Before either horses or riders could react, Nahar's leg went out from under Daryl and she started to fall. Daryl tried to pull his leg away as he fell but he wasn't fast enough and Nahar fell on her side in the ankle-deep water, Daryl's leg trapped beneath her.

"Daryl!" Jess yelled as she leapt off Argo, who was making a big fuss about the noise and other horse going down, and tried to keep the horse between the treeline and the two of them. She kept a watch on the trees over the horse, her eyes scanned for where the shot came from with an arrow already notched in the string ready to shoot.

Daryl waited in the cool water for Nahar to get back up and when the horse didn't move after a few seconds he started trying to push her off his leg. It was then Jess noticed, out of the corner of her eye, the horse wasn't getting up and couldn't help her near panic. Despite this, she had enough mind to keep an eye out for their attacker, praying that he wouldn't shoot at Argo as well.

"Where tha hell did that come from?" Daryl asked as he shifted and wiggled to try to get free.

"I dunno. Be still," she ordered quietly as she spared a glance down at the fallen horse who wasn't moving except to breath. It was then that she saw the blood swirl in the water from a bullet wound right below the horse's neck. She struggled to keep her emotions under control when she realized her sister's horse had been fatally wounded. She couldn't hide her anger however.

"Show yerself," Jess yelled over Argo at whoever shot at them, her voice laden with emotion.

Surprisingly, Jess saw movement in the trees but it wasn't where she thought the shot had come from. Her heart skipped a few beats as she saw walkers stumbling down the embankment on the side of the river they headed to which was the way back to the prison. Daryl struggled to get his leg free while walkers headed for them and there was a crazy fool who had a gun on them. How would they get out of this one?

"Just go," Daryl commanded angrily from the ground as he looked over at the dozen or so walkers headed towards them.

That was the moment Jess lost it and fell back to that wild nature that had become prevalent in her time alone after her sister died. She was losing one friend today, she wasn't about to lose her new friend as well.

"Like hellfire," she growled as she took her eyes of the treeline and moved to help Daryl, no longer caring that it exposed her. The second she was visible to their attacker, another shot rang out and Daryl froze as he watched Jess stumble awkwardly, dropping her bow in the process.

Jess growled as she went low to the water, scrambling around to push Daryl down behind her fallen horse.

"Jess?" Daryl asked looking up at her with concerned eyes, afraid he'd been shot.

"Just a graze," she whispered as she lay on top of him.

They waited several minutes, their breathing heavy and synced, waiting to hear another shot but none came. By this time, Jess was shaking from the rush of adrenaline mixed with her fear for her horses. Argo was prancing around wildly a few feet away attracting the walkers attention while Nahar slowly bled out into the water.

Jess's anxiety go the best of her at the thought of her horses dying and she tried to push away from Daryl to face their attacker. He fought to hold her still.

"Damn it woman, do you want to get shot again?" He hissed angrily holding her as best he could with one arm, his other attached to his crossbow.

"I don' care," she spat angrily as she struggled against him.

"I do," Daryl claimed.

Jess finally quit struggling as she looked down at him, her hair wet from falling into the stream with him, with loose strands stuck to her face, and her light brown eyes wide with a mixture of emotions as his breath brushed over her face. Damn him, Jess thought as she tried to get her emotions under control.

"I'm open ta suggestions," she sneered, reaching for her bow that she dropped a few feet from her. She couldn't get her fingers on it so Daryl let her go to reach and grab it for her. He pressed it into her hand as he leaned up with her on top of him to chanced a peak over Nahar's side at the forest where he'd assumed the shot had come from. He growled when he noticed that the sniping bastard was making his way down the embankment. He must have thought he'd taken both of them down and was coming out thinking it was safe.

Daryl pressed Jess closer to him and leaned up to whisper in her ear.

"He's comin'."

Jess nodded, reaching her arm over her shoulder to put a hand on an arrow. She couldn't see the man in her position but Daryl could and as soon as Daryl gave the word, she'd lean up so they could both take a shot. She felt him shift beneath her to get ready to sit up and aim at their attacker and she grabbed him before he sprung into action. She looked at him with those wild eyes he remembered from their first meeting.

"I'm killin' 'im," she ordered flatly. He could tell that she was thinking emotionally but he agreed with her nonetheless. Their attacker had no qualms with shooting at them and her horses and it was kill or be killed.

"What about you," the hunter asked with concern barely showing. He knew that she'd gone up against men before but this man had a long distance rifle and all she just had her pistol, knife, and bow.

"I can take care'a myself," she spat angrily. Daryl's eyes narrowed and she could see the wheels turning in his head, "Ya just get yerself free."

Without warning, Daryl sat up, pushing her off him in the process, aimed, and shot an arrow, not giving Jess a chance to back him up. Jess didn't get up fast enough to see but she heard the man cry out and the gun go off again. Just as she got to her knees, she saw the man go down in the water. Without any further communication, she left Daryl under the fallen horse to disarm the wounded man while nervously keeping her eyes on the growing amount of walkers.

Daryl pushed as hard as he could on Nahar and he felt his pinned leg shift and with one more push he was free. He looked up just in time to see a walker bearing down on him and he quickly dodged the falling walker and drive his knife into the back of its head.

The hunter grunted as he stood to take stock of his surroundings while reloading his bow. With all the commotion that Argo had made and the gunshots, there were now about three dozen ambling toward the living beings at the river.

After he'd taken down three more walkers that were getting too close to him for comfort he heard another shot, this time a pistol. He looked over at the fallen man to see the cowgirl as she pointed her gun at the ground and the shooter had a bullet through his head. Jess quickly put her gun away and started fighting her way through the walkers back to Daryl and Nahar.

Once she knew Daryl was on his feet and fighting and there was no more threat of being shot all Jess could think about was killing anything that got between her and Nahar. She fought wildly and it cost her. She was just a few feet away from Nahar when she felt something wrap around her left ankle. When she looked down she saw a rotting hand around it and a walkers teeth just a few feet away from her leg. She tried to jerk her leg away from the dead woman who was trying to take a bite out of her but the walker held firm and Jess's ankle twisted in an odd way and she felt her ankle stretch beyond its means. She let out an angry cry as she fell and the walker leaned up and sunk her teeth in Jess's leg.

Daryl looked over just in time to see the walker bite into Jess.

"Jess!" He yelled as he leapt over the fallen Nahar and took a shot at the dead woman. His bolt hit dead on and lodged in the walkers head just above its left eye. Daryl killed a few more walkers with his knife that were getting close before he kneeled down next to Jess to see where she was bitten.

"I'm fine, didn't get through tha chaps," she revealed and Daryl couldn't help his relief. He thought he would have to put a bullet in her brain here.

"Can ya stand," he asked while he inspected her to make sure she wasn't really bit.

Without answering, she awkwardly scrambled to her feet and began making her way over to the dying Nahar. The first time she tried to put weight on her twisted ankle it screamed at her so she had to resort to a limp the rest of the way to her sister's horse. Once she was there she knelt in front of Nahar and rubbed the horses muzzle. Jess finally let the tears fall because she realized she was about to lose the last living connection she had to Erin.

"I'm sorry, girl," Jess choked as she looked up to see two more walkers almost upon her. Before she could pull an arrow, Daryl was there to protect her.

"We gotta go," he growled while he pulled his knife from his latest kill.

Jess just nodded while she pulled her pistol from the holster at her back. With one last pat of the horses muzzle, Jess put the gun between Nahar's eyes and pulled the trigger. Argo, who was about fifty feet away, let out the horse equivalent to a scream and reared back. He knew what just happened and Nahar's death hurt him just as much as it did Jess.

Daryl heard the scene unfold as he took down the walkers around them and nearly jumped at the sound of the gun and Argo's outburst. He knew how hard this was for her because he knew what Nahar meant to her.

It took Jess a second to recover from what she'd just done before she stood up on her one good leg with a whistle to Argo. She holstered her gun again and pulled an arrow to take care of a another walker that was getting close. The look on her face was blank as she started to limp towards her horse.

The walkers were closing on them as Argo trotted up to her, his head hung low, and didn't stop. As he passed her, Jess switched her bow to her right hand and grabbed the pommel with her left and leapt into the saddle with ease, only using the leg that hadn't been injured as the other couldn't hold any of her weight. She immediately rode towards Daryl, shooting down the walkers that got in her way, using her knees pressed against her horse's side to stay steady.

"Dixon," she called out as she rode up to him and removed her foot from the stirrup so he could climb up behind her and shot a walker that was dangerously close in the process.

"Hang on," she cautioned as soon as she felt his arm come around her to grab the pommel. She kicked Argo into a full run down the river, letting Argo take over dodging the walkers in their way, while Daryl jostled behind her.

A few hundred yards down stream, Jess felt they were out of danger and slowed Argo to a walk. She could feel Daryl relax behind her and let go of the saddle to reload his bow awkwardly.

"Ya okay," she asked as she patted Argo's neck. She tried her best to block what she'd just don't to her sister's horse but her walls crumbled quickly. Daryl answered her question as he thought she spoke to him.

"Fine. You?" He rested his bow on his leg as he watched their surroundings, talking calmly as if they didn't just have a near death experience.

"All thang's considered, I'll survive," she replied honestly as she pulled her quiver from around her body and throw it over the pommel with the squirrels and rabbits to make it more comfortable for both the riders.

Daryl took a moment to check her for the wound from being shot by the bastard that'd killed Nahar. When he finally saw the blood, he was relieved to see that it had only been a graze like she'd said, an open wound about three inches long and less than an inch deep. It had already stopped bleeding and would be easily treatable.

It took about thirty minutes of silent riding before he practically felt the adrenaline leave her system and she slumped in the saddle, the severity of what she'd done caught up to her. She shivered and he heard her try to take deep breaths as she placed a notched arrow back in her quiver.

This didn't go unnoticed by Daryl and he'd seen this happen many times. She was in shock. Daryl slung his crossbow strap across his chest and spoke.

"Want help," he asked her permission quietly.

It took a few moments for Jess to realize what Daryl was asking and even when she did, she still hesitated. He knew she was in shock and he was offering to help her in some way. Because she was so conflicted emotionally and mentally, she accepted.

Jess nodded her head and now that he had her permission, he hesitantly wrapped one of his arms around her waist to help hold her up and offer some sort of comfort. He was never really very good at this type of thing but he was the only one around and if he didn't calm her down she'd probably end up on the ground.

Jess tensed and jerked like she was about to elbow him in the stomach but she was able to stop herself and, after a few minutes, relaxed a little. Even though she knew he would touch her, she'd still reacted as if she he would assault her. Her every instinct was to fight back at a man's touch, even when she knew it would come and the only reason she hadn't when Daryl carried her out of the store to save her was because she was too weak to react to him. Despite the initial need to fight back to his touch this time, she smiled when the feeling of safety washed over her in his embrace which was something she hadn't felt for a very long time. She knew it was dangerous because she this made her feel more attached to Daryl but she couldn't bring herself to push him away no matter how hard her head and instincts were screaming at her to do so.

They rode in silence for a long time while Daryl held her. After about thirty minutes, Jess stilled and her breathing finally went back to normal. The Dixon decided she'd calmed down and he began to move his arm from around her when he felt her hand press his arm back against her. She didn't want him to let go yet. He could feel something shift and he knew things between them had changed.

"Better?" He whispered in a gravely voice as he leaned forward over her shoulder to see her face, letting his other arm slip around her, causing them to be pressed even closer to each other.

Jess quickly turned away from him and took a deep, shuddering breath, and felt that things between the two of them had changed.

"A little," she whispered, making sure he couldn't see her face. She may be okay with his touch but she wasn't ready for him to see her mourn. That was just too intimate.

She was crying, he thought as he leaned his head back away from her to give her some space. He understood her need to grieve, even if it was over a horse. He knew Nahar had belonged her sister and even raised the horse specifically for her sister to ride. The loss of the sorrel mare must have devastated her, especially having to put Nahar down in the middle of walkers who would feast on her dead body. Despite her loss, he was glad it hadn't been Argo. He couldn't think about what she would have done in that situation had it been her own beloved horse to die.

However, the incident had risen his respect for Jess tenfold because despite the danger and emotional blow, she'd acted to save their lives. He knew from the moment he'd met her she was tough but today just proved to him how much.

"Thanks for not leavin' my ass," he whispered softly as they passed through the trees and Jess couldn't help the contented sigh at the feel of his voice rumbling against her back.

It took her several moments but she did answer him.

"I couldn't leave ya if I wanted ta," she responded without thinking. She quickly realized her mistake and hastily changed the subject, "now I only owe ya one."

He wanted to come back with a snarky comment but he just didn't have it in him so he let the opportunity fall into silence.

Jess's tears dried while she tried to not pick apart what she'd done to Nahar. She'd go mad if she tried to think of ways she could have saved her sister's horse. Thankfully, there sat a good distraction behind her with his arms around her. She tried to focus on his warmth and how comfortable she was this close to him because at the moment, it hurt less than when she thought about her recent loss. When he'd put his arm around her she'd been surprised but it hadn't taken long for her to realize he just wanted to help. She hadn't expected the Dixon to comfort her this way but she wasn't about to complain.

"I had to put down my brother, Merle," he confessed quietly which pulled Jess out of her thoughts in surprise.

Jess turned her head to see his face out of the corner of her eye. He had a distant look as he continued.

"Governor said if we gave up Michonne, he'd leave us alone. We were gonna do it then we didn't. Merle thought we should so he took her. 'Bout halfway there, he let her go. I went after him. By the time I got there, he was dead. The Governor had shot him in the heart so he'd turn."

She felt his arms tighten slightly around her as they came to the long gravel road that lead to the prison. He didn't have to finish his story, she knew what he had to do and how hard it was. She'd done the same thing with Erin. There were several moments of silence before she placed the reins on the saddle and laid her arm over his while she leaned further back into him.

It was the closest thing to a hug she could give him. Sometimes people just needed closeness of others for comfort and she could feel that's what Daryl tried to give her. She could tell that he tried to bond with her, just like she would have bonded with a horse, and her mind screamed at her to get away from him but her body gave into his request for comfort because she realized she needed it. Instead of a Texism, she was reminded of a line from The Lord of the Rings that she read through so many times.

"His grief he will not forget; but it will not darken his heart, it will teach him wisdom," she imparted the quote to him.

He didn't respond to her but he knew what she tried to do and despite how lame it was, he was glad she said it. He didn't feel too smart though.

It wasn't long before they approached the prison and Daryl reluctantly let her go to pull his crossbow from around him for if they needed to take care of walkers. Jess was a little sad at the loss of his warmth and she stiffened in the saddle as she shifted Argo into a trot.

"You take care of Argo, I'll talk to the others," Daryl ordered quietly before he let out a whistle to get the others to open the gate.

The walkers had all gone up to the fence where they cleaned the build up so Jess was able to trot Argo through the gates with ease. She didn't say anything as she gave Daryl the stirrup and he was able to dismount easily and grab the string of rodents from the pommel. Rick and Carl had opened the gate and Glenn had come out of the tower to greet them.

"Where's Nahar," Carl asked innocently as Jess rode off before she had to answer the question.

She heard Daryl start to explain what happened as she walked Argo into the pen that Carol ran to open for her. Jess slipped her foot back into the stirrup to dismount and she was reminded of her injured ankle. She hissed through her teeth and pulled her leg back out of the stirrup and slung her right leg awkwardly over Argo's neck and carefully slid off to land with her weight on her right foot.

Carol noticed how Jess dismounted and came around the outside of the pen after closing it to check on her.

"What's wrong, Jess?" She asked as she looked down at how the cowgirl was putting all of her weight on her right foot while she started uncinching the saddle to give her horse some relief.

"Thank I sprained my ankle," she explained through clinched teeth while she pulled the saddlebag off Argo's back and hobbled to the fence to throw it over. She finally set her bow down to lean against the fence and her quiver over a post above it and paused as she took some steadying breaths while she leaned heavily against Argo. It seemed like she hurt everywhere and all she wanted to do was curl up with Argo and ride out the pain of her ankle and her loss. Just as she was about to attempt to pull the saddle off Argo's back, Daryl reappeared with Carl and Rick. It was the farmer that stopped her.

"Jess, why don't you let Carl and I finish that. You need to have the doctor take a look at you," Rick urged quietly from beside Carol on the other side of the fence.

Daryl regarded her carefully as she rested her forehead against her horses sweaty shoulder. Argo turned and grabbed her braid between his teeth as if he was agreeing with Rick's offer.

"We'll be real careful," Carl reassured.

Jess limped a few steps towards Argo's head and rubbed between his eyes affectionately as she responded.

"I'm not leavin' 'im," she threatened in a low voice.

"They can handle it. You need to see the doc," Daryl coaxed from behind her impatiently while he buckled his crossbow across his chest to rest on his back. She would find an excuse to stay out with her horse if he didn't push her.

Jess watched him approach to her and practically fell into him as Argo nudged her with his large head towards the man. She reached out instinctively and grabbed Daryl's forearm to steady herself as she couldn't put weight on her foot without pain.

"Stinkin' crowbait," she curse as the horse let go of her braid to nicker at her.

Since she was already touching him, Daryl thought it would be safe to put her arm on his shoulder while he slipped his around her waist to help support her. Daryl relaxed in relief as Jess gave in.

"Ahight, just let Herschel take a look at 'im after yer done," Jess insisted to Rick as Daryl started to pull her towards the gate.

Daryl caught Carol's eye as she opened the gate and nodded his head towards the stable for her to get Jess's bag. The cowgirl was going to be stuck inside the prison again for the next couple of days at least with her bum ankle, bullet wound, and whatever damage she could have done to her healing injuries. The older woman nodded and made sure they were halfway up the hill before she went in for Jess's stuff.

The injured woman leaned heavily into Daryl as they finally made it back into cellblock C. When they reached the stairs up to the cell she'd made her own since her first day at the prison she looked up at the man next to her.

"De ja vu," she sighed in frustration, "I cain't catch a break, can I?"

"Seems so," he answered both the statement and question as he picked her up bridal style and started up the stairs.

She didn't protest this time though. In fact, she kept her arm around his shoulders and relaxed into him completely. If it hadn't been because she was injured, she would have loved how easily he held her now and how she had become accustomed enough to his touch not to react violently even though she would still flinch or tense. When they reached the top, he set her back down carefully on her good leg and they made the rest of the way back to her cell.

He helped her sit on her bed gingerly and knelt before her to inspect the boot on her injured foot. He gently pressed on the boot to see how swollen her ankle was.

"That's gonna hurt like a bitch," he concluded.

"Ya ain't kiddn'," she agreed as she rubbed her sore shoulder.

"Hurtin'," Daryl asked.

"Lil sore but not as bad as my side'r ankle," she answered honestly.

He reached around her back with one hand and started to massage her shoulder to help work out the tightness. This time at his unexpected touch, she barely tensed before she welcomed it. He couldn't do anything about her ankle or side but he could help ease the pain in her shoulder. Jess couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped her at how easily he worked out the tense muscles and how great it felt. He stopped when heard footsteps on the stairs up to their level and she rolled her shoulder.

"Thanks," she whispered to him with a weak smile, rolling her shoulder easier than before.

"Want me to hang around?"

She shifted on the bed as she pressed her hand into her side. She was actually surprised at the offer and was unsure why he would make it other than to hear what the doctor had to say and make sure she really was ok.

Despite her warning bells going off in her head to tell him to go, she couldn't make herself do it.

"Ya mind?" She asked as she looked up at him with sad eyes.

Daryl chewed the inside of his lip a few times before he nodded. He hated to see that look in her eye and missed the mischievous, wild glint that was normally there. He stood and walked out of the cell to let the doctor and Carol come inside. Michonne appeared around the corner and stood next to Daryl as the doctor began asking Jess questions.

Carol took Jess's hand when it came time to take off the boot and the injured woman squeezed Carol's hand hard as the doctor pulled it off slowly. Once it was off, Jess let out a breath of relief as the doctor pulled her sock off gently and inspected her ankle but she kept a straight face as he prodded it and turned it slightly to feel for breaks. Jess relaxed a bit once he set it down.

"Well, it just looks like a sprain. I didn't feel anything out-of-place under that swelling. You'll just need to keep it elevated for a while to get the swelling to go down then we'll wrap it so you can get back on your feet," he informed before turning his attention to her other injuries, "how does your shoulder and abdomen feel?"

"Shoulder's a bit sore but my side's hurtin' purdy bad," she admitted as she put her hand back over it.

"I can give you some painkillers but what you need is rest. You probably strained and maybe even pulled the healing muscles in your side. I'd say you need to wait a week before you can go back to riding," he ordered as he looked in his bag of medicine.

"Well ain't I just as lucky as a blind man crossin' tha street," she grumbled sarcastically with a huff, causing Michonne and Carol to have to hide their smile at the phrase. They liked the Texan's colorful vocabulary and how she used it instead of curses.

"Are you allergic to anything?" The doctor asked as he handed her a pill.

She shook her head as she took the small white tablets.

"This is hydrocodone. It's the only painkiller I have left now and I can't give you more than one so you'll have to tough it out when it wears off," he said while he pulled out a bandage from his bag and gave it to Carol along with some gauze and supplies to clean the wound on her arm, "after the swelling goes down you can wrap it up. Call me if it doesn't."

"I'll take care of her, Dr. S," she promised softly as she patted Jess on the leg reassuringly.

After the doctor took his leave, Michonne and Daryl came into the room. Daryl stayed silent as he watched Carol quickly take care of the cut on Jess's arm, leaning against the frame of the door.

"Heard about Nahar," Michonne spoke with sad eyes. "Sorry," she added.

"Thanks, Chonne," she replied using her new nickname for the woman as she started to build herself a nest in the corner of the bed with pillows. She really wasn't ready to talk about Nahar yet but she wouldn't push Michonne away.

Michonne was silent after that, not knowing what to say. Carol came to her rescue and started helping the injured woman get comfortable with her motherly charms.

"Let's get you settled. You're going to have to keep off that ankle for at least a day," she warned as Jess shifted into her nest. Carol placed Jess's bag padded with a pillow underneath the injured ankle. After that, Carol handed her a refilled bottle of water and watched Jess swallow the pill the doctor gave her.

"I'll send someone with lunch then I'll come check on you before bedtime. You're ankle should be ready to wrap then," Carol concluded with another pat of the girls leg, "are you going to be alright, Jess?"

Jess scoffed as she leaned back and closed her eyes and willed the painkillers to take effect quickly.

"Depends on yer definition'a alright."

Carol frowned at her. She had heard from Rick of what happened and she worried for the mental state of her friend. Carol looked over at Daryl as if to silently tell him to watch over her friend since she couldn't stay.

"Get some rest," she urged with a comforting smile and a pat of Jess's arm before taking her leave.

Michonne also had to leave.

"I've got watch," she revealed as she waved at her friend, "I'll talk to you soon."

Jess waved back as she watched the dreadlocked lady leave knowing she'd be back to talk about what had happened later.

Daryl watched her expressions as she sat in thought for several quiet minutes. He wouldn't leave until she asked him to so he decided he would wait for her to acknowledge him again.

He didn't know what to think about how quickly things had happened to them during the day. He'd reacted on instinct earlier when he'd held her and since their ride back, he felt more protective of her than before, like something had happened between them on a level he couldn't understand. It went beyond physical attraction to something on an emotional level and at first it scared him but now he knew that whatever it was he would let it happen. Jess was a great woman and he wanted to see where things would lead.

"Sorry I put ya in danger 'cause'a Nahar," she stated, breaking him from his thoughts.

He remained against the door for a few seconds to try to read what was behind the statement before the hunter shook his head and he slowly left his spot to sit on the bed next to her again. He wasn't as surprised anymore at how easy it had become to be close to her.

"Ya couldn't leave her there ta die like that," he admitted as he leaned forward to rest his arms on his legs with his back to her and his head turned just enough to see her out of the corner of his eye.

"But still. Ya've done lot fer me 'n' I owe you so much. I shouldn' a put ya at risk like that," she countered while she looked away from him in shame.

"We're even since you didn't leave me."

Jess was suddenly reminded of what she'd said earlier and she couldn't hide her blush. Somehow, he knew exactly what the sentence had brought to her mind because it'd brought it to his as well.

"So did ya really mean what ya said before?" He wondered, genuinely curious, watching her from the corner of his eye. He really wanted to know why she couldn't leave him behind.

She looked down at her hands as she played with the buttons on her shirt and she could feel his eyes on her while he waited for her answer. He backed her into a corner and she had to decide if she was going to come out swinging or give into him. She bit her lip as she wished she could just pull the blanket over her head and he would go away. However, Jess wasn't one to back down that easily. Jess steeled her nerves because she wasn't some girl in middle school with a crush, she was a grown woman and she was going to act like it.

"Don' read inna it, Daryl," she snapped still looking down at her hands, afraid he'd be able to see right through her. Her fear of loss was too great to risk answering the question truthfully and opening the door between them.

"Ya scared of me?" He asked in a deep, quiet voice that startled her enough to make her look up at him.

Jess barely shook her head as she watched him lean closer to her with her wide brown eyes, frozen like a deer in headlights as he put his hand on the bed next to her hip to support his weight.

"No," she whispered, her heart pounding in her ears, "but I'm 'fraid a what could happen." She added honestly.

"And what could happen," he asked, so close she could feel the warmth radiating from his body.

"You could die," she stated frankly while she searched his dark blue eyes and expected him to understand. She'd lost so much already she didn't want to get involved and lose him too.

"So could you," he reasoned, "don't mean we should have nothin'."

She couldn't argue with him on that because she'd also had the same thoughts over the past two weeks as she struggled to accept her new friends. It was just hard for her to grasp the concept after being alone for so long. Her expression darkened as she admitted something she hadn't been able to say out loud before.

"I don't wanna die alone," she said while many emotions through her eyes and she reached up to grab a fistful of his vest to further accent her statement.

Jess wasn't an idiot, she knew that living in this new world was a gamble every day and at the end of each day she should be surprised to still be alive. With Erin, the days had been easier to handle because she wasn't alone; she had someone to share the pain with. After her sister died, life was just a burden she carried day-to-day and the search for her parents was the only reason she had to keep one foot in front of the other.

She was ready to end the burden of life when Daryl found her and brought her back to his friends, his family, and she realized how much she needed people in her life and how lucky she was to have been found. Carol showed no fear of Jess, had admitted that she'd been abused before as well, and taken the wounded woman under her wing. Michonne had quietly worked her way into Jess's life by sharing a bit of her own and saw that they were kindred spirits. Rick chose to accept her, though she suspected he questioned himself over that choice, and even helped her in his own little ways.

Then there was Daryl, the tough, ruggedly handsome redneck who had a heart bigger than the state of Texas though he tried to hide it. He'd kept his eye on her, quietly being there for her when she needed him, not letting her fall or fail in any way unless she asked him to. She had let him slowly into her world and she didn't even realize it. She finally began to feel relaxed around him and trusted him.

He watched the emotions play over her face for several moments, trying to peg each one, before he spoke.

"You won't," he whispered as he closed the last of the distance between them to press his lips roughly to hers. He expected her to hit him, push him away, tense up, anything but what she actually did.

It was like some floodgate had opened as Jess pulled him closer to her and returned the kiss wildly, exhilarated and terrified all at the same time and her built up emotions poured out. She should have reacted violently to his intrusion but instead she wanted this to happen, wanted to push her most recent experience with a man from her mind and Daryl made that easy to do. He ran his tongue along her lips, demanding entrance to explore and she let him but not without a fight. The way he kissed was new to her and she realized how much she liked his roughness and it drove her to fight him for dominance, pushing against his tongue with her own. However, Daryl won out in the end when he grabbed her braid and pulled her head away. They both breathed heavily as Daryl's eyes roamed over Jess's body possessively which caused her to shudder beneath him in anticipation.

He growled as he resumed their heated make out session and used his hold on her hair to explore her mouth more as she rested one hand on his hip and she let her fingers graze the exposed skin there and the other started to roam. He bit her lip when he felt her hand pulling at the hem of his shirt and he released her hair to put his hand over hers to stop her. As hard as it was for him to do, he had to stop them before things got out of hand. It was the middle of the day and there were too many people coming and going in cellblock C.

"Easy, Jess," he groaned as he pulled away from her.

Jess closed her eyes to calm herself, mad that she let herself go with him like that. Had he not stopped her, she would have taken him right then and there, people and children hearing be damned.

"Feel looser'n ashes in tha wind," she mumbled looking a little sheepish, "Sorry," she added with a crack in her voice from embarrassment.

"Don't be," he smirked as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear, "I just want you all to myself."

Jess scoffed and looked at him as he leaned away with a smug expression.

"Fine with me, peach," she conceded before she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him back to her for a gentler kiss. Instead of the heated, rough passion he'd coaxed from her before, this one was slow and teasing. She gently ran her tongue over his lip and when he opened his mouth she retreated back into her own then she pushed him away.

"Damn woman," he cursed as he blinked down at her.

"Now get outta here afore I make ya naturally horizontal," she taunted. She really wanted him to stay but she was a bit too worked up now and she wouldn't be able to help herself if he didn't leave. She knew sex was a great stress relief and would help her keep her mind of things but she wanted to see if they could be more than just friends with benefits.

He reluctantly pulled away from her after placing a quick, gentle kiss on her forehead in a show of gentleness she didn't know he possessed, and stood to looked down at her. There was no doubt that Jess was his kind of woman: strong, yet kind in her own way, and a little wild.

"That's my line, Davis" he teased with a smirk.

Jess let out her rare, genuine laugh that danced over him and made him actually smile as she threw an extra pillow at him.

"Don' quote me ta me," she chided as she readjusted herself to a more comfortable position in the bed.

"Whatever," he stated as he turned to walk out of the cell, "I'll go check Argo for ya."

"Hey Daryl?" She asked, waiting for him to stop and look at her. When he did, she continued, "Thank you," she added sincerely.

He nodded, briefly before he pulled down the sheet she used for privacy over the door.

"I'll be back later," he promised.

Jess listened as he descended the stairs and was left alone to her thoughts and she practically felt the medicine hit her system. She smiled goofily at the top bunk as she replayed the intimate moment over in her head. She was startled at her own reaction to the kiss and how she hadn't been afraid of his roughness; at how she had responded in kind and didn't hesitate to take the moment farther than he wanted to go. He had been right, there were too many people around and she loved how he'd wanted her all to himself.

Now that she thought about it, she had moved a little fast with him and it'd probably scared him a bit and honestly it'd scared her too. However, she wasn't going to let it go. Daryl was right. Just because she was afraid of losing people didn't mean she had to go without relationships. As much as Erin's death hurt, Jess was glad that she'd had any time at all with her sister. Jess's life was better because Erin had been a part of it and even though she was still hurt, the memories of Erin would be with her the rest of her days.

Thoughts of her sister had allowed the door to open to the part of Jess that had shut out the events of the day and, despite the great moment that she and Daryl had just shared, her walls crumbled and she allowed herself to mourn in her own way with the help of the hydrocodone. Instead of thinking of the horse's death, she thought of all the good times she and her sister had riding together, just them and the horses through the hill country on a hot summer day, until she finally eased into a drug induced sleep.