Author's Note:

Hi there folks. Sorry this update took so long. I had a heck of a time getting this written for some reason. I know what I want to have happen in the next chapter, but this one was just a stumper. I'm still not entirely happy with it, but I couldn't keep you guys waiting any more. Hopefully you all will enjoy it! Thanks to all of you that are adding this to your lists, and reviewing. It means the world to me!

Guest: Thanks for all of your kind words! Your reviews always make my day, and make me strive even harder to keep you coming back. I hope you like this chapter, and I look forward to hearing from you when you get a chance. Thanks again!

- Disclaimer: I do not own the Walking Dead, or any of the recognizable characters. I do own my OC, and my original plot lines. I am not making any money on this story.

Chapter Nine – Shake it Out

Regrets collect like old friends, Here to relive your darkest moments, I can see no way, I can see no way, And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh, But I like to keep some things to myself, I like to keep my issues drawn, It's always darkest before the dawn
And I've been a fool and I've been blind, I can never leave the past behind, I can see no way, I can see no way, I'm always dragging that horse around

- Florence + the Machine

Rick was awakened by the sound of voices drifting through the wall into the room he had claimed as his own the night before. Hearing those distant voices briefly made him wonder if he was still in the prison, if everything that had occurred was just some horrible nightmare, but then he realized that Daryl and Emma must have returned with Beth. Or at least he hoped the voices belonged to those people. He quickly climbed out of the bed he had slept in, and pulled on his shirt. Having only slept in his jeans; something he hadn't done since before the prison fell.

He slipped his holster on as he exited the small room, just in case the people in the common room weren't the ones he was expecting. As he made his way down the hallway he met Carl as he was coming out of his own room. His son had obviously had the same idea as he had, the difference was that he was only wearing a t-shirt and his underpants, holding his gun up at the ready. Though Rick was tense, he couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips at his son's appearance. His too-long hair stood up at strange angles, and he had red impressions on his face left behind by wrinkles in the pillow. Carl almost didn't look like the world had come to an end. If it wasn't for the gun in his hand, Carl could have been any teenaged boy having been rudely awakened. Rick knew better than to have any hope for a permanent sanctuary in the tree house, but he was thankful for the respite none-the-less, for the momentary normality.

Together they silently made their way down the hallway to the closed door that led into the common room. When they reached the door, Rick looked down at Carl and saw the boy nod, showing that he was ready. He flung the door open and they both sprung through it, ready to deal with whatever was on the other side.

They both immediately lowered their weapons when they saw Daryl and Beth sitting at one of the tables. Emma was standing in front of the camp stove heating water, a box of oatmeal sitting on the counter next to her. She instantly spun around, her hand smoothly drawing her pistol as she turned. She kept it up for a beat after she saw who she was aiming at, but lowered the gun after a moment. Rick wasn't sure why she had kept the gun drawn, but he knew something was bothering her.

"I see you found your way here." Emma said softly, as she turned back to the boiling water and added the oats. Her tone didn't show any negative emotion, but he still sensed that something was wrong so he holstered his gun and strode over to her,

"Can I help?" he asked enthusiastically.

She shrugged, "It's not very complicated. Why don't you go have a seat?"

Rick smiled at her and nodded, though she wasn't looking at him, so he doubted she saw it. Then he walked over to the table and sat down next to Carl, across the table from Beth and Daryl. He reached over and took Beth's hand in his own. "I'm real happy ta see ya back with us, honey."

Beth smiled at him, "It's all thanks to Daryl." She nudged Daryl with her shoulder, and Rick saw him blush faintly at the contact.

"We actually all have Emma to thank for our reunion. None of us would be here today without here." Rick said it softly, but with strength. He didn't want anyone to forget how much they owed the mysterious woman. He still wasn't entirely sure what to make of her, but he knew she had helped them all more than he could've ever imagined a stranger would.

Then the woman in question walked over carrying two bowls of steaming oatmeal, which she placed in front of Carl and Beth. She returned a moment later with three bowls for Rick, Daryl and herself. They all gave her their thanks, and dug into the food.

After the first bite Carl's face broke into a wide grin. "Is there milk and sugar in this?" he asked, his voice thick with disbelief and excitement.

Emma smiled softly, and nodded. "Yeah, it's sweetened condensed milk. I just watered it down a bit, and stirred it in. I wasn't sure if it would be any good, but I thought I'd give it a try."

"It's great!" Carl exclaimed, and Rick smiled fondly at the boy. "I can't remember the last time I had something like this." Rick could only agree with his son's sentiment; though it was a little too sweet for his taste, it was still a rare treat.

There was a happy silence while everyone ate, but as soon as Daryl finished his food he spoke. "Where's Michonne?"

Rick jerked his head back toward the hallway. "She's prolly still sleepin'." I checked on her an hour or so before sunrise, and she was resting comfortably." Rick paused to take another bite, then continued, his focus on Emma now. "I don't know what you had Carl giving her, but it worked miracles. She was a real trooper yesterday."

Emma studied him for a moment, and the feeling that he didn't quite measure up settled in his stomach once again. Then she shrugged and smiled faintly, and the feeling dissipated almost immediately. "I just mixed up some herbs to go in her dressings, and told Carl the correct dosage of laudanum to keep her comfortable. I'm glad she's doin' well." Emma looked over her shoulder at the now open door, a small frown on her face. "I guess I should go check on 'er."

Rick smiled at her, "I'm sure she would appreciate that. She mentioned several times how much she liked you." Rick had thought it was a little odd that the usually reserved and stoic woman would take such an instant liking to the primitive healer, but now that he knew what Carl had been dosing her with it made a lot more sense. Anyone would like a woman that gave them drugs like that. He remembered the time Shane had talked him into drinking poppy tea with him just after they got out of high school. To this day he remembered how relaxed and euphoric he had felt when the opiate kicked in. Of course he could also remember how incredibly stupid he had felt when the drugs wore off and he realized how foolish he had acted.

He noticed that Emma hadn't moved and was frowning at him once more, confusion and a hint of anger in her features. "What do you mean by that?" she asked aggressively.

Rick was confused for a moment, and then realized she had assumed Michonne's comment was sarcastic. He grinned at her in a friendly way, "I meant that. She really did say that she liked ya. It's a little odd, since she doesn't seem to much like anybody at first, but I imagine the laudanum played a part in that."

After a minute Emma lost her frown, but she didn't smile as he had hoped she would. Then she rose to her feet, collecting the bowls before she crossed back to the counter. "I didn't plan on you guys setting up in the dorms while I was gone, so you'll need to show me what room she's in."

Rick could hear the discontent in her voice, and suddenly wondered if they had overstepped their bounds by going into the closed off part of the monstrous tree house, and if that was why she seemed a little off that morning. He quickly jumped to his feet and walked to her side. "I'm sorry if we went where we shouldn't have. I didn't mean any disrespect." She didn't look at him while he spoke so he gently gripped her arm and turned her his way. When she looked up at him he smiled sheepishly. "We'll move out of the rooms if it would make you more comfortable."

Her eyes dropped, and she bit at her lower lip for a moment before she answered. "Naw, you can stay in there. I just didn't expect it is all." She looked up at him, and he could see a hint of mischief in her eyes. "Ya'll need to use the showers though. You stink worse than the biters." At that she spun out of his grip, and headed down the hallway to find Michonne on her own.

Daryl sat on the wide ledge surrounding their new home. It was only about eight feet wide, but compared to the narrow walkway outside the window of her other camp, it was a grand porch. His feet were dangling off into the open air below, and he wished he could just take off his boots and let the cool air refresh his feet. He just wasn't that comfortable though, not that he was ever that comfortable. Hell, he hadn't even slept without his socks in the prison, and he had been as comfortable there as anywhere in his life.

He sat in the shade, the late afternoon sun blocked by the large building at his back. There was a mild breeze that felt nice on his damp skin, but he thought it might get unpleasant later. While there weren't any clouds in the sky, he had a feeling that there would be rain sometime in the night. He could only wonder how many leaks would turn up in the tree house if there was. It wasn't that he had seen any signs of water damage inside – he hadn't – but he just couldn't imagine a tree house that wouldn't have a leaky roof. Even if it was the size of a mansion.

It had been a quiet day for the group, and he was incredibly thankful for it. His body had needed the rest, and he honestly felt better than he had in a long time, even with the broken ribs that screamed at him every time he moved. He looked out over the forest beneath him for any sign of Squirrel; she had been missing since she came out from checking on Michonne that morning, and he was beginning to wonder where she had disappeared to. No one else seemed to be concerned about it, and he wanted to emulate their calm, but couldn't. The others were acting like this was their place; Carl, Beth and Michonne were playing a board game they had found on the bookshelves, and Rick was actually taking a nap. For some crazy reason it seemed like they felt even more comfortable there than they had in the prison, but Daryl just wasn't sure if that was the right way to go. Sure, he was comfortable there, but there was no telling what was ahead of them, or what Squirrel's intentions were.

She seemed pretty welcoming, and had helped them all, but he could sense that she wasn't really comfortable with them bein' there. Daryl figured that they would take a day or two to regroup, and heal up, but when he mentioned that to Rick, he had been corrected. Rick planned on spending the winter there, and the thought made Daryl pretty damn uncomfortable. It wasn't that this wasn't a real nice place, it was just that he couldn't be sure that their host would like Rick's plan.

Daryl was just about to go in, and try talking to Michonne about his concerns, when Squirrel stepped out of the trees. She had three rabbits tied to her belt, and the mystery of her location was solved. She'd obviously been out huntin' for food to feed them all, and that made him feel kinda like shit. He'd always been the one to do the huntin' for the group, and here he was sittin' 'round like an entitled houseguest. All the while thinkin' 'bout how she prolly didn't want them around.

He jumped to his feet, and quickly climbed down the swaying ladder. When he got to her he extended his hand and pointed at the rabbits, "Let me clean those for ya."

She frowned up at him, confusion and a little irritation on her dirt smudged face. "You should be inside resting."

He grunted and frowned back at her. "I spent the whole damn day restin' and eatin' all yer food. I even took that shower I said I would when we got back here. Now I'm ready ta get back ta work."

She tilted her head, and raised one of her eyebrows in a rather infuriatin' way. "Well good. Now get back ta restin'. I can clean a couple rabbits all by myself. I've been doin' it for years." Her tone was slightly teasing, and for some reason it made his hackles rise.

"Why can't ya just accept some help, girl?" He realized he was growlin' at 'er, and couldn't figure out why he was acting that way. It seemed like almost every time he was around her his testosterone jumped into high gear.

She smirked slightly, and shrugged at him, "Well then let's go clean these up." She walked over to a large block of wood near the ladder, and Daryl followed her. feeling completely out of his element. Hunting, killing and cleaning game were all things he had done all his life, and he was comfortable doing those things, but he had never done those things with a woman before. The closest he'd gotten to that was when he was teaching Beth to track and she got her foot caught in that trap. Other than that disaster he had always hunted alone, or with his brother, and until he was with the group he had cleaned and cooked his own kills. Once he got a little more comfortable with the group he had started handing his kills off to somebody else to take care of, but he hadn't helped them. He knew there was no reason to be nervous or uncomfortable about cleanin' a couple rabbits with Squirrel, but he was anyway.

Once they got settled, she handed him a rabbit, and he pulled his knife out and stated to work. After a moment or two he realized that working with her really wasn't any different than working by himself or with his brother, she was silent and just let him do what he needed. It had been silly for him to get worked up about something small like cleaning kills, no matter who he was doin' it with. Between the two of them it only took about ten minutes to skin and clean the rabbits, and he was wiping his knife clean on the rag from his back pocket when Squirrel spoke up. "Thanks for the help Daryl. It will be nice having another pair of hands around here. Especially ones that know the forest."

Daryl just nodded, feeling even more uncomfortable due to her praise. "We'll all pull our weight around here, for as long as you're willing to let us stay. It might take a little time for Michonne to get back up to snuff, but she's worth the wait." Daryl wanted her to know that they would all work for their place there, she just had to let them stay so they could prove it.

She smiled faintly, "That will be nice. Rick already asked if ya'll could stay through the winter, so I'm sure you'll have plenty of time to show me what good helpers you are."

Relief washed over him as she spoke. Of course Rick would have talked to her before proclaiming to the group that this would be their safe haven for the winter. He felt like grinnin' but just nodded instead. He was the master of keeping his emotions inside, and he wasn't 'bout to change that with some stranger. "We 'preciate ya takin' us in, an' helpin' us like ya have."

She smiled up at him shyly, and he felt his heart start hammering in his chest. He had Beth back, but he still was feelin' the pull this little woman had. It annoyed him immensely, but in a way it was slightly thrilling. Beth made him feel good; good about himself and the world, hopeful even, but Squirrel was somehow electric. He remembered the shock that had run up his arm when he grabbed her hand when they were fleeing those crazy people the night before, and for some insane reason he wanted to feel it again. He forced the thought aside, and grabbed the bloody rabbit skins off the stump, thrusting them at her.

"You the one that tanned all the hides 'round here?"

She nodded, a confused frown on her face, "Yes."

"Ya should teach Beth how ta do it. I think she'd like havin' some soft stuff around 'er, and I don' know how ta tan 'em myself."

She nodded, happily smiling, while she took the skins from his outstretched hand. "Sure, I'd be happy to teach anyone that wants to learn."

He turned away abruptly, and grabbed the meat they had prepared for cooking as he walked away to start a fire.

Emma sat in her large bedroom across from the upstairs showers. There were two bedrooms up there and she had immediately selected one as her own, wanting to keep some distance from the new people she was living with. She had spent the afternoon out in the woods, trying to get comfortable with the idea of living with people again. After what had happened with her last group, she knew it was going to take some doing, but she wanted to try.

They had enjoyed a hefty dinner of the rabbits she had caught, along spaghetti using the last pasta she had with a homemade sauce using canned tomatoes and herbs. Daryl had slow cooked the rabbits over an open flame down on the ground, and they had been delicious thanks to that. He'd had to fight for that flavor, since the fire attracted a few biters, but he had taken them down without trouble, and she was impressed by that. She felt it was fitting that they have a real meal that first night, and had been rewarded by uproarious joy from the group. Michonne had even helped her serve everyone, though she was moving very slowly, and was obviously in pain.

The dreadlocked woman seemed cautiously distant, but she also exuded a clam warmth that had made Emma feel more at ease. She had also noticed how kind and funny Michonne was with Carl, and Emma liked to watch their interactions. There hadn't been any children in her last group and she rather enjoyed having Carl around. She actually had to admit that she liked having all of them around, even if they made her a little nervous and uncomfortable.

Daryl was honestly the one that was making her the most uncomfortable at that point, mainly because her silly schoolgirl crush wasn't dissipating. It was obvious that he and the blonde girl had something going on, though she wasn't entirely sure that it was romantic in nature, at least not yet. However, she wasn't about to step on any toes and try to steal him away. She wasn't even sure she wanted him for herself anyway. She did know that she had no business making a play for him, and so it just made her feel bad that she was attracted to him in the first place.

She shook her thoughts away, and focused on running a brush through her tangled hair. She had given Michonne a dose of laudanum so she could sleep, and as far as she knew everyone else had already gone to bed. They had all been up when she had retired upstairs to shower, but that had been over an hour ago so she assumed they had made their ways to their own rooms by then. She finished brushing out her long hair, and swiftly braided the still wet strands.

She then reached over to the little table next to her bed and gabbed the book she had mindlessly pulled off the shelf earlier. When she looked at the cover she immediately wished she had actually been paying attention when she took it. It was the fourth book of the Harry Potter series, and while she liked the books, if she wanted to read them again she would have started with the first book.

She rose with a slightly annoyed sigh and headed out of her room. She would have to go back downstairs and find something else if she wanted to read before she went to sleep. She was surprised to see one of the solar lamps still on when she got to the bottom of the stairs, and was instantly annoyed that her new friends – could she really call them friends? – had gone to bed and left a light on, but then she saw a blonde head peaking up over one of the book shelves.

Beth rose to her feet and gave her a shy smile. "I guess we had the same idea." Beth lifted the book in her hand and indicated the one Emma was carrying.

Emma returned the shy smile, "Yeah, I like to read before bed. It helps take my mind off the world we live in."

Beth walked over to her and glanced down at the hardcover in her hand. Then she looked at her with a quizzical look on her face. "I didn't take you as a Harry Potter fan."

Emma laughed quietly, "Yes… well I didn't actually mean to grab this one earlier. I do like Harry Potter though. I just would have gone for the first one if I had been paying attention."

Beth's face fell slightly, and she glumly handed over the book in her hand. "I guess we really did have the same idea."

Emma looked down and saw that Beth was handing her The Sorcerer's Stone, and suddenly she felt laughter bubbling up in her stomach. She let out a heartfelt chuckle and shook her head. "Naw, you take it. I wasn't really in the mood for Hogwarts tonight anyway."

Beth smiled widely at her, and Emma felt a connection forming. She hadn't thought she would have much in common with the soft spoken young woman, and perhaps she was right, but she could tell that Beth had a good heart, and that was enough. "Thanks." Beth said softly. "My dad read these to me when I was little, and now that he's… gone, I just wanted to feel close to him again. Ya know what I mean?"

Emma did understand. When her mother and grandmother had been taken from her she would have done anything to feel like they were with her again. "Yeah, I sure do. When did you lose him?"

Beth sighed, and looked like she was nearly in tears. Emma immediately felt bad for asking, but it was too late to take it back, and Beth began talking. "Just a few weeks ago, when we lost the prison. The Gov'ner executed him in front of us, at the beginning of the attack. We lost a lot of people that day, but I hope more of us made it out of there." She paused and gave Emma a hopeful look. "Rick said that there's a place somewhere near here called Terminus, and he thinks they might be there."

Emma felt her face pale at the thought that people this girl cared could be at Terminus, but she didn't show it to her. It was obvious that she had been through enough already, and the last thing she needed was to be worrying about something that might not even be true. She mentally shook the negativity from her head and forced a smile. "I'm going to take Rick out to search tomorrow, hopefully we'll find something good."

Beth grinned radiantly, "I sure hope so. I really want to see everybody, but I especially miss my sister and little Judith." Beth's face got a thoughtful frown for a moment, but then she smiled softly again. "Rick said they found her car seat empty and bloody, but I still have hope that she got out with someone. Daryl calls 'er Lil' Asskicker, and it's fittin', she's a tough little baby."

Emma just nodded, suddenly unable to form words at the thought of a baby somewhere out in this world. She couldn't imagine her making it for very long if they were on the run, but she found that Beth's hope was contagious and she held onto that hope tightly. She would do everything in her power to find that baby, just so she had a chance at growing up. Finally she found her voice, "If she's out there we'll find her."

Beth smiled again softly, "Thank you." She paused and looked down at the floor for a moment, then she looked intensely into Emma's eyes. "I know I wasn't very grateful this morning, but I didn't understand everything you've done for all of us. I told Daryl a few days ago that I knew there were still good people out there, and you're the proof I needed. You are a very good person, Emma. Thank you so much."

Emma felt her heart stutter in her chest, and she almost felt weak in the knees. She hadn't received praise like that in years, and though it felt nice, it also made her feel bad. She wasn't that good of person, and eventually Beth would realize that. When they all found out about her last group, and that she had just let them leave… Well, then they wouldn't be thanking her anymore. Suddenly thunder crashed just a short distance off, and rain began pummeling on the house. It felt like God was agreeing with her in that moment, and Emma had never wished so hard that He didn't.

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