Ren was sitting out by the fire her uncle had built holding a beer. She heard the back door open and he came out to sit next to her, placing the plate of s'mores between them and setting more beers on the ground. He handed her a blanket and she draped it over her legs before grabbing a marshmallow and stabbing it with a skewer.

Negan watched as she put it in the fire. It's been two days since she'd showed up to his house, and he was still worried about her despite her not acting too different. "You gunna tell me what's going on?"

She didn't answer as she watched her marshmallow catch on fire. Pulling it out she blew the flames out. "Why'd…Why'd you cheat on Aunt Lucille?"

"Because I'm an idiot." He answered with a sigh, "A greedy idiot who didn't realize what he had was the best damn thing in the world." He stuck his own marshmallow in the fire, "I don't know if it's why Chris cheated on you or not though."

"I don't understand it. I never looked at anyone else until after I found out." She started constructing her s'more. "He was who I was with, so he was only who I was with."

"That's because you're a good person. You're loyal to a damn fault. And you're sweet." He told her. Watching as she bit into her s'more he realized something in what she said, "You've looked at other people since?" She wiped her mouth slowly, realizing she'd said that on accident. He smirked, "Serenity Mae, you've done more than look, haven't you?" He started laughing and she turned a bright shade of red which made him laugh more. "Never thought you'd be one to rebound, but I can't say I'm not proud."

"It wasn't a rebound…" She muttered, "At least not for me…"

"Is that what he thought it was?" Negan asked.

"No…I don't think so…I don't know." She sat back in her seat. "At first things were so straight forward…then they got confusing…now I don't know what's going on…or if it's even worth worrying about anymore."

"What do you mean?" He handed her another marshmallow.

"He lives in Georgia."

Negan looked over at her, "You met him while you were working there?" She nodded and he slowly understood, "Is there a way for you to talk to him about it? Long distance? That kind of thing?"

"No, he doesn't have a phone." She stabbed her marshmallow angrier this time, "Who the hell doesn't have a phone?! Not even a land line!"

He laughed at her, "Guess until you have a need to call people, you don't need a phone."

"Yeah well…he didn't need to call me and he did." She watched the white fluffy treat start to blacken. "Flew to Georgia early and everything."

"Yeah? What'd he say that was so good?" Negan took a sip of his beer.

She looked at her uncle then looked away, her blush returning, "He said he didn't want to sleep with anyone else…because they weren't me. He was a drunk when he said it so…he could have been lying."

"Nope." He shook his head, "If he were drunk and going to lie, he would have used that line on someone around him, that would benefit him in the moment. A man says that to a woman when she isn't around, he's telling the truth."

"Really?" She blew out her marshmallow.

He nodded, "I'd tell it to Lucille every day if she were still alive. Whether she were here or not."

Daryl could hear Merle and Laura in the bedroom. The TV didn't go up loud enough to cover the exaggerated sounds the woman was making. Her friend Cara was on the couch next to him, her hands rubbing on his shoulders. He almost didn't notice her mouth on his next because it did nothing to him. Gently he pushed her away.

"Come on Daryl. Don't be like that." The woman climbed on his lap and he tried to hold back his sigh.

"I'm tryin'na watch this." He motioned to the TV.

"Yeah?" She asked her lips on his ear. "What is it then?"

He had no clue what was on. He hadn't really been paying attention to anything. He hadn't since she left. It was as if he was just floating through time, things happening around him, sometimes to him, but none of it mattered. Part of him wished he'd never met her. Then he'd never know what things could be like, would never have had hope that it could be better.

Cara was unbuttoning his shirt now and he stopped her, "Nah."

"Okay, I can work with that." The woman went for his pants and his body had no reaction to her touch.

He pushed her off of him and stood up so she couldn't try again, "I'm going to smoke."

"And when you come back?" She smiled at him, toying with the bottom of her shirt, lifting it up little bits.

"Nah." He couldn't do it. And the last thing he wanted was more of Merle giving him a hard time for not being able to get it up, so instead this time, he just wouldn't even try. Going outside he lit his cigarette and after one drag, he heard the door open.

"Must be some girl." Cara said.

"Huh?"

"The girl you're hung up on. She must be pretty impressive to have you pushin another one off your lap." She leaned against the wall, "Wish a guy would be like that for me."

"Gotta find the right one." He mumbled.

"Yeah I know…I just don't like the wait, but I do like the search." She laughed. "Was she the right one?"

Only one. He thought.

When he didn't answer Cara nodded, "Where's she at?"

"Gone."

"Gone where?"

"Somewhere better than here." He took one last drag of his cigarette.

"Look, I'm telling you, he's a nice guy." Becca said as they shopped, "I'm not saying you have to marry him, just go out on a date. Be single. Get dolled up and let someone buy you dinner. And maybe get laid afterwards if you feel like it. Then if you want, you can never text him again."

"That's rude." Ren looked at her friend as she skimmed the shirts on the rack.

"And that's your problem. It's not rude to have a one-night stand. Ghosting is a little rude, but hey you just got cheated on, you're allowed to be a little mean to the male species right now." Becca shrugged.

"I don't know." Ren mumbled.

Becca pulled out her phone, "Look at him. He's perfect and he's into you."

Ren stared at the screen. He had hazel eyes and honey colored hair. His smile was perfectly straight and his face clean shaven with a strong jaw. Becca was right that he was physically attractive. She sighed, "What's he do again?"

"Greg said he's a bio tech researcher. Definitely smart enough to keep up with you. He also plays piano, so you know," She held her hands up and wiggled her fingers, "he's got finger dexterity."

She didn't want to, but she also couldn't keep saying no to her best friend. It had been two months and waiting on Daryl to call or some type of communication wasn't getting her anywhere. She didn't like it, but what could it hurt, "Okay fine."

"Yay!" Her best friend clapped excitedly.

"Rules!" Ren held up a finger, "he better not expect anything at the end of the night."

"Greg said very respectful."

"No seafood for dinner."

"Pasta it is!" Becca quickly texted her boyfriend, "Now we have to find you an outfit!"

"Becca I have plenty of clothes."

"Yeah, but not sexy ones. They're all 'I've been in a relationship for two years' clothes." Becca smiled, "We need to get you 'Single and ready to wreck your life' clothes. I should call Marco and see if he can help."

"You're insane." Ren said to her.

"But you love me."

"Yeah, yeah." She allowed herself to be dragged to another section of the store.

Taking a sip of her wine she looked at the menu. It was a fancy restaurant, she should have made that a rule too, but she hadn't and while the wine was delicious, she had no clue what half of the food items actually were. It was not the pasta she was used to eating with her dad and brother…or even Chris. Eventually though she just went with the one thing she knew for sure she knew what it was and that was Ziti.

"So, you've been working on forest fire prevention through use of weather radar and electrical attraction?" Sean asked after they ordered.

"What?" She was a little shocked he would know that much.

"I have friends that work at GHC. Plus, Greg told me about how you were out in Georgia for like three months installing the system." He said, "From what I've heard the idea is very promising and it's genius what you're doing."

"It's nothing really. The hard balance is finding a way to stop excess fires during the dry seasons but allow for the natural burn to happen so that natural regrowth happens." She explained.

"What about man made fires?"

"You mean arson?" She clarified and he nodded, "Well I'm still trying to figure that one out, but if we could built a network of radar systems between the towers themselves, we might be able to get a way to detect the change in heat and smoke density in the forest before the rangers themselves can see it with their eyes. Problem is, there's a lot more forest than there are towers."

Sean laughed softly while looking at her, "You really are amazing."

"Huh?" She asked.

"You're amazing." He smiled at her, "You're smart and your accomplishments are starting really early. I'm not going to lie, when I saw a picture of you I just thought you were really pretty, but then Greg told me more about you and I realized you were more than just a simple tech. Finishing your masters degree at twenty is just baffling."

She hated this. She hated when people did this. Daryl had never once done it to her. She pushed the thought of him from her mind, he wasn't there, he wasn't going to be there. It was over. She had to move on in some way, even if it meant having to get used to people being impressed by her all over again. She shrugged it off with a smile, "I just had the right opportunities. I'm sure other people would have done the same if they'd been given the chances I was."

"And you're humble." His eyes locked onto hers. She had to admit, he was cute. She didn't have to respond though as their salads came.

Managing to make it through dinner, he wasn't bad, he was just very impressed by her credentials and ideas. She at least managed to get away from it somewhat when she brought up his career and research. They left the restaurant and he walked her back to her car.

He was tall and lean, almost towering over her. Wearing a nervous smile, he asked, "Is it to soon for me to ask if we could do this again?"

"Um," She was a little taken off guard but heard Becca in the back of her head to do it, "No, I don't think so."

"Alright, cool." Sean seemed to let out a breath, "Would you want to do this again some time? Maybe something more than dinner? A movie or show if you're into that kind of thing."

"Yeah that…that sounds nice." She smiled, it didn't sound bad. Ren wasn't a big fan of theatre but she liked movies a lot.

"Good. Then I'll call you?"

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Kay." He responded and she let out a soft laugh the awkwardness of the situation. Turning he started to walk away but before he got more than two steps he stopped and turned back around, "Something else."

"Yeah?" Her breathing stopped and her eyes were wide in shock as he leaned down, his lips connecting to hers.

Tossing his bow down on the floor at the door of the apartment, Daryl shut the door behind him, "Merle!"

"Aye! Little brother!" Merle came out of the bedroom half naked and higher than the clouds. "You been out in them damn woods again?"

"Yeah." He hated Merle even more now when he was like this.

"You ain't killin nothin when you go." Merle stumbled up to him, "You go out there to think of your lil girlfriend."

"Stop." Daryl was almost to the end of the line with his brother.

"Jesus fuckin Christ man." Merle shoved him but had to catch his balance before mocking Daryl even more, "What? When you go out there you remember cute little laugh and how she would smile?" Merle barked out a laugh, "Or'd you fuck her up against a tree and you goin back to the spot to help remember how she sounded as you-"

"Man shut the fuck up!" Daryl shoved his brother back onto the couch, "I go out there to get the fuck away from you!"

"What? I'm your damn brother. I'm your fuckin blood!" Merle growled.

"Then stop fuckin talkin about Ren all the damn time and givin me shit about it." Daryl yelled, "You're the reason she left. You're the one who fucked it all up because you don understand not wantin to fuck every girl you see!"

Merle forced out a laugh, "So it's my fault you got pussy whipped?"

"No it's your fault for treatin me like shit!" Daryl finally said it. "For treatin me like I don matter!"

He started moving around the room grabbing a few of his things and throwing them into his bag. Merle stood from the couch, "Where the hell you goin? Back into the forest?"

"Don't know. Just away from you." Daryl grabbed the keys to his bike and left.

A/N: Well this one just kinda spewed from the fingertips. Maybe the floodgates have reopened? I'm not gunna hold my breath but I'm gunna post 'em while I've got 'em!