Theme Song: "I'd Come For You" - Nickelback

He started to pace a few steps away from me before hearing my lovely screw you comment. Like a predatory cat, he came stalking back towards me, his blue eyes narrowing as he stepped right up into my personal bubble without a care in the world, "Better watch yer' mouth sunshine. I ain't in the best of moods seein' as I've been trackin' your ass all mornin'. Because they all wanted ya' back."

His words hit me to my core and I snapped back immediately, "Then leave! If I'm such a burden for you, then freakin' leave." I shoved my pointer finger into his chest at the words for you and he looked slightly taken aback by my ballsy outburst and the fact that I had poked him in the chest.

He paused momentarily and cocked his head to the side dangerously, "That wha' ya' think? You're a burden on me?" I felt my bottom lip tremble in agitation, but I refused to cry any kind of tears right now.

I completely side stepped his question and continued on since I was already on a roll, "I thought you of all people would have my back when things got ugly back there. The last person I ever expected to turn on me would be you." I yelled at him now, walkers be damned. My insides swirled with emotions I'd been trying to push back since Daryl flew off the handle back at the prison. There was an immense amount of hurt that rolled off me in waves and I knew I was on the verge of tears once more, but I pushed them back yet again.

"I just thought, maybe I thought we were better than that, Daryl. I just.." I couldn't even articulate my sentences right, so I stopped while I was ahead to catch my breath. I breathed out in a huff and stomped my good foot on the ground in frustration, looking down to my boots and then back up at Daryl, my green eyes shining with the threat of over flowing tears.

"You are not the only one that lost something that day, Daryl. We all did." My voice was lower now, less shrill, but I felt my body trembling all the same. Daryl wouldn't even meet my gaze now and he stared down at the dead dog as I bit out my last comment, "Why don't you just go back? I mean, before I get you killed too, right?" The angry sarcasm was not unnoticed by Daryl. He seemed to have realized I was using similar words that he'd used on me the last time we spoke to each other.

I swore I heard him sigh and he finally looked up at me through his strands of greasy hair, "Red, ya' didn't get anyone killed-" I was shaking my head and he seemed to be tired of fighting. "Daniel and his men though-" I started to say back with a sense of urgency, but Daryl crossed the space between us and gripped my shoulders gently, "No, no, ya' didn't. Ya' don't get it. Carol figured it out shortly after ya' left. You're about to give yourself up for nuthin', Red. Hell, even if it hadn't been that crazy girl, ya' still don't need to be runnin' away."

Daryl's voice was softer now and I stood perplexed, quirking a brow as he released my shoulders, "Wait, crazy girl? I don't understand." Daryl fell silent, calculating how he was going to tell me whatever it was he needed to say, "Lizzie. She opened the gates that day. Not that Daniel freak. Iunno', Carl said she was wantin' 'em to come in and play, like they were people or somethin'. Carol pieced together everythin'. Damn girl was off her rocker."

He looked exhausted in that moment and I choked out a small sob as I realized everything was a huge misunderstanding. How could Lizzie have done something like that? Put us all in danger? It was only then I remembered feeling odd around her when I first met her. I think deep down I knew there was something off about her since day one. I'd just been too polite to mention it to Rick or Daryl.

I stood there now, taking the pressure off of my bad ankle and still tried to protest, "But Daniel and his men are still out there." My voice came out more like a whine now, but Daryl shook his head at me as if that didn't matter. "And if they come we'll be ready for 'em. Together." His words eerily echoed that of Rick's the night before. I felt my resolve crumble and I stared at Daryl now, still in shock.

He nodded back towards the prison in a gesture that meant he wanted me to follow him. "Ain't leavin' without ya'. I promised Rick and them I'd bring ya' back, so if I gotta' throw ya' over my shoulder I will."

Despite the situation, I chuckled involuntarily at his seriousness in throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me back home. Maybe I was losing it, but this all seemed like a really bad joke. A bad dream really and I was also tired of fighting. I didn't have anymore left in me. Not now, at least.

I attempted to smile half heartedly, looking down at my boots before looking back up at Daryl who was staring at me. "Sounds kinky, maybe I should resist a little more." Daryl groaned at my response and rolled his eyes as I pulled the arrow out of the dog and handed it to him. He seemed relieved we weren't fighting anymore and it made two of us. Which is why I needed to crack a joke..the tension was making me antsy.

Daryl looked to my hurt ankle with concern and added, "Second thought, c'mon. Lemme check that out first before ya' go walkin' back on it. Ain't no one in there, is there?" I merely shook my head as we walked into the shack. He pointed to a space in the room and I slid down the wall slowly, my eyes distant now as I thought about everything he had just told me. I knew protesting about checking my ankle would be futile, so I relented to Daryl's whims and took my boot off with a small whine from the pain.

The boot had teeth marks and faint traces of saliva. I took my sock off so he could look at it. Any other situation, I'd have kept walking, but Daryl wasn't about to let me argue with him now. He was no Hershel, but he wasn't stupid either when it came to an injury. My ankle was slightly swollen, but free of bite marks. "Tough boots ya' got there." He muttered, noticing I wasn't bit.

"I think he just yanked on it pretty good." I offered. Daryl's touch to my foot sent a tendril of flurries straight to my stomach, but I put on a stoic gaze as not to give away anything. I was still trying to figure out what exactly I felt for him. Friendship, yes. A mentor of sorts, sure.

Something more than I was willing to admit right now? Possibly.

I swallowed thickly as he inspected a bit more before putting it down gently on the floorboard of the shack, "Wanna' rest it up for a moment before we head back?" I nodded to his question. I was thankful that he could tell I needed a few minutes to collect myself. I silently put my sock and boot back on. My heart beat was still thrumming out of control from our spat, "So, Lizzie, huh?" I murmured now to break the silence.

Daryl sighed, scratching his head and nodded silently. The thought of Lizzie doing something that outlandish made me incredibly sad. The poor girl was clearly not right in the head and not only her, but T-Dog, had lost their lives that day. I knew in my heart I needed to go home. Leaving wasn't right regardless of what had happened.

Daryl slid down the wall next to me on my right and laid the bow in front of his feet. He looked to his bow as he mumbled, "Shouldn't of said those things to ya'. Back at the prison." I nodded slowly, "No, you shouldn't have." He looked to me out of the corner of his eye, but I smiled lightly and continued, "But considering what you've been through with Sophia and Beth, I guess I at least understand what triggered it."

He looked to me with a serious gaze, "Still don't make it right, Red." I shrugged and offered up a rueful smile, "I forgive you." We looked at each other with our shy gazes. Daryl was gnawing his cheek and staring at me with confusion as if he hadn't expected me to forgive him. 

"Saved my life back there." I added earnestly. Daryl grunted in response. 
Apologies were never easy, and we both had a hard time admitting when we were wrong. We were both stubborn in that aspect, "Nice poncho, by the way." I added with a smirk and he looked down at it before looking back up at me with a smirk of his own. He even grunted out a small chuckle.

"Prolly' look ridiculous." In one swift motion he took it off and offered it to me. I looked down to my arms and noticed the goosebumps, despite the Georgia heat. I wondered briefly if it had been from him touching my foot. I accepted the poncho and put it on, reveling in the warmth it brought me and secretly delighted by his woodsy scent.

I shook my head and responded without thinking, "Nah, you could never look bad in anything." He looked to me oddly with those piercing blue eyes and I looked away as my cheeks got unusually warm.

There was a moment of silence between us before I added, "I thought giving myself up would spare the rest of ya'll from any further pain. Everyone is like family to me, Daryl. I couldn't bear the thought of their deaths being because of Daniel finding me."

I was earnest with my words and it was my way of apologizing for being so quick to leave and justifying my actions at the same time. He seemed to have noticed my tone. "Don' matter who caused it. Ain't no reason to run away. Everyone would've wanted ya' back either way."

I was about to ask him if he had wanted me back, but he had nodded towards my right eyebrow, changing the subject and asked, "How'd ya' get that scar?" In all our time together, he had never asked about it, but I always saw his eyes drift towards it. It wasn't the most pleasent of stories, but some part of me wanted to be honest with him.

I figured if I opened up a bit to him, maybe, just maybe, he'd open up a little bit to me. He had never told me much about his life before, but I always suspected it wasn't rainbows amd butterflies.

I looked away for a moment and then down at boots in silent thought. I was about to take a trip down memory lane to a time before all this death and decay happened. I hadn't talked about any of my past in a long time, but I found it comforting that it was Daryl that was the one I would be confiding in.

Author's Note: I left it on a minor cliffhanger LOL I will update Saturday or Sunday! ^^