*I do not own anything or anyone you recognize from the show or comics.*

A/N: Sorry I didn't post this chapter during the weekend. Me and the family had a busy weekend and I forgot. I am also sorry that this chapter is shorter than previous chapters but I felt that it was a good place to leave off.

Chapter 40

It had been a week since the people from Woodbury had joined the small prison group. Adrian had been busy all week helping getting all of the new members settled into their new quarters.

It had been decided by the whole group that all of the new members would stay in D block, separate from the original group but still close enough in case of any danger. They didn't believe that any of the people they had brought back were any threat to them but they had all agreed that they might be more comfortable for everyone if the groups were separated.

They had also decided that it might be in the best interest for everyone if they put together a counsel of some sort that way only certain people were having to make the big decisions. Of course the first main concern with having so many people now, was having to provide food and water for everyone when they were barely squeaking by before.

Adrian suggested going back to Woodbury and stripping it clean of any and everything useful. They decided to go with the idea, Woodbury was obviously well stocked and they would be stupid to not get everything they could out of the place, food, medical supplies, weapons.

It was decided that Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese, Rick, Maggie, and Glenn would go on the run. Not everyone could go, and Adrian was happy to stay behind. Daryl still seemed to not be talking to her and she wasn't really sure why, but she was giving him his space all the same.

There weren't many able people they had brought back with them to the prison from Woodbury, mostly older people and children and their mothers. Adrian was sure that she still intimidated some of the new people but she tried to be friendly towards them all to let them know that they were welcome. Adrian had become fast friends with Sasha, and was glad because she really liked the woman.

Sasha had explained how her and Tyreese had actually been to the prison before and that they had actually met once before. Adrian was surprised to hear this considering that before they met at Woodbury, Adrian had never seen Sasha before.
Adrian later remembered the day that Sasha was talking about. It was the day that they had been captured and rescued from Woodbury. And the day that Daryl had left her and the group for Merle.

'Basically the worst day since Lori and T-Dog died.' Adrian thought to herself.

The scavenging party were successful on their trip to Woodbury. They had managed to gather all of the food, medical supplies, weapons, ammo, bedding and clothing that they could find. Everyone had been excited about everything they had managed to get.

Later that night Adrian was in her cell sitting indian style on her cot in her pj's, which consisted of thick black sweatpants and a blue pullover, brushing her hair while she chatted with Kale, who was sitting on a stool by the sheet covered door.

Adrian froze mid-sentence when she noticed her sheet move and seen Daryl standing in her doorway. "Kale, would you excuse us please?" Adrian asked him, even though they all knew it was a polite command. Things had been tense between Adrian and Daryl since the day they had found Merle as a walker.

"Sure. I'll just go to bed or something. Night." he said getting up to leave. "Night Kale." she said to the boy as he disappeared. Daryl walked into her cell, letting the sheet fall into place behind him, as he sat down on the now unoccupied stool.

"So I heard that the trip to Woodbury was successful. Not alot of trouble I hope." Adrian said, looking him in the eyes as she still brushed her hair. "Nah, it was fine." Daryl said, definitely feeling awkward.

"Look, Adrian." Daryl started. "I wanted to say I'm sorry." Daryl got out quickly. he normally didn't have a problem saying the word sorry, but then again he normally didn't have to say it because of something that he had done.

"For what?" she asked, giving up the task of brushing her hair. "I know that the space that we got between us is my fault." he explained. "Daryl, you don't have to apologize. Honestly, it's not an apology that I want from you." she told him.

"Then what do you want from me?" he asked, hesitant. "Honestly? How about an explanation for starters? I mean, I hunt you down after you took off by yourself to bring your brother back after he had kidnaped Michonne, only to find you stabbing your dead brother in the face. You break down, ignoring my presence for the most part, and then just walk away." she said, clearly confused and agitated.

"And because I know you didn't really want to just leave him there in the open like that, I burned his body, gave him as decent a funeral as you can get these days, and then once we get back here...you don't even talk to me?" she said, her tone demanding an answer for her unknown offense.

Daryl was quite for a few minutes before he answered. "It wasn't intensional. I know what you did for Merle. And I never thanked you for that. But it was harder for me this time around. Before when Merle disappeared from Atlanta, I at least knew that he was alive after he left. The more time went by, the less I asked myself if he was dead or alive." he said, pausing, gathering his thoughts.

"After a while, especially after we got together, I stopped thinking about him all together, for the most part anyway. But then when we were in Woodbury and Glenn told me that Merle was alive, I could barely believe it. It was a miracle that I had found my brother again. All I wanted after Glenn told me that was to have my brother back." he stopped again.

"Michonne told me that he had told her that he jus' wanted to be with me. And I wanted to be with the group, wanted to be at the prison. That that's why he tried to take her to The Governor. He'd never done anythin' like that before. For anybody, especially me. He had finally changed. And then The Governor killed him." Daryl told her.

"I guess after I seen him as a walker, eatin' the insides of that dead kid, it hit that, not only was my brother dead, but anythin' good he could a done, for the group and himself, was dead too. And then you showed up an' seen him like that. Seen him as another threat. Even though what he had done was to give us a fightin' chance. I guess I jus' didn't wanna hear what you had to say about seein' him like that." he said.

Adrian didn't say anything for a while. "Daryl." she said, balling her hands into loose fists and placing them under her chin.

"I didn't think of Merle that way. In the beginning, sure, I thought he was a drunk junkie who expected to world to cater to him. Didn't help my opinion of him after he captured Glenn, Maggie, and me and then brought us to Woodbury and tried to torture us for information about the group and about you. I especially hated him when he was the reason you walked away from us. From me." she told him, the last part making him look her in the eyes.

"But then you came back to the prison, both of you, even though Merle knew that he wouldn't be welcome here. But Merle and me managed to bury the hatchet between us. We came to an agreement that we both loved you, would do anything to protect you, to me that meant even from him. The bottom line is, is that when it came time to pick a side, he picked you. And I can never fault him for that." she said, starring at him intensely.

"I didn't know about that. About you an' him makin' peace with each other." Daryl said. "Well we did. And I'm officially insulted that you would think me so shallow or so narrow minded as to only remember Merle was who he was and not who he was trying to be. You should know me better than that, Daryl Dixon." she said, angrily getting up from her bed, throwing the blankets back, blowing out the single candle she had lit, and getting into her bed, her back facing Daryl.

"You can leave the way you came in." she snapped. After a second Adrian heard Daryl get up from the stool but didn't hear the sheet move. Instead she felt the mattress dip behind her and Daryl's hand brushing hair away from her temple before he petted her head a few times, completely silent.

"I'm sorry Adrian. For everything. I shoulda known better than to think that, and I really do. I know you and I'm sorry." Daryl said as he stopped petting her hair and placed his forehead to he temple.

"I still love you, Adrian Hunter. That didn't change an' I doubt it ever will." he said, his voice low. He moved to get up but Adrian quickly reached out and grabbed his hand, her back still to him.

She didn't say anything for a minute. "Please stay. They came back. Please stay and make them go away." she said quietly. Daryl didn't say anything but gently pulled his hand from her. At first Adrian thought that he wasn't going to stay but then she heard the soft rustling of clothes and she smiled to herself.

Not a self satisfied, smug smile but a real, soft smile. They had made up, cleared up the problem, and they were back to normal. Adrian felt Daryl crawl into bed behind her and finally understood why she had hear clothing. Daryl had taken his shirt off.

Adrian was just thankful that he had changed into clean sweatpants before he had come to see her or else he would be sleeping in her clean bed in filthy, disgusting jeans.

Daryl taking his shirt off was something new, for him and her, but since she had a sheet up and no one could see inside, he decided that it was okay. His scars were noting new to either of them, and as lone as they had privacy, he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Daryl had just gotten comfortable in the bed, his arm around Adrian's waist, and was closing his eyes when he heard Adrian say something that made him smile and followed him into his sleep.

I still love you, Daryl Dixon. And I always will.