* Please Review! So part of the shows storyline will be here in this story, like in the first Welcome to Woodbury but I will also go off on my own*

Daryl stared down at Ashlyn as one of his hands traveled through her hair. She was gripping at his sides, holding him to her like he was her lifeline. He knew he should go and talk with Merle but didn't want to leave her yet. He wasn't ready to give up the feeling she was giving him. She was scared and turning to him. She was nervous and wanted his comfort. Part of Daryl thought if he stepped away from her right now, she would turn away from him for good. She would decide she didn't need him anymore. Part of him knew that line of thought was stupid but he couldn't help it.

" You can't stay here!" Ashlyn frowned and turned at Glenn's words. Daryl frowned too and looked over her head. Her hair slipped from his hands and without thinking, Daryl placed his hands on her shoulders.

" Never said I wanted too!" Merle snapped back.

" Everyone needs to calm down." Rick said. He was holding his hands up so one was facing Glenn and the other was facing Merle. He was standing so he was facing Daryl and Ashlyn.

" No! He's not staying here!" Glenn snapped again.

" What the hell." Daryl commented, pulling away from Ashlyn to walk around her. He took a hold of her arm as he passed her, pulling her along with him as a verbal fight started.

" Oh, you're in charge now? That's rich." Merle snapped.

" Merle!" Daryl called out.

" What's going on?" Ashlyn said. Her hand came up and took a hold of the back of Daryl's shirt. She twisted her fingers around in the fabric, making her hunter glance down at her then back at his brother and his group members.

" What the fuck is goin on?" Daryl said.

" Your brother can't stay here." Glenn said quickly, making Daryl frown.

" That's my blood." Daryl said.

" That's right." Merle said. " Blood's thicker than water."

" Why can't he stay?" Ashlyn asked in confusion. To her, Merle was a team player. He protected the town and the people inside. He wasn't racist and he hadn't threaten her in anyway. Sure, she could see that he had a temper but he has always managed to keep it in check.

" Because he's dangerous!" Glenn said. Merle shifted his postion so he was leaning back against the hood of the car. He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned.

" He's not dangerous." Ashlyn said. " And you can't kick him out. He helped us out at the town and he got me out when he found out the Governor was gone. He didn't have to do that. You can't just send him out into the world like this." She said.

" Ashlyn," Glenn started towards her. " with all due respect, you don't know what type of man he was before you met him." Ashlyn stepped away from Daryl and up to Glenn as she shook her head.

" He wasn't right. You need to understand that. Merle was on drugs when he was with your group. He's a different man now." She said gently.

" Don't waste your breath, Sweetheart." Merle said.

" He has to stay with us." Ashlyn said.

" Listen. I know to you, Merle is a good guy. I know you think he's helpful and caring but he's not. He's racist and a thief. He will stab you in the back if it would help him gain something. He's lazy and didn't want to do anything for anyone. He verbally sexually assaulted every woman in the group." Glenn said.

" That's my brother you're talkin about!" Daryl snapped.

" That's right. Stand up for your kin." Merle said with a grin. Glenn whipped around fast.

" You're not staying!" He shouted. A silence fell over the four. Daryl tensed up and narrowed his eyes.

" Then if he don't stay, I don't stay." He said. He started right over to Merle, not expecting Ashlyn to follow him but hoping she was. When he reached his brother, he turned, looking for her right away. He bit down into his bottom lip when he saw she was hurrying to reach his side.

" You can't leave." Rick said. " Let's think about this."

" Ain't nothin to talk bout." Daryl said. " He don't stay, I ain't stayin."

" And I can't stay." Ashlyn said. She touched Daryl's arm while staring at Rick and Glenn.

" You can't leave." Glenn said. " We need you, both."

" Package deal. You kick him out, you kick us out." Daryl said.

TWDTWDTWD

" Didn't have to leave with us." Daryl commented as the trio made their way through the woods.

" No, I didn't." Was the only thing Ashlyn would say. They were walking because the car Merle had brought to the prison didn't have much gas and the boys thought it was better to walk so Daryl could hunt as they moved. " But I don't want to leave you."

" You're a fine woman." Merle said, slapping his good hand down on her shoulder. Daryl glanced at his woman and his brother then back into the trees, his crossbow ready to shoot at any dinner they came upon. " You hear that, Daryl? You got yourself a fine woman now you best treat her right and hold onto her tight."

" Whole damn woods can hear you. Why don't you shut up so I can find us sumthin to eat." Daryl snapped.

" Ah come on, Daryl. Don't go all cranky asshole on us. Don't want your woman thinkin you're a baby now, do you?" Merle asked, his hand slipping from her as she looked at Daryl.

She smiled as he glanced sideways at her. To offer up her silent support, she touched his side. She let her hand moved down the side of his body to his belt loops where she came him a sharp tug. Daryl lowered the cross bow down enough to look at her. When he saw her smiling, he brought it right down up, settling it against his face to completely hide his smile. Ashlyn, used his tricks by now, tugged him one more time before letting him go completely and looking straight ahead of her.

" So what now? What do we do now?" She asked.

" Find some food, figure out our shelter." Daryl said.

" What about the Governor?" She asked quietly. " You know he will come for them. He's going to want revenge and he's going to think I'm there. He's going to hurt them."

" Ah Sweetheart, we ain't got to worry about them anymore. They don't care about us none. If they did, why would they have just let us go?" Merle said, his eyes searching the woods as well.

" That's enough talkin. Ain't gonna get any food with you two gabbin like bitches." Daryl muttered.

The three moved through the woods without anymore words spoken between them. Daryl watched the trees, looking for any movement. They had left the prison with nothing but their clothes on their back. He wanted to started killing game so he would provide a decent meal for her when night fell. Then he needed to find her some place safe so she would sleep. Food and shelter, that was what was most important to him now. She had left complete safety to be with him, trusted him to care for her and Daryl wasn't about to let her down.

After almost hour of walking, and with sweat dripping from Daryl's hairline, he stopped to lean against a tree. Ashlyn sighed and moved to crouch down and rest. She sat on a fallen log and shook her head. Daryl watched as she tilted her head up and started to gather her hair with her eyes shut. The sun fell on her beautiful face and made his heartbeat quicken. She twisted the thick strands of her hair and pulled it up. She fastened it with her hair band then sighed as she craned her neck to the side. She rubbed at the back of her neck, pulling his eyes to the flush skin there.

A bead of sweat made it's way down her neck and into her shirt, pulling his eyes down with it. It disappeared in the collar of her shirt and he knew the path it was taking. It was gliding down her perfect breasts, slipping between them the way his tongue wanted too now. It would moved down her body, over her stomach, and to her panties, just like he wanted to do now. He frowned and tried not to groan as he shifted his position against the tree. How one woman made him want her so bad was beyond him.

" Hotter than balls out here." Merle muttered from behind Daryl. Ashlyn opened her eyes and looked over to him as Daryl's moved to the top of the trees again.

" Ain't any squirrels here." He muttered.

" We'll find them. Don't you worry." Merle said as Ashlyn stood up.

" Shouldn't have left." Daryl muttered quietly.

" What was that, Boy?" Merle asked.

" Are you okay?" Ashlyn whispered to Daryl.

He looked down at her as her hands came to rest against his chest. She flattened them out and looked up at him with complete trust in her eyes. Daryl frowned again. Why did she trust him so much? What should he do with that trust? Could he do anything with it? Trust was important to Daryl because he never had it in anyone. He hadn't trusted his mother, his father, his brother. He hadn't trusted anyone for so long and no one trusted him. Sure, he gained the group's trust over time and had learned to trust them but here was this woman, setting her very life in his hands. Here was this woman who left everything she had come to know, everything safe in her world, to wander around in the woods with the likes of him.

" Daryl." Ashlyn whispered, bring one hand to his chin. She gripped it gently before letting her hand move to cup his cheek.

" Should be a creek up ahead. Be able to fish and get some water." He said, staring down into her eyes.

" Boy, bein around that cop has clouded not only your judgement but your sense of direction. Ain't no creek round here." Merle said.

" There is. Just up ahead." Daryl said without looking away from Ashlyn. " You eat fish?" He asked her.

" I will eat whatever we can find." She promised.

" I'm tellin you, there ain't no creek!" Merle snapped. Ashlyn dropped her hand from Daryl's cheek to look back at Merle.

" There is no point fighting about it. Let's just go and see." She said. " Daryl doesn't see anything in the trees here so it can't hurt to try and look for the creek." Merle pushed away from the tree and started towards them.

" Well alright then, Doc. We will go and look then and you will see that Old Merle is right and your little boyfriend ain't." He snapped. " Let's get a move on it. Ain't gonna get nothin down standin around talkin and touchin each other like bitches."

Together the three made their way through the woods, with Daryl in the lead and Merle bring up the rear. Ashlyn kept one hand on Daryl's back so he would be sure of where she was at all times. Feeling her touch didn't stop him from glancing over his shoulder at her from time to time, glances Ashlyn pretended not to notice.

Sure enough, they came upon a large, steady stream of water. Daryl stood on the bank and peered into the water, trying judge how much food he could pull out for them. Maybe it was a mistake, leaving the prison like he did. Inside he knew it was. It wasn't safe having Ashlyn out in the open like they were. And she wasn't armed. Daryl looked down to his hip and gave himself a shake. What the hell was he thinking? He left his group, the safety of the fences, and pulled her out with nothing to protect herself with.

" Ashlyn." He said as he started to unstrap his knife.

" Huh?" She asked, coming up to his side at the same time a scream ripped through the air.