As they dressed the next morning, Daryl seemed subdued, quieter than usual and his eyes were farther away than they'd been in weeks. Danni knew he was thinking about Merle. She shouldn't have told him about the dream. Maybe it wasn't even one of those dreams. Being pregnant can cause odd dreams and besides she'd been thinking of Merle lately because of that song. It was unconscious.

She tugged on her black jeans noticing they were getting tight. She felt bloated and slightly uncomfortable when she buttoned them. She let her belt out again; in the past month she'd gone from tightening it one extra notch into loosening it two notches out. She couldn't get away with ever going braless any more. Her B cups were a sore, sensitive C at least. The problem was that the bras she did have were too small, confining and uncomfortable so she had to wear a sports bra she used to sleep in. Maybe Maggie knew of a clothing store they could hit, hopefully not too emptied out yet. She was going to need bigger sizes. She was hardly showing, but she felt like her body was already out of control.

"Sorry, I bothered you last night with that stupid dream. It's probably nothing." She broke the silence, pulling her Wildcats t-shirt over her head. She yanked it down to cover her imaginary giant stomach.

"All your damn dreams mean something. I should be out looking for him again instead of wasting all my time around here with these people. Merle is blood." He buttoned up his gray work shirt, the sleeves roughly cut off as usual.

She shook her head. "He's supposed to find you." Knowing in her heart it was one of those dreams

She remembered the tone of Daryl's voice in Atlanta when they'd been tracking his brother through the abandoned building. If his admiration and hero-worship had bothered her, then it frightened her now. If Merle walked back into their lives today, Daryl could very well fall right in line with him. Guys like Merle got in your head and stayed there.

Daryl planned to spend most of the day hunting; the group could use a good supply of meat to store for the upcoming months. Deer would be perfect. He hadn't bagged a deer in ages.

He was about to head out, when she stopped him. "Hey, kiss me goodbye?"

He never did and she'd never asked him to before. Today she needed it.

She stood in front of him on tiptoe, and initiated the soft, sweet kiss. When she reached up and put her arms around his neck and held him close, he fidgeted.

"All right, c'mon I gotta go." He gave her that miniscule smile. "Keep this up I won't make it out of here."

She pressed her face against his chest breathing him in, before reluctantly releasing him. When he walked away, she held him in her sight as long as she could. He eventually disappeared into the trees and she felt like crying. Suddenly she was lonely. She'd always liked her time alone. What was up today? She was not herself, over emotional and clingy. A part of her had wanted to tell him not to go. It was the hormones. She felt like she was inhabiting somebody else's mind and body. She swallowed her unease; she just felt so vulnerable and unattractive.

She got ready to head down to the farm for Maggie's reading, putting a notebook, pen, reference book and a white candle in her olive drab bag. It had been a while since she'd felt the need to do a deck dip for herself, but her discomfort prodded. She sat on her sleeping bag and shuffled. She held the Tarot cards to her chest and breathed deeply, shuffled again and placed the deck face down. She pulled the top card and turned it over. The three of Swords. Her brow furrowed and he heart began to race. The Three of Swords is a simply illustrated card with an ambiguous message. A heart, suspended in the air, is pierced by three swords. The heart is symbolic of emotion and beauty while the piercing swords show the ability of logic and power to harm the physical body and the emotions. The sky is heavily clouded and rain pours down violently, representing a grim time. It had to be a mistake. The cards don't make mistakes. She knew the Three of Swords represents rejection, sadness, loneliness, heartbreak, betrayal, separation and grief. Why? Things were finally going so well. She felt her heart would beat out of her chest. Merle? She remembered the dream she'd had weeks ago about Daryl leaving her and going off with Merle. Was that it? What else could possibly cause Daryl to betray her?

She shook it out of her head. She needed a clear mind and open energy to interpret Maggie's reading.

"Let's go to my room. I don't think my daddy would be too happy seeing this at the kitchen table next to his Bible." She winked.

Maggie took Danni's hand leading her upstairs. The two women sat on the antique patchwork quilt that covered Maggie's queen sized bed; they faced each other cross-legged with a space between for the spread. Danni unwrapped the cards and lay the square of black silk over the space between while the white candle burned on the dresser. Danni noticed Maggie's childhood teddy bears were still propped against the dark wooden headboard. She had no idea where any of her own girlhood toys or stuffed animals were now. Probably at the bottom of a landfill somewhere.

"Shuffle once, then hold the deck against your chest and breathe deeply a few times to put your energy into the deck." Danni instructed, handing the cards to Maggie.

"This is a basic seven card Tarot spread for looking at the way things are heading for you. Think about your question." After Maggie had done what Danni instructed, Danni said, "Shuffle one last time and place the deck face down. Now pick seven cards and hand them to me one at a time."

Danni took each card single from Maggie and placed them in correctly numbered place in front of her, grid-like.

She looked up, shaking her bangs aside. "Ready?"

Maggie nodded.

Danni spoke, her voice was strong, authoritative but gently supportive. Maggie could tell she knew what she was doing.

"The first card represents the power of your past: The Queen of Swords. She indicates a quick thinker, an organized, perceptive person; these traits formed you and you are always grounded by them. I have to say, I see it in your personality. The second card is the power of the present. The Four of Wands. This card symbolizes stability and firm foundations; you are now enjoying a period of happiness while feeling grounded. This card indicates a sense of harmony and balance as well as completion but it's all as the result of often difficult and challenging efforts. You and Glenn went through hell before finding each other didn't you?"

Maggie nodded.

"He makes you feel safe huh? Solid. You guys are connected and you make each other happy. He is your source of stability now and you are his."

Maggie chewed on her bottom lip, processing the words.

"Now the third card shows the power of the future. The Hierophant. This card symbolizes commitment and pledges..." Danni paused, "Specifically marriage."

She glanced up anxiously, bur Maggie looked calm.

"The next card shows necessary experiences brought on by the past, but they will also lead you to your future. 6 of Swords. Regretful but a significant transition, rite of passage. Something is going to change. It will be difficult but necessary to complete future plans. Don't fight it, okay? Now, here are some things that you need to harness, or balance in order to reach your destiny. The Chariot card. Control, will power, victory, assertion, determination. These are attributes that you need but only in balance and moderation. Too much of any one of them can damage your relationships.

"Willpower? Don't have much of that." Maggie said sarcastically, with a laugh.

"Now we see obstacles that you must overcome or avoid. The Tower Reversed. Avoidance of disaster, fear of change. You need to accept major upheavals in life no matter how frightening. You can't run from failure you have to face it so it won't destroy you. The outcome card is the Ten Of Cups. Wow, Maggie my Nan called it the 'Happily Ever After card.' It promises long-term commitment, joy and union in love often resulting in pregnancy and a happy family."

They were silent for a few moments. Finally, Danni asked, "What do you think?"

"Its good to have girls around."

They smiled at each other, feeling a feminine kinship growing. Danni knew Maggie needed her to cut to the chase. "Maggie, you aren't pregnant now. The cards tell me that you will be, but it's going to be when you and Glenn plan it. That's what the Ten of Cups says. You'll have the advantage of deciding."

"The tests, why did they blur like that?"

"Because you are going to make your own results. No test can tell you. You aren't going to need a test when the time is right." Danni realized that sounded a little nutty even though she meant it so she added. "They were probably defective anyway. I'll copy this down for you to read over. You'll probably have questions for me over the next few days. It's a lot to take in at once."

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

Danni and Maggie sat on the porch steps, in the warm late afternoon sun. Hours had passed without either of them realizing, they'd been talking non-stop.

"You know, I never really had a serious relationship before Glenn." Maggie stretched her long legs out and lay back on the worn wooden planks of the porch resting her arms beneath her head. "Just a boyfriend here and there. My daddy hated every one!"

"I only had one other relationship that meant anything before Daryl. Besides him my track record sucked. Every single guy cheated like I had radar for them or something. Bastards." Danni laughed, relieved those days were over.

"I feel almost like the world had to change, end in a way for me to meet Glenn. Is that crazy?"

"No, Maggie, that's exactly how I feel. It's like this was all fate or something." Danni pulled her knees up hugging them to her chest.

"That reading you did, it all pointed to marriage didn't it?"

"Commitment."

"It won't scare me if you tell me straight out. I'm the kind of girl who likes the truth blunt as can be."

"Okay yes. Marriage and pregnancy. Just not now. But it's there. Plus its lasting, happy. I feel it. That was a powerful reading. Glenn is the best guy to go through all of this with. He loves you so much." Danni encouraged.

"I love him. I want to tell him, but, is it too much too soon?"

Danni hadn't realized she was crying until Maggie asked her what was wrong.

"Oh, I'm ...Maggie I don't know what the hell is wrong with me today. I feel clingy, emotional and insecure. I hate it."

"Its hormones. You'll be either crying and depressed or acting like a raging bitch with no in between. At least that's what all my cousins were like when they were expecting."

"Well, if it isn't little Maggie Greene."

A woman's slow, sing-song Georgia drawl interrupted them. They were shocked to see Daryl marching what looked like a Victoria's Secret model in hiking boots and camouflage toward the farm-house, arrow at the back of her head. She must have been 5' 8" as she was almost as tall as Daryl at 5' 10". She had burnished copper-red hair piled on top of her head, but lustrous curls had come loose indicating her glossy mane reached well over her shoulders.

"Says she knows you and your family!" Daryl called to Maggie. "That right?"

"Truly? Truly Bishop?" Maggie asked surprised.

"Told you sweetie." The feisty redhead glanced back at Daryl batting full lashes over bright aqua eyes and teased. "Told you there was no reason to be worried about little ol' me." Her drawl much like Maggie's.

He lowered his weapon and stepped out from behind her. "How was I 'sposed to know, with you sneaking around the woods like that? And then trying to steal my deer."

She faced him, long toned, tanned arms her sides, then placed a hand on her right hip tilting it up. "Excuse me? That was my deer."

"I tracked that thing since morning, you can't just come along and take it cause you got a lucky shot." Daryl complained.

"Lucky shot?"

Danni listened to their banter and was aware of the woman's overtly flirty body language and touchiness with Daryl. He hadn't even looked over to her yet.

"Yeah, lucky. Two seconds later the shot was mine." He went on.

"Truly, it's been, a few years."

She ignored Maggie, still focused on Daryl. "Hand it over. Pretty please?"

He squinted and handed her crossbow back to her.

You've got to be kidding me. Of course, she has one too. Danni thought, feeling her tummy bulging over her pants, generally bloated and uncomfortable.

"Why don't we go on back and bring the carcass in from the woods. It 'll take both of us to carry and field dress it. Now that you know you can trust me."

"All right let's go." Daryl was focused on the idea of bringing the damn animal back here in good time so they could actually start dressing it.

"Come on then." She touched his arm.

He pulled it back instinctively in his Daryl way but more slowly than normal. I'm imagining that. Danni assured herself.

Maggie must have sensed it also because she walked toward the two and said "Truly, c'mon my dad will want to see you first. He'll be glad you're okay. How about your brothers? Your daddy?"

Danni finally stepped off the porch and approached Daryl, feeling the woman's eyes boring into her back. She wanted to grab him and start kissing him right there in front of her, but she didn't play games like that. He actually put his hand and under her chin to raise her face and asked,

"Feeling okay?"

She frowned. "Not really." She'd been waiting all day for his return. This was not how she'd pictured it.

Truly Bishop was a distant neighbor of the Greene's. She was the only daughter in a family of militant survivalists. Her mother had passed away when Truly was young leaving her to be raised in the Bishop family tradition by her father and two older brothers. She was expert in hunting, shooting, trapping, tracking, able to live off the land and the damn grid if it came to that. She was the female Daryl but with confidence and a large personality. She knew she was beautiful, and loved that she was also a formidable hunter and outdoorswoman as capable as any man, on top of her looks.

The woman's eyes hadn't left Danni for a minute. She knew Truly was sizing her up.

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

"So, what kind of bow do you carry? Daryl has one of those Hortons. Been wanting to get my hands on one like his for ages now." Truly chattered on at the Greene's kitchen table while eating, across from Maggie and Danni. She had taken a shower and cleaned up after her month of living in the woods on her own. If she was pretty before she was beautiful now. Her fiery red hair flowing down her back, her body completely toned. All her lean muscle glowed with a healthy light tan. Her long shapely legs were made for the tiny cargo shorts she poured herself into. Even the cumbersome hiking boots looked sexy on her legs.

"I don't. That stuff bores the crap out of me." Danni was honest. She had no idea that Daryl's crossbow had a brand name and it was obvious that this woman wanted to get her hands on more than his weapon.

"Usually a man like Daryl needs a woman who can keep up. I just assumed."

"Nope." Danni got defiant. "I've never been hunting in my life. That's his thing. He knows I'm not into it. He's interested in doing other things with me."

"Well, where I come from a man don't have much use for a woman if she can't skin and gut his kill for him never mind help him hunt it down. But I take it ya'll ain't from around here are ya? Maggie knows what I mean. Oh and I think Daryl and I are from the same area, upstate North Georgia. Where I was born. Can tell by his accent."

Danni wasn't going sit and listen anymore. She knew exactly how this woman operated.

"Like I said, I worked on other talents, you could call them indoor skills, that he seems to have a lot of use for," She said getting up. "It's been super talking with you, but I have to get back. Daryl's waiting."

"I'll walk you out." Maggie joined her.

"Whoa." Maggie said as they reached the front steps. "Was she just saying what I think she was saying?"

"Yes. Loud and clear. I haven't had to deal with shit like this since...thought it was over, you know? Where the hell did she come from anyway?"

"She lived about ten miles past us here through the woods. We didn't see too much of the Bishops, they kept to themselves mostly. Self-sufficient homesteaders and all that. I guess when they ran out of supplies in their bunker they had to move on. Her Daddy didn't make it and she lost track of her brothers. She's on her own now, but she's lived this way her whole life. "

"She's got her own fucking crossbow Maggie? Seriously? How can I compete with that?"

"Danni, it's your hormones talking. You don't have to worry about Daryl."

... ... .. . . .. .. .. .. ...

"I've known the Bishops for thirty years, if Truly is on her own now, I'd only feel right taking her in." Herschel said his piece while the group sat or stood scattered around the Greene's living room as dusk fell on the day of Truly's arrival. They were attempting to decide the status of the newcomer.

Rick nodded. "I understand Herschel, but none of us know her. We still need to vote on this."

Herschel answered, "You can each make your feelings known, but last time I checked this was still my farm and you are all lucky to be here."

"Well, I for one don't want to take in a stranger." Andrea spoke up first. Danni actually wanted to hug her at that moment.

"If you guys know her, her family, I think she should stay." Glenn added his two cents.

T-Dog nodded approval for the move as well as Dale and Carol.

For a minute, Danni wished Shane were there; he'd be on her side. He was against strangers coming into the group.

When Daryl suddenly spoke, he got everyone's' attention since it was rare for him to take part in these things. He was leaning against the wall by the front door. "Be good to have somebody else to share all the hunting with."

Danni almost threw up.

"Danni, how 'bout you, what's your say?" Rick asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm..." she sprung up from her seat on the couch, her hand over her mouth feeling her belly begin to heave. She made it out the front door and to the dirt path beside the porch before the contents of her stomach came up.

... ... .. .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

Truly's first days at the farm passed uneventfully. Danni kept her up routine of waking, singing and talking to the baby, writing in his book and studying herbal lore. Carol told her that she'd start to feel the baby move a little in another week or two. She couldn't imagine how powerful that would be. Daryl had been working with Glenn and Rick building a new fence at the edge of the woods where the Walkers had gotten to Shane. Daryl was acting normally around her so she tried to focus on that and not let her unease put a strain on anything. Maggie was right, the hormones were making her crazy. It was just bad timing to have a newcomer around now, when Danni felt so vulnerable. She just kept her eye on Truly.

After having lunch with Maggie at the house one afternoon, Danni started to feel her usual, nauseous, bloated, exhausted self. She had to cut their visit short. As she walked back to her tent, all she could think about was putting on her boxers and a shapeless t-shirt, giving in to the discomfort and spending the rest of the day inside her sleeping bag. I love you Troublemaker, but I can't wait till this part is over. She thought these symptoms were supposed to be decreasing.

Almost there. That's when she heard them. Behind the tent Daryl was skinning something he'd caught, Truly beside him, critiquing his work and apparently offering tips on how to more efficiently rip the skin off of a dead animal. What the fuck? How hard could it be?

They were so engrossed they didn't notice her until she was beside them.

"Hey." She said to Daryl. "Didn't expect company."

He didn't pick up on her sarcasm. She pulled him slightly aside. "I feel like shit, can you come sit with me for a little?"

"When we're done, got a pile of these things."

"You wouldn't know this a 'course, but you can't let dead animals just sit out here without being skinned and gutted, they rot and cause the damnedest smell." Truly had to add.

"You know what? Don't bother. I'm going to sleep."

He didn't get the disgust and hurt in her tone. Truly did. Danni saw it in her eyes. She was too tired, too sick for this now.

She laid down feeling like she was back in high school or something. She cried because she didn't have the strength to kick Truly's ass. Not yet anyway.

... ... .. .. .. .. .. ... .. ... ... .

The fencing was coming along on the west side of the pasture where Walkers had killed Shane. Daryl headed to the barn, on a hunt for some more rail and wire. He and Glenn were going to have to make a run into the hardware store soon, but he was sure he could scavenge a couple of items from the barn for now. He noticed Truly sitting on the small fence by the side of the barn, sharpening her hunting knives as he passed. Her outdoor abilities impressed him. She may have shot his deer the other day, but the shot took skill none the less. And she knew how to move in the woods. He hadn't noticed her out there; she'd almost gotten the jump on him which was unheard of. She liked talking about knives and arrows and what was the best game for this time of year. If she'd stop trying to touch him so much, she'd make a decent guy to have around here. She was doing that thing that most women did, he'd hated since he was a teenager. But, Truly knew he was with Danni. Now that he had Danni he didn't have to care about what any other woman did or said. Didn't have to let it bother him. He could just take advantage of having another hunter around. As he swung the door back, he heard Truly her behind him.

"Hey, Dixon wait up."

.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

"Have you seen Daryl?" Danni asked Glenn.

"He said he was going to the barn for some more fence rail."

"Thanks." Danni moved closer, too excited to hold it in."I think he kicked. The baby, for the first time. I want to tell Daryl now."

Glenn smiled, "He should still be there. He'll be psyched."

The bottom dropped out of her world when she entered the barn. What Danni saw was Truly pushing on Daryl's body, his back to the barn wall. She had her right knee raised up against his hip. Her mouth was on his and her hands were roaming his chest. What she couldn't see through her pain distorted vision was Daryl pushing Truly back doing his best to stop the determined woman. He'd been saying get the hell off me since Truly had first caught him unaware and went at him. But Danni only heard him say it when he noticed her, figuring it was for show because she'd caught him. Three of Swords.

Daryl felt the strange sensation of another woman's body pressed against him, her breasts higher on his chest, hips slightly wider and not fitting in the curve of his own so perfectly as Danni's. Her hands didn't know where to go the way Danni's always did. It was disconcerting. She'd begun kissing him fast and gave him her tongue the moment she put her mouth on his. All Daryl could compare it to was driving someone else's truck. The parts were all there so muscle memory and reflex took over, but it wasn't his vehicle. Still, his body responded whether he wanted it to or not. He was getting hard and she knew it. He pushed his mind back to his analogy. The shift was between the seats right now and it was supposed to be up on the steering column. This was a stick and he drove an automatic. The brake was too far back, but he slammed on it anyway. Now, Daryl was a man who was attached to his own truck. Never drove anybody else's. He pushed Truly off, ashamed of his reaction.

Suddenly he was able to see behind Truly and caught Danni's eyes. They weren't angry or pained, they looked dead. He'd rather see them furious. He knew exactly how much she'd seen.

She wanted to shield the baby, but she knew he picked up on her every emotion. She stared for another second and when she met his eyes turned, hearing Daryl calling her name. Three of Swords.

She rushed around the corner running straight into Rick, furiously blinking, her eyes blinded by tears.

"Is Daryl in there I've been waiting for him to come back with the extra... ." He noticed her shocked expression. "Hey, everything okay?" He asked.

"Why did you let her stay?" She asked her voice dark and accusing. "Why?"

"What are you talking about?"

"She isn't one of us Rick." She pushed him, then hit his chest with her fists not knowing what else to do with the pain, frustration and anger playing off of each other in her stomach.

Danni turned and stalked away. Three of Swords.

Rick was going to follow her when he saw Daryl. "Daryl, Danni just passed me, something's..."

Rick was silenced when he saw Truly exiting the barn behind Daryl adjusting her shirt a small smile playing on her lips.

"Yeah, I know." Daryl muttered not looking at Rick, heading after her.

... ... ... .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .

Only Truly seemed unfazed by the shouting, audible all the way down to the farm from the camp up the hill. It went on into the night. At times, Danni was actually shrieking. Glenn and Maggie went inside the house unable to take it anymore. The others visibly uncomfortable pretended to focus on anything else. Except Truly. She sat at the common table, calmly stringing the tension rod on her crossbow. Humming to herself all the while.

"Son of a bitch! I believed you! How long have you been lying to me?"

"Danni," he grabbed her wrists squeezing tightly. the way he did when she scared him like this, when he thought he was losing her. "You don't know what you saw, it wasn't..."

"Don't tell me what I saw! I am an old pro at this shit. I know when I'm being cheated on Daryl! It's happened so many times that I am an expert so don't. I know because I've been here before." She pulled her wrists back.

"You don't know jack. She's the one who..."

"Stop. Just stop it!. I've heard that one before too." Her voice was sarcastic. "It's not your fault. She's just too much, the evil seductress. You couldn't get her off of you. You are twice her size; it's your dick that didn't want to fight her off you let it control you just like every other goddamned man I ever met in my life!"

"Calm the fuck down and lemme say something!" He hadn't seen her temper in months. He almost forgot how mad she could get. She was circling him, walking backward, not letting him behind her. He knew she was feeling extra vulnerable.

"She's waiting for you. You two should go out hunting or whatever bullshit excuse you use to get her out in the woods alone with you. Go! Get away from me!"

He couldn't keep up. When she went off like this, he shut down, unable to think of what to say.

"I don't want you here. I don't need you. We don't need you!" She kept on.

"Stop telling me what to do! You know you are the bossiest damn bitch I ever come across. Tellin' me how to live my life. Never shutting your damn trap for second, fucking nagging at me all damn day every day!" He finally exploded.

"Yeah, then go! It's what you're best at!"

When she crushed Daryl with those words, he did leave. He was eight years old, ten years old, twelve years old when he heard the words get out, go, I don't need you. You are a worthless son of a bitch. He had no idea what to say to make her listen to him. He left because he knew how to do that. He was good at it.

She doubled over fell to her knees and sobbed from her soul. Wishing all the while she could protect the baby from her emotions.

After Daryl had left, Danni packed her duffel and carried it down to the main camp. Fionn kitty trotted behind her. Dale offered her a space in the RV with Carol and Sophia.

Sophia was happy to have a slumber party every night with Danni, but she knew something was wrong because Daryl wasn't around.

"Daryl doesn't like that new lady very much." Sophia said as she played with Danni's hair, brushing and braiding it.

"Why do you say that?" Danni asked without any real enthusiasm.

"Because, he never looks at her when she talks to him." Sophia went on, "When we talk to him, he looks at us." It was that simple, from the mouth of an eight-year-old.

"Sophia I don't really feel like talking about Daryl right now, okay?" Danni smiled weakly. "Lets read, where are those Mercy Watson books?" She asked referring to their current favorite series about amazing Mercy the wonder pig.

The night's dark silence surrounded her as she lay on the top bunk above Sophia and Carol in the lower one. Danni had packed one of Daryl's shirts and held it close. Was it possible for a body to physically ache for another body? She felt it now, a dull, constant pang low in her pelvis, yearning for him. She held his plaid flannel against her face breathing in his smell. She put a pillow between her legs and started to move against it, the way she'd move against him. It came on immediately, overtaking her breath and rolling a heat deep inside as she pictured him, heard his gravel voice. She tried to muffle her moans and she sighed his name into his shirt clutching the material desperately as her muscles clenched. She wanted something deep inside her, she wanted him to fill her. As it intensified she moved herself desperately against the pillow while excruciating, pleasurable heat pulsed through her, leaving her legs trembling. She lay breathing shakily. The exhilarating calm of her climax was soon replaced by emptiness again. A few tears dampened Daryl's flannel shirt.

... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .

When Daryl returned to the tent the next morning, she was gone. He had hoped if he gave her space for the rest of the night she'd calm down. Then he'd let her talk him to death and clear the whole thing up. That's what they always did. But she was gone. Her books were gone her clothes were gone, her scent was gone even the damn cat was gone.

All that is left is an empty shell.

He thought about packing up and heading off on his own. Danni's dream about Merle got Daryl thinking about leaving to look for his brother. Now that she'd ended things with him he was free to go, free to do that. Hell, Merle told him he wasn't daddy material. Neither of them was. The pain of her rejection made him long for Merle's company. It was simple, he knew who he was with Merle. He never asked himself questions the way he did with her. Danni just made him crazy; she made him think. It was too hard. He belonged with Merle. Why had he trusted her? He'd shown her things, told her stuff. Stupid mistake. Why won't she believe me?

Daryl broke from his thoughts and looked up over the rows of arrows he was arranging in order of age newer to older, to see Dale heading up the hill toward him. He was leaning on a long branch, he used as a hiking stick, rifle over his shoulder. Still wearing that stupid hat.

Daryl let the breath hiss from between his teeth. "The whole point of me coming up here is to get away from you people."

"Gonna take more than that." Dale countered.

"Carol send ya?" Daryl assumed since she was getting so close to Danni lately.

"Carol's not the only one concerned about you. About you and Danni and ...your situation."

"None of your damn business."

"You belong with Danni."

"I don't need my head shrunk." When Dale was silent, Daryl added "She don't want me, told me to go. We're broken. Better off fending for myself."

"You act like you don't care."

"Yeah, its cause I don't." He had the tone of a defiant boy, not a grown man.

"You don't care about what happens to Danni, about your baby?"

"Nope," Fifteen-year-old Daryl stated, daring Dale to go on.

"I don't believe that, not with your new role in this group. You make a difference."

"Man, ain't nobody, lookin' at me for nothin'."

"Danni is, I am. Right now. You've obviously got Rick's ear. Look since you've been with that girl you've become someone we can all depend on. I don't believe you are just going to walk away from her, from us. That's not you."

"Look old man, I told you I don't need my head shrunk. You don't know nothin' about me."

"I know you don't run away from responsibility. You're not the kind of man who leaves his child without a father. Daryl, you're a decent guy. Talk to her. You two can work this out."

"Didn't peg you for a desperate son of a bitch."

"Didn't peg you for your brother."

Dale's words stung. I'm not Merle. Am I?

... .. ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .

Truly paid a visit to Daryl at his campsite as soon as she could. She sauntered, admiring the line he'd strung between the trees to hang his skins. She had a few she could add to it.

She'd been searching for a man like Daryl all her life. She couldn't believe her luck ending up at the Greene's, her perfect match within reach. The way he had found her in the woods was amazing. They were staring each other down, aiming their respective crossbows at each other's head. Utterly romantic for a woman like Truly. How could he resist her. They had everything in common and he'd never find a woman more beautiful than her outside a fashion magazine. Before she passed away, Loretta Bishop entered her daughter in every local pageant and modeling contest. Truly had won them all, even making it to a state final in Atlanta. At thirteen years old, she'd earned her own Seventeen magazine cover shoot. Unfortunately, Loretta died two months later before it happened. It broke the girl's heart that her mother never saw it. Truly never forgot how her mother valued beauty even as she became her daddy's protege'. She was as skilled a survivalist as her brothers. She'd stopped modeling as her father disapproved of such things, but she had the framed Seventeen cover hanging on her bedroom wall next to her shooting ribbons and torn out pages from 'Guns and Ammo'.

Danni. What the hell was Daryl doing with that...she wasn't sure how to describe Danni. A mess, that's all that came to mind. Ratty cut up t-shirts, too tight jeans, too big tattoos, too black hair and too pale skin. She was too much of a mess for a man like Daryl. And she couldn't hunt, trap, track or shoot a crossbow for shit. Useless really.

"What are you doin' here?"

He surprised her. She turned. 'I was just seeing how you're doing. It's no small matter to get dumped." She said sympathetically.

When she moved her head, Daryl smelled her hair. It's fresh woodsy odor was pleasant, but it made him miss Danni's honeysuckle scent.

"What is your goddamned problem?" Daryl was angry when Truly approached and put her hand on his arm. He shook her off. "You got the wrong idea lady."

"Daryl, come on. Why are you wasting your time with her. She's not your kind."

He was silent. Damn right she's not.

"Why don't I stay, keep you company. Make something for you to eat. Let me take care of you."

"I don't want you here."

"You don't mean that."

"The hell you think you are telling me what I mean. You got some nerve. Now get out of here. You done plenty already."

She made no attempt to leave. She nodded and actually smiled at him. He turned and stalked away from her muttering, "You should meet my brother. Be perfect for each other."

... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... .. .. .

"Empty Shell" by Cat Power was the saddest song Danni knew. The band had covered it in their live shows. 'You left them crying in the aisles' Hayes used to tell her when she'd sung it. If she still had her iPod she'd have it on repeat all night. Now she had to settle for writing the lyrics out and singing it softly to herself over and over. It was so easy to fall right back into her old habits. When a guy cheated, she'd retreat into herself and run away from the situation. Just like this. She'd play and sing maudlin heartbreaking songs and write long journal entries about how she was born to lose at love and how, of course, this would happen. She'd indulge in pain and revel in rejection feeling that she deserved it. She's written the band's first album this way. The empty pit in her churning stomach was worse than it used to be. Somehow, her self-pity party didn't fill it or quell it. She couldn't just write a song about this and run away on tour like she used to. She couldn't burn the bridge and hide under its ashes anymore. And not just because of the baby but because she loved him. She loved him so much she'd swallow her pride and talk to him. Try to be rational; try to work it out, listen to his explanation. When the fuck did I grow up so much? Little Troublemaker was in her head. Hold fast to the harder path. But she was still too hurt and stubborn to go to him yet. She needed to wait.

.. .. .. .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .

Daryl drove the blue pickup into town, down that picturesque main street. He and Glenn were headed to the hardware store for final supplies to finish the fence. The last time he'd been here, he'd been with Danni, walking down this street, sitting on the grass over there. The library.

"Quiet." Glenn observed.

"I'm thinking the geeks may have moved through this area altogether."

Glenn noticed Daryl seemed distracted. He was staring over at a tree in the middle of the town square.

"Hey, you coming or what?" Glenn asked.

"Yeah, in a minute. Go ahead I'll meet you."

When Glenn hesitated, Daryl glared at him.

"Okay, yeah." He turned to cross the street. "Take your time." Glenn muttered.

Daryl stood in front of the giant oak. He looked at the initials. Carved our love into a tree.

That day she'd had asked him crazy questions he'd never answered. He'd never have the chance to answer her damn useless questions now. He wanted to.

I'm not going anywhere. He'd told her they could do this.

"Got all they had."

Glenn startled him; he hadn't realized how long he'd been standing staring at the tree trunk. He turned to block the heart from Glenn.

"Daryl, please don't beat me up for saying this but you are a complete idiot."

Daryl squinted and stared down at Glenn. "What?"

"Danni."

"Mind your own business short round."

"She doesn't want you to leave."

"Said she did."

"She's hurt, that's what girls do. You're supposed to go beg her to take you back. That's just how the whole thing works."

"What?" Daryl asked again stepping back. "That's the stupidest damned thing I ever heard. I ain't begging for nothing."

"If you love her, get used to it."

Daryl considered Glenn's words then said, "She won't listen to me. I tried to tell her nothing went on."

"She wants you back."

"How do you know?"

"I know Danni, she's...she's kind of like another sister to me I guess since all this started. I've known her longer than you have."

"Not by much."

"We used to make fun of you." Glenn forgot himself for a minute. "She used to call you..."

"Got a point or we just chatting?" Daryl interrupted gruffly, scaring Glenn back to reality.

He quickly admitted, "She told Maggie. She's really upset but wants you back."

"She thinks I cheated on her. Told me as much."

"No, she doesn't, not really." Glenn commiserated. "Daryl this isn't the time to be proud. You have a hysterical pregnant girlfriend who needs you. Sorry, that's just the truth."

Daryl glared at Glenn his eyes slits.

"You aren't going to hit me now are you?" Glenn's voice cracked.

"Nah." Daryl slapped Glenn on the shoulder. "Thanks," he said barely audibly.

"Hey, short round got a quarter?"

"Why?"

Daryl saw a gumball machine inside the doorway of the general store and headed inside. Glenn followed. "Why don't you just open it, I mean, no one's gonna care about the quarter now."

Daryl stared hard making Glenn uncomfortable again.

Daryl huffed, "That'd ruin the whole idea Glenn."

'Uh, okay."

Daryl surprised him sometimes. ""Here," he said actually finding a couple of quarters in his pocket.

Daryl inserted the coin into the slot and turned metal knob, releasing a small plastic capsule down the shoot at the bottom of the machine. He took it out and opened, to find at a thick silver-colored tin ring. It's design had two black dice 5 and 2 in the middle of a rhinestone horseshoe. "Lucky Seven." He said quietly and put it back in the capsule. He tossed it into the air and caught it them n shoved it into his pocket. She'd like it.

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Daryl was hesitant to face Danni, but Glenn's words stuck with him. She told Maggie she wanted him back.

"Damn people," he said quietly feeling like he had an audience as he walked through the main camp to the RV. Carol caught his eye and he immediately scowled at her but felt a sense of pride when he saw her smiling at him anyway.

He made his way slowly toward the back of the RV then stood in the doorway to the rear sitting area, hesitantly. Danni sat at the table in the back looking out the window, not at him. "Do you want me to go?" He asked huskily.

"No."

"I didn't think you ever wanted to see me again."

"We had a fight Daryl. People fight." She almost couldn't believe she'd said such a mature thing.

He inched closer. "It's not fair. What you're doing."

She still couldn't look at him. How could this have happened.

"I forgave you for the damned Shane thing. And this, whatever you think, this is nothin'."

"I saw you."

"There was nothing to see." He was genuinely confused. He'd been pushing Truly off. The kiss had meant nothing, he didn't return it; why didn't she see that. Then Danni started ranting and he thought understood.

"How can I compete with her? I think skinning animals is disgusting, I think hunting is the most boring thing in the world, I ...we have absolutely nothing in common, nothing to keep us together."

"There's something."

"Not enough." She looked at him, daring him to challenge her. "She can pitch a tent, build an outdoor shelter and a fire. You never taught me how to do that stuff."

"Didn't think you wanted to learn."

"I didn't. I don't."

Although slightly amused, Daryl felt frustrated, not sure how to handle this kind of thing. He squinted at her almost wanting to laugh, but kept his expression serious and let her go on.

"I bet she can cook and when she plants something it doesn't die and her sweat smells like angel food cake-"

He finally interrupted her. "Danni, do you think I want you to be something you're not? If you could do every goddamned thing I do then why would I need you? What I don't need is another me." He wasn't sure if that came out right. He wanted her to know that their differences made it work, he just wasn't sure how to express it.

"She's beautiful, Her body is perfect. I am so disgusting now, I almost don't blame you. I can't stand myself. "

Daryl didn't know a lot about pregnant women, but he figured they got little crazy about getting bigger and all that. Plus she'd been so sick lately. That last thing she'd said was proof to him that she wasn't thinking straight. Danni didn't give a shit about what other women looked like and she never talked about hating her own body. She was always confident in that area. She wanted to look different and she knew he liked that about her.

"You don't mean it."

"Oh yes I do!" she was getting riled again.

"Bet she can't sing like you, tell the future or fuck like you do."

"You didn't just say that."

"I did."

"You like me for more than just sex, though, right?"

"Yeah, 'course, that's... not ...what I meant." He said flustered.

"I'm kidding."

"Always giving me a hard time." His cheeks flushed.

"Yeah, well..." She said missing how they were together.

"Damn it, Danni I like that I can do stuff for you."

He thought she was more beautiful than ever. He liked that she was so much shorter and robust than Truly, making her attitude that much more amazing. She was deep and dark and mysterious; more compelling and unlike anyone he'd ever known. He meant what he'd said. If she could hunt and track herself what would she need him for? Why couldn't she see that? Besides, she reminded him he was worth something. He wanted her to need him and give him shit and push him to do all the stuff he hated. He didn't know how to say all that without sounding stupid.

Daryl was no match for a woman like Truly, Danni should have seen it from the beginning. She loved him, but he was clueless about the opposite sex and some women were as predatory as men in their own way. It was just a fact. Equal opportunity. He hadn't done anything. She was punishing him for his inexperience.

She finally admitted to herself that she was jealous. She'd wanted to think she was above it, but sometimes her insecurity got the best of her. As hard as she tried to accept herself for who she was and really love herself for being a free spirit, she was only human. The perfect, super model type women like Truly occasionally got past her armor.

Jealousy is pointless and it punishes. Ultimately, she trusted Daryl, it was Truly she didn't trust. Just what Daryl had said about Shane and herself. It's him I don't trust.

"What do I have to do?" he asked. She remained silent so he blurted "I'll marry you. If you want." He felt the ring in his pocket.

"We don't believe in that remember? It's a jinx." She suddenly stopped, realizing what he'd said. "Wait a minute,

what the hell kind of proposal was that anyway?"

"The kind that means I'll marry you." He couldn't believe he had to say it again, he'd been nervous enough the first time.

"Well, it wasn't very romantic."

"Aw, Jesus."

"Besides, I never wanted to marry anyone."

"Fine. Forget it." He moved to leave, feeling ridiculous.

"But I want that faith back, I need that faith back." She knew what they were supposed to do. "Were you serious about marrying me?"

"I said it didn't I?" He swallowed hard.

"Then we do it the right way. Our own way." The way Nana would do it. The end of October was coming up; it was the Celtic New Year a traditional day for handfasting.

"One of your conjure things again?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Later. So we're okay?"

She nodded. "I know you'd never-"

"Is that my shirt?" He asked finally noticing she had one of his flannels on over her t-shirt."

"Yeah. So?"

She'd had it with her all this time.

He shook his head. "Let's get out of here."

They descended the RV steps. Danni noticed everyone keeping close but pretending not to watch. Suddenly she felt Daryl's arms around her waist and he threw her over his left shoulder.

"Hey!" She laughed as he started walking, hitching her waist up a little more, gripping her thighs tightly. The last thing Danni saw from her view back over his shoulder was Truly's eyes following them after hearing Daryl say "I'm taking you home," loud enough for the other woman to hear.