Presley stood beside the window, leaning against the wall beside it. Her eyes frisked every house, in search of the precious man she searched for. She stayed so close to that window that Stefan swore she was going to jump. Her blue eyes were frantic, but Daryl wasn't in sight. Either that was a good thing, or a terribly horrible thing. Stefan watched her as he skimmed through a Stephen King book.

"You know, it's strange how we talked about these sort of things happening, and yet, we never believed that they would." Stefan said as he flipped the page. When she didn't look at him he continued, "I mean, look at this guy. He didn't really write about dead things walking around and eating people, but he did write about the supposed end of the world."

"It's all just a sick joke now." She added rather softly.

Stefan tossed the book aside, settling back onto the bed so that he now stared up at the ceiling. The air between them faded to opulent silence.

- - - - - - - -

Daryl watched the walkers wander aimlessly down the street, his eyes trained on Maggie's house the entire time. He could only pray that was where Presley was, that it was where she was held up. Hell, he even prayed that Stefan was with there to guarantee her safety.

But a nagging feeling in the back of his mind told him that she wouldn't be in there when he got there.

It took what felt like ages for the walkers to clear off the streets, but Daryl was out and about the second that the last one had disappeared... Or at least gotten far enough that he wouldn't be able to hear a door slam.

He bolted across the street and tore the door open, facing a startled Maggie with a knife in hand. She lowered the weapon once she saw it was Daryl, a look of relief plain as the nose on her face. She combed her fingers through her hair, looking at Daryl as he marched up the stairs.

"Presley?" He called worriedly.

"She's not here, Daryl." Maggie said rather softly. Daryl turned towards her, his heart dropping down the stairs at those words. She swore she could see him tear up a bit.

"Where'd she go?" He asked, marching back down to stand in front of her. His determination was almost frightening.

"I-I'm not sure... Her and Stefan went out earlier, and I haven't seen them come back... They're probably just camped out in a house, maybe you should wait for them to come-."

She didn't even get to finish, because Daryl was high-tailing it out the door and down the street. Unluckily, he couldn't track very well on sidewalk, even though it was loitered with leaves and mud and blood, so he simply followed his own instinct. "Pres?" He said, not quite loud enough to call a lot of attention.

He saw Stefan first.

Without a second thought, Daryl was moving quickly towards Stefan, and that was when Presley emerged out of the house. Her mane of black hair looked untidy, signaling she'd repeatedly run her hands through it... A habit that he knew she did when she was worried. She hardly even saw him before he swept her up into his arms, the fear from earlier washing away.

"Don' ye ever do that again, ye hear?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - -

"Don't you ever do that again."

Presley rested her chin on Daryl's shoulder as he swayed on his feet, his grip on her waist not even loosening enough for her to wriggle free. She inhaled his familiar scent and her eyes fluttered open, now looking at Stefan. He bore a heart-broken expression, but when he noticed that she was now watching him, he gave her a small smile that showed reassurance. It was fake, and she knew that. You would have to be blind in order not to see it. Deep down, she knew that his heart was broken because of her favoring Daryl over himself. She wished that there had been a way to save his feelings, but it was impossible. She didn't do anything to provoke those feelings- they'd all been on Stefan.

At last, Daryl pulled away, keeping his hands on her shoulders as he searched her face. "They didn't get ye, did they?" He asked urgently, searching her body for any signs of blood.

"No, no, I'm fine." She assured him.

"C'mon, we best check on Glenn an' Mags." Daryl said, coaxing her to the house. She twisted and looked back at Stefan briefly, only to find that he was now staring down at the ground, his features blank.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Maggie tucked the blanket up to Glenn's chin, rubbing her hand along his tanned cheek. She'd just changed his bandages, relieved to find that most of the bleeding had stopped. She sat down on the edge of the bed, taking his hand between her own and squeezing it gently. She stared forward, eyes blank as her mind.

"I can't loose you, Glenn." She murmured softly, running her fingertips over his worn knuckles. She shook her head, tears dropping onto her lap. "I can't."

"Y... You're not going to." A voice said suddenly, so raspy and quiet she could barely hear it. She froze, shaking when his hand very lightly squeezed her own. She gasped, thinking that she had just imagined all this. She turned to Glenn, a look of pure hope in those eyes of hers.

"Glenn...?" She said, crouching at his bedside. His brown eyes fluttered open at last, looking into her own. His smile was faint and timid.

"Hey beautiful." She laughed weakly, throwing her arms around his beat up torso. She sobbed into him, shoulders quivering. She laughed and cried with joy, finally feeling a shred of hope that she hadn't felt in a long time. It was a happy sight, the happiest in a long, long time. She pulled away from him, taking his hand between her own.

"Where are Daryl and Pres?" He asked, a small frown now creasing his face. He paused before adding, "And Stefan?"

"They're around here somewhere. A herd passed through and they all got caught outside. Daryl came back, but now he's out looking for Stefan and Presley." Only a little concern could be detected in her voice. Her focus was still mostly on Glenn.

"I'm sure they're alright." He said, settling back into the bed as he stared up at his wife. "Tough as nails, all three of em."

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

It didn't take long for the three of them to return, and both Maggie and Glenn were relieved to see that their friends were alive. The five of them sat in Glenn's room, each holding a can of peaches or green beans. Although the air was heavy, the laughed and joked enough to make each other smile at least once.

"Nice to have ye back, cripple." Daryl said, smacking Glenn on the shoulder in a playful manner before returning himself to his usual spot beside Presley. They sat so their shoulders weren't even touching. Stefan watched the two of them, noticing the small glow of happiness on her face. He was happy for her, even though it killed him inside.

Zeva lifted her head from the bowl her food had been dumped into, licking her lips and tossing her head, wagging her tail as she hopped up onto the small couch Daryl and Presley sat up, ignoring the fact that there were already people there. They both groaned as she settled into their laps, her head laid out sweetly on Presley's lap.

"Look, a happy family." Glenn said, motioning to the three on the couch. Maggie pursed her lips and looked at Stefan, who now bore a frown. Nobody else noticed. At the thought of a family, Maggie's heart beat faster. She would have to break the news to Glenn soon, but how? How in the midst of all this?

Both Daryl and Presley shot Glenn a glare, but Presley's was evidently playful. As was Daryl's, but it wasn't nearly as noticeable.

The group of people, and the dog, were a happy, glorious sight to see and to watch. They were comfortable in Woodbury, the walls were safe and they could prosper for a while. All seemed right that night.

- - - - - - - - - - -

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