"Maggie, this is crazy!"

"Relax, Glenn. Nobody's gonna come in here. The sun ain't even up yet. Probably all still sleepin'."

She tugs on my hand and I stop resisting her. The smile she gives me is one I'd do anything for, even something as crazy as this. I look into her big green eyes and smile back at her. I place my hand on the small of her back as she turns the handle, the door swings open and we step inside.

"Wow. It's really dark in here."

There aren't any windows in the garage so, even if the sun was up, no natural light could shine through. I reach into my back pocket and pull out my keychain flashlight. It doesn't brighten up the entire room, but at least now we can see where we're walking. I step in front of her and my light falls on the opposite wall. It's covered in tools and, even in the limited light, I know we could use some of that stuff. I start to walk towards it.

"You gonna loot the place for supplies or you gonna have sex with your wife?"

I smile at the mock irritation in her voice. With everything that's gone so wrong in this world, Maggie makes my life worth living. She's beautiful, fiery and kind; and she loves me. I was never so scared as I was when we got separated. But I put that fear aside because I knew she was still alive and that she'd be out there looking for me, too. I turn to face her and the light casts onto the front end of a car. "Huh. Guess now we know why the driveway was empty."

Maggie sits down on the hood of the car and starts to pull off her shirt as I approach her. Just when our lips meet, she pulls away. "Wait. You hear that?"

I listen more closely. It sounds like a scratching noise and I think it's coming from inside the car. I pull her off, set her next to me and trail the light over the hood. When it hits the windshield, I stumble into her.

"Go get Abraham. Him and the others are right down the hall."

"Okay, let me think."

It's still dark outside, but the sun's gonna start comin' up soon. She's leaned back against the arm of the couch, her legs 'cross my lap. My fingers graze over the cool, pale skin of her thigh. I'd been so worried 'bout findin' her last night, I ain't noticed she'd been wearin' my flannel. Even bein' big on her, it's probably the best thing I ever seen her in. When I woke up with my face buried in the smooth skin of her neck, the scent struck me. She still smelled like honey, but she also smelled like me. It reminded me that she's mine. She's only ever been mine.

"I've never smoked a cigarette." I snort at her an' roll my eyes. She'd said the point of this game's to learn more 'bout each other. There ain't no learnin' when it's shit you already knew.

"Figures."

I remember the first cigarette I ever smoked. I was settin' up on the porch with Merle. He'd just turned eighteen an' went out to get his first pack, least, his first pack he bought for hisself. I was eleven years old the first time I ever lit up, been smokin' 'em ever since. I never took Beth as the type that smoked. She was a good girl her whole life. It's one of the things I love most 'bout her.

Her gigglin' makes my chest go tight. She smiles up at me an' the feelin' only gets stronger. It's my turn, but I can't think of what to say. We already been through so much shit we'd never done. Sometimes we'd say stupid things, sometimes it'd be more. I think 'bout that doghouse I saw outside last night.

"I ain't ever had a pet."

She sits upright. Her jaw pops open, but 'fore she can say whatever she'd meant to, Maggie comes through the door. She almost looks surprised to see us here, an' I'm relieved to see she ain't wearin' her gun. When Beth sees her sister, she quickly pulls her legs offa me. 'Fore I get the chance to worry 'bout her seein' me sittin' here with her half naked little sister, I jump up at the look on Maggie's face. The surprise's gone. Somethin's wrong. I can feel my heart race, hear the pulse quicken in my head.

"Somethin' happen?"

"Walkers. In the garage."

There's a real panic on her face. I see Beth start to stand outta the corner of my eye. I turn to her an' shake my head. Whatever this is, the last thing I need's for her to get anywhere near a walker. The memory of that afternoon at the lake will haunt me 'til the day I die. I'm relieved she don't argue. I grab my bow offa the floor an' follow Maggie out the door.

"Thought they said this place was clear." I grind my teeth with the frustration, my voice's gravelly. They'd told us the place didn't have walkers. Empty. She doesn't say anything. I follow her the few feet it takes to get to the door that leads out to the garage. When she pushes it open, I raise my bow at the movement I make out in the dark.

"Easy! It's just me!"

"Dammit, Glenn! Almost put a fuckin' bolt through your head!"

It's too damn dark in here. Maggie tells Glenn to put his light back on. He shines it on a car. I walk over an' see two walkers sittin' in the front seats: man an' woman. Pair of senior fuckin' citizens. They almost look like normal dead. Only thing I see's she's missin' some flesh offa her arm. He ain't got a scratch on him; musta turned first. There's a bible on the dash in fronta them. It takes me a second to put together what happened.

"They opted out. Set themselves in the car an' ran it. Died from carbon monoxide. Glenn, give Maggie the light an' help me get the door up."

I hear their feet move on the cement. There's a dull thud, then an apology. Glenn musta bumped into her. She shines the light to the door an' we make our way over. Glenn an' me bend down an' start to pull it up. It don't take long, they musta had a broken motor or somethin'. The aluminum rolls up slowly, creakin' as it goes. When it's finally open I look 'round outside. Sun's just started to come up. Ain't as dark as it was.

"So do we open the door? Let them out one at a time? Or do you want to shoot them in the car?"

I look from Glenn to the walkers. I don't answer him right away. I needa see what kinda threat they are, so I walk 'round the rest of the car. When I pass the driver side window, the walker there beats his hands against the glass. I scan the back seat an' see there ain't nothin' back there. I shake my head.

"Ain't hurtin' nobody in there. Dumbasses can't even open the doors. Ain't worth the bolts or the bullets."

They look at me like they wanna say somethin' but I step out into the driveway 'fore they try to change my mind. Them walkers ain't hurtin' nothin' bein' trapped up in that damn car. I reach into my shirt pocket an' pull out my cigarettes. Shit, ain't got but a few left. I decide to ration 'em 'til I find more, grit my teeth an' put 'em back.

Glenn an' Maggie head back inside, mumblin' to each other. Just's I start to turn, I see somethin' dart under the porch. Not a walker. Musta been some animal. We got some canned food, but it'll never replace fresh meat. I raise my bow an' creep towards the porch, lower myself to a crouch an' peer under. Can't see shit. I set my bow to my side, lay flat on my stomach an' look again. I know I ain't seein' shit. A rabbit or somethin' just ran under here. As I strain to see in the dark space, a pair of bright green eyes meet my gaze.

"Shit. Just a fuckin' cat."

I get back up, grab my bow an' head back in, pullin' down the garage door behind me. Glenn an' Maggie are in the kitchen, Gabriel's passed out in the same chair I'd found him in last night. Lookin' at him there with that bottle of wine in fronta him, it reminds me of somethin' he'd said.

"I can feel it amongst them, somethin' dark."

Glenn picks up the bottle an' shows it to us. "He almost drank the whole thing. Man, he's gonna feel that today."

I lean against one of the counters while they search cupboards an' drawers for anything we can use. I can't pull my eyes offa Gabriel. What'd he mean by somethin' dark? I wanna brush it off as some drunken religious nutjob ramblin' on, but somethin' in me says it coulda been more. I think 'bout all us here. We all done shit we ain't proud of, but that don't make us monsters. We do what needs to be done to survive. There'd been a time when I'd thought there weren't good people left. But I don't know if I believe that anymore. Then I remember I'd left Beth in the other room.

"Y'all find what you can. Be right back."

I head out the door an' walk in that room. She ain't in here. I go back out an' take the stairs up to the room we were in last night. Standin' just outside the door, I hear her singin' quietly to herself. I love when she sings. Ever since I'd tried to hurt her feelin's that day at the shack, she don't sing much in fronta me. Not unless I ask her. I can't make out what the song is, but it's sad. She sings a lotta sad songs. I don't wanna ruin this, so I press my ear to the door to hear better.

"An' all I can taste is this moment, an' all I can breathe is your life. When sooner or later it's over, I just don't wanna miss you tonight."

Quietly's I can, I turn the handle an' slowly open the door. She's facin' away from me so she don't know I'm standin' here. I grip at the strap of my bow, hookin' my thumb underneath an' hitchin' it up higher. My other shoulder rests against the doorframe as I watch her. She sways her hips slightly, movin' to the rhythm of the music in her head. I can't look away from her. She's dressed in her jeans again, still wearin' my shirt. I see her workin' her hair into a braid.

"An' I don't want the world to see me 'cause I don't think that they'd understand. When everything's made to be broken, I just want you to know who I am."

I clear my throat. She turns to me an' I see her cheeks go pink. I walk into the room an' over to her, look into her eyes. I wanna tell her how much I love her singin'. Tell her how beautiful she looks in my shirt, or how I liked her readin' to me last night. Those types of words don't come easy to me. When I think I know where to start, she speaks first.

"Everything okay out there?"

I'm relieved she broke the silence, but pissed I couldn't just say somethin' nice to her for a change. I nod an' go to sit on the bed in fronta her. I set my bow next to me an' allow myself to fall back onto the mattress. My body ain't used to shit bein' so easy. Now that I ain't so tensed up I can feel how sore I am, how stiff my bones are. My hands run over my face, into my hair.

"An' the walkers?"

"S'alright."

I look up an' see her nod to me. I appreciate that she don't ask me questions. She stretches her arms over her head, archin' her back as she sighs. That reminds me.

"Found a cat."

Now her whole face's lit up. It reminds me of when I told her 'bout that mutt outside the funeral home. "Really? Where is it?"

"Bastard's hidin' out under the porch."

She grabs me by the wrist an' pulls me to my feet. Her small hand's smooth an' cool against the rough skin of my own when her fingers wrap tightly 'round mine. She tugs gently. "Well, c'mon. Let's go find it!"

I can't be irritated at how excited she is over a stupid cat. Gotta remind myself she's still lookin' for the good in this world. I pick my bow back up an' lead her outta the room an' down the stairs. The kitchen door opens up an' Rick steps into the hallway holdin' Asskicker. He looks to me, tilts his head back to the kitchen. I give him a quick nod an' he disappears back behind the door.

"I needa talk to Rick. Wait for me on the porch an' don't move 'til I get there."

She rolls her eyes at me an' walks away. As I open the kitchen door I hear the other door open an' she mumbles, "Yes, sir, Mr. Dixon." That damn smart mouth. I ignore the smirk pullin' at the corner of my mouth.

I step into the kitchen an' see Rick an' all the others 'round the table. I notice Gabriel ain't in here no more. Rick tells Carl to take his sister an' go in another room. I look 'round their faces. Rick speaks up.

"We needa search the place for what we can if we haven't already. I'd also like us to split into groups of two to search a few other houses for supplies. Glenn found some tools in the garage that he's already packed in a van. Who knows what we can find in the others. By nightfall, we're leavin'." Everybody starts pairin' up. I figure I'd go with Rick. I head outside to tell Beth what's happenin' an' my stomach drops when I see she ain't on the porch. I told her to stand right here an' wait for me. I try not to think of the worst.

"Beth!"

I run down the steps, 'round the side of the porch to see if she went lookin' for that fuckin' cat, but she ain't there. I glance down to see if she'd tried to crawl under to get it. When I get down, I see two pairs of legs standing over on the other side. Those ripped jeans an' boots are Beth's. I stand quickly, the blood rushin' from my head's either from the fast change in position or from my anger. Can't tell which. I walk over an' stop mid-step when I see her talkin' to some kid I ain't ever seen before. I raise my bow quietly. He looked 'bout her age, his hair's dark an' his skin's almost pale as hers. When he sees me he stops talkin' to her, makin' her turn to me.

"Daryl! What're you doin'?"

"Could ask you the same fuckin' thing."

I walk over to her an' grab her by the elbow, pullin' her behind me so I'm between the two of 'em. I look him up an' down, glad to see he looks scared. "Who the fuck're you?"

"Jesse. I was stayin' in one of the houses further down. I'd come out to look for food when I saw your cars here. Then I saw Beth standin' on the porch."

I can feel my temperature risin'. Complete fuckin' stranger just walks up to her an' in minutes they're on a first name basis. Jesse just stares at me, a dumb smile workin' on his face. He don't look dangerous. I'd taken in all sorts of types to head back to the prison. But this ain't like it was then. I tug on Beth's arm.

"Just wait out here. Me an' Beth'll go get the others an' they'll figure this out." As I lead her back into the house, his voice carries over to us.

"I'm a good guy! I'd never hurt anyone!"

The door closes behind us an' I turn on her. She looks like nothin's wrong. Like she weren't spendin' every fuckin' minute of every fuckin' day ignorin' the shit I tell her to keep her safe. I let go of her arm, run my hands over my face to stop myself from clenchin' fists. I try to make my voice low, calm.

"The hell you thinkin', talkin' to some complete stranger like that. We don't know that boy or-"

"Daryl, he's just hungry an' alone. He's been by hisself for a while now, livin' offa stale food he'd found in the house he's been in."

She just don't get it. All she wants is to see the good in people. I don't wanna be mad at her, I wanna try to get through to her how dangerous her hopefulness is. But my mind can't put that thought into kind words. I'm too pissed off. I turn away from her, hoist my bow up higher on my shoulder. My fingers rub over my eyes an' I let out an exasperated sigh.

"Dammit, girl! I'm gonna put a fuckin' bell 'round your neck so's I ain't gotta keep trackin' you down!" I turn to face her an' she looks like she's pissed at me. She cocks her hip out an' her arms fall to her side. She lifts her chin defiantly.

"You ain't my babysitter, Daryl. Or my chaperone. I thought we already established that? You don't needa keep me in your sights every minute of the day. I can take care of myself so I'm not such a damn burden to you!"

I can't believe she's mad at me. She's the one runnin' off chasin' hopes an' dreams an' I've done all I can to keep her alive. I tried not to get angry, but she hit a nerve assumin' I only wanna keep her alive 'cause I think she can't do it herself. Beth means more to me than my next fuckin' breath. I feel my blood turn cold. I bite down hard on my lip to try to stop myself but it's too much. I get right up in fronta her.

"Don't gimme that shit! You wouldn't survive one fuckin' day out there alone! If it weren't for me, you'd been dead weeks ago. You enjoy me practically killin' myself to keep you alive? Dammit! You're gonna be the fuckin' death of me, Beth!"

For a second, I think she's gonna argue with me. I feel the anger startin' to die down after what I said. My eyes are on the floor, I can't even look at her. When I see her feet step back, I think she might even hit me. She lets out a small sob an' the sound pulls my focus to her face again. Her hand's at her mouth an' tears fall down her cheeks as she blinks. I feel a pain in my chest an' my throat feels like it's swelled shut. Her nightmare. She'd told me she'd dreamt that I'd died to save her. I just used her own fear against her 'cause I was mad. I raise my hand to touch her face but she slaps it away.

"Don't touch me! You can go to Hell, Daryl Dixon."

She tries to push past me but I reach out an' grab her by the wrist. I hadn't meant what I said to hurt her. I'd just wanted her to understand how dangerous it is out there. She can't just go runnin' off wherever she wants to. She stops an' turns 'round, glarin' at me.

"Get offa my arm, Daryl. Let me go!"

Her voice's calm, but I know there's a storm formin' behind those blue eyes. I'd never seen her so mad, not even at the shack. I drop my hand to my side an' watch as she walks away from me. The kitchen door opens an' Maggie's standin' there. She watches her sister run up the stairs an' she looks back to me.

"What's that about?"

I don't wanna talk to Maggie. I don't wanna talk to anybody. I'd just hurt the one person I'd ever let in. All this time we spent tryin' to figure each other out, the time I spent happy with her. Deep down I knew it was wrong, knew all along I didn't deserve anything she had to offer me. Maggie walks up to me as Rick an' the others start comin' out. Teams to go scavengin'. I look past Maggie's questionin' face to Rick.

"There's a kid out in the yard. Late teens, early twenties. Says he's been stayin' in another house. Told him I'd get you."

I don't stick 'round for questions. I needa go to Beth an' fix this. 'Fore I even take a step in that direction, Maggie grabs my arm. She holds my eyes while she speaks.

"Glenn, you go with Rick. I'm gonna take Daryl on my run."

Nobody argues an' she gestures for me to follow her out the door. Rick an' Glenn are behind us. I point to where the kid's standin' an' we split up. The others start spreadin' out through the neighborhood, Maggie leads us to the house 'cross the street with the swing set. We get to the door, I got my bow raised an' she's got her hatchet in hand. I nod to her an' she opens it.

We clear the lower level an' she starts turnin' cupboards an' drawers. I just stay behind her, bow at the ready. My mind ain't here. It's back in that house 'cross the street, up in the room tryin' to make things right with Beth.

"You plan on tellin' me why I saw my sister run up them stairs cryin'?"

I look back 'round to see she's still lookin' through one of those cabinets. She ain't lookin' at me. I get the feelin' it's 'cause she knows I don't like eye contact. I kick at the ugly green rug with my boot. I don't say nothin'. Too ashamed of myself. She stands an' faces me.

"Daryl, I'm not stupid. You an' her have gotten real close. I know what you two are. I get it. You ain't gotta shut me out. I know whatever problems y'all might be havin' ain't my business, but you needa know that I'm here for the both of you. You can talk to me."

She ain't mad. I'd half expected her to split my skull with that hatchet. But she only wants to talk. I don't know what I'm s'posed to say to her. Instead, I move on to the next room an' act like I'm lookin' for shit. I hear her walk in behind me.

"This'll go a helluva lot quicker if we split up."

"Don't do that. Don't shut me out. We're all family, Daryl."

I turn to face her. She looks like she means it, like she ain't mad that I coulda just broken her little sister's heart. Shit, just thinkin' it eats away at me. I look at the floor.

"Found her out there talkin' to that kid. Complete stranger an' she's talkin' to him like it ain't nothin'."

Maggie looks like she understands. Course she does, she woulda acted the same way I had. "You lost your temper."

It ain't a question. Everybody in our camp knows I been fightin' back my anger lately. I don't take swings at people, don't start no fights. Not anymore. Of all the people who coulda brought the worst back outta me, it's the one I'd been workin' hardest to hide it for.

"Well, you just gotta talk to her. Apologize an' the two of you work it out. You'll be fine."

I grunt my response. I ain't in the mood to argue. I know she's right. But I ain't stupid enough to think I'd deserve Beth forgivin' me. If she even wanted to. I head up the stairs while Maggie searched the last room on the first floor. I grab pillows an' blankets, batteries an' another flashlight I'd found. I start pullin' clothes outta the closet when she comes into the room.

"That kid was pretty good lookin', huh? Looks about the same age as Beth."

I turn to face her. She's got her arms crossed over her chest an' one eyebrow raised at me. I bite down on my tongue. I ain't 'bout to start shit with her, too. Instead I grab a coat that I think Beth'll like an' throw it in the pile.

"Well, if you just plan on givin' up on her, maybe she can find happiness with someone else."

I throw the bag I'd been holdin' down. I don't need this shit on top of everything else. It ain't even crossed my mind that he mighta been someone Beth coulda had an interest in if we weren't...whatever we are. I only saw him as a potential threat to our safety. Maybe he coulda been a bigger threat to me than anyone else.

"The fuck you gettin' at, Maggie?"

"I'm sorry, did I finally get a response outta you?"

I grind my teeth, close my eyes an' fight back the anger tryin' to surface. Now I know what she's doin'. I keep my eyes closed as I speak to her. "You got a point, I suggest you make it."

She lets out a laugh. "Don't you ever get tired of it? Always fightin' your anger? You put up a big damn wall so none of us can reach out to you, but you know deep down you need us. You wouldn't be here if you didn't."

I feel my shoulders fall. I'm fuckin' tired. Tired of all of it. The anger, stress, all these damn feelin's I'm tryin' to figure out. It's been nothin' short of exhaustin'. I open my eyes an' look at her. Her arms still cross her chest, but her face ain't set so hard now.

"You don't always have to hold it in. We all understand, we're right there with you. It's okay to get upset. Yell, kick a wall. Hell, throw somethin' if you gotta. But don't hold it in. You've come a long way from the stubborn ass you were back on the farm, Daryl. Don't ever think we'd let you fall back into that."

I scratch the back of my neck as I take in what she's said. Maggie means well. I know she ain't tryin' to start shit with me. She only wants me to accept they're my family. An' they are my family, I know that. I don't know what I'd do if I lost any one of 'em. I nod an' she don't push me further. She just starts baggin' shit up an' I head out to the next room.

It looks like a girl stayed in here. All purple an' flowery. I go to the dresser to look for clothes when my eye catches somethin' shiny. I pick it up, work it between my fingers. I hear Maggie come up behind me.

"Pretty necklace."

My hand grips the silver chain tightly, the pendent digs into my skin. I close my eyes an' imagine what'd it'd be like to see Beth wearin' somethin' like that. Somethin' I'd given her. My heart beats faster when I picture her smilin'. I quickly shove it in my pocket an' start to go through the first drawer when I feel Maggie lightly touch my arm. I tense up.

"She's gonna forgive you. 'Specially if you give her that necklace." I turn to face her an' she gives me a warm smile. I don't know what to say. I just know that I want Beth to forgive me.

We finish grabbin' all we can an' make our way back to camp. We walk inside an' I hear Rick an' Glenn talkin'. Must be in there with that kid, still. Maggie looks from me to the stairs an' smiles. We drop the bags to the floor. When she turns her back to me to go to Glenn, I gently grab her arm an' turn her to face me again.

"Um, thanks. For back there."

She flashes me an all too familiar smile. I just nod to her. She lifts her arm an' gently squeezes my shoulder. Her eyes say it all, but her voice's gentle as she speaks to me. "We're family. It's what we do."

I take the stairs two at a time to get to her. I lean against the door decidin' if I should just walk in. I knock lightly. "It's me. Open up."

It's only a few seconds, but it feels like a lifetime waitin' for her to open that damn door. I can't blame her. I'd really hurt her this time. A part of me thinks I'll spend the rest of my life tryin' to make that up to her. Tryin' harder to never hurt her again. When she finally opens the door, I see her face's wet, her eyes are puffy an' red. I feel worst than I did waitin' for her to let me in.

She don't say nothin', won't even hold my eyes. I follow her into the room an' she sits on the bed in fronta me. I see she's wringin' her hands an' that's where her eyes focus. I take a deep breath.

"Look, what I said down there-"

"It's fine. You're right, I'm careless an' it's wrong of me. I'm sorry."

I hadn't expected that. She'd been so mad, I thought I'd have to beg her to forgive me. I didn't think she'd turn this 'round. But somethin' ain't right. She still won't look me in the eyes. I slowly reach my hand to her face, pause 'fore I even touch her. It'd kill me if she pushed me away again. When her cheek presses into my palm, I can feel myself breathe easier.

"You don't gotta be sorry."

Now she looks up at me. She gives me a small smile but it still don't feel right. I needa know we're okay. Needa know she ain't still mad at me. I stand her up an' hold her face, searchin' her eyes for anything that tells me what's goin' on in her head. She gives nothin' away. I lean my face down to hers, but don't make contact. I can feel it burnin' away at me to touch her, to make her give me some sign. Some response. She lifts her chin slightly an' I gently press my lips to hers.

At first, she don't respond to me. I start to move my lips against hers an' try to get her to follow me. I run the tip of my tongue lightly over her bottom lip, pushin' it gently against her mouth. She won't give in. I don't know what else I can do. I've fucked this up, I hurt her an' she ain't gonna forgive me. I might needa beg, after all. I let out a heavy sigh an' close my eyes, the tears burn behind my lids. "Don't push me away, Beth."

She lets out a small sob, it parts her lips an' I take my only chance. My tongue lightly strokes hers, I realize I can't get enough of her taste. I work my hand into the braid at the back of her head, gently pullin' her back to get better access to her mouth. She starts to kiss me. Slow at first, then she sighs an' runs her hands up the fronta my shirt an' diggin' her fingers into my shoulders. She bites down on to my lip. I moan into her mouth an' then pull myself away from her. She looks up at me again. The smile she gives me is still small, but it's her real smile. I broke through to her. I rest my forehead against hers, my hand grips the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I deserved it."

She sits down on the bed again, wipes at her eyes an' smiles. I'd thought I lost her. Thought she'd push me away an' chase after guys like the one downstairs. I ain't ever been the jealous type, mostly 'cause I ain't ever had nothin' worth takin'. But Beth's someone worth tryin' to take. I know we'll always run the risk of findin' others. I know it ain't really a bad thing all the time. The bigger the group, the better our defense out here. I gotta accept that there's gonna be other guys out there. Guys that'll see her an' think they're everything she needs. I just gotta trust that she won't leave me for one of 'em.

"How was the run?"

She don't ask me 'bout the boy. Either 'cause we just fought 'bout it, or 'cause she don't really care. I tell myself it's 'cause she don't care.

"Me an' Maggie found some clothes, batteries, blankets. Got another flashlight."

I can feel that fuckin' necklace burnin' a hole in my pocket. That was a stupid thing to do. Ain't ever seen her wear a damn necklace, probably don't even like 'em. I feel the heat from that damn thing travel up my spine, burnin' at the back of my mind. I needa just give it to her. She can do whatever she wants with it. I stand up an' shove my hand into my pocket, fist the necklace an' pull it out.

"Found somethin' there. Thought you might like it."

I shrug. She looks at my fist, back to me. I let out my breath an' open my hand. I can see her eyes flickin' over the chain an' the pendant. She don't say nothin' an' it's hard for me to breathe. Slowly- gently - her small fingers brush over my palm, pullin' the necklace up an' holdin' it in fronta her. She looks it over for a little while an' I can't make out her expression. Least she ain't throwin' it 'cross the room.

"S'alright if you don't like it."

Her eyes shoot up to my face. She smiles at me, an' it's the most beautiful fuckin' thing I've seen all day. A small laugh escapes her an' I feel like my heart's gonna explode.

"Daryl, it's beautiful. I love it. Will you put it on me?"

She stands an' hands me the chain, turnin' her back to me. I reach 'round her front, pullin' the two ends of the little chain behind her neck. I swallow hard as my thumbs brush the smooth skin there. I try to get the damn thing clasped without breakin' it. My hands weren't ever made for this shit. I'd worked on car parts an' weapons. The kinda shit that don't break so easily. I surprise myself when it finally hooks together. I let my hands run over her shoulders an' down her arms. She turns to me an' I scratch at my chin. I motion for her to look in the mirror, see for herself.

Even with her back turned to me, I see her reflection in the mirror. Her hand plays with the small charm, she smiles at its reflection. I walk over to her, stand at her side an' point to her hand.

"It's a dreamcatcher. Native Americans use 'em to catch bad dreams. That webbin's s'posed to tangle the bad dreams, only lettin' the good ones through. Thought it might help."

I stare down at my hands as my fingers run along the edge of the dresser. She touches my forearm an' I look at her again. There's tears back in her eyes. I almost feel like shit for doin' somethin' else that upset her until she stands on her toes an' kisses me again. She pulls away an' smiles up at me.

"You can be pretty romantic when you wanna be, Daryl Dixon."

I laugh at her, but deep down I feel my heart beat furiously. I hadn't meant it to be somethin' like that. I'd only thought she'd like it. I'd tried other ways to give her the romance she'd wanted. Had no fuckin' idea it was simple as a damn piece of jewelry. But I know it's more than that. It weren't just some damn piece of silver. When I saw it, saw what it was, I knew she needed it. I knew she had the nightmares.

I feel years younger with the worry of losin' her outta my mind an' offa my shoulders. I grab her hand an' pull her out the door.

"C'mon. Let's go find that mangy cat."

We head down the stairs an' I see Rick standin' in the doorway of the kitchen. That boy's set at the table, eatin' canned meat an' fruit. Rick turns to me.

"He's killed about eight walkers. Only one person." He scratches the back of his head. "Says it was his brother. He'd been bitten an' asked to go out a better way. Didn't wanna become a walker."

I nod to him. From the sounds of it, the kid seemed good enough. We've taken in others with a lot more human kills under their belts than that. Rick tells us to grab what we're takin' an' start loadin' up shit in the van. I grab a few bags an' head out there. When I turn, I see Beth hadn't followed me out. I head back to the house. The door to the book room's wide open. Beth's at the shelves, few books in her arms. I smile at her, grab the Christmas book we'd started readin' last night up offa the floor.

She turns to head out, books up to her chin. She returns my smile an' I take some of the books from her. We head out to the van an' drop 'em there. Without a word we go back to the house an' start grabbin' the rest.

We pack away all we got, waitin' for the others to come back from their scavengin'. I go in the kitchen an' grab a can of tuna, takin' it out to the porch.

"I guess he ran away. I don't see any cats down here."

"He might come back later. Here, set this down there for him."

She takes the can outta my hand, pickin' at the tab up an' pullin' the top back. She puts it against the wall. We go back inside to get somethin' to eat while we wait for the others to come back. She sits at the table, pickin' at her peaches while I eat some ham. I watch as she toys with the dreamcatcher, runnin' her fingers over it. Whatever I'd imagined of her wearin' that damn thing coulda never been as good as seein' her with it on right in fronta me.

"Y'all ready to head out? The vans are packed an' we gotta go."

"Just a second!"

I scribble quickly on the paper, Daryl hangin' back behind me. When I finish, I tear it outta the notebook an' we head out the door. I look over to the cars. Everybody's loaded in, spread out amongst all three. Me an' Daryl are gonna ride with Maggie, Glenn, Gabriel an' Jesse. We'll be second in the convoy. I look at the note in my hand, run my fingers over my necklace.

I'm nervous over what lies ahead of us. We still have a long ways to go to get to Washington. A small part of my mind tells me so much can happen between now an' then. It scares me. I grip tightly on the little dreamcatcher. I need it to catch my bad thoughts along with the nightmare. Daryl places his hand at the small of my back. He takes the note from me an' sticks it in the door.

This house is clear. Walkers are in a car in the garage, but they can't get you.

Best of luck,

The Prison Gang

He stares at it for a moment, then takes the pen outta my hand an' scratches somethin' at the bottom. He gives it back to me an' I smile at what he's written just as he turns us to head out to the others.

This house is clear. Walkers are in a car in the garage, but they can't get you.

Best of luck,

The Prison Gang

PS- Feed the black cat under the porch.

Beth & Daryl

A/N: *The song, Iris, belongs to The Goo Goo Dolls. The Walking Dead isn't mine either* I hope you all enjoyed this! Sorry it took so long!

:)