I apologize for the long wait and for the short chapter. I'm trying to take things slow and I had wanted to wait until last night's episode hoping I would get more of a glimpse of Aaron so that I could feel out his character more, but I really didn't see that much of him. I guess I'm going to have to do a little improvising and hope that it turns out okay. Hopefully the next chapter shouldn't take as long, but no promises. Thanks for reading!

...

"That should do it," Daryl commented. He stood up and brushed his hands across the front of his jeans.

"That's it?" Eric asked incredulously.

"We're about to find out." Daryl straddled the bike and turned the key while pressing the gas. The bike turned over once before firing up, the engine purring loudly. Daryl couldn't stop the grin that broke out over his face and when he glanced over, Aaron and Eric were wearing matching expressions. Aaron's gaze locked with his for a single instant before looking away. He let the engine idle for several minutes before switching the bike off, his excitement mounting higher by the minute.

The bike signified a lot of things for Daryl. It meant freedom...no more being confined to whatever car that they could find. This was familiar to him, a reminder of his brother and days long gone. This was the place he felt most at home, the raw power rumbling against his thighs. In lots of ways the bike was home to him and he ached to get it out on the road.

The silence was loud once more without the growl of the bike and Daryl stayed seated on it a little longer. Eric elbowed Aaron with a grin, "You were right. he is good." Aaron's face grew red as he nodded.

"So I'm thinkin' it's time to take this baby out on the road and see what she can do," Daryl commented.

"Do you think you're ready for a mission so soon?" Aaron asked.

"Of course he's ready! Look at him," Eric interrupted as he gestured to Daryl. Daryl opened his mouth to speak, but he was again cut off, this time by Aaron.

"It just seems soon. They've barely been here a week. You know as well as I so that recruiting can take days or even weeks," Aaron emphasized.

"And you also know that the sooner, the better. The more people we recruit, the stronger we are." Eric rubbed his forehead in mild agitation.

Aaron sighed, "We haven't even had time to show him the routine."

Daryl eyed the two of them with raised brows. he wasn't exactly sure if they were even aware of him being there anymore.

"What about it, Aaron? Baby, there's not much to the routine. What's the problem here? Is something going on with you that you're not telling me?"

"No! It's just -" Aaron growled under his breath. "I'm fine. Hey, Daryl...wait!"

Daryl paused at the edge of the garage, escape lurking just within reach. The last thing he wanted to do was to be caught in the middle of some lover's quarrel. He was just ready to get out on the open road.

"If the two of you need some time to uh...do...whatever it is that need to do then it's cool. I can wait for a few because I need to go talk to Rick a minute anyway, but either way I'm goin' - with or without you," Daryl said.

Aaron placed his hands on his hips, his face deep in thought. "Alright then, let's do it."

"He'll meet you out there in ten minutes, Daryl." Eric placed one hand upon his lover's shoulder, but Aaron was still looking at Daryl.

"Yeah, okay. Sounds good," Daryl replied. He stepped through the doorway, glancing over his shoulder once. Aaron was smiling softly at Eric who was speaking to him in a low voice. Daryl shook his head as he continued on. That bike ride was looking better and better.

...

"You sure about this? It's kind of sudden."

Daryl shrugged. To him it couldn't have come soon enough. "These things can take a while so the sooner we leave, the better."

Rick nodded, but his expression told Daryl that he still wasn't convinced. "I just don't like the group being split like this. Being here is great and all, but I feel like it's pulling us all apart. Stupid?"

Daryl snugged the strap of his crossbow and slid it onto his back as he thought about it. "Nah, it's not stupid. I get what you mean, but we gotta start somewhere, right? It don't seem too bad here right now."

Rick nodded along, his eyes scanning the area around them before returning to Daryl. "It just seems too good here is all...It's hard to explain, but just keep your eyes and ears open if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, always. Listen, I better head out. Told Aaron I'd meet him at the gate," Daryl said.

Rick touched his arm as he turned to leave, "You okay with this? Going out with him I mean?"

Daryl snorted at the fact that Rick was insinuating that he might be afraid or something. He took a moment to really study his best friend and leader. Rick did seem a little preoccupied, but then again when was he not? He chalked it up to being in a strange place with people that they still weren't really sure they could trust or not. Daryl began to question whether leaving was really a good idea or not.

"I can stay," Daryl said suddenly, "I don't have to go out there if you need me here." He would stay if Rick thought it necessary, but Daryl was hoping that he wouldn't because he was really looking forward to taking that bike outside the fences.

"No. We should be fine. I'll just keep my eyes open for anything suspicious."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Daryl replied as he clapped his friend on the shoulder.

...

"God, I'm starving. How do you go so long without eating?" Aaron asked as he shoved a cracker into his mouth.

Daryl leaned against the hood of the car that Aaron was driving and shrugged. "Dunno. Not used to having a steady supply of food. Just got used to goin' without I guess."

"That makes sense. I should try to portion better. I've gotten so used to the way things are in Alexandria that sometimes I forget what the world is really like out here."

It amazed Daryl that anyone could forget what the world was really like. The people in Alexandria were sheltered and a lot hadn't really faced the horrors of the world as it was.

"You've gone soft," Daryl said as he sipped at his water to wash down the stale crackers.

"I suppose you're right," Aaron agreed. He eyed Daryl, his gaze drifting over his leather jacket down to his black jeans and back again. "You look pretty fit despite the lack of good nutrition you must have had," he mused.

It surprised Daryl that he wasn't bothered by Aaron's assessment of him. It wasn't something he was used to, but he actually felt comfortable around him. Aaron was the first gay person he had ever known firsthand. He didn't have anything against gay people, but he figured them to be different than Aaron. He supposed that was due to Merle always talking shit about their type and he had no doubt that were his brother still alive today, that he would be giving Daryl shit for even talking to Aaron.

"Daryl?"

Daryl jerked his head up as he realized that Aaron had been waiting for some sort of response while he had been lost in thought. "We done with storytime now? Got a lot of ground to cover," Daryl groused.

"Yeah, of course. We still taking this highway South?"

They had marked out a path on the map that Aaron and Eric had already been using. Several areas were highlighted along with notes of where others had been spotted and which places were overrun with walkers. They were very organized which helped them out a lot in the long run.

"That's the plan. Keep your eyes peeled for any activity."

"Absolutely. Though I doubt that I'll spot anything before you do. You're pretty good at this. It's why I pushed Deanna so hard to let you come," Aaron explained.

Daryl felt a redness creep over his face and he averted his gaze. He wasn't used to compliments, especially from men. "I ain't nothin' special," he retorted. "Let's go."

He headed for his bike as Aaron muttered something under his breath. He wasn't positive, but he could have sworn it sounded like, "I highly doubt that." He shrugged it off, but the words surprisingly warmed him in a way that made him want to question everything that he had ever been taught.

...