Adele

"You know what I don't understand." Andrea turned to face Adele.

"What don't you understand?" The pair of them were sat on the steps leading out to the hotels back enclosure, watching Carl and Sophie play. Over the past few days, the snow had been steadily melting, and the weather had become a lot milder. Even though they were well into December, Adele was hopeful that they had had the worst of the weather.

"Daryl being good with kids. The man's got no social skills at all. He's obnoxious, mean and yet look at him." Adele grinned. Although Matthew had still not opened up to anyone, Harry had for some reason latched onto Daryl, following him around like a silent shadow. More surprisingly than Harry's choice, was the fact that Daryl tolerated this. Adele had observed him actually teaching Harry how to skin a rabbit, an act that she had felt compelled to stop when she saw the size of the knife Daryl expected Harry to use. At the moment, Daryl was adjusting his bow, whilst Harry sat next to him, watching his every movement. It was almost sweet.

"Well, he's not good with kids is he? He doesn't let Sophie and Carl follow him around like that," Adele pointed out.

"Sophie's scared of him, and she worships you and Georgie anyway. You know this. And Carl has Rick." Andrea stretched her arms and looked around. "Where is Georgie anyway? Her and Daryl are thick as thieves recently. They're always together."

"Yeah. It's killing Katie. She hates it." Adele grinned.

"Maybe if you didn't keep rubbing her face in it, she would take it better." Andrea sounded disapproving, but Adele knew she found Katie's attempts at possessiveness and her clingy behaviour as irritating as she did.

"PLEASE! The woman deserves it. I mean seriously, she sleeps with him one time and suddenly she thinks they're a couple." Adele shook her head in disbelief. "I mean for one thing, it's Daryl Dixon. I don't know the guy that well, but even I can see, he's not Mr Commitment. And even if he had the potential to be, following anyone around, literally holding onto them the way she does would put anyone off. I mean, it's cute when Harry does it, but that's because he's what, Ten? Eleven?"

"And he's not trying to hump Daryl's leg," Andrea interjected dryly. Adele snorted with laughter, making Harry and Daryl turn to look at the pair of them. When they had calmed themselves, Adele carried on in a lowered voice.

"Another thing. Remember when Daryl was locked away in solitary. Katie didn't even offer to go back to find him."

"Oh god, you're right," Andrea's eyes widened. "She wanted to leave him."

"Uh huh, "Adele nodded, as she warmed to the subject. "One minute she doesn't think he's worth saving, the next, he's her man. It's weird. I mean, surely she can see how uninterested he is-has he even spoken to her since they slept together? Out of choice? And the way she looks at Georgie every time he speaks to her. Especially after the whole carrying her through the snow for an hour. Deep down, Katie knows he wouldn't do that for her. Shit, if I didn't know Georgie could handle herself, I'd be worried for her."

"I know what you mean. And, since Daryl took Harry under his wing, she looks at him that same way. I've seen her watching the pair of them, and the look on her face..." Andrea trailed off. Adele shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't noticed Katie looking at Harry that way. With all the focus on getting use to the hotel and trying to gain the trust of Matthew and Harry, she wondered if anyone had noticed.

"Maybe someone should warn Daryl that his lovely lady is a psycho. Andrea stood up. "I'll have a word."

"Check what they're doing as well. I've had to remove weapons from Harry twice since Daryl started looking after him." Andrea groaned.

"Great, so he's teaching him to be mini Daryl. Just what we all want." She walked over to the two as Adele laughed. She turned her body, so she took up the whole step and looked inside the French windows. From this vantage point, she could see the reception area, the stairs leading down to it and keep an eye on goings on in the open space outside the hotel. She frowned slightly. Andrea's words had worried her. Katie's behaviour, whilst amusing at first, was worrying her. She had all but given up on clinging to Daryl, choosing instead to watching him from a distance. And the look on her face when he talked to anyone-Georgie and apparently Harry in particular-was nothing short of murderous. She resolved to keep a closer eye on her, and talk one of the other group leaders about it.

Speaking of keeping an eye on someone, she wondered where Georgie was. Her friend seemed to have recovered slightly from whatever had ailed her in the clearing. Somehow, falling through the ice after Sophie had snapped her out of it. She still wasn't the same Georgie she remembered, the one who she had lived with for two years before they had returned to America, but then again, she supposed that could be attributed to having to live through a zombie apocalypse. Although she still hadn't spoken properly about what had transpired between her and the Governor, she didn't seem to feel the need to avoid it by being busy 24/7. She was calmer, and seemed to be sleeping better. Adele wondered if it had anything to do with Carol. Georgie was sleeping in her room, and Adele had noticed Carol's motherly way of looking after Georgie. Perhaps that was all that was needed.

As Adele sat, lost in her own thoughts, Georgie herself appeared from a corridor to the right. She was carrying a bag that seemed full, and she was looking around her secretively. Intrigued, Adele tapped on the glass. Georgie jumped, and then seeing Adele grinned widely and beckoned her towards her. Adele stood up, and walked into the reception area.

"What are you up to..."

"Shh!" Georgie put her finger to her lips, and opened her bag, which was full of mini bottles of alcohol-vodka, tequila, rum, whisky, some questionable looking blue stuff. Lou could even see some soda and cola bottles for mixers. She looked at Georgie.

"Ok. I know that you've been through a lot, but turning to alcohol isn't exactly helpful right now. You're stronger than the drink Georgie, I believe in you!" Adele grabbed Georgie's shoulders and shook her in a melodrama soap opera fashion.

"Shut up," Georgie laughed as she pushed her away. "I was looking for you. Me, T-Dog and Daryl felt we deserved a celebration after finding this place. And when Harry told Daryl about the mini bars, we went scouting for supplies. Hence..." she gestured to her bag. "I think T-Dog's bringing Miao. On a date."

"Aww sweet." Adele let go of Georgie's shoulders. "Sorry babes, but I don't think Ben would be down with me being your date."

"Ben will be down with anything I tell him to be." Georgie started to walk towards the stairs, gesturing to Adele to follow her. "Anyway, I was going to say, you and Ben should join us. There's beer and vodka and coke with your name on. Diet coke for Ben of course."

"Oi!" Adele punched her friend lightly in the back, enjoying the banter. "Who else will be at this celebration. Or is it highly exclusive?"

"Highly exclusive." Georgie started to climb the stairs. "Na, I wanted to invite Glenn and Maggie, but T-Dog said apparently putting Daryl, Glenn and alcohol in the same room is a bad idea. For Glenn anyway. And Maggie wouldn't come without Glenn. I thought about asking Katie..."

"Oh I bet Daryl loved that."

"So much. I think his words were: Invite that crazy skank an I promise you, I'll use her goddam mouth as a bottle opener jus' ta shut her up."

Adele laughed in delight as they reached the top of the stairs. "You sounded just like him! God, me and Andrea were just talking about her. She's so...Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction."

"I feel sorry for her." Georgie walked towards T-Dogs room. "I mean, yes she is obsessive and sad, but calling her a skank. I mean, he slept with her too. Is it just because she's the woman that she becomes the skank?"

"Sexual politics, really? That's your concern?" Adele leant on the wall as Georgie knocked on T-Dogs door. "I don't know if you've noticed, but the woman HATES you. You want to be careful that she doesn't try to...did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Georgie turned to Adele as T-Dog opened the door.

"Nothing." Adele was certain she had heard a door shutting on the floor, but if Georgie hadn't heard it, maybe she was imagining it. She followed Georgie into the room and gasped out loud.

"Sweet mother of..." The room was packed with mini bottles of alcohol. "Where the hell did you get all this alcohol Georgie?"

"There are four floors of rooms and mini bars," T-Dog pointed out. "And a store cupboard where they keep the bottles for stocking up said mini bars."

Adele burst out laughing. "How much were you planning on drinking? I don't think I can do this justice."

Georgie held up a vodka bottle and wiggled it in front of Adele's face putting on a squeaky voice.

"If you don't drink me Adele, I can never fulfil my destiny. And you and Ben will never have a proper relationship. It's not official until you've had awkward drunken sex." She put the bottle down and smiled. "I just want to do something normal, like we use to in England. And drinking is the only real option at the moment. You can't back out now, you're in for the win."

"Hey," Adele put an offended look on her face. "I said I didn't think I could do it justice, I didn't say I wasn't going to try"

Much later that night, Adele found herself sat in T-Dogs room, with Georgie, Daryl, Miao, Ben and T-Dog. T-Dog had found a pack of cards from somewhere, and was shuffling them Vegas Style, trying to convince the rest of the group to play poker. Adele had no intention of playing, mainly because Ben, who seemed to have gotten drunk scarily fast, kept trying to convince everyone to make it strip poker, but also because she was too drunk to focus on the numbers on the cards, and she would lose fast. She had a sneaking feeling that if Ben hadn't been trying to keep pace with Daryl, he would have handled his drink better. She wasn't sure if it was because they weren't eating as much as they usually did, or the fact she hadn't drunk so much at once for almost, if not over a year, but she swore that she had gotten drunk a lot quicker then she usually would have. The only person who seemed not to be close to wasted was in fact T-Dog. Both Miao and Georgie were giggly and in high spirits, and even Daryl seemed relaxed.

"Give it up Dawwwwg," Daryl drew out the last word. "No one wants to play any dumb card game. Now, git me another beer."

"I'm not your slave man." T-Dog flicked a card at Daryl, who unsuccessfully tried to bat it away. "And don't call me Dawwwwwwwwwg. It's not hip when you say it, just hick."

"Fine, git me another beer, please." T-Dog flicked three more cards at Daryl. Adele watched in amusement. She knew of course that Daryl and T-Dog had struck up an unlikely friendship, but she had never seen it played out like this. The two had joked and bantered all night, and although some of the comments had made Adele draw in her breath waiting for a fight to erupt, the mood had been easy.

"Hey, how come you're not drunk yet," Ben pointed at T-Dog accusingly. "You've drank as much as I have."

"More." Miao held up three bottles. "We started before you all arrived."

"So, so," Ben struggle to collect his words. He was defiantly slurring. "Why aren't you drunk?"

"Because he's a man." Miao threw her arms around T-Dog and looked up at him adoringly, albeit blearily. Adele nudged Georgie who giggled and leaned into her.

"Alcohol, mans aphrodisiac." Daryl overheard them and snorted.

"Woman's on heat fer him. Only a matter of time." Georgie whisper squealed.

"Daryl you have no poetry in your soul." She poked him in the chest hard on the words 'poetry' and 'soul'. Adele laughed. She was beginning to like Daryl. Well, drunk Daryl anyway. He was easier to get on with, and was generally more relaxed. Plus he, T-Dog and Georgie were hilariously funny together. When had this friendship developed? She almost felt a little jealous, like Georgie was being taken away from her. As if she could hear her thoughts, Georgie half fell, half dove into Adele's lap.

"I've missed being drunk together. All we need is some music and it's like old times again." Adele laughed and picked up another mini bottle of vodka. As she was deciding if she should bother with the formality of mixing it with a coke, or if she had gotten to the point of just downing it straight, there was a knock on the door.

Everyone froze. For a moment, there was silence, then another knock.

"What if it's walkers?" Ben spoke up from beside the couch, where he had curled up, in an attempt to stop the room spinning Adele supposed. "That's my man," she thought in amusement.

"Walkers don't knock ya dumbass." Daryl attempted to get to his feet, but simply fell back on his ass.

"What if they learned?" Adele and Georgie burst into a fit of giggles. Adele pushed her friend off her lap and staggered to the door.

"Yel-low? If you're a walker, knock once please, if not, knock twice." Georgie and Miao fell into fits of giggles. A pause from outside then one knock.

"Shit, it's a walker!" T-Dog went to stand up, but then another came quickly. By this stage, the girls were hysterically laughing. Adele had a pain in her side and was gasping for air. She opened the door, with her arms wide open.

"Welcome to the club! Oh..." Stood in front of her, was Matthew, looking small.

"I'm sorry. I can't sleep. Can I come in here with you guys?" Adele was slightly taken aback. She looked back at the others.

"Yeah sure, why not." She staggered aside to let the boy in. Hesitantly, he walked just enough into the room for Adele to shut the door behind him.

"He can stay on one condition," Daryl held up a finger. He had one eye closed, as if he was having problems focusing on it. "If he's sittin' with the big dawgs, he drinks like the big dawgs."

"I told you already to stop sayin' that." Daryl waved a hand at T-Dog, and held out a bottle to Matthew.

"He's not old enough, it's illegal," Miao protested weakly.

"So go tell the Sherriff." Daryl waved the bottle at Matthew. "Come on kid. Thirteen's a good time ta start drinkin'. S'when I started."

"Why am I not suprised." Adele sighed as Matthew took the bottle off Daryl and drank from it, coughing at first. As he sat down on the couch, he placed the bottle on the floor, only to be handed another one by Daryl. Georgie pushed herself off the floor and pointed her finger at Daryl.

"You. Are. The worst. Role Model. Ever."

Adele smiled and moved towards the group. As she moved, she remembered the door. She turned to close it, but it was already shut. She felt that feeling of unease again. The door was too heavy to have shut by itself. She studied it for a moment, and then Ben's voice pulled her back into the room.

"I think I'm going to be sick."