Daryl's P.O.V.

"Please just go! I don't want you to see me like this." Paul said refusing to look at him. Daryl wanted to get mad and force him to turn around and face him. He wanted to punch the little fucker right in the back of the head, but he couldn't. Something about Paul left him unable to treat him harshly. Just the thought of hurting him pained him.

"Fine." He thinks to him self as he reaches in to the pocket of his jeans. He pulls out a gift he had wanted to give Paul and tosses it on to his bed. "Shoulda known this shit wouldn't last." He thinks as he turns and opens the window to climb out. Before he shuts the window he takes one last look at the guy he thought could have really cared then pushes the window down.

He climbs down the same way he climbs up and starts walking down the road not caring if any one could see him. As he does he has the strong sense that Paul is watching him but he refuses to allow him self to look back and see. "You don't need him. He's just like all the others." He keeps telling him self. When Daryl gets close to the gate he has to sneak around the guard hut again and climb back over the gate. He lands on the other side and dusts him self off before starting down the dark road back home.

When he hears what sounds like some one calling his name, he stops. He turns around to see nothing but darkness. When he hears it again, he forces him self to ignore it. "You're just hearing shit." He tells him self. He stuffs his hands in his pockets and keeps walking away in to the night.

The next day he felt awful but didn't know why. It wasn't like he felt sick, just bored an unable to fix it. The normal things he would do didn't seem like fun anymore. He just wanted to lay in his room and watch TV. So he did. In fact he hardly left his room all day. Which his brother didn't like.

"The hell you still doing here boy?" Merle asks barging in to his room around four in the afternoon. "Aren't you normally out shooting shit or with that rich kid what's his name Pete?"

"Paul." Daryl mumbles. "And he's not talking to me anymore."

"What for?"

Daryl shrugs. "Don't' know… Wouldn't say."

"Well I told ya you not to get use to that prick. Aint no one gonna love ya 'sept me little bro."

Daryl sighs. "Yeah I know."

"Well I'm heading out." Merle says as he leaves. "Try not to sit around the house all day."

"What ever." Daryl says as he fiddles with some of his things. He can hear the trailer door open then close followed by his brother's motorcycle starting up and pulling off. Daryl sighs and throws his feet off the bed and on to the floor. "Merle's right.. I need to get out of the house." He reaches over and grabs his boots to pull them on. Then he grabs a random shirt from his closet and does the same before heading out the door.

Daryl walks down the road kicking rocks as he goes wondering what he should do. "I guess I could just go feed the cat. I haven't checked on him today." He kicks one last rock before turning on to the road that leads in to town.

Before he heads to the ally, he swings by a gas station to buy a small can of cat food. Then he walks down the street a little more till he makes it to the ally. He's pleased to see the kitten waiting for him like always. "Hey puss-puss. You hungry?" He's answered with a high pitched meow. "Alright hang on." He smiles as he cracks the lid on the food.

Placing the cat food down for the kitten, he squats down to watch him eat. The cat takes a few sniffs at the food then looks up at him meowing. "What's wrong. Thought you liked that kind." The cat circles his feet and keeps meowing. "I don't know what you want buddy." The kitten runs over to an empty can and sniffs it. Daryl picks the can up to read it. "Salmon? Who's been feeding you… Oh.."

"Meow!"

"Sorry little buddy, I doubt he'll be coming around any more." He tosses the can in the dumpster. "Best not get use to the fancy food. It may taste better but the cost is higher…" Daryl sighs and squats back down and nudges the cat food he just opened. The cat, left with no other choices, then starts to eat. "He was right you know… We are alike. Nothing but strays, and there isn't anything sadder then and out side cat who think he's an inside cat." He says as he runs his finger over the back of the little black cat.

"Well that was oddly profound of you to say."

Daryl stands up straight and does an about face. There at the ally opening was the Korean kid Paul was friends with. "What are you doing here." He growls. "And what happen to your face?"

Glenn touches his face and laughs. "Paul and I had a bit of a fight."

"Looks more like you got your ass kicked to me." Daryl scoffs.

"Yeah well.. I feel I did alright considering it was my first fight." He laughs.

Daryl stands there looking over his face wondering why Paul attacked him after he told him not to. "So what did y'all fight over?"

Glenn sighs. "Believe it or not it was about you." Daryl scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Well more so about a stone you gave him."

Daryl tries to act like hearing about the stone didn't faze him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah sure you don't." Glenn sighs. "Look I don't want to be here talking to you any more then you want to be here listening to me but we have one thing in common. We care about Paul. I know what I did was low but I'm trying to fix that by helping him find you."

"The hell are you talking about helping him find me?" Daryl growls.

"I don't know if you know it or not but Paul's been grounded. He couldn't leave his house except for school and now after our fight he's on house arrest pretty much."

"And.."

"And he wants to talk to you." Glenn says. "I told him I would try and find you for him to let you know. Now I may not like you but I hate how miserable he's become with out you. He just lays around during class and it looks like he's done nothing but cry for the last 2 days. I don't know what he said to you the last time you talked but he told me to tell you he was sorry. There's more,.. but I feel you should hear it from him your self. So if you don't mind, please call him or go over there to talk to him."

Daryl stares at him for a moment. Part of him is wondering if this could be a trap. After all this is the guy who blabbed to Paul's parents. "He could just be setting me up." Daryl thinks.

"I can tell you don't believe me and your right to doubt me.. I haven't given you any reason to trust me."

"Damn right you haven't.. How do I know this isn't a trap?"

Glenn shrugs. "You don't… you just have to trust me."

Daryl scoffs. "Yeah not happening." He turns around and starts to walk back down the ally.

"Wait!" Glenn calls out to him. "Before you go can I ask you something." Daryl stops but doesn't say anything. "Why do you call him Jesus."

"How do you know about that…" Daryl asks while looking over his shoulder.

"I took the stone from him… that's why we fought." Glenn confessed. "I thought it was just a rock but then I seen the name "Jesus" carved in it and when I said it out loud he lost it."

Daryl throws his head back and chuckles softly before glancing at Glenn. "Did he tell you not to call him that."

"Yeah.. he did." Glenn says slightly surprised. "Said I had no right to call him that… That's when I connected the dots and figured that it must have been from you… So why do you call him that?"

"It's just a nickname." Daryl shrugs. "No real meaning behind it."

"Don't play me for a fool."

"Fine.. You really want to know?" Daryl ask turning to face him. "Did he ever tell you how we first meet? That fight he broke up here in the ally." Glenn nods. "Well I was getting my ass kicked and when he showed up he was standing there right were you are with the light glowing around him. I was so out of it from a blow to the head I thought I had died and was seeing Jesus him self. When I realized what was really going on, I got up and he helped me get rid of them. Then the fool chases me down the street trying to talk to me and I just hid from him. And you know what he did…" Glenn shook his head. "He left me some food." Daryl laughs. "He actually left me some food in a bag because he said he wanted to make sure I had eaten. Who does that."

"Paul does." Glenn smiles. "That's the kind of person he is."

"Yeah well.." Daryl looks away from Glenn and down at his feet. "I ain't ever meet any one like him so I didn't know what else to call him"

Glenn looks him over and nods. "Well I guess its fitting for him… Mind if I ask one more question." Daryl nods for him to go ahead. Glenn licks his lips and braces him self to be hit again. "Do.. you like him.." Daryl's head jerks up and Glenn instantly tries to explain why he asked. "It's just the way you talk about him and how you try to act like you don't care when you clearly do…" Daryl just stands there glaring at him. "It's fine if you do, I wont judge."

Daryl just scoffs. "So since you found me, what now?"

"Well, I'm suppose to text him and tell him I did and that I talked to you I guess.." Glenn says.

"Don't.." Daryl says abruptly.

"Don't… You mean don't tell him I found you. But why not?" Glenn asks.

"I got your message and that's what matters. I'll think it over but in the mean time I don't need him waiting on me. If you tell him you found me and talked to me then he's going to expect me to come over tonight."

"And you're not?"

Daryl shakes his head. "I need some time to think." He says as he turns around to walk away.

"Well don't take to long, he's not going to sit by and patiently wait. Sooner or later he'll come looking for you him self."

"Maybe that's what I want." Daryl grins over his shoulder causing Glenn gasp. "Maybe I like when he chases me."

"So you do like him." Glenn asks again. Daryl just turns away never answering the question. "Alright. I wont tell him but this makes us even as far as I'm concerned." Glenn yells. Daryl just waves goodbye and keeps walking.

"Let's see how long it takes you to come looking for me." Daryl thinks as he walks out the other end of the ally with a sly smile on his face. "Knowing you.. I give it till Sunday." Daryl chuckles to him self then starts the long walk back home.

"Day three." Daryl tells him self as he walks down the road back in town. Every day since he spoke with Glenn, Daryl would go to the one of the places he had shown Paul. Spending a few hours at each till the sun would set and he would head home. Each day he would wait to see if Paul would show up looking for him but so far he hasn't. "I'm surprised you held out this long. Oh well maybe today will be the day."

His first stop today was going to be the River. It was closer to his home and normally the last one he would go to but today he wanted to change it up a bit. So instead of walking the rest of the way in to town, he turns down the gravel road that leads to the river.

He walks down the road a little while till he finds a spot where some stones looked like they had been kicked up recently. He does a quick glance around but doesn't see anyone or anything so he keeps walking. When he starts through the trees he wonders what it could have been that kicked up those rocks. It was an odd formation like some one had taken a large stick and just drug it through the rocks in a semicircle. He shrugs it off and keeps pushing his way through the trees.

When he brakes free from the trees, he takes a deep breath and breaths in the sweet smell of nature. He then looks around and spots a strange stack of rocks on the bolder Paul and him had laid on last week. He tilts his head curiously and walks over to investigate it. When he gets closer he spot a little white paper flapping a little under the rocks. "What's this.." he asks out loud as he pulls the paper free.

Unfolding the paper he read. " To, Ally Cat, … I want to tell you in person. Please come see me tonight. Same time as last time... 2/3"

Daryl smiles. "That son of a bitch. I must have just missed him.. Wait, what's 2/3 mean.." He stands there and thinks about it for a moment. "I wonder if it means second note of three.. That would mean there's a first and third part some where." Daryl looks around for any more mounds of rocks or any papers that might have flown off. When he doesn't find any more he refolds the paper and stuffs it in his pocket and starts to head back out to the road.

"I wonder if he left more in the Ally." he thinks as he starts running in to town.

When he makes it to the Ally, he looks around for another note and spots it under a brick. He picks it up and unfolds it to read. "To Ally Cat, I hope its you read this. If it is, there's something I need to tell you but… 1/3"

"I was right." He smiles folding this note and putting it with the other in his pocket. "But there's still one more." He quickly looks around just in case there is another note. When he doesn't find anything, he takes off down the street to the store.

As he runs through the parking lot he has to dodge shoppers who are heading to their cars and runs in to the last person he would have expected to see. "Daryl?" He stops in his tracks and looks up to see Paul's mother.

"Mrs. Rovia… What are you doing here?"

"I'm shopping.. What are you doing here?"

"I'm getting some cat food." He lied.

"Oh okay. Well it was nice seeing you.." she starts to push her cart past him.

"Uh wait.. How's Paul? I mean he's okay and all, right?"

Paul's mother forces a smile. "He's fine, thank you for asking."

Daryl nods. "Look Mrs. Rovia, I have to confess something to you. I lied when you asked me about my life. Truth is my parents are dead and I live with my brother. He's not the best of men and because of that people always assume I'm like him, but I'm not. I only lied to you because I figured if you knew the truth you wouldn't let me hang out with Paul. I don't go to school anywhere and other then some normal boy hood antics I haven't done anything illegal. I know you already know most of this but I just wanted you to hear it from me."

"Wait.. how do you know.."

"Oh yeah, Well I ran in to Glenn the other day and he told me that he told you all the truth that night Paul skipped his class, and that you grounded Paul because of it. I'm sure he told you what he thought was the truth about me but even his truth was only half right. But now you know the whole truth and I just wanted to say I'm sorry I lied. I know it wont fix anything but at least you know."

Paul's mother smiles sweetly down at him. "Well thank you Daryl… I'll tell Paul you asked about him."

"Um actually if you don't mind, can you keep the fact we ran in to each other a secret. If he knew you ran in to me it might upset him and I don't want that." Daryl says.

Paul's mother looks slightly confused but nods any way. "Sure, but only if you do me a favor for me too."

Daryl's stomach flips. He fears that she will ask him to stay away from her son for good but he's left with no choice but to agree with her right now if he doesn't want Paul to know he talked with her. "Yes ma'am."

Paul's mother leads him over to her car and starts to unload her bags from the cart. With out being told or asked, Daryl does the same waiting on her to ask her favor. When all the bags are in her car, she closes the trunk and then faces him. "Thank you and as for my favor, would you mind coming over tonight for dinner?"

"Wha- Are you serious?" She nods. "But I thought you guys never wanted me to come near Paul again."

"That may be true but I feel we may not have given you a fair chance. So, if you can, would you mind coming by for dinner tonight around six?"

"Yes! Yes Ma'am I'll be there!"

"Good. Just remember, this time no lies. If I ask you a question I want the truth. If you can agree to that then I'll keep this meeting and the fact your coming over a secret."

Daryl nods. "Yes ma'am, no more lies, I swear!"

"Okay then, I'll see you tonight." She climbs in her car and backs out of her parking lot. "Remember be there at six." She says as she drives off.

"I'll be there." Daryl waves.

As he watches her drive off he feels like he might have been given a second chance at life. He thinks about running home and getting a shower right away but remembers why he came there in the first place. Waiting till he see's Paul's mothers car turn out of sight, he then takes off running to find the last of Paul's notes.

He finds this one just as quickly as he found the others. It was pinned to a tree with half his broken bolt from the other day. Jerking the bolt out he takes the note and unfolds it to read the last of Paul's messages. "To Ally Cat, My window will be unlocked and I'll be waiting. Jesus. P.S… I miss you so please come.. (3/3)"

Daryl refolds this not and adds it to the others he has. "I'll be there sooner then you think." He smiles as he takes off running back to his house.