A/N: Sometimes when I write emotional scenes I can't help but wonder if it's over-the-top. This chapter's definitely one of those times. Don't get me wrong, I like how it turned out, but I can hardly be considered objective. Let me know what you guys think. My only request is, if you totally hate it, try to refrain from any name-calling. I'm sensitive. :-P

Disclaimer: The Walking Dead isn't mine. I'm not making any money off of this.

Lia didn't sleep at all that night. The first couple of hours after everyone but the lookouts on the roof went to bed, she paced the empty lobby waiting for Daryl to step through the door. She looked out the windows, knowing she wouldn't be able to see anything. The downfall of civilization meant that streetlights were a thing of the past. It reminded her of the times she spent as a kid visiting her uncle's farm, far from any city or town. The winter nights were black with only the faint glitter of distant stars above and the weak reflected light from the snow below. There could be an entire horde of hungry walkers approaching and she wouldn't see them. Lia finally lost patience and went up to the roof. She wasn't nearly as bundled up as Lisa and Tanya, who were currently on lookout duty. What meager heat there had been vanished with the day, creating a deep cold that seemed to burn any exposed skin. Lia shoved her discomfort aside and concentrated on staring through the night-vision binoculars she'd "borrowed" from Lisa. There was no movement anywhere. Even the air was still.

A worried Lisa finally tugged the woman's sleeve. "Um...I still need t' finish my watch, Lia."

The adult sighed and passed the binocs back with obvious reluctance. "Let me know if you see Daryl. That goes for your relief as well."

"Okay." Lisa stared anxiously after the retreating glow of Lia's flashlight. The lens was covered with a red filter to prevent the light being seen from a distance. It almost looked as if she was carrying an ember from a dying fire.

The lookouts kept an eye out for Daryl, but he never made an appearance. Lia spent the rest of the night in their room, sitting on the windowsill and staring out into the lightless night. When the first weak rays of false dawn peeped over the horizon, she got up and started gathering necessary items. Sleeping bag, first aid kit, waterproof matches, her bow and arrows. She stuffed everything but her weapons into a large backpack, dressed in her warmest clothes, then went downstairs to the kitchen to fill her canteen and grab some jerky and granola, which she added to the contents of her pack.

She'd zipped up her coat and was pulling on her gloves when Rick stepped in. His sudden appearance startled her. "What're you doing up?" she blurted.

Rick, clad in sweatpants and a long-sleeved T-shirt, his hair mussed from sleep, crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow at her. "I'm an early riser. What're you up to, Lia?"

"I'm sure you can guess." She shoved her hand into the second glove and picked up her bow from where she'd set it on the counter. "I'm gonna go find Daryl."

"Not sure he wants t' be found."

"Yeah, well, right now I really don't care what he wants." Lia pushed past him and started across the lobby towards the door. Rick trailed after her.

"Even if y' do find him, he might not wanna come back here. Mind if I ask what your plan is for that eventuality?"

Lia paused with her hand on the doorknob. She turned to look at the former deputy, saw concern, but no anger or judgment. He wasn't there to try and talk some sense into her. As a man who'd traveled across the state in what many would call a hopeless search for his family, he understood her motivation. But he did need to know what should be done if she didn't return.

"Look after the kids for me," she said.

Rick's calm blue eyes regarded her solemnly. He gave a slight nod, which Lia returned in thanks. She turned away and opened the door, stepping out into the frigid morning. The landscape was bleak, colors muted to white and gray, not a living thing in sight. Even just a few yards away from the building, Lia felt a sense of loneliness come over her. Was this what Daryl felt when he stormed out yesterday? A lump formed in her throat.

It wasn't difficult to determine where he'd gone first. His were the only footprints headed in that direction. Lia's boots crunched on the thin crust of snow as she followed Daryl's tracks to the little cemetery. His footprints were most pronounced in front of Merle's grave. She could imagine Daryl standing there, perhaps holding a one-sided conversation with the ghost of his brother, though a brooding silence was more likely from him. But once he finished paying his respects, his tracks continued away from the office building, towards the woods. Lia walked alongside his footprints, her eyes scanning ahead for any sign of him. There was always the chance that he'd turned back and was even now headed towards her. That didn't happen, though, so Lia pressed on.

The snow cover became mostly bare ground once she entered the woods. Overhead, the branches of tall Georgia pines and naked deciduous trees bowed under the weight of snow and frighteningly long icicles. An errant breeze brought on a chorus of eerie groans, glass-like tinkling from shattered icicles, and the muted fump of dislodged snow. They were the only sounds to be heard. Everything else was stillness.

The clear-as-day footprints gone, Lia had to rely on the techniques Daryl had taught her to pick up his trail. Lia stared intently at the ground for several minutes before finally choosing a direction. Hours passed. The sun rose higher, turning the scattered patches of snow a blinding white. Lia lost the trail and had to double back more than once, and even after finding it again she wasn't sure she was going the right way. What if she was following old tracks left by some passing stranger or walker? What if what she thought was a trail was really nothing more than random changes in terrain combined with wishful thinking?

Lia's stomach growled. She was tempted to ignore it and keep going. She could just imagine the chewing out Daryl would give her for that, so, with reluctance, she paused to unsling her pack and dig out a granola bar. She ate on the move, pocketing the empty wrapper when she was done.

A rustle to her left brought her to a halt. She almost called Daryl's name, then thought better of it. Instead, she drew an arrow out from the quiver and readied her bow. She aimed the weapon in the direction of the sound and waited. The rustling grew more pronounced. The skeletal remains of the underbrush shook and rattled. Lia tensed. A deer stepped gracefully out into the open. It peered around, its large ears swiveling, alert for any danger. Lia didn't move. Once it was sure there was no threat, the deer trotted away. More rustling, then silence.

Lia gave a faint chuckle and lowered her bow. "Passed up an easy kill," she murmured. Daryl wouldn't have liked that, either. Thinking of him sobered her at once. She took a moment to distinguish Daryl's tracks from the deer's before she pushed on.

Lia's absence brought a pall over everyone, adult and child alike. More than a few were all for sending out search parties, but Rick argued against it. "This is somethin' she and Daryl have to work out on their own."

Surprisingly, Shane backed him up. He understood the dangers of things left unsaid. It was far easier to get everything out into the open when no one else was around to add more pressure to the situation, however unintentional.

So they waited, counting the minutes and hours, watching the sun fall lower as the short winter day waned.

Nana Shino didn't have to search all that hard for Sally. She found the toddler in Lia's and Daryl's room, curled up on their mattress. Her solemn dark eyes were open and tears had left wet streaks on her round cheeks. Nana shut the door behind her and went to seat herself on the mattress beside Sally. She rested a hand on the girl's shoulder, rubbing it soothingly. "They'll be home soon," she promised.

Sally sniffled and wiped her eye with a small fist. Everyone had tried to keep it quiet around her, but Sally was good at being unobtrusive and it wasn't long before she heard the whispered speculations about Daryl's and Lia's absence. Many wondered if they would come back. Maybe they'd gotten tired of this place with its constant responsibilities and decided to leave it all behind. Or maybe they'd run into some kind of danger and were now hurt or...

Sally sat up and wrapped her arms around the old woman's neck. Nana stroked the girl's hair and murmured soothing words. "They'll come back, sweetheart. Lia wouldn't have left you here if she was planning to leave for good. She'd never leave you behind."

The little girl wept silently. Nana wished she had the option to do the same.

Lia didn't know which way to go. Everything looked the same. Every broken branch and flattened blade of dead grass was a possible trail. It didn't help that Lia was exhausted. She'd been walking the entire day. Her legs felt cramped and her feet were sore. The light was turning silvery and fading fast. Even if she chose to turn back she wouldn't make it home before nightfall. She should think about making camp, but she didn't want to stop looking for Daryl. She didn't know what to do. She hadn't felt this helpless and alone since she buried her father and stepmother. Tears of worry and frustration stung her eyes. She angrily wiped them away.

A shiver ran through her. The air was getting colder as the evening waned. Lia had her sleeping bag and matches to make a fire, if she was willing to take the risk of being seen. But Daryl didn't have either of those things. He'd left with the clothes on his back and his crossbow, nothing more. He'd already spent one freezing night out. Could he make it through another? Had he even made it through the first?

He's a survivor, Lia reminded herself, He knows how to take care of himself in the wild. He's in his element out here. But he'd never spent the night outdoors in harsh winter conditions. He told her that once. Winter was the hardest time to survive in. Especially without supplies.

Lia searched the ground for some sign that he'd passed through, but her eyes had trouble focusing. Everything was blurry and when she blinked she felt cold rivulets that threatened to freeze to her cheeks. She wiped her eyes again, but it didn't help. Those damn tears just didn't want to quit.

She couldn't find him. Maybe she wasn't a good enough tracker, or maybe he just didn't want to be found. He was so angry when he left. She should have gone after him then, but she thought he just needed a few hours to cool off. That's what she told herself, but now Lia wondered if it was just an excuse to avoid getting into a fight with him. She should have followed him. She should have confronted him about his jealousy and insecurity. She shouldn't have let him go.

Twilight slipped away. The trees became shadows caging her in. Lia was tired and cold and scared. She didn't want to be out here all alone. She was tired of putting on a brave face. She wanted Daryl.

"Daryl!" she called, not caring how stupid it was. She didn't even know if Daryl was anywhere near shouting distance. On top of that, anyone or anything could be out there and her yelling would only serve to let them know where she was. She knew this, but she kept yelling anyway. Her legs carried her in a random direction. She stumbled in the growing dark, bumping into trees and catching her clothing on claw-like branches.

"Daryl!" her voice cracked. Tears now coursed freely down her cheeks. She felt as if she were trapped in one of her childhood nightmares, running through an endless maze in search of someone she would never find. The more she called out, the harder her sobs became until she sounded like one of her kids in the throes of a bad dream or traumatic memory. Her voice became louder and more desperate. "Daryl! Daryl!" she screamed, tripping over an unseen obstacle and falling hard on her hands and knees. She didn't even try to get up, just sat there and wept uncontrollably. This was what abandonment felt like. No wonder the children feared it so.

As she collapsed into hopeless sobs, a shadow detached itself from the surrounding wilderness and slowly approached her. Lia didn't notice, too caught up in her own despair. The shadow gradually resolved itself into a man-shaped figure that lurched slowly in the cold. Its arms reached for her, a faint croak was uttered. Lia raised her head at the sound just as a pair of hands grabbed onto her shoulders. She gasped and jerked away, fumbling for the ever-present club that hung from her belt. The shadowy figure croaked again and Lia realized what she heard was her own name. She leaped to her feet and flung her arms around him. "I thought I lost you," she sobbed, "I kept looking, but I couldn't find you."

Daryl hugged her back just as tightly as she did him. "'M sorry."

The shakiness of his voice worried her. "Are you okay?"

"Fuckin' freezing," he muttered. As if to emphasize this, a shudder ran through him.

Lia tightened her arms around him. "Did you find any kind of shelter last night?"

"Yeah. 'S not far from here." He pulled away, taking her hand and tugging her back the way he'd come. "C'mon."

Lia followed without hesitation. There was barely any light, but Daryl led her with confidence through the maze of skeletal trees until they came to a small rise. He showed her where there was an opening just large enough for a person to crawl through. "Some critter's old den. Been empty a long time," he explained. The two of them crawled through a short tunnel into a naturally formed chamber just large enough for them to sit up in without bumping their heads. The air had a noticeable chill, but it wasn't nearly as bad as outside.

Lia shrugged off her backpack and rummaged inside until she found a flashlight. It was the kind that charged itself when shaken, no batteries needed. Lia shook it a couple of times, then flicked on the switch. The sudden light made both of them blink until their eyes adjusted. Lia's breath hitched at the sight of Daryl. His features were drawn, eyes bloodshot. He looked like he'd been wandering around in the woods for a week rather than just a day. Lia picked up her canteen and passed it to him. Daryl unscrewed the cap and chugged down half the contents in one go. He then tore through the packets of granola and jerky Lia handed him, wolfing the food down like a starving man. Lia waited until he slowed down before asking him what happened.

Daryl stared down at the packed dirt of the floor. "I didn't plan on bein' gone this long. Didn't think o' anything, really. Just trompin' around, blowin' off steam. Tellin' myself what a dumbass I was fer goin' at Shane like that."

Lia placed a hand on his knee. "It's okay. I don't think he holds it against you."

Daryl smirked. "That'd be a change."

"What happened?" she prompted, "Where did you go?"

He shrugged. "Nowhere. Like I said, I was pissed. I just kept wanderin' 'round. Guess I went farther 'n' I thought, 'cuz next thing I knew it was late afternoon. I was gonna head back, but then I..." he hesitated, "I found where the geeks went. Some of 'em, anyway."

Lia frowned. "What d'you mean?"

"I was crossin' this little clearing 'n' noticed sumthin' stickin' up outta the snow. Turns out it was an arm. That's when I saw the place was crammed with bodies. Thought it was some kinda mass grave at first, but some of the bodies started twitchin'. Guess a buncha walkers were out lookin' fer food when the cold hit. Slowed 'em down real good. Most of 'em could hardly move. A snail coulda outrun 'em. Thought it'd be th' best time t' take 'em all out, 'fore spring came along."

"So you decided to kill them all by yourself?" Lia stared, incredulous, "Why didn't you come back for help?"

Daryl drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around his legs. He still didn't look at her. "Didn't want any help," he mumbled.

Lia had a sudden image of him smashing in dozens of skulls and screaming abuse while he did it, taking out his anger on half-frozen walkers. "How many did you kill?"

"All of 'em. Musta been a couple hundred o' them bastards. I kept beatin' their heads in 'til it was too dark t' do more 'n find somplace to hole up fer the night. Spent all of today finishin' the job. Few less geeks t' bug us come spring."

"I thought you weren't coming back," Lia said quietly.

He finally turned his blue eyes towards her. They were filled with remorse. "Wasn't sure you'd want me back."

"How can you think that?" she didn't even try to hide the hurt she felt, "I've told you that I love you. I'm not gonna stop just because you made a mistake."

"'Mistake'? I was actin' like a total asshole."

"You are an asshole."

The corner of Daryl's mouth twitched in an almost-smile at her bluntness. "I dunno," he sighed, "Guess I thought, with everybody else livin' under the same roof as us, better options 'n' all, y' might think better of stayin' with me." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "I know I ain't good a-nuff for you-"

"Shut up." Lia reached out and gripped his arm so hard he felt her fingers digging through the sleeve of his heavy coat. The intensity of her stare made whatever words of protest he had die in his throat.

"You told me not too long ago that I was the only woman for you," she said, "Didn't it ever occur to you that it goes both ways? I don't care whether you're good enough for me or not. I don't want anyone else. Ever." Her chin trembled and her eyes shone in the flashlight's glow. "If...If being around the others is too much for you, then we'll go. We'll go together, 'cause I'm not letting you leave without me."

Her words startled him so much his mouth fell open. "Y-you wouldn't leave th' kids behind," he stammered, "Ya love 'em too much."

"I love you more." And he knew from how close she was to breaking down that she meant it. As much pain as leaving her large adoptive family behind, she would do it for him.

Daryl took her face in his hands and crushed his mouth to hers. Lia clung to him, kissing him back with bruising force. They gasped when they finally parted, lungs screaming for air.

"I'm sorry I didn't come back," Daryl said.

Lia sniffed, her hands stroking his face. "Don't ever leave me like that again."

"I won't," he promised. Their lips met again in a softer kiss.

They rolled out Lia's sleeping bag and stripped down to a single layer of clothes before they crawled in together. It was a snug fit, even so. They held each other as their shared body heat lulled them to sleep and didn't let go for the rest of the night.