This is the chapter I've been waiting for and dreading all at the same time. I really hope I did this justice. The rest of the chapters from here out will be a mixture of what we've seen on the show and my own ideas of what could happen. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)

I've never run so hard or so fast in all my life. The road beneath me is all worn down dirt an' rocks, much harder to track on, 'specially in the dark. But I keep pushin'. This is the only road for miles so I'm bound to see that black car. I'm gonna kill every motherfucker that had anything to do with this when I find them. I think 'bout her, 'bout how afraid she has to be. My body is drained, but my anger only charges me to push it harder. I can't believe I ever let my guard down. It's all my fault she's gone. I can't shake the thought of how only a few hours ago everything seemed to finally be fallin' into place. I shouldn't rely on this shitty world to remain calm for more than a few fuckin' hours.

She had helped me skin an' clean our squirrels as I started a fire in the yard. We were laughin' an' teasin' each other all afternoon. I'd go as far's sayin' we were actually havin' fun. I sat down by the fire, turnin' the meat to cook it evenly. I glanced up when I saw her approachin' me, one of the bottles of soda in her hand.

"Mind if I join you?" Her voice was light as she smiled down at me. I nodded at her before lookin' back at the squirrels. When she sat down she didn't put space between us, only sat right at my side. She leaned her head against my arm an' a shiver ran through her. I didn't even pause before wrappin' my arm 'round her shoulders. She offered me the bottle of soda an', after I took a swig, she took it back an' drank from it herself. I smirked at her.

"What? I can't share a bottle of cola with you? I don't have cooties, Daryl." The humor an' teasin' was heavy in her voice. She angled her whole body against me, now, the light of the fire castin' shadows over her face. Her hand raised up to my own that hung over her shoulder an' she weaved our fingers together. There was a promise of so much more in that gesture. I tensed up when she brought our hands to her mouth an' pressed her lips against the back of mine. She looked like even she was amazed at what she did, but that look changed to a small smile.

"I just wanted to thank you. I've been thinkin' 'bout so much this afternoon. But mostly I've thought 'bout what you've done for us; for me. I don't know how I'd ever have made it this far if I didn't have you, Daryl. So...thanks." I wanted to tell her that I would do it all again in a minute, I would do it all better. Shuttin' her out in the beginnin' woulda never happened if I knew where we would find ourselves later. But I just squeezed her hand tighter in mine an' quietly said, "S'alright."

The meat was just 'bout done, so I picked her up to carry her to the kitchen table. Honestly, I didn't know if her ankle was better or if she still couldn't walk on her own two feet. But I'm too comfortable holdin' her to me now. I don't look forward to the day it's no longer needed. It's like I've been grabbin' at straws to draw out the possibility of makin' her see what I do. When I kicked out her chair to set her down, I looked at her face. There was somethin' behind those eyes amongst the flames. I could only assume she's thinkin' of something, an' really strugglin' with whatever it is. But I still held her close, any distraction that prolonged what I imagine comes off as an innocent embrace is a welcome one.

Everything goes in slow motion, then. The look behind her eyes changed from questionin' to determination. She raised her face to mine an' looked into my eyes-for what? An answer? I couldn't even guess the question. But I didn't need to. One hand let go of my neck. It brushed over my cheekbone then swept the hair from my eyes. Her lips hovered over my jawline for what seemed like ages before they lightly touched my skin. I was frozen to the spot. I felt the gentle, warm pressure against my stubble an' closed my eyes. Before I could fully appreciate her perfect lips on my face, they were gone. She cleared her throat an' I opened my eyes to see her smilin' shyly up at me.

"What was that for?" My voice was raspy, givin' away to the emotion that devoured me.

"For bein' so sweet. You may think you're a hardass, Daryl, but I know better. Your gentle side always comes through when I need it most. So, thanks. Again." It was the openin' I'd been waitin' for- when she would let her own walls down an' make the first move. I had to tell her how I felt tonight.

The memory of that moment carves away at me. I hate myself for not tellin' her what she needed to hear. I look round for any turns or signs the car veered off, but it looks like it kept goin' straight, so I keep pushin' in that direction. In the back of my mind, I'm only roughly aware that the sun's started to come up; it's been at least three hours now. But I don't question what could've happened in the three hours since they took her, I won't be able to go on if I open those dark corners of my thoughts. Instead, I try to think back on how everything went wrong.

She was set next to me at the table, a pen an' paper in hand. We had just finished eating three of our squirrels; I figured I'd get more in the mornin'. I was scrapin' bottom on that damn everlastin' jelly when I noticed she had barely touched her canned fruit. She explained to me that she was leavin' a thank-you note to the people who stashed away the food we've been tearin' up. All I could think was how pointless a note would be for people we ain't ever met, they could've been psychopaths.

But she didn't see that. In her mind, there were still good people out here. People who would appreciate a note thankin' them for a deed they had no clue they'd done 'til they came back to an empty house an' half their food missin'. There's so much hope in this crazy girl. She looks at the good in everybody, even when they don't notice they have it. A voice in the back of my head reminded me that she saw the good in me. It made me realize that she's right. There are people out there who don't have a bad bone in their body, all's they need is a chance.

"Maybe you don't have to leave that. Maybe we just stick 'round here for a little while. They come back, we'll just make it work. May be nuts, but maybe we'll be alright." I couldn't look directly at her after I made that suggestion, but outta the corner of my eye I see her straighten up with a big ass grin on her face.

"So, you do think there're still good people around?" I couldn't answer that yet. What if she was wrong? What if I was?

"What changed your mind?" I had trouble keepin' my eye on her, so I shrugged an' said, "You know."

"What?" She was persistent, determined to whittle away at my fuckin' change of heart. But I didn't answer her. I didn't know if my voice could form the word, it's everything I needed to tell her. I was just fightin' with my own stubborn ass to let it out. So I only shrugged again. She called me on my shit, told me not to shrug it off.

"What changed your mind?" That heartbreakin' smile ripped right through me. In my head I told myself it's now or never; the answer was on the tip of my tongue. It was her. She changed my mind. She changed my whole existence. For the first time in my life I felt like livin' was more than just survivin'. I've needed this shift for so long, the very emotion behind it was weak to stand on it's own. I knew what changed: I'd fallen in love with the pretty girl with the big blue eyes an' heart of gold.

Our eyes met, an' for the first time since I can't remember, I held her gaze. I felt so pathetic for usin' her intuition as my out. But I couldn't tear through what was left of me only to be rejected by her. I plead with her eyes to work this out, take the weight offa me. An', slowly, realization dawned on her face.

"Oh..."

She looked at me, an' her body tilted towards mine. She had the same determination behind those eyes that I saw earlier, an' I realized this was it. This was the moment that I had been so dangerously close to but pushed off all the while. My heart raced, preparin' myself for either acceptance or rejection. My breathin' hitched when I saw her lips part slightly, I didn't even realize my body had been angled towards her, too. I was helplessly drawn to her. Her expression gave me the answer that I needed. I had to close the gap between us; I needed to show her how I felt. My own lips stung at the anticipation of finally meetin' hers.

But I never got to hold her or kiss her. All the fantasies of what could happen once we were on the same level burn in my mind, now. We were set up. I had thought it was that stupid fuckin' mutt again tanglin' up in the wires. We weren't prepared for those walkers. It had been a trap all along, I realize that now.

A sick feelin' weighs heavy in my heart when I think back to tellin' her to run, get to the road an' wait for me to meet back with her. She had told me she wasn't leaving me. I yelled at her to grab her shit, go through the window an' wait for me at the road. For the first time, she didn't defy me. She did exactly as I said. All the times I had sarcastically thought her listenin' to me might actually kill her...

I hunch over an' throw up on the ground. It's mostly from my own exertion, but a small part of it's the overwhelmin' guilt I feel at the thought of sendin' her out to danger. I let my guard down, I let her out of my sight for one fuckin' minute at my own orders, an' she was taken from me. I wipe my face on the back of my hand an' take off again.

Another mile or so down the way, an' I'm caught at a crossroads. I look in all directions for any sign of that damn car. But there's nothin' out here but me an' the achin' in my chest. I can't believe this happened. I'm completely lost an', for a split second, I think to put my cover back up an' push my fuckin' pain deep down. I'm alarmed to realize the walls are no longer there. I'm completely defenseless against this wave of desperation. The pain is killin' me 'til I can't take it anymore. I drop to the ground.

"Beth..." My voice is no more than a ragged whisper. It's the first time I've thought of her name since I had taken off after the car an' I had shouted it 'til the runnin' tore at my lungs. Jesus Christ, I can't take this. I've never felt so defeated in all my life. The sweat is drippin' down my face mixin' with tears I have no strength to hold back. I'm fallin' apart again an' the only person who could ever hold me together is gone. Slowly, the cryin' stops. I'm crumpled to the ground. I need to find her. I can't let anything happen to her. At that moment, I'm roughly aware of the sound of footsteps. I take in the several pairs of legs that have me circled.

"Well, looky what we have here boys."