CHAPTER NINETEEN,
randall.

Aiden was rather anti social that night. While everyone else was inside eating dinner and Daryl was off at his camp. She sat on the front porch in a chair.

She was worried sick about Glenn, Rick and Hershel. Her eyes stayed on the campfire in the distance. Wondering how the hell her and Daryl Dixon came so far. From hating each other to being friends.

If you could call it that.

Suddenly, everyone was rushing out of the house and Aiden stood. "What's goin' on?" She quizzed.

"Lori's missin'." Shane informed her. Aiden's heart tightened. The woman was pregnant, with Shane's baby.

Aiden checked all around the house for Lori and met back up with the others at their camp. "She's not at the barn." Shane said to them.

"I checked the yards." T-Dog stated.

"Well, where is she?" Carl asked frantically.

Carol appeared and informed them. "She asked Daryl to go into town. Must've gone after them."

"Hey." Andrea tried fo comfort Carl but he quickly walked off. "Carl."

"Did you know about this?" Shane asked Dale. Aiden's eyes watched Shane's every movement as he got closer to Dale. Aiden knew the two loathed each other and she knew Shane was reckless and stupid.

"No."

"Look, just- did she have a gun?" Shane asked the old man.

"I don't know. I wouldn't let her go out there alone." Dale said as Shane started to walk towards Carol's Cherokee.

"Where are you going?" Aiden stepped up. Shane turned around and talked lowly so only Aiden could hear.

"To find her. That baby- the baby, Aiden."

"Then go." Aiden told him. "Go, I can hold down fort here."

Aiden walked off after Shane rushed to the car and searched of Carl. She found the boy curled up in a ball on the couch.

She sat beside the boy and opened her arms for him. He crawled into her arms and placed his head on her shoulder.

"Your mom's gonna be okay, so is Rick." Aiden told him.

"How do you know that?" Carl asked her.

"Because I've know your dad for my whole life. I've known Lori since I was in four, when your parents and Shane were fourteen and in the ninth grade. That's when they started dating, they always made it through tough times. They'll both come back to you." She told him.

»

Shane soon pulled back up to the farm and both him and Lori exited the car.

Aiden stood farther back but could still hear the conversation.

"Oh, my God, are you alright? What happened?" Andrea asked Lori.

"I was in an accident. I'm fine, I'm fine." Lori said to them.

Shane decided to pipe up. "She was attacked."

"I really am. Where's Rick?" Aiden furrowed her eyebrows. "They're not back?"

Lori looked accusingly at Shane. "Where are they?"

"Look, I had to get you back here." Shane said to her.

"You asshole." Lori insulted Shane before walking up to him.

"Lori."

"He's my husband." She began to try and hit him but he grabbed her arms.

"Lori, I will got after him. I will find him. Hey! Now look, first things first- I gotta- I gotta look after you. I gotta make sure the baby's alright, okay?" Shane said to her and Aiden eyes scanned Lori's shocked face.

"You're having a baby?" Carl stepped out from behind Aiden. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Everyone was silent for a few seconds. Until Dale spoke up. "Come on. Let's make sure you're alright."

Dale and Andrea led Lori towards the house and Aiden made her way to Daryl.

She found the man sitting by the small fire he had going and sat down.

"What?" Daryl said gruffly.

"Lori's back and Carl knows she's pregnant." Aiden sighed.

"You good?" The question tumbled out of Daryl's mouth before he could stop it and it shocked both him and Aiden.

"I mean, I gotta be. I gotta be, for Carl, Glenn, Rick, Lori, Shane....you." Aiden said the last bit quietly. But Daryl's ears were trained to pick up quiet sounds and he heard.

"Why me? I ain't no one important."

"You are, Daryl." The way his name rolled of her tongue made him feel all sorts of ways inside. Ways the scared him shitless. "You are important. To this group, to Carol, and me." Daryl's blue eye locked with her brown ones. "You're a very important person to me."

»

The next morning Rick, Hershel, and Glenn finally made their way back.

Carl and Lori hugged Rick and Maggie ran past her father to hug Glenn.

"Patricia, prepare the shed for surgery." Hershel said to the blonde woman.

Aiden walked up to her best friend. "I was startin' to worry, kid." Aiden wrapped him in hug.

"I'm only a two months younger than you." Glenn said to her.

"Shut up. Not everyone knows I'm twenty-three." Aiden shushed him with a sneaky look.

"Who the hell is that?" T-Dog asked suddenly.

Aiden's humorous eyes turned stony when he eyes landed on a single being in the back of the car.

"That's Randall." Glenn informed the lot of them.

»

Aiden stood against the wall and listened to Rick talk about the Randall guy, "We couldn't just leave him behind. He would've bled out, if he lived that long."

"It's gotten bad in town." Glenn said. Everyone knew what he was implying, walkers.

"What do we do with him?" Andrea asked.

Hershel then walked into the dining room, "I repaired his calf muscle as best I can, but he'll probably have nerve damage. Won't be on his feet for at least a week."

"When he is, we give him a canteen, take him out to the main road, and send him on his way." Rick said to Hershel.

Aiden eyes left Rick's face and moved to the door when she heard it open. She saw the leather clad Daryl Dixon walk into the house and make his way over to stand by her.

His fingers brushed up against her hand when he did so and he didn't move his hands. Aiden furrowed her eyebrows and interlocked their hands. She felt Daryl tense before she squeezed his hand.

It's okay. Relax.

And so he did.

"Isn't that the same as leaving him for the walkers?" Andrea interrogated.

"He'll have a fighting chance." Rick said to her.

"Just let him go? He knows where we are." Shane said to Rick.

"He was blindfolded the whole way here. He's not a threat." Rick said in return.

"Not a threat. How many of them were there? You killed three of their men, you took one of 'em hostage, but they just ain't gonna come lookin'?" Shane said.

"They left him for dead. No one is looking." Rick hissed.

"We should still post a guard." T-Dog stated.

"I agree," Aiden said, "post a guard to keep watch. We don't want any uninvited visitors."

"He's out cold right now, will be for hours." Hershel informed them.

"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy." Shane said sarcastically and started to walk towards the door. He scoffed. "Look at this, folks- we back in fantasy land."

Hershel stepped up. "You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet." Shane stopped and turned back around to face the elder. "Let me make this perfectly clear one and for all- this is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, only because you have a younger sister. But that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor- keep your mouth shut."

Aiden heard the door open and close, signaling Shane and left the house.

"We're not gonna do anything about it today. Let's just cool off." Rick said to them and everyone soon left the house, expect for a few.

Hershel looked at Aiden, "that brother of yours, he isn't- he isn't right."

Aiden sighed. "None of us are."

________________________________

word count: 1,343
episode: triggerfinger

ninth edited chapter. so i plan on finishing editing this book today and starting grief tomorrow actually.

aiden and daryl HOLDING HANDS!!!!

I LOVE THEM SO MUCH THAT IT ACTUALLY HURTS.

they might be together sooner than i and you all thought they would be.

dunno.

glenn and aiden are brotp goals, and that's on me.