The Crossroads

by Carrot Top

Jenna Matthews lost everything and everyone to the apocalypse. Alone and with nowhere else to go, she kept pushing for Fort Benning, hoping her brother would still be alive and be waiting for her there. But when a twist of fate lands her in a new group, she finds herself on an entirely new journey full of all kinds of unexpected twists and turns. - Currently in season 3 -

35. Chapter 35

Hi all!

I'll keep this short because this chapter is RIDICULOUSLY long. But, I want to say thank you to all those who have reviewed, added this story to their alert/favorite list, added me to their alert/favorite list, and just to all those who take the time to read! You guys are awesome, and I hope you're still enjoying the story! Also, regarding Daryl's age and birthday – as far as I know, we don't know anything about how old he is or when he was born. So I just went ahead and made it up. Cool? Cool!

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Walking Dead.

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Chapter 35

Six weeks later…

When a figure came into sight in the distance, Jenna ducked down behind the Tuscon and pressed her back against the passenger door to avoid being seen. Her breaths came out hard and fast, both from adrenaline and exertion, the air from her lungs taking the shape of white clouds as they escaped her mouth and hit the freezing air. Jenna took her weapon in hand and looked to the left, making eye-contact with Maggie first, then Chloe. The brunette, red-nosed and wide-eyed with alertness, crouched and moved closer. The layer of snow that had been covering the ground for the past day crunched under her boots as she came closer.

"Where are they?," she asked quietly.

"Straight ahead," Jenna answered.

"What do we do?," Chloe asked next, adjusting the beanie on her head before moving her own weapon from her left hand to her right.

Jenna thought about it for a second, then nodded as she decided on a plan. "I'll take the left and draw them out. Once they come after me, you and Maggie come in from the right and attack," she instructed. "They won't know what hit them."

Maggie and Chloe nodded, then moved to the front of the Tucson to get into position. Once Maggie gave the nod to signal that they were ready, Jenna gave them a thumbs up, sucked in a deep breath, then surged to her feet and ran out from behind the Tucson, yelling like a banshee as she went. Almost immediately, her targets came into view – Carl and Glenn both emerged from their hiding spot behind a row of storage units and began closing in on her, already rearing back and chucking snowballs in her direction. Jenna dodged the icy bombs as they landed near her feet, then reared back her own weapon – a large, neatly formed snowball – and launched it at the one closest to her, Carl. The snowball nailed him in the stomach, which made her grin with accomplishment.

"Come and get me suckers!," she taunted, before turning and making a run for it when they did just that, laughing manically to herself all the while.

They managed to peg her in the back with one snowball before Maggie and Chloe put their plan into motion, running out from behind the Tucson and attacking the two from behind as they chased after Jenna. The move caught Glenn and Carl by surprise, leaving them with a moment of indecision as they tried to determine who to attack. With the two trapped between them, Jenna stopped running and turned back to them, scooping up some snow to make another snowball before rejoining the fight.

"Attack!," she cried dramatically.

For the next few minutes, chaos ensued. Snowballs were thrown in every which direction, nailing people in the stomach, face, chest, and just about every other body part imaginable. They all laughed and shrieked with joy as they fought one another, the struggle soon becoming a little more physical. Glenn grabbed Maggie once she was close enough and tackled her to the ground, tickling her mercilessly once he had her pinned. At the same time, Jenna and Chloe managed to entrap Carl and drag him down to the ground, immediately dumping armful after armful of snow onto the boy as he laughed and tried to fend them off. Finally, the commotion died down and the attacking ceased, all of them dissolving into laughter.

"Alright!," Carl said around gasps for air, a large smile stretched across his young face. "Alright, you guys win!"

Jenna grinned and sat back on her heels. "You hear that, ladies?," she asked, grinning triumphantly. "Girls win!"

Maggie and Chloe gave a small cheer in response, then laughed and moved in to high five each other. While they did this, Carl and Glenn rolled their eyes, before Carl began demanding a rematch. Glenn and Maggie opted out, claiming they wanted to try to build a snowman instead, but Chloe was game for another match. Jenna told them she was going to sit this round out, and with that the kids ran off, resuming their battle.

Jenna watched them go, smiling to herself and brushing the snow from her clothes. She then glanced toward the door to the building the group was staying in, where Daryl, clad in a leather jacket and holding his crossbow, was standing on guard. When they'd come outside for the snowball fight Jenna had tried to convince him to join in, but he'd refused and decided to keep a look out instead, just in case. Right now he was eyeing their surroundings with untrusting eyes, as though he expected trouble to come up at any given second. Given the circumstances of the world today, that was an all too real possibility.

Jenna eyed him for a second, watching as he shifted his crossbow, then started toward him. About halfway to him, she leaned down to scoop up some snow and mold it into a ball, then continued her trek. He glanced toward her once she was close enough for him to hear her approaching, then quirked a brow when he saw the snowball in her hand.

"I know you're not thinkin' about throwin' that thing at me, red," he said in warning, giving her a look that was impossible to misinterpret. It plainly said that if she pegged him with a snowball, she was going to be in serious trouble.

Jenna grinned as she stopped a few feet away from him, passing the snowball from one hand to the other. "Actually, I was considering it," she told him in a playful tone. "What would you do if I did?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes a bit. "I'd have 'ta retaliate," he informed her. "An' it wouldn't be pretty."

For a moment she was very tempted to throw the snowball at him, just to get a rise out of him and see if he'd make good on his threat. But then she decided against it and turned to lob it at Carl's back as he went running by instead. The boy made a sound of indignation, but didn't stop to say anything to her about it and continued on his way with Chloe hot on his heels. "You two don't go far!," Jenna called after them, to which they made distracted sounds of understanding in response. With that, Jenna turned back to Daryl. "There," she said, smiling. "I come in peace," she joked, holding her hands up as though surrendering.

Daryl just smirked a bit, then let his eyes do another sweep of the area.

The past month and a half had been a bit of a roller coaster for the group. Some weeks were really good – they'd have plenty of food, would have days where they didn't have to deal with zombies, and, if they were really lucky, would find enough water to actually keep up with their personal hygiene on a semi-consistent basis. Other weeks, however, weren't so good. They'd hit a spell where they couldn't find food and the pangs of hunger would start to set in, or a swarm of zombies would show up and they'd have to make a run for it. The group had relocated three times since Christmas, going first to another house in a different neighborhood further north, then moving again to a small department store, until, most recently, they had gone east and settled into the office building of a Public Storage lot. Luckily, they seemed to be on an upward swing in recent days – the storage place was safe, protected from the elements, and they had plenty of food. Other than a few people in the group battling with colds, right now, things were pretty good.

Amazingly enough, things had been pretty good between her and Daryl as well. Jenna wouldn't lie – even though they'd sorted out their problems, things had still been a little awkward between them at first. But, over time, they'd both moved past it and had started to form a friendship that was leaps and bounds better than anything Jenna could have hoped for. Now they frequently teamed up when going on supply runs or when clearing out places the group planned to stay. They usually sat together during meal times, and often visited each other whenever one of them was on watch for the night. Daryl had even started taking her on hunts with him. Things between them were good. Really good.

Things were so good, in fact, that the feelings Jenna had had for the crossbow-wielding Georgian had only gotten progressively stronger over the course of the past six weeks. She'd known that she was attracted to him and that she cared about him for quite a long time, but now those feelings had grown deeper, had begun to turn into something else. She felt happiest when she was with him, had butterflies in her stomach any time he looked at her, felt her heart thud against her ribs any time he touched her, even if it was just an accidental brushing of elbows. If he was off with Rick on a scouting mission or out hunting by himself, she would almost make herself sick worrying over his safety. When she went to bed at night he was the last thing she thought about, and when she woke in the morning he was the first person on her mind. As much as Jenna might have denied it in the past, she knew she had fallen for Daryl, and that she had fallen hard.

It was a little exciting, this newfound sense of clarity when it came to what she felt toward Daryl. She felt like she had even more reason to get up in the morning, to keep holding on to the hope she had, to keep surviving. Between Daryl and Chloe, she felt like she had a real purpose in life. But, at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a little uncertainty. Just because she knew how she felt about Daryl, that didn't mean that she knew how Daryl felt about her. He was a private person and he was extremely difficult to read – whatever he felt towards other people, he usually kept it close to the chest. Even if he did have more than friendly feelings for her – which, honestly, she wasn't convinced that he did – he was very good at hiding it. He just treated her like a friend, like a companion, like a partner. Nothing more, nothing less.

As happy as she was in her newfound feelings for Daryl, she knew she had to keep it to herself, especially so given his aversion to affection. Unless he did something to make her believe he felt something more for her, she wasn't going to breathe a word of her true feelings. The last thing she wanted to do was freak him out or scare him away, especially so seeing as they'd come so far in their friendship. For now, just being friends and having him around was good enough for her.

"Aren't you cold?," Jenna asked, eyeing Daryl's attire. He was the only one who didn't have a thick coat to wear to protect him from the cold. She didn't know if he truly was that unaffected by the weather, or if he was just too tough and manly to admit that he was freezing his butt off on a daily basis.

Daryl pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nah, I'm good."

Jenna quirked a skeptical brow, but chose not to prod any further. With a sigh, she crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around, shivering a bit against the wind. She watched Chloe and Carl throw snowballs at each other for a moment, both of them shrieking with laughter, then looked to Daryl. "I'm so ready for winter to be over," Jenna said in a tone that stated just how badly she longed for spring time. "I'm sick of the cold. And I'm sick of being cooped up inside all the time."

"I think everyone is," Daryl said with a nod. "It's a little out of the norm for us 'ta get snow. This won't last long," he explained. "It'll start warmin' up here in the next month or so. It gets hot in Georgia pretty quick."

"Thank God for that," Jenna said, already looking forward the moment she could shed her winter coat and feel the warm sun on her skin again.

A few beats of silence passed between them after that. Daryl watched the kids run around, while Jenna turned to see how Glenn and Maggie's snowman was coming along. They were having a bit of success, but the snowman wasn't more than a few feet tall. It was kind of cute, actually.

"You were talkin' in your sleep last night," Daryl commented, which drew her attention away from Glenn and Maggie and back to him. He was giving her a look of mild concern when their eyes met. "You looked like you were 'bout'ta have one of those night terrors," he continued. "What were you dreamin' about?"

Jenna frowned as she thought back to the dream she'd had the night before, remembering the terrible images that had flooded her mind. "I was dreaming of Sam," she told him. She couldn't quite be sure if she was just seeing things or not, but she thought she saw some of the tension leave his body, as though he'd been expecting her to say she'd been dreaming of something else and he was relieved to learn that it had only been about Sam. Jenna had to wonder if Daryl had thought she'd been dreaming about Jon, which had often been the case when they'd first met. "I dreamt he was at Fort Benning as it was being overrun with walkers. I…I saw them tearing him apart," she recounted, frowning deeper. "I tried to get to him but I was too late. He died, then turned into one of them. Then…then he came after me."

"It was just a dream," Daryl reminded her, his tone a bit softer.

"I know," Jenna said, nodding. "But sometimes it just feels so…real." She sighed and shook her head. "I've been dreaming about him a lot actually. Thinking about him a lot, too," she admitted. "I know I said that I'd found closure, but that doesn't mean I don't still think about him, you know?"

To her surprise, she suddenly felt Daryl's hand on her shoulder. Warmth flood her at his touch, and as their eyes met and held, she felt her stomach flip and begin to fill with butterflies. He opened his mouth to say something and Jenna listened intently, eager to hear his next words, but before he had the chance to speak, something caught his attention and had his eyes darting to the left. Jenna followed his gaze, her stomach jolting when she realized that three walkers had appeared on the road and were making their way towards the parking lot they were all currently standing in. They were still far enough away to where they didn't pose a threat yet, but the sight of them still made her anxious.

"They must have heard the noise," Jenna said, glancing around to see if any others were making an appearance. She didn't see any other ones. "One day," she said with a sigh. "Can't we just have one day where they don't ruin the fun?"

Daryl had removed his hand from her shoulder so he could raise his crossbow and get ready to attack. "Yeah right," he said with a snort. "C'mon, red. Let's go take care of 'em."

Jenna just nodded her head, then turn to announce the presence of walkers to Maggie, Glenn, Chloe, and Carl. "Hey, ya'll!," she said, raising her voice some. Glenn and Maggie ceased working on their snowman while Carl and Chloe stopped their snowball fight, the four of them all looking to Jenna with curiosity. "Incoming," she said motioning to the walkers. "Daryl and I are gonna take care of them. Why don't you guys take the kids inside?," she then suggested to Glenn and Maggie.

Maggie and Glenn nodded and started to corral the kids to take them back to the safety of the office building. But just as Jenna started off with Daryl, she heard Maggie call out for Carl before the crunch of incoming footsteps registered in her ears. Jenna looked behind her and was surprised to see Carl running to catch up with them, his face full of determination. Jenna and Daryl both stopped. "Carl, what – ?," Jenna started to ask.

"I wanna help," he said with a firm nod. "I can kill the walkers. Let me help you guys."

Jenna and Daryl shared a quick look, before she turned her eyes to Carl and shook her head. "No," she told him. "Go inside with Chloe. Daryl and I have got this."

Carl frowned and furrowed his brows, the expression shockingly familiar to the stern look his father often wore on his face. "I said I want to help," he persisted.

"And I said no," Jenna countered without missing a beat. She then put a hand on his shoulder to direct him toward the office. "Your father doesn't – "

Carl suddenly shrugged her hand off his shoulder with more force than she'd expected, making her words died abruptly on her lips. "I don't care what he said! And I don't care what you say either! You're not my mom! You can't tell me what to do!," he half-shouted, his cheeks flaring red in his sudden anger.

Jenna was completely taken aback by the shift in Carl's mood. Since meeting the kid almost five months ago, never once had he talked back to her or given her any kind of attitude. He'd always been nice to her, always been respectful. She was more than surprised by the way he was talking to her now, but even more surprised by the fact that he had gotten so angry so quickly, especially so seeing as he'd been perfectly fine only moments ago.

"I want to kill walkers!," Carl insisted, not backing down. "I've done it before! I can do it again!"

"Carl," Chloe suddenly spoke up in a timid voice, her wide eyes darting back and forth between Carl's angry expression and Jenna's shocked one. "Carl, let's just go inside," she practically begged, clearly able to see that the situation wasn't good and that she should try to talk some sense into her friend. "C'mon, Carl," she added, stepping closer so she could grab his wrist and try to tug him away.

Jenna finally recovered from her shock and frowned deeply, eyeing Carl with disapproval now. "Listen to Chloe. Go inside," she said, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.

Carl opened his mouth like he was going to argue some more, but, to everyone's surprise, someone else spoke up to intervene. "Carl," Daryl snapped, eyes narrowed. "We ain't gonna tell you again. Go inside."

That seemed to finally do the trick. Carl looked at Daryl for a long second, as though surprised the man had spoken up, then glanced at Jenna before heaving and turning to stomp his way toward the office building. While Chloe gave Jenna an apologetic look and hurried off after him, the four adults just watched him go with dumbfounded expressions. They were only pulled out of their stupor when the increasingly loud sounds of the incoming walkers that Daryl had spotted reached their ears and reminded them why they'd broken up the fun in the first place.

"I'll go after them, make sure they actually go inside an' don't get any ideas," Maggie said, before turning to quickly follow the kids.

Glenn watched Maggie leave for a second, then nodded toward the walkers. "You guys need help?," he asked.

Jenna just shook her head. "We got it."

Glenn nodded his understanding. "Okay. Be careful." And with that he turned and jogged toward the office building to catch up with Maggie and the kids.

Jenna looked at Daryl once they were alone, eyebrows stitching together. "What the hell was that all about?," she asked, completely flabbergasted. "Carl has never talked to me like that."

Daryl shrugged his shoulders. "Kid's been kinda testy recently," he told her. "I overheard him mouthin' off to Lori the other day when her an' Rick wouldn't let 'im go on a supply run. Thought I heard him snap at T-Dog, too."

Jenna frowned at the information and had to wonder if there was something going on. Rick and Lori's relationship was still on the rocks – in fact it seemed like it was getting worse and worse as time went on. She wondered if maybe Carl's attitude had something to do with his parents' issues. Or, maybe, it was just something as simple as hormones. She remembered what it was like to be Carl's age and struggle with puberty – it was tough to go through the transition into teenagerdome, and that had been back when the world wasn't ruled by flesh-eating zombies. She could only imagine how much tougher it would be nowadays.

She sighed and shifted on her feet. "You think I should talk to Rick about it?," she asked, looking to Daryl questioningly.

Daryl shrugged again. "It's up to you," was his very unhelpful answer. His response made Jenna chew on her lower lip with uncertainty. "Look," Daryl said once he saw her fretting, trying a different approach. "If it's buggin' ya that much, talk to him. If there's anyone Rick'll listen to, it's you."

Jenna thought it about for another second, then nodded as she came to a decision. "Alright. I will."

Daryl mimicked her nod. "Alright, then." He then turned and raised his crossbow, releasing an arrow and watching as it landed dead center in the forehead of the nearest walker. As that one fell to the ground, he quickly reloaded his bow, eyeing the other two slowly making their way closer. "C'mon, let's get rid'a these corpses. Then we'll head inside."

Jenna nodded, grabbed the knife that she'd been keeping tucked in her boot in recent weeks, then helped Daryl take out the remaining two walkers.

---

A few hours later, Daryl sat in the hall and busied himself roasting a rack of squirrels over a fire for dinner while Jenna led Rick away from the others to talk to him about Carl's behavior that afternoon. He watched them disappear around a corner, then shifted his attention back to the food.

It was quiet in the office building, but Daryl didn't mind. In fact, he preferred it that way. He just preferred their current set up period. The public storage lot was tucked back deeper into the countryside, so it wasn't out in the open and didn't attract a lot of attention. There had been a lot of supplies to be found in the RV's and boats that previous owners had parked on the lot and never come to claim after the world had fallen. And the office building they were living in not only kept them protected from the dangers outside, but also provided them with a warm place to stay. They'd even turned the smaller storage lockers inside into a dorm-room type of set up, cracking open five of the units on the bottom hallway and settling into them as if settling into apartments. Unlike all of their previous safe-houses, they actually were able to have some privacy from each other here. It wasn't a permanent solution, but by this point, Daryl wouldn't mind riding the rest of winter out here.

As Daryl finished cooking the first rack of squirrels and moved on to the next, he glanced around to see what everyone else was up to. Carol had gone to the bathroom a few minutes ago. Hershel was tending to Beth, who had been confined to her bed in their unit for the past few days with a cold. Lori, who looked more and more pregnant by the day, was sitting in the unit she shared with Carol and fixing some tears in Carl's clothes by way of an electric lantern, while T-Dog, who had just barely recovered from his own cold, and Chloe were sitting in the unit they shared with Jenna and reading a book together. Glenn and Maggie had wandered off together some time ago – he had a feeling he knew why – and as for Carl, the kid had gone into one of the nearby offices and seemed to be ignoring everyone.

About five minutes later, Carol returned and sat down next to him. He looked over at her, nodded in acknowledgement, then turned his attention back to the squirrels. "Everything come out alright?," he asked a bit sarcastically.

Carol laughed a bit. "Yes. Thanks for asking…I think." She paused to sniff at the food, making a sound of appreciation. "Food smells good," she complimented. "Did you do somethin' different?"

"Jenna found some spices in one of the storage units we were searching through yesterday," he explained, motioning to the small lineup of spice bottles on the ground next to him. "Thought I'd try a few of 'em out."

"Good idea," Carol said, nodding her head. She then looked around before raising her brows. "Where is Jenna, by the way?," she asked curiously.

"Off talkin' to Rick about somethin'," he answered without going into detail, not meeting Carol's gaze as he flipped the squirrels on the fire.

"Hmm…," Carol said in response.

Daryl glanced at her and noticed the pensive look on her face. "What?," he asked, curious to know what was going through her head.

She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. "Nothing," she said in dismissal.

In spite of her words, Daryl could tell there was something on her mind. Something she wanted say, even if she was trying to play it off. "What?," he persisted, giving her a look.

The woman hesitated for a second, then shrugged her shoulders. "It's just…" Carol hesitated again and glanced around, as though ensuring that nobody was eavesdropping. "Rick and Jenna seem to spend a lot of time together these days, don't you think?," she asked in a lowered tone. "I mean, they go on runs together a lot. And they always go off together to have these private conversations. They seem close…too close, if you know what I mean," she added meaningfully.

Daryl did know what she meant, but that didn't stop him from feeling surprised that she'd actually said it out loud.

It was true, Rick and Jenna had been spending a lot of time together ever since she'd come back to the group two months. If she wasn't on supply runs with him, then she would frequently team up with Rick. And Carol was right when she said that they often wandered off to talk to each other in private. He couldn't even count the number of times he'd seen them go off together during the day to talk, or how many times he'd come back from a watch late at night and he'd see them sitting off by themselves, heads bent close together and talking about only God know's what. But just because they were together a lot, that didn't necessarily mean something was going on between them. Rick trusted Jenna, and vice versa. After all, they not only had a very similar way of thinking, but they were good friends, too. They had been ever since Jenna had first joined the group. Besides, Rick didn't strike him as the type of man to cheat on his pregnant wife, nor did Jenna give off the vibe of a woman who would get involved with a married man, let alone the husband of one of her friends.

But, that being said, there were times when a little green-eyed monster would stamp around in his gut and make him wonder, make him start to have questions. What if he was wrong? What if there was something going on between Rick and Jenna and he just didn't know it? Rick was a good man – a way better man than himself. Plus, he hadn't heard Jenna talk about Jon, her dead boyfriend, since she'd come back to the group. What if she had moved on from Jon and was now interest in Rick? And what if Rick was interested in Jenna in return? Jenna was smart, strong, respected, beautiful – everything a man could want in a woman. After everything that had gone down between Rick, Lori, and Shane, was it really so crazy to think that Rick, having come to terms with the fact that his relationship with his wife was irreparable, had given up and moved on to something better?

As soon as the thought entered his head, he dismissed it. If there was something going on between Rick and Jenna, he would know it. He could read Rick like an open book, and as far as Jenna was concerned, she was a shit liar. There wasn't anything between them but friendship. He was certain of it. Or, at least, he wanted to be certain of it.

"It ain't like that between them," he finally told Carol, using a tone that said he wouldn't be told otherwise. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more, though – Carol or himself. "They're just friends."

Carol looked at him for a second, then shrugged a shoulder and looked away. "If you say so." It was clear from her tone that she wasn't convinced.

Daryl didn't like the doubt in her voice, but he didn't say anything more about the subject after that. He didn't want to talk about it anymore. Luckily for him, Carol didn't anything else about it either.

He finished cooking the squirrels a short while later, then called everyone in the group to dinner. Everyone soon congregated around the fire and got settled in for their meal. Well, everyone but Beth, who was bed ridden, and Rick and Jenna, who were still off somewhere talking with one another. Daryl couldn't stop himself from glancing in the direction the two had disappeared every few minutes or so, waiting to see when they would return. But after thirty minutes ticked by and dinner began to wind down without the duo returning, Daryl came to the conclusion that they weren't going to make it for dinner and set some food off to the side for them to have later.

After dinner, the rest of the group settled in for the night while Daryl, who'd volunteered to take the first watch, grabbed his crossbow and made his way to the lobby. Once he was there, he walked to the glass doors to take a peek outside and check that there was no activity. After he was satisfied that nothing was going on, he went to sit on the ground in front of the reception counter, then leaned back against it, set his bow down next to him, and got settled in.

He wasn't by himself for very long when he heard someone enter the lobby. It was Jenna, and Daryl hadn't realized how tense he'd been until he spotted her walking toward him and felt himself relax at the sight of her. She had the plate of food he'd set off to the side for her in her hands and a smile on her face as she approached, which eased him ever further. Maybe it was the way she was looking at him, maybe it was the way she was smiling at him, or maybe it was just the fact that she was with him now instead of Rick, but in an instant, any lingering doubts or questions that his conversation with Carol had left him faded away.

"Mind some company?," Jenna asked, motioning to the spot next to him.

Daryl shook his head and motioned for her to sit down. She did as he said and plopped down on his left side, sitting so close that he could feel her body heat and smell the remnants of the fruity shampoo she'd used the day before still clinging to her red hair. Daryl watched as Jenna took a bite of food, feeling a bit proud of himself when she made a sound of approval.

"Good squirrel," she complimented, nodding her head. "I like the spice combination."

"Thanks," he said in return. He paused, waiting for her to get another bite down, then asked, "How'd the talk with Rick go?"

Jenna looked at him, sighed, then shrugged a shoulder. "Alright, I guess," she answered, fiddling with a piece of meat before pushing it into her mouth. She looked straight ahead as she chewed, the somewhat distant look in her eyes hinting that she was reflecting back on the conversation in question, then turned her gaze back to him after she finished her bite. "He wasn't super happy to hear about Carl trying to take on the walkers. He wasn't happy to hear how he snapped at me afterwards, either, but he also wasn't surprised. You weren't the only one to notice Carl's attitude problem recently," she told him matter-of-factly. "Rick noticed, too."

"Any idea about what's goin' on with him?"

Jenna nodded. "I talked to Chloe before I went to talk to Rick, just to see if Carl had mentioned anything to her," she revealed. "Apparently, according to her, Carl is fed up with being 'treated like a baby' and is tired of being left on the sidelines." Daryl quirked a brow at hearing that. "She says he wants to be included more," Jenna added, raising her brows at him. "Says he wants to start going on runs and taking out walkers when they come around. Guess he wants a bigger role in the group."

Daryl made a sound of understanding and took a moment to mull over that one. He supposed he could understand where Carl was coming from. Sure, the kid was young. But with the way things were now, its not like Carl, or Chloe for the matter, could really be kids anymore. They had to know how to defend themselves, had to be taught how to survive and how to handle dangerous situations. If not, they'd never make it. "Makes sense, I s'pose," he commented, to which Jenna nodded her agreement. "Did you tell Rick that?"

Jenna nodded again. "Yeah."

"What did he say?"

Now she pursed her lips. "At first he was against the idea. Said he didn't want to put Carl in those situations yet if he didn't have to, especially when there's so many capable adults around to take care of business," she said. "But then I reminded him that sometimes things just…happen. The world is so unpredictable now, anything could happen at the drop of a hat. I mean, how many times have we had to make a run for it when we least expected it? How many times have we bumped into herds by accident?," she said with a heave. "What if we're out on a run some day and the safehouse gets overrun while we're gone? What if other survivors show up and try to hurt them? What do you think would happen to the kids if they don't know how to fight?" Jenna paused and shook her head, suddenly looking troubled. "I told him that if we didn't do something to prepare Carl and Chloe, they were gonna end up like Sophia someday."

Daryl tensed at the mention of Sophia, then turned his gaze away. They didn't talk about the little girl very much because Carol preferred it that way, but that didn't mean he didn't think about her on a consistent basis. He'd never forget Sophia, never stop questioning whether or not they could have done more to help her – to save her. Losing Sophia had been hard. It had changed him, affected him in a way that he hadn't been prepared for. No way in hell was he going to let that happen to Carl and Chloe.

"Anyway," Jenna continued, "Rick asked if I would want Chloe doing stuff like that, to which I told him that she and I used to go on runs together all the time when we were out on the road. I'd even started teaching her how to kill walkers the day we joined back up with the group," she explained. "They're kids, yes, but they need to know how to take care of themselves," Jenna added, voicing the very same thoughts he'd had only moments ago. "I'm not saying we need to put them on the front line or anything," she quickly clarified, "but we might not always be there to bail them out of a tough situation. If something goes wrong when we're not around, Carl and Chloe should at least be able to protect themselves, if not help protect the others. But they'll never learn how if we don't loosen up the reigns a little."

"What'd he say to that?," Daryl asked curiously.

"He's not completely convinced, but he admitted I made some good points. He said he'd consider giving Carl a more proactive role," Jenna said, giving a small shrug.

Daryl nodded his understanding. Then he looked at her, one brow raising with interest. "You were teaching Chloe how to kill walkers?," he asked, backtracking to what she'd said just a few minutes ago. He was a little surprised to hear it, but only because he hadn't seen them doing anything like that since they'd rejoined the group. In fact, he hadn't seen Jenna let Chloe anywhere near a walker, and she certainly hadn't let the girl join them on any runs.

"Yeah, but training kinda got put on hold once we joined back up with the group. I guess having so many adults around to protect her made me want to leave her out of the zombie killing, too," she admitted. "Chloe's mentioned wanting to continue the lessons, which I don't have a problem doing, but now I'm worried it might have a negative impact on Carl," she added, frowning a bit. "If Rick decides to hold him back, I don't want him to get all pissy because Chloe's out there doing more than he is."

Daryl nudged her with his elbow to make her look at him. When Jenna's eyes met his, he gave her a firm nod. "Let Lori and Rick worry about Carl," he told her. "You just do what you think's right for Chloe. An' if ya want help trainin' her," he added before he could talk himself out of it, "I'll tag along an' help ya out."

"Really?," Jenna asked, eyebrows raising as though she were surprised by his offer. He nodded in response. "Thanks, Daryl," she said, smiling brightly now. It felt good to know he'd made her smile like that. He wanted to try to make her smile like that more often.

A comfortable silence fell between them for a few moments while Jenna finished up her dinner. While they sat there, Daryl couldn't help sneaking a glance or two at her from the corner of his eye, finding that it was almost impossible not to look at her. For once her hair wasn't in a braid. Her hair was down tonight and had gotten so long by this point that it was brushing her waist. He liked it like that. It made him want to touch her red curls just to see how soft they would feel under his fingertips. The temptation was strong, but Daryl resisted the urge and diligently kept his hands to himself.

"I have a question," Jenna said, quickly pulling him from his thoughts. When she looked at him, she had an almost hesitant look on her face. "Did something happen between Rick and Lori while I was gone?" Daryl was caught a little off guard by the question. The confusion must have been apparent, because Jenna spoke again. "I ask because they've been really tense and awkward around each other since I came back," she explained. "I've asked Lori about it once or twice, but she's never really told me anything. And I didn't want to go to Rick about it because, well, he's got enough on his plate already," Jenna added, shrugging. "Do you know what's going on?"

Daryl hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah." When Jenna raised her brows expectantly, Daryl sighed and decided to tell her, even though gossiping about the affairs of his companions really wasn't his thing. "Remember how Rick was in that coma when the apocalypse hit? An' how Shane was the one to take care of Lori an' Carl 'til he found them?" Jenna nodded in confirmation. "Well, I guess at some point Shane told Lori that Rick was dead," he revealed, which made Jenna's jaw drop in surprise. "Thinking that her husband was dead, Lori started to move on. An' when she moved on, she moved on 'ta Shane."

Jenna jerked her head back quickly, looking totally stunned. "Wait, wait, wait," she said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Lori and Shane were together?," she hissed. Daryl nodded in confirmation. "Holy shit. I had no idea."

"Neither did Rick. Not until Lori found out she was pregnant an' told him the baby might not be his," Daryl added with a knowing look. While Jenna continued to look at him in complete and utter shock, he continued. "Anyway, Shane kinda lost it when he found out Lori was pregnant. Think that's part'a the reason he went after Rick," he added. "When the farm fell an' nobody knew where Shane was, Rick told everyone what had happened. Guess Lori still had feelings for Shane or somethin', 'cause she was pissed when she found out what happened an' held it against Rick. Things ain't been the same since," he finished.

Jenna let out a long breath and shook her head. "Wow," she said, running a hand through her hair. "That was not what I was expecting to hear," she admitted. "Was Shane trying to single-handedly destroy the group or something?"

Daryl snorted a bit. "Makes ya wonder, huh?"

Jenna mimicked his snort and shook her head again. "I've said it once and I'll say it again – thank god he's gone," she said without a hint of remorse.

"Second that," Daryl agreed. He didn't miss the bastard at all. Never had, never would.

They both went quiet again for the next few minutes, until Jenna finally spoke up to break the silence. "To change the subject," she said, clearly eager to move away from the topic of Shane. It wasn't uncommon of her – on the rare occasion that someone mentioned Shane around her, she always directed the conversation elsewhere. "I know why Sam's been on my mind more than usual recently."

"Why?," Daryl asked with interest.

"Because if my calculations are correct, it's February now," she stated. Jenna smiled a bit, but didn't quite reach her eyes. "Sam's birthday is this month."

Daryl could tell without her even having to say it that Jenna was saddened by the fact that her brother's birthday was coming up. He felt for her, he honestly did. He had a missing brother, too, and even though he and Merle hadn't been nearly as close as Jenna and her brother apparently had been, Daryl understood what she was going through. It sucked to be separated from the only family one had left, to not know what had become of them or even know if they were still alive. They might not have gotten along that well, but Merle was still his brother. He would have given anything to know what had happened to him.

"He was a Valentine's baby," Jenna told him, nodding. "He woulda been thirty two this year." Then she smirked a bit and shook her head. "God, thirty two sounds so old," she remarked with a small laugh. "I remember when we were just kids. Back then we couldn't even imagine being teenagers, let alone being in our late twenties and early thirties."

Daryl could help but snort. "Thirty two ain't that old," he told her firmly. Hell, thirty-two had come and gone for him a long time ago.

Jenna suddenly looked at him, the sadness in her eyes replaced by curiosity. "I just realized," she said, sounding a bit awed, "I have no idea how old you are, Daryl."

He shot her a sideways look. "How old do you think I am?"

Jenna gnawed on her bottom lip as she thought the question over. The movement drew his eyes to her lips for a moment, but he quickly forced his eyes back up to hers. "Thirty six?," she guessed. When he shook his head and pointed upward, signaling for her to guess higher, she tried again. "Thirty eight?" Daryl pointed up again. "Thirty nine?," she asked, raising her brows. When Daryl shook his head again, she made a sound of disbelief. "You can't be older than forty," Jenna stated, as though that was a proven fact that couldn't be argued.

"Turned forty last month," he finally revealed.

Jenna looked genuinely stunned. Clearly she had thought he was younger. "Wow. Forty. I had no idea." Her reaction was almost enough to make him feel self-conscious, but then she looked at him in disbelief, as thought she'd just realized something else. "Wait," Jenna said, narrowing her eyes at him. "It was your birthday last month and you didn't tell anyone?"

Daryl, now feeling a bit uncomfortable, just shrugged a shoulder. "It's not a big deal," he said dismissively.

"Yes, it is," Jenna argued.

"No it ain't," Daryl insisted.

"Is it to me," she said in rebuttal, and this time he couldn't think of anything to say back. Why did Jenna care about his birthday so much? What did it matter? Nobody had ever cared before – why would anyone start now? "So what's your actual birth date?," Jenna pried further.

"The twelfth," Daryl told her.

"Ahhhh," she said in understanding. "So you're a Capricorn then." Jenna hmph'ed to herself, then smirked at him. "Well, that explains a few things," she stated with a hint of amusement.

Daryl lifted a brow. "What's that supposed to mean?," he asked, trying not to sound defensive. She was acting like she knew something that he didn't, which was actually the truth in this case. He'd never paid attention to all that crap about 'astrological signs'. If he'd been a sixteen year old girl maybe he would have cared, but since he was a grown ass man, he'd always thought it was stupid and a waste of time. But now Daryl had to admit that he was a little curious, just because he wanted to know what was causing her to smirk like that.

"Nothing, nothing," she said in a tone that was a little too innocent. He started to press the issue, but she spoke up again before he had the chance. "So what are we gonna do to celebrate?," Jenna asked with a small smile, eyes lighting with a hint of excitement.

"Celebrate?," Daryl echoed, as though he didn't understand her.

Jenna actually snorted and rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah," she stated obviously. "It's your birthday, Daryl. And your fortieth on top of that. We have to celebrate, plain and simple," she proceeded to explain, as though it was the most obvious answer in the world. "We won't be able to find a cake, but I bet we could find some sweets somewhere," Jenna continued, but it seemed like she was thinking out loud to herself rather than talking to him. "Glenn found a portable stereo in one of the storage units. We could listen to some music, dance around a little, maybe even get our hands on some booze. Rick doesn't like it when we drink, but I think he'd be willing to make an exception…"

Daryl just listened to her ramble in stunned silence, feeling more than a little taken aback. Just like he'd never really celebrated Christmas growing up, he'd never really celebrated his birthday either. There had been a few times as a kid before his mother died when she'd sneak a birthday cake after his dad had passed out and give him a little present she'd managed to buy behind his dad's back. There had been plenty of times when Merle had taken him to bars to get shit-faced once they were adults, too…but, then again, they'd always gone to bars to get shit-faced together, so that wasn't really anything out of the ordinary. But as far as friends – or women – went, no one had ever liked him enough to try to do anything for him. Nobody had ever cared enough. So the fact that Jenna wanted to do all this just to celebrate…him? It was weird. It was unexpected. It was also making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"We don't need to do anything like that," he finally interrupted, which made Jenna fall silent and look at him in surprise. When he managed to meet her eyes, Jenna was frowning at him.

"But Daryl – " Jenna began to protest.

"I don't want a party," he insisted, making her fall silent again. "There's more important things 'ta be worryin' about than throwin' some stupid birthday party for me," he added. "It ain't worth the trouble."

Jenna almost looked hurt for a moment, but then she jutted her chin up in that certain way that told him she was going to be stubborn and try to convince him that he was wrong. "I think it's worth the trouble," she said in a tone that said she wouldn't be told otherwise. "And I don't think celebrating your birthday is stupid. In fact, I think it's just as important as anything else we do," she said firmly. "A birthday is a happy thing. And we don't get a lot of happy things to celebrate these days. I think it'd be good for everyone. And I think it'd be good for you."

He didn't want to discuss this anymore. He wanted to talk about something else – anything else – but he could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't going to give up that easily. So he finally blurted out the first thing he could think of that he knew would get Jenna to stop talking about a birthday party for him.

"Why don't you talk about Jon anymore?," Daryl asked abruptly, watching her close for her reaction.

The swift subject change made Jenna look downright confused for a moment, then, as his question registered, she frowned. "Where did that come from?," she asked softly.

"You used 'ta talk about him all the time," Daryl said with a shrug. "But not anymore. Why?"

Jenna sighed and ran a hand through her hair, her eyes turning elsewhere. "I guess," she said, looking straight ahead, "I guess I don't talk about him anymore because I don't really think about him anymore," she admitted. "That sounds bad," Jenna continued. "I mean, it's only been five months since he died. But...it doesn't feel like it's been five months. It feels like it's been five years." She paused, then finally looked at him again. "I guess somewhere along the line I just realized that Jon wouldn't have wanted me to be the sad, grieving mess that I was after he died. He would have wanted me to keep living my life. He would have wanted me to be happy. So I just…decided to close that chapter of my life. Decided to move on."

After that, silence feel between them. Jenna turned her eyes away again and looked deep in thought, as though she was thinking hard about something, while Daryl stared at her, unsure how to feel about what she'd just told him. He couldn't necessarily say he was surprised – just judging by her behavior, he'd been pretty convinced that Jenna had moved on from Jon for weeks now. In a way he kind of felt bad for her, because it was obvious that she thought her moving on from Jon in such a short amount of time made her a bad person. But, at the same time, to know that she had moved on made Daryl feel a spark of hope deep in his gut that was impossible to ignore. Daryl had known that as long as Jenna still clung to the memory of her dead boyfriend, he'd always be in competition with him, would never be able to live up to the guy's memory. Maybe now things would be…different.

That was when Daryl realized he was actually relieved that he didn't have to worry about a dead guy showing him up anymore, and he frowned deeply, unable to help feeling like an asshole. If Jenna thought she was a bad person for moving on from Jon, what kind of person did it make him if he was celebrating that fact? It's not like they'd just broken up or something – the guy had died in order to save Jenna's life. And as far as being in competition with the guy, hell…he'd never even met Jon and he knew he wasn't anywhere in the same league as him. Just judging by everything he'd heard about the guy, Jon was leaps and bounds better than him. Why the hell would Jenna go for him after being with someone like that?

A familiar, cynical voice suddenly echoed in his head. She wouldn't go for you, baby brother. She wants a man like him. A hero. A golden boy, Merle's voice taunted. That man ain't you, Darylina. You're too broken. Too battered. Got too much baggage. She don't want nothin' like that. Nah, Merle chuckled cruelly, she wants her a Rick Grimes.

"Daryl?" The sound of Jenna's voice cut through his bitter thoughts and had him shaking his head a bit to clear his mind. When he glanced over at her, she was looking at him with concern. He must have looked angry. "Are you okay?"

Daryl cleared his throat, trying hard to push Merle from his head. "Fine," he grunted gruffly.

She might have asked again, but at that moment Glenn came walking into the lobby and drew their attention. He looked around for a second until he spotted them sitting on the ground by the front desk. He walked over, and once he was closer they could see the concern in his eyes. "Jenna, Hershel needs you. Lori's having some pains. He wants you and Carol there while he looks her over."

Jenna, who, along with Carol, had more or less turned into Hershel's assistant when it came to medical issues within the group, immediately nodded her understanding. "I'll be right there." As Glenn nodded and left as quickly as he'd arrived, Jenna looked at Daryl. "You sure you're okay?"

Daryl sighed a bit, then nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," he repeated, this time in a less abrasive tone. "Go see what's goin' on with Lori."

Jenna hesitated for a moment, then nodded. As she climbed back to her feet, she reached out to place a hand on his shoulder and give it a comforting squeeze. Warmth immediately shot through him, originating from the place she'd touched him and travelling outwards until it filled his whole body. Daryl looked up at Jenna, who was looking down at him, and gave her a small nod, unable to think of anything to say. She simply offered a smile in return before releasing his shoulder and hurrying off to find Hershel. Daryl watched her go until he couldn't see her anymore, then, with a troubled sigh and a tingling shoulder, turned his eyes forward again.

---

The next morning, the first thing Jenna did was find Maggie and pull her away from the others to talk to her in private. After making her friend swear up and down that she wouldn't say anything about it to anyone, Jenna confided in her the fact that Daryl had had a birthday recently and asked the brunette if she would go into town with her to try to find him a birthday gift. Even though Daryl was opposed to the idea of celebrating his birthday with the group, Jenna was bound and determined to at least get him a present. It felt like the right thing to do. Plus, she was getting the feeling that nobody had ever really done anything special for him for his birthday. Jenna wanted to do this for him. Wanted to do something special for Daryl.

At first Maggie seemed a little skeptical, especially so because Jenna said that she didn't want anyone else coming with them simply because Daryl had been adamant about not wanting to make a big deal of his birthday and she didn't want the rest of the group finding out – Maggie was the only one she felt could keep his birthday a secret. But, after Jenna told her how important it was to her, Maggie finally agreed. Luckily for them, just as they were in the middle of trying to come up with a good enough reason to get away from the group, Hershel started looking for someone who would be willing to go out and look for some more medicine for Beth and Lori. Seeing their opening, they jumped at the opportunity and immediately offered to go.

Jenna was in the middle of packing a bag and preparing to go out on the run when Daryl appeared in the entrance to the storage locker she, Chloe, and T-Dog had been sleeping in for the past few days. She looked up, felt a familiar, pleasant flip in her stomach at the sight of him, then smiled at him. "Hey," she greeted. "What's up?"

Daryl eyed her bag, then raised his eyes to her. "Where you goin'?," he asked.

"Maggie and I are going on a quick run," she answered, stuffing a few more things into her bag before zipping it shut. "Beth's cold is getting worse and Lori's still in pain. Hershel thinks she might have a bad urinary tract infection. He asked us to go into town to see if we can find some more medicine for Beth and try to find a certain kind of antibiotics to get rid of Lori's UTI," she explained, getting to her feet and placing the strap of her bag over her shoulder.

Daryl nodded his understanding, but frowned a bit. "It's just you an' Maggie goin',?" he asked with obvious skepticism.

"Chloe's coming too," she told him with a small smile.

Daryl's brows raised. "You're takin' Chloe?"

Jenna nodded. It hadn't been her original plan to take the girl, but as soon as Chloe heard they were going out, she came and started begging Jenna to come along. Initially she had wanted to say no, but after thinking back to the conversation she'd had with Daryl the night before, she changed her mind and decided to bring Chloe along. "She heard we were going and really wanted to come. I just couldn't say no," she explained. "It'll be alright," she said when she saw the doubt on Daryl's face. "It's just a quick, simple run. We'll be in and out and back in no time."

Daryl didn't look convinced. "You sure it should be just you three? You sure ya shouldn't take someone else?"

Jenna just shrugged a shoulder. "T-Dog only just started feeling better, so he's in no condition to go anywhere. Plus I've noticed that Rick's been coughing a lot since yesterday. He offered to come, but I told him to stay here and take it easy before that cough turns into something worse. With the way that cold has been spreading through the group, I wouldn't be surprised if he's the next one to get sick," she said matter-of-factly.

"Then why don't I come with ya?," Daryl offered.

Jenna didn't even have to think about it before she shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't want Daryl coming with them – she actually liked it, even preferred it, when Daryl went on runs with her – but one of the main purposes of this trip was to get him a present to surprise him with. If he came along, that would ruin the surprise. "You stay here and hold down the fort with Glenn," she told him, moving forward to pat him on the shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. Me, Maggie, and Chloe have got this."

She started to walk past him, but froze when Daryl wrapped a hand around her wrist and forced her to a halt. Jenna felt her breath catch in her throat as she met Daryl's eyes again, the two of them standing so close to each other now that she could feel his breath stir her hair every time he breathed. His blue eyes were slightly narrowed and intense as he said his next words. "I don't like this, Jenna," he said seriously. "I ain't comfortable with the three of you goin' out there without me. What if somethin' happens?"

Jenna gnawed on her lip for a moment as she tried to think of an answer. "We won't go far," she promised. When Daryl didn't look convinced, she tried again. "I'll bring one of the walkies with me. If something happens, we'll call for help." Daryl opened his mouth like he was going to protest some more, but Jenna beat him to the punch. "We can handle it, Daryl," she told him, using a tone that was both firm but gentle at the same time. "Maggie and I know what we're doing. You trust me, don't you?"

Daryl took a second to answer, but finally nodded his head. "Yeah," he told her, albeit with some reluctance.

Jenna smiled, pleased with his answer. She wasn't sure what gave her the courage to do what she did next, but, in a move that she thought was quite bold, Jenna gently slid her wrist out of her grasp until her hand was in his, then gave his hand a discreet, reassuring squeeze. "We'll be fine. I promise."

Daryl, who seemed a little surprised by what she'd just done, nodded silently. They stared at each other for one more second, then Jenna released his hand and walked out into the hallway to round up Maggie and Chloe. Daryl hesitated for only a few moments before following her.

She saw Maggie saying her goodbyes to Glenn while Chloe talked quietly with a moody looking Carl, so she left them to their business and went to collect a walkie-talkie from one of the community supply bags before going to share a quick word with Rick. After she talked the plan over with him, assured him they would be back as soon as possible, and gave him stern instructions to take it easy, Jenna went to talk with Hershel. The older man gave her a list of the medicines he wanted them to find, told her to watch her back, and gave her a fatherly pat on the shoulder. Though he didn't say it out loud, she could tell by the look in his eyes that he was worried for her safety. She promised him they'd be fine and that they'd be back before he knew it. Hershel nodded, but it didn't make the concern leave his eyes.

About five minutes later, after all the goodbyes had been said, Jenna, Maggie, and Chloe walked out of the office building and headed for the Subaru that Jenna had been driving for the past few months. While they loaded up the car, Jenna couldn't help but notice how Chloe moved around with a noticeable bounce in her step. She smiled and raised a brow at the girl.

"Excited to be coming along?," she asked, even though the answer to her question was pretty obvious.

"Yeah," Chloe said with an enthusiastic nod. "It's just like the old days!" Chloe put her bag in the trunk next to Jenna's, then glanced toward the office building. Jenna followed her gaze and saw that Glenn and Daryl had both come outside and were standing just outside the door, watching with zero enthusiasm as the three prepared to head out. "I wish Carl could come too," Chloe commented with a bit of a sigh, her excitement fading some.

"I'd bring him along if I could, but that's not my decision," Jenna told her, patting her back. "Maybe someday he'll get to come along. Just not today."

Chloe nodded, then went to sit in the backseat of the car after Jenna told her to get settled in. Once the trunk was loaded, Jenna closed it and walked over to the driver's side door while Maggie made her way to the passenger's side. They both paused to turn and look back at the office building, Maggie waving and blowing a kiss to Glenn, while Jenna just smiled and gave Daryl a quick wave goodbye. In response, he held up a walkie-talkie for her to see and gave her a meaningful look, one that clearly said to call for him if anything went awry. Jenna nodded to tell him she understood his silent command, then got in the car and settled in behind the wheel. Once Maggie had gotten in the car and everyone was buckled in, she turned on the engine and directed the car out of the parking lot. The last thing she saw in her review mirror before they pulled out onto the road was Glenn and Daryl watching them drive off.

---

They didn't drive for long, maybe only ten to fifteen minutes. They followed their map to the town closest to their location, which just so happened to be a town that Maggie had visited once before when she and an old friend of hers had gone to visit her friend's cousin. It was part of the reason they'd chosen to go there – Maggie had a vague idea of what was in the area, which they hoped would work in their favor and make the trip a little quicker. About a half mile out from town, Jenna pulled the car to the side of the road and announced that they'd go the rest of the way on foot. She parked as far into the surroundings foliage as she deemed safe, wanting to hide the car in case anyone came along, then they all got out, collected their things from the trunk, and walked the rest of the way to their destination.

Luckily, the town was relatively quiet once they arrived. Walkers loitered here or there in various areas, but not enough to deter them or deem the area too risky. With quiet, careful movements, they snuck their way down the street, staying low and out of sight and ducking behind various objects so that they wouldn't be spotted, until they reached a strip of stores and made a beeline to the second one in the row, which had the word 'Pharmacy' printed on one of the windows. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they managed to get inside without drawing any attention to themselves. Their lucky streak continued when they discovered that there was only one walker in the shop, which Maggie and Jenna disposed of without even batting an eyelash.

"Where's the list my dad gave ya?," Maggie asked quietly, keeping her voice down.

Jenna pulled the slip of paper from her pocket, then passed it over to Maggie. While the brunette wandered off toward the back, where the medical supplies were kept, Jenna and Chloe split up and began rummaging around in the front part of the store, searching through the supplies that had been left behind and collecting things at random. Jenna grabbed bandages, topical ointments, hygiene products – both feminine and communal – and a few over the counter meds that nobody had claimed. Once she was certain she'd grabbed everything crucial, she went to the front window and took a peek outside to check the street, looking to see what lay further ahead. There were no signs of any other survivors in the area, only walkers. But now that they were a little further into town she could see that there were more chompers than they'd originally anticipated. It was a little disconcerting, but she figured that as long as they kept quiet and went about things smartly, they could get through this run without any problems.

Jenna left the window and walked to the back of the shop to check up on Maggie's progress. "How's it comin'?"

There was no answer for a few seconds, then Maggie appeared from behind a shelf. "I found some stuff that could help Beth, but I can't find the antibiotics dad wanted us to get for Lori. Judging by the look of the place, someone already came through an' grabbed it. Assumin' it was ever here at all," Maggie explained with a huff.

Abandoning her search, Maggie climbed back over the pharmacy counter and rejoined Jenna. "Anywhere else around here we can look?"

Maggie took a second to think about it before nodding. "I think I remember there bein' a Rite Aid or a CVS or somethin' a few blocks away. There should be another pharmacy in there."

"Alright," Jenna said with a nod. "Let's go check it out. But let's see if there's a back way out," she suggested when Maggie started to head for the front exit. "There's a few more walkers out there than we thought. Nothing alarming," Jenna quickly said when Maggie's eyes widened a bit, "but I'd rather play it safe."

Maggie nodded her agreement, then, with that, they headed for the back. There was a door there that led to a small employee parking lot full of old boxes, dumpsters, and countless smooshed cigarette butts on the ground. There were no walkers, though. Upon seeing it was clear back there, they continued on.

Maggie led the way, taking them behind the stretch of connected business buildings as they headed for the convenience store she'd mentioned. When they reached the end of the parking lot, and, subsequently, the strip center, they took a short trip across a small, grassy patch and walked forward toward the street that intersected the one they'd just been on. The three of them walked between two small buildings then paused and crouched at the sidewalk, taking a moment to survey this new area. There weren't quite as many walkers, which was a good thing, but the CVS Maggie had mentioned was across the street, which meant they'd have to cross the road. Jenna assessed the situation again and decided that there were enough obstacles for them to sneak around without getting noticed. They'd have to go one at a time though.

"Okay, I'm gonna go behind that car," Jenna whispered, pointed to an abandoned, half-burned car in the middle of the road. "Chloe you come next, then Maggie. After that, we'll get behind the Toyota on the other side of the road, then we'll sneak into the CVS."

They executed the plan quietly and quickly, with Jenna crouched low and scurrying across the road first until she was behind the safety of the car. Chloe followed the moment Jenna gestured her forward, then Maggie brought up the rear, joining them shortly after. With that, they slunk to the next car and crouched behind the Toyota, staying low to avoid the walkers ambling around not so far away. Once they were there, Jenna motioned for Maggie and Chloe to stay put, then crept forward toward the CVS to check the doors and make sure it was open. Upon discovering the door was open, she waved Maggie and Chloe over, then the three of them slunk inside.

Once again, they all breathed easier once they were inside the store. Before they moved further in, however, Jenna whistled out a few times to check for walkers and draw them out of any hiding spots they might have been loitering in. After a few minutes went by and nothing happened, they decided the store was clear and moved around freely.

"I'll go check the pharmacy," Maggie whispered, heading for the far side of the store. "See if there's anything we can use out here."

With that, Maggie wandered off. While Chloe went off to go and look at some toys a few aisles away, Jenna went over to the cash register and began snooping around, looking for anything that might be useful. She grabbed some batteries and some travel size hygienic products that she thought would come in handy. She was about to turn and head off to where Chloe had gone when she looked behind the counter and saw something that caught her interest. Hopping over the counter, Jenna began inspecting the cigarette case, searching through what had been left behind. She wasn't a smoker herself, but she'd seen Daryl sneak a few cigarettes whenever he managed to get his hands on them. It might not have been the best idea, promoting this habit, but it seemed like a pretty good thing to give as a present given the current circumstances. She grabbed a couple of packs, stuffed them in her bag, then hopped back over the counter to keep looking through the store.

"Chloe?," Jenna said, raising her voice just loud enough so that the girl would hear her, but so that the walkers outside wouldn't.

"Over here," she heard from a few aisles over. "I'm okay," the girl assured her.

Jenna relaxed, but not very much. "Good. Don't go too far," she told her.

"Okay," Chloe agreed.

Appeased, Jenna continued her search up and down the aisles, grabbing things at random and placing them in her bag, which was beginning to feel a little heavy by this point. She began perusing the novelty items she came across, looking for anything that she thought might interest Daryl. Unfortunately, nothing really jumped out at her. What would a man like Daryl possibly want for a birthday gift anyway? He wouldn't want anything materialistic, that she knew for sure – he was too practical for things like that. Jenna briefly considered maybe grabbing him a book or something, but she'd only seen him read once or twice. He didn't seem to pick up a book unless he was absolutely bored out of his mind and could think of nothing else to do. And even then, he didn't read for very long before moving on to something else.

She was in the middle of contemplating all of this when her foot caught on something that had been on the ground. Looking down, Jenna saw a pile of crumpled up fabric at her feet. Curious, she picked it up and held it out in front of herself, stretching out to see what it was. Her eyebrows rose a bit upon seeing that it was poncho. The base color was tan, with black, red, and yellow geometric designs that almost looked Native American in origin. It was a design style that always seemed quite popular in areas like Arizona or New Mexico. The material was thick and warm, and still in good condition. Jenna knew this had not been sold in CVS – more than likely someone had dropped it by accident when passing through.

She thought about Daryl, who only ever wore that leather jacket to protect himself from the cold, and knew without even having to give it much deliberation that she wanted to give this poncho to him. It would keep him warm, but still give him plenty of freedom and movement to hunt and take out walkers. She thought it would look good on him, too. It felt like a golden find. Smiling triumphantly to herself, she shoved the poncho into her bag.

Jenna had just zipped her bag back up when a clattering sound echoed through the store, followed by Chloe letting out a strange, muffled yelping sound a few aisles away. Instantly feeling as though something was wrong, Jenna quickly went in that direction, heading to the end of the aisle she'd been on, turning right, and hurrying toward the noise. "Chloe?," Jenna hissed with concern. "Chloe, are you okay?" There was no answer. "Chloe, what – ?" But as Jenna finally reached the aisle Chloe had been on, she froze the moment she saw the sight waiting for her.

They had not been alone in the store after all. There was a man there. He looked to be a little older than herself, with shoulder length, greasy hair, filthy skin and clothes, and a wide, lecherous smile full of yellowing teeth. He had Chloe, was restraining her with one arm locked around her neck and a hand clamped over her mouth. Just seeing him with his hands on Chloe made her blood run cold with fear, but also her anger spike to feverish heights at the same time.

"Well, hello there," he greeted with a creepy chuckle. "Come here often?"

Jenna didn't say anything at first, just stared at him as she tried to determine what to do. Finally, she reached for the gun tucked in the back of her pants and whipped it out in the blink of an eye, pointing it directly at the strange man. "Let her go you bastard, or I swear I'll – "

Her threat died off when, suddenly, there was a loud CLICK in her ear, followed by the feeling of a cold barrel being pressed against her temple. Jenna went rigid, afraid to move a muscle. Looking out of the corner of her eye, she saw another man. This one was just as dirty and greasy as the other, only he was taller and fatter.

"Now, now," he cooed in a tone that made her skin crawl. "No need fer all that," he told her. "Why don't ya do yerself a favor an' put the gun down?" When Jenna didn't do so right away, he pressed his gun harder against her head. "Put the gun down, or my friend there's gonna break the girl's pretty little neck."

Jenna tensed with fear. "Okay," she said, holding one hand up in surrender. "Okay." She leaned down to place the gun on the ground, keeping her eyes on Chloe. The girl looked absolutely terrified and was beginning to cry. In that moment, Jenna cursed herself – hated herself – for bringing her along. She should have left her back at the safehouse with the others. She should have left her someplace safe.

As Jenna straightened back up, the guy holding a gun to her head grabbed her by the arm and yanked her closer until her whole side was pressed against his front. She could smell his putrid breath, smell the stench radiating off of him. It was enough to make her stomach turn. "Now kick the gun toward my friend there," he instructed. Jenna did as he said, then watched as the guy holding Chloe picked up the gun and turned it on Chloe. "My, my," the one holding her then said in appreciation. He placed the gun under her chin to tilt her head up, his eyes roaming the length of neck and continuing downwards, inspecting her as though she was an animal he was thinking about buying. "You are a perty one. I didn't think women like you existed no more." He suddenly grinned at his friend. "Hot damn! Today's our lucky day!"

while the two men celebrated their alleged victory, Jenna didn't say anything, just pressed her lips together tightly. Where was Maggie? Was she alright? Had these creeps done something to her? The thought that Maggie could be hurt – or worse – made the nausea in Jenna's stomach worsen. Please God, she silently prayed, let Maggie be okay. "What," Jenna asked in a trembling voice, finding it in her to finally speak, "what do you want?"

"Oh, I think you know what we want," the man holding Chloe said. He grinned at Jenna, then looked at Chloe in a way that made Jenna want to rip his eyeballs out.

"Don't hurt her," she pleaded, more terrified for Chloe than she was for herself. "Please. She's just a girl," she begged some more, hoping they would see some reason. "Do what you want with me, but just…leave her alone."

The guy holding her chuckled. "Oh, we're gonna do what we want with you alright," he confirmed, breathing in her ear. "Then, when we're done, we gonna do what we want with her, too."

Chloe began outwardly sobbing then, looking to her with so much fear that Jenna could practically feel it. As Jenna's own captor unzipped her jacket and threw it to the floor, revealing the long sleeved thermal shirt she wore underneath, Jenna didn't know what to do. If she tried to fight her way free, they would kill her, maybe even kill Chloe, too. But she couldn't just let these monsters have their way with Chloe. She'd rather die trying to do something than just stand by and do nothing. As the man holding her captive began to feel her up, his grubby hands sliding along her body on top of her clothes, she tried to think of something to do. Anything to do.

That's when Jenna saw her. Maggie was creeping up behind the man holding Chloe. She was okay. They didn't know she was in the store with them, and they were so focused on her and Chloe that they were oblivious to the fact that the brunette was closing in. Jenna made eye contact with her and, in that moment, they seemed to both understand what was about to happen. Jenna breathed harder with anticipation as Maggie got closer to the man holding Chloe. Just before she reached him, she raised a wine bottle she'd grabbed along the way, preparing to bring it down on his head. Their eyes locked one more time, Jenna gave a subtle nod, then Maggie attacked.

For a moment, chaos broke out. As the wine bottle split open against the head of the man holding Chloe, Jenna threw her elbow backwards with all her might, nailing the guy holding her right in the gut. He released her long enough for her to turn and force the hand holding the gun upward before he could get a shot off. As they struggled for the weapon, his finger squeezed the trigger and a bullet went flying up into the ceiling, which caused chunks of it to rain down on top of them. While they fought for control of the gun, Maggie got Chloe free of the other man and took her away from the struggle, ushering her to safety. The man Maggie had hit had fallen to his knees and looked dazed, as though he was struggling to understand what was going on.

"You bitch!," spat the one Jenna was struggling with, grunting as they continued to wrestle for the gun.

Jenna was trying hard to get the upper hand, but the man was much stronger than her. They tugged and pulled and kicked and threw elbows at each other, trying to incapacitate the other long enough to get control over the gun. Finally, when it felt like the guy was about to get the gun free, Jenna kneed him right in the crotch. His eyes bugged and he doubled over with pain, his grip slackening just enough for Jenna to finally get the gun. Instantly, she turned the gun on him and aimed it right at his head. She wasn't thinking rationally anymore, she wasn't thinking at all. She was driven by instinct, by the need to survive, by the need to protect. If she didn't kill this man, he was going to kill her. Or try to kill Maggie and Chloe. She couldn't let him live. She couldn't let him walk away.

He had just raised his hands to surrender when she squeezed the trigger. BANG.

Time stopped for a second. She felt like she watched in slow motion as smoke billowed out from the end of the gun. As a bullet hole appeared in the man's head. As blood began to trickle down his forehead. As the man slumped over and fell to the ground. Dead.

Jenna lowered her gun, staring at the man with wide eyes and feeling as though she was having an out of body experience. She had killed someone. Not a walker – a person. She began to shake and tremble and feel the bile rise in her throat when she heard Maggie call out to her. "Jenna!"

She looked to the right and saw what Maggie was trying to point out to her. The other man was starting to get his bearings again and was making a grab for her gun, the same one she'd been instructed to kick over to him and the same one he'd dropped when Maggie had hit him. Jenna snapped out of her trancelike state, turned the gun on him just as he got a hand on the other weapon, and pulled the trigger again without giving it a second thought. BANG. The first bullet hit him in the stomach. BANG. The second hit him in the chest. The guy slumped on the ground now, and as blood began oozing from his wounds, he didn't move anymore.

Jenna, breathing so hard she felt like she might be on the verge of hyperventilating, finally looked to Maggie and Chloe. Maggie had a protective hold on Chloe, who had her arms around Maggie's waist in a death grip. Chloe was white faced and crying silent tears, staring at Jenna in complete shock, as though she couldn't comprehend what she'd just witnessed. For a long moment the three just stood there, none of them knowing what to say or what to do. Jenna had killed two people. She had taken two lives. And she had done it right in front of Chloe.

They might have stood there like that longer, but a crashing sound at the front of the store tore through the silence surrounding them and brought them back to reality. Drawn by the loud sounds of the gunshots, the walkers outside had started coming inside, breaking their way through the glass doors in front and flooding into the store like a water rushing through a broken dam. They might have escaped the situation with the two men, but they were far from being out of danger. They had to get moving. Now.

"Come on," Jenna said, recovering enough to think at least somewhat clearly. She bypassed her jacket and grabbed the supply bag that she'd dropped, slinging it over her shoulder. "We have to go!"

Maggie nodded and grabbed Chloe's hand, running toward the back of the store to search for an alternate exit since there were too many walkers to try to go out the front. Jenna lingered only long enough to go and retrieve her gun from the lifeless fingers of the other man and get a look at how many walkers were coming into the store. Though their numbers had seemed small outside while they'd been scattered all around, now that all of the walkers in the area were congregating in one place, she realized there were far too many for them to try to take on. Feeling a bolt of fear, she turned and hurried after Maggie and Chloe.

They ran frantically through the aisles, searching for a back exit. Maggie was the one to locate an EXIT sign and led them in that direction, keeping a tight grip on Chloe's hand as they ran. Jenna brought up the rear, wielding a gun in either hand in case she needed to lay out cover fire – there was no point trying to be stealthy anymore; the walkers knew they were there. They reached the back exit and Maggie tried to open it, but the door was locked. Cursing, she roughly jiggled the handle to try to force it, but to no avail.

"Move!," Jenna said, motioning her to the side. As soon as Maggie was out of the way, Jenna began shooting at the lock, filling the store with loud gunshots. The walkers were getting closer, she could hear their groans and snarls getting louder, but she ignored them and focused on trying to get them out alive. Finally, when she thought she'd shot the lock enough times, she landed a hard kick to the door right next to the handle. The door swung open, and they ran through just as the walkers were within feet of them.

As soon as they were all outside, Jenna slammed the door shut. Turning forward, she realized that they were in an alley and were face to face with a tall, chain-link fence that stretched at least two dozen feet in either direction, blocking off the path forward. Glancing left and then right to try to see where they could go, she saw walkers starting to appear on either side of the alley, having been drawn to the area by all of the commotion. With a sinking feeling, she realized that they were trapped.

The door behind them suddenly opened as the walkers reached the damaged door and pushed it open with ease. Jenna and Maggie both rushed to the door and threw their bodyweight against it to keep it closed as the chompers inside began pounding against the door and trying to push their way through. Jenna gritted her teeth and dug her heels into the ground, while Maggie grunted and groaned in their effort to keep the door closed.

"Chloe!," Jenna called urgently. "Find us a way out!"

But the girl was in such shock that she could only stare around in confusion, tears streaming from her eyes and her body shaking. She didn't know what to do. It didn't even look like she fully knew what was going on.

"There!," Maggie suddenly yelled, pointing to something. Jenna followed her finger and saw that there was an opening in the fence where somewhere had cut through the metal. It was about six feet away and looked barely big enough for them to squeeze through, but it was their only option.

"You go first," Jenna said, watching as the walkers on either side of their little alley got closer. "Get Chloe out! I'll be right behind you!" Maggie started to protest, but Jenna cut her off. "Just DO IT!"

Maggie nodded and released the door, moving forward to grab Chloe and tug her toward the opening. It was a bigger struggle to keep the door closed now that it was just Jenna holding it. She got pushed forward with the door every so often when the walkers inside would manage to get it open a few inches, only to slam her body back against it to close it again. As Maggie pulled the opening in the fence wider so Chloe could squeeze through, Jenna raised her gun and began shooting at the incoming walkers to lay out cover fire. Once Chloe was safely on the other side of the fence, Maggie followed, barely managed to squeeze through the small opening.

"C'mon, Jenna!," Maggie urged. "Hurry!"

Jenna sucked in a few quick breaths to prepare herself, then released the door and ran for the opening. The second she wasn't blocking the door, the walkers inside the CVS poured into the alleyway, mingling with the other zombies as they caught up. Jenna ran as fast as she could, shooting a walker when it got too close, then began to squeeze through the opening that Maggie was doing her best to widen. It was a tight fit. Jenna had to turn sideways in order to pass through, and even then it was difficult. Her bag hung her up and got in the way, making the process even harder. But she forced her way through, ignoring the scrapes of the sharp metal on her legs and stomach.

It was then, as Jenna was almost all the way through, that a walker grabbed her arm. The grip slowed her down just long enough for another to grab her, and then another. Jenna cried out and pulled with all her might, real, genuine fear filling her now as the walkers surrounded her vulnerable limb. Maggie tried to distract the walkers, tried to kick at them and push at them through the fence, but it wasn't doing any good. They had Jenna and they weren't letting go. Maggie gave up trying to fight the walkers and wrapped her arms around Jenna's waist, tugging with all her might to try to help her get free. Jenna pulled and pulled, but was getting nowhere. They had her in their grasp. Without her coat to protect her, she could feel their nails through the material of her shirt. Then she saw a walker, teeth bared, beginning to close in on her arm. It was going to bite her. She was going to get infected. She was going to die and then turn.

Jenna felt a surge of adrenaline at that thought. It couldn't end this way. She couldn't let this happen. As the walker's teeth got closer to her arm, she finally gave a mighty tug of her arm. For a second, she felt a blinding, white-hot pain shoot up her arm, but then she was free. With nothing to fight against anymore, she and Maggie fell backwards together and landed on the hard ground. Jenna groaned with pain and looked at her arm. It was a bloody mess, so much so that she couldn't even see what the injury was.

"Jenna!," Maggie said in concern.

"No time," Jenna said through gritted teeth. The walkers were pounding against the fence. They had to go before they knocked the damn thing down. "We gotta go."

Maggie nodded, helped her to her feet, then, after grabbing Chloe's arm, the three of them were off again.

They ran for what felt like ages, taking the long way around to lose the walkers as they circled back around and made their way back to where they'd left the car. Jenna felt a little faint as they continued on and struggled to keep going – whatever had happened to her arm was bad. She was bleeding all over the place. After a while, she was starting to feel like she couldn't go on. Her movements were slower, heavier, and she was starting to feel weak. Maggie simply pulled Jenna's good arm up around her shoulder, locked an arm around her waist, and forced her along, supporting her weight the entire way.

It felt like it took an eternity, but eventually they managed to make it back to the car. Jenna sighed in relief as she leaned against the Subaru and glanced back the direction they'd come. The walkers weren't following them. They'd managed to lose them. She closed her eyes and let her body sink to the ground, her head resting back against the door to the car.

"Jenna," Maggie said, crouching in front of her. Jenna opened her eyes to look at the brunette, who was sweating and covered in both dirt and blood. "Where are the keys?"

Jenna started to pat her side, then felt her heart sink when she remembered that the keys were in the pocket of her jacket, which the stranger had taken off of her and which had been left behind in the store in their hurry to get away from the chompers. "They're in the store," Jenna said, breathing heavily and shaking her head. "I don't have them."

Maggie cursed, then reached for Jenna's bag and unzipped it. She fished around for a second until she found what she was looking for – the walkie talkie. "Someone come in," she said, clicking the button on the side to try to connect with someone in the group. "Damnit, come in!"

A voice sounded through the little speaker soon after. "What's wrong?" It was Daryl. His words were short, clipped, worried.

"We need help. We got attacked. Jenna's hurt really bad," Maggie told him in a rush. "We lost the keys to the car. We need someone 'ta come get us. Now."

As Daryl cursed and said help was on the way, Jenna turned her eyes over to Chloe. She was standing a few feet away and looking at Jenna – or rather, Jenna's arm – with wide, unblinking eyes and an ashen face. She looked totally out of it. She looked like she was in shock. "Chloe," Jenna said, trying to catch her attention. The girl just blinked and turned her eyes up to Jenna's, but she didn't say anything.

"Daryl's on his way," Maggie said to catch Jenna's attention, making her tear her eyes away from Chloe to look at the brunette. Maggie was pulling some cloth from her bag, brows set in concentration. "Let me look at your arm."

Jenna offered Maggie her arm, then cursed and jerked in pain as she pushed her ripped sleeve up and began wiping some of the blood away. Once they were able to see what was under the blood, they realized the wound was two long, deep scratch marks running along nearly the entire length of her forearm. Jenna went rigid, as did Maggie. "Are those…" Maggie gulped and turned her eyes up Jenna's, terror written all over her face. "Are those from the fence…or from the walkers?," she asked, voice shaking.

Jenna looked at the scratches and tried hard to remember. It had all happened so fast. The walkers had had a tight grip on her. She'd been able to feel their nails through her shirt. But the fence had been really sharp, too, and when she'd yanked her arm free, she hadn't been careful about it. It could have been from the fence, but it could have just as easily been from the walkers, too.

With a gulp, Jenna raised her gaze to Maggie's, her heart pounding and eyes prickling with the threat of incoming tears. "I…I don't know," she admitted, dread filling her entire being. "I don't know."

---

Thoughts?!

P.S. I apologize if anyone is turned off by these uber long chapters. I don't plan for them to be this long, I swear. It just kinda happens!