Daryl had parked the truck near some trees, using them as cover. I felt iffy about leaving the truck, considering we had ventured farther out than I expected from the prison. But, Daryl was by my side, and that made me feel better about the situation. I knew that with him, we'd be safe together, that I could count on him if anything went south. Which, I was prepared for these days, knowing that Phillip was not dead. Knowing that the maniac was still out there somewhere.

"How far?" I asked, as we trudged through thigh high grass.

"Not sure yet, only came this way once. Didn't get too far, neither." He mumbled, and I frowned slightly.

"Why not?" I pressed, curious.

"Didn't see much, but figured it's best to be safe. Rather be safe than sorry." Daryl replied with that gruff voice of his.

"I just don't think he wants to be found." I said quietly. "I mean, if he did, we'd have found him by now. Maybe he won't come back.."

"Said ya didn't believe that."

"Wishful thinkin'." I muttered, staying close to the man beside me.

"That ain't gonna help us out now if he comes back." Daryl snorted, as we veered off to the right.

"Nah, but he killed most of his people... He ain't gonna be able to just waltz right in and try to take the place by force."

"What if he found new people?" Daryl questioned, and I shrugged.

"Bring it on, I guess." I teased, looking over at him to give him a light smile.

"He ain't gettin' shit. We took that prison from the dead.. Fair and square." He growled, and I nodded.

"Damn right." I agreed, caught up momentarily by the way his blue eyes glinted in the early morning sunlight. The first rays peaking over the horizon seemed to dance in those pools of blue, and I had to look down at my boots to keep from getting flustered.

"What?" Daryl grunted, and I raised my head, barely looking over at him.

"Hm?"

"What's wrong?" He seemed a little bit more impatient with the question this time.

"Nothin'." I laughed softly, as we continued through the tall grass.

"Uh, huh." He didn't sound convinced.

"Your eyes." I managed to say, biting my cheek.

"What about 'em?"

"They're perfect." I cooed playfully, bumping his arm with my elbow.

"You give me hell." He growled. "You know that?"

"If I didn't, it'd be no fun." I played along.

"Let's go in through here.." Daryl ignored my statement, leading us into a wooded area.

"Into the woods we go.."

We had spent the entire day searching the woods. Nothing. Not a single live print in sight. We had run into a walker here and there, but no other sign of life except the animals in the forest. I was tired and hungry, feeling like my feet were dragging beneath me. But I couldn't complain, I refused to do that because at least Daryl wasn't out here alone with me waiting for him back home. Those were the worst days that brought the worst feelings and the greatest fears.

Nights he had been gone that kept me up. I couldn't sleep, as I worried for him. Many nights I sat at the watch perch, my head reeling at the awful thoughts that consumed my brain. I always wanted him back before he even made it clear from the prison. It seemed silly, knowing how well he took care of himself, but I just knew that one day something was going to happen. I tried to tell myself not to think like that, but with the way the world was... That seemed to be impossible. It was impossible not to expect the worse.

"Stop here for the night." Daryl's gruff voice interrupted my thoughts, and I stopped walking.

"Seems a good of place as any." I shrugged out of my bag, dropping it to the ground.

"Hungry?"

"Starvin'.." I replied, opening my pack. I pulled out some of the food we had packed from the prison, and sat down on my bag.

"Gonna make a fire." Daryl started gathering small sticks, throwing them on top of each other to make a little pile. He got them lit quickly, the flames only rising inches from the ground.

"Here.." I handed him some of the food, and he took it. We ate in silence, as the sound of nightfall began around us. Insects and animals made their light calls to say goodbye to the sun and hello to the darkness. I listened carefully to every sound around us. Listened to make sure nothing was out of place. No walkers shuffling up to see what was their next meal.

No people sneaking up to see what was their next opportunity.

It wasn't happening here. Not tonight. The two of us had no patience for bullshit, and it wouldn't fly. We were on a mission, a mission of trying to see if Phillip was anywhere near by. So far, we hadn't found a trace of evidence that he was. And that was fine by me. As much as I wanted to see him dead, all I really wanted to say was "good riddance". At this point, I'd had enough of it, I just wanted our group to be left alone.

All any of us wanted was to be left alone.

That didn't seem to be asking for much, if you asked me.

"You think the prison's gonna be permanent?" I questioned, leaning forward. I wrapped my arms around my knees, the chill of the night air nipping at my skin.

"Maybe." Daryl's answer was short.

"I sure hope so. Tired of runnin'." I rested my chin on my knees. "It feels like home."

"Guess it's startin' to." He agreed.

"We're workin' on it." I grinned.

"You cold?"

"Maybe a little."

"C'mere." Daryl jerked his head, motioning for me to come toward him. Letting go of my knees, I stood, walking over to where he sat. Daryl shrugged out of his jacket, handing it to me. I put it on, and before I could make a move, his hand was grasping mine. Pulling me to him, forcing me to sit beside him.

The next move was simple. Was easy to make for me. Leaning forward, my free hand went to his face, his stubble prickling my fingertips. I could feel his eager breath on my lips as I kissed him softly. His left hand went to my neck, pulling me closer, but I was sure we were as close as humanly possible. My fingers tightened around his, as our pace quickened, my breathing becoming heavier. As his tongue slid across mine, my hand slipped to the back of his neck.

Fingers tangled in the back of his hair, I kissed him rougher, leaning into him more. I was in his lap, straddling him. Daryl's left hand had untangled from mine, both of his hands finding their way to my hips. His thumbs pressed into my hip bones, earning a quiet moan from my lips against his. His mouth curved into a half smile, and I broke the kiss, trying to focus on everything around us.

"You tryin' to get us killed?" I whispered, out of breath.

"Nah." He smirked, something boyishly charming about the look on his face.

"I missed you all those nights you were gone.." I pushed my forehead against his, trying to level my breathing.

"I'll make up for it when we get back." Daryl said surely, his voice a bit raspy. His words, and the way he was looking at me, made my stomach flutter. I relaxed when his hand left my hip bone, trailing light touches up my back.

"I know you will." I managed to speak, though his fingertips made it difficult to do so.

"Gotta get an early start.. Try and get ya some sleep, girl." He said, leaning forward to kiss me quickly on the lips. I couldn't hide the curve of a grin, as I moved away from him, repositioning myself. Laying my head in his lap, I felt the coldness of the world dissolve. He was my warmth.

"Sounds good." I muttered, and I snuggled against him harder when his hand touched my face. His fingertips brushed my hair behind my ear, and that was the last thing I felt. The last thing I felt, his touch, before I drifted into a dreamless sleep.

"Maybe it really is over." I stated flatly, as we walked toward the trees and brush hiding our truck.

"He ain't nowhere around here. That's for sure." Daryl said gruffly, as we walked up the small incline toward the vehicle.

"We've been out there searchin' for three days." I glanced over at him. "You'd have found him if he was close by."

"Yea." Daryl's tone was agitated.

"At least we're goin' home." I reasoned, opening the passenger side door. Climbing inside the truck, I shut my door.

"Still don't like it." His blue eyes seemed full of anger and determination. I knew as well as anyone that he wanted to find Phillip.

"Me either, but..." I trailed off, touching his face. "Better not here than here."

"Hn." He grunted, sticking the key in the ignition. Daryl started the truck, and pulled off of the grass, avoiding the brush and trees. Once out on the road, I rolled my window down, enjoying the cool air on my face.

Spring was just around the corner, and I knew that Georgia would bring another hot summer. I was quite pleased that we weren't shivering in our boots anymore, but the heat wave that would follow spring wasn't something I was looking forward to. Our group had much planning to do, even though it seemed that Rick had already started. I noticed that he had been mapping out the yard, he and Glenn repairing the fencing around it. Hershel had mentioned growing crops, and I thought it was a brilliant idea.

But ever since the merge with the Woodbury people, Rick had kept to himself more than usual. He even took Carl off of watch duty, and had the kids doing schooling with Carol. I knew that Carol wasn't an idiot, and I knew that she was teaching those kids more than just your average school work. It was a smart move, considering they needed to know how to take care of themselves. Sad as it was to say, there couldn't always be an adult on hand to keep them safe.

"You're quiet." Daryl's voice hit my ears like a song, and I turned to look at him, offering a sweet smile.

"Just enjoyin' the breeze." I replied, watching his face. He was looking straight ahead, focused on the road. "Stop the truck."

"What?" He looked over at me, as I scooted toward him.

"Stop the truck." I repeated my words in a whisper against his ear. He slowed the vehicle down, shifting the gear in park. His eyes drifted over to mine, watching me with those piercing blues. I kissed him hard without warning, shifting my body to straddle him in his seat.

"Been...too...long.." He growled between kisses.

"Way..too...long.." I agreed, pressing into him harder when his tongue slipped over mine. I felt his rough fingertips grab the bottom of my shirt, as he lifted it roughly. I leaned back, breaking our kiss to allow him to pull my shirt over my head. He was already unbuttoning my jeans before I could think to do so, and I moved off of him for a moment to take them off.

Kicking them onto the floorboard, along with my underwear, I climbed back on top of him. Our lips met again, as my fingers fumbled to unbutton his jeans. I unlatched his belt, pulling it out of the way. He pushed his jeans down a bit, allowing me to sink down on him. A growl escaped his lips against mine, and I whimpered lightly at the feeling. Taking a moment to adjust to him being inside of me, I broke our kiss, my lips trailing down his jaw.

Once I reached his neck, just below his ear, I began to move. Rough hands ran up my spine and feathered back down, his fingertips digging into my skin as he grabbed my hips. My hands were in his hair at the back of his neck, as he pulled me back down every time I moved up. Little sounds of pleasure escaped my lips as I nipped at his throat, and I suddenly felt teeth on my collar bone, earning him a moan.

"Jesus, I missed this." He growled, biting and sucking on my throat, making his way up to that little spot behind my ear. My fingers curled in his hair, and I pulled his head back a bit, before kissing him roughly on the mouth. His fingers dug in harder, pulling me down harder. I kept my mouth on his to hush any noises.

"Daryl!" I yelped his name breathlessly, when he moved his right hand away from my hip, his thumb rubbing circles. The act sent me into a slight frenzy, my stomach tightening.

"Come on, girl." His voice was gruff in my ear, as his thumb circled faster.

"Daryl.." I could barely breathe, chills running up my spine as the tingling in my toes started.

"Love it when you say my name." That low sexy growl in his voice made my stomach tighten even more, and I knew I was on the verge, my body shaking against his.

"Daryl!" I cried out, trying not to be too loud, as my muscles tightened around him. Release flooded through me as his thumb left me, his hand returning to my hip to keep me steady. My fist were balled at the back of his neck, his hair still tangled in my fingers. A string of profanities left his lips in a low gruff whisper, as he came, still forcing me to ride out my orgasm. I shuddered against him, leaning into him as he stopped moving my hips.

Breathing incredibly hard, I couldn't move, my head resting on his shoulder. His hands were still on my hips, holding me in place. I was sweating, he was sweating. Despite my window still being down, the truck was hot, the sun beaming down on my back through the windshield. I somehow managed to pick my head up, releasing my hold on his hair. Wrinkling my nose at him, I kissed him again, softly.

His right hand slid up my back, pulling me closer as we kissed gently, and I smiled against his lips.

Yea, it's been way too long, Dixon..

Wellllllll... I hope that made up for the long update wait I forced upon you guys. So sorry, I've had SO MUCH going on lately.

I'm super excited to eventually get to season 4 ! We will get there.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter. My twitter handle is kailabrittFF or you can look me up by Kaila Murphy. I post my own pic edits and updates for my stories. Also will answer any questions you guys want to ask, so fire away on twitter !

As always, you all are absolutely fucking amazing. I make you guys wait like, 30 years for a chapter, and I'm still steadily getting FF notifications. I APPRECIATE YOU ALL SO MUCH ! EVERY REVIEW/READ/FAV/FOLLOW !

I am also writing a book, which is taking up my time, but I am taking a break from it to work on my FF stories because I love my readers.

~Kaila