I don't own anything to do with Rick or any character from the Walking Dead. I own the OC character, Ruby, however, and I adore her.

Summary: Shane's been killed by Rick and the group doesn't trust him anymore. So what does Rick do? Snap. He finds a girl in the woods and takes out his aggression.

Yes, I know if you've read my other stuff you know that I am a Shane girl, but Rick is awesome, too. So I decided to play with him a little.

Rate and comment if you like! Thanks, and please, no flames. They are... unhelpful.

*** Get ready folks, a BIG point of contention is going to be discussed. Hope you like how I resolved it. Much love!

**** The reviews have been OUTSTANDING! Thank you all so much for taking the time. I am so so sorry it's taken so long to update, hopefully this makes up for that in a small way. It's been nuts around here for me lately. Anyway, thank you again, and I appreciate your time and kind words.

****This chapter is short, but hopefully the action makes up for that... wink wink...

Dark settled over the farm and they'd talked deep into it. Lori, Carl, Maggie, Glenn, Hershel and Beth had retired to their rooms to sleep, and Rick had gone to get Paul settled in at the cot, removing the last of his belongings from it. Ruby went to the kitchen for water before going to her own room, and found Daryl sitting at the kitchen table in the dim light of a candle, tightening the strings on his bow carefully.

"Hey, you gonna get some rest?" She said idly as she filled a bottle left on the counter.

"Soon." He said flatly and she came to sit across from him at the table.

"You never showed me how to make those arrows." She said leaning back in the chair.

He kept his eyes on his task. "You gonna be around long enough for me to bother?"

She chuckled. "You are Rick, huh? Thinking I'm running off into the sunset because Paul's come back? Hate to disappoint you, but you're not getting rid of me that easily."

His eyes flicked up to her momentarily. "You get done with your little field trip tomorrow come and find me."

She grinned and got up, capping her water bottle. "Goodnight Daryl." He grunted as she left the room. Friendly, he may not seem so, but she liked him an awful lot.

Paul was sitting on the cot as she got into the dining room, untying his boots. He grinned as she came in. "I am so glad not to be sleeping in that truck, you have no idea."

"I do too. You remember that Corolla we picked up, all three of us slept in that thing for a week." She leaned against the table and smiled at him.

"And my back will never be the same. You promised to help out with that, you know." He chuckled and leaned back on the cot, turning over on his stomach and looking back at her expectantly. She laughed lightly and put her hands on his shoulders, digging in a little with her thumbs like Rose had taught her. He let out a low "ughhh" as she worked on him, relaxing under her touch. "I have missed this, gotta tell you."

"Rose did it better." She said and he shrugged.

"She was pretty amazing but you're not half bad."

"Thanks for that." She chuckled. "Considering it's all you got left I would hope so."

"I like Rick." He said after a moment and she raised her eyebrows, thoughtfully kneading his left shoulder. "I wasn't sure I would."

"I knew you would."

"Well, you said Daryl was a good guy too, but I still think you're delusional. Dude redefines anti-social, doesn't he?"

"Maybe at first. Maybe forever, with you. He's a type A personality, that's for sure."

He grunted again lightly as she hit a particularly tense spot and she focused on that for a while. When he spoke again, he was muffled by the pillow he'd buried his face in. "I guess I have to take your word for it, but the rest of them seem good enough. You got lucky."

"I know I did. How's that?" She asked, finishing up. "You think you can get some sleep now?"

"A hell of a lot better than I would have. Thanks." He said, letting out a breath and rolling over on his side to look at her.

"Well, enjoy it while it lasts. We'll be back on the road soon enough."

"We'll find someplace, maybe even better." His voice was positive, cheerful, and she chuckled.

"Always the optimist. Get some sleep, we have to be up early to go to the garden." She said, leaning down and kissing his cheek. He reached up and mussed her ponytail gently.

"Glad to have you back, Starlet."

"Not as glad as I am to have you back." She smiled at him, kneeling down next to the cot. "Thanks for not giving up on me."

"Never." He said firmly, and yawned. She squeezed his hand and grabbed the thin blanket on the end of the cot. Pulling it over him, she patted his cheek and blew out the candle on the ground next to him before standing back up and heading back to her own room.

Rick was shirtless and standing at the vanity when she entered the room. Shutting the door behind her, she came to stand next to him at the mirror as he shaved, and his reflection smiled at her.

"It's kind of a shame to leave after we fixed the place up so nice, huh?" She asked.

"Maybe somebody else will come along that can use it." He said gently, running the razor over the last part of his cheek and clicked it off. He turned to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close.

"Mmm.. You as tired as I am?" She murmured against his bare chest.

"You've had a big day." He rested his chin on the top of her head.

"Every day is big." She said with a grin. "Turn around so I can change." She disconnected herself from his arms and he turned back to the vanity while she went to the dresser and pulled out her sleeping clothes. He tried to keep his eyes down, but they drifted up to the mirror as she pulled the tank top over her head, her lithe back exposed to him as she changed. Stifling a smile, and the growing arousal, she called to him as she finished and got into the bed. He went to the window and opened it, feeling the cool breeze begin to flow through the room, and he blew out the candle and joined her. They pushed the thin blankets aside, even they were still too warm to use them, and he got on his side next to her, running his fingers down her arm and back up, tracing the line of her shoulder and over her collarbone lightly.

"Are you happy?" He whispered, looking into her eyes. The light was barely there, but he could make out the shape of her face, the glint of the whites of her eyes.

"Yeah, I am. Are you?"

"I really am." He nodded, even though she probably couldn't see it. "Don't be afraid of leaving here."

He felt her shake her head. "I'm not. I'll be with you."

At that, he leaned down and felt for her lips with his own. Her skin felt hot against his, and he searched every part of her mouth with his. Her fingers tangled in his thick, dark hair, and he almost groaned when she raised a knee and stroked his hip with the inside of her thigh. He ran a hand up it, kneading her skin firmly and moving under the fabric of the shorts she had pulled on. He'd remained shirtless, and her fingers massaged his chest, moving up to his shoulders as he kissed her deeply, his mouth leaving hers and moving down her neck to her shoulder. Taking his hand away from her thigh, he pulled the strap of her tank away, tasting every inch of her skin along her neck and to the top of her shoulder before coming back and doing it again. She let out a sigh against his temple, arching a little under him and he felt a jolt go through his groin. The pants he wore became far to tight for him, and he leaned back unbuttoning them quickly. She leaned up as he scooted back and stood, kicking them off. He leaned forward and grabbed the bottom of her tank, pulling it over hear head in a flash. Her bra was a simple white one, and he had it unfastened and off in a moment, dropping it to the floor before leaning back over her and pushing her back to the bed. He moved down her body, kissing his way down to her full breasts and flat stomach.

"Oh God, Rick." She whispered as he took her nipple in his mouth and sucked at it gently, his hands working the soft skin on her sides and down to her hips. Grasping the fabric of her shorts, he pulled them, and her panties, off in one single motion and she lifted her hips to help. She was curvy, full in all the right places, and his hands couldn't get enough. He touched and kissed her everywhere and when his fingers traced back up her thigh and drifted closer to her warm wetness she put the back of her hand over her mouth to stifle her moan. His fingers were deft and deliberate and he ran a finger across her, before pushing one into her and rising, his other hand pulling her own hand away and replacing it with his lips. She moaned this time, into his mouth and he met it with one of his own.

He had wanted this, then he'd needed it with a power he didn't know was possible, and now that he was getting it, he had no idea how he had been showing such restraint. She tasted sweet, warm and inviting, and he felt his erection twitch against her leg. Unable to stop himself any longer, he moved over her fully, feeling her wet, soaked actually, against him.

"Now, please." She whispered and he obliged, pushing forward and burying himself fully into her. She gasped, her body struggling to accommodate his fullness and he paused, letting her become accustomed to him. He wanted to scream, groan, anything to let the universe know how amazing her felt. She was tight, and God, so wet. He'd never felt anything like it, and his breain short circuited, colors flying under his eyelids as he started to move again. He grunted when she thrust her hips against him, desperate to have him fully inside her again. He made his own thrust and she arched again, higher this time, her breasts pressed fully against his chest. Picking up a rhythm, he moved against her, stifling her gasps and low moans with his mouth, his arms around her in a vice grip. It wouldn't be long, he knew, and when he felt his walls begin to crash around him he slowed, waiting for it to ebb. When it did, he picked it back up again faster until it happened again.

"Oh my god." She gasped, pressing her lips into his chest. He didn't slow that time, putting his hand on the back of her head and holding her against him. She began to quiver under him, and though he wanted to wait until he knew she had completely gone over the edge, his body had been denied too long and he lost control. Feeling the first wave of warmth crash over his body, his already fast breath stopped completely as wave after wave of ecstasy hit him like a brick wall. He heard her say his name as she bucked against him, her legs wrapping around his waist tightly, trying to hold him in.

They slowed, then stopped together, both gasping for breath as they lay there, holding each other. He couldn't move, her already tight body having further tightened around him in a deliriously wonderful way. She fell back against the pillows and sighed.

"Oh my god..."

He relaxed against her, rolling onto his side and held her tightly against him, still inside her. Their sweat, mixed and drenched over them, made them warm and slick, but he held her there. His brain, usually so alive with worry and dread, calmed to a dull whisper of what it was. He'd felt every part of her, and it was more wonderful than he could ever have hoped.

Eventually, he pulled the thin blanket over their naked bodies and they fell asleep in each others arms, his face buried in her hair and her cheek against his chest.