Walking Dead 1. The dawn

Rayne and her god-daughter, Layla, are trying their best to survive the world that has gone to hell, but it isn't easy with a four-year-old and with supplies running out, Rayne fears they won't have much time left. When she meets up with a group of survivors and one very handsome redneck, will they be able to piece back together their lives or be torn apart by the bloody teeth of the dead? DarylXOC romance and my first one so please be gentle!

I in no way own the Walking Dead or Daryl Dixon (though I wish I did!)

_"Higher, Rayne! Higher!" The giggling voice commanded and Rayne smiled at the child's happiness while she gave another obedient push. They had been swinging for what seemed like hours and yet it appeared as if her god-daughter couldn't get enough. The constant push pull of gravity working with her, the way the warm Georgian air caught her golden curls and made them float momentarily before she came rushing back to Rayne's arms._

_"All right, Layla one more underdog and then we have to go inside. It will be dark soon and your mama will be worried sick." Rayne informed her only to receive a disappointed groan until she caught the swing, pulled it back and rushed forward with it so that groan turned into her infectious giggle once again. _

_Rayne twisted and caught Layla's tiny legs to slow her down before the four-year-old leapt from her perch and landed in her guardian's arms. Rayne let out a surprised, "oomph" but managed to regain her balanced before she switched the giggling blonde child to her back, "Ok, kitty cat, let's go inside."_

_"You think mama made gumbo?" Her tiny voice inquired and Rayne tilted her head, "I hope so, that would be great." The sun had just about set, its beams lighting her chestnut hair up until it almost glowed. Rayne squinted her blue eyes slightly and walked along the lake till her best friend's house came into sight. _

_The first indicator that something was very wrong came when she saw that the porch light wasn't on. Bre always left it on for them to find their way back. She had since they were kids. Rayne slowed her trek slightly and looked around suspiciously. She knew that Layala's father had just been released from prison this week, but the local officers said he hadn't come their way._

_Rayne set her god-daughter down, but kept a tight hold on her hand whispering, "Stay close to me, kitty." She slowly approached the steps, hating the way they creaked under her Converse with each step she took. Gently applying pressure, she pushed open the old door and looked inside. _

_The smell hit her like a freight train and made her gag as she placed the hand that wasn't gripping Layla's across her face. The four-year-old looked up, "What's that smell, Rayne?" She shook her head and walked in seeing that everything seemed mostly normal, "Bre? Did you let chicken spoil or something?" _

_There was a loud crash coming from the kitchen which made both girls jump. Rayne let go of her god-daughter's hand, "Stay here, sweetie." Layla nodded and climbed up on the couch, "Where's Captain Bow Wow?" The tiny girl started to whistle and search the room for the white puppy they had adopted only three weeks ago._

_In retrospect the lack of a slobbery, excited greeting should have been enough to prove that things were very wrong, but who thinks about things like that in the moment? Rayne slowly turned the corner into the kitchen where a strange slurping sound caught her ear. She pushed the swinging blue door open to see Bre's tiny frame crouched in the center of the tiled floor._

_"Bre? What are you…." She began until the sight of blood screamed at her. One thing was certain, she found Captain Bow Wow, but the person who was gulping up his insides was nothing like what she had remembered. Rayne's mouth released a silent scream when the woman she had known since first grade turned her normally fairy like face towards her and a monster stared back. _

_Crimson streams leaked from the corners of her mouth, dog flesh smeared her cheeks and soulless eyes scanned the shaking woman before her with no more recollection than….food._

_Rayne let out a strange gulping sound at Bre's rising and though the girl in front of her stood at only five two, she seemed to take up the entire field of Rayne's vision as she gasped, "Bre…what…." It was then that the horrible mockery of her best friend let out a snarl and rushed her. Rayne barely had enough time to grasp what had happened before she backed away, slamming her shoulder into the door frame and rushing out into the living room._

_"Mommy!" Layla screamed from the couch as Rayne twisted around to gather her up. The monster with Bre's delicate face stumbled out of the kitchen and came at them again while Rayne tried for the door. Unfortunately, Bre blocked it and slashed at Rayne, her teeth chomping, constantly chomping and Rayne threw a blanket over Layla before using her shoulder to smash through the large window and rolling onto the porch._

_Gathering up herself, the twenty-five year old rushed away, pieces of glass still in her skin and got into the car. When the thump of Bre's bleeding hand slammed against the window._

Rayne bolted awake, heart racing at the memory. The humidity made her long hair stick to her back, she would have to cut it soon before it drove her crazy. Rayne looked down to see her reason for living still slumbering in the curve of her body. She exhaled and reached into her backpack for one of the few remaining bottles of water they had.

The worrying she felt increased when she realized they were getting low on food as well, she would have to go hunting again and nothing was more difficult with a four-year-old than asking her to remain quiet for an extended amount of time. Rayne took a small swig of water and decided to save most of it for Layla who was always thirsty when she woke up. Her blue eyes watched her god-daughter's chest rise and fall rhythmically and felt her heart ache.

It had been three months since the world gave up on them. The government, the military, hospitals, refugee camps, everything Rayne had thought would save them failed and she wasn't sure how many more times Layla could be disappointed. Rayne unzipped their tent and glared at the monsters caught in her traps.

The last time they had made a trip into town, one they she barely returned from, Rayne had stopped by their local music store; he place that had once been like a candy store for her had now transformed into her hope of survival as she cleared out the shelves of piano wire which fit securely in her bag. She had used that same wire to make a perimeter around their tent and she was always glad she did.

She had soon discovered that the further they were from people, the safer they would be so she and Layla had been camped in the forest for quite a while. The first few nights she didn't sleep at all, terrified that the monsters would escape from the darkness and tear them to pieces, so she decided to become creative to survive.

Wrapping the piano wire around the trees to give her about a six foot camp was one of the best ideas she had. She used three wires and placed them at different heights to compensate for men, women and even children though it broke her heart to even consider it. Rayne climbed from the tent, dagger in hand and watched the two undead men pushing towards her with disdain.

The wire had already made it halfway through one's neck and the others abdomen, slicing them as they attempted to reach her. She had watched that first night as a woman kept pushing until the thick wire had decapitated her so she knew that no matter what they would keep coming.

Rayne sighed and raised her knife to slam into the larger man's head and then into the smaller of the two as well. When both their bodies hit the ground, she inspected the wire and saw that it was splitting. She would need to find more soon.

"Rayne?" A sleepy voice asked and she turned to smile at the tiny girl, "Good morning kitty cat." Layla stepped out of the tent, "I'm hungry." Rayne bent down to hug her, "I know. I am too. I'll go hunting today, but I'll need you to stay here and?"

Layla dove into the tent, placing the blanket over her head, "Curl up quiet like a pill bug." Rayne stepped in and picked up the corner of the blanket smiling, "That's right. Ok smart girl, eat up the power bars we have and I'll be back soon." Layla's green eyes scanned the bag, "But Rayne, we only have one. What are you going to eat?"

Rayne kissed her head, "I already had breakfast. You go on and eat that up. I'll be back before you know it." Layla nodded and watched her leave, "I love you." Rayne blew a kiss to her and ducked under the wire cage. When she was far enough away, she felt her stomach grumble and wished she had been telling the truth.


	2. Hero

The sun was as unforgiving as it could have been that day. Cicadas buzzed in the seemingly endless forest speaking to how hot it was. Rayne longed to brush the sweat from her brow, but she wouldn't dare the movement spooking the doe in front of her. She had been following it for what seemed like hours now and needed to get back, Layla was hungry. Her bright eyes stayed on the graceful creature's movements and she gripped her pistol a little tighter. Rayne had originally been hunting squirrels, rabbits, small things like that and never needed to use a bullet, but when the doe trotted in front of her, it was just too good to pass up.

Though she wasn't certain how she was going to carry it back, if she could get a good amount of meat off it before the undead caught the bloody scent, she could feed herself and her god-daughter for quite a while. Her stomach began to growl as if agreeing with her thought and she held her breath when the doe raised her head to stare in Rayne's direction.

Rayne froze and stared back into its eyes, seeing herself in the black, glassy abyss of the doe's stare. They stayed locked in each others eyes before the frightened creature rose its tail and sprinted off deeper into the forest. Rayne growled under her breath and rose to chase after it until a crunching caught her attention.

Turning slowly, she realized that it wasn't her presence that spooked the deer, but the undead man stumbling towards her. Rayne bit back a yelp and made ready to fight, knife in hand. She hadn't taken on many diseased by herself and preferred to let her traps take care of the dirty work, but she would be damned if she let this monster keep her from returning to Layla.

The decaying man who stood about a foot taller than her snarled and came towards her, the patch of torn skin on his shoulder displaying where he had been bit. Rayne stepped to the side and went to grab his arm in order to use his own weight to drive her knife in deeper. When that arm tore away from the socket, Rayne gasped and fell backwards at the force of its release.

The soft forest ground seemed to slide out beneath her weight and completely gave out when the man fell on top of her. Then she was rolling, rolling down the steep incline full of sticks that stabbed her, rocks that slammed her limbs and the occasional root to smash her against as gravity continued its unforgiving pace.

When she reached the bottom of the ravine, Rayne tried to inhale only to realize that no air was coming. Her chest shuttered as she tried desperately to regain the breath that had been knocked from her. When she heard the undead creature crawling towards her, using his one arm to pull himself closer, she started to back up though it sent waves of liquid fire through her with each movement.

Rayne searched for her knife, pistol, anything to defend herself and found that almost everything had come loose with her plummet down the steep hill. Her gaze rested on a rock that almost looked like an arrow head and she desperately clawed for it, hearing the monster getting closer and closer. When her fingers finally wrapped around the pointed rock, she twisted to strike only to see that the monster had managed to grab onto her shoe and was getting ready to chomp into her.

"I got it!" A voice called out and the snap of an arrow leaving its bolt whipped out as it fired into the head of the zombie. Unfortunately, this meant that it went through his head and into Rayne's thigh. The white hot pain shot through her like someone had lit up a fire poker and placed it on her leg.

"Holy shit!" The voice said he came closer, "Dude you shot her!" Rayne grabbed her leg and squirmed from the pain. Her eyes turned up to the two men running towards her, one Asian, the other in cut off plaid. The Asian sat down beside her, "Hey, your going to be all right." He placed his hands on either side of her leg while the one in plaid grabbed the arrow and pulled it out quickly.

Rayne let out a scream from the pain while the Asian kid exclaimed, "Daryl! Couldn't you have been a little more gentle?" The one she assumed was Daryl looked to him, "I had to get it out before the walker's blood mixed with hers. What did you want me to do?" Rayne started shaking uncontrollably, her limbs numbing as the world around her spun. Daryl looked down at her, "She's going into shock, man. Let's get her back to the doc."

The Asian kid looked at him, "We're taking her with us? You sure Hershal will look at her when we are short on medical supplies?" Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder and bent down to scoop her up, "I shot her didn't I? We owe it to her to fix her up." When he started to move, Rayne grasped his shirt, "L...L..."

He looked down at her and spoke softly, "Don't talk, okay?"

She cleared her throat and forced herself to speak through the pain, "Layla, my kid...tent..." The Asian boy looked from her to Daryl, "I think she has a kid somewhere. What do we do?" Daryl looked up the ravine's hill and then back at her, "We'll take care of it...I promise." Rayne's blue eyes connected with his before the abyss of darkness overtook her.

_"Rayne...Rayne? Wake up silly, you've been sleeping for hours." Rayne looked to the side to see the gentle brown eyes of her best friend, "Bre?" She smiled sweetly, "Who did you think it was? The boogy-man?" Rayne smiled, "Maybe." Bre's delicate hand reached to brush back a strand of Rayne's hair before she said, "You can't stay here for too long, Layla needs you."_

_"I can't find my way back." Rayne said trying to remember where she was in the first place. Bre laughed and shook her blonde curls that so resembled Layla's, "All you have to do is open your eyes." She focused on Bre's chocolate eyes as she winked and kissed her forehead, "Take care of my daughter, Rayne. Wake up."_

"When will she be up, doc?" The voice she recognized asked and a much older man responded, "Depends on her. I cleaned up the wound, it isn't infected but she does have a fever. I suspect this is from malnutrition more than your arrow though it certainly didn't do her any good." There was a clipping noise like the sound of a bag closing and the first voice said, "It wasn't like I meant to shoot her, I was trying to save her!"

"Shh! She needs to rest." The doctor scolded. Another voice that was also familiar spoke, "She kept talking about a kid. Maybe Rick will let us go look?"

"Nah, she is probably just delusional. Let's just let her sleep for a while and ask when she wakes up."

Rayne cleared her throat which felt like it was sandpaper drenched in lemon juice, "Layla is my god-daughter." All three men jumped at her intrusion and looked to her. An older man with an uncommonly kind face smiled, "Ah so the patient lives. Hello there. I am Hershel, what's your name?"

The injured woman spoke again, "I need to find Layla." She started to get up only to have the room spin around her. Gentle hands forced her back down, "Sorry, but you aren't going anywhere for a few days. You wouldn't make it across the room, let alone through the forest. Now, do you have someone you are looking for?"

Rayne eased back down a bit, "My god-daughter, Layla, she is in a tent about a half mile from where I fell. She's probably scared that I'm not back and she's hungry. She needs me."

Hershel looked to the man in plaid, "Daryl, why don't you tell Rick and arrange a search party to..." Daryl shook his head, "I'm done searching for people. I wouldn't find her anyway." With that he turned and walked out the door. Hershel sighed and looked to the Asian boy, "Glen, would you take care of it?"

He nodded, "Sure." He got up to leave, "Don't worry, we'll find her." Everything in Rayne screamed to follow him, keep Layla safe, but her body was weaker than her spirit and she was forced to rely on the kindness of strangers. When Glen left out the door, Hershel looked to her, "Ok, you rest up and I'll get my daughters to make you something to eat. You are battling a nasty fever and the sooner you are better, the sooner you can be on your way."

Rayne watched him start to turn away when she whispered, "Thank you."

The doctor smiled at her and left out the door. Rayne closed her eyes and prayed they would find Layla, that she would be safe and go with them even though she taught her not to talk to strangers. In her fevered state it was difficult to stay focused on her train of thought and her mind jumped from subject to subject without control. She tired to focus on her next move, how they would get food, who these people were, how long she could stay, but everything was blurring together.

When she heard footsteps, it took everything she had not to jump. She instead cracked one eye open just enough to get a visual of the intruder and saw that it was the man who had shot her. He seemed hesitant to enter, but came in once he thought she was sleeping. He sat in the chair beside her and sighed before reaching into his vest and pulling out something that smelled sweet.

"Don't know how much good these things do, but maybe it will work better the second time? When I'm not involved..." He said aloud, but Rayne wasn't sure if it were to her or himself so she didn't answer. He placed whatever it was on the nightstand beside her before taking one last look and whispering, "I'm sorry." Before he left out the door.

Once she was certain he was gone, Rayne opened her eyes and turned her head to look at the white flower resting quietly beside her. She blinked a few time before sleep begged to take her once again.


	3. Changing Winds

"How is she doing?" Rick asked as Glen came down the stairs. He glanced back up as if he could see her through the ceiling, "Well she is conscious, kind of, keeps on talking about someone named Layla. Apparently she has a kid about a half a mile from where we found her. Hershel says we should form a search party and bring her back. What do you think?"

The sheriff brushed a hand through his scruff and said, "Well obviously we can't leave a little one out there, but I wonder how this will effect the group, after Sophia not being...found." Glen looked down, the image of the child walker flashing through his mind, "I was thinking the same thing. So I don't think Daryl will be joining the search party."

Rick leaned against the porch beam and shook his head, "No, I don't suppose he will. Ok, take Maggie, T-Dog and Andrea. It might be best to have some women if it is a little girl, less intimidating." Glen nodded and started to walk off the porch when he turned, "Hey! Does that mean you think I'm not intimidating?"

The sheriff just smiled as Glen shook his head and pointed, "That's cold man, that's real cold." He turned and went to collect the others while Rick stared out over the vast farm property. His eyes scanned the treeline, searching for any walkers when a voice inquired, "We can't be letting them stay, you know? Once this girl gets all healed up, we need to send them on their merry way."

Rick looked to the man who had been like a brother to him for so many years, though a darkness was beginning to form between them, "I'm not suggesting they stay. But what kind of men are we if we leave them out there helpless, Shane?"

Shane brushed off his nose and walked past him, "Smart ones. Just two more mouths to feed." Rick watched him leave and felt an ice form in his chest at the change of his best friend. Something was going to come to a boil between them soon.

Daryl sat against his bike, twisting an arrow between his index finger and thumb, staring at nothing in particular. The wind moved through the trees bringing with it the scent of hay from the barn. Much against his better judgement, Daryl looked towards that cursed building where he had seen Sophia last. His heart ached for the loss of that little girl, though he didn't know how to say it.

When footsteps approached he didn't have to look to know who it was, "Daryl? Who was that you brought in today?" He raised his gaze to the birdlike woman before him. Carol had become so much thinner in the past week, the loss of Sophia taking a physical toll on her. He went back to staring, "A girl fell down the ravine about two miles east of here. Saw a walker on her so I shot, but the arrow went through the thing's head and into her leg. It must have been more decayed than I thought to travel that far so fast."

Carol's hazel eyes widened at the thought, "Oh, I see. Is she going to be all right?" Daryl shrugged, "I guess, Hershel stitched her up, said she has a fever. Won't stop squirming and stay in bed."

The frail woman smiled softly, the first one he had seen in a while, "Sounds like you." He glanced up at her for a moment before placing his arrows back into their quiver. Carol looked towards the house, "Must have been scary, being out there alone. Does she have anyone waiting for her? Should we be worried about others?"

Daryl avoided her gaze as he stood and slung his arrows, "No group or anything, but...she's got a kid out there somewhere." Carol looked to him, "A child? A little boy or..." She couldn't seem to get the word out when Daryl grumbled, "Girl."

There was a quiet between them, like a dark wind swirling between both of their hearts. Carol crossed her arms and looked down, "Are we going to look for her?" Daryl started to walk away, "They are. I'm done looking." Carol felt her chest tighten and the tears she didn't think she could cry anymore filled her eyes as she watched him leave.

Glen, Maggie, T-Dog and Andrea made their way through the forest, stepping around the carcasses the walkers left behind. There must have been a herd not too long ago and this realization didn't make any of them comfortable. Andrea held tight to her gun while Maggie kept looking towards Glen, hoping no one would notice. T-Dog scanned the area, "Yo, so where are we looking?"

Glen looked around to get their bearings, "Well we found her at the ravine and she said the tent was a half a mile away. So somewhere near here I guess." Maggie dipped under a low hanging branch, "Hopefully we find this kid before it gets dark. I'd like to get back to Beth." Andrea smiled and walked ahead, "About time Daryl shot somebody, now he can't just blame me anymore."

This let out a small laugh from the group, but with the sound of some creature dying in the distance, their humor soon disappeared. Glen pointed to west, "Ok the ravine is that way so we should try over that hill."

They started to transverse the hill, the soft forest ground giving out under their boots. It took a few tries, but once they made it, they came face to face with three different pairs of wire secured in a six foot square. Andrea reached out to touch it before T-Dog said, "Don't, it might be a booby trap."

Once she retracted her hand, the others stared at the make-shift cage. Maggie knelt down, "No, it's piano wire." She reached forward and gently ran her fingers along it, "Sharp too, any walker that tried to come through it would cut themselves to pieces or at least give her ample time to react. No sneaking up on her. This girl is smart."

Glen nodded, "Explains how she has survived with a kid out here. I see the tent, lets get her and head out." Andrea stepped through the wire cage, "Did she say how old the child was?" He shook his head, "No, just that her name was Layla."

Maggie cleared her throat and called out a bit, "Layla...Layla, are you in there?" When there was no answer, the group looked to each other. T-Dog shrugged and Glen stepped closer, "Layla, your god-mother sent us. Are you ok?" Still no answer.

Andrea pulled out her gun and held it at the ready. They all armed themselves and stepped closer to the red tent. T-Dog placed his hand on the zipper while Andrea covered with her gun ready. Glen nodded to Maggie who gave the signal for them to open it. Once they did and there was no smell of decay or snarling creature to greet them, the farmer's daughter shrugged and climbed inside, nearly stepping on the curled up figure beneath the blankets.

She raised an eyebrow and pulled back the sleeping bag to uncover the impossibly tiny little girl who held her knees to her chest and cried softly. Maggie felt her heart soften as she smiled, "Layla, what are you doing?"

The small blonde girl peeked up through teary eyes, "Rayne told me to curl up like a pill bug...I'm curled up like she said...she didn't come back..." Andrea put her gun away and motioned for the others to do the same and Maggie held out a hand, "That's because Rayne had an accident. She fell down and hurt herself and has been asking for you. So we came to take you to her."

When she didn't move, Andrea stooped into the tent, "Come on sweetie, we're nice people. Rayne needs you, don't you want to make her feel better?" Layla looked to the side as if assessing disobeying and then up to the kind faces around her before nodding, "Ok, please take me to Rayne!"

She stood up a little shaky and stepped out of the tent in her small sneakers, tiny jeans and soft pink shirt. T-Dog smiled and knelt down in front of her, "Hey little princess, I'm T. You want a piggy back ride there? It's an awful long walk." She nodded and adjusted herself on his back before he rose up to carry her with the group following close behind.

Somehow having this small child there was like a ray of hope they felt they had lost. Her tiny hands, bright green eyes and bouncing curls were enough to soften anyone, no matter how cold this world had force them to become. The four survivors held tight together, daring anything to come and attack the angel they had just discovered.


	4. Should I stay or go?

_It was dark, dark and sticky, the kind of blackness that made Rayne think of spoiled molasses as she crouched behind the factory building. Above her no moon gave illumination to light her mission and she wasn't sure how long her flashlight would hold out. Behind her Layla clutched her free hand still weeping from the horrible sight they had seen in there house. How could that have been Bre? How could that thing have been the person she loved more than almost anything in this world? _

_The roads had been blocked by the masses trying to escape to the promised safety of the refugee camps, but Rayne knew enough that there was no place around her to accommodate that many people. It didn't take long for others to realize that as well and start turning on each other. Rayne scooped Layla up and retreated before things became violent, trying their best to find a way around the angry travelers and secure a place before they all caught wind. It may have been underhanded of her, but she would do most anything to keep them safe._

_Rayne stopped her trek and turned to peek around the corner where fresh blood had splattered the walls like some demented child's finger painting. She scanned the area and realized there was no way she was going to make it pas the road without them seeing her. Licking her lips, Rayne said, "Ok, we are going to have to sweep through the forest and pass under the bridge if we want to make it first. From there we will register and find some food, shelter maybe some..."_

_"What's wrong with mommy?" The tiny voice peeped and Rayne continued to scan the area, "Mommy's sick." _

_"Is she going to get better?" _

_Rayne noticed an underpass she could squeeze through, but it would be difficult with a child, "I don't know." Maybe if she could dig up the bottom, Layla could hold up the fence while she climbed under?_

_"Will we ever see her again?"_

_"I don't know! Ok Layla? I don't know what's happening or what we are going to do!" Rayne snapped and instantly wished she hadn't. She turned around and saw her god-daughter holding her face in her hands, something she had watched Bre do and mimicked whenever she cried. Rayne sighed and bent down to her level, brushing back her tangled curls and resting her hands on Layla's impossibly tiny shoulders, "I'm sorry, kitty cat, I didn't mean to yell at you."_

_The four-year-old continued to sob, "I want to go home." _

_Rayne nodded, "I know, but it isn't safe there anymore. We have to keep moving." She sniffled, "Why is mommy a monster? Why Rayne?" The tired woman felt her heart ache at the memory and bit her lip before replying, "Because mommy got sick. She got real sick." Layla sniffed, "Does she miss me? Is she scared?"_

_Rayne shook her head, "Mommy's soul went to heaven. You remember when I taught you about heaven right?" The tiny blonde nodded, "Where your mommy and daddy are?" She hummed an agreement, "And do you remember what I said it's like for them?" Layla sniffed, "Uh huh. You said it's warm and pretty and they aren't worried about anything anymore."_

_Rayne slid her hands down Layla's bare arms to hold her delicate fingers in her own, "And what else did I say?" Layla's teary green eyes looked at her, "That they are always watching over us." Rayne nodded, trying to keep herself from crying as well, "That's right. Mommy is watching over you right now. That thing we saw at the house wasn't her. Your mommy loved you more than anything and she told me that if anything were to ever happen to her, then I would take care of you. You believe me don't you?"_

_Layla's hands trembled as she nodded, "Yes ma'am." Rayne made sure to keep eye contact with her little one, "Layla, I'm going to protect you. I'll find a safe place for us and you will be all right. I promise and have I ever broken a promise to you?" Layla shook her head and Rayne pulled her in for a hug, "It's all right...we'll be all right, kitty. I promise..."_

"I promise." Rayne whispered as her eyes fluttered open. She was still in the white room with the old fashioned furniture only from the look of the sun, it was almost evening. "Oh you're awake." A voice made her jump when she looked in the corner of the room where the shadows of evening had hidden him from her sight. The man who shot her was sitting across the room, his blue eyes catching her own as she nearly squeaked, "How long have you been there?"

He shrugged, "A while. You've been asleep for two days, thought we might have lost you for a second or two, but you have this pesky habit of shooting back to life at the last second." Rayne cleared her throat so that her voice came out stronger, "I have someone to live for. Did your group find her? Is Layla here?"

She started to rise out of bed when Daryl's hand came up, "Yeah they found her. Everyone has been obsessing about it all day or at least that's what it sounds like from the noise down stairs. She's all right if you're worried."

Rayne exhaled a sigh of relief and closed her eyes, "Thank God."

Daryl shrugged, "I wouldn't give Him all the credit, Glen found her. Oh and not that I'm complaining or nothing, but you might want to cover up." Rayne's crystal eyes turned from him down to herself where she was shocked to discover that she was wearing practically nothing but a thin slip she had never seen before. She quickly gathered up the blankets and pulled them over herself, face turning a light shade of red with embarrassment.

The man across from her coughed, "Your fever was getting really high so they stripped you. That's one of Hershel's girls' slip. Lori washed your clothes...they're on the chair beside you." Rayne peeked over to see her jeans and tank top folded neatly beside her with her boots underneath the chair. She tried to speak past her embarrassment, "Thank you. I'll get changed and will go down to see Layla."

Daryl shrugged, "Doc says you've got to stay in bed tonight. I'll tell them to send up the kid. Looks like you are going to make it after all." He stood and turned to walk out the door when he mumbled, "About what happened...shooting you...I'm...uh...I'm sorry." Rayne watched him and spoke softly, "It's all right, if it weren't for you, that monster would have killed me. You saved my life. You just made it interesting."

He stopped and looked her up and down, noticing the cute smile she had when she said that. He wanted to say something more to her, but couldn't seem to think of anything that wouldn't make him sound stupid. He opened his mouth to speak when a voice cried out, "Rayne!" and the little blonde haired girl rushed past him.

Rayne's face instantly brightened as she reached out her arms, "Layla!" Daryl watched from the doorway as the child flung herself into her guardian's arms and how easily she fit into Rayne's embrace, like she belonged there. He looked down and away before walking out of the room, unsure of what it was he was feeling.

Rayne pulled Layla back to get a good look at her, "Oh kitty cat, thank God you're safe! Were you scared? Have they been treating you right? Are you hurt at all?" Layla giggled and shook her head, "Nope, I'm all good. They let me sleep in a bed, a _real_ bed Rayne! Mrs. Lori made me some dinner and Ms. Maggie took me for a ride on her horsey! It's been a lot of fun."

The sickly woman smiled, "Well I'm glad you've been having a good time while I've been lying here. You haven't been causing them any trouble have you?" The sound of creaky footsteps announced her presence when a lovely woman with brunette hair stood in the doorway, "Oh no, Layla has been a perfect little lady the whole time."

Rayne looked over to her when Layla giggled, "This is Mrs. Lori, Rayne. Isn't she pretty?" Rayne nodded, "Yes, she is. I hope Layla hasn't been giving you too much trouble. She can be a handful when she gets hyper." Lori shook her head, "Not at all, the entire group has been thoroughly entranced by her. The only time we had any problem was keeping her away so you could sleep. Are you feeling better?"

Taking a mental account of herself, Rayne nodded, "Yes, very much so. Thank you so much for taking care of her. Is your doctor around so I may thank him as well?" Lori nodded, "Yes, I'll get him and Rick to come up and see you. This is Hershel's place and my husband Rick is sort of our leader. I'll give you a moment to change first so the men don't get any ideas. Daryl hasn't left your side since Hershel finished stitching up your leg and your fever started to break."

Rayne felt herself blush at this knowledge and nodded to Lori when she left. Her eyes turned to her god-daughter, "Layla, will you bring me my clothes please? I can't really stand up for a while." The tiny girl slid off the bed and returned with her clothes. While Rayne was changing, Layla prattled on about everything she had been doing with Rayne giving the occasional, "Mm hmm" in acknowledgement. It wasn't until she said, "Oh and that man, the one with the um...what are they called Rayne?"

She looked down, "What are what called?" Layla's tiny brow furled, "Oh you know. The things Indians have...they go like this..." She pulled back her arm as if she had an invisible bow and Rayne gave an indulgent smile, "Arrows, they are called arrows." Layla smiled, "The man with the _arrows_ kept coming up here. I didn't think it was fair that he could when I couldn't, but he wouldn't come out! He just kept on sitting over there talking to himself and rubbing that flower. Kind of weird if you ask me."

Rayne looked over to where she was pointing and saw the white flower he had brought her earlier. A small flutter went through her heart as she pulled her tank top over her head and combed through her thick hair with her fingers, "I think he felt bad about accidentally hurting me. Not that weird." Layla tilted her head back and forth as if considering this, "Nope, I think he likes you. I can tell."

Laughing softly, Rayne reached for the flower and secured it within Layla's golden curls, "Well I don't know about that. Why don't you keep that thought just between us ok? Pinky promise?" She asked holding out her pinky while Layla giggled and wrapped her tiny finger around it, "Promise!"

Rayne smiled when the voice she knew as Hershel's said, "I'm glad to see our patient is awake. You gave us a real scare for a little while." Rayne nodded to him when another man who looked like a sheriff followed him in with a kind smile, "Hello there, Rayne. My name is Rick and you already know Hershel. How are you feeling?"

She looked over herself quickly, "Much better. I don't know how to thank you for your hospitality and for bringing my little kitty to me." She went to hold Layla tight until the little girl's nose scrunched, "No offense Rayne, but you are kind of stinky." The twenty-five-year old felt her checks darken, "Well I guess I am, aren't I?"

Rick laughed, "Got to love children's honesty. There is running water here, but its on a well system so try to keep it short. When you clean up, come on down stairs and have something to eat." Hershel shook his head, "She really shouldn't be moving very much. You have to let that leg heal up and your body is weak from the fever."

Rayne shrugged, "It's all right, I've been through a lot worse and a shower sounds amazing. I promise to take it slow." The old man ran a hand through his white hair, "All right, well let me get one of my girls to help you. We don't want you collapsing or anything." Rayne smiled to him while Rick looked down, "Layla, why don't you go find my boy? It's almost dinner time."

Layla nodded, golden girls bouncing as she slid off the bed. Rayne watched her leave, heart fluttering, "Stay in the house, kitty! Don't leave without someone with you!" Rick smiled kindly, "It's hard to not worry about them. My boy can't ever seem to stay in one place for too long. He has caused a lot of worry for his mother and I. Maybe your girl will be a good influence on him?"

It didn't take long for a girl she came to know as Maggie, took her into the shower and sat on the toilet while Rayne nearly gasped at the feeling of warm water on her aching body. It was amazing what the past few months had put her body through and having this little piece of the past was enough to make her want to cry. She washed out her chestnut hair which was more tangled than she ever remembered it being and Maggie cleared her throat, "So where did you two come from?"

Rayne finished scrubbing dirt away from her body, "Just outside Atlanta, we lived in a small farm town about thirty miles away." Maggie nodded, "Where is your daughter's daddy?" Rayne turned off the water and waited while Maggie gave her a towel, "Oh Layla isn't my real daughter, she was my best friend's little girl. Her father was a low life scum who has spent most of her life in jail. Good riddance if you ask me, he was a monster long before anyone else in this world became one."

Maggie helped her step into her jeans and put on her red tank top, "I see. Well you two certainly traveled a long way. That must have been difficult by yourself. You should think about staying around here, Layla has been a breath of fresh air." Once she was fully dressed and her long hair clipped behind her head with Maggie's help, Rayne shook her head, "We have imposed enough. It is time to move on."

The farmer's daughter helped her down the stairs where a group larger than any she had seen in quite some time were just sitting down to eat. There were so many that they took up two tables and it made Rayne stare at their numbers, "So many...so many have survived in your group. How?"

An older man in a Hawaiian shirt pulled out a chair for her, "Because we stick together, watch out for each other. It's the best way to hold on to our humanity." She seated herself and smiled a "thank you" to him before looking out at the curious eyes looking back at her. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Rick stood up and cleared his throat, "Everyone, this is Rayne and we've all met Layla." He smiled at the tiny blonde who was poking at a boy's hat, before going on with introductions.

Rayne tried to remember everyone's name and she spoke quietly, "Thank you all so much for everything you did for us. I don't know if there would be a way to repay your kindness, but name it and we shall try." This seemed like an acceptable answer and the group went on eating until the one named Shane grunted, "You aren't thinking of staying are you?"

The awkward silence returned and Rayne dabbed at her mouth before replying, "I wasn't planning on it, no. We'll rest up a night and be on our way." At this, Layla stopped poking Carl and looked up with those huge green eyes, "We can't stay? I thought we could stay! Oh please Rayne? Please? I like it here."

Rayne looked at her god-daughter and spoke quietly, "This isn't the time to talk about it, Layla. We don't belong here and have imposed on them long enough. Now finish your food like a big girl." Layla's jade eyes began to water and she looked around at the adult faces sadly. Her gaze turned to Rick, "Is it up to you if we stay, Mr. Policeman? We would be good, I promise!"

Rayne watched a look pass between Rick and his wife. She knew the effect Layla's puppy eyes had and it wasn't fair for her to use it on them, "Layla, that's enough." There was silence again until it was broken by the sound of the screen door creaking open and slamming shut. Rayne looked up to see Daryl coming in with what looked like a squirrel on his belt. His cornflower eyes took in the group as he held up the dead rodent, "Since we had two more, I caught some extra meat...here..."

Lori stood up to take it from him with a smile and Daryl flicked his gaze at Rayne before sitting down beside a woman with cropped hair and sad eyes. Rick cleared his throat and looked to Rayne, "You have any special skills you could bring to the table? Anything you are good at?"


	5. Fireflies

Rick watched her carefully and asked again, "Well any special talents you have?" Rayne considered what it was that she could do when Layla piped up, "Singing! Rayne can sing! She's really good. Everybody used to say so. That's good right?" There was an amused chuckle through the group while Rayne placed her head in her hand. Andrea smiled and patted Layla's back, "I'm sure that will be taken into consideration."

"Anything of _actual_ use?" Shane asked gruffly and the tone made Rayne look up annoyed. Her eyes narrowed, "Yeah I have a few tricks I've picked up over the years." He looked to her, "Yeah like what?" Rayne flipped back her long hair and stared him down, "Dealing with bullies for one." The man named Dale snorted into his water and Shane flipped him off while Rick put up his hand to settle them down, "We already have fighters, shooters and a doctor, anything else you could do?"

Before Rayne could speak Glen cleared his throat, "She's smart. When we went to get the kid, she had piano wire around her tent as a perimeter and a few other traps set up along the way. You said we have fighters, but we could always use another thinker in this group. Someone to help with planning, survival tactics, rationing."

Lori put a hand on Rick's forearm, "The women could always use another set of hands and a pair of eyes." There was a hush over the group with a few nods of encouragement. The sheriff scratched his scruff and looked to her, "Well, the choice is yours I guess. Would you like to stay with us, Rayne?"

She glanced across the table where Daryl's blue eyes caught her own. She felt almost trapped by the intensity within them and it wasn't until he nodded slightly that she replied, "Yes. Yes we would like that very much, thank you." There was an audible sigh of relief from the group and Rayne looked down to Layla, "What do we say, kitty?"

The blonde girl smiled her sunshine smile, "Thank you!"

Across the table, Carol's sad eyes watched the child's happiness and felt it stab through her. That should have been Sophia sitting there, safe, protected...alive...Her gaze turned away from everyone's apparent love of this child as she absently chewed on one of the few carrots she had selected.

Once the meal was finished, Rayne offered to help clean up, but due to Hershel's orders, she was forced back up to bed. Before she left, Rayne turned and kissed Layla on the forehead, speaking with her best parental tone, "You stay with the others, do you hear me? It isn't safe to be on your own. I don't want you going anywhere by yourself, do you understand young lady?"

Layla nodded obediently and waved to Rayne as she went back upstairs for the night. She would have liked to sleep with her guardian, but the old doctor said she would be too noisy and keep her from getting better. The tiny girl walked into the room and stood on her tippy-toes to grab a dish from the table and bring it into the kitchen where the grown up ladies were talking.

"Do you think this is a good idea? I mean with Sophia's death being so recent and Carol still all torn up inside?" Layla stood in the doorway listening, she knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but it was also rude to interrupt adults when they were talking. She stayed there locked in her moral dilemma while Mrs. Lori replied, "We've all lost people, as horrible as that fact is, it can't be changed. If we just left them on their own, there is no way they'll survive for much longer and Carol knows that. I would hate to think anything less of her."

The blonde woman dried off her hands, "I guess you're right, I just hope that Daryl doesn't take it out on the little one. She is the youngest child I've seen since this whole thing started. Just looking at her gives me hope that we can start a life again."

Lori nodded, "I know, did you see how tiny her hands are? Hurts my heart just looking at her." Layla took a step closer, "Are you both talking about me?" The two women jumped and looked down with the smiles adults always had when they were saying something about a kid, "Just saying how happy we are that you're staying with us, sweetie."

Layla smiled and handed her the plate, "Me too. Rayne's been really tired lately. I guess that's why she is sleeping so much today. Can I do anything else?" Lori put a hand on her head and then pushed her a bit, "No, we've got it. Why don't you explore the house? Stay close though, it's dark outside."

Layla nodded and brushed off her hands before walking around the old house. It was much bigger than the one she grew up in and had all kinds of pictures she only guessed were the doctor's family. She ran her tiny hand along the dressers gently, terrified she would break something and Rayne would be cranky with her.

Her trailing hand brought her to a part of the wall where she saw what looked like a big ruler drawn onto the wall and there were words by the pegs. Layla couldn't read very well yet, she only knew a few words and she tried to sound out the word like Rayne had taught her until a man said, "That there is my family tree. Do you want to see?"

Layla looked up at the doctor and smiled when he knelt down with a grunt. He took her hand and placed it on the wall, "That was Maggie at four and Beth...you are about as tall as she was. Then up here was my step-son at six and he grew all the way up till there." Layla stretched up her hand as far as it would go until she was standing on her toes, "That's pretty tall!"

Hershel nodded, but his face was sad and Layla looked at her shoes uncomfortably, "Well I was going to explore some more, may I?" The old man blinked as if he were coming out of a trance and nodded to her while the tiny blonde girl went into the living room, leaving Hershel to slide his hand up and down the growing tree, a tear in his eye.

It didn't take long for her to get all the way around the house, her curiosity almost satisfied until she came to the back door and looked out the screen. There she saw a fire with a tent set up. Layla tilted her head and looked behind her cautiously. She knew she wasn't supposed to leave the house and that Rayne would be upset if she found out, but...

Biting her lip and slipping out the door, Layla walked away from the porch, the warm night engulfing her as she went towards the flame like a moth. This was the first time she had felt safe in a very long time, there were adults everywhere and they wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. If Rayne said it was ok, then it had to be, Rayne didn't lie.

Layla stepped around a tree stump and nearly fell into a hole on her way, but her curiosity kept leading her forward. She stopped when she saw that it wasn't the group, but just one man sitting there, poking the fire with a stick. She recognized him as the man with the arrows, the one who had kept going into Rayne's room.

The small girl walked a little closer and looked up where he had fastened at least four dead squirrels on a line and just left them there. She gulped, wondering if her first thought of safety was correct and if there was time for her to back away without him noticing, but the look on his face when he sat there was so sad, it made her chest tighten.

Layla walked a few more steps, a twig snapping under her shoe that was much more loud than she had intended. Suddenly the man was on his feet and pointing his weapon at her, "Who's there?!" Layla gave a frightened squeak and covered her eyes, his voice making her shake. Layla was never good with people yelling at her, her father used to do it so often and sound so angry that anytime she heard it, it made her shut down. Daryl quickly lowered his crossbow, "What are you doing out here? I nearly took your head off!"

She kept her face covered and cried a little, "I'm...sorry...I just..." She sniffed and continued to shake while Daryl sighed and put his bow down, "Did you want somethin'?" Layla shook her head, still covering her face with her hands and Daryl searched his mind for what to say to a little one, "Rayne know you're out here?"

Again she shook her head and continued to say nothing while the hunter searched the firelight for answers, "Um...you wanna come sit?" Layla nodded, blonde hair sliding down her shoulders. She walked a few steps and sat on the log next to him, trying not to look his way. They sat there in silence for a minute before the uncomfortable man spoke, "Sorry I scared you. You all right?"

Layla nodded and he poked the fire one more time, looking around awkwardly. His eyes turned to the left where he saw something that made him smile, "Hey kid, you must be good luck. Know why?" She shook her head and he pointed, "Because you have fairies following you." This answer made the tiny girl drop her hands and look to him curiously, "Fairies?"

Daryl nodded, "You see those flickering lights?" Layla's green eyes scanned the darkness and rested on two or three, "The fireflies?" He nodded, "Yep, they are fairies and I happen to know that they bring good luck. You are lucky." Layla's brow furled, "Rayne never said anything about fairies, she said they are just fireflies."

Daryl poked the fire again before holding up a finger, "Ah that's because she is jealous that they don't follow her. Fairies are really picky about who they like. They make sure to follow the pretty girls." He smiled at her, making the four-year-old blush before she asked, "You don't think Rayne is pretty?"

The question took him aback before he replied, "Well I didn't mean that she isn't pretty. I just meant...uh...well..." Layla smiled at his nervous shifting before she placed a delicate hand on his knee, "Thanks for telling me about the fairies."

Daryl smiled at her shyly and went back to staring at the fire. They sat in silence for a few minutes before Layla looked up at him, "Mr. Daryl?" The hunter looked at her surprised, "Uh...just call me Daryl ok? The Mr. part is weird." She thought about it for a second and shrugged, "Ok, Daryl, can I ask you a question?"

He nodded looking at her, "What?"

Layla's green eyes sparkled when she asked, "Who is Sophia? Everyone keeps talking about her and they get real quiet when I come in the room." This question made the man close off and remove his knee so that her hand dropped, "She is...she was...a little girl." Layla watched him carefully, "Did the monsters get her?"

Daryl didn't answer, but just nodded, the firelight dancing on his stone like face. Layla looked down sadly, "Monsters got my mommy too. Were you her daddy?" There was a heavy silence and Daryl shook his head slightly, "No, just an idiot who thought he could be."

Layla scooted a little closer to him, "I wish you were my daddy, he isn't very nice at all." Daryl didn't say anything to that for a long time until he asked quietly, "What makes you think I'm any better?" Layla yawned, her bed time long passed when she scooted out her legs and rested her head on his leg, "Because you saved Rayne. You're nice...I can tell..."

It didn't take long for her little eyes to close and sleep to come and Daryl just sat there, frozen with uncertainty. His blue eyes looked down to the slumbering child, so trusting and sure of him, so completely positive that he was good and would keep her safe. He shrugged off his jacket and laid it over her while he sighed and went back to poking the fire.


	6. False Expectations

_"Rayne...I'm scared...he really beat me this time and I can't feel the baby anymore. He's killed her Rayne, he's killed my baby." Bre's trembling voice echoed through Rayne's mind as she raced her friend to the emergency room. When she had arrived at the old, broken down house, she barely recognized the broken woman she loved so much. Her pretty, chocolate brown eyes that once held so much light and laughter were swollen and black. Her soft curls were tapered with blood and her lip was split when she smiled so relieved that Rayne had come for her. Richy had beat her up in the past, but never that badly and he had always spared the unborn child within her. Not this time...not this time..._

_Rayne anxiously paced the waiting room as the doctors removed her best friend from her arms and rushed her to surgery. Like she had so many times, Rayne fell to her knees and prayed for safety for her dearest friend and the life she would bring to this world. Rayne loved her as one adores their sister and if one or both of these precious lives were taken, it would be too much._

_It took hours until the doctor emerged from the operating room with a smile that said much more than he knew, "They're both fine, but Bre needs her rest and she's asking for you. We gave her some medication so you'll only have a few moments before she'll be out for the night."_

_Rayne nodded to him and pushed past the large metallic doors until she reached the room Bre was in. It took a moment before she could speak because the sight of her best friend was enough to make her want to cry. Bre looked even more tiny than normal when she was hooked up to all those machines, the hospital bed seemingly to engulf her as she reached out, "Hey there Rayne Jane. Why are you so far away?"_

_While she smiled at her pet name, Rayne felt her heart break as she went to sit beside the adjustable bed. She looked Bre up and down before smiling, "So, decided to have a baby did you?" Bre smiled, "Yeah, it's what all the cool kids are doing." There was a mutual laugh between them until the nurse brought in the smallest baby Rayne had ever laid eyes on. Bre smiled, "You can hold her Rayne, the stuff they gave me made me kind of loopy."_

_Rayne reached out to take the little pink blanket and the angel inside it was barely the length of her forearm. There was a flutter in her heart as she held the newborn close to her heart and cooed, "Hello sweetie, you gave us a big scare." She shushed and kissed on her while Bre smiled and took Rayne's other hand though it was clear she was fading quickly, "Rayne, you've always looked after me and if you hadn't come, my baby wouldn't have made it. You saved both of us."_

_Rayne looked from the child to her friend whose eyes were closing, "I'll be here when you wake up Bre, it's ok to go to sleep." She nodded, but gripped her hand a littler tighter, "Promise me something first ok? Promise that you'll always protect her, no matter what. Be there for her like you always have for me." Rayne nodded, "I promise."_

_Bre let out an audible sigh and rested her head against the pillow happily, "Her name is Layla." _

Rayne jolted awake, the memory still fresh in her mind. Reaching up she brushed her face and realized that she'd been crying in her sleep, warm tears lingering on her fingertips. She inhaled deeply at the pain in her heart and reached to the side only to feel no child beside her. Her eyes became wide, her heart thundering, where was Layla?!

She bolted out of bed, her right thigh screaming in pain when her stitches pulled at the movement. That white hot stab of agony was enough to shock Rayne into remembering where they were and that they had agreed to stay with this group extensively. They treated her wounds, put food in their stomachs and given Layla security when they had none and yet...

Rayne gently pushed at the bedroom door, hating the way it creaked with her passage. The house was quiet, so uncommonly quiet other than the faint sound of snoring coming from the living room. The curious woman tip-toed down the old staircase and scanned the large rooms where beds that had been packed away earlier that day were sprawled about in no particular fashion. It appeared as if the women slept in the house so that must mean that the men were either elsewhere in the house or outside.

Her crystal eyes scanned the slumbering bodies for her little one and with each spot her panic was beginning to grow. Where was Layla? Why wasn't she with this group clinging to Lori or Andrea? Rayne backed up a bit determined to tear apart the entire house if that is what it took to find her child and her eyes caught the faint glow of firelight in the distance.

Rayne squinted a bit, trying to focus on the figure out there. It was possible that more of the group was sleeping outside. The night was warm and Layla had been sleeping under the stars for the past few months, it was possible she went out there. Stepping onto the porch, Rayne searched the area for walkers as she had trained herself to do whenever she stepped foot outside a protective shelter.

It didn't seem possible that a place like this existed, where she didn't have to be looking over her shoulder for flesh-packed teeth longing to devour her. Her bare feet touched grass and instantly felt the familiar softness soothe her a bit, but not much and the thought of Layla wondering out by herself terrified her.

Rayne followed the fire light like a lighthouse in the darkness, passing an RV where the man she recognized as Dale was taking the midnight watch. He tipped his hat to her, speaking softly for fear of alarming those slumbering nearby, "Rayne, what could be so important that you won't rest and get better?" Her blue eyes scanned him, he seemed like a very kind person and she licked her lips trying not to sound as panicked as she felt, "Did Layla come through here? I woke up and she wasn't beside me."

Dale smiled knowingly, "Oh yes she did a few hours ago. She's been sitting with Daryl for quite a spell." Rayne looked towards the fire, "Does he have an affinity with children? Why didn't he send her back to the house?" The old man shrugged and leaned back in his lawn chair, "Who knows? People will surprise you at the strangest times."

Her eyes flicked to his shotgun, "How often do you switch for the watch? I would like to start pulling my weight around here." Dale smiled at her, "Your job is to get better and watch over that little girl. She is the only hope we've had in a while. But if you are going to collect your little one, I suggest making your presence known first. Daryl can be a little jumpy with that crossbow of his."

Rayne nodded to him and continued her path to the fire which was casting strange shadows whenever the breeze caught it. She dipped under what looked like a strand of prey he had collected though she wondered what it was that was keeping other animals from stealing such valuable prey? Rayne approached the fire and was about to clear her throat to announce herself when she came upon a sight that made her freeze.

There was Layla, her Layla, curled up happily with her head on the knee of the man who shot Rayne only days ago. Her golden curls wafted gently in the Georgian breeze, small shoulders rising and falling slightly with the rhythm of sleep and that smile she wore only when her dreams were pleasant. Her body was covered by what looked like a riding jacket and the angel wings on it only made her look more precious than she already was.

Layla's comfort was one thing, but most surprising was Daryl's hand gently patting her head and the look on his face that she had never seen before. It was an expression that seemed to describe a mixture of crippling fear and fierce protectiveness at the same time; like he was holding a glass rose afraid it would shatter if he moved too quickly. Rayne stood there, momentarily stunned by that kind of emotion on such a hard face and had she been equipped, she would have liked to paint it for its complexity was not something she would soon want to forget.

Breaking out of her trance, Rayne raised a hand to her lips and cleared her throat softly. It seemed it didn't matter how quiet she was, the hunter jumped at her interruption and instantly that wonderful expression she witnessed vanished to the cold mask once more, "This yours?" Rayne smiled and nodded, "Yes, but I have about ten just like her at home. You can keep that one. She seems to be very fond of you."

She smiled at her own joke, but Daryl didn't seem to quite appreciate her sense of humor. She shifted awkwardly, "Just trying to make a funny there, yes I woke up and Layla was gone. I was worried so I came looking. I'm glad that she's safe." Daryl looked down at the sleeping child, "You two are awful trustin' for girls that have been living on your own for a while. Not everyone is nice out here." Rayne took a step closer to the fire, her gaze catching him in its honesty,"We know who the monsters are by looking at them."

The fire popped and Daryl scoffed, "Well you found her. Take her back to the house will ya? I'm busy." Her dark eyebrow rose, "Busy doing what? Fire poking? I think you have that covered, nice and poky, but your wrist work is completely off. It's all in the wrist." She smiled and sat on the other side of him. Still not even a smile from him.

They sat in silence for a few moments, Rayne feeling awkward, Daryl even more taciturn than usual. She was about to speak again when he suddenly spat, "Why are you still out here? Take her and go inside." Rayne blinked in his direction, "I didn't know we were bothering you so much." Daryl glared at her, his blue eyes sharp cutting as if they were shards of ice, "I'm not gonna babysit her anymore. I ain't responsible for her so don't think I am. What do you want from me?"

Rayne was taken aback by his hostility, "I didn't ask you to be responsible for her, I am. She disobeyed me and will be scolded in the morning. I was going to thank you for taking care of her while she was here, but it seems like you have a lot more to say about the situation than I do. What about her is bothering you so much? You didn't seem so upset when I came upon you earlier. If anything you looked afraid that you would break her not wanting her away from you. What is it about our presence has made you so hostile?"

The hunter moved Layla off of him and stood up in an attempt to tower over Rayne like his own brother had done to him so many times in the past, "You don't know anything about me or this group. You spend a few nights here and think you can just ask whatever you want? Bring that little girl here like it wouldn't tear us apart to see her?! Just take her back to the house and tell Sophia to stay put for once."

Rayne stood up stiffly, keeping her blue eyes locked within his, "I didn't bring her here, your group did and by extension you for bringing me here because she goes where I do." She bent down to scoop up her child and toss his jacket at him, which he managed to catch without looking away from her. Rayne cradled her god-daughter to herself before turning to look at the enraged man, "And her name is Layla."

With that she walked forward into the darkness and back to the safety of the house, leaving Daryl standing there shaking from a frigidness that had nothing to do with cold.


	7. What Makes a Man

(yes I know I'm not doing everything in chronological order, but give me a break, it's a fanfic and I'm making the story my own. Please enjoy and dream with me people lol ;) )

A few days had passed since the unexpected hostile encounter with Daryl and Rayne had made it a point to avoid him as best as she could. Her fever had completely vanished and though her leg still shot up jolts of pain when she stepped too firmly, she was able to maneuver her way around helping out where ever she could. It seemed like everyone had a job and she wasn't exactly sure where it was that she was meant to fit in. There was an interesting group dynamic and it didn't take long for her to pick up on it. Something was definitely brewing between Rick and Shane though she wasn't surprised much by that. Maybe Shane had been a different person before the world changed, but the few interactions she had with him left her feeling cornered and fronted, not something she often experienced and wasn't a fan.

Something was also happening between Lori and Andrea, a very pensive atmosphere seemed to follow whenever the two women faced each other for long. Apparently there was an upset involving Hershel's youngest girl whom Rayne had hardly seen for more than a few moments at a time. She understood the feeling of hopelessness that was racking the younger girl's heart, had she not had Layla to watch over she may have felt the same at one point or another.

"You look thirsty, want some lemonade?" The voice belonged to Carol and Rayne was shocked to hear it. The sad woman had barely said more than a few words to her since she had arrived. Rayne dropped the blanket she had been hand washing and gratefully accepted the sour liquid, "I can't get over this place. Where else in the zombie apocalypse can you find chilled lemonade on a day like this?" Carol's stormy eyes scanned her before looking about awkwardly.

Rayne sipped the drink and glanced up, "Is there something else?" This seemed to surprise her into movement and Carol shook her cropped head while Rayne gestured beside her, "Would you like to sit? I could always use the company. It's just been me and a four-year-old for the past few months." Carol looked out and then sat down gingerly beside her, taking one side of the blanket to ring out though Rayne suspected it was more for an excuse of something to do with her hands than actual helping.

Not that she minded, Rayne had been very curious of the bird-like woman, but due to urging from the group she didn't pursue a relationship with Carol unless she approached first. They sat in silence for a few minutes until a sweet voice cried from across the lawn, "Rayne can I go with Carl to the river?" Without even looking up Rayne answered, "Can you?"

Layla stopped running towards them and corrected herself exasperated, "_May_ I go with Carl to the river?" Rayne lowered the blanket and looked to Carol, "I'm not sure where the river is, is it safe?" The impossibly thin woman shook her head slightly, "Nothing is safe for children anymore." Rayne felt the gravity of her words fall on her like the wet blanket she was wringing out. Her attention turned back to her reason for living and shook her head, "Sorry kitty cat, not this time. Wait until my leg feels better and I'll take you out then."

The blonde little girl sighed and dropped her head before turning to look at the boy dressed in black waiting for her. Rayne knew Layla's body language well enough to know that she was expressing her displeasure to Carl for having to be stuck at the house. She didn't like it either, but Rayne had almost lost her once and wasn't planning on doing it again.

"They're so sweet at that age." Carol's voice sounded almost as dreamy as her eyes when she watched the small girl skip off to pick some daisies that were littering up Hershel's lawn. Rayne smiled, "Layla is uncommonly sweet, always has been. She just has such a need to please everyone around her." Carol nodded, "My Sophia was like that. Always at my side, always smiling at me in a way to say that it didn't matter what happened, she was mine. You are so lucky."

Rayne gave her some more slack on the blanket and looked down, "I heard your little girl was turned. I know that nothing I say will make anything better, but I'm very sorry for your loss. If there is anything you need from me, please don't hesitate to ask." To her surprise Carol spoke up instantly, "There is something I need from you. I need you to watch over that little girl. Don't let anything happen to her because you'll realize when she's gone just how precious she truly is."

There was so much hurt in her tone that Rayne couldn't help but put her arm around Carol's shoulders though they were impossibly thin beneath her touch, "Sophia is in heaven now. You know that don't you?" Carol twisted slightly and looked at her surprised, "Are you Catholic?" Rayne shook her head, "Nope, non-denominational Christian. Though I did go to a Catholic wedding once and it was lovely, but too much kneeling for me, I have a bad knee as it is. Besides, they always promise those little wafers are for you but they never are, torture is what it is!"

At that comment, for the first time, she saw Carol smile. Rayne felt her heart pinch at the sight of it, "You have such a lovely smile." Carol placed her hand to her mouth as if she was just as surprised as Rayne. She sighed and looked away, "Well it will be nice to have another believer around the farm. Even if we are from different faiths and you don't want those wafers anyway, they don't taste good at all."

Rayne laughed and bumped her arm against her new friends until a shouting caught their attention, "We brought back a spy! No one is to go near him!" Everyone on the farm looked to each other and then to Rick and Shane who were carrying up what looked like an adolescent male with a bag over his head. Blood was dripping down what looked like an improvised tourniquet and instantly Rayne worried about walkers being drawn to the scent.

She called Layla over to her and was about to move farther from the house when she turned the corner and nearly ran into Daryl. He looked her over briefly before pointing at her child, "Make sure to keep back. This guy is dangerous." Rayne nodded to him and he brushed past them and into the house, probably waiting orders from Rick.

There was silence for a few moments until a loud, pain-filled howl erupted from the second floor. Rayne covered Layla's ears with her hands and looked around glad to see that it wasn't only herself that was uneasy about this situation. She shooed Layla over to the RV where most of the group was waiting with confused looks.

Glen came out from the truck that Maggie rushed him and his face was gravely serious when he pushed her away slightly. He looked to the rest of them, "We were shot at by that guy's group and then swarmed by walkers. The town is covered now and I don't know how many of their people are left or where they are. The kid fell from the roof and landed on a fence post so I guess Hershel is going to fix him before we question him."

Dale called from the RV roof, "He's just a kid, what is there to question?" Rayne pulled Layla closer to herself, "Do you think he is really dangerous Glen?" He shrugged slightly, removing his baseball cap and running a hand through his dark hair, "I don't know, they just left him there to be walker chow. I don't know much about this group, but I don't feel good about what I've seen."

T-Dog came out of the RV holding weapons cleaning materials with Andrea and his brow furled at the information, "Ricks gonna want Daryl to question him most likely. I'll go see what he needs from the rest of us." When he left and the group dispersed a bit, Rayne felt herself backing up until her shoulders touched the RV. Layla had squirmed free from her grasp and went to play with Carl, leaving her guardian worrying her lip as she considered what it was they would be facing.

Taking a breath, she climbed up the ladder to sit beside Dale and share the shade of the umbrella. Her gaze scanned the treeline certain she would see the lumbering form of a walker or in a way, the more terrifying strut of a man set to claim what was hers. She didn't like variables in her life, especially when it had finally begun to get calm again.

"Why the long face?" Dale asked while Rayne settled down a bit, "Just worried about this new arrival I guess." The older man laughed, "Interesting how you were the new arrival only a few days ago. The wheel keeps on turning, I suppose. Don't worry, Rick is an honorable man, he'll take care of things." Rayne nodded and watched Layla squeal as Carl chased her with some kind of reptile. Her eyes were constantly watching, assessing, checking for danger so she was hardly aware that Dale was speaking until he laughed, "Now that's the first time I've heard Carl laugh in a while. I think having your girl here has been good for him, after Sophia and all."

Rayne looked up to him, "I keep on hearing about her. She was Carol's daughter and turned walker yes?" Dale nodded under his floppy cap, "Yes but there was more to it than that. We were pinned down on the highway by a horde of walkers and Sophia ran off afraid with two following her. Rick tried to lead them away, but she went missing. We all searched but nobody as hard as Daryl, I think that's why he has taken it so hard."

This piqued Rayne's interest and she turned her body to look at Dale, "Can you elaborate on that? I've been receiving a lot of hostility from him and I'm not sure what I've done to deserve it." The kind man shrugged, "Who can explain why Daryl does what he does? For this case however I think he really believed he would find Sophia. He went through hell and high water one time and came back to us covered in blood and an open wound from his own arrow. Most of us thought he was a walker from far away with how dead he looked. So when Sophia or whatever it was that was wearing her face, stepped out of that barn, Daryl shattered. He has been even more closed off from the rest of us than usual."

Rayne looked down, suddenly feeling very guilty for being upset with him. No wonder seeing Layla upset him so much if he had so much invested in this other child, "He...he wouldn't hurt my girl would he? I don't know what kind of man he is." Dale smiled, "No, that is one thing you can rest easy on. Daryl may be thick skinned, hard headed and any other kind of cliche you want to throw out there, but inside he is just a little boy who wants a hug."

This made both of them laugh slightly though the truth of it was very apparent in his tone. Rayne slid off of the RV and walked over to where Layla was hiding from the boy who was holding a lizard in his palm, "Rayne! He won't stop!" Carl looked up at her with that wicked smile that only little boys have, "Come on, don't you want to see him? He's really cool."

Rayne flicked his sheriff hat and knelt down, "Sure, I've never met a lizard I didn't like." Layla hid behind her guardian while Carl peeled away his fingers to reveal the brown and black lizard with a blue tail licking the air nervously. Rayne smiled, "Cool! These are the lizards that can drop their tail to get away from predators if they have to."

Carl smiled, "Awesome, I didn't know they could do that." Rayne patted him on the shoulder, "Stick with me kid and I'll teach you about all things scaly and gross. Layla, I'm going near the house, I want you to stay in Dale's sight at all times do you understand me young lady? If you can't see Dale then he can not see you." Layla nodded and placed a daisy chain in Rayne's hair, "I'm not running off."

Rayne patted her head, "Good girl." She rose up out of her crouch and headed into the living room where people were all starting to congregate. Their faces grave with concern and mistrust and the sense of foreboding filled the room as she settled on one of the couches, "So what are we going to do?" Rick was sitting on the couch with Lori's head on his shoulder, "I don't know."

Rayne watched the body language between them and something was off though she couldn't quite place it. It felt like Lori was overly-affectionate whenever he was near her like she was trying to prove something. She wondered who she was trying to convince? The others trickled in and it didn't take long to notice how they all looked to the sheriff for leadership, but Rayne felt her eyes drifting to the man who was leaning against the banister, admittedly amazing arms crossed over his chest. Daryl seemed so closed off and while she found that annoying at first, now she understood what he was doing. She smiled slightly as Dale's words went through her head, he really did look like a little boy who was terrified to admit how afraid he was.

Her mind went back to when she used to teach Sunday school and the little boy named John who she had to coax to join the group. He wanted so badly to belong, but the second his mother's hand left his, it was all he could do not to cry. John stood away from the others in the exact same position as Daryl, that closed off posture that says, "I'm protecting myself so none of you can hurt me, but I still want to be included in some form."

There was another scream from upstairs and everyone looked up as if they could see the source of pain through the roof. Once it quieted, Shane snarled, "I don't know why we are wasting our supplies on him. He shot at you, brother. We should just finish off what was already started." Rick lowered his head into his hands, "He's just a kid, I won't feel right just killing him."

Rayne's lips parted surprised a little when Shane rolled his eyes, "If a kid can point a gun at you, he's dangerous enough. What if he breaks out and tells his group where we are? You want to lose everything we've gained so far?" It bothered Rayne that what he was saying actually made sense even though it was a horrible prospect to be agreeing with Shane about anything.

T-Dog held up his hands, "Lets talk about this once everyone has chilled. Now isn't the time to be making rash decisions and I don't want a life on my hands unless it is really the best thing." Rick looked like he was going to drop and Rayne worried for him so she instantly agreed with T as did the others. Shane scoffed and headed out the door. Daryl nodded to himself and left as well and Rayne wanted very much to follow.

She waited a few moments until most everyone had cleared out before standing up slowly, "It's going to be dark soon, I need to finish putting away that laundry." She wasn't sure why she felt the need to announce what she was doing, maybe she wanted desperately for them to see that she was trying her best to be helpful? Lori smiled at her when she left and Rayne worried her lip while she continued washing.

When the sun set and she had made sure Layla had eaten and was secured to sleep between Beth and Maggie, Rayne quietly crept out the door and out back. The nights were getting colder and the breeze caught her hair making her shiver. Though Rayne was grateful that Maggie let her borrow one of her lighter dresses to combat the heat of day, she wished she had brought a jacket for the colder nights. Her bare feet pushed the grass aside as she headed to the fire built away from the rest of them and the man she hoped wouldn't take off her head.

She approached slowly, making enough noise to announce herself so Daryl wouldn't point his crossbow at her again. His blue eyes caught the firelight as he looked to her, "The point of coming out here was to get away from you people." Rayne nodded when she stepped into the light, "Fair enough, but I wanted to bring you something." She exposed the folded blanket she had been washing earlier in the day, "It's getting cold out and I wanted to make sure you were warm enough."

Daryl seemed surprised when she held out the blanket to him. He stared at it then back at her, "I have blankets in my tent." She smiled and shrugged one shoulder, "Yeah but how clean are they? I just washed this one today. Go on, take it, no reason to be afraid of a little blanket." His eyes squinted slightly as he took it quickly, "I aint scared of nothing."

Rayne smiled sweetly, "I didn't think so."

He set the blanket down beside him and looked up at her, "Something else?" She worried her lip slightly before nodding, "Yes, may I talk to you for a little bit? There is something I want to say." He shrugged and Rayne didn't miss how he scooted away from her when she sat down on the log beside him. She waited for a moment, looking into the flame before taking a deep breath, "I wanted to apologize to you."

He looked at her surprised, "For what?"

Rayne glanced in his direction and Daryl tried not to notice the way the firelight danced in her eyes when she spoke, "For getting so angry with you the other night. I didn't know the whole story about Sophia and I can see why having Layla around upsets you. It was wrong of me to assume anything about you without knowing your story first. I was wrong and I'm sorry."

His eyes stayed on her for a moment before looking back into the flames. They sat in silence for a few moments and Rayne cleared her throat, "Well that's all. I understand you want to be alone so I'll just..."

"You don't have to go."

Rayne stopped in her tracks and turned to look at him. Daryl's eyes were searching the ground when he spoke, "You can stay out here... with me...if you want." Her heart fluttered a bit in her chest when she smiled remembering John again when she had given him a cookie and invited him to sit beside her through her class.

_"Who knows why Daryl does what he does? He maybe hard headed, thick skinned or whatever cliche you want, but inside he is a little boy who wants a hug."_

With a small smile she sat back down, "It's a nice night, I'd like to stay for a bit." He still didn't look at her, but she didn't miss the way his body turned towards her slightly. They spent a few moments in silence until the wind passed through the trees and made her shiver slightly. Daryl's trained eyes noticed and he held the blanket out to her, "You're cold. Take it."

She smiled at him before unfolding the blanket and draping it over his legs as well. Daryl jumped back at her touch and looked to her guarded when she smiled patiently, "Now we can both be warm. No reason for anyone to be left out in the cold."


	8. When Darkness Comes

The night passed on as it always had, though Rayne hadn't remembered any like it before. There wasn't anything particularly special about it and yet it meant more to her than most would understand. Rayne had stayed by Daryl's side and though most of the time they sat in silence there was more said than he knew. With the fire's light flickering against the darkness, the moon casting pale beams through the trees and the man sitting beside her trying his best not to let her see him stare, she felt a peace she hadn't in months.

Rayne smiled softly to herself when she scooted a bit closer to him and he stayed put instead of flinching away like a spooked animal. Her eyes turned to the house, "I wonder what they are going to do with that boy." Daryl threw a stick into the flames, "Depends on Rick." Her eyes turned to him, "You don't have an opinion on it?" The hunter shrugged, "Don't really matter what I think."

Rayne tilted her head slightly, "It does to me. What do you personally think about the situation?" Daryl squinted when the fire grew and his voice was gruff, "I think he's dangerous. Fired on Rick and the others. Don't like having someone who can run off and bring others here." Rayne nodded, she could see the merit in this logic but it still felt wrong, "So you agree with Shane? He was pretty adamant about it."

Daryl looked up at her, "Ada...what?" She thought about it for a moment before explaining, "Adamant. It means that he feels really strongly about it." Daryl thought about it for a second and then nodded, "Yeah, I guess." There was a silence between them until he asked, "Why do you care?" Rayne thought about it, "Because I'll feel badly just killing someone so easily. Especially if he's just a kid. It doesn't seem right."

Daryl nodded, "Wasn't askin' about that. I'll do what Rick wants. I was askin' why you care what I think about it." Rayne looked to him, the fire lighting up her face, "Because I don't think many people ask you. You just do what Rick wants? No questions? I would like to know what's going on in your mind." He scoffed and shook his head, "That would be a first..." To her surprise he started to laugh, not a loud one or anything that had real amusement behind it, but a kind of self-aware laugh. Rayne had heard it before when she spoke to people at her work.

She tilted her head, "Why are you laughing?" He put a hand up to his mouth and then rubbed the back of his head, "Because I keep on doing the same damn thing. Merle would cuff me in the head for talking about it, but..."

Rayne turned her body to him, "Merle?" He looked up to her then away quickly muttering, "My brother." Rayne felt the air change slightly as if there was a tension that didn't exist before. She wanted to press a little harder on that, but it was obvious she was treading on very dangerous ground. Her eyes scanned the man next to her, "Your brother sounds pretty tough."

Daryl nodded still looking in the fire, "Yeah, toughest son of a bitch I ever knew." Rayne tried not to point out that if Daryl was calling his own mother a bitch, but it seemed like nitpicking more than what she really wanted to know. Her eyes stayed on him while he brought his hands together and continued not to look at her, "Was he turned?"

Daryl shook his head, "Naw we were with this group when it first started, but somethin' happened on in the city. Rick handcuffed him to the roof and T secured the door so no walkers would get him, but when I came back he was gone." Rayne tilted her head, "Gone? I thought he was handcuffed." Daryl's icy gaze found her as he wiggled his fingers slightly, "Cut his own hand off."

Her eyes widened and she felt her jaw drop slightly when Daryl nodded, "Like I said, tough. He's pretty rude and loud, but he's my brother. Always followed him around and now I'm followin' Rick. Guess I just do what comes natural so not a lot of people are interested in what I'm thinkin'. Just a dumbass redneck." He threw a stick into the fire and Rayne searched the ground for a moment before her voice came out soft, "Well are you?"

He looked over to her, "Am I what?" Rayne's eyes caught the firelight as she looked to him in a way that Daryl hadn't pictured anyone ever looking at him before. The fire danced within her gaze and her voice was so gentle, "Are you just some dumbass redneck? Is that all you think you are?"

The words weren't so complicated and yet the question was one that made him stop for a moment. He finally pulled his eyes away from hers and shook his head. Rayne smiled and stood up, "I didn't think so."

She wrapped her arms around herself when the blanket's warmth left her and smiled softly at the man who was looking up at her now, "I think you are so much more than what you've been raised to believe." Daryl's suspicious gaze searched her face and his voice came out uncertain, "What do you believe?" Rayne reached out a hand and he flinched away from her at first until she rested it on the side of his face. His eyes were wide at her touch and they searched her face when she replied, "I believe in you."

With that she let her hand drop and turned to go back to the house. She didn't want Layla to be scared if she woke up and found her missing. Daryl sat shocked at the words she spoke that echoed in his mind as he watched her walk into the darkness. Raising a hand, he placed it in the same spot hers was in and he could still feel her warmth there. His eyes turned back into the fire as his mother's voice came to mind, _"Someday you'll find it baby, the thing that keeps you hanging on when you want to quit." _

_Daryl had come in on his parent's fighting, though that seemed like all they ever did. He could smell the beer on his father long before he came into the living room and his mother was still in her waitress uniform so they must have been fighting for a while. Daryl watched as his father shook his mother and slapped her across the face. She cried and it took everything he had not to scream when his father glared at him, "What you lookin' at boy? Get!" _

_His eyes turned to his mother who nodded, holding her face where his father's large hand would no doubt leave another bruise. Daryl raced for his room and slammed the door hoping to drown out the noise. His tiny body trembled as he slid down his bedroom door and held his head in hands while they screamed at each other. His shoulders shook with his tears as he heard another fierce slap and the crash that followed. _

_There was silence and that either meant his father had passed out or something much worse. Daryl peeked his head out, tiny hands trying to close the door as gently as he could while he crept into the living room. He saw his mother laying prone with blood on the carpet and his heart raced as he rushed to her. Her head was bleeding from where she had slammed into the table and Daryl's six-year-old self wept as he shook her shoulder, "Mama? Mama wake up."_

_There was a moment of terrifying silence until her pretty eyes fluttered open and she looked around dazed. Daryl sat back and cried when she finally noticed him, "Oh baby, I'm all right. It's all right now." The scrawny little boy cried into his hands as she held out her arms for him to curl into. He loved his mother so much and to him she was always beautiful even when his father would say such awful things to her. _

_Daryl reached up and picked some glass out of her blonde hair, "Why do you let him be so mean to you, mama? Merle is always sayin' you're gonna run out on us. Will you?" The abused waitress stroked her worn hand down his thin face, "I'm not going to leave you, baby. No matter what your daddy has done, I'm never going to leave you alone." _

_She brought his trembling form close and cradled him on her lap, "Someday you'll find it baby, the thing that keeps you hanging on when you want to quit. I know you will find happiness in this life. You believe me don't you?" Daryl nuzzled his head under her chin which he didn't know made her wince with pain as his father had punched her there. She held him tightly and started to sing, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away."_

Daryl came out of the memory, still stroking the side of his face where Rayne's touch lingered. His mother's reason for staying was him, he knew that now, but was it worth all the pain she went through till the day she died? Is that what love is? To take the hits from someone else because you believe there is good in them? He wasn't sure that was the kind of thing he ever wanted to experience and yet as he watched Rayne disappear into the house, her words stayed with him long through the night.

_"I believe in you."_

A few days had passed and the subject of the boy they had come to know was called Randal, was still lingering in everyone's minds. Most had wanted him eliminated and Rayne could understand why, but still that part of her that believed their civility wasn't gone kept pulling at her. She didn't know what to do and was suddenly very happy she wasn't the leader of this group.

Rick had called everyone together for one last meeting on what would be done. Rayne glanced around the room noticing the grave looks on everybody's faces but especially the one on Dale's who was speaking tearfully, "We can't just kill him for a crime he may never even commit! If we do this than everything we were is dead. How can I be the only one who feels this way? Andrea, you were a civil lawyer, Rick you were a sheriff," his eyes turned to Rayne, "And Rayne, you were a councilor! Can't you speak some sense into this room?"

Rayne shifted uncomfortably. She had just graduated college when the apocalypse began and was an intern for the addiction councilor in her town, that hardly made her an expert yet. Her eyes turned to Rick, "Is there a way we could keep a guard on him or something?" Rick was about to speak when Shane shook his head, "Who wants _that_ job?"

Dale raised his hand, "I'll do it! Give him a chance to prove himself!" It was clear how badly he wanted to save this kid's life and Rayne felt for him, but it was fairly obvious which way the group was moving. Rick brushed a hand over his face, "It's too big of a risk. He could escape, bring back his people, kill one of us. I can't afford to lose anyone else. I want to put it to a vote."

The older man just shook his head, "What's the point? You've all made up your minds." He walked out and patted Daryl's shoulder, "You're right, this group really is broken." When he left, the heaviness in the room only seemed to double. Everyone looked to Rick who sighed, "We'll do it quick, in the barn, tonight." Shane nodded and glanced in Rayne's direction, "Keep your little girl away from all this, you hear?"

Her eyes stared him down as she stood, "I don't need you to tell me how to protect my child. Do what you have to, but leave us out of it."His eyes narrowed at her and it made Rayne feel like a bird trapped within a snake's striking distance. Not wanting him to see how much he unnerved her, Rayne straightened her back and walked upstairs where Layla was playing by herself.

Her green eyes stared up at her guardian and she smiled, "Look Rayne! Beth let me have one of her dollies, isn't she cute?" Rayne sat on the bed and smiled at her, "Yes very cute. What's her name?" Layla thought about it for a moment and stroked the doll's hair lovingly, "Sally, from Nightmare Before Christmas. She looks like her, don't you think?"

Rayne didn't quite see the resemblance between the two, but wasn't going to argue, "You're right, she is the perfect Sally. Hold tight to her, ok? She's your new best friend." Layla nodded and did just that until her other hand rested on the troubled woman's arm, "What's the matter Rayne? Your eyes look sad." Rayne shook her head and cleared her throat, "It's nothing, kitty. I'm all right."

Layla's curious gaze watched her, "Is it because they are going to shoot that man in the barn?" Rayne's eyes widened, "What did you say?" Layla looked back down at her doll, "Carl was talking about it. He says they are going to kill him and he's going to watch." Rayne's jaw dropped as she put a hand on her god-daughter's shoulder, "Layla, where is Carl now?"

Her eyes turned up, "He said he was going to sneak out to watch. He's probably at the barn right now." At this Rayne shot out of the room, but skidded to a stop so she could pop her head back in the room, "Stay here!" Layla nodded confused while Rayne stumbled down the stairs and out into the yard, her eyes scanning the darkness for Lori who was cleaning up the tent area. She raced towards her, "Lori! Lori Carl is..."

"Right here." A voice spoke that made Rayne jump. She saw Rick, Shane and Carl standing there with his head down, trying his best not to look his mother's way. Rayne panted while Rick spoke softly to his wife though most of them could hear, "He wanted to watch. Our son wanted to watch me kill someone." Rayne's eyes scanned Lori's face as the realization sunk in about how sick their boy was becoming.

She leaned against a tree, heart still racing when Rick said, "We're not killing him, we'll find another way." Andrea smiled, "I'll go tell Dale." When she left Rayne scanned the group for a key member she was always curious about. Daryl must have taken the prisoner away and part of her was glad, she didn't want to see him with blood on his hands.

Carol brushed a hand down her back, "Was there something you were going to say, Rayne?" She shook her head, "No, Layla told me that Carl told her about the boy and that he was going to watch. I wanted Lori to know so she could intervene, but it looks like the news already got out." Carol nodded, "That boy is getting colder by the day. I know it's eating away at Lori to no end. Hopefully it doesn't infect Layla as well."

Rayne shook her head again, "No, Layla has a barrier of sweetness around her. Though it does concern me that she wasn't more upset by the information. I'll have a talk with her later when we can..."

There was a shriek that split through the night like lightening and made all of them jump. Rick grabbed his wife's hand, "That was Andrea!" The entire group took up arms and raced towards the sound of Andrea's screams. Rayne ran along side them clutching her pistol to herself as they came upon a walker who was in the middle of devouring Dale.

Rick fired off a round into the monster's head, killing it instantly and they stood in horror at what had become of Dale. Rayne shook as she stared at the bloody mess, memories of what their world had become shooting through her mind. Being on the farm, surrounded by kind people sometimes made her forget that _this_ was was on the outside; blood, pain, death.

Dale shuddered and warm blood oozed into the grass while Andrea gripped his hand weeping. Rick reached for his gun, pointing it at their friend's head though he was in no way steady. Rayne's heart broke when Daryl took the gun from their leader and rested it gently on Dale's forehead, "I'm sorry brother..." And then it was done, the suffering, the screaming except for the cries from the group.

Everyone stood there staring, weeping and Rayne held onto Carol while her eyes stayed trained on Daryl. He passed the pistol back to Rick who took it obviously grateful he didn't have to be the one to shoot Dale. Daryl shuddered slightly and looked towards Rayne. She hadn't spent much time with Dale, but he had always been kind to her and she knew that his loss would be felt. She could have cried for them or for the fact that things like this would continue to happen. So could have cried for them. But the thing that made her most want to cry, the thing that broke her heart the most was the look in Daryl's eyes as they connected with her own.

She nodded to him trying to show that she understood, but the hunter closed his eyes and walked back to his tent. Rayne didn't follow this time.


	9. Fight or Flight?

No one can explain grief. There isn't a beautiful way to twist your words into something that resembles it. Grief is just felt and the weight of it descended over the group like a dark cloud. Dale's absence was felt by everyone and as they laid his body in the ground, Rick stood to say a few words about the man they had all come to rely on in some way or another. Rayne bowed her head and held Layla a little tighter in front of her.

Rick sighed, "We all knew that look Dale had, his ability to get under your skin. He said this group was broken, well we're going to prove him wrong. This is the time to pull together and show that we are going to survive and hold on to what makes us human. This is how we honor Dale." There were a few nods from the group and Rick brushed a hand through his hair before looking to Rayne,"From what I've heard you are quite the singer, would you mind?"

Rayne looked up at him for a moment before nodding her agreement. She cleared her throat and took a breath, "Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see." Rayne continued with the other four verses, everyone silent as her lovely voice twinged with sorrow lifted on the Georgian breeze.

Daryl looked up from the grave and watched her intently as she finished off the final verse with tears rolling down her cheeks. Though he felt equally as upset as the rest, seeing Rayne cry as she sang like a broken nightingale was enough to make him tear up a bit. He raised a hand to his eyes and wiped them away quickly.

When she finished, Rayne sniffed a bit and Rick nodded, "That was beautiful, thank you. All right everyone, let's fix whatever hole that thing came through. Come away when you're ready." He put an arm around his wife and lead her away though Carl stayed there. The rest of the group said their good-byes and left to do as Rick said and Rayne began to leave until Layla stayed planted to her spot. When she felt the resistance on her hand, Rayne stopped and turned with question in her eyes.

Layla looked up at her, mossy green eyes shining, "I want to stay with Carl." Rayne looked over to the boy in black who was staring at Dale's grave. Rayne didn't feel comfortable having Layla out of her sight when a walker had come so close to the farm, but then again they were surrounded by vigilant adults and it wasn't like she was going to run into the forest or anything.

Rayne knelt down and kissed her forehead, "All right, but go to the house when you're done, ok?" Layla nodded and waited until her guardian left to walk up to Carl. He was staring at the grave, his face streaked with tears and Layla looked down sadly. She thought of what to say to make him feel better, Rayne always knew what to say...She thought of a few joke she knew, but he probably wouldn't think they were funny. Layla tried desperately to say something until Carl whispered, "It's my fault."

Layla's green eyes fixed on her new friend, "What? How could it be your fault that a monster hurt Mr. Dale?" Instead of answering her, the dark boy began to tremble, fresh tears spilling down his face and Layla couldn't seem to think of anything to say to make them stop. Instead she reached her tiny hand up and rested it in his, letting him cry while she stood silent.

Rayne had been watching from the tent site, her eyes unable to leave her child no matter how many people she trusted. Layla was simply too precious for her to not to protect. Her heart ached when she watched Layla's hand come into Carl's and she wasn't surprised when Lori's voice came beside her, "Now would you look at that? That really is sweet."

Rayne nodded, "Layla has become very fond of Carl, I don't think she's seen another kid since this whole thing started." Lori sighed, "Losing Sophia was hard for him and I think each death is getting worse. I'm happy she has come into his life, I've been so worried about him lately." Both women stood in silence for a moment until Lori continued, "It shouldn't be like this for them. This isn't what their lives should consist of. Running, pain and death after death. It breaks my heart to watch them."

To that Rayne had to agree, "They will grow up so much colder than we did, but maybe that's for the best? This world isn't safe anymore, there isn't time for weakness. I want Layla to stay happy and sweet, but a part of me knows that she'll have to learn to fight someday. I can't picture a gun in her tiny hands with a walker closing in."

Lori shook her head, "It doesn't get easier. Carl was so eager to learn to shoot and I still am not happy about it. Layla is still a bit young, we'll try to keep things happy for her as long as possible. But eventually all of us learn how to fight in one way or another. Let's let them stay children for just a while longer."

Rayne smiled at her and watched Layla lead Carl away from the grave site and towards the house like she was told. Her heart ached at the way the boy dragged behind her, but she was glad they had each other. She walked along the perimeter of the forest, checking the immediate fences while most of the group went to secure the outer ones. Her boots crunched various twigs each time she stepped down and she wondered how it was they hadn't heard a walker coming.

She noticed a trail of mud that lead from the wood line, smearing as it went. Her eyes followed it out to where Dale was attacked, so this was where the walker had come in from. Rayne turned to tell somebody and found that she was for the most part alone, a feeling she didn't like at all. There was a cold creeping up her spine as she searched the forest, her mind's eye seeing walkers hiding in the shadows of every tree. She could see their lifeless eyes, smell the rotten flesh, hear the constant chomping, chomping, chomping like they were never satisfied no matter what it was they devoured.

Rayne panted slightly, her heart racing with the thought of a horde of walkers emerging from the darkness, longing to tear her and everything she loved apart. She could picture blood and chaos and death all around her. The dead longing to make her own of them, those cold, milky eyes. When a hand found her shoulder, it was everything she could do not to scream as she twisted around quickly.

"Whoa! Whoa! Calm down girl." T-Dog put his hands up as Rayne placed a hand on her chest where her heart was racing, "Sorry, you scared me." The dark man looked from her to the wood line, "Did you see something? You were just standing here staring into the forest, I was a little worried. Something spook you?"

Rayne shook her head suddenly feeling very silly, "No, just my imagination playing tricks on me. Thanks for bringing me back down to Earth, T." He smiled and flexed, "That's what men do, bring ladies comfort and security." She laughed at his flirting and curled her arms around herself suddenly feeling very cold, "While I don't doubt your manly protecting abilities, there is something that's been bothering me."

T-Dog held out his arm cordially, "Well little lady, why don't you walk with me and tell me about what's going on in your noggin?" Rayne smiled and accepted his arm as they walked along the perimeter together, "I was just watching Layla today thinking that as much as I hate it, she will have to learn to fight someday. That's just the nature of the beast. Then I realized that I don't really know much about fighting either. I mean, I can shoot a gun and make some fairly elaborate traps, but that is pretty much where my expertise ends. Who would I talk to about learning to fight?"

T-Dog thought about it, "Well I would like to think that you wouldn't have to fight that much, but I understand where you're coming from. Besides you'll have to teach Layla someday and it would help to know yourself. All my skill comes from brute strength, but I don't think that will be your style. Most of the women know how to shoot, but not much else and Rick and Shane deal manly with guns."

Rayne stepped over a large branch and tried to make her voice sound indifferent, "What about Daryl? Does he know much about fighting?" T-Dog smiled knowingly at her, "Yeah, he is pretty much the epitome of good 'ol country boy, I'm sure you could learn a few things. However getting him to teach you is another story. He doesn't really play nice with others."

There was a rabbit that shot through the brush making both of them jump before Rayne cleared her throat, "I think I could get him to teach me." T looked down at her, "How do you expect to do that?" Rayne shrugged and looked out at the horizon, "Ask nicely?" There was a laugh that she knew was completely at her expense when they rounded the last bit of the perimeter. T-Dog lowered her arm still chuckling, "Well sunshine, let me know how that works out for you. Ask Daryl nicely...ha!"

Rayne watched him walk off glaring slightly at his mockery until a voice that made her burn and freeze at the same time inquired, "Ask me nicely about what?" Rayne jumped and turned, hand rushing up to her chest, "Daryl! What is it with people trying to give me a heart attack today?!" The redneck shrugged, "Wasn't trying to do anything. Y'all were talking about me, not the other way around."

Rayne lowered her hand and smiled up at him, "Not so much talking about you as wondering if you could help me with something?" He raised an eyebrow and she took a breath before continuing, "It's come to my attention that I really don't know anything about fighting. I can point a gun and all, but there is going to come a time when we either run out of ammo or aren't in a position to use weapons. I need to know how to defend myself and my little one and I heard you were the man to talk to."

Daryl's icy gaze scanned her up and down before walking away to clean his arrows from the walker kills he had today, "I don't think I'm your man. Get Rick or Shane to teach you." Rayne followed him, trying to keep pace with his long stride. She tried again, "I thought about that, but they are more gun kind of guys, I figure since you are kind of well rounded you would know what to do."

Daryl looked back to her, "Well rounded? You callin' me fat?" Rayne smiled to herself and shook her head, "No, it means you know about a lot of different things, especially in the fighting world. I believe that out of anyone you are the best hand to hand fighter here." He scanned her again before turning back to his original course, "Pretty words, but I'm still not interested. Find somebody else."

Rayne let out a breath of annoyance before running ahead a bit and stopping in front of him, "Look it's not like I'm asking you on a date or anything. I want to know how to fight and you are the best in this group. You are the only one strong enough to teach me how to protect what I love. Now will you help me or not?"

The hunter stopped and watched her for a few moments before setting his weapons down. His eyes were icy when they looked at her, "So you want to fight, do you?" Rayne's gaze widened a bit when he suddenly rushed her, pushing her shoulders back, "You wanna be a fighter? Well? Do you?" He pushed her again sending her back a few feet and Rayne fought to gain her footing again. Daryl was quick, much quicker than she thought and he pushed her once more, "Well do you? Big time city girl thinks she can hold her own. What are you gonna do now?"

Rayne secured her footing and pushed back though it didn't do her much good as pushing against Daryl was like trying to move a mountain. He easily grabbed her arms and twisted her around so that his chest was to her back. Rayne struggled trying to break out of his hold but he just held tighter, "What are you going to do now? I'm a walker with you in my arms. I'm gonna bite you and then..."

His lips came to her ear, "I'm gonna come for your little girl." Rayne's eyes widened as she dropped down and elbowed him in the stomach. Daryl coughed a bit and his hold loosened enough for Rayne to twist out of. The hunter rubbed his abs and looked to her, "Not bad. First lesson, never let them get a hold of you."

Rayne panted, staring at him to see when he would attack again. Daryl began to circle, the setting sun casting a fiery hue on his rugged frame, his cold eyes becoming predatory as they watched her, "Second lesson, don't let 'em get behind you." Rayne moved to the right continuing his circling, trying not to let him have her back.

Daryl's gaze was so intense, like he was a jungle cat ready to pounce on her in a moment's weakness. She swallowed and stepped to the side as he moved, "Third lesson, watch your footing because if you lose sight of where you're walking, there will come a time when..." Suddenly he rushed her and true to his lesson, Rayne's foot caught a root and she tumbled with him on top of her. She twisted trying to get out from him, but the feeling of his weight on top of her was too much to push off.

She wriggled and tried to move away until Daryl grabbed either of her arms and pinned them down. His blue eyes shone in the fiery light as he lowered his mouth to the curve of her neck, his voice barely a whisper when he said, "You lose this fight." Rayne shuddered when his breath came out hot on her sensitive skin and she tried not to shake beneath him.

Daryl stayed where he was, inhaling the scent of the woman beneath him. She smelt like hay and soap, warm and inviting. His heart raced as he breathed into her ear, "Are you scared?"

Rayne nodded slightly and found herself trembling beneath his touch. The hunter released one of her hands, his tough, calloused fingers tracing her wrist gently as they trailed up her arm leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. Rayne panted softly, her eyes fluttering shut at the feel of his fingers tracing small circles on the sensitive skin of her arm. Daryl licked his lips, treasuring the softness of her skin, wondering what else on her was soft until a voice inquired, "Um...are we interrupting?"


	10. Dissension

"Um are we interrupting?" The sudden intrusion to their moment made both hunter and prey jump and look up. Andrea, Carol and Glen stood there with shocked expressions while Rayne's face blossomed into a brilliant red. Daryl moved off of her and stood up, "Just going over some fighting moves. Nothin' to interrupt." Rayne accepted Glen's outstretched hand and brushed herself off, face still blushing furiously, "Yeah, he really threw me. I need more practice."

Daryl looked at her from under his eyelashes, "We'll go again sometime." Rayne glanced in his direction trying to stop her body from shaking, "Definitely." He nodded, picked up his crossbow and arrows and stalked off towards his tent. Rayne watched him leave and turned to look at the group with an innocent smile, "So, what brings you all out here?"

Andrea held up her armful of branches, "We were getting firewood. Glen, why don't you go see if they fed Randall today? We need some girl time with Rayne." The Korean boy shrugged clearly uncertain of what just happened and passed his branches to Rayne before leaving in the direction of the house. Rayne's blue eyes turned to Andrea, "What girl talk is that?"

The blonde woman smiled knowingly, "So you were just fighting were you?" Rayne shifted uncomfortably, "Yes, I've realized that I know nothing about hand to hand and I have to protect Layla so I asked Daryl to help. No big deal." Andrea nodded and winked at her, "Uh huh, I'm sure there were plenty of hands involved. What was it like having Daryl's rock hard body on top of you? He looked all primal and sexy!"

It was then that Carol suddenly dropped her branches and the two women looked to her. Her bird-like features were strained and she was blushing slightly when she mumbled, "Sorry..." and picked up her pile. Rayne and Andrea watched her turn on her heel and leave quicker than could be disguised as impassiveness. Rayne looked to Andrea, "Is something wrong with Carol?"

The blonde woman tilted her head, "I think Carol has feelings for Daryl. They've been getting fairly close especially with his constant searching for Sophia." Rayne walked beside Andrea as they collected pieces of wood along the way, "Did they...sleep together?" Andrea shook her head, "I highly doubt it. Do you think Daryl has _that_ kind of game?"

Rayne suddenly felt very defensive of the hunter, "I think so. Daryl could have any woman he wanted. He's just as handsome as any other man here." Andrea's pretty eyes caught her, "Oh I'm not doubting that he is physically attractive, but what kind of conversation can you have with him? What's the best way to skin a squirrel?" Rayne's boot caught a raised stick and she bent to collect it, "Actually he has quite a few interesting things to talk about. Daryl has a...a...sensual intelligence."

Andrea walked ahead a few steps and turned to look at her, "Have _you_ two slept together?!" Rayne's eyes widened and the blush returned, "Of course not! I barely know him! What kind of woman do you think I am?!" Andrea slowed her stride to walk beside the embarrassed woman, "It's the end of the world Rayne, I don't think social protocol fits anymore. It's not like you can save it for the fourth date or anything."

They were nearing the campsite where the group was starting to convene for the evening fire. Rayne held out an arm to Andrea, "Please don't say anything more about it. I want to talk to Carol on my own and nothing is going on between Daryl and I anyway. There isn't any reason to start drama."

Andrea looked from her to Carol who was slipping away from the group, no doubt going to where Daryl was. She shrugged and dropped the branches by the wood pile. Rayne glanced around the camp noticing the distinct absence of Carol and she tried to ignore the spike of jealousy that rushed through her. She had no claim to Daryl, he could do whatever or whomever he wanted. But still that annoying weight in her stomach stayed within her and she sat down irritably poking the fire.

Daryl had left the encounter with Rayne and tried to keep his stride normal until he was away from the others. Setting his arrows down, the hunter began to pace like an animal caged behind his thoughts. He wasn't sure why he felt like this, why did he keep feeling Rayne's soft skin against his fingers? Smell the scent of her hair when it slipped through his hands? See the setting sun make her blue eyes smolder when she looked at him?

Daryl paced a few more times before slamming his foot into the nearest tree. The wood vibrated with the impact, but sent waves of pain up his leg. He grimaced and continued pacing until a soft voice interrupted, "What was that today?" Daryl turned to see Carol who was standing behind one of the trees, her body taking on a submissive posture he hadn't seen since her scumbag husband was alive.

"What was what?" Daryl asked, his leg throbbing as he paced. Carol came out from behind the tree slightly, though she used most of it to cover her body as an subconscious defense mechanism. Her hazel eyes were watering slightly, "Coming up on you and Rayne. What's going on between you two?" Daryl stopped pacing and squinted at her, "She wants to learn how to fight. Asked me to teach her. What more do you want to know?"

Carol came out from behind the tree a little more, "It didn't look like fighting to me. It looked like you were getting pretty cozy. What would have happened if we hadn't interrupted?" Daryl walked up to her, his gaze even more icy than usual, "What are you sayin'? If I say we were fightin' that's what we were doin'. Even if we weren't, why would you care? It's none of your business."

The fragile woman stepped out from her hiding place, hands trembling,"Because I think there is more to us than what we are! You searched for my little girl! You've saved my life again and again! You care about me just as much as I care for you...don't you?" Daryl stood there, trying to take in what she was saying and finding himself unsure of how to react. His eyes scanned her trembling frame and he raised his hands slowly setting them on her shoulders, "Carol...I do care about you, but...but I..."

Carol shook her head and pushed him away, "I don't want to hear it! I just...don't." She turned and started to walk away but not before her eyes caught him one more time, "I thought I knew you." With that she put a hand to her mouth and walked away, tears sliding down her cheeks though she thought she couldn't cry anymore. It seemed like everywhere she turned more pain was waiting for her.

Daryl watched her go, confused as to whether he should go after her or stay. He didn't mean to hurt Carol, he didn't mean to hurt anyone and yet it seemed like that was all he ever did anymore. His hand curled into a fist and he punched the tree beside him, the vibrations sending white hot jolts of pain up and down his arm. He pulled his fist back, noticing the way the blood pooled where his knuckle split. Why did he always have to cause pain?

He was about to go after Carol, certain it was the right thing to do until Shane's voice rang out over the farm, "He's gone! Randall escaped!" Daryl grabbed up his arrows and rushed to the barn where Rick and the rest of the men all gathered. He noticed the blood dripping from Shane's nose and guessed it was broken though he was curious as to how such a small guy got the jump on him.

"He hit me with a rock and ran off. Let's separate and go get him!" Shane commanded and Daryl looked to Rick who was assessing the situation. He was able to sense something dangerous in the air, something was going to give between the two of them and he wished he would be near to help in any way he could. Rick looked to them, "Glen and Daryl track the left sector, Shane and I will take the right. T-Dog, stay here and protect the women. Let's find this kid."

T-Dog nodded to the men and went to retrieve the females who were setting up the campsite. His dark eyes took each of them in, "We need to get inside. Randall is loose and it will be easier to keep track of everyone in a closed space." Rayne stood up from her perch and grabbed T's sleeve, "Aren't we going with them?" The man who was now in charge shook his head, "Nah, Rick said he wants the women safe and he has Daryl tracking Randall. It won't be long until they find him. This is just for safety reasons."

This answer made sense, she knew it did, but still... Rayne watched the four men go into the forest and felt her heart sink. She didn't want any of them out there and especially not when it was getting dark. Gathering up some supplies, all the women headed to the safety of the house and it didn't take long for Rayne to find Layla who was clutching her new doll, "What are we doing Rayne?"

She looked to her child and put on her best smile, "Just coming into the house for tonight." The small girl scanned the room, "Where is Mr. Rick and Daryl? What about big brother?" Rayne tilted her head confused when Maggie smiled to her, "That's what she has started calling Glen since he was the one who found her." Rayne smiled at her sweetness and looked out the window, "They are searching for someone, but they'll be back soon. Go find Carl and see if he will help with the look out, ok?"

Layla nodded and wormed her way through the group of adult women with the two men in it. They all appeared nervous, no one liking this situation at all. Rayne chewed on her lip wondering what this night would hold for them. Her eyes scanned the group until they rested on Carol who was sitting by herself in one of the window seats. Rayne inhaled and walked over to her, blue eyes trying to appear non-threatening, "Carol...is something on your mind?"

The bird-like woman who had been warming up to Rayne over the past week just kept staring into the coming darkness. Rayne stood there awkwardly and tried again, "I don't know what you thought about Daryl and I, but..."

"Stop it."

Rayne looked up when Carol spoke, "Pardon?" The fragile woman shook slightly, but still didn't look at her, "Stop acting like we're friends, we aren't. You already have everything, a beautiful little girl, skills you bring to the group and now the most honorable man I've known. I don't need you to pity me." Rayne's eyes widened and her mind was rushing, "I don't pity you, Carol I really just want to be your friend and nothing is happening between Daryl and I."

Carol turned her head to look at Rayne, her eyes colder than she had ever seen, "If you are my friend then you need stay away from me for a while. I don't want to talk to you. Are we clear?" Rayne was surprised how much this bothered her, it would have been one thing if they had walked up on them kissing or worse, but when she hadn't done anything wrong...

She backed up a few paces, "Fine, come find me when you are ready to see reason." With that, Rayne turned on her heel and left Carol sitting there. She walked around the room to where Maggie and Beth were setting up the table. Rayne didn't think she would be able to eat and doubted anyone else would either. They had been gone too long. She raised a hand to her mouth and started biting on her pinky nail until the door came open and the man she so desperately wanted to see walked in.

Everyone rushed Daryl with questions and he put up a hand for silence, "We found Randall, he's a walker." There was a quiet over the room, but Rayne could tell by his body language that something else was wrong, "And?" He looked to her for a moment before clearing his throat, "He was already dead when he became a walker. His neck was snapped and that's what he died from. No marks, no bites, Shane lied and killed him."

There was a heaviness and everyone looked to each other confused. Andrea was the first to speak, "How can that be? It doesn't make sense." Daryl shrugged and Glen came in behind him much to Maggie's relief, "We've got bigger problems."

His face paled as he pointed outside, far off in the fields was the biggest horde of walkers Rayne had ever seen. Her stomach dropped, her breathing became shallow and she knew she wasn't alone in her fear. Hershel was the first to speak, "Get the guns, we're not losing this farm."


	11. Infected

It's difficult to describe what it's like, watching death come towards you. The closest thing Rayne could attribute it to was standing in a field as a storm blew in and being swept away by it. They were everywhere, from every tree, over every inch of the farm, the dead stumbled towards them. Rayne took a step back when Hershel informed them that they weren't going to abandon the farm. Her eyes turned from him to Daryl when he said, "Are you serious? There is probably a hundred walkers out there."

The old man loaded his shot gun, "This is my home, I'll die here." To this the hunter shrugged and leapt off the banister, "As good of night as any." Had she not been responsible for anyone else but her, Rayne may very well have followed him in this mentality, but she had someone to keep safe. Her eyes stayed on the herd of walkers steadily getting closer when she yelled, "Layla, come here!"

A small hand came into her own when the blond girl replied, "Rayne, I can't find Carl anywhere. He isn't in the house!" To this Lori gasped, "What?! He was upstairs! I just saw him!" Everyone jumped to her panic trying to offer peace of mind, but Rayne knew that if Layla couldn't find him, he wasn't nearby. Her eyes turned to Hershel, "I know this is your home, but I have to keep her safe. What do we do?"

The old man glanced to her and the little girl clutching her hand, "We have cars and guns, you go with the others and get out of here. I'm staying with my farm." She opened her mouth to say something, but instead bent down to lock her eyes with Layla's, "Ok, we need to run now baby. Stay with me, do you understand? You are going to stay with me at all times. You hold onto my hand and you do not let go, no matter what." Layla nodded, her green eyes tearing up.

Rayne stood and walked to the edge of the porch where Beth, Patricia and Carol were moving towards the cars. The plan was for them to drive around, honking the horn so the walkers followed and to shoot them like fish in a barrel; Rayne never had faith in these kind of plans. She knew a hopeless situation when it was chomping at her. Her eyes turned to Maggie and Glen, "This isn't going to work, I'm telling you that we need to run now!"

Glen looked like he agreed with her, but Maggie was busy loading up her weapon, "If my dad is staying, I'm staying. Get Layla out of here." She looked from face to face of the people whom she had come to adopt as her new family. She didn't feel right leaving them, but the little one pulling on her hand proved otherwise. Rayne looked back to the horde which was closer than she thought possible and her mind went into overdrive thinking of what to do.

Even if she ran now, there would just be more walkers in the forest to stop her. Unless she had a vehicle it wouldn't be safe to run in the woods at night. She couldn't go in the house because they would be trapped, couldn't go in the barn, her eyes turned to a very large tree that was away from the house and swept up Layla in her arms to run towards it.

The grass was wet beneath her feet but it didn't stop her sprint as she neared the life-saving tree. Climbing up a ways, she shifted her weight so that Layla was on her shoulders, "Climb up to that big branch there." The small girl obeyed and settled herself on top of it, her tiny legs curling under herself. Rayne was about to climb up as well until something took hold of her boot and drug her down.

Layla's scream was piercing when a walker tumbled over from the woman's weight. Rayne rolled and got to her feet, squaring off with the dead man who was quickly recovering. _"Never let 'em get their arms around you..."_Daryl's voice came to her mind and Rayne grabbed her dagger from her belt. She started to circle, not wanting any extra noise to attract more walkers to this spot.

_"Never let 'em get your back." _

Rayne adjusted her pacing so that the monster was following her as she made a wide circle. The walker smacked decayed teeth her way and she moved quickly to avoid him. _"Always watch your feet, because you never know when..." _Just like in practice the walker lunged towards her, but instead of being tackled, Rayne sashayed to the left and brought her dagger down into the dead man's skull.

He quickly dropped and she looked up to her god-daughter who was clutching the trunk of the massive tree with huge eyes. She raised a finger to her mouth and gave Layla the shushing motion before she went to work on any other walkers nearby. It was too late for the farm, it always had been, but she would give up her life to save Layla's and if they were both in the tree there would be no way to prevent them from being swarmed.

It must have only been moments, but it felt like years until the farm finally fell. Rayne had just split a dead woman's head in two when the barn suddenly went up in flame. She could feel the heat even from her place and wondered what could have happened to make the barn suddenly ignite. It was then that she noticed a lot of the walkers heading towards the fire, distracted by the noise and the movement. This was her chance!

Rayne looked up in the tree where Layla had her hand clamped over her mouth trying not to let her crying be heard. She held up her arms, "Layla, jump down. I don't have time to climb up to get you. Jump!" The four-year-old slid down the trunk a bit before falling down and into her guardian's arms. Rayne had to adjust her footing so as not to lose it, but she switched Layla to her hip so she would have a free arm where her pistol was at the ready.

The vehicles had stopped circling, one of them being completely covered in walkers and Rayne flagged down the blue pick up truck that was being operated by T-Dog with Lori and Beth in the passenger seat. They screeched to a stop, T yelling, "What are you waiting for?! Hop in!" He didn't have to tell her twice. Rayne flung herself into the back of the truck, holding Layla close to her side when she beat on the glass, "Go! Go!"

He peeled out of the driveway, pushing the truck as fast as it would go. Rayne hid Layla between the back of the truck and her body, keeping her weapon at the ready in case any walkers dared to attack. Her eyes watched in horror as the barn toppled over into a fiery mess and the multitudes of walkers stumbling past it like phantoms in the night.

She tried to scan the darkness for any stray figures of their group, but found none. Where was everybody? They couldn't be the only ones who made it. _Where is Daryl?_Rayne held on tight as they went over the bumpy dirt road and onto pavement, driving quickly in no particular direction.

It seemed like they had been driving for about fifteen minutes before the early morning sun started to rise, shedding the barest amount of light on their situation and without warning the truck screeched to a stop. Rayne lunged forward, securing her hold on Layla as she looked inside the glass where Lori was yelling at T-Dog to turn back.

He didn't seem at all happy about it, but reluctantly agreed to turn around. Rayne couldn't deny that she was worried, she sent up a prayer for someone, any one of them to be alive and that they would find each other. One thing she had learned for certain was that she belonged with these people and if they were going to live out hell for the rest of their lives, she wanted to do it with them.

Layla clung to Rayne's side, "Rayne...is Carl dead? Do you think he is dead?" Rayne looked down to her child and sighed, "I don't know, kitty. I don't know." The blond girl lowered her head to cry on her guardian's shoulder, "He's my best friend. I don't want to lose him. He needs me." Rayne wrapped an arm around her trembling shoulders and nodded, "I understand."

In her own heart there was one person she wanted to see more than anyone else and she could only pray that he was all right. The truck bumped along for a bit until it came up to a clearing in the highway. Rayne had made such a point to avoid the roads that this seemed taboo to her, but Lori was convinced they would find the others near here.

The sun had risen enough so that she could clearly see around and her heart lifted when the sight of Hershel's white hair became visible. The truck came to a stop and Layla peeked out her perch, "Rayne! Rayne! It's Carl! He's alive!" The blonde little girl trembled with happiness and Rayne smiled when they left the truck, Lori holding her husband and Layla nearly tackling Carl with joy.

She scanned the area and saw Hershel holding Beth and Maggie with Glen bringing up the rear. Her eyes searched everywhere and her heart began to sink. Where was he? Where was Dar...But it was then that she heard the most wonderful sound she had ever remembered; the roar of a Harley and the man she didn't even know she had come to miss stepping off of it.

He shook hands with Rick and looked about the area until his eyes rested on Rayne. They stood there staring at one another, her heart fluttering wildly in her chest at the way his eyes showed more relief than any words could describe. She walked forward a bit and he matched her stride until a blonde little angel came between them, clutching his legs with her tiny arms, "Daryl! You didn't die! I'm so happy you're safe!"

Daryl was still looking at Rayne as if he wasn't sure she was real. She smiled tearfully to him and turned her eyes to Layla who was digging her face into his legs. Daryl looked down and scooped the little girl in his arms, "Of course I ain't dead! Who do you think I am huh? Little punk!" He spun her around a bit eliciting a trill of pleased giggles from Layla while the group embraced each other happily.

Rayne noticed Carol who was sitting on Daryl's bike watching her. Her blue eyes locked with the teary hazel and all Carol did was nod to her. It may not have been the warmest greeting, but it was better than nothing. Rayne returned the gesture until two strong arms came around her from behind and T-Dog lifted her from the ground, "Good thing we found you! Thought you had disappeared for sure."

Rayne coughed from the tightness of the embrace and nearly fell over when he put her down, "Of course we didn't disappear. You all are our family now. We aren't going anywhere." At this the black man smiled and ruffled up her hair before he went to talk with the others. Rayne looked to Daryl who had set Layla down and was staring at her with an expression that said more than he ever could in words. It was a face that told her, "I would have died if you did."

She did her best to return the look, but decided against any kind of embrace especially since Rick was talking, "Everyone, I have an announcement. We are going to stick together from now on, no matter what. I'm so happy to see all of you and my heart breaks for those we lost. But now isn't the time to mourn, we have to keep moving. We need to find shelter, food, water and it's only a matter of time until the gas runs out of the vehicles. Now isn't the time to celebrate either..."

The group watched him carefully wondering why he was dampening their mood and Rayne's eyes narrowed as she studied his body language carefully. Her career had taught her to watch the minute details of a person so you could see what they were really saying long before any word was spoken. Rick was afraid, afraid and desperate. Lori put a hand on his shoulder, "Where is Shane?"

The sheriff looked away from her, "He's dead, I killed him because he was trying to kill me." There was shock through the group but especially with Lori and Carl who were holding each other. Rick began to shake when he continued, "I bring this up so you all can understand something. Shane was dead already, no bites or marks when he came back...as one of them...a walker. I found out at the CDC...we're infected...all of us."

Rayne gasped and from the sounds of mutual shock she knew she wasn't alone. Everyone watched Rick in deadly silence, letting this information set in. Layla curled her hand around Rayne's and looked up to her, "Rayne, what does infected mean?"


	12. Cherries

(Hello lovely readers! First I want to say a huge thank you to those who comment after each chapter, you are awesome! Secondly, we are going into the period of time after the farm and before the prison so now I have no limitations on what I can create in my story! Mwuahahaha! Please enjoy and thank you all so much for your support.)

A few days had passed since Rick's announcement that they were infected, every one of them. They were carrying the disease in their veins and each cell produced in their bodies led them closer to the monsters that haunted their nightmares. Layla had asked Rayne what this meant, but she couldn't find it in herself to tell her goddaughter that a time would come when she would turn into a walker, just like the rest of them. Rayne rolled over to watch her child sleep, a suffocating fear taking hold of her heart.

Layla's chest rose and fell steadily, her eyelids fluttered with whatever dream she was in the middle of having and Rayne wondered when she would be able to tell her. What kind of world was this for her to grow up in? The early morning sun was beginning to light the world and Rayne found herself unable to stay put with her thoughts any longer. She reached for her weapons, kissed Layla on the head and slipped out of the tent.

The camp was still slumbering except for Rick who was keeping watch from on top of the truck. Rayne tip-toed up to him, noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes and the tense way his shoulders bunched whenever he breathed. She cleared her throat, coming up behind him, "Rick, you should get some sleep."

He jumped at her voice and turned to look at her, "Is that your professional opinion, doc?" She smiled softly and nodded, "It is. You can't keep going like this." He shrugged and looked back over the horizon, "I have to keep everyone safe. I owe it to them." Rayne tilted her head, chestnut hair spilling down her shoulder, "Why? Because you didn't tell us about what happened at the CDC?"

Rick sighed and continued to stare out until Rayne placed her hand on his shoulder, "I believe you had your reasons for not saying anything. We know now and will have to work through that knowledge and just enjoy the time we have left. You've created a safe place for my girl and myself and I'm always going to be grateful to you. You are the reason we're still alive."

The sheriff shook slightly beneath her touch, the exhaustion clearly taking its toll on him, "I killed my best friend, Rayne. How do you expect me to just go back to normal when I see his face every time I close my eyes?" Rayne tried to remember her education, what to say when people were at this point in their psyche, but all her training seemed to elude her. Instead of offering the perfect solution, she put her arm around Rick's shoulders and just stood there for a few moments holding him in a way that wouldn't be threatening to Lori if she saw them.

Rick continued to look forward until his eyes seemed too heavy to keep open. It was nice having Rayne there, especially since his own wife couldn't seem to look at him, his son refused to speak to him and everyone was angry with him for not knowing about their plague. Rayne showed him the first bit of kindness he had in over a week and the feeling of her warmth was flowing through him, making him more and more drowsy by the second.

The sheriff rested his head on her shoulder, feeling his exhaustion engulfing his senses until sleep quickly took him. Rayne felt the man go limp and his weight pushed down on her. She sighed and shifted Rick until he was laying in the back of the truck with her jacket covering him. Rayne picked up the shot gun, climbed to the roof of the truck and sat cross-legged, watching the horizon for any walkers.

She felt for Rick, it wasn't easy to be the leader and make the decisions that no one else was prepared to make. Rayne shifted her weight, feeling chilly without her jacket, but not willing to wake Rick so she stayed put, trying to distract herself from the cold. The sun was quickly rising and it would bring warmth soon, besides if he had been up there all night, he had already suffered through the worst of the cold. She could do it for an hour or two.

Rayne searched the wood line; not a walker in sight. Her attention turned to the tents where a light snoring escaped and she wondered which one Daryl was in? She hadn't had much chance to speak with him in all the hustle of moving and she was very curious as to what was going through his mind. It seemed like every time she tried to talk to him, Carol would magically appear and divert their conversation. This was starting to become more and more annoying by the day and she wondered if the time was coming when one of them would snap.

The sound of a zipper broke the silence and Rayne noticed Glen stepping out of his tent, dark hair sticking up wildly. She smiled at him when grabbed a water bottle from the cooler and waved at her. Layla had taken to following Glen anywhere he went, which she doubted made it easy for he and Maggie to have alone time. He didn't seem to mind her though, which made her guardian pleased.

Glen came up to the truck and noticed a sleeping Rick in the back. His eyes turned up as he silently climbed to sit beside her and offered a sip of his water. Rayne gratefully took it and watched Glen when he said, "Wow, I'm surprised you finally got Rick to get some sleep. A few of us tried, but he just wouldn't listen. You must have used your counseling skills to ninja chop his brain."

Rayne smiled at the joke and shook her head, "No, I just let him know that I trusted him. That I believe he had his reasons for not telling us and it is only because of Rick that we have come so far. I know people are scared, but they shouldn't be so hard on him." Glen nodded, taking another drink, "I agree with you. It was a bit of a shock for me, but I have always just rolled with the punches. Our lives are too short to hold on to grudges."

That was why she liked Glen, he was so honest and simple in his beliefs. That would make him a good partner for Maggie in these troubling times. They sat and watched as the sun fully rose over the trees, more and more people from their camp waking up and stepping out from their tents. Rayne noticed how their food supply was depleting and passed her shot gun over to Glen, "I'm going to go hunt for a bit. Will you make sure Layla doesn't wander off?"

Glen took the weapon, but said, "Didn't you know? Daryl left last night to hunt. He always comes back with something when he's been gone for so long." Rayne's eyes widened, "You mean it's normal for him to just disappear for a whole night and nobody questions if he is all right?!" Glen gave her a funny look, "Have you _seen_ Daryl? He's a lot more dangerous than any walker out there. Don't worry about it Rayne, Daryl always comes back and usually with a pretty big prize. I wouldn't stress too much about it."

Rayne felt a knot of worry take her stomach and she jumped down from the truck, "Even so, the group needs food to hold them over. I'll see if I can find some berries or small game just to give us some breakfast." Glen looked down at her, "Suit yourself, I'll keep an eye on Layla." She saluted him and then took off on a trail that looked like it had been carved out by a deer not too long ago.

Walking through the woods used to be a favorite past time of hers, but now the forest seemed dangerous, too many places for a walker to hide. She kept her steps light as she walked over downed branches, past stumps and around the occasional carcass though she didn't dwell on them for too long. Rayne was no where near the tracker Daryl was, but she had learned a few things from going hunting with her father and she dropped down to touch a trail where the leaves had been flattened.

It could have been Daryl or something else, either way, Rayne knew she wasn't alone. Her eyes scanned the trees, trying to pick up any movement, but when she found none, she continued on her way. To her delight, she found a tree growing supple fruit just over the river. Rayne tightened her back pack and started to climb the black cherry tree marveling at her luck. Cherries only grew in Georgia in the late summer and she doubted this tree would produce it for much longer. This would be a nice treat for the group.

Her fingers went to picking, trying to grab as many as she could and fit them delicately in her pack. Her legs were secured around the limb and she reached for another handful of the tart fruit. Little did she know that she was being hunted as she found safety in the tall tree. There was a crunching as the walker drew closer to her, his mindless quest for food driving him further.

Rayne heard his footstep and looked down, shocked that he was so close. She pulled her legs up just as he reached for her and climbed to a higher branch. The dead man snarled and gurgled as he tried to reach for her, his decaying face pulling each time his jaw dropped. Rayne held tight to the trunk hoping he would lose interest in her after too long.

She was wrong.

The walker seemed to only grow more and more fixated as he tried to reach her, fingers splitting on the tree whenever he would run them down its bark. Rayne didn't want to use her pistol for fear of the noise bringing more walkers, but she would have to get closer if she were to use her knife. Rayne's blue eyes searched around for another weapon source until they rested on a branch just above her. It had broken off, most likely from a storm a while back and was wedged between the trunk and the limb. If she could remove it, she could either try to stab the walker's head or knock him away enough for her to get her knife into him.

Rayne reached for the branch but found it too far from her grasp. She shifted to her knees, fingers reaching, reaching, reaching until with a smile they rested on the limb. Her smile was short lived when suddenly the branch beneath her started to bend from her weight and she felt herself sliding. Rayne's legs clamped around the cherry branch, squeezing with all her might in an attempt to slow herself down though the force made her body turn upside down.

Beneath her the walker reached and snarled, seeing his prey dangling just above him. Rayne's heart started to race when she made ready to smack the walker with her weapon until to her overwhelming relief the sound of an arrow snapping from its bolt cracked the wind and pierced the walker's brain. It fell to the ground and Daryl stepped out from behind it.

Rayne smiled, "Haven't we learned our lesson about you shooting walker's heads next to my legs?" He walked a few feet closer and grabbed his arrow out of the carcass. His gaze turned up to Rayne who was still hanging upside down, "I guess, but you seemed to be havin' some trouble." Rayne shook her head, trying not to look at him, "Nope, I had everything under control. Had you not interrupted me I would have killed the walker myself."

Daryl leaned against the cherry tree watching her dangle from the branch that was about ten feet from the ground, "Uh huh, so how were you planning to do that when you can't even touch the ground?" Rayne rolled her eyes, trying to shift her weight so she could pull herself up, "Obviously I was going to hit him with the branch, knock him off guard and then use my knife to end it."

The hunter cleaned off his arrow and twirled it in his fingers, "Not a bad plan, though unless you were gonna to drop like a ninja, I don't think you would have made it very far. You're stuck ain't you?" Rayne glared at him, trying again to raise herself up and failing, "Certainly not, I just have to put my leg there and twist this way...and..." To her horror the branch snapped and she felt the air rush around her as she prepared for the pain of hitting the ground until she landed on something different.

Daryl rushed to catch her, but the force of her weight knocked them both over. They laid there with Rayne on top of the hunter, both wincing in pain until she looked behind to him, "See? Told you I had it under control." He coughed a laugh at her, "Completely." She turned to look at him, "Thank you for catching me, sorry I knocked you off your feet."

He sat up, pulling her with him, "No problem, I'm sure you do that a lot." She tilted her head to look at him, "Do what now?" He looked away from her and walked over to where he had hidden a large stag, "Never mind, I gotta get this back. It's been a bitch to carry." Rayne popped her back from the fall and went to join him, "Let me help. It's the least I could do for you breaking my fall." He looked her way, "You sure you don't just wanna take credit for my kill?"

She rolled her eyes, "Oh please, you will still be the top dog. I'm the one who has the...oh no!" She exclaimed running back to her pack. Daryl watched her curiously as she ripped open the bag and felt his heart melt at her excited smile, "Oh good, they didn't get squished." He waited until she came over, "What you got?"

Her smile was sunshine as she presented him with fruit, "Cherries! Don't they look great? I haven't had fruit in forever." Daryl shrugged, "I guess so." Rayne's eyes narrowed and she reached into the bag to produce a big, black cherry. She held it up to him, "Open up and taste this." He watched her carefully, her face so determined that it was possibly one of the cutest things he had seen. His jaw opened and she placed the warm fruit in his mouth.

Daryl chewed on it, tasting the way the juice pooled on his tongue and he couldn't deny that it was one of the best things he had tasted in a while. He pulled out the stem and spit the seed out, "Not bad." Rayne watched him spit out the stem and asked, "What are you doing? You are supposed to tie it in a knot with your tongue."

The hunter's brow furled, "Why would I do that?" Rayne's fair skin reddened slightly at her cheeks as she stammered, "It's supposed to prove that you...um...well...are good with your tongue." He watched her carefully, "Good at what?" Rayne's eyes searched everywhere except at him, "Never mind, forget it."

She walked over to assist him with the stag until Daryl caught her hand and spun her towards him. Rayne's heart fluttered as he held her in his eyes, "Good at this?" With that he bent down and brushed his lips along the outside of hers, the faint traces of stubble he had brushing against the smoothness of her cheek. He kissed the side of her cheek and it was all Rayne could do not to melt at his touch. Suddenly she felt something in her hand and she looked down to see it was a knotted cherry stem.

Her eyes turned up to him as he smiled, "I'm country, not stupid." He walked over and picked up his side of the stag, "Come on now, let's get this back." Rayne trembled where she was and shook herself off, blushing furiously, she took her side of the deer and walked along after him, dragging it back to the group.


	13. Hide and Seek

The days seemed to rush by and yet freeze at the same time. It wasn't long before the blistering heat began to cool and the need to constantly move wasn't helping anyone's irritation. It seemed like they would set up in a place for a few days and it would become invaded by walkers and not just one or two, but herds at a time. Rayne had become so used to flinging Layla on her back and running that it had become second nature to her.

Today the group was traveling up north, trying to get further and further from the cities and heading to the rural areas. This idea was voted on by the group though none of them enjoyed going up where it was getting colder by the day. Rayne walked along with Layla trailing behind her, her breath coming out in white puffs in the early morning. They had been walking for what seemed like hours, although in a group like that it was possible they had only covered about eight miles.

"Rayne, my legs are tired." Layla complained behind her. The tired woman turned, "You want to climb up on my back for a while?" She nodded her head and Rayne bent to lift her when a hand came out to stop her. Her eyes took in the Korean boy shaking his head at her, "You've been carrying her a lot lately, I've got it." Rayne smiled gratefully as Glen bent down on one knee, "Come on little sister, hop up."

Layla smiled and climbed on his back, securing arms around his neck. Maggie came up on the side, "It's going to get cold all the way up there." She removed her black beanie and secured it on the child's head though it was clearly too big. Layla peeked out from under it, "Thank you big sister!" Maggie smiled and brushed her golden curls back so that the hat fit better.

Rayne beamed at them, so grateful for their patience for her goddaughter. The group continued to march on, making sure to stay off the main roads as much as possible. Rick lead the group with Daryl at his right and T-Dog on his left. Lori stayed back with Carol in the middle and the loss of Andrea was felt by the women, though she suspected it wasn't as horrible for Lori with all the fights they had been in. Carl walked beside his mother, black sheriff hat blocking the cold wind that circled them all.

Rayne hiked up her pack while Hershel helped Beth with hers. The group remained for the most part quiet, no one liking to make more noise than necessary and constantly on guard for any threat that may have been creeping up on them. Another few miles and it felt like each step was beginning to burn. She wondered how long their shoes would last or when they would have to go on another raid into town. It seemed that was their lives now, constantly running, stealing, scrambling to stay one step ahead.

Lori cleared her throat, "Rick, how much longer are we going to keep walking? The children are getting worn out." It was true what she said, Carl looked ready to drop and Layla was hiding her face in Glen's back to block the cold. The sheriff looked back and it was obvious that he was making an assessment of this area's safety, "I saw a sign a while back that said a town was only three more miles away. We need supplies. We'll set up camp in the woods tonight and a few of us will go on a raid."

There seemed to be a sigh of relief at the concept of no more walking as they shuffled along until they found a bit of a clearing in the Georgia forest. Glen let Layla down who ran over to Carl instantly, her blonde curls lifting in the cold breeze. It had seemed like those two had become inseparable since the incident at the farm. Rayne was happy that Layla had a friend, but she worried about what kind of boy Carl was becoming.

They began to set up their tents, Carol digging out a fire pit while Lori removed their pans to make up some hot dogs and beans. This wouldn't have seemed so tragic if it wasn't for the fact that had been their meals for the past week. Hunting was getting more and more difficult with the cold and the walkers taking out any prey they could catch. Daryl always managed to bring in some kind of game, but Rayne had noticed the size becoming smaller with each return.

She hadn't really spoken to Daryl again since their incident at the cherry tree. It had been weeks and just when she would think they were making headway into some kind of footing, he would push her away. It was never a strong push and sometimes she wondered if she were imagining it, but he definitely had placed some kind of emotional barrier to keep her out whenever she believed she were getting closer to knowing the real him.

Beth came to help her set up the tents while the men talked about who would go on the raid. It was getting dark and they would need to move quickly, but have enough man power to fight off any stray walkers in the town. Rick ended up selecting T-Dog, Glen and of course Daryl to assist him in gathering what supplies they needed.

Rayne looked up from her tent post when the voice she most loved to hear inquired, "We're goin' to town. You want anything special?" She stood, brushing her hands off on her jeans, "No I'm fine, but if you happen to go past any clothing stores, could you look for some new shoes for Layla? She'll outgrow the pair she has soon and I don't want her getting blisters." Daryl nodded, chewing absently on a small twig, "Don't you want any for yourself?"

She looked down at her boots, "No, these are fine for now. Take care of her first and I'll make due with what I have." He smiled at her selflessness when it came to Layla and nodded, "I'll keep an eye out." Rayne returned his smile and reached up to touch his neckline where his poncho had folded under. As always he flinched at her touch, seeming to constantly be surprised when her gentle hands didn't harm him. She fixed the material and slid her delicate fingers down his bicep, "Please be careful."

He stayed in her eyes for a moment before nodding and turning to join the raid party. They waved them off and went to making dinner. Hershel rolled some logs over for them to sit on and the group looked into the fire silently. Rayne's eyes flickered around to the tired faces, wondering how they were going to survive this winter when it hadn't even begun to snow yet?

She was surprised when Beth's voice came out, "Rayne, would you like to sing something with me?" She smiled to the blonde girl whom never really said much of anything, "I think I could hum a few bars if you start." Beth nodded and looked into the flickering flames before her voice came out surprisingly mature for a girl her age, "Oh Danny boy, the pipes the pipes are calling."

Rayne smiled, she sung that song several times in choir and knew the harmony with it. The two ladies joined their voices into a lovely harmony seeming to lift the spirits of the weary faces around them. Hershel sat there with a look of pride that only fathers seem to possess as he watched his youngest sing. Maggie poked the fire enjoying seeing her sister happy for a change though she worried for Glen's safety.

Lori brushed back Carl's hair as he leaned into his mother with Layla on her other side smiling up at her guardian. When she and Beth had finished and the group gave a quiet applause, Layla stood up, "My turn! My turn! Rayne sing, 'Jesus Loves Me' with me! Please?" Rayne smiled at her excitement while the rest of the group chuckled at her. Rayne nodded, "Ok kitty cat, you want to start it?"

She nodded and pointed to her guardian, "You have to do the hand signs with me." Rayne rolled her eyes, "All right, if you insist." She smiled truly pleased while they began to sing, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the bible tells me so..." Layla lifted her tiny fingers making the signs she had learned in Sunday school, though that world seemed so far in the past that it almost wasn't real.

It was then they heard a man's voice interrupt, "Jesus ain't here." The women and Hershel looked around when suddenly out of the darkness came a group of at least six men. Rayne shot out of her seat backing Layla behind her while the unfamiliar group closed in, "Well look what we have here, some regular musicians."

Another man who looked to be Hispanic spoke up, "Wow old man, you've got some hot ladies with you. You must be packing." Hershel pulled his two daughters closer, "We don't want any trouble. Move along." The dark haired man seemed to be the leader of the group, "Now what kind of hospitality is that? We forget how to treat our neighbors now? Y'all are encroaching on _our_ land, not the other way around."

Rayne hid Layla behind her fully when she spoke, "There is no property anymore, we are just staying for the night and have nothing you would want to steal. Why don't you all just go back to your camp and leave us be?" A shorter man looked to her and walked a few feet closer, "Well you've got some nerve, you little slut. Don't you know who you're talking to?"

Rayne's blue eyes narrowed, "I'm not interested to find out. Shove off." He was about to raise his hand to smack her when the leader cleared his throat, "Bill, calm yourself down. That's not how we speak to ladies. It's the end of the world, not the end of manners." Bill glared his beady eyes at Rayne before backing off and the dark haired man stepped closer into the light, "My apologies, we haven't seen such a large group for a while and some of us have forgotten the protocol. My name is James and I have a camp about a half mile away from here."

Lori was hiding Carl while Carol wrung her hands nervously. Hershel kept his stare, clearly assessing the chance of survival if it came to a fight. James looked to him, "Well I can see you are the patriarch here, so why don't we talk man to man." Hershel scanned him, "Again we don't want any trouble with your group. Like Rayne said we are just staying the night here and will move on in the morning."

James ran a hand through his hair, "Now see that is where we have a problem. If I honestly believed it was just you and this group of lovely ladies I wouldn't have a problem with you passing through. But I find it hard to believe that you would have survived this long without some muscle around. So where are the men of this camp? Are they near by?"

Rayne's eyes flickered to Hershel wondering how much was safe to tell them. She could lie and say they were on their way back though they had left only about twenty minutes prior and if the town was three miles away they would just be arriving there. She could say they were in town and wouldn't be back until much later in the night so James wouldn't have to worry about them, but her gut told her it was dangerous to show them any kind of helplessness.

Her hand went to her pistol that was hidden in the back of her jeans while Layla quivered behind her. James tilted his head her way, "Now who do you have hiding behind you there?" Layla shook at the back of Rayne's legs while James bent down, his smile becoming deceitfully charming though it reminded Rayne of a snake fixating on a bird, "Come on out little one, we aren't going to bite."

Layla froze clearly unsure of what to do. Rayne's eyes became lethal as she snarled, "Don't speak to her." To this the leader cleared his throat, "I wasn't talking to you, ma'am. Borris..." A red haired man in plaid pointed his weapon Rayne's way while James continued to smile, "Now let's try again without any interruptions. Come on out, princess, I'd like to have a word with you."

Rayne's gaze was burning holes into the man while she froze in place, silently willing Layla not to say anything. Of course the little girl had no idea what was right or wrong to say and she poked her head out from Rayne's protective frame. James smiled at her, "Now aren't you a pretty little angel? Come over here."

She looked up to her guardian and then shuffled painfully slow towards the dangerous man. His plastic smile stayed on his face and the firelight reflected in his dark eyes, "What's your name, little one?" She swallowed and replied, "Layla...sir." James's eyes widened a bit and he smiled happily, "Well Layla, you are very well mannered. There is nothing I hate more than ill-mannered children. You aren't going to be that way, I can tell. Now how about you tell me about the men in this group? Are there a lot of grown up men around here?"

She looked back to Rayne and then to James, "A few." Rayne felt her heart leap at the answer when James nodded, "Do you know how many? Can you count?" Layla didn't say anything, some instinctual part of her tell her not to reveal how many men they had. Layla was old enough to know who it was that protected her and she didn't like the way this man was smiling. It wasn't a friendly smile like she saw from her new fathers, but something cold and evil.

When she didn't answer James had a little twitch go through his cheek, "Layla, I thought we agreed that you were going to behave. Tell me this, is that lady your mama?" She looked back to Rayne and shook her head, "She is my godmother." James nodded, "But she takes care of you doesn't she? You love her very much don't you?" To this the four-year-old nodded and James smiled, "Isn't that nice? Well Layla if you don't tell me how many grown up men are in your group, I'm going to have my friend over there blow her head off. You don't want that do you?"

Quicker than she realized he could move, the large man named Borris was beside Rayne, pointing his rifle at her temple. Layla's eyes widened, filling with tears, "Please don't! Don't hurt Rayne!" James put up a hand, "I don't want to hurt her, but I will if you don't answer my question. Now, one more time, how many men are in your group?"

Layla looked to Rayne, tears running down her face while she lifted her tiny fingers and showed him four, "Mr. Rick, big brother, Daryl and Mr. T." At the last name, the group of unfamiliar men laughed, "Mr. T, huh? Well that is pretty impressive that they got him on their side." James allowed the laughter for a moment before speaking again, "Thank you Layla, you've been very helpful." At that he stood up and announced, "I'm not pleased with the idea of four able bodied men lurking around my territory. We're going to escort you back to our camp and meet them there where we can have a nice chat about coming onto other people's land. Let's head out now."

When no one moved, James pulled out his glock and pointed it at them, "I don't like repeating myself. Get. Moving." Rayne looked to the group knowing that there was no way they would win this fight. She bent down to scoop up Layla and nodded to the others to move. They all shuffled along stiffly, hearts beating in unison when the enemy circled them like sharks waiting to devour their long awaited meal.

Rayne hid Layla's face in the crook of her neck while she wept, "I'm so sorry Rayne...I didn't know what to do." She shushed her rhythmically while they walked on in the growing darkness. It didn't take long for them to notice the lantern lights glowing like stars in the dark trees. Rayne's eyes widened at the size of the camp, much larger than any she had seen. Tents that looked like they could fit eighteen people were set up and members of the camp were rustling around completing their end of day tasks.

James walked in the front announcing, "Everyone, we have some visitors. I hope you all mind your manners and treat them kindly while they stay." Something in his sugary falseness made Rayne's blood chill when she wondered what "treating them kindly" meant. The stepped into the lantern light and marveled at the group that appeared to encompass twenty people all staring at them. James called out, "Anna Marie? Would you come on up here?"

A woman who looked to be in her forties emerged from the back, her silvering hair tied back in a red bandana. Her tired eyes stayed on James, "Yes?" He put an arm around her and gestured to the group, "Why don't you take their weapons and put them in our armory tent? There is no need to be packing anything." She nodded and walked up to the group, her accent sounding New Yorken, "Please give me your weapons." When no one moved she cleared her throat, "You don't want to make James ask again...trust me."

The women looked to Hershel and then to each other before removing their weapons though only Rayne, Maggie and Carl were armed. Anna Marie went from person to person collecting the guns until she came to Rayne, her gray eyes flickered over her as she retrieved the gun and whispered, "You better hide that one in your back better. He'll see it for sure."

Rayne tried not to let the surprise show on her face, but gave a minute nod. Anna Marie turned with the three weapons in her hand and James smiled, "Ladies, why don't you join us around the fire while we wait for your knights in shinning armor to arrive? And as far as you grandpa, I'd like you to tell me exactly what it is you do."

Hershel spoke in a voice that sounded much more sure than most of them felt, "I was a vet." James's dark eyes widened, "Oh you're a doctor are you?" The gray haired man shook his head, "No, I'm a vet, I work on animals." James rose his hands, "Animals, people, all the same. We have been needing a real doctor for a while...we might just keep you, old man."

He flicked his fingers for his two lackeys to take Hershel's arms while Maggie tried to pull them off, "You aren't taking my father anywhere!" At this one of the men back handed her so hard she fell to the ground. Hershel barked, "That's enough Maggie! Let them take me! Watch over Beth!" Beth shot down to her sister's side and glared at the men when they took Hershel away to the large tent.

James shook his finger and the women, "Now, now ladies, let us mind our manners. Have a seat and stay there." His voice was charming enough, but there was a definite underline of power in his words that Rayne was not willing to test when they were so outnumbered. She made it look like she was adjusting Layla on her hip but really used it as an excuse to move her pistol to her hip where her coat would cover it. They moved slowly and settled around the large fire, though none of them relaxed.

Rayne's crystal eyes scanned the camp trying to figure out what kind of people they were dealing with. On a rough count she could see eight men, three children and nine women of various ages. She watched as they went about their way as if there weren't seven strangers in the middle of their camp. Rayne held Layla close and Lori did the same to Carl who was whispering, "Why don't we fight back?" She shook her head, fear clear on her face and Rayne shared it. She knew there was no way they could make it out with these many people.

Her gun's metal rested against her skin and that gave her the barest shred of hope. If she could find a way to be by herself or even better with James then she could use him to her advantage. He didn't seem like a very large man, nor one that did a lot of fighting on his own. He seemed like the kind who had others do it for him, if she could get that gun to his head, she could make him a hostage and worm their way out.

Her eyes turned to Anna Marie who was coming out of a tent where she saw the barest hint of a large collection of weapons. This hadn't been the first time this group had taken weapons hostage. She was curious why the middle-aged woman would help them and what it would mean if she were so willing to turn against James. Rayne wondered how long it would be until their men returned to the camp and found them gone...where was Daryl? Would he be able to find them?

A few hours had passed and Rick rounded up the raiding party together. The town had been ransacked before, but there was still some food and clothes that were able to be packed away. Daryl had stumbled across a pair of little pink shoes he assumed would be Layla's size and tied them to his belt while they hurried back. Glen smiled at him, "So, getting a gift for Layla are you? How sweet."

Daryl shrugged, "Rayne asked me to, she's worried the kid will grow out of hers soon." Glen grinned at him, "I didn't know she had given you a grocery list. Make sure to pick up some milk next time you're out and then take out the trash." T laughed while Rick looked ahead stoically, always watching out for walkers. Daryl glared at him, "You ain't got anythin' to say, little man. That farm girl has had your balls in her hand since the first time you saw her."

At this Glen's face blushed while T-Dog smacked his back, "The power of the female species is a miraculous thing. Though Daryl, if you aren't swinging for Rayne, let me know. I might be making a move soon. She's pretty damn fine if I do say so." The hunter glared his direction, "Why haven't you already?" The black man shrugged, "Because it was looking like you two were getting close and I don't want you cutting off my ears if I try anything."

He rolled his eyes, "I did that_ one_ time and everybody is makin' a fuss. Do what you want, I got no claim to her." Glen's jaw dropped, "So you don't care even the smallest bit if T-Dog takes Rayne? Not even a little?" At this even Rick turned around to look at him, "She's a fine woman Daryl, sees the truth in things. I would be hard pressed to let one like her go."

At this Daryl threw up his hands, "You all are talkin' like she is somehow mine! Rayne is a grown woman, she makes her own choices and she would probably be better with T anyway. A girl like her shouldn't settle for a red-neck like me...she deserves better than me." There was a silence in the group of men, all bantering gone from their conversation as they walked along quietly.

For a few moments no one spoke until Rick put his hand on Daryl's shoulder, "Like I said, she sees the truth of things, that also means people. Why don't you let Rayne decide what is good for her or not?" The hunter looked away from him and chose to say nothing as they approached the camp. Glen smiled when he thought of returning to Maggie's arms when he announced, "Ladies and Hershel, boy and girl of different ages, we come providing food, clothes and..."

They were gone, the camp was empty and the feeling of dread began to pulsate through the men when they searched frantically for the ones they had left behind. Glen searched in the tents, "Where are they?! Maggie?! Where are you?!" Rick's eyes widened as he searched around, "Lori! Carl!" Daryl instantly dropped to the ground, using his flashlight to read the trail when he whistled, "These are Rayne's footprints."

The men circled him, "Where do they go? What happened?" Daryl moved along, his trained eyes reading the path, "These are our people, these bigger ones are strangers. Look like man feet by the depth of 'em...I'd say five...no six...heading that way." Rick stared in the direction Daryl pointed, a protective fire going off in his gut, "They took our families, let's get them back. Show the way, Daryl."


	14. Othello

Rayne stared ahead into the flickering flames rising and falling before her, trying to gain some ability to understand their situation. There were a few things she was certain of,

1. They were completely outnumbered.

2. Daryl and the others must have noticed they were gone by now.

And 3. She couldn't do anything without compromising the safety of Layla and the members of her small unit.

Helplessness wasn't something she was at all comfortable feeling. Rayne may not have been an expert fighter or the best shot, but where she lacked physical training, her mind was always a sharpened weapon. Her eyes flicked to the side where Lori was cradling Carl to her side, smothering him with her fear. Carol was wringing her hands to the point that they had turned red and Layla sat between them, trying her best to comfort Maggie and Beth who were watching the tent their father had been swept off to.

She wouldn't leave Hershel behind, that much was obvious, but she knew that Daryl and the other men couldn't be that far off. James had climbed up a tree and settled himself in the crook of a a large branch, his dark eyes watching them like some deadly bird. He would see their rescuers long before they came. Rayne shifted slightly, trying to keep her calm as she rose from her perch.

Instantly two armed men looked to her and she held up her hands, "I have to use the bathroom." The beady eyed man named Bill that she had encountered earlier sneered at her, "Go ahead then." Rayne's blue eyes fixed on him, "You expect me to do it here, in front of everybody?" The shrewd little man smiled sickly, "Why not? Nobody is stopping you."

Rayne knew his type, perverted little scum who liked to hurt women to make them feel big. She could have ripped into him verbally, but there was something much better she could do, "I wasn't asking you. You aren't the big man around here," Her eyes turned up to the panther like leader looking towards her with an amused smirk, "he is."

James rose his hands which were sporting fingerless leather gloves, "Guilty as charged. But I can understand Bill's desire to not have you out of his sight. Why should I waste one of my people taking you to the side? Can't you hold it until your men arrive?" Rayne's tilted her chin up and watched him with scornful eyes, "I suppose I could, however I was always taught that Georgian men were the most chivalrous in the country. Not allowing a lady privacy to relieve herself doesn't seem like very good _manners_, now does it?"

She could see the slight twitch that went through the man as he smiled and climbed down from his tree. He walked a few feet and bowed cordially, "You are most certainly correct, my lady. I apologize, but I must insist one of our people escort you. It's a dangerous walk." Rayne nodded and looked around the camp pretending she wasn't searching for anyone in particular, "Thank you, I'd like the woman who took our guns to escort me. She seems able to protect me without my weapons and I would appreciate a woman. You understand, yes?"

There was a quiet as James looked her up and down. He smiled softly and snapped his fingers, "Anna Marie." The older woman rose her graying head, "Yes?" He gestured to Rayne, "Would you mind escorting our guest to the river so she may relieve herself?" Anna Marie nodded and came to one side and was about to take Rayne away until James cleared his throat, "Wait a moment."

She watched him as he took off his belt and wrapped it around Rayne's delicate wrists. She eyed him warily and he smiled, "I can't have you abusing my older sister now can I?" Rayne's gaze widened slightly as she looked from the snake before her to the tired woman at her side. She shook her head, not expecting that knowledge at all, "No, but I fail to see how you think I can...go with this around my hands."

The leader shrugged, "The anatomy of a woman is a mystery. I'm sure you'll find a way, you seem clever enough." Anna Marie took her shoulder and led her away from the fire, the others in her group watching fearfully as she went. She tried to psychically project that she had a plan, but she doubted any of them received her message. Rayne stepped over a few large rocks and downed branches, trying to keep up with the older woman's stride and cursed when she stubbed her toe.

Anna Marie stopped and steadied her, "We're almost to the river. Keep up." Rayne nodded and followed her, wondering if it was a good idea for her to trust this woman. She hadn't said anything about the pistol hidden in her jeans to James and now she was acting like Rayne was a prisoner. Mixed signals were something she hated and her mind was trying to wrap around her possible ally.

When they had reached the river, Anna Marie turned and spoke loudly, "Go ahead and squat, I'll help with your pants." Rayne jumped at the volume of her voice when she said equally as loud, "I know the river is loud, I said **squat**!" Rayne nodded and bent down as the older woman undid her jeans and placed a hand on her side that had the gun.

Rayne's first instinct was to push her away from it when she realized what was actually happening. Anna Marie was making it look like she was holding her up since she couldn't use her hands and hiding the gun at the same time. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "We're being watched. This was the only way I could talk to you. You have to get out of here."

Rayne nodded minutely, "How? There are so many." Anna Marie suddenly spoke loudly, "Well are you going to go or not?" Rayne waited a second before yelling in a frustrated tone, "I can't go with someone watching me! I'm shy!" That would buy them a few more minutes.

The woman spoke again, "You need to get James alone. He has a weakness for forward women and if you can take him hostage, the others won't strike. They are waiting for your men to come and they won't spare any of them. If you can move him and your group away, you will gain the advantage." Rayne nodded and began to stand, "Why are you turning against your own brother?"

She bent down to pull her pretend prisoner's pants back up replying, "That little monster isn't my brother. He was my sister's husband and she died at the beginning of this thing. James has lost his mind, he is an animal that needs to be put down." Rayne nodded and turned when Anna Marie pushed her. On the walk back she wondered how it was that she would be able to get him alone, even now she felt eyes on her from his warriors. What could she do?

Anna Marie brought her back to the camp and she sat down in her circle of companions, relief clear on their faces. She nodded to them and waited a moment before turning and walking over to the tree James was resting against. His dark eyes watched her as she held up her wrists, "I think you forgot something."

James smiled and walked towards her, "I take it you want me to release you, then?" Rayne swallowed and quieted her voice so that it was no more than a whisper, "Do you think bondage looks good on me?" James stopped short and looked at her, a distinct curiosity in his eyes, "Does that question require an honest answer?"

_"He has a weakness for forward women."_

Rayne's blue gaze stayed locked in his, "You'll never find out. A woman like me is far too much for you to handle." When he released her, Rayne scanned him up and down before turning back to her group. James watched her walk away, noticing the way her hips swayed with each step. He smiled softly feeling a slow fire creeping into him. It had been a while since he met a woman who didn't cower away from him.

His attention went to his first in command, "You take over watch for the men. I need to take care of something." The red haired man nodded and James walked over to the fire where Rayne made her movements intentionally slow as she looked over her shoulder, "Can we help you?" The dark haired man took a hold of her arm, "I have some questions for you, ma'am. I wonder if you'll indulge me?"

Rayne stood up and felt the curious eyes follow her movements, including the worried eyes of her goddaughter. She extended her pinky Layla's way, hoping she would receive the message that was much more discreet than a wink or nodding to anyone else in the group. Rayne only had a short amount of time before Daryl and the others arrived, she needed to work quickly.

The hunter could smell the fire and hear the murmuring of voices long before they came upon the camp. His sky blue eyes moved over the terrain and he noticed a guard standing on a hill, scanning the territory. Cursing to himself, Daryl backed up a bit and crawled behind a tree so he could watch without being noticed. He only saw one guard so approaching from that way wouldn't work.

He moved back to where Rick and the others were waiting, "It looks like a really big camp. The girls and Carl are sitting in the middle and I don't see Hershel anywhere. We can't come from the East, but if we circle around we could try from the back way." The sheriff rose a hand to his face, "Are there too many to fight?"

Daryl nodded, "We would be outnumbered by a lot." Glen held up his hands to illustrate his point, "What if we take them out slowly? Work our way in by picking them off? We don't need to kill everybody, just make it difficult for them to follow the others out." T-Dog shook his head, "They would notice their people missing, a group that bad means that everybody is watching everybody."

Rick put up a hand, "What if we make a diversion? Like Glen said, we don't need to kill anyone, just give Lori and the others time to escape. We'll separate throughout the forest, round up our people when they run for it and reconvene outside the town. Sound good?" The other men nodded wondering what the diversion would be.

Rick pulled out a grenade from his belt, "Let me worry about the noise. I'll throw it into the camp, far enough that it won't hurt anyone and when you hear the noise be ready to grab our people and run. All right, take ten minutes to get into position around the camp and wait for my signal." There was an understanding from the four men and they each went in a different direction to make ready for action.

Rayne followed as James walked ahead of her, his grip firm on her arm. Once they had made it far enough from the camp, his grip turned painful as he spun her around to look at him, gentleman visage completely gone, "Who do you think you're playing, little girl?" Rayne tilted her head, "What are you talking about? _You_ asked _me_ out here, remember?"

James crossed his arms, looking oddly young in his stance when he replied, "You are oddly brave for a woman in your situation. Most ladies I swoop up are cowering and pissing themselves afraid I'm going to rape them." Rayne's blue eyes turned patronizing, "Now we both know that's not going to happen."

His onyx eyes widened, "Oh really? And what makes you think that I'm not going to rape the attitude out of your mouth right now?" Rayne tried to push Daryl's face from her mind when she replied with a husky, "Because you can't rape the willing." James stood there shocked, his mouth sliding into an aroused smirk, "Well aren't you just the little sex kitten? What, no man riding you in your camp?"

Rayne shook her head, "Not a one. There isn't a real man among them. The only one who is getting any action is married and I've been waiting for a long time for someone who thinks he's man enough to tame me." Her eyes flicked down to his black jeans and back to his face, "A _very_ long time."

James took a step forward, his movements becoming predatory, "So you want to be dominated, you little slut?" Rayne laughed at him, "Oh please, you had to tie me up to beat me. A real man would want a fair fight, but I understand if you are afraid...bitch." At that, the leader pounced, his hands pushing her against the tree roughly. A knife emerged from his hip and Rayne seriously worried she had pushed too far until the blade sliced through the confining belt and his hands went into her hair.

Rayne gasped when his face suddenly slammed against hers, his tongue groping her mouth violently. Her nails went to his back and she slid them down hard enough to make him bleed. She wasn't trying to be sexy, she was angry...furious to the point where hot tears were beginning to slide down her cheeks. Her hand reached to the weapon secured to her hip by her jeans when James ripped open her shirt, exposing her fair skin to the cold.

She was about to pull out her weapon when an arrow suddenly shot through his head and into the tree beside her. Rayne gasped as his limp body slid out of her grasp and her eyes took in the hunter who was panting with his crossbow still raised. Rayne blinked away a few angry tears and smiled, "Daryl!"

She rushed over to him only to have his calloused hand push her away. Rayne stumbled back a few feet, "But...what's wrong? You came to save me didn't you?" The hunter's cold eyes stabbed through her when he replied, "Looked like you didn't need all that savin'. Sorry I killed your boyfriend, my finger slipped." Rayne shook her head quickly, "It isn't what you think! I had a gun in my jeans and I was going to use him as a hostage to get the others out! See? Look!"

She held up the pistol as if it were here only saving grace. Daryl looked from it to her and turned away, "You sure waited a while to use it." Rayne walked closer to him, "I had to get him distracted so I could pull it. Daryl believe I would never..." There was suddenly a loud boom that seemed to shake the forest. Rayne stumbled forward slightly, her hand going to Daryl's arm when he shook her off, "No time for talkin'. We gotta save the others and leave. Where's Hershel? He dead?"

Rayne shook her head, "No, they took him into a tent saying they needed a doctor." Daryl grabbed her torn shirt from the ground and threw it at her, "Cover yourself up and get out of here. Head to town and wait for us there." She took a step closer to him, "I'm going to help you save the others." He walked quicker and Rayne had to struggle to keep up, "Daryl...Daryl wait a second, I can help you and Layla is there!"

The hunter turned and pushed away, "Get out of here Rayne! I don't even wanna look at you! Now piss off, you are only in my way." Rayne froze mid-stride, her eyes blurring with frustrated tears, "You are such a moron!" With that she turned and rushed off into the dark forest, her skin freezing from the night air, James's blood smearing on her face when it mixed with her tears.

At that moment she didn't care if it were walkers, evil people or anything else that, she dared them to come out of the darkness and take her on now. She was worried about everyone, especially Layla, but she knew that even if he were angry with her, Daryl would never let anything happen to the child. Rayne jumped over a downed tree and landed in a cold stream, the water a harsh slap to her system as she tried to get back to her feet.

It was then that a dead woman lunged at her from behind a tree and it took everything Rayne had not to scream and draw more. There was going to be a herd from whatever boom went off in the camp and she doubted this one was alone. Rayne lifted her knife and stabbed the walker through the eye three times before getting to her feet and rushing towards town.

Daryl came into the panicking camp, no one expecting the grenade blast. His attention turned to the women, "Get out of here! Head to town! I'll get Hershel!" They nodded and jumped up, Lori taking both Carl and Layla's hands as they rushed away to the first clearing they could get. Guns started to fire off and Daryl wasn't sure if it were from his people or theirs. His attention turned to a large tent full of weapons and for a moment he seriously considered taking as many as he could carry.

It was then that a fist slammed into his face, sending the redneck stumbling backwards. Daryl looked up to see a red-haired man in plaid coming at him quickly. Daryl went to raise his crossbow when a shot came from behind him and the man dropped. He turned around to see Rick moving quickly to his side, "They said Hershel is in one of these tents. Let's get out of here!"

Rick nodded and pulled his friend up to his feet while they both ran to the different tents, looking in each. In one was a group of cowering women and their children looking up to him as if _he_ were the monster. Daryl scanned the inside for Hershel but didn't see the doctor so he rushed to the final tent when Rick whistled, "Daryl I got him! Let's go!"

The hunter nodded and noticed a man with his gun raised at Glen who was fighting with a Hispanic gunman. Daryl raised his bow and shot the enemy in the shoulder, giving Glen time to escape. He was about to run off with them, covering from behind when a shot rang out and a sudden pain ripped through his left pectoral. The force was so much that it knocked him off his feet and he fell to the ground, clutching the fire that erupted in his chest.

Daryl gasped and curled in on himself when he noticed a smaller man approaching him, gun at the ready to shoot him again, "Tell your bitch I'm coming for her." The hunter wasn't sure who he meant and he would never find out because only seconds later T-Dog bashed his head in with a metal baseball bat, "Come on man! Get up!"

He bent down and took hold of Daryl's shoulders through it sent ribbons of pain through him with each movement. The large man flung him over his shoulders and ran towards the forest. Daryl reached out, his voice strained, "My bow...we gotta go back..." T shook his head, "You're crazy man, we ain't going back for no weapon. We have to get away and get you patched up."

Daryl could feel his blood trickling out as he gasped and wheezed while darkness flooded his vision.


	15. Fire and Ice

_"Daryl, please answer the problem on the board. Daryl? Daryl!" There was a sharp hit to his desk and the eleven-year-old boy jolted up out of his sleep. The other children snickered at his surprised face as he looked up to the mathematical problem asking him to solve for "x". He swallowed completely lost in the lesson and replied, "Forty-two?" There was another fit of giggles from his classmates when the teacher shook her head, "No, that's not correct."_

_Daryl lowered his head, face burning, when the bell rang to signal the end of the day. The children rose to gather up their books and head out when the teacher said, "Daryl, stay there please." His tired blue eyes turned up to her and he took his seat again when she walked over. His teacher was a very lovely lady with black hair and the prettiest green eyes he had ever seen. She had a smile that reminded him of his mother's when her lip wasn't split._

_She came over and sat in the desk next to him, "Daryl, this is fourth time you've fallen asleep in my class this week. Is everything all right?" The awkward little boy looked away from her, "Yes Mrs. Stevenson." The teacher tilted her head and put out a hand to rest on his arm. Daryl flinched away from her and she gave him an insistent look so that he allowed her to roll up his sleeve. Her pretty green eyes widened when she saw the bruises there, "Daryl...where did these come from?" _

_He shifted awkwardly pulling his protective clothing back down, "I was playin'. Me and Merle was wrestlin' in the creek, bruised myself up. Nothin' to make a fuss over." Mrs. Stevenson placed her hands on his narrow shoulders and looked into his eyes with more intensity then he was prepared for. Her voice became very serious, "Daryl, I want you to tell me right now if someone is hurting you. Is it your brother? Your father?"_

_Daryl shook under her touch and was about to speak when someone cleared their throat. His eyes shot to the doorway where his older brother leaned against the frame, "Dad sent me to get you. Hurry up." _

_Mrs. Stevenson rose from the desk and snapped her fingers at him, "I'm having a student teacher meeting here, young man. Wait outside until I'm finished." The teenage boy put up his hands in a submissive pose, "Whatever lady. Send out my brother if he starts cryin'." With that he turned and headed out the door while Mrs. Stevenson looked back to Daryl who was trying to look anywhere but her._

_She sighed and rested her hand on his head, "Daryl, you know you can always talk to me about anything. I know things have been difficult for you lately, especially with your mother's...accident." The mention of his mother's suicide was still like a knife to the young boy's heart, but he knew Merle wasn't really gone and he wasn't about to cry in front of his brother._

_Daryl stood up and slung his bag over his shoulder, "I'm fine Mrs. Stevenson. I'm sorry I fell asleep. It won't happen again." With him standing, he was only slightly taller than the sitting woman who sighed at the dark circles beneath his eyes, "You don't have to do everything alone, Daryl. Someday you will learn to let someone else in and I hope I'm there for it."_

The now grown man coughed which sent a fresh wave of pain through him. His eyes fluttered open and studied the tent's ceiling above him. He tried to remember what happened, how he got there? His mind flashed back to the unfamiliar camp, people panicking, screaming, a man shooting him in the chest and Rayne's angry voice yelling, "You are such a moron!" at him. Why was she mad again?

It was then that he remembered the sight he had walked in on. Rayne in the arms of another man, his hands pinning her to the trunk of a large tree, her fair skin pale in the moonlight and the words she had spoken just as he had arrived. A fresh wave of heated anger pulsated through him which didn't help the pain in his chest.

"Look who is awake. Decided to come back to the world of the living?" Hershel's voice distracted him from his memories and Daryl glanced up at him, "Yeah it takes more than a bullet to the chest to stop me." The old man smiled, "You are very lucky it didn't hit anything serious. It narrowly missed your heart, but nicked one of your veins pretty bad. You were bleeding out when we finally got settled. I was worried for a second that I wouldn't get to you in time."

Daryl looked down to his chest where strips of a familiar red shirt were tied around his chest and secured under his arm pit. His eyes turned back up when Hershel said, "Rayne graciously surrendered her shirt to patch you up and some of her blood to replace what you lost. I wasn't sure what your blood type was and you weren't conscious to tell me, but luckily Rayne is 'o-positive'."

He looked at him confused and the doctor explained, "It means she can donate to anyone. Her selflessness saved your life." Daryl looked away, trying to wrap his mind around this information when he muttered, "Where is she?" Hershel tightened the make-shift bandage and replied, "It took a lot out of her to help you. So much that she is now your bunk mate."

Daryl looked to his left where a woman rested. His mind shot back to when he was a child and his mother read the story, "Sleeping Beauty" to him, even though Merle said only little girls listened to things like that. He liked that story. Daryl never thought he would see it come to life before him in the form of a woman who looked far too much like an angel resting not two feet away.

The once angry man found he couldn't take his eyes from her while Hershel cleared his throat, "Well, I'm just going to let you rest up a bit. Don't think of moving around for a while. We'll get you some food, but keep an eye on Rayne will you? She is going to be weak until we get some fluids into her."

Daryl barely heard what he said as he was so focused on the sleeping woman beside him. The way her hair pooled at the base of her swan like neck, how her eyelids fluttered with whatever dream she was having, the way her breasts teasingly rose and fell beneath her black tank top. He knew it wasn't polite to stare, but she was just so lovely that he found himself compelled to study her.

Rayne's already fair skin was even paler with the lack of blood in her system and there were dark circles beneath her eyes as if she hadn't slept the night before. He couldn't deny that he had been angry, he had been furious, but it wasn't at her. He could never be angry with her. It was just seeing some other man taking her in the way he had envisioned himself doing before, touching her in a way that was so intimate, was enough to make his blood boil. Her words had hurt him though, saying that there was no man in camp she felt for, no one good enough for her. These thoughts had already been plaguing his mind, but to hear them spoken aloud in her sweet voice was too much. Whether that was part of her farce or not was unknown to him, but they so painstakingly obvious to him that they had to be true and that knowledge crushed him.

It was then that her eyelids fluttered open and those celestial blue eyes focused on him. They stared at each other for what seemed to be like hours, neither even blinking until her lips parted, "Daryl...are you all right?" He coughed in pain which caused him to break the trance of her eyes and look away, "Those bastards still have my bow."

Rayne closed her eyes wearily and sighed, "I suppose they do." Daryl looked back her way, "You going back to sleep?" She shook her head, "No...just tired..." He inhaled though he couldn't do it without ribbons of pain shooting through his chest, "Why did you do it?" Rayne's tired eyes opened again, "Do what?"

Daryl looked back up at the tent's cover, "Give me your blood, when I was so mean to you?" At this the exhausted woman smiled softly, "Because it was the only way to save you. Also, how else could I get through your thick skull to listen to me?" He continued to look up though it was really just an excuse to not stare at her, "Listen to what? Your make out session with the enemy? Not like I care who you're with. You ain't my woman and you looked like you were enjoying yourself."

Rayne felt her heart pinch at his words when she cleared her throat, "You have no idea what I was feeling in that moment." Daryl scoffed, "Excited? Pleased with yourself? Horny?"

"Terrified."

Daryl stopped listing off the mean things his brain was telling him and turned his head to look at her, "Why?" Her pretty blue eyes began to tear up, "I was scared. James had guards watching the perimeter, he was going to kill you and the others when you came to save us. A woman in the camp told me he had a weakness for forward women and if I could take him hostage, we could get away without any blood being spilled. I wasn't happy or turned on or any of the things you are thinking. I was afraid Daryl, I'm _still_ afraid."

His gaze stayed on her, hypnotized by the pooling in her eyes when his voice came out in barely a whisper, "Of what?" Two tears slid down Rayne's pale cheeks when she replied, "Of losing the one man who has made me feel safe in this hell we're living. I would never try to hurt you Daryl. I want to know what you're feeling, even if you just want to scream at me. That's okay, if you're mad then be mad. But that night, when you pushed me away, I felt like you were going to close me out of your life completely and it terrified me. It wasn't James or the walkers or anything else, _you_ scared me."

Daryl felt a pain in his chest that had nothing to do with the bullet wound as he reached out a hand to her cot, "Come here Rayne. Please." She slid from her bed into his, moving to the side that didn't have his injury and resting her head on his shoulder while his arms came around her. Daryl pushed past the pain and held her close to his bare chest, "I'm sorry Rayne. I'm so sorry."

She hid her face in the crook of his neck and released the tears she had been holding back. Daryl patted her back softly, trying to remember what it was his mother used to do to comfort him when an idea sparked in his memory. The hunter brought his hand up to her head and he began to comb her chestnut hair through his fingers while he sang softly, "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey."

Rayne continued to cry as she nuzzled her face into his neck, treasuring the sound of his voice as it resonated through his vocal chords and into her memory. He was seemingly to have a hard time remembering the rest of the lyrics and was just as surprised when Rayne's sweet voice sang, "You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take..."

His head turned down to look at her, his ocean blue eyes scanning hers, "My sunshine..."

Rayne's lips parted to meet his when his kiss searched for hers. She inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of forest and blood, anguish and desire that seem to drip from the man beside her. Daryl's kiss was hesitant at first and then deepened as if it were a beautiful release. For Rayne, his kiss was liquid fire, smoldering the very depths of her heart and igniting the flame that was unknown even to her.

For Daryl, however, her kiss was the most gentle thing he had ever felt. She was the soothing wind to ease the all encompassing loneliness he felt, caressing him in a embrace which was much more than anything he had experienced in his life. Her touch was of pure kindness and light while his was an awakening fire for her otherwise snow-filled existence.

This overwhelming combination of sensuality locked both hunter and prey, abused and comforter, man and woman in a world that was created by them and for them alone. Rayne couldn't remember the last time she experienced her heart fill to the point where she felt as if she would burst. How she loved this man, this tortured, cold, closed off man who so wanted to be held and loved by her.

When they finally broke away, Daryl and Rayne looked to each other and mutually whispered, "Away."

Meanwhile, in the enemy camp, a storm was brewing. It didn't take them long to find James's body, impaled by an arrow, his shirt off and pants down. The sight was shocking to most, but more than gratifying to Anna Marie. She walked over to her brother-in-law's body, removing the arrow from his skull and tapping it to her chin a few times. She smiled at the man's long dead body when she whispered, "One down."


	16. Blood and Water

The sun rose as it did everyday. It didn't matter that their world had become a hollow mockery of the place it had been. Death seemed to follow them like the lethal shadow it was. Because of this mentality, there were so very few times when a moment of complete happiness existed and the one Rayne was having was something she wouldn't trade for the world. Daryl held her to his chest, though his eyes had long closed and his breathing indicated his slumber. Rayne rested with her head against his right pectoral, listening to the steady heartbeat she had come to love.

Her eyes turned up to his face which became softer with sleep and a warmth bubbled within her like a well of sunshine. Her fingers rose to rest gently on the hollow of his cheek where his scruff became smooth skin. She smiled when his face turned into her palm as if his subconscious knew to do so. Rayne stayed like that for a few moments, memorizing the turn of his mouth, the arch of his cheekbones, the features that made him very a much a man beneath her soft touch. If she could, she would stay in that moment forever.

But no paradise lasts forever.

"Walkers! Walkers!" A voice she knew as Carl's resonated through the tent walls and made both Rayne and Daryl fly out of bed, fumbling over each other. When she stood up, Rayne felt a wave of dizziness over take her from blood loss and by the hiss of pain beside her, she guessed Daryl wasn't a fan of moving either. They quickly unzipped the tent to look outside where everyone in the camp was hustling about, collecting their weapons and trying to get an assessment of how many undead were approaching.

Carl stood on top of the blue truck with binoculars in hand, pointing out where he saw the walkers coming. Rick looked up to his son, "How many?" The boy scanned left to right and reported, "Four...no...five. Coming out of the trees in a group. Looks like a small herd. I can't see any others." Rick nodded and turned to assign teams, "All right, T-Dog, Glen and Da...I mean Maggie, suit up. We'll circle around and take them out."

Daryl leaned against the end of the truck, "What about me? Ain't I commin'?" The sheriff looked him up and down, "Sorry brother, not this time. You don't have your bow anymore and you can barely stand." The hunter straightened his back, "I've been through worse. I can still fight with or without my bow." Rick shook his head, "Sorry Daryl, I need you to stay behind. Heal up quick so I can have you at my side again. Until then, stay _here_."

Rayne looked to Daryl as his frosty eyes narrowed and he turned to hobble back to the tent. She reached out a hand to help him, but he just brushed her aside. Rayne stood there watching in confusion when he just shook his head and mumbled, "Sorry...just...leave me be for a while, aight?"

She nodded and he disappeared back into the tent. Rayne curled her arms around herself, when a tiny voice inquired, "Rayne, is something wrong with Daryl?" Her eyes turned down to her goddaughter, "No baby, he's just recovering. That's all." Layla looked back to then tent and then up to her godmother, "Are we going to have to move again?"

Rayne nodded, "Probably. We may have escaped that group for now, but that doesn't mean they won't be back. Also if there are walkers around, who knows when a larger group will come?" The small girl reached up a hand for her to take, "Rayne, are you upset with me?" At this, the woman broke out of her trance and bent down to look her child in the eye, "No, kitty, why would you think that?"

Layla looked to the side, "When the bad men came, you told me not to talk to them. But I had to do it. They were going to hurt you if I didn't. Are you mad at me for talking? If you are then I'm sorry. I'm really sorry!" Rayne put a hand on her goddaughter's mouth and shook her head, "You have nothing to apologize for, sweetie. You were put in a situation called a 'rock and a hard place' and you were very brave through it." Rayne took her tiny hands into her much longer fingers, "I am very proud of you for being so strong for all of this."

Her green eyes which were brimming with tears shone as she smiled, "I try to be brave! But Rayne, I had something to show you!" She smiled and tilted her head, "What is it?" Layla beamed with happiness, "I'm about to lose a tooth! See?" She put her finger to her bottom tooth and wiggled it a few times. It may not have seemed like such a huge deal and in the grand scheme of things hardly consequential at all, but to see Layla so happy about something so small made Rayne's heart fill with happiness.

She smiled held her little one close, "You are growing up so fast. I'm sure that tooth will come out very soon. Why don't you show Carl? Stay close though, I want you in our line of sight at all times." Layla giggled and pulled out of her guardian's embrace to rush up to the truck, "Carl! Carl look!"

Rayne waited for the same reaction she had to come from the young boy, but instead he just looked at the tiny blond with disinterest, "It's just a tooth, why are you getting all excited?" Layla lowered off her toes so that she was standing flat footed again, "Because it means my grown up teeth will be coming soon. Then I can help you and the others, when I get big."

Carl rolled his eyes at her, "I don't even get to help that much,what makes you think they'll need you? Stop being stupid and start growing up already." Rayne rose up to standing height and walked over to the truck, "Carl, come with me." The dark little boy stared up at her, "Why should I? You aren't my mother."

"No, but your mother is standing behind you." Lori's voice spoke from the front of the truck. Instantly Carl's face changed when she looked from him to Rayne and back, "Are you mouthing off to Rayne, Carl?" He lowered his head so that the black sheriff's hat would hide his face, "I wasn't meaning to."

Lori looked up to Rayne again, "Is there a problem here?" Rayne watched Lori carefully, feeling her own maternal instinct flaring up as she put a hand on Layla's head, "Kitty, why don't you go to the tent? I need to talk have grown up talk." The small blonde looked at her friend disappointed and then started off towards the tent. Rayne knew Daryl was in there and in no mood to talk, but he was the only one she trusted to watch Layla if she were unable.

Lori pushed Carl to the side, "Baby boy, go see if Carol needs help with the water. We are going to have to pack up soon." The adolescent looked from his mother to Rayne and then walked off towards the other end of camp. Lori waited for him to go before focusing on the woman before her, "I ask again, is there a problem?"

Rayne crossed her arms, "Frankly, yes, there is. Layla is about to lose a tooth. This information may seem stupid or small, but it is the most excited I've seen her in a while and she wanted to share that with her friend. Carl just brushed her off like it didn't matter to him how she felt."

Lori tilted her head, "Well, while you and I understand why that's exciting for her, Carl is a young boy, he doesn't prioritize the same things little girls do. He is dealing with bigger issues than a little tooth." Rayne's hands came together, "That's exactly what I'm saying, Lori. Carl has forgotten what simple joy feels like. He is so focused on trying to be an adult and help out with the others that he is becoming cold."

At this Lori's face changed to a very dangerous look Rayne had seen on her patients before. It was a look that spoke of hidden insecurities which could be harmful when she replied, "My boy isn't cold, Rayne. I'm sorry if he isn't the ball of sunshine Layla is, but he's been through hell and is still standing."

Rayne's gaze narrowed, "And Layla hasn't? She watched her mother turn, Lori. We didn't have a group to cling to or anyone to help us for months. All she had was to curl up under her blankets and pray that I would come back safely. _She_ has been through hell and is still smiling. Look, I'm not trying to offend you or say that both our kids haven't witnessed horrible things. I'm just trying to say that I'm worried about Carl."

Lori nodded a few times though it wasn't in agreement. Her voice came out harsh when she replied, "When you are a mother, you'll understand." With that she brushed past Rayne's stiff form to help out with the water and Rayne spoke softly, "I _am_ a mother." She felt a dangerous shift between them when she watched Lori place a hand on Carl's shoulder before she whispering something to Carol.

Rayne took the position of look out and tried not to let her aggravation distract her from the real enemies on the outside.

Layla entered into the tent, her feelings still hurt from Carl's lack of excitement. Her green eyes took in the man who was resting on his right side and she wasn't sure if he were sleeping or not. Trying her best to move quietly, Layla tip-toed to the only other cot in the tent though her sneakers squeaked when she walked.

Daryl's eyes opened and he watched her attempt to sneak by him, "You aren't very sneaky kid." The tiny blonde startled at his voice and looked up, "Sorry, I didn't want to wake you up." Daryl shrugged then instantly regretted it when spikes of pain flared inside his chest. At his hiss of pain, Layla rushed over to his cot, "Are you okay?!"

His eyes squeezed shut in pain until he let out a breath, "Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it." Layla sighed and watched him for a moment, her mind running through a million thoughts at once. Daryl opened his eyes and watched her, watching him, "Somethin' on your mind, kid?"

She tilted her head slightly, "No..." Daryl raised his eyebrows making a face that expressed his disbelief, "Come on, out with it. I ain't got all day." She reached up a hand to play with her blonde curls, a nervous habit she had recently developed when she spoke softly, "Carl made me sad."

Daryl waited for her to continue, but didn't quite grasp the protocol with sad little girls. If he had been a father, he would know that Layla wanted him to hold her in his strong arms and let her talk a mile a minute about what was on her mind. Instead he just sat there, trying to have an adult conversation with a four-year-old, "Why did he make you sad? He do somethin'?"

Layla shook her head, "He said something mean." Daryl continued to stare at her, feeling very out of place when she went on, "I am about to lose a tooth and he said it was stupid to be excited about it."

At this the hunter couldn't help but laugh, though it turned more into a pained chuckle. Layla stood there so miserable and serious over something as silly as a tooth when the world had gone to hell. They had walkers, enemy encampments only miles away, the constant threat of starvation or sickness and she is worried about at tooth.

Daryl smiled at her softly, "Can I see it?" Layla opened her mouth and pointed to the bottom right canine that wiggled when she moved it. He nodded, "Yep, that's a loose one. Probably come out soon." Layla nodded, "I don't think the tooth fairy will be able to find me out here though."

Daryl thought for a moment before an idea came to mind, "I don't know about the tooth fairy, but I have something that might cheer you up." At this, the little girl's eyes widened in curiosity when he said, "Close your eyes and hold out your hands." Layla obeyed immediately and Daryl turned to his left even though the movement felt like his entire side was on fire. Pushing through the pain, his fingers wrapped around his prize and he turned back to place it in the small girl's hands, "Okay, open up."

Layla's green gaze opened and she gasped, "New shoes! Pretty, pink new shoes with princesses on them!" Daryl looked down to the shoes where the face of a cartoon woman he assumed was a princess smiled back at him,"You like 'em?" Layla smiled sunshine at him, "They are the prettiest shoes I've ever seen. Thank you Daryl!"

He smiled at her happiness, "I'm glad. They're gonna be a bit big for you. I wanted to get some you'd grow into." Layla was busy stroking the right shoe like it was a beloved pet and Daryl noticed the woman on the shoe again, "Which one is that?" Layla looked up, "That's Merida, she's my favorite!"

The hunter rested his head back on his pillow, "I don't know that one. She has some crazy red hair though." Layla's jaw dropped, "You haven't seen Brave?!" He shook his head and she looked at him like he had committed the greatest atrocity known to man. Her bright eyes became very serious, "Can I tell you her story?"

Daryl didn't know what to say, but a part of him actually did miss hearing stories when he was a kid. They didn't have a t.v. growing up and even if they did, his dad would have never turned on a Disney movie, so the only fairy tales he knew were the ones his mother told him. The tough man nodded and Layla placed her shoes lovingly on the other cot when she pulled herself onto his.

Daryl looked at her in surprise when she explained exasperated, "You can't tell a story unless you are close up!" He studied her curiously as she curled into his non-bandaged side, placing his arm around her tiny shoulders as she laid on her back and threw up her hands, setting the stage of her story, "Merida was a princess in Scotland...do you know where that is?"

He nodded and she smiled, "Good because I have no idea. Anyway, she was a princess who was supposed to be married, but she didn't want to. So she decided to give her mother a piece of her mind and she fired her arrow _whoosh_ into the first target! _Whoosh_ into the second one! _Whoo..."_

At this Daryl looked to his tiny story-teller, "Wait, this one does archery?" Layla stopped narrating, her tiny hands still in position as if she were firing an invisible arrow. Upon her nod, Daryl smiled, "I like this princess. What happens next?"

Layla grinned and continued with her story, with exhausting detail, until she herself became exhausted. Her last few sentences came out with a yawn in between, "So her mom and her became friends...and..." yawn, "Merida was happy. The end." Daryl had been resting his eyes, listening to the little one tell her story. When she stopped talking he looked down at her, "That was a good story...hey why you look sad?"

Layla looked up at him, "I miss my mommy."

Rayne stopped in her tracks. She had been listening outside the tent while Layla told her story, but Lori's words were echoing in her mind still and she listened to the interaction between the two loves of her life. Daryl replied, "You miss your mommy?" Layla nodded, a few small tears forming in her eyes. Daryl patted her head, "Me too."

The tiny blonde looked up to him, "You're mommy turned into a monster?" He shook his head, "No, she died a long time ago." Layla continued to watch him when he smiled softly, "But you are lucky. You have a new mommy. Rayne loves you very much." Rayne waited with held breath, trying to picture Layla's expression when she said, "Rayne has always been kind of like a daddy to me."

She closed her eyes embarrassed when she heard Daryl's laughter, "A daddy? Why is she a daddy?" Layla rubbed her eyes, "Because she took care of us. Mommy and me. Rayne brought us money and protected us, just like my real daddy was supposed to do." Rayne opened her eyes and was about to enter the tent when she heard Daryl's voice, "Where is your dad?"

Layla looked away from him, "Mommy said he had a darkness inside him. He was in jail for hurting us. I've never really met him." Daryl nodded and felt the memory of the whip marks on his back coming to his mind, he knew what that was like. His eyes turned to the small girl, "You have a new family, Layla. Rayne is your mommy."

The tiny blonde looked up to him, her green eyes wide and searching, "Will you be my new daddy?" Rayne waited, unaware of the breath she was holding when Daryl replied, "I don't know how...but I'll try."


End file.
