I don't usually write this much in this span of time, but I wanted to continue the momentum of my fic. I know that some of my character actions are out of character a little bit, but I really am trying to keep them in character while pushing my plot agenda at the same time.

Again, I'm sure this chapter will have some technical inaccuracies, but just bear with me. It's not your typical college freshman girl that knows her way around mechanics…

Beth couldn't understand how such a prime target home would get overlooked like this. She wasn't complaining; they now had a place to stay for the time being, until they were ready to head north. They still had to decide exactly where they would go, but that could be figured out after they'd had a proper shower.

"Split up or search together?" Beth asked after they'd climbed the carpeted stairs. Beth had insisted they take off their shoes before stepping foot on the pristine carpet.

"Sweetheart, it don' matter anyhow." Daryl had retorted, but Beth stayed firm. Sighing, he conceded.

Now barefoot, Beth smiled at the squishy feeling under her toes. Where the ground floor was definitely built for entertaining and showing off wealth, the top floor was much homier. There were pictures of the family lining the walls. A middle aged husband and wife, two children. The girl looked a few years younger than Beth but around her size. She hoped she had clothes more practical than what she was seeing in the photos.

"Split up; it's too clean here. Don' think there's any walkers." Beth nodded and turned left, while Daryl went right. The first room she entered appeared to be the master bedroom. It had a faint lingering smell of Chanel perfume, and it tinged her nose. The king sized bed was made with neutral colored sheets, and it looked like a cloud. It had a connected en suite, with a spacious shower and Jacuzzi style tub. She couldn't wait to wash the grime off of her body.

After a quick sweep of the rest of her half of the upstairs, she found a linen closet, full of Egyptian cotton sheets, and a guest bedroom. She met Daryl in the hallway.

"Two kids' rooms an' a bathroom. You?"

"Master with a connected bath, a closet, and a guest suite." Beth replied. "We really lucked out…"

"You're tellin' me. We'll stay for a coupla days till we get everything we need to head north."

"Do you want first shower?" she asked, pointing at the master bedroom. He shook his head.

"Nah, you go first. I wanna check out the garage; might be a car or somethin' we can use." Beth nodded and turned on her heel back into the bedroom. As soon as the door shut she began peeling off her sweaty, bloody clothes. It felt wonderful to be so exposed; she hadn't seen her own naked body in what felt like a lifetime.

She looked at herself in the mirror and was almost shocked by what she saw. She could count all of her ribs, and her body was covered in scrapes, scratches, and bruises. Her hip bones jutted out. She had been slight of frame before, but the time spent on the run since the prison fell had made her look almost skeletal. It was unnerving.

She opened the glass door to the shower and turned the water on. It spluttered a bit but eventually began flowing the clear, lukewarm water. Thinking it probably wouldn't get much warmer than it already was, she stepped into it.

The water was cool on her skin, but it was so refreshing that she barely noticed. The generator had done a pretty good job of removing the egg smell from the water, and when she began to shampoo her hair, the bathroom filled with the smell of lilac and honey.

Beth wanted to stay there forever, just floating in a bubble of sweet smelling soap and water that could be likened to rain, but all good things must come to an end. She didn't want to use all the water, so she got to cleaning herself. The loofah was perfect for scrubbing her dirty skin until it was red; the water at her feet was a dingy grey from all the filth. She was even able to shave. Having smooth legs, underarms—and other places—made her feel human again.

She shut off the water and opened the glass door again. Beth reached for the towel. That's when she realized.

She didn't grab one.

"Shoot," she muttered.

Beth figured Daryl was probably still in the garage, so she tiptoed, dripping wet, through the bedroom and into the hallway. She turned and opened the linen closet, pulling a fluffy white towel from the middle shelf.

"Hey what the hell?!" Beth dropped the towel on the ground in surprise and turned around to see none other than Daryl standing there.

"I—I thought you were downstairs!" she exclaimed. He was staring, quite obviously. "Avert your damn eyes!" He seemed to snap out of it and turned quickly around.

"Why ya walkin' around naked, little girl?!" he asked the wall.

"I forgot to grab a towel!" she replied, her voice a little higher than normal. She picked up the towel and wrapped it around her now shivering body. "It's all clear… I'm covered."

Daryl turned around and strode up to her. This caught her off guard, and she backed into the closet.

"W-what are you doing?" she asked. He wordlessly reached around her to grab a towel, his eyes, so blue, locked on hers. Then he was gone, retreated into the bedroom. Beth realized she had been holding her breath. "Stupid," she whispered to herself, walking into the girl's bedroom to find some clean clothes.

Daryl kept trying to convince himself that he hadn't seen anything. Well, he had seen her ass, but that hardly counted.

But then, she turned around. And he didn't look away until she called him out on it. What the hell was that? Who was he kidding? He'd seen everything. The slight curve of her waist that stretched down her hips and thighs, her flat, taut stomach. She was skinny; he could see the outline of every rib, and there was no way hips that jutted out that far was healthy. She needed to eat more. The image of her breasts was burned into his brain.

No. He wasn't going to think about it. He couldn't. She was a child. Well, she was almost nineteen, but he doubted she'd even ever been with a man.

Daryl resolutely put her out of mind. This was neither the time nor place for this. He found some men's shampoo and body wash, and took his shower. It felt refreshing, but he had more important issues on his mind. The garage was void of a vehicle, so they would have to search for another. It would be time consuming and potentially dangerous. Daryl wasn't certain how long they would have to remain at the house, or for how long it could stay secured.

When Daryl left the shower, towel wrapped around his waist loosely, he rifled through the closet of the parents, hoping to find something that wasn't a business suit. Thankfully, he found a pair of jeans and a wife beater that would do the trick for now.

He walked out of the bedroom and smelled tomato sauce wafting upstairs. He looked out the window; the sun was low in the sky. There may be two hours more of daylight. Daryl padded down the stairs and into the kitchen.

Beth was standing over the stove, stirring a pot of what he assumed to be noodles, while a pasta sauce simmered on the other burner.

"Pasta," she reminded him excitedly. "Black beans in the sauce, to make up for the fact we have no meat. Canned green beans on the side, and a can of apple pie filling for dessert." Daryl's stomach growled audibly; it smelled great.

"How long till it's done?" he asked.

"About another five minutes until the noodles are al dente. I'll start on the green beans in a minute."

"We need to figure out a list of everythin we're gonna need, little girl," Daryl said, sitting in a chair he'd scooted up to the counter. "I found a map of the US highways in the boy's room, an' I've pretty much figured out where we are."

"And? Where are we?"

"We're about two miles south of the Kentucky Georgia border. If we keep heading north, we'll eventually hit Ohio. That's our best bet." Beth nodded as she poured the green beans into another saucepan. "We need to find a vehicle. An SUV would be preferable. We should go scouting tomorrow."

"Sounds fine to me. After dinner, let's make that list, and figure out sleeping arrangements." Beth said, stirring the beans. He watched her as she crossed the kitchen and pulled down two china plates from the cabinet. Daryl couldn't help but notice how nice her ass looked in those jeans she found. No, dammit, Daryl, stop it. It's never gonna happen.

They ate in silence.

Wow, okay. I'm not super sure how that works out… do you guys think it flows okay? PLEASE let me know in your review.

HUGE THANKS to everyone that has been following this story; I uploaded the first chapter almost 24 hours ago, and I can't believe how much it has taken off already. :)