Fight, Love, Live.

XVI

Eventually, Daryl joined us back at camp, and everyone was working on cleaning up camp, except for me. As soon as Shane had been informed of my pregnancy, he declared for all to hear that I was on light-weight duties only. Therefore, no dragging bodies around camp. So I was sitting with Carl and Sophia and Morales' kids, Eliza and Louis, on babysitting duty. 

Everything was going fine, Louis and Carl were talking about some comic-book hero with wings, and Sophia and Eliza were playing with Eliza's dolls, when I noticed Jacqui was in a standoff with the guy that Daryl had asked for help earlier. 

"Are you bleeding?"

"I just got some on me from the bodies." That was definitely a lie, that blood looked fresh. 

"That blood is fresh. Were you bit?" Jacqui questioned firmly. 

"No. I got scratched during the attack." 

"You got bit." 

"I'm fine."

"Then show me." The man looked very uncomfortable and backed away from her, but I could see the fear and resignation in his eyes. 

"Don't tell, please." I knew she would as soon as he said it. 

"Kids. Come with me. Now." I ordered, standing up and grabbing Carl and Sophia's hands, since they were the closest ones to me, and dragged them with me to a tent that was near by, I'm not sure who the tent was used by, but for the time being, it would be by us. I glanced behind me and saw that Eliza and Louis were close on my tail, and right next to the fire pit, everyone was converging on the man, yelling for him to 'show it to us'. 

I yanked the tent flap open and pushed Carl and Sophia in, and waited the extra ten seconds for Eliza and Louis to follow before entering myself. There were two cots in the surprisingly spacious tent, and a crossbow was laid against the side of one, and I instantly knew who this tent belonged to. Daryl Dixon. Shit. 

"Okay kids. Uh, sit down somewhere, and don't mess with anything okay? We just needed to get away from the adult talk for a little while okay?" The kids just nodded at me, still upset from the other night, before they went back to talking, so I opened the flap a little bit to look out and saw Daryl, Shane, Dale, Rick, and Lori all gathered around the fire pit talking. Merle and the others were still working on cleaning up the bodies, but the man with the bite was no where to be seen. That is, until Daryl spun away from the group and started advancing on him, and I realized he had been leaning against the RV. 

And that was when Daryl tried to swing the pickaxe at his head. I ran. 

I didn't even think about the kids in that moment. They would be fine. What I was concerned about was the fact that Daryl had an axe pointed at a man, and Rick had a gun pointed at Daryl. 

"That is enough! Everyone needs to calm down. If you can't act like an adult then hand over your fucking weapons. I'm tired of it. We dealt with enough last night. We don't need to deal with you two trying to kill each other or other people." I yelled, striding over to my brother and Daryl in a fury. It was quick, my anger. It always had been. 

Rick used to say that I was a volcano. I let my anger bubble beneath the surface until it became too much, and then it would explode, and surprise everyone, and normally burn a whole lot of people. 

Daryl didn't say anything, just gave me a quick look before walking over and gently handing me his pickaxe and storming off again, and I could see Merle following from the corned of my eye but I ignored it, and instead turned to look at my brother who was glaring at me. 

"I was handling it."

"Like shit. Either give me your gun or you put it away. You don't just get to point it at people because you are upset. Unless you want to end up like Merle? Cuffed to a pole?" Rick didn't say anything, just scoffed and uncocked his gun and put it back in its holster and walked over to where Lori was standing with Shane. 

Shane was staring at me, and giving me a look I couldn't quite describe, so I just rolled my eyes, dropped the pickaxe (thankfully not on my foot) and walked back to the tent I left the kids in. 

Damn it all to hell. 

How could she have become more beautiful than she was as a teenager? I mean, I thought she was the prettiest thing I had even see then. But now? An adult, with that pregnancy glow, plus add in the rage and the fear and authority that she just showed everyone when she yelled at her own brother and fuckin' Daryl Dixon? I mean now, she's fuckin' hot. 

I'm an idiot. Why didn't I wait for her to get here? Why'd I start sleepin' with Lori? I mean she's pretty... but that's it. She doesn't have a fire. She doesn't have that survival instinct that Riley so clearly has. 

Maybe I could just end it with Lori and go after Riley? 

I mean, it's pretty unlikely that Lori would tell Riley, since even though they are friends, Riley would kill Lori if she knew she had cheated. 

And I mean yeah... Riley's pregnant. So what? Just means I don't have to use protection, and on the plus side, Ashton's not here, which means no competition. And I mean, she's gotta want a daddy for her baby right? Well I could step in, I've always wanted kids. And kids with a woman and fine as her? That's a definite plus. 

Alright. I'll do it. 

I'll tell Lori that I'm done with her tonight, and then get Riley tomorrow. 

It'll be so fuckin' easy.