Oh my gosh guys I am so sorry that it has taken me almost a year to update this story. For a long while it was due to my laptop going on the fritz. My cat walked across my keyboard when i wasn't looking and I couldn't get my laptop to work for nothing. Come to find out he had somehow tricked my computer into thinking it didn't have a hard drive, which it did. Thankfully I had backed up all of my work. So between having my laptop broke, having no motivation to write because I lost interest in TWD, and being pregnant I just completely fell behind on writing.

But I have now caught up on TWD and am totally in a mood to write, which is a good thing because I have 2 season to write up on so that should keep me busy for a while. So I will be starting season 4 next chapter but I probably won't update for a while so I can get a few chapters ahead, depending on how quickly I can get the chapters written and finished I may update as early as this weekend or next week some time.

As always, I own nothing that you recognize from the show or the comics but please enjoy the story anyways.

Chapter 42

To say Luke was surprised to see the kid standing behind him with a gun pointed at his head was a bit of an understatement. Luke had served a tour overseas and still kept his skills and senses tuned in as much as possible but this scrawny, shaggy kid snuck up on him without making any noise what so ever and never set off any alarms in Luke to alert him that someone was creeping up on him.

"Are you sure?" the kid asked. "Yeah. I knew him from before. Well, I knew more of him. His younger brother was friends with Seth." she told the kid. Luke kept his eyes trained on the kid as he lowered his weapon slightly and slowly crept around him until he stood slightly in front of Adrian.

"Kale, this is Luke. Luke, this is Kale. Kale has been with me since Atlanta was overrun. For the most part, anyway. Did any of your family make it?" Adrian asked Luke.

"No. I wasn't in Atlanta when it got overrun but I went back after. They never made it out of the house. And Seth?" Luke asked. "I'm sorry about your family. They were good people. Seth got bit before we were able to clear the city. I had to shoot him to keep him from turning." Adrian said.

Kale turned slightly to look at Adrian. It was always hard for her to talk about how Seth died but here she was talking about it like it was nothing. Her face gave nothing away but he could tell by the look in her eyes that it still bothered her to talk about it.

"I seen your vehicle outside. That's an awful big haul you got in there. You got a camp close by?" Luke asked. "I'm surprised you didn't just steal us blind and take off with it all. But to answer your question, no, we don't have a camp near by. Our camp is a days' ride from here. This was our last stop before we headed back. You?" she asked.

"No camp. Just me and one other person. I had her hide with the truck while I got a few things we needed." Luke told her. Adrian got quiet for a minute, which caused Kale to turn and look at her. He knew that look. She was considering taking them back with them and he had to say, he wasn't very pleased at the idea and he could tell Adrian knew when she looked him in the face. But she was the leader out here so he couldn't very well tell her that they couldn't go back with them.

He knew the decision was made when she told Luke to go get his partner and his truck and to meet them in front of the store. Once he returned he and his partner were given the test and passed. It seemed that the group just gained two new people.

Back at the prison Daryl Dixon was working himself into a frenzy. He hadn't been able to focus on any task for an extended period of time since Adrian and Kale had left the morning before. He hadn't been against the trip itself, even he was smart enough to know that it was smart to stay ahead of the game as far as supplies went.

It seemed they gained new members every other day at they rate they were bringing people in, himself included. What he hadn't liked was that she had insisted on only bringing Kale as back up. He wasn't completely stupid, he knew that she trusted the kid with her life, which was good because that was exactly what she was doing out there, but he also knew that she could boss and order the kid around and he wouldn't put up much, if any, of a fight.

He loved Adrian to death but he also knew that she could be reckless beyond reason sometimes. He could think of a number of times right off the top of his head, running into a field infested with walkers by herself and killing one after another for more than an hour topped the list. Granted she had brought his brother out to watch her back from behind the fence but he wouldn't have been much help if she had gotten overrun with walkers.

He didn't even want to think about what reckless things she did on the supply run without him there to rein her impulses in. "Still worried about Adrian?" Daryl heard from behind him as he starred out of the inner fence. Daryl turned to see Rick walk up behind him holding Judith in his arms.

"Yeah. They've been gone a long time." Daryl said looking back out the fence. "Ah, don't worry. I'm sure Adrian hasn't done anything too dangerous. She's got Kale with her and I'm sure she wouldn't do anything to put him in too much danger." Rick said to him.

Daryl turned to look at Rick with a knowing look. "We're talkin' about the same woman here, right? Adrian Hunter? Red head. Hot tempered. Slightly crazy and unstable at times." Daryl said to Rick, which caused Rick to laugh.

"Because if we are, the woman I know would do the most dangerous thing possible, especially if it was Kale tagging along because the kid still practically worships the ground she walks on and would do anything she told him to." Daryl said to Rick.

"True. She is all of those things but she's also smart, dependable, and gets things done, even if nobody agrees with how she goes about it." Rick said to him. Daryl looked at Rick as the older man turned to him with a serious expression.

"She said she was comin' back and she will. She always does. Just like after the farm was overrun and we got separated. She showed up on the side of the road dirty and exhausted but she came back to us. Of all the scraps we've gotten into a little supply run ain't gonna take her down." Rick said before he walked away with his daughter sitting contently in his arms.

Daryl looked back through the fence and prayed Rick was right.

It was just after dawn when the group got word that the guards at the front gate could hear vehicles coming down the road towards the gate. Rick, Daryl, Glen, Carl, Maggie, Hershal, Carol, and Beth all gathered in the courtyard to see if it was Adrian and Kale returning.

They could spot Adrian on her bike in front. Behind her was a large black SUV, which they assumed Kale must be driving since he wasn't on the back of Adrian's bike. They were all a bit surprised to see the large blue truck driving behind the SUV though. Adrian had went on her number of runs but she had never brought anyone back with her. Of everyone who went out on runs, Adrian had been the only one to never bring a new person back to the prison.

The front gate was opened and all three vehicles hurried inside since the walkers lining the fences were starting toward the gate, drawn by the noise of the vehicles. After they made it inside the gate was closed and they drove up the the inner gate so they could get to the courtyard.

After they were let inside and all parked did the group members crowd around Adrian and Kale. They were greeted with "welcome back" and "glad yall made it" along with alot of hugs and pats on the back. At hearing the sound of truck doors opening everyone turned to inspect the two new prison members.

"Everybody, this is Lucas Bradley and his partner Alana Tate. Luke, Alana, this is Rick, his son Carl, Carol, Hershal, his daughter's Beth and Maggie, Maggie's boyfriend Glenn, and my boyfriend, Daryl." Adrian said introducing everyone.

Once Daryl had been acknowledged he walked up to Adrian and gave her a tight hug along with a quick but fierce kiss. Daryl told himself he did it because he had missed her and had been worried about her, not to show the new guy that she was well and truly taken but he knew it for the lie it was.

"Adrian, it's not like you to bring anyone back with you when you go out." Hershal commented since no one else would bring up the obvious. "Well I knew Luke from before the outbreak. His family lived a few doors down from us and his younger brother and Seth were friends so his brother was around alot." Adrian said looking at the older man. Hearing that explanation made everyone understand why she had been willing to bring him back.

They were all pretty sure that if she hadn't known him that she never would have brought him and his partner back. "Kale, why don't you show Luke and Alana where they can put their stuff and then where Luke can park his truck." Adrian said to the infatuated young man. Kale had been practically drooling over the young girl since he had first set eyes on her.

Long blonde hair, big brown eyes, sun kissed skin, slim, petite. She knew instantly that Kale would start following the girl around like a love sick puppy soon and she found it quite funny, not that she told him so.

Kale jumped to attention, helping Alana get her things and take them inside to her's and Luke's new cells. Adrian laughed quietly as she watched them disappear inside the prison. "So I take it from how long yall were gone that you got a good haul?" Glen asked her, bringing her attention back to the group. "Come see for yourselves." Adrian said as she untangled herself from Daryl's arms.

Adrian walked around to the back of the SUV and popped open the back hatch for everyone to see inside the literally packed backseat areas and the back end. Every member of the group stood in utter awe of the sheer amount of supplies in the large black vehicle.

"Adrian, where did you get all of this stuff? We haven't seen this much supplies all at once since the farm." Rick asked her. "Just fully trust me when I tell you, you really don't want to know how we got all this stuff." she said in response. When everyone looked at her in suspicion Adrian got slightly uncomfortable but refused to fidget or show she was nervous.

"Alright, well lets get all this stuff inside and put away." she said quickly as she grabbed a few back and walked away as fast as possible without running or jogging away.

Later that evening Adrian had gotten word that Luke and Alana had been given their own cells, close to one another since they were new and didn't really know anyone, and had gotten settled in and had been shown around by Kale.

Kale had explained to them how things worked around the prison and after they got good and settled they would each be given a job they were comfortable with.

Adrian had just made it back to her and Daryl's cell after a much needed shower and had just laid down on their bed when she felt Daryl's eyes on her. Opening her eyes, she looked towards the door to see him leaning against the wall with a curious expression on his face.

Giving him a small smile Adrian reached her arm out to him to get him to come to her. "Come tell me what's wrong, lover." she said to him as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"I want you to tell me how yall got so much supplies. Everybody wants to know but they don't wanna ask. But you're gonna tell me or I'ma whoop your ass 'til you can't stand to sit." Daryl told her seriously.

Adrian sighed knowing that he was going to demand an answer from her sooner or later. "Alright." she said, knowing when she wasn't going to win a fight against him. "A small portion of it came from a few houses and small stores that we raided." she said a little vaguely. "And the rest of it?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

"I may have forced Kale to clear out a Walmart with me?" she said avoiding eye contact. Daryl got seriously quiet before he completely lit into Adrian about how that was the kind of reckless impulse that had had him worried the entire time she had been gone, how she had not only put her own life in extreme danger but Kale's life as well.

Daryl ranted and raved at her for at least a good hour before he left the cell in a huff with his crossbow and didn't tell her where he was going or when he would be back.

Adrian had taken the lecture without a word because everything that Daryl had said was true. A few hours later Adrian finally fell asleep in bed alone and she thought it would be like that for the rest of the night.

But when she woke the next morning she smiled to herself because at some point during the night while she slept Daryl had crept back into their cell and had wrapped himself around her while he slept next to her.