"Look at you pretty lady, all nice and clean. I bet that bath felt nice, didn't it Jude? I bet it did…"

Evan wrapped Jude up securely in a towel as she stepped away from the large plastic storage container full of grimy water, thankful that Glenn had found it for them in the attic. Most of them had steadily refused to bathe in the bathroom where they had found several dead children and a woman who had slit her wrists in the tub after the murders.

She could see her youngest daughter nodding off even as she dressed her in the pajamas she was steadily growing out of, holding Jude in her arms to rock her to sleep, "Sweet dreams, my sweet girl."

The house was quiet other than the sound of the rain on the roof, Evan settling back in her seat on the sofa with a heavy sigh. Closing her eyes for several minutes for the first time that day, she heard Maggie put another log on the fire before someone else moved into the room, coming to a stop just to the left of her.

"Evan."

Her eyes opened slowly and Carol seemed to wait for her reply, the younger woman placing her gaze elsewhere once she realized who it was. When the older woman called her name again, she narrowed her eyes and put Jude down on the couch, laying a nearby jacket over her. "For fuck's sake, she's trying to sleep Carol," Evan snapped coldly, leaving her daughter to walk into the kitchen.

"He's not back yet," Carol said, the concern evident in her voice as she looked out at the pounding rain.

"Oh really? Huh, I hadn't noticed."

Both women turned to glare at each other at the former soldier's sarcastic retort – tensions had been running high between everyone in the group for several days now, just as the food began running low. Carol's mouth drew into a thin, severe line before she took a moment and turned away, wringing her hands. "You don't have to be so cruel to me – I don't… want him. He's your man Evan but other people care about him too, and Daryl's my friend. I get to worry too," she said quietly, finally turning her back completely to Evan.

"You think I don't know that, Carol," the younger woman whispered almost sadly after a few quiet minutes, her voice much softer than either one of them had expected. She moved to lean back against the kitchen counters for support, looking at the others who were milling through the house. "Of course I know that; I'd be a fucking fool not to. Y'all are his people, his family – I can't tell you how many times I've thought of self-perseverance when it's come to Rick and this group dynamic and told him that we need to get our asses moving. And I'm not ashamed to say that he has been the more caring one in this relationship when it comes you and the others, that he alone is the only reason why we're still here… because he loves you. Daryl's always loved you and the rest of them because despite what I thought at first when it came to your group and him, he didn't save you people no matter how many walkers he killed or meals he brought back. Y'all saved him through small measures of compassion, and I see that in him – and he'll never leave this group for anything, not even me. So keep caring about him, because he's a good man and he needs that. And pray for him to come back…"

The wind whistled and whipped around Daryl as he sat in the upper branches of a tree, his arms wrapped around Fenris as he readjusted the dog in his arms. It had been a bit of a hassle getting them both off of the ground – and his kill as well – the hunter looking at the strung up deer and hoping he had hoisted it up enough to keep it away from any walkers that happened to wander by in the storm. He would be pissed off beyond belief to watch some dead-head walk up and try to eat the meal meant for his family.

"Hush," Daryl said as the dog began to whine, knowing that Fenris was just as tired and hungry as he was. He tilted his head back against the tree trunk and exhaled quietly, knowing that he just had to wait out the worst of it before heading back home. It had been three days since he had last seen Evan and his daughters, and he knew that they were worried about him.

He thought about how much Evan's stomach was growing – and Lori's as well- knowing that while it was a risk to go out alone in a storm, he had no other choice than to bring back food. His woman was about seventeen weeks along now and it was getting harder and harder for her to keep her strength to support the growing baby, as well as keep pulling her weight around the group. She was getting thinner more quickly than he thought anyone should have been able to, despite some of the others giving up their own portions to keep her fed – something that made her cringe pitifully even though she never said no; she couldn't.

They all knew that their situation was getting worse and that they had to do whatever was necessary to keep going.

It had taken Beth fainting from doing absolutely nothing before Rick had decided to settle down long enough for Daryl to hunt, promising that they would stay in one place until there was food found and they had had a chance to recuperate from their hard weeks as migrants moving across the state in small leaps and bounds. He had left as soon as he had gotten the 'all clear' to do so, kissing Evan and hugging Kennedy before heading out the door.

A few short hours later the storm let up and he used his extra length of rope to lower Fenris to the ground before climbing down after him, trying to shake some of the wetness from his bones. Daryl knew that they would be fed for the next couple of days to the point that they would sick from eating so much, thinking about the additional greens and last of the fall fruits he had stuffed into his supply bag. He cut the deer down and laid down his jacket underneath it to pull it along the ground, keeping his eyes out for walkers as he did so.

Dawn had already broken by the time Evan heard the weak, but distinct calling bark from Fenris when he would alert to her, dragging her weary form out of the chair by the door. "Daryl," she murmured, heading out of the front door to meet him.

He came out of the tree line with the deer in tow, dropping it down to receive her when she crashed into his chest with enough force to bruise. They gripped each other tightly with the little strength they had left, Daryl's hands seeming to roam her body to make sure she was still all there. "Welcome back." To see him alive made her feel exhilarated and the anxiety that had been smothering her ever since he had left immediately lifted, Evan not even concerned with the deer lying behind him.

"He's back," she heard someone breathe from the porch, knowing that they were trying to be respectful of their reunion even as they looked at their next few meals lying just out of reach.

One of her hands slipped to his chest to push him back and put some space between them even as the other curled at the base of his skull, "I know that you're tired, but you have to keep working just a little while longer and get these people fed – they're practically starving. And after you're done with the deer, come and let me take care of you for once. You could use a bath and some rest."

"Alright," Daryl replied as his shoulders sagged visibly, his tone a little dry at the thought of more work even though all he wanted to do was get the bath and nap promised to him. She gave him the ghost of a smile before taking his crossbow from his shoulders and turning towards the house, calling back to him lightly, "Oh, and thank you Mr. Dixon."


She was sitting on the edge of the bed when he came out of the bathroom, clean and dressed to finally get some well-deserved sleep. Daryl moved to lay down across the bed horizontally, pulling a pillow underneath his head.

"Come sleep with me," he murmured, closing his hollowed-out eyes and yawning.

"I missed you," Evan replied as if she hadn't even heard him, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ears without moving further. She smiled ruefully even as she thought of what their momentary separation had brought her and the rest of the group, "Like someone had taken my rib."

He opened an eye to glare at her, seeing her continue to smile and turn away to stare at the wall. "Hey, I think it's just a bit too soon for fucking rib jokes, Ev," Daryl said with a hard edge to his voice, knowing that she was still healing from her fall on the Greene farm. She finally moved towards him, bending down to kiss his cheek and conceding. "Sorry, that was in bad taste, I know. But I'm glad you're back – I'd make you promise not to leave again, but I know you won't." Daryl sat up to look at her, cradling her face in one hand so lightly it was as if he was afraid of breaking her. "I missed ya too," the hunter said in a way that felt like he was holding back much more, brushing a thumb over her lip so that her heart started to race. He then allowed his eyes to flicker down to her stomach, swallowing silently before looking back into her eyes, "Both of you."

Evan pulled his hand down from her face to her belly, moving to lie down so that he could feel the baby moving. "Yeah, this kid has been kicking for about two weeks, and he's getting good at it. I've been having Kennedy and Lori feel, but they haven't felt anything I could. I think the food helped though – he's stronger today," she murmured, looking up at him hopefully. His brow was furrowed in concentration for a moment before a flutter passed underneath his palm, so faint he might have imagined it… but it was there and it was real.

"That – that was our kid, Evan," he said, emotion making his voice seem rougher than usual.

It was relatively dark in the room other than the sunlight filtering in through the blinds and curtains, but he could see her teeth as she smiled. "Yeah, he's our boy. Do you… remember that day, Daryl? The slap and the belt and that feeling of animalistic release, of total relief of finally being together? It wasn't the best day of my life, but God, it ranks pretty high on my list," the woman replied as she closed her eyes, feeling the sudden tension in Daryl's hand on her.

"Mine too."

The couple shared a laugh before Daryl laid down beside her, brushing her curls back away from her face. He kissed her then, knowing they should really conserve their strength but not caring when she rolled over to straddle his waist.

"If ya need to stop-"

She glared at him kittenishly and Daryl cracked a smile, knowing that just short of another walker herd blowing through, neither of them would stop for the world…

The smell of more food cooking made her stomach growl, Daryl smiling into her hair as he drug his hand down her sweat-slick arm. "Ya should get some sleep now – I know ya ain't slept since I left three days ago," he said softly, hearing her chuckle from being found out. "Ha, I wish I could. The baby's up and he's kicking, so I won't be going to sleep until he does. He's a stubborn little shit, just like his mom," Evan replied with a yawn, shaking her head before nestling further into her partner's arms.

"Nope, I don't doubt that for a second."

Evan closed her eyes and exhaled quietly, knowing that she was soon to slip into unconsciousness, baby or not, "So, where does today rank on your list of your best?"

"Today," Daryl yawned, reaching out to run his fingers through her hair the way he knew would put her to sleep. "Today was a good day."

"Yeah, it was."