Curative

By Kaimaler

Now we get to see a little more Laura/Group interaction. We were spending time with Rick last chapter, but now we're going to see something a bit new...
Hmm... Wonder what that could be... :O

WOOOOOOO, I'm publishing like a madwoman. I love this. :3

Review Replies:

Lorem Tenebrae:

Really? Huh. I always felt like I was spewing out nonsense.
I want to be a spot on as I can with the show, I don't want to detract from the importance of events that take place in WD continuity. It's all a large part of why I love the show and I can't find it within myself to diminish it. I know I brought Sophia back and that may make a few readers feel like I'm trying to make things better just 'cause I did want them to all find Sophia alive.
I actually have a point with saving Sophia, I didn't do it just because I wanted to. Surprising, I know. xD
And I want my readers to know what's going on. We're only really seeing from Laura's perception of events, we don't see anyone else. If she's not in the scene or nearby, then I won't write what happens until she arrives. It's no fun to just write what happens in the actual show with no variations whatsoever. If y'all wanted to know what happens in the show, you'd just go and watch the episode. x3
I also wanted Rick and Laura to become close, to really get comfortable with each other. Her telling Rick early on, when they were in the tent, is really the biggest reason she's still with them. It was the right move to tell Rick, the group leader, about herself and she judged him right. Rick's a caring, understanding man, at least, he was at that point in Season 1, so he was able to accept her regardless.
OH YOU. Stop it! :3
I love that I keep getting reviews from you, you're always so specific and nice! I really appreciate all my readers who take the time to review, but those choice few who take the EXTRA time to put thought into their review, well, that just makes my day. Knowing that I can elicit such a response from people I've never met face to face! It's what really makes writing an exciting and fun experience for me! :D
So thank you, Lorem, you definitely are one of my all time favorite readers of all my stories. I feel so flattered when you review, I'm not that great, but you make me want to get better and write more!

wolfismyhero:

Yay! I'm so glad you think of my story so highly! It's actually quite challenging to write because I have to explain so many different things and still try to keep it interesting enough so the reader doesn't feel the desire to skim over Laura's long winded explanations.
I know they're long, but readers seem to actually like them, so I'm going to keep doing them the way they are, make them better if I can too of course. :D
The Cure, which in this story it's more like a different, more advanced form of the virus which will be explained in much more detail later on, is very hard to pinpoint. To tell the reader that Laura is "cured" but she isn't well. She's still got some serious issues. x.x
AH, you're too kind! I love coming up with new ideas and making them the best I can do. I try my hardest and, naturally, sometimes the idea falls flat, but I'm so glad to see Laura's story isn't dying out! People like it! It was experimental, but then again, most of my stories start off like that. :P
I love all my readers, their favourites, alerts, and (especially) reviews make me want to keep writing, for the entertainment of it and for them, you, too! I want everyone who reads my story to find just as much (if not more!) enjoyment out of reading it as I do writing it!
Thanks for reviewing! Every word counts! :D
I hope you like this chapter, we see a very... interesting turn here. MhuhahahahahaHHAHAHHAHAHAHA :D

In the afternoon, Laura and Rick had finished most of the check ups on the group. It had been a long day so far, they helped around the farm for Maggie and Hershel, they gave T-Dog some help when bringing back a lot of water back to camp, Laura checked up again on Sophia with Rick, they also stopped in to see that Randall had woken up for a little bit, but he quickly passed out again.

Laura didn't pay much attention to Randall when they stopped by, he was still recovering from blood loss and his injury was apparently rather bad. She didn't know anything about it and trusted Rick to know what to do, but she would offer whatever help she could when he had to deal with Randall. It wasn't easy deciding someones fate, especially in this world.

When the day reached its slowest point, Laura saw Daryl off in the distance. She smiled widely, "Rick, Daryl's back, I'm gonna' run off. I had a good day today, I'll talk to you later." Rick nodded to her and she went straight for Daryl, happy to see him back from the woods and appeared to be fine.

He turned around and lead her away from the camp, he didn't say anything or really acknowledge her existence, but she wasn't bothered in the slightest. She knew fine well Daryl wasn't into openly displaying their relationship, he preferred to find a place to be alone and show her in full detail. Which wasn't too bad, considering she figured Daryl hadn't had many relationships in his past, simply because of how he seemed and with someone like Merle around? She couldn't see many women approaching him with serious intentions rather then a one night stand at best.

So she followed him with a grin on her face, just enjoying the scenery as they stalked through the tall grass back to his tent, now also her tent, but she loved calling it his and still having the privilege of coming and going as she pleased.

Looking at how they were together now, she wasn't sure what he thought of them, him, her, being around each other with more intentions then a one night stand. She'd never gotten anything out him other then he liked her and that he considered her his woman, which she felt like she was floating when he said it or spoke of it. She wondered where they were really heading, if there would be any progress in the future with them.

Would they be at this stalemate continually or will one of them have to make a bold move?

Laura sighed inwardly, with her mental state in disarray, she couldn't exactly bed him and say that was the right move. Even if she could, she wouldn't. She didn't want to be perceived as being easy and, at the same time, she realized she was about ready to do that exact thing the day before.

Thank God I'm fucked in the head. She smiled nervously, she would've regretted sleeping with him so early on. They just started all this and while she was anxious to get over this metal bump from her past, she still didn't want the first time he made a move to be instantly rewarded with getting laid.

The hell am I worrying about this now? There are walkers all around the place and I'm losing my head about sleeping with someone? She gave Daryl's back a very lame and bored look. She had to look out for him, guard him, she didn't sleep so nights were automatically safer for him. Walkers never bothered her so her safety with staying up or just living in this undead apocalypse was a good deal easier for him.

She wasn't so lucky. Walkers searched restlessly for people like this group, for him, they were always hungry and she knew what that hunger felt like. It would drive any person mad if they had to live with it. Daryl was in constant danger, his life was being risked just by walking from his tent to the farmhouse.

Hell, his life was in danger just by being in a damn tent rather then something solid and well protected.

Laura's mouth twisted in thought, she had taken it on herself to guard him from the walkers, even if he didn't want her to, she was still going to do it. She cared about him and if he ever died, permanently died... She shuddered at the thought. Like when he fell down the ridge for that second time, she thought he died right then and there or, at least, was dying.

Technically he was and nearly did. A few times counting the two walkers that she proved herself to be absolutely no help whatsoever with. She growled at herself, she nearly tore apart her leg to get down there to help him and all she did was get hurt worse and he ended up helping her.

The opposite of her plan.

She worried about the combination of walkers and the group, all of them, constantly. It was fear but never for her anymore, she may not have a death wish, but she knew the only person that would hurt her here was Shane. They had so much more to worry about, their survival was a continuous epic struggle that broke Laura's heart just to watch and know that she couldn't stop it.

She may never have liked people before the world ended, never sought out social interaction unless she was buying something or it was a passing talk, but she didn't want them to die and definitely not so mercilessly. Their fight for survival is one she could never know, not in her state, but she wasn't going to ignore it just because she didn't share it.

Her thoughts were brought to everyone, T-Dog cut his arm up bad when the herd passed them on the highway, he nearly died as a consequence of the walkers appearance. Glenn and Shane were away from the group a little ways, they didn't see the herd until it was very, very close to them and almost got caught. Rick was separated from Lori, which told her that they didn't have time to get to each other they were in such a rush.

She knew Andrea had some kind of issue in the RV, but she never asked what it was or how her near death experience was. Laura bit her lip, I should probably talk to her about that later. She wanted to show her consideration with her friends, make them understand she thought of them more then just a group to combat her loneliness.

As they reached their tent, she began tending to what he had brought back. She chose to do it alone, she wanted the practice and insisted that he hunted and she would do everything to make them edible.

So long as he didn't eat another raw squirrel. Laura smirked, she really didn't know why he did it, but he did and she found his survival skills beyond anything she could understand. She wasn't going to question it, he did what he did.

It was a relatively quiet day after talking with Rick, Daryl seemed content with her just being around and farther from Shane. There wasn't much she wanted to speak about, after her little bit of work that morning, she was happy to just lean back and soak in the sun.

They spent the rest of the day together, never sharing more then a few words to each other, but Laura was happy to be with him. She could keep an eye on him, make sure nothing happened.

With her around he would be in far less danger of walkers, he could handle a few at a time, but in the rare event that a small group passed by or a herd like the ones she spend her time with came by... She could get him out of there faster then anyone else.

There was never a time when he was away from her that he was safer without her and she knew it, the walkers wanted him and sometimes, to her, it felt direct. They wanted him and she wasn't going to let them have him.

When night came by and Daryl went to sleep, Laura was awake and aware, as usual.

Instead of staying in the bed, Laura's concern about a walker getting too close or too many appearing before she could actually do any good got the better of her. So she was careful enough to slink away from Daryl and take a seat, cross legged, just outside the tent flap.

She would sit there the rest of the night, eyes wide open and watching for walkers. She'd not let a single one get near the tent, near him, she functioned as a watchdog, but she couldn't do any good if she spent her time unable to see what was going on around them.

She had taken one of her blankets from her duffle to ward off the cold and just sat there, scanning around them, at times walking around the tent quietly to check for walkers, just in case they came through the woods and caught his scent.

Laura noticed he was so distinct to her, they all were really, like they were sweeter then herself or walkers who, of course, smelled like rotting roadkill. Which some of them actually were.

She also noticed that she stilled didn't know Daryl very well. This knowledge made her rather perturbed, she had spoken openly about her troubles and rarely ever showed any kind of reservation. She knew Daryl had a harder life then her, he must've, it was little putting together a puzzle.

Daryl's brother, Merle, was quite volatile and she wondered if this rough treatment extended the brotherly bond. She was certain that it did, at least to some degree. She knew, it was so obvious, that Daryl had some form of neglect or abuse in his younger years, either from his parents or his brother, she didn't know. It was all blurry to her, the possibilities were endless.

This kind of treatment, or lack thereof, made Daryl reluctant to really start any physical contact. Small things were generally fine to him, but when she rubbed his back in the woods, wrapped her arms around him and held him close, when she held his face in her hands, he always showed such a strong reaction. People don't usually flinch so much when touched.

She knew when she first came in contact with the group, when they touched her, she would jump, sometimes yelp, and flinch too. However, her worst lasting problem left over from her childhood was simply fear of people, never knowing what they'd do or how they'd react to things. She had the constant concern that she'd cross a line that Daryl had put up and end up either ruining things with him or getting smacked.

Like that'd happen. She rolled her eyes and scoffed. He just wasn't that kind of person and she knew that, it was ingrained in her head, that was her understanding of Daryl. She could touch him, have quite passionate make out sessions with him, display her affection in private, she was sure he'd actually let her show affection in public, but he doesn't like it, it's just not something he wanted to do out in the open.

She could understand that, she wasn't against showing her affection or his being shown to her in public. In fact she would happily encourage it if he ever chose to do that, but she very seriously doubted he ever would.

So that wasn't something she could do to show that she cared. He knew she did and if he didn't, she'd correct that quickly.

She cared so much that every minute of her days were spent worrying about him and walkers. She had no hate or love for walkers, they were never her enemy, aside from when she was bit, but she didn't know what that meant back then. No one did so to her it was like Reginald wasn't actually a walker. It made the whole thing that more surreal.

Knowing these people feared for their lives every second of every day, just hoping that they make it through another night without being bitten or eaten. She couldn't stand it, the thought of the struggle and pain, the absolute terror they must feel in their every waking moment down to their restless nights.

It was torture of a different kind. To rob people of their security, but all Laura could think is that it they now know what it's like to be the squirrel's Daryl hunts. The exact same situation for prey animals, only it's humans who have been the dominant specie for since humanity started. They were always in power, everything around them was a sign of that power.

And now it was gone, they were forced to live as prey. The undead were the dominant now, they held the power. It's like the criminally insane and violent people were the majority and normal everyday people had to live under them, these damaged people were the undead now and normal people, humans, were forced to hide away as best they could.

Most just die one way or another, willingly or not. Laura's mind imaged the group, or specific members, facing the kind of death the walkers made them fear. Being torn apart and eaten alive by other humanoid creatures? Things that look likethem. It only increased the fear of these creatures, knowing that they were once just people like them and they had the same chances of becoming the same thing they were.

Snap!

Laura froze, her thoughts fell silent as she looked back into the woods. She stared through the trees, she knew where the sound came from, over her right shoulder and it wasn't far.

After a minute of doing nothing but standing still and staring, a walker came into view.

Laura didn't have anything on her, if it came this way she'd have to go through the trouble of waking Daryl up to deal with it. She needed a way to kill it, lessen the chance of it coming to the tent now or later on. Sometimes walkers could ignore loud noises when they thought nothing came of it, but other times they could catch up on the quietest sounds and end up coming straight back.

She backed up slowly, it saw her but didn't think anything of her, as usual.

Heading back to the tent, she could see Daryl was still fast asleep and the crossbow was on top of her duffle on the far side of the tent. She sighed quietly and snuck through the tent, stepping at silently as she could and plucked the crossbow from the duffle and hurried back out as fast as she came in.

Taking up one of the arrows, she loaded it as mutely as possible, but it made the usual loud snap as it was ready to shoot.

She went back to see the walker heading in no real direction to or from the tent, just barely angled towards the fields, it would wander out there and if the others don't see it, it could see them first.

So she took up aim and had her finger on the trigger when she heard something behind her. It would've startled her if she wasn't so focused on dealing with the walker a little more then ten feet in front of her now and coming a bit closer with each step.

She knew it was footsteps, the rustling in the tent, and the sensibility of the steps were human, not walker. It was Daryl, he either noticed she was gone or heard her, whichever it was, he had gotten up to investigate and right when he exited the tent, he spotted her and approached.

"What're you doin' up?" He wasn't talking about sleep, he knew she didn't, but he did expect to see her with him in the tent. It didn't take a genius to know that she preferred just staying with him more then doing anything else.

"Shhh." She hissed, still aiming out towards the walker. His appearance made her pause though, the walker could see them, it was looking directly at them and made a low groan. Daryl heard it and froze in place, but he couldn't see through the dark, it was pitch black and there wasn't a possible way for him to get a good enough eye on the walker.

Laura waited a moment, just a second, and realized what was happening.

She lowered the crossbow and came up to stand just barely in front of Daryl, between him and the walker. "There's a walker ahead of us." She was looking at him, but he shot her a very sarcastic look. He knew there was a walker, he could hear it and just barely pick out it's silhouette from the lightly illuminated woods behind it.

At this point, he could shoot it, he could easily see enough of it to find out where to shoot, but Laura held back, her hands still firmly on the crossbow as the walker drew near. Just in case she was wrong about this.

As the walker approached them with a telltale limp, Daryl nudged her as if telling her to shoot. She refused, she wanted to know.

When she went into the streets with Glenn, they hadn't come after her like normal and most ignored Glenn completely because of the coat of walker blood and guts until it rained and washed them clean and they found Glenn out rather quickly after that.

But could she wanted to know if it could work, if her presence with a human would actually deter a walker. She wondered that before, back in Atlanta and was even asked about it, but she never attempted it and couldn't provide a sure answer. If it was true, if she could do it, then it was only one more thing she could do for the group.

Especially when scouting, she hadn't done it for them yet, but she knew the day would come that they would need her to make a run for supplies because they wouldn't have to worry about risking their own. However, if she proved herself as a walker deterrent then there could be so many more possibilities added to future scouting trips.

Daryl got tense, she could hear his hands moving for something on his person. She figured it be his hunting knife, she never saw him without it. She wanted to know, she had to and this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

"Just wait." She raised her arm, putting her hand up to where the back of her hand was on his chest. "Watch." She pointed to the walker slowly as it came near to them.

It slowed down for a moment as it came within reach of them both, Daryl was tense and probably wondering what the hell she was doing. She would explain it later, but for now... her experiment could be beneficial to the group. Daryl wasn't in any real danger here, she had that crossbow ready to fire and he had his hunting knife in his hands, they were far from defenseless.

The walker leaned in close, sniffing and growling, Daryl's hand raised just a few inches, but the walker didn't care in the slightest. It was smelling and searching...

Then it just turned away and started shuffling away. Laura smiled, it worked, her presence actually hid Daryl's, a human, enough to make walkers think that he was a walker too and leave.

It actually worked! Laura felt like jumping, but Daryl was disturbed. "What was that?"

The walker faced them again and hissed, starting to shuffle back to them. Laura raised the crossbow and fired an arrow straight into it's forehead and the walker fell flat.

"That... was amazing." She walked up to it and yanked the arrow out. "When we were stuck in Atlanta on that roof, Rick had an idea to cover themselves, Rick and Glenn that is, in walker gore to hide the smell." She turned back to him to see him watching intently. "I offered to walk through the horde in the streets of course, but Glenn had to come with me. So they stuck him in a giant coat and oversized gloves to put all that walker gore on in order to hide his smell and he walked like a walker, they thought him to be a walker."

"You bein' around..." Daryl's eyes narrowed in thought, "It didn't even look at me."

"It did not, indeed." She was grinning, thrilled her experiment worked. "I was near, it knew me as not dinner and I must've masked you, so it just moved on like it was nothin'. I don't know why, I don't think I smell that bad, but, then again, I haven't taken a shower in a long while. Whatever the reason, the walker just didn't think you were food. So it was leavin'... Until you said somethin' an' walkers ain't that dumb."

This was actually interesting news to the both of them and he would've said more on it, but he just grumbled tiredly and went back to the tent. She smirked, he was tired and that was normal. Bet he didn't expect to wake up to a walker. Laura was excited that it worked, she didn't know many places that it would come in handy and she didn't know if she could do this with just one person or more.

"Get in here." She heard come from the tent, Daryl was back on his cot and waiting for her.

Thoughts for later. She had an eventful night and was content to lay back down with him. She was still worried about other walkers and the like, but they hadn't made much noise so it was unlikely more walkers would show up just because they saw one. There were more stragglers in the country side then the city, so it wouldn't surprise Laura if this one wasn't just walking around aimlessly in the woods for months now.

Laura slinked back onto the cot, happy at this new revelation.

Before she realized that she felt like a teddy bear. She was awake all night and Daryl insisted she remain with him and if she'd not, he's worried about her. At night, like now, his arm around her, pressing her to his good side. She could swear she's a kind of walker teddy.

The idea made her grin. Through the night she listened for any more walkers, but felt so much better knowing that so long as she's with him, near him at least, that walkers would overlook him because of her.

It was comforting, she felt less threatened by them and it allowed her to ease into the cot with him much more relaxed then she had done the last time.

Morning came around too fast for Laura, who was so content just laying beside Daryl and watching his chest rise and fall with every breath.

She remembered telling Rick about her being a doctor and how he was very interested in that, being it is actually important information and he did need to know it, though she had never thought about it much beforehand. This news about being around, from what she knows so far, one person will make a calm walker pass them by like they would normally do to her.

She should relay this to Rick when she could, tell him the little she knew about it and see if he had any ideas as to how it could help them. She knew it would make her valuable to be sent out either alone or with someone to scavenge or scout out, those trips would be so much safer.

Laura was so relived to be seeing that her and Rick were growing closer as friends, she did enjoy Rick's company greatly. He listened to her, talked to her as an equal and trusted her, all things she never really experienced before. He was a good man and she would hate to think about never meeting him, never breaking the ice with him to forward their friendship.

Rick made Laura feel like her opinions and needs mattered to him and to the group. So she valued him above others, a little bit of favoriting, but she saw no harm in it. She knew so little about her friends, the most she knew of any of them was Rick and everyone knew about Rick. However, the others in the group she hadn't spoken to much and wasn't that kind of a friend to them, they wouldn't talk about their pasts like she would.

Laura had been mostly open about her past, mostly. Hesitant and a little worried understandably so though. Eventually she told those that asked, Andrea, Rick and Daryl being the only ones who had.

While Laura mused on the idea of who she knew and who she didn't, Daryl began to wake up and she couldn't wait to get up. She had to talk to Rick about being able to hide people from walkers when she was near enough. She didn't know many details, but it was something new.

When he felt it time to get up and start the day, Laura immediately got up with him. She left the tent and looked over to the walker corpse, they needed to move it.

Laura went over to it and hooked her arms underneath the corpses' and lifted it as much as she could, which wasn't very high unfortunately, but it allowed her to begin dragging it away deeper into the woods. After a bit of pulling, she was satisfied with the distance for now and went back to the small camp Daryl had set up.

She saw him with a bottle of water in his hands, she assumed he was planning on breakfast before doing something that related to hunting. Again.

"Mornin'." She came up beside him, her hand on his back deftly. "I'm gonna' stop in with Rick again this mornin', tell him about last night. Maybe see if some good can come of it."

"You're spendin' a lotta' time with the cop." He stated, almost curiously.

She shrugged, "I like Rick, we've become somethin' of friends in the time that I've known him. So I spend time with him, he needs someone to tell him that they trust him. He's got the entire group ridin' on his back an' in this world that's a hell of a lot to carry. I wanna' help him where I can an' supportin' him I figure is the best way to do it."

"Really think he's listenin' to you?" It was disbelief, almost a snap. Laura knew Daryl didn't really like anyone at camp, but he did stay with them for survival and still stuck his neck out for them. Like on the road with T-Dog, she knew what happened, Daryl saved T-Dog, the one he also blamed for Merle being left cuffed to a roof in Atlanta. The other being Rick of course.

"Absolutely, he's the only one around here that makes me feel like I matter much." She smiled to her thoughts, only barely catching sight of Daryl's narrowed eyes and tightly set jaw. "I mean it in a different way, like that I have an opinion an' that it carries some measure of weight to it, somethin' I ain't used to."

Daryl looked at her in the corner of his eye, not turning to face her. "What do you mean in a different way?"

She smirked, "I matter to you, you may not say nothin', but you carefor me just like I care about you. Rick cares too, we are friends on some level at least. The difference between how I matter to Rick an' how I matter to you, is that I think about you, care for you in a much closer way then friends. Rick, on the other hand, gives me a sense of place. That in this world, with these people, I belong an' I am valued."

He scoffed, "Valued right here, ain't gotta' go to Rick to belong." Laura beamed at him, that was his way of saying he cared and that he wanted her here, without actually saying it, because, as Laura's come to know, Daryl wasn't the kind of man to blurt out his feelings on anything just because he does have a heart.

He dealt with himself fine and if he cared about someone else, like Laura knows he cares for her, then he keeps them close and watches out for them. For her. It definitely made her feel like she belonged.

"I know, just... In an important fashion, in a way that I can help others." She patted the flashlight she still had on her hip. "I talked to Rick about my little dilemma an' I gotta' good problem solver. Rick gave me his flashlight, when I'm comin' up to camp at night an' worried I might get shot 'cause I look like a walker, just flash it an' people know."

Daryl partially turned to see her now, his eyes roamed over her face and body, she felt almost like he was looking for something. He didn't say anything, just ran his eyes over her. "You don't look like a walker."

She laughed, "I look like hell an' I know it, don't try an' tell me otherwise. Nice of you to say though, but I do look like a walker, ain't pleasant to look at, but I ain't gotta' way to change it."

Daryl's mouth twitched in a frown, whatever bothered him he left it alone for now. "Goin' to camp, be ready."

Laura glanced over herself, "I think I'm good to go." His eyes flicked to her before he put the crossbow's belt across his chest and nodded her along. She walked with him fine, not a care in the world.

The morning even started off hot and Laura loved how it warmed her skin up, she always felt so chilly, but she never noticed until she was next to something warm or spent her time in the heat of the Georgia sun. It felt magnificent and for a little while, she just bathed in the sunlight and enjoyed walking with the only man who ever showed her companionship.

Ha, Daryl and companionship. Laura snickered at herself, he wasn't exactly the companion or partner type. He was a traditional man while remaining radically different then anyone she'd ever met, traditional was only one way to describe how he acted towards her. He was tough, considerate, and surprised her at almost every turn.

She very much enjoyed guessing which part he'd take each day now. He'd vary from being distant for one reason or another, then he'd very literally be on her showing her that he did care, even if he had trouble displaying it at times.

Nearing the camp, she noticed that it was brighter this morning, they had gotten up later. Possibly because of the walker last night.

She was actually extremely excited by this news, it could mean she would be used to makes run into town now, her usefulness was beginning to show itself in ways she never expected.

As Daryl stalked into camp, ignoring everyone but Laura's target audience, which was actually leaning against a tree just beside his tent. Lori and Carl nearby him, having their breakfasts.

"Mornin' Rick." He nodded to her, busy chewing his breakfast to greet her vocally. "I got some new for you. I think you're gonna' like it actually." Daryl stayed behind her, just a little ways enough to keep his eye on her and be out of the way of the camp, to not attract any attention to himself.

He swallowed, "What've you got for me this morning?" He grinned at her, remembering their conversation from the previous morning.

"A walker came to our tent last night." She just said it without actually anticipating the reaction. Rick paused right before he was about to take a bite of his eggs, Lori heard it too and had to take a moment before stepping forward to Laura, "What happened, are y'all alright?"

Laura nodded, "Just fine. I went out to kill it, but the noise woke Daryl up an' he came out too, but I decided to test somethin' I remember from Atlanta. Seein' if, like when we coated Glenn in walker gore to mask him from the walkers, that me bein' around could do the same thing."

Lori glanced down to the plastic plate with eggs on it, she didn't really look like eating anymore. "Well, turns out it worked. Kinda'. The walker saw us both, Daryl was standin' right behind me, but it didn't seem to notice him an' went about it's business. It was only when Daryl said somethin' that the walker caught on, so I put it down."

Rick's eyes fell on Daryl, who nodded in confirmation. He was processing more new information, Laura grinned, he was having to deal with a lot from Laura lately. "That could come in hand, I can see how it would be useful." He commented, completely ignoring his breakfast now. "You could help Glenn with his runs into town... Could also help when I take Randall out after he's able to walk again."

"You know all you gotta' do is ask, I'm here when you need me. Just thought that I should say somethin' this time." The two chuckled at that, in this world yesterday seems like a long time ago. Especially when struggling for your life everyday.

"I might take you up on that offer. Until then, Glenn is making a run into town again later today." He gestured to Glenn, who was sitting next to T-Dog having his breakfast. "If you're free today, talk to Glenn."

Rick had long gotten over Laura bringing him surprising news, he just felt it saved time if he didn't expect her to reach her limits. Just to wait and see what new thing she found.

He was no longer hesitant towards the many strange things she would tell him about, that would only serve to make things more difficult. So he went along with it, but he wouldn't risk her any actual harm.

"Sure, 'bye Rick. Lori." She gave a little wave to both the Grimes before returning to Daryl who was giving her a steady glare, it wasn't in anger, but Laura wasn't sure what else it could be about.

They were about to head back to the tent, Laura would get ready for the run into town and she didn't know what Daryl had on his to do list. Both of them paused when they heard a little voice call out. "M-Miss Laura!"

She looked around camp for a moment, but she did recognize the voice. It was the youngest and sweetest in camp. When Laura spotted the source, she smiled at her.

Sophia was walking from the farmhouse to the camp, but once the little girl saw Laura she ran straight up to her. Laura kneeled down, her arms out wide and Sophia ran into them, throwing her arms around Laura's neck and holding onto her tightly. Laura's own arms enveloped the small girl, hugging her gently to her.

"Good mornin' Sophia." She chuckled, the little girl was clinging to her. Laura could feel one of her hands had her doll, the worn plushie that nearly killed Daryl and her.

She let Sophia go to see the girl smiling nervously. "I'm feeling m-much better now Miss L-Laura." She released Laura and held her doll in her arms lovingly. "I r-really missed my m-momma. Y-you were in that d-dark place with m-me though, I f-felt so happy with y-you."

Laura grinned a little confused, "You mean in the barn?" She nodded quickly, "Well, I'm glad I could be there for you. I see you got your dolly back."

Sophia smiled brightly and searched around, before her eyes fell on Daryl and she left Laura to stand shyly in front of him. "T-thank you for s-saving d-dolly, I really m-missed her too." She was so nervous, but despite that she jumped forward and hugged Daryl's waist. He made no movement to hug her back or reject her. After a minute he reached down and patted her right shoulder, mindful of the bite wound on the opposite side.

"Ain't nothin' girl." He grumbled. He had a very slight grin, he didn't do anything else and Sophia released him, smiling at him again before going back to Carol who stood just a few feet in front of them.

"It wasn't nothing, you all worked so hard to find my little girl and I can't thank you enough." Carol had tears in the corner of her eyes, just seeing her daughter up and walking again made her so happy she was on the verge of crying out in joy. "I lost hope to ever find her again, to see her back." She looked at Laura with such deep compassion that made Laura stay quiet, "You changed that, you gave her back to me after everything. Thank you so much."

Laura stood up in time for Carol to walk up to her and hug her, crying happily. "Carol, you musta' thanked me a dozen times since Sophia came back, but it's alright. Don't worry about it, everyone else here would've done the same. I ain't no different then them. They went out an' searched to an' Hershel let us stay on the farm 'til we found her. Everyone did their part to bring Sophia back."

Carol stepped back, "I know and I can't tell you all how happy I am now that Sophia's back. You all searched for so long and Carl got hurt... I have no word to tell everyone how thankful I am."

Rick smiled at the woman, everyone in the camp was listening in, standing around with grins plastered on their faces. "It's alright Carol, we couldn't just leave one of our own behind, especially not Sophia."

"We would never have left without knowing where Sophia went." Lori joined Carol, her arm around the woman's shoulders, "Now how about you and Sophia have breakfast with us, hmm? You must be hungry."

Sophia beamed, "I'm v-very hungry!" Laura cringed a bit, she knew Sophia wasn't over the walker-hunger yet. She'd be constantly hungry for a little while, at least for a few days.

Carol nodded, Sophia stepping into her mother's arms as Lori led them to the camp and sat them down on two chairs side by side, serving them a plate of eggs each. Most of the group went with them, all enjoying Sophia's presence again.

Rick put his arm around Laura's shoulders, in a half-hug. She patted his back and he went to join them at the camp.

Daryl even had a grin on his face now, a full one, not that reluctant grin he'd get whenever they talked. He was actually happy and willing to show it, all for that little girl. It made Laura's smile fade into pure contentedness, there wasn't anything else she wanted out of this day.

Laura came up beside him, her hand on his shoulder, arm pressed against his and he stole his attention after he had decided he'd seen enough. He put his arm around her a bit, not exactly holding her to him, but it was his first display of affection in the open and Laura was just soaking it in. Sophia affected them all so much that even Daryl couldn't hide his satisfaction knowing Sophia was back safe and sound.

He jerked his head to the side and they left the camp, she assumed they had something to talk about... Probably her choosing to go with Glenn on a run into town, or perhaps Daryl was just too relaxed with Sophia's recovery to bring it up.

So she ignored the idea and began to shower her love of the fields again, picking out little details about it she admired and wished she was born on a farm, lacking the concrete sidewalks, stone walls, and cold offices.

Daryl broke her rather aimless thoughts, "What're you doin'?"

"What-?" Laura blinked, her gaze on Daryl who was looking at her strangely. "Doin' about what now?"

"Goin' into town, ain't safe. Remember, not leavin' my sight." He reiterated. Oh that. Right. Laura just waved him off. "Oh come on, I want to help around camp an' makin' this run for supplies will do me good. Not to mention, it'll be safer for Glenn if I go with."

"Kid can watch his own, done it before." Laura rolled her eyes, she felt like she was doing that more and more with Daryl around. "I'm sure he can, but that don't mean if there is a way to make it safer that it'd be a waste if I just sat around here all day all the while knowin' that I could be doin' somethin'."

This seemed to shut Daryl off for now, he wasn't saying anything else on the matter. She could clearly see he was uncomfortable with the arrangement, he just chose not to comment further. Whether or not he'd eventually be fine with her decision was not something she could predict. He was clamming up again, possibly because he was trying to find a way to make her stay.

She didn't mind that he'd stop talking to her until he came to terms with it. Laura wanted to help out around camp, she knew from the start that she would be best utilized in this group as a scavenger or scout. That's how it's always been, it made everyone happier and safer knowing that the person they are sending out cannot die from being bitten and walkers don't want to tear her apart.

It was a win win situation, she goes first or runs into town, does whatever needs to be done and can come back with or without scratches and bites, but still be perfectly fine.

At Daryl's tent, Laura took a good long look over the fields surrounding the farmhouse, finding herself envious of the Greene family for living here. She hoped they wouldn't have to leave for any reason.

By the time Laura turned around, Daryl was in her face, confrontational. She was a little stunned at first, but quickly saw that this was the way he wanted to play this.

"You're not goin'." He snarled, biting his thumb. Laura would've smiled at him if she didn't know that would actually agitate him further.

"I am, Glenn's makin' a run an' there ain't nothin' to worry about. It'll be easy, 'specially for me, y'know fine well why. Don't need to keep repeatin' it I don't think." Laura placed her hands on his chest, trying to calm him down at least a little. "I won't be too long, we'll be back before y'know it."

He turned his head away, still nipping at his thumb whilst glaring aside. "I don't... want you to go. Not without me."

"Daryl, three people for a quick run into town? That's a bit excessive, don't you think?" Her hands reached to his arms, grasping his biceps and taking a step back. "Now I'm goin', but I won't be too long. Nothin's gonna' happen an' takin' you along would be overkill. We won't need any help."

"Don't care-" She put a hand up, "I do. Just stay here, do whatever it is you intended to do today, when I get back I'll stay with you for the rest of the day. You gotta' understand that I have to pull my own around here too, I gotta' get up an' do what I can to help in anyway I can."

He growled at her, glaring daggers now, and after spending time with the hunter, Laura really couldn't see the dangerous side of him when he was angry with her. She had to resist the urge to just throw her arms around him, to her when he showed her his concern for her it never failed to make her feel happier and happier.

Effectively, his angry refusal was actually detrimental to his goal. He was only affirming her choice to go.

She knew she'd be worried about him while she was gone too, but that was something she felt the need to put behind her. It kept her moving around constantly, it made her want to be on guard while he slept. It wasn't something she needed to encourage, he would never coddle her when she had troubles, he would take care of her if there was actually something wrong and her reasoning was the same, she was always worried about him, however, she could see that crossbow and remember he had made it this long without her.

Not only that, but he thrived. He fed himself well while feeding others too and was extremely tough, it would take more then a few walkers to take him down. This was fact in her head, but it didn't stop the irrational belief that the second she was gone he'd end up getting bitten or eaten.

Still, she wanted to help the group and earn a title of value to the group, something substantial enough to confirm her place within the group. She already began to feel like one of them, like a real survivor, but she had this nagging doubt in the back of her mind and she could've sworn that the moment this doubt appeared in her head, she heard a very loud snap...

"They don't want you here, it doesn't want you." Laura zoned out, staring mindlessly into space. "The moment you let your guard down, it'll hurt you. All of them will, you aren't one of them... You're heart doesn't beat with theirs, their blood pumps, their bodies are warm, healthy, and so delicious..."

That won't happen, they're not like that. Laura thought, smirking nervously to herself. They were her friends, Rick was a good friend of hers, Daryl was more then just a friend, T-Dog was so nice to her she thought so highly of him, Glenn was so funny, always being the life of the group, even when he ends up just being more awkward then anything.

Not to mention Andrea and Carol, the blonde woman cared for her and Laura was sure Carol had given her a place within her family that had comprised of both the living and dead relatives, but now adopted Laura.

They're my friends. The idea brought Laura such warmth and comfort she couldn't imagine living without it.

The Voice in her mind scoffed loudly, "Friends, what friends? I see a full breakfast, a quick lunch, and a three course dinner." It hissed hungrily, "Like they'd keep you here with them forever. To do what? Live happily ever after... Fantasy, my darling. Listen to me, I love you and want to protect you. That's all." The Voice cooed like a mother would her child.

Laura frowned, the Voice never spoke to her like this before. It was so animated now, like it was a living person, before it was her own voice in her head just suggesting, hinting at best, for her to do certain things, but never anything so drastic and never spoke with such compassion...

Was the Voice capable of the same human compassion her friends showed her...? Surely it was a trick of her mind.

Maybe not forever, people live and die of course, but as long as we can. I don't care if it's only for another ten minutes or another fifty years, I want to be here. Laura pictured the groups faces, everyone, even Shane. She liked them all, Shane wasn't bad, just not a very open minded person... For better or worse, I want to be with them all.

"To do what though? Follow them around until they die off slowly? They will all die long before you, so long as you keep your wits about you and stay sharp. They are all watching you, like a hawk after a mouse." It chortled, "Would you rather walk away alive and with a full belly? Or stay as their pet until they tire of you?"

The Voice spoke so smoothly, sounding so silky and at ease.

Then it forced images into her head, violent images. Laura flinched, her eyes widening as the images flickered through her mind a dozen at a time. All of them either featuring various members of the group with a gun to her head, a knife at her throat, or doing her in with an ax or machete. The others were of Laura in a more dominant position, this time she held the weapon to them, but they were already dead and she was feasting.

Laura's mind screamed in response. No! Stop that! I would never, they would never! Get that out of my head! She cried, the Voice flashed only a few more before stopping completely. Laura's memory just about forgot the violent imagery immediately.

"Shhh, my love, it is alright. You are safe... Those are just... scenarios. You must see what could be, what could happen, to truly know where you stand in regards to them, those creatures." It lulled her into a more relaxed state of mind, Laura could swear she felt something akin to hand brushing through her hair, calming her. "I only do this because I love you, because I want you to see. I don't want you to be hurt by them, think of the heart break. You friends turning against you, one of them already has..."

Shane was never my friend, he was kind to me once, that doesn't make him a friend automatically. Laura retorted, Shane was a good person, she could see he had the capacity for the same gentle nature Rick had, she only wished Shane would actually show it again. I do not feel betrayed or hurt because of what he did, I was a walker... I know sometimes I say I am a walker still, but I'm not. A walker can't feel love or hate, I would rather die then see them harmed.

"You may not have a choice..." The Voice was sticky sweet, it sounded like what Laura expected sugar to sound like if it could speak. "Think of the pain it would bring if Rick, your closest friend now, were to point that gun at you, call you a monster. What would happen if Andrea aimed at you, knowing who you are and still thought of you as a threat? How would you feel if Daryl-"

Enough! You'll not talk about him like that! I don't want to hear it. Laura growled at the Voice and that silenced it for a short time. He's with me now, he lets me in his tent when he sleeps, at his most vulnerable. If he thought of me like that he wouldn't let me lay beside him as he rested, it would be suicidal.

The Voice sighed, in a way that made Laura feel like it was disappointed in her. "I understand, love, I really do. I just do not want to see you suffer like that. Physical pain is nothing compared to such heartache and I want you to never feel it. You must know that I-"

"Laura?"

Her head snapped up, her eyes wide and searching for the voice that called out to her. She looked to her right and saw Daryl standing there, eyeing her suspiciously.

Two vague images passed through her head, the ones the Voice showed her. One with an arrow pierced through her eye and another with a heart in her hands. She smiled despite the disgust the imagery brought, "Hey, what's up?"

"I been talkin' to you for a while now, ain't you heard nothin'?" He had a very confused and worried expression on, it was more obvious then his usual guarded expressions.

She shook her head, "Daydreamin' I guess, happens sometimes." This only seemed to make him more concerned, it was written all over his face and it made Laura actually fearful, in spite of her best efforts not to.

They stood together for a moment, both of them staring at each other. Laura's face was happy, with a large bright smile on her face and Daryl's with a far more serious look in his eyes. After that though, he didn't pursue it any further, but it was clear he didn't believe her or was still bothered by her absent mindedness. "I was sayin' that you don't need to do nothin' more for them. Bringin' back Sophia like that, no one else coulda' done it. You don't need to be worryin' about what they think of you now, none of 'em wanna' do you wrong after that." He didn't need to say sans Shane because she knew what he meant.

"I know, I really do see that... I just wanna' help out more. Sophia's back now an' I still got so much more I can do for the group. Medical trainin', walkin' with walkers, an' even hidin' someone from walkers on this run into town. Glenn will be much safer with me at his back."

Daryl took a deep breath, "Girl, I can't let you go like that. Could get hurt, even if walkers ain't bitin' at you... They aren't the only thing out there."

Laura nodded and came in close to him, "I understand that, but I offered an' I want to help. I like Glenn an' knowin' he's safer with me will make me feel better. You got that crossbow to keep you safe an' you know how to protect yourself better then Glenn does. I can help him, I know I can. 'Sides from that, I also offered to help Rick when he plans to take Randall out from the farm. I can actually come in handy there, be able to tell if the kid has a chance at survivin' where we drop him."

That made Daryl rumble something she couldn't hear, when he stopped, he looked back up to her. "I don't care about that kid, can drop him off a buildin', don't give a damn..." He spat bitterly, then looked away from her. "I get it with chinaman..."

She gave him a lame look, "Glenn an' does that mean you're sayin' yes...?"

Daryl gnawed at his thumb, still managing a snarl while he did it. "... Yeah."

Laura threw herself at him instantly, her arms wrapping around his torso. He was shocked by the sudden contact and stiffened until he was akin to a wooden plank. "Thank you, I was gonna' go anyways, but I wanted you to understand why I wanted to go... So you can see why I want to, right?"

He gave a very reluctant nod, "Guess so."

"Good, I should be gettin' ready to go." Laura let go of him, just to watch him averting his gaze while he glared at anything around her he could see. "I'll be back soon, ain't gonna' take all day."

"Hurry up, 'fore I change my mind." He mumbled, still hating the idea of letting her go with Glenn alone to the town. He wouldn't have her back, she'd be alone if anything went wrong.

Glenn would be there of course, but that didn't give Daryl's mind any ease. In fact, it reminded him to deliver a very pointed threat at Glenn if he didn't come back in the same condition he left in.

Laura just rushed into the tent and took up that knife Daryl had in his tent, he still had his hunting knife and this one had sat in the same place she left it when she tore off her pant leg the other day. It wasn't being used, so she tucked it into her pants.

She looked around in her duffle, shuffling through the clothes until her hand found an object wrapped up in a jacket. When she tossed it off, she saw the hatchet she'd used before, still sharp as ever.

Hooking it into her belt, Laura figured she was set for a quick run. They weren't going to be gone long, they never sent Glenn out for any longer then a few hours.

So when she exited the tent, she didn't see Daryl anywhere. Frowning, she assumed he went to vent while out hunting or the like, so she shrugged it off and headed back to camp.

She was going to show herself a productive member of the group today, even with Sophia back, she still wanted to do more. She had to. Laura wanted to be part of the group and she most certainly is now, but she was still driven to do more.

As long as she was part of the group, she would continue helping until he no longer drew breath. It's just how she worked.

With a smile on her face, weapons on either hip, Laura felt ready for her little trip.