A/N: As usual, this is for you and my sister. Also, for my new hubby, who brings sunshine into a world that I thought would never have sunshine in it again.

Chapter Two - Maybe, We're Each On Our Own

Lungs burning, legs aching, hair sticking to the sweat on his forehead and neck but still he ran. Daryl Dixon pushed through his exhaustion and kept running, his body twisting this way and that lithely to dodge walkers. The distance he had put between him and the prison made little difference to the growing number of walkers that had been attracted to the noise of the battle.

The hunter continued dodging their flailing arms as he ran, his mind only set on the sounds of the work around him. He knew the forest around the prison like the back of his hand so maneuvering his way was easy. His mind pictured Beth trying to run with Judith and all of the baby gear that she needed. The petite woman would be slower moving and he should be able to meet up with her soon. He calculated where she could have left the prison from and started angling his trek in that direction, his eyes searching for any trace of the blonde. When he had first left, he had heard a few gun shots and knew they must have come from Beth. At first he had been annoyed because he knew that the sounds would only bring more attention to her but he had quickly reminded himself of her burden. Using her knife would put her and Judith at risk and she might be unable to use it at times. A picture of Beth and Judith becoming surrounded and overwhelmed by walkers came to his mind, the screams and cries he could imagine from both ringing in his ears spurred his legs to push through the cramping and burning to move faster. He listened closely to the world around him, hoping to hear a gunshot or her running or Judith crying, something to tell him they were still alive but the world was silent.

After what felt like three hours of running but was only a matter of minutes (ten tops), he finally saw something that lifted his spirits. He slowed as he approached a tree, his eyes taking in the small cut in the bark. Beth had made it while running by the tree with her knife, it was sloppy and small, but it was enough to lift his heart and raise his adrenaline levels. The area around him was clear of walkers so he was able to pause for a moment, breathe deeply a few times, and look around. To his left, another cut tree, and his right, another. She came from his right, that was the direction of the prison. On the ground, he noticed deep, sliding heel marks. Beth was rubbing her heels in deeply every chance she could, another way to help him track her. He felt his lips tilt into a small smile and began to run again, his eyes peeled on the ground and trees, following her signs.

He could tell, as he ran further, that she was tiring. Her heel marks were getting deeper, more angled; the knife marks in the trees were becoming less noticeable. A high pitched wail that he recognized immediately to be Judith pierced the air. He wasn't too far away but he knew walkers would be right there with him if Judith kept crying like that. Ahead, the trees opened to a field. Blue eyes widened at the flash of movement ahead and suddenly his feet were carrying him faster, leaping over roots. The sun was behind him as he broke through the trees and his eyes caught sight of the petite blonde, her hair flying behind her, swaying as she slowed to a jog, the diaper bag hitting the back of her legs.

She turned, then, her eyes falling on him as he took her in, his feet carrying him closer to her as hers stilled. Judith was crying but Daryl only spared her a glance, his eyes staying on the youngest Greene. She was tired, her breathing heavy and wild, but alive.

He stopped in front of her, her eyes giving him a brief glance over before meeting his with the brightest smile he could ever recall seeing on someone's face. He gestured for her to hand over the diaper bag and Judith, which she did without hesitation, her smile widening as he strapped the lil ass kicker to his chest. They stood in silence for a while, each catching their breath, glancing at the other frequently, as if in disbelief that they were together and alive. After a while, though, Beth's eyes flickered to the woods behind them and the billows of smoke rising over them and her smile waned, her eyes taking a heavy, darkened look as she remembered her father. She swallowed heavily and nodded, her eyes finding Daryl's again.

"Come on, let's go," she told him, her voice wavering but strong and Daryl nodded and followed her further from their old home and her loss.