Finally!

Second semester just started, so I didn't really have time to write, sorry. I should be able to crank out a few more chapters before classes get super busy though.

As always, I don't own The Walking Dead.

Enjoy!


"So how'd you end up with them?" Daryl asked. The two had been walking in silence for a few hours, and Daryl had decided to strike up a conversation.

"Well…" Blake thought about how much of her past she wanted to reveal to Daryl. She trusted him, especially now that she knew he was with Rick's group, but she didn't feel like completely spilling her guts to the man. "I was alone. Ran into their camp, quite literally."

"How long were ya by yourself?" Daryl figured the girl could take care of herself, especially since Rick had allowed her out on her own, but surviving without anyone to watch your back was a difficult task for anyone.

"A while. Lost my family a few months in."

"Sorry to hear."

"Thanks." Blake could tell the apology was genuine, it was obvious that Daryl had lost people he cared about too.

"So did ya know Rick and Carl before?"

"Yeah." Blake looked up at Daryl, her eyebrows furrowed. "How'd you know?"

"You're smart." That was obvious considering the teen had survived on her own for as long as she did. "Anybody that didn't know Rick woulda run in the other direction."

"He is pretty scary looking." Blake thought about the bushy beard that was sprouting form the man's face and the slightly deranged look in his eyes that she had glimpsed when she first ran across them. "Yeah Carl and I knew each other for a while before the outbreak."

"Lucky you found someone you know."

"Yeah." Blake looked down at her toes, a smile playing on her lips. "Guess I am."

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

Rick sat on the edge of Carl's bed, staring down at his pale son. He hadn't felt like this since… well, since the last time he was shot. But when Otis had shot him, there was at least a qualified surgeon around-even if the surgeon was a veterinarian. This time, they had Blake. A girl who learned from trial and error. She was smart, and she had gotten the job done, and he was grateful, but he couldn't help but whish Hershel was with them. That thought brought a whole new wave of guilt that rolled over Rick as the memories of that horrible day resurfaced. Rick fought to return his thoughts to the present day, his son, Blake and Michonne.

Michonne had stepped out to take care of a few walkers that had wandered onto the street. They hadn't noticed the survivors inside, but the woman was antsy and needed to diminish her stress. Unfortunately, hacking walkers' heads off didn't help as much as she'd hoped.

Rick glanced out the window, seeing the samurai take down the last of four walkers with one swift slice through the temple. It was about an hour until sunset, and Rick had already prepared a bag to go after Blake if she wasn't Back by noon the next day. He was scared for both teens at this point. Carl hadn't woken up at all since the previous evening, and Blake hadn't contacted them since two nights ago. The girl could be dead-or worse-and they might never know.

TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD

"Shit." Blake sighed, tossing the radio back in the bag before slinging it over her shoulder. "Batteries are dead."

"How much further we got?" Daryl drawled, peering up at the sunlight that was filtering through the mostly-bare tree branches.

"About three hours."

"We got about a half hour till sunset."

"I know. There's no point in stopping when we can make it tonight." Blake was adamant about reaching the house that night. "You good with running the rest?"

"Sure." As soon as the word left Daryl's lips, Blake was off. She shot through the trees like a bullet, pill bottles rattling in her bag. Daryl struggled to keep up at times, but always knew where the girl was due to the noise and trail she made.

The pair ran until sunset, reaching the edge of the school yard just as the sky began to change color. Blake slowed and stopped when she knew they were close, halting just behind the tree line. Daryl came up behind her about thirty second later, doubling over panting when he realised she stopped.

"How the hell… can you… run like… that?" he choked out between huffs.

"Practice." Blake said, her breathing rate barely above normal. "We're clear." She announced after surveying the area.

The teen started off in the direction of her house, Daryl reluctantly following, not quite having caught his breath yet. When the duo reached the road, the door to the house swung open, causing Daryl to aim his crossbow at the man running down the street, but lowered it when he realised it was only Rick.

As soon as he reached them, Rick grabbed Blake's shoulder's and looked into her eyes, a mix of concern, anger and relief showing through the herd exterior he was trying to put on. "Where the hell were you?" he almost shouted, shaking the teen. "What happened?"

"Long story." Blake shrugged Rick's hands off of her shoulders. "I'll explain later. Oh, and I found Daryl."

Rick looked confused for a moment, then looked to his left and realised Daryl was there. He had been so fixated on Blake that he had failed to notice the archer.

"You're here…" Rick seemed confused by Daryl's presence. "Is anyone else…?" he trailed off, not wanting or needing to finish the sentence.

"Don't know." Daryl looked solemn as he answered Rick's question.

"I hate to be rude, but can we move this reunion inside?" Blake interrupted, heading towards the house. The two men fell into step behind her.

The trio entered the house to see Michonne sitting on the stairs with her katana balanced on her knees.

"What happened?" Daryl asked, referring to the boot Michonne was still wearing.

"Long story." She answered, smirking at the man.

Blake passed the samurai as she stood, dashing up the stairs and into Carl's room. The trio of adults followed quickly behind. Blake dumped the contents of her backpack on the floor, fifty pill bottles spilling at everyone's feet. "I didn't know what to get so I grabbed it all." She explained, grabbing the closest bottle and reading the label. The others dropped to the ground and started reading labels, tossing bottles aside one by one.

Most of the medication was meant for viral infections; stomach bugs, colds, pneumonia, nothing they needed at the present time, but kept just in case. Michonne ran across a container labelled Cephalexin.

"This one." She announced, tossing the bottle to Blake, who was the closest to Carl. After a quick skim of the label, it was clear that Michonne had chosen the correct medication; the pills were used to treat infection caused by bacteria, and the attached prescription was written for one Gary Manford, who had an infected cut.

"Perfect." She got up, reading the dosage and grabbing the screwdriver from her bag and the cup off of the bedside table that Rick had been using to give Carl water. Blake dropped three tablets into the glass, using the handle of the screwdriver to crush them before adding a small amount of water and dissolving the pills completely. Out of the corner of her eye, Blake saw Carl stirring. "You'd better wake up or this is going to be more than difficult." She said, willing her friend to open his eyes as she sat on the edge of his bed. "Come on Carl." She brushed the wet strands of hair off of his sweaty forehead, noticing the drastic fever. "Open your eyes." Suddenly, Rick was on the other side of the bed, lightly shaking his son's shoulder and softly calling his name.

After a few moments, Carl's eyes fluttered open. He stared at Blake, but obviously wasn't seeing her. After another minute realisation crossed his face, then a small smirk made its way onto his lips. "Hey cheater."

"Hey loser." She teased back. "Drink this."

Rick helped Carl prop himself up before Blake held the glass to his lips, allowing him to drink the mixture that would-hopefully-aid in his recovery. Once the liquid was gone, Blake grabbed the water bottle from the nightstand and continued to give Carl small sips of water. He needed to stay hydrated in order for his body to absorb the antibiotics.

"What happened?" Rick asked as Blake put the water bottle back on the table and helped a semi-conscious Carl lower himself back onto the bed. "We were up all night waiting for you." It was obvious that both Rick and Michonne had pulled an all-nighter, and had probably gotten no sleep the night prior either. They had bags under their eyes and seemed to be working at about half speed.

"Go get some sleep then." Blake suggested. She herself had spent the night and day walking and running, but she felt alert. "It's a long story, and you two could pass for walkers right now. I'll tell you later." Seeing Rick's worried expression, Blake smiled warmly at the man. "I'll stay with him. It'll take a while for the meds to kick in, so there's nothing you can do here anyway."

"Come on." Michonne set a hand on Rick's shoulder. "She's right."

"Fine." Rick sighed. "Call me if anything changes."

"Of course."


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