Chapter 22 - A Third Chance

Over the course of the summer, the group established a way of life on the Dixon farm. The men set up watches. In a twenty-four hour period, each man was responsible for four hours of watch duty. At first, Rick and Shane hadn't included the reverend. When he found out he was not included in the rotation, he demanded to be given a shift. The signal for trouble was a bell ringing three times in rapid succession. So far, the signal hadn't been needed.

Carol held lessons for Carl, Sophia, and Todd every day. Anna was too young to pay very much attention, but she sat with the other children all the same. Andrea and Luanne took care of the cooking, although there were times when Emma and the other women pitched in. Mary and Ellen cared for the children when they weren't having lessons with Carol. Mary was a widow prior to the sickness, but Ellen had been widowed after her husband took ill about the same time as Amy. Trish and Kate did all of the washing. They were both the same age, so they were most comfortable around each other. Both Trish and Kate had been good friends with Amy when she was alive.

Emma did all the work she had always done after she was hired by Merle. She took care of the animals, looked after the garden, kept up with maintenance around the property...all of her normal chores. Most of the time, she didn't even let Trish and Kate do her laundry. Emma usually did it herself, although, the younger girls had become quite sneaky. They would try to take Emma's clothes before she missed them. It became almost a game to them. Emma might have been annoyed ordinarily, but the girls got so much amusement out of it, she decided to let them have their fun. There were days when it was difficult to find any enjoyment on the farm.

There had been only one trip into town for supplies. That stirred up a lot of emotions and opinions. At first, Rick, Daryl, Shane, and Benjamin were going to go. Trish had pitched a fit about Benjamin having to go, which upset Luanne and Andrea. Luanne had lost her husband after he volunteered to fight. She wondered why Trish thought her own husband should receive special treatment. Andrea wanted to know why Trish thought that Benjamin should remain behind, while Shane should still have to go. Then, Andrea wanted to know why none of the women were expected or asked to go. Shane started to argue with her, but Rick thought she brought up a good point. He pointed out that if something should happen to all of the men that went into town, that would leave the women with nobody to protect them. Rick asked for women to volunteer. Emma was the first, closely followed by Luanne. She had nothing to lose. So, it was Rick, Daryl, Emma, and Luanne that went into town. It was a successful endeavor in and that they got supplies. It was, however, disheartening to see that the biters were still alive and well, and that they were destroying the town. It still wasn't safe to return to town.

Rick never revealed to the rest of the group that Jackie had turned into a biter without having been bitten or scratched. He pulled Shane, Daryl, and Emma aside separately to discuss it with them. Rick didn't think it was the appropriate time to share that information with the others. He thought it would only frighten them, maybe even cause panic. Rick asked that they agree not to tell anyone. They all did.

Emma continued to stay in the loft after Daryl told her that he blamed her for Merle's death. Daryl rarely associated with anyone, especially Emma. When Sam caught on to what had happened, and he saw how Daryl avoided Emma, he resorted back to his behavior from the winter and early spring. Emma put a stop to that right away. She didn't want Daryl and Sam causing unnecessary friction within the group.

As the summer wound down, and fall approached from just around the corner, Trish shocked everyone with some very unexpected news - she was pregnant. Dr. Torrence had examined Trish after she started complaining of nausea and fatigue. He determined that the baby would come sometime in the spring. Emma thought Benjamin and Trish were stupid. Luckily for them, they had a doctor on the farm, but anything could happen. If anything happened to Dr. Torrence, Trish would be without anyone to deliver her baby. Besides, the group had their hands full with the five kids they already had, not to mention it would be just another mouth to feed. If anyone shared Emma's opinion, they remained silent.

0o0o0

The leaves were just beginning to show signs of changing color as Daryl stood in one of his many tree stands. There were ten of them scattered throughout the woods. Some of them had been built pretty recently, over the past couple of years or so. Others were seven, eight, nine years old. The one he was sitting in at that moment was one of the oldest. He had built it while his daddy had still been alive, barely kicking, but still alive. Daryl didn't even always climb all the way up into the stands to hunt. Sometimes, he just needed a place to sit and not be bothered, somewhere that wasn't his house. Though he was occasionally scanning the woods floor below him for critters, he mostly just wanted to be by himself.

Ever since the townspeople had come to be on the farm, Daryl felt as though he was trapped in a small room and the walls were slowly closing in on him. He wasn't used to being around so many people for such a prolonged period of time. All his life, it had only been him, his family, Sam's daddy, and Sam. First, it was Emma that changed that. Then, it would have been Amy, but she never got the chance. Now, there were nearly twenty new people calling the Dixon farm their home. Some days, it was more than Daryl could bear. He would find himself becoming angry so quickly that even he didn't know why he had become so mad in the first place. It was little things that would set him off - Trish or Kate barging into his house to take his laundry, one of the kids playing too close to where he was working, or Rick or Shane acting like they owned the damn place. Daryl would grit his teeth, clench his fists, and walk away from those situations before he exploded like a stick of dynamite. Although, there were a few times when his temper got the better of him before he could remove himself. He snapped at Carol one day because she asked if he needed any help with his chores. Carol cried.

Daryl thought of all the times he had snarled at Emma over the past few months. In all those times, she had never cried. The only women in the group that seemed like Emma's speed were Luanne and Andrea, and even then, there were differences. Andrea was sensitive, not like Emma, who could take a harsh word, let it roll off her shoulders, and fling one of her own right back. Luanne couldn't do a lot of the work around the farm that Emma could. She mostly just stuck to cooking and cleaning, like all of the other women. Emma was the only woman of the bunch that really got her hands dirty. Daryl could see that the men were impressed. They respected her in a different way than they did the other women. Daryl could see that from miles away, although he would never let Emma catch him looking. Not anymore.

Daryl still hadn't forgiven Emma for putting that laudanum into his coffee. He still held fast to the belief that had he been able to return to town that day, Merle would be alive. Emma took that away from Daryl. She took his brother from him. Daryl could never forgive her for that, and he didn't feel sorry about it, either. He was just as hard on himself as he was on her. Daryl didn't have to leave town without Merle. He had chosen to. Daryl would never forgive himself for that. He couldn't. Without Merle, Daryl had no family left. He had Sam, but Sam wasn't blood. Daryl was the last Dixon alive. After him, there would be no more of them. Somehow, Daryl didn't think anyone would shed a tear.

There was one night in mid August that Daryl nearly caved in. He had gone outside to piss when he caught sight of Emma in the barn. She had thrown open one of the doors in the loft that they used to throw hay out of when they needed it below. Daryl watched her as she sat on the edge, dangling her legs over the side. She was wearing the nightdress that held so many memories for Daryl. Her blonde curls were pulled to one side of her body. They almost seemed to glow in the moonlight. As Daryl watched Emma, he remembered the time they had together after they had made up, but before all hell broke loose in town. Daryl thought about the way his heart leapt when he would walk into his brother's kitchen each morning and see Emma cooking breakfast. He thought about the way her skin smelled like flowers, even when she had worked a long, hard day. He remembered the way her body felt against his as they lay in bed together at night. Daryl thought about how Andrea riding onto the farm that day in June was the worst thing that had ever happened to Merle, Daryl, Emma, and Sam. He thought about how the sickness that turned the dead into monsters ruined their lives. Daryl took a step forward, but then he stopped. No. Merle's death was the worst thing that had ever happened. Emma had ruined their lives when she kept Daryl from rescuing his brother. Daryl relieved himself, then went back inside of his house without glancing up at Emma again.

Movement below suddenly got Daryl's attention. He looked down, shifting his weight so that he could see from a better angle. It happened so fast that Daryl barely had time to react. The old tree stand finally gave out. Daryl plummeted from the top of the tree, and would have fallen to his death, but his reflexes were lightning fast. Daryl was able to grab onto a tree limb on his way down, but not before he had collided with several of them. His whole body was aching as he hung onto the limb. His cheek stung. Daryl looked over the side of the limb. There was still a long way down, just not nearly as long as before. Daryl breathed a sigh of relief, although his ribs protested with a throb. Before Daryl could begin the climb down, he heard a sound from above him that caused his heart to sink. He looked up just as the last of the tree stand fell from its high perch.

That was the last thing Daryl remembered.

0o0o0

Pain was the first sensation that registered with Daryl as he slowly broke the surface of unconsciousness. A hammer was pounding away on the inside of his skull in a futile, but spirited, effort to burst through the bone. His ribs were throbbing worse than before, but especially the right side. Daryl opened his eyes and knew immediately from the light spilling through the foliage above that he had been out for hours. He looked down at his body as he lay in a heap at the bottom of the tree. He hadn't fallen far enough to break any bones, just far enough to knock himself out and bang himself up pretty good. As his eyes surveyed the damage, they fell upon an arrow protruding from his right side. He had punctured himself during the fall, whether it happened before or after the remainder of the tree stand fell on him, he didn't know. Daryl tried to press his fingers around the wound, but the pain that had dulled during his unconsciousness came flooding back.

"Shit!" Daryl cried out, tearing his hands away from the arrow.

"Hey, you're finally awake."

Daryl looked around for the voice. He knew it well.

"Merle?" Daryl asked as he continued scanning the trees for his older brother.

Merle suddenly stepped into view, from where, Daryl didn't know.

"You have a nice nap, little brother?" Merle teased, grinning down at Daryl.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna help me up?" Daryl snapped, scowling up at Merle as he continued to stand over him.

Merle made a clicking sound with his tongue against his teeth as Daryl held one hand out.

"Is that the kind of greeting you're gonna give me after how long I've been gone for?"

Daryl swung his arm, trying to catch onto his brother, but his hand met nothing but air.

"Quit moving." Daryl protested.

"I ain't moving." Merle replied amusedly. "I'm right here."

Daryl let his arm fall to the ground. His ribs were pulsing even harder than before. Daryl grimaced.

"Where the hell have you been?" Daryl asked, squinting through the sunlight to see Merle better.

Merle suddenly started laughing, which only made Daryl angrier.

"What the hell's so funny about all this?" Daryl barked up at his brother.

"You really think I'm here, don't you?" Merle asked, his laughter dying down. "You really think I've just been hiding out in the woods all this time? That I just now decided to head back to the farm?"

"What do you mean?" Daryl asked confusedly. "Where are you?"

"I ain't here, little brother." Merle answered with a chuckle.

"How..." Daryl shook his head. "I don't get it..."

"You whacked your head there pretty good, didn't you?" Merle asked.

Daryl didn't answer. His eyes were growing heavier as unconsciousness threatened to capture him once more.

"Wake up!" Merle suddenly shouted from above Daryl, who opened his eyes with a start.

"What the hell was that for?" Daryl snapped.

"You gotta stay awake." Merle explained. "If you fall back asleep now, you probably won't wake up. You'll be joining me."

"Joining you?" Daryl asked.

"Didn't Mama ever teach you about what happens after we die?" Merle asked.

Daryl blinked several times, but each time, Merle was still standing over him.

"You're..."

"You ain't the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?" Merle asked, his toothy grin returning to his face.

"I knew it." Daryl muttered, his eyes opening and closing on their own. "It's all her fault..."

"Who?" Merle asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Emma." Daryl mumbled.

"How the hell is me being dead her fault?" Merle asked, his grin disappearing. "We all knew what we were gettin' ourselves into."

"She didn't let me come after you." Daryl argued weakly.

"You're an idiot." Merle snorted, folding his arms over his chest. "I thought you learned your lesson, but I guess you didn't learn shit."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Merle suddenly lowered himself to Daryl's level so that they could look each other in the eye.

"Do you really think you could've saved me?" Merle asked. "You could barely stand. You couldn't take two steps without stumbling. How were you gonna save me?"

"I would've." Daryl insisted.

"You wouldn'tve." Merle disagreed. "You would've got yourself killed trying to save a dead man."

"That's not true." Daryl replied, his voice becoming softer and softer each time he worked up the energy to speak.

"It is so, little brother, so you best quit arguing with me."

Daryl looked up at Merle. He looked so real, but then again, Daryl's vision was blurry.

"Now, you better stop acting like a fool." Merle told Daryl, standing back to his full height.

"Fool?" Daryl asked.

"It took a lot of convincing to get Emma to give you a second chance after you fucked things up the first time." Merle replied. "I don't know if she'll even give you a third chance."

"I don't want another chance..."

"Open your eyes!" Merle shouted.

Daryl could barely open his eyes, but he somehow managed to. Merle was even blurrier than before.

"Listen, 'cause I'm only gonna say this once." Merle pointed down at his brother. "Emma is the best goddamn thing that ever happened to you. If you don't quit acting like such a jackass, you're gonna lose her for good...and she'll be better off without you."

Merle leaned back down like he had before.

"Now, you gotta get up and get your ass back to the farm before you bleed out." Merle reached for Daryl. "You can't pull that out now, but you should break it off at the fletching."

Merle grinned.

"This is gonna hurt."

Daryl felt hands around the shaft of the arrow. Before he could protest, he was suddenly screaming in pain.

Daryl opened his eyes and sat up with a start. His sudden actions made him so dizzy that he nearly fell over. Instead, he leaned to one side just in time to empty his stomach into the grass. The nausea subsided the moment his stomach was empty, but his head was still throbbing away. Daryl looked down to see that he was holding part of the arrow that had pierced his side in his hand. He had been the one to break it off. He had been hallucinating his brother, or dreaming. Daryl wasn't too sure, but it didn't really matter. He needed to get back to the farm before it was dark, or before he bled out. Whichever would come first.

0o0o0

"It's stupid." Carl said, kicking the ground.

"It isn't stupid." Emma replied, throwing another handful of feed down for the chickens.

"It is, too." Carl argued, shoving his hands into his pockets. "What good is learning if everybody in town is..."

Emma set down the burlap sack of feed and joined Carl by the fence.

"I told Sophia this a long time ago, but learning is important for all sorts of reasons." Emma explained, leaning against the fence. "The only way you become anything in this world is by learning. How do you think Dr. Torrence became a doctor? If it weren't for him, if he had decided not to go to school, Trish wouldn't have anyone to deliver her baby in the spring."

Carl frowned.

"I guess."

"You guess?" Emma asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Okay." Carl sighed.

Emma gave Carl a soft smile and ruffled his hair.

"Okay."

"Do you think you could still let me help you out sometimes?" Carl asked as Emma picked up the feed bag. "I'll do whatever you want...I just want to help."

"Of course, but not until after lessons." Emma answered.

Carl smiled, but it melted right off his face when a gunshot rang out from the back of the property. Emma dropped the bag of feed at her feet.

"Carl," Emma grabbed him by the shoulders, "go into the house, go upstairs, and get under Merle's bed."

Carl, who had suddenly paled, didn't respond. Emma grabbed his face between one hand.

"Carl, do you hear me?" Emma asked sternly, raising her voice to get his attention. "I said to go to the house, go upstairs, and get under Merle's bed."

Carl didn't speak, but he nodded. It was more like his head shook. His whole body was trembling.

"Go." Emma commanded, letting go of Carl's face.

Emma watched Carl as he leapt over the fence, stumbling along the way. She didn't move until he had tore up to the house, opened the door, and let it slam behind him. Once she knew Carl was safe, Emma hurried to where she had heard the gunshot. Benjamin was already running in that direction. Emma heard hoofbeats behind her and turned to see Rick returning from guard duty.

"Carl?" Rick asked frantically as Emma hastened to his side. "Judith?"

"They're inside." Emma replied.

That was all Rick needed to hear. He and Emma ran together for the back of the property. There was a motionless form on the ground in front of the willows. Shane, Benjamin, Trish, and Kate were all standing around the body. As Rick and Emma got closer, they all suddenly turned around.

"Emma, don't." Shane said quickly, meeting Rick and Emma halfway.

"Why?" Emma asked confusedly, lines forming between her eyebrows.

"Shane, what is it?" Rick asked. "What happened?"

Shane was holding a rifle in his hands. It was him who had fired the bullet Emma and Carl heard. Emma wondered why Shane didn't want her going near the body. Daryl's face suddenly flashed through her mind. She remembered seeing him that morning, armed with his crossbow, as he headed in the direction of the woods.

"What happened?" Emma asked, her voice climbing higher. "What happened?"

"Emma-"

"No." Emma snapped, trying to move around Shane.

Shane tried to hold Emma back, but she fought him hard. She threw balled fists at his shoulders and chest, trying to throw him off of her.

"Shane, what the hell happened?!" Rick shouted, growing just as anxious as Emma.

"I thought he was a biter!" Shane suddenly cried.

Emma stiffened with Shane's hands around her arms.

"What?" Rick asked slowly, quietly, as the information sank in.

Shane released Emma, but she didn't move from where she stood. He looked down at the ground.

"I...I thought...Daryl was...a biter..." Shane murmured. "I..."

"Shane," Rick took a step forward, "what did you do?"

Before Shane could answer, Emma was suddenly jolted back to life as images of Daryl leaving the farm that morning to go and hunt flickered through her mind. She raced to where the body lay, ignoring Rick as he called out to her.

"Get out of my way." Emma growled, shoving past Benjamin as he tried to move in front of her.

Daryl lay on the ground, his eyes closed, unmoving. His clothes were filthy and covered in sap and pine needles. A broken arrow was sticking out of his right side, blood surrounding the wound. There was a cut on his left cheek, and on his lip. His hair along the right side of his head was dark and sticky with blood. A severed arm came to Emma's mind suddenly as she looked down at Daryl's body.

"No..." Emma breathed, her hands quivering.

Emma fell to her knees beside Daryl. The ringing she had heard in her ears when Jackie hung herself in the barn came back with a vengeance as she looked down at Daryl's body. She felt a presence behind her, then felt hands on her shoulders. There were several different voices speaking from above her, but none she could distinguish or place. The hands on her shoulders became heavier. Then, they were curling around her shoulders, trying to hoist her up.

"No." Emma spoke, barely able to hear her own voice above the ringing.

A second set of hands had her.

"No." Emma snapped, fighting the hands as they pulled her up off the ground.

Emma felt her elbow collide with someone behind her. Both sets of hands let go of her. She was about to get back down on the ground, but suddenly, Daryl twitched. The ringing began to die down as Daryl started groaning. He was slowly beginning to come to life, and not as a biter. As himself.

"He's alive...but how?" Shane choked out from behind Emma, whom she had elbowed before.

Rick came into view. He kneeled down beside Daryl.

"Daryl, can you hear me?" Rick asked as he inspected Daryl's head.

"What's going on?" Benjamin asked, also out of Emma's line of sight.

"Shane, you only grazed the side of his head." Rick said, releasing a sigh of relief.

Emma watched as Rick and Shane helped Daryl to his feet, who hadn't quite roused from unconsciousness. They led him in the direction of his house. It took Emma several moments to shake off the haze she had suddenly found herself in upon seeing Daryl's body on the ground. Though she heard Benjamin, Trish, and Kate all trying to speak with her, she ignored them. They didn't matter to her. Instead, Emma followed Rick, Daryl, and Shane.

0o0o0

The sight of Shane sent Daryl into a rage when he started to come around, after all, he had shot him. So, Rick and Sam held Daryl down when Dr. Torrence pulled the arrow from his side. Emma stood outside listening while Daryl howled in pain as the arrow was removed. After that, it was pretty quiet. Sam came out first with blood on his shirt. He let Emma know that Dr. Torrence was stitching up Daryl's side and his head. Rick emerged later, after Sam had gone to Merle's for supper.

"Dr. Torrence says he'll be all right as long as he takes it easy for a few days and keeps his wounds clean." Rick said. "He wants to sit with him a little while, keep an eye on him, but you shouldn't worry."

"What the hell was Shane thinking?" Emma asked coolly, her arms over her chest as she looked up at Rick with narrowed eyes.

"Trish and Kate were washing clothes in the stream, saw Daryl coming back." Rick sighed and put his hands on his hips as he shook his head. "They thought he was a biter, ran and got Shane-"

"How could they possibly think Daryl was a biter?"

"Emma, Shane feels terrible-"

"Well, he should." Emma interrupted, keeping her voice quiet although she had an angry tone.

Rick slowly lifted one hand and set it on Emma's shoulder.

"I know you were..." Rick started to say something, but Emma lifted her eyes and suddenly he decided against saying anything about it. "I promise that from now on, we will all use caution before firing any guns."

"I thought we already were being cautious." Emma retorted, snorting.

"Well, we'll use even more caution than before." Rick reassured Emma softly.

Emma smirked up at Rick.

"Somehow, I don't feel comforted."

"I..." Rick gave Emma a gentle shake. "I can't say that I blame you...after what happened..."

"It's not your fault." Emma sighed, her icy exterior melting for the sheriff. "It was the girls' overreaction and Shane's bad judgment that led to..."

"I know, but I'm supposed to be in charge of this group." Rick replied, leaning against the house. "Their actions are my responsibility."

"All you can do is enforce the rules you put in place."

"Does that mean you want Shane and the young girls punished?" Rick asked, furrowing his brow.

"What else will teach them a lesson?" Emma asked.

"I think they may have learned that lesson today."

"Like I said, somehow I'm not comforted." Emma replied, turning away from Rick.

The door opened, and out came Dr. Torrence with his leather bag.

"I gave Daryl something to help him rest." Dr. Torrence spoke to Emma. "You may sit with him, so long as you let him sleep."

"I'm only going to sit with him." Emma assured the doctor.

"Good." Dr. Torrence nodded. "Well, if you should need anything, I'll be having my dinner and then heading off to bed."

Emma held out her hand to the doctor as he moved to leave.

"Thank you for everything." Emma murmured.

Dr. Torrence shook Emma's hand.

"You're welcome, dear."

The doctor took his leave, but before Rick could resume his conversation with Emma, she left him alone outside to go and be with Daryl. Emma closed the door behind her before Rick could follow her.

A fire was roaring in the fireplace, warming the house and providing Emma with light to see. Daryl was in bed, the covers pull up over his bottom half. The shadows cast by the flames danced across the planes of his chest. Emma could see that Daryl was breathing, even from across the room. She breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing him for herself gave her peace of mind. Emma quietly crossed the room and sat in the empty chair the doctor had probably used while stitching and bandaging Daryl's wounds. His torso was wrapped in white cloth. Blood had soaked through, but only a little, and it had already turned a rusty color. A square of the same cloth covered the bullet wound on Daryl's head. His body bore several scrapes and bruises, but all of them looked superficial. As the realization sank in that Daryl would recover, Emma's heart finally stopped its incessant thumping. The air around her didn't seem as thick. She could breathe much easier.

Emma watched Daryl as he slept. She thought about a world without him. Even though they had only known each other for a little over a year, Emma couldn't picture it. Emma knew Daryl would never forgive her for Merle's death, that things would never be the same again, but that was okay. She had learned to cope with the way Daryl treated her. It had become routine for her. Emma didn't care if she and Daryl only spoke a handful of words to each other for the rest of their lives, so long as he was alive. Emma couldn't bear the thought of living in a world without Daryl Dixon.

"...Merle?"

Emma looked up as Daryl stirred. She immediately reached for his hand.

"Shh." Emma shooshed him gently. "It's only me."

Daryl's eyes seemed to close even tighter, then, they opened. He turned his head.

"Emma?"

"You should go back to sleep."

Emma went to let go of Daryl's hand, but he held onto her fingers before she could pull away.

"What are you doing here?" Daryl asked, his voice raspy and gruff, almost like Merle's.

"I..." Emma shook her head. "The doctor asked me to stay with you, in case you needed anything."

Daryl frowned, his hold on Emma's fingers loosening.

"Oh."

"Do you need anything?" Emma asked, pulling her hand from Daryl's weak grip. "Water? Something to eat?"

Daryl shook his head.

"Well, then you should rest." Emma sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"What I should do is kick Shane's ass from here to next week." Daryl grumbled, casting his eyes up to the ceiling. "Dumb son of a bitch..."

"I agree." Emma replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You do?" Daryl asked, tearing his eyes away from the ceiling to quirk an eyebrow at Emma.

"Mhmm." Emma nodded, her eyes on the floor.

"I thought you didn't like fighting." Daryl smirked.

"I don't, but if somebody shot me..." Emma pointed to herself. "I'd be a little pissed."

Daryl chuckled, but he grimaced and held his aching ribs. Emma leaned forward.

"Do you need something?" Emma asked, her hands fluttering uselessly in the air.

"Yeah." Daryl rubbed his side. "I need you to quit fussing over me."

"I'm not fussing." Emma argued, setting her hands on her knees. "I'm just trying to be helpful."

"Well, I don't need anymore help today."

"Fine." Emma shrugged and looked down at the floor again while she waited for Daryl to fall asleep.

Daryl tossed and turned for a half hour while Emma sat by his side. She would think he was sleeping, but then he would grow restless and start flailing.

"Look," Daryl finally broke the silence, "I can't sleep with somebody watching me."

"Okay."

When Emma stood, Daryl almost seemed surprised that she was listening to him.

"What?" Emma asked, catching his expression. "I'm not going to stay if you don't want me to."

"You..." Daryl shook his head. "Good."

"This is your last chance, though." Emma warned Daryl as she smoothed out her skirt. "If you want something, speak now or forever hold your peace."

Daryl remained silent, so Emma turned to go.

"Wait."

Emma pivoted.

"Could you..." Daryl wiggled back and forth in bed. "Could you fix these damn pillows?"

"Sure." Emma replied, returning to Daryl's side.

Emma leaned down to Daryl's level so that she could adjust his pillows. She carefully arranged them without moving Daryl unnecessarily, then gently fluffed them. As Emma pulled away, she met Daryl's eyes. They were watching her. For the first time in months, Daryl's expression didn't harden when his eyes met Emma's. In fact, in the glow of the firelight, his features were quite soft.

"Thank you." Daryl murmured, giving Emma a single nod.

The tone of Daryl's voice sent Emma's heart tripping over itself once or twice before it was able to pick itself back up.

"You're welcome." Emma replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

Then, Emma realized that her face and Daryl's face were drifting closer together. She hadn't known they were moving until their noses grazed. It was too late to put an end to it as Daryl's lips found Emma's. The pressure of his lips upon hers was soft and timid, similar to the way Emma had kissed Daryl for the first time in the barn the year before. Emma pressed her lips harder against his, letting him know that she was accepting of his token of thanks. That was all it was. Emma knew it was nothing more, nothing less. Even so, in the moment, it felt good enough that she didn't pull her face away from his. She just enjoyed the kiss while it lasted, because all too soon, it was ending.

"Goodnight." Emma breathed, opening her eyes to meet Daryl's.

Daryl seemed hesitant to reply as Emma stood to go.

"Emma?"

Emma turned around, her hand on the doorknob.

"Goodnight."

"I See A Darkness" - Johnny Cash [Daryl and Emma talk, kiss]