Charlie

I ran my hand over my stomach, feeling the tiny, swollen bump that was now just barely noticeable underneath the loose flannel shirt I wore to hide it. I was still having a hard time grasping the fact that there was an actual, real human life slowly growing inside me. A tiny, small life…probably the size of a jelly bean. It was almost funny how something so small could mean something so huge. So life changing.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly through pursed lips. It would only be another couple of months before it'd be impossible to hide. Sooner or later, the tiny bump underneath my shirt would swell to the size of a beach ball. I could remember Lori, waddling around the prison with one hand on her lower back and the other constantly rubbing her stomach in a loving, almost protective manner. I was always curious about the bond a mother had with an unborn child. I was quickly learning, though. Maybe it was just the size of a jelly bean, but it was my jelly bean. Mine and Daryl's.

I tied my hair back into a low pony tail as I sat on the end of the mattress. The bed had already been empty when I'd woken up, but it had still felt warm from when Daryl had been lying next to me. He was an early riser, like always. I found myself gradually sleeping in later and later, like my body knew my days of sleeping well were numbered.

"Hey, you eat breakfast yet?"

I jumped up, tugging down the hem of my shirt, even though I knew Gabe wouldn't even come close to being able to guess what I was trying so desperately to hide. "Jesus, Gabe! You scared the shit out of me!" I huffed. I grabbed my hunting blade off the desk pushed up against the wall and slid it into the sheath on my hip. I brushed past him out into the corridor and out of the dimly lit cell.

"Good morning to you too…" He grumbled. "Who pissed in your cheerios?"

I let out a sigh and slowed to let him catch up with me. My gaze softened as I looked over at him. "Sorry…I didn't mean to snap. Guess I haven't been sleeping that well or something." I lied. I couldn't tell him the truth. I couldn't just say that it was the hormones behind my constant fluctuation in mood, that I was still trying to wrap my head around the idea that in just a few months, I was going to be a mother. As if that wasn't enough, there was still the fact that we were all living in the midst of the zombie apocalypse.

My little brother gave me a small smile. "Is that why I could hear you snoring from all the way down the hall last night?" He teased.

I rolled my eyes and elbowed him playfully. "Shut up. That was probably Daryl."

"Charlie, my bedroom was right next to yours for like ten years. I know what your snoring sounds like." I watched as his smile slowly grew into a wide grin.

I snorted. "Well, I don't snore. So you must just have a horrible memory." I shot back, but couldn't fight the smile that was beginning to tug at the corners of my own lips.

Gabe raised his dark eyebrows, but kept his mouth shut as I pushed open the cellblock door and we stepped out into the brightness of the yellow morning sun. I shielded my eyes as I looked out over the prison yard. I could see Carl and Rick working in the garden, while Tyreese, Karen, and a few others stood out by the fences, taking out the walkers that had pressed themselves up against the chain link metal. It had been almost three months since we brought the people of Woodbury to the prison and it still felt like I might never get used to seeing so much activity in one place. So much life and…normalcy. It was about as close to a normal life as any of us had had since the beginning of the end of the world, which now felt like a lifetime ago.

Gabe inhaled deeply and smiled again. "Smells good out here. Daryl must've caught something this morning." He led the way around the side of the prison, to a small closed off area where we had set up a makeshift mess hall, complete with a place to cook outdoors. I watched Gabe out of the corner of my eye. It made me swell with gratefulness to see him so happy and at ease. For a while, I had wondered if I'd ever see him smile so easily again.

My stomach suddenly let out a loud grumble and I perked an eyebrow, rubbing my hand of the small bump there. "That makes two of us." I said under my breath. I followed after Gabe and as I got closer, I could see Daryl and Carol both behind the grill. Daryl's hair was even long than before, curling over the collar of his shirt and constantly falling into his eyes. He refused to let cut it, though, claiming that experienced warned him against ever letting me come near his hair with a pair of scissors. Even when I argued that it had only been one time, over almost two decades ago.

He must have felt my gaze on him because his eyes suddenly flickered towards me. I watched as one corner of his mouth perked just slightly in a lazy smile that always made my pulse jump and my stomach jolt no matter how many times I saw it. I felt myself automatically smiling back as I made my over towards him. The food line was dwindling, and just as I got closer, I recognized a kid from Woodbury extending his hand to Daryl. He had round glasses and untidy black hair. Patrick, I thought his name was. Although he could've been a dead ringer for Harry Potter.

"Thank you, Mr. Dixon." He said, hand still outstretched.

I fought the smirk that was tugging at my lips, watching as Daryl eyed him with a look that was part amusement and part annoyance. Finally he quickly popped each of his fingers un this mouth, licking them clean before grasping Patrick's hand tightly. Patrick's eyes grew big behind his glasses, his nose wrinkling. I waited for him to try and snatch his hand away, but he held his ground, swallowing hard. Intimidation was clearly winning out. Most of the Woodbury people felt this way about Daryl and were careful to steer clear go him, which I already told him I found hilarious. There were many words that came to mind when I thought about Daryl, but intimidation wasn't one of them. I attributed this to the fact that not only had I known the blue-eyed hunter for my entire life, but that I was also insanely in love with him.

When Patrick scampered off, I turned to Daryl and crossed my arms over my chest. "I think you scarred the kid for life."

He smirked at me. "Good." He grunted. "Maybe he'll leave me alone from now on." Before I had a chance to say anything else, he was grabbing my hand and tugging me towards him. I felt his lips brush against the top of my head and I closed my eyes, rubbing my face into his shirt and breathing in his scent. Ever since we had finally come out about our relationship, Daryl had slowly been showing me a little bit more affection outside the privacy of our cell. I still wasn't used to it and it always pleasantly surprised me.

"Morning to you, too." I mumbled into the fabric of his shirt.

"You okay, baby girl?" I felt his lips moving against my hair and I pulled away to look up him, my eyes sweeping over his rugged face.

"I'm good." I assured him. I didn't miss his eyes suddenly flickering down to my tummy and back to my face again. "We're both good." I added in a hushed whisper.

"Here, Charlie." Carol's voice suddenly came from behind me and I turned to see her holding a place filled with food out towards me. She gave me a small smile. Besides Daryl, Carol was the only other person that knew about my secret. I had been nothing but grateful and relieved about that. I didn't know the first thing about pregnancies or babies, but any time I felt myself slipping, like I wouldn't be able to do it anymore, Carol was there.

"Thanks, Carol." I took the plate and the smell of cooked venison hit me. My stomach suddenly gurgled in a way completely different than the way it had just a few minutes before. I clapped a hand over my mouth, thrusted the plate at Daryl, and took off towards the back corner of the prison where I knew I wouldn't be seen. I felt my stomach clench tightly before I was bracing myself against the concrete side of the building with the palm of my hand, doubled over while my stomach contents reappeared on the pavement at my feet. I groaned, wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve.

reappeared on the pavement at my feet. I groaned, wiping my mouth with the back of my sleeve. I'd been doing so good…five days without getting sick. Until now.

I heard footsteps and glanced over my should to see Daryl there, eyebrows furrowed in concern and his jaw set tightly. I sighed and turned away from him. "I'm fine." I muttered, leaning my full weight against the building and rubbing a hand over my stomach.

"Ya' don't look fine." He said quietly.

I glanced towards him again, eyebrows raised. "We've been through this, Daryl. It's just morning sickness and , eventually, it won't happen anymore." I reminded gently. The stern, piercing blueness of his eyes continued to bore into me. I sighed, taking a step and closing the space between us before reaching for one of his hands. I held it in-between both of mine, running my fingers over the rough callouses on his palm. "I'm fine." I repeated, more firmly this time as I held his gaze. "Trust me."

His face relaxed just slightly as he reached his free hand towards me, cupping my face. I felt his thumb brush over my cheek before he was tucking a strand of hair behind one of my ears. "It ain't about trust, Charlie…I'm gonna worry about ya' no matter what." He admitted in his low, gruff voice.

"I wish you wouldn't." I sighed heavily, leaning towards him and resting my head against the front of his shoulders. I felt his arm wrap around my shoulders, holding my close to him as his fingers slid through the loose hair of my ponytail.

"It's my job to worry about ya'." I heard him say. I pulled away to argue, but I suddenly caught sight of Carol hovering a few feet away.

She came closer when I caught her eye and handed me a plastic cup filled with water. "Drink." She said in her calm, gentle way.

"Thanks." I replied softly. She nodded and gave me one last kind smile before disappearing around the corner. I watched her go, thinking that this was why no one else needed to know. At least not at this point. I already had Daryl and Carol both watching me with hawk eyes, which I was extremely grateful for, but I didn't ned everyone else taking the extra time out of their lives to look after me when I was perfectly capable of handling myself. I took a long sip and swished the water around in my mouth before spitting it out on the dark pavement. I did this twice more, until the cup was empty and the bitter taste in my mouth had dulled.

I could still feel Daryl's gaze on me and glanced towards him, meeting his eyes. "Sure you're alright?" He asked.

I nodded. "I'm good. Worry about me when I'm too big to tie my own shoes, okay?" I said with a small smile, making an attempt to lighten up the worried expression that clouded his face. His mouth twitched just slightly and I took it as a small victory. I reached out and grabbed his hand in mine once again, lifting it to my mouth and brushing my lips over the tan skinned. "I love you, Dixon." I whispered.

I cloudiness vanished from his face completely. "Love you, too." He said gruffly, tugging me closer and pressing his lips to my temple. I melted into him for a second, allowing myself to get lose in his tight embrace, his arms wrapped around me tight.

I let out a breath after a moment, reluctantly pulling away and looking up at him. "I'm gonna go brush my teeth. I still feel a little gross." I said, making a face.

"Good idea, 'cause I ain't kissin' ya' on the mouth until ya' do." He smirked, and I rolled my eyes and knocked into his shoulder playfully as I brushed past.

"Maybe I didn't wanna kiss you anyways." I shot back over my shoulder. I heard him let out a rare, low chuckle and I could help but grin.

I finished brushing my teeth, cleaning the last of the bitter, metallic taste from my mouth. I glanced up at my reflection in the dirty mirror. People always said pregnant women glowed. I could remember strangers telling my mom this all the time when she was pregnant with Gabe. I didn't think I could see that in my own features, though. Not yet anyways. I sighed and tore my eyes away from my reflection, leaning over the sink to splash cold water over my face. The nauseous feeling had already passed and I felt normal again. I thought I even felt a little hungry.

"Make up your mind, baby." I muttered under my breath, brushing my fingers over my stomach.

I tugged the elastic from my hair, running my fingers through the tangles, before pulling it back again into a ponytail. The prison was quiet as left the bathroom, dropping my toothbrush off in my cell before heading back outside. The first thing I noticed was the small group of people that had gathered around the parked SUV that had been pulled up close to the gate. Tyreese had the hatchback open and was loading up the trunk with what looked like empty duffel bags. I searched the rest of the group and my eyes found Daryl right away, recognizing his broad shoulders and shaggy hair. I headed towards him, crossing the distance quickly.

"What's going on?" I asked, looking over at Tyreese as I sidled up next to Daryl.

"Goin' on a run." He grunted as he slammed the SUV's hatchback shut. "Runnin' low on supplies. You want in?"

"Yes." I said, simultaneously as Daryl spat out a 'no' in his gruff voice. I turned my eyes on him, folding my arms over my chest. "Yes, I do." I repeated.

Daryl's gaze hardened, but I continued to stare at him, challenging him to tell me no again. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Tyreese still standing there. He was eyeing us with an expression that mirrored part curiosity and part amusement. Daryl was suddenly grabbing my hand and tugging me a few paces away, where we were out of earshot. He turned to face me, chewing agitatedly on his lower lip as he stared at me in his quiet, intense way that always made me feel like my skin was on fire. I could tell he wanted to argue with me about it, but it was a fight we'd already had too many times. I was barely three months pregnant and still very much a capable, functioning human being.

Finally, he licked his lips and opened his mouth. "You were just pukin' your guts out ten minutes ago, or did you already forget that?"

I let out a sigh. "I'm fine now, though. Good as new." I gave him a smile he didn't return. I felt my own smile slip from my face. "Daryl, we've talked about this. I've stayed behind plenty of times. Let me go this time. While I still can. Please." I said softly.

He ran a hand through his shaggy hair, eyeing me closely for a long moment. Finally, he broke the silence. "You promise me that when it's time, you'll stay behind. Every time. That's the only damn way I won't give you shit about comin' along today." He said quietly.

I felt relief wash through me. "I promise." I said without hesitation.

He nodded and I took a step, closing the space between us. I wrapped my arms around his middle as his hands trailed up my arms to my face, where he gently tilted my head to look up at him. "And you keep your ass close, don't go outta my sight. Or I swear-"

I leaned forward and swiftly pressed my lips to his, cutting him off. I felt his hands trail down my shoulder blades until they were resting on the small of my back and pressing me closer to him. "You worry too much, Dixon." I said when I finally pulled away. My lips quirked in a small, teasing smile.

He gave me a crooked smile, brushing my bangs out of my eyes. "Like I said, it's my job."

"A week ago this place was crawlin' with walkers." Daryl said, gravel crunching underneath our boots as we walked along the fence. "Pressin' up against the fence like a bunch of god damn guard dogs."

"Where'd they all go?" Bob asked curiously. The parking lot in front of the store was quiet. Dark green, canvas tents billowed gently in the breeze, the only sign of movement. A ghost town.

It was still hard to wrap my mind around it, that just a few months ago, this place had probably been a safe haven for people trying to survive. It was even harder to think back further and imagine this place as what it had been meant to be…a grocery store packed full of people buying groceries, living their norma, ordinary lives where being eaten by dead people was a thought that even exist in the realm of likely probabilities.

"Hear that?" Sasha asked, an amused smile on her lips. Everyone stopped and sure enough, the dulled, thumping sound of music could be heard in the distance. She turned to me, her grin growing. "Charlie's idea. Hook up a boom box and draw 'em out. Looks like it worked."

"Hooked it up to two car batteries." Glenn added, adjusting the brim of his tattered baseball cap.

Bob raised his eyebrows, looking at me with an expression that was either impressed, surprised, or maybe a combination of both. "I'm smarter than I look." I said, one side of my mouth tugging upwards in a smirk.

I heard Gabe let out a snort from in front of me and I nudged him with the tip of my baseball bat. He looked over his shoulder at me, wearing an amused smirk of his own. "What?" He asked with mock innocence. I stuck at my tongue at him and he laughed.

We started moving again and finally reached the human sized gap in the fence we'd cut out a few days earlier, before setting up the boom box. It was now gaping wide open, dried blood and scraps of fabric clinging to the cut metal where walkers had pushed up against it. It looked like a whole bunch of them had pushed their way through in a hurry to follow the music.

"Alright, let's make this quick. We'll do a sweep, grab what we can, and come back tomorrow with more people." Daryl said, switching seamlessly into his position as leader of the group. Something I never would have expected him to willingly fall into before the end of the world, but made me feel an unexpected swell of pride. His eyes found me, and I gave him a nod, letting him know I was still good. He turned back around and led the way through the gap, the rest of us following close behind. I tightened my grip on my bat, eyes shifting constantly, on the lookout for any signs of movement. There weren't any walkers, though. Just bodies. I glanced into the tents as we passed by, eyeing the beds that were still made up with white blankets and pillows, the desks that still had canteens and open maps lying on top of them. It was clear that whoever had been here before had left in a hurry.

The store windows were dark and quiet, which meant there was no telling what the hell was lurking behind the thick panes of glass. Daryl must've been thinking along these same lines because he dropped down onto the ledge and tapped his elbow hard against the window three times. "Give it a second." He said, when he caught Zach looking at him curiously. I dropped down next to him, resting my bat across my lips. I stretched my legs out in front of him, trying to ignore the humid heat that was making my shirt stick to my back.

The silence didn't last a full thirty seconds before Zach was breaking it. "Alright, I think I got it." He suddenly said, leaning against the wall.

I rolled my eyes. "Here we go." I said under my breath. I couldn't fight the amused smile that was tugging at my lips, though.

"What?" Michonne asked with mild curiosity, looking between the three of us.

"Oh, I've been tryin' to guess what Daryl did before the turn." Zach answered, taking a seat on Daryl's other side. I watched as Michonne's lips twitched, fighting back a smile. She sauntered towards us, taking Zach's place leaning up against the wall with her arms cross over her chest. I met her eyes and shook my head.

"You've been tryin' to guess for like six weeks." Daryl huffed.

"I'm pacing myself!" Zach said defensively. "One shot a day."

"Why don't you just ask Charlie? Bet she knows…the two of 'em have only been hangin' around together their entire lives and all." Michonne spoke up, perking a single, dark eyebrow.

Zach scowled in my direction. "Yeah, she's not budgin' either. Daryl's got her wrapped pretty tight around his finger."

"Hey!" I exclaimed, reaching across Daryl to slug Zach in the shoulder. He tried to jerk out of the way, but wasn't quick enough. "Not even a little bit true."

Zach was rubbing his shoulder, looking hurt. I rolled my eyes again. "Oh stop, I didn't even hit you that hard." I protested.

He rolled his shoulders backwards, pretending to shake it off. "If I didn't already know you were a teacher, I'd guess you were some sort of underground cage fighter before the turn."

A laugh escaped me, despite my best efforts to keep it in.

"Are ya' gonna keep wastin' time pissin' Charlie off, or are ya' gonna make a guess?" Daryl jumped in, looking over at Zach expectantly.

"Alright, alright." He sighed, putting his serious face back on.

I settled back, waiting to here what ridiculous guess he'd make today. This had quickly become a regular thing over the past couple of weeks. For whatever reason, the kid was set on figuring Daryl's past life out. I liked to be around for these conversations, if I could. Zach had a habit of making the most absurd, unrealistic guesses possible. Yesterday he'd guessed nightclub security guard, which had me peeled over in a fit of laughter for a solid five minutes. That was when it hit me, not for the first time, though, that I really was the only person who really got Daryl. Most likely because we had known each other for almost our entire lives, but still. I liked that I was the only person in the world who knew him the way that I did.

"Well, the way you are at the prison…" Zach began, running a hand through his untidy sandy brown hair. "You bein' on the council, bein' able to track. You're helping people, but you're still being kind of…uh…surly about it."

I cracked a smile, unable to hold it back. Michonne was looking at Zach with her head tilted slightly to the side, like she wasn't quite sure what to make of him. Surly, though. I filed that one away in the back of my mind, not quite sure how I'd never thought of that one before. It was pretty spot on for Daryl, at least for those who hadn't had the chance to delve past that rough, top layer of him. Daryl was looking at Zach like he wasn't sure he wanted him to keep talking or not, but then just turned away again and went back to staring out towards the abandoned parking lot.

"And the way you're always hovering around Charlie, acting all protective and kinda guard doggish about it…" Zach continued and I raised both my eyebrows at this, but kept my mouth shut. "Homicide cop." He finally finished, looking pretty damn pleased with himself.

I was surprised when the first person I heard laughing was Michonne. It wasn't something that happened too often, but I had quickly been learning the woman had one hell of a sense of humor. I glanced at Daryl to see him still sitting stoically, looking almost thoughtful about it. I fought to keep a straight face, staring down at my shoelaces. Homicide cop. God, I couldn't ever imagine Daryl walking around with a badge on. Or in a suit and tie for that matter. It was hard to picture him as anything other than what he was right now, or what he had been…hands stained black with grease, standing underneath the propped up hood of a car. Mechanic. Zach hadn't even come close to making that guess yet.

"What so funny?" Daryl asked, looking over at Michonne.

She shook her head, suppressing a smile. "Nothin'…makes perfect sense."

Daryl glanced over at me and I bit my lip, still fighting back a grin of my own. He gave me a pointed look before turning back to Zach. "Actually, the man's right. Undercover." He said nonchalantly and I could tell he was really trying to sell this one.

Zach looked at him skeptically. "Come on…really?" He asked, leaning around Daryl to look at me.

I shrugged and gave him my best clueless expression. "I'm not saying anything."

"It's true." Daryl insisted, interrupting me. "I mean I don't like to about it, 'cause it's a lotta heavy shit. Ya' know?" Zach stared at him long and hard, trying to decide whether or not he believed him. I started to laugh and quickly tried to cover it up with a cough.

Both of them turned to look at me before Zach let out a sigh. "I'll keep guessin'." He finally said.

"Yeah, you do that." Daryl shot back with a barely there smirk.

"Homicide cop." I said, breaking out into a full grin. "That's a good one."

"What? Like it's really that ridiculous or somethin'?" Daryl asked me and I gave him a pointed look before letting out another laugh. He rolled his eyes.

A loud bang suddenly came from behind us, making me jump up from my seat. Daryl was already on his feet too, eyes on the walker that was smashing itself against the glass in a desperate attempt to reach us.

"Alright, let's do this." He called over his shoulder, and the others immediately gathered.

I positioned myself behind Daryl, holding my bat tightly as Tyreese kicked the doors open and we hurried inside. There were only about six walkers staggering around the front of the store, including the one that had been behind the window. Everyone rushed forward and within a few minutes, the mangled corpses laid at our feet.

I took a deep breath and looked around for the first time. The inside of the store was dark, dimly lit with the glow of the sun shining outside the grimy windows. Daryl motioned for us to split up split up and we all headed off in different directions like we had planned from the beginning, trying to cover as much of the store as possible. I stayed close to Daryl, whispering quickly for Gabe to watch himself as he took off after the others into the maze of shelves and narrow aisles.

I could hear Daryl's quiet footfalls from behind me. "What's on the list?" I heard him ask.

I dug the crinkled piece of paper out of my front pocket, reading Hershel's messy scrawl. "First aid supplies. Then batteries. We might actually find some. Looks like this place hasn't been touched since everyone left." I paused, glancing upwards towards the signs that hung from the ceiling, labeling each aisle. "This way."

I turned off into a new aisle, but slowed to a stop when I realized Daryl's footsteps had grown quiet from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to see him staring at what looked like a clothing display, a strange, distracted expression on his face. One I didn't quite recognize. I retraced my steps, stopping to stand next to him and my eyes caught what he was looking at so intently.

Tiny, little red converse sneakers, soft, pink colored buckle shoes, and boots that barely looked big enough to fit my big toe into. Tee-shirts with fire trucks on the front and bright yellow sundresses that were doll sized. Baby clothes.

Before I could stop myself, I was reaching out towards one of the yellow sundresses. I ran my fingers over the lace-trimmed hem and the tiny flower pattern stitched into the collar. I suddenly realized I could picture the little girl who would wear the dress perfectly. A little girl with Daryl's sky colored eyes and my dark hair. It was another long moment before I felt Daryl's gaze on me.

"Boy or girl?" I asked curiously, the smallest of smiles playing across my lips.

He reached out and took the miniature sized converse shoes off the rack. "Either one." He answered. "I gotta feelin' it's a girl, though."

I ran my hand over my stomach, my fingers sliding over the bump. "Me too. In my head, I've been calling it a 'her' more and more."

"These are the tiniest damn shoes I've ever seen in my life." He suddenly muttered, turning the sneakers over in his hands.

I gave him a sly grin. "I think the word you're actually looking for is 'cutest'. It's okay to say they're cute…I won't tell anyone." I teased him.

He shot me a disgruntled look. "I ain't sayin' they are or they aren't."

I took the shoes from him and felt how tiny they were in the palm of my hand. I looked at him with a soft smile. "Did you ever think it'd end up this way? Like back when we were kids?" I asked wistfully.

"Which part? The world goin' to shit and gettin' chased around by dead people, or you and me?" He asked with a barely there smirk.

I rolled my eyes. "You and me, Dixon."

He cast his eyes downward for a second before looking up at me, a new sort of intensity in his blue eyes. "More than you'd think…I was always hopin' we'd end up together. Like this."

I reached out and took his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. "I'm glad it did end up that way. Even with the dead people included." I added, a small flicking across my lips.

"To be perfectly honest, though, I probably though more about the baby-makin' part than the actual babies." His smile grew, that perfect crooked grin that always made me internally swoon.

"Typical man." I sighed, and suddenly let out a soft gasp of surprise when he swooped in and placed a firm kiss on my lips. I could feel his fingers as they curled gently around the back of my neck, his other hand on my waist and drawing me closer to him.

We froze against each other as a loud crash suddenly came from the opposite side of the store, shaking the floor underneath my feet. Daryl and I both pulled apart and looked each other before taking off towards the source of the sound.

"Everyone alright?" I called, as we wound through the aisles.

"We're alright! We're over in wine and beer!" I heard Zach's voice call out.

We rounded the next corner. Bottles of wine rolled around on the floor and puddles of deep red with splintered shards of glass pooled around the shelf that had fallen. Trapping Bob underneath.

"Holy shit! Is he okay?" I asked, stepping forward to help. Zach was struggling to lift the shelf off of him as Bob squirmed underneath. I stepped forward to grasp the edge of the shelf and help lift it, Daryl on my other side.

"I'm fine! I was in a hurry and bumped into it with the cart. Whole damn thing came crashing down." Bob huffed. He grunted, pushing the shelf as we pulled.

I felt the shelf start to lift when something came crashing through the ceiling. Daryl was suddenly in front of me, pushing me out of the way. I stumbled backwards and felt a pair of hands steadying me. I looked over my shoulder to see Tyreese was there, staring up at the crumbling ceiling in horror. I followed his gaze and felt my expression rearranging to match his. A walker had somehow fallen through the decaying ceiling of the store and was hanging from the splintering metal beams by its tangled intestines. It snarled and gurgled, grasping towards us.

"Time to go!" Glenn said, voicing exactly what had been running through my mind.

"Hell yeah it is." Daryl muttered. "Grab what you can and let's get lost!" He called over the walker's throaty growls.

The ceiling groaned again and a shower of dust and paint flakes rained over us. I looked at Daryl, and our eyes locked for a split second. Then the ceiling over us caved. I dove out of the way, catching myself against the nearest shelf. It swayed and tottered dangerously and I ducked out of the way just in time as it crashed to the ground.

Holes of light were bursting overhead as walker after walker crashed into the store. Everyone was shouting, splitting off into separate directions. Bob's voice was the loudest and I whirled around just in time to see a walker dragging itself towards him on two, bony legs. I raced towards him, gripping my bat tight in between my hands. I grunted and swung the bat down as hard as I could. It made a satisfying crunching sound against the walker's skull. It crumbled to the floor.

"Behind you!" Bob suddenly cried, pointing over my shoulder.

I pivoted on my heel and found myself face to face with another walk, close enough for the stench of rot and death to hit my nostrils. I stumbled backwards, slipping and sliding on a puddle of the spilled wine. I raised my bat again, but before I could swing, there was the 'zing' of an arrow whizzing through the air before the tip suddenly emerged through the walker's eye socket. I breathed a quick sigh of relief as I found Daryl, his crossbow raised.

"We have to get him outta here now!" I shouted, pointing towards Bob.

He nodded and came towards me, but Zach was there first. "I'll lift, you pull him out!" He said quickly, bending down. He grunted, gripping the edges of the shelf and lifting until his knuckles turned white.

I grabbed Bob's arms, his fingers tight around my forearms. The second the shelf began to lift, I pulled. I felt him slide just barely. Then, I felt Daryl at my side, gripping the front of Bob's shirt tightly and swiftly tugging him out from beneath the shelf. Bob scrambled to his feet, panting heavily.

"You okay?" I asked him.

Before he could answer, an agonized scream ripped through the air. I spun around and felt the blood drain from my face. A walker had somehow wedged it's way underneath the shelf Bob has just been trapped under seconds before. It's teeth were clamped tight over Zach's leg and I could see the blood spurting from the bite, turning the khaki colored leg of his pants a dark red.

"No." The word left my mouth and a breathless whisper and I felt myself take an automatic lurching step towards him, watching with wide, horrified eyes as he fell to the ground and writhed in pain.

"Stop, Charlie! We can't help him now!' Daryl was suddenly saying urgently, his arm locking around my waist. I turned to look at him and his blue eyes swept my face. "We can't help him." He said again.

"Let's move!" Maggie's voice rose over the chaos and Daryl gave me a gentle shove towards the direction of the doors and I felt myself moving, but Zach's screams followed us.

Debris was raining down all around us the store collapsed, metal beams crashing to the ground and sending shelves of DVDs, cleaning products and greeting cards scattered at our feet. Each breath left a stabbing pain in my chest as I breathed in clouds of dust. I kept my eyes trained on Sasha's back as we all raced out of the falling store, bursting through the glass doors just in time to turn around see it fall into a mountainous heap.

Outside the chain link fence surrounding the parking lot, walkers were starting to press in, drawn by the sudden noise.

"Keep moving!" Daryl urged, ushering us away from the store.

We didn't stop again until we were back at the SUV, piling inside and speeding off, the tires spinning against the pavement in our haste.

There was nothing filling the silence, but heavy breathing as we all struggled to catch our breaths. Glenn was behind the wheel and I could see his reflection in the rearview mirror. Stoney-faced, his jaw tense. Maggie reached between the console and placed her hand over his.

"It's my fault." Bob suddenly said, his voice quiet as it drifted towards the backset where I sat wedged in-between Michonne and Daryl.

"It ain't your fault." Daryl grunted. He was staring out the window, the fingers of each hand clenched into tight fists.

"If that shelf wouldn't fallen on me in the first place, he wouldn't've been there…" Bob trailed off, his voice shaky.

"It was an accident. It could've been any one of us to knock that shelf over." I said quietly. I couldn't see Bob's face, but Sasha was suddenly talking to him in a hushed voice I had never heard her use before. I leaned back in my seat and looked at Daryl to see him still staring past me towards the window.

I reached across the small space between us and curled my fingers around his. "You okay?" I asked, my own voice shaking and betraying how not okay I was.

He nodded, averting his eyes away from the window and towards me. "You?

I nodded, swallowing hard. I couldn't get the sound of Zach's screams out of my head. It felt like it'd been so long since we'd lost someone…Months. "We have to tell Beth." I answered. I ran a hand over my face. "God, I don't know what this will do to her." All I kept thinking about was how she'd already lost so many people. We all had. But I couldn't stop myself from putting myself in her shoes, and imagining her coming to tell me they'd lost Daryl on a run.

"I'll go with ya'." He said in his gruff voice.

I squeezed his hand gently. "Thanks." I said, grateful I wouldn't have to bare the bad news all on my own. I laid my head against his shoulder, closing my eyes, realizing at the same time that my other hand had subconsciously found it's way to my stomach suddenly wishing I could feel its heartbeat just as easily as I could feel Daryl's and be reassured everything was okay.

Author's Note:

Phew! This one took a lot of work...but I wanted to at least put something out before December. I just couldn't leave you guys hanging for that long. Hope you all like the chapter and that it was worth the wait! Only two more weeks of school and I'll be back to writing non-stop. Love you all and thanks for sticking with Daryl and Charlie. 3

PS: Dean Winchester story is also in the works! :)

-Nikki