I want to thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter. It was a really difficult on for me to write and I'm glad that so many of you like it. As of an hour ago, I'm starting on the last chapter of this story. There are going to be three more after this. I hope everyone enjoys this update and is looking forward to the conclusion of this story...I do plan on making a sequel. Please remember to review!

Stefani looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was disgusting to look at herself now. Before there had been a slight glow to her skin, some meat on her bones, and her curls were healthy. Now she was a hollowed out shell. If she stumbled out of the woods, she'd been shot down in a second, mistaken for a walker. It had been near a week and she was finally feeling a little more like herself, even if her body didn't reflect it.

She had heard about what was going on with the group through what little Sophia understood and the visits Lori made daily. There was a strange shift in the woman. Suddenly she was softer towards Stefani. She didn't try to understand it, just let it happen. There were bigger things that were plaguing her mind at the moment. Like the fact that she still hadn't seen Daryl since that first day.

"Well, look at who is finally on her feet again." T-Dog called as Stefani joined the group. She smiled, stepping into their small circle and feeling Shane slip an arm around her shoulders.

"You feeling better already?" He asked her quietly, taking in her appearance.

"Not a hundred percent, but better. How's your face?" She smirked as she pushed a little too hard on a fading bruise.

"You had us worried, Stef? Thought you were hold up there on your death bed." Andrea said as she looked at the brunette carefully. "Was it something you ate?"

"Probably a bad squirrel." Glenn said with a chuckle. Stefani forced a smile, but didn't say anything else on the matter.

"What were you talking about?" She said to change the subject.

"Randall."

"So what are you going to do? I think we'd all feel better if there was a plan." Lori said, glancing over to her husband.

"Is there a plan?" Andrea spoke up again.

"We'll know soon enough." Rick said as he motioned to where Daryl was joining the group.

Stefani felt her heart quicken just at the sight of him. She had to fight the urge to run into his arms weeping, thankfully she had Shane's embrace to ground her. When he was closer, she saw the subtle differences in him. It was obvious that he wasn't sleeping well, from the dark circles under his eyes and the weary expression on his face. But it was the sight of his bloodied knuckles that worried her the most.

"Boy there's got a gang. Thirty men, heavy artillery, and they ain't looking to make friends. They roll through here, our boys are dead and our women are gonna to wish they were." His gaze briefly met Stefani's before moving back to Rick.

"What did you do?" Sophia asked from her spot beside Carl.

"Had a little chat." Daryl told her, not giving her more than a quick glance.

"No one goes near this guy." Rick spoke up. Stefani finally pulled away from Shane and headed towards Daryl, but he was already walking away.

Daryl hated himself for walking away from her. He knew he was being stupid, but he wasn't ready to face her yet. It had been four days since he'd been with her last, four days since they'd lost the one thing that he was sure was keeping them together. He knew that it wouldn't take long for her to see what kind of man he really was. If he was being completely honest with himself, a small part of him was glad that the baby was gone.

"Did it hurt to punch the guy?" Carl asked as he and Sophia came into view. Daryl noticed how the little girl didn't look at him, at least not fully.

"I've been hurt worse. So have you buddy." He said, as the kids came closer.

"Can you teach me how to shoot that?" Carl asked with a nod towards his crossbow. Sophia stayed silent behind the boy. Daryl almost flinched away from the fear in her eyes as she finally met his.

"Your arm ain't long enough. Stick to guns, it takes less skill."

Sophia saw Stefani coming up behind Daryl, she took off and embraced the woman. Her arms stayed around her waist as she continued back to where the boys were still talking.

"Why don't you go find your old man, pester him." Daryl said as she stood up to face Stefani. Again Sophia shrank away from him following after her friend. "What the hell's her problem?"

"She's scared." Stefani said as she handed him a towel. "We're all scared."

"Of me?" He said softly, almost too soft for her to hear.

"Should we be?" Stefani took a step closer to him. "I know you're upset."

"Are we talking about feeling now? This had nothing to do with me. Rick asked for help, I stepped up."

"Yeah, way to take one for the team. Don't let him treat you like an attack dog, Daryl." Stefani moved closer to him. "You're better than that."

"You don't know a damn thing about me."

"And whose fault is that? Talking to you is like pulling teeth from a fucking walker. You don't want to tell me shit, fine. Then let me go. Take your friendship and whatever else we have. I'll survive without it."

"I don't need this from you."

"Don't pretend you don't care." Stefani sighed as he took a step away from him. "Everything else, fine I'll get over it. But don't you turn your back and pretend that you don't care about this group. You wanna be pissed at me, fine. But don't use me as an excuse to beat some poor kid's face in."

"I'm helping the group." Daryl yelled after her retreating form.

"Keep telling yourself that, sweetheart. I think I liked you better when you hated everyone."

"I never hated you." She stopped then

"You never loved me either."

Stefani turned away and continued back towards the house. She was feeling dizzy and needed some time to rest. It was beginning to get too exhausting just to survive from day to day. Suddenly she remembered why all those months ago she thought it was a good idea to let him go. Having people in your heart only brought more pain.

"You should eat something." Lori said as she brought a plate into the living room on the Greene's farm. She smiled as she accepted the plate.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Stefani asked around a bite of food, she noticed Lori's stare and attempted to smile. "Sorry, but come on Lori. We weren't exactly besties."

"What happened that day…" Stefani noticed her hesitation. "It wasn't food poisoning was it?"

"No, but I don't want to talk about it."

"Did it hurt?" Lori's voice went soft as her hand reached for her belly.

"Yes," Stefani put the plate down and turned away from the woman. "Did you know, before?"

"I had my suspicions. Did Daryl?"

"Yes, he knew." The concerned look on the older brunette's face was enough to open the flood gates. Before Stefani knew what was happening, tears were falling down her face. "I think he blames me. He won't talk to me, and I know he wanted it. He'd never admit it, but when he listened to the little swoosh-swoosh of her heart, I think he wanted to be a dad. He would've been a good one."

"Honey, you just gotta give him time." Lori said as she wrapped an arm around her.

"I just wanna know what he'd thinking. It's not my fault. It's not, Lori. I tried so hard to take care of myself. I didn't mean for this to happen." Stefani pushed out of Lori's arms, furiously wiping at her eyes.

She turned to glance at Lori before getting up from the sofa. Grabbing the plate, Stefani headed back for the kitchen. It was nice to be able to talk to someone about it, but there was something strange about having this conversation with Lori. Jealousy overtook her, she knew that whatever god was watching over them would make sure her baby survived, while Stefani tried to forget she ever had one to lose. Taking a deep calming breath, she moved through the back door letting it slam behind her.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Daryl needed to get away. He found that the woods were the only place he could get any peace. Stefani's words were still ringing in his ears. He wasn't strong enough to let her go, but he also wasn't strong enough to have her walk away from him either. All he needed was time. He needed to get his head on straight and figure out what he had to offer her. Before there was this little life that was connecting them, but not all they have is each other. He wasn't sure if that was enough for her. He let out a frustrated sigh when he was Dale approaching his camp.

"The point of me coming up here was to get away from you people."

"It's gonna take more than that." Dale said as he finally came to a stop. Daryl never stopped prepping his arrows.

"Did Stefani send you?"

"She's not the only one concerned about you, or your new role in the group."

"I don't need my head shrunk. This group's broken. I'm better off fending for myself." He said as he reached for his jacket.

"You're acting like you don't care."

"Yeah, it's cause I don't."

"So live or die, you don't care what happens to Randall?" After receiving the negative from the redneck, Dale continued. "Then why not stand with me, try to save the kids life, if it really doesn't matter one way or another?"

"I didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch."

"Your opinion makes a difference."

"Ain't nobody looking to me for nothing." Daryl said as he began to walk away.

"Stefani is, and I am right now. And you obviously have Rick's ear."

"Rick looks to Shane, let him."

"You cared about what happened to Carol. That little girl's mother mattered to you. And Stefani, she loves you and you're just too stubborn to take it. Torturing people, that isn't you. You're a decent man. So is Rick. Shane is different."

"Why, cause he killed Otis?"

"He tell you that…or Stefani?"

"He told some story. How Otis covered him, saved his ass. He came back with a dead man's gun. Rick ain't stupid. He didn't figure that out because he didn't wanna. Like I said, the group's broken."

With that he moved into the trees, thankful once again for the peace the woods offered. He needed to think through everything. Dale was right, Rick was looking to him for help and he knew it had something to do with Shane. He wasn't sure he was ready for any more responsibility within the group. He had enough trouble keeping Stefani and Sophia safe without placing the entire group on his shoulders. It was easier not to care.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

"Carl, we shouldn't be here." Sophia said as she near Daryl's tent. It wasn't that long ago that this campsite felt like home, not it was like a strangers.

"He's your friend, he won't mind." Carl tried to reassure her.

"Yes he will. I've never been here without him, or Stefani. Please, can we just head back?"

"He's a good dad." Carl said as he held the handles of the motorcycle. "You're lucky he's nice to you."

"He's okay, I guess." Sophia sighed, "But he'll kill us both if he knew you were going through his things."

Carl slipped the gun in the waistband of his pants before turning back to his friend. "Come on, let's head into the woods."

With a roll of her eyes and an exasperated sigh, Sophia followed. She glanced behind her once more, taking in the campsite. She wished she wasn't so afraid of the man that she was beginning to see as a father, but lately he was different. Her heart yearned to have him hold her again. She moved faster when she heard Carl's voice call out for her.

She caught up with him, and in that instant she felt all the blood in her body run cold. The scream caught in her thought as he hands flew to her mouth. She reached out for Carl as he moved closer to the walker stuck in the marsh. Her voice wouldn't work, and she was frozen to the spot as she watched her friend move around the mud to the other side of the monster. She had to admit it was strange seeing one so close and not having to run in fear. That was until she did. Carl got too close and the walker broke free, the next thing she knew he was running back to her, taking her hand and moving back towards the group.

"Hey, there you are." Stefani smiled as she slapped at Carl's hat making it fall over his eyes. Sophia wrapped her arms around the woman as they headed for the house. "Is everything okay?"

Sophia looked at Carl before opening her mouth, but he beat her to the explanation. "Fine, we were just walking around the farm."

"Alright, come on. Everyone's inside, why don't you two go sit with Jimmy and Beth." Stefani watched the two whisper to each other as they moved further in the house. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw another figure approaching the house. Daryl barely glanced at her before moving up the porch steps. Stefani made a choice right there, she wasn't going to let him push her away. He wanted to fight, she'd give him a fight.

"What the hell is your problem?" She said standing up to him.

"Don't do this, Stefani." He spoke so calmly it only fueled her desire to get a rise out of him.

"Don't do what? Don't talk to you, don't worry about you? I know you're hurting…"

"You don't. Stefani you don't know a damn thing."

"Did the life growing inside of you die? Did you have to lay there while your baby bled out of you? I was doubled over in pain for hours because my body was rejecting my baby."

"Our baby." His voice was soft compared to the growing volume of hers.

"Was it? Where were you? I haven't seen you in days. Instead you're beating some kids face to a pulp. Would it kill you to be with me, with Sophia? You asked if she was afraid of you, well she is. So am I, this isn't you. I thought we'd gotten past this."

"You think I don't care? That was my kid inside you. All I think about is what I could've done to protect you. If you told me earlier maybe we could've fed you better, kept you inside. You're mine to look after and I fucked that up. How many times have you almost died because I wasn't there? "

"Daryl," Stefani sighed, stepping into him and taking his face in her hands. "I don't need you to protect me all the time. I'm a big girl. All I want is for you to is for you to be with me, when you can. Don't run away when things get too tough, talk to me."

"What do want me to say?" His voice sounded almost pained as he pulled out of her touch.

"Why do you want to be with me?"

"Because you're sexy as hell and are one of the only women that can make me laugh. I like having you around."

"Do you love me?" She took a step closer to him. "I need to hear you say it. I need to know that you love me and don't blame me for what happened."

"I don't, Stef." He took her cheek in his hand, rubbing at the tear that fell from her eyes. "You did what you thought was right. I don't blame you for nothing." He kissed her forehead, lingering for a minute. It had been too long since he'd touched her.

"I hate when you push me away." She stepped into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you, even if you don't believe me half the time."

Daryl leaned down and captured her lips. His hand wrapped around the side of her neck, pulling her closer to him. Stefani fisted the back of his shirt, loving the feel of his heart pounding against hers. When he broke away from her, Stefani kept her hold on him. He rested his forehead against hers, before placing a kiss there. "Come on, they'll want us at the house soon."

He pulled his jacket off and wrapped it around her small shoulders, pulling it tight across her chest. She looked so small in his clothes, it brought a smile to his face. Using the grip he had on the jacket and vest, he pulled her closer to him again, kissing him deeply. She let out a moan as she opened her mouth for him to enter. "I do love you, Stef."

Smiling, Stefani pulled away from him, taking his hand she dragged him the rest of the way into the house. They stood off to the side, behind the majority of the group. Stefani was slightly surprised when she felt his arm come around her hip, pulling her back against him. She felt an uncomfortable pang in her gut at the placement, but the second his thump began running circles over the sliver of exposed skin, all her worry washed away.

She barely focused on what the group was saying as her relaxed against the man behind her. It became painfully obvious that she would follow him to the end of the earth if it meant that he could be with her. From his arms, she watched the people around her. It was a tough decision, but she knew where she stood. Occasionally her eyes would lock with her brother's and she would give him a reassuring smile. It felt strange when they were all on the same side.

She found herself listening to Daryl as he occasionally put in his thoughts. It amazed her how much things had changed for him in the group, and it even felt better know that it was just because of their relationship, but because of the man he had become. Carefully, she turned in his arms and placed a chaste kiss against his neck. Even if he didn't need it, she wanted him to know that she had his back no matter what.

"You're right, this group is broken." Dale said as he walked out of the room, placing a hand against Daryl's shoulder.

"What did he mean by that?" Stefani asked as he moved into his side and followed Daryl out of the house.

"Nothing. I want you and Sophia to stay with the group tonight, while I help Rick. Keep her with you, I don't want her to hear the shot."

"She's not afraid of you, Daryl. She loves you,too. You're making the right decision for your family."

As if she knowing who they were talking about, Sophia came out of the house. She hesitated for a split second, before taking Daryl's other hand. He stopped and looked down at the girl before reaching down to take her into his arms. Sophia's apprehension washed away as she put her arms around his shoulders and buried her face against his neck. She whispered a soft sorry, which only caused Daryl to place a reassuring kiss against the side of her head.

"You stay here with Stef. I'll be back later." Stefani gave him one last kiss on the lips before she took the girl into her arms and watched him walk away.

For a brief moment she met Shane's eyes. There was something different there. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something in his eyes sent a chill down her spine. Looking away, Stefani steered Sophia to the fire. It was a strange feeling, all of them sitting there together. It was almost as if nothing was different, like three of their men weren't in the barn executing another living person not but a hundred yards away.

At every little noise, Stefani felt herself tense. She was waiting for the gunshot. The sound that said that it was all over, but it never came. Her head shot up as she saw Rick and Carl coming back to the camp. It was obvious the boy was in trouble, but Stefani couldn't even think of what he'd done now. Sophia followed her friend into his tent.

"We're keeping him in custody, for now." Rick announced to the group.

"I'll go find Dale." Andrea said with a small smile, knowing the older man would be pleased with the news.

Stefani stayed seated, waiting for Daryl to come back. It was strange to think that he played such a big role in the group. Before she would practically have to force him to sit around the same fire pit as everyone else, and now he was the one that she was waiting on. A small smile spread across her face at the thought of him.

The smile was wiped away quickly as she heard screams coming from the fields. Everyone jumped into action, Lori telling Carl and Sophia to run to the house. Stefani was already checking to make sure her knives were on her before running after Rick and Andrea. Her pace picked up when she heard Daryl call them over, her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

The group fell to their knees as they saw Dale torn wide open by a walker. Stefani moved into Daryl's arms as hot tears rolled down her face. She heard Sophia's gasp before she even realized the girl had followed them. She flung her arms around Stefani, crying into her chest. The woman made sure Sophia was securely held against her when she saw Rick take out his gun.

Daryl surprised her when he pulled out of her grasp, moving to where Rick and Shane stood. Stefani couldn't help but think about how perfect he seemed to fit between the two. She gave a reassuring nod as he reached for Rick's gun. She refused to take her eyes off of him, only blinking when he pulled the trigger.