Chapter Four

Day 4

With a sudden start, my eyes flick open and I look around the room. My hearts pounding, breathing is heavy and my stomach is churning. The same dream, the same damn dream. All the faces are recognizable, if somewhat rotted, and no matter what happens I can't save anyone. Always end up running away with them chasing. My eyes flutter close as my breathing steadies, though open when D's figure catches my attention.

She's in a chair by the bed a book, forgotten, in her hands, smiling sadly at me. "Nightmare?"

"Yeah, don't you get them?" I shift so that my back's against the headboard.

"Mine don't seem to be as bad as yours."

I pause and swallow thickly. "Have I woken anyone?"

"No, but you move a lot, you whimper and cry." She rubs her thigh. "Rick's thinking of taping your foot to the bed or something."

"He doesn't need to be worrying."

"He does though."

My sigh is involuntary as my head shakes. "Fantastic."

"He cares."

A small smile creeps up, "Speaking of caring. How's Daryl?" A blush tells me I've definitely missed out on something. "Well?"

"Well, as I was helping him change his bandage…"

Eyes going wide, I stare in disbelief. "…He let you see him shirtless?"

"Yes."

I fight the urge to squeal; don't need anyone to come in and ruin this opportunity for me. This is the reason so much time was spent with the Dixon's. Not because I liked their company, though I did after getting used to the coarse language, but because I wanted to be in on the action between D and Daryl. That sounds awfully voyeuristic.

"And…" I lean forward, begging with my eyes for her to spill.

"…I was thanking him for not giving up on you and Soph, and he was just grunting, you know him. I grab his face, looking right into his eyes and say, "No, Daryl, thank you."

"And…" I'd be on the edge of my seat if I could.

"He cups my face and caresses my cheek." Her blush is in full force, "and brings our foreheads together and says, "You're welcome."

"Oh D!" I start bouncing in excitement, but pain shoots up my leg. I stop with a wince. "That's progress!"

She giggles and nods. "I know."

"Then what happened?"

"I made an excuse to leave." She rubs the back of her neck. "I panicked, then got scared he was going to get weird on me."

"You came here?"

"Yeah."

I can't help but snort at her. "Nice."

"I was scared."

"Go back out there woman."

"Loz." She whines.

"Go play nurse maid."

"Lozzie, please?"

"Go D," I laugh at her pout.

"I'm not interrupting am I?" Rick asks from the door, a smile on his face.

"No, D's leaving." I smirk.

She stands with a heavy sigh and drags her feet as she goes. "You're an evil woman Loz."

I poke my tongue out at her, watching as she leaves with a smile. She's a curious thing my D, eager for attention and affection from the Hunter, but when she gets it she scares and runs away. I shake my head, a laugh escaping. My gaze slips to Rick, taking in his wrinkled beige sheriff top that's unbuttoned and the white under shirt. He still looks tired, like he needs a vacation, but his smile is sweet and warm. In his hands is a plate of eggs and toast.

"I brought you breakfast."

I smile through a blush. "Thanks."

"Carl wanted to bring it, but I think Lori's getting him to help Hershel around the farm."

"Sophia?"

"With Carl."

My head bobs in acknowledgement and there's shifting as room is made for him to sit beside me. He places the plate on my lap, and the smell hits me. It's fresh and fragrant. It's delicious. There's no need for him to think me a barbarian, or messy, so it's with slow care that I tuck in. Silence reigns around us, a comfortable warm atmosphere that enforces how well suited we are. At least in my opinion. When the plate is empty he takes and sets it on the dresser. It's cozy beside him, so much that a yawn escapes.

"How've you been?" My question is soft as my hand intertwines with his, my gaze locks with his, silently pleading for him to tell me. I can't bear to think of him taking all this responsibility on his own.

He stares, like he's searching for something, then glances to our hands squeezing his gently. "Sometimes I wonder if I should even bother."

He unloads on me. Expressing his fears, his worries and his annoyances. He tells me what happened with Carl, how he felt, how he still feels. He talks about before the world ended, how he and Lori were on the verge of a divorce, only concern for Carl's wellbeing placing a hold on the proceedings. He's confused, not sure how to feel, but he knows deep down he's happy for Lori and Shane. He just wants that same opportunity.

He looks me in the eyes as he says, "And I think I can."

I flush and smile joyously, "I hope you can."

"Hey Loz!" Glenn's voice calls and his footsteps are heard on the stairs.

Rick and I pull back, only then realising how close we'd gotten. Another almost kiss. I'm going to murder that Asian. There's a pink tinge to Rick's face, and he rubs the back of his neck. My gaze goes to our still intertwined hands, then back to the door.

Glenn throws open the door and stops in his tracks upon seeing Rick on the bed with me. He blinks rapidly then blushes. "Shit, sorry."

Rick chuckles, and shakes his head. "I should head out, I'll be back to check on you." He squeezes my hand and goes.

I watch him leave then turn an annoyed glare to the Korean. "I do hope this is important, cause I'll risk further damage to beat your ass."

"Sorry Loz."

I laugh; a reluctant smile making it's way onto my face. He looks adorably guilty. "What can I do for you?"

"What is it with girls?"

"Umm…you really want me to answer that?"

"Not you, I'm sure you're great. But Maggie! It's hot and cold with her. First we're good, we have sex in town…"

"Woot! Go Glenn!" I catcall.

He blushes but carries on, "…and then she doesn't want anything to do with me, then she's apologising and we're making up, then she dumps eggs on my head. Don't even get me started with the argument we had about you."

"About me?"

"She wanted to know why I never told her how close we were, then she wanted to know what we were, then she says that if you're like Amy says you are, why…"

"Did you tell her Amy's biased and doesn't like me?"

"No…I kind of panicked. Didn't really know what to say." He confesses with a guilty expression.

"That's your first problem." I smirk at him.

"Don't get me started on Amy," He sighs, throwing his arms up in exasperation as he paces at the end of the bed. "She didn't even care that you were gone. Sure she was worried about Soph, but not if it meant you were coming back. Then when we get here she attaches herself to Beth, I think there's something going on with her and Jimmy, and she's poisoning their mind with awful things about you."

"She would." I shrug, not at all surprised.

"Then I find out that Lori's pregnant."

I blink at that.

"I mean there is a tiny chance that it's Rick's, but I'm sure it's Shane's, and she won't tell either of them. But she keeps looking at Rick."

"Oh." I feel my throat tighten, and my eyes sting.

"And if she doesn't tell Shane, then it's probably going to send him over the edge…"

Glenn continues to rant, and although I'm half listening, the thought of how she could ruin everything with this news won't leave. Our relationship is a fragile thing. He's only just started showing real affection for me, not the stuff before, which was purely because I was part of his leadership responsibility. He's opening up to me, showing me how he feels and she wants to ruin this? I thought she was happy with Shane? D slips in during his rant, sitting beside me, which I'm grateful for. He doesn't seem to notice her.

Once done he stares at us, "You won't tell anyone this will you?"

"Of course not." I roll my eyes. "When have I ever ratted you out?"

"Uh, never."

"Exactly."

"I know this already." D shrugs.

We chat a bit more, consoling Glenn and getting my mind off the news of Lori. Well D does her best, as she's the one to realize what's wrong; we can read each other well. Carl rushes in and interrupts us, a great big smile on his face.

"Shane's going to teach us to use a gun." He reaches my side. "You gotta come."

My glance is to D first and then Glenn, they shrug and help me to the porch. A chair waits, situated so that they can all be seen. Glenn's gotten an ice pack and Patricia comes out with both Beth and Maggie, carrying a cushion for my foot. Carl's bouncing around, obviously excited about the training, but I catch Maggie staring at me. Well, glaring more like it. The others make their way over to Shane.

"Hey Maggie, could you help me adjust the cushion?" She turns and stares, but Patricia encourages her as everyone else heads off. Once they're out of range I lean in. "Okay, seriously what's your problem?"

She pauses. "Sorry?"

"I've done nothing to you, so what's with the hate?"

"I don't…" she's shaking her head.

"Fine, dislike."

"I've been hearing things."

"From a blonde that's latched on to Beth?"

"…Yes."

"Really? You're taking the word of a girl who can't stand not being the centre of attention."

She sits by my foot, careful not to disturb it. "I've been beginning to wonder about her. She's been saying things about D…things that don't make sense."

"If you don't' like me, fine, but at least take someone else's gossip."

She blushes a little. "No one else has anything bad to say."

I blink, taken aback. "Really? Not even Andrea?"

"No, she's really grateful that you saved Amy's life."

"Huh, I thought she still hated me."

Maggie smiles a little, "I'm sorry."

"No biggie. But in case you need the reassurance, Glenn's the annoying little brother I never had. I mean really annoying." I smirk, casting a glance at the Asian.

She laughs, a smile brightening up her features. "Thanks."

"Just go easy on the guy. You're a gorgeous girl and he's out of his depth." She looks down, guilty and nods. "But if you do hurt him, well," I shrug, "It's a farm, people get hurt on farms."

She jerks up; staring at me wide eyed for a moment, but nods a smile forming. "I've been warned about your protectiveness. I won't hurt him…." At my raised eyebrow she corrects herself. "I'll try not to hurt him."

I nod, happy with the discussion. "You should probably catch up."

"Yeah, probably." She pauses and holds out her hand and a genuinely welcoming smile. "Hi, I'm Maggie."

"Lauren." I shake her hand.

"It's good to finally meet you."

My smile matches hers, "You too."

As she departs I lean back, shifting to get comfortable. D's figure can just be made out and it's only now hitting me how much weight she's lost. It could be that before we were always around the other, so it didn't really register. Those few days away have given me a clearer look. She has to be down to a 12-14 now. Well, whatever it is, she looks good, fit; no wonder Daryl can't keep his eyes off of her. I wonder if there's a massive difference in me?

D, Glenn, Maggie, Beth and Amy are grouped together, and are staring down at the Asian's gun. Lori looks upset, from the looks of it at Carl; and he tries to convince me he's not a troublemaker. What a laugh. It doesn't seem to last very long, they all get off a couple of shots, but then pack it in. Lori pulls Glenn aside, while everyone comes back this way, Maggie waits for him. Except for Rick, he goes after Hershel. Amy and Beth wander pass me, Jimmy catching up to them. Carl and Sophia head for the RV, D comes to sit next to me.

The afternoon flies by. Glenn and Maggie leave for a supply run. Rick doesn't end up checking up on me and for a moment my thoughts are on finding him; see if I can be of any use. But D won't let me up. So instead we chat, about everything and anything. It's good to be able to do this again. During our time lost there were moments when I didn't know if we'd see each other again.

Before dark, Glenn and Maggie return, the latter seeming furious. She throws something at Lori, having quiet but obviously intense words with her and the older woman seems to disappear after that. Maggie and Glenn find seats next to us and as we chat, Beth, Jimmy and Amy join in. We start talking about what we miss, which is where Carl and Sophia join. Amy admits to missing people, facebook, and the means to communicate. Beth pipes in with how much she's really no upset that Kayla Summers is dead. That of course leads us into why she doesn't care. It's not as horrible as she thinks. Everyone else confesses who they don't care are gone. Glenn blurts out all the jocks that bullied him at school.

"I miss my play station." Carl mumbles. "It was brand new, and I got it cause I did really well in my last report card. I didn't even get to play on it a lot."

"Tell me about it, my PS3 is at home, who knows what's happened to it." I pout.

"Need for Speed. I'll never get to play it again." Glenn jumps in. "Or Black Ops." He shakes his head sadly, "I had a whole online team that kicked ass."

I lean over and pat his leg, feeling genuinely sorry for him. "I'm so sorry, G-Man."

"Oh no, you can't spend hours in front of you TV zoned out to the rest of the world. The horror." D chuckles.

"It is!" I turn to her and point an accusing finger at her. "You're just jealous you never got one."

"I didn't need one."

"Everyone needs one." I scoff playfully.

"I had Tumblr."

"Oh GOD!" I moan in agony. "Tumblr."

"I know." D pats my back.

I turn to her, ignoring everyone's amused looks. "I am so sorry, D." I pull her into a hug, which she accepts. "I know how obsessed you were with it."

"Obsessed!" She pulls back, pouting. "I wasn't obsessed."

"You were."

"Nuh-uh."

"I wasn't the one on it for hours on end, EVERY day."

"No you just used it to stalk Renner."

"I did not!"

"Yes you did, everything you reblogged was of him."

"Not everything. I reblogged food, and Fenris and…"

"Uh, ladies?" Glenn coughs, a full-blown grin on his face. "You want to tone it down a bit?"

We look up and everyone's paused to watch our mini debate. I glance to D; she's gone red with embarrassment and I fight my own urge to hide. Rick catches my eyes and he smirks, raising an eyebrow. I'm pretty sure that he's going to file this away and torment me with it later. Daryl's the other one that catches my attention, he's got eyes on D. He's giving her a similar look, one that makes me think he's not going to forget this either.

I clear my throat and rub the back of my neck and address everyone. "I just want to point out I wasn't obsessed."

"Please, you've seen everything he's in." D counters with a laugh.

"No I haven't."

"Yeah-huh."

"Nah-uh."

"Yeah."

"Uh, Nah." I shake my head.

"Who is he?" Sophia asks.

"Don't get her started." D jumps in, sending me a glare.

"This kind of reminds me of 'Obsessed' by Mariah Carey." Beth giggles.

Amy nods, "I miss listening to her songs."

"You like Mariah Carey?" I blink at her. "No, I can see that."

"I miss Kimbra." D sighs.

"Glee." Beth announces unapologetically.

"Oh my god yes!" Amy and D shout with Maggie.

"What? No!" I mourn.

"That show sucked." Carl agrees.

"Amen brother." Glenn nods, holding out his hand for Carl to slap.

"You all have no taste." Amy sniffs delicately.

"No, you all need help." Glenn argues.

"Do not!" Amy and Beth reply.

"Do too." Glenn and Carl retort.

"Do not." Maggie adds her voice with the two girls.

"Do too!" Jimmy jumps in with Glenn and Carl.

"Do not!" Sophia, Maggie, Beth and Amy call back.

"Do too!" I follow with the guys.

"Do not!" D takes her place with the girls.

"We win!" Beth announces.

"How did you come to that?" Carl pouts.

"There's more of us." Sophia adds in a very superior voice.

Unfortunately our debate ends. The kids have to go to bed, and the others start yawning, obviously the day's excitement taking its toll. Rick makes his way over, helping me to my feet then up to the room. We get to the stairs though, and I can't help the whine that escapes. Rick stops and picks me up, carrying me up. He doesn't stay long, though he does check that my splint is on right. He leans in but immediately jerks back, like it was instinct.

Though I may still not have the confidence to initiate a first kiss, I can however lift myself enough to place a chaste kiss on his cheek. "Night Rick."

He smiles warmly, and leans down again to kiss my forehead, "Good night Lauren."