A/n: I am really loving this story. Please review :) I own nothing but Callie and Jon for the time being. A new character is coming eventually, so stay tuned. Enjoy!

Chapter Five: Holes

"What the hell y'all waitin' for? Let's go!" Daryl demanded, banking on the truck Rick had picked Callie up with the day she was going to wonder into the city of Atlanta.

Callie looked at him, a worries look on her face. She had just seen him in what seemed like forever and he was going to leave her and head into what she had heard was a Walker-infested city. What would happen to him? What if they did find Merle? Even then, Merle was a danger to all even to Daryl. She remembered seeing him. She was but seventeen years old, graduating from high school. Daryl wanted to celebrate just him and her in the woods in his backyard, but when drunken Merle had found out, he interrupted them, hitting on her with the most horrendous pick up lines she had ever heard. Of course, she knew he didn't actually like her. He had only wanted to piss off his brother. Ever since then, Daryl had always warned her where Merle was or when he was going to be back home or even when he was coming over when they had been happily married. Merle scared her, drunk or not. But he was still part of her family now and she wanted to know he was safe and not as dead as the Walkers in the city.

Glenn, Rick and T-Dog piled into the truck. Daryl sat down in the back taking one of his arrows and twirling it around. He looked at his wife one last time, giving her a reassuring nod. She only frowned and walked away.

If he didn't come back, she would kill him.

-x-

Callie sat down by the lake with Carol, Amy, Andrea and Jacqui, washing clothes and talking of old memories they had kept.

"I remember when mom used to complain all the time about how my room was too messy and your room was too clean," Andrea chuckled to her sister, Amy.

Amy looked at the lake dreamily, "Oh, the good old days."

"Okay, I must as you, Callie, because it's killing me," Jacqui said, smirking. Her high cheekbones seemed to make her eyes look squinty as she smiled, "Daryl being married to someone is hard to believe. He's never mentioned you at all. Have you...had any kids?"

Callie frowned and continued to wash Lori's clothes. What if their son had lived? What if he was here right now, safe and sound right beside her? Maybe he would be off playing with Carl and Shane who were trying to catch some frogs. Maybe he'd be working hard with Sophia on schoolwork, keeping up with it despite the end of the world. If only she had done more to protect him.

Andrea gestured Jacqui not to ask her about it, but Callie went ahead, "We had a son. His name was Jon and he was four years old. He died of severe burns when the planes came in and blew everything up. I would give anything to trade places with him. I have had more than my share of happiness in my life. He was only four and he never made it to kindergarten."

Amy rubbed her back as she began to sob in her hands, "No wonder Daryl is so cold. Losing his son and thinking his wife died. Wow, I now feel terrible about all the things I thought of him. Not only that, but-"

Andrea interrupted, "I can't imagine having a child and then losing the child after only four years of spending time with him or her."

Callie sobbed more as she had thought about her loss. Daryl hadn't even asked for him. Then again, maybe he already knew the answer.

"Daryl having a wife," Andrea said more to herself, "I'll be damned."

Callie laughed in hopes of lightening the mood, "Is it so hard to believe? I mean...just look at him. He's all tall, handsome and strong. Not to mention badass."

The girls began laughing, Amy saying secretly to them, "I suppose Daryl is alright-looking. Badasses aren't my type though. I like...Rick."

Andrea pushed the girl playfully, "Amy! He's married!"

"I know that. I was just saying who my type is all. Geesh." Amy raised her hands in defense.

They all laughed together and suddenly, a voice sounded from behind them. A fierce tone Callie had always feared when anyone use it. It was a mix of cockiness, control and venom, which always sent chills down her spine. "What the hell you girls laughing at?" Ed said, smoking a cigarette.

"Just swapping horror stories, Ed," Andrea smirked.

Callie felt nervous, so she continued to wash Carl's and Lori's, trying her best not to look Ed in the eye.

"This ain't no comedy club. Get the work done."

They All shook their heads and began washing the clothes they had left to wash. Ed walked back and forth behind them, watching them do their work. Callie felt tense every time he walked behind her. She could feel he heart pick up and sweat seeping through the pores on her face. Ed had finally noticed that Callie was so easily terrified, so he stopped right behind her and knelt down, "Scared, Girly?"

She tried to get rid of her fear, but it was just no use. She froze in place waiting for him to go away or continue whispering in her ear.

"Don't worry, Girly," he said in an almost sympathetic way, "I won't hurt you."

Andrea got up and flung a wet shirt at him, "If don't like how we're washing your clothes, then I suggest you do them yourself."

Ed flung the shirt back and her and Andrea gasped, now glaring at Ed with resentment. Callie stood up as well as the other woman, knowing solenoid bad was now going to happen and wanted to be prepared to stop it.

"I ain't gonna listen to no smartass college educated bitch," he hissed as he threw his cigarette off to the side. "Come on, Carol, we gotta go." He reached for Carol, but Andrea stopped her.

"Carol doesn't have to go anywhere with you, Ed."

"Yes, she does."

Jacqui breathed, tears filing her eyes, "Why? So she can wake up in the morning with fresh bruises?"

He chuckled while Callie stood horrified, "How could you touch your wife like that?"

Carol shook her head, wanting them all to just let it be, but it continued to carry on.

Ed chuckled, "Wanna know how, Girly?" He walked up to her. She took a few steps back, but ran into the mountain of rocks. Andrea, Jacqui and Amy ran to Ed to try and stop him, but it was too late. Ed pushed her down as hard as she could and she landed face first on the rocks. Her forehead began to bleed.

Shane then pulled Ed away from the women and threw him to the ground. He punched and he punched and he punched the crap out of Ed. Carol was crying, wishing he would stop beating her husband. Amy and Andrea stared in horror and Jacqui didn't so much as phase. Callie began to let the tears fall, even more scared than she was before.

When Shane was done, he growled, "If you ever touch your wife, your little girl or anyone else at this camp, next time I'll kill you." He stood up and walked away as Carol raced over crying out for Ed.

They all walked back to camp quietly, startled from the scene that had just been played out for them. Amy looked the most shaken, however. She shivered under Andrea's arm that was drape over her shoulder. Callie smiled at them. She had always wanted a sister, but he parents liked having one child and one child only.

Callie raised a hand to her forehead and touched where it hurt. She looked at her fingertips, seeing there was blood caked on them. She wiped her hands on her bare legs.

"Want me to stitch that up for you?" Jacqui asked, resting a comforting hand on he back.

Callie smiled up at her, "Please. I would be ever so grateful."

"Daryl got himself a proper lady. Interesting," Amy chuckled.

Callie smiled, "I try to tell him being cold does nothing but make people run the either direction, but Daryl is his own person and can choose how he wants to be. No matter how silly or ass-like it is."

"Daryl's lucky." The girls turned around to see Shame walking up them. He gave a small smile to Callie, "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from getting that cut."

"No worries. It wasn't like you saw it coming."

Shane sighed, "Sorry I had to do that in front of you ladies." He made it sound like what he did was amazing and necessary but it wasn't. It was all the opposite. Callie tilted her head to one side. Shane himself seemed just as cocky as Ed sometimes sounded.

"You should probably apologize to Carol and Ed. Not us," Amy said, feeling upset and shaken all over again.

Shane gave a stiff nod and walked away. He knew he was only upsetting them more.

"Are you going to tell Daryl-"

Callie laughed, "You all seemed so fascinated by Daryl and I. Honestly, I never thought he could be that bad."

Andrea looked at her, "It isn't so much that he's bad. It's just that he seemed so non-social and always cursing and out hunting for food. He always kept his distance from us. Never once had any of us stopped to think if he family before this all happened while we were thinking about shooting him in the head."

"I kind of feel bad. Actually, I feel really bad," Amy said as she upchucked some fish that she had last night. Andrea and Jacqui laughed.

"You'll be alright, Sis," Andrea reassured. She patted Amy's back as she hurled again. Callie scrunched up her nose so she didn't have to smell it.

When they got back to camp, Dale walked towards the lot of them, sighing, "We may have a bit of a problem." He gestured towards the top of the mountain where they all saw Jim digging away in the hundred-degree weather.

Lori gave an irritated sigh and pulled Carl close to her.

"If he wants to dig, maybe we should just let him do so without bothering him," Callie suggested.

Shane shook his head, "It's a hundred and seven degrees out here. If he works himself too hard he might get a heatstroke."

Callie looked back at the poor man. Sweat stains even from this distance were quite noticeable.

The group walked up to Jim-except for Ed who didn't want to show his beat up face to everyone- to get him to stop his pointless digging. Shane stood close to Jim while everyone stayed behind, waiting for someone to say something.

"What ya doin', Jim?" Shane asked, hands on bus hips carelessly.

Jim ignored his question and continued to dig his many holes.

"Look," Lori said, "Shane ain't going to say it, so I will. You're scaring the kids, Jim. Carl, Carol's daughter."

He stopped digging and sighed, "They ain't got nothin' to worry about."

Callie saw the many holes that he had dug. She too was wondering why he had done so. Not to mention being so concerned on digging up the holes that he wouldn't take a break or consider the condition he could be in if he continued.

She gave him a sorry look. When he saw he said, "I'll be fine. Go on and leave me be." He began to dig more holes.