Curative

By Kaimaler

Yay! No progression! We're in that part of the episode where they're on the highway and all the action is actually happening with Rick, Shane, Carl, Lori, and the Greene family.

Unfortunately, Laura's not with any of those characters so she doesn't get to hear about any of this until later. :P

However, there hasn't been much in regards to Laura's position with the group or her and Daryl's relationship. We'll be seeing more in this chapter about one or both topics. ;3

Prewarning. Daryl/Laura fluff ahead. Not much I don't think, but there is definitely fluff there. Ye hath been warned!

When night came around, they had all piled into the RV.

Dale was on watch on top of the RV still and Laura was outside with him, functioning as a permanent double shift. She had long since ditched her jacket, the cool night air was welcome on her skin. She was almost always covered up, but being out of the jacket was a great change that she wasn't sure she'd ever want to go back to wearing the old jacket.

She spent part of the night in silence, speaking to no one and hearing nothing.

That was, until Daryl exited the RV. Laura paid close attention, he swung his crossbow onto his shoulder and stepped away from the RV. "I'm goin' for a walk, shine some light in the forest. If she's out there, give her somethin' to look at."

Laura hopped down from one of the abandoned cars, she wanted to help. "You think that's a good idea right now?" Dale asked, crouching on top the RV.

"It'll be fine." Daryl turned around to see Laura approaching. "I'm comin' with, I wanna' help." He nodded to her.

They headed out into the woods, down an old pathway that had clearly been used before the world went to hell. Old tire marks, low branches that had been broken off.

Daryl was leading, he shined the flashlight into the woods, both of them listening close for anything. There were animals out and about, making noise like claws climbing trees, twigs breaking, but there was nothing suggesting human footsteps.

And no Sophia so far.

"I wonder if Rick and Shane found anythin'." She spoke up suddenly, catching Daryl's attention quickly. "I mean, before Carl was shot. I know that's a terrible thing to think about, what with Carl bein' shot an' all... but I just keep hopin' they found somethin' out 'bout Sophia."

"These ain't the mountains of Tibet, it's Georgia. She can be holed off in a farmhouse somewhere." Daryl kept scanning the light through the trees, "People get lost, they survive. Happens all the time."

Laura sighed, "She's just a kid though, she doesn't know how to survive. I'm twenty-five an' I don't know how to survive out here."

"Hell, I was younger then her when I got lost. Nine days eatin' berries, wipin' my ass with poison oak." Laura frowned, "How'd you get back?" She was disturbed he had gotten lost like that. "My ol' man was off on a bender with some waitress. Merle was doin' another stint in juvie. Didn't even know I was gone. I made my way back though, went straight into the kitchen an' made myself a sandwich. No worse for wear, 'cept my ass itched somethin' awful."

Laura chuckled, earning her a slightly amused look from Daryl. "I'm not laughin' at the story, I'm sorry that happened to you." She put a hand on his shoulder. "Just... nevermind." She was still chuckling lightly.

"Difference is, Sophia's got people out here lookin' for her." Daryl was even smiling a little now, "I call that an advantage."

A little bit deeper into the woods and they diverted off the path, opting to search through the trees. Laura was tense, she hated being somewhere she knew that, if she got separated from Daryl, that she wouldn't be able to get back to the highway. She didn't want to, but she was relying on him right now.

It was her choice though, to go out with Daryl to search for Sophia, she'd have to deal with the fear of getting lost again. Daryl wouldn't let her go anyways, so long as he could, he keep her near.

"I hate goin' out here." She started, looking up through the trees to see the slight shimmer of moonlight. "I can't navigate, I don't know how to get back. The other day when Sophia ran and Rick went after her... by the time I knew what was happenin' I was too late. Too far behind 'em both, but I just kept runnin' to catch up. At that point I didn't care if I got lost, Sophia was in trouble an' I wasn't gonna' sit around."

Daryl shined the light her way, she could look directly at it without squinting. It only made her more aware of herself and what she is. "When I finally couldn't see Rick anymore, I just kept runnin' an' runnin'. See, I don't get tired anymore, I haven't felt tired, exhausted, or fatigued since before I turned. So I could just keep goin' an' goin'. Never stopped, not until I lost my footin' an' ran clean over the bank of that creek. Hit that water like a ton of bricks an' just couldn't bring myself to get back up."

"Don't get tired, why didn't you get up?" He kept the light on the woods now, his crossbow at the ready.

"Didn't want to get up an' realize that I was lost. I mean, I knew I was lost, but I just didn't want to get up and face it." She shrugged, "Fear I guess. It's what drove me into this group."

Daryl looked at her strangely, "Walker's don't eat you, they don't do nothin' to you an' you're scared. Of what?"

"People." She replied honestly, he just looked down a moment and nodded. "An' bein' alone. I'm safe when I'm walking with a horde of the undead, perfectly safe, but there's no company. The undead cannot speak. However, when I tried to be part of a group last time... Well, it didn't end well on account of my... y'know." She pointed to her face.

He got the idea, "You said the last time you kissed a guy, he tried to kill you." He said it strangely, like he didn't want to admit she either kissed someone else or he tried to kill her.

"There was a group in Atlanta. Made up of seven people, all good people really. Red, who was the leader of the group, he was the quiet type. Braddock was a big tough guy, I mean really big but he was a softy. Then there was Daisy and Melanie, older and younger sister respectively. Elizabeth and Markus, a brother and sister." She smiled absently, "That leaves Micheal. He was a charmer an' laid it on me early. Damn good at it too. I never had a guy hit on me before, never been with someone, so I gave him a chance but... I felt scared about lettin' him see me as I am."

"Assumin' they found out, otherwise, you'd be with them still, right?" Daryl, at times like this, was hard to read. He appeared stern, but cautious.

Laura huffed, "Yeah, they found out. Micheal and I... well, it never got far or anythin'. Kissed me by the fire, bein' all romantic an' stuff. Talkin' about how he wanted to see my eyes, bettin' they'd be beautiful an' all that." She let out a humorless laugh, "Boy was he wrong. He pulled down my hood an' took a good look. Everyone thought I was turnin' so Red an' Braddock took me down, away from the others, and put a knife to my head, seein' that a gunshot would attract walkers. I managed to get out, puttin' my gun to Red's head. I would never shoot, but Braddock didn't call my bluff. Red did on the stairs down outta' the buildin'. He knocked me down a flight, but didn't chase me. I got away, little battered from the stairs, but I made it."

Daryl had a thoughtful expression on. "You liked this guy, Micheal?"

Laura smiled widely, "I did, a little, but nothin' big. I just... never got doted on by a guy. New experience an' all that. He was all flattery, I don't know if he actually liked me or not, but it was fun while it lasted. I don't blame them though, they were just protectin' the group. Needs of the many an' all that."

"Did you tell 'em what you told us? 'Bout your dad and bein' cured?"

"Tried to, but they didn't listen. Thought it was just desperate pleas from a dyin' woman. That's all." Daryl set his jaw, "Should've listened to ya'. Would've made things easier on them."

"Yeah, but if they did, I'd probably be with them still." Laura stepped closer to Daryl, to where their shoulders were touching. He flinched at the contact, but didn't move away. Laura took that as encouragement. "An' I prefer it here."

He smirked, "I was thinkin' about last night." Laura's heart nearly burst from her chest, had he decided? Please say yes, or something approving. "I like you already, especially when you came with us to find my brother. Kinda' surprisin'."

"I try." She replied, she actually had wanted to help. "But I really did feel bad about leavin' him behind like that. It wasn't right."

"It wasn't." He nodded distantly, "But you an' Rick an' them went back, did right by my brother, even if we didn't find him. Then you apologized for leavin' him even when you didn't do nothin'. Ain't your fault Merle got left. He even knocked you around an' you still were sorry."

Laura still had the black eye to prove it, Daryl hated seeing it. "I figured you were alright... When those bastards grabbed you in Atlanta, the Vatos." He was growling, "You were screamin' for me. Figure I should... apologize... for not stoppin' 'em from takin' you." The words were clearly difficult for him to say, very alien against his natural rough demeanor. He obviously regretting saying them the second he had, he wanted to take them back, ignore her and move on, but he actually had gotten pissed off with the Vatos for taking her and for not being able to stop them.

"Daryl, they beat on you with bats." She still remembered seeing them attacking Daryl in the alley. It wasn't a pleasant sight, she wondered if they were going to kill him. "The Vatos didn't do anythin' anyways, they were good people... just a little rough around the edges. You did nothin' wrong, in fact, you came back for me with Rick, Glenn, and T-Dog, even with your brother out there."

He offered a slight smile, one Laura happily returned. "You came to get me, hell, I was sure Rick wasn't even goin' to come for me, but y'all did. You did an' I can't thank you enough for that." She pulled him to face her straight on, "You punched Shane after he pointed a gun at me, you pulled me outta' the CDC when it blew. You fought for me when the Vatos grabbed me, even after gettin' beat on. No one has ever fought for me like that before. I owe you more then I can give back."

Daryl wasn't used to this situation, he hadn't thought he did that much for her but in the span of a few days he'd saved her life and strived to protect her. He didn't feel as good as she was making him out to be, but he didn't want to say it, tell her that he was just white trash, fearing she'd turn tail and leave him behind, he was just a redneck, at least, that's how he saw himself.

Other people did to, they could hear him, look at him, and all have the same opinion. Redneck trailer trash. He didn't want her to laugh at him, he liked her and Laura had clearly shown she liked him just as much, if not more.

He just wasn't sure where to go from here and was worried she'd reject him. He didn't know how he felt about this situation, it was odd for him and she seemed to be having the same struggles, yet he didn't want to tell her too much about him or his past. She'd just laugh.

At this moment, Laura saw him fighting something, she didn't know what, but he was obviously having a hard time with it. He had gone quiet for a long while, looking at the ground between them.

She took action, only had so long to live. She put a hand on the side of his face, he tensed and looked directly at her, it wasn't hard to find her eyes in the dark, they reflected just like that night in the CDC.

With a small smile, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his tentatively. He didn't move at first and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable, but after a few seconds he returned the kiss.

She grinned and felt a hand on her waist and the other on her neck, deepening the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him as close as she could. Carefully, she opened her mouth slightly, letting her tongue run along his bottom lip. He obliged and their tongues danced, his other hand fell to her waist and she could feel his grip tightening around her. There was no space between them anymore as the kiss grew in passion, she was pressed firmly against him and she relished the feel of his solid body against hers, his heat warming her inside and out.

Reluctantly, they broke the kiss. She had forgotten that they were out in the middle of the woods searching for Sophia, but she knew it was dangerous for him to be out here not focusing on the sounds around them. A walker could've come up and bit him.

"We should keep goin'." He nodded mutely and, eventually, he removed his hands from her waist. She never stopped smiling and Daryl didn't seem too bad off, he wasn't intending on breaking apart so soon, but it was dark and there were walkers out here.

He had his crossbow in hand again, shining the light through the woods.

Silence washed over them, but it wasn't uncomfortable, it was relaxing. As if a lot of problems had just disappeared with the simple act of kissing. She licked her lips, he tasted like what she imagined someone who spent their days in the woods would. It was strange, but she liked it.

There was a rustle, a heavy one, off to the side. Daryl brought up his crossbow and aimed it in the direction of the sound.

They followed the sound, Daryl was extremely careful and Laura just walked forward without a care in the world. At least if it was a walker making the noise, she should be the one to find out first instead of letting him get jumped.

It was a campsite, a decently sized one. It had a few supplies laying around and Laura went to work. There was a small table off to the side with a few tools on it, wrenches, nails, and the like. Dale might appreciate having a few new tools. So she put what she could in her pockets, she hadn't carried her big duffle with her.

Daryl was still crouched and scanning the area, the rustling hadn't stopped. In fact, it had gotten more frequent and louder.

When she turned around, she saw Daryl passing underneath a large low hanging branch. "What the hell?" There was a walker in the tree, it was a man who had hanged himself.

There was a note on the tree with a knife keeping it in place. "Got bit. Fever hit. World gone to shit. Might as well quit." Laura shook her head, it was a hard life people lead in this new world, but she admired those who hadn't given up like this group she was with. "Dumbass didn't know enough to shoot himself in the head."

He aimed the flashlight on the walker, "Turned himself into a big swingin' piece of bait. Look at that mess." He aimed the flashlight at the walker's face. "This is as close to food as he's been since he turned. Look at 'im, hangin' up there like a big pinata." He pointed at the legs and feet, "The other geeks came an' ate all the flesh off his legs."

He turned around to the camp where Laura was standing, "Let's head back."

Laura opened the tent flap, there wasn't much inside. Just an old bedroll that clearly had some kind of creatures that came to live in it every now and then. Nothing of any use, so she left the tent.

"Yeah, nothin' here." She nodded ahead and Daryl took the lead again.

It was mostly quiet on the way back, they'd speak up every now and then, mostly about watching their steps over fallen trees and broken branches, but nothing of meaning since their last discussion.

Laura wasn't going to push her luck either, she felt lucky that she was the one who caught the hunter's eye. She was flattered just because he looked at her differently then he did the others.

She was so awkward when it came to this kind of feeling, to care for someone who isn't blood. Laura snorted, to care for someone in general. She loved her father, but it was distant and unrequited. Daryl liked her and she started to really care about him.

Unfortunately, this care came at the cost of knowing that she was involved with someone who could die any day. Granted, she could revive him if he turned. That is, if Jenner was right about her blood being a kind of cure. However, taking a hit to the head or being eaten alive, too much damage and reviving the person wouldn't be worth it.

She could remember the pain she was in before turning and after turning. She could still feel it in her head, when she focused on it enough, she could feel the throbbing in her leg.

Tapping part of her brace on her upper thigh, she still couldn't wait to get it off. It was a slight hindrance and though she could still move with it on just fine, stairs, slopes, and anything that required her to lift with her legs became tedious.

They were nearing the highway now, it was still dark out and she didn't want to get back just yet.

She knew Daryl had to have been tired by now, up searching all day and now through the night. He must be exhausted, but did a good job of not showing it. She wanted to part on good terms, even though they were already on good terms as it was.

Instead of just walking back, letting him sleep and taking watch. She grasped his hand, he looked down to their hands and back to her. He didn't make much of a reaction, but didn't shun her either, so she just held his hand tighter. He responded by gripping her hand back.

She smiled, he wasn't the kind to show this kind of relationship stuff in the open and she could understand that. People watching all the time would get awkward.

She let go of his hand when they neared the RV. He went to enter the Winnebago. "Goodnight." She said quietly, "See you in the mornin'."

He nodded to her, smirking at her and entered the RV, leaving her to her happy thoughts.

Laura climbed the ladder to the roof of the RV where Dale was sitting. "Dale, take the night off, I can take watch."

He looked at her oddly, "Are you sure?" She nodded, "Absolutely. You need to rest up, I'll see y'all in the mornin'." He seemed to accept the offer readily, he was tired and it had been a long and trying day.

"Well, night then." He patted her shoulder as he passed and handed her the gun.

She took the seat on top of the RV and kept watch for the rest of the night. Never resting, always watchful.

Laura felt like this was a big help. Watch shifts would interrupt sleep and make people groggy or grouchy. If Laura could stay up all night, then she could easily give people the rest they deserved.

With the rifle in her lap, she picked up the binoculars from off the roof floor and kept a close eye on the area. Making sure everyone got their well deserved sleep so tomorrow they could do it all over again.

Only now, Laura had a big grin stamped on her face. She was never very forward before, of course she'd been interested in some guys when the world was right and she had a nine to five job. She wasn't asexual.

She just never knew how to do anything about it. How would someone walk up to another and tell them they were interested in going out, trying to date that person? Laura was a novice in this area, but was doing well to conceal her ignorance.

Laura did, however, feel bad that her first was those men back in Atlanta. The ones who had taken her away and stuck her in a dark room, hurt her. She'd never been with a man before that and that made it hurt all the worse.

She wondered if she ever found herself in a situation like that with a man she cared about, like with Micheal or Daryl, could she deal with the memory of those men forcing themselves on her? She'd never felt the pleasure of someone who showed compassion and caring towards her in that kind of a position. She wasn't sure if she could do such a thing with another person.

Then again, she huffed, she'd never slept with anyone before. She'd just have to be put in that position with someone she cared about to see what she'd actually do.

Laura put a hand to her lower stomach, she could still feel some soreness there. She hated that she healed so slowly, all her bruises were still as strong as the day they appeared, contrasting against her paler skin. The blacks, blues, yellows, and reds decorated her body. Some from the stairs when she ran from Red and Braddock, her black eye from Merle, others from the men who assaulted her.

There were a few left over from when her father had tested her, but most of them had happened when she was still a walker, so they ranged from two months ago to weeks ago. Some of the smaller ones had closed up and healed over, others like some of the larger surgical scarring was still there.

Still, her main concern was being able to show the same kind of compassion towards Daryl as a woman would to a man she was interested in.

They weren't anywhere near that level yet, Laura just wanted to take all the time she had to think about it, find out if she was willing to step into that area with anyone again, after her assault.

She wouldn't decide now, it was something that just popped into her head. Laura would be lying if she hadn't said that kiss they had earlier didn't actually excite her a little. It was alarming, she hadn't meant to make it a feverish kiss, but it had turned in to a very short make out session.

When his hands were on her, she felt electricity. He hadn't intended for that either, she bet and yet, there it was. She liked it, a lot. More then she really should.

It was life affirming though, just very stable and decidedly alive.

He was warmer then her, he was solid, a stable structure who could fight and survive. She was colder, just her body though, and was unsteady, not because she couldn't stand on her own, but because she was so unsure all the time.

She was scared of everything.

Laura sighed, I am scared of everything.

"Hey." Laura snapped her head to the sound, it was Andrea. She'd come up the RV without her realizing it. Some guard I am. Laura nodded to her. "Hey."

"How's it going?" Andrea took a seat on the roof. Laura just shrugged, "Not too bad I guess." The blonde woman looked long at Laura, before smirking and narrowing her eyes. "Liar. You're really easy to read."

Laura laughed lowly, "Oh, seriously? I should work on that."

"Listen, I'm sorry about how things are going. What with you being a, uh-" Laura nodded, urging her to just say it. She gulped, "With you being a walker, or kind of like one, I was kind of... thinking it was best to just get it over with. I felt a little... cheated when you said you could've saved Amy. I know you told us you didn't know about that until Jenner told you, but I was still angry."

Ah. Laura hadn't really paid much attention to the group after telling them about herself. "It's alright, I understand."

"Have you lost anyone? I mean, I realize your father was a bastard, but did you have any brothers, sisters, and what about your mother?" Andrea wanted to know Laura better after she revealed herself and Andrea was feeling braver, after today Laura may have saved her life pulling that walker off of her.

"Nah, I was an only child. Mother left me with my father when I was a kid. Never seen her since then." Laura was just about petting the rifle in her lap, the cold smooth metal was actually quite soothing. "I got away lucky I guess. I didn't have anyone before all this, so I haven't lost anyone. All my problems were part of the old world, this whole... walker thing. Whatever it is, I don't even know. I just gotta' watch my ass around humans."

Andrea made a weird face, "You say that like you're not."

"What?" Laura was confused.

"When I hear you talk about people, just normal people, you always say humans instead of... I don't know, others, or just people. It's like you're disconnecting yourself from us. I mean, you're one of us, you are human." Andrea gestured to Laura's entire body. "Just because you look like a walker doesn't make you one. That's why I have trouble saying it. Not because I think you are one or think it a bad word. I don't like calling you a walker because you're not. You really are human. Just like us."

Laura smiled sadly. "Thank you, Andrea. That really means a lot to me."

"So, are you going to tell me what's up with you and the redneck?" She raised her brow suggestively. Laura just stared at her like she was crazy. "Oh don't look at me like that. I remember you walking off into the woods with him back at the quarry. I saw him go to your room at the CDC and just last night you and him were in the truck bed together." She pointed out to the woods, "And you just got back, again, from being out in the woods with him. Alone. Together. If there isn't anything going on then you can go ahead and turn walker on me and eat me alive. I'm willing to bet my life on it."

She bit her lip and averted her eyes, making Andrea smile brighter. "Ahh, so I'm right. There is something going on."

"Maybe, we're not sure yet." Laura ran a hand through her hair, "I mean, we've... kissed. Nothin' else though, nothin' at all. We talk about things, I tell him stuff I haven't told anyone else here. I like him, I really do, and I feel comfortable around him... I'm just worried y'know. I can't turn again and walkers don't want to eat me. They do want to eat him though. If he gets bit... I really haven't a clue what I would do."

"Bring him back, if he gets bitten, you can do that right? Isn't that what Jenner said?" Andrea asked, pointing down into the RV where Daryl slept.

"If I can bring someone back, reverse the turn... Would I want that for him? If he got bit and died..." Laura showed Andrea her bite. "I was bitten, I know how much it hurts to die slowly and when you turn, you're not aware, but when I was brought back, when I woke up with consciousness. I... Sometimes I wished I'd just died."

Andrea nodded, "I was going to stay at the CDC when it was... destroyed. I was ready to die, my way." She explained, this is what Dale and her were talking about. Laura was actually interested in Andrea's reason for living. "But I couldn't let Dale die, he didn't want to. I didn't want to die, but I didn't want to come back out here and struggle like this. I almost died today. They wouldn't have gotten to me in time had that woman not come along. I would've been torn apart... I don't want to die, I want to live, but I don't want to live like this."

Laura got up and sat next to Andrea, taking the woman's hand in her own. "I cannot honestly say that I understand, I've never had to struggle in this world. I turned before this all happened and that was the only time walkers tried to hurt me. After that, when I woke up alive, the only people who ever hurt me were hu-... normal people. I struggle to be with others, but with walkers? I'm safe with them."

Andrea grinned, "I never thought about it like that. I guess that's true though. Shane was going to kill you if Rick and Daryl hadn't stepped in. You are safer with the walkers." She chuckled, "Kind of makes me want to be like you. Not having to worry about this world..."

"I do have to worry. There have been people." Laura leaned back, putting her hands behind her and bracing herself up. "I wasn't completely unscathed by this new world.

She looked interested in this. "Oh yeah? What adventures have you had?" It was making light of a bad situation.

Laura sat still for a moment and remembered what Rick said. How it would be better to talk about it rather then let it eat away at her. It was eating at her now, she figured that if she and Daryl continued on, that there could come a day where he may want her like that. And it hurt her to no ends thinking about whether or not she had the capability to be in that kind of a vulnerable position again.

She wasn't in it willingly the first time, or the continuous assault, but it was something she had to think about. Starting a relationship with someone was challenging enough as it was, but to know that there could come a time when she found herself in a compromising position with him? Laura couldn't stop the memories that flooded back.

The dark room, being tied, thrown around like some kind of rag doll. When they were done, if she had the energy to stay awake, they would usually knock her out. She felt hurt, violated, they did things to her she didn't want to remember.

"My father kept me strapped down for days after I was cured, when I woke up. He conducted tests on me, I mean, before all this, when I was young and lived with him he was a neglectful and sometimes abusive ass, but this just got bad. He would cut open parts of me to check on muscle rejuvenation, to see if my body was restorin' itself properly." Laura pulled up her shirt up to her rib cage, on the right side was a thin cut. "He opened me up while I was still awake, when I could feel again."

"Oh God." Andrea looked sick, "That's terrible."

"Yeah, felt terrible too." Laura let her shirt fall again. "Well, eventually the house got overrun. Walkers found him. Somethin' had happened, I still don't know what. So we both ran, I thought walkers would eat me still. When we got out of the house and into the car, he drove up to a gas station in the city. I didn't want to go with him, I wanted to get away. He put the child locks on the door so I couldn't get out and the windows were locked. He told me that he wasn't through with testin' me and that only when he was done I could go."

Laura rubbed the back of her neck, she could still remember the rage she felt when she attacked him. "I got so angry I fought him off, smashed the window and jumped out of the car. I ran as best I could, that's when I came face to face with a herd of walkers. They ignored me, didn't care about me in the slightest, but they chased my father. He got in the car and drove off. He got away."

"Hmpf, I want to kill that bastard." Andrea chuckled and Laura agreed, she didn't want to really, but the tests were too much and she wanted him to know what she had to go through. "What happened then?"

"Well, I hadn't eaten in a long time so I went inside the convenience store at the gas station he had pulled up to before. I looked around for food but couldn't see anything. At this point I didn't know much about the world ending, so I still thought about paying the cashier and went up to the counter to pay or try to." Laura put her head in her hands, laughing at herself embarrassingly. "I feel stupid about it now, but... there was someone there."

She crossed her legs beneath her and leaned forward. "He put a gun to my head and took me back to his group. Tellin' me that if I tried to run, he'd kill me." Andrea's eyes were wide and distressed now. Laura's stomach was in knots, she hated talking about it. It hurt physically to say it. "They were four men an' I didn't think much about it before really, 'cept when he told me what he was gonna' do. They tied my hands up an'... For four days they kept me there just..." Laura tried to force the words out of her mouth, but every time she felt like she was chickening out.

Andrea put a hand on her back, rubbing in a comforting motion. She had a concerned look on her face and it urged Laura to continue.

"For four days... they kept me tied up... and would..." Laura groaned quietly, "They raped me, beat me up sometimes. But mostly, for those four days I was stuck with them, they just kept..."

"It's okay. You don't have to say any more." Laura didn't realized she started crying, it wasn't heavy sobbing. It was pain that had been bottled up finally escaping, being released. Andrea pulled her close, holding Laura as she let her years fall. "You're here now, not with those pigs. It's okay here, we won't do anything like that."

Laura grinned, her throat was tight and she was sad, but Andrea was a great comfort. The woman was a little snarky and wanted her way a lot, but all she cared about ultimately was other people. Andrea cared about them more then she did herself. If she didn't, she would've stayed there at the CDC and not cared if Dale had died with her.

They stayed on that roof well into the night until Andrea grew tired. Laura felt such relief, Andrea had taken weight off of her that she struggled with everyday. The pain subsided, the fear of talking about it flew out the window. She felt confident again, about what had happened and who she was with.

She trusted Andrea now too. She knew Rick, Daryl, and now Andrea weren't bothered by her walker past now. They cared about her and it made her feel like she was walking on clouds.

Laura stayed on the roof, keeping watch even after Andrea offered to stay with her through the night. Laura assured her that she was fine and just needed time to think.

It wasn't a very eventful day, but she had let out a lot. She had a deeper moment with Daryl and had finally spoken up about her rape.

Strangely, Laura felt fantastic. Better then she had in a long time.