Chapter Two

Daryl woke with a start. He tried to focus, his mind fuzzy with the haze of deep sleep. Screaming. Loud, horrible screaming had brought him back to the waking world.

He grabbed up his bow and ran out of his tent, only a couple of paces in front of Rick and Glenn. He knew it was Rose. Heart pounding, he burst into her tent.

She was alone, in bed. He couldn't really tell if she was conscious or not. He dropped down next to her and put his hands on her arms.

"Rose. Rose! Hey." He shook her gently.

Her eyes flew open and she shot up, gasping. The terror in her eyes when she looked at Daryl was so piercing he had to look away. She broke into sobs.

Daryl looked back and Rick and Glenn, who both looked sympathetic but wary. Daryl knew why-if there were walkers they would've heard her for miles. He turned back to Rose and hugged her close. "Bad dream, you're okay. Shh…I'm here".

Rick and Glenn exchange a peculiar look and returned to their tents.

"Daryl", she cried. "They got Daddy. I can't see it again. Not again…"

Daryl closed his eyes, his emotions puzzling him. He held her to his chest. "I'm sorry…", he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Her sobs shook him, went through him. He felt her breaking and he almost couldn't bear it.

"Rose", he breathed. He didn't know why he said her name. "Rose…" A hand on her back and one cradling her head, he tried to steady her. Stop her from shaking. A few minutes passed and she settled into him, her body limp and exhausted. Frail. Daryl pulled back to look at her and she cried "Please don't leave!", and clung to him.

He winced. "I'm not leaving. I won't leave."

She sniffled and sighed into his chest.

They stayed like that for a long time, until Rose laid down and closed her eyes.

Daryl didn't move for a while. He knew he couldn't leave, but moreover he knew he didn't want to, and this gave him pause. He was confused and worried, as he didn't know exactly what he was feeling or how to help the broken girl...he also began to realize she was a lot more fragile than he originally thought.

Which led him to Shane, and how he didn't bother to come check on her.

With a scowl he laid down next to Rose, who was already asleep, her breathing even and peaceful. Not thinking about it, or perhaps thinking about it too much, he slipped an arm around her and closed his eyes. He turned off his thoughts and moments later he too was asleep.

Rose chose not to open her eyes when she woke the next morning. The first thing she registered was the feeling of warmth. Comforting, dreamy warmth that almost made her swoon. She hadn't felt that comfortable in weeks.

The second thing she noticed was…a profound lack of fear. Her eyes remained closed and she inhaled and sighed, and smiled. And in those moments she didn't care about anything else, all the other details were irrelevant. She just wanted to hold onto that feeling. The absence of fear. The sensation of safety.

She let the joy from it all linger while she put everything else together, as she still chose to keep her eyes closed.

A gentle arm around her hip and quiet, rhythmic breathing.

Daryl. How did he end up…? Oh…that's right. The crippling, soul stealing nightmares.

She sighed inaudibly and instinctively nuzzled her face into his neck. That was when she realized how close they were. She couldn't help it. She swooned.

Wanting to look at him, but not willing to give herself up yet, she keeps her eyes closed and wonders if she should wait and see what he does when he wakes. The idea is tempting, and she is desperate for this feeling of protection to last as long as possible.

When he first found her in the store she was afraid and unsure of him, but by the time they got back to camp that day she felt completely at ease. He was slightly rough around the edges, but he was good to her, and he took her in. Did she mention he was ruggedly beautiful? Strong and swift and capable?

But it was a lot more than that. Her heart and wounds are on her sleeve, but his is hidden. She senses it but it isn't the kind of pain that is decipherable on the surface. She wanted to know his pain and she wanted to diminish it. Her breath caught in her throat at the realization of this, and her new brand of vulnerability made her uneasy. But not enough to pull away from him.

She decided she wanted him to wake up first…between his warm body and her own curiosity, she just couldn't open her eyes. She let her senses sharpen while she waited. She smelled firewood and…coffee? It made everything seem that much more cozy and appealing.

She heard Sophie and Carl laughing outside and let herself slip; she smiled. Somehow even though life had become a nightmare, these people manage to still smile and laugh and relax. They work hard and there is definite tension among some of them, but they stick together. They make it work. How lucky she was to have been found by him…

Could it really be like this all of the time, or did she just happen to catch them on some good days? They were absolutely the most organized and civilized of the groups she encountered so far…the others didn't make it very far. She was always running. She couldn't understand why she had seen so many others die but make it out unscathed herself. And then it hit her-she repeated it again in her mind. She always ran. The people that died, most of them died fighting. So many strangers, her brother, her dad.

Her heart ached.

She decided then that if she was going to go down, it was going to be with them. She'd fight with them, fight for them as much as she'd fight for herself.

Because, she thought, how many more like them could there be at this point? This was as good as it got, these were good people, and Daryl…

Her muscles tensed and she thought of Shane. He was cold and uncaring, but he was right.

She needed to learn how to fight.