Disclaimer: Nothing recognizable is mine. All characters belong to their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended. I do this for my own enjoyment and hopefully that of others.

A/N: This little story was inspired by the beautiful Caryl oneshot The Rings, by Supfan. It will have at least two parts, maybe three, and is not TV-canon compliant, as you'll see. I love stories where things are left unsaid, or up to the reader to determine, and this will be one of those, to a point. Either way, this was written in about an hour, with no Beta, and well... it is what it is.

I hope you enjoy! Reviews and concrit are greatly appreciated.

Moonlight and Platinum

I have found the one whom my soul loves. ~ "Song of Solomon," 3:4

He reached into his pocket again, fiddling with the contents as he paced through the last few minutes of his watch. The campsite was set out below him, nestled securely within the fenced-in grounds of a small farmer's market in rural Georgia. It was a quiet night, clear and crisp; they were well into the fall, and the nights were just starting to take on that edge that told him winter wasn't far off. They hadn't seen a walker for days, which both relieved and unnerved the group as a whole, but they couldn't afford to grow complacent, not with little Judy… not with –

A hand on his shoulder startled him, so much that he nearly dry-fired his bow into Rick's face.

"Jesus Christ, man…" Daryl hissed. "Don't sneak up on a guy like that…"

Rick held up a hand, looking startled and slightly embarrassed. "Sorry… sorry… I should know better by now." The sheriff rubbed his eyes; it was clear that he hadn't been sleeping well.

"Yeah, well… consider yourself lucky I didn't load the thing," Daryl said good-naturedly as he slung the crossbow over his shoulder in preparation to climb down from the top of the RV. Rick nodded, trading places with Daryl, who stood at the edge of the ladder for a moment before saying, "You sure you're okay to take watch? I know you ain't been gettin' a lotta sleep lately, what with lil' Ass Kicker an' all."

Rick chuckled and shook his head at Daryl's nickname for the little girl. "Nah," he said, adjusting his hold on his rifle, "I'm good. It was way worse with Carl." He stared off into the distance for a long moment, so long that Daryl considered the conversation over and started to head down the ladder. Just before the lawman's head disappeared from Daryl's line of vision, Daryl heard him say, "Besides… you're the one that's gonna be needin' sleep in a few months' time. Enjoy it while you can."

Rick turned and caught Daryl's eye; the hunter nodded once before climbing to the ground.

"Daryl!" Rick called once more, and the retreating man stopped and looked back up at him. "That thing we talked about… did it work out?"

Daryl chewed his lip, fingers of one hand twitching nervously against the strap of his crossbow, while the others once again went to the two nearly identical objects in his pocket. He palmed one of them, pulling it out to look at it. The moonlight glinted off the small platinum band.

It was the same color as her eyes.

Putting the ring back in his pocket, he said, "I'll let ya know in the mornin'," before turning and heading down the hill towards the tent he shared with Carol.

~ TBC