She woke up to the sound of birds. It threw her for a second, thinking at first that she was in her own bed. But not her bed at the jail. She thought about her old bed at home on the farm. The birds had been like an alarm clock that put her in a good mood before doing her morning chores. It was a small reminder of how much she missed the little things, but even before she opened her eyes, she knew that those were different birds. She knew that things were very different now, and she needed to face them… no matter how upsetting it might be.

She rolled over on her stomach and found that the bed was empty. She was alone, both under the covers and in the room. Daryl must have woken up before her. Falling asleep felt like minutes ago, but she could tell the sun was high in the sky from where tiny rays of light broke through the blankets that covered the window. It was completely dark when they'd locked themselves away the night before, so she hadn't been able to take in her surroundings until now. There was a small table next to the bed that held a melted down candle, an ashtray, and a lamp. There were books stacked in the corner next to a shelf that was broken, and the walls around her looked faded from age, or possibly smoke.

Beth pulled the sheet to her chin and tried to bring the moments of last night back to her senses. She closed her eyes and pictured it, trying hard not to forget every detail so she'd have it to keep forever. It wasn't a dream. Her skin still tingled from where he'd touched her. Her heart still raced at the memory of the roughness in his voice as he coaxed her through every step. She'd had sex with Daryl. She'd lost her virginity to someone she never expected, but she'd done much more than that. She was falling for him, hard and fast. And if he didn't catch her, she was surely going to crash and burn.

A rustling from outside the bedroom caught her attention, so she scurried from the bed and grabbed her clothes. Dressing quickly, she ventured down the hall and into the kitchen. There were still cans of jam and jars of pigs' feet scattered across the table from their last meal. She made a mental note to clean up a bit once they were settled.

Daryl suddenly appeared from around the corner, and she couldn't help but jump.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Didn't know you were up."

"It's okay," she assured him. "You were gone."

"Yeah. I was gonna hunt for some decent food," he said, then a smile overtook his face, "but I found somethin' better."

She waited for him to explain, but instead he took her by the arm. He led her around the corner and down the stairs. On the fifth step, he spoke up. "When we first came down here, all we paid attention to was the bodies and the burial shit. Well, I found this other room." He gestured to a door at the bottom of the stairs that set off by itself to the left. "You'll never guess what's in there."

She was speechless. She shook her head back and forth, waiting for a theory to come to her, but she couldn't come up with anything. "What?"

He answered by opening the door. Inside were four wooden crates. They weren't labeled, so the only way to know what was inside was to open them, and Daryl had already done that. He lifted the top of the first box he'd pried open. When she peered inside, it was hard to tell what she was looking at. There were dozens of sealed packages all containing what appeared to be some sort of dried meat.

She ventured a guess. "Jerky?"

He nodded. "Yep. And lots of it."

"Woah. That's a lot of meat."

"I know," he agreed. "It makes me wonder…"

"Wonder what?"

"Whoever lived here. They'd been stocking up for a while. Not just since the start of it all, but even before that. I think they were preparing for the apocalypse."

She thought through it, mulling the idea over in her head. "Then where'd they go?" she asked.

"No clue." He closed the lid of the crate. "But let's hope they don't come back anytime soon."

She nodded in agreement, and they shared an uncomfortable moment of silence. He shuffled awkwardly on his feet, shifting weight from one foot to the other. Then, he cleared his throat.

"You alright?" he asked. "Since last night, I mean."

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm good."

He moved closer then placed his hand lightly on her arm and squeezed. "You don't… regret it?"

"No, Daryl."

She pulled him into a hug, but it took him a minute to embrace her. He allowed his chin to rest gently on top of her head and he breathed her in. She felt so incredibly safe wrapped in his arms. Having her cheek resting against his chest felt like a warm pillow, his heartbeat like music that could guide her into sleep. This moment was how she knew it was real. Everything that had happened between them was real. It wasn't a random act of loneliness or desperation. It was magic - two people set on different paths finally colliding into one another and creating a destiny.

"We could live here," she told him, not wanting to let go just yet.

One of his hands snaked around her back and tangled in her hair. "You think?"

"Yeah. I do."

"Alright," he said. "We will."

She smiled to herself, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "Well, Mr. Dixon. If that's the case, we have a lot to do."

The corner of his mouth curled up into an evocative grin.

They spent the rest of the morning setting up the house to their liking and cleaning the messes they'd made. In all reality, Beth did most of the work. Daryl used his particular set of skills by making a bigger mess. He was able to catch two rabbits in the woods behind the house and had taken the liberty of skinning them on the kitchen floor. She'd at least placed a bowl under his work so the blood wouldn't leave a stain, but he'd rolled his eyes at her gesture.

"If this is going to be our home," she'd said, "we have to treat it like one."

Their banter carried out through most of the day. Whenever she rearranged things to her liking, he made sure to move at least one item out of place to test her nerves. For the most part, she found it funny. This was his way of flirting, and it amused her. But after a while, he moved past merely teasing and on to something much more welcomed in her eyes.

It was dark now. They'd lit candles in the piano room along the walls that gave off enough light for her to read. She was skimming through a book of poetry she'd found tucked away within the stack in the bedroom. Daryl was sitting across from her on the floor. He was playing with a small knick knack in his hands. Every so often, she felt him glance up at her while she read, but she never met his gaze. The tension between them was terribly thick, and she knew she wasn't alone in thinking about everything that happened the night before.

She tried to concentrate on the words, but when he shifted forward, she found herself following his movements from the corner of her eye. He scooted close enough to lean over the page and sneak a peek at the contents of the book. His shadow fell over the page, and she swallowed a hard lump in her throat.

"Beth," he whispered, plucking the book out of her hand with his thumb and index finger.

"Heeey," she whined playfully. "I was reading that."

He cut her off by placing a fast kiss to her lips, but before he could pull away she reeled him in. This was all still so strange and unusual to her, but somehow it still felt right. They were like two puzzle pieces that had been roughed up around the edges. All it took was a moment like this to smooth them over, and they fit together perfectly. How had they been able to waste so much time before? If she had known the man in front of her would someday become this important, this wonderful, she would've done something. She would have taken advantage of the shelter they had at the prison. She would have started to build a life with him sooner, rather than later.

But this was good. This was enough, because even though it took a dose of trials and suffering, they'd still gotten to this place. If they could stay here, they could build a home. And as long as he was here with her, she never wanted to leave.

His fingers brushed lightly against her cheek. It was so rare that he ever showed such an intimate side of him, it always took her by surprise. He was gentle and careful. His touch was light as a feather, but it weighed her down and planted her to the spot. She couldn't move if she tried. His presence was just that intoxicating. As he continued to kiss her, tasting her tongue and sucking lightly at her lips, she felt her heart give way. She'd already decided there was no going back. If she was going to love him, she would do it all the way. But this was so powerful. What if her feelings for him grew so much that she couldn't take it? Happiness and pleasure so good that it hurt. So right that it was almost wrong.

No.

Nothing about this was wrong.

He stopped kissing her, and they rested their foreheads together.

"If this is a dream," he whispered, "I don't wanna wake up."

She smiled. "Never?"

"Never."

Another week flew by. It was easy to let time slip away when it was just the two of them. Each day felt like a blessing. The normalcy of it all was what kept him going, and he'd never had that to depend on. Even before, his life never felt normal. Being at the prison was the closest thing he'd ever had to a home, but this was so much better. Waking up every day by Beth's side was enough to rush the blood through his veins and get him moving. Her face was all the motivation he needed. He wanted to keep her safe and keep her happy. Nothing would stop him now that they'd found some peace.

But then he found it.

His breath was visible against the cold morning air as he tracked a deer through the trees. He followed it to the road where two sets of train tracks met, and it was there that he saw the sign.

It read "Those Who Arrive Survive", but he didn't trust it for a second. Something about Terminus didn't sit well with him, but he knew that Beth would see it as a sign of hope. He had to tell her. He knew her well enough to know she'd want to go. She'd want to believe that Maggie and Glenn had seen the signs too. She'd want to believe that everyone from the prison was still alive and had made it to a new place of sanctuary. He tried to believe that was a possibility, but even with Beth's positive energy radiating through him, it still seemed like a long shot.

When he got back to the funeral home, Beth was in the kitchen filling bottles with rain water. She'd taken to wearing her hair down more, and he appreciated the gesture. He loved seeing her like that - the sun streaming in through the window and casting light on her pale skin. She glowed like an angel, and it was breathtaking to witness.

She looked to the door when she heard him come in and went to greet him. She handed over a full bottle with a smile and kissed his cheek. "You find anythin'?"

"I tracked a buck for a while, but I lost it."

He took a swig from the bottle, gulping down the cool water that quenched his thirst. He hesitated, debating hastily in his mind whether or not to divulge the new information to her. Very quickly, he decided that it would do no good keeping it from her. Finding Terminus was worth a try, even if it failed. After all, he wanted to see her happy.

"I actually did find something," he began. "Someone made a sign up by the tracks. I think it's another community. If we go there, we might find some of the others."

Her eyes lit up at the news. He watched all the faces of the people she'd lost come back to her in that moment. They flashed across her memory, and a different sort of smile formed on her lips. It wasn't just a smile for the here and now. It was a smile for the future - a future that didn't mean they were alone.

"We have to go," she said. "Maggie could have seen it. And Glenn and Rick."

"It's possible," he said. "But we need to be prepared if it's not what we think."

She straightened and pursed her lips. "We don't need to assume the worst."

"I know," he agreed. "But just don't get all your hopes up, okay?"

She let out a sigh and nodded. "Fine. When do you wanna go?"

"Whenever you want. We can head out first thing tomorrow morning."

"Okay."

Her hands were trembling at her sides, so he took them in his. "You're right," he said. "We won't assume the worst. Maybe they are there."

"I hope so."

They set out with a backpack full of food and supplies the next day at the first sign of daylight. The rocks on the tracks created a rough terrain to follow, but they picked up a good amount of speed once they got to a straight shot. They stopped to take a break every few miles, and every time they did, Daryl took the time to make sure Beth was good. Her ankle was still sore from the trap she'd gotten caught in a while back, and the journey wasn't easy, but she was able to hold her own. He offered to give her another serious piggyback ride, but she declined, saying it wasn't practical to carry her the entire way.

When they got to another sign, Daryl deduced that they were close. They could see a building ahead, and it would only take another hour or so to reach it. But before they could march ahead, they heard a rustling in the trees.

Seconds later, Rick stepped out from behind the brush.