Thank you all for your patience, I wasn't sure quite where to take this but it seemed to have come together today, I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday, oh and an especially big thank you to Sparrow149 the wonderful encouragement. Please feel free to leave me a review if you get the urge xx

Daryl sat looking at the tree line, he was contemplating everything that had happened to him over the last few months, all had changed for him, before he had really had no aim in his life, no direction, but now he had guidance, he had a purpose. He smiled thinking of her soft blue eyes, still smelling her scent on his skin, the softness of her touch when she was uncertain of herself.

He lent back in the small chair, fingering his crossbow, absently, he had never known love before, he wasn't even sure he could call this love, but he knew that he couldn't go on without her, that his only aim in life now was to keep her happy, if that was what love felt like then he had it bad. Daryl was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a scream come from around the side of the cabin, he took off as fast as possible, as he rounded the corner he saw a large black sedan pulling away into the night, its bright tail lights glowing mockingly at him.

Daryl gave chase to the car, Mother Fuckers how dare they? She was his didn't anyone understand this, no one got to hurt his woman, the car span away to quickly he wasn't able to stop it, he changed direction making for the cabin kicking the door open he screamed his brother's name, Merle came sprinting into the living area.

"He got her, he fucking got her, came into the cabin and took her." Daryl was screaming, then he noticed Merle hadn't moved an inch. "Why ain't ya getting ready? We need to go?"

"Go where lil brother? Do you have a single idea?" Daryl shook his head in despair,

"Merle?" he begged, Merle stood watching Daryl.

"The phone call, she changed after the phone call" Merle said slowly, Daryl watched his brother, most of the time Merle was a worthless piece of shit, but when it came to the important things, he was the man you wanted by your side. "Andrea give me your phone" Andrea handed it him silently, he watched Merle flip it open and press buttons, then put it to his ear.

"I knew you would ring" said a voice on the other end "I have both sisters now, I could have so much fun, I hope you don't love her as much as you both pretend, oh and after I am done with her I will be coming after the other." he laughed deeply.

"You don't have clue what your talking about man" Merle growled down the phone, Daryl fidgeted his anger growing.

"She came willingly you know, she came to save her sister, to save you all, quite brave really, or possibly just pathetic"

"I will tell you this once, you are going to regret it when you realise something" Merle's voice had grown quiet, still and menacing.

"And what exactly am I likely to regret?" came the mocking voice on the other end of the line

"When you work out who your fucking with" Merle slammed the phone shut, he looked at Daryl then to Andrea, Daryl watched as Merle left the room for a few minutes then came back with a large black holdall, he threw it on the couch and unzipped it, he handed Andrea a hand gun, and a rifle, the she flung promptly over her shoulder, then he turned to Daryl and tossed him a gun, and another hunting knife, which Daryl tucked into the top of his boot.

"They are at the Greene's farm." Merle stated, Daryl cocked a suspicious eye at his brother.

"And you would know this because...?" he asked him.

"Because Maggie told Andrea the other day her parents were going away and she would have to look after the farm, it's away from anywhere, you can see perfectly all around it and it's where I would have taken her, last place anyone would suspect." he shrugged dropping his eyes as Daryl stared hard at him. If they survived, if they saved her he was going to take her away from this life, he was going to take her somewhere they could be together, with no Merle, no madness, they could have a fresh start. Daryl nodded at his brother and walked out the front door towards his truck, he jumped behind the wheel and waited for Merle and Andrea to come out.

"Got a plan?" Merle asked.

"Yeah, kill him." Daryl said as he started the engine of the truck and pulled off tossing small stones and dust into the air behind them. Merle laughed at his brothers statement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~twd~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Please, Philip" she felt her throat dry but she managed to croak the words out to him.

"No point little Beth, you look so well since our last date, arm still broken though?" he asked her, she nodded yes.

"Can I please see my sister, make sure she is ok, say...say goodbye" he looked down at her small figure tied to the kitchen chair.

"No Beth, I have told you this three times, it isn't possible." Beth fought the tears that were fighting to escape.

"Is she dead?" Beth whispered.

"I can't imagine so, I mean last time a saw her she was heading off for a long weekend with her fiancée Glenn is it?" Beth was confused, her head was thumping, heading off? He had her locked up her someone, he was playing mind games with her again.

"Oh" was all she could manage to say, she wasn't sure what answer he would want, what he wanted her to say or do?

"You just don't get it do you little Beth." he shook his head and looked at her softly. "You were a gift." he smiled at her.

"A gift?" Beth asked confused "I don't …..."

"You will my sweet little Beth you will, now I have some thing's to finish preparing, for our moment, I want everything to be perfect, I want you to come and go screaming my name on your lips." he smiled at her "Our night together is going to be perfect, we will, eat a romantic dinner, I remembered that your favourite was always butterfly chicken, with new potatoes and vegetables." she watched as he stepped towards her, his hand on her cheek. "It is ok my love, tonight I will take you back to me, and then I will go after the other whore." he walked out of the room closing the door behind him. Beth said staring at the door in disbelief, it was worse than she had thought, this man, was not just insane but he thought she was his wife. She pulled at the plastic zip ties that attached her hands to the chair, she couldn't break them, there was just no way, he had tightened them so much she wouldn't be able to slip her hands from them. Oh were was Maggie she just wanted to know her sister was safe, she would go quietly if she knew everyone she had ever loved would just be safe.

She heard the door open a while later and he step through, a large smile on his face and a dress in his hands. "Oh my love it is time to get you ready for our date, are you excited? I am so very excited, I want to show you I love you, how much I have always loved you it wasn't my fault they took you away, those nasty men putting their hands all over you, that night when you disappeared from the car." He was working on the ties on her chair with a large knife, when she was free she thought about hitting him but she could remember his strength she knew she was out matched, she would have to pick her time. "Put the dress on please, you always loved this dress" he fingered the material as he spoke, Beth walked over to the dress picking it up assessing it.

"Philip please turn around while I change, I would like it to be a surprise" she squeaked out, hoping her voice sounded more confident outside than she thought it did to her own ears, he smiled and obliged her request.

"You may turn around now" she said after slipping into the long deep purple dress, it was just slightly to long for her, his was must have been taller but it fit in most of the other areas.

"You look beautiful, oh my love" he breathed as he pulled her to his chest "Let's go and eat, then we can make love and say good bye as we should have done before they took you, before those godless men turned you from me, you never came back" he mumbled into her hair. She cleared her face of the horror she was feeling in her stomach and looked up at him pasting her biggest smile on her face.

"My love" she breathed placing her hand on his cheek "I am here now, we are together" she looked back down before he could land the kiss he was forming with his mouth and she felt his lips brush her hair, a small shiver traced down her back, she followed him while he guided her out of the room in her childhood home and towards the dinning room, her eyes flicked around looking for a sign of her sister, her ears straining for just the slightest sound of her but nothing came. Panic flushed through her and she sent a small pray up to God, please lord let her be alive, she saw he was staring at her hard, so she raised the fake smile on her face and looked into his face "I really am hungry" she said as she placed her hand into his, yay though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death...she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~twd~~~~~~~~~~

They crept around the shadows, looking up at the house, only the lights were on from a couple of rooms, Daryl had circled the place three times looking for a way to get in that he wouldn't have already thought of. Andrea's phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out, looking down at the text message, she looked up at Merle then to Daryl with a haunted look.

Andrea, Merle and Daryl, Philip has given me permission to contact you one last time, before we lay down together. I want to say good bye to you all, Andrea take care of Merle he may be a creep sometimes but he has a heart in that cellar he calls a chest. Merle, you old coal shoot, you, look after them both keep them safe, don't stumble on the steps up. Daryl, the key is always in the heart, I will be to the left of you always. Goodbye my friends.

Daryl read it and re-read it, then it clicked "It's a clue, telling us how to get in" Merle looked at him confused, Daryl read it over again to him creep into the cellar, we can get in there through an old coal shoot, something about the steps" he scratched his head.

"Steps are loose I bet they are old, noisy she's trying to warn us. Your woman is fucking cleaver" he smiled at Daryl.

"But what does this mean? The key is always in the heart, I will be to the left of you always." he shook his head, looking up at Merle and Andrea, both shrugged their shoulders.

"Daryl, why don't we get in then try and work it out, it might make more sense when we are in there." Andrea put a reassuring hand to his shoulder, as they made their way to what he hoped looked like a coal shoot a couple of feet away from the chained cellar doors. As he and Merle pulled it up the looked at each other, Daryl threw himself down first, that madman was not going to lay with my woman, no one was, he landed on his feet at the bottom of the shoot with his crossbow raised, ready to fight.