A few weeks passed, maybe even an entire month…one of these days she should start keeping track somehow, Allison thought to herself…and the group had settled into something of a routine at the big house. They weren't exactly settled, as without a proper fence they still very were vulnerable – thinking about what had happened at the Greene farm made them all skittish. But the benefits of having a regular place to eat and sleep and wash were not mixed. Lori had gained a bit of weight and had finally developed a visible baby bump. Most of them actually even smiled now and then and overall they'd become less of a "group" and more of a "family." Even the previously ever-surly Daryl had developed a seemingly unlimited wellspring of patience, especially when it came to their daily weapons practice. And Allison couldn't help but notice how Carol always went to Daryl when she needed further instruction on how to hold and aim a rifle – how she seemed to daily forget the proper stance and need him to stand close to her and wrap his arms around hers on the weapon to demonstrate.

"I know it shouldn't bother me, but it does," she confessed to Lori one afternoon when the two women were closeted away in the Grimes' bedroom for as much of a physical exam as Allison could provide. Luckily one of the bags that had been left in the truck bed was her medical call bag, so she still had her stethoscope and some other supplies. She put her blood pressure cuff back in her bag and added, "And I know Carol's a close friend of yours, so I shouldn't be telling tales out of school, I guess… But I have to ask you – has she ever said anything to you about…y'know, liking Daryl or having feelings for him or whatever?"

"I'd like to think that we're all friends," Lori said, buttoning her shirt. "If not family by now."

"I'm sorry, I just meant that you and Carol have probably talked a lot more than you and I have…but you're right, after everything we've been through, we don't really have time for the high school mean girls drama." Besides, Allison thought to herself, it's only since shortly after they left the farm that Lori had ceased being so, well, so Lori-ish and had been helping out with chores, taking rather than giving orders and actually being approachable. She's probably desperate for companionship since her husband snubs her and Shane, her protector, is gone forever.

"To answer your question, Carol has never said anything specific to me about Daryl…just now and then she'd mention that he was really a nice man and that he was misunderstood. Things of that nature." Lori didn't add that Carol had told her a few times back at the farm that Daryl really needed someone to take proper care of him, and had always stopped just short of accusing Allison of not doing the job.

"Maybe I'm being paranoid," Allison suggested. "I have to remind myself sometimes to not be the quote/unquote jealous woman; T-Dog told me once that men hate being accused of infidelities where none have occurred."

Lori bit her lip trying not to smile; she was sure that those hadn't been T-Dog's exact words – now that they tended to chat more, she was getting used to Allison's sometimes stilted way of speaking. "What makes you think she's 'after' Daryl, anyway? I never really see the two of them off together or anything. Other than Rick, you're the only person Daryl really talks to a lot, and with Rick it's only because they're making plans or organizing something."

"Just some things she's said to me… or maybe the way she's always rubbing up against him during gun practice like a grizzly bear marking a tree…" Allison was getting more agitated as she spoke.

Lori chuckled. "I won't say you're imagining things, maybe some of these things happen when I'm not looking. But it's obvious to everyone that Daryl loves you and is utterly devoted to you. So he helps Carol learn how to work a shotgun. Big deal. That's something that will eventually benefit everyone in camp. But he went out in the middle of this hellish End of the World and got you that necklace – " she reached out and touched the angel pendant that hung around Allison's neck always – "for no particular reason other than a gesture. It wasn't food for everyone, it wasn't a way to make the camp safer; it was simply that he wanted to get you a nice present." She paused and then gave a crooked smile. "And, no offense, but this is Daryl Dixon who made a special trip into unknown territory just to get a piece of jewelry for a woman. Daryl Dixon, whose previous idea of being gallant was to throw the string of squirrels he'd killed to us women underhanded so that we could catch it."

Allison laughed out loud at that remark, then added shyly "He went out and got this barrette for me, too," gesturing to the clip that held her hair back.

"Really?" Lori asked. "I just presumed that that was something you happened to have with you." She grew a bit more thoughtful. "The only reason I knew so much about your necklace is because Maggie told me about him and Glenn going into town to that pawn shop…she thought it was funny that Glenn expected Daryl to head right to the gun rack but instead he started browsing over the jewelry case." She paused and then looked up at Allison. "She didn't mention him getting a barrette, too."

"No, he got this for me later," Allison explained. "During another trip into town. We'd been talking the night before, and I told him about this song I really liked because of the lyric that went 'here is a rainbow for your hair' and…" her voice began to trail off when Lori looked away and her lip quivered ever so slightly, "the next day he came back from a supply run with this." She looked curiously at Lori and said "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you," not knowing why Lori was suddenly on the verge of tears.

"It's OK," Lori reached over and patted Allison's hand, "it's not you, it's just…that's so sweet of him. I was trying to think of the last time Rick brought me such a spontaneous gift…"

"Well, that's not really a fair comparison," Allison told her. "Daryl and I aren't married and we haven't been together all that long, really. I'm sure Rick did sweet things for you during the 'honeymoon' part of your relationship, too."

Lori looked into the distance as she spoke. "Don't get me wrong, he was always a good provider, and he remembered birthdays and holidays…but we were so young when we were in what should have been our 'honeymoon' stage, and Rick had to work a lot of hours…I'd gotten pregnant with Carl not long after we were married, and we hadn't really planned on a baby that soon." She sighed. "It seems like I was always exhausted or changing a diaper and Rick was never home. Then, a few years later, Rick kept saying that Carl should have a brother or sister, that he shouldn't be an only child. He'd been promoted by then and we were doing better financially, but by that time I just thought he wanted to get me pregnant to keep me tied down, keep me at home, keep me busy with something. But I wanted more out of my life than just that. So I keep putting him off and eventually he stopped mentioning the subject."

Allison wondered how Rick must have felt back at the farm, then, that day when he found out that his wife was pregnant during such an uncertain time after years of protesting that she wasn't ready. He must've known immediately that Shane was the father. To be honest, Allison had somewhat suspected that Rick might have had a vasectomy at some point since Carl had been an only child for 10 years. It was odd family spacing, to say the least. Poor guy; what a huge, humiliating slap in the face.

She turned to Allison and said firmly, "I want you to know, though, that I was always faithful. Shane and I didn't…until – "

"It's none of my business, really," Allison protested.

"No, I need to talk about this, and Rick won't even look at me, much less talk. And Carol has her own sadness, losing Sophia and all that, I don't want to burden her with my problems…"

Of course not, Allison thought to herself wryly. Let's not burden Carol, let's unload on captive audience Allison, whom you've barely given the time of day to before. Until you were out in the cold and desperate. Just like in high school…the popular girls ignored her until they needed help with their homework or they were being ostracized by their regular clique of friends.

"In Rick's defense," she told Lori, "I think that not talking about feelings is a general 'guy' thing. I remember overhearing Glenn talking to T-Dog and Dale back at the farm one day when I was delivering laundry." Lori didn't seem to notice Allison's subtle emphasis on those last two words. "Glenn was confused because Maggie always asked him what he was thinking or feeling, and he didn't know what she meant, how he should answer. The other two men basically said that women always go on about stuff like that and that men don't know why. That usually what they're thinking is 'Will the Falcons make it to the playoffs this year?' or 'Will my shorts unbunch themselves if I sit long enough or am I going to have to stand up to adjust them?'"

"Maybe that was part of our problem," Lori murmured, "My expectations were too high. I expected him to take the time to converse with me and share feelings with me like I was an intelligent human being."

Oh, brother, this woman should have one of those beeping warning signals attached to her, the way she backed up so suddenly, Allison thought.

"Did Shane share his thoughts with you?" Allison asked, somewhat brazenly.

"He told me he loved me all the time," Lori said. "But like I said, that wasn't until after…well, when I thought Rick was gone. Dead. I didn't fool around with Shane or anyone else before that." She looked downward somewhat guiltily. "Although, to be honest, I think I knew for several years that Shane had feelings for me, and I might have subconsciously encouraged that a little bit…but what woman wouldn't enjoy being pursued by an attractive man when her husband is so inattentive?" she finished defensively.

"I guess it could be exciting, but I wouldn't know," Allison replied. "I've never had two men fight over me. And I know that Shane said he loved you, he told me that more than once – "

"He did?" Lori sat up with renewed interest.

"Well, yeah, but one time was when he was defending what he'd done to you at the CDC. And then the few other times he talked to me about you was always mainly a laundry list of the times he'd saved you and Carl. Like he was keeping a tally sheet somewhere to prove how much better he was than anyone else in camp."

"Oh, I don't know," Lori sat back and buried her face in her hands for a moment. "I just handled everything so poorly…" She looked up at Allison. "Even when Rick returned, I can't deny that it felt good to have both Rick and Shane looking out for me and Carl. It was like an extra safety net. And then that day of the fire, when we made camp that first night and Rick told me that he'd killed Shane…I was so confused - my emotions, my thoughts….my first reaction was to spit at him."

"You mean you wanted to actually spit at your husband?" Allison was shocked.

"I mean I actually did spit at him," Lori replied miserably. "I regretted it later that night, but I think by then the damage had been done. And somehow I think Carl senses that there is tension between us…"

"Well, the main thing you have to do right now is take care of yourself. You can't get your blood pressure all in an uproar like this, especially since you had complications during your previous pregnancy. It would be nice if we could stay in this house for a long time, but just in case we don't have the luxury of a proper place if you need to be on bed rest…."

"You're right," Lori said. "I appreciate you listening to me, anyway."

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help. But I think if you try to relax more and not concentrate on the past, Carl will feel a little more secure and things will eventually work out…"

Lori gave a deep sigh as the two women exited the room. "I hope you're right."