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Jillian ran as fast as she could all the way back to camp. She ignored the brushes that scrapped against her face and arms. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she was sobbing. The heat and her tears were making it hard for her breath but she pushed herself forward. Daryl never gave up on Sophia and she wouldn't give up on him.

She broke through the trees and onto Hershel's land. She heard Andrea call out but she kept running. Through her tears she saw Rick and Shane running towards her. Carol stood up and started running too and it didn't take long before the entire camp started towards her. Her legs gave out suddenly and she collapsed in the field on her hands and knees.

Rick and Shane reached her first. They both went down on their knees on either side of her. Shane was looking from her to the woods then back at her again while asking her where Daryl was. Rick put his arm around her shoulders as she struggled to take in deep breaths in between her sobs. He kept asking her if she was alright. Carol was yelling for her as she ran to her daughter.

" Merle! Merle took him!" Jillian yelled out. " He took Daryl!"

" What do you mean Merle took him?" Shane asked

" He found us. He had a gun and he said Daryl had to go with him or he'd kill everyone in camp." She cried. Carol fell to her knees in front of Jillian and grabbed her. " We have to go get him, Mama!" She cried.

" Okay, let's get you up and get you something to drink." Rick said as he rubbed her back. Shane went to the other members and told them what Jillian said.

She let Rick and Carol help her up. Carol and Jillian wrapped their arms around each other as they walked towards the center of the camp. Jillian's head was buried in her mother's chest. She was crying as Carol tried to sooth her. Rick kept his hand on her lower back as he caught Shane's eyes. Shane shook his head then ran his hand over his shaved head before he walked away.

Rick and Carol got Jillian some water than settled her into a chair. Rick crouched down in front of Jillian's knees. He put his hands on her knees while she took a few drinks and a few deep breaths. Shane was standing behind Rick with his arms crossed over his chest. His left hand was rubbing his chin while he waited for her to talk. It didn't matter what she said though, Shane's mind was made up.

" Merle found Daryl and I. He put a gun to Daryl and told him that either I was going or Daryl was going. We tried to tell him no one was going but he said he'd come back and kill everyone in camp." Jillian said.

" How did Merle sneak up on you two? Daryl knows the woods better than anyone. He pay attention to every sound." Rick asked, his cop mode fully in place.

" We were distracted." Jillian said softly. She dropped her eyes as her cheeks flushed.

" Oh that's just great. You two are supposed to be out hunting for the group but instead you took the time for afternoon delight." Shane snapped. Carol was rubbing her daughter's back while glaring at Shane.

" That's enough, Shane." Rick said without looking away from Jillian.

" No, it's not! Those two had a job to do but instead they decided to fuck and who is going to have to ride in and clean up their mess. Us." Shane snapped.

" That isn't helping." Rick warned.

" Un-fucking-believable." Shane said. Rick closed his eyes as he shook his head.

" Do you have any idea where Merle might be taking Daryl?" Rick asked.

" Daryl said he was going to try and convince Merle to go back to the farmhouse we found Sophia at." Jillian said.

" That's a start." Rick said. " That's something to go on then." Shane came forward and tapped on Rick's shoulder.

" Can I talk to you for a minute?" He asked. Rick glanced up at him. Shane nudged his head to the side so Rick looked back at Jillian. He squeezed her knees then stood up and walked with his friend. " Please tell me you aren't thinking of going after him. We don't even know where this farm house is."

" Jillian does. She has been there before." Rick said. They were talking quietly together.

" And that was how long ago? Come on, man. Don't do this. Don't send us on another mission. I say we cut our loses. I'll hunt for the group. It's not that hard to catch a squirrel." Shane said.

" We are not having this talk right now." Rick said as he started to walk away. Shane reached out and grabbed his arm.

" We are having this talk. Look, we are going to lose people. That's a fact of life. Now we can either protect who we got left or going running into the woods with the walkers." Shane said.

" And just what are you going to tell Jillian, huh? How do you think she is going to handle that?" Rick snapped. Shane looked at her and noticed she was staring at him. Shane shook his head and looked back at Rick.

" She has to understand we can't just go after her boyfriend. No one told them to start fuckin." Shane said.

" I'm not asking you to go anywhere, Shane. But I'm going with her." Rick said before he walked away. He walked back to Jillian. Carol was standing behind her, rubbing her shoulders while Lori was giving her more water. He crouched down again and placed his hands on her knees. " Do you think you can find your way back to that farmhouse?" Jillian nodded as she wiped her cheeks. " We are only three hours from sunset. We don't want to be caught in the woods at dark so at first light, we will set out for him. I promise."

" We need to go now." Jillian said quickly.

" I understand your need, Jillian. But it will be dark soon, we won't be able to see anything at dark." Rick said gently. She leaned forward and placed her hands on his.

" I know Shane doesn't want to go after him. I can read lips. The longer we wait the more Shane is going to talk everyone out of looking for Daryl." Jillian said. Rick interlinked their fingers.

" You have my word, Jillian. First light." Rick promised. " Why don't you go and rest up? You mom will get you something to eat but you need to rest. You have been running for a while and we have a big day tomorrow. I need to make plans and get things ready." Jillian nodded as Carol took her hand.

" Come on, Honey." Carol said. Jillian let her pull her up and towards Daryl's tent.

XXXXXXX

Jillian quietly packed her book bag later that night. She wasn't going to wait until morning. She was going to find Daryl herself. She waited until everyone was sleeping then snuck out of their tent. She crept herself low and moved slowly as to not draw Dale's attention from the top of the RV. She wasn't going to turn on her flash light as soon as she was deep enough into the woods that no one would see her. She had wrote them a note, leaving it on Daryl's cot.

What Jillian didn't know was her younger sister was creeping behind her. Daryl had searched for her, she was going to help Jillian look for him. Sophia was tiny so she could move quickly and quietly. Her sister was moving slowly so it was easy for Sophia to keep her in her sights. Jillian was so focused on her task that she wasn't paying attention and Sophia wasn't going to let herself be known until they were too far gone for Jillian to send her back.