Daryl returned from the woods a few hours later with a rabbit and a few squirrels. Lori cooked them into a pretty decent stew and dessert was a handful of fresh peaches from Maggie. Jane hadn't had fresh fruit since right after the walkers started, and the peach tasted decadently sweet. She was licking peach juice off her wrist when she accidentally caught Daryl's eye. He was looking at her across the fire with an ambiguous expression on his face. Jane looked away quickly, her eyes flashing with anger from their interaction earlier that day.
It began to get dark and everyone hurried to finish eating and cleaning up before they lost the light. Andrea retreated to the RV and the Grimes family headed to their tent. Dale took first watch and posted up on top of his RV with the binoculars.
As the fire died down Shane stretched and stood up. "I'mma hit the hay. 'Night." Glenn also stood and glanced back towards the farmhouse. "You waiting on Maggie, Glenn?" Jane teased.
"Something like that. I'll be back in a bit."
"Be safe" Jane shot over her shoulder as Glenn walked towards the house.
"Of course" he shot back.
Jane looked around and registered that Daryl was still sitting across the dying fire. He was engrossed in cleaning his arrows, wiping them with his red rag and laying them neatly in a line next to him. Jane put her hands in her sweatshirt pockets and sank down into her chair, closing her eyes. She wasn't going to let Daryl Dixon know she was still angry, so she stayed put.
Jane didn't realize she had dozed off until Emily scuttled out from under the chair, bumping her awake in the process. Emily was up because Daryl had stood and moved towards the dog, offering some meat from his plate. Emily's tail thumped against Jane's chair as the dog ate the treat from Daryl's hand. He crouched down and rubbed Emily's ears.
"She's a good dog," he mumbled.
"I know she is" Jane grumbled, not looking up. "I don't need you to tell me that."
"I had a dog like this once." Daryl sank into the seat next to Jane, startling her upright in her chair. She glared at him. He glared right back, boring his blue eyes into hers. She looked away, heat flooding her cheeks from the intensity of his stare.
"Duke."
"What?" she snapped
"Dog's name was Duke. My brother brought him home. 'Found him on a construction site."
Jane was unsure of the right response. She was shocked that Daryl was speaking to her, and even more surprised that he was initiating the conversation. She realized that this was his version of an apology.
"He was a good dog. Loyal." He patted Emily's side.
Jane held out her hand and Emily nosed her palm. The Shepherd sat and laid her head on Jane's thigh with a sigh. Jane was afraid to look at Daryl so she stared ahead at the embers of the fire. The trio sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the crickets and night sounds.
Daryl watched Jane out of the corner of his eye. She was hunched down in the chair with her hood on and her hands in her pockets. She looked small. He thought back to her face when she came across him and the dog in the woods this morning. Her eyes were dark with anger and he knew she would have done whatever it took in that moment to keep that dog safe.
Emily had followed him when he walked off that morning and he hadn't thought to send her back. The dog had taken a liking to him; mostly because of the extra treats her brought her. He didn't anticipate Jane's fury, and he felt something grind inside him when he realized that he had caused her to feel that fear.
The warmth of the dying fire had made her cheeks pink, like when she blushed or was flushed from exertion. He'd seen her blush a few times when she caught him looking at her, and she always looked away quickly. He watched her interact with Shane and T-Dog and they didn't make her blush. He saw how they looked at her body or watched her ass when she walked away. He couldn't say he blamed them. She certainly wasn't tough to look at. She was small and strong and he wondered if she'd be soft or fierce in bed. He wondered what she tasted like.
"Hey Daryl?" Jane spoke softly. She could feel his eyes on her. "I'm sorry I freaked out over Emily today. We haven't been apart...since she found me and...I didn't handle it too well. I was worried something happened to her."
There was no response from Daryl. Jane felt exposed from her admission of emotions, and she felt the anger of that vulnerability creep in. She patted Emily's head and rose from her chair.
"Please just let me know next time she wants to follow you somewhere."
She walked to her tent with Emily padding behind, and ducked into the opening, zipping it closed behind them.
