Daryl fell asleep that night with the feeling of Rick's lips on his. The warmth that his hand on Daryl's had created and the cries of the man as he tried to call him back to camp.

Daryl woke up the next morning by someone calling his name from below the tree he'd spent the night in. Daryl had hoped that spending the night away from the group would help clear his mind. Instead, it only seemed to muddle things up more for him. The confusion and frustration had grown in his brain from the night before replacing the excited feelings his body had briefly enjoyed during the moment. The feeling of hurt and rejection lingered in his mind.

Rick would never do something like that to a guy like him. He had a wife and kid for god sake. Thinking that Rick would leave all those great things for Daryl was just stupid (wishful) thinking. This realization left an angry burning in Daryl's chest. He pushed the painful ache of loneliness and longing that his heart shuddered with and instead embraced the Dixon rage. It filled his bones with a feeling he was familiar and comfortable with unlike the sensations from the night before. He let the rage take over and direct him. It was easier than trying to untangle the wound ball that his heart and mind were.

"Daryl? Are you okay?" Carol called up to him. Her eyes bright as she peered the good twenty feet above her head to Daryl's resting place.

"Fine." He mumbled rolling over onto his side. Carol gasped below him at his movement. He realized belatedly that from her point of view it looked like he was less than an inch from plummeting to the ground below him. When in reality he would have an easier time falling out of a bed than he would a tree.

"Did you get stuck up there?"

"What?!" He growled at her. Slightly insulted she would even think that about him.

"You look a little like a cat stuck in a tree." Carol smiled at him. "Do you need me to get a ladder? Maybe a nice fireman could help you down."

"Aren' ya clever." Daryl grumbled. Carol chuckled below him.

"I like to think I am."

"I bet ya do." Daryl rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to come down?" She asked growing serious. Daryl shrugged. He didn't want to get down. Down meant reality. Reality meant having to deal with last night. That meant having to realize that what Rick said…and more importantly did really happened.

That the relationship he thought they shared had shifted. The small sense of worth and value Daryl had started to feel towards himself was lost with the shifting of the world and more importantly, with the shifting of their relationship. "Daryl? Are you alright?" Daryl shifted on the tree so he could actually see Carol below him. She was looking up at him concern clearly written on her face.

"Why wouldn' I be?" He avoided the question.

"Because you normally stay close to the group. The last time you left like this was back on the farm." Carol looked down her body growing smaller. Daryl hadn't forgotten. He'd been upset, hurt, and pissed at the whole situation. He'd been so certain he'd find Sophia that things would work out and he would prove his worth to the group. So many things went wrong at once on that farm. "Last night Rick came back alone. We didn't even see you. Now I find you here. I just…You know you can talk to me if you want to." Carol turned her face towards Daryl.

Daryl sighed. What could he say 'our leader kissed me and I decided the appropriate response was to run away and hide in a tree?' "Daryl? Rick was talking about moving on later today." Daryl twitched at the mention of the other man. "What do you think?" Daryl shrugged. With all that happened yesterday, he was uncertain if he wanted to follow the group just yet. He could just stay in the woods on his own for a few days. It wouldn't be hard for him to track them down wherever they settled. "You aren't leaving us are you?" Carol's voice grew small and fearful. The woman's ability to read him was extremely annoying at times.

"Maybe." He mumbled. Carol sat on the ground and hugged her legs tightly to her chest.

"Is there a reason?" She continued, when silence was the only response she got. "Was it something I did?"

"No."

"Then it's someone else. You wouldn't leave without good reason."

"How do ya know that? Maybe I'm tired of takin' care of ya'll. Maybe I want to be on my own for a while." Daryl said forcefully. It wasn't true in the least but the need to escape was pounding in his blood. The twitching and itching was inside of him. Feeling like he couldn't escape from his own skin. Carol shook her head below him.

"That's just not like you. You wouldn't leave us because you want to be alone. Or you wouldn't do that for longer than a few hours, maybe a day. It's just not who you are."

"Think ya know me do ya?"

"I'd like to think I do. You work hard keeping us all at a distance but we have things in common the others don't, you and I. I have an easier time understanding your thoughts than they do." Daryl huffed. He didn't want to admit it but she did seem to understand him to a degree that they others didn't. But that really didn't make him feel better in fact it made him feel more vulnerable. "So why do you want to stay here? Did something happen?"

"Doesn' matter." Daryl rolled away from her and stared at the tree line around him.

"Clearly it does because you wouldn't be here otherwise." Carol sighed and moved her body back into the tree trunk. "Did someone say something to you? Or did someone do something to you? I'm getting tired of asking that." She tried to joke. Daryl ignored her and clenched his fists tightly instead.

The memory of Rick's lips on his returned with a vengeance. The look of surprise and pain maybe even longing plainly evident in Rick's bright blue eyes. The way he had called after Daryl like he was trying to get him to return. But return to what, the group? Or to Rick? "Something happened after you left to check out the area didn't it? That's why you didn't come back last night." Daryl stubbornly refused to answer. "Then maybe the one who said something was… oh! Rick! Hi!" Carol called cheerfully.

Daryl almost jumped a foot off the branch. He scrambled higher up the tree where the leaves hid him completely from the ground below. Resting on the balls of his feet he steadied the slender branch with one hand on the branch and the other on the trunk. The tree settled quickly and without previous knowledge that he was in the tree you would never know he was up there. Daryl still had a perfect view of the forest floor and could easily see as Rick stepped through the trees towards Carol.

"Hey Carol, you okay out here?" Rick looked warn down. Tired and his eyes were duller than normal. A darkness clouded around him. Carol nodded in response. "I thought I heard you talking to someone?" Rick shifted his eyes from tree trunk to tree trunk clearly looking for someone hiding behind the trunks.

Daryl clenched the trunk tighter as Carol's eyes shifted upward. If she was surprised by the fact that Daryl was gone she didn't show it. Rick turned his head slightly upwards as well. Daryl held his breath and willed his body to not move a muscle.

"Oh yes! I was." Carol said loudly forcing Rick's attention back to her. Daryl didn't relax just yet. Carol could easily give him away and let Rick know where he was. He wondered how easily he'd be able to jump to the next tree without them noticing him. It would work better to jump down and knock the officer out then run away, he realized. Daryl licked his lip and tensed his muscles to jump. Even if Rick deserved a good punch to the face he didn't deserve a knock out kick from a tree. Plus knowing the man the blow wouldn't actually knock him out. This would probably end with Rick bleeding all over the forest floor as he tried to following Daryl. Two head wounds in so many days would probably kill him or make his already screwy head even screwier.

"Bastard deserves it." Merle roared in Daryl's ear.

"I was talking to Sophia." Carol smiled a little sadly. Rick's eyes softened and filled with a similar sorrow.

"Carol." Rick started. His body moving in to comfort her. He gently took her shoulder.

"It's okay. I just… Sometimes I feel the need to talk to her. Just tell her how things are. Tell her how much I miss her. That I'm doing okay so she doesn't have to worry about me." Daryl closed his eyes. The three of them shared a moment of mournful silence. The three of them felt the same pain over Sophia's death though to varying degrees of agony.

"I'm sorry." Rick whispered. Carol shook her head.

"No it's okay. I'm dealing with it. It takes time but I'm learning to make room for the pain. I'm learning how to live with the pain." Daryl stared down at Carol. She was constantly surprising him. She'd seemed so weak when he first met her but here less than a year later and she had grown into someone strong and fierce. It relieved Daryl greatly, the idea of Carol still being that meek woman who cried softly almost inaudibly in her tent after Ed hit her caused Daryl more pain than he wanted to admit. The way her body seemed so small and broken back then had reminded Daryl of his mother. The crying where no one could hear her was a trait that Carol and his mother shared.

"You're stronger than I am." Rick said softly. "I don't think I would be able to learn to live with it. Every death we've had has almost destroyed me. If that happened to Lori or Carl, to my family. I don't know if I'd be able to take that." Carol took Rick's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"Then don't let it happen. We rely on you. Your family relies on you. You have to keep them safe."

"Sometimes it feels like I can barely keep them fed." Rick whispered. "Hell I can barely keep my family safe." Rick laughed darkly self-loathing filling his eyes.

"That's why we're here. We'll help you." Carol said firmly. Rick shook his head.

"No. That's not what I mean. I can barely keep my family safe. Carl and Lori aren't my only family." He stared hard at Carol. "You all are my family. And I… god we barely got away yesterday. I feel like I'm failing everyone. Like I'm putting my family in danger every time we have to move."

"We know you're doing your best. I doubt anyone else could have gotten us this far." She smiled warmly at Rick. "And just so you know I agree with you about everyone being my family. This group is a closer family to me than most of my actual family ever was."

"Then you understand why it matters so much that everyone stays safe?" Carol nodded.

"Of course." Rick sighed heavily.

"After what happened yesterday, I'm starting to doubt my ability to keep the group safe."

"What happened yesterday?" Carol asked concerned.

"I'm surprised everyone doesn't already know about it." Daryl's eyes narrowed to slits, had Rick been telling everyone how he'd kissed him and knowing how men acted did Rick exaggerate and lie about what happened? Telling everyone that they'd done it or something completely untrue. Daryl ground his teeth together as rage spiked in his blood. Might have to rethink the whole knocking the man in the face from a twenty foot fall, Daryl thought. "Yesterday Daryl and I…" Rick bit his lip. "We went out right?" Carol nodded. "And Jesus I don't know what happened or what I was thinking."

Daryl glared down at Rick, disgusted he would dare tell Carol (of all people) what had happened last night. It reminded Daryl of Merle's friend asshole BJ who went around telling everyone in the gang how he and Daryl had slept together. That Daryl had begged him to sleep with him, because Daryl found asshole BJ just so incredibly attractive. None of it was true of course. The guy was an asshole and defiantly not the kind of man Daryl would go for when he thought of men he'd be willing to sleep with.

Asshole BJ had no pride or honor; he barely even had anything between his legs. It looked more like a mole growing between his legs than a dick. Doubt he could even get a drunk whale to bed him, Merle had said after they had taken asshole BJ and beaten him black and blue. They nearly ripped him a new asshole before they realized how little he had to work with. The Dixon brother's had shared a laugh for a good long while after that.

Had the story been true and Daryl had slept with asshole BJ he wouldn't have really minded nor would he have beaten him up (well maybe a little for telling the story to the gang like he did.) But the thing that had really pissed Daryl off was the lie about him. He wouldn't lie about something he did (it just wans't his nature) so how dare asshole BJ do that. Merle had helped Daryl beat him up because he liked fights but mainly because anyone who touched Daryl that wasn't a girl would find themselves on the receiving end of the elder Dixon's wrath.

"Ain' right." Merle hissed more than once to Daryl, he had merely shrugged when his brother told him that. Daryl honestly didn't care one way or another. Men or women it was all the same to him. Not that he'd ever admit that to his brother. He liked his teeth in his mouth and not choking on them.

Daryl looked down at Rick with the same kind of revulsion he had felt towards asshole BJ all those years ago. The idea that Rick would lie about him bothered him. In a way he knew it shouldn't, but the hurt went deep.

"I shot a walker." Rick's clear voice cut through Daryl's internal tirade.

"What?" Carol gasped, asking the question Daryl himself was thinking.

"That's why we had to leave yesterday. The sound drew other walkers in. I put everyone in danger all because I got scared and couldn't think rationally. I acted on impulse." Rick had his head in his hands as he took deep shaky breathes.

"That's not like you." Carol whispered.

"I know." Rick nodded. "I just couldn't think when I saw that walker on Daryl. I panicked."

"Daryl? A walker was on Daryl?" Carol's voice suddenly got higher and scared.

"Yeah pinned him on the ground. I thought for sure he'd been bit or was already dead."

"Oh my god." Carol breathed. Rick looked up into her eyes.

"Did Daryl not tell you?" Carol shook her head.

"No. I had no idea." Rick blinked and sighed deeply.

"He probably didn't see the point in telling anyone, knowing him." Rick said softly. Carol nodded.

"You're probably right. He's not the type to gossip or share stuff like that." Rick smiled tenderly at Carol.

"No he's really not." Rick rubbed his temple for a moment. "Speaking of Daryl, have you seen him?" He questioned her. Carol didn't give any indication that she had been talking to Daryl just minutes before.

"Not since yesterday." She lied smoothly. Daryl was never that good at lying. Merle was the better liar between the two of them. It wasn't that Daryl couldn't lie. He just preferred silence to lies.

"I made him mad yesterday." Rick lamented.

"Did you?" Carol pressed. Rick nodded.

"Yeah I always seem to say or do something stupid around Daryl. Stupid things that usually piss him off."

"I don't think Daryl has ever been truly mad at you. Well maybe besides that time at the quarry. But other than that he's always seemed to follow your lead." Rick's eyes were dark with regret. Daryl started to feel a little guilty for his attitude towards the man until he reminded himself of what Rick had done to him. "I think Daryl just doesn't always know how to handle certain situations." Rick laughed.

"That's true, but it's one of his charming qualities wouldn't you say?" Carol smiled.

"Yeah." Rick grinned widely at her.

"I think one of the best things about him is his willingness to strive to do better in all things he can change. Like the group interactions." Carol nodded at Rick's words. "Though it's funny he doesn't even realize how far he's come. He still thinks he's this person that none of us can stand. But really he's come so far from where he was." Rick trailed off. "It seems sometimes like he still considers himself somehow less than the rest of us."

"It's something that he will probably struggle with his whole life." Carol whispered.

"I don't see why." Rick mumbled. "He's earned his place. Ten times over." Daryl clenched the branch tightly. He didn't want to hear any of this. It didn't feel true. It felt like talking about how good a child is because you can clearly see them hiding behind the door. Did Rick know he was there? Was that why he was talking this way?

"I think he holds himself and us to different standards. Like he can never really measure up to us in his mind."

"Yeah." Rick agreed.

"Have you tried telling him how important he is to the group?" Rick nodded.

"Every time I do something either comes up or I can't get the words out. I make a mess of it every time." Carol nodded.

"You should try again." She encouraged. "I'm sure it would mean a lot to him. Especially from you."

"Pretty sure the next time Daryl sees me he's going to want to punch me in the face." Carol looked alarmed at Rick's rueful expression.

"Did you do something that bad?"

"Yeah. It was pretty bad. Another great example of me not thinking and just reacting. He took off on me. Not that I blame him. Most people would have reacted the same way." Most people aren't getting kissed by their leader with no warning. Daryl thought bitterly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Carol asked kindly. Daryl froze the last thing he needed after avoiding it earlier was for her to bring it up again. It felt like Carol was trying to punish him. Luckily Rick shook his head.

"No it wouldn't be right to talk about it until I talk to Daryl first."

"Well I'm sure he'll appreciate your silence."

"Or he won't care either way because he's so angry he can't see straight."

"In that case I'd say you have a fifty-fifty shot of him not being able to hit you because he's so mad. So you've got that going for you." Rick quirked an eyebrow.

"Thanks? I think?"

"Just trying to keep things in perspective." Carol smiled widely. Rick sighed and leaned his back against the tree. Daryl's muscles tensed with nerves as the pair were moving closer to his hiding spot. "Are you really thinking of having us leave today?" Carol questioned. She rested besides Rick, both of them watching the woods, keeping their eyes open for any dangers that might be lurking.

"Yeah last night was pretty miserable. Don't think anyone would want to go through that again." Daryl wondered what could have happened last night besides the obvious. Carol ever the mind reader nodded and explained what happened for him.

"It's interesting how one person makes such an impact. The watch was longer and colder than usual." Rick nodded.

"I guess I forget how often Daryl takes the bulk of those watches." Rick scoffed. "Sometimes I forget how much Daryl does for us. I get so fixated on things that I forget how much he handles on a daily basis. He keeps our group running smoothly."

"I think that's sort of his nature. Doing things to keep everything running but never really tells us how much effort he puts into our survival." Carol said softly. Rick yawned and stepped away from the tree. He cracked his back popping the muscles into alignment.

"Well I suppose we should get back. Everyone is probably wondering where we are." Carol nodded but didn't move.

"You go ahead. I just need another moment." Rick stopped and peered at her hard.

"Are you sure? I could wait." Carol shook her head. She held her arm tightly as she spoke.

"Go ahead. I'll be right behind you." Rick hesitated. "Get everyone ready to move out." She nodded again at him. "Just don't leave me behind." She teased.

"Of course not. Just…do me a favor?" Rick quirked an eyebrow. "Don't get lost. My tracking skills would have me going around in circles for days." Carol chuckled.

"I won't. Promise. I would hate to see you get lost in your own tracks." Rick waved as he started back through the thick trees towards the camp. Daryl finally breathed a deep long breath and allowed his muscles to relax. Carol waited until Rick was out of sight before turning her head back towards the tree. "Still there?" She questioned uncertainly.

"Yeah." Daryl mumbled.

"He seems really bothered by whatever happened last night." Daryl shrugged. "Maybe you two should talk to each other? Work it out."

"No thanks." Daryl huffed.

"He's clearly troubled by upsetting you." Carol exhaled. "He respects and trusts you. Can't you at least consider talking to him?" Carol pressed, her eyes had a pleading look reflecting plainly in her glassy orbs.

"Rick doesn' respect me. I doubt he even trusts me." Carol threw her hands up in defeat.

"Oh for the love of god! You heard him! He wasn't lying! Why don't you believe us when we say we trust and like you? We care about you Daryl. Anyone can see it. Everyone but you can see how much we care about you." Daryl glared down at Carol. His eyes were slits and his jaw was tensed. He wanted to yell back at her to tell her to leave him alone. That he didn't want or need her around him. He bit his tongue to keep the wrath from exploding out of his mouth. He kept it boiling inside of his chest.

Daryl had once nearly hit her when he'd gotten this angry. It was something he never wanted to do and swore he'd never do again. But his Dixon blood was screaming inside of him. The hisses from his brother and father were returning. Both taunting and whispering to let go. To let the Dixon rage free. To teach her what happened when you spoke to a Dixon that way. Daryl clenched his fists until blood started to seep from his palm.

Carol continued to stare up at the tree. After another minute of tense silence she sighed and her body sagged in defeat. Carol closed her eyes and shook her head slightly. "Fine." She mumbled. "Be that way. You know, you can't keep pushing us away. No matter how much something bothers you or how uncomfortable you find these situations you're going to have to deal with them at some point."

Carol started to walk towards the edge of the trees. She paused before leaving completely. Her hand clenched on the trunk of a tree and she titled her head back towards Daryl. "Please don't cut yourself off from us." Carol licked her lip. "Don't stay here. Even if you don't realize it, we need you." There were tears glimmering in Carol's eyes. Daryl realized slightly shocked. "Come back to the group. We won't leave without you, you know that right?" When Daryl didn't respond Carol gave up and continued moving through the woods.

He waited until he couldn't hear her before bumping his head against the tree. It felt like it was too much for him to process at the moment. Hell it would probably take him a year to digest everything.

"Don' suppose I can just pretend none of this happened." Daryl mumbled to himself. He torn a branch from the limb he was resting on and twirled it between his fingers as he thought. The voices of his father, brother, Carol and Rick all spiraled around his brain. Bouncing off the walls of his skull like they couldn't escape. He groaned knowing a decision needed to be made. He couldn't spend forever in a tree. Well…actually, he probably could. But Carol was right, he couldn't avoid it forever. But surely he could put it off for a few more days? Daryl closed his eyes and let his body relax against the trunk. He enjoyed the wind and the stillness of the world around him.

"Coward." Merle murmured. "Can' even go back to them. Gonna run instead."

"Thought ya wanted me to break off from those 'pansy-asses, niggers, and democrats." Daryl quoted his brother. The branch shifted and sunk down slightly. Daryl opened one eye to see a hazy Merle sitting in front of him. Merle looked exactly as he had the last time Daryl had seen him. The image of his brother set his mind at ease with an underlying current of tension. Being around his brother had always caused conflicts to well up inside of Daryl. To be around Merle was both a relieving and irritating sort of feeling. And that was before the world had ended. Daryl noticed much like the Merle he'd seen when he'd fallen at the farm, this Merle still had his right hand. He seemed to be making a point of twitching his fingers right where Daryl could plainly see them.

Daryl tilted his head slightly and realized when he put his head more to the left he couldn't see Merle anymore only the trees and the sky. But when he shifted his head with a more right slant he could see the hazy Merle glaring at him. Daryl kept his head tilted towards the right.

"Ya don' seem very good at doin' what I tell ya." Merle grumbled. His blue eyes watching Daryl closely, looking for a sign of weakness.

"I listen." Daryl muttered, feeling like he was ten years old again and being told by Merle to stick his hand a fire. 'Just to see what happens to burned flesh.'

"Really?" Merle chuckled he shifted his gaze towards the camp. "Well I think ya should go down there and strangle officer friendly for me." Daryl glared at Merle. His own eyes growing dark. That's all it ever came to with his brother. Revenge and violence. Showing someone who'd done him wrong just how even Merle would get. There was emotional, mental, and physical abuse and then there was Merle's tactics.

A part of Daryl had never been surprised to learn his brother had been kicked out of the military. Even they couldn't control the mad dog his brother was when he worked himself into a rage. Daryl's mother had once said that Merle had more of his father in him that Daryl himself did. At the time, Daryl had been hurt and insulted by her words. It had taken him a long time to realize; as he grew older that, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing to be unlike his father.

Merle turned his gaze back to Daryl and grinned viciously at him. His blue eyes were filled with the same hatred they had held when he'd last seen his brother. That day he'd told Daryl to shut up and go hunting. That he, Daryl had no business telling his older brother to pass on the trip to Atlanta.

Daryl closed his eyes. He knew how that had worked out. If Merle had listened to him. Maybe things would have been different. But how different? Would he even be with the group had Merle returned from Atlanta? "Hey!" Merle growled giving him a sharp slap to the cheek. Daryl slapped his brothers hands away from him. His eyes returning the glare Merle was giving him, with one of his own. Their anger reflected in each other's blue eyes.

"The hell?!" Merle chuckled.

"Can' have ya goin' off inside yer head. Not after I came all this way to see my baby brother."

"Didn' come from anywhere." Daryl mumbled dropping his eyes from his brothers. He could never win in a rage match against Merle. He just didn't have the same bloodlust that his brother had.

"What was that boy?" Daryl scowled at Merle.

"Said ya ain' real!" He spat. Merle looked almost shocked before another wide almost crazed grin broke over his face.

"Told ya before, as real as yer Chupacabra." Daryl ground his teeth back in a snarl. "Sides doesn' stop ya from hearin' and listenin' to me." Daryl couldn't respond to that. Merle was right. Even gone his brother continued to influence his thoughts and actions on some level. Hell even his dead father continued to haunt his living moments. "Bet ya haven' told them that ya hear voices huh?" Merle cocked his head towards camp. Daryl bit his lip sharply. "That's probably smart. Nothin' worse than an insane redneck who sleeps with a knife so he can kill anyone who gets too close to him. Bad enough they have to deal with yer mood. And yer attitude. And yer constant avoidance of all the issues ya don' wanna deal with." Merle counted of. He titled his head towards Daryl. His eyes glistening with malice. "Why do they keep ya around again?" Merle laughed his deep throaty laugh knowing he'd struck a nerve. "Seems like ya are more of a liability than an asset."

"Shut up." Daryl growled pressing his fingers into the scar at his temple. The agony it was creating in his head almost made him sick.

"Ya know they begged ya to go with them. But I think ya shouldn' bother. I mean they're gonna get tired of ya sooner or later. Knowin' ya it'll be sonner. Better to just cut ties with them now." Daryl opened his eyes at that.

"No."

"No?" Merle's eyes darkened.

"I won' leave not now. Yer right. I'm bein' a coward and that's not the Dixon way." Daryl said making his mind up and starting to work his way down the tree.

"But kissin' the man who chained yer brother to a pipe is?" Merle questioned from above. Daryl clenched the limb he was holding tightly.

"No." He bit his lip. "I don' know what that was. But it doesn' matter right now. I'll…" Daryl paused trying to find his words. "Deal with that later when I have to. Until then it's not important." Merle laughed.

"Oh little brother. They have ya wrapped around their goddamn finger. Ya just don' know it yet."

"Maybe." He jumped the last few feet to the ground. "But I'd rather be with them than on my own." Daryl shifted his crossbow. "At least for now." Merle's laughter followed Daryl until he was almost back at the camp.

Now that he was practically at the threshold, the idea of rejoining wasn't nearly as appealing as it had been when he was arguing with Merle. Daryl clenched the strap on his crossbow and took a deep breath. He strode into the camp like he'd only been gone for ten minutes instead of the whole night. Several members of the group stopped what they were doing to smile broadly and wave at him.

Carol in particular smiled and nodded like she was saying she was glad he decided to come with them and was proud of his decision. Daryl nodded slightly at her before moving quickly to his bike and busied himself with putting things away. He hoped everyone would go back to what they were doing before he'd shown up and would stop watching him. It worked for the most part, until a scent hit his nose. Daryl had to fight the urge to run back to the woods.

"We could stay another night." Rick mumbled.

"We're too exposed here. It got too cold last night." Hershel responded logically.

"The herd is probably still moving through the area. Might be safer to stay for a little longer." Rick returned. The pair was walking through the camp clearly debating if the group should stay or go.

Daryl bit his lip and hoped they'd just walk past him. He had no such luck. Rick froze several feet from Daryl's turned back. "Daryl?" Rick breathed. He'd said it so softly that no one other than Rick and Daryl himself could have heard him say it. His back muscles tensed as Rick started moving closer.

"Daryl glad to see you made it back okay." Hershel said from Rick's side. Daryl turned his head slightly as he nodded. Hershel seemed at ease but it was Rick who looked like he'd seen a ghost. Maybe the ghost of a walker would be more appropriate, Daryl mentally amended. Rick's body looked like he wanted to move towards Daryl but didn't know how to make those final steps. Rick's eyes looked both scared but at the same time pleased at Daryl's return.

It seemed like Rick didn't know how to feel about this anymore than Daryl did. The silence and stares between them continued until Hershel coughed slightly behind Rick. This seemed to awaken the other man. "Now that Daryl's here there's no reason to stay here." Rick nodded in agreement with Hershel's words.

"Yeah." He agreed absentmindedly. Rick's eyes kept flicking back to Daryl as he spoke, much to the hunter's dismay. "Make sure everyone is ready to leave. We'll be going shortly." Rick said clasping Hershel's shoulder. Hershel turned to check on progress while Rick turned back to Daryl. He stood awkwardly behind the hunter. Rick had licked his lips, swallowed and shifted his weight four times before he could finally find his voice. "Daryl?" He whispered. The hunter didn't respond even though he'd heard him. "Can we talk?"

"Shouldn' we be getting' ready to leave?" Daryl tried to redirect his leader's attention.

"We need to talk." Rick said forcefully leaving no room for the hunter to try and get out of this conversation. He'd said it with such authority that Daryl set his supplies down and turned completely around to look at Rick. His eyes were strong showing he'd made up his mind and Daryl would be forced along one way or another.

"Why don' we do this later?" Daryl tried again turning his eyes to the other who were watching their exchange with curiosity.

"No." Rick refused. "I'm not going to give you a chance to escape. We need to talk about this Daryl. Now." Rick jerked his head towards the forest. "Come on." Daryl sighed and pulled his crossbow on before slowly following his leader. He kept dragging his feet hoping someone would desperately need Rick and give Daryl the chance to escape this conversation for a while. However, luck was not with him today. He followed Rick far into the woods; ironically they ended up back at the tree Daryl had spent the night in. Should have just stayed here, Daryl thought bitterly.

He glanced up slightly to see if Merle was still lurking in the tree. His brother was nowhere to be seen. Merle had vanished as quickly as he'd come, like a spring thunderstorm. Destructive to Daryl's mind but over quickly, leaving a disaster in his wake. That seemed to be the only thing going for him today. Well regardless Daryl was relieved that Merle was gone, the last thing he wanted or needed was to be talking to Rick while Merle ran commentary in the back of his mind.

Daryl leaned against the tree while Rick paced in front of him. The urge to just reach up and pull himself into a branch was almost too tempting for him to resist. The only thing that stopped him were the little glances Rick kept throwing at him as he muttered to himself. "Daryl." Rick said finally turning to the hunter. Daryl half glared and added a grunt for good measure to show he was listening. "Look." Rick started before licking his lips and running his hands nervously through his hair.

Here comes the 'last night was a mistake' speech, Daryl thought darkly. If things went, south Rick would probably blame Daryl himself for the whole 'incident.' A little, like blaming a woman for dressing up and saying that's clearly why it was her fault that she got raped. Merle's ex friend had used that excuse once.

Daryl wondered if push came to shove if Rick would blame him. Probably would if his wife confronted him. Most guys would. Daryl sighed waiting for the other shoe to drop. "I don't know how to say this." Rick managed. He looked up at Daryl. His eyes looked lost. Daryl couldn't help but feel sorry for Rick and took pity on him.

"Want me to start for ya?" Rick looked shocked at Daryl's words. Almost like, he'd been expecting for Daryl to just sit and be silent the whole talk. "Ya made a stupid mistake. Yer wife's been givin' ya shit. This whole world's gone to hell and back. Ya were just tryin' to enjoy somethin' for a moment till ya remembered what the hell ya were doin'. So yer gonna ask if we can pretend like it never happened and never mention it again. But ya probably would say this whole thin' in a nice way like 'it's not you it's me kinda deal' to make me feel better or some clichéd shit. Well don' worry, ya don' have to spare me any thought. I'm used to stuff like this." Daryl didn't want to admit it but there was a part of him that ached at the words he'd said. But it was an ache he easily buried. He hadn't been lying when he said this sort of thing had happened before. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It just meant that it didn't hurt as badly as it would have for other people. Rick remained silent during Daryl's tirade.

"Is that what you want?" Rick whispered. He looked into Daryl's eyes. The emotion clearly evident in Rick's eyes. It was almost startling how much he was revealing to the hunter with his gaze alone. "Is that how you feel about this?" Daryl felt trapped, like Rick was trying to trick him. A pop quiz in school on something that was never covered in class, that's how it felt to him.

"Don' ya?" Daryl tried to figure out the thoughts of the man in front of him. Rick looked hurt at Daryl's words. Like he'd been punched in the face by the hunter. His blue eyes and the deep lines in his forehead gave him the look of confusion and sadness that Daryl's words had caused.

"I had hoped that we would have reached the same conclusion." Rick murmured. He took a step towards Daryl. Daryl responded by pressing himself as far away from the man as he could get. "I don't know about you but I didn't consider last night a mistake at all." Daryl looked for some hint of a lie in Rick's eyes. But he couldn't see any sort of a lie reflected in the man before him. "Well maybe the way I went about it could have been better." Rick amended. He had a small smile gracing his lips. "Especially the end." Daryl gulped trying to keep up with the things Rick was saying to him. "Did you really think I'd drag you here and just to tell you last night was a mistake?" Rick questioned. He stepped even closer watching the emotions behind Daryl's eyes.

"Is that hard to believe?" Daryl mumbled not meeting Rick's piercing gaze.

"A little. I guess I didn't explain myself very well yesterday."

"Ya didn' explain anythin' yesterday."

"I guess that's true." Rick lamented. "Will you let me try again?" He asked his blue eyes steady as he waited for Daryl's response. Daryl realized this was his out. He could shove Rick away and pretend this never happened. Life was complicated enough without whatever was building between them. But…Daryl's heart clenched tightly at this idea. If he walked away he'd be safe and removed from pain this thing would inevitably cause him. But if he stayed would the potential happiness be worth the pain? Better to have loved and lost than not loved at all, Daryl thought.

Merle and his father would obviously be urging him to leave. But what did he want? How could he possibly make this sort of decision? Was he supposed to trust his brain, which only focused on the best ways to keep himself alive? His heart that wanted to take the chance at the possibility of having some sort of happiness no matter how brief? Or his gut which had never failed him in moments of danger?

Daryl bit his lip. He'd never been asked before if he wanted a relationship. All his previous relationships (if you could call them that) had been either forced upon him or were closer to one-night stands than actual relationships. How could he possibly know what the right choice would be?

"Love isn't about the mind Daryl." His mother's voice returned to him. He'd once asked her when he was younger why she stayed with his father. His father did such horrible things to her that he couldn't understand why she stayed. "Love is about the heart. You can try to explain why you love someone but the only one who can really understand how you feel is you. Even if the love is painful you can't really deny it's there. Because the only thing more painful than a love that makes you sad is acting like it doesn't exist in the first place. Love is a mixture of happy times and sad times. That's why you can't focus on only the sad times. The happy times can lift your spirit and that's what you have to hold onto with love. So if you deny love you deny both the happy and the sad. You've protected yourself from the sad but lose the happiness too. That's why when you find someone who makes your heart happy you can't be scared of the pain. The pain and sadness will be there, it always is but happiness makes the bad things fade with time. Love is scary but living life without touching anyone else's heart is even scarier. So when someone comes who makes your heart happy don't run away. Be strong enough to let that feeling bloom within you. Enjoy the good times together as you both nurture the love between you and connect your hearts together as one."

Daryl licked his lips. Love? He wasn't sure if that was how he felt toward Rick. They hadn't know each other long enough for that. But didn't his heart feel happy when Rick was around? Yes. Did he want to be someone that Rick could trust and respect? Yes. Were those enough? Could they build towards something more, together? Did Daryl want that? Would Rick? What about in a week? A month? Daryl knew he could only trust his heart and slowly put his hand in Rick's hand. Who automatically shifted his fingers to fit Daryl's besides his own. Daryl squeezed Rick's hand tightly.

"Tell me where you see this goin'."


Well what can I say... except things seem to be moving in the right direction for them. Like always I hope you enjoyed reading. If you have time review because seriously I get so over excited every time I get a review. It helps me write faster knowing people are still enjoying my story. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. This and the next chapter got me all giddy writing them (cause I'm a silly romantic like that.)

I also have a question for the readers out there. I've been debating on if I should end the story before season three or just continue? I've actually written a couple scenes set in season three. But my question is what do you all think? Let the story go into season three or would it be too overdone at that point? The reason why I'm asking is because there's only so many months between season two and three (when this story is written) eventually I'll run out of months to expand upon. I'd like to get everyone's feedback if they want to provide it. If people don't hate the idea I'll go ahead with my current plan and continue into season 3 (because one can never have enough Daryl and Rick moments.) Anyway hopefully I'll see you all in Ch12! Thanks again!