Rick and Lori fought a lot in the weeks after they lost the farm. Soon they were barely speaking. Daryl knew how cut up Rick was about it all, especially because there was no way to hide it from Carl.

Everyone seemed to know about the baby now, and about Shane. Daryl never found out how they knew, but it didn't matter anyway. What was done, was done. They'd just have to deal with it. And that was getting harder as the weeks went by.

To begin with it had been an inconvenience that they hadn't been able to stay anywhere for more than a night or two. Then, as the food situation deteriorated, it became torture. Every single one of them was exhausted, there were fights and tears almost every day.

Daryl couldn't sleep, even when they were relatively safe. He'd wake up after an hour, sometimes two, more often than not bathed in sweat, heart racing, unable to recall the nightmare that had woken him. Exhaustion, constant tension and lack of food gave him a raging headache that never really went away.

The only time he could relax at all was when he went out to hunt. He still preferred to go out alone, and the others mostly let him, unless Rick thought it was too dangerous. Daryl was touched by Rick's concern, and he put up with the company when he had to, but really craved the solitude.

It was about six weeks since they'd been forced out into the woods. Hershel was trying to keep track of the days but for Daryl it hardly mattered. All he knew was that it was getting colder, and time was running out for them if they wanted to find permanent shelter before the really bad weather hit.

Rick had been under extreme pressure this last week. Lori was physically strong but it was getting harder for her to endure the constant travel. She was pale and gaunt, despite all of them trying to give her as much food as they possibly could. And she'd become short-tempered, mostly taking it out on Rick, sometimes on Carl. Daryl had had to bite back his anger several times, but it was hard when she attacked Rick and he could do nothing to help.

That morning Lori had screamed at Rick for so long, he'd actually snapped. Throwing down the bag he was just packing he'd rounded on her and snarled back. Daryl hadn't heard exactly what he said because Rick usually got really quiet when he was angry. But he'd gotten the gist. When they set off Rick had driven one car and Lori had been in the other. Daryl had sat in the front passenger seat next to Rick and had felt the other man's barely concealed anger and frustration throughout the drive. He'd not been sorry to get out of the car when they stopped for the night.

Now everyone was settled into their latest hideout. This one was more peculiar than most. They'd been trying to get to a shopping mall Maggie had remembered a few days ago. When they'd gotten close they'd realized that they would never be able to get in. The place was completely overrun.

Not far from the mall, however, they'd come across a storage facility which had looked deserted. They'd broken in easily and had set up camp in a couple of storage lockers. The main administrative building had been recently damaged by fire, but the lockers, having been built to be reasonably fire proof, had mostly been untouched. It was a drafty, uncomfortable place to spend the night, but they were hopeful that they'd find some useful things in the lockers.

Food, however, was in short supply. Daryl, not having taken his eyes off Rick once all day, and increasingly concerned with his persistently dark mood, had had an idea. He went over to where Rick was arranging their meagre supplies.

"Thought I'd go rustle up some squirrels." He lowered his voice. "Wanna come with?"

Rick looked up at him, then glanced over to where Lori was busy with Carl.

"Yeah, I do."

-.-

They'd gone far into the woods, and hadn't exchanged a word in almost an hour. Daryl felt some of the tension drain away from his mind as they went further and further into the forest. His headache had receded and he'd focused mostly on tracking something, anything, to eat. He'd also kept his senses alert for any changes in Rick's mood, and he was relieved when he could feel the other man relax somewhat as well.

So far they'd bagged five squirrels. Everyone was getting sick of squirrel stew, but they were the easiest thing to catch, and they were better than nothing. Daryl pushed through some undergrowth and saw a creek bed not far ahead. He motioned to Rick.

"Good place for a rest."

They both had a drink of water from the clear, cold stream and then settled on the opposite bank on a fallen tree. The day had been overcast but some rays of winter sunshine were now breaking through the clouds. Daryl looked at Rick's profile from the corner of his eye. The man looked exhausted, and there was still a frown creasing his brow. But he'd closed his eyes and was holding his face up to catch a few elusive glimmers from the sun. Daryl supposed this was as relaxed as any of them would get for a while to come.

Rick, maybe feeling Daryl's scrutiny, turned his head and looked at him. He smiled a sad little smile.

"This is nice. Thanks for taking me along."

"Looked like y'needed some down time. Y'know y'can always come when I go hunt, right?"

For a reply Rick leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Daryl's lips. They hadn't had much opportunity to be alone together since that night on the veranda, and a few quick kisses here and there was all they'd shared. Daryl closed his eyes and savored the sensation of Rick's mouth, his stubble against his face and his hand threading through his hair.

Rick moved closer, and Daryl leaned in until their bodies were intertwined. He could feel himself responding, and he prayed that they'd get a few minutes without walkers or goodness knew what disturbing them. His need to have Rick, be his all the way, had become so strong it was almost as constant an ache as his headaches.

Rick seemed to feel the same. He put a hand on the front of Daryl's pants and pulled out of the kiss with a questioning look. Daryl could see his own need reflected in the blue eyes only inches away. He gave a small nod, and slid off the log. The ground was cool beneath the layer of leaves and needles, but he hardly noticed it as he lay back, pulling Rick with him until the other man's weight rested on him almost completely. The need to feel the other's body, to have Rick close, sense his heartbeat, was almost overwhelming. Through two layers of clothing he could feel Rick's erection press against his own.

"Fuck me. Fuck me hard."

Rick needed no other encouragement. He shifted himself over to one side, to give them both access to the buttons and zippers that had to come undone. There was no question of taking off all of their clothes, it was simply too cold. Daryl fumbled with his own fly until Rick, having made shorter work with his own, came to his aid. Daryl felt the buttons come undone and he leaned back and moaned as the cold air hit his heated flesh the moment Rick pulled his pants down.

Rick freed himself from his clothes and Daryl looked the man up and down. He wished they could do this properly, clothes crumpled at the foot of a bed, warm, dry and ready to go all night. But they'd have to make do. Daryl stopped Rick as he started moving into position. He lifted himself off the ground, pushed his pants and underwear off all the way, shrugged out of his jacket and put it on the ground.

"Better access, and fewer needles," he said, and positioned himself on the jacket on his knees, leaning over and resting his arms on the tree trunk they'd been sitting on. He looked at Rick, who nodded and smiled.

"Good thinking."

Rick positioned himself behind Daryl, sinking to one knee. Daryl could feel Rick's hands gently on his hips and buttocks, caressing the cooling skin until goosebumps started appearing. Daryl could feel his erection respond eagerly.

There was a pause and Rick's hands stayed still for a long moment. Daryl looked back at a frown on Rick's face.

"Something t'matter?" Daryl found it hard to concentrate on anything other than this need to feel Rick inside him, but he didn't want to go on if the other man wasn't ready.

Rick looked up. "We have no lube."

"Spit will do, Rick, I don't mind."

Rick still looked doubtful. "It'll hurt, though. I'll be careful, but…"

Daryl smiled. The concern Rick showed him was touching and gave him a warm glow that was as welcome as the physical contact.

"I trust you, man. It'll be great, no matter what."

Daryl was relieved to see Rick nod. He didn't want to make the other man uncomfortable, but he also didn't want to wait any longer. Rick moved in closer and Daryl dropped his head. He could hear Rick preparing himself, and then, finally, he could feel Rick's dick pressing against his opening.

Daryl braced himself. Despite what he'd said to Rick, and despite his overwhelming need to do this he knew it was going to hurt.

Rick pushed in ever so slowly, and Daryl bit his lip. The sensation was both agony and ecstasy. He didn't push back, just tried to take deep breaths and relax around Rick, accommodate him as he slid in inch by inch. Finally Daryl could feel Rick's pelvis press against him. He let himself relax another notch, then nodded over his shoulder.

Rick looked relieved. He started moving slowly, and as Daryl responded with low groans and gasps he picked up speed. Daryl liked being taken from behind, it always stimulated his prostate better than if he was facing his partner. There was one more adjustment needed to make this perfect.

Daryl pushed himself off the trunk and lifted his upper body, then shifted his weight and placed his left foot on the ground instead of his knee. Rick, realizing what he was doing, put an arm over his shoulder and down his torso, pulling him close against his chest. The movements that were possible in this position were much more limited, but the angle was just right for Daryl to reach maximum arousal. He took his own dick into his hand and started stroking in unison with Rick's gentle thrusts.

"'m not gonna last, man…"

Daryl could actually feel Rick's smile against his neck. "Go ahead. I got ya."

And Daryl let go. The orgasm washed over him like a tidal wave, crowding out headache, tiredness, hunger and all of his worries. He arched his back, leaning into Rick as he gasped and writhed in the other man's arms. And then Rick was there with him. He was panting hard against Daryl's neck then suddenly, with a groan, he tightened his grip on Daryl, thrusting in hard and deep, and then was almost still.

They rode it out together, not breaking apart for a long time.