It was late in the afternoon when five on-edge, tightly-wound bodies found themselves marching through the woods, preparing for battle. Rick and Andrea had the lead, while Glenn, Daryl, and T-Dog followed at a short distance behind.

Out of ear-shot of the three men behind him, Rick turned his head without slowing his pace and scrutinized Andrea. Shafts of sunlight falling through the tree canopy flashed and disappeared across her hair, illuminating sections of her blonde waves that he longed to feel between his fingers again. Her face was stoic, her lush, pouty lips set in a firm, determined line. Rick couldn't help the images that flashed into his head of the previous night, couldn't help thinking about the feel of those lips beneath his, the taste of her still lingering on his tongue. He found his preoccupation with her today unsettling. She was under his skin in a way that Lori never had been, even way back at the outset of their relationship. All he wanted to do was focus on the fight he was leading the group into, but his brain insisted on reminding him of all the things about Andrea that bewitched him. He felt like an infatuated teenager, and found it endlessly grating.

"What, do I have something on my face?"

Her words cut sharply into his reverie, and he realized she'd caught him staring, just as he'd caught her staring at him on the night of Dale's death. He frowned and got defensive. "No. I was just wondering if you're ready for this."

She snorted. "You're damn right I'm ready for this," came her quick reply. She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you ready for this?"

He smiled. "Sweetheart, I am always ready." The moment the words left his mouth, he cursed inwardly at the unintended innuendo implied by his tone. He cleared his throat and tried to stifle the embarrassed flush creeping up his cheeks. "Just… you just be careful out there," he told her finally.

A peculiar expression on her face, she nodded. "Yeah… you be careful too."

Too soon they were approaching the clearing. Andrea and Rick stayed their movements and waited for the three men behind them to catch up.

When all five parties were assembled, Rick looked into the faces of those around him. "We all know what to do. I want each of us to maintain sightlines with at least one other person at all times; if you see someone in trouble, get over there and help." He took a deep breath. "Alright, good luck."

With one final look at each other, the group spread out, moving to their assigned locations. Andrea settled behind a high tree stump, Rick some twenty feet to her left. She peered from her hiding spot.

Daryl was the first to try the technique, and she watched closely as a walker on the other side of the clearing lifted its head in reaction to a sound. It began to shuffle towards Daryl's position, its movements ignored by the rest of its ghoulish brethren. Andrea held her breath as the thing disappeared into the brush. Her heart beat fast as she trained her eyes on the sliver of woodland it had entered, straining to see any signs of activity. After several tense moments, she caught a glimpse of Daryl's blonde hair, and exhaled deeply when she saw the redneck crouching once again in his original position. "So far, so good," she muttered quietly to herself.

Waiting patiently for a walker to come close enough to her hiding place, she observed both Glenn and T-Dog draw walkers of their own into the woods, before returning safely to their positions to wait for more. Glenn's plan appeared to be working perfectly.

A walker finally came close enough for her to try whistling at it. She licked her lips and blew. As expected, one revolting creature cocked its head and began heading her way. Unfortunately, her whistle also attracted the attention of a second walker, and the pair of them began shambling towards her. "Shit," she cursed quietly, then reminded herself not to panic. She concentrated on taking long, steady breaths as she backed up, moving slowly, deliberately, her eyes trained on her targets.

When she was fully concealed by forest growth, she fitted her back to an optimal tree, then peered out from behind it. The pair of walkers were trudging along side by side now. If there had only been some distance between them, the task of disabling them would have been made considerably easier, but bunched up as they were, she would need to stab both almost simultaneously to avoid being bitten. Her knife at the ready, she waited, ticking off seconds in her head, listening intently to gauge the walkers' distance by their footfalls.

The two beasts were almost directly in front of the tree when she leaped out. Her first strike was sharp and true, the knife sinking to the hilt as it pierced the walker's eye and continued on to its brain. She drew the knife back with a snap of her elbow, the second walker's advance immediately frozen as it took a few seconds to realize what was happening. As the knife exited the first walker, however, the blade caught on some part of its skull for the briefest of moments, and the ensuing momentum caused that walker's rotting force to tumble forwards. The thing landed squarely on Andrea, knocking her onto her back, where she was pinned by the beast's corpse as it collapsed on top of her.

Gnashing its teeth viciously, the second walker lunged for her trapped body, falling into a crouch next to her and opening its jaws wide as its nightmarish head lowered and prepared to tear into her neck.

Unable to move, to bring her knife up to jab the awful thing descending upon her, she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable.

And then suddenly the collapsed walker was yanked upwards, and her lungs expanded to take in huge gulps of air. She blinked and opened her eyes.

A pair of vivid blue eyes stared back at her. "Oh, Jesus, Jesus," Rick muttered, dropping the knife he had plunged into the walker before he had hurled it from her body. Kneeling next to her, his fingers slipped into the top of her shirt, running along her collar bones, her neck, searching for any broken skin. "Did he bite you? Are you bit?" He was frantic.

Her terror beginning to ebb, Andrea tried to smile in an effort to reassure him. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she gasped, sitting up. "No bites, Rick. I'm fine."

His face was creased with worry, and he seemed unconvinced.

"I'm fine," she insisted. She looked down at his hands which now gripped her shoulders under her shirt and smirked. "How about you try helping me up, instead of trying to feel me up?"

Her strategy of levity seemed to finally do the trick, and his facial muscles relaxed. Getting to his feet, he offered her a hand, which she gratefully took. Her shock still fading, she swayed slightly when she stood, and Rick immediately slipped an arm around her waist to hold her steady. Even with her mind still reeling, she was all too aware of his presence, and took a step backwards. She brushed at leaves and twigs clinging to her clothing, then shifted her gaze to him once again. "Honest, I'm fine."

Rick studied her face closely. "You still up for this?"

"Fuck, yeah."

Her immediate, biting response coaxed a grin from Rick. "Good. I'll just, uh… get back to it then, I guess?" He was clearly still a little leery about leaving her.

Knowing the group needed him back fulfilling his role, she nodded firmly. "Yep."

He nodded in return, and moved to head back to his position.

"Rick, I…"

He paused, looked back at her, his head cocked slightly.

Andrea cleared her throat. "… Thank you," she finally managed.

Rick's smile was warm and sincere. "Any time," he tossed back before slipping once again into the trees.