GLENN'S POV:

Kaiya and Daryl looked vaguely worried coming into the living room after their conversation with the guy in charge of the Base. Maggie and I had been sitting on one of the couches, trying our hardest not to eavesdrop.

"Hey, um, Kaiya?" Maggie asked, glancing sideways at me.

I gave her the smallest nod.

"You want to go to the store with me? They've got everything down here and I'm in the mood for girl time."

Kaiya, with a relieved smile, said, "I think girl time sounds amazing." She gave Daryl a quick kiss and threw me a wave goodbye before the two of them headed out of the door.

"What'd ya send the girls away for, Glenn?" Daryl asked, turning to me with narrowed eyes. I should've known Daryl would pick up on the silent communication between Maggie and I.

Stuffing my hand in my pocket, I pulled out a ring box with the lid hanging halfway open. "Forgetting something?"

He blinked at the box in surprise.

"You are still planning on asking her, right?" I asked when he hesitated a moment before taking the ring box with shaking fingers.

He appeared to be trying to control his breathing. "How do I do this?"

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or just talking, but I answered anyway. "It's Kaiya. Sure, she's got a flare for the dramatic, but I'm sure she's not expecting anything over the top. I bet she'll just be happy you even asked."

He nodded, turning the box over in his hand, but there was still doubt in his eyes.

"Have you thought about how you want to do it?"

He shook his head ruefully. "Didn't think much past picking this thing out. Think she'll like it?"

I gave him a dry look. "As long as it's from you, it could be a twist-tie and she'd be happy."

He cracked a smirk. After an awkward moment of silence, he asked, "So, uh... you gonna help me figure this out?"

I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. A year ago, Daryl would have bitten his own tongue off before asking for my help. After the cat was out of the bag, Kaiya would love to hear that we were bonding. "Sure, man."

KAIYA'S POV:

"Not that I'm not having fun," I giggled, still impressed with how funny Maggie's stories from her family's farm could be. "But why did Glenn have you take me out?"

Maggie's face went blank with shock before she shook her head. "I've never been very good at keeping secrets. Daddy always said I'm an open book."

I smirked at her. "You're not very good at changing the topic inconspicuously, either."

She sighed deeply. "I can't tell you."

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. So tell me. We're girls, we're supposed to gossip about things we can't talk about."

She pursed her lips and shook her head vigorously.

I frowned. "Damn. I was expecting you to crack. Whatever, let's get back. Glenn's probably done with whatever he couldn't do with me around," I rolled my eyes at his weirdness.

Maggie and I were still chattering away when we walked through the door of the house. She walked in ahead of me. "Oh Gosh!" I heard her shout before turning around and slapping her hands over my eyes before I made it all the way in the door.

"Hey, what the hell?!" I yelled, attemting to pry her hands away from my face. I easily yanked her off of me and stepped away before she decided to go nuts again. "Jesus, woman, what's your deal?"

"Sorry, I just- uhh.." Her wide eyes shot to Daryl and Glenn who were standing rigidly in the living room with bright red faces and open mouths.

I felt my eyebrows rise higher in shock as I looked evenly across the room at Daryl. "You aren't cheating on me with Glenn, are you?"

The room was silent before Glenn and Maggie broke out into laughter. Even Daryl gave a low chuckle.

When that died down, I asked, "Seriously, are you?"

DARYL'S POV:

Kaiya gave me a strange look any time I was near Glenn after she almost walked in on me fake-proposing to him. But, she seemed to be joking every time she did it.

"So, seriously, what were you and Glenn doing?" she asked that night when we were laying down to go to sleep.

I groaned and covered my eyes with my arm.

I heard her sigh and then felt her lift my arm. She was leaning over me with a cocked brow. "Come on, tell me!"

I smiled at her and shook my head. "Nope. Bein' cute isn't gonna get ya your way this time."

She climbed atop my chest, leaning her forehead on mine. "But you admit that I'm cute?"

I chuckled, gently kissing the tip of her nose. "Adorable." She rolled off of me and we laid side by side for a little while before I finally asked, "So when were ya plannin' on tellin' Richard about the baby?"

She shrugged. "I guess the next time he comes around."

"How do ya think he's gonna take it?"

"Probably not well. I tricked him into letting a pregnant teenager leave the base. On top of that, I ditched my babysitters while we were out there, and I'd bet my last hair tie that he knows it."

I nodded with a frown. She made him look like he had no control over the situation in front of his own men. On the surface, however, he really had no say in anything. And Kaiya could make anyone's leadership look faulty. "Come on," I murmured, drawing her closer out of instinct. "Bed time."

She conceded without argument, though as she lay against my chest, I knew neither of us would be falling asleep for a whle. We were both too caught up in our own thoughts.

I was pondering the safety of staying in Base Z and the difficulty of leaving with all of our group. Did they feel the same way about the thin calm held over the sheep-like citizens who hadn't seen more than three days' struggle out in the apocalyptic wasteland above?

Out of the darkness of the room, Kaiya whispered, "Kevin blames himself for Andrea's death."

My hands clenched behind her back.

It seemed there was always someone in our group dealing with guit over the death of someone else. Though I told myself sneeringly that it was pointless, I myself was culpable of the same thing. The day the CDC blew up, I had blamed myself for the demise I had imagined Kaiya to have befallen. I remembered vaguely thinking 'Why didn't I take her with me?' as I stared mournfully at the ruined building.

"It was kind of his fault," I mumbled.

I could feel Kaiya's "you're not funny" look. She didn't argue with me, though. "What did happen, anway?" she asked in a subdued voice. "We left before anyone could tell me how she died."

I didn't think I should tell her such a horrifying story right before she went to sleep, but the thought of what she would say if I were to voice those doubts ("I'm not five years old, Daryl!") made me change my mind. She had a right to know.

"We were in the hospital. Kevin was raidin' this closet in the hallway. A big herd came 'round the corner, straight toward us. I don't think he noticed 'em. Andrea went back to grab him and..."

I felt her nod. "She saved him."

I know it's kind of slow going at the moment, but I hope y'all are liking it anyway. Thanks for reading! :) Review!