*What do you guys think of my portrail of the TWD characters? Do you feel like it is them or am I straying? Just curious.

Rebecca's feet stung as she dipped her heels in the bowl of cold water. The welts on the back and sides of her feet seemed to hiss as they made contact with the liquid.

She sat alone in her cabin, basically sulking. After coming in and slamming the door behind her, Rebecca stripped off her jacket and hoodie and put on her bra, which she hadn't bothered with this morning, and a fresh, long-sleeved tee. She sat at the table and gradually removed her boots, knowing from the sting at her heels what she was about to see. Her feet had blistered from their silent march back to the hunting lodge. She hadn't done herself any favours, essentially stomping the whole way back.

While she had been mad at Daryl for stopping something from happening between them, she also knew why he did. It was foolish to be so open and vulnerable out there. Not twenty yards from where she had been grabbed by the rotting monster in the water. She realised she wasn't angry at Daryl, but rather, at the world. Angry that the horrors around them could steal everything from her, including the best moment she had had in months.

Her blisters cooled and she took her feet out of the bowl. She dried them and put a few dry, soft flannel strips to the raw flesh. She held the material in position as she pulled on a pair of clean socks, to hold it all in place. She went and lay on her bed, face down and closed her eyes, resting until someone would come get her for dinner.

…...

The duck was delicious and plenty to go around. The ducks had been quite large and the three birds cut up into twelve pieces nicely. Everyone sat around the table, talking and enjoying the cooked bird. Daryl sat at the kitchen window, with his back to the group and Rebecca, on watch. Rebecca and Daryl the only silent people in the room, except for Kitty. But even she was looking around at faces and listening in to the conversation.

If anyone noticed the reserved behaviour of the quiet pair, no one said anything.

After the meal, Rebecca excused herself saying she was tired. The people thanked her and Daryl and said goodnight to her. Leaving the room as she had entered, not showing how much her feet stung, walking with her shoulders back. Daryl watched her leave furtively over his shoulder. He closed his eyes and thought back to their kiss. 'Why the fuck did I stop' he thought to himself. No reason seemed to make sense anymore. At the time he had stopped because they were so exposed to danger. But, fuck it, that didn't seem like enough of a reason now that they were far away from it. He breathed heavily and bit at the inside of his mouth.

"Daryl." Rick put a hand to Daryl's shoulder. "You ok? I said your name a few times there, and you didn't even notice." Daryl shrugged off Rick's hand and looked around the room. 'When, the fuck, did everyone leave?' Daryl thought to himself. Rick stood beside him, hands on his hips, regarding the guarded man.

"I'm fine." Daryl grumbled, standing up from his chair. "I'll take watch out the front."

"You sure there isn't anywhere else you want to be?" Rick asked in his patient voice.

"I said I'm fine, didn' I?" He pulled his crossbow to his shoulder and stalked out of the room.

…...

The morning sun broke through the curtains and woke Rebecca from her uneasy night's sleep. It would appear she only slept soundly now when she shared a bed with Daryl. The man in question hadn't come to their room at all last night.

In a bad mood from her crappy sleep, Rebecca dressed and sought out Rick.

"Daryl has gone out hunting. He slept in the lodge last night." Rick said running his hand through his hair and looking up at Rebecca through his eyelashes in a decidedly Rick kind of way.

"So?" Replied Rebecca in, what she hoped was, an indifferent voice. "I'll take watch today. There is a ladder beside the stable out the back. I was going to climb up on the roof to watch from up high."

"Ok." Said Rick, moving on from her reply about Daryl. "Let someone know if you need help." Clearly, her sore feet yesterday hadn't gone as unnoticed by the former deputy as she had thought.

She nodded her head and left, feeling his eyes on her back as she walked away. Going past her room for her smokes, she made her way to the stables and the ladder to the roof. She pushed the pack of cigarettes into her back pocket and climbed to the top. Hauling herself the last bit, she got up and walked over to the apex of the shallow roof. It was mostly flat, but for a slight angle to allow the rain to run off to the front and back of the building.

She had wanted to watch from the roof as it also gave her some time alone, away from the group. Months by herself had her practically screaming for company, now all she needed was to be left to her thoughts.

She pulled a cigarette from the pack and brought it to her lips. 'Only three left' she thought as she closed the box and lit the one in her mouth. She only smoked when she was upset. Thinking of her time with the group she had only brought out the smokes once before. After her little chat with Daryl about Dave. Rebecca pulled her crossed knees up to her chest and hugged herself as she puffed away.

She looked around the cabin grounds. It was a good spot to watch from. She could see a little way through the trees all around the fence line and took a few minutes to really look. She then saw Glenn standing at the front gate near the cars. He was facing her with a hand shielding his eyes from the sun. She put up a hand, gesturing a wave to the Asian kid. He waved back and turned away, walking the perimeter of the grounds. She had thought of him as a kid but he was only 4 years younger than her. They had discovered that while chatting at the dinner table one night. But his compassion and humanity made him almost seem naïve. And that naivety give the impression he was more youthful than his age dictated. Either that, or Rebecca was more world-hardened than she thought and aged because of it.

Hershel was clearly the oldest of the group. But she wasn't sure who was next in line. It was either Carol, Rick or Daryl. She made a note to ask Daryl his age when she was speaking to him again. She took a last drag and stubbed out the cigarette on the side of her boot tread, before flicking the butt off the roof.

Beth and Carl were walking around the grounds beside the main building, away from the prying eyes of adults. Rebecca smirked as she spied on the cute pair, talking all bashful like to each other. Lori interrupted their private moment when she came around from the front of the building, asking if the two could join her and Carol at the table for some schooling. 'One day kid' Rebecca thought to herself as she smiled and watched the boy begrudgingly follow his mother inside.

Suddenly Daryl emerged from the woods at the entrance to the hunting grounds. Rebecca watched as his eyes shot up to her on the roof and then back down as he stalked inside the lodge. She reached for her cigarettes and took another from the box, realising she was still pissed. "Two to go." She said out loud, bringing her lighter to the tip of the smoke.

…...

Daryl had emerged from the tree line and instantly noticed the figure on the roof. He surveyed Rebecca briefly before dropping his eyes to the ground and proceeding inside the main building. He went in the kitchen to drop off the rabbits and a possum he had pinned. He hadn't skinned them yet but his thoughts weren't on the food at the moment. He dropped them in the sink and pulled his knife from his belt. Handing the blade to Carol he asked "Think ya can handle it?". She took the knife with a smile.

"Sure." Carol said through smirking lips. "Think you can handle that?" She pointed to the ceiling with one finger, looking up.

Daryl, knowing that she was referring to the skulking woman on the roof, rolled his eyes at her and left the room.

He chewed on his thumb nail as he made his way to the ladder. Feeling the same way he had when he had tracked her down to the jeep. He shook his head at himself. 'Being all scared of a woman, what's wrong with you boy?' he scalded himself in Merle's voice. He put his hands to the ladder rungs and climbed.

Rebecca had heard him coming. He breathed a lot heavier when he was troubled by something. She heard his steps up the ladder and leaned back on her hands, knees still up, cigarette firm at her lips.

He pulled himself up the last bit, after placing his crossbow up onto the roof first. He got up and walked towards Rebecca slowly, dipping to pick up his bow.

Just at that moment, the largest spider Rebecca had ever seen decided to make its presence known by skating right beside her hand. She instantly recoiled and screamed, pulling her hand to herself and pushing herself up to her feet and away from the offending arachnid. Daryl strided forward and stepped on the spider, as Rebecca clapped her hands over her mouth to stifle her scream.

"Jesus woman, I've seen you take down walkers at least three times bigger'n 'at lil' thing. Good lord." He shook his head with a smile.

Rick, Glenn and T-dog all came running to the front of the building armed and ready for walkers, looking up at Rebecca and Daryl on the roof for direction.

Rebecca turned away from them in embarrassment, facing Daryl with her face in her hands.

"False alarm." Daryl called to the men on the ground. "Lil' miss Muffett here is apparently afraid of spiders."

Rebecca crouched down, hiding herself from view of Rick and the others as they turned back to their previous positions.

Daryl turned to look at her, all bent over with her face in her hands. He walked over and sat beside her, biting at his thumb nail again. Rebecca slowly slid her face from her hands and sat down herself. She rested her head on her arms which sat atop her pulled up knees. Feeling a warm calloused hand on her lower back, under her jacket and shirt, she lifted her head and turned her face to Daryl, brushing her hair out of her eyes.

"'S alrigh'. I ain't gonna let anything get you again. No walkers, no spiders, no nothing."

She leaned in to him as he wrapped his hand around her hip and moved himself closer towards her. Rebecca wiped at her face, and rested her head on his shoulder.

"How old are you?" She asked.

…...

A few uneventful days passed and Rebecca's feet had healed nicely. Thanks mostly to Daryl, who had cleaned them properly and applied some sort of salve from a plant he had sought out in the woods. She felt good as they walked together to the main lodge in the early morning air.

Entering the building, they saw Rick, Glenn, T-dog and Hershel in the lounge. T-dog stood at the window as the others sat around the coffee table, discussing the area map that was laid out before them.

"If any one of us were to get hurt, or ill at the moment, we wouldn't have the necessary medical supplies to help them heal." Hershel said in his considering doctors voice, continuing from the conversation they had been having.

"That and other supplies are getting low around here too." Glenn added. "We have to make a run."

Daryl and Rebecca joined the group on the couches and listened to the discussion.

With a nod to Daryl, Rick pointed to a position on the map. "We haven't checked out this way yet." He said, referring to Daryl and himself. "I believe this is our best bet."

A road with a small dotting of buildings indicating a tiny township. Glenn nodded his agreement and looked to Rick and Daryl. "When do we leave?" He asked.

"I say today. Why put it off any longer?" Rick stated flatly.

"Ok. Get yer boots on ladies." Daryl said getting to his feet and picking up his crossbow.

Rebecca stood up and turned to the door. "Just let me get my bow. I'll be right back." Daryl and Rick looked at each other, wondering where she got the idea she was coming along.

"You ain't comin'" Said Daryl with a furrowed brow.

"What? Yes I am." She replied, taken aback.

"No ya ain't." Daryl shot back angrily. "Yer stayin' here with the women." T-dog tried not to take offence to Daryl's comment, knowing that he was also going to be staying at the hunting lodge.

"Fuck off!" She said incredulously, turning for the door of the lodge. Daryl stormed over quickly and pushed the door shut before she could open it fully to leave.

"You ain't goin' out there!" Daryl got right in close to her, speaking in a growl.

"Get the fuck out of my way Daryl." She hissed angrily. "I know how to look around buildings and towns, and I know what kind of medical supplies Hershel needs. I am going. You can stay here if you want, but I am going." She said with finality.

Daryl's jaw ticked in annoyance as he realised he was probably going to have to tie her to her bed to keep her here. He breathed heavily through his nose, staring her down, and took his hand from the door.

Rebecca managed to stop herself before she said something stupid, like 'Yeah, I thought so.' She just set her own jaw and opened the door, biting her tongue. She left the building and went to their room to collect her weapons.

Daryl turned his eyes to Rick and to Glenn. Glenn just shrugged in a 'Women. What are you gonna do? Right?' kind of way.

Daryl blushed a bit and turned away, realising that had been a bit of a public display. He flung the door open and stalked out towards the cars and his bike.

…...

The plan was the usual one. Rick and Glenn in the truck and Daryl on his bike. Though now that plan also included Rebecca sitting between the former sheriff's deputy and the Asian. She walked quickly over to the men after saying a brief goodbye to Carol who was just getting Kitty some breakfast.

Rebecca gave a slight nod to Rick as she climbed into the middle seat of the utility. Rick chuckled slightly as he cast his eyes to Daryl who had just started his motorcycle. Getting in the drivers seat, Rick pondered the current relationship between the odd two.

It was only half an hours drive down the country roads until they came to the town. Daryl and Rick cut their respective engines and just coasted silently into the township. It was quiet, but that didn't mean shit. Everywhere was quiet these days, until it wasn't.

Daryl stopped his bike slightly off to the side of the road and kicked out the stand. Grabbing his crossbow from it's mount on the front of the motorcycle, he brought it up to his eye level and scanned the shop fronts.

The truck came to a stop behind Daryl's bike. Glenn got out first and held his shotgun high, looking around. Rebecca climbed out and to the roof of the truck. She stood up and brought her hand to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the bright sun. She looked all around them and then turned to Rick and shrugged her shoulders. It looked, for the most part, deserted. Rick held his hand to her and helped her climb down his side. She jumped the last bit and stood up, brushing her jacket down. She pulled her hunting knife from her belt sheath, favouring it over the bow and machete in close quarters, such as shops.

Glenn climbed into the back of the truck and kept his shotgun raised. He was staying with the vehicles while the others, Rebecca with Daryl and Rick alone, would look through the surrounding shops. Rick nodded to a small doctors office and the only possible chemist in the small stretch around them. Daryl nodded back and walked towards the pale blue building, Rebecca on his heals.

Her back pack at her shoulders was empty, and it swung around as she jogged, keeping close to Daryl. She kept her knife ready and her eyes peeled. He softly opened the door and peered in, crossbow at the ready. The room was dark and had the familiar sting to the nose of decay. He turned slightly and looked at Rebecca over his shoulders. Reaching back Daryl grabbed her hand and tucked her fingers into the waist band of his jeans. He shot her a glare that said 'keep your fucking hand there'. She nodded and he turned back to the room.

Daryl stepped forward through the door, his bow high, ready at aim. A single lifeless perished corpse lay in front of the reception desk in the small front room. Rebecca could barely make out in the darkness, a hole in the side of it's head. Daryl continued to move forward to the rear office of the medical centre, her hand tightly gripped his belt as she kept in step with him. She held her knife in her other hand as tightly as she held her breath.

They proceeded down the hall. Walking with silent steps until they reached the first door. Daryl held his bow high and nodded to Rebecca. She saw his motion and understood it to mean for her to open the door. She kept her hand at his waist but stretched forward with her knife hand, grasping the door handle. She turned it and pushed the door open forcefully. Daryl stepped in and swept his crossbow around the room. A single walker, in a doctors white coat, lunged forward from the rear corner, but was struck down by Daryl's bolt before it had moved two feet.

The room cleared, he stepped forward and retrieved his bolt from the destroyed creature's skull. Wiping it on the former doctor's coat, he reloaded his crossbow and reached behind him to Rebecca's wrist. He lifted her hand from his jeans and gestured to the room.

"Well? Look around." He whispered. Rebecca removed her pack from her shoulders and began looking around the room. She kept her knife in her right hand as she sifted through draws and cupboards with her left. Almost letting out a squeal of delight when she found a draw of sutures, scissors, butterfly stitches, super glue, antibacterial and alcohol wipes. She quickly emptied the draws contents into her bag. Other draws revealed other useful items. On the floor behind the desk, she spotted something else that would make Hershel's life easier. Reaching down she picked up a stethoscope, pocketing that along with a box of surgical gloves that were strewn about the floor.

Clicking his tongue, like he had back at the worksite to get her attention, Daryl caught Rebecca's eye and pointed at his wrist like he had a watch. She smiled but furrowed her forehead and shook her head softly at him. He turned back around, looking out the door, as she started opening desk draws. She found a few personal items and pens and paper, but what she was happiest about, is that the departed man on the floor had been one of those hypocrite doctors that smoked. She put the mostly full pack of cigarettes and the Zippo lighter beside them in the front pocket of her back pack. Satisfied the room was clear, she stepped around the desk and returned her hand to the waist of Daryl's jeans.

He moved forward with a nod at her touch, happy that she could at least follow one order he gave her. They moved back into the hall and down to the last room. As they stood in front of the door, a gurgling, rasping noise came from the room's depths. Daryl readied his crossbow and nodded at Rebecca to spring open the door again. As the door flew open, Daryl spotted the body on the floor, but hesitated. The man was on the ground, not lunging or trying to get to them. He held up his bloodied hands and pleaded with his eyes. The room was littered with bandages and gauze, and soaked in several pints of blood, clearly from the dying man's ripped open wound at his stomach.

"Help… me.." The man on the floor begged. He had clearly been attacked and had somehow survived the horrific gash at his abdomen. He had come in through a back door to this room and tried to stop his bleeding with anything he could find. The floor was completely covered in splatters of blood. Rebecca felt suddenly light headed, as though she might faint at the sight of so much blood. Daryl still held his crossbow up but regarded the man's position on the floor from over the top of his weapon.

Coming to grips with what she was seeing and moving into action, Rebecca released her hold on Daryl's jeans and stepped forward. Daryl grabbed at her shoulder and held on to her jacket. She turned and saw an abstract expression on Daryl's face. Concern, anger, mistrust, pity, he wore them all.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, but I have to do something." She replied to his look. He released her jacket and returned his hand to his crossbow, keeping it trained on the dying man.

Rebecca stepped forward, slipping slightly on the blood underfoot. She looked into a few of the ripped open draws and tried to think of something to help stop the bleeding. Her eyes landed on two locked draws. Hopeful, she lifted her knife to the draws and pried at the locks, trying to jimmy the first one open. After a moment of wrestling with the draws edge, it sprung open and she looked at its contents. Needles, syringes and catheters. She repeated her actions on the other draw and it too popped open with a twist of the knife. She breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at all the little vials. She didn't know what most of them were as she had only been six months into her medical training when the world fell to shit. Six months had just been long enough to learn how to read vital signs and occupational health and safety.

She took one of the vials in hand and read the label 'Diazepam'. Rebecca bit at her lips, recognising the name but not knowing what it was for. She looked at another and another until she came across a name she recognised, 'Morphine'.

Rebecca looked at the man on the ground, bleeding out and in agony. She grabbed at a syringe and twisted on a needle. Stabbing it into the vial she drew out all the liquid she could. Glancing at Daryl, who watched her step cautiously towards the man on the floor, she knew she couldn't save this guys life but maybe could end his suffering. She crouched beside him. Suddenly he reached out a hand and grabbed at her jacket. Daryl stepped forward and pointed his weapon at the guys head. Rebecca quickly put up her hand at Daryl, signing for him to stop. The bleeding out man, held onto her and looked in her eyes. She raised the needle and stabbed it in his thigh, and emptied the entire contents directly into his muscle. It only took about 10 seconds before the guys eyes started to dull and his hand dropped from her jacket.

Rebecca held her breath as the life extinguished from the man before her. She reached forward to his limp wrist and felt for a pulse. She felt nothing. Overdosing him on Morphine was a better death than the torture he was in. Standing, she turned back to the open draws and emptied the contents into her back pack.

She controlled the tight constricting feeling in her throat and packed everything she could find. Daryl kept his crossbow on the lifeless body but his eyes watched as her shoulders shuddered slightly in light sobs. He bit at the inside of his cheek and dropped his eyes back to the man, waiting for him to turn or for when Rebecca could leave the room. She stuffed the last of the clean bandages into her now full pack and slung it over her shoulders. She stepped to Daryl's side and kept her back turned to the dead man. Daryl met her eyes and understood what she was saying with them. He raised his bow and fired a bolt into the man's skull.

…...

Daryl and Rebecca left the doctor's rooms and jogged over to the truck, where Rick had already returned. Rick's eyes shot to the bloody smear on the front of Rebecca's jacket and shot a questioning look between her and Daryl.

"It's ok. We'll tell you about it later." She muttered as she opened her bag to show Rick and Glenn the supplies they had collected. Relief swept over their faces.

"Ok, the store is clear and there are some food supplies under a few knocked over shelves." Rick said.

Rebecca leant her head to the side and let her neck crack loudly. She looked up at Glenn in the truck bed.

"Wanna swap for a bit?" She asked.

Glenn nodded at her and hopped out over the side. He passed his shot gun to her and she climbed up the wheel, into the back. She looked at Daryl, who gave an approving tilt of his head before he turned and followed Rick and Glenn into the store.

They came back with a few bags of rice and flour each and some other items like dried noodles and a few canned goods in a box. They loaded them into the back and Daryl put his hands up to catch Rebecca and help her from the tub. She slung the rifle over her shoulder and straightened her jacket, before reaching for the door handle of the truck.

Daryl grabbed her wrist lightly with a smirk and pulled her by it towards his bike. She chuckled to herself as she turned to look back at Rick and Glenn with a shrug. Glenn laughed a little and Rick shook his head with a smile as they watched Daryl mount and start the motorcycle before Rebecca climbed on the back.

Rebecca hugged around Daryl's waist as he turned the bike and lead the way back to the hunting lodge.