I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated. I sort of experienced a bit of a crisis after seeing the midseason finale and needed to take some time to decide what direction I wanted to go with the story. BUT...I'm back, all is well and I sincerely hope you enjoy the update! Thank you all for your continuing support and encouragement you are the best readers ever! Happy New Year!

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Jo

When Daryl and I went upstairs Rick was already awake. He was leaning against the counter, piles of paper and maps spread out in front of him. He looked up when the basement door swung open. His eyes were wary as he glanced back and forth between Daryl and I. 

I walked to the cupboard and pulled down two mugs, pouring fresh steaming coffee into both of them. It seemed Rick was still willing to work through our reserves. I was less cavalier about exhausting our supply of the precious liquid, once it was gone, it was gone, but Rick was in charge. I carried the mugs over to where Daryl was standing beside Rick. He took one from me in one hand and his other hand settled onto my low back, just below my spine sheath, drawing me closer to him. 

Rick was still watching us and when I settled in beside Daryl, leaning against his arm so I could read the plans, Rick exhaled. I had gotten so caught up in just being upset with Daryl, I hadn't paused to consider how uncomfortable our fight probably made everyone else around us. Daryl and I were a team and two of Rick's strongest fighters, logistically it would be a disaster for him to plan this kind of attack if the two of us were still at each other's throats. 

"Where do you need us?" Daryl asked, curiously. 

Rick licked his lips and looked back and forth between us for a full silent minute, gauging our reactions. The tension was gone for Daryl and I, but Rick was starting to put me on edge again. I cracked my neck and slid one of the papers aside, frowning down at the plans in front of me. 

"What did-" he started to ask, and when I looked up his gaze locked on mine. 

"I'll go where ever you need me as long as I'm with either Daryl, Carol or Carl," I said firmly. 

Something that may have been amusement danced in Rick's eyes. I tightened my jaw willing him to just go along with what I said and not acknowledge the fact that I had already told him as much before Daryl and I had agreed to it. I didn't think that would go over very well with Daryl and I felt like it would set us right back up to be at one another's throats over this again. 

I took a large swig of my scolding coffee in an attempt to stop Rick from asking me anything more about it. I grimaced as the liquid burned my tongue and the back of my throat as I forced it down. An amused light shone in the bastard's eyes but he didn't say anything more about it. I met his eyes and scowled at him and he immediately dropped his gaze to the papers spread out across the granite counter top. 

"Okay," he said uncomfortably. "Um...well for today, we need to get word to Dwight and find out everything he can tell us about sentries and whatever back up plans they have in place to protect The Sanctuary." Rick slid a note across the counter towards Daryl.

My eyebrows lifted. Something like this would be risky, for both us and for Dwight. It would mean sneaking up within striking distance of The Sanctuary without getting caught and catching only Dwight's attention. If I was being honest, it sounded like fun. It had been a long time since Daryl and I got to do something like this together. It felt like lately everything we did was with the group and for the group. The prospect of spending the day out in the woods with just Daryl was more exciting than I wanted to admit. 

Daryl looked down at the note, reading over it before he nodded slowly. He knocked back his coffee, draining the mug and swiped the paper off the counter, already looking like he was ready to go. 

"Um..." Rick started uncertainly, his eyes locked on Daryl. "You should probably bring back up, so if you-"

"I'm going with him," I told Rick. I scowled at him, surprised he would even consider sending someone else at Daryl's back. Daryl was the best we had in the woods, but I was a close second. And to be honest I couldn't imagine Daryl allowing anyone else to ride with him on his bike. 

I quickly finished off my coffee as well. I took both our mugs and put them in the sink before heading towards the front door. I scooped up my leather jacket and shrugged it on. 

"Well-" Rick started but we were already headed towards the door. "You'll need to-"

"Wait for a response," I filled in for him as I pulled my boots on. I met his gaze, lifting my eyebrows as though to ask him if there was anything else stupidly obvious he felt the need to tell us. We weren't amateurs. 

Rick shifted uncomfortably. 

Daryl swung his crossbow over his back and snatched his keys off the hook by the backdoor. He twirled them around his finger. "We got this," he said, and I think he was as eager as I was to get out from behind the wall for something like this. He was just better at hiding it than I was. 

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Jo

Daryl took a more round about way of getting to The Sanctuary than I was familiar with, but I understood his caution. We couldn't afford to be seen. We parked the bike five miles from The Sanctuary on what was once a minimum maintenance road through the forest. I was guessing it used to be a logging road judging by the new growth on one side of the road and the large old growth on the other.  

I climbed off the bike first first and unzipped my jacket so I could easily access all of my knives and the handgun that was tucked under my arm. Daryl had snagged his backpack before we left the house and he swung it onto his back and lifted his crossbow off the front of the bike into his hands. He turned to look back at me and there was a light in his eyes I hadn't seen since before Negan had taken him. 

"Ready Darlin'?" he asked, hardly keeping the excitement from his voice. 

I smirked in response and he led the way silently into the woods. 

It would take us several hours of hiking before we would reach The Sanctuary, especially with how cautious we had to be not to be seen. Daryl and I were both high value targets for The Saviors and it would make Negan's day for one of his patrols to stumble upon both of us. 

I loved spending time with Daryl in the forest and watching him move like a shadow through the trees. Every muscle in his body was both simultaneously tense and yet fluid. Seeing Daryl out here confident and in his element made something in my chest tighten. Things had been so tense for so long having this chance, just the two of us out here felt like I was experiencing freedom for the first time.

"Ya got something specific on your mind darlin'?" Daryl drawled after a while of us moving through the underbrush. 

I jolted from my thoughts and blinked at his back. "What?" I asked in a hushed voice, just in case there was anyone nearby. 

"You've been staring at me for the last twenty minutes," he replied matter-a-factly. 

I frowned at him and he started laughing though he didn't turn around. 

"I can feel ya scowl'in," he said and I could hear the smile in his voice. He crouched, and gently brushed his fingers across the dirt thoughtfully. 

I felt the sudden overwhelming urge to stick my tongue out at him. 

A laugh rumbled through his chest and he glanced back at me, his hair falling into his eyes. His eyes were light with laughter and I looked away as an embarrassed smile crept across my face. I had been staring. Honestly, sometimes it was hard not to. The button up shirt he wore pulled tight across his chest, and the way he held his crossbow made it impossible not to notice the power in his arms and hands. The line of his jaw was covered in a fine layer of stubble and though they were often veiled by his hair, his blue eyes glittered with confidence and intelligence. Sometimes, when we were in the community, surrounded by everyone and everything it was easy to forget who we were and what we were capable of, but out here Daryl was a hunter, a predator. He was in his element. I had never met anyone more capable than Daryl in the woods and I was in his territory now. 

He chuckled again and this time it was different. It made things low in my stomach tighten and I looked my lips. When I looked back at him he was walking towards me, a slow, confident prowl that made my breath catch in my throat. His face was serious but that teasing light was still in his eyes. I swallowed and a smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. I felt like a rabbit caught in a trap as I watched him move. He was a hunter through and through and only he could make me feel like this, like I was the prey. 

He stepped up directly in front of me so our chests were only inches apart. My breath hitched, catching in my throat as he stared down at me. His free hand came up and he caught the side of my face, his fingers digging into the nape of my neck. He pulled me into him, mashing his lips against mine with an urgency I hadn't expected. His mouth moved over mine as his fingers dug into my neck, holding me by only those two points of contact. I let out a soft moan as his tongue glided along mine, finally feeling like the last of the tension between us could be let free. 

My hands grasped at his hips, my fingers digging into the fabric I found there. There was a small piece of my brain that knew this wasn't the time or place for this. But it wasn't a part I was listening to just then. I moaned into his mouth and he pressed into me, forcing me to back up a step. I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings anymore and when my back hit a tree I gasped. A low, please chuckle rumbled in his chest and his fingers teased down along the side of my neck towards the collar of my shirt. I could hear, feel and taste nothing but Daryl. I jerked my hips towards his and reached up, gripping the back of his neck to hold him closer to me. 

In my lust clouded mind the snarl barely registered before Daryl whipped around. He leveled his crossbow one handed and fired. I jerked in surprise as the thwack of the shot registered and he turned back to me before the body of the walker even hit the ground. 

I tried to pull back, to check the area to make sure we were still safe, but his fingers tightened on my neck, holding me in place. His gaze was intense as he stared down at me from only inches away and I knew, knew in that moment that we were safe. I was always safe with Daryl. 

He kissed me again, only this time is was softer, a gentle brush that was a sharp contrast to the potential danger around us and the strength of him that it left me shuddering beneath him. 

He softened the kiss even more, not exactly pulling back, but cooling the intensity. He kissed my lips gently, teasingly over and over and his fingers toyed along my neck in a more playful way. His body had relaxed, there was less intensity, less intent. I squirmed under his finger tips and it began to tickle. He moved his fingers again and when I tried to pull away he laughed. He pecked my lips one final time and he rested his forehead against mine a smile still on his face. 

I wanted this, I wanted this all the time. I wanted Daryl relaxed and playful and just happy. It was so rare we were able to get free from the group's constant state of crisis. There was always drama and tension and we invariably wound up in the middle of it, simply by virtue of our abilities. I couldn't help feeling like so many of our arguments were rooted in how we were going to handle what was happening with the group. 

Even though there was the potential for danger out here it was peaceful. I wanted to give Daryl that. When he had first told me about Carol and her house I had felt like she had made a selfish decision. She had abandoned her family in favor of what she needed. But now, seeing Daryl like this, relaxed and at ease out here, I wanted that for him. I wanted him to find peace. Just because we could fight, didn't mean we always had to. We couldn't keep this up forever and I couldn't lose him. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that was the one loss I wouldn't come back from. 

"Dare-" I started to say, but I didn't know how to say all the things I felt in my heart. I didn't know how to tell him what I was thinking without it sounding like I was being a coward. Like I was willing to abandon everyone and run away. 

Daryl pressed his forehead more tightly against mine, cupping the back of my neck. "I know Darlin," he promised me and then he pulled back. There was still a small smile on his face and he walked over to the walker and jerked the arrow out of it's forehead. I watched him, my back still pressed against the tree as he cleaned the arrow on the scraps of the walkers clothing and reloaded the crossbow. 

I exhaled and rubbed my hands down the outside of my thighs. I needed to focus on what we were doing out here, but after...well...afterward Daryl and I might need to have a talk about the future. 

"Jo," Daryl called to me and I looked up at him, surprised to find him standing only a few feet away studying me with a serious expression on his face. It made me wonder if he had been trying to get my attention. He only used my name when things were serious and last I checked things hadn't been serious.

"Sorry," I said and I pushed myself off of the tree and walked towards him. 

"Where did ya go?" he asked and concern darkened his eyes. 

I shrugged it off and waved casually towards him. "It's nothing," I promised him, smiling. 

He didn't buy it, of course he didn't. I couldn't pretend with Daryl, I never had been able to. As always it felt like he could somehow read my mind. He stepped up to me again and cupped my cheek in one of his large, warm hands. 

"Do ya want to go back?" he asked. "I can handle this," he assured me, and I knew he could. Rick was overcautious and I was too protective to allow Daryl to go off on his own. Daryl didn't do well on his own, but he certainly could handle something like this by himself. 

"Of course not," I said, scoffing. I was still trying to diffuse the situation. I wasn't ready to have this conversation, and now wasn't the time for a serious discussion. 

He cocked his head to the side and his hair fell into his eyes. He shook it away in annoyance and I wondered why he didn't cut it if it was in his face all the time. "What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked gently. 

I looked around at the woods surrounding us. "I don't think this is the best place to-"

Daryl scoffed. "Ya doubt me darlin?" he asked and though his words were light his eyes were still serious. 

I sighed, he was right of course. He wasn't infallible, but if he didn't think there was a threat around us, chances were I wasn't going to find one. 

"No, we just-" I gestured in the direction of The Sanctuary. "We're wasting time, we need-"

"This is all we have to do today, and that asshole ain't never taken first shift a day in his life," Daryl drawled, rocking his weight back on one leg. "So stop avoiding talking to me." 

I chewed on my lip and shook my head, taking a step towards The Sanctuary. I needed to think this through before we spoke. I needed to explain my thoughts but I had to do it the right way. I didn't want Daryl to think I was trying to back out of the fight. 

"Jo," when he said my name again it was filled with so much emotion I couldn't resist turning to him. "Last night, I was talking with Carol..." he started to say. He kicked at the ground and wouldn't meet my eyes. "She told me last night if I kept pushing ya away I would lose ya." 

I frowned at his words, feeling irritation spread through me. Carol knew us, but not as well as she thought, and I didn't appreciate her making Daryl feel bad about a fight that had been between the two of us. What happened between us was our business. 

"Dare-" I started to say but he lifted his eyes and cut me off. 

"I told her that wasn't gonna happen," he said resolutely and I nodded in agreement. "That ya weren't going no where, ya were my wife..."

I nodded again, absolutely agreeing with his words whole-heartedly. 

He exhaled, brushing his hair back out of his face so he could meet my gaze levelly. 

"I know it didn't-" he looked away again almost sheepishly. "I mean, I didn't actually ask and it wasn't official or nothing but..." he drew in a tight breath and exhaled loudly. Then he lifted his eyes and locked them on mine, sincerity burned through his blue depths. "I feel it. With all of me," he said and he reached down and took my hand into his. "With every piece of me."  

"I know that," I assured him, squeezing his larger hand in mine. "I feel the exact same way. I love you Daryl." 

He nodded and there was so much emotion in his eyes I snatched him towards me, wrapping my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest. He sighed in what felt like relief and when he hugged me to his chest his hands were gentle. He pressed his lips into my hair. "Then trust me. Tell me what is going on in that head of yours." 

I sighed into his chest, tightening my arms around him. "I just-" I started to say and I didn't know where to begin. 

He pressed his lips into my hair again and I squeezed me eyes closed. "I just want there to be an after for us." 

Daryl pulled back, scowling down at me. "There will be. That's what this is all about." 

"I know," I promised him and he looked moderately placated. "I just..." I sighed. "I'm here. I'm all in for this, until Negan is gone...but after...Daryl, we need to think of what we are going to do after." 

Daryl was frowning down at me but he was listening. 

"We can't keep fighting forever," I told him. "I mean I know we could, but...I want something more. I want..." I sighed because I was saying it all wrong and I didn't even really know what it was that I wanted. 

A slow, understanding smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He nodded. 

"I want there to be an after, okay? An ending...otherwise what are we fighting for?" 

Daryl swallowed and I could tell once this was all done we were going to have to have this conversation again. But maybe then I would be able to explain what I meant. Maybe I would know a little bit more what it was I wanted. He kissed me soundly on the lips before stepping away from me. 

"We're fighting for each other," he told me. "And once Negan is gone, the after is up to us." 

I nodded and smiled weakly at him. He swung his crossbow back over his shoulder and wiped a hand over his mouth. "Let's get this done." 

I nodded and trailed after him.

We managed to get right up to the perimeter fence without being seen. I crouched back to back just behind Daryl, knives bare in my hands. We had to hold our position for several hours before Dwight came into view. I watched our backs as Daryl worked. My shoulder brushed his, as he moved, using his crossbow to fire messages towards Dwight. I wondered how difficult it was for him to resist burying an arrow in Dwight's skull. 

An arrow thunked into the wooden pallet in front of us. I flinched and my head whipped back around towards the arrow. Daryl grunted and reached for it. 

I spotted Dwight, almost twenty yards away watching us. When he caught my eye he nodded to me. He was still holding Daryl's original crossbow tucked into his shoulder and even from here I recognized Daryl's vest. I studied him, wondering if he realized he was already a dead man. Even if Daryl didn't do it, I wasn't going to let the man who had personally tortured Daryl live. I didn't care how useful the information was.  

Daryl reached around and snagged the arrow. He pulled several pieces of paper off the shaft, tucking them away into his back pocket. He jerked his chin down in Dwight's direction before we backed up slowly into the lengthening shadows. We crept together through the dark forest, moving from shadow to shadow, too silent for even the walkers in the area to notice us. 

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Hi guys, so...what did you think? I know it was a little light on the action, but I really thought Jo and Daryl had a few more things to work out before the battle starts! I hope you enjoyed it! More to come soon!