Before starting this, I do want to point out that I was debating if Daryl should take the girl along. I decided against it. We do all know that Daryl isn't one to really play the superhero. If I didn't clear it up already, she told Beth to leave her when she thought she'd be dead weight. The girl was injured and knew that Beth only had so long lasting out there alone. She didn't dare stop Daryl from going without her, and he didn't take her along because she did say she told Beth to leave without her.

Remember, don't hesitate to Private Message me if there's any confusion.

Daryl never thought he had a purpose for anything.

Sure, he had to protect his group.

But really, they all could do just as well without him.

What would he have gained if he had found Sophia?

Daryl never thought he had a purpose for anything.

And now he did.

He walked along the narrow path given by the woods. He had been walking since day, and now the sun was setting. It'd be awfully hard to track at night, but he wouldn't want to risk her getting hurt because he was too tired. Sighing, he continued along the path.

Darkness struck, and he saw the path he had followed narrow, and soon come to an end. He looked past to see a clearing. Taking two steps further, he saw the recognizable railroad tracks.

He wasn't sure if he was relieved or not, and he still didn't know when he saw the familiar pile of bodies. How did he know it was the pile the pair had passed at the start of their journey? The lone kid's sized shoe.

This sadly made more memories flow into his brain. How Beth was crying over the bodies and he was just… watching. He wanted to bang his head on a tree, cursing at himself for not helping her if he was there.

He should have done something.

He felt stupid sometimes. Maybe not really stupid, but like he could do more. He wanted to help her, wanted to comfort her. Was it his own nature that stopped him? He was unsure then, but now, he knows that whatever stopped him is gone.

He remembered telling Beth all about his past, swapping stories about life before "it" all happened. He remembered the smile on her face as she told him the story of Maggie, Shawn and her at the pond, and when her dad found them. He missed her smile.

He didn't regret a word he had said to her, and she felt the same. They didn't talk about the moment again, or the memories, because that talk had only made their bond stronger. And stronger it was.

Daryl remembered walking with her as the black smoke continued to rise, and they laughed at the fact that the fire still hadn't gone out and had probably spread to the wispy trees behind it. They laughed at the people who could have seen it and thought it was a wildfire.

Daryl remembered his dad's cabin.

"We should burn it down."

He remembered her smile when she said that, like she was telling a joke. She had smiled up at him when he stood up and agreed.

He never wanted to go there again, but at the same time, he wondered if Beth would be there. Maybe she would try to meet up with him somewhere, surprise him. It happened before, when the group met up at the highway after getting all split up. As much as Carol whined about not wanting to go back, remembering her girl's pale, scared-looking face as she hid under the car, Daryl knew the group would be there. They kept driving and soon enough, when they looked behind them, the rest of the group was following.

Beth was there when they all met up, hugging her father and sister. Beth remembers. Beth knows that Daryl remembers, too.

It wouldn't hurt. She may not be very good with directions, or at least as good as him, but it wouldn't hurt to check. It's just the type of person she is to go back to a place they used to know.

Daryl settled it with himself. He was going back to his father's cabin.