The cell was dark when Rachel woke, so there was no telling what time it was – not that it matted all that much. She sat up and listened for sounds of life. A murmur of voices came from below, so it wasn't terribly late. As Rachel stood and glanced up to find the top bunk empty, an unfamiliar female voice shouting for someone to open the door. Leaving the cell, Rachel peered over the side. Carl and Beth stood at the door while two new faces looked at them from the other room. The man pulled the woman away and the shouting stopped. Curious, Rachel went down to inquire.

"Who are they?" she asked, thinking that these new people might have come back with the others.

"Found them in the boiler room," Carl replied briskly. "Must've come in through the other side of the building somewhere."

"I thought this place was secure?" She looked between the two teens and then at Hershel, who was with Judith.

"There are plenty of places we haven't been yet," Carl told her. "We're still safe in this block."

Rachel stared at the young boy, hardened form the world he'd been forced to live in. She nodded, wanting to believe that the prison was still the safest place that they could be. It wouldn't do any good to think otherwise, not with the people that were left. "Will you let them stay?"

"For now," Hershel interjected. "We'll let Rick make a final decision when he gets back. They can stay in there tonight. I'll talk with them after I get Judith down – see what we arrange with them for now."

"I think they'll want to bury one of their people," Carl said.

"I'll put Judith down," Rachel offered. "You should go find out more about those people. Is anybody on watch?"

"Axel and Carol," Carl told her and then followed Hershel out into the other room to keep an eye on the newcomers.

"Fat lot of good it does if people can get in on the other side," Rachel muttered at Beth as they moved into the cell where Judith lay. She was wrapped tightly in a blanket, wedged between a couple pillows.

Rachel scooped up the little one and rocked her gently, trying to ease her own worries about the mission to Woodbury. Their safety was more of a concern than the discovery of four strangers in the prison. Beth seemed to share her concern because after a little while she spoke up.

"Do you think they'll get Maggie and Glenn back?"

"I think they will try their best," Rachel replied honestly, knowing it wasn't the answer that Beth wanted to hear. It was the only truth that Rachel felt certain about.

"Why do you think they took them?" she asked, learning against the wall.

This was something Rachel wondered as well, and she had come to a conclusion. "Honestly – probably because they're scared. Look how we're dealing with the people that Carl found. Glenn and Oscar weren't real welcoming at first when Sarah and I arrived. I don't know how y'all would have dealt with us if I Daryl wasn't my husband. It's so hard to know who's a threat and who isn't."

Beth nodded. "I think you're right, but it's awful."

"I know," Rachel agreed. "When life is on the line, people do stupid things."

Trust was a tricky issue. There had certainly been some unsavory characters on her journey, especially at the church they holed up in for most of the winter. Not everyone could keep a level head when survival was on the line; arguments escalated quickly. It was easy to feel threatened in this world where the rules of the former society no longer apply, but at the same time, should all survivors have the same agenda? If humanity is to win out over this epidemic, fear of the living will not get them very far. It comes down to trust, which has its limitations.

"I find prayer to be the only way to help a situation I have no control over. God will do the work," Rachel added with a reassuring grin. "We're all feeling the same way right now, Beth. We've all got someone important to us out there."

Beth nodded, thanked Rachel, and the left the cell. Left with the infant, whose eyelids were finally starting to droop, Rachel mulled over the conversation. It had been a good reminder that she was not the only person worried about a loved one.

At dawn, Rachel took an early watch with Axel. It was uneventful, aside from the constant commentary from the prison inmate. They were relieved after a few hours by Carol and Carl. Breakfast was served in the common room with the four newcomers: Tyreese, Sasha, Allen, and Ben. Rachel made light conversation with them, inquiring about their life and travels from the past year. They seemed like decent people that could contribute to life in the prison if given a chance. It wouldn't hurt to have some extra hands around here. After breakfast, Rachel rounded up all the clothes that needed to be washed. It was her mission for the day. She was bringing a basket down from the second level when a shout came from the front room.

"They're back!"

It sounded like Beth. Rachel followed Axel and Sarah outside to greet the rescue party. The car rolled to a stop just inside the gate. Following the car on foot was Rick with Carol and Carl at his side. Maggie got out of the driver's seat, Glenn from the passenger's, and Michonne from the back. Rachel's heart raced when there was no other movement around the car. Checking inside, she saw that it was empty. Daryl was not with them. She took a few steps backward as the others hurried forward to greet those that had returned. There were no words to describe the feeling that settled in the pit of Rachel's stomach, watching them all exchange hugs. Heartbreak was the closest word. She stood there, shocked to the point of nausea.

Rick finally made his way to the group. He stopped briefly to accept a greeting from Beth, but then pushed forward until he stood in front of Rachel. He looked exhausted and slightly deranged, but she had not known him to look any other way. He looked at the ground and then shook his head, searching for the right words to say. Every pair of eyes was on the two of them, waiting to hear the news.

Rachel wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks, suppressed the urge to vomit, and asked in a strained voice, "Is he dead?"

"No," Rick said, resting a heavy hand on her should and looking her square in the eye for the first time. "No, Daryl's not dead."

Closing her eyes, Rachel had to really concentrate on not throwing up all over Rick in relief. When she opened her eyes, the confusion she felt must have been apparent in her expression because Rick continued,

"We found Merle in Woodbury."

That was the last thing she expected to hear from Rick. The shock wore off quickly, but was replaced by anger. Of course Merle would turn up now, only days after she did, and pull Daryl away. "Where are they?"

"Can't say for sure – we parted ways a few miles away from the town," Rick explained. "We all tried to convince Daryl to come back with us, but he wouldn't leave Merle."

"But he'll leave his wife," Rachel muttered, looking away from all the eyes; the words escaped her lips before her mind could stop them. She hated herself for speaking those words out loud to a man she hardly knew. They others must have heard as well.

"I couldn't let Merle come back with us. I'm sorry," he replied, shaking his head firmly. "You're welcome to stay here, you and the girl, until Daryl comes for you. He said he would once they settled somewhere."

Rachel nodded, afraid of what else might tumble out if she opened her mouth to speak. Rick looked like he wanted to say more but then thought better of it. He gave her a finalizing nod and turned to talk with Hershel. She could not move, numbed by the realization that she had been left behind yet again – this time by choice.

No part of her blamed Rick for keeping Merle away from the prison. The dynamics within the groups seemed a little shaky, and to add the likes of Merle into the mix could turn this place upside down. Rachel knew from experience that he was not an easy man to deal with regularly, but he was family. It was understandable that in a time like this when families were being ripped apart Daryl would want to uphold those loyalties, but understanding did not help to alleviate the anguish she felt.

She turned away from the others and walked back into the cell block. Questions came at her from Tyreese and the others, but Rachel crossed the room without a word. She did not have any answers for them. Entering the cell, she picked up her backpack and began to toss items inside. Daryl and Merle didn't have much of a head start, and if Rick could give her some direction, maybe she could find them herself. The world beyond the prison did not scare her; she had survived it before finding the prison. She could do it again.

Rachel was rolling up her blanket when a shadow fell across the doorway, blocking what little light she had. Looking up, she found Maggie standing in the frame.

"What're you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Rachel replied, eyeballing her backpack.

"You can't leave," Maggie insisted firmly.

"And why not?"

"You're the reason he'll come back." There was desperation in her voice. "We will need Daryl here."

Rachel stared at the young woman and blinked a few times. It felt like she missed something important, because the girl was obviously distressed. Taking a deep breath and pushing aside her pack, Rachel invited her to sit down. Maggie accepted without hesitation. "Tell me what happened in Woodbury."

Maggie launched into the story with Merle finding them at the shopping center and taking them to Woodbury. She glossed over some of the interrogation, but included in detail how Glenn received his injuries. Rachel bit down on her cheek to keep her emotions in check as she listened.

"Oscar was shot. Glenn and I went over the wall – Rick right behind us. We expected Daryl to meet us after a few minutes, but he never did. Rick wouldn't leave Daryl behind, but Glenn and Michonne were in no shape to go back in. He'd been taken by the time we got back inside the walls. Rick and I followed the sound of a shouting crowd. It looked like most of the town was gathered. Daryl and Merle were at the center, swinging at each other. Walkers were even brought out and held close to where they fought. Rick and I opened fire on the crowd. Daryl and Merle escaped in the chaos."

It was a lot to process. So far Woodbury lived up to the way Michonne spoke about it. The Governor sounded like a complete madman. After the beating Merle gave Glenn, Rachel was not fool enough to believe that they left Maggie untouched. Something had happened to her in Woodbury, Rachel was certain of it, but since Maggie had overlook those particular detailed, it was clear she was not ready to talk about it. There was no need to push the issue after such an ordeal.

"The Governor wanted to know about the prison," Maggie continued, her eyes brimming with tears. "Everything they did – I just couldn't hold out. I told him everything. He's going to come after us. I just know it."

Rachel wrapped an arm around the young woman's shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "It's not your fault."

Maggie wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry about Daryl. We all tried to talk him out of leaving."

"Thank you," Rachel replied just as Sarah appeared in the doorway. The girl looked at them, sitting on the stripped bed, and then to the open backpack on the floor.

"You're leaving?"

Rachel sighed. It had been reckless to think that she could find Daryl and Merle out there. It was more likely that she would get lost, or killed, trying to find them, which would defeat the purpose. The Dixon brothers were more than capable of surviving on their own. It was difficult, but Rachel knew that staying in the prison was the best chance she had at seeing Daryl again. He would come for her. She would wait.