Your kind words inspire me to write more! Seriously, I thank you.

...

"Are you sure these tracks are fresh?" Aaron asked as Daryl stooped to examine something in the brush.

They had been following along beside a creek for the better part of the day. Daryl occasionally stopped to listen or study what he said were tracks, but Aaron wasn't so sure. He wasn't an expert by any means, but he figured that they should have run into the owners of said tracks by now. He had been hesitant to bring up the question because he hadn't wanted to offend Daryl - a task that came far too easily to him lately - but now he was getting worried that they might be on a wild goose chase.

As expected, Daryl cut his eyes at him before rising again with a sigh. Aaron braced himself for a sarcastic retort and was thoroughly surprised when all he received in return was a firm, "They're fresh."

He didn't know what he had done, but somewhere along the way Daryl had decided that he didn't like him. That fact shouldn't have bothered him really, but for some strange reason it gnawed at him. He had assumed that they had been getting along back at Alexandria, hadn't they? He had searched his brain, but he kept coming up empty for reasons why Daryl would suddenly dislike him.

As if that fact alone didn't complicate things enough, he was starting to feel things...things that he had no business feeling. Like last night for instance. Daryl had roasted several squirrel over a small fire for them to share. Aaron was working past his protests over eating the animal, but Daryl...Daryl ate every meal as if it were his last. The man had no qualms over smacking lips and licking fingers.

And really, those things didn't have any affect over Aaron.

At all.

Except when Daryl had licked his fingers, tongue sliding all the way down each digit and back, something had stirred deep within him. Eyes transfixed, he had watched Daryl's mouth close over the thickness of his thumb, humming a little as he collected the juices before pulling it free with a soft pop. It really shouldn't have affected Aaron the way that it did.

But it had.

The real kicker of it all was that after Daryl had fallen asleep, he had to sneak off into the bushes just to find some relief. That wasn't him. He wasn't the guy who craved sex all day, every day. Some guys he knew from before had thought about it all the damn time, but it had never been like that between him and Eric. Sure, they had sex and it was great, but it wasn't an itch that needed scratching daily. It just wasn't.

"Hey! Pay attention," Daryl barked from ahead.

Aaron blinked, realizing that he wasn't keeping up and he hastened his steps to catch up to Daryl who shook his head with a look of exasperation. "Sorry. I'm usually more alert than this," Aaron explained. "I guess I'm just ready to be back home."

"Home?" Daryl snorted. "You call that place home?"

"Well, what would you call it?"

Daryl paused as if seriously considering the question and then he shrugged. "Ain't no home I've ever had. Just another stepping stone to something else I reckon."

"You don't like it there?" Aaron questioned.

"Could be worse," Daryl answered with a sideways glance. "You like it there?"

"Could be worse," Aaron echoed.

The corners of Daryl's lips twitched upward, the first semblance of a smile he had seen from the man. Even though it wasn't full-blown, he would still accept it as a win. It sure beat the grunts and growls he had been receiving thus far.

"You missin' your guy?" Daryl's question caught him off guard. He realized that he hadn't thought much about Eric this trip in regards to missing him. His first trip out in months without him and he didn't even miss him. What did that say about him as a person? Guilt swam through him.

"Eric?"

"Who else?" Daryl huffed with a bewildered expression.

"I gu-" Before Aaron could complete his thought, he found himself flat on the ground, the air knocked clean from his lungs. He blinked rapidly up at Daryl who held him down with one hand braced upon his chest, the other holding one long finger to his lips. Aaron's heart pounded a thousand beats a minute within his chest as he began to hear voices.

Daryl's eyes briefly met his and Aaron nodded to show he understood the need for quiet as Daryl removed his hand, his eyes scanning their surroundings. Aaron rolled onto his belly next to Daryl and peered through the brush in front of them.

Three men walked the woods several hundred yards away, their voices carrying over to them. They weren't close enough to make out what was being said, but Aaron knew better than to waltz up on three possibly armed men especially when they were outnumbered. He and Eric had learned early on that you didn't approach just anyone. You made a plan that left room for the potential of something going wrong and only then did you approach. Apparently Daryl was of the same frame of mind.

"One on the left is packin'," Daryl whispered.

Aaron's eyes followed, studying the burly man on the left of the trio. He was bald, an array of tattoos covering his large bare arms. As Aaron's eyes slid to his waist he saw the unmistakable bulge of the gun that Daryl had referred to. He swallowed down a wave of anxiety.

Guns posed a problem. Neither he nor Daryl carried a gun and normally that wasn't a big deal. But these men didn't seem the type to willingly listen to what he had to say before opening fire. Aaron wasn't ready to die and he wasn't about to let Daryl die either. However, he more than anyone knew better than to judge someone based solely on their looks. If anyone could get a feel for these men then it was him.

The other two men were large in stature, but didn't appear to be carrying any guns that he could see. One was carrying a backpack and the other carried some type of long metal stake of some sort. Aaron couldn't write them off just because they carried weapons as a means to defend themselves. He had taken a chance with Rick's group and it had paid off. They could do this.

"We need to follow them," Aaron whispered, "See what kind of people they are."

Daryl's eyes slid to his narrowly, "Are you out of your mind? They're clearly not out for a fuckin' stroll."

They turned back toward the direction of the men, watching as they made their way away from them further into the woods. They were still talking occasionally, but just as before their words were indecipherable from this distance.

"Look, I know they don't look like the friendly type, but that may just be a front. Their size alone would make them invaluable to Alexandria, don't you think?" Aaron asked.

"If you're wrong..." Daryl sighed. "Fuck it. We're gonna die one day anyway, right?"

Daryl made the move to stand now that the trio were falling out of sight, but Aaron grabbed his arm. He stared into Daryl's eyes intently. He needed to know that Daryl was in this with him. Their was something in Daryl that Aaron had seen from that first day with Eric when they had spotted their group out on the road. He wasn't just a redneck like he tried to appear to be.

Daryl's eyes fell upon Aaron's hand that gripped his arm. "Do you trust me?" Aaron asked.

Daryl sighed and closed his eyes briefly, one hand gripping his crossbow. "Aaron..."

"We can do this, Daryl. We'll follow them, see what they're up to and come up with a plan. If they seem hostile then we'll back off and pretend this never happened, okay?"

"And if this blows up in our face...what then?"

Aaron slowly let his hand drop, his fingers tingling a bit from the skin to skin contact with Daryl. He stared off in the direction that the men had disappeared.

It was the same every time. There was always a fear that things could go terribly wrong. He had experienced it with Eric multiple times, but his saving grace was knowing that if something happened to him then at least Eric would make it. To make things happen then you had to take the risk and hope that it all worked out. It was all they had.

"Then you head back without me. Simple as that."