Cowboy

17) The Barn

Alicia woke up in her tent that Daryl had set up for her while she was recovering from the injury. She sighed, slowly stretching before standing up and pulling on some appropriate clothes.

"Fuck." She groaned, running her neck. It was sore from the few hours she had slept beside Daryl, her head laying on his bed while she sat in the chair beside him.

She couldn't stop thinking about that kiss. That kiss that had led to a long conversation. She felt she was actually beginning to crack the mystery that was Daryl Dixon.

She walked out into the camp, Dale already noticing her good mood.

"What's got you so happy?" He smirked, shoveling some eggs onto her plate.

"Nothing." She grinned, sitting down beside him. She ate in silence for a moment before she noticed him grinning at her out of the corner of her eye. "What?"

Dale just smiled, taking a sip of his coffee. "Oh nothing, nothing. I just wonder if your chipped mood could have something to do with a kiss..."

Alicia choked on her coffee, swallowing hard to keep it down. Her eyes widened as she looked at Dale. "How the hell do you know about that?" She whispered.

"I saw."

"Dale!" She groaned, shoving his arm. "How?"

"I was coming to check on him and when I walked in you were eating each others faces off." He chuckled, nudging Alicia's arm. "And you think the walkers are bad."

She rubbed her hands over her face. "Don't tell anyone... please." She looked to him. "It's not official or anything. We're just... experimenting."

Dale shivered. "Forget I asked." He looked down. "I don't want those details."

She hit his arm. "Not like that!" She sighed, covering her face. "We don't even know if we want to... go steady."

Dale cocked an eyebrow, looking at her skeptically. "A kiss was all that happened? Nothing else?"

"Nothing else." She nodded.

He nodded as well, putting down his plate. "Well you just let me know if he pulls a little stunt like he did the other day. I'll kick his ass for you."

Alicia laughed, standing up. "You'll be the first to know."

Dale pushed her forward, realizing Daryl was talking to Andrea. "Say hi to lover boy for me." He smirked as Alicia flipped him off.

"I'm so sorry." She heard Andrea apologize. "I feel like shit."

"Yeah, you and me both." He laughed, glancing to Alicia as she walked towards him.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, but if there's anything I can do..."

"You were trying to protect the group. We're good. But hey, shoot me again, and you'd best pray I'm dead." He chuckled.

Alicia smiled at him, nodding to a tree a few yards away before walking towards it, after a few minutes, Daryl followed her.

"Dale knows." She said after he got there, leaning one arm against the tree.

"You tell him?" Daryl grunted.

She shook her head, leaning her back against the tree as well. "No, he saw."

Daryl went silent for a moment, obviously deep in thought. "Do you not want him to know?" He finally asked.

Alicia looked up at Daryl, her eyebrows furrowed. "Why would I not want him to know?" She put a hand on Daryl's shoulder. "This is something that I want... even if it ain't something special."

Daryl shook his head. "It is... you just gotta give me some time ok? Let me take it slow."

Alicia nodded. "You promise you'll tell me when you're ready?"

Daryl smiled, leaning down to press a kiss against her lips. "Promise."

—————

"Um, guys. So... The barn is full of walkers." Glenn gave a fake smile. The group was down by the barn.

"You cannot tell me, you're alright with this!" Shane scoffed, looking around at the group.

"No I'm not but we are guest here, this isn't our land." Dale said. Alicia nodded, agreeing with him.

"This is our lives!" Shane protested, looking to Dale.

"Lower your voice." Glenn hissed.

Alicia sighed. "Look, Shane... this isn't any of our business. We can talk to Hershel and try to get him to let us kill them, but that all we can do."

"We can't just sweep this under the rug." Andrea looked at Alicia, shaking her head.

"It ain't right." Shane looked down at his feet. "Not remotely."

"Okay, we've either got to go in there, we've got to make things right or we've just got to go. Now we have been talking about fort Benning for a long time."

"We can't go!" Alicia scoffed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Why, Alicia, why?" Shane snapped.

"Because my daughter is still out there." Carol spoke up.

Shane laughed. "Ok, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility."

"We're not leaving Sophia behind." Alicia sneered, shaking her head at Shane. "Not until we know."

"I'm close to finding this girl. I just found her damn doll two days ago." Daryl backed her up, stepping up to stand beside her.

"You found her doll, Daryl. That's what you did. You found a doll." Shane pinched the bridge of his nose.

"You don't know what the hell you're talking about." Daryl pointed at Shane.

"I'm just saying what need to be said." Shane snapped back. "You get a good lead, it's in the first 48 hours."

"Shane stop." Alicia said, watching as he walked towards Daryl.

"Let me tell you something else, man. If she was alive out there and saw you coming all methed out with your buck Kn*fe and geek ears around your neck, she would run in the other direction." He was in Daryl's face now.

Everyone began to shout over the other, trying to come up with a solution until it was finally ended.

"The man is crazy, Rick, if Hershel thinks those things are alive or no." Shane scoffed, walking off with no real solution to the problem.

"Fuck this." Alicia groaned.