and reached out a hand to place on her arm. "Wake up," Daryl said moving her gently, "Girl ya gotta wake up now." Daryl gave a small smile at the way she scrunched up her face and tried to turn away so she could continue to sleep. "Naw," Daryl said shaking her a little bit more, "Wake up."

Sighing Rory slowly opened her eyes to see Daryl in front of her and Hershel standing back a little to give them some space. "Come on," Daryl said standing up and offering her his hand. Carefully she placed her hand in his and he helped her up. Her knees buckled a little under her weight and Daryl caught her and held her up.

"Feel like showering?" Hershel asked as he looked her over, "It'll make it easier to check you for injuries."

Before Hershel could even finish talking she had started shaking her head no.

"Don't be stubborn," Daryl said. Rory looked up at him with scared eyes and Daryl felt like an ass, but he knew she needed to get cleaned up. "I'll stand watch," he said, "Just like last time."

"She's going to need someone in there just in case she collapses," Hershel said making Rory whip her head to face him throwing herself off balance. Daryl steadied her again before nodding at Hershel. "Let me see what Beth's doing," Hershel said before leaving the room.

"Sit," Daryl said helping her to the chair he had been using. Rory was shaking and Daryl knew that she dreaded the showers her. Not that he blamed her. Half the time he used them it was at night when everyone was asleep. And he hadn't even been hurt like she had, so he couldn't begin to understand what she was feeling. "I ain't gonna let nothing happen ta ya," Daryl said kneeling down next to her as he kept his arm around her to hold her up, just in case. "Yer gonna be fine," Daryl said again turning her face to look at him, "Say it."

"I'm gonna be fine," she whispered, but it sounded more like a whimper.

"Yer safe," he said again leaning his forehead against hers. He knew it helped her to focus on him and helped her to believe that she really was safe.

"I'm safe," she said taking a deep breath and then letting it out.

"Good," Daryl said before standing and kissing her briefly on the top of her head. Seconds later Beth and Hershel walked in, Beth with new clean clothes in her arms. "Ready Violet?" she asked Rory and Daryl almost corrected Beth. But he bit his tongue knowing that he couldn't do that without everyone knowing that she had talked to him.

He followed behind Beth and Rory and Hershel as they made their way to the bathrooms. Hershel and Daryl went in first to make sure everyone was out before they left the bathroom so that the girls could go in. And just like before, Daryl stood watch while Rory hurried to clean herself, except this time he thought about everything that had changed since the last time they were in this position.

(A/N – I am so so so so so sorry that I have been gone. I have a full time job now and it is just so stressful that the first few days I've just cried when I came home. It is really that bad. But hopefully it's just the stress of a new job and things will get better. It doesn't help that I'm sick…. But I hope you're still reading and you're still here with me! Special thanks to:

Katarzyna88gb

SeverusSnape'sLove

Danathakettue

Sorry again for taking so long : ( I hope that you're still here. Let me here from you!)