It Comes With The Name

Bonus Chapter: Foolish One

"I know you think it's stupid to miss him." She said after several minutes of silence. Her voice was thick with emotion that she was trying and failing to cover up.

Daryl looked down at her, suddenly a bit more sympathetic. "Who said I thought it was stupid?"

"I can see the way you're lookin' at me." She rolled her eyes. She wasn't stupid. "Shane was a bad guy... I know that. But you didn't know him like I did... before all this."

Daryl remained silent. The truth was, he had been judging her a little. Shane was a bad guy, she knew this, everyone in camp knew this, so why was she missing him so much? Daryl knew they had been close before the world fell apart, but he had always just assumed Shane was more Rick's friend than Laurens, maybe he had misjudged just how close their relationship was. "Ya really loved him, didn't ya?"

"He practically helped raise me... I mean, he was my brother. " She sniffled, keeping her eyes down. "He was a good guy, he was... But those last few weeks on the farm? It was like I didn't even know who he was anymore."

Daryl took a deep breath as he listened. "He wasn't that man you knew, he was somethin' else. He was dangerous . He tried ta kill Rick. You really miss a guy like that?."

"Doesn't really matter now, does it? He's dead." She said, almost bitterly. "Now we're stuck living out of our cars, going house to house, wondering if we're gonna make it through to the next day..."

"You wanna feel sorry for yerself and drink? You do that." He said, a slight edge in his voice. "But I'll tell ya one somthin', this pity party yer thowin' ain't gonna change a damn thing."

To his surprise, he heard a breathy laugh from Lauren. He cocked his head, he had been half-expecting more self-pitying and sad sighs, not a laugh. He looked at her, trying to see if she was serious or mocking him. "You laughin'?"

Lauren shook her head, still laughing. "No, no, I just- I should've known this would turn into a fight."

Daryl felt a tinge of guilt run through him as her almost unhinged laughter filled the air. He hadn't exactly been the most understanding person, and that wasn't fair to her considering all she was going through.

"I wasn't tryna get into a fight." He mumbled, his tone more gentle than it had been a moment ago.

"I know, you never are." She smiled to herself, tears still staining her cheeks. "But with the two of us, it always ends up being one."

Daryl looked down at the ground for a moment as he thought about her words. They did tend to end up in the same situation every time they were alone.

"Yeah, alright. But I ain't wrong, ya know? Feelin' sorry for yourself won't change a goddamn thing." He said, sounding harsh again.

Daryl saw the small smile on her face that she failed to stifle and his eyebrows raised. He was used to her fighting back when he spoke to her like this, having her yell back angry and upset. This new emotion she was showing was confusing him and he didn't know how to react to it.

"The hell's funny?"

"You." She said, leaning back against the house. Daryl furrowed his brows, ready to get defensive before she continued. "I mean, not you, it's just... this feels a lot more natural than the whole comforting thing."

He seemed a bit taken aback by her statement. She was right it seemed, Daryl wasn't exactly the comforting type. It was a lot more natural for him to argue than it was to console.

He remained leaning against the porch railing, looking at her a moment before speaking up. "So you'd rather argue than me try ta say anythin useful?"

Lauren shrugged, laughing and shaking her head like she was questioning her own logic. "Yeah, I guess I would."