Chapter Twenty-Five

The next morning they all woke up ready to take the inside of the prison. Daryl, Glenn, T-Dog, Hershel, Maggie and Rick were all standing at the gate they had closed the night before. Rose and Jared stayed with Lori and the others to protect them.

"Ready?" Rick asked the others. They all just nodded in reply and opened the gate. Once they were through, Hershel closed the gate to prevent other walkers from coming through. When they advanced into the new area the group stayed in a tight circle formation with their backs to the center.

Rose stood behind the fence and watched the group make their way through the group of walkers. Jared stood right beside her but her mind was on one man. She gripped the fence tightly with her hands wishing that she could be in there helping.

Lori and the others were rattling the fence where they were to attract the walkers over to them and then they would dispose of them when they got close. Rose glanced over to see how Lori was doing and when she looked back at the group, they were out of sight. Lori noticed this too.

"I can't see them." Lori said to Rose. "Can you?"

"No, I can't." Rose responded. "They'll be ok though."

"How do you know?"

"Because it's Daryl and Rick." Rose said hoping to lighten the mood.

The inside group came back into view. They started to rush over to the gate where the others waited but Rick stopped them.

"What is it? Why are they stopping?" Lori asked.

"I don't know." Rose answered. They stood there at the fence watching the group inside talk but unable to hear. Then they saw them go towards the door that led into the prison. "They're going inside."

They were inside now. Rose couldn't see any of them. It was killing her to not know if Daryl was alive or not. She hated that he had this hold on her and he didn't even know it. She hated how she couldn't cut him out of her life. He would always be there no matter what. He would always be hurting her without actually doing anything.

After what felt like forever Glenn came out to collect them. They all followed silently into the prison. When they arrived with the rest of the group, Rose was relieved to see Daryl standing there. She looked at him with a small smile of happiness but quickly looked away when she noticed he saw her.

She looked around her surroundings and saw that they were in C Block. They were basically going to live like prisoners. They pretty much were. They were prisoners in their own world and the walkers were the guards.

"What do you think?" Rick asked the group.

"Home sweet home." Glenn replied.

"For the time being."

"It's secure?" Lori asked.

"This cell block is." Rick replied.

"What about the rest of the prison?" Hershel asked.

"In the morning, we'll find the cafeteria and infirmary." Rick explained.

"We sleep in the cells?" Beth asked.

"I found keys on some guard." Rick said. "Daryl has a set too."

"I ain't sleeping in no cage." Daryl said.

At the sound of Daryl's voice Rose looked at him. He stood there with a purpose. A purpose to keep the group safe. He was a valued member and he was becoming somebody. He wasn't a nobody anymore. He was Daryl Dixon the protector of their group. He caught her looking again but this time she didn't look away. She knew what was happening. She was falling for him all over again. But did she ever stop in the first place? She knew what she wanted now, the problem was did he want her again?

"I'll take the perch." He continued as he walked over to the area by the stairs.

They all split up to find a cell to sleep in. Jared walked with Rose until she subconsciously walked into a cell close to where Daryl was sleeping. Before she entered fully she turned around at the door to face Jared who was about to follow her into the cell.

"I think it's better if I sleep alone. You should find a different cell." She said to him.

"What if a walker comes in?" Jared said. He was reaching for a reason to stay with her.

"We are locked down. No one or thing gets in without a key from Daryl or Rick."

Jared stayed silent but turned and walked into the cell next to hers. Rose glanced at Daryl who was watching their conversation again. This time however, he did not have a smug look on his face. She watched as he made up a place to sleep and lay down on it. She wasn't sure if it was her or just the fact that they were safe now. But something inside her made her get up from her bed and walk over to Daryl. She sat next to him with her facing his face. When he noticed she was there he peered up at her from where he lay on the ground.

"What do you want?" He asked her

"I honestly don't know." She replied. "Maybe just to talk."

"About what?"

"I don't know. The weather?" she almost got a smile out of him with that.

"Why don't you go talk to army boy about the weather?"

"We both know that I don't want to talk about the weather Daryl, and I know you know that I don't want him."

"So, what? You want me again?"

"I never stopped wanting you. I only needed time to come to terms with that fact."

"So what if I don't want you?"

"Then tell me now. If you don't want me then tell me right now so I can continue to live this miserable life we have."

He sat up and looked her in the eyes. "I don't want you." It looked like his eyes were trying to tell her something else but his mouth wouldn't say it. And seeing as Rose was no mind reader, she silently stood up and walked back to her cell. She took one last look at Daryl and saw a sad expression on his face but she chose to ignore it. She climbed into her bed and went to sleep.

The next day the group went over what they had gotten off of the guards.

"Not bad." Daryl said.

"Flash bangs, cs triple chasers." Rick said. "Not sure how they'd work on walkers, but we'll take them." They looked at the gear next and Daryl picked up a helmet they had pulled off of a walker.

"I ain't wearing this shit." He said as he looked at it disgustingly.

"We could boil them." T-Dog suggested. Rose grimaced at the idea.

"There ain't enough firewood in the whole forest. No." Daryl said. "Besides, we made it this far without them right?"

"Rose?" Carol called as she entered the room.

"Everything all right?" Rick asked.

"Yeah, nothing to worry about." Carol walked out.

"I'll be right back." Rose said to Rick. "It's probably just nerves." She followed Carol out to Lori's cell. "What's wrong?" Rose asked as she entered the cell.

"It's the baby, I think I lost it." Lori responded.

"Why do you think that?"

"I haven't felt it move."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing. And no Braxton Hicks. At first I thought it was exhaustion or malnutrition."

"You're anemic?" Lori nodded.

"If we're all infected then so is the baby. So what if it's still born? What if it's dead inside of me right now? What if it rips me apart?"

"Stop. Don't let your fear take control of you. You can't think like that."

"Ok, then let's say it lives? And I die during child birth?"

"That is not going to happen."

"Why not?"

"Because I won't let it."

"People die in childbirth all the time. What if I come back, and attack it? Or you? Or Rick? Or Carl? If I do, if there is any chance, you put me down immediately. You don't hesitate. Me, the baby." Her voice started breaking. "If we're walkers, you don't hesitate, you don't try to save us. It might have been better if," she trailed off.

"If what?" Rose asked her.

"If I'd never made it off the farm."

"Lori!" Rose scolded. "You're exhausted, frightened. You need to rest and stop thinking like this."

"Yeah that's true. My son can't stand me. And my husband, after what I put him through,"

"We have all been carrying that weight."

"Not you. You stand by him like I should. You support him when everyone wants to give up on him. I should have been more like you."

"No, Lori. I stay by his side because if it weren't for him, I would be dead in that hospital. I stay by him because I trust him. Everyone has doubts though. I just push those aside."

"I should be the one doing that though. But I try to talk to him and he,"

"He'll come around. He has to."

"He hates me. He's too good a man to say it, but I know. I put him and Shane at odds, I put that knife in his hand."

"You know who doesn't give a shit about that? This baby." Rose said, putting her hand on Lori's stomach. "Now, let's make sure everything is all right."

After they were done making sure the baby was ok, they walked out of the cell to see the guys gearing up to look further into the prison. Rose looked down at Daryl and he seemed to be avoiding her gaze. She looked over to see Rick telling Carl he had to stay behind in case he had to become the man of the group.

"I want to go with you guys." Rose said out loud.

"No," both Daryl and Jared said. Rose looked at them and Daryl was pretending he didn't say anything. So she turned her eyes to Jared.

"And why not? I can fight, if something happens, I'm a doctor."

It was Rick that answered. "Lori is due anytime. We need you here in case she goes into labor."

"You're right." Lori took her hand and led her back into her cell. They sat down on the bottom bunk and Lori looked at her expectantly. "What?" Rose asked her.

"Speak. Talk. I just poured out my fears and problems. You listened and gave advice. It's my turn to help you."

"I don't have any problems right now."

"That's crap. You are full of drama. Jared is a great guy who wants you, You are a great girl that wants Daryl, and Daryl is,"

"Doesn't want me." Rose cut her off.

"No, that's not true, I see the way he looks at you."

"I asked him straight up to tell me the truth and he said he didn't want me. But it's the end of the world, I should be worried about getting bit by a walker, not about whether or not some guy wants me or not. Leave it to me to worry about that now. I couldn't have thought about it when life was still normal."

"You just needed a reality check."

"Yeah this was a huge one. And so was my talk with Daryl last night. He looked me straight in the eyes and said he didn't want me. Maybe I should give up on him and be with someone who does want me. Or just stay by myself."

"It's the end of the world. No one should be alone. Jared wants you, he's a great guy."

"You're right. He is, I'll see how it goes when they get back." Rose smiled at her. Lori was a great friend. "I don't know what I would do with out you."