A/N: I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK ME FOREVER TO UPDATE. First it was the end of Holy Week, and then I had this huge paper due- but now: updates. First this one because ugh Norman Reedus. I just need some love after this week. Then "Fix You." So stay tuned! :)

Also, thanks for all the support! I've loved all the reviews and favs I've gotten on this story. Super encouraging.

PS: Just in case anyone is confused, I made up the guy in the second memory (at Hershel's farm). I didn't wanna slander Jimmy since he died saving people; and I definitely didn't wanna use anyone else. So yeah. He's just a plot prop.

There were two times when Daryl's jealousy was cute; and there was one time when it saved my life.

We'd been at this campsite for a few days now, figuring out a plan for the coming months. It was pretty boring. At least I had my man to keep me occupied... well, I usually did. Where was he? Nobody was around, and I consider that to be an opportune moment...

Ah. There he is. Sitting alone by the bonfire. Why am I not surprised.

I approached him, taking my time and taking him in.

It had been warm out all day, and night had only just fallen, so I could still see a sheen of sweat on his skin, making the dirt that pretty much always covered him glisten in the firelight. His body was hunched a little, arms around bent knees as he started into the flames. He never looked up as I got closer, but I knew that he knew I was there, just like he always did. Daryl was definitely the... Protector type. He was also the distractingly attractive type, and the light from the bonfire wasn't helping. I thought his muscles were impressive in the sunlight... damn. Those shadows only made it better.

But where they revealed his sex appeal, they also covered it- I could hardly see his face. And what I did see looked lost in thought.

Sitting next to him, I made myself comfortable. I didn't really expect him to say anything until he was done pondering whatever he was pondering; and he didn't. We just sat in silence, until...

"What were you and Shane talkin' 'bout earlier?"

One of the things I loved about Daryl (and I loved a lot of things about him) was how straightforward he was. It was like he didn't know HOW to beat around the bush. Everything was upfront and direct, and it made me worry a whole heck of a lot less about what he was thinking.

And I really appreciated it now, because honestly, I never would have guessed that Daryl would be upset about me talking to Shane. But apparently he was... and maybe he was also a little jealous?

I couldn't tell if he was or not. Even if he was unflinchingly honest, I don't think he would even recognize it as jealousy... He'd probably think it was just him being protective, which I guess was partly true anyways. And really- there was less than nothing to be jealous about. Shane had been asking me what I thought of Rick as a leader (whom I defended, because Rick is a boss), and I walked away feeling pissed (and he probably did, too). But maybe Daryl hadn't seen that part.

Explaining the situation to him when he was already tense probably wasn't a good idea, though. He'd just get more upset. No, it would be easier to diffuse the tension a little first.

"He was asking me about having a threesome," I teased. Through the shadows on his face, I saw him roll his eyes. If I was joking about it, he had nothing to worry about, and he knew it. His face began to relax, mind now at ease since I wasn't in any sort of danger.

"Hope ya said no. I don't share."

He looked at me when he said it, a smirk tugging at his lips.

Damnit. Why did he have to be so attractive?

"You? I said no because I don't share."

He chuckled at that, his teeth reflecting the firelight, and bumped my knee with his. I liked this side of Daryl. He was, of course, the guardian, the protector. He made sure the group was safe, looked out for everyone. But even he didn't have all the answers. And him talking to me, letting me reassure him, made me feel like I could reciprocate at least a little. Like I could help him, too.

I bumped my leg back against his. "Didn't know you got jealous, Dixon."

He snorted. "I ain't jealous."

"Really? Because I think you are."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes!"

He leaned over suddenly and grabbed me, hauling me into his lap. We were both moving shadows now, our faces right next to each other, his warm hands gripping my sides. I could only look into his eyes as he gazed back at me, the usual cerulean blue much darker in the flickering light.

"I ain't jealous... because I don't need to be."

I grinned, heart already starting to pump faster. Yeah... I definitely liked this side of Daryl.

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

His smirk was impossibly smug as his hands slid into my back pockets, the heat of his body rivaling that of the fire behind me. Slowly, he moved his head forward and began to brush his lips along my jaw. "Nobody else can handle ya like I can."

"Really now?" I gasped out, feeling his tongue just below my ear, the scratch of his facial hair against my skin.

"Mm. And you know it, too. I got you wrapped... 'round... my little... finger." He punctuated each of his last words with a kiss, first at my shoulder... then at my collarbone... then on my neck... and finally, he took my earlobe between his lips and began to gently pull on it.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days...?" My voice was even less than a gasp by now. I wish I could gasp. Damn, the things this man did to me...

He laughed, and I could feel his breath unsettle the hair tucked behind my ear. "Minx."

Now it was my turn to laugh, one hand coming up to brush through his hair. I hated to distract him from his... ministrations... but I wanted him to know that I meant what I said. So I tugged on his hair until he was looking up at me, a small smirk still playing at his lips, the fire in his eyes not just from the light behind us. "Maybe. But I'm your minx. And don't you forget it."

The smirk turned into a smile. Then his head returned, and his lips moved down, closer to the collar of my shirt, as Daryl proceeded to show me just how well he could handle me.

It was freakishly hot out, even for Georgia. I don't think I've sweat this much since- well, probably since yesterday. It's summer. But still. Holy crap. Hot.

It had been like this for days, too. And it's not like we were supposed to be doing anything. No, we were gonna be camped here for awhile, at least until Carl was fully ready to go. And now with more tension between Shane and Rick... and this hot-as-Hades level of heat... there was bound to be a fight.

At least, that's how it always seemed to happen in movies.

Today, finally fed up with sitting in the shade trying to avoid the heat, I decided to embrace it. So I found a pair of shorts- since NOBODY ever seems to wear them, it was actually kinda difficult- and a towel, and here I am, lying out on my stomach behind the house. Arms out, tank top rolled up, shoes off... it felt nice to tan. I was never a huge fan of it before, actually. I wasn't a huge fan of beaches (sand just gets evvvvverywhere), and I had lived in an apartment, so no backyard. But this... this was nice.

Beth had been with me earlier, but she didn't want to burn, so she'd left. And thankfully, she'd left her sunscreen, because pretty soon I would start burning, too. Speaking of, I should probably turn over...

As soon as I did, though, there was a shadow above me. Shading my eyes, I squinted up; but the sun was just behind them and I couldn't see a face. I could see the body, though.

Daryl.

"Hey, babe."

He grunted and sat down next to me, arms on his knees as always, looking around. I don't know how he was surviving with pants and boots on. At least he was in a sleeveless shirt, but I guess that was his usual.

"How long ya been out here?"

"Mm... Dunno. Maybe an hour? A little longer?"

He nodded and kept looking around. I began to notice how much sweat was gathering around his hairline. He was probably boiling in this heat, just sitting here. "You seen anybody?"

"No. Beth was out here with me earlier, but she left. It's been just me for awhile," I saw up as I spoke, getting close enough to him so that I could reach for his feet.

"What're ya doin'?" he asked, pulling away.

"Stop. It'll feel better, I promise. Just let me."

Grimacing, he reluctantly let me unlace his boots. After pulling them and his socks off, I rolled up the cuffs of his pants as well. He wiggled his toes experimentally in the grass, a relaxed sigh escaping.

"See? Even your pale feet need to see the sun sometimes." And they were really pale. "It'll keep you cooler, at least."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever ya say, Doogie Howser."

"So why the questions?"

He glanced over at me. "Ya know Connor?"

"Jimmy's brother?"

"He's been watchin' you."

Ewwww. That guy was creepy enough already with his super long hair and his total lack of a chin. But watching me tan? Gross. I reached up to roll down my tank top and scooted closer to Daryl.

"How did you know?"

"I was tryin' t'hunt. Saw 'im in th'trees, watchin' ya. No Beth, though. Rick said he'd gone to chop wood or somethin'. Far as I could tell, there was wood involved, but I don't think he was choppin' it."

"EW! Daryl, that is so nasty!" I said, smacking his arm.

"Calm down, Tyson," he laughed, leaning away from my attack. "Ya really think I'd just let him carry on like that? Nah, I got him back."

"Daryl... what did you do?"

"Defended yer honor."

I couldn't help the little flutter in my chest as he said it. But he was still Daryl, and he was still lethal- that kid might be scarred for life after whatever happened in those woods. "How?"

"I might'a scared 'im a little... told 'im that if I caught 'im even lookin' at ya again, I'd chop off his balls and feed 'em to 'im."

I tried not to laugh imagining the look on the kid's face. "I'm guessing you said this with a knife, too?"

"Maybe," he smirked.

I reached over to ruffle his hair, glad that he was here with me (and that he hadn't killed Connor on the spot). He turned his head to look at me.

"Ya ain't mad at me, are ya?"

"About Connor? Hardly. Actually, I think it's kinda hot." I moved even closer, pushing his legs down so that I could straddle him. His hands went to their usual place around my hips, holding me close to him.

"Some kid pervin' on you is hot?"

"No, jerk. You defending my honor."

He smirked again, leaning forward to capture my lips. "Just protectin' what's mine."

"Mm, see? Territorial. Definitely hot," I murmured against his lips, kissing him again.

He slowly began to lean back until he was lying down completely in the grass, me still straddling him, his hands moving down to grip my bare thighs. My own hands went to his shirt, unbuttoning it so I could explore his skin first with my fingers... then with my lips...

His flesh was salty and hot and firm as I slowly worked my way down his chest. I was almost past his ribcage when he flipped us over. We had rolled back onto the towel I was using earlier, the cotton warm and soft against my back. The sides of Daryl's open shirt hung down on either side of us, and I took a moment to appreciate my view.

Daryl's hair was getting longer, sticking easily to the sweat on his forehead. Being out in the sun so much had kept it a light auburn, matching the facial hair scattered across his jaw and cheekbones. The dirt that seemed to perpetually cover his skin mixed in with the scruff, adding to the rugged appeal. His chest and neck were just as dirty, the grime only semi-obscuring the faint scars there. The muscles of his torso flexed as he held himself against me, and my eyes were drawn to the script an his chest, reaching out to trace a finger over it.

Looking back up at his face, I could see there were still bags under his eyes, as always- I seriously didn't know when he slept- but they weren't so bad today. All of this was overshadowed, however, by his eyes. They were so... bright. So intense. So blue.

And they were so close as he was looking down at me, the sparkle in those cerulean eyes matching the happy quirk of his lips. "What're ya lookin' at?"

"You."

"Like what ya see?"

"Oh yeah. And if anybody else so much as looks at you, I'm gonna beat 'em up," I teased, running my fingers up to play with his hair.

He snorted. "Right. So you mean I'll beat 'em up for ya?"

"Something like that. I was never much of a fighter type..."

"And I am?"

"Duh. I'm more of a... lover. Who loves fighters."

He looked at me, eyes flashing as he reached a hand up to cup my face. I tried not to be too distracted by his other arm, muscles bulging as he supported himself above me.

"Prove it," he said, looking into my eyes.

So... I did.

"Who is that?"

"Dunno. Rick found him a few streets over. Apparently he's just looking for some help getting supplies. He doesn't want a group."

I looked away from Glenn, my eyes focusing on the man next to our leader. He was young, maybe in his late twenties. Dark hair, dark eyes. Not very tall, but he looked strong and capable. He also looked worn out. I guess surviving on your own kinda made you look that way.

He and Rick began to move closer to us, weapons down. I could see Daryl twenty feet behind them, hand ready to grab his crossbow if necessary. The stranger looked pretty relaxed, if still wary; but I could tell Rick was pretty tense.

"Guys, this is Sean. He's gonna go on the run with us, get some supplies, and go." There were some nods among the group members. "Alright, the rest of you, usual teams- Glenn and Maggie; T-Dog and Carol; me and Lori. Stay close, stay safe. Meet back here in a couple of hours."

I watched everyone else as they went their separate ways, waiting for Daryl to finish talking to Rick. We'd driven past this town earlier, on our way to find a place for the night. It was pretty big compared to the last few towns we'd passed- at least three grocery stores, a supercenter, and a handful of gas stations. Who knew if anything was left by now- but it was worth a shot. And apparently Sean had thought so, too.

After a minute of whispering and angry facial expressions, Daryl left Rick and came toward me... with Sean. Sean who just seemed to notice me, and judging by the way his eyes went up and down, it looked like he liked what he was seeing. Ew.

Thoroughly creeped out by these attentions, my eyes went back to Daryl, who looked beyond pissed. He was practically stomping toward me, shoulders tense, eyes glaring straight ahead. I noticed that Sean stayed a good distance away.

"Ready?" Daryl huffed, now standing in front of me.

I nodded, fingers reaching into my back pockets to grab my chakram. "Ready."

"We're takin' the stranger."

"I saw... You don't like him?"

"No."

I reached over to touch his arm. Looking down at me, I was glad to see his gaze soften. "It's just for a couple of hours."

"Just... stay close."

"How close?" I teased, hand brushing down his arm to snag his fingers. "I could ride you if you want."

He rolled his eyes, but still squeezed my fingers with his own. "I mean it."

"I know. I'll be safe. I promise."

"Good."

Releasing my hand, he gripped his crossbow and walked off. It was business time now: hunting took precedence over flirting.

Daryl and I used to go scavenging pretty often. We were a good team- looked out for each other, teased each other... well, I teased him. He never responded. But the more we... what? Dated? It feels weird saying that, considering the circumstances... Anyways, the more we "dated," the less I'd gone out on runs. I knew it was his doing, trying to keep me safe, and that's the only reason I never bothered him about it.

Well, I guess there was another reason. He replaced me with Glenn (when he wasn't out with Maggie, at least), who was stronger than me, and was good in a pinch. I trusted him to keep my baby safe. I also pulled him aside and threatened him to make sure Daryl stayed safe, "or else...", but that's beside the point. That point being: even if we hadn't been out for awhile, we were still a great team.

And Sean might mess that up.

Trying not to think about that, I followed after Daryl (who, of course, always took lead). Keeping an eye on him, I waited for Sean to catch up.

"Hey. I'm Sean." No shit.

"Hi."

"You're not gonna tell me your name?"

"Nope."

"Oh." Yeah, that's right. Shut it.

I don't know why I disliked him so much already. It might have something to do with Daryl disliking him. Or maybe just because he was a stranger. Or maybe he was just throwing off our groove. I dunno. He was dumb and I didn't want him around, that was for sure.

But I couldn't think about that now. I had to focus.

Daryl was about ten feet in front, definitely within hearing range. When I shut Sean down, I saw him glance back at me and smirk. I knew if he could, he'd say something along the lines of "Good girl," but now wasn't the time.

We had approached the supercenter, and Daryl was covering one side of the door. He motioned for me to take his place as he quickly moved to the other side. Sean crouched down behind me, and I saw the tightening in Daryl's jaw.

"Three... two..." he whispered, and on "one," I moved with him to pass through the broken automatic doors.

It was dark inside, aisles turned over and useless products scattered everywhere. No Walkers were in sight, but I kept my weapons gripped in my hands just in case. I was looking around, trying to figure out where the most loot would be, when I felt a hand on my elbow.

"You check groceries- I doubt there's much left, but it's worth a shot. I'm gonna take Stranger Danger and check th'pharmacy," Daryl said softly.

"Okay."

"Come find me if ya see anythin', alright?"

"Yes, sir," I said with a mock salute. He only rolled his eyes and released me.

"Back here in twenty."

I nodded and we both set off, me toward what was hopefully still-edible food, and him toward drugs. With Sean. He was probably still super pissed about that. But he'd rather be super pissed than worry about sending Sean off with me, so here we were.

I had to kill one Walker who was wandering around the overturned shelves, but it was worth it. There actually was some food in the abandoned grocery aisles. I managed to grab some candy and some gatorade, a box those little soup crackers and two bags of pork rinds (not my thing, but someone might want them). Also: oatmeal, which just so happens to be the perfect meal for survivors on the go. But... no... no way... is that... a box of pop tarts? Oh sweet heavens, yes. Whoever managed to hide this gem: I love you.

Oh, and it was blueberry! Forget about Sean, this day is great.

I gave another glance around, making sure I hadn't missed anything; but after that, I quickly made my way back to the front... only to find Daryl and Sean... fighting?

It was hard to tell from here. Sean definitely looked more tense than he had been before. And Daryl... Daryl seemed to have surpassed super pissed. He was furious. I could always tell because he stopped looking pissed: he just looked... gone. And he looked that way now.

I tucked the pop tarts back into my bag. Maybe I should save that surprise until later...

As soon as Daryl saw me approaching, he looked me over to make sure I wasn't injured. It was much different than the look Sean was giving me (again) and (also again) it made me move closer to Daryl.

"Any trouble?" he asked, glaring at Sean.

"Just one Walker. I got some food, though." He nodded. "Any luck with the drugs?"

"Just tylenol and aloe. Got three Walkers. We're gonna try the other store down the street."

"Okay. How's, uh..." I asked, looking over at Sean.

Daryl's jaw clenched. "I don't wanna talk about it. And I don't want ya t'talk to him, either."

"What did he say to you?"

"Guy just isn't right in the head. There's somethin' he ain't tellin' us."

I nodded. If Daryl felt that way, I trusted his instincts. "Okay. Let's go check that other store."

"Wait," he said, holding me back. I looked down to his hand, which he held between us. In it was a very small paring knife, the one he usually kept in his pocket for emergencies, if he somehow dropped or lost his other weapons. He didn't say anything else, just held it out to me. I took it and slipped it into my pocket; he only nodded, the gift itself enough of a warning to be careful.

Without wasting anymore time, Daryl moved and I followed. And once more, Sean tried to talk to me.

"Your boyfriend has a temper."

I didn't respond.

"He threatened me."

Silence.

"He doesn't look so tough, though."

Were we looking at the same person...?

"Think I could take him?"

Oh geez. Was this guy insane? I couldn't tell if he was joking or not.

We were about to turn the corner to get to the mini-mart. Daryl signaled for us to get closer. There was a small group of Walkers rounding the corner that we could easily take out if we worked together. Daryl's crossbow was ready, my chakram were in my hands, and Sean... had whatever he had. I couldn't remember what he had been carrying when Rick was talking to him.

The Walkers began to move faster when they smelled us, but out of the seven of them, one of them soon had a bolt in its eye, another had a knife through its face, and two more had steel rings halfway through their skulls. That left the three... and Sean had yet to do anything. Those had all been mine and Daryl's weapons.

I turned to see where he'd gone as Daryl went to retrieve his knife. And... he was just standing there. What the heck was this guy's deal? He had a gun out (which was a dumb choice in weapon anyways), so why wasn't he helping? I looked past his outstretched arm, wondering what the problem was, and I froze.

He wasn't aiming at the Walkers.

He was aiming at Daryl.

I ran and shoved him to the ground before I could start to think of all the horrible, horrible outcomes. Aiming at Daryl- why would he- but I thought he just wanted supplied- and if I hadn't- No. NO. He couldn't hurt Daryl.

The gun had been knocked to the ground nearby. I couldn't let him reach it. I tried kicking it away, but he pulled me back. We kept fighting. I wanted to look up and find Daryl, but he had been going after those last Walkers- who knew if he was done yet. I gave up on the gun and just tried to tackle Sean again, attempting to hold him down. He was a lot stronger than me, though, and easily flipped us over so that I was the one being held down.

"Why'd you do that?!" he yelled, gun now aimed at me. "Why?!"

His face was blurry through my own tears. At some point my head had hit the pavement pretty hard. I didn't even try to answer him.

"With him gone we could have been happy. Don't you remember? When we were happy? We could have had that again!"

What the HELL was he talking about? I tried to shove him away from me, but he just brought the gun closer, his own face contorting in rage.

And then... then I heard one of the most beautiful sounds of all time: Daryl's voice.

"Hey! You get the hell offa her," he somehow managed to growl and shout at the same time. I turned my head to see him, crossbow aimed and ready, slowly walking toward us. The Walkers behind him were all dead.

"No!" Sean shouted. "She was mine! My wife! And they took her! I'm not giving her up again!"

"She ain't yours, jackass! Get off her!"

Sean moved and pulled me in front of him, one arm going around my neck in a headlock, the other pressing the gun to my temple.

"She is mine! And you're gonna let us go, or we'll all die here!"

"No, you're gonna let her go, or I'm gonna rip off yer head and shit down yer neck, ya got that?"

Daryl had been looking at Sean the whole time, calculating his movements; but now he looked right at me, before quickly glancing down to my pocket and then back to my face. I tried to think... why... what was in my pocket?

The knife he had given me. I had put it there. Sean wouldn't be able to see me pulling it out. If I kept one hand still pulling against the arm at my neck, he shouldn't notice at all... I just had to be careful...

"No!" Sean was shouting again. "You don't know what it's like! Alone... I only had her... and then they took her! Those bastards! They took her and left me for dead!" I had my fingers in my pocket. I could feel the warmed metal against my skin. "When... when I found her she was... But we can be happy again! We can keep going! You and me," he whispered the last part, pulling righter around my throat. Daryl stepped closer. The knife was out of my pocket.

"Let 'er go."

"Nobody's listening to me!"

I flipped the blade open. Daryl was looking at me again, and gave the tiniest of nods, eyes flicking to just behind my left shoulder. Okay. Knife to his left shoulder. Got it. Then what? What was the protocol for this? I looked back at Daryl, his intense cerulean gaze protective and comforting. Okay. I could do this. We were gonna be fine.

Before I could second-guess myself again, I twisted the knife in my grip- and with one hand reaching up to push the gun away from my head, I swung back with the other to stab him wherever I could reach. Surprised at my sudden movement, the gun moved easily enough. But his own movement messed up my aim with the knife, and I only scratched him in my attempt to get away. His arms were around me, pulling me back for one terrifying second- before his whole body went slack.

I looked over and saw an arrow sticking out of his forehead.

Daryl. Daryl had saved me. Again. Thank God.

I fell to the pavement, shoving the gun away from his outstretched hand even though he couldn't use it. I barely registered the footsteps coming toward me, the hands on my shoulders and neck and face- until they turned my gaze to his.

"Ya'alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I, uh... I'm fine. I think. Just... scared." And I was. Really scared. Walkers I could handle (kind of). But people? With guns to my head? And guns pointed at Daryl? That I couldn't... It was just... "He was gonna shoot you. He had hist gun, and I thought he was aiming at the Walkers, but he wasn't."

Daryl nodded and helped me stand up. I could feel my limbs shaking a little from leftover adrenaline. "So ya shoved him?"

"Mhm. And then... he was yelling. And then you were there. You saved me. Again."

He literally walked around me in a circle to make sure I wasn't hiding any injuries from him.

"You saved me, too, this time," he muttered, coming to a stop in front of me.

I smiled a little. "I guess I did." Then my eyes widened. "What about you? Those Walkers-"

"I'm fine. Here," he said, holding out my chakram. I took them, sliding them into my back pocket... pocket... the knife? Where had the knife gone? I looked around, saw it on the floor, next to Sean's body. Moving past Daryl, I picked it up.

"This is yours."

"Keep it."

I looked at it, some blood still clinging to the edge of the blade. Wiping it off on my pants, I folded it and put it back in my pocket.

"Thanks."

Daryl just looked at me, hands reaching up to cover my shoulders. "Ya sure you're alright?"

I sighed and nodded. All I really wanted right now was to not think about what had just happened. The best way I knew how to stop thinking was Daryl. So I moved forward and wrapped my arms around him. His own arms went around me, holding me to him as he pressed a kiss to my head.

We stayed like that for awhile, just holding each other. But we were still in a street, with maybe more Walkers on the way, and I'm sure the time for meeting back up with the group was almost here. We couldn't stay there forever. So I pulled away enough to look up at him, leaning into his touch when his hand moved to cup my face.

"Thank you," I said before kissing him softly. I wasn't trying to start anything. I just wanted to feel him.

But Daryl had other plans. His other hand came up to join the first on my face, fingers softly gripping my skin as he pulled me back.

The kiss I had given him was soft. The kiss he was giving me was not. It was hard and passionate, his tongue easily finding its way past my lips. I could feel all the fear he had just felt, all the desperation. And I could taste all the possessiveness he was feeling now, which quickly softened into love, and then turned into a different kind of desperation as he pulled away.

"If he had..." he gasped out, our breaths mingling together.

"I know. But he didn't." Daryl closed his eyes and pressed our foreheads together. "You were there, Daryl. You saved me. I'm fine." I reached my own hands up to cover his own on my face. "We're fine."

His eyes opened again, that piercing blue so close...

I kissed him again, letting my hands grip his shirt and pull him closer. He responded, gentler this time, hands moving down to rest on my hips. After a few minutes, we both pulled away.

"We gotta go meet Rick soon."

I nodded. "Don't forget your bolt."

He glanced down at Sean's body, pecking one last kiss to my forehead before moving away. As he cleaned the weapon and returned it to his crossbow, I made sure we had everything. Checking that the safety was on, I threw Sean's gun into my backpack... and saw my little gem from earlier.

Pop-tarts.

After a long day of having my life threatened, having Daryl save me, and then having a (great) make-out session (with Daryl, of course)... Pop-tarts seemed like a pretty good treat..

So I pulled a silver package out of the box and closed my backpack, turning to face Daryl. Wordlessly, I held one out to him, waiting as he shouldered his crossbow. Then, he took the pop-tart in one hand, and held the other hand out to me. I smiled up at him and slid my palm against his, our fingers interlacing as we began to make our way back to the group.

Of course, Rick and the others freaked out when we told them about what happened. But I was pretty calm about it. I had Daryl. And I had pop-tarts. What more could a girl want?

A/N: So yeah. There's that. I just wanted to write about possessive Daryl for a bit. Love me some dominant males. Let me know what you think! I'll hopefully be working on the next "Fix You" chapter soon. Until then... Thanks for being patient :) I love all of you. You guys are da bomb.

Hopefully I won't have to take another break like I did this week, but finals week is just around the corner, so we'll see. I'll keep you guys informed. Until then... Adios! :)