“I’m sorry Lori,” Hermione scoffed, looking at the woman in front of her. Hermione was never normally one to judge, but somehow Lori Grimes got under her skin. As she stood pregnant with another man’s child. “Would you like to repeat that?”
“You heard me.”
“Truthfully, you should keep your mouth shut. You have absolutely no right to question anyone, let alone me, about loyalty,” Hermione spat.
Lori stood with a stunned look on her face as she looked at Rick, “Are you going to let her speak to me like this?”
Rick hadn’t been a big fan of Lori’s since the farm had been overrun. Hermione shook her head, leaving the group.
“Don’t go far,” Rick called after her.
“Going to find water,” Hermione said, holding up a water bottle and not looking back. She was fuming by the time she had reached the gate when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned back to see Daryl standing with her.
“Ain’t goin’ alone.”
“Okay,” she said as they opened the gate, leaving the prison.
Hermione had found an odd friendship with the man. She enjoyed being around him as he wasn’t one to have to fill the silence, and she was no longer much of a talker since the outbreak. Tends to happen when everyone you had known was now a walker or just dead.
“What was that about?”
“She drives me mad,” she huffed, as they came upon the stream. “Always has an I’m-better-than-everyone-else attitude, but I stay quiet for Rick, the group, and just the peace. Lost my temper today.”
Daryl grunted, grabbing one of the jugs he had brought down.
She frowned, glancing down at him, “What?”
“Rick?” He said with a smirk, glancing at her.
“Oh shut it.” She glanced around, checking for walkers, luckily none were near. “You’re a pain in my ass, Daryl.”
‘You’ve got a mouth on you now.”
“Because I am always around you,” she chuckled as he handed her the second jug.
_________
The sun finally set as Hermione had kept her distance from the group, sitting in the guard's tower keeping watch. She heard footfalls, causing her to stop. Turning, she saw Rick coming up the stairs.
“You’re not Daryl.”
“Nah, told him I would take a watch. Let him get some sleep,” he said, coming to a stop to lean on the railing. “Anything going on?”
“Just a few walkers walking by,” she chuckled. “Walkers walking by…that's an excellent explanation.”
“Yeah, I would say it is. You okay?”
She glanced up to him, “Yeah, just figured I would stay away after the spat that happened today.”
“Yeah, that's why I came out.”
“Rick, I am sorry. I will apologize,” she paused for a moment. “Tomorrow.”
“I appreciate that,” Rick sighed, sitting down next to her. “I know you and Lori don't see eye-to-eye.”
“I lost my person. I loved him, Rick,” she admitted quietly. “Deeply, and I couldn't have done what she did. I would do anything to have him back and I can’t. So I guess watching everything from the outside, just pisses me off.”
“I didn’t know you had been with someone.”
“Married actually,” Hermione corrected. “It’s not something I really talk about. It hurts too much.”
“You’re almost as quiet as Daryl.”
“Quiet and observant…Probably why we get on so well,” Hermione said.
“You know, you’ve been with us since Atlanta and I barely know anything about you,” Rick pointed out, making conversation as he was still keeping watch.
“I could say the same about you, Rick.”
“Where are you from?”
“London, England, but I spent most of my childhood in Scotland.” Hermione paused, figuring out how she could edit her story to leave out as much magic as possible, as that part of her life was now gone. “I had gotten accepted into a boarding school and it’s where I had met my husband.”
Hermione continued, “Draco and I were called to study a virus that was affecting people horribly at a facility in France. I can’t even begin to describe what I saw, but I watched the virus run rampant. The facility got overrun by walkers so quickly, no one really knew what happened. Draco and I had almost made it out when a walker grabbed him and bit him directly in the neck. He was gone before I could blink. Before I knew it, everyone I knew was dead or turned, and I just ran. I got transported here as a scientist to help. Not that it did a lot of good.”
“But you're alive.”
“I guess that counts for something doesn't it?” She gave him a half-hearted smile. “Thank you, Rick.”
“For what?”
“Getting us this far, and safely. This prison has a good amount of potential. If we can get it cleared out.”
“Yeah, I think it will be good.”
“And find a new sense of normal for us all.”
“Hopefully,” Rick said. “We all need something or someone in our corner to find some happiness or we would go crazy.”
“True, but for tonight I’ll be happy with the peace of safety.”
Hermione turned, meeting his eyes, seeing a look in them she hadn’t seen before. They stayed like that for a few seconds until the moment broke as footsteps started up the stairs, causing Rick to stand up quickly.
“Daryl, coming up.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ll see you later, Hermione.”
“Bye Rick.”
Hermione watched the man leave the tower as she rested her forehead on the railing, giving a sigh. If she had feelings for him before, she definitely did now, even though knowing nothing could happen between them.
She watched the men cross each other going down the stairs. Her eyes followed Rick until she spotted Lori waiting for him. It only took moments until the pair were arguing. Hermione rolled her eyes, turning back to see Daryl standing behind her.
“She takes him for granted and it drives me crazy.”
Daryl simply grunted leaning against the railing.
“Love the support, Daryl.” She chuckles.
“Get some sleep. I’m keepin’ watch.”