A week went by, then two and three; a lot of outside drama went down to keep Lucy on her toes and distracted from feeling bad about what had happened. There were bigger fish to fry and soon they all found themselves camped out on a farm that was set back from the road in the woods. Daryl had made camp on the other side of the field away from everyone and just kept to himself except to go hunting for the group.

Gradually he had been pulling away from everyone and Lucy wasn't going to try and pull him back this time. There was too much to do and if he wanted to act that way, so be it.

Carl was recovering from an accidental shooting that brought them all there, but he was going to be fine thanks to Shane going for supplies, even if they had lost someone on the way back. Shane had told a terrifying story when he got back, but he had help save Carl by bringing the supplies.

The owner of the farm was a medical man, albeit for animals but beggars couldn't be choosers and he had saved Carl's life. It had been stressful and touch and go for a day and a half, but the boy was on the road to recovery now.

They were stuck there until the Carl was healed enough to travel, or the owner changed his mind about letting them stay. Herschel Greene was a man who knew his own mind and he had two daughters to protect, but he was open to helping their group.

Lucy was working on that daily, she had assisted the man, Herschel, to remove the bullet fragments from Carl and they had a rapport now. They all ate their meals together and Amy and Marylee had made a friend in Herschel's younger daughter Beth.

It was a quiet morning and Lucy decided to go for a run, avoiding the tent on the other side of the field because fuck him. Glenn had already taken off on horseback with Herschel's older daughter Maggie to go into town for supplies. They were cute together riding off side by side and Glenn had been nervous, a sure tell that he was into Maggie.

Lucy was happy for her friend, he deserved something good in this world. She deliberately avoided the path that led around the field and towards where Daryl was camping and went the opposite way down towards the barn. They avoided each other now and he was camping far away from everyone else.

Merle had all but thrown his hands up in disgust with Daryl weeks ago and moved into the RV with Andrea, Amy and Marylee were sleeping in the house in Beth's room for an unlimited sleepover party and that was fine for everyone.

Dale had strung a hammock in two trees by their campsite on the farm and that's where he slept, until it got too cold of course. The rest of the group had tents set up together, except Daryl of course.

/

Daryl saw her anyway, even if they weren't a thing anymore he still knew where she was almost at all times and he knew she jogged when she was stressed out. He also recalled telling her not to jog alone, she didn't listen good. It was no surprise that Lucy was stressed after Sophia almost got lost in the woods on the way back when that herd came down from the ridge he and Lucy had run from on the way to the CDC.

But he still didn't like her running alone.

He remembered pulling her back up the hill and how afraid he was that she would run through the horde of walkers just to try and get to her sister. She would have gotten killed, turned into one of them. He should have known right then to stay away.

But he just couldn' and it had been so good, he had felt good with her.

It had all gotten too fucked up after that, he had put her life at risk because of his feelings and that couldn't happen ever again. But now he watched as she jogged around the perimeter of the land and thought to himself, it would have been ...but it wasn't. It was better this way, if he turned it off he wouldn't get her killed.

The longing would go away eventually.

/

Lucy did two circles around the Greene farm and felt better immediately. Daryl's little lone tent was visible from where she stood stretching but she couldn't see him. He did come to the group to bring food or to take his meals back to his tent. But other than that no one saw him much. He had exiled himself as soon as they got there and no one could have talked him out of it.

Shane had tried to reason with him but Daryl was a stubborn bastard, Shane's words not hers.

She was wondering exactly where he might be when she felt a hand on her shoulder, she had been so lost in thought that she didn't hear Merle behind her. Later when she thought about that she was angry with herself both for her reaction and for not being aware of what was around her.

They were safe on the farm but it wouldn't do to become complacent. Merle found out the hard way not to sneak up on her, and all those years of her father making her kickbox the heavy bag just reared its head. Right into Merle's head. He was dumbfounded, and impressed.

"Whoa Lucy I was just…" His hand went to his cheek and a look of horror came over her face as she realised what she did.

"I'm sorry Merle, I'm…" She cried out and her hands went first to her face in horror and then to his, "Oh, my god! I'm so sorry!"

"It's ok sugar, I shoulda never snuck up on ya like that." He laughed, "You're good…"

She laughed and it broke the ice a bit and made her feel less like an ass for getting spooked the way she did.

"I'm so sorry…"

"Lucy you got no reason to apologize to me, I snuck up on you, I deserved what I got and my brother is a dope…"

Lucy just shook her head, "You and Andrea want company today, I need to get out of here for a while, getting a little stir crazy I guess."

"Ya think," Merle cackled, "Sure honey, you need a break, let's get you a break." Merle and Andrea were going to get gasoline for the generator Herschel had and for the cars. Glenn was going to town for supplies with Maggie and they were going the opposite way to the one gas station in the town.

They didn't like to send too many people out at one time but there was no choice this time.

/

Rick was going along too and so the four of them left within the hour in a little car that Shane had pilfered from the side of the road. They stopped at the gas station and Merle and Andrea set to siphoning gas, because of course Merle knew how and probably Daryl did too but she didn't give a fuck what he knew how to do.

Inside the gas station she found a hershey bar with almonds and ripped it open. Rick came by filling a bag with candy as well. The chocolate raised her endorphins immediately and Lucy grabbed another one for the road, and her beloved twizzlers as they finished up and walked out.

As they got in the backseat Lucy noted that Rick had chocolate and a jar of pickles.

"What's up with that?" She nodded towards his goody bag.

"It's for Lori," He began, "She's uh...she's pregnant."

"Oh fuck congrats," Merle called from the front seat and Lucy sighed in utter relief that she had the bar in her arm. She couldn't even imagine a baby under these circumstances even if she and Daryl were still speaking.

"Not sure I'm the one you should be congratulating." Rick said with trepidation.

"Oh shit," Lucy said out loud to no one in particular.

"Big deal man," Merle stated, "It ain't that kids fault, and that's the one that matters now, not you and the misses or Shane."

"So you all knew…"

"Not really," Andrea interrupted before Merle made it worse, "I mean, you didn't get there till almost two weeks after we all did."

"She didn't wait too long did she?" Rick griped.

Merle turned on a CD and The Cure came through the speakers *****It's friday, I'm in love…****

"Well, we were all shell shocked," Lucy explained, "Mary and I didn't even leave our house for almost a month, you can't judge what people do in this kind of situation."

"Either way, you're gonna be a daddy," Merle said and produced a cigar from his inside shirt pocket, "I obtained these bad boys from a semi out in the parking lot, they're cubans…and we've got something to celebrate."

"Ohhhhh give me one too…" Lucy piped up and he passed two cigars back and a lighter. They drove back with each one of them smoking a cigar like the world didn't just end and Rick wasn't facing one of the worst challenges of his life.

"This your place with walls?" Andrea asked as they drove past the fence of the Greene drive way.

"Don't know yet, Andrea, maybe," Rick answered.

"Hope so man," Merle answered as they turned into the driveway.

Daryl was walking across the field with a string of squirrels covered in dirt as the car went by, he could see red hair in the backseat with Rick laughing. Merle beeped his horn and waved, Daryl waved back, trying not to look at Lucy. But her hair was flying all around her face from the open windows, he could still remember how good her hair smelled, lemongrass and he could see she was smoking a cigar.

She never ceased to surprise and amaze him, fuck his life. The Cure was playing and she was laughing with her hand dangling out the window holding the cigar like she had not a care in the world. Her fingers twitched in a small wave to him as she went by at least that was what he thought he had seen.

Saturday, wait.

And Sunday always comes too late.

But Friday, never hesitate.

I don't care if Monday's black.

Tuesday, Wednesday, heart attack.

Thursday, never looking back.

It's Friday, I'm in love.