Author's Note: I'm glad so many of you have enjoyed the story so far, a special thank you to readers who dropped me a message. You guys are awesome. Please forgive any formatting errors...my laptop is unwell and I was forced to write in notepad *shudders*

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Daryl buried the guts from the rabbits he'd caught that morning to avoid anything being drawn in close by the smell of blood. They'd been here two days all ready and he was glad to see Beth's colour coming back. He judged they could maybe stay another day before they had to move on. It was tempting to stay here, but the herd that had swept through the prison was still too close and the little cabin wouldn't be protection enough if they headed this way.

He carried the cleaned and skinned rabbits inside and started cutting them up to go into the stew that Beth had prepared from vegetables she'd scavenged from the long neglected garden. There were carrots and peas, some potatoes, onion, garlic and even a small squash that had been hiding in a mass of vines. It smelled damn good, he had to admit. Beth a snoozing on the bed, getting what sleep she could before they had to go on the road again. He added the meat into the pot, stirring everything around and then sat down at the table.

In his mind he knew going North was the smart move, wandering around aimlessly looking for people that might or might not be alive wasn't smart but it felt like he was abandoning them. He pulled a crumpled cig out of his pocket and lit it, taking a long drag. If he'd been on his own he'd have gone looking, hunting for anyone that might be left. He wasn't alone though, he had Beth and he couldn't risk her on a maybe. He saw her shift a bit on the bed, a frown marring her face. He heard her mumbling, arms moving now as if trying to keep something away. He stubbed the cigarette out and went over, touching her shoulder. "Beth...wake up." He shook her gently.

"No! She struggled harder and then her eyes snapped open...wild for a minute until she focused on him. "Daryl..." She said, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Hey now, you're ok." Daryl pulled her up and wrapped her in a hug. "I got you." He whispered. The last couple nights had been bad, he just hoped that the nightmares faded with time. "I won't let nothing happen to you."

"You promise?" She whispered, hands holding tight to his shirt, under his vest.

"Yeah, I promise." He whispered back. "You ok now?" he asked after a few minutes, feeling her relax. He wasn't good with crying women, but he knew that he needed to try for her. So far this seemed to be what she needed, just someone to hold onto to remind herself that she wasn't back there in that clearing.

She sniffled and nodded against his chest. "Sorry." She whispered and moved back, wiping her eyes.

"No need ta' be." Daryl said. "Rabbits in the pot, been gettin nice and fat eating away at that garden." He changed the subject, letting her get herself back together again. "I think we can stay one more day and then we should head out." He said.

Beth nodded. "Think we'll be able to find somewhere like this?" She asked him quietly. "Somewhere safe where we can get by?"

"Yeah. I figure we can find an abandoned farm or something like that." Daryl said, thinking it'd be nice for her to have something that reminded her of home, even if it was just a little.

Beth smiled softly. "That'd be nice." She said and slipped a hand into his. "Thank you." She said softly, and before he could say anything she got up and went to check on the stew. It was weird spending this much time with Daryl, but it made her feel safe. At least, as safe as she could be after what had happened. "Why don't you grab some sleep while this cooks? I'll wake you when its ready." Beth looked over, aware he'd been watching her.

"Lock that door and don't go outside." Daryl said but laid back on the bed, not against getting a little shut-eye. After falling asleep beside her that first night he wasn't going to be so careless again. He'd lay on the bed with her because she seemed to sleep better when he did, but he needed to stay awake.

"I won't." Beth said, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't stupid afterall. She went and locked the door and also closed and secured the shutters on the window just to be safe. It was a risk using the stove during the day but they needed a really protein heavy meal before pushing on. She sat down at the table. Physically she was feeling better, it didn't hurt as much when she walked down and the bleeding had stopped too. Mentally...the nightmares had been bad the last few nights. She wrapped her arms around herself and bit her bottom lip. She couldn't shake them, and she hated that Daryl had to keep waking her up from them.

It was always the same, she was in the woods and Daryl didn't come this time. All she could hear was their laughs, then grunts of the one on top of her. She felt ill just remembering it, so she stood and got a drink of water. She'd never been with anyone before, and it made her so...angry that they'd taken that from her too. She'd never have that back...no matter what Daryl said. She stirred the pot, taking a deep breath...it did smell good. The meat was falling off the bone now and when she tried a little piece she nearly moaned. It was so damned good.

"You gonna start without me?" Came a drawl from the bed.

Beth blushed a little. "No. I was just making sure it was done before I woke you." She said, getting a couple of bowls and dishing them up some food. She put the bowls on the table, sitting down as Daryl joined her.

He took a big spoonful and nodded. "Damn sight better than just cooking it over a fire. It's good." He said and gave her a little smile. Having someone to cook for him was a big plus, he never minded eating whatever he could shoot just cooked over a fire but this was real nice.

Beth smiled and just ate hers, glad he liked it. They didn't have any salt, or spices, but it still did taste pretty good. They both had seconds and agreed they'd finish the rest tomorrow. One last day of rest and then they'd start heading North again.

"You doing ok?" Daryl asked as he finished his second bowl of food. He hadn't eaten so well in a while, and it felt good to have a full belly.

She nodded. "Yeah, better than I was. Other than the nightmares." She shrugged a bit.

"They'll ease in time." He said softly. He'd had his share of shitty dreams over the years.

"Do you ever have nightmares?" She asked him, catching her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Yeah...everyone does, people who've lived through bad shit just get them more." He said. "Just remember you're stronger than the bad dreams, stronger than anything that gets thrown at you...and eventually they'll go away." Daryl said, a slightly nicer version of what Merle had said to him after their mom had died. He didn't think Beth would appreciate Merle's 'kick the shit outta anything that comes at ya' style of advice.

Beth nodded, meeting his eyes and believing him. She was strong...she had to be now. "Ok." She said softly. Once they were both done she gathered their bowls and got them cleaned up and set on the side to dry. She covered the pot and moved it to the back so it wouldn't scorch overnight.

Daryl made a quick check around the cabin and then came back in and locked it all down for the night. There'd been a couple walkers. Easy enough to handle but they were coming from the direction of the old prison. He frowned a bit.

"What's wrong?" She asked as he came in, seeing the frown on his face.

"Some walkers, came from the same direction we did. I think we should leave in the morning. Finish off that stew and then hit the road." Daryl looked concerned.

Beth nodded. "I'm good to travel, and we should try and stay ahead of the herd if they really are heading this direction." She said. "I'll make sure the packs are ready to go so we can eat early and then head out."

"Ok, I wish we coulda stayed a bit longer." Daryl admitted. Being here with her, had been nice. It had let him put the loss out of his mind for a few days. Now, with the road ahead...it was back in the front of his mind and he knew it had to be in hers too. "We'll find something." He said quietly.

Beth nodded, feeling the mood in the room change. It was colder somehow, and she repressed a shiver. She got up and started packing the bags, getting the food they could take stashed away and packing their clothes that she'd cleaned and dried into the packs as well. The blankets they could roll up and take in the morning. Without vehicles there was only so much they could physically carry but they'd just have to make do for the time being.

Daryl set the packs by the door once she was done. He double checked the bolts on the window shutters and wedged a chair under the door handle as a secondary precaution. If they were heading out tomorrow he'd need to sleep, since he didn't know how much rest he could safely take out on the road.

Beth slipped into the bed and Daryl joined her, letting her curl up against his chest. He sat his crossbow beside the bed, within reach, and wrapped the blankets around them. He absently stroked her back, listening to her breathing in the dark. Feeling her against him was bringing around some unwelcome thoughts, as badly as he felt for even thinking them. It was hard not too think about it. He hadn't been with a woman since well before the world had gone to shit, and given how things had gone after...it hadn't really been high on his priority list. Now was really not the time to start thinking about it. He was a big boy, he could handle it even as his body had a few suggestions about that too. He mentally grumbled to himself and made himself just go to sleep.

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They'd left at the right time, in the distance Daryl could hear the walkers. He adjusted their course slightly to take them a little north and west. Hopefully if they were quiet enough something else would grab the herd's attention. Beth was moving fairly quietly, better than most did. He could see a break in the trees ahead as the sun started hitting the highest point of the day, and it glinted off metal. Maybe there was a car they could hotwire and get going. It would be a lot better than trying to hike all the way to where he wanted to go.

"A road?" Beth whispered behind him, keeping her voice low.

"Yeah...get your knife out." He said and got his crossbow ready. They moved out of the trees and found a tangled wreak...and then several abandoned cars on either side of it. There was a layer of dead leaves on the cars, suggesting they had been there a long time.

Beth's eyes searched the wreaked cars and she saw a couple walkers still strapped into their seats, stirring as they sensed Beth and Daryl. "Finish them off and then we can search the cars?" She asked.

"Yeah, be careful." He cautioned and drew his bowie knife and started opening car doors and killing the walkers. He looked up from time to time to be sure Beth was ok. The girl's face was set in grim lines but she was efficient. Once all the walkers were dead he checked a couple of the cars and found one that had gas and no obvious damage. He cleaned the leaves off it and then started trying to hotwire it.

Beth was going through the cars and smiled as she popped the one trunk. There was a ton of camping gear. She grabbed the two sleeping bags first, there was a fishing pole and tackle box, and a case of water. She started carrying it over to the car Daryl was working on. It started with a rumble as she got there. "Our ride?"

"Yeah...nice finds." He nodded to the camping gear. "Get it loaded up and I'll fill those gas cans with whatever I can get out of these cars."

Beth nodded and put their packs in the back seat along with the camping gear she'd found. The other cars yielded some clothing, blankets, and a few more cases of water. What food had been there was long spoiled. She got into the passenger seat as Daryl put the gas cans in the trunk and joined her.

"Lets hit the road." he smiled and turned the car away from the wreak and headed them northbound. There was little in the way, other than the odd abandoned car or roadkilled walker. He would have killed for a cigarette, but contented himself with tapping his fingers on the wheel as they drove. He wasn't entirely sure what road they were on but if it was taking them north it was a good place to start.

"I haven't been in a car in so long." Beth said as they drove, leaving walkers along the side of the road. "Not since before we found the prison." She said softly.

"Yeah you never really went out much, 'cept hunting with me." Daryl said. "You know how to drive though, right?" When he thought about he'd never actually seen her drive before.

"Yeah, got my license at 16...in Daddy's old pick-up." She smiled a bit sadly, thinking back to things before the dead had started rising.

"Good, you should take turns now and then...need to keep that skill." Daryl said as they moved down the highway. He saw a road sign and knew where they were...more or less. "There used to be hunting supply store there in Fairplay...we should check it out, see if there's anything left." He said, thinking outloud.

"You need more bolts?" She asked.

"I can make my own...but they don't hold up as well as fiberglass." He said, drumming his steering wheel. "Should find something for you too, guns are too damn noisy and bullets will get hard to find as time goes on."

"Like a crossbow?" She smirked.

"Or a nice compound bow, might be easier for you to draw." He said. "Probably picked over...but it's worth a look." He said and took the turnoff.

"What if we run into people?" Beth asked, chewing on her bottom lip again.

"We'll avoid 'em if we can, otherwise let me talk and just go with it ok?" Daryl said, knowing that after everything that had happened...Beth had every right to be afraid of strangers.

"Ok." She said, eyes drifting to the trees on either side of the road.

"Hopefully there won't be anyone around." He said, seeing signs for the town up ahead. Ideally he'd have wanted to stash the car somewhere and scout the place but he couldn't risk leaving Beth alone. "We'll park the car just outside town, hide it, and then head in on foot." He told her. "The hunting supply is right near the edge of town anyway, so it should be easy to get into." He said and was all ready looking for somewhere to take the car off the road.

Beth nodded, mentally gearing up for the task ahead.

Daryl saw a place to pull off the road, hiding the car behind a thick hedge that had grown wild. Together he and Beth headed into the town on foot. They moved quietly, angling towards the hunting store. The Golden Bow was boarded up, spray paint across the front read 'Dead Inside...Keep out.' Daryl moved forward, grateful when Beth stayed right behind him, not needing to be told to keep close.

He found the back door and rattled it hard and then fell quiet, listening. There was nothing. Maybe the owners had left that note out of desperation to deter looters. He worked the boards off, listening to make sure they weren't drawing attention from any Walkers that might be around but there was nothing. Once the boards were off he took a deep breath tried the handle...surprised when it opened. He opened it wide and started in, crossbow raised. Beth's hand was steading on his back, he knew she had her knife out. It was dark was hell in here but his eyes adjusted quickly. There was a smell of decay...but not a sound. He moved carefully, checking each room, and there in the office he found the source of the smell. A man's body, head blown away and a blanket draped over him. The rest of the store was clear. Once he was sure of it he headed to the front room. All the gun cases were empty, ammo gone too. Untouched though were the good hunting knives, arrows, bolts and more specialty items.

"Come here." Daryl said and pulled down a lighter compound bow. "See if you can draw it." He said.

Beth took it, awkwardly and tried to draw it.

"Naw...like this." Daryl moved in behind her and showed her how to hold it properly. "Draw back like that."

Beth forgot to breath for a moment and then nodded. It was hard...but she could do it. "I think I got it."

Daryl nodded and moved back. "It's a new string so it's going to be stiff as hell...we'll take all the replacements too in case you bust one." He said and grabbed the arrows and all the bolts and shoved them into his pack. "Lets get you a proper knife too." He said and used his blade to crack open the case. "Try and see what fits your hand nice." He nodded her over.

Beth tried a few and finally found one that felt right. She grabbed the sheath for it. "Why would they leave all this behind?" She asked.

"A lot of this is useless if you don't know how to use it, takes skill." He shrugged and grabbed some replacement strings for his crossbow as well. "Probably figured the guns were more useful." He said. "We should go, get back to the car before dark." He touched her arm and together they made the long, careful trip back to the car.

Beth got used to carrying the bow, it was surprisingly light but it would definitely take some getting used to. The car was sitting where they'd left it and they put their loot in the back and then got back in. "What do we want to do for tonight?" She asked.

"Sleep in the car, trade off watches. If we keep low and quiet we should be fine."

She nodded. "Stay here or keep driving for a bit?"

"Lets drive for a bit." He said, starting the car and heading them off down the road again. "We'll start working with you and the bow once we find a spot for the winter, for now just get used to carrying it." He said as they headed back onto the highway.

"It's pretty light...just awkward."

"Yeah, which is why you're going to take it everywhere with you until it's not." Daryl smirked a bit.

Beth snorted and just leaned back against the seat.

It started getting dark and Daryl found a place to pull off. He topped up the gas tank with one of the canisters of gas in case they had to make a quick escape and then got back in, locking the doors. Beth had unrolled the two sleeping bags and unzipped them into blankets. She handed him one and laid her seat back, snuggling under hers.

"I'll wake you about half way through the night." Daryl said. "I'm right here...just sleep." He said softly.

"Nite Daryl." She said softly, going to sleep.

TBC