Hey everyone! Well, some of you asked for it...here is some Daryl/Kim alone time, LOL. Let's see how well they get along and if they learn anything new about each other!

ALSO THANK YOU READERS for your kind words/reviews!

Now for the good stuff!

**WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE! You Are Warned**

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of The Walking Dead characters and I'm NOT making any money off of them! I only claim the characters I created for this story (Kim Monroe, Jim & Anna Gibson, & Leslie Peters).

**Please leave reviews.**

Getting their gear set up in the old tree house where Kim had spent months alone, she couldn't help but smirk at being back. In some ways she'd missed the privacy she'd once had while staying there, but, at the same time, she was glad that she was now at the prison with the rest of them. Going there with Daryl that day had probably saved her life in more ways then one. She could even readily admit she had needed them all in one way or another.

Finishing up, she turned back as Daryl came back up with a arm full of sticks and some short branches he'd cut into shorter pieces. The temperature was steadily dropping outside and clouds were rolling in. Both could tell that the weather would be getting nasty as the night progressed and they would need the warmth of a fire. Getting out the tarp they'd brought, she moved to the window, carefully tacking it up to block out some of the cold wind.

When she had it in place, she sat back and sighed, "Gonna be colder then a witches tit tonight. Hopefully we won't get any rain."

Placing some of the smaller twigs and some moss into the grill to get the fire going good, Daryl pulled out his lighter, "No shit. If'n we do we'll just have to make due with that rain gear we brought. It's not much but it'll have to do. Can't stay out here more then two nights."

Watching as he got the fire going, she pulled her coat around her more to try to stay warm, "Maybe we'll get lucky and get a couple in the mornin'."

"Maybe," he said as he began to put more wood on. Once he had the fire going good, he rubbed his hands together, placing them near the flames and looked over at her, "Need to get closer and warm up."

Scooting over next to him, Kim held out her hands, welcoming the warmth the fire was putting off. Hearing his stomach growl, she snickered, "Ready for those sandwiches Carol made for us?"

"What kind are they?" he asked and then got up to pull up the rope ladder.

Reaching back behind her for the backpack, Kim opened it up and pulled the sandwiches out. Looking at them, she smirked, "We got three peanut butter ones and three potted meat ones."

"At least it ain't none of that shit Sasha made up. Stuff was disgusting," he grumbled and then moved back over by her. Taking a peanut butter sandwich, he opened it and took a bit, "Have to tell her next time to put jelly on these."

Turning up her nose, Kim set the sandwiches out and then pulled out a bottle of water for each of them, "Now that's disgusting."

"What? Peanut butter and jelly? You got to be fuckin' kiddin' me. Those are the best." Opening his bottle of water, he snickered at her sour look, "Don't tell me you hate 'em."

Raising an eyebrow at him, she nodded and got herself one of the sandwiches, "I do hate 'em. Never could develop a taste for them. Yet, I love peanut butter sandwiches, and I love jelly sandwiches...just not the two together."

Taking a long drink, Daryl set the water back down and tore off another piece of his sandwich, "Before it get's too dark, I'm gonna go get some more wood. We'll need a lot more then what I brought up earlier to last us the night."

Chewing, Kim nodded, "'Kay. I'll get the sleeping bags laid out and all."

"Zip them together. We'll stay warmer if we stick close and share body heat." Taking notice of her concerned look, he sighed, "Trust me, we had to do that when we were on the road before finding the prison. It works."

A small smile formed on her lips and she couldn't help asking, "And who did you share with?"

Swallowing a mouthful, he shrugged, "Carol."

Raising her brow, Kim chuckled, "Carol? That had to be interesting for you two."

"She didn't have anyone else. Rick was busy keepin' Carl and Lori warm, Glenn and Maggie ...Hershel and Beth. T was still with us then but I wasn't about to sleep with his ass...besides, I couldn't let her freeze. She'd just lost her daughter and was still grieving."

Picking a small piece off, she placed it in her mouth and looked over at him, "Carol told me how you took care of her, protected her. Even said you kept her from giving up hope. Not many people nowadays would do shit like that for someone else. You're a good man for it."

Keeping his sights down, his cheeks reddened slightly and he took another bite of his sandwich. Chewing, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and moved to stand, "Best finish up so we can get everything done before dark. I'm going down to get more wood."

Kim had learned over the months that Daryl didn't take compliments well and let the subject drop. Moving the remaining sandwiches out of the way, she followed suite, "I'll clear a space in the corner for more wood, then get the sleeping bags fixed. We can finish eating once we're done."

Without another word, Daryl lowered down the ladder and headed down it. Stuffing the rest of the sandwich in his mouth to hold it while he went down, he reached the bottom and bit off a piece. Looking around and making sure the area was still clear, he headed out a little ways and began to collect more fallen branches. Finishing off the sandwich, he glanced up at the tree house and shook his head. He knew Kim was just trying to be nice, but he still had difficulty accepting kind words about himself. It wasn't until he'd involved himself with the search from Sophia that he'd really ever gotten a compliment or a real thank you of any kind. It was strange to him. His life had been filled with criticism and being spoken down too until that day. That day had started his change.

Even though Daryl had taken a separate road then his brother, he still held the same temper and foul mouth that was typical of the Dixon's brood. Merle had instilled in him that no one would ever love him or take care of him, that he would never amount to anything. He was under Merle's thumb, following his brother's lead to an extent. Daryl did draw the line however at some things, he didn't do drugs like his brother and he wasn't a womanizer. I fact, he swore he'd never raise his hand to a woman or degrade them like Merle sometimes would. Yeah, he could count the number of women he'd been with on both hands, but most of the time it was for only a quickie and then sent them on their way.

The rise of the dead though had changed things dramatically for them though. Merle seemed to become more aggressive and out of control, both towards his brother and others who crossed their path. At times Daryl wondered if it wouldn't have been better to just leave, go their separate ways, but, he couldn't leave his brother, the only blood he had left now in the world. Instead he stuck it out...that was until the quarry. They'd joined up with a large group of people and almost instantly Daryl noticed how they were made the outcast thanks to Merle. But, Merle's time with the group was short and all his fault.

It had been Carol though that had brought out the side of Daryl no one had ever seen, not even himself. He would never have thought that people would actually look up to him, rely on him for anything. But as time went on and the group grew closer, he'd fell into the role of protector for them. It was a role that actually made him feel more like a man then he ever had. He'd lost his brother in Atlanta, but gained a family at the same time. A family that did care about him, that did want him around and that looked to him for trust, protection and even friendship. Rick had become more like a real brother to him, one that he never had with Merle. Carol was not only his best friend, but also like a sister he never had. Even Hershel had grown on Daryl and as with everyone, Hershel had taken him under his fatherly wing.

Gathering a large arm load of wood, Daryl headed back and scanned the area. Kneeling down, he pulled a piece of rope from his back pocket and tie it around the bundle. Once done, he moved to the rope ladder and wrapped the ladder around it, securing it in place and calling up to Kim, "Pull this wood up while I go get more."

Moving to the hole in the floor, she looked over the side to see he'd secured some firewood onto the ladder. Pulling it up to her, she quickly untied it and then tied the extra piece of rope back to one of the steps. Dropping it back down for him, she then moved the wood over to the corner of the room to keep it out the way. When she finished, she went over to the large black bag that Anna and Leslie packed for them and looked inside. Smiling, she pulled out two new packages of dark gray thermals and smiled. They would have a better chance at staying warm during the night with them on under their clothes.

Moving quickly, Kim tore open the one for her, pulling the shirt and pants out and then took off her coat. Standing up, she began to strip out her clothes, the cold air of the tree house bringing goosebumps to her skin. Slipping the thermals on as fast as she could, she then redressed and set his onto his pack so he'd be able to change as well.

It wasn't long before she heard him coming back up and moved so she could take the bundle from him to free up his hands. Placing it with the others, she then moved to get the sleeping bags set up, "Anna and Les packed us some thermals into that bag. I put yours on your pack."

Looking over and seeing the package, he reached for it, "Least it's a dark color. What about you?"

"Already got mine on...I wasn't about to wait a minute longer. Too fuckin' cold out," she said as she laid out one of the sleeping bags onto the floor so they could lay on. When she was done, she sat down and sighed, "If ya want, I'll go down while you change."

Shaking his head, he began to peel off his jacket, "Nah, gettin' too dark out there now. Just turn your ass around...and no peekin'."

Laughing some, Kim turned her back to him and pulled out a cigarette, "Don't worry, I won't peek." Taking a long drag off her cigarette, she sighed and stretched, "We gonna head out before daybreak?"

"Yeah. Best get a jump on the day. No tellin' how long it'll take us to track us down a couple deers. We'll head to those apple tree's you talked about, might get lucky there." Slipping on the thermal shirt, he then unbuckled his belt and took off his pants. Quickly getting the thermal pants on, he put his jeans back on and once decent again, moved over to the sleeping bags, "'Kay, I'm done."

Turning back around, she smiled as he sat down next to her, "See, I was good...even though it was tempting." Chuckling when he cut his eyes at her, she leaned over, knocking his shoulder with hers, "Lighten up, Dixon."

Seeing the sandwiches, he grabbed another one, and opened it up, "What else did they pack?"

Shrugging, she held out a hand towards the fire, "Some extra clothes, sweatshirts mainly. It'll help keep us warm."

Eating, he looked around the small area and got up to put more wood on the fire, "Finish your smoke and then we'll bed down for the night. Need all the rest we can get for tomorrow."

"Yep." Taking off her boots, Kim set them aside and got more comfortable. Flicking the ashes into the fire, she glanced over at him, "Leslie talked to me the other day...wants to start learning how to protect herself."

"Would be good for her to know incase anything ever happened. Should start her with a small caliber gun, like Carl did. Get her usta handling a gun, then teach her hand to hand." Finishing off his sandwich, Daryl moved back over to the sleeping bag, and sat down beside her. Pulling his legs up, he rested his forearms on his knees, "I'll teach her if'n you want."

Smiling shyly, Kim took her last drag and placed the butt into the fire, "I was gonna see if you'd help." Sitting back and turning her head to him, she gave him a warm smile, "She's really warmed up to you."

"She not a bad kid, just got dealt a shitty hand is all. When we get back we'll take her over the hill to the field and get her started with a gun." Spreading out the other sleeping bag for them to cover with, Daryl moved over so he was laying behind her on his back. Looking up at the roof as she laid down next to him, he pulled up the cover, "Got enough there?"

Cuddling down under the cover, she nodded and sighed contently, "Yeah." Turning onto her side to face the fire, she couldn't get comfortable with her coat on. Sitting back up, she slipped it off and then rolled it up to make a pillow for her head. Laying back down, she smiled, "Much better."

Shaking his head, Daryl rolled over, facing her back and moved over closer to her. Placing his hand onto her hip, he whispered, "If you start getting cold, let me know, 'kay?"

"I will," she whispered back and closed her eyes. When his hand left her hip and she heard him moving around behind her, she turned her head, glancing back over her shoulder to see what he was doing. Like her, he took off his jacket and rolled it up to use as a pillow. Smiling, she turned back and felt as he moved back up behind her and his hand settled back into place on her hip. Biting her lip, she reached down, placing her hand on his and then moving it around her waist. He pressed closer against her and Kim purred, "Can't have you gettin' cold either."

Propping his head up with his left arm, he watched her over her shoulder for a few minutes and then moved his hand up and moved her hair from around her neck. When he was satisfied, he placed his arm back around her and leaned in, placing a soft kiss to her neck and whispering against her skin, "Go to sleep."

Closing her eyes, Kim let herself relax and actually felt her body warming and getting comfortable with him there with her. Without another word, she began to drift off with the man she was falling hard for. She felt his arm tighten around her and his warm breath against her neck and it seemed to lull her more into a dreamlike abyss.

Hearing her breathing even out, Daryl continued to watch over her for another hour before he finally let himself drift off. It felt weird having someone so close to him as he slept, but at the same time, it was comforting to have her there. For the first time in years, Daryl actually fell asleep and didn't have the nightmares that usually plagued his sleep invade his mind. Instead he dreamed of her.