AN: Thank's to everyone for following, favoriting, and reviewing this story. Here's the next chapter everybody, enjoy. Reviews are welcomed. :)

Disclaimer: I do not own The Walking Dead, It solely belongs to AMC and Robert Kirkman. I only own my own my character Shadow.

Plan B

It was finally morning after that god awful night. We started moving the bodies and cleaning up around the campsite. It was overwhelming seeing all these dead bodies lying all over camp. We were putting the bodies of the people we didn't know in the fire we built to burn them and we were going to bury the bodies of the people that were our group members.

I watched Daryl putting a pickaxe through the heads of each of the diseased to make sure they were really dead. I felt real bad for Daryl. I know he was extremely close to Merle and having him missing is probably eating him up inside. I'm just surprised he stayed with the group and didn't take off. I'm glad he didn't though, it would have sucked not having him here with me.

"Ya keep starin' at me like that, ya gonna burn a hole inta the back of my head," Daryl said as he came up to me, holding the pickaxe firmly in his hand.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about things," I said.

"It's fine. We all got a lot of things on our minds these days. So, what'cha got on ya mind?"

I squinted in the bright sun, looking up at him, and said, "A lot of things, but mainly, how comes you didn't go after Merle?"

Daryl shrugged with a little huff and said, "Merle can take care of himself. Chopped his own goddamn hand off and took off with our truck. Ain't no use goin' after a trail that's gone cold. I'll find 'im eventually, but for now, I have another person who I have to look out for."

"Me?" I questioned.

"Nah, my truck… Yeah, of course you, Shadow. Finally found ya, ain't lettin' ya out of my site. Plus someone needs to protect ya, hell if these people can."

"Daryl…"

"I'm serious, just trust me all right."

"Yeah, I'll always trust you."

He nodded and said, "Gonna go finish up."

"All right," I said.

He walked off to go help the others with the rest bodies and I looked over to Andrea who was still hovering over her sister's dead body. I knew Andrea was distraught and guilty for her sister dying, but if we don't put a bullet or an axe through her skull soon, she can turn and eventually be a danger to us. Hopefully Andrea will come to her senses soon before that happens.

Rick went over to deal with the situation and she pulled her gun out on him. He backed away slowly not wanting to create a scene with her and let her get through this on her own.

Some of us gathered around the small campfire we had going, trying to figure out how to handle the Andrea situation.

"Y'all can't be serious. Let that girl hamstring us? That dead girl's a time bomb," Daryl said.

"What do you suggest?" Rick asked.

"Take the shot. Clean, in the brain from here. Hell, I can hit a turkey between the eyes from this distance."

"No. For God's sakes, let her be," Lori said as she took a seat.

Daryl scoffed and walked off. He's always been a hotheaded and rough guy, but I guess that's what made me want to be his friend. There was a lot of things that made me want to be his friend.

I heard Daryl shout over by the bodies they were moving, "Y'all left my brother for dead. Ya had this comin'."

Yep, that's my Daryl for you… I shook my head at the hotheaded man and chuckled to myself. Sometimes it was hard explaining to these people why we were close friends, but I have my reasons, I know he's a sweet man down deep inside. I mean he stayed here just for me, well and he didn't know where to look for Merle, but still… I think the thought still counts.

I heard Jacquie getting loud over by Jim and we all started to wonder what was going on.

"A walker got him. A walker bit Jim," Jacquie said.

We all walked over to investigate him. If Jim was bit, that means he's infected. If he's infected, that means he's going to turn and that wasn't good.

"I'm okay. I'm okay," Jim mumbled.

"Show it to us," Daryl said as he came over.

Jim grabbed a shovel to defend himself and Shane said, "Easy, Jim."

"Grab 'im," Daryl said.

T-dog grabbed Jim from behind and Daryl lifted up his shirt, revealing a deep bloody bite mark on his side. We backed away from him a bit, trying to decipher what we're going to do with him. Jim didn't deserve this, but none of us really did. It's a real shame that he was bitten and now we're going to have to figure something out.

We sat him by the RV and we all huddled into a circle discussing the situation.

"I say we put a pickaxe in his head and the dead girl's and be done with it," Daryl said from beside me.

"Is that what you'd want if it were you?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, and I'd thank you while you did it."

"I hate to say it… I never thought I would… but maybe Daryl's right," Dale said.

"Jim's not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog," Rick said.

"I'm not suggesting…"

"He's sick. A sick man. We start down that road, where do we cross the line?"

Daryl stepped in and said, "The lines pretty clear. Zero tolerance for walkers, or them to be."

"What if we can get him help? I heard the CDC was working on a cure," Rick said.

"I heard that too. Heard a lot of things before the world went to hell," Shane said.

"What if the CDC is still up and running?"

"Man, that is a stretch right there."

"Why?"

"If there's any government left, any structure at all, they'd protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn't they? I think it's our best shot. Shelter, protection…"

"Okay, Rick, you want those things, all right? I do too, okay? Now if they exist, they're at the army base. Fort Benning."

"That's 100 miles in the opposite direction," Lori said.

"That is right. But it's away from the hot zone. Now listen to me. If that place is operational, it'll be heavily armed. We'd be safe there," Shane said.

"The military were on the front lines of this thing. They got overrun. We've all seen that," Rick said.

I saw Daryl look over his shoulder at Jim and I hoped he wasn't planning something stupid in that head of his.

Rick was still emphasizing his argument, "The CDC is our best choice and Jim's only chance."

Daryl turned back with a nod and said, "You go lookin' for aspirin, do what you need to do," Daryl started heading towards Jim with his pickaxe and said, "Someone needs to have some balls to take care of this damn problem."

Rick pulled his gun out on Daryl, pointing it at his head.

"We don't kill the living," Rick said.

Daryl turned to face Rick and said, "That's funny comin' from a man who just put a gun to my head."

"We may disagree on some things, not on this. You put it down. Go on," Shane said.

Daryl slammed the pickaxe into the ground with a grunt and walked off. As much as I cared for Daryl, I didn't think killing Jim was right. We should just wait it out and see what happens in the near future. Maybe the CDC isn't such a bad idea. It couldn't hurt to try, we just might find something.

I went to find Daryl and I found him leaning against a tree, picking at his fingers. Daryl squinted his eyes at me and said, "What? Ya come to tell me I was wrong."

"No… I think you know that already," I said.

"Pfft… Ya can't be serious. What if he turns, huh? We're all in danger. Same with that Amy girl."

"Yeah, but it's not our place to end it for them, unless it's absolutely necessary for us too."

"Ya to kind Shadow."

"I'm not kind Daryl. I'm just compassionate about people's feelings."

"Ain't that the same thing?"

"I guess, but I just feel it's not my place. It's Jim's decision on what he wants to do. It's Andrea's decision on putting Amy down herself or by someone else's hand. If I had to choose, I'd have you do it."

"Don't even say that. Ya ain't dyin' any time soon. And I'm gonna make sure of that."

"I know Daryl. I'm just being hypothetical."

"I know…"

"Do you think Rick might be on to something with the CDC?"

Daryl shrugged and said, "I don't know… Don't really care either. As long as I have my friend with me, nothin' really matters. S'not like I have anywhere else to go."

I nodded and said, "Yeah… I just hope it's not a complete loss."

He bit his lip and nodded, "I'm gonna go clear some more bodies."

"Okay," I said.

He patted my shoulder tentatively as he walked passed and went back to camp. I walked back to camp soon after him and stood by the small fire. While I was standing there, everyone started to perk up as Amy started to move and growl at her sister. Shane and Rick were starting to come up with their guns at the ready in case Andrea didn't have things covered. A few seconds later her gun rang off and Amy dropped to the ground. I felt remorseful for Andrea, I just hope she'll be able to pull through her heartbreaking tragedy.

Later on we had all of the bodies of our people, loaded onto Daryl's truck, and he drove it up the mountain, so we could bury them. We all followed him up there so we could help and pay our respects. We got most of the bodies into their separate graves and the last one was Amy. Andrea was adamant on doing it herself, but Dale spotted her anyway. It was kind of emotional watching her place her little sister into the ground, but it shows how cruel this new world really is.

Eventually the burial was all over, and we all headed back to camp after the emotional burial. I went over to a tree and started picking at a twig that I found. A hand went on my shoulder and I jumped with fright.

Glenn chuckled and said, "Sorry."

"Don't do that Glenn," I said trying to get my heartbeat back under control.

"I didn't know you were so jumpy."

"I'm usually not, but after everything that's happened in the past couple of weeks, you can't be too careful."

"Very true. Didn't mean to sneak up on you like that."

"It's fine Glenn. What's up?"

"I was wondering what you thought about this whole thing. I mean… You were a cop before all this and worked with both Rick and Shane. Who has a better point?"

"I don't know. Rick has a point about the CDC, maybe there is something there and it is closer. Yet on the other hand, Shane has a point with Fort Benning. Even though it's a long shot, it could be predominantly safe there."

"So, you're kind of on the fence about both places."

"Yeah… Nowhere is really safe…The worlds gone to hell in a hand basket. We'll be lucky if we find a safe zone that we could live out our lives. I honestly think there's worse to come. Even though I don't want to think that, it's kind of looking that way."

"I understand, things aren't looking good. But as long as we stick together, it can all be all right, right?"

"I hope so Glenn… I really, really, hope so."

He nodded and asked, "Do you want to go back to camp?"

"Yeah, sure come on," I said.

I threw my stick away and followed Glenn back to the campsite. I sat at one of the unoccupied chairs, by the fire and Glenn stood behind the chair to the right of me. Shane and Rick made their way back to camp and came over to the fire. Everyone made their way over, knowing we were going to discuss about what's next. Daryl stood a little ways behind me and I nodded towards him, acknowledging me, he gave a quick nod back.

Shane stood beside my chair and spoke to the group, "I've, uh… I've been thinking about Rick's plan. Now look, there are no… There are no guarantees either way. I'll be the first to admit that. I've known this man a long time. I trust his instincts. I say the most important thing here is we need to stay together. So those of you who agree, we leave first thing in the morning. Okay?"

Going to the CDC could be a smart move, but I couldn't help the uneasiness feeling that loomed over me. What if the CDC was overrun? Or what if they weren't any closer to finding a cure? Then all hope will be out the window. I just have to stay positive, hoping that this will all work out for the best.

The next day came far too quickly and I was getting my stuff ready to go to the CDC. I heard someone coming up to me and I looked to find Rick making his way over.

"Aren't you up a little early, Office Fabian?" Rick asked me.

"I couldn't sleep last night, Officer Grimes," I said.

"I understand… Sorry I haven't talked to you since I got back."

I chuckled and said, "Its fine, Officer Grimes. You have a hell of a lot on your plate right now."

"Yeah, I guess I do. And please, call me Rick."

"Sure thing. And you can call me Chloe."

"All right. I just want to say I'm glad you're here. You were one of the best rookies in your group, Chloe."

"Thank you, Rick."

"You're welcome, and I'm glad you were able to be here with Shane and my family to protect them."

"It was kind of a fluke accident, but I'm glad I'm here."

"Yeah… I'll see you in a bit. I have to go see if I can get a hold of that father and son."

"All right, you go do your thing."

He nodded and walked off to the mountain, to see if he could get any signal. I continued to pack my stuff and I heard another pair of footsteps making their way over. I looked over and found Daryl rubbing his eyes as he came up to me.

"Didn't' think ya'd be up yet," Daryl said.

"Couldn't sleep," I said.

"Hmm… Still got stuff on ya mind?"

"Yeah, I'm just nervous about what happens next."

"Don't worry about it Shadow. Everythin' is gonna be fine. We'll get through this."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"So, ya gonna ride with me?"

"Of course, I haven't ridden in your truck in ages. I miss it."

"Ya can't be serious. My truck is a piece of junk. I'm lucky it's still able to get me from point A to point B."

"That's because it has a great guy looking after it."

"Pfft… Uh-huh sure."

I chuckled at him and said, "Hey, can you give me hand with this?"

"Ya making me carry ya damn backpack?"

"Yep… Please…" I said with my puppy dog eyes.

"All right, All right. I forgot how damn adorable ya puppy dog eyes were."

"I still got it."

"Yeah, yeah… Give me that, I'll put it in the back of my truck with mine."

"Thank you, Daryl."

"Ya welcome," he mumbled as he took my back pack.

Eventually we all made it to the cars and Shane started speaking, "Everybody listen up. Those of you with CBs, we're gonna be on channel 40. Let's keep the chatter down, okay? Now you got a problem, don't have a CB, Can't get a signal or anything at all, you're gonna hit your horn one time. That'll stop the caravan. Any questions?"

"We're, uh… we're not going," Mr. Morales said.

"We have family in Birmingham. We want to be with our people," Mrs. Morales said.

"You go on your own, you won't have anyone to watch your back," Shane said.

"We'll take the chance. I got to do what's best for my family," Mr. Morales said.

"You sure?" Rick asked.

"We talked about it. We're sure."

"All right. Shane."

"Yeah, all right," Shane said.

They got a gun out for Mr. Morales to take, along with a box of ammo. Daryl scoffed at it, not wanting to give up our weapons and ammo.

"Thank you all… for everything," Mrs. Morales said.

Lori gave her a tight hug and they went around saying goodbye to everyone. It was a tearful goodbye, but they were doing what was right for them.

"Channel 40 if you change your minds. All right?" Rick said.

"Yeah," Mr. Morales said.

They walked off to their car and Shane said, "What makes our odds any better? Come on. Let's go. Let's move out."

We all got into our separate vehicles and started to drive off to the CDC. I was sitting beside Daryl in his truck and it felt like those days he'd take me out when I was young. I might have missed the truck, but it was him in the driver's seat that I missed the most.

"You know, this feels like old times," I said.

"It does… Just wish it wasn't the end of the world," Daryl mumbled.

"Yeah… That kind of makes it crappier."

"Yup, but we'll make the best of it, right?"

"Of course. We made the best of a lot of things when we were young."

"Yeah… Remember that time ya begged me to drive ya to the ice cream shop."

I chuckled and said, "I remember that. I bought us both a bowl of ice cream and we got into an ice cream war outside the shop."

"I hated when ya got it down my shirt. It was fuckin' cold as hell."

"Ha-ha, but your face was totally worth it."

"That was an interestin' day, even though we got stuck in that traffic jam and ya got in trouble with ya grandparents for not telling 'em where ya went off to."

"But it was worth it."

"It really was. Guess we ain't gonna have that again."

"No, but it'll still be fun hanging out together again."

"Yup, it sure is."

We drove some odd miles out before we had to stop. The RV hose was shot and smoking like crazy.

"I told you we'd never get far on that hose. I said I needed the one from the cube van," Dale said.

"Can you jury-rig it?" Rick asked.

"That's all it's been so far. It's more duct tape than hose. And I'm all out of duct tape."

"I see something up ahead. A gas station if we're lucky," Shane said.

Jacquie came out of the RV and said, "Y'all, Jim… it's bad. I don't think he can take anymore."

"Hey, Rick, you want to hold down the fort? I'll drive ahead, see what I can bring back," Shane said.

"Yeah, I'll come along too and I'll back you up," T-dog said.

"Y'all keep your eyes open now. We'll be right back."

Daryl walked over to me as we waited on the highway and said, "How are ya holdin' up?"

I shrugged and said, "I'm fine. Feel bad for Jim."

"Yeah, it's a damn shame. This world sucks…"

"Yep, it definitely does."

Shane and T-dog came back a little while later, with something that could help the RV get up and running. While Dale fixed up the RV we all moseyed about, making sure to keep an eye out for anything. Rick came out of the RV and we all gathered around to see what Jim wanted. Turns out he wanted to be left here, so he wouldn't be a burden on us and go somewhat peacefully.

"It's what he says he wants," Rick said.

"And he's lucid?" Carol asked.

"He seems to be. I would say yes."

"Back in the camp when I said Daryl might be right and you shut me down, you misunderstood. I would never go along with callously killing a man. I was just gonna suggest that we ask Jim what he wants. And I think we have an answer," Dale said.

"We just leave him here? We take off? Man, I'm not sure I could live with that," Shane said.

"It's not your call, either one of you," Lori said.

We all came to a conclusion to respect Jim's wishes, so Rick and Shane helped him to a large tree in the woods. They sat him against the tree carefully and Jim groaned lowly. We all said short little goodbyes to Jim and it was hard seeing one of our own like that. Even Daryl gave a sharp nod to Jim and I thought that was kind of cool.

We made our way back to our vehicles and drove off to our destination once again. It was silent between Daryl and me, too depressing to get any words out. This was the time to reflect on everything and to figure out what's going to happen next.

Eventually we made it to the CDC and we all got out of our vehicles to go look at the sight. The sight in front of us looked absolutely disturbing. There were hundreds of bodies strewn about, flies buzzing all around the decaying corpses rotting on the ground.

Daryl whispered in my ear and said, "Stay close."

I just nodded and followed our group as we made our way to the large building. I had my handgun at the ready as we walked through the street. As we moved further I covered my mouth and nose because the smell was so repulsive.

As we got closer to the building, there were even more bodies lying about and we had to make sure to watch our step as we walked around them. I stayed close to Daryl like he said and we finally made it to the front entrance.

They tried the door to get in, but nothing. The doors were locked shut and had metal shutters keeping the place locked down.

"There's nobody here," T-dog said.

"Then why are these shutters down?" Rick asked.

"Walkers!" Daryl yelled from beside me.

Daryl took the walker dressed in military attire down easily with his crossbow and everyone was panicking, not knowing what we were going to do. It was getting dark fast and if we're out when night falls, we could all be in a lot of trouble.

"You led us to a graveyard!" Daryl yelled at Rick.

"He made a call," Dale said, trying to calm Daryl down.

"It was the wrong damn call!"

Shane pushed Daryl back and said, "Just shut up. You hear me? Shut up. Shut up!" he turned back to Rick and said, "Rick, this is a dead end."

"Where are we gonna go?" Carol asked as she held on to Sophia.

"Do you hear me? No blame," Shane said.

"She's right. We can't be here, this close to the city after dark," Lori said.

"Fort Benning, Rick… still an option," Shane said.

"On what? No food no fuel. That's 100 miles," Andrea said.

"125. I checked the map," Glenn said.

"Forget Fort Benning. We need answers tonight, now," Lori said.

"We'll, think of something," Rick said.

"Come on, let's go," Glenn said.

We all tried to leave the area, everyone murmuring and following each other back to the cars.

"The camera… it moved," Rick said as he stood by the door.

"You imagined it," Dale said.

"It moved."

"Rick, it is dead, man. It's an automated device. It's gears, okay? They're just winding down. Now come on," Shane said.

Shane tried to get through to Rick that this place was a loss. All of us stood watch, making sure there wasn't any walkers coming our way. Rick was adamant about what he saw and pounded at the door, yelling at the camera to let us in. They pulled Rick away from the door and then suddenly the shutter screeched open.

There was bright white light shining as it opened and it felt like a complete miracle at that moment. We all quickly made our way inside of the building and had our weapons drawn just in case.

"Hello? Hello?" Rick called out.

"Close the doors," Shane said.

We looked around the spacious building and it had a large sign adorning the front with the CDC logo on it. A gun cocked and we all readied our weapon at the person. It was an older male, possibly around his late forties and he held a semi-automatic weapon.

"Anybody infected?" he asked us.

"One of our group was. He didn't make it," Rick said.

"Why are you here? What do you want?" the man asked.

"A chance."

"That's asking an awful lot these days."

"I know."

"You all submit to a blood test. That's the price of admission."

"We can do that."

"You got stuff to bring in, you do it now. Once this door closes, it stays closed."

A few of the men ran out to grab our stuff from the cars and came back quickly. The guy sealed the doors back up and shut off the power to the area.

"Rick Grimes," Rick introduced himself.

"Dr. Edwin Jenner," the man said.

The doctor led us to an elevator and we all piled into the small space. I was squished between Glenn and Daryl in the back, and it was a very uncomfortable fit.

"Doctors always go around packin' heat like that?" Daryl asked.

"There were plenty left lying around. I familiarized myself. But you look harmless enough," Dr. Jenner said and then looked at Carl and said, "Except you. I'll have to keep my eye on you."

We made it to the floor and got off the elevator one by one. We followed Dr. Jenner through the halls and Carol asked, "Are we underground?"

"Are you claustrophobic?" he asked.

"A little."

"Try not to think about it."

We made it to a large room and Dr. Jenner said, "Vi, bring up the lights in the big room. Welcome to zone 5. "

"Where is everybody? The other doctors, the staff?" Rick asked as we made our way inside.

"I'm it. It's just me here," Dr. Jenner said.

"What about the person you were speaking with? Vi?" Lori asked.

"Vi, say hello to our guests. Tell them… Welcome."

"Hello, guests. Welcome," the computerized voice said.

"I'm all that's left. I'm sorry."

Dr. Jenner led us to another room and started setting up to get our blood taken. I wasn't a fan of needles, but I don't think too many people are. I was a little nervous, but I tried to hide my fears. After a couple of people went, it was my turn and I sat in the chair.

Dr. Jenner rapped the rubber band around my arm and I left my arm out waiting for him to stick the needle into my arm. He wiped my skin down with an alcoholic wipe first and then the needle pricked my skin. It didn't hurt, which I knew it wouldn't, but it was still nerve racking. A few seconds later he removed the needle and I was all done.

I let out a short sigh and made my way over to Daryl who was leaning against the wall, holding his beloved crossbow closely. He gave me a quick pat on the shoulder, knowing I wasn't a fan of needles.

Andrea was last and she said, "What's the point? If we were infected, we'd all be running a fever."

"I've already broken every rule in the book letting you in here. Let me just at least be thorough. All done," Dr. Jenner said.

Andrea got up and she swayed a bit, so Jacquie grabbed her to help steady her.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Jenner asked.

"She hasn't eaten in days. None of us have," Jacquie said.

After we finished, he led us to a small dining area and he broke out some food. We started to eat the meal and laughing about. It was great, and something we've hadn't done in days. We even got to drink wine with our food and it was awesome.

I made sure I only had a little because it's been a while since I actually drank an alcoholic beverage. I tried hard to be sober after my accident, but I admit I slipped up a lot since I've tried to make my change. But it is the end of the world, it really doesn't matter too much now.

Dale started pouring some wine for Lori and said, "You know, in Italy, children have a little bit of wine with dinner. And in France."

"Well, when Carl is in Italy or France, he can have some then," Lori said.

"What's it gonna hurt? Come on… Come on…. What?" Rick said with a smirk.

Lori shrugged and Dale poured Carl a little bit, "There you are, young lad."

Carl took a sip and his face was priceless.

"Eww," he said still making a disgusted face.

"That's my boy. That's my boy. Good boy," Lori said.

We all laughed at the kid as he continued to shake his head.

"Yuck. That tastes nasty," he mumbled.

"Well, just stick to soda pop there, bud," Shane said.

"Not you, Glenn," Daryl said.

"What?" Glenn asked.

"Keep drinking, little man. I want to see how red your face can get."

Rick clinked his glass and said, "It seems to me we haven't thanked our host properly."

"He is more than just our host," T-dog said.

"Hear, hear!" we all said raising our glass.

"Here's to you, doc. Booyah!" Daryl said as he raised the bottle of southern comfort he was drinking.

Daryl was totally getting drunk and he was completely adorable as he was. Man, I have to stop thinking like that, but this wine is throwing all my coherent thoughts out the window. I mean he didn't look bad, that sleeveless, tan, plaid, button down shirt he was wearing, showing off his arms. That smirk of his in full force. I had to get a hold of myself before I did something I was going to regret tomorrow.

"So when are you gonna tell us what the hell happened here, doc? All the… the other doctors that were supposed to be figuring out what happened, where are they?" Shane asked, instantly bringing down the mood.

"We're celebrating, Shane. Don't need to do this now," Rick said.

"Whoa, wait a second. This is why we're here, right? This was your move… supposed to find all the answers. Instead we… We found him. Found one man. Why?"

"Well, when things got bad, a lot of people just left. Went off to be with their families. And when things got worse, when the military cordon got overrun, the rest bolted," Dr. Jenner said.

"Every last one?" Shane asked.

"No, many couldn't face walking out the door. They opted out. There was a rash of suicides. That was a bad time."

"You didn't leave. Why?" Andrea questioned.

"I just kept working. Hoping to do some good."

"Dude, you are such a buzzkill, man," Glenn mumbled to Shane.

We finished up our meal somberly and then Doctor Jenner led us to rooms we could use to sleep.

"Most of the facility is powered down including housing, so you'll have to make do here. The couches are comfortable, but there are cots in storage if you like," Jenner turned to the children and said, "There's a rec room down the hall that you kids might enjoy. Just don't plug in the video games, okay? Or anything that draws power. The same applies if you shower, go easy on the hot water."

"Hot water?" Glenn asked with a smile on his face.

"That's what the man said," T-dog said with his own smile.

We all picked out rooms to sleep and Daryl grabbed my arm and said, "Ya wanna bunk with me. Help me finish off this bottle?"

"Um… Sure I'd like that," I said.

"All right, I'll go grab a cot from the storage," Daryl said.

I grabbed our room and placed our stuff in the room. I grabbed some stuff so I could go get a shower before I spent time with Daryl. I left the room and took a shower quickly and by the time I got back Daryl was already on the couch and nursing the bottle.

I took a seat next to him on the couch and he said, "Ya smell nice."

"A shower does wonders, Daryl," I said.

"Pfft... Fine, I'ma take a quick one. Don't finish drinking that bottle without me."

"I'll try not to."

He shook his head and left the room. I took a sip of the drink and it burned a bit as it went down. I honestly shouldn't be doing this. I got into so much trouble before when I've got drunk, who knows what'll happen if I do this now. I mean I am older, but what if I tell Daryl how I feel. I mean technically I don't even know how I feel. It's just one big confusing mess in my brain. I just have to let everything go and enjoy this moment, who knows when we'll be able to do this again.

Daryl came back in just a few minutes and he changed his outfit. His hair was damp from the shower and sticking slightly to his face. He flopped down on the couch and grabbed the bottle from my hands, taking a few large gulps of the liquid. He handed the bottle back to me as he wiped his mouth with the back of his other hand.

"This is pretty fuckin' amazin', Shadow," Daryl said.

"Yeah it is. Glad things worked out all right after all," I said.

"Yeah…" he chuckled and said, "Ya know, I'm usually an asshole when I drink. But somehow with you, I feel… I don't know… Calm I guess."

"I like you like this… Usually when I'm drunk, I do stupid shit…"

"What like dance on tables?"

"Once and I was naked…"

"Jesus Shadow… Ya didn't?"

"I did… I barely remember it, but the people with me sure did."

"Damn, no guys try to touch ya, did they?"

"No, it was all good. Just one embarrassing night."

"I missed a lot, huh?"

"Yeah, but you had to get away."

"But I could have kept ya safe."

"It was all me Daryl. Even if you were there, I could have still wound up down that path."

"Hmm... maybe, but it would have been easier to help ya through it."

"Maybe… Come on let's not talk about this."

"All right," he grabbed the bottle back and drank some more.

I tried to grab it from him, but he held it out of my reach.

"Come on Daryl…" I groaned.

"Nope, ya gonna have to take it from me, shorty," Daryl said as he stood up.

I stood up on the couch and tried to take the bottle from his hand, but he kept it out of reach.

"Come on Shadow… We can do this all night," he taunted.

I lunged for it, but Daryl wrapped his arm around my back as I fell into his chest. He held me up as I stood on the edge of the couch, and our faces were inches apart from each other. Daryl's blue eyes stared into my brown ones intensely and I didn't know what to do. Daryl made the first move and put the bottle to his lips with a smirk and drank some more of the Southern Comfort. I should have known he didn't feel anything towards me, so when he took the bottle away from his lips, I quickly grabbed it and took my own swig.

Daryl chuckled at me and sat back down on the couch. I sat next to him and he said, "I forgot how much fun we had together."

"Me too."

We continued to drink and chat all night. It felt good to finally spend some downtime with my best friend and I never wanted this night to end.