Lizzie had wanted nothing more than to curl up on her bed with Daryl, to feel his strong arms around her body, holding her closely to him as they drifted in and out of a light sleep… But she knew there was still work to be done- or not, she thought as she pulled her shirt over her head, bringing her loose hair up into a ponytail, I've been outta it for a while, maybe they got it all done without me?-so she'd had to drag herself up.
She watched as Daryl bent down to pick up his jacket, smirking at her when he straightened up.
"Don't look like you wanna leave this room." He observed, feeling the same way.
"Oh y'know, joys of housework versus joys of sex." She held her hands out like scales, balancing them in favor of sex.
"You gotta problem." He grinned, shaking his head as he slid his jacket on.
"You gotta nice dick," she shrugged, watching as he gave her a look. She pulled a face and shrugged again, "okay, so that sounded better in my head."
He laughed at her, retrieving his crossbow and holding her axe out towards her, watching as she took it and slid it back into place, stretching her arms above her head and sighing deeply.
"Sometimes it's hard work bein' a good guy." She muttered.
"You make it sound like we oughta be wearin' spandex or somethin'." He replied, rolling his eyes as he followed her to the door.
"I promise you I'm so over my spandex phase," she turned to see him regard her with surprise and interest, "the less said about it, the better," she warned, stepping into the hallway, "I used to be able to get away with it but now…" she formed her hand into a phone and held it to her ear, "oh hi, this is the eighties callin', we want our spandex back!"
"I can't picture you in…" He began, following her down the stairs.
"That's probably a good thing," she laughed, looking over her shoulder at him, "think Nikki Sixx, Motley Crue, add tits an' there you have it."
"Thought you jus' said not to think about it?" He asked, smirking at her again.
"Guess I gotta give you somethin' for the wank bank, jus' in case I ain't around." She winked.
He reached for her at the bottom of the stairs, spinning her around to face him and moving closer to her, lowering his voice in case anyone was listening.
"Thought you weren't goin' nowhere, not now, not ever?" He asked, his face so close to hers that she could feel the heat from his breath on her cheeks.
"Easy tiger," she said quietly, rubbing the tip of her nose across his gently, "I ain't plannin' on goin' nowhere, it was jus' a figure of speech."
"Good," he nodded, "coz you're mine, right?"
"An' you're mine too." She grinned, throwing her arms around his neck.
They stood there for a moment, locked in their embrace, not quite sure what to do next. Lizzie was worried that kissing him would result in being dragged back up the stairs; Daryl was worried that kissing her would result in everyone catching them out. Sensing each other's hesitation, they both grinned sheepishly, laughter beginning to bubble between them.
"Daryl," Rick said as he strode through the nearby doorway, watching as they sprung apart, both trying to hide their smiles from him, "we're almost ready to move out."
"Be right there." Daryl replied, nodding. He noticed Rick's gaze move to Lizzie for a second before he raised his eyebrow and grinned, wisely choosing not to say anything before he turned and walked away.
"Don't I feel like I jus' got caught with my hand in the cookie jar?" Lizzie laughed, feeling her cheeks redden.
"You gonna be okay when I'm gone?" He asked, suddenly aware that he'd made her promise not to go anywhere without him when he was about to do exactly that, "I could ask Rick if you could come along?"
"I don't think it's a good idea for me to be hangin' out with Randall anymore," she shrugged, turning at the sound of approaching footsteps and seeing Maggie hurrying towards her, "besides, I'm sure I can find somethin' to keep me out of trouble."
"I'll be back by nightfall." He said, unsure whether he should kiss her before he left.
"I'll be waitin' for you." She smiled, stepping towards him for a kiss but being intercepted by Maggie.
"You gotta minute?" Maggie asked, her voice shaking as she grabbed Lizzie's arm, holding it in a vice like grip.
Lizzie glanced at Daryl and saw him nod slightly before he winked at her and turned to leave.
"Yeah," she smiled, turning to her friend, "what's on your mind?"
Maggie suddenly pulled her sharply into the kitchen, her smile so huge it looked like it would split her face in two. Before Lizzie could ask why she'd gone all Joker on her ass, Maggie thrust her hand into her face, making her flinch away, expecting to be hit. When there was no contact she frowned and focused on her hand… And on the ring on her finger.
"Oh my God girl!" She cried, hoping her surprise came across as genuinely as her excitement, "You been holdin' out on me! Where the hell'd you get this from?"
"Glenn," she smiled, positively glowing, "now it don't mean we're getting married or anythin', Lord knows how that'd work nowadays; it's just a token to show that we're… Together."
"Oh man," Lizzie grinned, taking hold of Maggie's hand and pulling it closer to her face for a better look, turning it each and every way, hoping it looked like this was the first time she'd ever seen the ring, "where'd he pull this sucker from?"
"He just says a friend gave it to him," she shrugged, studying Lizzie's face for a second, "you seen what he's been up to today?"
"Jesus, I don't keep tabs on my own man, never mind anyone else's," Lizzie smirked, letting go of Maggie's hand and watching as she raised it towards her face, fiddling with the ring as she smiled like a schoolgirl, "I'm real happy for you Mags, honestly an' truthfully, I'm happy for you."
"I know," Maggie whispered, "thank you."
"I wouldn't be a very good friend if I wasn't." She shrugged.
"You're definitely the best," Maggie smiled, hugging her tightly, "if it wasn't for you…"
"Look, Glenn would've come around an' got on with it sooner or later," Lizzie said, cutting her off, "I jus' gave him a threatenin' kick in the ass," she let go of Maggie and grinned up at her, "an' I hope you know I've given him the 'if you hurt her, I hurt you' talk too!"
"I wouldn't expect nothin' less." Maggie grinned.
Suddenly, a cacophony of voices reached their ears from outside. As they both turned towards the noise, Hershel appeared beside them.
"What's going on out there?" He asked, looking to the girls for answers.
"I dunno," Lizzie replied, frowning as she began to move towards the door, "but it don't sound good."
"What is it?" Carol asked as she joined them, followed by Lori and Carl, "What's happening?"
"That's what we're going to find out." Hershel replied as Lizzie strode straight past her without a glance.
"Lizzie!" Carl shouted, pushing past his mother and Carol and reaching for her hand, "What's going on?"
"I dunno sugar," she replied, smiling at him at he slipped his hand into hers and squeezed, "stick close by me, okay?"
"Okay!" He nodded, smiling at her. He hadn't thought she'd let him hold her hand and go outside, he'd expected her to act like his mother and try to get him to stay inside, keeping out of trouble.
"What's wrong?" Maggie asked as she ran towards the shed, watching as T and Daryl exited looking both bewildered and worried.
"Randall's missing." T answered, turning to watch the advancing crowd.
"Missin'?" Lizzie asked, stepping in front of Carl protectively as she held his hand, "Whaddya mean missin'?"
"I mean that he's gone," T answered with a shrug, "I dunno how that's possible but he is."
"How long has he been gone?" Hershel asked, running forwards and stepping into the barn, looking around the rafters just as Daryl, Rick and Andrea had done.
"He was in there a lil' while ago." Daryl shrugged, giving Lizzie an 'any idea?' look. She shook her head and shrugged, making sure he was the only one who saw.
"Cuffs are still hooked up," Rick announced, stepping outside, "he must've slipped them."
"How is that possible?" Carol asked, the panic rising in her voice.
"Anything's possible when you've got nothing to lose." Andrea shrugged, stepping out into the sunlight.
"Or when you've got help," Rick added cryptically, turning around and fixing Lizzie with a curious stare, "you seen Randall lately?"
Her mouth dropped open in shock as she realized that Rick was accusing her of freeing their prisoner. She wondered if she'd been spotted entering the shed after all- if that was the case she'd have to own up to seeing him otherwise she'd be labeled a liar and lose any trust she'd built with these people.
Rock an' a hard place girl, she thought to herself as she desperately tried to decide whether she was going to tell the truth or not, you might not've freed him but bein' in there with him makes you a prime suspect…
"You don't getta talk to my woman like that," Daryl growled, suddenly moving between them and stepping forwards, staring the other man down, "she ain't got nothin' to do with this."
"And how can you be so sure?" Rick asked, stepping forwards himself so he was toe to toe with Daryl, showing him that he wasn't going to be intimidated.
"Lizzie wouldn't do something like this," Hershel said, also stepping to her defense, "she's respected my rules and my family and she wouldn't do anything to put my girls in danger."
She felt a pang of guilt as the men defended her- even though she hadn't set Randall loose, she'd still been in the shed with him so Daryl was lying for her. Hershel was right; she'd never do anything to hurt his family… But wasn't she thinking about running away with Daryl and turning her back on all of them? She could see the old man obviously believed she was better than that.
Rick eyed Hershel for a second before he nodded, turning back to Daryl and looking past him, staring at Lizzie as he spoke.
"You spent most time with him, it was easy for me to assume that you…" Daryl snorted, shaking his head at Rick's words, "Any ideas how he might've got away?"
Lizzie squeezed Carl's hand, leaning towards him and whispering him instructions to go back to his mother before she walked after Rick, touching Daryl's shoulder as she passed him, silently thanking him with her eyes.
She followed Rick to the shed, stepping inside when he motioned for her to enter first. She saw the bloodied cuffs on the floor and stepped towards them, lifting them and frowning.
"Ain't no way he coulda slipped outta these without losin' at least a finger," she said, dropping them again and turning to Rick, "an' unless he can walk through walls…"
"The lock was still on," T admitted, stepping into the doorway, "if he left, he didn't use the door."
"There's a ladder," Rick nodded, pointing to the spot where the ladder had fallen after Lizzie kicked it from the window, "he got out through the roof."
"There ain't any holes," she frowned, looking upwards, the only sunlight leaking through was coming between the beams, "an' the boards up at the window are secure."
"So he just disappeared?" Rick asked, looking to her for another explanation.
"I think you're right in sayin' that somebody helped him," she nodded, "they unlocked the door an' his cuffs, lockin' everythin' back up again when they left."
"Why would someone do that?" He asked, stepping towards her and lowering his voice, "It's too obvious."
"Maybe they knew it'd throw us off," she replied, "we're all standin' here tryna puzzle it out while they're out there with him."
"And who'd be that crazy to…" He began, shaking his head at her, not wanting to believe that one of his own people had set Randall free.
"I hate to be the one to say this," she said quietly, looking down for a second as she swallowed, frowning as she gazed up at Rick, "but have you seen Shane lately?"
As they looked at each other, she could see in Rick's eyes that he believed her yet he still shook his head, not wanting to admit that his best friend had been the one to do this. Before he could speak up to defend his friend, Shane's shouts reached their ears and they both ran from the shed, stopping as they saw him storming towards them, blood running down his face, dripping steadily onto his chest.
"My God, what happened?" Lori asked, hurrying towards him.
"He's armed, he took my gun." Shane explained, striding towards the gathering.
"Are you okay?" Carl asked, the concern splashed across his face as he followed his mother.
"I'm fine," he nodded, looking straight at Rick, "bastard snuck up on me, clocked me in the face."
"Hershel, T Dog, get everyone back inside," Rick ordered, "Lizzie, Daryl, you're with us."
"Lizzie!" Maggie cried, dashing forwards and grabbing her arm.
"I'll be fine," she insisted, taking hold of Glenn's wrist as he approached, putting her friends' hands together and looking at him, "keep her safe, okay?"
"I will." He promised, pulling Maggie away from her.
"Mags," she said, taking her hand quickly and squeezing, "I'll be fine."
"Just come back." Maggie nodded, hugging her tightly.
"The plan was to let him go!" Carol shouted as she watched Lizzie walk towards Daryl, stopping beside him, noticing him lean towards her, saying something she couldn't here, "Just leave him! Don't go out there; you don't know what might happen!"
"The plan was to cut him loose far away from here," Rick explained, turning away from the others, "not let him run with a gun, get inside and wait for us to come back."
"Come on," Andrea said, rousing them as she put her arm around Carol's shoulder, steering her back towards the house, "let's get inside and get everything locked, they'll find him."
"Dad!" Carl shouted, running towards his father.
"Get inside!" Rick yelled, not even looking over his shoulder.
Lizzie watched as Carl stopped, looking hurt, the worry for his father and his friends evident. She pushed back past Rick and knelt down in front of his son, putting her hands on his shoulders and squeezing them reassuringly.
"Hey," she said quietly, smiling at him, "you stay safe okay? Help Andrea an' T look after everyone for me while I'm gone, yeah?"
"But what if…" He began, shaking his head.
"Ain't gonna be no what ifs," she said sternly, cutting him off, "what happens, happens remember?"
"What if it's your time?" He asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"Then it's my time," she shrugged, pulling him into a quick hug and speaking softly into his ear, "but us Guardian Angels are a lot harder to kill," she kissed his head before she pulled away from him, "an' I promise to try my damndest to come back to you," she watched as he nodded weakly at her, glancing over her shoulder at his father as he called for Lizzie, "we'll bring him home, now get inside."
She watched as Carl turned on his heel and ran towards his mother, following her back towards the house. She pushed herself up, pulling her axe free as she walked towards the men, nodding to them to show that she was ready.
As they walked towards the tree line, Daryl moved up next to her, lowering his voice as he spoke so the others couldn't hear.
"You're sure about this?" He asked, worried what her reaction might be if she was faced with an armed and dangerous Randall.
"Damn straight," she replied, grinning slightly, "besides, I can't have you runnin' off alone an' doin' God knows what sorta crazy shit, can I?"
Least she listened to you, he thought with a smirk as he recognized the words he'd used on her not an hour before.
"Eyes forward." He ordered, shifting his gaze away from her, not wanting to get too distracted.
"Yessir!" She saluted, watching as his lips twitched slightly.
They followed Shane's lead, listening to his story of how Randall got the jump on him and took off- he'd managed to see the vague direction he'd run before he blacked out but he couldn't say for sure how long ago it had been.
All seems a lil' too convenient… Lizzie thought as they came to a halt, Shane pointing off into the woods.
"Can you track him?" Rick asked as Daryl circled, his eyes on the ground.
"I don't see nothin'." Daryl replied, shaking his head as he frowned.
"Nothin'?" Lizzie asked, turning to face Shane, "You sure you saw him go…?"
"I know what I saw," Shane snapped, "ain't no need to track him, he went that way- we jus' split up an' spread out an' we'll find him."
She caught Daryl's gaze and saw that he was just as confused as she was- his tracking skills had kept him alive, he knew what he was looking for… Yet he saw nothing. He wasn't sure that they should trust Shane's words.
"Kid weighs about twenty-five soakin' wet," Daryl said, turning to face Shane, voicing his skepticism, "you tryna say he got the jump on you?"
"I'd say a rock pretty much evens those odds, wouldn't you?" Shane asked, stepping forwards.
"Hey," Lizzie snapped, stepping in front of him, axe raised, "back off!"
"Everybody just calm down," Rick sighed, putting his hand on Lizzie's arm and pulling her back, silencing her with a piercing stare, "you and Daryl head up the right flank, we'll take the left."
"An' if we find him?" She asked.
"He's got a gun," Rick answered steadily, "use your judgment."
She swallowed, not sure if she was ready or willing to cut somebody living down- even if it was Randall. Daryl stepped up behind her, his presence easing her nerves- she wondered if he'd done it on purpose, just to let her know that he was there to do what she couldn't. Nodding to Rick and Shane, she turned, smiling up at Daryl as they paired off, heading in opposite directions.
"Remember that Randall isn't the only threat out there," Rick called as he and Shane moved off, "gotta keep an eye out for each other."
"Rick," Lizzie shouted, a sudden wave of panic washing over her, "be careful, okay? I promised Carl we'd bring you home safe, I don't wanna hafta tell him any different."
"I'll be fine," he assured her, "Shane's got my back."
She wasn't certain, but she thought she saw a look of shame pass over Shane's face before he looked away quickly. She frowned, a bad feeling creeping up on her.
"Look, maybe we should…" She began, only stopping when Daryl caught her arm, stopping her from moving.
"C'mon," he said tugging at her slightly, "let 'em duke it out."
She stood still for a second, watching as the two men walked away, Shane following Rick like a predator would stalk its prey. Letting out a deep sigh she turned to follow Daryl, glancing back over her shoulder as the others disappeared from sight, a foreboding feeling of worry sending shivers down her spine.
