Daryl slightly wavered. "That's Crawford up there?" he suddenly straightened. "Drop the gun."

"Drop the crossbow!" Nate countered. When neither moved, he sighed. "For Gods sake; I lower mine, you lower yours." He placed his gun on his seat, Daryl followed suit and lowered his crossbow to his side. "I can't tell if you're just a really good actor, or if you really don't know that Crawford is there."

"Do I look like an actor to you?" Daryl sneered.

"Sounds like something an actor would say." Fucking clown, Daryl thought.

"And how do I know that you're not some Crawford prick?"

Nate wrinkled his nose. "I may be a prick, but I ain't that kind of prick. I jus' go around lookin' for people who need to trade."

"Trade? Trade what?"

"Food, medicine, clothes, that kind of shit. I know a guy who has this whole operation. 'Sides, those assholes have this fascist, communist government kind of thing goin' on. In my opinion, having a group gets you killed, and the best thing about all this is the government falling. I sure as hell ain't gonna go from doing whatever the hell I want to be under orders of that Crawford dick."

Daryl took in the information, ignoring the part about Crawford, for now. "What kind of stuff is yer' guy lookin' for?"

"Ammo and medicine is a good place to start. If you don't have anything, he accepts fellatio." Daryl made a face of disgust. "From girls, anyway. He don't want blowjobs from no dude. If your girl was interested though…"

Daryl gripped his crossbow suddenly. "What the hell do ya' know 'bout my girl?"

Nate raised his hands. "Besides the fact that you have or had one according to the ring on your finger? Not shit." He said defensively. Daryl glanced down at his gold band; he started wearing it right after his reunion with Charlotte. "What do you and your girl need?"

"Food." Daryl answered. "She don't have warm boots or anything either. How much that cost?"

Nate sighed, finally killing the engine to his truck. "Shit. He has plenty of food cans, but the boots might cost a bit."

"What'll they cost?"

"I don't think even your crossbow would cover it."

Daryl thought for a moment. "I got some skunk."

Nate snorted. "He has enough road kill, he isn't lookin' for more."

"Heroin, you idiot." Suddenly, Nate's eyes widened. "If he's interested in that kind of thing. Use it right and it's a good pain killer."

"How much of that you got." Daryl only stared at him; know better than to inform him that he had quite a bit of it. "Alright, don't tell me. Some of that will definitely cover the boots."

"Some of that should get me more than just the boots."

"Don't tell me you used to work at a pawn store." Nate joked, but Daryl didn't smile. "Well anyway, I think a deal could be made. Hop in, I'll bring you over to him."

"My shits back at my truck. I gotta' walk back. Meet me here tomorrow around sunset."

Nate raised an eyebrow. "My pal sets off tomorrow at noon. Just get your ass in the truck I'll drive you to get your shit, than to my buddy." Daryl stared at him through narrowed eyes. "Oh come on, I ain't a bad guy."

"I'll shoot you right in the head if you try anything." Daryl warned, pulling himself inside the truck.

Nate drove fast down the highway. Daryl glanced at the speedometer; he was pushing 100 miles per hour. "Ya' think this piece of shit can handle that?"

Nate smirked. "She can handle it." He affectionately ran his hand over the radio, and then took a swig of Captain.

"Stop here." Daryl said suddenly. Nate all but slammed on the breaks, Daryl almost hitting his head. "Fucking Christ! What's wrong with you?"

Nate only laughed hysterically. "I don't see any trucks here." Nate said, surveying the empty road. "Are you going to try to have your way with me?"

Nate was officially the person Daryl hated more in the entire apocalyptic world. He rolled his eyes. "I ain't gon' lead you to where I'm set up for tonight. Wait here and I'll be back in about half an hour."

Nate groaned. "So boring. Your lack of faith is disturbing."

"Shut up." Daryl hissed, climbing out and slamming the door. He walked into the line off tree, taking a left once the truck was out of view. Daryl had Nate drive right past where camp was, in case Nate had any plans to come back for them, he'd be looking in the wrong area.

After about 15 minutes, Daryl came up to the camp. Rick was the first to see him. "You're back early." He commented.

"I got a ride." Rick looked confused. "I ran into this guy, apparently his buddy trades stuff for stuff. I got Merles stash; I figured I could trade some of the drugs and prescription pills for food. I had him drop me off 15 minutes that way and walked back here."

"Does this guy seem legitimate?" Rick asked.

"He's a fucking clown." Daryl said. "But it was too good to try to turn down. And by the way, that hotel you were talking about, that is where Crawford is."

"Crawford?" Daryl turned around to see Charlotte.

"You're kidding." Rick said. Daryl shook his head. "We need to get far away from that place."

"Looks like we are heading north." Daryl shrugged.

"How can you trust this guy? The one you are supposed to trade with." Charlotte asked.

"How long have you been listening?" Daryl asked. She only stared at him. "I don't."

"It sounds a little too god to be true."

"No, if it were too good to be true he'd be handing shit out." He looked to Rick, who nodded.

"Check it out."

"I'm going with." Daryl shot Charlotte a look. "Don't start; it was one thing with you traveling alone through the woods. Besides, I'm better at negotiating."

"Yer' crazy if ya' think I'll let you in the car with some random guy I don't trust."

"You'll be there." She urged. "You need a calm mind there, so you don't start a fight or get screwed. I'm not staying."

"Ya' sure as hell ain't goin'."

"I'm not a little housewife that is going to stay behind and do your laundry every time you go out. You treat me like I'm useless!"

"I treat ya' like I like ya' being alive and safe!" he shouted.

"Daryl." Rick interrupted. "I can't have you going alone. Maybe it won't be a bad idea if she goes; she is a good shot, Daryl." Before Daryl could say anything, Charlotte set off to grab her things. Daryl swore, shaking his head. "She is just stressed, she didn't mean that."

Daryl scoffed. "Ya' know the difference between me bein' stressed and her bein' stressed? I would never say anything so mean to her." His tone was harsh, but he was taken aback when Rick chuckled. "What?"

"I said something exactly like that before all this happened. I was in the squad car…" he went quiet for a short, but noticeable moment. "With Shane. That morning Lori told me she thought I didn't care about her or Carl."

Daryl shook his head. "That's exactly what I mean. Women can bitch all they want about men talking out of there ass, but they are the ones who talk before they think. Even if I did say anything like that, I'd apologize. After all this shit, the only reason I agreed to get in the truck with that asshole is 'cause there's a chance it'll feed her. But I treat her like she's useless." Rick listened to Daryl rant sympathetically.

"I know where you're coming from man, I do. But try to look at it from her side." Daryl gave him a look that said what side? "Even if it's a dumb one that makes no sense to you, she has a reason in her mind to think that."

"I ain't said or done nothin' to her to make her think like that." Daryl defended.

"Maybe it's something you're not saying or doing." Daryl sighed, the last thing he wanted to do was make a list of things he was not saying or not doing and figure out which one was making her get so offended.

"Women." Daryl said it like it was a curse word.

When Charlotte climbed into the back of the truck, and Nate adjusted his review mirror and gazed at it. Daryl roughly backhanded him in the arm. Nate jumped, holding his arm and staring at Daryl. "Ow! What the hell man?"

Daryl hit him again. "Don't be lookin' at my girl. Touch the mirror again I'll throw it out the God damn window and break your fingers."

Nate recoiled. "My bad! I was just lookin'; I didn't know that was your girl! I haven't seen a pretty girl in a while- What the hell man?" was the response to Daryl hitting him a third time. "You are violent. He don't lay his hands on you, does he?"

"You think you're so funny." Daryl grumbled. "Just drive."

"Did he give you that black eye?" Nate asked, in a not at all seriously concerned way. "Ow, God damn it!"

Charlotte had doubted Nate, but he put the car in park and sure as hell by the river there was a set up with crates. A large man stood there with a few other armed men. "You guys wait here." Nate told them, before turning his back and making his way toward the men.

Charlotte was eyeing the men while Nate talked to them. "You found Crawford?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah." He said. "Had a couple of walkers at the entrance impaled; a warning to unwanted visitors." He was quiet for a minute. "You aren't going there."

"After what they did to Tanner and me? How the slaughtered my friends at the Motor Inn? Not to mention all of the prisoners they have locked up there." The women.

"We ain't ready." He said his voice low. "If we are goin' in, we are gonna' do it smart."

"Seems like Nate is pretty smart when it comes to Crawford."

Daryl scoffed. "That guy is an idiot."

"You don't have to like him. I bet he has a lot of intell." They both hushed up as Nate made his way back over to them.

Nate looked to Daryl. "I told him you wouldn't like this, but he insisted I asked; would your girl be willing to show her tits?"

"I'm just about done with ya'!" Daryl yelled, fainting that he would hit Nate, causing Nate to jump away. "She ain't showin' her tits-"

"How much would we get if I did though?" Charlotte asked, smirking. Daryl gave her a heated look.

"Don't encourage him. Did you tell him about the heroin or what?"

Nate rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes I told him. He's very interested. You can go talk to him." He led them over to the crates filled with food, clothes, guns, and knives.

The large man grinned; he looked like he was a biker, with the leather vest and dark jeans. "I heard we can make a deal of some sort." Charlotte smoke up before Daryl had the chance too.

"It's not every day that pain killers like that come across me." He replied. "What do you need?"

She glanced around. "I want that turkey for sure." She pointed to the carcass. "And a handful of canned food of course."

"And the boots." Daryl said to her, pointing them out.

He let out a low whistle. "And what do you think that's worth?"

"I'd say two grams of heroin should more than cover it."

The man laughed. "Two grams, what am I supposed to do with two grams?"

"Seeing as that's about $800 worth of drugs, I say you could do a lot."

"Yes, but that doesn't matter here anymore does it?"

Charlotte gave a charming smirk; Daryl recognized it as something she used against dumb men that didn't think with their head. "What's your name?"

"She asks my name." he fake sighed, grinning at Charlotte. "My name is Paul."

"Paul," she started. "If we are going to play the game of 'How much is heroin worth theses days', then I'm going to say it's worth a lot more. It's a lot harder to get. How often do you run across it?" she left the question open, looking to all of the men. "Not once I'm going to guess? And plus, isn't there a first time shoppers discount?" she threw in.

Paul heaved a sigh. "Throw in something else, promise to come back and we have a deal."

She smiled brightly, which caused him to smile. She had a way of manipulating anyone into anything.

On the way back Charlotte sat in the front seat, grilling Nate with questions about Crawford. The more Daryl listened, the more sick he got from the stories. "People are always trying to sneak in, to steal and everything." He said. "They never get far from what I heard.

"Steal what?" Charlotte asked curiously.

"Medicine, fuel, boats, cars, food." He said. "Don't bother searching towns around here; Crawford picked it dry, plus the number of people they killed and stole from. There's nothing. And there Crawford is sitting pretty, untouchable."

Charlotte swore. "We need fuel. Our vehicles are low now; we won't make it out of the area without some more."

"You won't find any around here either." He insisted. "Crawford has it all." Daryl was staring at Charlotte; her whole body faced him, and she was chewing on her lip thoughtfully.

"We have to break in." she said.

Nate and Daryl both gave her a similar look. "Are you crazy?" Nate asked. "What part of they kill everyone that tries to get in did you not hear?"

"We aren't desperate, we are smart." She said. "We get in, rob them dry, take out some of those assholes, and get out of there. If we could get a boat-"

"We could go to an island or some shit." Daryl said. "Get the fuck out of here."

"You guys are crazy." Nate said. "You'll never make it out. You need to know someone with intell of the inside."

"I feel like you have that intell." Charlotte pushed, staring at him.

Nate sighed. "Alright, when they first started I was there. After a while, they started kicking out anyone with kids under 14, anyone that was less than perfectly healthy. Anyone with special needs was booted. At first I stayed through it. Then I started to see what the men did out on missions. On the day they force Sarah Lynn to get an abortion was the day I left." He shook his head. "And they went after me for 'escaping', they didn't think anyone should leave on their own free will. They treated it like treason. Fuck those assholes. One of them sent a bullet right into my arm. That's when I met Paul; he patched me up."

Charlotte was staring at him silent at first. "Well, help us get in. I'm sure you need ammo, and medicine, and taking out one or two of those pricks wouldn't hurt you either."

"I'm in." he said with no hesitation.

"Are you serious?" Daryl asked.

"What can I say, she's persuasive." He sent a wink to Charlotte.

Rick stared at Daryl, not saying anything for a while. Daryl knew it was a whole lot to take in; breaking into a place they had planned on avoiding, and bringing a stranger back with them. Rick let out a sigh. "You said so yourself we're not ready to take them on."

"We train for a week or two. We get everyone ready, in shape, with good aim. We don't split up anymore, we go into together, and come out together. Lori, Carl, Carol, and Beth- they need to be able to shoot, to fight. If we can get them ready, we can work out a plan to rob these people blind." Daryl's voice was serious as he tried to convince Rick. "And if we can get a boat, we can get out of here."

Rick rubbed his mouth thoughtfully. "And that guy, he knows the layout?" Daryl nodded. "Winter is coming… People are going to starve, and get sick. Lori needs vitamins."

"We gotta' do this." Daryl urged.

Rick nodded. "Let's go tell everyone."

When Rick gathered everyone, and told them, definitely a few looked scared. Lori spoke up loudly. "Carl is not going to be a part in this."

Rick just looked at her, through her. He looked at her with distaste. Lori almost seemed shocked by the look- Daryl pieced together what had happened. Rick could hardly look at his wife. "Yes, he is." He said plainly. She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "It is not up for debate. What I say goes; you just go along with it." He snarled. Her eyes widened and she looked to her lap, but Carl looked almost ecstatic.

"And this dude is gonna' help us?" T-Dog asked.

"How can we trust someone that's from there?" Carol asked quietly.

"I left because I didn't like that place." Nate defended himself. "If you go into that town having no idea where anything is, you aren't going to make it out."

"Why do we have to do this?" Carol turned to Rick.

"It's what we are doing; don't like it, go out on your own." Daryl locked eyes with Charlotte. The group accepted what Rick said.

After they broke up, Daryl made his way over to his wife. "Think we can pull this off?"

"We don't have a choice." She said. "Just like we don't have any choice but to trust Nate."

"Thank God, I was starting to think you believed him." Daryl said, glancing to see said man with Rick, talking. "I don't believe for a second he's going to help us out with all just his good intentions in mind. No, he wants something in it for himself."

"What's the plan then?" she asked.

"We keep a close eye on him." Daryl said. "I'm not going to let him out of my sight until this whole thing is over."

A/N: Have gotten so many views and favorites in the past week it's insane! Thanks so much all. However, the past two chapters have gotten no reviews and it would be really nice to get feedback and know what everyone is thinking. It's hard to know what direction to go or if I'm going about it right if you guys don't tell me. The more reviews I get, the faster I will update.