Daryl sat at the stone hearth poking at a stubborn log that refused to catch. Too cold...it was far too cold. Beth was resting on one of the pallets they had made near the fire huddled under a threadbare blanket. The cabin had served its purpose, but he had become too complacent. They had been here what, two weeks since the prison had come crashing down around them. Daryl ticked off the days in his head and realized they were closer to three weeks than two. He didn't have a problem staying in one place...hell, that was what they needed, but the reason he'd allowed them to stay was all wrong...the hope of reconnecting with the group. Against all good judgment, knowingly or not, they had sacrificed safety for sentiment. They were too close to the prison and the herd that had been attracted to it, no more than ten miles as a crow flies by his estimation. They were too close to major roads for his liking. And the cabin was far from secure...he couldn't fortify it if he tried. There was also a good chance that someone would be out looking for the scum he had killed. If they were lucky, they wouldn't start looking until the late morning or early afternoon.

He told Beth earlier that Maggie, Glenn, Rick, and Carl could still be alive, and that might well be true, but with the way things had gone to hell in a hand basket, everyone scattered at the prison, and the time that had passed, there was no tellin' if they would ever meet up again. It was just too far fetched. They had had some lucky breaks in the past, but most of those had ultimately ended in tragedy. He had to be realistic now for both Beth and himself. They needed a secure place to hole up for the winter. Stockpile some food. Get some guns and ammo. Stay away from others who would drag them down. And he needed to make some sort of life for Beth in this fucked up world. They both needed it, and he was the only one at this point who was likely to be able to give that to her.

Beth turned over to face the fire. Even though she hadn't made any noise, he could see her cheeks stained with tears.

"You too cold?"

Beth shook her head "no", but Daryl knew better. She was fragile at the best of times, down right breakable the rest, although she had resilience of spirit and the will to live in the most messed up situations. Maybe slitting her wrist back at the farm had toughened her resolve. He got up, grabbing his blanket, and laid it over her huddled body.

"What about you...you'll get cold, won't you?" Beth resisted even as she pulled the blanket tighter around herself.

"You need to get some rest. We're packing up and leavin' at first light," Daryl replied, resuming his perch on the hearth.

"It's my fault...that we have to leave here..." Beth offered something somewhere between a question and an admission.

"Naw Lil' Bit. In this world nothin's really anybody's fault. Shi...stuff happens." He poked the fire more as the stubborn log finally caught on.

"But we could have stayed here..." Beth continued.

"Beth, we could've never stayed here. We should've never stayed so long. I can't keep us safe here. We can't live a fantasy, and today was our wake up call.'' She was listening intently, hanging on his every word. "I'll find us somewhere safe to shelter for the winter. If we're not on the run, we can regain our strength, stock up on supplies, and see what Spring brings."

"And if we stay in one place, the others might be able to find us. Isn't that what they say? If you're lost, stay in one place until you're found?" There was a tragic tinge of hope in her young voice.

"Yeah, something like that."

The truth was, they weren't the ones who were lost. And he didn't even know if the others would be looking for them. They could very well assume that Beth was dead because who would have guessed she would have escaped with him? If they thought he was alone, they knew he could take care of himself, and they would be looking out for themselves, Glenn for Maggie, Rick for Carl, and the others for the groups they had possibly escaped with. But he wasn't gonna say anything, not now at least. There was no harm in her hanging on to hope as long as one of them was being realistic.

"You better go on and get some sleep. Like I said, were leavin' at first light." Daryl effectively and definitively closed the conversation.

"What about you? I have your blanket, and you need to sleep too."

She was right.

Daryl rose, grabbed the flat pillow from his pallet, and scooted the pallet on the floor close to where Beth lay. He measured his movements and words carefully, not wanting to spook Beth.

"We'll share. That okay with you?"

Beth nodded her head and lifted the blankets for him as he knelt on the floor next to her. When he slid under, stretched out on his back, he could feel her close by his side. He was uneasy and comfortable all in one, craving the human contact just as much as Beth needed it. And if she was the one who was getting close, there was nothing for him to feel uneasy about, was there?

"Here, come on," he offered, extending his arm for her to rest her head on. She came closer, laid down her head, and rested her hand tentatively on his chest. He held his breath for a moment, why he didn't know, then exhaled to release the tension the contact had created.

"Thank you..." she whispered to him.

"Ummm hmmm..." was all he could manage before he drifted off into oblivion.

He woke in the middle of the night, the fire crackling comfortingly to his back, pulling him into the world between sleep and consciousness. She was nestled close against his chest; he could feel her warm breath as she breathed rhythmically. He had wrapped his arms tightly around her while he had slept like she were some small doll. He was too tired to fight the need to be near someone, despite the fact that it illustrated weakness, but who was there to judge him. And besides, he was only protecting her...protection he was good at; he could take pride in that. As he drifted back into the sweet embrace of sleep, he couldn't help thinking that there were few better was to spend the apocalypse.

"Beth...Beth...wakeup..."

The soft voice gently drew her out of a mercifully dreamless sleep.

"Beth...Beth..."

She moved slowly, cuddling against the warmth, comforted by the arm around her as she began to come to her senses.

"Lil' Bit, we gotta get going soon. Sun's almost up."

Beth forced her eyes open as reality hit her again. She moved away from him a bit to look up and see Daryl looking down on her. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, and his hair was more mussed than usual. She wasn't used to seeing him this way; he was always awake and put together before he woke her...well, as put together as Daryl ever was. And she wasn't used to being this close to anyone when she woke, the tragedy of her inexperience again causing a blush to rise on her cheeks. At least it was too dark for Daryl to notice. She forced herself to look away as she wondered how long he had been awake trying not to disturb her.

"Sorry Daryl, I didn't mean to invade your space last night," Beth apologized to Daryl's chest.

"Nothing to be sorry for. I think we both needed someone warm to sleep by last night...I just didn't wanna scare you this morning by jumping up."

"Thank you." Beth wasn't really thanking him for one thing in general. It was basically a giant blanket thank you.

"Yup...the fire's still going. I'm gonna cook some breakfast right quick so we can eat before we get going."

Daryl gently disentangled himself from her and the blankets. If he was uncomfortable with their situation, he didn't show it. He tucked the blanket tight around her before he went to work.

Beth packed their provisions, matches, some spare shirts and socks, and their blankets while Daryl cooked their breakfast. At least they were leaving with something...more than what they had left with when their farm was overrun and just a few weeks ago when they were forced to abandon the prison, but it was still little enough. It all fit into a backpack she had found shoved in the closet. When it came time to leave, Daryl poured some fuel on the cabin floor and dropped a match when she was safely outside. He had informed her of his intentions at breakfast giving several reason when she didn't understand why. If anyone was looking for the men who died the day before, it would draw their attention, but by that time, they would be safely away. It would also eventually draw the attention of the walkers in their vicinity, giving them the opportunity to escape unnoticed. In addition, burning the cabin would eliminate shelter and extra supplies for anyone who may have been tracking them from the prison attack. When Daryl had finished his explanation, Beth added one reason quietly to herself, one that she hoped was in his head but he just hadn't wanted to say it. Maybe the burning cabin would leave a clue to their whereabouts for their friends and family who may be looking for them.

When she had first met Daryl, he had seemed like such a wildcard, rough and gruff with a prickly demeanor that made him entirely unapproachable. But then his wholehearted search for the little girl Sophia whom she had never known betrayed that he was actually a good person. And he had saved her more times than she could count. She owed him her life, so the least she could do was give him her trust. She followed willingly as he lead her away from the cabin as it caught fire in earnest. Fire was a cleansing force. The burning cabin was something that had to be let go, another part of her past that had to be erased so she could garner the strength to become the person she needed to be to survive. After about a half an hour into the woods, Beth stopped and dared to look back. The only evidence of the fire was the steady stream of smoke in the distance. She hadn't heard Daryl turn around or reach her side, but she felt his large, steady hand on the small of her back urging her to move on.

"Come on Lil' Bit. Ain't no good looking back," Daryl intoned as she turned to face him.

"How far are we going?" Beth dared to ask even though she feared the answer.

"As far as we need to to get where we are safe." His ambiguous answer did little to sate the question at hand. "Come on. We can't stay here. Just follow me; I won't lead you wrong."

As Daryl let go of her and headed further into the woods, she could just make out the wings on the back of his leather vest, half hidden under his crossbow. They were dingy now, no longer as white as they were when she had first met him, but they were still there. None of them got away without being tarnished by this life. Daryl didn't want to lead. Maybe that was why people were so willing to follow.

Beth was no different. She followed. I will follow you into the dark.