Another short chapter, it's getting kind of hectic, trying to work on 3 stories at once. Before anyone says anything, I changed things a bit. Glenn, T-dog, Morales, Jacqui, and Andrea went to Atlanta, without Merle. I've got two stories where he got left on the roof-top, and I didn't really like it. I also bumped up the Ed getting his face pounded in, because there is really no reason (except maybe the guns hmmm) of a group going back to Atlanta after they get back. And to be perfectly honest, I didn't really like the story line much when they went back to Atlanta to find Merle.

Anyway! Please read and review, give me some feedback please!

Chapter 3

After Lyla's run in with Ed he kicked Sophia out of their tent. Told her he didn't want her around any more, and she could go stay with the cunt in the big tent. Without a word, Lyla had moved Sophia into her three room tent. She cried for the first few nights, but when she realized she wouldn't have to be terrified of her father anymore, so warmed up to the idea of staying with her hero.

As for Lyla, well, nothing really changed for her. She was still protecting Sophia and hunting. Daryl had started going out more, she sometimes wondered if he was doing it to lessen her load, or to show her up. Either way, it didn't really matter much to her, as long as the girl was safe.

*Lyla's POV*

I was sitting against my truck, teaching Sophia how to skin a rabbit I had ganked, when a commotion down by the water broke out. Apparently that worthless heap had hit his wife, and Shane had gone off on him. When they dragged him back up to camp I couldn't suppress a little smirk at how his face looked like someone had taken a tenderizer to it. Unfortunately, Sophia had too much of her mother in her, ran off to help that sick, twisted fuck.

My father may have raised me wrong, according to some people. But at least he taught me morals and values, things Ed was definitely lacking.

Tina was fussing over Merle, who was passed out next to his tent, again. She had paused in her attentions long enough to shoot me a wide grin at Ed's expense. I shook my head and chuckled a little bit, that girl was a strange one. The world had gone to shit, and here she was, fawning over a drugged up mess old enough to be her father.

I was lost in my thoughts as I cleaned and skinned my kill, wondering why her attentions had so quickly turned from the younger Dixon to the older, when he plopped down next to me.

"Guess ya got what ya wanted." Daryl mumbled, chewing on his thumb.

I looked up at him and shrugged, "he ain't dead." I mumbled back. I didn't know why, I hated talking, but when I was around Daryl it just sort of came out. Like all the years of not opening my mouth meant nothing. I was raised to speak when spoken, too. 'Don't say nothing, less you mean it' was what my father had always said.

It had set with me for so long, that it just felt weird to open my mouth and let the words out. But that weird feeling was never really there when Daryl was talking to me. I wasn't stupid, I knew I found him attractive, which in itself was strange for me. But he was more than that, strong, of both mind and body. It was obvious he didn't share his brother's views on races and women.

He was just weird, like me. Maybe that's what drew me to him, at the end of the world, it's strange to find someone you can connect to so easily.

*End Lyla POV*

*Tina POV*

It kinda sucked to watch him with her. I could admit it, I was jealous. Of what, I'm not quite that sure. It could of been that he paid more attention to Lyla than her, or it could of been that Lyla actually talked to him. Since we were kids, I was the only one that she ever really talked to, and now I had to share that strange relationship with someone else.

I should of figured it would happen eventually, I mean, we were both twenty-six. She was gonna find someone who could put up with her weirdness at some point.

Once I figured out that Daryl probably wasn't going to change his mind about me and her any time soon, I moved on...ish. I mean, yeah, his brother was a lot older than me, but he had a good stash. Plus, he was dangerous, which had always been a turn on for me. The sucky part was that he was always high, and always passing out. I hadn't gotten laid in so long, it was starting to really frustrate me.

I was still trying to make sure that Merle was actually going to wake up after this 'power-nap', as I had deemed them, when I heard something I thought I'd never hear in my life time again. Lyla...laughing.

Caught me off guard, she chuckled every now and then, but it was more of a 'you're a dumb-fuck' kind of chuckle. Not this. This was her real, beautiful laugh. I'd always told her she had a beautiful voice and laugh, but it never changed her opinion. Now there she was, laughing that gorgeous laugh at something Daryl had said.

Yeah, I was jealous of him.

Which really made me think about why I'd be jealous of a guy when it came to my best friend. Maybe...I don't know, maybe we were more than friends. At least to me.

Thank you to Equal-Opportunity-Reader for reviewing. It's the only one I've gotten on this story, and it's awesome! =-)