Things had finally seemed to turn 'round for us. We were together, we found Beth. But we got ahead of ourselves thinkin' the worst was behind us, it weakened us. An' our vulnerability cost Tara her life. There's a somber mood hung over the group, but we push on. I don't know how many miles we've covered on that old ass track. I'm beginnin' to wonder if anybody even knows which way we should be headed. But we follow Abraham, Rosita an' Eugene regardless. They say D.C. will be safe, that we'll be greeted with food, water an' shelter. Am I the only one who remembers any of the other fuckin' places we've been to? Atlanta, the CDC, Terminus: Weren't they all supposed to help us in the same ways?

We come to a split in the track. There's a few cars stranded here. Rick tells us this is the place to take shelter for the night. As we comb through the vehicles for anything we can use, I can't help but think how someone's misfortune turned into our campsite. There's enough cars for some of us to sleep in, a truck an' between the lot we found two tents. Bob mentions that we can check to see if they can run, but there ain't no point.

"Dammit! They've all been drained dry. Look at the hoses coming out of the gas tanks. Someone must've already siphoned them." Sasha sounds pissed, an' I can't help but feel it, too. I almost wonder why they'd take the gas an' leave the rest. Maybe they had all the shit they thought they needed. If that's why they left it, we'll probably find their mangled bodies further down the track. You can never have too much of anything out here.

It looks like the people who owned the vehicles took whatever food they had with them, or the people who took the gas needed somethin' after all. Everybody's hungry. 'Course we are, we ain't ate nothin' since that bread last night. The same bread that's been left behind with our tents an' everything else back at our last camp. It wasn't worth the risk to go back there an' get that shit. We had to suck it up an' move on. But we might as well think of food if we're stayin' here for the night.

"I'm gonna head out in the woods. Kill us some dinner while y'all get the shelter situation sorted out." Rick agrees. There's that look he always gives me: Gratitude an' trust. I'd better fuckin' get somethin'. I set my bow at the ready an' start towards the trees.

"I'm goin' with you." I smile at her. 'Course she's goin' with me. Maggie doesn't seem too excited 'bout Beth headin' out, but Rick tells her she'll be fine an' that I might need the help out there. I doubt he believes that second part. If he thought I needed help he'd have sent me out with a little more muscle than Beth. He probably just figures we could use the distraction after all that's happened. So we head into the woods.

After 'bout an hour, we've got three squirrels, a rabbit an' a woodchuck. Hardly enough to feed a group of twelve. We still have at least two or three hours of daylight left, so we push on. Beth points out a spot that was obviously bedded down by a deer. I'm not gonna lie, I was damn proud of the girl for rememberin' what that looked like an' bein' able to spot it. We start trackin' the animal, listening' for any sounds that give away it's location. Beth lets out a heavy sigh, so I turn back to look at her.

"You alright?" She smiles at me an' tells me she's just hungry an' tired, not to worry 'bout her. I suggest we stop for a minute. Last thing we need is to be too fuckin' beat to hunt down our food. I swing my bow off my shoulder an' prop that an' our game against a tree. I check out the bushes 'round us for any hint of wildlife, an' find some berries to share. We stand quietly, chewin' our fruit an' I look over at her.

She's leanin' against a tree, hair pulled up, in those same ripped up jeans an' beaten boots. She made it a point to give me back my flannel shirt this mornin', changin' it for a blue sleeveless shirt Maggie gave her. Somethin' she'd found in the apartment at Terminus. The color really brought out her eyes an' it was beautiful against her pale skin. I pop another berry in my mouth an' try to look away from her. But she's already caught me starin'. She's finished her own berries an' wipes her hands on her jeans. She smiles up at me an' I can't help but give her a small smile in return. Jesus, Beth really is a beautiful fuckin' girl.

"Why don't you come over here with me? Keep me company? I promise not to bite you." Her big doe eyes hold my gaze. The way she looks at me now, her lips slightly pulled at the corners, tells me she wants more than just my company. I lick my fingers clean an' walk over to her. There's a decent sized space between us, but she clenches the front of my vest in fists an' pulls me against her.

Her lips find mine an' she runs her hands up my front, grippin' onto my shoulders. I let everything else in my mind go an' just follow her lead. My own hands grip at the flesh of her waist, now exposed by her shirt when she reached her hands into my hair. She tugs at the back of my head to pull me even closer to her an' my fingers dig into her skin. She lets out a quiet sigh, partin' her lips just enough for my tongue. I'm lost in the taste, her mouth sweetened by the berry juices. Her tongue pushes back against mine an' we move together. I'm vaguely aware that I've pulled one of her legs up 'round me. My hand skims down her thigh, hookin' under her knee to pull her closer.

In the very back of my mind, somethin' tells me I should feel stupid for actin' out like some horny fuckin' teenager. Like I've turned into some dumbass for makin' out in the middle of nowhere. But it's been so long since I've had anything like this, an' it's more to me that I finally have someone I want to do this with. It was always some stupid shit girls wanted to do before we'd have sex. All I ever wanted was to fuck, I had no intentions of makin' anything more with those sluts. But this is different. I don't even know where to start on how to be the romantic kinda guy for Beth. That's why I just follow her blindly into this. She calls the shots so I don't have the chance to blow it.

She moans into my mouth, pulls back slightly an' bites my bottom lip. A low growl rips through my throat. Any control I had has slipped away from me, the voice in the back of my mind is long gone. My hand leaves her leg an' reaches up to her face, my other hand's flat against the small of her back. I hold her chin as I pull my mouth away from her, keepin' her in place. My lips travel down the front of her throat, my tongue tastes the sweat on her flesh. She lets out a whimper an' the sound sets my blood on fire. When my mouth touches her shoulder, I gently bite down on the smooth skin. In a breathy whisper, Beth says my name.

I pull my mouth away from her an' look at her face. Her eyes are hooded over, her skin is warm an' flushed. Her breathin' comes out in silent little pants. Jesus Christ, I've never been so turned on in all my fuckin' life. I don't even think as the hand I have on her back reaches down to her ass, slides along her thigh an' lifts her other leg over me. I press into her, my hips pinnin' her to that tree. She lets out a gasp as I hold her up with one hand under her, my other starts to pull at my belt.

Her arms wrap 'round my neck, an' I look at her again. There's a nervousness there, an' I stop myself. She's lookin' up at me with those big innocent eyes, her lips swollen. I clear my thoughts enough to know that this is wrong. I can't just fuck her out here in the middle of the woods against some fuckin' tree. She deserves better than that. I set her on her own two feet, take her face in my hands an' gently kiss her lips.

"Daryl, why'd you stop?" I know she's upset, but I can't help but think she'd thank me later.

"Not here. Not like this." My voice is raspier than I meant it to be. There's a hurt look in her eyes, but I have to ignore it. I pick up my bow an' the food an' motion for her to follow me. When she finally talks, she sounds pissed.

"You plan on findin' some fine hotel? A sweet little cottage in the middle of a flowery meadow? Last I checked, Daryl, we spend a majority of our time in the woods. You didn't have to stop. I want the same thing you do." I turned to her, irritated that she can't just fuckin' accept what little chivalry I scrap together. Nobility ain't somethin' I've ever used in that situation before. Back before all this shit, I woulda had no problem with sex in the woods. But things are different. I'm tryin' to be better.

"You get off on shit like that? Somethin' on your fuckin' apocalypse bucket list? 'Let a man twice my age fuck me in the woods'. That's what you want?" The way she can't look me in the eyes then tells me what I'd already guessed at. The realization pisses me off, more at myself than her. I scoff at her. "You really want your first time to be like that? I got news for you, girl. I ain't gonna pop your cherry fuckin' you against some tree." The blush reaches all the way to her chest. I feel a little guilty for lashin' out at her like that. It ain't like she was the only one actin' up back there. I reach down an' take her hand in mine. She looks up at me again, her eyes fightin' back tears. I kiss the top of her head in an attempt at an apology.

"I'm sorry. I was bein' stupid. You're right. I don't want it to be like that. But it isn't some item to check off a bucket list either, Daryl. I really do want that. Not the woods or whatever. The experience. I can't die a virgin. An' before you cut me off an' tell me that I don't know what I want, let me make it clear." She reaches up on her toes an' presses her lips against mine. "I want you. Not as a last resort or some teenage rebellion. Don't even think like that. I feel like you an' I've come a long way together. I feel somethin' for you an' I know you feel the same way. There's no reason we have to fight that."

I look down to the ground. I don't know how to take her comin' right out an' tellin' me that. We both want the same thing. That at least makes workin' through this shit easier. The hardest part will be hidin' it from the others. I can only imagine how they'd take it if they saw us holdin' hands an' hangin' all over each other. This is gonna be a fuckin' pain. She smiles up at me, her tongue runs 'cross her swollen bottom lip.

"Let's go kill us a deer." Her voice is light an' happy. She steps in front of me, still holdin' my hand, an' leads us along the trail.