Daryl watched as Juliet practically ran from the conversation. "hey kid." he called after Jack. "What were you gonna say about that group."
"Just that they aren't good guys. Among stealing, and killing they..." he paused and looked in Juliet's direction as she disappeared in the house. "They take advantage of weaker people." Jack couldn't look Daryl in the eye.
Daryl suddenly felt both uncomfortable and sorry. Jack took off after he had told his story and Daryl couldn't believe how much of a beating one women could take and still be standing. If Daryl didn't know any better he would say he was growing to like Juliet way more than anyone else and that the true reason he stayed with this group was because he felt the need to find her and protect her. But of course Daryl would never in a million years say that out loud. He went on with his day avoiding everyone and his mind couldn't shake all the questions he had. He didn't see Juliet again till after dark.
When I walked in the house Lori and Andrea were arguing and everything Andrea was saying was making me smile. Insulting Lori had always been amusing but this was awesome. Lori was on Andrea's back about her role and not picking up on laundry. I agreed with everything Andrea had said about Lori taking things for granted. Sure I had made my peace with all her annoying crap but what she said to me the other day will never go away.
"You go in there and tell that little girl everything is going to be alright. She'll get a Husband, kid, baby..." Andrea paused. "Boyfriend." I shook my head with a smile. "She just has to look on the bright side." Andrea said and then walked out toward me.
Lori huffed and took food up to Beth as Andrea walked toward me. I jumped in front of her before she could leave and she looked pissed. "I love you." I smiled and Andrea just looked confused. "Thank you so much." I hugged her and she understood what I was saying. Andrea smiled and walked out of the house. Wait what Baby?
I shrugged then headed up stairs trying to contain my smile when I knocked lightly on Beth's door. She was laying down and Lori and Maggie were just waiting for her to snap out of her sadness. "hey." Maggie smiled at me.
"If you two want I could stay with her." I shrugged. "You both looked pretty exhausted."
Maggie looked at her sister and sighed. "Alright." Maggie left. I looked to Lori and she did the same.
I walked into the room more before Beth even noticed I was there. I sat on a chair and just looked around the nice old-fashioned farm house bedroom. I let off a little laugh and Beth looked up. "It's amazing you still have your room... before all this I would have never missed my room or my own bed." I smiled and noticed Beth sitting up. She let off this small smirk and looked toward the food just sitting on the night stand. "My room was much darker than this when I was your age. White used to make me dizzy. I made fun of my mom all the time because she liked painting things egg-shell white just so she could correct people." I smiled and so did Beth. "Your dad build this house?" I asked.
"No my grandfather." She said quietly. "My dad ran away when he was a kid and didn't come back till he was a adult." She sighed slowly reaching for the plate.
"I ran away a lot as a kid." I said looking down. "Never missed my house until it was to late to go back." I sighed looking around at the clean windows and pictures on top the drawers. "But you know your lucky." I smiled over at her noticing she was eating. "Big sister, Dad, cousin and boyfriend looking out for you." I smiled and she did too. "It's nice to have people to care about." I added.
"You saved Jack." She spoke up.
"Well more like he saved me." I smiled.
"Either way. My daddy is very grateful." She nodded.
I smiled. For the next few hours just before the sun went down I stayed with Beth and kept her company. I didn't treat her like a child. I didn't yell at her. and I didn't try to talk her out of killing herself. She talked a lot about leaving on her own tears and I just listened. I got Beth to eat and talk. I was doing pretty good. I even got her to laugh once.
When the sun started to set Beth and I had managed to develop and understanding and friendship. Lori and Maggie came knocking and were surprised to see the plate empty and a small smirk.
"Can I talk to you." Lori asked as Maggi took my place.
"Sure." I stopped at the door and looked to Beth. "Get some rest kiddo you'll be okay." I smiled and she nodded.
Lori was waiting for me outside. She was pacing on the porch tapping her fingers on her arms. When I got to her she looked at me. " You talked her out of it?" She asked hopeful.
"No?" I shook my head. "Lori you can't talk someone out of killing themselves." I laughed at her as I was about to walk away I heard her huff. "What?" I asked.
"You think this is a joke! She is Eighteen. You couldn't have given her some advice or something?"
"Lori seriously, you can't talk someone out of it. She is old enough to know what she wants. Just don't put this on me." i shook my head.
"Oh right because you never take responsibility for anything." She laughed as I turned.
"Ok what is your problem? Ever since I got back you have chewed me out for no reason... what did I do?" I asked with a shrug. Lori said nothing. "If you have something to say to me say it now." I said. She just looked at me. Lori never spoke when anyone called her out on it. "Look I know you don't like me and frankly Im not your biggest fan either but what ever it is you think I did..." I sighed. "Let it go. Because I don't care." I shrugged. She looked shocked as she stormed back into the house. I shook my head at the emotional women why was she like that? I didn't know what to do know. I headed toward camp and was worried. About Rick and Shane. Just as I was about to sit back down near the fire their car pulled in and I ran to make sure they were okay.
They were covered in blood and said nothing to each other. "Should put Randell back in the barn." Rick said to Shane without looking at him. Shane huffed rolling his eyes. He walked to the back of the truck and pulled a struggling Randell out. As Shane I walked next to him.
"What happened? Why is he back here?" I asked.
"He knows Maggie. He knows were we are. Rick wants to take a night to figure out what to do." he huffed.
"And your face?" I asked trying to whip some of the blood but he yanked his head away.
"I'm fine. Ran into a few walkers." He said opening the door and throwing the kid down. He cried and begged to be let go but Shane just yelled for him to shut up. "We'll deal with him tomorrow." Shane locked the door behind him.
"Are you sure everything is okay with you and Rick?" I asked.
"Oh yeah he had a nice little speech prepared."
"A speech?" I asked.
"How I should stick to protecting you and leave his family alone. How I should worry about myself and you not the baby..."
"What baby?" I asked stopping him.
"Lori's." He shook his head like I was supposed to know.
"Lori is pregnant?!" I almost yelled. "It's Rick's right?" I asked and Shane looked away. "Right."
"That's what they are saying."
"Good." I said and he looked angry. "Shane no offence your not dad material... at least not right now." I tried to put it lightly as we neared camp.
"Oh what do you know!" he waved with a yell. "You have any kids that I don't know about! Don't think so!" Why was he so mad. "Just leave it be Juliet! This isn't your concern."
"But Shane I-"
"Just!" He paused in front of his tent. "Shut up." He sighed rolling his eyes and disappeared into his tent.
"Shane?" I called for him but he didn't answer.
What the hell did I do? I was just pointing out what he knew damn well was true. Did Rick say or do something while they were gone? I wanted to know what happened on that trip and when I saw Rick coming to his tent I ran over. "Not now Juliet." It was like he knew I was going to question him. "Long day..." He sighed.
"But Rick I just-"
"Juliet." he turned to me and sighed. "It's nothing." Again like he knew what I was going to ask. "Now you should get some rest." he said lightly hugging me then heading into his tent too.
I guess my questions would not be answered tonight. I sighed. Now what. No one seemed to want to listen to me and I was tired of feeling like a kid. I looked around at everyone slowly heading to sleep. Our fire was dying but I noticed over the hill Daryl's fire was still going. Maybe he would talk to me.
As I made my way up I didn't see him. All I saw was a fire and a line of squirrels. Then I saw the necklace of walker ears everyone had talked about. I walked over and looked at it. I smiled. It was the kinda thing that was gross but funny.
"What are you doing up here?" He came out of no where. I jumped and turned and he was standing by the fire taking his crossbow off his back.
"Nothing I just came to talk to you." I said out a breath.
"Why?" He squinted his eyes like I was lying. "Carol send you?" he asked.
"No? Shane and Rick just-"
"Why don't you solve your own family problems." He huffed.
"Okay did I miss something?" I asked so confused. "What the hell happened while I was with Beth?" I asked.
"What are you talking about?" He shook his head.
"Why doesn't anyone want to talk to me?" I asked with a sigh. "Honestly did I do something wrong?" I asked. Daryl looked at me just as confused. "I sit with Beth all day, get her out of bed and talking. but Lori flips out on me about the stupidest thing. Shane and Rick go to release the kid I tried to save and come back all beat up. I try to talk to Shane he yells at me and storms off and Rick won't even listen to me..." I said all in one breath. "And now your yelling at me." I sighed and Daryl just narrowed his eyes. "Am I really that much of an inconvenience to everyone?" I smiled a bit. Daryl didn't say anything and I just looked around. "Well okay then." I shrugged and looked away as I started to walk away.
"You came all the way up here to talk to me?" He sounded confused.
"Yeah but no big deal. I'll just um.. I'll just go and-"
"Carol didn't send you?" He was still confused.
"No. Why would she?" I asked.
"She's been checking up on me like I'm a child." He huffed sitting down.
"I don't think she thinks you're a child." I sighed noticing how he wasn't yelling. "She's just worried." I smiled.
"Why? I ain't her damn problem." He said throwing some wood onto his fire.
"Your no one's problem Daryl." I laughed a bit. He looked at me and rolled his eyes. "Oh come on what do you expect?" I asked. "You became invested in the group and then you just pick up and move away from everyone?" I asked. "She is just making sure you don't do something stupid like leave." I said as I sat next to him. "Hell I'm even surprised your still here." I said and he huffed.
"You and me both."
"Well then why are you?" I asked. "You and Merle had solid plans to leave before we all left for Atlanta. You were supposed to leave the night he came back from the city. Of course you would have taken all our supplies but you would have been gone way before the sun even came up." Daryl just stared at me.
"How could you possibly know that?" he asked.
"Just cause I didn't talk doesn't mean I didn't listen." I smiled. "Plus I would have had to stop you."
"Yeah right." he rolled his eyes.
"I'm serious. If you and Merle were going to leave I was going to do everything I could to get you to stay." I laughed. "Granted all I had were big eyes and a pout." I heard him laugh a bit. "But I don't know if that would have worked."
"On Merle? Oh yeah." Daryl smirked a bit. "Why would you want us to stay?"
"Well in case you hadn't noticed I kinda like you two. Sure Merle had a loud mouth and wasn't always friendly, and you were quiet and just caught us food, but hey I got a soft spot for tough guys." I laughed nudging him a bit. "But then Merle was gone and I was so sure you would have taken off back at the highway. Then I saw you looking for Sophia and I." I smiled.
"Shocked? Surprised?" he asked.
"Happy." I corrected him. "I was glad you had stayed. We are only as strong as the people we survive with." I added.
"Sound like your brother."
"Yeah well it's true. And you make us stronger. Maybe you don't see it but your kinda important." I smiled. "That's why Carol checks up on you. Whether you like it or not your kinda one of us. Part of this really messed up family." I laughed and Daryl sighed.
I sat with Daryl for a bit before he started to talk again. "You got Beth talkin'?" he asked.
"Even got her to eat." I smiled. "But apparently I didn't do enough." I rolled my eyes.
"Says who?" he asked.
"Lori." I sighed. "According to her I should have used my vast amount of knowledge to talk her out of cutting her wrists and killing herself." I sighed. "Like anyone can actually do that."
"Vast amount of knowledge?" Daryl asked. "You talk a lot of people out of jumping?" he asked.
"No." I said and he waited for me to continue. "Lori just thinks because I know how it feels to be that low." I paused. "Wow over share." I laughed it off. Daryl looked away but it looked like he knew what I was talking about. "Sorry."
"It's fine. You always that talkative?" he asked.
"Um no actually." I laughed. "Guess you are just easy to talk to." I smiled. Daryl looked over at me shocked and confused. "What?" I asked thinking I did something wrong.
"Why the hell are you so nice to me?" He asked squinting. "Even back in Atlanta when no one else could stand me and my brother." He paused. "To everyone else I'm just the redneck that can hunt but you..." He paused. "You don't look at me like they do."
I had no idea what to sat to that. Daryl had always been kind to me and plus he saved my ass a million times. "What can I say. I got a soft spot for tough guys." I nudged him.
"You said that already." He said still not believing me.
"Ugh fine." I sighed. "I'm not like Shane. I can't kick down doors and kill walkers with one shot. I'm not brave, I can't track my own path, I can't save people, and I sure as hell can't do anything right around here." I laughed. "Everyone looks to me because I'm Shane's sister. I'm supposed to know what to do when he isn't around and if something happens I get blamed. Sure I can talk a lot and maybe get myself out of certain situations but I never have to explain myself to you." Daryl looked confused. "All my life people have told me right from wrong and I had always managed to screw up one way or another. I've always had to explain myself and I'm always scared." I looked down. "Call it cheesy or weird or what ever but honestly when I'm around you I'm not scared. Even back in Atlanta I was never scared of you and Merle."
"That..." He paused after I finished. "That is the craziest thing I have ever heard."
I smiled. " I know right." I laughed and he smirked too. It was quiet again for a second before I turned to him. "Hey Daryl?" I asked and he looked to me. "Can you promise me something?"
"Never one for promises." he shook his head.
"Well humour me." I said and he shrugged. "Promise you won't pull away or you know sneak off into the night and never come back." I said and he sighed.
"Sure whatever you say princess." He rolled his eyes and smirked too.
"Thank you." I said leaning in and kissing his cheek. When I pulled away he looked forward and again uncomfortable. I smiled at him and stood. "Well you have a good night." I said and turned. I walked back to my tent and when I laid down I didn't have trouble falling asleep. I have no idea why it made me so happy that Daryl had promised to stay. Well that's a lie. I knew damn well why it made me happy. I'm the dumb ass who gets a crush in the middle of the end of the world.