[A/N: Thanks new reviewers, favourites and followers. enchantmentanjel, I am following the basic outline of the plot in season 4; but there are definitely some points where the story is off canon. The illness thing does happen, but it's not a major focus so it will be dealt with fairly quickly.]

It was early, the steely morning light barely breaking over the horizon before the rising sun. But it was already warm, the still air heavy with the promise of baking Georgia heat. No one else from the community seemed to be stirring, but Asha had caught a glimpse of Bob on watch in the guard tower when she'd entered the courtyard.

Asha was virtually bouncing on her toes as she waited by Daryl's bike. She had woken up buzzing with anticipation—a feeling so unfamiliar that it had taken her a moment to recognise it, before she had gotten out of bed grinning. She had lain in bed the night before, mulling over Daryl's surprise before finally dropping off to sleep, and had reluctantly concluded that it had nothing to do with Nash. Daryl wouldn't be so cruel as to keep her in suspense about that.

Still, that left a whole raft of potential experience wrapped up in the word 'surprise.'

Daryl pushed open the door from cell block C and closed it quietly behind him. He had a pack on his back and a garbage bag wrapped bundle in hand which he quickly stuffed into one of the saddlebags on the bike. His crossbow was already resting against the bike.

'What took you so long?' she demanded. 'Ten minutes ago you said you'd be right back.'

It felt like it had been ten minutes anyway.

Daryl shrugged. 'Ya wanna bitch about it or get goin?'

'Going, oh mysterious one,' she teased. 'I wanna know what this is all about.'

Daryl grunted. 'I'm regretting this already.'

'Liar.'

There was the shadow of a smile ghosting about his lips.

'Here,' he said, smirking as he held out his crossbow. 'Wouldn't want it ta smack ya in the face the whole way.'

He swung his leg over bike and stomped on the kickstarter a couple of times until the bike roared to life. 'Well, get the gate.'

Asha stuck her tongue out at him, swinging his bow across her back next to her spear and jogging across to open the gate. She waved to Bob as she pulled it shut behind them and swung behind Daryl, resenting for an instant that his pack kept her from resting up against his back.

God woman. Get yourself under control.

They rode for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. Asha drifted, lulled by the constant thrum of the bike's engine and the hypnotic flashes of light and dark cast by the sunlight through the trees. She was starting to get stiff though, so it was with some relief that she got off the bike when Daryl pulled off the side of the back country lane they were driving and dragged the bike into the bushes so it was concealed from the road.

'We walk from here,' he said as she stretched.

Asha followed him into the dappled sunlight beneath the trees, breathing in the warm earthy scent of the woods. Suddenly Daryl jerked a hand up sharply to stop her.

Ahead she could hear the rustling of something large, too clumsy to be an animal. Walker then. Her heart beat quickened as her suspicion was confirmed—when what used to be a middle aged man stumbled towards them, hands grasping and milky eyes alight with animal hunger. It met a quick end as Daryl held it at arms length by the throat and ground the point of his hunting knife home between its eyes.

'Better give me that,' he said wiping the knife on his pants. Asha had automatically swung his crossbow off her back when the walker had appeared, but it wasn't much use other than as a club in her hands. She passed it over.

They walked in silence through the woods. Asha noticing how Daryl was both hyper alert and completely relaxed beneath the trees. His booted footsteps silent under the buzz of insects in the undergrowth and his head moved constantly as his eyes scanned the area in front of them. There was a different set to his shoulders, as thought some of the tension he always carried had loosened and when she saw his profile as he scanned the wood, the hard lines at the corners of his mouth had faded. Asha found herself smiling slightly as she followed him, trying to keep the noise from her own steps down to a minimum.

She heard it before she saw it. The gentle gurgle and fresh tang of moving water filling the air before she glimpsed it between the trees, surface sparkling in the sunlight. The trees thinned and turned into a long grassy bank, where the river curved sharply around to the left leaving a deep pool of quiet water along the shore. The ripples on the surface would have been enough to tell Asha there were fish there, even without the dark shadows she could see moving through the clear water.

Asha tipped her head back as she walked out from under the trees, feeling the heat of the sun on her skin and the smile spreading on her lips. Daryl paused, shrugged off the pack and leant back against one of the trees in the shade. He gestured towards the water with his head. Asha grinned, kicked off her boots and socks, rolled up her jeans and waded into the water. The rocky bottom was slippery under foot and the water was delightfully cool.

'This is my surprise?' she said, looking out over the river, letting the sound and sight of the water refill something in her that she hadn't realised she'd been missing. 'It's beautiful.'

Daryl grunted.

'This isn't the Yellow Jacket is it?' she asked a little sadly.

'No.'

Not likely to see any sign of Nash then.

She turned around to look at him. 'We goin' swiming?'

'You are.'

'I am?'

He nodded and gestured towards the deeper water. 'Fish right? 'Bout time someone other than me brought some damn meat home.'

Asha moved back onto the grassy bank and walked around the edge of the pool, wet feet padding quietly on the grass. There were a few trees growing close along the edge, she should be able to get out over the water with her spear in a few spots—not ideal, but workable. She nodded to herself and turned back around to fetch her spear.

She sat down to change out her walker spear for one still suitable for fish.

She hadn't realised Daryl had moved until his shadow fell over her. He blotted out the sun for a second until he crouched down next to her, the bundled up garbage bag held in one hand. He thrust it towards her, chewing on his bottom lip.

Asha took the package from him, watching his guarded eyes behind the dark hair falling across his face. She unwrapped the package carefully and then held the items in her hands, a slow smile spreading across her face. He'd found, god knows how, a pair of swimming goggles and short fins, the type people used for lap training. She looked up at him smiling.

He was still chewing his bottom lip and his eyes were shadowed behind his hair. He shrugged a little awkwardly.

'Ya always saying ya do better when ya can get in the water with the fish. Ain't proper dive gear, but thought it might help.'

Asha grinned at him. 'Yeah, this'll work.'

She looked back at deep pool of water, which suddenly seemed to hold a whole lot more opportunities. Then she frowned as she remembered she hadn't kept any rubbers on her spear in months—no need when she never shot the damn thing. She had a couple back at the prison, but that wasn't much help to her at the moment. She might be able to get in the water, but she wouldn't be able to fire the gun. She mentally shrugged, she'd just have to use it like a hand spear—less ideal, but wouldn't be the first time she'd gone hunting with a hand spear.

Daryl had seen the frown on her face. 'What?' he asked.

'Nothing—I just left some of my gear back at the prison.'

Daryl grunted, and reached behind him for his pack. Asha's mouth dropped, then widened into a smile as he then pulled out both spare rubbers, all her spare floppers, and the last of her line—most of that having been co-opted off to other purposes over the last few months. She was pleased to note that there was still enough length to secure the spear to the gun with a good three to four metres of operational range.

A self satisfied smile was tugging at the corners of Daryl's lips. 'Wasn't sure what you'd need, so brought it all.'

'You're brilliant Daryl,' she reached out and squeezed his hand before picking up the rubbers to check their elasticity.

She watched him out of the corner of her eye as she strung up her gun. That self satisfied smile was out in the open now, and he stretched out on his back in the shade of a nearby tree, watching her work.

She didn't have a float or fish stringer, or even a mesh bag for any fish she caught, but she could work around that. After, a few moments of work she ran her fingers over her gun, checking everything was where she wanted. And then she suddenly stopped.

'Ah, Daryl...'

'Mhmmm'

'You didn't happen to grab my swimmers or a change of clothes whilst you were rummaging around my cell did you?'

Daryl suddenly became very interested in the leaves on the trees spreading above him. Asha could see the red stain creeping up his neck. He shook his head.

'A towel?'

He pressed his lips together as the blush crept onto his face. He shook his head again.

Asha couldn't help it, she burst into laughter—as much at Daryl's obvious discomfort as anything else.

'Damn woman,' he grumbled. 'I was thinking about the bloody fish not you.'

Asha chortled, shaking her head. 'Good thing I've got black underwear on today,' she said. Daryl's face was bright red.

She stripped down to her underwear and dropped her gear on the edge of the bank. Then she walked into the water that dropped down to chest level quickly. She closed her eyes and slipped under the surface of the water, enjoying the feel of the current shifting across her skin and carrying away the sweat and grime. The sensation was so pleasant that she was tempted for a moment just to drift away with the current, but then she stood up, wiped the water off her face and scrubbed her hands along her limbs to get rid of the dirt. She ducked back under the water. It felt so good to be clean.

She looked up to the bank where Daryl was stretched out on his back under the trees, one arm folded behind his head, crossbow held loosely in his other hand.

'Ya commin' in?' she called.

'Nup, someone's gotta keep watch.'

'Is that what ya doing? Reckon you could manage a quick dip.'

'Nah.' He kept his eyes on the trees above him.

'Come on Daryl. Feels really good to get clean.' She scooped up some water in her hands and tipped it over her face.

He didn't answer her.

'Ok, let me rephrase that. Daryl Dixon, you fucking stink. Get in here and clean up.'

He propped himself up on his elbows and looked at her, dark hair falling in his eyes. Asha's skin tingled and she suddenly remembered she was wearing only her underwear.

There was a flash of something across his face, and then his jaw tightened.

'No.' He laid back on his back and he waved his hand towards the water. 'Go catch dinner.'

Asha was glad he wasn't looking to see the pink in her face. She should have known he was far too awkward to come anywhere near her whilst she was just in her underwear—even if that was his fault.

She quickly scooped up her gear from the bank, pulled on the fins and goggles and slipped back into the water with her gun. She pulled in a deep breath and dropped under the surface and kicked slowly into the deep pool of water.

The rocky riverbed leapt up to meet her, magnified slightly through the water. It wasn't a huge pool, but the visibility was good, and she could see plenty of fish skirting the rocks along the bank and flitting through the water further ahead of her. She could see a couple of decent sized fish hanging under rock overhangs. She grinned this was—almost literally—going to be like shooting fish in barrel.

She broke the surface and filled and emptied her lungs a few times before drawing in a deep breath and dropping under the surface. She flicked her fins gently and skirted along a couple of metres out and parallel to the rock overhang sheltering the fish she had her eye on, bringing her spear gun around underneath her. Once the fish was in line, she squeezed the trigger gently and the spear leapt forward, collecting it right behind the gills. Asha felt a familiar surge of triumph and grinned before reeling in her spear, fish attached.

She whooped in delight as she broke the surface. Daryl was standing at the edge of the water.

'Starting to think you'd drowned,' he said sourly.

Asha grinned. 'No chance. Here,' she gave a couple of strong kicks towards the bank until she could stand up and then pulled the gun and line out of the water so Daryl could see her fish. 'Know what type of fish this is?'

Daryl squinted at it. 'Bass, maybe.'

'You don't know?'

'You don't?'

'If it doesn't live in the ocean I don't know what it is. What's your excuse? You're the native Georgian, and...' she waved her hand vaguely, '...wilderness expert.'

'Was never that keen on fish.' He shrugged. 'Couldn't shoot 'em.'

Asha grinned and held up her gun. 'Ya wanna go?'

'Nah, gonna take more than one fish to feed all of us. Ya better get back to it.' He gestured to the fish on the line. 'Ya want me to take that?'

'Nah, I'll keep it on the line for now.' She tied a quick slipknot to keep it from sliding down the line. 'Stay fresher in the water than on the bank. Reckon we'll need about twenty of this size right?'

He arched both his eyebrows at her. 'If ya can get that many.'

She grinned again. 'That, my friend, will not be a problem.'

Then she slipped back into the water and lost herself in the familiar rhythms of breath holds and stalking fish.

Sometime later—after a pause for a canned lunch Daryl had brought from the prison—Asha tossed her last haul of fish on to the pile on the grassy bank. Twenty two good sized bass—if Daryl was right about them being bass of course. She ran her hands over her hair and down her ponytail to squeeze out as much water as possible. Then she stood there, smiling proudly, water wrinkled hands on hips. Daryl came over and stood next to her.

'Aren't they beautiful?' she asked.

Daryl grunted.

'Help me clean them?'

'No-one ever helps me.'

'You start bringing home twenty squirrels at a time and I'll help you clean 'em.'

Daryl grunted again and she noticed that he was very carefully looking anywhere other than at her. Her smile grew into a grin. She reached over and shoved him in the arm. His eyes flicked to her automatically.

'It's just underwear,' she said, both brows raised. 'Come on, give me a hand. It'll take me forever if I have to do it by myself.'

'Fine.'

She went back to her clothes and collected her knife, then she knelt down next to Daryl and they started working through the pile. Asha started humming—fairly tunelessly—as she worked, until she noticed Daryl was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

'What?'

'Ya look...different.'

She arched an eyebrow at him. 'Well it's not often that I clean fish in my underwear.'

'Nah. That's not what I meant.'

She turned her head to look at him properly. 'Different?'

'Dunno...relaxed maybe?'

'Well, Nash did always say that I got cranky when my gills dried out,' she laughed. 'Not that he was one to talk, he'd near have a panic attack if he couldn't smell the salt water.'

She paused, but not even the surge of loss and the familiar ache in her stomach couldn't completely wipe the smile off her face. It was then that she realised what she was feeling. She was happy. Her hands stilled in the fish she was gutting.

Happy.

Daryl looked at her and then quickly looked around, searching for whatever had thrown her. 'What is it?' His eyes narrowed.

'Nothing,' she shook her head, feeling a stunned little smile spread on her face as she went back to work. 'Nothing.'

He looked at her a moment longer before turning back to the fish himself.

It had been so long since she'd felt happy that she took a minute to revel in the feeling, before wondering how it had snuck up on her. Then she looked at the scruffy man next to her, eyes intent and deft hands working through her catch, and she stopped analyzing it. Didn't matter how it had happened, it was enough that it had.

She went back to humming, watching the corner of Daryl's mouth quirk.

'Am I supposed to recognise that tune?' he asked.

'Nope. Couldn't hold a tune if my life depended on it.'

'Maybe ya should stop then?'

'Bite me.'

She kept humming. Suddenly a branch snapped beyond the bushes away from the bank. Asha and Daryl both froze, narrowed eyes on the bushes as a guttural snarl confirmed there was a walker coming in their direction. They both stood, knives in hand, waiting, until a walker reeled brokenly through the bushes and crashed in their direction. There was only one. Asha felt her lip lifting in a snarl as she moved to meet it—but Daryl was quicker, stopping her with a hand on her collar bone and stepping in front of her. He kicked the walker in the side of the leg and then planted his knife in its temple. The peaceful sound of insect life seemed to swell in the quiet as its guttural snarls were suddenly cut off.

Asha looked at Daryl a little confused as he flicked the blood off his knife. 'Not that I'm objecting as such, but what was that? You think I can't handle a lone walker?'

Daryl shrugged, his eyes flickering over her before latching back on her face. 'Too much skin. Coulda been scratched.'

Asha felt a pull in her stomach that he'd thought of keeping her safe. Don't be stupid, he thinks of keeping everyone safe. She also felt her face heating. Wasn't the smartest idea to be hanging around her underwear. 'Oh, right. Thanks.'

'Ya oughta get changed. I'll finish this.' He nodded at the couple of fish they had left to clean. 'Reckon the smell'll draw more walkers the longer we hang around.'

Asha nodded, holding her knife out. 'Use this, I'll clean yours.'

They swapped blades, and Asha went down to the river, watching the scales, bits of fish guts and walker blood flutter away in the water.

She pulled on her clothes as Daryl finished with the last of the fish—fortunately her underwear had mostly dried whilst they were cleaning the fish. Then there was another rustle in the undergrowth, this time further along the edge of the bank. Daryl's crossbow was in his hands in an instant, aimed low to the ground at the sound, and Asha tightened her grip on his hunting blade.

The leaves on the bush shook for a moment, and then whiskers and a flat nose appeared, followed quickly by the rest of a scrawny orange tabby cat. The creature paused on seeing them, nose twitching in the air.

Daryl muttered something and went back to collecting his gear. Asha grinned and started towards the little creature, scooping up a bit of fish guts on the way. She crouched down a few paces away and held out the fish guts. The scruffy animal's golden eyes lit up and it came towards her tentatively, its whole body vibrating with a broken sounding purr. It licked her fingers clean and rubbed up against her, purring away. She scooped it up under the belly, feeling its protruding rib cage, and scratched it behind the ears when it didn't protest.

'You hungry there little puds?' she asked softly. She deposited the scrawny thing near the pile of fish guts, watching fondly as it started eating. She realised Daryl was watching her.

'What?'

'Puds?'

She shrugged, feeling her face go pink. 'Yeah. Pussy cat. Puddy tat. Puds.'

She could see him biting on a smile.

'Shut up. I like cats.'

They collected the fish, wrapping them in the garbage bag in which Daryl had brought the goggles and fins—they'd fit in one of the saddlebags on the bike. Then they collected their gear, ready to head back to the bike. Asha glanced around the clearing. The shadows were just starting to lengthen beneath the trees and the river looked to be made of beaten gold in the gleaming afternoon sun.

She grabbed Daryl's arm and pulled him to face her. His brows furrowed.

'Thank you,' she said. 'This is the best day I've had in a long time.'

'Was nothin'.' He tried to shrug her off.

She kept hold of him. 'It's not nothing. I got to do something today that I'm good at—something from before the turn that I used to love and that I hadn't let myself miss.' Her eyes searched his, desperately needing him to understand how much it meant to her. 'You made me happy today Daryl. That's not nothing. That's everything.'

His eyes widened a little at her words and she held his gaze a moment longer, drinking in the surprise in his blue eyes, before smiling at him and dropping his arm.

She walked over to the little cat, stretched out snoozing near the pile of fish guts, sated for the moment. She gave him a final scratch. 'Don't get eaten little puds', she said sadly and then started back into the trees towards the bike.

She had only taken a few steps before she realised Daryl wasn't following and turned back.

He was staring at the ground where she'd left him. For a moment she just drank in the view of him, surrounded by the golden afternoon haze, bare armed in his angel winged vest and crossbow held loosely in his hand. Mostly though, she drank in the sight of the small smile tugging at his lips, and felt one tugging her own in response.

'Hey,' she called, and for a moment when he looked at her there was more light in his eyes than Asha had ever seen there before, and a warmth tugged in Asha's chest. He raked his hand through his hair before walking over to the little cat and scooping him up.

Asha arched her brows in question at him.

'What? We could do with a ratter at the prison.'

Asha smiled, blinking quickly a couple of times to quell the sudden stinging in the back of her eyes.

'Thanks,' she said.

Daryl nodded.

The Dixon walls were back up as he met her gaze, but Asha had seen the earlier glow in his eyes, and she wanted to see it again.

Asha settled herself on the back of the motorbike. Asha smiled as she saw Daryl scratch the scruffy cat gently behind the ears when he thought she wasn't looking. Then he handed the little creature over, and she tucked it into the top of his pack, leaving it slightly open so it could poke its head out if it wanted. She watched the pack move around a little bit before, purring loudly and brokenly, the cat settled down.

Asha grasped Daryl lightly around the hips and waited for him to start the bike.

He didn't.

After a long moment he turned his head so he could see her out of the corner of his eye over his shoulder. 'We could have more days like this,' he said. 'God knows I could use the help feedin' everyone.'

Asha's heart leapt—both at the thought of having more days like this with Daryl and at making a useful contribution to the people at the prison.

'Well, we wouldn't want to fish out that pool so we'd need to find more than that one spot,' she said, 'but I am happy to go fishing with you any time I'm back.'

He was silent for a moment. 'Ya could stop going out so often,' he said quietly.

Asha's hands tightened automatically on his hips. He must have felt it.

He turned his head back towards the front of the bike, but he kept going. 'Ya have to keep going further and further out. Ya always gone at least a week. Ya ain't seen any sign of Nash, or the Governor, for months. Ya more help here, keeping these people fed...safe. You and Michonne both.'

Asha felt the good feeling from the day drain away as quickly as the water from the river had flowed off her body. Her throat constricted and her mouth was suddenly dry. The worst part was, she knew he wasn't wrong. As she opened her mouth, still searching for the words, Daryl continued, 'Wouldn't have ta worry 'bout ya so much if ya weren't goin' out so far.'

She swallowed hard, fighting the surge of guilt. Worry was part of the deal these days unfortunately. 'I worry about you too when i'm gone,' she said in a small voice. She trembled. It was the closest she'd come to telling him how she felt about him. 'Might be easier for both of us if you were still coming out with us.'

He stiffened under her hands. 'Ya know I can't.'

She sighed. 'I know.' Didn't stop her missing him thought. 'Just please...' her voice shook and she bit down on her bottom lip. 'Please understand that I can't give up on him.'

No matter what spin was put on it Asha felt in her gut that not looking for Nash was giving him up—and she wasn't ready to face that.

Daryl turned his head so he could catch her out of the corner of his eye again. 'I don't want ya to give up on him, I just want ya to spend some more time around here.'

He was waiting for something.

'I'll think about it,' she forced out.

He nodded, turned, and started the bike.

Asha forced her fingers to relax, but her stomach was tied in knots.

Why had he had to bring that up?

[A/N: Thanks for reading - let me know what you think!]