"Abby?" My dad gently shook me. "Wake up."

"Huh?" I said confused and yawned.

"Come on. Get up." He told me. "Come on out here."

I sat up in my bed rubbing the sleep from my eyes. He left when he saw that I was up. Wonder what he wants? That was kind of weird. I shrugged and hopped out of bed. I sleep in my underwear and a t-shirt so I had to get dressed before I headed out there.

Once that was all taken care of, I walked out of my room while rubbing my eyes. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" I almost jumped. I looked up wide-eyed. My dad, Michonne and Judith were sitting at the table with a cake, all smiling.

I let out a nervous laugh. "What? It's not my birthday." I walked closer to them.

"Your birthday's in the Fall, isn't it?" My dad asked me.

"Well, yeah, but—

"Well, it's Fall." He said then smiled.

I smiled back at him. "Alright. Thanks everyone." Judith jumped up and gave me a hug. "Hey, kid." I held her.

"Have cake!" She said once I put her down. She handed me a piece on a plate.

"Oh, cake for breakfast." I laughed. My dad laughed too.

"So, twenty-two, huh?" Michonne said to me. "Feel any different?"

I almost rolled my eyes. I hate when people ask you that. It's always someone older than you, too, that asks it! I decided that this was the perfect opportunity to mess with my dad. "Well, I think my tits got a little bigger." I shrugged. "What do you think, dad? Think they got any bigger?" I looked down at them.

"That is a question I will never answer." He said without looking at me. Michonne and I laughed. I love making my dad uncomfortable.

"Are we still going to that cottage today?" I asked my dad. A few days ago, we were out and found this place that had these nice little cottages. I said it would be a fun idea if we all got together and stayed there for a few days. Since, we hardly see each other anymore.

"That's the plan." My dad said.

"Is everyone still going?" I asked while putting a piece of cake in my mouth.

"Yeah, the only thing is…Glenn and Maggie don't want to go with little Hershel being sick."

"Oh." I said sadly. "Well, we could always go another time when he's feeling better. We don't have to go now."

"No, they told us to just go without them." My dad said. "To be honest, I don't think they want to go."

I gave him a weird look. They have been like that lately, distant. But…they are happy so I guess I can't say anything. I shrugged. "Their loss." I looked at my dad more closely. "What about Daryl?" That was who I really wanted to know about.

"As far as I know, yeah."

"Good." I said. I finished my cake and threw the paper plate away. "I'm gonna go pack then."

"You should have done that already." Michonne said to me.

"Well, I'm doing it now." I looked back. "And I don't have a lot to take." I headed back into my room.

So…things have been pretty good. The only thing is how distant everyone is after we got to this place. We kept traveling north and eventually we found a small community. It's like a trailer park. It actually used to be a campground called Pine Lane. It's really nice. Plus, we have walls. It's safe here.

I have been happy for the most part, considering what happened and what I went through afterwards. After my little brother…I was just…I don't know. I went into a deep deep depression for a LONG time. It was a struggle to just get out of bed. And there was this awkwardness between my dad and I for a while. Mainly because it took me a while to be able to tell them what really happened. My dad and I eventually came around and I started doing better maybe like a year ago. So, yeah…things have been better.

My dad, Michonne, Judith and I rode over to the cottage where we were going to stay for a few days. It will sort of be like a little vacation for us and so we can all get together.

We were the first ones there, which is good because we can open up the place. Plus, I can get first dibs on the room I want. Hehe. There was a room in the back that was like a family room but it was almost like a screened in porch. It was pretty cool. In that room was a small bedroom. "Oh, I'm so picking this room." I said looking around. It was small but really nice. I put my bag on the bed so no one else could claim it then went back out to the others.

My dad and Michonne were cleaning up a little and putting away some of the food items we brought. Judith was sitting on the couch hopping around. I spotted a fireplace. "Oh, I wanna make a fire." I said.

"We have to chop some wood first." My dad said.

My shoulders slumped. I ain't choppin' wood. I thought. I heard a noise outside just then and looked out the window. I perked up as I saw Daryl getting out of a car. "Daryl's here." I called. Shortly after that, Carol and her man arrived too. Everyone is here. I smiled inside.

So later on, we were all sitting around talking and deciding what to do. I made a nice fire in the fireplace after Daryl chopped some wood. I watched him from the window. He was looking sexy as hell.

I just got myself a drink and sat back down next to Daryl and tried to get comfy. "You made a nice fire." He told me.

"Thanks." I said. There was a little bit of awkwardness between us because it's been a while since we really hung out.

"Abby!" Judith ran over to me. "When are we gonna make the jack o'lanterns?" She whined.

"Judy, we will make them tonight." I said a little annoyed. She gave me a disappointed look. "We have plenty of time. Just relax." I told her. She walked away with her head down. I laughed and took a sip of my drink.

"What was that about?" Daryl asked me.

I took a second to swallow before answering him. "I brought some pumpkins so we can make jack o'lanterns and she's real anxious, I guess." I rolled my eyes and laughed. Daryl let out a laugh too.

It got later, we ate dinner and were now just chilling like before. We finally brought the alcohol out. That's what I have been waiting for. I walked into the other room to get myself a drink. My dad and Michonne were sitting at the table. Daryl was standing in the hallway. "Judy, won't stop talking about the pumpkins." My dad said with a laugh. "When are you planning on doing that?"

I grabbed a cup and put ice in it, then started filling it with rum. "Uh…I don't know." I shrugged. "Some time later ton—

"What, are you having rum on the rocks?" My dad teased.

"Yeah." I said and held up my cup. I had it more than halfway filled with rum, then I filled the rest with Coke. I took a big gulp.

"Abby." My dad kind of scolded. I just smiled and walked back into the other room. He sighed.

"Come on, Rick." Daryl said. "Abby, can handle herself. Ain't that right?" He asked me.

"I wouldn't if I couldn't." I laughed.

Now that it was dark out and there was nothing else to do, I decided it was a good time to carve the pumpkins. We were in the screened in room watching horror movies. Of course, we had to put on age appropriate while Judith was still up. "Which one do you want?" I asked my sister who was practically jumping up and down.

"The shorter, rounder one!" She said excitedly.

"Of course." I said. "I get the deformed one." She laughed. I picked it up and began cutting the top off.

"I wanna do it!" Judith yelled.

"No, I'm gonna do this part. You design it, I cut it." I said and went back to the cutting. She pouted. Once, I got the top off, I began gutting the pumpkin.

"Ew." Judith said. "I don't wanna do that part."

"Of course you don't. I get the dirty part." I said. Everyone laughed.

"Abby, aren't you cold?" My dad asked me.

I had to take my hoodie off to carve the pumpkin. "Yeah, freezing, but…my sleeves will get in the way." I said.

The gutting part took a while. I collected all the shit in a plastic bag. "Okay." I sighed and wiped my forehead with the back of my wrist because my hands were dirty. I handed her the marker. "Draw however you want it to look."

She smiled and took the marker. "I'm gonna make an ugly face!" She said. "It'll look like you." She pointed at me and giggled.

"Yeah, it'll look like me." I raised my eyebrows. I looked at Daryl who was sitting by himself on the couch that was back against the wall. He smiled at me. I smiled back and shook my head. "Kids."

Just then, Judith reached for the knife. "You done?" I asked her.

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Just have to cut it out now." She held the knife to the pumpkin.

"Whoa." I grabbed it off of her. "What did I tell you? I do the cutting." I said seriously.

"I wanna do it!" She jumped up and down and pouted. "I want to!"

"Judith." My dad scolded. "Let Abby do it." Judith pouted some more. "Listen to your sister." He told her again. Well, finally. I thought. I turned back to the pumpkin and almost laughed when I looked at it. This is gonna be bad.

I finished my sister's pumpkin and then moved on to mine. I was just about to start cutting the top off when I heard, "you need help with that?" I looked over at Daryl who asked me that.

I gave him a weird look. "Uh…no." I let out a laugh. Then, went back to my pumpkin. I finished gutting it and put everything into the bag. That can go in the garbage now. "Pumpkin goo, anyone?" I smiled and asked around if anyone wanted some. They all laughed and said no when I offered it.

"Actually, Abby," Carol started, "keep the seeds. I could cook them up."

"Alright." I sat the bag on the kitchen counter. Then, went back in with everyone else. "Time to make you a face." I said to my pumpkin. I drew an evil looking face, close to Jack from Nightmare Before Christmas when he gets angry. I hope it turns out right.

I finished carving and looked at it. It was great! I sat it on the floor next to my sister's. "Let me see." My dad said. He looked at it from his seat. "Oh, that's nice. Very nice, Abigail." He said.

"It's cool." Carol said with a smile.

"She's an artist." Mark said. He's Carol's husband.

"Thanks." I said. "It didn't turn out how I wanted, but it's alright." I lied. It turned out exactly how I wanted. Hehe. "Aw, man." I said. "I should have looked for those little round candles before we came over. I didn't even think of that." I scolded myself.

"Aw, yeah." Michonne said. "I didn't either." I was disappointed.

"We'll go on a run tomorra and we can look fer some then, alright?" Daryl nodded at me. I was surprised at first. I just nodded back and smiled.

"Abby's is better than mine." Judith pouted.

"Oh Judith." My dad said.

"Yours is the greatest." I said to her.

"No, it's not! Look at it!" She pointed. "It looks like someone dropped it on the ground and then got run over with a car." She said sadly. "It's cuz you did it!" She yelled at me. "You made mine look bad on purpose and yours great!"

I looked at my dad. He gave me a sympathetic smile and shrugged. "Not even gonna say anything to that." I sighed. I realized the movie ended. "What do you guys want to watch now?"

"Emily Rose." Michonne said.

I smiled at her. "You like that movie?"

"Yeah, it's great." She laughed.

"Me too." I nodded while putting the disc in. "One of the best horror movies I've seen." After the movie started, I went back to sit next to Daryl on the couch. I immediately put my hoodie back on. "Children can be cruel." I glanced at him. He didn't say anything. "I'm never having kids." I looked around.

"Alright, Judy, time for bed." My dad told her. "You want Abby to take you?" I gave him a look. He smiled. Why would he do that?

"No! I want you!" She shouted and jumped up. "I never want Abby again!"

"Hey." My dad scolded her, he still laughed though. He picked her up and took her into one of the bedrooms.

I glanced at Daryl again with raised eyebrows. "I see what ya mean." He said and laughed.

"Yeah, man." I said. I realized that I couldn't see the movie at all from where I was sitting because the table was blocking it. I didn't really care though. I have seen that movie tons of times before. I also realized how cold it was. I shivered and rubbed my arms. Everybody else had blankets and snuggle buddies.

"What's 'a matter. You cold?" Daryl asked me.

"Yeah, freezing." I shivered. He put his arm around me and pulled me closer to him. Oh okay. I let out a small laugh and leaned more into him. It was nice.

However, as the night went on, I couldn't ignore the cold anymore. I shivering terribly. Daryl noticed. "Hey." He said to everyone. "When this movie's over, let's move into the other room."

"Yeah." My dad said. "It's too cold out here."

"Thank God." Carol said and laughed. "I thought I was the only one."

We finally merged into the other room when that movie was over. I was thankful. Now we were all warm and comfy watching Halloween. The kid in the movie was talking about what they were going to do next and reminded me of my sister. "Sounds like Judy." I said. The others laughed. There was a brief pause. "I wanted to be an actress." I said out of nowhere.

"Thought you wanted to be a tattoo artist?" My dad asked me.

"I did want to be a tattoo artist." I replied. "But I would have definitely been an actress if I got the chance."

"Hm." Daryl said. "Well, that ain't happenin' now."

"Yeah, I know." I sighed. "I guess I'll just have to do porn." I just said it to mess with my dad. I saw him look at me out of the side of my eye but I didn't look at him. I couldn't hide my smirk.

"Over my dead body!" My dad finally said. I busted out laughing. Everyone else laughed too. I smiled to myself. Just like old times again. I thought.

The movie just ended. I saw Mark take his arm from around Carol and stretch, they shared a look. "Alright, we're gonna go to bed." She told everyone.

"What? But I was gonna put Halloween part two on." I said.

"That's alright." She said. "We're turning in."

"Okay." I said. That leaves my dad, Michonne, Daryl and I. "Are you guys down to watch one more movie?"

"Yeah, if we don't fall asleep in the middle of it." My dad said. I changed discs and started the new movie.

About twenty minutes in, I looked over and my dad is asleep. Figures. I rolled my eyes.

A little later into the movie, I commented on something that happened. This dude got killed by a car hitting him. "I like how out of all the people that could have been, it was Ben Tramer." I said. They were talking about him in the first movie. Michonne laughed and then my dad laughed in his sleep. "What the hell?" I pointed at him. "Are you asleep or not?" I asked him. He didn't answer. "Dumbass." I laughed. "We should color on him."

Michonne laughed really hard but tried to be quiet. "Don't you dare."

"I wouldn't do that." We both laughed. My dad laughed again. "Does he know we're laughing at him?" We all laughed this time.

When it got farther into the movie, Michonne fell asleep as well. I looked at Daryl, he was wide awake like me. "Lame." I pointed at them. Daryl just snorted.

Just then, something loud happened in the movie that woke both of them up. I almost laughed at how stupid my dad looked. "Alright, I'm goin' to bed." He said getting up.

"You been in bed." I said to him. He laughed.

"You comin'?" He asked Michonne.

"Yeah, I'll be in in a minute." She said.

"Alright." He said then turned to me. "Hey." He bent over to give me a kiss.

"Night, daddy." We kissed goodnight.

"Night, baby." He said. "Don't stay up all night."

"I'm not." I said annoyed. "I'm going to bed as soon as this is over." My dad and Michonne went in their room with Judith. I turned to Daryl. "Now it's just me and you."

"Yup." He said.

"The cool people." I smirked. He snorted, then I laughed. There was a brief pause. "Are we still going on that run tomorrow?" I asked him. He nodded. "What time were you trying to leave?"

"Don't matter." He shook his head. "Noon maybe?"

"Alright." I shrugged, then went back to the movie. We stayed pretty quiet until the movie was over. I looked at him and stretched. "You going to bed?"

"Yeah, probably." He replied. I stopped because I realized that all the rooms were taken. My dad and Michonne had the front room because there's a bed and bunkbeds in it, so Judith could stay with them. Carol and Mark had the master bedroom and I claimed the only other room. That meant Daryl would have to sleep on the couch. Maybe I will see if he wants the bed and I will take the couch? "You sleepin' in 'at room?" He pointed. He read my thoughts before I could say them.

"Uh…yeah, I was going to, but you can have it if you want? I don't mind sleeping on the couch."

"Nah, that's alright." He waved. "I'll sleep on the couch in there."

I blinked a few times. "Well…why wouldn't you just sleep on this couch in here? Won't you be cold in the other room?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. I don't get cold." He said. "There's a heater anyway."

I let out a laugh. "Alright, tough guy." I laughed.

I went in my room after that. I fell asleep, surprisingly fast, probably because I was drinking. However, I woke up at some point through the night. That bedroom sure was cold. I shivered. I had three blankets on and I was still freezing. I tried to just ignore it and go back to sleep, but it was almost impossible. "I can't do this." I said out loud.

I got up and quietly opened the door. Daryl was asleep on the couch out there. I have to try to be as quiet as possible so I don't wake him up. I started looking around for any extra blankets. I wasn't finding any.

"What's 'a matter?" I heard Daryl's rough voice say.

Shit. I must have woke him up. "Uh…nothing." I said. "I'm just looking for an extra blanket."

"You cold?"

I sighed. "Yes." I admitted. "That room is freezing."

"Well, how 'bout we switch?" He offered. "I'll take that room and you can sleep here? It's warmer out here with the heater."

"Yeah, but…what about you? It's really cold in there." I raised my eyebrows.

He didn't answer right away, he got up and stepped inside that room. "Shit. Yer right. It's like a damn icebox in there."

"Yeah, man." I said. "I wasn't kidding."

"Well…here." He said. "You sleep on the couch." He gestured.

"But what about you—

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He reassured me.

"Well, I do worry because it's cold as hell. And…you're still my bae, remember?" I smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. "Lay down on the damn couch." I laughed but did what he said. He sat at the opposite end as me. He helped cover me with the blanket. He's so nice. I smiled. "Better?" He asked.

"Much." I turned over. Daryl is so nice and selfless. He always puts everyone else before himself, especially me, it seems. I gasped just then because I had a thought. I'm his before anyone else too! That thought made me feel all nice and warm inside. I looked back up. "Thanks, Daryl." I smiled at him.

Movement woke me up at some point and I realized that Daryl moved and was now laying next to me on the couch. I gasped inside. I can't believe he did that. Poor Daryl! He must have been uncomfortable sitting there like that. The thought made me feel bad. I scooted as close to the back of the couch as I could giving him more room. "You good?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I said quietly. He readjusted himself and put his arm around me. I felt this feeling run through me that I never felt before. It was fantastic. I smiled to myself and tried to go back to sleep. It wasn't hard. I was more comfortable than I ever have been before in my life.

Hey everyone! I know I haven't updated in a while! Sorry about that! Hope you liked this chapter! And thank you all for your reviews, favs and follows! It really means so much to me! I would really appreciate it if you took the time to review this chapter and tell me how I'm doing so far :) Thanks! Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!