Chapter Twenty Six

To say the situation was awkward would have been an understatement.

We had taken lodge in the first guard tower, Daryl having silently lead me there, and currently the hunter was the one on watch. I sat on the floor, my back against the wall of the tower, my gaze on the back of hunter's head. He hadn't moved in a while now and I was beginning to wonder if he had fallen asleep. I didn't want to ask him though; no, God forbid either of us speaking to one another!

Daryl had made a point of saying as little as he could to me so far during watch and had ignored most, if not all, of my attempts to start a conversation. I was aware the hunter was stubborn, but this was ridiculous.

The sky was pitch black now, stars twinkling above us and the moon high and full. It was a clear night; romantic even. I snorted at the thought. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me and I realised that the outburst had been quite random on my behalf.

"Just thinking of something funny." I told him. He didn't even change expression or make any awareness that he had heard, merely turned away and resumed his previous position. I resisted the urge to sigh in frustration, so instead stood up. "I'll take over now." Daryl didn't move. "C'mon you've had long enough, get some rest."

"M'fine." He muttered, speaking for the first time in a while. As he hadn't spoken in such a long time his voice was croaky and he had to clear his throat loudly to regain his natural gruff. "Sit down, girl." I frowned at the man.

"We're sharing the duty, Daryl. You've had your turn. Have some time to rest." I insisted though Daryl didn't budge. "You still think I'm going to kill you in your sleep? Don't trust me enough?" Daryl didn't seem to gather that I was teasing and rounded on me in and instant.

"Are ya serious?! After everything 'nd ya ask me that?"He cried. "Ain't got anythin' to do with trust, I just don't wanna fuckin' sleep!" His outburst left me stunned and I took a step back from the fuming man. Was he seriously this angry with me?

"What is your problem?" I hissed, getting aggravated myself now.

"You're my problem!" He shouted. "Won't fuckin' listen to me."

"And we're back to this again, huh?" I muttered and Daryl sneered at me.

"You fuckin' started it." He hissed. I scoffed in disbelief.

"You're the one who has a problem, you're the one who got angry." I pointed out.

"And you're the one still talkin' now." He breathed, running a hand across his face in frustration and I stared in astonishment.

"So that's it then? We'll ignore each from now on just because you don't get your way?" I countered, ignoring the way Daryl's eyes glared dangerously across the prison yard. "I don't have to listen to you. I'm not someone you can tell what to do, Daryl."

"Ya think I tell you those things in spite or sumthin'? When I say I don't trust 'em; I don't trust 'em!" A glare was firmly etched into the man's face. "Why can't ya understand that?"

"Oh, I understand that fine, it's your demanding attitude that's pissing me off." Two could play at the "pissed off" game.

"Ya makin' it sound like I'm tryin' to rule ya life-"

"You're like a father who won't let his daughter play with the boys in the neighbourhood because he's trying to 'protect her'."

"Cos I am tryin' to protect ya!" He hollered, slamming his hands down on the tower. "I'm tryin' to keep ya safe, but you don't care!"

"Course I care." I countered, attempting to soften my tone. "I just don't appreciate the way you're going about it."

"Ain't no other way to get it into ya thick skull!" I raised an eyebrow at his comment but said nothing of it. "Thought ya'd be more wary towards strangers after what you've apparently been through."

"'Apparently'?! You calling me a liar now?" Daryl practically growled in frustration and I wondered if he had ever gotten so angry with anyone else in the group. One of the men most likely, but the women perhaps not. Judging by his stance, he looked ready to turn around and hit me. I wondered then if I should perhaps take a different angle because this route was heading straight for a broken nose. "We've argued before, why the hell has this time gotta hang over you so much? Are you honestly this pissed at me this time?"

"Course I'm pissed at ya, girl!" Daryl cried, throwing his crossbow aside and running a hand through his hair, messing it up. I felt the urge to put it back in place, but knew that now was not the time. "Now, go to sleep, I don't wanna talk to ya no more." I raised an eyebrow at this in disbelief.

"I'm sorry, I forgot that I take orders from you now." I muttered, sarcastically. Daryl sneered at me before turning away and making a point of keeping his face away from me. "You're acting like a child." Silence. "Oh, the silent treatment now. Real mature." I saw his knuckles clench tightly into a fist and I knew he was getting angry - more angry than I'd ever seen him. I backed off a little, giving him some space, but I didn't want to let the subject drop. "I appreciate that you're just looking out for the group, but you gotta remember that we're all capable of looking after ourselves." Daryl turned to me, face scrunched in confusion.

"What's the group got to do with anything?" He hissed. I frowned a little and shrugged sheepishly, not knowing really what to say. Daryl's face softened an inch and he exhaled deeply. "Ain't got nothin' to do with them." It's not them I'm looking out for.

"Just me." I breathed, nodding with understanding, feeling a sudden chill. Daryl studied me for a moment before looking away again. His posture seemed a lot less tense now, which was reassuring to say the least. "And why do you care so much, thought I was just the newbie who was undecidedly trusted?" Daryl shrugged.

"You're a lot more than that now , ain't ya." He mumbled, quietly. There was a moment of silence which I knew was awkward on Daryl's behalf. "Still wish you'd just fuckin' listen to me." I narrowed my eyes at the man.

"I think you've known me long enough now, Daryl, to know that's not ever going to be the case." I pointed out, lightly. Daryl's whole body sighed in exhaustion and he turned to face me fully, his face lost all it's anger now.

"So, say ya trust 'em. What happens when ya let your guard down with one of 'em 'nd they take advantage of it, huh? You've seen the way they look at everyone, Thomas especially."

"You can't lump them all into one group just because Thomas is a creepy bastard." I muttered, causing Daryl to snort. "Axel seems fine." I was amused at the way Daryl wrinkled his nose at the man's name. "Why does he bother you so much?"

"He likes you a little too much, I reckon." Daryl muttered and I couldn't contain a grin from my face.

"C'mon, Daryl, he's far too old for me! You don't have to worry." I teased, causing Daryl to raise an eyebrow.

"What ya implyin'?" He muttered, eyes narrowing. I smirked a little.

"That you're jealous." It was an innocent, meaningless comment but the way Daryl tensed up made me question it and the smirk faded from my face. There was a moment of awkward silence before Daryl cleared his throat.

"I ain't jealous." Daryl countered, folding his arms across his chest. His expression suddenly turned defensive and I wondered how much I should push him on the subject. I didn't have chance to as Daryl quickly carried on. "One possibly alright prisoner ain't enough to convince me to trust the rest."

"So you trust Axel is what you're saying?" I asked. Daryl shrugged.

"I don't like him, he's far too clingy" He muttered, making me smile a little. "But I guess I trust him, yeah. The other three are another story." I nodded and realised that no amount of talking would convince Daryl to change his mind on the subject.

"You still pissed at me?" I asked. Daryl raised his eyebrow and resumed his position leaning over the guard tower and turning his gaze away to carry on watch.

"Yeah." He replied though there was something in his tone that made me think otherwise. "You're a pain in the ass, girl."

"I add excitement to your life." I beamed, glad that I had managed to alter the hunter's sour mood. I saw Daryl's eyebrows burrow and his lips turned up in what seemed to be a smirk.

"'Excitement' wouldn't be the word I'd use but whatever."

What a quaint little neighbourhood, I mused to myself. The streets were deserted, not even the dead in sight. Abandoned cars remained parked on their driveways or on the sidewalk. To anyone, it seemed as if everything was normal regardless of the upturned garbage bins that were spilled out on either side of the road. I tried to imagine the place with life, with people buzzing about daily, passing each other on the sidewalk. Not like it was now. Not with nothing left.

Toby and I walked down the middle of the road - no need for sidewalks anymore - armed and at the ready if necessary. Everything was so quiet and I wasn't sure if I liked it very much; it put me on edge. It was if we were building up to a climax which was sure to be dramatic and one I wasn't sure I'd enjoy.

I debated on whether to loot one of the houses as we were running dangerously low on food but there was something about them that just made me think to leave them undisturbed. I didn't want to disturb the silent atmosphere.

Suddenly though, Toby's ears were perked up and I was instantly on alert. I eyed the street around us, not spotting any staggering figure making their way towards us and wondered what Toby's ears had picked up. Then a noise in the distance; a rumbling. When I stopped to listen, it sounded weird against my ear drums. Almost like a car engine. Strange?

Just then a car rounded the corner at the end of the street and was suddenly coming towards us. A car - people. I didn't move, merely stood in the middle of the road, like a human barricade. I was unsure what my intentions were, but I wasn't moving anytime soon. The car continued heading towards me and I couldn't quite make out it's passengers. I wondered then if it would hit me. They may think I was dead, which was expected. I decided quickly that I wouldn't care if they did.

Just before I was knocked down, the car slammed on the breaks and came to a halt a few feet in front of me. There was a tense pause as the engine was turned off and the driver's door opened. A dark skinned man got out, a gun in hand and directed at me. This didn't bother me, I would have been bothered if he hadn't pulled a gun on me to be honest.

"Are you bit?" He demanded, his hands shaking. I shook my head numbly, not finding it in me to talk. I raised my hands up in an attempt of peace and eyed up the man cautiously. "What's your name?" I swallowed hard to clear my throat.

"Ruby." I breathed.

"Is it just you, Ruby?" The man asked slowly. I nodded.

"Just me and the dog." I told him. The man studied me for a moment before nodding and he slowly lowered his gun. "What's your name?" Just then the passenger door opened and a little boy got out. He eyed me cautiously before turning to man.

"Dad?" He asked, his voice a little nervous, his eyes straying back to me.

"Get back in the car, Duane." The man soothed his son gently. The boy - Duane - studied me one last time and I tried to smile to warn off the scared expression on the boy's face, before he obliged to his father's commands and climbed back into the car. The man turned to me, looked me up and down and sighed.

"That's my son Duane. And I'm Morgan."

The sounds of Daryl's gentle breaths racked through me as I stared at the tree line. It was my turn to watch, having convinced Daryl to lie down, and the hunter was currently sleeping. I hadn't gotten much sleep when I was obliged to and was feeling the consequences now as my eyes began to droop a little.

I glanced over my shoulder and observed Daryl's sleeping form. It was quite dark now but the hunter was just about visible, sprawled out on his back with his hands behind his head. There was no glare or frown on his face and his worry wrinkles had all smoothed out. He looked peaceful. I took in all I could as I knew this wouldn't be an expression of Daryl's that I would see very often. His messy hair was flicked across his forehead, some spiked out in odd directions in an un-kept manner. I liked the look though, it suited him. He looked handsome. His shirt emphasised his arms as he had his muscles tensed from resting his head on his hands. I hadn't truly observed Daryl's physic in such a close inspection but I had to admit I was impressed. Not as overpowering as Shane's or as thin as Rick's. Somewhere in between and it seemed almost perfect.

Daryl shifted slightly I looked away, a blush burning on my cheeks, and I felt slightly embarrassed to have found myself staring at him for so long. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pondered over the feelings in my stomach when I thought about the hunter lying a few feet away.

I considered the argument he and I had had and thought over all that had been said.

"Cos I am tryin' to protect ya!" He hollered, slamming his hands down on the tower. "I'm tryin' to keep ya safe, but you don't care!"

This was as close as Daryl got to saying he actually cared about me and I felt a sudden warmness wash over me as I thought about it. I had encountered many people since the outbreak, bonded with some, but there was something so different about my friendship with Daryl. Something stronger? I considered this and wondered if anything could have been stronger than my friendships with Merle and Michonne, for their companionship was something to be matched.

It was different though. Neither were on the same levels. There was something so black and white about my companionship with Merle and Michonne. Survival. We struggled together because we needed each other. Sometimes nothing needed to be explained, we just knew what needed to be done and what would be said. The three of us were completely the opposite in nearly every respect but we just worked. We had been forced together and made to survive under so many pressures and when we had pulled through the first hurdle, we knew that it could be done and we intended to survive together. That was the bases of our companionship; survival, everything else was a fallout along the way and by the time we had realised how close we had gotten there was no going back.

With Daryl though it was just different. There was no pressures or forces that brought about our friendship. When I brought Sophia back to camp, we could have easily gone about with minimal talking as the group didn't require us to. But we didn't. There had been countless evenings when I had stayed up with Daryl, upon seeing Toby whom had firmly gotten attached, and I had grown comfortable in the hunter's presence. There was something about him that put me at ease. And after everything, and everyone, I had encountered I needed a bit of ease. He barely spoke at first, rarely initiated a conversation, but he listened. He listened. And when he finally got used to me and begun to speak more freely, I found I had enjoyed his company even more than I could have ever imagined.

Daryl reminded me much like his brother in the respect that he was a survivor. From the word go, I knew that. And it had been Daryl who had saved me countless times, he had even saved me the day we first met. Almost unthinkingly he helped the group, not just me, because no matter how many times he would deny it, he cared. I would observe him sometimes as his eyes darted amongst the group and just looking at his expression, I knew that he felt at ease with these people. At peace.

That's why Daryl had reacted like he had with me and I realised now why the man had gotten so angry. Whenever there appeared to be a threat towards the group - his family - he would stand up and fight without question. He had done with me when I was a threat and he was doing it now when the prisoners are a threat.

"And after everything you've been through with his brother," Rick continued after the pause. "I think he needs someone to talk to like you. Someone who understands more than anyone else could. I think he appreciates your company a lot more than he lets on."

I had never considered my friendship with Daryl from this angle, never really considered it at all. I merely went with the flow and followed on wherever it was heading. From the start, I never really expected much of the hunter's trust as his attitude initially said otherwise. But I was persistent and whilst I used to always wonder why, I guess now it had paid off.

Someone who understands more than anyone else could. How though? I thought briefly it may have been the fact we had both 'lost' our siblings, but that was a very vague reasoning. Someone to talk to like you. Like me? I compared our personalities and wondered where on earth Rick was coming from. To me, I would have thought my presence would be a bane in Daryl's existence - the hunter had already stated I was a pain in the arse - and yet Rick thought otherwise. I wonder why?

I glanced back at Daryl and chewed my lip thoughtfully, the warm feelings creeping up inside me again. These feelings was certainly something different compared to my friendships with others. I never felt like this with anyone else, not Merle or Michonne. And yet whenever Daryl was present; physically or mentally, the feelings would linger within me, tickling my stomach and causing my heart to flutter a little. What was wrong with me?

I rested my head on my hands and sighed. I was doing far too much thinking on the subject of Daryl Dixon.

"I mean no harm." I attempted gently. There was something so gentle, so trusting about Morgan. I felt no suspicion and I hoped the feeling was mutual. There was only so much a person could take alone.

"Where are you heading?" Morgan asked slowly. I shrugged.

"I don't really have a heading, just surviving." Morgan hummed and nodded.

"Aren't we all." He muttered before jutting his head towards the car. "Get in, not safe to be out on the streets like this." He glanced inside the car. "Duane, move into the back so Ruby can shotgun." I smiled slightly when Morgan looked my way and glanced down at Toby. "The dog can ride in the back with Duane."

"Thank you." I smiled sincerely before making my towards the passenger seat and getting in. Toby got into the back beside Duane and I glanced over my shoulder and smiled at the little boy. "Hi, I'm Ruby." The boy grinned, patting Toby gently. "He doesn't bite don't worry." I reassured when Morgan got into the car.

"What's his name?" Duane asked.

"Toby." The dog himself lavished in the attention he was getting and I smiled at ease before turning back to Morgan. "Where are you heading?" I asked the man as he started up the car. Morgan sighed before answering.

"Not sure really." He told me. "Heard of a few safe bases, but no sure how much is rumours or facts."

"Safe bases?" I mused thoughtfully.

"Closest is apparently Atlanta." He told me, though his expression was down sighted. "Wouldn't advise going there though."

"Why?" I asked. Morgan paused before carrying on.

"We've been planning to head there for a while now," He began to explain. "Apparently there was a safe base in the city and I intended to take Duane when I taught him how to shoot and defend himself from those things." He paused and frowned a little. "We met a cop though beforehand. He'd been in a coma since the start of the outbreak so he didn't really know what was going on. Duane and I took him in and he told us about how he trying to look for his wife and son, and we told him about the safe bases. He decided that they must have gone to Atlanta." He glanced at his son before turning back to the road. "He went first, I said we'd follow after a couple of days. He took a walkie talkie with him and said he'd radio in when he got there to tell me if it was safe." He paused and chewed his lip. "Never got a call." There was a pause as I thought about what he had told me.

Same as Fort Benning. Everywhere 'safe' was overrun. Was anywhere safe?

"What happened to him?" I asked. Morgan shrugged.

"I don't know. I'd like to believe that he found his wife and son but I wonder if anyone can ever be that lucky."

"Luck ain't exactly common now is it?" I muttered, staring out of the window.

"What's your story then?" He asked and smiled when I turned to him. "You're the first living person we've come across since the cop. Nice to hear about someone else for a change, fresh conversation and all that." I smiled a little and shrugged, thinking about everything I'd done and seen since the start of the outbreak and not finding it in me to bring these horrors to light for Morgan and Duane. I wanted to hide them from it.

"Suppose it's the about same as everyone else's."

"Is it mornin' yet?" Daryl's gruff tone muttered. There was a grunt as Daryl heaved himself to his feet and I glanced over my shoulder just as he was stretching. He met my gaze and I smiled slightly. "How long have I been sleepin'?" He asked, eyeing up the sky as it broke into morning.

"A good seven hours I'd say." I told him. Daryl stared in disbelief.

"Thought ya were gonna wake me after three? That was the deal." I shrugged.

"You looked too peaceful to disturb." I told him. "I didn't mind." Daryl frowned and I suddenly missed the peaceful expression he wore when he was asleep.

"Ya shouldn't have." He muttered, leaning over the tower beside me and glancing out. I shrugged again. "Anythin' happen whilst I was sleepin'?" I shook my head.

"Dead as a doorknob, excuse the pun." I told him, Daryl nodded. "Guess we just have wait now to be relieved." There was a pause as we were content with the silence between us.

"Cleanin' out Cell block A today." Daryl mused, glancing at me. "Ya plannin' on lendin' a hand?"

"Depends if I'm allowed." I replied, raising an eyebrow at Daryl. Daryl scoffed.

"Depends if Axel's comin' or not." Daryl countered, smirking. I grinned back.

"Oh no, you wouldn't want me to be left alone with him." I carried on the pretence.

"If he's comin'; ya stayin'."

"If he's staying; I'm coming?"

"Exactly." Daryl nodded, flashing me a slight grin when I met his gaze and I shook my head. "Ain't jealous." He added quickly. "Just so ya know." I laughed and turned to the hunter who was eyeing me with a smirk.

"You're quite defensive when he's involved." I pointed out, teasing. "That hints at jealousy." Daryl scoffed and shook his head.

"Guess I still sound like ya old man tellin' ya what to do, huh?" Daryl muttered. "Tellin' ya which boys ya can date 'nd whatever." I laughed.

"Can't say my dad was like that." I told him. "He was quite open with my sister and I, we could pretty much do what we wanted. Be friends with who we wanted, date who we wanted." A pause. "We weren't spoilt though!" I quickly added when I noticed Daryl's gaze. "Not in materialistic respect, we just had an easier relationship with our dad than most." There was a pause again and I frowned thoughtfully, thinking about the last images I had of my father, the last conversation I ever had with him and was thankful I had told him that I loved him.

"My ol' man was never 'round." Daryl spoke up suddenly. I turned to the hunter and noticed his bowed head and hard expression. He wasn't looking at me anymore. "'Nd when he was, he didn't do right by my Ma." I saw Daryl swallowed hard and play around with the string of his crossbow, giving him something to do I imagined. There was no denying the wavering tone of his voice. "He got drunk, was high a lot, 'nd he ain't very nice to Ma when he was like that. Used to hide away in my bedroom with the covers over my head when they argued." He chewed his thumbnail and I felt my heart sink at the vulnerable expression on his face. "Didn't really drown it out, heard it all. They'd fight physically sometimes, would hear things breakin' as they threw stuff at each other." He paused and frowned. "Dumb bitch brought it on 'erself though, sleepin' 'round. It was like she was out to piss him off." I considered this, feeling as if I should say something but not knowing what to say to make it any better.

"Did he ever hurt you?" I asked, quietly. The pause before he answered said it all and I didn't need Daryl to confirm it to know the answer to the question.

"When I got older 'nd was able to take it." He muttered, shrugging. "I tried to split him 'nd Ma up once 'nd ended up in hospital. Pa told 'em I'd fallen down the stairs."

Nothing could have prepared me for these confessions. I stared in shock at Daryl, unsure on what to do. Images of a child, no more than Sophia or Carl's age, being beaten to a bloodied pump, screaming for their attacker - their own father - to stop. It sickened me and I felt bile rise in my throat and my heart ache.

"And Merle?" I tried. A small smile graced Daryl's lips.

"He was in prison when Pa put me in hospital, got out a month after 'nd I still had a lot of the bruises." He chuckled a little. "Came home from school 'nd there was a bunch of police cars 'nd an ambulance at my house. Pa was being put in the ambulance, looked pretty fucked up, 'nd a bunch of cops were tryin' to arrest Merle." He smirked fully and stared off as if reminiscing. "I remember him spottin' me 'nd givin' me the biggest fuckin' grin I'd ever seen. Then he shouted 'I did that for you, baby brother!' 'nd the cops took him away. He served another six months in prison for causin' grievious bodily harm to Pa." Daryl glanced down at me and looked suddenly sheepish as he took in my horrified expression. "Sorry, shouldn't have brought it up-"

"No," I shook my head. "I don't mind. If you want to talk about this stuff, Daryl, then I'll listen no matter what." Daryl studied me silently. "I just didn't know you had to go through any of that. I'm sorry that you did."

"Merle not say anythin'?" He asked. I shook my head.

"He didn't talk about his family. Or really anything personal for that matter." I admitted. "What happened to them? You parents." Daryl thought for a little while before answering.

"Ma died in a house fire - she caused it. Smokin' 'nd drinkin' in bed 'pparently. Came home one day 'nd the house was just alight. The whole neighbourhood was there givin' me all that sympathetic bullshit." He sneered at this and looked back down at the ground. "When Pa found out, he didn't do a right lot. Pretty much had to raise myself when Merle was in prison, 'nd put up with Pa on my own. He backed off though after Merle fucked him up, think it scared him. When I was sixteen, I had left school 'nd Merle was out of his latest prison stitch. We told Pa we were leavin' him 'nd didn't ever see him again." He shrugged after a thoughtful pause. "Sick bastard is probably dead by now." He laughed without humour. "I put a downer on things, don't I?"

"Don't be silly." I said lightly, smiling to comfort him when Daryl looked up.

"I don't hate him though." Daryl continued, not really needing a reply, just a listener which I was more than happy to be. "He made me stronger, made me prepared for life. Christ, the bastard did a good job at preparing me for all of this bullshit."

"All I have to say is that is that it's people like your father, Daryl, that really don't deserve to have people like you related to them, let alone as their son." I began. "Because you are the strongest person I know, who I am so privileged to have found in this fucked up world. You are ten times the man he ever was." I paused, thoughtfully chewing on my lip. "The group is so lucky to have you, Daryl. I don't know where any of us would be if you weren't here. You're so important to this group and I'm so scared that you don't realise that. I don't think you realise how important you are to us all." I paused. "How important you are to me."

Daryl didn't reply for a while, merely continued staring back, and I wondered if I had said anything wrong. My smile faded and I felt almost lost in Daryl's blue eyes. He had blue eyes? I hadn't noticed till now.

"What?" I breathed, barely audible. Daryl shook his head once and broke the gaze, shuffling uncomfortably.

"Ain't nothin'." He muttered, hitching his crossbow over his shoulder and glancing everywhere but me. I felt saddened at this and frowned.

"Daryl-"

"They'll come get us soon." Daryl muttered, still disregarding me. As if on cue, I noticed a figure walk out onto the yard and was making their way across towards us. I knew immediately that it was Rick and sighed a little. Daryl noticed our leader too and began to fuss over gathering up his stuff. "Thank God, I was gettin' hungry."

"Daryl look at me." I pleaded.

"Gonna have to bring food with me next time." He carried on, turning his back away and nearly made his leave down the tower. I quickly acted.

I jumped forward and grabbed Daryl's arm, like he had done the previous day, and stopped his movement. He didn't turn to face me though I felt his body tense in my grasp. This disheartened me.

"What's the matter?" I tried. He shook his head, still avoiding eye contact.

"Told ya, ain't nothin'." He gently attempted to tug his arm from my grip but I held strong.

"Did I say something wrong?" This made Daryl turn and look at me, his face soft and his eyes wide. He shook his head.

"Course ya ain't." He told me quietly. I didn't believe him. Daryl glanced over his shoulder to where Rick's figure was nearly upon the tower and back at me. "C'mon we better go meet him."

"You're being funny with me." I muttered, shaking my head.

"No I ain't." He tried, attempting to hold the gaze but failing effortlessly.

"You're not leaving till you tell me what's the matter." Daryl chuckled at this and raised an eyebrow.

"You gonna hold me captive?" He attempted, smiling slightly. "Promise ya, it ain't nothin'. Now c'mon, Sophia will wanna see ya 'nd I'm freakin' starvin'." His gaze held strong this time and he held his smile. I knew he wouldn't break and I just had to accept that. For now.

"Okay." I nodded, breaking my defiant gaze and looking down and my hand still enclosed around his wrist. My grip wasn't as tight as it initially was anymore; Daryl could have easily pulled away now. But he hadn't.

Without thinking, I took Daryl's hand in both of mine and ran my fingertips lightly along his palm. My cheeks burned and I felt Daryl's eyes imploring me, but I didn't look up. His skin was callous, as I expected, but warm beneath my touch and I felt him completely tense up now. Gently, I raised his hand to my face and wordlessly placed my lips on his palm, kissing lightly.

When I met Daryl's gaze, I was stunned by the intensity behind his eyes. I couldn't tell all the emotions behind them, there seemed to be so many. Sadness. Joy. Hope. Longing? Want?

I was stunned even more so when Daryl's hand twisted in my grasp and I felt the light touch as his fingertips traced my cheeks gently. His touch was so warm and sent shocks through my body. The feelings in my stomach were back and as raging as ever. I held my breath when he tucked some of my hair behind my ear and let my grip on his hand drop, feeling as if I had lost all feeling in them.

"Daryl? Ruby?" Rick's voice rang out; a true moment killer. It echoed up through the tower as he called up from the bottom of the stairs below. I opened my mouth to answer but nothing came out.

"Yeah, we're comin'!" Daryl hollered back, not breaking his gaze from mine.

"Breakfast is being served, hope you're hungry." Rick called. "I'll wait down here for you." There was the sound of a door shutting as Rick had probably moved away to wait at the base of the tower for us.

Daryl's hand dropped away from my face and I felt a little saddened at it's absence. I was warmed again though as Daryl smiled at me - not smirked, or grinned, or even one of his ghost smiles; a full smile. A smile was on my own lips before I could think.

"Ya hungry, girl?" Daryl asked, glancing away to open the door into the inside of the tower so we could head down to meet Rick. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and Daryl stepped aside, holding the door open for me. I smiled bashfully as I passed and felt his close presence behind me as we headed down the stairs to meet our leader.

"I'm freaking starving!"

(Author's Note): Pretty fast update for a change! ) Are you proud? Hope you like it and had a great Christmas!

Yeah, I added in Duane and Morgan. Initially I hadn't even considered their role, but I read somewhere that they were going to be making an appearance during season 3 and I remembered how much I loved them again! Not sure how far I'll go with them, it will depend on what you guys think. I guess it seems the world's quite a small place with Ruby meeting them but hey, in the world of FanFiction anything can happen ;)

Regarding the little 'fluff' (can you call it that?) between Daryl and Ruby - I suspect people wanted more but I just couldn't bring myself to it! I feel like they've got a lot more ground to cover but I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I know that the romance is slow, but like I've said before I'm not one to throw themselves straight into a romance where each party falls madly in love from the go ahead, I like the build up before hand. To me it seems more believable and enjoyable to read. But I'd like to know what you guys think.

And going off what Daryl said about his parents - pretty much made it all up, apart from what happened with his mother (he tells Carl about how his mother died in series 3). I know I probably softened Merle's input as well as I guess most people assume that Merle beat Daryl as a child, but personally I don't really see that between them. I see a brother bond, which obviously as it's flaws, but I don't think abuse between them occured. Not in my story anyway :) Let me know what your input is on this!

Thanks for all you reviews, they really mean a lot. Please tell me what you think of this one and I'll have an update up ASAP for you all! It'll likely be in the new year, so Happy New Year to you all and I'll see you in 2013 ;)