"My God this is so much easier to use." The woman from the front desk, Wendy as Ren had finally learned her name, said while using the new computer in the back room.

"Yeah and if you guys ever have any issues with this one or the ones I'm going to install in the towers, all you have to do is call and we can take them over remotely to see what the issue is without you guys having to worry about finding the IP address and all the other info to give us." Ren smiled.

"That's amazing." Wendy grinned up at her. Ren liked the woman, she reminded her of a heavier set and southern version of her own mom. Or at least what she could remember of her mom. They walked back to the front together and woman smiled at Murray who was talking to Daryl, "They sent us a genius alright, the system back there is already updated and secured."

Murray turned away from the other man and looked at Ren, "That's good to hear. How did you get so good at this anyways?"

"I went to school for it." She told them.

"But you're still very young, aren't you?" Wendy sat down at the desk, she had been acting almost enamored with Ren since she'd come back with a solution so fast.

"I'm twenty-four." Ren let out an awkward laugh. She hated this part.

"I wish my son was as smart as you." Wendy waved her off, "He just works at the gas station. He's about your age, maybe you could give him some motivation."

Ren almost choked on her own spit at this. Was Wendy trying to hook her up with her son? She knew she shouldn't have left without her ring. Chris had bought it too big and she was scared of losing it.

"Gonna be too busy." Daryl but in, "Workin on the towers and plannin a weddin."

"Wedding?" Wendy lit up and Ren wasn't sure if Daryl was trying to help her out or drag her down more. He'd been acting a lot more distant and aloof since the night he gave her a beer at the bar, but then again, she'd only known him less than a day at that point. "What's his name? How long have you been together?"

"Chris." Ren started to pull out her phone, knowing a picture of him was going to be needed for the woman, "We've been together for two years."

Daryl had thought he was going to get her out of the awkward situation Wendy had put her in, but Ren had shot him a sharp glare as she pulled out her phone, leaning over to so the woman. He looked away before he was able to see down her shirt and spoke to Murray, "I can do it, gotta get somethin from it though."

"What are we talking Daryl?" Murray sighed, "I didn't turn you in when I found yours and Merles stash out there six months ago, you want somethin else now?"

"Don pay me by the job." Daryl said, "Pay me by the day I'm out there 'cause I know you still want me lookin for that wolf pack."

"I can have that arranged, I'm sure." Murray sighed. He turned back to the two women, Ren trying to get herself out of the conversation, "Ren can you come here?"

"Yes." She answered a little to quickly and moved over to where the two men were, "What's up?"

Daryl tried to avoid looking at her, she was cute with her little smile on as she waited to hear what the plan was for her job. How the hell was he going to survive being out in the woods alone with her for at least a month? He just had to remember, she was engaged and unless she started it, he would stay away from her and those goddamn pink lips.

"So we can't get the solar panels and such out to you until you have the towers back up and running, so the plan is for Daryl here to take you out to the towers and get them all working then we bring the panels and other stuff out to you. How does that sound?" Murray asked.

"Yeah that sounds fine to me, I mean you guys have rules you have to follow and if that's how we have to do it, that's how we have to do it." Ren smiled before her phone started ringing. Looking down a smile formed on her face, "Hey, sorry I have to get this. We start tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Daryl answered and she smiled at him before heading to the door, answering.

"Hey long time no hear. How was the camping trip?" Ren asked as she got out the door.

"Good, our uncle however doesn't really get fishing." Hammond joked, "Talked so much he scared away the fish."

"You'd think he'd want some peace and quiet after dealing with teenagers all the time." She laughed before moving out of the way of the door as Daryl came out. He saw her still standing there and began 'packing' up his truck very slowly, he knew it wasn't right to listen in on her conversation, but he was about to be spending all this time with her, he should get to know a little about her. She asked, "How'd dad do?"

"Dad? Dad did great. As much as he complained about you paying that much for his new wheelchair, he sure as hell loved being able to get around out in the woods." Hammond told her, "So your text said you're in Atlanta?"

"No, I flew into Atlanta, learn to read dingus." She picked on him.

"I was driving as the texts came in."

"Well then you shouldn't have been reading while driving in the first place."

The smile on her face told Daryl she had a good relationship with this person, perhaps it was her fiancé, in which there was no chance of her starting it between them no matter how long they were out there. But he guessed it was a good thing if it was him, he clearly made her happy, happier than his dad made his mom, or Merle had ever made any woman. Hell, this might be the healthiest relationship he'd ever seen, and that was all that mattered. He could tell she was a good person, wanting to help save the environment, saying that the forest belonged to the wolves and that people shouldn't complain about getting attacked there. Daryl was okay with his satisfaction being from helping her and keeping her safe while she was out there.

"So, since you're out in the forest and all that fun stuff does that mean I can come visit you? Or Uncle Negan?" Hammond asked.

"No." She rolled her eyes, a smirk lingering on her face, "I'm working, and when I'm working, there are no personal visits, no matter where in the country I am, you know this."

"Come on, it's starting to get cold up here. Plus, Uncle Negan misses you." Hammond told her, "He hasn't seen you since the funeral."

"Yeah…I know, I'll see him soon." She told him. Daryl watched her expression go sad. "I've just been really busy."

"I know, and I know it's weird for you to go back to the house and not have Aunt Lucille there." Her brother added, "But hey, I just wanted to let you know we made it back into town alright, Dad's doing fine, and that if you need anything while you're on our coast to let me know okay?"

"Alright." Ren tucked her hair behind her ear. "Tell dad I'll call him tomorrow."

"Okay. Miss you Brainiac."

"Miss you too meat head." She laughed heading to her car.

Daryl looked over his shoulder as he 'secured' his bow in the back, "Fiancé?"

"No, big brother." She smiled at him. If he thought he was fooling her about not leaving right away to make sure everything on his truck was fine, he clearly didn't know how smart she actually was. Ren figured he was just trying to scope her out, see what he was going to have to be dealing with for the next few weeks, he was clearly a lone wolf. She had to admit, it was going to be awkward, being out with a man she barely knew for that long. Chris wasn't going to be happy about it when he heard but it was better than being out there alone. Her fiancé at least wouldn't see him, his piercing blue eyes, and muscles that Chris didn't have, he'd be threatened like any man probably would be. She at least knew with the way he'd been acting towards her the past two days he wasn't going to try to hit on her a lot, so her husband to be had nothing to worry about. She gave him a smile, "See you tomorrow."

"Yeah." He watched her get in the red Audi. Daryl had heard people in the town muttering about her and the car. He'd heard her telling Murray that it wasn't her choice to get that car and joking that the one she owned was almost eight years old, much to her boss's dismay apparently. He was about to get in the truck when he heard her try and start the car and it just clicked over and over.

Ren tried again and the car once again didn't start. Sighing she got out while popping the hood and she saw Daryl come around from the driver's side of his truck. She said, "I don't think she likes having to come up the mountain every day."

"She?" He asked.

"Yeah, she. You know, the car." She motioned towards it, "You don't do that with stuff?"

He looked away from her and to the engine, "Nah."

"Oh, okay." She followed his gaze to under the hood, not knowing what else to say to that. Looking down at the engine it looked the map to a land on the surface of another planet. She wished that her Uncles had taught her stuff about cars, they were better at it then both her brother and her dad, but they'd wanted her to focus on her school and computers, the things she enjoyed.

"Yeah, transmissions messed up." Daryl said after looking for a few moments. "But the starters your issue right now."

"What how can you tell?" She stepped in closer, her hand going to his shoulder as she tried to lean in to where he was, but it wasn't that easy since she was shorter than him. He tensed up at the feeling of her hand on him, his head turning to look at it on his skin. Ren saw him look from her hand to her face and she quickly let him go, "Sorry."

"'S alright." He muttered. "Cars gunna need to be towed. Don much matter since we're gunna be out there for so long."

"I'll get a tow company out here." She sighed again going back towards the car to grab her phone.

"You need to rest, we're leavin out early." Daryl told her, "Murray can deal with the car."

"What do you mean we're leaving out early?" Her head popped back up from the cab of the car.

"I'll drive you back and pick you up, but we're leavin at four a.m." He informed her of a decision he'd already made after seeing the transmission.

"Um…okay, yeah that works." She said grabbing her bag out of the car, "You sure Murray will be fine with taking care of this?"

"Yeah." Was all he answered as he climbed into the driver's side of the truck.

She went around and got into the passenger's side. It smelled like an ashtray, but her eyes lingered on the pack of cigarettes in the cup holder. Her eyes darted away. She'd promised Chris she'd stop, and she had. She'd been doing really well at not smoking cigarettes when she was stressed, she didn't even have one when she drank anymore. It'd been six months, she could keep going, even if she was inwardly freaking out about everything going on.

The night before she'd spilled everything to Becca, the pressure of the wedding, the amount of time she was going to be away from her home, which was familiar and safe, the fact that she was taking the lead on her own project finally and she was trying not to actively screw it up because then Justin would never let her try anything new ever again. It also didn't help that she was in a new place where most of the people gave her dirty looks and Daryl, the one person that didn't, the person she was about to be stuck with for the next god knows how long, barely talked to her.

Now was a time she really wanted a cigarette. But she didn't ask for one, even as he lit it. She just sat there and smelled it, the closest she could get. She'd promised Chris.

She hadn't said anything about him lighting up the cigarette, he figured she minded because she had stiffened slightly when he did, but she was too polite to say anything. As weird as it was, he found it kind of annoying. She seemed smart as hell, she had confidence in what she did, but she rarely stood up for herself. If she wanted him to quit smoking, she should say it.

They were silent the whole time, all the way back to her hotel. She thanked him for the ride when they got there, and she quickly went to her room. She had to be up at four in the morning to have more awkward time with this guy. At least he probably wouldn't talk her ear off the whole time.

A/N: Be sure to let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!