A/N 1: I'm sorry for this extreme late update everyone but I've unfortunately been dealing with a major writer's block. This has never happened to me before, but I guess there is just too much real life stuff going on for me to even properly concentrate on my story. This chapter has been a struggle to write but I hope it turned out alright and made up for the long wait, I really wanted to update for you guys! - In case you're all wondering, I'll try to fill in the gap between Season 3 and 4 with some of my own stuff, just like I did between Season 2 and 3. I hope you all like this news. :)


Chapter Fifty-Three

A few days after the incident with the Governor, the former residents of Woodbury were slowly but steadily settling in at the prison. The original 'Prison group' had to admit it took some time to get used to the fact that there were now more people around, the quietness that usually surrounded the place was now filled with the laughter of small children and gossiping elderly women. There were about twenty new residents at the prison and they became painfully aware that there were only a handful of skilled fighters amongst this group since the Governor had killed nearly each and every one of them when he decided they were cowards for fleeing from the prison as he'd ordered them to stay and fight.

To make the merger of the two groups go smoothly, Rick had decided to let the former people from Woodbury stay together in cell block D so each group had their own space. However, meal times were shared in the common room of cell block C, where more space had been made to make everyone a bit more acquainted with each other. Rick knew it would take some time for everyone to trust each other, especially after the Governor had filled his former people with lies about the 'dangerous' people living at the prison. However, they had to work together as a solid group to get things up and running, the prison being damaged and in serious need of repair. He had decided that everyone should take a bit of rest for a few days before they would start making the prison a permanent stay, a place that everyone could call home.

This was the last thing on a certain hunter's mind though as he was still sleeping, unknowingly snoring a bit, much to someone's amusement as Riley was staring at his sleeping form, wondering how she could get out of the bed undetected since Daryl's arms were wrapped around her waist. She had known from experience that he was a light sleeper and seemed to have this built in radar to wake up whenever she left their bed.

After a waiting for a few more minutes, she decided to just go for it, quickly thinking of an excuse to tell him if he would wake up. She slowly started to lift his arm and was able to move it upwards a couple of inches before a gruff voice was heard.

''Where ya goin'?'' He asked her rather tiredly, his eyes still closed while he instinctively kept a firm grip on her waist to keep her from leaving their bed.

''I just need to go to the bathroom, my bladder is about to burst.'' She quickly replied in a hushed voice before she pressed her lips against his cheek in a comforting manner. ''I'll be right back.''

He grunted in reply, seemingly satisfied with her answer as he let go of her waist. The moment she left their bed, Daryl turned over on his stomach and squashed her pillow with his arm as he'd pulled it towards him to breathe in her familiar scent. He didn't fall back asleep though, waiting for her to return.

He frowned however when he heard her rummaging around in a drawer of one of the two small wooden cabinets they'd placed at the foot of their bed. He'd found the cabinets a few days ago when he went checking more areas with Glenn and Michonne, actually stumbling upon the library of the prison. He remembered Riley being ecstatic when he came back with the two cabinets, thankful that they at least could get rid of the small tables they had in their cell. She still had her mind set on finding a proper curtain to replace the grey bed sheet that covered the entrance of their cell for more privacy but unfortunately those things weren't so easy to come by nowadays.

Daryl was contemplating to ask if she needed any help as she kept on rummaging around, wondering if she might be looking for some of those things she used once a month.

That week is already over ain't it? Heck, I thought I gave her enough last ti-

He was suddenly cut off in his train of thoughts when he heard the drawer being shut and the undistinguished sound of a match being lit before he heard soft footsteps approach him.

''Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..'' she started to sing in a hushed voice and Daryl's eyes widened, quickly rolling over onto his back to see Riley coming towards him with what seemed to be.. A plate with candles in a Snickers?

''Happy birthday dear Daryl, happy birthday to you.'' She ended with a smile on her face before she sat down beside him on their bed and showed him the small plate that held two Snickers bars on it along with two blue candles, shaped in the numbers 3 and 7.

''Make a wish.'' She then said, pulling him out of his shocked state and he looked at her in surprise.

''How? How did ya..'' he trailed off, clearly not having expected this at all. He had never told Riley when his birthday was and frankly, after the outbreak, he'd forgotten all about it.

''I asked your brother a while ago, I actually had to bribe him with a bag of potato chips to give me the exact date,'' she mentioned and Daryl did his best not to gape at her with his mouth open. Of course she would be asking Merle for such things, Daryl didn't know why he was even surprised. She was interested in his life, even though he thought it was hardly anything to be remotely curious about. He didn't really have anything to be proud of nor a lot of happy moments to share with her either.

In the past he would do his best to ignore his birthday since he didn't think it was special at all since most of the time it just gave him a shitty feeling as it reminded him of his childhood years. His family had never celebrated it when he was younger, even though his mom would sometimes give him a piece of candy if she hadn't forgotten about it in her drunken state of mind, telling him she would have his gift ready when he would come out of school. However, this had always turned out to be an empty promise, his mother never following through on her word since she would start drinking as soon as she woke up, forgetting everything she'd said when he came back home from school as she was passed out on the couch in the living room.

Merle, by some surprise, always did remember the day though and they would go do something if he wasn't in juvie or in jail. When they were younger his brother would buy him a Happy Meal at McDonalds, they even went to the movies a couple of times. Merle would always play it off as something to do for that day since he was bored as hell, but deep down in his heart Daryl knew Merle wanted to make the effort, even though he didn't want to be called upon it or receive any form of gratitude, telling Daryl to just shut his mouth and eat his food or else he would never do it again.

When they got older, they would go to the town's bar and Merle would buy him a few drinks. One time Merle had even snuck him in a strip club when he turned fifteen, it being the first time that Daryl had ever seen a pair of naked tits up close. Merle had even paid one of the girls extra to give Daryl a private show in one of the back rooms and he was even allowed to touch the girl's tits which had him blushing like a damn idiot. He could still hear Merle's laughter in his ear when he came out of the room, taunting him a little when he had seen the rather obvious bulge in his younger brother's jeans at the time, Daryl's teenage body raging with hormones he didn't even knew he had. He had to hear about that for at least a month, if not more.

Riley smiled at Daryl's facial expression, seeing he was thinking hard about something before she pushed the plate a bit closer towards him to snap him out of his thoughts.

''That calendar I have is there for a reason you know,'' she mentioned with a wink as she pointed to the calendar she'd hung up on the wall near the entrance of their cell. Daryl knew she liked keeping track of time, marking certain dates on that calendar that were special to her. He hadn't even realized that she had marked this particular date as well.

It ain't special at all, he thought.

''C'mon now, make a wish and blow out the candles birthday boy.'' She said and he stared at the small flames in front of his face, only having one wish on his mind which was that his brother would wake up and be alright. He then blew out the candles and Riley cheered before she pressed her lips against his for a brief moment to congratulate him but Daryl however immediately deepened the kiss, placing his hand on the back of her head and she let out a small gasp at the urgency she could feel in his kiss.

This was actually the very first birthday Daryl hadn't woken up alone in bed, but sharing it with an amazing woman and he was really grateful for it. He thought that perhaps there was a God up there that decided he had suffered long enough because he was given the greatest gift he would forever cherish.

They pulled back from each other after a few minutes and Daryl had to hold back a smirk as he saw the rosy color on Riley's cheeks. ''So uh..'' she started, frowning a little as she'd completely forgotten what she'd planned after Daryl had invaded all of her senses. ''Oh yes, this is for you of course,'' she said, giving him the small plate with the two Snickers bars on it, knowing that he had a sweet tooth. ''And it's all for you, no sharing with others.'' She added with a raised eyebrow and he chuckled, nodding. He took a small bite of the first chocolate bar, wanting to savor the taste since it'd been a long time ago that he had some chocolate. He then tore off another piece before bringing it up to Riley's lips.

''Daryl, I said it was all fo-'' she started to protest but he cut her off.

''C'mon, I know you like chocolate too. It's my gift, I decide what I wanna do with it.'' He stated and she rolled her eyes but eventually opened her mouth before Daryl placed the piece of chocolate on her tongue. When he pulled back his thumb and index finger, she deliberately let her lips slide against them, the tip of her tongue brushing lightly against his skin which made him unconsciously part his lips at the small rush he felt.

Riley cheekily raised one of her eyebrows while she slowly chewed on the piece of Snickers in her mouth, the chocolate tasting delicious. Daryl was about to take another bite of the chocolate bar before he stopped midway when he saw Riley slowly sliding her tongue across her upper lip. He watched the movement in complete fascination, memories suddenly appearing in his head on how she could expertly use her tongue for other things as well. He felt himself growing a bit hot as she even let out a small moan while she savored the taste of chocolate in her mouth.

Riley had to hold back a smirk as she saw the look on his face, deliberately making noises as she was eating extremely slow before she finally swallowed the chocolate. She then tapped her index finger against Daryl's nose to gain his attention, his eyes quickly snapping up to hers.

''Maybe when you're a good boy today we can go exploring tonight,'' she winked as she let her index finger slide over his bare chest and his eyes followed her movements, his stomach tensing a little when she neared his boxers. ''I feel like going on a treasure hunt,'' she added as she let her finger slide over the skin just above the waistband of his boxers before she pulled the fabric back a little, taking a quick peek and Daryl flushed at what she'd implied. He then looked up into her eyes again, just seeing the mischief radiating in them.

''But before we get ahead of ourselves, there is more.'' She mentioned and he frowned when she suddenly kneeled on the floor, reaching for something underneath their bed. When she apparently found what she was looking for, she pulled it out and placed something large on her lap, covered in a grey blanket. She looked at him with a smile on her face before setting the item down on his legs.

''So, I got you a present,'' she said and he looked at her in surprise before his eyes unconsciously went towards the blanket, being curious as to what she'd given him. He'd never gotten a present before.

''Go on,'' Riley pressed when he just stared at his present and he quickly got out of his dazed state by the sound of her voice, slowly removing the blanket. His eyes widened when he saw the brand new crossbow sitting in his lap.

''Apparently it's called a Stry-'' she started but was cut off before she got out the name of the weapon.

''Stryker Strykezone 380,'' he said and she smiled as she saw the way he took the weapon in his hands, admiring it from the front to back. ''Where in the hell did ya get this?'' He asked, not taking his eyes off the crossbow as he now looked at the bolts attached to it, also brand new and shiny.

''Well, remember that supply run Rick went on with Carl and Michonne? You know, to look for weapons?'' She mentioned and he nodded, still remembering his surprise at the large amount of weapons they were able to bring back. ''Yeah, so before they went I sort of.. well, asked Rick if he could be out on the lookout for a new crossbow, since I knew your birthday was coming up and I wanted to give you something I know you could really use.''

''So Rick knows it's my birthday?'' He asked and she pursed her lips as she heard the apprehensive tone in his voice. She knew that Daryl never wanted to be the centre of attention and if others knew that it was his birthday, he would be out of his comfort zone. In general their group didn't really celebrate birthdays anymore, not wanting to put a strain on others to go out of their way to bring in certain gifts. It was far too dangerous to just randomly go out on a shopping spree.

''Just him, I couldn't really go on a supply run with others since you would surely find out what I was looking for and I really wanted it to be a surprise.'' She assured him and he gave her a quick nod, relieved that he wouldn't be faced with a bunch of smiling faces and him just feeling all awkward and out of place.

''Michonne was actually the one who found it though. She made sure to get it back here in one piece. I gave her a bunch of candy bars as a thank you.'' She said with a smile, still remembering how the African American woman awkwardly accepted her token of gratitude. Then again, Riley refused to take back the candy when Michonne had said she didn't need to give her something for her effort.

''She's a great asset to the group,'' Daryl mumbled as he stared at his crossbow even though he was thinking that Michonne would've potentially been killed by the Governor if Rick had agreed upon the deal he'd first made with that psychopath. He still felt guilty over the matter, knowing that it could've possibly cause a rift between him and Riley while also an innocent woman would've been killed.

Suddenly Riley placed her hand on his wrist, making him look at her. ''It didn't happen, we stopped it just in time.'' She said, knowing what he was thinking about. ''And you're not good at keeping secrets, not from me anyways, so…'' she mentioned rather smugly as she looked at her nails and he lightly pushed her against her shoulder, making her chuckle. He rolled his eyes while he couldn't fight the small smile that crept onto his face, Riley always had a way of lightening his mood. He knew she wasn't upset about the matter anymore, they'd talked about it the day the people from Woodbury came to live at the prison, practically vowing to each other to never keep such secrets from each other again.

''Anyways, do you like it?'' She asked him and he nodded.

''Yeah it's great, thank you.'' He said and she smiled, seeing the gratitude in his eyes. She knew he probably wasn't used to receiving gifts, but she was determined to show him he also deserved those things in life.

''I know it's probably a bit lame to be giving you a crossbow since you also gave me one for my birthday bu-'' she started to ramble but he shook his head.

''Nah it ain't lame, it's great. Mine was gettin' old actually.'' He assured her and she gave him a small smile, relieved that she hadn't been stupid about going through with her idea. She'd been really grateful that he'd given her her own crossbow but she had noticed that his was really starting to get a bit worn down.

''I hope it's a better one than you have now, I mean I noticed it has five bolts in that uh.. thingy there, while yours only has space for three.'' She mentioned as she pointed to the bow quiver of his favorite weapon and he smirked.

''Yeah this quiver has room for five,'' he said and she pursed her lips. She actually didn't know shit about crossbows, their brands or the names of all the certain pieces attached to the weapon. She was lucky enough to know how to shoot with one and reload it, that was about as far as her knowledge on the weapon went.

''I just thought it looked pretty because the bolts have those green thingies at the end,'' she said to him and he chuckled.

''The plastic fletching, they're also called vanes.'' He explained and she nodded in understanding, thinking that he would be quite the teacher in crossbows, then again, she knew he'd practically grown up with them.

''You know, Carl has been asking me all sorts of questions about my crossbow. I have no idea on what to tell him though. How about you take over one of my lessons and answer all of his questions? He has about a zillion of them, if not more.'' She said and he frowned at her. ''I mean, only if you're not too busy, I know how much you do around he-''

''Sure, I'll do it.''

''Great! I'm sure he'll love it. He's been sending me these hints ever now and then that he would love a lesson from the infamous crossbow-wielding hunter himself.'' She winked and he rolled his eyes while not managing to hide the small blush appearing on his cheeks. ''I think it would do him some good after everything that's happened. He's been rather distant the last couple of days.'' She mentioned and he nodded understanding, knowing what she was referring to.

It became pretty obvious to everyone that Carl didn't really like the fact that the people from Woodbury were now living at the prison. He kept to himself a lot and Riley had told Daryl about the time she'd seen a boy from Woodbury, who was about Carl's age, try to befriend him but Carl had quickly shut him out, walking away saying he had more important things to do. When Riley had asked Carl about it, he just told her he wasn't in the mood to play some silly children's game. However, she knew that the people from Woodbury being here probably wasn't the only problem. Everyone had seen how upset Carl had gotten when his father had taken away his gun after the incident with killing a fleeing Woodbury boy.

''Maybe the kid just needs some time to adjust, heck we all need to do that. It ain't nothin' to all of a sudden have a bunch of strangers stayin' here, especially thinkin' that they'd been our enemies first.'' Daryl said and Riley pursed her lips.

''I hope it's just that. But it won't do him any good if he stays angry about the matter, those people are here to stay, whether he likes it or not.'' She said and Daryl nodded in understanding before they suddenly heard some voices downstairs, indicating that their group was having breakfast soon.

''Guess it's time to get up.'' Riley mentioned before she stood up and walked over to the wooden cabinet to get dressed. Daryl briefly watched her before he placed his new crossbow on the bed and stood up. He knew that Carl wasn't the only one needing some time to adjust to the former residents of Woodbury. It was a bit crowded nowadays at the prison and he'd realized pretty soon already that he had more issues dealing with the new people than Riley since she was naturally a more social person than he was as he chose to stay more in the background.

He had seen the way most of the people were rather intimidated by him at first, choosing to stay out of his way. They clearly hadn't forgotten about what happened at the arena in Woodbury between him and Merle and they'd been fed a lot of lies by the Governor about the Dixon brothers afterwards too.

A lot of years of living as an outcast in society made Daryl more resilient to that type of behavior and he tried to convince himself that he didn't really care, but the more he thought about it, the more it made him feel a bit out of place and rather uncomfortable. He hated that feeling though since this prison was his home, he was supposed to feel at ease around here.

By some strange reason though, it did seem that the people were more accepting of him after some time. He knew that Riley probably was the cause of that since the people who normally would avoid him now even said good morning to him. Riley made sure that she stayed right by his side when they would enter the more crowded common room for their meals, having some small talk with a few of the new members of their group but never pushing him to do the same. She knew he liked to listen more than actually interact. Every now and then he grumbled something to a few of the Woodburian men when they would ask him something about his hunting skills since Merle had always bragged about it when he lived at Woodbury, saying that he and his brother were born survivors. He still wasn't fully comfortable around all of the new people but he hoped it would pass overtime.


After they'd gotten dressed, Daryl placed his former crossbow at the foot of their bed before taking his new one along with him, pretty eager to find out how it would shoot. They both stopped by Merle's cell who was still sleeping, Hershel steadily lowering the daily dosage of his medication. The old man had told them it was just a matter of time before the older Dixon would wake up. Even though Riley constantly tried to assure Daryl that Merle would be fine, there was still this fear Daryl had that his brother wouldn't wake up. He came so close to losing Merle and it put him on edge to see his older brother in such a weakened state. Even when the man was as high as a kite, he would still ooze out confidence and strength. Merle was practically indestructible in Daryl's mind, so to see his older brother like this was still a lot to take in.

As they entered the common room a few moments later, they noticed nearly everyone was already there, eating the breakfast that Carol had prepared along with the help of Karen, a former resident from Woodbury who had survived the killing spree of the Governor.

''This smells great Carol, what did you make?'' Riley asked as she and Daryl walked up to the older woman who was pouring some vegetables soup in a bowl for Mike, a seven year old orphan boy who was now under the care of a woman named Shannon. She was also taking care of his three year old brother James, a boy who was rather playful and social.

''I made vegetable and tomato soup. There's also some brown bean soup if you want something heavier.'' Carol mentioned and Riley nodded before she took two bowls from the metal table standing beside her, smiling at Mike who passed her and the boy gave her a small smile in return before he walked away. He was a quiet child, and it saddened Riley that he became an orphan at such a young age, knowing that this cruel world clearly didn't even spare young children.

She sighed at looked back at Daryl who was watching her in concern, wondering why she all of a sudden had a sad look on her face.

''What's wrong?'' He asked and she shook her head.

''Nothing.. I was just thinking about the kids around here,'' she said, making him frown before he looked behind him, seeing the orphan boy walk over to one of the women from Woodbury as she was hugging a small boy in her arms who didn't look anything like her. It was the faith of a lot of children these days, either they didn't survive that long or their whole family was gone and they had to fend for themselves if no one would take it amongst themselves to take care of them.

Daryl shook his head at the saddening thoughts that went through his mind, knowing how it felt like to lose a parent at such a young age and practically having to grow up with no one giving a shit about him. He turned his head, seeing Riley looking at the three metal pots beside them, wondering which soup she would like for breakfast. He moved towards her, viewing the three different soups, noticing that there wasn't much left to begin with. Got a lot more mouths to feed aroun' here nowadays, he thought to himself in concern.

''Anyways, what do you want for breakfast?'' Riley's voice suddenly cut through his thoughts and he turned his head, seeing her looking at him. ''What is it?'' She asked as she saw the worried expression on his face.

''This is a lot of food we go through, and that's just breakfast.'' He said as he nudged his head towards the metal pots with soup. ''If we have three meal times a day, with this amount of people, we won't last long with the total amount of food we have. What we were able to bring back from Woodbury wasn't that much either, I'm sure it's all gone by the end of the week.'' He added and she frowned, realizing he was right as she looked at amount of people that were sitting the common room.

We will go through our ration in no time at this rate, she thought in concern.

After Riley filled a bowl with some brown bean soup for Daryl and poured herself some tomato soup in another bowl, they both walked over towards one of the tables that was still empty and sat down next to each other.

''I think it might be smart to make a new list of what comes in and what goes out or else we won't have any clue on how much we go through each week,'' Riley said to the hunter who nodded. Their old list of food rations wouldn't work when there were more mouths to feed.

''Yeah you're right. We should go on a supply run real soon though too, get more foo-'' Daryl started but was cut off when a hand suddenly grasped his shoulder and he turned around, seeing Rick standing behind him with a small smile on his face.

''Congrats man,'' he said to the hunter who looked a bit surprised before he quickly regained his composure.

''Oh uh, yeah thanks,'' Daryl said a bit awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand while Rick sat down beside him, placing his bowl of vegetable soup in front of him.

''I see you finally got your new crossbow,'' Rick said as he saw Daryl's weapon leaning against the side of the wall. ''Riley made me promise to not say anything.'' He added with a chuckle and Riley smiled at him.

''Yeah, it was a surprise for sure.'' Daryl mentioned with a small blush on his face, still remembering how he reacted to Riley's gift as he took a bite of his brown bean soup.

It was quiet for a few minutes, the three of them enjoying their breakfast while the common room was quite busy, people chatting and laughing like there was no worry in the world. Daryl however, being as observant as ever, noticed the frown on Rick's face, seeing their leader was thinking hard about something.

''Somethin' wrong?'' He asked the man and Rick looked up from his bowl of soup.

''Well, I wasn't gonna say anything for a few more days in order not to get people worried but, I've noticed that we're running quite low on food. I looked at the storage room earlier and that amount will only last us a few days.'' Rick said and Riley looked at him in surprise.

''Daryl and I were just talking about that,'' she said and it was now Rick's turn to look surprised.

''What?''

''Yeah, I saw the amount of soup earlier and I reckon with this amount of people we won't last long on the existin' ration.'' Daryl mentioned and Rick nodded in agreement.

''I know, I think we should make a run real soon.''

Daryl looked at Riley for a brief moment and she nodded her head, knowing what he was thinking.

''We can go today, perhaps a few others wanna come too.'' The hunter suggested and Rick looked at him in surprise.

''You sure man? I mean it's your birthday after all, we can afford to wait until tomo-''

''Man, that don't mean nothin','' Daryl said as he rolled his eyes. ''I can go today, the sooner the better. We'll check a phonebook and see which place is closest from here.''

Rick briefly looked at Riley who just nodded her head again, telling him without words to just go what Daryl was offering, the hunter probably too stubborn to not take no for an answer anyways. ''Alright, I'll go ask around to see who wants to join you guys.'' He said, ending the discussion.


Only an hour later, Riley was driving the Pickup into place while Daryl was checking the oil of the Hyundai Tucson, knowing they couldn't afford to get stranded out there in the middle of nowhere with a bust up car. He suddenly heard footsteps approaching, looking behind him to see Sasha, Tyreese and Michonne making their way towards him.

''Rick send y'all?'' Daryl asked and Sasha nodded.

''Yeah, he told us the problem. We can't afford to get low on food and since there are more people from Woodbury around here now, Ty and I thought it was best for us to volunteer to go, earn our keep around here.'' She mentioned and Daryl frowned.

''Ain't about earnin' yer keep aroun' here, it's as much yer home as it is ours.'' He told them, hearing soft footsteps approach before Riley appeared beside him.

''Yeah he's right, we don't want to force people to go.''

''No, it's not like that,'' Tyreese said as he shook his head. ''I think we owe you all a bit of gratitude. We can't just expect the former group to just go on each and every run, risking your lives for all of us on a daily basis. It's good to learn how to work together with different people, get to know each other's skills and all, being able to depend on others. God knows that sort of thing is extremely difficult to find nowadays,'' he mentioned and both Riley and Daryl knew he couldn't be more right about that.

''Fine by me, we're gonna take two cars so we can bring back as much as possible. I suggest each of ya'll take along a few spare of weapons, guns are only used as a last resort. Don't wanna be attractin' more of them walkers,'' the hunter told them and both siblings along with Michonne nodded.

''Rick gave me directions, there's a small town a few miles from here that will surely have some stores to check out. Will be about a two hour drive more or less.'' Michonne mentioned and Daryl gave her a quick nod.

''Alrigh', let's get these cars loaded and we're ready to go.'' Daryl said and the rest got to work, preparing for a long drive up ahead.

An hour later, Riley and Daryl were driving the Pickup behind Michonne who was driving the Tucson along with Tyreese and Sasha as her passengers, leading the way to the small town Rick had informed them about.

''I have to say that it's kind of weird to be driving a car while I'm so used to sitting behind you on your bike,'' Riley mentioned as she turned left on the road to follow Michonne.

''Yeah, can't exactly put much stuff on it, thought it'd be better to have as much free space as possible.''

''Oh, so it wasn't because you weren't feeling much like driving today? You're not getting a bit lazy, are you Daryl?'' She asked and he looked at her in surprise, making her chuckle.

''Kidding! I know how much you love driving that bike.'' She said as she patted his knee.

''Well, might not be so long anymore that I'll be drivin' the thing since it's Merle's and all..'' he trailed off, knowing that his brother would probably want his motorcycle back.

''How is he even going to do that with one hand?'' Riley asked and Daryl looked at her in surprise since that thought hadn't even crossed his mind yet.

''I dunno.. My brother's stubborn, I'm sure he'll find a way.'' He mentioned and Riley pursed her lips, knowing that it probably wouldn't be safe for Merle to still be riding his motorcycle.

''Well, even so, I'm sure he'll let you borrow it all the time. Or else I'll have a talk with him,'' she said with a wink and Daryl chuckled, knowing that his brother wasn't going to stand a chance against her. She had no problem standing up to Merle much to his older brother's dismay.

''Maybe you can teach me how to drive it too sometime? I've always wanted to learn.'' She suddenly mentioned and his eyes widened at the mere thought already.

''Hell no! That thing is way too heavy for you.'' He said in warning and she rolled her eyes.

''Fine, I'll just ask Merle since it's his bike after all.'' She told him rather smugly and she could see in the corner of her eye that he was glaring at her, making her chuckle.

''Ain't people supposed to be extra nice to someone when it's their birthday?'' He mentioned and Riley actually looked at him in surprise before she looked back at the road, feeling a bit guilty.

''Okay, fine, I won't drive the damn thing.'' She grumbled since she knew how protective Daryl was of her, she wasn't going to risk him having a heart attack while Merle was rooting her on to go even faster on his bike. She could see in the corner of her eye that Daryl was looking at her rather smugly, and she knew that he was going to use his birthday against her now but she bit her tongue to keep herself in check, she had to be extra nice to him today.

I'm always nice to him. And that smack on his ass earlier was his own fault, nobody should be wearing those kind of jeans while bending over underneath the hood of the car, she thought in amusement as she could still recall the small surprised yelp Daryl let out earlier when she'd slapped him against his ass while he was filling the engine coolant of the car with water.

''You know, I actually like driving but I rarely get the chance to do it since most of the men seem to be hogging the cars all the time,'' she said and Daryl rolled his eyes, not even going to reply. ''Aren't you the least bit concerned though, having me behind the wheel?''

''Nah, as long as ya keep yer eyes on the road instead of lookin' at me,'' he said and she rolled her eyes, looking in front of her again.

''Can't help it, there's a sexy redneck sitting next to me,'' she commented and he blushed but remained silent, not wanting to urge her on even more. ''Don't understand why you had to wear your jacket though, stupid sleeves don't show anything.''

''Stop,'' he merely said, knowing she was just asking for it and she laughed.

''Nope,'' she grinned and he just shook his head at her behavior, looking away.

He knew that if this had been a road trip with just the two of them and no walkers lurking in each and every corner he would've already told her to hit the brakes and stop somewhere where they could both let off some steam. He wasn't the one to be saying such things out loud, most of it happening inside the safety of his mind, but being around Riley, especially in such a confined space, her teasing him like that would sometimes really drive him over the edge. He knew that it was just a matter of time before he would snap, letting go of his restraints and respond to his primal needs. Riley would never complain though, heck sometimes he really had the feeling that she was just doing it on purpose to urge him on and make the animal inside of him rear its head since they both couldn't deny the pull they had between each other, the high they both felt when he was buried deep inside of her.

Daryl quickly shook his head as certain improper memories poured into his mind and he shifted in his seat, knowing that this wasn't the time to be thinking such things.


The following two hours on the road went surprisingly fast for Daryl since Riley had been telling him everything she knew about the new members of their group, from their names and ages to even their former occupations. She informed him that they even had the luck that there were now two retired plumbers named John and Matt in their group along with Gary, a former electrician. The hunter realized that it wouldn't take that long anymore to get the prison up and running with fresh water and electricity. The building did have all the supplies for it, only there had been a lack of knowledge and a lot less man power before the fusion of the two groups. He had also seen that Hershel had been quite eager to get some farming done, growing their own crops and perhaps even find a few farm animals if they hadn't already been long gone by the undead walking the earth.

Before the couple realized it, Michonne slowed down her car as they had reached the designated town. The street they entered was completely deserted but they all knew it was just a matter of time before the familiar undead would be popping up.

As Riley parked the Pickup behind Michonne's car in front of a middle-sized convenience store, she and the hunter got out of the vehicle, quickly grabbing their crossbows out of the backseat along with their bags.

''How do you want to do this?'' Michonne asked Daryl as she walked up to the couple along with Sasha and Tyreese, knowing that after Rick, the hunter was second in command.

''We'll check each store that we think is worth searchin'. We'll make it quick, get in get out.'' Daryl mentioned but Sasha frowned.

''Why don't we just split up? Go in groups of two and three?'' She suggested but the hunter quickly shook his head.

''Nah, we ain't splittin' up, we gotta do this together.''

''But, won't we cover more ground then?''

''Yeah, but it's too dangerous to split up.''

''But we know how to defend ourselves, it'll go much faster if we ju-'' Sasha started to protest but Daryl quickly cut her off.

''Anythin' can happen if we separate. We stay together and we gotta make it fast. I ain't riskin' it and that's final.'' He stated, clearly ending the discussion as he turned towards the convenience store, leaving the rest to stand there in silence. Sasha raised her eyebrow at her brother who just shook his head, telling her without words to not get into an argument with the hunter since he was clearly the one in charge.

Riley pursed her lips at Daryl's reaction as she walked over to the store as well, the others following her. She knew that Daryl was feeling responsible for their group and he didn't want to make any mistakes, especially since Sasha and Tyreese were fairly new and he didn't know what to expect from their fighting skills. There was also a lot more risk if they would just split up in smaller groups, not knowing what the others were facing when searching for supplies. She knew that Daryl didn't want to take that chance when people's lives were at stake.

''Looks deserted.'' Sasha mentioned as she placed her hands on one of the store's windows, trying to detect any possible movement in the building even though it was quite dark inside.

''Can't be too sure,'' Daryl said before he banged on the big glass window and the rest waited for any movement. Riley was gazing through one of the windows herself as well, trying to see if she could spot any goods that could be useful to take along before a half eaten face suddenly appeared right in front of her.

''Holy shit!'' She exclaimed, taking a step back from the window out of mere reflex, bumping against a familiar solid chest. She heard Daryl chuckle in her ear and she narrowed her eyes as she turned around to face him.

''You're seriously pushing your luck buddy,'' she grumbled to him as she firmly poked her index finger against his chest and he smirked, not seeing both Sasha and Tyreese looking at them in surprise. Apparently the hunter did in fact have the ability to smile, but Riley was probably one of the few people who could actually get that kind of reaction out of him.

At least five more walkers appeared in front of the window due to all the movement they saw on the outside and the group looked at each other before Daryl gave a nod and entered the store with his crossbow raised, the others quickly following him.

Michonne didn't waste any time and beheaded two approaching walkers while Daryl shot off one of his bolts, quickly becoming aware that his new crossbow was extremely accurate. Another bolt was fired, Riley killing one walker that was lying on the floor, the lower part of its body completely gone but it was still snapping its jaw up and down while pushing itself forward on its half decomposed arm, eager for some fresh meat.

Michonne stepped over the body without even glancing its way and swiftly killed another walker with her sword, Daryl coming up beside her to stick a knife in a female walker's head. Sasha bashed the last walker's skull in with her crowbar as Tyreese checked through the windows of the doors to see if they had drawn any attention from outside when they entered the building.

''It's clear.'' He said after a moment when he didn't spot any movement, and barricaded the doors with a magazine rack. It wouldn't hold walkers out, but it would make enough noise to warn them if danger was coming from the outside.

''My God it stinks in here,'' Riley mentioned, the adrenaline slowly leaving her body a little as she took in her surroundings, which also included the disgusting smell of decomposed bodies mixed with sour milk and rotting vegetables hitting her nostrils. The store was only middle-sized, many shelves already being emptied and a lot of food products were scattered all over the floor which was quite sticky as a few cartons of milk had fallen onto it.

As they moved further into the store, the glass underneath their boots crunched loudly as glass jars of what seemed to have been pickles and onions had fallen on the floor while the distinct sound of flies buzzing around could be heard. Riley noticed a few dead bodies lying near the back of the store, knowing that they probably had been unfortunate survivors who in the end had turned out to be no match for the undead.

''Alrigh', take these and grab as much as ya can get yer hands on.'' Daryl mentioned, ripping off a few trash bags from a roll he found near the cash register of the store, knowing it would provide much more space than their own bags. ''Canned food, shampoo, batteries, anythin' we can use.'' He added as he gave each person a trash bag before they all went to work, splitting up into the different aisles.

''There ain't much left,'' Daryl grunted to Riley as they were walking next to each other in what used to be the food aisle, each checking the shelves on their side.

''Hey, what did I always tell you? Stop being so negative, especially on your birthday,'' she mentioned while looking at the top shelves.

''Yeah yeah,'' Daryl grumbled before he quickly spotted a lonely can of peas and carrots. He placed it into his trash bag before he turned his head, seeing Riley looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

''You were saying?'' She asked and he rolled his eyes.

''Okay, you were right.'' He said and she smiled, giving him a pat on his head.

''Good boy.''

''Riles, knock it off.'' Daryl grumbled as he swatted her hand away and she smirked.

''Make me.''

''I will.'' He grunted while he reached towards a can of corn.

''Oh, how?''

''I'll think of somethin'.''

''Is that a promise?'' She said with a smirk.

''It's a fact.''

''Uuw, are you going to spank me mister Dixon? I've been such a naughty girl.''

''Stop.''

''Make me.''

''Goddammit woman!'' He cursed and she chuckled.

''Fine you big baby. Hmm.. do you think they sell condoms here?'' She wondered.

''What?'' He said as he looked her in surprise.

''You know, rubbers, raincoa-''

''I know what they are woman!''

''Yeah so, why do you ask? We're running pretty low on our stash since you can't keep your hands to yourself.''

''Look who's talkin'.'' He grumbled.

''Oh don't you know it, sexy.'' She said with a rather smug smile on her face and Daryl flushed a bright shade of red, quickly turning his head away.

Unbeknownst to the couple, Tyreese and Sasha were hearing the whole hushed conversation they were having as they were standing only two aisles away from them, the two siblings looking at each other in shock by everything they were hearing.

''What is it with those two? A surly redneck who mostly knows how to glare while she's the most friendliest person I've ever met. How in the hell did they ever end up together?'' Sasha whispered to her brother as she grabbed the five remaining bottles of shampoo on a rather empty shelf.

''Love is a strange thing Sasha.'' Tyreese mentioned in a hushed voice, a small smile on his face while he looked at the various shelves on his side of the aisle. His smile quickly faded though when he only spotted food that was already out of date and looking extremely moldy.

They suddenly heard a slapping sound before Riley softly giggled while Daryl cursed, telling the young brunette to knock it off.

Sasha shook her head while she smirked. ''Tell me about it, I know that they say opposites attract, but those two are really stretching it.'' She said and Tyreese chuckled, grabbing two cans of sausages he luckily spotted at one of the bottom shelves.

''Anything can happen at the end of the world, as long as they're both happy right? That's surely something hard to come by nowadays.'' He mentioned and Sasha nodded while she took along a few tubes of tooth paste before they both rounded the corner, heading into the next aisle.


The group made quick work of the convenience store, grabbing anything that they could possibly find, before heading outside again.

''Did y'all get a lot?'' Daryl asked the others as they gathered near the cars, the hunter quickly scanning around the area for any possible movement.

''Filled about a trash bag each, found a decent amount of canned food, especially in the storage room in the back.'' Tyreese said as he gave the hunter his trash bag so he could check its contents, Daryl being impressed that the two siblings even checked the back of the store since most people wouldn't even be thinking of doing that.

''Should be good enough.'' Daryl said as he spotted a good amount of canned food in Tyreese's bag before Sasha showed hers as well which was filled with bottles of shampoos, body wash and tubes of tooth paste. He saw that she'd even found a whole lot of toothbrushes.

''We'll make a list of what we have when we're back at the prison, have some kind of overview of our supplies.'' Riley mentioned while Michonne opened the trunk of the Tucson. They all stashed their trash bags inside, safely hiding them away for prying eyes.

''Okay, where to next?'' Tyreese asked when Michonne closed the trunk again.

''Ain't much left in this street,'' Daryl mentioned as he looked around, only seeing a toy store and a small antique shop. ''We'll check the next one.''

They all followed the hunter as he made his way around the corner into the next street, and to their luck they noticed a lot more stores that were surely worth checking out.

''There is a drugstore and also a pharmacy.'' Riley said to Daryl, seeing the signs hanging out at the end of the street.

''A clothing shop too,'' Sasha said as she nudged her head to the right, seeing a middle-sized building with a few broken windows.

''Alrigh', we'll go there and then we'll head back to the prison.'' The hunter said and the rest nodded before they all crossed the street, Michonne leading the way while Daryl and Riley made up the rear of the group.

When they passed an abandoned bakery, a lone walker suddenly appeared from behind a corner, its left leg being half torn apart but it still managed to shuffle forward, eager for its next meal as it saw the group approach. Tyreese was about to make his way over to the reanimated body in order to kill it with his hammer but before he knew it, the walker already dropped dead in front of him, a bolt sticking out of the back of its head. He looked behind him, seeing Riley quickly reloading her crossbow as she'd been the one to release the bolt.

''I gotta get me one of those, silent but effective.'' He told his sister who gave him a rather amused look, finding the idea of her brother handling a crossbow quite funny.

''You're already a poor shot with a gun, better stick to your hammer for now. Get more gun training and maybe you might eventually be ready to learn how to shoot with a crossbow.'' She said before she walked a bit further up ahead to catch up with Michonne who was walking in the front, beheading another nearing walker with her sword.

Tyreese rolled his eyes at her comment and kept on walking. ''Damn, that woman is ten years younger than me but she surely doesn't mind bossing me around.'' He grumbled to himself, not realizing that a certain hunter behind him had actually heard his comment.

''Got one right here with the same tendencies,'' Daryl suddenly grunted to Tyreese as he nudged his head towards Riley as she was pulling out her bolt of the walker she just killed.

''I do not!'' She nearly hissed at the hunter and Tyreese chuckled. He stopped however as he saw Riley narrowing her eyes at him and he quickly made his way back to his sister and Michonne, not wanting to get involved in a potential lover's quarrel.

Daryl looked at Riley but she just passed him without saying another word and he chuckled as he saw her biting her lip to keep herself from saying something snappy to him. He thought it was quite amusing to see that she actually wasn't responding in the way she normally would, knowing she was being on her best behavior today.

He shook his head, looking to the side before his eyes suddenly widened when he noticed he was standing right next to a small jewelry store. The windows were broken and the cash register was lying upside down on the floor, its contents completely emptied out. All the glass of the tables that displayed the jewelry had been smashed while a lot of rings, necklaces and bracelets were scattered everywhere. The hunter figured that people in the earlier days of the outbreak had probably thought that stealing these things would've been beneficial to them.

Bein' rich don't mean nothin' anymore, Daryl thought, unconsciously stepping a bit closer to one of the broken windows to get a better look. As he looked at a few rings that were shimmering due to the sunlight that was coming through the windows, he started to bite his lip as he thought about something that'd been on his mind ever since Maggie had shown her ring, not forgetting the look on Riley's face.

''Daryl! You coming?'' Riley's voice suddenly cut through his train of thoughts and he looked to his right, seeing that the others were already nearing the drugstore and he quickly made his way over to them.


It took about two hours to raid the drugstore, pharmacy and clothing shop, and to their luck they could fill at least six more trash bags before they headed towards the cars again. They didn't know however that Daryl was distracted by a certain thought that kept on playing in his mind, wondering how on earth he was going to pull it off.

Okay, fuck it, he thought before he stopped walking.

''Hey, y'all go up ahead and get these bags to the car. I'm gonna check if a few of these places have some guns stashed behind their counters.'' He suddenly mentioned and the rest turned around to look at him in surprise.

''You want to check all these stores? I don't think that a bakery might have a gun.'' Riley frowned in confusion, not understanding what Daryl was talking about.

''Nah, not that kind of store, but that small diner over there might be good, and that bar too.'' Daryl pointed out, purposely not mentioning a certain store he wanted to go check out. ''The more weapons we can get our hands on the better.''

''But you just said that it was too dangerous for us to split up.'' Sasha suddenly mentioned and Daryl wanted to roll his eyes at the woman for being so stubborn but he kept himself in check, giving Riley his trash bag.

''That's why I'm goin' alone.'' He said and Sasha pursed her lips.

''But I thou-''

''Quit it Sasha.'' Tyreese said to his sister who rolled her eyes and looked away, clearly not agreeing with what the hunter was going to do. Daryl noticed that she wasn't the only one who disagreed on his idea by the way Riley was looking at him, knowing his woman well enough that that look meant she was going to argue with him so he quickly spoke before she could even open her mouth.

''I'll get in, get out. Just wait for me by the cars, I won't take long.'' He grumbled, not waiting for an answer as he quickly made his way over to the bar.

''But Daryl that's dangerous!'' Riley quickly got out but she only received a look from Daryl, knowing he wasn't going to listen.

''Okay, what in the hell is his problem? First he says we don't split up because it's too dangerous and now he just goes out on his own.'' Sasha mentioned, crossing her arms in frustration.

''He's just a bit tense from being out here while keeping guard, just let him be,'' Riley said in Daryl's defense, even though she had no idea what in the hell he was doing.

''Fine, whatever.'' Sasha grumbled and picked up her two trash bags, Tyreese doing the same.

''You sure he's alright by himself?'' Michonne asked Riley as they made their way over to the cars.

''Yeah, he's done it before.'' Riley told the woman, even though she couldn't help but worry about her hunter, looking behind her from time to time to see if she didn't see him appear.

''I'll go after him,'' Michonne said, knowing that Riley was worried as she saw the young woman's tense behavior.

''No it's alright, we'll just wai-'' Riley started to say but by the time she looked behind her, Michonne had already walked off. Even though Riley knew that Daryl wasn't going to like the fact that Michonne wasn't listening to him, she was glad there was at least back up for her hunter, lessening the worries in her heart.

Meanwhile, Daryl was heading into the direction of the jewelry store, checking behind him if he wasn't being followed by the others. He walked past the bar before he looked into one of the broken windows of the jewelry store, not seeing any movement so he carefully stepped inside, the glass crunching loudly underneath his boots.

He looked around, seeing everything glistering around him as the jewelry was scattered all over the floor. He knelt down near a pile of jewelry, viewing a few rings before he picked one up, viewing the rather large yellow square shaped diamond.

''Too big,'' he mumbled to himself as he put it back down again and looked at a ring with a pink diamond. ''Pink.. that's a girl's color right? She said she likes the color but she doesn't wear it. Maybe another color might be better?''

He frowned, picking up another ring with a blue diamond. Would she like a colored diamond or just a white one? Shit, she might not even like a platinum band. Maybe she wants gold? She has her ears pierced but I've never seen her wearin' any earrings, so that's no help either. What if she don't like the one I pick? Maybe she thinks it's ugly and she won't wear it. Heck, she might not even say yes to begin with. Man, what the fuck am I ev-

''What are you doing?'' He suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him say and he let the ring he was holding in his hand fall to the floor as he quickly stood up, his crossbow raised in a reflex as he turned around, seeing Michonne standing in front of the window.

''The fuck are ya doin here'?!'' Daryl nearly snapped at her since she'd caught him off guard, he hadn't even heard her nearing the store. Michonne just raised her eyebrow at him before she stepped inside the jewelry store.

''Seeing if you needed any help, Riley was worried.'' She casually mentioned and Daryl lowered his crossbow, shaking his head. He knew that Riley was starting to become more and more like him in that aspect.

''Nah, I can do this on my own.'' He grumbled to Michonne, hoping she hadn't caught him looking at the rings.

''Do you always do everything by yourself?'' She questioned and he sighed, just wanting her to go away because he didn't want to have an audience for what he planned to do in this particular store.

''No, not anymore.'' He replied and she frowned at him in confusion as to what he meant by that but before she could ask another question he spoke again. ''I figured it would be faster.''

''Right.. did you already check the bar?'' She asked him since the bar was closer than the jewelry store.

''Yeah, didn't have anythin'.''

''Well, that's strange because I found this behind the counter.'' She mentioned to him, showing him the semi-automatic pistol she found and Daryl's eyes widened a bit before he regained his composure. He actually hadn't even checked the bar yet since he'd gone straight towards the jewelry store.

''Fine whatever, I figured a jewelry store had a better chance on findin' a gun, the chance of bein' robbed is higher.'' He grumbled and she pursed her lips before she slowly nodded, but Daryl saw that she didn't quite believe what he was saying. He quickly made his way towards the table where the cash register used to be and checked all the small drawers before he found a handgun, luckily fully loaded. He also found a few boxes of bullets, quickly shoving it into his bag.

''Alrigh', got it.'' He said as he stood up and Michonne nodded before she made her way over to the window. Daryl took a few steps towards the window as well, biting his lip as he looked at the jewelry on the floor. He knew that this was probably the one and only time that he would be in a jewelry store for now and he really had his mind set on getting a ring.

''I'll keep watch,'' he suddenly heard Michonne say and he looked up, seeing that she was already standing outside the store.

''Wha?'' He asked, not understanding what she meant.

''I'll keep watch, you do what you need to do.'' She mentioned as she briefly looked at him before she turned around, giving him her back as she stood in front of the store. Daryl just looked at her with widened eyes, wondering if she knew what he was actually doing in this store. However, the way he had always been looked down upon in the past made him think she actually thought something completely different.

''I'm not gonna rob this joint if that's what ya think.'' He nearly snapped at her and she turned around again to look him.

''When did I even say that?''

''I saw the way ya looked at me, a redneck in a jewelry store? Surely wants to take everythin' along.'' He nearly spat and he turned around, not wanting to see the judgmental look she probably had on her face.

''Do you always think so little of yourself?'' She asked and his jaw tensed but he didn't turn around, she was getting too close for comfort and he didn't like it one bit. He had been able to let his walls down around Riley, but with others it wasn't as easy to do, especially since he didn't know Michonne for that long either. It turned out however that he wasn't the only observant one in their group.

''I suggest you should just choose one you like, I think that would mean more to her.'' She suddenly mentioned and Daryl's eyes widened a bit in shock. Michonne had figured it out, she knew what he was doing here. He turned around to look at her, seeing her raising an eyebrow at him before she turned around again, watching her surroundings. Daryl bit his lip before he quickly made his decision and walked over to one of the tables, viewing all the rings.

Okay, get what I like. What do I like? I guess.. nothin' too big, don't like them colored ones either, the hunter thought to himself as he checked the various rings displayed upon the table, immediately skipping all the blue and pink ones. Don't care about them carats, sure she don't mind either, just gotta look pretty.

His eyes suddenly fell upon a princess cut diamond ring, its platinum band partly covered with small round diamonds. He picked it up, turning it around to look at it from every angle. It looked pretty but simple, elegant and shiny but nothing too fancy. He liked it, knowing it would look great on Riley's ring finger. He frowned, wondering if Riley would like it as well.

''Choose one you like, it would mean more to her.'' Michonne's words rang through his mind.

She's a woman, I'm sure she knows more about them things than I do anyways, Daryl thought, trying on the ring to see how far it would go down his pinky which he knew was only a little bit smaller than Riley's ring finger. He had been comparing their fingers one night when she had been fast asleep, trying to figure out her size.

To his luck it was the right fit and he quickly shoved it in one of the pockets of his jeans. He was about to turn around before his eye suddenly caught another ring, only this one was just a simple titanium wedding band. He looked at it, seeing it was rather large, too large to fit around a woman's finger at least. He bit his lip again, wondering if he should get one for himself as well. He picked it up, fitting it on his ring finger, seeing it was a decent size. Not too tight but it wasn't loose either. It looked rather manly, he instantly liked it.

Alrigh', just in case. I'm sure she wants one on me as well if she has one, he thought to himself, instinctively knowing Riley better than he probably realized at that moment. He had also seen the wedding ring Rick still had on his finger, knowing it meant a lot for both partners to wear a symbol of their union and not just the woman. He quickly shoved the second ring in his pocket as well before he turned towards Michonne again who just beheaded a nearing walker.

''Are you done? I see more coming.'' She told him as he stepped out of the broken window, seeing three more walkers slowly making their way towards them.

''Yeah, I'm done. Let's get back.'' He said to her and she nodded, turning around as they set out a fast pace.

''Hey uh, about what happened just no-'' Daryl started but Michonne quickly cut him off before he could finish.

''Not my business, I won't say anything.'' She told him and he looked at her in surprise but grunted in reply as they rounded the corner.

They quickly made their way over to the cars, only seeing Tyreese standing next to the Pickup while Riley and Sasha were nowhere in sight.

''Where's Riley?'' Daryl demanded to know, panic quickly coursing through him as he didn't spot her in one of the cars.

''She and Sasha went over to that toy store, wanted to get some stuff for the kids.'' Tyreese mentioned with a bit of hesitance, knowing that Daryl wasn't going to like that particular information.

''What!?'' Daryl nearly snapped at the man but before he could say anything, footsteps were heard behind them and he turned around, seeing Riley and Sasha walking towards them, each carrying two big trash bags.

''The fuck were the two of ya thinkin'!?'' Daryl now nearly shouted at Riley who just shook her head, placing her two trash bags in the bed of the Pickup, Sasha doing the same.

''It was just across the street and we had it covered. Tyreese was outside, he could see us.'' Riley said and Daryl was about to argue but Michonne suddenly spoke.

''Guys, we better get going.'' She said and they all looked at her, seeing she was pointing at eight walkers that were slowly shuffling towards them.

''Fuck, c'mon get in the cars!'' Daryl ordered and went over to the driver's seat, not seeing Riley looking at him in confusion.

''I thought I was dri-''

''I'm drivin', gimme the keys.'' He demanded and she sighed, throwing the keys towards him over the roof of the car, Daryl easily catching them before he got inside while Riley stepped into the passenger's seat. The hunter drove the car backwards before he turned it around and made his way out of town, the others following him in the Tucson.

It was silent in the car, Riley looking out of the window while Daryl just stared ahead, being in deep thought. However, out of the two of them, there was only one who really didn't do well with silence.

''You have no right to be angry with me.'' She said to him and his jaw tensed.

''The hell I ain't,'' he grumbled to her and she sighed.

''You were the one that went out all by yourself.'' She mentioned and he looked at her.

''Oh! So that gives you the right to do that same!?'' He nearly snapped and she crossed her arms.

''No! But instead of just sitting there, worrying my ass off about you, I thought I would go do something instead! And I wasn't alone either, both Sasha and Tyreese were there.'' She argued. ''Sorry that I wanted to take along some toys for the kids!''

Daryl sighed while his hands tightened on the wheel. ''We don't know nothin' 'bout their fightin' skills yet, anythin' could've happened.'' He mentioned and she rolled her eyes, knowing very well that the two siblings had decent fighting skills if they had survived for this long on their own.

''You know damn well that they can fight, they wouldn't be here if they couldn't. Apparently you can get angry at me for doing something with others who have my back, while I can't say shit when you go out there on your own without any backup. You told us not to split up and then you just break your own word.'' She said before she turned her head, not looking at him anymore.

It stayed silent for several minutes after she had said that, Daryl biting on his lip. He hated arguing with her. They rarely did it, Riley being able to handle his mood swings quite well after being in a relationship with him for so long. But when they did argue, it made him feel uncomfortable and tense.

''Look I just..'' he started, trying to figure out what he was going to say to make her understand. ''When you do somethin' like that, it just scares the shit outta me alrigh'? I know ya can handle yerself out there but when ya take me by surprise.. fuck Riles, I just panicked.''

Riley frowned, looking at him as he stared out of the window. ''I had the exact same feeling too you know, when you just took off on your own but you didn't see me yelling at you for it.'' She mentioned and his jaw tensed. He knew that she was always worried about him since he always worried about her too. However, how they both handled those emotions was completely different. While she was able to stay calm, he was quick to lash out.

''Sorry,'' he eventually said, knowing he had been wrong. He couldn't tell her the exact reason why he had gone out by himself but he probably should've planned it better. ''I just thought it was faster to go by myself.''

Riley lowered her eyes, knowing that they could clearly react differently in a certain situation. At least he could tell her now what was on his mind instead of being angry without saying a word. We're still learning, I guess that won't ever stop, she thought to herself. And even on his birthday, I wanted this day to go extra great.

After a moment she sighed before she scooted closer towards him, pulling at his arm so he could place it around her shoulders. ''Let's not argue anymore, okay? I hate arguing.'' She mentioned and he pulled her closer against him, without words agreeing with her as he pressed his lips against the side of her head. ''Especially on your birthday. This wasn't what I was looking forward to.'' She added and he looked at her in confusion.

''What'chu mean?'' He asked and she smiled.

''We still have some treasure hunting to do tonight, remember?'' She mentioned and he widened his eyes, making her chuckle as she even saw that his cheeks turned a little red. ''This day is far from being over, birthday boy.'' She added as she patted him on his chest, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Daryl started to bite his lip, knowing he needed to keep himself in check even though he could clearly feel the animal inside him slowly but steadily rearing its head in both curiosity and impatience.

Just a few more hours Dixon, you'll live.

~ TWD ~


A/N 2: Well, apparently Daryl's birthday is far from being over! If you want to see the rings Daryl picked out when he was at the jewelry store, check xamss89 dot tumblr dot com where I'll show pictures. :)

Thanks to everyone who took the time to write me a review, it really encourages me to keep on going with this story! I hope you'll let me know what you thought of this chapter. :) A thank you as well to everyone who gave my story a try by following and/or favoring! - If you as a reader have any suggestions on what you would like to see in Armored Love, please don't hesitate to let me know, I'm always open to new ideas!

A special thanks to my amazing friend Martine9295 for always being there to discuss certain ideas and storylines with me, but also for all the advice and encouragement - you're the best! ;)

To the reviewers I couldn't pm:

* Guest: Thank you! Sorry that it took me so long to update, I hope this chapter made up for the long wait.

* Bella87: Happy New Year to you too! :) Hope you had fun in Italy. Great to know that you liked the previous chapter and that I'm letting Merle live! Haha Riley Dixon, that has a nice ring to it doesn't it? ;) Thanks for your loyal reviews, I really appreciate it! :)

* xdiexromanticx: Happy to know that you loved it. ;) And Riley sure put Carl in his place didn't she? Great that you like that Merle is still alive and kicking in the story, I'm going to give that man more screen time. Thanks for always taking the time to share your thoughts with me. :)

* Guest 2: Hope you liked this new chapter!