Jo

It was my turn to keep watch. I always took the night shift when I could. There was something about it that was peaceful. Daytime at the prison was now a chaotic rush of people and opinions and needs. But night watch was just me and the stars...well, and the Walkers. But in the last few months we had secured the area surrounding the prison and had managing them down...mostly.

As the sun came up I watched Rick emerge from the cell block. There was no gun on his hip and in the last few months he had seemed to lose his edge. He had stepped back from the day to day decision making of the group and had focused himself solely on his field and pigs. He was on the council but as far as I knew he never attended meetings. He tucked a single earbud in his ear to tune out the sound of the walkers at the fence while he tended his fields. He was doing his best to forget.

I shook my head at his naivety. It had been almost six months since The Governor and Rick was convinced it was all over, that he could become a farmer and everything would be fine. I shifted my weight and the leather on the sheath of my kukri sighed. It was a comforting sound, as was the feel of my other knives pressing against my body beneath my leather jacket.

Rick paused in his work with the hoe and bent down to lift something out of the dirt. Even from this distance I could see that when he stood he had a gun in his hand. He turned towards the line of walkers at the fence thoughtfully, ejected the clip and tossed it and the gun in his wheel barrel with the weeds. Then he calmly picked up his tools and went back to work. I shook my head.

"Jo?" I flinched as I heard a voice behind me. I whirled around to face the man behind me. He was one of our newer additions, I was pretty sure his name was Charles.

"Sorry," he said in a cautious tone, holding his palms up towards me. He flashed me a friendly smile. "Didn't mean to startle you."

I frowned at him and let my hand drop from the grip of the knife I had considered drawing. I smiled back at him mainly because it was the polite thing to do and with so many new people around I had been working on improving my social interactions. "No worries," I assured him with a cheery smile.

For some reason my cheery smile only seemed to make him more uncomfortable. I frowned again but didn't bother with anything else. I didn't know him that well, Daryl had brought him in about two months ago. He had been on watch and fence cleaning rotation to help out but I hadn't had much contact. But then I didn't have contact with many of the new people. It bothered me that my reputation seemed to proceed me. I hadn't had an episode or a panic attack in months which meant someone had warned him about not startling me.

I had a few guesses, but the most likely culprit would be Carol. In the last six months she seemed to make it her personal mission to take me under her wing. Sometimes it was obnoxious, but sometimes it was nice to know someone cared.

"Nothing to report," I mumbled as I left the cage, careful not to bump into him and make him even more uncomfortable.

"Hey," he called after me, a shy smile on his face. "Carol is cooking up some BBQ venison for lunch. See you there?" He actually looked hopeful, was he hitting on me? I couldn't tell anymore.

I nodded cautiously. "Yeah I'll be there, I'm on mess," I replied.

"Great," he said brushing aside his dark hair. "I'll see you there."

I frowned as I walked away.

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Jo

A few hours later I was standing behind the grill with Carol. Not cooking, the group had learned early on I was a disaster in that respect and we couldn't afford to risk wasted food when I screwed up. Instead, I was dishing up plates while she cooked. I had tossed my leather jacket over chair and was working in a black t-shirt since it was so warm near the grill.

"You expecting trouble?" Carol teased eyeing my shoulder rig. "Maybe someone trying to sneak a second helping?"

I snorted and shook my head. Carol had often teased me about moving around the prison fully armed. She was trying to get me comfortable with the idea of being unarmed. It made people nervous, I knew it did, but it made me equally nervous to not be armed.

"Charlie was asking after you," Carol continued conversationally as she flipped the meat. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye but I didn't respond. She scooped some meat into a waiting tray for me to serve off of.

Across the yard the door to the cell block opened and I looked up to see Daryl striding across the pavement. He was wearing his jacket and had his crossbow across his back.

Carol leaned into me. "Course, maybe you aren't as available as everyone seems to think," she said glibly, casting me a teasing smile.

I glanced at her, fighting a smirk but didn't reply. Carol's good moods were often infectious and she and I had grown close the past few months.

"Morning Daryl!" someone called.

"What's up Dr. S?" He called over his shoulder at the doctor he had brought in a month ago. He didn't hear the answer as others called out greetings to him.

Daryl stopped near the grill, glancing back over his shoulder preoccupied. I could tell he was uncomfortable with the attention and Carol and I shared an amused look. He cleared his throat looking at me and Carol. "Smells good."

"Just so you know," I said with a teasing smile. "I liked you first," I said as I dished up a plate.

"Stop," he grumbled uncomfortably, reaching out and snagging a bite straight off the grill.

My hand snaked out and I slapped the back of his hand with my serving spoon. Carol chuckled behind me.

He glared at me in mock agitation, but kept his hands to himself. "You know, Rick brought in a lot of them too."

"Not recently," Carol chimed in. She reached across me to pile extra on Daryl's plate. "Give the stranger sanctuary, keeping people fed...you're going to have to learn to live with the love."

"Right," Daryl muttered uncomfortably. Daryl had taken on the responsibility of one of the group's council members and had thrived with the new responsibilities. He was a far cry from the surly loner I had met when I first joined the group.

"I need you both to see something." Carol said, she glanced over her shoulder. "Patrick, you want to take over?"

"Yes ma'am," the excitable teen bubbled. He trotted around to the other side of the grill and happily took the spatula from Carol's hand.

"Ah Mr. Dixon?" the boy said nervously. Daryl froze, narrowing his eyes at the young man. "I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday. It was a real treat, sir."

Daryl turned to me with a scowl. He had no idea how to react. I fought to keep myself from laughing at him.

"And I'd be honored to shake your hand." The teen held his hand out to Daryl.

Daryl looked from it and back to the boys face as though not truly believing what was happening. Daryl licked off the fingers he had been eating with. I found myself distracted as I watched him. Daryl slapped his hand into the boys, shaking it firmly. Patrick had never looked more proud.

Carol beside me was practically beaming like a proud mother whose socially awkward son was finally making friends. I rolled my eyes. For some reason both Daryl and I seemed to be her pet projects.

Carol led us around the corner so we could get a look at the fence line. "About today, I don't know if we are going to be able to spare a lot of people for the run."

I frowned as the fence line came into view. The Walkers hadn't been this bad in weeks.

"That place is good to go, we gotta move on it." Daryl mumbled around his food as he continued to eat while we approached the fence.

"Yeah, the thing is we had a pretty big build up overnight," there had to be almost forty walkers pressing against the chain link. "Dozens more towards tower three. It's almost as bad as last month, they don't spread out anymore." She said with a sigh

I shielded my eyes from the sun so I could see the five fence cleaners better. "With more of us in here we're drawing more of them out," I said thoughtfully. I didn't like how close the fence cleaners stayed, it seemed like it was drawing more to a concentrated area. I made a mental note to suggest that for the next council meeting. I certainly wasn't on the council but Daryl, Carol, Hershel, Sasha and Glenn all were.

Daryl pointed down towards the fence. "You get enough of those damn fence-clingers, they start to herd up."

Carol crossed her arms over her chest uncomfortably. "Pushing against the fence again. It's manageable but unless we get ahead of it, not for long." Carol looked grim as she turned back towards Daryl. "Sorry pookie," she said with a weak smile.

Daryl scoffed and elbowed at her shoulder good-naturedly as he walked off. I stood staring at the fence as it swayed with the movements of the herd. It reminded me of another group of Walkers leaning against another fence.

"Hey," Daryl called over his shoulder to me. "Ya com'in?"

I jolted out of my thoughts and shook my head to clear it. It was one of the many reason I rarely volunteered for a shift of fence cleaning.

I followed Daryl back across the courtyard. I snagged my leather jacket and shrugged it on. I was set to go on the run with him and a few others. If what Carol said was true we would have a considerably smaller group than we had planned. But Daryl was right. We had gone to a lot of trouble to set up for today and if we didn't move on it, someone else might get to it before us.

Daryl handed me two gas cans to toss in the back of the pickup and picked up a crate of extra supplies. Daryl and Sasha were both on the council and were both in charge of runs. Since they had started working together to coordinate them casualties on runs had been kept to a minimum.

It had taken me weeks to convince Sasha I was good to go on runs with the group. For the longest time the only runs I went on were ones with just Daryl and occasionally Michonne when she was around. For the first few months of being on the run crew I didn't go on any runs without Daryl, just in case. But as time passed and my panic attacks and episodes grew fewer and fewer and further apart I gained confidence on my own.  

A teenager named Zack came up behind me, bringing another crate of supplies. I stepped so he wasn't at my back as he set the crate in the back of the pickup truck. I climbed up into the bed to organize the crates and gas cans so they wouldn't move around while we were moving.

Beth passed by, carrying a small box as she headed towards one of the cell blocks.

"Hey, I was just going to come find you." Zack called after her smiling.

"Why? What's up?" Beth asked, pausing. The two of them had been dating for weeks and it was driving all of us crazy. They were the stereotypical teenagers in love. Though I think it was worst for Hershel.

"Well the council pulled back everyone on the coal crew from going on the run. I figured I would step up to help and go with them. Just you know wanted to make sure I saw you before I left." Zack said.

"Oh," Beth said indifferently. "Okay." She shrugged flippantly.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Zack called after Beth. I felt bad for the kid, I just didn't think he had the bat speed to keep up with Beth.

"Nope," she called glibly over her shoulder, a flirty smile lighting her face.

Daryl shook his head as he carried a crate around to the back of the truck and handed it up to me. "It's like a damn romance novel." He grumbled shaking his head at me. I snorted and took the crate from his hands. Once it was in I jumped down and Daryl slammed the tailgate.

"We ready?" I asked looking up at Daryl. He nodded, glancing over towards Sasha. 

"Hey," a man I didn't recognize called, trotting towards us waving. "I would like to start pulling my weight around here."

Sasha climbed out of the car she was sitting in. "Bob, it's only been a week," Sasha reassured him.

"That's a week worth of meals, a roof over my head. Let me earn my keep," Bob said with a smile.

Sasha didn't look convinced. "You were out on your own when Daryl found you." It wasn't a question.

"That's right," Bob agreed, his words were cautious but he was staring at Sasha. I frowned. I wasn't sure if Bob's motivations for going on the run were completely for the good of the group.

"I just wanna make sure you know how to play on a team." Sasha stressed the word team. It was the same talk she had given me. I didn't blame her. I didn't like going on runs with new, unproven people either.

"We ain't gonna do it unless it's easy," Daryl commented off handedly as he walked by, heading towards his bike. I frowned at his back, not liking his encouragement. New people tended to muck things up. I watched him climb on his bike and turn to me. He arched a brow, asking if I was going to join him. I normally did. I smirked at him, walked over and climbed on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. 

"You know he was a medic in the army," Glenn supplied. I looked around curious where Maggie was. Normally she went with on runs and we were already short on people.

"You are a hell of a tough sell, you know that?" Bob asked with a smile. I think he was flirting with Sasha but she didn't appear moved. It was one of the main reasons I trusted her. Sasha could be a little bossy sometimes but she was all business when it mattered and she had nerves of steel in the face of Walkers.

"Okay," she finally agreed climbing into the drivers seat. Bob's smile lit up his face and he climbed into the backseat of Sasha's car.

Daryl started his bike and revved the engine. I leaned closer to him, pressing my chest against his back so I could get closer to his ear. "Looks like we have one more," I said.

Daryl nodded, "Good, we can use all the help we can get," he said over his shoulder to me.

Just as we were rolling out Rick and Carl took off from the field toward the gate, pulling it open. But it wasn't for us. Daryl slowed his bike and I felt him tense under my hands.

Michonne came galloping out of the trees on horse back. She raced the chestnut through the gate and up the drive a few strides before she pulled him up. Rick and Carl closed the gate then jogged up to where MIchonne had stopped the horse. She had swung down from the saddle by the time they reached her. They talked together in a small group and Michonne pulled something out of her saddle bag. Carl smiled brightly and took his prize under one arm while he led the horse off towards its paddock.

Daryl slowed his bike as we came down the hill and approached them. He reached out and turned off the bike so he could be heard above the engine. "Well, look who's back."

Months ago when Daryl gave up on tracking The Governor Michonne had started to go out. At first I thought it was just to confirm that the trail was gone but then she started her own search and had been nearly obsessive since. She was gone way more than she was at the prison anymore. Usually for days at a time and always alone.

Michonne's face hardened and she nodded once in confirmation. "Didn't find him," she said grimly as her gaze flitted over me and then away. She was also ashamed she couldn't find him.

Daryl nodded as though it didn't matter to him. "Glad to see you are in one piece."

Michonne's face stayed hard and determination glittered in her eyes. "I'm thinking of looking over near Macon." She said firmly.

Rick looked away but was too much of a coward to say anything. I scowled at her words and Daryl shook his head.

"It's worth a shot." She defended. Her voice rose, almost frantic. I honestly didn't know what Michonne would do with herself if she gave up her search. She was even more of an outsider with the new people than I was and she had expressed no interest in making or otherwise.

Daryl shook his head. "Seventy miles of walkers...Ya might run into a few unneighborly types. Is it?" He asked pointedly.

Michonne looked away and I knew she would not be so easily convinced. I would help try though, she was my friend and long distance runs were dangerous

Daryl turned back to Rick. "I'm gonna go check out The Big Spot. The one I was talking about, just seeing."

Rick nodded, clearly glad for the change in topic. "Yeah, I gotta go out and check the snares. I don't wanna lose whatever we catch to the walkers."

"I'll go," Michonne offered.

Daryl shook his head. "We're good. Got enough people. Why don't ya go get a hot meal?" It was an absolute lie. We didn't have enough people to manage a run of this size but I saw what Daryl did. Michonne was exhausted from her latest trip. She looked gaunt and what she really needed was some sleep and food.

Michonne nodded slowly as though she didn't quite believe Daryl but she didn't push the matter.

"Are you sticking around?" I asked her.

She frowned at me. I scoffed and shook my head. "I mean like until dinner?"

She nodded with a smile.

"Good. We can catch up then."

Then Daryl started his bike once more and we left Rick and Michonne standing together in the yard.

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Follows pretty close to the main plot but I hope you enjoy!