We continue following the trail we had started on that morning. After about an hour, we decide to stop for a break to eat some dinner. "The trail from the cottage startin' to run cold." Daryl says, skinning a small rabbit he's caught while I tend to the small fire. "Far's I can tell, they been headed in this direction, but I can't tell much more than that."

"Alright." I say. "So does that mean should head back and try to find Hutch's trail? See if we can track down where his camp may be?"

Daryl smiles. "Well, while I was findin' Peter here, I also found Hutch's trail. Seems he's been headed in the same direction as we've been. Also seems like he was in a bit o' a hurry."

The idea that Hutch was travelling parallel to us strikes me as odd, but not as odd as something else. "Peter?" I ask Daryl, cocking my eyebrow up at him.

"Yeah, like in them kid's books." I continue to stare at Daryl in amusement and disbelief. "What? I read!" A few seconds pass before Daryl concedes, "Alright, alright, I heard Carol readin' to the kids back at the prison."

"Ha! I knew it!"

Daryl grumbles. "Whatever. I ain't had time to read. Besides, Carol did done all these diff'rnt voices for all them animals…" Daryl trails off and then looks sheepish. "It was nice." he adds lamely. He looks nostalgic for a moment, sadness flitting across his face.

For a split second, my heart twists in a way that is unrelated to sadness. It's a feeling I can't quite grasp, and it's gone before I have the chance to think more on it. "I miss Carol too." I say. "And Maggie. And Glenn. And everyone else."

Daryl grunts, and continues tending to the fire and the now-cooking rabbit. A moment passes in silent. I want to say something, but nothing seems appropriate. Daryl then hands me a piece of the rabbit that's finished cooking. "But Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper!" I say, putting on British accent.

Daryl looks at me blankly. "It's from "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"...?" I say meekly. "Nevermind!" I quickly add, looking to my piece of rabbit in embarrassment. I feel a slight flush fill my face, and I rush to eat, hoping to detract from the situation.

Daryl smiles. "I'm just fuckin' with ya." he says, laughing. "Yeah, I recognized them bunny names. Kids books are weird."

I throw the twig my piece of rabbit had been skewered on at Daryl. "You suck!" I say, laughing too.

"I suck?" Daryl repeats, in a mock-wounded voice, clutching his heart. "Such harsh words coming from a nice girl like you!"

"Whatever Daryl." I say. "You'd be teasing me just as badly if I really had said something harsh. I lose either way."

"Yep!" Daryl says smiling. "You're just too easy to fuck around with!"

"I didn't realize I was so fuckable!" I retort, smacking him on the arm.

Daryl just looks at me and there's a beat of silence as it dawns on me exactly what I've said. "I-I-I didn't mean it that way!" I quickly add, looking away again. "I meant it in a messing around way!" Shit, what is wrong with me? Thank god it's too dark for Daryl to see how badly I'm blushing. "I meant teasing! I know you wouldn't- I mean, I know no one would- not with me or whatever!" I babbling and I can't seem to stop. Daryl's just staring at me. Why is he staring at me? I just want him to say something. Anything. Or maybe not. Is it too late for me to just-?

"I should hope not." Daryl says quietly, almost as if talking to his food or himself.

"What?"

Daryl gets up and starts poking at the fire again, shuffling things around so that it doesn't die but doesn't grow too big either. He doesn't say anything for a moment. "You ain't the kind of girl guys should be messin' around with."

Oh. "Oh, yeah, no, of course. I mean, Zach wanted to, but I don't think it was so much about me as it was that he was a teenage boy. I know I'm not exactly, you know?" I finish lamely, gesturing to my skinny, shapeless body. "But like, whatever. I don't care about that. I never did. I had more important things on my mind. Still do." I laugh. "I mean, we gotta survive, right?"

Daryl grunts in assent. "You deserve better than that." he continues quietly, almost speaking to the fire. "You ain't some girl to be fucked. You should be loved." he trails off.

I'm taken aback. "I thought you didn't believe in love."

"Never said that." Daryl replies. "'sides, you do. 's all that matters." Daryl looks up at the darkening sky. "Whatever. 's gettin' late." he says, abruptly changing the subject.

"Yeah." I say. "So what's the plan for tonight? Find Hutch's camp?"

"I don't reckon it be a good idea to start tailin' him right away." Daryl says. "He might be on alert, and it's gettin' too dark to see his trail anyway."

I agree. "So I guess we better set up camp here?"

Daryl shrugs. "Might as well. Seems quiet, I ain't seen no walkers in a bit. I'll set up a perimeter if you wanna set up a sleepin' space." And with that, Daryl gets up to leave.

As I sweep an area of the forest floor clean, I think back on what Daryl said. About how he never said he didn't believe in love. Knowing that gives me hope. I worry about Daryl. I always knew that he hadn't had the easiest life, but I assumed he must have had love at some point. After finding out that he hadn't… I know he said not to pity him, but it's hard. I've known love all my life. Dad, Maggie… I had a whole family to love and who loved me back. And I've seen how Maggie and Glenn look at each other. I know what all kinds of love looks like. I want Daryl to know that too. Knowing that he still believes in the concept of love gives me hope that maybe he does see it in others, that maybe one day he'll see it for himself.

Daryl comes back. "Looks good." he says. "You all set?"

"Yeah, I think we'll be good for the evening." I reply. "We set out at first light?"

"Best time fer trackin'" Daryl says with a smile.

Something Daryl said earlier comes back to me. "Don't you think it's weird that Hutch's trail runs parallel to where the other trail has been going?"

Daryl shrugs. "Dunno. I 'spect there ain't many places to go 'round here. I mean, you see it with animals all the time: they stick to familiar patterns, paths already tread. People is just bigger animals."

I make a face. "Well, I'd like to think we're more than just simply bigger animals." I think for a second. "Well, some of at least least. You, I still wonder about." I concede, smiling.

"Ohh, it hurts!" Daryl replies. "But maybe you ain't wrong." he adds with a growl. "You be careful not to let your guard down. There be no tellin' what I may do!" he mock lunges at me.

"I'm so scared!" I laugh, as I set up a sleeping bag. "So scared, I don't know how I'll ever sleep!"

"Good!" Daryl says, grabbing the sleeping bag from me. "You can take first watch then!"

"Maybe I'll just let the walkers eat you!" I say, jokingly. Then, remembering what happened earlier in the evening, I quickly say, "I didn't mean that."

"I know." Daryl says. "Don' worry. I know you'll protect me." He climbs into the sleeping bag, and rolls over, away from me and the fire. "I feel safe with you." he mumbles quietly.

It's the first time I've ever heard someone say that about me. Normally people think they need to take care of me. I know I'm stronger than people think, and Daryl's reminded me of that on occasion, but this was the first time I've ever heard someone say that they felt safe with me, that they actively trusted me with their lives. Daryl's faith in me and my abilities is more than I ever thought possible.

It's in this moment that I realize what the feeling I felt earlier when Daryl was talking about Carol was. Jealousy. I hadn't realized how much I had come to rely on Daryl and admire him. How much his word and opinion of me mattered. I've always cared about him, the way I've cared about everyone from our group. Without him, I know I wouldn't have survived.

But never had I ever thought that I would come to love him.

Never had I ever thought I would fall in love with him.