I woke slowly, reluctantly. I opened my eyes, just a crack, the sighed and closed them again. The sky was a beautiful grayish purple color and was filled with the streaks of red and orange that immediately precedes the sun breaking over the horizon. I wanted the sun to stay hidden for a little while longer. I wanted to stay just as I was for a few more moments. I wanted to enjoy this. Daryl's face was buried in the side of my neck. I could feel his breath on my skin. I was tucked in tight next to his body. His arm was wrapped around my midsection, and his leg was thrown over both of mine, pinning them to the ground. I felt secure, as though there was an impervious shield surrounding me.

I could feel the moment that the sun broke the horizon line and began rising in the sky. "Well," I thought, "the sun kept it's part of the bargain, I guess I should keep mine." I stretched, intending to slip out from under Daryl's arm, but my movements woke him. He pulled me in closer, nuzzling my neck with his whiskers. And then he froze, I felt his whole body tense. Did he regret spending the night with me?

"Morning" I said, trying to conceal the confusion I felt.

Daryl propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at me. And smiled. The feelings I had two seconds ago vanished. "Morning. Can't believe we slept out here all night. Can't believe you didn't freeze in that thing," he said indicating my light weight nightgown.

"Well I was pretty well tucked in between you and Gertie. Don't think there was too much danger of that." Daryl looked to my other side at where Gertie was pressed tightly against my side, then down my body to where his leg was still drapped across mine.

He chuckled, "No I guess not." He glanced back towards the prison. "Come on, let's get going before everyone is awake." He sprung lightly to his feet then reached down and helped me up.

He stretched, a groan escaping his lips. "Only been a few weeks since I've had a mattress under me, one night without it and already my body misses it."

I laughed, I understood how he felt. My hips and back were quite unhappy about spending the night on the ground with only a thin blanket for padding. Daryl quickly shoved his feet into his boots and then gathered up his things, along with my pillow and blanket. "Ready?" I nodded and we headed back towards the prison. After a few feet Daryl transferred everything to one arm and reached down to take my hand. My heart skipped a beat and butterflies took flight in my belly.

The cell block was quiet, no one was up yet. Daryl stopped outside my cell. Turning towards me he passed me my things. "See you at breakfast?" he asked.

"Okay." He looked down at me and I wondered if maybe he would kiss me. I wondered what type of kiss it would be. A soft, lingering kiss would be nice. Daryl leaned closer, and my heart started beating so loudly I was sure he could hear it. Instead he ran his fingers lightly up my arm, sliding the strap of my nightgown back into place.

"See you in a few." And with that Daryl turned around and headed up to where he had his things.

I rushed through my morning routine and hurried in to see Lori. She had her eyes closed when I stepped into the room. I gently felt for her pulse, and her eyes opened. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Lori shifted in the bed. "Don't worry I was up. Just tired of looking at the bottom of that bunk."

"Well, let me take a look at you and we'll see about getting you up and walking. Won't that be nice? Now, lift up your shirt and let me take a look at your incision." After looking her over head to toe, I deemed her fit to get up.

"Really? I get to get out of this bed?" Lori sounded almost like a little girl.

"Yup, but first I'm going to bring you some breakfast and give you a shot of Morphine." I drew up the medication and injected it into her IV. "I'll be back in just a minute with some food."

I headed outside to get the breakfast. I was smiling broadly. The relief I felt at Lori's recovery was almost indescribable. Despite everything she was healing quickly and showed no signs of infection. Of course I had her on a hefty dose of antibiotics. Her response to the news about the hysterectomy had also been a relief. I had dreaded telling her. But it was my responsibility. I had made the call. She and I hadn't ever talked about if she wanted to have another child. I guess we both had felt it was bad luck to talk about our wants and hopes for the future.

I saw Daryl the moment I stepped out the door. He was a few paces away from the rest of the group. I realized that he typically stood on the fringes of the group. I wondered why. Daryl was such an integral part of who the group was. Everyone looked to him for guidance, for support, for comfort.

I smiled as I thought of last night. A week ago, if anyone would have said that I'd be spending nights out under the stars with Daryl Dixon, I would have laughed in their face. I never would have guessed that he could be so sweet, so tender.

"What are you smiling about this morning?" Maggie asked.

"Oh, I don't know, I'm just in a really good mood I guess. Lori's doing so well. I'm going to get her some breakfast and then get her up. Maybe I'll be nice and let her use the bathroom."

Maggie tossed her head back and laughed. She really had a great laugh. "Well aren't you generous. Here, more rolled oats. Apparently they weren't a real high demand item in the prison."

"Thanks. You know, it could be worse. Could be Brussels sprouts."

Hershel chimed in. "Hey, I love Brussels sprouts."

"Well Daddy, if we find any, we'll save them just for you, alright?" Maggie leaned over and kissed the top of his head.

"I'll be back in a little bit for my own breakfast. And Maggie, I'll take care of lunch today." I turned and directed my next comment to Hershel. "I just wanted to say thank you for sending me to bed last night. I know I wasn't very appreciative. However, I needed it and probably wouldn't have gone on my own."

Hershel smiled. "I have daughters, and I was married. I know what you ladies are like."

After thanking Hershel again, I walked over to where Daryl was. He was packing up a small bag with some food and water. "Going back in to look for Carol?"

He shook his head. "No, hunting. With so many people we're burning through our canned and dried foods pretty quickly. Rick, Carl and Oscar are going to go look for Carol today, and keep clearing out the lower levels."

"Think you'll be gone long?" I hoped the answer was no.

Daryl shrugged. "Depends on what I can find, and how quickly I find it. Here, I want you to hold on to these while I'm gone." He passed me the keys to the prison. "If something happens these will open any door in here."

"Okay. Thanks." I paused. "Daryl, you're good with knots, right?" At Daryl's nod I continued. "Do you think you could help me with something? It will only take a minute."

"Lead the way."

As we walked inside I explained what I wanted from him. "Lori is going to be starting to get up today, but getting from laying to sitting is going to be tough for her with her incision. I want to cut up a sheet and tie it to the bars. It'll give her something to pull on. That way, she'll be able to sit up without anyone's help. The thing is, if the knots let go and she falls back she could really hurt herself."

"I got it. Shouldn't be to hard rigging something up." Daryl brushed his hand lightly against mine as we reached Lori's room. "Mornin' Lori." he called before he went inside. I touched my hand to my cheeks before I followed him.

"Breakfast," I called out as I entered. "Hmm," I said theatrically, waving the bowl under my nose, "rolled oats."

Daryl helped her up and turned to look to see where the best place was to attach the sheets.

"Breakfast of champions," Lori joked, reaching for the breakfast.

"I'll go get you some fresh water," I said picking up her pitcher. "Clean bowl when I back, alright?" I turned to Daryl. "You good?"

"Yeah, this will take just a few minutes. Easy." He grabbed a sheet from the stack of clean ones and removing his knife started to slice it into strips.

When I came back a few minutes later he was just finishing up. Lori was still working on her breakfast. I placed the pitcher on the table and picked up the scraps of fabric. I carried them out to one of the supply tables and put them down. I'd look through them later to see if anything was worth saving.

I turned and there he was. A squeak escaped my lips. "Would you stop doing that? One of these days you're going to give me a heart attack." I laughed shaking my head.

A smile threatened at one corner of his lips. "Sorry, just wanted to say goodbye before I head out." His eyes dropped to my waist. "Glad to see you wearing it. Noticed you didn't have it on last night."

My hand dropped to the hilt of the knife. "I know. Didn't think it went with my outfit." I teased. "I don't know though. It's not sitting well. It shifts anytime I move."

"Here, let me see." His hands dropped down and undid the buckle. "You have it too high. Put it here, lower on your hips. Make sure it's snug. There." His hands lingered, thumbs resting on my hip bones. "Think there'll be another meteor shower tonight?" He asked hesitantly. His eyes flickered up to mine.

"Maybe, you never know. I guess we'd just have to go outside and see." I said flirtatiously. "I should go see to Lori. See you when you get back."

"See you then."

I stepped around him and headed into Lori's room.

"So... What's new with you?" She asked.

I felt my face flush. "What do you mean?" I busied myself picking up her already clean room.

"Oh, let's see. You and Daryl having little conversations, the smiling. That alone is a red flag. Daryl never smiles. And you are absolutely glowing. I mean Daryl came in and did a favor for you and never said anything like 'pain in the ass,' or 'waste of my time'. He actually seemed happy to do it. Now I may have been stuck in here for the last day, but that doesn't mean I don't see what's going on. Now spill."

I turned back around and looked at Lori. She was leaning forward eagerly.

"It's.. I don't know what it is. He's different than I thought he would be... I like him. I like spending time with him." On one hand I was glad to have someone to talk to about things. On the other I wasn't sure I was ready to share what was happening between Daryl and myself. I shifted the conversation slightly.

"Lori, you don't think that it's too soon to be thinking about it, do you? My husband's only been gone for a few months." I looked down as I waited for her answer.

"Stella, I think that in this world, when you find someone that makes you happy, you hold on to it with everything you can. Time is something different here." We were both quiet for a moment as I thought about the truth in her statement. "Can I ask you something Stella?" When I nodded she continued. "You haven't said, what did happen to your husband?"

"I haven't told you? Oh, well, where to start?" I paused for a second as I gathered my thoughts. "We were in South Carolina, had met up with some people. At the time there was seven of us. We had been moving from place to place. Walkers were all over the houses. We ended up finding this wooded camp site. It was sheltered, out of the way, there weren't any walkers around. Seemed like a good place to hold up for a few days. The next morning, I went out hunting and took Gertie with me. She's great at flushing out birds. Anyways, I came back and the campsite was trashed. One car was missing. I stayed in the area for weeks, just driving around. Kept going back to the campsite to see if anyone had been there. Finally I just got in the car one morning and just drove south."

"So you don't know what's happened to him?" Surprised filled Lori's voice.

I shook my head. "No, I like to think that he's out there somewhere, even though I know we'll never see each other again." Flashes of Jack ran through my mind. Jack trying to change a flat tire, on the ski slopes, burning our fifth anniversary dinner.

"I'm sorry Stella. That must be hard not knowing."

"I don't know. In some ways I'm grateful that I wasn't there. If Jack didn't make it, well, at least I don't have that memory." We were both silent for a moment. "Alright, enough of this stuff. Let's see about getting you up." I pushed myself off the chair.

I was busy the rest of the day. With Lori laid up and Carol missing, work was piling up. Not to mention our dwindling food supply. Maggie and Glenn made a run to see what they could find. But for those left behind at the prison, laundry was the number one priority, and soon Beth and I had clothes and sheets hanging from every available surface. With lunch eaten and the dishes cleaned up, I decided to take some time for myself.

I walked over to my car, opened a storage case, and pulled out my bow. It felt strange to be back in my hands. Using a stack of wood as my target, I began shooting. At first I was having trouble because of my ribs. As I aimed I was having a hard time keeping the bow steady. Before long I started to adjust. When I was on my second round of arrows, a bird suddenly flew across my path. I released the arrow that was already notched, and a moment later it spun down to the ground. Gertie ran over to retrieve it. After she brought it over to me I turned, intending to bring it to the cooking area. And realized I had an audience. Beth had brought out a chair for Lori, and standing next to them was Hershel... and Daryl.

"I thought you said you couldn't shoot. When we were in the tombs you said that you couldn't shoot my crossbow."

"No, I said I couldn't work your crossbow. I'd be able to shoot the first arrow, but I'd never be able to reload that thing. There's a big difference."

"Where on earth did you learn to shoot a bow like that?" Lori asked.

"Summer camp. They had an archery program there. I loved it, and kept up with it. My father used to say it was the most useless skill I had." I laughed thinking about it. "He hated having to buy the equipment for something so 'pointless'. If only he knew."

"I happen to think it was money well spent." Hershel chimed in.

"Oh I don't know if you would have felt that way if you had seen the bill. My mother insisted on the best, didn't do things halfway, and she liked to shop."

Beth laughed. "Mom was the same way, remember Dad?" Hershel smiled over at her.

Daryl walked over to me and said, "Nice shooting. Maybe I'll have to take you hunting sometime." I smiled up at him, knowing what a huge compliment he just gave me. He took the bird from my hand, "I'll go clean this."

"Hold on, I'll come help you." I ran down to collect my spent arrows then hurried over to the table next to the campfire. "Hey, how'd you do?" I said to him as I threw the prison keys down.

"Couple of bunnies, some squirrels."

I sat down and started plucking the feathers out of the bird. "Can we not call them bunnies? How about hares? When you say bunnies I think of cute cuddly things."

He looked up at me then back down at the rabbit he was cleaning. He started to laugh. "Sure, no problem. Anyways, I wanted to get back quickly, help look for Carol. I figured it'd be best just to look for small game." His hands were moving quickly as he cleaned the rabbit. He didn't waste a movement.

"Did you stop to eat?" he shook his head. "Well, you're not going till you've had some lunch." Setting aside the bird I grabbed the pot of leftovers and brought it over to the fire. I stoked the fire back up and added a new log. Placing the pot on the tripod, I swung it over the flames. When I turned back Daryl was staring at me. "What?"

"Nothing, just looking at the view. It's a nice view."

I smiled, blushing slightly. "Stop that. You pay attention to what you're doing or you're going to lose a finger, and I'm not about to sew it back on." I settled back down and resumed plucking the bird.

Daryl left right after he ate. I busied myself by folding laundry, prepping dinner, and boiling water for drinking and cooking. I even had some time to play with Judith. She was such a good baby, and she had taken to nursing with gusto. I was in the cell block setting up Lori's antibiotics when Daryl came rushing in. He had Carol in his arms.

"She's unconscious!" He yelled as soon as he saw me.

"Beth, go get your father," I said quickly. "He's outside by the gate, watching for Maggie and Glenn to get back. Daryl, put her over here." I cleared off one of the tables in the hall.

Daryl put her down and stepped back. He immediately started pacing back and forth. "Found her in one of the cells down in solitary. The door had gotten blocked. She must have been in there since the attack."

As I listened to Daryl I began examining Carol. "She doesn't seem to have any wounds, just some cuts and bruises. Pass me that stethoscope." After taking her blood pressure and listening to her heart and lungs I was satisfied. "She's very dehydrated. She needs some fluids." Daryl began rummaging through the medical supplies. "No Daryl. I want to see if she can handle water first."

"What? You said she's really dehydrated. Why wouldn't you give her an IV?" Daryl looked at me confused.

"She is extremely dehydrated. But there isn't anything else wrong with her. As long as she can swallow, I want to rehydrate her orally."

"But this would get her better faster right?" I nodded. "So give her the IV."

"Daryl, we only have so many bags of fluids. We've already gone through so many with Lori. I don't want to waste them." I tried to explain. Unfortunately I chose the wrong words.

"Waste them? You think using it on Carol would be a waste?" His voice started to get louder. "What? You're only going to save the people you think should be saved? Just because Carol didn't kiss your ass like everyone else here? You think it would be more worthy saving someone else? You just think you're better than everyone else?" By now he was leaning over me, screaming in my face. I was pushed back against the table and was bending backwards.

Hershel arrived at that moment. "What is going on here? I could hear you screaming halfway across the prison yard."

Daryl jerked his head in my direction. "Ask her. She's the one who's playing God."

I couldn't believe what was happening. "Carol's very dehydrated. I want to try oral fluid first, try to save as many IVs as we can."

Daryl looked over at me and threw the bag of fluid onto the table of supplies. "Stupid bitch. Who the fuck do you think you are?" Then he turned and marched out the door.

Hershel looked at me. "Are you alright?"

I nodded looking down, tears in my eyes. "I'm fine," I choked out. "Maybe Daryl's right. Maybe we should go right for an IV."

After doing a brief exam of Carol, Hershel laid his hand on my shoulder and said, "You made the right call. Let's get some water and see how she does. We can always hook up an IV if we need too. Now come on, let's get moving."

I brushed away the tears, and headed into Lori's cell to grab her pitcher of water. Lori was sitting up, holding the baby. She looked at me with wide eyes. "Stella.."

"Not now Lori," I cut her off. "Later." Grabbing the handle of the pitcher I turned and walked back out.

Hershel and I started measuring out water to give to Carol at set intervals. She was swallowing the water, but didn't regain consciousness. We were discussing setting up a fluid bag when her eyelids opened.

"Hershel?" she croaked. "What? How did I get here."

"Daryl brought you in. You've had us all real worried. Here, drink this but sip it slowly." Hershel replied.

I sat Carol up a little so she could drink easier. "My whole body hurts," she complained after she guzzled the whole cup.

"I know, we'll move you into your cell in a little bit, but we don't want you to be getting up just yet." I said to her. "I'll go get you another pillow though. Make you a little more comfortable." I stepped away from the table.

When I got back, Hershel looked over at me. "I should go tell Daryl she's awake."

I took a deep breath and said, "No, I'll do it. You stay here with Carol." I straightened my shoulders and headed outside.

Daryl was down by the wood pile, searching through the smaller pieces. I could tell he was still very angry by the way he was moving. I almost chickened out and went back inside to ask Hershel to go talk to him but I made myself take a step forward, and then another. Soon I was standing behind him. I knew he was aware of my presence but he didn't say anything. After a moment of waiting for him to acknowledge me I bit the bullet. "Carol's awake. I'm sure she'd like to see you." I could hear the hesitation in my voice. I had no idea what to expect.

Daryl straightened and turned to look at me. His whole body was tense, fists clenched, even his eyes were like stone. Daryl stared at me for a long moment, then walked past me, up the hill without saying a word.

As I watched him leave, I couldn't believe that this was the same man that had been so tender last night. I followed him back into the prison to Carol's bedside.

Daryl was leaning over Carol, his hand on the top of her head. "I knew you'd come find me. I knew you would." Carol was looking up at Daryl adoringly. Suddenly the snippy comments, the unfriendly behavior from Carol over the last few days made sense. I had stepped in between something with her and Daryl.

"Hershel, do you need me for anything?" I asked. Neither Carol or Daryl acknowledged my presence. Hershel shook his head. I grabbed Lori's bag of antibiotics and walked into her cell.

She didn't say anything to me, which I was grateful for. If she said something, I'd start crying. I hung the bag up, and adjusted the drip rate. "I'll be back in a little while to disconnect you." I turned, made a quick stop in my room to grab some things and walked to the showers where I would be able to have some privacy, and the sound of the shower would cover any noise.

When I emerged from the shower a short time later, I was totally composed. And very angry. After I had cried myself out, the anger began to creep in, slowly at first, then faster and faster. By the time I walked out the door, I was furious. The thoughts kept running through my head. "How dare he talk to me that way? Get in my face like that? He acted just like a fucking two year old, throwing a temper tantrum! Who the hell is he to question my medical judgement?"

Jack used to hide when I got like this. It was rare, but when I got going, I had a really hard time of letting things go. One time while we were in graduate school, we got into a fight at a party. Later on that evening I found him flirting with some girl. We lived together in a 800 square foot apartment, and it was a miracle that he survived the next week.

I threw my things into my room and went to check on Lori's drip. I noticed that Carol was no longer on the table in the hall, they must have moved her somewhere. "Wonder if she's up in Daryl's bed?" I couldn't help thinking the snide comment. I no longer felt badly about possibly stepping in between them. Obviously, it couldn't have been serious because Lori would have warned me. Besides, it wasn't my responsibility to find out who was sleeping with who. Daryl must have just been afraid Carol was gone, and was just lining up his next "friend".

Lori was resting when I walked in, the baby tucked in next to her. Her antibiotics were all done. I disconnected her line and flushed the IV. As I gathered up the trash Lori asked me quietly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but thanks for asking," I answered, my voice tight with anger.

"Daryl had no right to go after you like that. I couldn't believe what I was hearing."

"No, he didn't have any right," was all I said. I didn't want to be rude to Lori, but I couldn't let go of enough anger to be nice. Besides, I didn't feel as though I had to hide my feelings from her.

"Hershel said something to Daryl, but I'm going to talk to Rick about it. Daryl was completely out of line." Lori was trying so hard to be supportive, but I didn't need or want anyone to get involved.

"There's no need Lori. Daryl did what he did. I can handle it, I've handled worse." Lori looked doubtful. "Do you know where they moved Carol to? I'd like to check on her."

"Yeah, she's all the way down at the end. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Totally fine. I'll see you in a bit. Take a nap till dinner, will you? You're still recovering."

I moved out of Lori's cell and went to the cell at the end. I hoped he wasn't in there. I didn't know if I'd be able to keep my temper in check. I put my most pleasant face on. "Knock knock," I called out as I walked in. Carol was sitting up in bed. "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty, and my head is pounding." She said. Her voice was whiney, it irritated me. I hoped she wouldn't talk to much.

"That's all normal." I laid my hand on her forehead. "You feel cooler, which is good." Just then Daryl walked in with a big pitcher of water. We started at each other for a moment. Well, he stared at me, I stared at the pitcher in his hands.

"What are you doing?" I asked. My jaw was clenched so hard I had to resist the urge to massage it.

"She's still thirsty, Hershel only filled the pitcher partway." Daryl said.

"Carol, can you excuse us for a moment? Daryl would you please come with me?" I walked past him, careful to keep from touching him. I didn't stop walking until I reached the common room. I was so livid, I was surprised I wasn't breathing fire. I stopped and waited for Daryl. As soon as he stepped next to me I swiveled around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing giving her all that water? Don't you think that maybe there is a reason Hershel only gave her a set amount? We're not doing it to be cruel. She's going to be thirsty, she's going to want to drink. In fact, she'll drink so much that she'll start to throw up, which will dehydrate her even more. She could also drink so much that she'll cause a massive electrolyte shift in her body and get really sick. Jesus Daryl! Use your God damn head!" I yanked the pitcher from his hands. "No more water unless Hershel or myself give it to her. You know, why don't you leave the medical stuff to us. We did actually go to school for it you know." With that, I turned and stalked outside.

The confrontation had done nothing to lessen my anger. In fact, anytime I saw Daryl I experienced a new level of indignation and ire. I tried to be courteous to everyone, but I failed miserably. The best I could do was civil and even that was a stretch. Even Gertie avoided my company. At least she avoided Daryl's too. That probably would have sent me over the edge. Instead she curled up next to Carl. As soon as I could, I excused myself and headed for bed.

When I got to my room I did something I hadn't done since I got there. I closed the door. Even though it was only symbolic I hoped the message was loud and clear. "Don't bother me." The problem was, I was too keyed up to go to sleep. Before, I would have gone for a run, or to the gym, or beat the crap out of the heavy bag in the basement. Now, I had nothing. I couldn't even run around the yard with everyone out there. There was nothing for me to do. I paced back and forth in my cell. Gertie curled up on the bed, eyes watching my movements. Slowly I heard people trickling in. I heard Rick say to Lori when they passed, "Do you think she's alright? Should I talk to her tomorrow?" I was relieved when I heard Lori firmly veto the suggestion. I sat down on my bed to wait for everyone to fall asleep. With no physical outlet the anger kept brewing. I waited until the only sound in the cell block was Oscar's snores. I stripped off all my clothes and put on running shorts and a tank top. I left the knife laying on the bed. As I walked out of my cell I could feel him watching me. I didn't look back. As soon as I was outside I started running and I didn't stop for hours.

I found myself getting angry at Daryl writing this chapter! I know it was a long chapter, and not much happened till the end, but.. sometimes you need some build up.

This may not be clear so I just wanted to put in a footnote. Stella didn't run from the prison, she's running around the yard. She just felt as though she couldn't do it with everyone sitting outside by the fire. Who wants an audience when you're trying to burn off your temper? She left the weapon because it would remind her of Daryl, not as a f/u, I don't want your gift.

Sorry FanFicGirl10. I couldn't kill Carol off. Well, at least not yet. Maybe?

As always, I love your reviews. I really enjoy seeing what it is exactly you liked about a chapter, or what didn't work for you.