This is going to be a lot different than their original trip to the CDC. I had to change it up a lot to stick to this story so I hope none of you mind much. I was going to wait till morning to post this chapter but I figure Axelrocks, who is totally my fanfiction buddy, would really need this after that soul crushing episode. Here's to you friend! I hope you all enjoy! Read and review =) And sorry to anyone that wanted me to stick more to the original CDC visit. It's still readable I hope ;)

Chapter Eighteen

"I know you're in there!" Rick screamed. They had been trying to get in for a while now. He had sworn the camera had moved and now he was completely freaking out.

Daryl grabbed Carol by the shoulders and leaned in close to her face. He could see Walkers coming from down the street and knew a decision had to be made now. The doors weren't opening. Too much time had passed.

"Your call, woman. What do you want me to do?" He asked, his voice desperate even to his own ears.

Sophia was still pressed against his side and he heard her make a frightened sound.

Carol looked down at Sophia and back up to meet his eyes. She nodded and took his hand. "Let's go." She whispered.

He turned and led them back towards the truck. He had no idea where he was going to take them. He had never had more than himself to take care of all his life. But he would do it. He'd keep them alive and they would be fine. Somehow.

He swung his bow around and shot the closest Walker in the head. He didn't have time to pull the arrow out. He just wanted them to keep moving. They were halfway across the darkening lot when suddenly they heard a swishing sound and they turned. The doors were starting to open.

Daryl spun around and sure enough there was a brilliant shaft of light widening as the doors slid open. He slipped his head back through the bow strap, grabbed them each by the hand and sprinted towards the doors. The others were just stepping through when they reached them. They all stepped into the building.

"What do you people want?" A voice called from the shadows.

Daryl's hand tightened on hers and Sophia had a death grip on his waist. And he was scared. Not of these men and not of the unknown. He was scared that he wouldn't be able to protect them from all of this. He had never even considered protecting another person before all this. He was scared of failing.

"All we want are answers." Rick called.

After a long pause a tall man with blonde hair stepped out of the shadows, carrying an assault rifle.

Daryl swallowed and glanced down at Sophia. She glanced up at him at the same time. "We're fine." He muttered and she seemed to relax. He hoped he hadn't just lied to the girl.

"Have any of you been bitten?" Another man asked as he came around the corner. He pushed his glasses up on his nose and peered at them nervously. He wore a lab coat just like the bigger man with the gun.

"No. None of us." Rick answered.

The blonde man took a few steps closer. Daryl glanced around at the group. Glen had his arm around Amy's shoulders and Andrea had her hand. Dale stood behind the trio. Shane stood back from the group, looking unhappy about being there. Rick held Lori's hand and had one arm over Carl's shoulders. Daryl scowled when he realized that him, Carol and Sophia were standing in the exact same position as the cop and his family. For a second he tensed, suddenly feeling a little overwhelmed but he took a deep breath and willed himself to relax.

"As long as none of you have been bitten you can stay, but by this time tomorrow you'll all need to leave." The Blond man said after a long pause. "I'm Doctor Jenner and this is my assistant, Milton." He gestured to the man with the glasses and the nervous eyes.

"Sir, there isn't anywhere to go." Lori said softly. She gestured towards the group. "There isn't anything out there but those things. We haven't seen other people for weeks. We have no fuel and no where to go." Her voice cracked.

Jenner and Milton shared a look and then Milton nodded.

"Have you eaten?" Jenner asked.

"Not since this morning." Rick said. "But we have food that we can share." He said hastily.

"No need. We are going to have to ask that you all agree to a blood test." Jenner said.

"But we already said that none of us have been bitten." Andrea said with a frown.

Jenner and Milton shared another one of those looks and then looked back towards the group. "It's just for our own piece of mind. That's the deal."

Everyone looked at one another and then eventually they all nodded.

"You ain't scared of needles are ya?" Daryl asked Sophia.

She shook her head. "No."

He nodded and they all followed Jenner and Milton down a long corridor and then into an elevator.

"So, what's with the gun?" Rick asked as they all piled in.

Jenner looked down at the gun and then back at Rick. "I guess just a little more peace of mind."

Carol looked ill by the time they reached whatever floor Jenner took them too. She finally spoke up. "Are we underground?" She asked nervously.

"Yes we are." Milton said quietly.

"Son of a bitch." She breathed.

Daryl looked at her and almost grinned until he saw that her face was pretty pale. "What?" He whispered.

"I'm claustrophobic." She whispered back.

He squeezed her hand and she offered him a tight smile. "I'll get over it." She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "I hope."

They were taken to a room where Milton drew their blood. Needles were never something that had ever bothered Daryl before. Merle went through a faze where he liked to shoot up and so Daryl was used to needles being around. Thankfully Merle had kicked that habit after spending a year in prison. He didn't pick it up again once he got out.

"We'll get you all fed after we show you where you can sleep. You can all take hot showers as long as you keep them quick and there's a game room the kids can use." Jenner said after they were done with the blood samples.

They were taken through a maze of corridors until finally there was one with doors on each side of the hallway, reminiscent of a hotel. Milton pointed out where everything was and they promised to come back for them in a few hours.

The group stood in the hallway, looking at one another. And then one by one their faces broke out into huge grins. "Hot. Water.?" T-Dog mouthed and then darted down the hall and disappeared into one of the rooms, whooping loudly right before he slammed his door.

Everyone laughed and then found their own rooms. Except for Daryl, Sophia and Carol. They stood there, both adults looking anywhere but at each other. Daryl finally caught her eye and smiled. "I'll be right next door if you need me." He said almost sadly.

She gave him a sympathetic look and then glanced down at Sophia. "Okay."

Sophia put her hands on her hips and looked up at them in annoyance. "Haven't the two of you been sleeping together? Why are you trying to stay in separate rooms?"

Daryl felt his face turn so red that his ears actually burned. Carol looked just as mortified as he felt. And then she regained her composure.

"Where did you hear that?" Carol asked in a hushed voice.

"Carl heard Shane and his mom talking about it. Shane was saying when he went to find you that your tent hadn't been slept in and that meant that you were sleeping with Daryl. Then Lori said that she doubted the two of you got much sleep. And then I figured that the reason I slept in Carl's tent again was because you were sleeping with him. Or not sleeping, whatever. And then he slept with you in the..."

"Okay. I get it." Carol said quickly as she ushered the girl towards the door. She threw Daryl an exasperated look. "I'll see you later." She said and quickly pushed Sophia inside.

Daryl hurried to the room next to the one Carol and Sophia were in. He had his bag on him but he wasn't sure if he had anything clean to wear. He finally scrounged up something that wasn't too dirty and headed to the shower. He couldn't remember the last time he had had a real shower. Before everything that happened he had spent most of his life outdoors anyway. First to get away from his dad and then to avoid his brother. He liked to be by himself. He never felt comfortable around people. People in general sucked. At least most of the people he had ever known sucked. And he never felt like he fit in anywhere. Merle and his friends had been nothing but a bunch of idiots. Always looking for trouble. Daryl wasn't a big fan of trouble himself. And the people that weren't like Merle and his crowd were usually uppity judgmental assholes that thought they were better than everyone else.

He was starting to change his mind now though. Everyone in this group seemed to be okay with him. Well, with the exception of Shane, anyway. Merle had hated them all but Merle would. That was just Merle.

Carol couldn't be put in the same category as anyone he had ever met in his life. She was the first person that he found himself wanting to be around. The only person he'd ever found himself wanting period. He thought of all the times since they had been at camp that he had walked right by her without a word. It was a lot of time that had been wasted. He would have had Merle to deal with but it would have been worth it then just to be able to talk to her. But that was all water under the bridge now. No sense in brooding about it.

He didn't linger under the hot water even though he wanted too. It felt good but he was anxious about having Carol and Sophia in the other room. A lot could happen to a woman and a kid that were left alone. And he didn't know anything about these two guys. And one had one hell of a wicked gun.

He started getting dressed in a hurry.

~H~

Carol took a shower first so Sophia could take her time. When she opened her bag she grinned. There was that lotion that Andrea had made Glen pick up. She thought that Daryl may have actually mentioned it before she went to sleep in his tent but she was so tired she couldn't be sure. But just in case she put it on again and used the spray that matched. She loved Andrea right now.

She pulled out a shirt she had found in one of the houses. Something Ed never would have let her wear. It was red, which he didn't like her in red, and just a little more low cut than she was used too and the material was light and silky. Paired with a pair of faded jeans that would have caused Ed to roll over in his grave and she felt like a total rebel. She was smiling when she was about to drop the towel and try the clothes on but then she heard a tap at the door.

She wasn't sure who it could have been since she knew everyone was probably still showering or just enjoying their rooms. Right before she reached the door it opened and in stepped Daryl Dixon. While she was standing there in nothing but a towel.

"Oh!" He muttered and she watched his eyes rake over her body. He had already stepped into the room and the door sighed shut on it's own. "Shit." He closed his mouth but didn't look away from her.

"I thought you would still be in the shower. You didn't have to share." Was she really trying to make conversation while she was standing there in a very small towel?

He still didn't say anything. His eyes flicked towards the bed and then back to her. It looked as though he hadn't even bothered to dry off. His hair was still dripping.

"Do you need a towel?" She offered before she thought about what she was asking. She didn't mean her towel but his eyes widened. "I mean, you look wet and there's more..."

"Where's Sophia?" He asked suddenly.

She glanced towards the bathroom door with a sigh.

"I'm gonna go ahead and..."

She didn't let him finish. She wasn't going to let him go away that easy. She pulled his face towards hers and that was all the invitation he needed. She could still hear the shower, she could stop kissing him when the water turned off. But when she felt her feet lift off the floor she wasn't sure kissing was all that he was thinking about at the moment. He pressed her up against the door and she locked her legs around his waist. This was much more than kissing. Just like in the camper she felt her blood start to boil and she couldn't get close enough to him. Why did he keep doing this to her?

He pulled his mouth away from hers and then she felt his lips on her throat. She heard him inhale slowly. "Why the fuck do you gotta smell so good?"

Oh Andrea, I owe you big time, she thought. His lips found hers again and she kissed him like she was a starving person and his lips were the only sustenance that would keep her alive and he returned them hungrily. She didn't think she had ever wanted anything in her life as bad as she wanted him right now but then she heard the shower turn off and she pulled away.

"You have to put me down." Her voice was barely a whisper but he did as she said.

"I gotta stop doin' this to myself." he said as he pressed his forehead against hers. "You're killin' me."

She smiled and tried to catch her breath. "You had your chance."

He nodded he laughed. "Yeah, I did. And don't think I ain't kickin' my own ass right now."

"You have to go. I ain't even dressed yet."

"I noticed that." he said and then kissed her lightly.

"Later?" She whispered.

"Yeah. Fuck this morals bullshit. I don't care if the next place we end up is in a dumpster." He whispered and she laughed along with him.

"Go." She said, shoving him away.

He nodded and slipped silently out the door.

She dressed in a hurry and then sat down on the bed, hoping she didn't look at feverish as she felt.