The next morning Daryl tried to sneak out of bed early. "Where are you going?" I asked. Years of working in the ER had made me a very light sleeper. Daryl looked down at me guiltily. He was definitely up to something. I sat up. "What are you doing?" I looked at him sternly. He shifted back and forth. He looked so adorable standing there, all naked and sheepish, I was having a hard time keeping my expression solemn. "Well?"

He cleared his throat. "Nothing, I was just um... Well I was going to leave a note," he said defensively. I remained quiet and just waited for the rest. "I'm going hunting," he blurted.

"Oh, is that all?" I climbed out from under the covers. Daryl's eyes ran down my body. For a thirty-one year old woman, I knew I still looked good. And I was not above using it to my advantage. I walked across the mattress and pressing myself against him I kissed him lightly on the lips. "Why would you feel the need to sneak out?"

"What?" Daryl murmured. "Oh, I figured after yesterday when I gave you a hard time about going out with Maggie.." Daryl kissed me again, and again.

"Well, I'm not going to give you a hard time about hunting by yourself. We did agree to trust each other's decisions, right?" Daryl nodded in between kisses. "I mean why would I get mad at you for that? After all, I was planning on doing the same."

Daryl pulled his head away from me. "What?" Disbelief in his eyes.

"Well, there's twelve of us. That's a lot of mouths to feed. I figured I'd take Gertie and go back to the marsh." I kissed him again. "I'm glad that we decided that we'd let each other make our own decisions." I hopped off the mattress and began to put on some clothes. Daryl was still staring at me. He looked as though he'd been poleaxed. "I am delighted that we agreed about that. It makes life so much easier." My voice was honey. When the last article of clothing was on, I started grabbing my weapons and backpack. "Do you want me to make you some breakfast before I leave?" Daryl still hadn't moved. "No? Well then, I'll see you later. Come on Gert." I started down the hall.

I was almost to the end of the corridor when I heard him. "Wait!" Daryl came rushing out trying to pull on a pair of jeans at the same time. "You know, why don't we go together?" He managed to get his second leg in and yank them up over his hips. I was a little disappointed he had succeeded so quickly.

"Oh, are you sure?" I asked sweetly. "I know how much you like your alone time."

"No, it's fine. We should probably see how we hunt as a team anyway." Daryl said hurriedly.

"Well, only if you're sure." Daryl nodded. "Well then. Why don't you finish getting dressed and I'll see you outside. I'll pack us some lunch."

By the time Daryl came outside, I knew he had figured out that he had walked right into a trap. He didn't seem upset though. Instead, he looked at me appreciatively. I smiled over at him, delighted with the way the day had started. "Why don't you write that note so everyone knows where we are."

Daryl cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I told Rick last night that I was going hunting this morning."

"Really? Last night? Huh, imagine that. Well they still might wonder where I am you know."

Daryl was saved from responding by Beth's arrival. "Good morning," she called out. "What are you two up to?"

"We're just getting ready to head out hunting," Daryl answered. I finished packing up lunch and swung the bag onto my shoulder. "Will you let everyone know?"

Beth looked confused. "You're going out hunting together?" She sounded as if she couldn't believe her ears. She looked over at me. I smiled.

"Yeah, well... We'll be back soon Beth." Daryl turned to me. "You ready?"

"Just as soon as I fill up my canteen."

As soon as we passed through the gate Daryl suggested that we head over to the marsh. "I'd like to see where it is, and you're best at hunting birds, right? I can hunt small game on the way, and if we find something larger we can go after that. Sound good?" I nodded and we headed off.

We were quiet as we trekked through the woods. It was pleasant silence. Daryl managed to kill a few squirrels on the way. When we got to the marsh Daryl whistled. "How on earth did you find this place?"

I looked around. It was beautiful. "I know right? Let's see what's out there. Come on Gertie." I began to move around the edge of the marsh, looking for signs of a flock in the wetlands. Daryl trailed behind us. When we got to an area that looked promising I set down my stuff. "Ready?" I asked Daryl. At his nod I told Gertie to go. The flock rose up, and Daryl and I released our arrows. After the birds tumbled to the ground I turned to Daryl. "Easy pickings." He laughed. We set up three more times, and although Daryl could only fire once every round, we brought down at least three birds each time. When we went to send Gertie back in after the last set of birds she just looked at me panting.

"She's got to be tired. I'll go," Daryl said.

"Wait. She's never not gone back. It might be something else."

Daryl looked down at Gertie. Then he whistled loudly. Immediately we could see movement not far from where Gertie had flushed out the birds. There was a walker in the marsh. "Wait till he's up on dry land. Don't want him in the water."

He reloaded his crossbow as I notched another arrow. We waited, Daryl occasionally letting out another whistle to draw him near. As the tall grass nearest to us began to move we got ready. When the walker came out, I froze. It was a little girl, not more than four. "Daryl..." I looked over towards him.

His eyes flickered over me briefly. "Don't look," he said. I glanced briefly back towards the girl before turning to the woods. I heard his arrow release and the drop of the body. I heard the splash as Gertie decided it was save to go after the other birds. "You alright?" Daryl placed his hand on my shoulder.

I took a steadying breath. "Yeah, I'm sorry. She just looked exactly like my niece Sarah. She's even the same age."

Daryl looked back at the body on the edge of the water. "Stay here, shut your eyes." I heard him move down to the water than rush past me. Two minutes later he was back. "She's gone baby. Are you sure you're alright?"

My mind had run wild while he was gone. "Daryl, you don't think.. I mean that couldn't have been Sarah right? I couldn't get in touch with any of my sisters before we left Boston. The phone lines were jammed. What if they ended up heading south too? Maybe I should go see, take another look at her." I began to move towards the woods.

"No. She's gone. It wasn't your niece. The odds that you and your niece would be here. Stella, it's just not possible." I started to open up my mouth to protest. "Baby, even if it was, what good would it do?"

"My sisters, they could be here. I could look for them." I could feel myself becoming slightly unhinged.

"No, you can't. That little girl had been dead for a while. Even if she was your niece, your family would never still be here. They would have moved on. You remember how it was on the road. You never stopped moving." He wrapped his arms around me. "Stella, I'm sorry, but your family isn't here. Alright?"

His arms began to move up and down my back, soothing me. I felt my breath catch and then the sobs began. Daryl sat down, pulling me into his lap. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his shoulder. After a while the sobs slowly stopped, but I still didn't move. I needed his comfort. It wasn't until the I felt totally back under control that I lifted my head. "Better?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I just miss them all so much. I wish I knew if there was even a chance that they were out there." I brushed the last of my tears away.

"Stella, from what you told me, with so many relatives there has to be at least some of your family left."

I let out a single laugh. "Thank you Daryl." I pulled in a shaky breath. "Okay. I'm okay." I wasn't sure who I was trying to convince him or me.

Daryl gave me a light kiss. "Let's head home."

"Yeah, let's go home."

I stretched out my body and groaned. When I got back I had been so tired from my breakdown that I had to go lay down. My head had barely touched the pillow before I was out. I vaguely remembered someone coming in and tucking the blankets around me. I glance towards the window and was surprised to see light sneaking around the curtains. I felt like I had slept forever.

I pushed myself out of the bed and grabbed my things to shower. I looked down at the sheets. They were speckled with mud. I had been so exhausted I hadn't even taken my clothes off before climbing into bed. I made a mental note to grab fresh sheets on my way back.

The shower woke me up. Really woke me up. Apparently the propane had run out. Oh well, at least the cold water will feel good in the summer. After I was dressed I headed back to the room. I stripped off the sheets and began making up the bed. As I spread the top sheet out, hands snaked around my hips. "Thought you weren't ever getting up." He nuzzled my neck.

"I know. Did everyone eat dinner yet?"

"Not yet. Hershel's wants to talk to you, wants to go over something with you. Asked me to let you know whenever you got up, to go find him."

"Do you know where he is? I'll go see him right now."

"He's got everyone tilling the field. Why's he looking for you anyway? Do you know?" Daryl was doing his best to distract me.

I was finding it a little hard to concentrate. "He probably wants to go over the list of medical supplies that we need. There's a hospital not far away." I pulled away. "I should probably go speak with him. We need those supplies and I think we should try to get them sooner rather than later. Walk me out?"

After dinner Hershel and I sat down with Rick and Daryl. Rick was immediately against the idea. "No, it's too dangerous. We still have some supplies. Work with those."

"We need these things. If someone gets injured, we can't be trying to get the supplies at that point. You saw how quickly things happened with Lori." Hershel said.

Rick looked over to where Lori was feeding Judith. His shoulders slumped. "What did you and Maggie see when you went there?" His reluctance to send the group into a dangerous situation was apparent. But he knew that we were right. If we didn't have the supplies, if something happened, people were going to die.

"Walkers were milling around the property. They were pretty spread out. The main entrance wouldn't work. It's too closed in. We'd have to find another way in there. I think we need to have a couple of people go there and really check it out. It may not be doable, but we have to at least see if it is." I hated saying it. I knew who would be going. I looked over at Daryl. He was looking back at me.

Suddenly he turned to Rick. "Why don't you and I go tomorrow. Hershel and Stella can finish up the list. And then we can plan the run for a few days from now."

"Alright," Rick nodded. "But if we come back and say it isn't going to work, that's the end of it. Agreed?" Hershel and I nodded. "Stella, where would we find most of this stuff?"

"The majority of it would be in the ER. That's probably the best place. However, some of it would be on the surgical floors. The ER entrance would be best, but if that's out, look to see if there is a day surgery entrance. They are usually set back a bit, but they almost always connect to the main ORs. If we could get in from there, we could go down to the ER. It would minimize the the time we would spend in the hospital. It's typically a straight shot."

"And if the ER is out completely?" Daryl asked.

I pursed my lips. "An ICU would be next on my list. But a town this small... they may not even have one, or stock what we're looking for. We could try a telemetry floor, but I'm not all that hopeful that they would have what we need. If that was the case, I'd rather try to get to the pharmacy. They don't stock a lot of drugs on the floors anymore."

Rick pulled out a map and he and Daryl bent over it, trying to decide what would be the best way to get to the hospital. I listened, a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Scouting out the hospital would be dangerous. If something happened, if either of them were hurt, it would be my fault. They'd be careful though. They wouldn't take any chances. At least that's what I repeated to myself over and over.

A while later Daryl and I headed back to the room. "You haven't said anything all night," he commented as soon as the door was shut.

I walked over to the window and I pushed back one of the curtains Beth had made for us. Looking up at the night sky I could see that there was no moon tonight. The stars shone brightly against the black expanse. I waited until I felt calm enough to answer. I wanted to throw myself in his arms and beg him to be careful, or better yet, to stay with me. I turned and there he was, standing inches away, only in his jeans. His face was full of concern as he looked down at me.

I decided I didn't want to talk, not now. I leaned forward and pressed my mouth to his chest. I delighted in the taste of his skin. My lips trailed up his neck as my hands dropped to the buckle at his waist. Daryl's hands cupped my ass, pressing me closer. A groan of pleasure passed his lips. Hurriedly I pushed his pants down off his hips. As he stepped free of them, I kicked off my sneakers and began to shed my own clothes. He hands brushed mine away as he finished the job. Together we collapsed on the bed.

I quickly rolled on top of him, my legs straddling his hips. He positioned me over him, but I wanted something else. I wanted to please him tonight, to show him how much I cared. I scooted down and cupping him in my hands, lowered my head over him. When my tongue skimmed the head of the shaft, Daryl hissed. His hands buried themselves in my hair. I wrapped my lips around him and began to move my head, sucking gently. Soon Daryl pulled me up,and gripped my head with his hands.

He looked into my eyes, searching for something, for what I don't know. Then he kissed me. There was an intensity about the kiss, it matched the way I felt. I lowered myself onto his erection. I paused for a moment, letting myself fully appreciate the sensation. I sat back, and began to rock slowly, Daryl's fingers clasping my hips. I began to move faster. He raised his torso off the bed and buried his face in my breasts. His mouth closed over one of my nipples, tugging gently. I leaned back, allowing him whatever he wanted. Suddenly he twisted, pulling me underneath him. He became more desperate, more demanding and I answered in kind. I could feel when his muscles began to contract rhythmically. His orgasm set off mine and I held on tightly and followed.

He tucked me in tight next to his body, my head on his shoulder, my leg looped over one of his. We didn't say anything, just held each other. Soon, we drifted off to sleep. When I woke in the middle of the night I kissed him lightly on the shoulder. He turned and we made love again. I laid there after, thinking, I wanted to talk with him but I was afraid. I was apprehensive of tomorrow, and I felt that if I said anything, if I told him my fears, he wouldn't come back.

The next morning we laid in bed together for as long as we could, his arms were wrapped around me tightly. The fear that I had the night before had not diminished in the light of day. When it was time, we got up and began to dress. As soon as I was done I looked up and Daryl was watching me. He smiled gently and walked over, he reached out and his hand clasped mine. When we got out to the yard, Rick was already there, packing up some things. I grabbed two plates of breakfast and passed one over. I took a few bites of mine than put it down for Gertie to finish. I was too tense to eat.

When Daryl and Rick were ready I walked over to the gate with him. He kissed me gently. "I'll see you in a few hours," he said. I only nodded, afraid of what I would say if I opened my mouth to speak. I watched as he climbed into the car and Rick drove through the gates.

The morning passed slowly. It seemed as though the sun had frozen in the sky. I sat by Lori's side as I cut out squares for a quilt. It kept my hands busy but not my head. Maggie came over and sat down to start on her own.

"Do you hear that?" her voice cut into my thoughts. I looked over at her, she had her head slightly cocked to the side and her eyes to the sky. I looked up. Suddenly I heard what she heard. It was a motor of some sort, but it didn't sound right. The pitch kept warbling up and down.

"There!" Lori yelled, her finger pointing to the sky. Maggie and I turned to look. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There was a helicopter, and it was in trouble. The chopper spun round and round as smoke began pouring out of it. We watched in horror as it plummeted to the ground.

Maggie and I looked at each other. We knew instantly that we were on the same page. If there was military out there, we needed to know. Besides, I couldn't leave men dying, trapped. "I'll go grab supplies."

"I'll get Glenn. Hurry. Just grab what you need."

I rushed down to the infirmary. Shit, I needed a bag. Hershel's room was right next door so I ran in there. I grabbed the first thing I saw, an old duffel bag, and ran back to get first aid supplies.

Oscar was standing by Maggie's car when I got back. Glenn and Maggie were all ready in the front. "I'll come with you," he volunteered.

I shook my head. "It'll leave the prison too unprotected. You have to stay." I pushed him aside and climbed into the back seat. Glenn hit the gas and we sped out through the gate.

"Did you see where it crashed?" I asked Glenn.

"A few miles over this way. I'll be able to figure it out a little better when we get closer."

It turned out we had to park the car on the side of the road and trek in. I grabbed the bag with the medical supplies. "How far do you think?" I asked as I pulled the strap onto my shoulder.

"Half mile, give or take. Terrain is pretty flat here, shouldn't take long."

I followed them into the woods, hurrying as fast as I could. Suddenly the strap on the bag ripped. The bag crashed to the ground and all the supplies spilled out, everything rolled everywhere. "Shit! Go on. See what's going on there. Don't move them unless you have to. I'll catch up." Maggie and Glenn hurried off as I started stuffing everything back in the bag. This time I made sure I zipped the bag before I took off after them.

As I reached the edge of the woods I had to stop to catch my breath. I was used to running but not while carrying an additional fifty pounds on me. I could see Maggie and Glenn by the crash site. Suddenly a military style hummer rolled into the clearing. When a man got out Glenn grabbed Maggie and pulled her behind him. I couldn't make out what they were saying. Glenn seemed on edge. Just as I was about to step out into the clearing a hand clamped over my mouth and I was pulled to the ground.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.. I know I did.

I had so much fun writing the beginning of this chapter. I could picture in my head Stella leading Daryl into that trap. Sometimes men just can't see what's right in front of them. Especially if there is a naked woman in the picture. No offense boys.

Please review. You can even review as a guest if you don't have an account. Seeing what you all think helps keep me on track.