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Jess let out a loud groan of bliss as the cold water from the shower pelted her face and ran down her body. She felt like she had died and already made it to heaven, even if the water was cold.

Carol and Daryl had come for her mid morning, waking her from nearly ten hours of sleep, to get her to eat and take more medicine. She'd been feeling better and was able to eat most of the food, venison and green beans, and swallow the pills with no problem. The second she had downed the pills she asked Carol about the shower and it had been a long journey for Jess. She was still weak and had to move a bit slow as not to aggravate her injuries but with Carol's help, and several glares at Daryl to make sure he didn't touch her, she made it and didn't even care that Carol stayed close. However, Daryl being within hearing distance, despite being behind curtains and a low wall, was a bit unnerving as Jess was still nervous around him. Just because he'd saved her didn't mean she trusted him yet, or any of them for that matter. She would stay on high alert with these people until she left.

She sighed as she cleaned herself as fast and best she could one-handed. Once she finished she stood for a few more seconds to let the suds wash off and the water cut off. She frowned up at the shower head as she ran her hand down her hair. She really wanted to wash her hair but it was nearly impossible. She bit her lip as she glanced over at Carol's turned back as she spoke quietly to Daryl on the other side of the wall. Dare she ask?

She steeled herself as she grabbed the towel Carol had left close and wrapped it around her before calling out to the woman behind her.

"Carol?" She asked in a quiet voice, interrupting her talk with Daryl.

"Something wrong, Jess?"

"Kinda," she hesitated for a second before jumping right in, "ya mind washin' my hair? I'd do it myself but I can' lift my arm past my shoulder."

"Of course, just a second," she said disappearing around the corner.

Daryl's scoff floated to her through the curtains and over the wall he stood behind and she couldn't help her flushed cheeks despite the cold biting her skin.

"Shut it, peach. Ya just jealous a my long flowin' locks 'cause they'd win ya the title at tha next competition," she said mockingly, referring to the Miss Georgia Peach competition.

"Whatever, kill stealer," he growled in a low voice. He was pretty grumpy that they stuck him on babysitting duty and Jess taking a shower just a few feet away from him didn't help. He couldn't stop thinking about how she'd felt beneath him the other day at the river and her sultry eyes when she'd teased him, despite the hint of fear he'd seen there as well. He was extremely attracted to her physically and her noises during her shower hadn't helped. He was thankful that Carol had decided to start talking to him to distract him from his roaming imagination as she reappeared with one of the stools from a cell.

"Sit here," she ordered lightly as she sat the stool close to the large can full of water that siphoned into the shower heads

Jess did as the woman asked and let out a contented hum and closed her eyes as she felt Carol's fingers working the suds into her scalp. The last time she had someone wash her hair for her felt like ages ago.

"You have such beautiful hair," Carol cooed above her as she worked her way down the extra long tresses.

"Thanks Miss Carol," Jess replied softly.

"How long has it taken for you to get it this long?"

"Several years. My sister 'n' I were lettin' it grow so we could donate it in honor of my grandmother. Just got dead ends cut off every few weeks," she opened her eyes to stare ahead, "after this started we thought 'bout cuttin' it off but Erin said somethin' 'bout sullyin' our grandmother's memory or somethin'. I thought it was stupid but I humored her," she shifted nervously on her stool before she continued, "Erin was strong-willed, kind, 'n' a bit of a bitch. Just like our mom 'n' Gram."

Carol lightened the mood by swatting Jess' uninjured shoulder.

"Don't say that about your mothers," she chided.

Daryl couldn't help his scoff from his perch on the other side of the wall. Trust Carol to step up for the moms. The hunter was a little confused, though. This was the second time Jess opened up willingly to Carol while he was close by. Had she forgotten or did she not care that he could hear?

Jess let out a pure laugh and it sounded foreign to her because it'd been so long since she'd had anything to laugh about. She looked over her shoulder to smile up at the woman who finished lathering her hair.

"Thank you," Jess whispered as she press a hand protectively over her side. It throbbed horribly after all her activities and the laugh hadn't helpped.

Carol must have seen her movement and dropped the end of Jess' hair and placed a hand softly on the injured woman's good shoulder with her trademark motherly smile.

"Of course. Now rinse out your hair so we can go outside for some fresh air and get your hair braided if you feel up for it. I make a mean french braid," she announced with a wink as she turned away to resume her visit with Daryl.

"Sounds good," Jess smiled as she pulled off her towel and turned the spray back on the shower.

Carol folded her arms and leaned against the end of the wall and glanced at Daryl who spoke.

"So why is she being so chatty?" He asked quietly, genuinely curious.

Carol moved a bit closer to him on the other side of the wall to speak softly so Jess wouldn't hear.

"We're probably the first halfway decent people she's run into since her sister died. She's been out there all alone for that whole time, for thousands of miles," she paused, "the poor girl has been through a lot and she just wants someone to talk to."

Daryl shrugged at Carol. He personally wouldn't be so talkative in her situation but after what she'd been through it'd probably do her some good to talk it out with someone.

"Yeah, and who better than you," Daryl replied with sincerity.

Carol just smiled up at him.

After Jess finished up her shower, Carol brought her some clothes and she noticed that they were her own and put them on gingerly and it took her a while. It was hard to maneuver with her injuries but she somehow managed to do it and met Daryl and Carol on the other side of the wall.

Glad that she was back in her own clothes, Jess made the taxing walk outside, glad that Carol was with her when she swayed a bit on the stairs leading down to what looked like the yard of the prison which looked more homely than any prison should. A grassy knoll had been turned into an area for a garden and there were several cars and a motorcycle parked off to the side far away. However, she was most impressed with the wood structure that seemed to be where they prepared and shared meals. Beyond that she could see a grass yard enclosed and protected by two layers of fences that had the beginnings of crops and what looked like a pin for pigs they were beginning to build.

The greatest surprise came from the sheer amount of people who wandered around doing chores and mundane things that Jess thought she would never see done again. A few people tended to some tomato plants on the grass hill, a few men over by the cars visiting, someone prepared lunch under the awning, and children sat at the tables playing board games.

Carol lead her towards the impressive awning and pulled a chair out into the sun, motioning for Jess to take a seat. The new women suddenly felt as if all eyes were on her, judging her. She straightened her back as best she could and confidently strode to Carol and sat rigid as she tossed her wet hair behind the chair, taking careful note of her surroundings, trying to show that she wasn't as injured as she really was. As kind of Daryl was to save her and as nice as Carol had been to her so far, she didn't want them to think she'd gotten too comfortable and let her guard down.

She was almost startled when Daryl appeared and plopped down in a chair at a table close to her with his crossbow. He was so quiet she had forgotten he'd been following and watching her this whole time. The only thing she could guess is that he was in charge of watching her to make sure she wasn't going to be hostile. She didn't blame him though, she wouldn't let him out of sight if it were the other way around.

Daryl quietly set to work oiling is crossbow, pretending to ignore everyone around him but she knew better. He was always alert and she could practically feel him tuned into her and he was feeding off her uneasiness around the strangers.

All that faded away though as soon as Carol started pulling her wet hair up in pieces for the french braid. Jess had always loved it when people did her hair for her because it was so relaxing. The injured woman let out a sigh as she settled down comfortably in the chair, soaking up the warm sun, and Carol smiled behind her as she worked in serene silence.

After a few moments, Jess was pulled from her relaxing revery by the increasing whispers of the children not far from her. Even though they were whispering loudly she only caught parts of what they were saying. She caught "new girl" and "scary" a few times and another woman's name that she didn't recognize along with Carol's. It didn't take long before one of the little girls, who looked like she was about seven or eight, slowly approached Jess and Carol.

"Miss Carol," the girl asked in a quiet, shy voice, careful to not get too close to Jess.

"Yes sweetie," she answered as she continued to braid Jess's hair. She'd just finished the braiding along her scalp and was down to the easy part of the braiding process.

"Can I help?" She asked even quieter than before as she played with the hem of her shirt nervously, glancing at Jess.

"Let's ask Miss Jess," she said pausing her braiding, "do you mind if we have a little help? I think it would be fun for them to learn."

The younger women didn't really like kids but seeing them so happy and normal now tugged a little at Jess's heart. Who was she to deny them anything that made them happy? Besides, she was enjoying the cool air and warm sun along with the gentle fingers running through her hair. This was the most relaxed she'd been in many years. She softened her expression and nodded at the little girl.

"I don' mind," she decided in a voice she hoped wasn't as rough as it sounded to her.

Suddenly it was like the floodgates opened and all the little girls rushed over to learn how to do a french braid. Jess's eyes opened to as big as saucers and sat up rigid in the chair again as the girls chattered around her. It didn't take long for her to catch Daryl looking over at her with narrow eyes. He was warning her to be nice and she returned his glare with one of her own, tuning out the chatter around her.

"Whatcha lookin' at, peach?"

She saw amusement cross his face before he turned his attention back to his crossbow but not before turning his chair more towards her. He still didn't fully trust her even though he'd been the one that decided to save her.

One of the girls interrupted Carol's instruction to ask Jess a question.

"Why do you call Mr. Dixon a peach, Miss Jess?" She asked innocently from behind her.

Jess narrowed her eyes at Daryl as she watched the hunter work, glad to know his last name. Calling him peach all the time was getting old and she didn't want to call him by his first name because it was just too personal.

"'Cause he's a fuzzy, soft Georgia Peach," she replied in a normal voice, trying hard not to sound edgy. Whenever she felt nervous she tried to play it off any way she could and since Daryl was close by, he would be her target. She wanted to see how far she could push his buttons and she smiled as she saw him pause in his work to pay more attention without looking in her direction.

"But aren't you a Georgia Peach too?" Another girl asked assuming a Georgia Peach was a common term to call people from Georgia.

"No m'am," she answered as lightly as she could, "I'm a tough Texan."

The braiding session was momentarily forgotten as a couple of the girls came around to talk to her.

"Wow! You're from Texas? Do you have a horse and big boots and big cowboy hat?"

She heard Carol laugh softly behind her as she continued to humor the girls, barely able to hide how tense the girls were making her by rambling.

"I do. His name is Argo 'n' he's a beautiful blue roan quarter horse with white spots 'n' a black mane and tail. He's tha best cuttin' horse in the county 'n' I can't wait ta go find him," she drawled. Her mind wandered back to parting with them at the grocery store. She couldn't wait to get out of here and go track them down and she knew they wouldn't go far from where she left them in the woods close to the pharmacy. Not that they couldn't fend for themselves but the saddle on Argo could cause him problems if she didn't go get him soon. She shook her head and returned to the conversation, "got tha boots but no cowboy hat."

"Why are you all the way here in Georgia, Miss Jess?"

Jess saw Daryl tense and practically felt Carol's grip tighten on her hair as she started over on braiding Jess's hair. It seemed they worried how she would answer this question.

"I'm lookin' fer my parents," she answered carefully, hoping they wouldn't continue the line of questioning.

It was then Carol decided that the girls didn't need to press Jess any further than they already had.

"Alright girls, stop bothering Miss Jess and let me show you how to braid."

Carol took her time in showing the girls how the french braid worked and letting them take turns at trying. Jess didn't mind, she had the perfect hair to demonstrate with and it calmed her despite the few times where one of the girls would pull a little too tight. She just enjoyed the sun and watched the comings and goings of the people. Most of them waved at Carol and Daryl and even a few came up to say a few words to the two adults watching over her. After a while, a few more people showed up and started preparing for lunch. It was the closest thing to normal she'd had in so long. So she enjoyed it while she could because she knew she wasn't going to stay that long.

She wasn't dumb, she knew that she was hurt badly and her recovery would take weeks. However, Jess was stubborn enough to try get out of there sooner because it was tearing her up not having her horses with her and not knowing how they were faring out there. It seemed like every time she'd find brief respite from the terrors of this new world someone would come and take it away.

Just as her side and shoulder started throbbing from the pain medication wearing off, the braiding lesson ended and it was time to start serving their lunch. The girls said goodbye to Jess and were the first ones in line for the wonderful smelling food. Carol gave Jess' shoulder a pat as she walked around in front of her to give the younger woman a smile.

"Thanks for letting them do that. It's rare that they get to do girly things these days."

"I don' mind, was quite nice," Jess assured with a tired voice. She was still weak from her wounds and it was beginning to show by how she'd slumped in the chair.

"You look like you've had enough. Let's get you back to bed," Carol advised as she held out her hand to Jess after a final pat of her shoulder. Jess took it and stood but declined Carol's help further because she couldn't show weakness in front of these people.

"Naw, ya done enough 'n' it's lunch time. Ya eat 'n' I can make it back to the cell on my own," she urged with a glance over at Daryl who was picking up his cleaning supplies and bow to make sure Jess got back to her cell.

"Alright, I'll bring up your medicine and food in a bit. If you need help, ask Daryl. He may look like a rough guy but he's actually a big softy," Carol taunted with a glare at the man she was referring to, daring him to prove her otherwise.

Daryl just shrugged in surrender as he rested his crossbow on his shoulder.

"Why do you think I call him a peach?" Jess teased with a wink at Carol who smiled at Daryl.

"I'm standin' right here," he growled in a voice that almost sounded like a pout. The older woman shared a look with Jess as she took her leave.

"Yeah, I can see why," Carol chuckled while giving the hunter's arm a pat as she passed to go help with lunch.

Daryl just glared at Jess as he motioned for her to take the lead. He was pretty sure she knew the way back to her cell.

Jess stood straight and walked confidently in front of the eyes she felt follow her all the way back into the prison which was thankfully empty as everyone was gathering for lunch. Once she was sure she was out of sight of everyone except Daryl, she started using the wall for support as she walked through the prison back to her cell. When she made it to the stairs she had to pause to frown at them. Her entire body felt like lead but she'd be damned if a set of stairs was going to stop her.

"I ain't got all day, kill stealer," Daryl sneered angrily. He had more important things to do besides babysit her.

"Don' get yer panties inna wad, peach," she mumbled through clenched teeth as she started up the stairs, practically pulling herself up them with her good arm on the rail. Her side was throbbing along with her shoulder as she forced her body up the stairs but she wasn't about to ask Daryl for help, her pride getting the best of her.

She didn't realize how weak and drained she actually was until she reached the top of the stairs and her knees gave out on her. She closed her eyes and waited to meet the floor but a sudden careful arm around her torso kept her from falling. She felt warm breath tickle her ear as Daryl's heavily muscled arm pulled her to his chest to keep her upright.

"Damn it woman. You coulda asked for help," he muttered quietly, "I don't bite."

Jess's back went rigid in a mixture of surprise and fear. She knew Daryl wouldn't hurt her and he was just the type of man she'd usually be attracted to but the images of the last time she was this close to a man flashed in her mind and she was suddenly scrambling to get away from him. She pushed his arm off of her as she stumbled to the railing to turn on him with those same wild eyes he'd seen from the river when he'd tackled her.

"Don' touch me," she practically hissed at him. She immediately regretted it as he quickly tried to hide the surprised, hurt look from her. She felt as if she'd just kicked a puppy.

He held up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry," he whispered angrily in his defense. He never meant to scare her and he hadn't thought about her history with men when he'd pulled her to him.

Jess took a deep, calming breath and shook her head, trying to bring back the rational Jess exterior.

"Naw, it's fine," she sighed as she leaned heavily against the railing, "sorry I snapped at ya. It's jus' a reaction I cain't control sometimes to someone touchin' me."

Daryl nodded his head in understanding while he shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked, concerned that he might have grabbed her the wrong way on her wound.

"Nope. Thanks for not lettin' me fall on my face, Dixon," she stated with a forced smile. Her heart was still beating heavily and she was still a little shaky from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

"Yup," is all he said as Jess continued the last few feet to her cell, careful to keep his distance when following her this time.

The injured woman sat gingerly down on the bottom bunk but not before grabbing her bag that was in the corner and pulling out a thick book.

Daryl gave her a quizzical look as he shut and locked the cell door behind her and she got defensive.

"What?" She asked as she carefully got comfortable, wincing a bit at the strain.

"I just thought you was more cowgirl than reader," he admitted to her through the bars.

"Girl's gotta have 'er hobbies 'n' readin' is one of 'em," she countered as she laid carefully into her bed to rest and read, "now get. I cain't focus with yer ugly mug hangin' 'round."

"Thought I was a pretty Georgia Peach," he teased with a barely noticeable smile.

"Yer 'bout as purdy as a lil' red heifer," she retorted with a wink and what Daryl would call a shit eating grin.

"Damn Texans," Daryl mumbled as he left her to her reading.