It had been almost noon when they reached the warehouse. Glenn, Tyreese, and Daryl had hoped to make better time but the road they had planned on taking up was overrun by a hoard of walkers and they had to double back and take a less direct route. The place had been untouched and was still locked up when they got there. The air inside was dusty and stale.

Daryl tried not to think too hard about that morning. He had left before any of the girls had woken up. To say he regretted it would be an understatement. He had only done it because he was embarrassed over what he had witnessed the night before and because he was trying to avoid thinking about it even though it haunted his every thought.

The longer they were out here in the open the bigger chance there was of them being caught up in something they couldn't escape. What if he never got to say goodbye?

He shook his head and focused on loading the two trucks they had with the materials they needed for the fence. They would need to make a couple more trips out here to finish the next section. The faster they got this run over with the faster they could start preparing for the next one. He just wanted to get back safely.

"Maggie was nagging at me all morning about coming out here, but its quieter than I thought it would be." Glenn announced to both men. Daryl didn't want to jinx anything but he had to agree. This was going better than he had expected. They were half way loaded and they had yet to deal with any undead.

"Let's hope it stays that way." He agreed. Glenn looked at him with a speculative gaze that unnerved him so he went back to work.

Glenn was apt to prying. He was a talker and when people talked they asked questions. Daryl wasn't too good with those even on the best of days. He didn't want any questions stirring up his mind. He was already thinking too much about Beth. He felt foolish because he should be focused on the task at hand. Anything other than the run had to wait no matter how attractive and seductive the his thoughts might be.

"I've been wanting to ask you something." He just wanted to get this job done and get back home and Glenn was trying to strike up meaningful conversation.

"Hmm." He tried to put the whole thing off like he wasn't nervous about what the question was going to be but the truth was he was always nervous when it came to questions. Except if the questions had to do with hunting or tracking. He could field those all day.

"You and Beth. What's going on there?" Glenn asked and then mercifully he bent down to help with some of the cinderblocks that he was trying to scoop up.

What was he supposed to say? He didn't know what was going on either. All he knew was that his chest felt pleasantly tight when he thought about her and that she was undeniably attractive in more than just a physical way. There was no way he was telling anyone that.

"What do you mean?" He asked hoping he could stall Glenn or even make him reconsider the question by acting clueless. He could act stupid with the best of them.

"I mean..." The man paused and considered for a second. He helped Daryl heave the blocks into the bed of the truck. "Well you sat with her at breakfast the other day. Plus, you seem to feel uncomfortable around her. And then there is what Beth does..."

"What Beth does?" He was undeniably curious for insight on the youngest Greene. Plus it was a good way to get the focus off of him.

"She looks for you, in a crowd I mean. Her eyes scan around and they only settle when they land on you. She talks about you to Maggie. She is always watching you. I don't know. Just seems like there is something there." Glenn chose his words carefully. It occurred to Daryl that this may have been on his mind for awhile.

He felt uncomfortable under the man's speculative gaze. This was basically Beth's brother. He didn't want to say something he would regret.

"I'm just helping her with the kids. I promised Rick that I would." Glenn raised a eyebrow at that and Daryl ducked his head.

"I think it's more than the kids." Glenn's voice had a teasing tone that made it hard to concentrate and also made it hard for Daryl to hide his embarrassment. "Beth is a pretty girl."

"She's alright, I guess." The prettiest girl he had ever seen let alone taken an interest in him, but he wasn't about to admit that. Glenn snorted openly at his answer and Daryl felt a blush creep up his neck. His mind drifted to her bright eyes and shiny hair. He thought about the way she looked when she laughed. Yes, she was undeniably pretty even though the word was unfamiliar on his tongue.

"Hmm, and she's nice." Glenn pointed out carefully as he loaded a bag of concrete mix into the bed. Beth was the nicest person he had ever met. The darkness of the world seemed to be repelled by her mere presence. He could wax poetic about how nice she was.

"I guess." Daryl said again. He really wanted this line of questioning to end.

"She's brave, strong in her own way." Daryl was beginning to grow annoyed that Glenn wouldn't just let the whole thing go. He thought about the way Beth looked when she was angry. He thought about her hands on her hips, her eyes flashing dangerously, and her hair becoming wild as she ran her hands through it with frustration.

"Sometimes," He agreed grudgingly. Glenn's eyes held a twinkle that Daryl hated. The man was poking fun at him.

"She's got a nice body too." Daryl stilled. He felt anger crawling up his body. The mention of Beth's body led to him thinking of the night before in the shower room. The suggestion that any man had noticed Beth in that way was enough to make him want to hit something.

"I guess," He growled. Tyreese looked over suddenly. He was smiling good naturedly but his sudden interest in the conversation made him uneasy.

"The girl's more than nice. She's a piece of heaven." The large man was interjecting in a conversational way but the fact that yet another man was appraising Beth made him furious. He fought to control his temper.

"Maybe you're fucking dating the wrong Greene, Rhee." His voice was tight. He felt all of his muscles tensing. Glenn laughed outright at the suggestion.

"You jealous, Dixon?" He was past done with being involved with Glenn and his questions. It was obviously all about poking at him and his feelings and he had enough of that to last a life time from Merle. At least Glenn didn't mean it to be upsetting but it didn't lessen the sting any.

"Just get to work. Ain't got time for talking about girls." He announced and he slammed a couple of cinder blocks down into the bed.

The rest of the load up was quiet, but he could see laughter dancing in Glenn's eyes and it made him even more pissed off. As they were locking up the warehouse and preparing to drive off a single walker scrambled out of the bushes with a moan. Tyreese made a move towards it, but before he could reach it Daryl had shot it in the eye with such force that the bold flew through cleanly and landed on the ground some feet behind the body.

He almost forgot that he still needed to do one more thing before they left. He walked up to the now unmoving body purposefully and started searching the man's pockets. He heard Glenn start up the engine of one of the trucks, but nothing mattered more than the feel of leather in his hand as he reached into the corpse's back pocket.

He victoriously pulled the wallet out and stuffed it into his own pocket. He would clean it up later and it would be the perfect place for the picture Mika had given him.

"You done, Dixon? Or will we have to leave you?" Glenn asked. The man was still infuriatingly amused and Daryl said nothing as he slid into the passenger's side of the cab. Hopefully they would get back without a hitch and then he could avoid Glenn to the best of his abilities. It shouldn't be too hard since Glenn and Maggie usually took the whole next day after a run to fuck each other like crazy.

"What were you looking for anyway?" Glenn asked softly. The man meant no harm with his questions. Daryl just wasn't in the mood.

"Ain't for you to know."

When they returned to the prison it was past dark. Only Michonne and Rick met them at the gate and helped them unload. Daryl was starting to feel antsy. He couldn't deny that he wanted to see Beth. Even if she was already asleep. It would put his mind at ease.

When all the materials were out of the trucks he picked up his things and left with only a nod to Rick who clasped his shoulder as he walked by. Rick was family. He appreciated the casual touches even if he wasn't comfortable with them. Only one other person at the prison ever made a move to touch him and he was on his way to see her right now.

When he slipped into the room he immediately noticed her sitting anxiously on the couch. The two girls were asleep, deep asleep. They snored lightly.

He took his time, trying to calm his nerves, He toed off his boots and placed his crossbow gently on the floor next to the door. Next he took his knife out and placed it down too. He shrugged off his vest and ran a hand through his tangled hair. When he could avoid it no longer he approached her. She didn't move from her spot but he could hear her shift slightly as he came close.

Her hand grabbed for his and he let her lace her fingers between his with surprising accuracy in the dark room. These simple touches released the pressure of the day but they put a different kind of tension in him.

"I was worried." It was a simple thing but it meant everything to him. She had cared about whether or not she would see him again. He hadn't been alone in that fear.

"Nothing to worry about." He replied softly. He rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. It was sweet and even though he had done it of his own free will it made him feel things that he wasn't entirely prepared to feel.

"Nothing bad happened? You took much longer than I thought you would." He could hear the tension in her voice even feel it in the way her fingers gripped his.

"Just had to take the long way. Nothin' happened." Daryl assured her and he heard her let out a breath. He wished more than anything that he wasn't so confused when it came to her affection.

"Good. I'm glad." She said after a pause. Her voice was still tense and for the life of him he didn't know why. He wished he knew how women worked more intimately. All he had were stories from Glenn, Rick, and in the past Merle. That and his own observations.

"You shouldn't have waited up for me."

"I wouldn't have been able to sleep without seeing you and making sure you were okay." She replied tightly and he felt his heart jump in his chest.

"Well I am. You should sleep now." He wanted to know what to say to her. All he could think of was telling her to get rest. He didn't want her tired. Tired meant you made mistakes, mistakes meant you got yourself killed. Even so he was sure he sounded like a nagging parent.

"Daryl?" She asked and she dropped his hand. He heard her shuffle and fidget.

"Huh?"

"I'm glad you came back. It wouldn't be the same without you." Her words were like an antidote to all of his pent up tension. He knew she felt that way, he would be a fool not to know, but hearing her say it was something different entirely.

"Ain't exactly easy to kill a Dixon." He replied in what he hoped was a light hearted way.

"No I don't suppose it is." She agreed smoothly. "Still... I think maybe we would be lost without you."

He didn't miss the implication that she might not be talking about the prison group, but might instead be talking about her and those little girls, or even just her. He didn't miss it and he was effected by it just like everything she said. He was deeply affected by it and it scared him.

"Beth," He started, but she shushed him. Her hand reaching out again and landing on his upper arm.

"You need rest Daryl. We both do." It was an out. An opportunity for him to be comfortable with what had happened and retreat to deal with the implications at a later time. He was glad for it. He needed time to think about what he was going to do about Beth. He needed space to think about his feelings.

His skin burned where she touched him and he took that in and enjoyed it before it disappeared and her hand was removed from him again.

"You get the cot." She insisted and he knew there was no arguing, even if he wanted to, which he didn't. The idea of sleeping on the couch was awful to him. His muscles ached from the day's work and he was read for some sleep. So ready.

"Goodnight Beth," He whispered as he retreated from her side. She just settled into the couch and turned on her side. Maybe he wasn't the only one that was exhausted.

The next morning he awoke early. He had plans to check the fences before the sun was full risen. Beth was still sleeping. In the increasing light he could make out that she was tense. Her brow was furrowed and a frown was tight on her face. Probably a nightmare. He wondered if Beth's nightmares were filled with walkers or if they were filled with other things.

He didn't often have a night were he didn't have a horrible dream but they were almost never walker related. He had seen enough in his life to have plenty of fodder for nightmares without the undead walking around.

Maybe when he got back from checking on their defenses he would sit with the girls for breakfast. He knew Mika would be happy if he did. Maybe he could be the guy that he knew Beth deserved. Maybe he could at least try.

He felt right with Beth. It was a feeling that he wasn't used to. Her affection came easily. Her understanding was astounding to him. The amount of pure kindness that she had in her made him feel that maybe she could counteract all the meanness that had been poured into him since he was a toddler.

Beth was like an antidote to a hurt. He wanted to experience that, all of it. He just wished he knew how to do that without being awkward and wrong about it.

If he wanted to do anything right it was this thing with Beth.