CPOV

Patrick had become a friend of mine. I got over not liking the newcomers eventually, about the same time Patrick came along. Seeing as he's around the same age as me it's easy to do things and have fun together. But he always called me young sir as if I was in charge. He called my dad sir, too. But he called Vickie, Victoria, nothing special- though that's probably because he had a crush on her.

"You think I should talk to her?" he asked, talking about Vickie... again. It was annoying but I dealt with it.

"Do you want Daryl to beat you up? Turn you into walker meat?" I asked, looking over at him as we walked over to the fence.

The other kids were hanging around there a lot and dad liked me to make sure they weren't doing anything dangerous or stupid. So I was just going over to check on everything. Aly was the only one who didn't come down to the fence unless she was after an adult. Vickie and Daryl made sure she was always safe and following their rules.

"Nick, over here."

"This one's, Wayne."

"Hi, Nick."

"You're naming them?" I asked the kids as we reached them.

They all turned, Mica answering. "Well, one of them had a name tag, so we thought all of them should." she shrugged, smiling.

I sighed. "They had names when they were alive, they're dead now."

"No, they're not." all eyes turned to Lizzie. "They're just different."

"What the hell are you talking about? Okay..." I paused trying to calm a little before going on. "They don't don't think. They eat people. They kill people."

"People kill people. They still have names." she argued.

"Have you seen what happens? Have you seen someone die like that?"

"Yeah, I have." she answered as if it was no big deal.

I just shook my head. "They're not people, and they're not pets. Don't name them."

Lizzie turned to the others, ignoring me. "Supposed to go read. Come on." she told them before all of them left but Mica.

Mica turned to Patrick, smile on her face. "You coming to storytime tonight?"

"Uh..." he looked at me for a moment before answering. "Yeah."

"See you then." her smile grew as she walked off.

With the others gone Patrick turned back to me, knowing the look I gave him said, 'Are you serious?'. He just shrugged. "I go sometimes. I'm immature. You wouldn't dig it. It's for kids." I nodded, looking to the ground. "I'm gonna head up there, too. I'll catch you later, young sir." he said before walking off.

I just sighed as I watched him go, wondering when people stopped seeing me as a kid. Maybe I will go to storytime...

VPOV

I got off Daryl's bike, gun at the ready. It was just a simple pistol, nothing big like the others. I didn't like big guns. I liked having a small one, more control.

Michonne walked over to me, giving me a nod. "Got Aly a doll while I was out. Found Daryl some smokes too."

I smiled. "They'll both love their gifts." I told her, following Daryl and Sasha. "You get me anything, or do I miss out?"

She grinned. "I might have found you some chocolate chips."

I jumped up excitedly. "No way, I've been dying for some." she just shook her head amused.

"Why chocolate chips?" Glenn asked, coming to stand next to me.

I shrugged. "I eat one at a time, enjoy the flavour, let it last. That's why."

Daryl and Bob stood by the fence surrounding the Big Spot. Daryl was telling Bob about it, the army turned walkers and everything.

"So they all just left?" Bob asked, disbelieving.

But Sasha shook her head. "Give a listen."

"You drew them out." Michonne spoke up as everyone listened to the music in the background.

"Sure did." I nodded, stepping up to the gab in the fence for us to walk in. "Put a boom box out there three days ago."

"Hooked it up to two car batteries." Glenn added.

"Walkers just walked out of here, no fuss, no worries." I shrugged, stepping through the fence.

"Lets make a sweep." Daryl told everyone as he followed me, both of us heading for the Big Spot entrance. "Make sure it's safe. Grab what you can. We'll come back tomorrow with more people."

We moved through the lot, heading for the store. Michonne and Zach behind us as the other's searched everything else.

Daryl sat on the edge by the window, knocking his elbow on the glass. I stood by him, tapping my foot against the ground, waiting until we could go inside. Zach leaned against the wall, close to Daryl and me.

Zach nodded, shifting. "Okay, I think I got it."

I shook my head grinning. "Here we go."

"Got what?" Michonne asked, as she stood to the side, closer to the entrance.

"I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." he shrugged, moving to sit next to Daryl.

"He's been trying to guess for, like, six weeks." Daryl commented.

"I'm pacing myself." Zach argued. "One shot a day."

"All right, shoot." Daryl shrugged, I could tell he found it amusing seeing what this kid thinks up.

I nodded, sitting on Daryl's other side. "Let's hear it then."

"Well, the way you are at the prison, yeah, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of, uh, surly." he said the last part cautiously.

I laughed. "Surly, Daryl."

"Big swing here." he went on. "Homicide cop."

Michonne and I just laughed.

"What's so funny?" Daryl asked, looking from Michonne to me.

"Nothing. It makes perfect sense." Michonne answered, biting back more laughs.

I nodded, trying to hold in my laughter. "I can see you there, eating doughnuts, drinking coffee, on stake outs. Doing the typical cop thing. So you."

"Actually, the man's right. Undercover." Daryl nodded, looking at me. I could tell he was joking, messing with Zach.

"Come on, really?" the kid asked, falling for it.

"Yep." Daryl nodded, turning to face him.

I smiled, resting my chin on Daryl's shoulder. "My big, brave, cop." I said sweetly.

Daryl just kept going. "I mean, I don't like to talk about it, 'cause it's a lot of heavy shit, you know?"

"Dude, come on, really?"

Both of us just looked at Zach, our look telling him Daryl was never a cop. I mean, Daryl was too bad ass to be a man of the law... then again so is my dad yet he was a cop.

"Okay." Zach sighed, catching on. "I'll just keep guessing, I guess."

"Yeah, you keep doing that." Daryl mumbled.

Walkers slammed against the window, snarling and grunting as they tried to get us, even though the glass was in the way.

I sighed, standing up as Daryl did the same. "Show time?"

"Let's do it." he nodded as we headed for the door, Zach and Michonne following.

...

We had done the sweep and cleared the shop, the place was safe for us to go through and grab supplies. So we moved off with trolleys, everything going in different directions.

"Hey." Daryl nodded for me to follow him.

We walked down the baby isle, knowing we needed to get stuff for Judith. Daryl hadn't grabbed a trolley, probably knowing I'd go with him, with my own.

Grabbing some formula I spoke up. "You know we should split up like the others. Cover more ground that way." I told him with a grin.

He shrugged, wrapping his arms around me and holding me in place. "Didn't want you walkin' off alone."

I laughed. "Really, 'cause I thought it might be because you want me. Hmm?" he leaned forward to kiss me. But before he could I shook my head. "We've got work to do Daryl. We'll finish this later, I promise."

Sighing, he let go, both of us getting back to work.

It had been awhile since we'd been intimate. With Aly, Houdini, the council, and just surviving, finding time to be alone, to be together the one way we wanted, was harder than you'd think. I could tell Daryl was frustrated. Heck I was frustrated. Sleeping in the same bed together, but not been able to touch each other the way we wanted because there were people everywhere that could hear us or walk past and see. I mean we didn't even have a real door, for crying out loud...

But I did the best I could to keep things as simple and happy as I could. I knew I didn't have to worry about him leaving me, but that didn't mean I was going to let things get boring.

I smiled. "Grandma's apple crumble."

Daryl turned to look at me, giving me that look he always did when I tried to start the game up. "Vic-"

"Oh, come on. Just play, Daryl."

"Play what?" Michonne asked as we left the isle only to walk into to one she was in.

"It's called, 'Things Before'. I made it up. You just name things you miss from before the turn." I shrugged.

She contemplated it before saying, "Microwave popcorn."

"Oh, that's a good one." I smiled. "How about-"

There was a loud crash, like glass breaking, before the sound of something heavy falling and someone yelling. We ran off to see what was going on, only to find Bob under shelves in the beer and wine section.

"You all right? You cut or somethin'?" Daryl asked, kneeling down to see Bob.

"No, man, but my foot is caught." Bob replied.

"All right." Daryl stood as Tyreese and Zach joined us. "He's just caught. Come on, help me up."

"What happened?" Glenn called.

"Everyone's all right." I yelled back. "Bob's just stuck."

"We're over in wine and beer." Zach added.

Daryl, Tyreese and Zach lifted the first shelf easy enough, ready to do the next one. Michonne helped, while I stayed back, crouched on the floor, watching Bob.

"I was movin' fast, man. I drove right into the drinks." Bob told me, trying to explain.

I nodded. "It's okay. We'll get you out of there. No harm done." but I spoke too soon.

There was a loud cracking sound from above; and then walkers started falling through the roof...

"Yeah, uh, we should probably go now." Glenn said as everyone looked up at the walker hanging from the ceiling by his intestines.

"Best idea I've heard all day." I agreed, bending down to the ground to grab Bob's hand. "You guys lift, I'll drag him out." but more walkers just started coming. "Hurry!"

Daryl tried to lift the shelves, Ty on the other side. But with the others now off, killing the walkers to keep us safe, the shelf just wasn't budging.

"Vic, stay with Bob. We gotta help the others." Daryl called before they moved on.

"Hey!" Bob yelled after them.

I just shook my head, staying on the ground by him. "It's okay. You'll be fine. We just gotta get rid of the walkers before we can-"

"Look out!" his eyes went wide.

I rolled over on to my back, pulling out my gun. A walker was standing over me, about to fall. I shot it in the head, and it crashed down, landing on top of me. I tried to push it off but it was too heavy. Suddenly I felt more weight, and the head of another walker came into view as it crawled over the first one, trying to get to me.

"Vickie!" Bob shouted. "Help, somebody!"

I couldn't lift my hand that held the gun in order to shoot the walker. I was stuck.

"Vic!"

Suddenly an arrow shot into the walker's head before it was pulled off. I saw Daryl as he grabbed the other one, tossing it aside, and then helped me up.

"You okay?"he asked.

I nodded. "Fine. Thanks." with that said he moved on again, as I went back to Bob.

Ty, Daryl and Zach came back, pulling up the shelves. "Come on. Time to go." Daryl groaned as he kept lifting.

I grabbed Bob's hand, helping him get out and up just as the roof started to collapse. From the looks of things a helicopter was about to fall on us, so we had to move fast.

"Let's go, now! Come on! Go!" Daryl yelled, grabbing Bob and helping him move along faster.

I was right behind them when I heard Zach scream. Turning as fast as I could I fell to my knee, stabbing the walker's hand that held Zach. It let go, allowing him to stumble away from the thing. As it came out from under the shelves I stabbed it in the head, killing it, before running off after the others.

Just as we got to the exit, the chopper fell through the roof, the place filling with more walkers and rubble.

...

"Thank you. You have no idea how much I owe you now." Zach said for the millionth time as we walked towards the cell block.

Daryl grunted. "Lucky she was there. No one else was close enough to get you." he nodded, kissing my shoulder before he headed off to our room.

I stopped in front of Zach, hand on his chest. "You owe me nothing. I did what I had do. Just don't say anything to Beth about it." I sighed. "It'll shake her up. Understand?"

He nodded, looking slightly intimidated; which wasn't what I was trying to do. But with an answer I headed off, following Daryl.

I found him sitting on our bed. Aly was fast asleep at the end curled up next to Houdini, who just wagged his tail but didn't get up so as not to disturb the little girl. Daryl took off his boots sitting there looking over at me.

I kicked off my shoes, walking over to sit on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. "If we had lost him-"

"I know..." he sighed, resting his forehead against mine.

I closed my eyes. "If that had been you. I think I'd die."

He just pulled back, drawing my attention. "Don't worry, a'right? Don't do it to yourself." I nodded as he pressed his lips against mine softly. "I'm here. Ain't gonna get rid of me that easily."

But I just shook my head. "I love you, Daryl Dixon. There's no getting rid of you, ever."

So as you all know, I'm not much for changing the story too much... I thought I'd shake it up a little and keep Zach alive :P

Any idea how that's going to play in my story?

BaMbY