Before starting, I wanted to address the two guest reviews (guest and anonononononon). Thank you both so much for the reviews! I am glad to read that both of you enjoy the story. I sometimes worry about writing details in the first person point of view, so I'm glad I'm writing the right amount of detail according to Elise or Daryl. I can't see Daryl using really strong adjectives to describe things. Maybe in the third person limited or omniscient point of view, but definitely not the first. He's smart, but he doesn't go around flinging eloquent vocabulary. Descriptive adjectives, adverbs, nouns, and other parts of speech are nice to use and whatnot, but too many of them close together is just too much "clutter." It can make reading something confusing and difficult to read through. Then again, maybe that's just me, and the different things I've had to read throughout college.

In season 2, when Daryl says, "Sorry, brother" before shooting Dale, I think that lends itself to the two being better friends, especially compared to when they were at the quarry. Because of that, Dale gets to make another important appearance for Daryl.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything pertaining to The Walking Dead.

Daryl's POV

Despite sleepin' in a nice, comfortable bed, I kept wakin' up throughout the night. The scene with Elise kept playin' in my mind on a loop, and nothin' changed 'bout it. I kept my guard up, and tried to find anything to prove her wrong. However, I couldn't find any lies in the look in her eyes, in her anger, or in her words. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't mold everything Merle said to apply to her. Even if she didn't say anything, just the look in her hazel eyes proved me wrong.

Usually, I always had something to say, but I didn't last night. I don't think she intended to say it, but I still heard her as she left my room in a fuming huff: "Who would have thought that falling for you would frustrate you so much."

As I thought over everything this morning, I had the old lighter from Louisa in my hand, flickin' the lid of it open and closed. Even while just stretched out on the bed, I couldn't sit still. It wasn't what Elise said that frustrated me. Actually, it was the opposite. It scared me a bit to think someone could actually care like that for me. At the same time, it also excited me. I always thought the sayin' "butterflies in your stomach" was stupid shit, but I knew what it meant now, and it was due to Elise.

'Though Merle and I had it rough, I never said any of the cruel things he'd said to me to him. I guess I had Louisa to thank for that. Her short lived role in my life had a bigger impact than I thought. As I stared at the aged lighter, my mind drifted to what Louisa would say or do if she were here. I chuckled as I imagined her gently smackin' the back of my head, and lecturing that I shouldn't have said all that to Elise. She'd tell me it was my fault Elise got all mad, and, of course, the old woman would be right. It didn't make it any easier to accept, though.

Before I could be free from this room, Hershel had to look me over. I made it clear to him last night that I would be returning to the group, whether he liked it or not.

"I see you're eager to get out of here," Hershel said as he came into the room. No shit, Sherlock.

I grunted in response as I sat up. He examined where the bullet grazed my temple as he poked at the few stitches. I winced as it stung a bit.

"As the others have told you, you're lucky the bullet didn't go right through that stubborn head of yours."

"Takes more than a bullet to bring me down," I replied.

"So I've noticed. Now, let's take a look at your side."

I shifted so he could examine my side. Honestly, I was kinda surprised he didn't ask 'bout the scars. In my teens, when I was forced to go to the doctor, I would have to play twenty questions with the quack who didn't know 'bout my family. Usually, I didn't let the doctor get passed two questions.

"Well, it looks like you're on track to heal," Hershel said as he tossed a bottle of rubbing alcohol, cotton balls, painkillers, and antibiotics in a bag. "I know you're not going to listen to anything I say about you staying in here to rest. However, you will take this stuff with you. Try not to be too stubborn to use it. I could tell from the moment I met you that you were one of those tough, stubborn types."

"Ya got a point?" I asked, eager to get back outside.

He stared at me for a moment before answering. "My point is that it can be a good thing at times, and annoying at other times." With that, he left the room so I could get ready. I bit the inside of cheek as I looked at the bag he left. I guess it would be smart to use that stuff.

After using some of the rubbing alcohol and buttoning up my red plaid shirt, I was about to grab the bag of supplies, and return to the camp. As I opened the door, Dale stood on the other side of it, fixin' to knock.

"Perfect timing," he said with a smile. "I'm guessing you're coming back to the camp?"

"If that's what it looks like," I answered. He and his stupid hat didn't move out of the doorway.

"Well, I hope you plan to take it somewhat easy. Rick has already said you weren't going out to search for Sophia today."

"Then who is?" I asked. I knew a couple of people would still search, but I had doubts that they'd pick up my slack.

"Elise and Andrea are already out searching near the area you found the doll. T-Dog and Rick are going to check the highway."

I nodded, glad the search wasn't called off on my behalf. Dale still didn't move out of my way. "Anything else ya got to say, or do ya plan on standin' there all day?"

"Well, I was wondering what happened last night. Elise looked angry when she left the house. She wouldn't even look at anyone."

"And ya think I had somethin' to do with it," I stated in my usual, pissed off Dixon tone.

Dale held up his hands in defense. I chuckled on the inside, wonderin' if he'd wave that damn hat in surrender. "I'm not accusing you of anything if that's what you're thinking. As you know, I see many things when I'm on watch during the day. I just want to offer you a piece of advice."

The last thing I expected to hear from the old man was an offer of advice. "And what would be that?"

"Obviously, I have no idea what was said or what happened last night. However, I would hate to see you end up regretting whatever it was. Whether it is today, tomorrow, a week from now, or a month, I advise you to talk to her. Even if the world was how it used to be, I'd still hate to see you regretting what happened when you could have easily fixed it."

He stepped to the side to let me pass, and didn't make me promise I'd use his advice before he moved. I stood there for a second as I stared at the old man. "I'll keep that in mind," I told him before I walked out.

Once I slowly made my way back to my tent, I dropped the bag of supplies by my cot. My eyes were glued to my now clean crossbow that rested there. I picked it up with my opposite arm so I wouldn't bother my sore side. It was no longer covered in a combination of walker blood, skin, and brain matter. It was still damaged from use and abuse, but it looked better than it had in a while.

I stepped out of my tent with the crossbow still grasped in my hand. I saw Carl nearby, and I slowly hobbled to him. When he looked up at me, he looked surprised, and a bit nervous.

"Hey, I was wonderin' if you knew who cleaned it up," I asked the kid while nodding to my crossbow.

"Oh," he said in relief, "Elise cleaned it up for you yesterday."

"She did?"

"Yeah. I was with her while she worked on it. She didn't know how to fix it, but she said she could at least clean it up for you. My mom thought it was kinda gross that Elise was cleaning it since it had walker brains on it. She joked around about it when mom walked off." The kid laughed as he told me the brief story. "Anyway, if you need some parts or something to fix it, Glenn and Maggie might be able to get it for you. They're about to head out on a run."

"Nah, I think I've got everything I need to take care of it. Thanks for lettin' me know, lil man," I awkwardly said before returning to my tent. The kid seemed a bit more at ease around me after that.

I spent part of the day resting in my tent as I waited for Elise to get back. I dozed off a couple times, but I didn't sleep too long. I had one of my arrows out, fiddlin' 'round with it as I thought over what to say to Elise. Deep down, I knew I shouldn't have gotten all defensive and pissed. Bad habits are hard to break, though. I didn't respond to her when she first started to say she cared 'bout me before Hershel came in.

"Why would someone as smart and kind and beautiful like you really give a shit 'bout a redneck asshole like me?!" That was the only thing I had said that somehow hinted that I felt the same way 'bout her. However, she probably didn't pick up on that, not for as mad as she was.

I used the arrow I had been spinnin' 'round in my hand to stab holes in the side of my tent. I wasn't good at dealin' with emotions unless they were negative ones. I was practically an expert at being pissed off, and at pissing other people off. I could dish out my anger through words or fightin', and I also knew how to keep it bottled up, at least for a short bit. But, I didn't know how to apologize to someone, or tell someone I cared for them. I figured it'd be easy since I heard her say she had "fallen for" me, but that don't seem to be true. Instead, I still heard Merle in the back of my mind, tryin' to say she was only lyin'. Perhaps the old man should have given me advice on apologizing.

Rick and T-Dog returned a while ago, and I heard T-Dog say Elise and Andrea were back. I listened to them talk 'bout the search for a bit. They didn't find any new signs of the girl, but there was still more ground to cover.

"I'm going to return my gun to Dale," I heard Andrea say. "I can take yours to him, too."

"Thanks, Andrea." It was Elise, and it sounded like she was in the open area around the fire pit.

When the silence confirmed no one else was around, I slowly stood up from the cot. The pain wasn't as bad as it had been, so the meds must have been doin' their job. As I stepped out of the tent, Elise was exactly where I thought she was. She was sittin' on the log, and her back was to me. Well, might as well try to get this over with.

Despite my injuries, my steps were still as silent as they were when I was trackin'. I sat down on the log beside her, but maintained plenty of space. She glanced at me from the corner of her eye as she swirled the water around in the bottle. It was quiet for a moment, and I was expectin' her to get up to leave. Instead, she asked me how I was feelin' as she stared at the burned out coals.

"I've been through worse," I answered. There was another pause of silence after she nodded. She still didn't look at me, and it was drivin' me crazy. I clasped my hands as I nervously tapped my thumb atop the other one.

I sighed, finally decidin' to at least try to say something.

"Look, I know you're still mad at me, and I don't blame ya. I'm not good with apologies and all that. Hell, the only time I ever said 'sorry' in the past was when Louisa would give me 'that look' when I did something I wasn't supposed to. Anyway, I shouldn't have been an asshole like that to ya last night. Ya didn't do anything to deserve it."

She was quiet for a moment before turnin' to look at me. She seemed to be in thought for the moment before speaking. "So, I guess I didn't have to be the one to apologize this time," she said with a small smile. Her hazel eyes were playful as she referred to the times she had apologized to me.

"Yeah, I guess I was due for one," I said with a slight smirk. I took her sense of humor as a good sign. I knew the rest of what happened would need to be addressed. "Although I was an asshole, what I was sayin' was what was buggin' me. I thought someone like you couldn't care for someone like me, 'specially since I felt the same 'bout ya. I was carin' too much for someone who was way too good for me." Sayin' all of that was awkward.

She stared straight at me as she calmly spoke. "You need to get that kind of thinking out of your head. I don't see you like that whatsoever. You're an intelligent man, and I can tell you do care about people and whatnot. Your loyalty in the search for Sophia is just one example of that. You're also funny. I, for one, can appreciate the art of a sarcastic comeback," she said with a small laugh.

I felt the corner of my lip twitch up. "Before I say somethin', I gotta ask ya if ya meant what ya said before you left and slammed the door."

I saw a light, red tint appear on her cheeks. Before I could jump to the conclusion of her bein' ashamed of what she said, she spoke up again without breaking eye contact. "Yes, Daryl, I did mean it. I really like you, as middle schoolish as that phrase may sound. That wasn't how I wanted to tell you, if I even got up the nerve."

I nodded my head, understandin' what she was tryin' to say. "That's how I feel 'bout you, too, though I don't know if I ever would have said anything. Like I said, it wouldn't make sense for someone like you to be interested in me. I just figured since I felt that way 'bout you, it was only a one way feelin'."

"You were wrong about that," she said with a smile. "I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I wasn't sure how to talk to you after last night."

I had to admit, I felt much better after gettin' all of this cleared up. I definitely felt good knowin' she wasn't lyin' last night. I then remembered something I had meant to tell her. "I remember you sayin' ya liked hiking. When I went out huntin' the other day, I came across this trail Hershel or someone made. It probably goes 'round the property. I can show it to ya if ya want."

She leaned back a bit with a smile, and playful glint in her eyes. "Is Daryl Dixon asking me out on a date?"

"I guess ya can call it that," I chuckled.

"Then, yes, I would like to go on a date and/or hike with you. Just let me get my gun and knife, just in case a walker decides to show."

I had no arguments with that. I still needed to work on my crossbow, and it would probably be hard for me to use it, at least for today. However, I wasn't gonna go out empty handed. I'd take my huntin' knife, and one of the handguns, too.

As I followed Elise to the RV to pick up a handgun, Dale gave me a knowing look. I didn't want to hear him say 'I told you so,' or some arrogant crap like that. He didn't. Instead, he grinned, and walked off. Perhaps the old man wasn't as annoying as I wanted him to be.

Elise's POV

After my move to Georgia and the outbreak, I didn't get the chance to enjoy a nice, simple hike. The quarry was a gorgeous place I originally wanted to hike around, but it went from a simple destination to a temporary sanctuary. Needless to say, I was excited to momentarily forget the dark world and vile walkers for a little while, especially with Daryl as my company. Although no walkers had invaded the Greene property, we took weapons with us just to be safe.

As Daryl led me to the trail, I saw Glenn and Maggie leave via horseback on a run.

"Was Lori acting kind of strange while Andrea and I were gone?" I abruptly asked Daryl. Probably not the best conversation starter, especially after earlier and last night, but my curiosity sometimes had a mind of its own.

"Not that I noticed," he answered from my side. "Then again, I usually try to ignore her."

I smirked since he had a point. "I don't blame you. I noticed she was acting kind of weird when she handed Glenn another list. He didn't seem too thrilled by it, either."

"He's probably tired of runnin' all of her errands."

We finally made it to the beginning of the trail, and it was obvious it was one of Hershel's projects. The dirt path was wide enough for us to walk side by side. Rocks of various sizes lined the path on both sides, and they gave the path a clear outline while still blending in with the environment. Along with the lush grass and beautiful wildflowers, yard decorations were widely spaced out as to not clutter up the surroundings. Some of the items on display were small statues of woodland creatures, flat rocks with scriptures painted on them in muted tones, and garden flags with pastel images of sunrises, sunsets, swirling butterflies, and other calm nature scenes.

Throughout the hike, Daryl and I fell into comfortable conversation as we had in the past. Random conversations which allowed us to get to know one another better. For the moment, it truly felt like the world was normal again.

"I guess we know why Hershel had the trail set up for," Daryl said as we approached an opening.

The opening was a small, tranquil hideaway, which led to the continuation of the trail. In the back area, there was a miniscule, manmade pond. It had a short waterfall powered by a small pump, but it was turned off to conserve power. However, we could see the hastily tossed away drop cord, and the power box it led to. Due to the lack of care, algae started to form atop the water. An oak bench stood away from the pond at an angle, but it still faced the pond. Daisies were planted on the both sides of the bench and around the pond. Weeds were starting to grow alongside them. Beside the bench, yet leaving some space, was another flat rock. This one was larger than the ones which decorated the first half of the trail. I walked over to it to get a better look. Dainty daisies and flowing vines were painted on it, along with a person's name and sentiment.

"In Memory of Josephine Greene," I read aloud. "I wonder who that was."

Daryl came up beside me as he examined the stone. "I heard Glenn askin' 'bout that. He was lookin' at some old photos on the hallway walls upstairs. Maggie said it was her mom, Josephine. She died a long time ago, and Hershel remarried. Heard her say she came along with Shawn, and then they had Beth."

"Although he remarried and Maggie gained another mother figure, they never forgot her," I commented. Due to the amount of work it would take to build a natural monument like this, it seemed that Annette had loved the idea, too.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Daryl hold his injured side for a moment. "Let's take a break before moving on." I knew if I simply told him to rest, he wouldn't listen.

He nodded, and we took a seat on the oak bench. Even with the current chaos in the world, it was still a harmonious spot. It wouldn't surprise me if Maggie, Beth, and Patricia retreated to here from time to time.

We sat in a tranquil silence; the only noise was the slight breeze blowing through the high grass in the woods. As I scanned the natural background, my eyes eventually fell on the man beside me. Although he appeared a bit relaxed for the moment, his eyes intently studied the woods. I was primarily focused on getting to know the distant, gruff Daryl, but I had noticed, back at the quarry, that he was an attractive country boy. He was the tenacious type of attractive, and his body was built from years of hard work, and hunting in the outdoors. He didn't need a gym when he had the vast forests of Georgia. Even when he verbally repressed his emotions, hints of them were alluded to in his blue eyes. For as much as we all have been out in the bright Georgia sun, his light brown hair had darkened into a darker shade of brown. Wisps of it framed his face from where his hair was growing, but it wasn't much longer than when I first met him.

"Ya know," he said while still looking ahead, "you're not really sneaky when 'round someone as observant as me." He smirked as he turned his attention to me.

I felt my cheeks flush a bit at being caught. "I guess I should have kept that in mind," I replied, hoping to draw attention away from myself. The smirk didn't disappear from his face as I gazed out at the small pond. I could still feel his eyes studying me, so I changed the subject.

"The rare moments of normalcy are nice," I said as I glanced down at my arm. I felt the slight tickle of something crawling on my arm, and it was an irritating mosquito. I swiftly smacked it away. "However, I could do without the damn mosquitos."

Daryl chuckled as he stood up. "It's the pond that's attracted 'em. Come on, let's see where the rest of the trail goes."

As we continued our walk, our random small talk led me into remembering the new piece of evidence I discovered yesterday. I knew I could trust Daryl with the information.

"Yesterday, I think I found some more proof that Shane really edited his story," I stated before proceeding into what all happened.

"Pretty much all of us know where each gun came from" he said. "Most of 'em were the ones from the police department, and the others belonged to different people in the group."

"Exactly. I had no idea where that one came from, and the chances of it simply matching the one Otis had on him are slim to none."

"Did ya show it to Patricia or Hershel?"

"No. I wasn't too sure if it was a good idea to or not. I believe they, and everyone else, deserve to know, but I don't know if Patricia can handle hearing that her husband was, more or less, murdered. Hell, even saying Shane 'sacrificed' him still sounds cruel."

"Now ain't that time to tell them. Shane ain't been the same since we left the quarry, and it seems to be gettin' worse. If he found out you knew 'bout the gun, who knows what he'd do to ya."

Daryl's tone forced me to cautiously glance up at him. He was staring straight ahead, and his eyes held some sort of determination. Although I couldn't decipher what it exactly meant, it was more than enough for me to not question his judgment.

"What about Rick?" I asked. "Should he know about this?"

Daryl thought for a moment before answering. "Nah, not yet anyway. I know he's the leader and all, but he's still too close to Shane. He don't see what we see 'bout Shane yet."

"True. Lori probably wants it kept that way, too. It just infuriates me that Shane still tries to give off the illusion of being the perfect, honorable leader, when we know that is not true at all."

A small chuckle accompanied Daryl's signature smirk. "I guess that hallucination was wrong 'bout Shane since ya clearly ain't a fan of him."

"What are you talking about?" When Daryl didn't answer, I continued to press the question. "I'm only going to keep asking until you answer. I can be annoying when I want an answer to something."

"I think you've been at that point. Anyway, 'Merle' was sayin' that ya should end up with Shane, or some shit like that." I noticed that Daryl tensed up at that statement.

"Well, I guess I'll have to give the real Merle a smack upside the head when we eventually come across him."

"When?" He questioned with furrowed brows.

"Yep. He may not be with us at the moment, but he's somewhere. We have to come across him again at some point. We found this safe place, so who's to say we won't come across Merle again."

Daryl stared at me thoughtfully before speaking. "Yeah. Maybe you're right."

During the walk, I came across an access point that would lead me to the barn the others and I were banned from. I made a mental note of where it was for the very near future. Now was not the time to go exploring it due to Daryl's injuries. After the walk, I wanted him to rest. If I didn't get him to, Hershel would, or he at least would try to.

We arrived at the end of the trail, and it went around the property just as Daryl had predicted. We could clearly see the camp from here, but no one had noticed us since they didn't know about the trail. Before leaving it, I stopped Daryl by gently grasping his arm. I felt his muscles tense at the sudden contact, and I abruptly released his arm. Just by putting the pieces of his past together like a complex puzzle, I could understand why he would be tense about human contact. In his past, it was evident that contact meant beatings with fists and lashings with leather belts. He probably only knew gentle touches of reassurance from Louisa, but the negative greatly outweighed the positive for him. He shot me a questioning look, wanting to know why I suddenly stopped him.

"I just wanted to thank you-"

"For goin' on a walk?" He confusingly interrupted.

"Yes. It was nice to get away, and not just from the worries of walkers and Sophia, but just getting away from everyone else for a short bit. Not only have things been crazy due to the outbreak, but just with everything within the group. Thank you."

We locked eyes, and at some point, I was standing closer to him. After a brief moment, he finally responded. "You're welcome."

"You know," I slowly started as we stared at one another. "Last night and this morning may have started out kind of awkward."

The corner of his mouth twitched up as he chuckled. "That's one way to put it. I think ya had Dale worried after you stormed out the door last night." Dale? That was random to bring up, but he continued before I could ask about it. "For as much as I've thought 'bout it, I'd like to see how this would work out between us, or whatever ya want to call it."

I understood what he was saying. Did relationship terms even exist anymore? Glenn and Maggie had sex, and were still spending time with one another, but that did not mean they were in a relationship, or whatever they were. However, I wondered how things would work between me and Daryl. Since we probably would have met when the world was normal and safe, I would still be wondering the same thing. Both of us admitted our developing feelings earlier, so why the hell not?

A soft smile grew on my lips. "I would really like that."

Before we trekked back to the camp, I swiftly and softly placed a kiss on Daryl's cheek. He seemed shocked by the simple, sweet action, but I reassured him with a smile.

A fluffy filler type of chapter. :) However, I didn't want Daryl to be too fluffy lol. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. :)