The sunlight filled the bedroom while Glenn slept on his back and Maggie was snuggled next to him. Her head rested on his left shoulder and she was holding onto his right shoulder. Sighing, Glenn blinked his eyes open and he looked at her. His mind replayed their wedding night as he smiled and Maggie sighed, moving slightly on the bed,
"Good morning," he said.
"Morning," she grumbled. He watched her open her eyes when she looked at him and she gave him a pleased look. "Someone looks happy."
"Damn right."
Maggie sat up on her elbow when she kissed him and he held her hand against his chest.
"You looked amazing in that dress," he said.
"You looked amazing, too. Just one thing. Why did you take your shoes off?" Maggie asked.
"My toes were going numb. Told you the shoes were too tight."
"Sorry."
Her lower lip stuck out as he frowned and he moved her closer so he could kiss her.
"Glenn? Maggie? Are you awake?" made Maggie look at the door and she sighed, rolling her eyes.
"Yes, we're awake," Maggie said.
"Patricia made you some breakfast. I'll leave it by the door," Beth said.
"Thanks."
Glenn looked up at the ceiling as he quietly laughed and Maggie lightly tapped his chest. Reaching down to get his shirt off the floor, Maggie got dressed, slid out of bed and she walked to the door. She opened the door when she picked up the tray and she walked back in the room, closing the door with her foot. Glenn watched her walk to the bed after he had sat up and she placed the tray on his lap. She went to snuggle next to him as she started feeding him and she leaned her head against his.
Downstairs, Carol woke to see Daryl sleeping on his stomach and his arms were under the pillow, supporting his head. She placed her head in her right hand as she watched him sleep and she moved her left index finger up and down the demon tattoos on his back.
"Hmmmmmmm," Daryl hummed, but he didn't wake up. She outlined some of the scars on his back when he snorted a breath of air and he moved his head in a small circle.
"Good morning," she said in a soft voice. He pushed up onto his elbows while yawning then he opened his eyes to look at her. For a split second, he looked like he wasn't sure where he was or if what he was seeing was real. He blinked his eyes as his mind reminded him of the wedding and he smiled.
"Mornin'," Daryl said.
Carol softly kissed his shoulder as he half-closed his eyes and a warm tingle moved through him.
"Like that?" she asked and he nodded his head. She rolled onto her back when he carefully moved until he was on top of her and he slid his hands under her shoulders. "You woke up happy."
"Yeah," he said, kissing her.
Carol moved her fingers through his hair as she thought back to the night before and how gentle he was. He told her what he liked and didn't like. He nodded when she told him what she liked or didn't like. She loved how he hissed a laugh when she found where he was ticklish and how shy he looked when she knew he wanted to do something, but wasn't sure if he should. What amazed her was the point where she forgot where he started and she ended and she swore a golden light moved over them. She had never felt so loved or safe in her entire life as she did in that moment and she was sad when the moment passed.
"Why're you lookin' at me like that?" made her look deeply into his shiny blue eyes and she smiled.
"Was just replaying last night in my head," Carol said. He lowered his head as she kissed the top of his head and he shivered. He looked up while she brushed some hair out of his eyes and he scrunched up his nose.
"Was I…ok?"
"Yes, you were amazing."
He chewed on his lower lip for a few seconds then he smiled.
"You were amazing, too," he admitted.
Someone knocking on the door made him wince as he growled and she ruffled his hair.
"Daryl? Carol? Are you awake?" Patricia called out.
"Yes, we're awake," Carol said. Daryl moved off her when he reached down for his pants as he put his pants on and he headed for the door. He opened the door as Patricia looked at him and he swore she was blushing.
"Sorry. I just wanted to tell you breakfast was ready," Patricia said. Daryl looked down at the tray in her hands and he took the tray from her.
"Thanks," Daryl said with a nod. He watched her walk down the hallway when he moved back, closed the door with his foot then he walked to the bed. Carol was sitting up with the pillows behind her back and the sheet pulled up to cover her breasts and he placed the tray on her lap. He took his pants off, slid quickly under the bedding to sit next to her and he moved the bedding back up.
"Looks good," Carol said. Daryl moved closer while she leaned into him and he slid his left arm around her. She started feeding him as he smiled and Daryl helped her drink a glass of juice.
"Y'know, I've been thinkin'," he said, looking at the room. "I've spent a lot of time in here. Do you think Hershel would mind if I ask him if this could be our room?"
"You want to stay here instead at the ranch house?"
"Yeah. Maybe Sophia could bunk in with Beth."
"I think she'd love that. She told me Beth's becoming like a big sister to her."
"Then I'll ask him if it's ok."
Nodding, Carol let Daryl feed her as they ate and Daryl kissed the side of her head.
The camp
Lori watched Rick, T-Dog, Dale and Andrea walking closer and she frowned.
"Still not sign of Shane?" Lori asked.
"No," Rick said with a shake of his head.
"We might have to deal with the fact he's gone," Dale said.
"No. He didn't take any of his things. He's around here somewhere," Rick said.
"Daryl might be able to find him," T-Dog said.
"No. Daryl's his prime target. I won't risk him getting hurt again or killed."
"Maybe Hershel, Otis and Jimmy can help us look," Lori said.
"I saw Jimmy heading for the stables. Not sure where Otis and Hershel are," Rick said as he looked toward the woods and he sighed, folding his arms over his chest.
The woods
Hershel and Otis held onto the long pole as they tried to get the Walker they caught to move and the Walker reached for them. Hershel was sad to see the Walker used to be one of his neighbors, but he had gotten used to finding them.
"Which one is this?" Otis asked.
"Looks like Mark Reed's son, Andy," Hershel said.
"Damn."
They pushed on the pole as the Walker growled and swung at them and they headed down the trail.
"I wonder what Rick is going to do about Shane," Otis said.
"I have no idea. I did ask Rick about why Shane has such animosity towards Daryl. He said it comes from the fact Daryl's brother was a real trouble maker."
"And he blames Daryl for his brother's actions," Otis said, pushing on the pole to make the Walker move forward.
"Yes."
They kept walking down the trail when several Walkers moved by the trees and Hershel pulled back on the pole. Otis armed himself with the rifle as he took aim and the Walkers moved toward them. Otis fired the rifle as the Walkers' heads exploded and the bodies fell to the ground.
"Otis!" Hershel said as he tried to keep the Walker under control and Otis placed the rifle against his back. He went to help Hershel calm down the Walker then they headed back down the trail. Neither of them noticed the figure in the bushes following them and a soft gurgling sound filled the air.
The Greene Farm
Rick and Andrea stood behind Carl and Sophia while they did some target practice and Rick smiled after Carl fired the gun and the bottles exploded.
"Yes!" Carl said, pumping his fist in the air.
"Concentrate on what you're doing," Rick said.
A sudden movement to his right caused Rick to remove the Colt Python from the holster then he pointed the gun at the bushes. He started breathing again when he saw Daryl walking by the bushes and Daryl sighed, rolling his eyes.
"That's the third time you pointed that thing at my head," Daryl said.
"Well, make a little noise next time," Rick teased, placing the Colt Python in the holster.
"Dad!" Sophia said as she ran to Daryl and he held his arms out. She hugged him while he looked at Rick and Rick smiled.
"What are you doing out of bed? You're on your honeymoon," Andrea said, laughing.
"Yeah, but I got shit to do. Even Carol, Glenn an' Maggie are up," Daryl said.
"Wanna do some target practice?" Carl asked.
"Nah. I'll just watch."
Sophia walked to Carl while Andrea set up some more bottles, but they didn't notice something was watching them.
Daryl noticed Sophia's stance was a little off as he walked closer and he lightly nudged her right foot in.
"You were off balance," he whispered and she nodded. He adjusted her hold on the gun when she smiled at him and he nodded. "Close one eye while aimin'."
Closing her left eye, Sophia took aim when she pulled the trigger and the gun fired. The bottle shattered as she looked at Daryl and he gave her two thumbs up. Suddenly, something caused him to look toward the tree line as he gently moved Sophia behind him and he looked at Rick.
"Rick!" he called out and he pointed toward the tree line. Four Walkers appeared out of the bushes as Daryl took the gun from Sophia and she and Carl ran toward Andrea. Rick removed the Colt Python from the holster as they took aim and the Walkers moved closer. Rick and Daryl fired the guns and the Walkers' heads exploded. The bodies fell to the ground while Rick and Daryl aimed the guns at the tree line then Rick placed the Colt Python back in the holster.
"Let's go," Rick said. He walked to Carl as he placed his right hand against Carl's back and they walked away. Daryl looked toward the tree line while something told him there was something still out there and he started walking toward the trees. "Daryl?!"
"There is something still out there," Daryl said then he came to a stop when a Walker staggered out from behind a tree.
The Walker was Shane.
Shane's eyes were a filmy white and Daryl could clearly see the blood on Shane's face. Three of the fingers on Shane's right hand were missing and his clothes were ripped. Shane headed for Daryl as the sound of gunfire filled the air and the back of Shane's head exploded. Shane fell to the ground as Daryl, Carl, Sophia and Rick looked at Andrea and she held the gun tightly in her hands.
"Didn't miss this time, Asshole," Andrea whispered as her mind replayed her conversation with Shane.
After she had ran after Shane when he stormed out during the wedding, she found him near Daryl's tent and she wondered what he was going to do.
"Shane," she said in a soft voice.
"Go back inside, Andrea," Shane said.
"Look, I know you hate Daryl, but what I don't get is why,"
"He exists."
"That's harsh."
"You want to talk harsh!? We were starving and his brother wanted us to pay for the food they had found in that truck!"
"Shit. Are you still on about that?! Did you forget what Daryl found? I remember Merle asking him why he brought it with him and he said it was because the women might need it. How the hell he knew, I don't know. I'm just fucking glad that he did."
Shane growled as he paced then he went face-to-face with her.
"Why can't all of you get it into your heads that I just don't like him!? Can't I do that?!"
"Yeah, you can. But that doesn't give you the right to ruin his wedding and Glenn and Maggie's wedding."
"Whatever."
"Let's go back inside, ok?"
Shane paced some more when he sighed then he nodded and they headed for the house. They went up the stairs when he went to open the door and he looked at her.
"Want to know what really pisses me off?" he asked and she nodded. "You missed."
"I missed?" she asked.
"When you shot him. If it had been me? I wouldn't have missed."
Andrea lowered the gun while she looked at Shane's body and Rick walked to her.
"Give me the gun," Rick said, softly. Andrea handed him the gun while Glenn, T-Dog, Dale, Carol, Maggie, Beth and Jimmy ran to them and Sophia ran to Carol.
"What happened!?" Dale asked.
"We found Shane," Daryl said, walking to Carol and Sophia.
"You found Shane?" Lori asked, walking to Rick.
"Yeah. He was a Walker," Carl said.
"He got bit?" T-Dog asked.
"Looks like," Daryl said.
"Shit," Glenn said.
"And I killed him," Andrea said.
"You had to," Dale explained.
Lori watched Rick walking to Shane's body as he knelt down and he looked at Shane.
He felt the anger, regret and hatred fading as he closed Shane's eyes then he stood up.
He walked to Lori and Carl when he slid his right arm around Lori and they headed for the farmhouse.
"What should we do with Shane's body?" Dale asked and Rick turned to look at him.
"We need to find a place to bury it. Burn the others," Rick said and Dale nodded.
Daryl walked to Andrea as she wondered what he was going to do and he placed the gun in the holster on his belt. She was surprised when he held his arms out and she nearly knocked him down when she ran to hug him. She held him as Daryl wrapped his arms around her and she placed her head against his.
"Thanks," Daryl whispered. She nodded while he gently rocked her and Andrea started crying. The others walked away as Andrea glanced over at Shane's body then she cried harder.
The farmhouse
"I heard gunfire. What happened?" Hershel asked from the porch and Rick walked up the stairs.
"We found Shane. It appears he got bit," Rick explained.
"Where is he?"
Rick wondered why he heard concern in Hershel's voice and Rick frowned.
"He's down by the tree line, but he's dead. Andrea killed him after he went after Daryl," Rick said.
"Oh."
"Hershel, what's going on?"
Rick noticed Hershel was having an internal conversation with himself as Hershel sighed then he shook his head.
"Follow me," Hershel said. Rick let him walk by him when they headed down the stairs and they walked to the barn. They went up the staircase which led to the hayloft when Hershel removed the key from his pants pocket and he unlocked the door. They walked in the barn when they walked to the edge of the catwalk and Rick looked down.
"Shit," Rick whispered.
Below, Walkers moved around the room as the growling and gurgling filled the air and Rick tried not to cough from the smell. He looked at Hershel when the sadness and regret from Hershel's eyes nibbled at his soul and Rick sighed.
"Who…? Who were they?"
"Most of them were neighbors. Three of them used to work here," Hershel said when he noticed a female Walker and a look of grief moved over his face. "Two of them are family."
"Family?"
"Yes. My wife and step-son."
"Maggie told me she had a step-brother. Was your wife her mother?"
"No. She was Beth's."
"Why did you do this?"
"Believe it or not, I was trying to figure out a way to cure them."
"Do Maggie or Beth know they're in here?"
"No," Hershel said with a shake of his head. Hershel looked down at his wife as she moved by some of the other Walkers and he sighed. "I pray every night for forgiveness. I should have done the right thing and put them down. I… I just couldn't do it."
"I understand. I don't think I could do it if Lori was turned."
"I hope that day never happens."
"It might," Rick said and Hershel gave him a puzzled look. "She had to have a C-Section when she was pregnant with Carl."
"Yes. She told me about that."
"Well, if anything happens to either her or the baby…."
Rick and Hershel stood in silence as they watched the Walkers moving below them and Rick sent out a silent prayer for Lori to have a safe delivery and for the baby to be alright.
The camp
Daryl listened to the service while they stood around the grave they dug for Shane and Daryl held onto Carol and Sophia. He glanced over at Andrea as she looked down at her feet and Carol noticed the look on Daryl's face.
After the service was over, Carol followed Daryl when he walked off and he headed for the path leading up the hill just outside of the farm. They got to the top as she looked at the view and Daryl went to sit on a stump. She turned to look at him when she walked closer and she knelt down on her haunches.
"Stop," Carol said, brushing some hair behind his left ear.
"Stop what?" he asked.
"Stop taking the blame for everything. Shane? He had things going on in his life that we had no clue about."
"Like what was going on with him, Rick and Lori?"
"Right."
"That's ain't what's gettin' me down," he said then he became quiet. She went to sit on his lap as she moved his head forward until their foreheads touched and they locked eyes. He pressed his lips together as she waited for him to say something and he sighed. He placed his hands on her thighs as he gently moved his hands up and down and she lightly kissed his forehead. "I get there're people who just plain don't like me. Doesn't stop it from hurtin'. I sometimes wonder if there's somethin' wrong with me. Then I remember most of it comes from hangin' 'round Merle. He's always rubbin' people the wrong way. Always doin' shit to piss them off. They look at me an' all they see is him."
"Know what I see when I look at you?' she asked. He shook his head and she moved his head forward to touch foreheads again. "I see you. The real you."
He gave her a tiny smile and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He held her for a few seconds then he moved back and he looked up at the sky.
"What's really gettin' me down is he ruined things again," Daryl said, looking at her.
"You're talking about Shane?" she asked and he nodded.
"Just like Merle, he kept showin' up when I have somethin' good. Is that wrong? To feel pissed off now that he's dead?"
"Not really. I'm a little angry, too," she said, brushing hair out of his eyes. "What you have to do is not let it get you down."
"Yeah," he said, nodding. She moved closer as she started kissing him and he moved his hands from her thighs to her waist. She held his head in her hands as she deepened the kiss and she moved a little closer. He tried to move her shirt up as she moved back and she looked down.
"Want to go back to bed?" she asked and he smiled.
"I'm suddenly really sleepy," he teased. She got off his lap as he stood and they headed for the path, going down the hill.
Later that night, Rick held Lori as she looked into the darkness and Rick lightly rubbed her left upper arm.
"I'm sorry," Lori whispered.
"You're sorry?" he asked.
"About Shane."
"We've talked about that."
"But we haven't talked about it."
"What do you want me to say?"
"Anything! I… I had an affair with your best friend! I might be pregnant with his child! Doesn't that matter to you!?"
"Yes, it fucking matters. But I see the affair… You getting pregnant and not knowing who the father is… That is my fault. I pushed you away. Not intentionally, but I did. Does it hurt? Hell yes. But there is no way I can go back and change things. What I do know is I love you. I love Carl. And I love this baby. Just hope you can forgive me for being a lousy husband,"
"You are not a lousy husband. Sure, you don't show how you're feeling most of the time, but the love you have for me… For us… It's always there. If anyone is lousy in this relationship, it was me. I mean what sort of wife just gives up on their marriage?"
"It happens."
"I know, but I just did it. I had enough."
"Because I didn't want to talk."
"And, instead of accepting it, I go and have an affair."
"Lori…"
"No," she said with a shake of her head. "What makes it worse? After I heard you were dead, I just accepted it. You were gone. Did I mourn? Everyday. But it doesn't excuse what I did with Shane. Then you came back. That's when I decided to end things with Shane and try to rebuild our marriage."
"We are rebuilding it."
"But at what cost!? Not knowing who the father of this baby is will always hang over our heads."
"No, it won't," he said as he lifted her chin and she could just see the smile on his face. "Like with Carl, this baby is a part of you. And that is all that matters."
She felt the tears rolling down her cheeks when she placed her head on the center of his chest and she felt him holding her. She listened to the soft thrumming of his heartbeat as she sighed and she moved her left hand over the baby bump.