AN- A great, big, genuine THANK YOU for all those taking the time to try this story out! I appreciate it so much.

To the guest reviewer Sah, yes, your reviews are coming through .

Many reviews have enjoyed the light-hearted nature of the first few chapters, but now things are about to get a bit more real, in the sense of "The Walking Dead" real…

Onwards and upwards!

For the next few hours, Rylynn flitted to and from Daryl's side, interacting with every person at the party. She seemed to know them all by name, family, and profession, but something else about her contacts with them caught Daryl's eye. As soon as Rylynn would approach a couple or a group, the other people would immediately, physically open up their circle to her. Many of them genuinely seemed thrilled that she was there, and more than one person warmly hugged her in greeting. The young teenagers seemed to be just as delighted as the old folks that she was talking with them. When she asked how they were, instead of the customary "I'm fine, how are you?", they seemed to talk openly about how they truly were doing.

Rick had joined in the conversation with Noah, Reg and Carol, and he noticed his right-hand-man's eyes following the woman around the room. Rick's mind was preoccupied with the potential overtaking of Alexandria, and he was concerned that Daryl might have an upcoming conflict of interest. On the other hand, Daryl's preference towards Rylynn, Aaron and Eric might mean that Alexandria had some merit worth investigating.

He leaned over to Daryl and quietly said, "What do you think?"

Daryl was startled and quickly asked, "'Bout what?"

Rick nodded discreetly in Rylynn's direction. "Can she be trusted? Is she a good person?"

Daryl was somewhat uncomfortable with Rick's questions. "Why?"

"Just like always, we need to know who we can and cannot trust. Can she be trusted?" he repeated.

"She's useful," Daryl said neutrally. "She's got athletic abilities, an' she knows everyone here."

Rick leaned in closer, trying to convey the seriousness of the inquiry. "Daryl, do you trust her?"

"Man, I barely even know her," Daryl said, growing increasingly agitated at the questions. "Why do ya gotta know right now?"

"Because," Rick whispered even lower, "something may go down tonight, and I need to know where she stands."

A protective urge towards the woman was bubbling in Daryl's chest, combating with his constant state of self-preservation. "Why don't ya ask her ya'self? I don't think she's as loyal to the community as some of 'em, but I dunno. She ain't one of us."

Unbeknownst to Daryl, Rylynn was having an eerily mirror conversation with Deanna, who had stopped her as Rylynn was passing by in search of Sam.

"Rylynn! I was happy to hear that you and Mr. Dixon were able to spend some time together today on a run," Deanna said, a somewhat forced smile on her face.

Rylynn's face immediately dropped. "Who, you mean Daryl? Yes, we were able to talk and get better acquainted." She said plainly.

"And…what do you think about our new members?"

Rylynn rolled her eyes, and the smile did not return to her face. "Deanna, your political act may fool everyone else, but I thought I made it pretty clear that it doesn't hold the same effectiveness on me. What do you want?"

Deanna dropped the act and straightened her coat. "Alright, Rylynn, fair enough. Their preacher came to me earlier and suggested some things that have me doubting how much we can trust them, and how well they fit here. Did you see or hear anything from Mr. Dixon that would suggest he was right?"

"I won't pass judgement on anyone who survives in this world, Deanna," Rylynn said sharply. "We've all done questionable things, trusted the wrong people, and lost ones we love out there. But there are a few boundaries I will not cross. I told you when I came that I will not break people's confidences, and I am keeping to that."

"I am not asking for his details or the details of anyone else in that group," Deanna said, her hands up in a defensive position. "I'm simply asking if you feel they can be trusted."

"I can't say either way," Rylynn responded, crossing her arms and frowning.

"I'm not asking if you trust them, because it's obvious that you trust nobody." Rylynn opened her mouth to protest, but Deanna put up a finger to silence her and continued on. "Oh, I know, you talk to everyone in this town, and they all share their entire lives with you within a matter of minutes. But that's them trusting you. You never reciprocate; it's a one-way relationship. You don't even trust us with your name, let alone your security or your future!"

Rylynn smiled smugly at the leader. "If you're trying to make me protect myself by defensively turning the accusations on another person, like, say, Daryl, it isn't going to happen. Don't try to use psychological tricks on me, Deanna," she said as she turned away, finished her statement over her shoulder. "You'll lose that game, and that's the last time I'm going to warn you."

Rylynn hadn't really had another destination in mind when she exited the conversation, so she simply followed the closest hallway and ended up at the back porch door. She opened it quietly, closed it just as carefully behind her, and let out a sharp exhale into the warm night air as she leaned over the railing.

She heard the latch click behind her a few seconds later, and wheeled around, knife in hand, to find Daryl behind her. He flashed his hands up, showing he wasn't a threat. She sighed and put her knife back in her waistband.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle ya," Daryl said.

"No no, it's fine, I'm just a bit tense."

"I, uh…I saw yer conversation with Deanna over there. Didn't catch any of th' words or nothing, just saw it didn't go well," he admitted, as he leaned over the railing too, a foot away from her. She kept her eyes out on the lawn, avoiding making eye contact.

Finally, she said quietly, "I guess your preacher friend said some things to make her doubt your group. She wanted to know if I had gotten any information out of you on our run."

Daryl felt panic tighten his chest. The things he had let out on the run…those might be enough for Deanna to want to kick them out.

"What did ya tell her?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the response.

She laughed bitterly. "Don't worry, Daryl." She finally looked over at him and gave him a soft smile. "Anything anyone tells me is in total confidence, unless they share a concrete intent or plan to harm themselves or others. Plus," she almost snarled, "I've not trusted a lot of people, and Deanna is one of the people I am least inclined to trust. There's something fake about her, how hard she tries to appear like she's got it all together…" she shook her head. "I dunno, maybe this world has made me paranoid."

"So ya told her ya trust us?" he asked, a small amount of guilt eating away at him.

She lost some of her smile, and shook her head. "I don't know anyone else in your group that well, Daryl. I don't see any reason to distrust you, as an individual. And you seem to have good judgement." She cast an angry look back towards the door. "I do know that I trust you and your group more than all those people in there." She turned her eyes back to him, and they instantly softened. "I'm sorry that I can't give you more than that."

He felt his chest tighten, and his fingers itched to reach out and brush over her hands, her small nose, her soft gold and brown hair. But instead, he said, "Be right back," and hurried back into the house. He rushed through the hallway and weaved across the crowded living room to the kitchen, where Rick was arranging a food platter with Julia and sneaking crackers to make her laugh.

"Rick, can I talk to ya for a sec?" he asked. Rick put down the cheese spread and came over to his family member.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Earlier, ya asked about Ry, and if we can trust her," Daryl said hurriedly. Rick nodded in response.

Darlyl continued. "If ya gonna try to take over this place, or we gotta leave…she's with us."