DARYL WAS CROUCHED DOWN, HIDING HIMSELF WITHIN THE BUSHES AS HE SPOTTED THE DEER.

He raised his crossbow and aimed for the head.

A twig snapped off to the side and Daryl swung around, his crossbow ready to take out a walker if needed.

Harley stood there, wide eyed, as she tied a rabbit to her rope. Daryl sighed and lowered his crossbow, looking over to see the deer has taken off,

"Sorry." Harley signed, walking closer to him,

"It's fine." He replied, "Let's go, I can track it."

The two walked through the trees, following the tracks of the deer. Harley paused to pick some berries after Daryl made sure they were good to eat. She dumped them in a small pouch made from rabbit skin that Daryl made her.

As they got farther into the woods, the darker the clouds overhead got. Daryl glanced up before turning to her, "We should head back."

"But the deer." She argued,

"Doesn't matter. Don't want to be caught in the storm." He told her and she nodded before following behind him.

It wasn't long before the sky was thundering and rain was poured down on them. Harley quickly pulled the hoodie of her sweatshirt up and stuffed her hands in her jacket pockets. The rain quickly soaked through the layers of clothes and she began to shiver,

Daryl's hair stuck to his face as his poncho did very little to protect him from the rain. He looked around before nudging Harley's side, 

"We'll head to the cabin and stay till the rain lightens up."

Harley gave him the sign for 'okay' before the duo headed west, where the cabin was located. They opened the door and looked around, searching for signs of any people or walkers.

It seemed untouched from the last time they were there.

Daryl went to start a fire, using the wood they he kept inside from their previous visit. Harley shed her wet jacket and sweatshirt, leaving her in a t-shirt and her soaked jeans. 

She took the animals that she grabbed from their traps and began to skin them. She found a bucket under the kitchen sink and placed the blood and guts inside,

Daryl came over and grabbed the bucket before going towards the front door, 

Harley whistled to get his attention, "I think there's an umbrella in the closet."

He shrugged, "I'm already wet." He signed before going outside to bury the guts away from the property,

Harley made sure he was outside before going into the cupboard. She had visited the cabin multiple times since she and Daryl hid there from the small herd. She had stocked it with a few cans of food that she grabbed from runs in case they were stuck there. And good thing she did.

She placed the rabbit meat and bones in a pot with water and vegetables that she had gathered on their hunt. Harley placed the pot over the fire before going to her bag. She grabbed some packets of seeds and moved to put them in the cupboard,

Daryl left the bucket outside to fill with water to clean itself before heading inside, shaking the water from his hair.

Harley rolled her eyes before grabbing a towel from the closet and tossing it at him. He took off his poncho and set it on a chair to dry off before rubbing his arms with the towel,

She moved to check the stew, stirring it with a large spoon before walking back towards the small kitchen.

Daryl watched as she moved around so casually. Like this was her home. She grabbed two bowls and spoons before walking back over.

 She sat down on the fur rug in front of the fire, setting the bowls in front of her. She reached her hands out, trying to get herself warm.

Daryl stood and grabbed a blanket from the couch before placing it over her shoulders. Harlow looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

"How many times have you been out here?" He asked, sitting next to her,

Harley shrugged, "A few times."

"Why?"

She met his eyes for a moment before moving to stir the stew once more. Once she close the lid, she sat back, "It's..." Harlow searched for the words to explain it, "...quiet here. There's too much at the prison, it's loud. Not in the hearing way." She turned to him, "This place is sustainable. The well, I can plant the seeds, build a fence around the property so I don't worry about walkers. I like it. You go into the woods the same reason why I come here."

Daryl nodded, "I get it."

They stayed silent as Harley removed the stew from the fire. She poured the meal into the bowls and handed one to Daryl.

He ate his quickly and set down his bowl before watching her eat. He noticed her still shivering and ran his fingers over her wet jeans, "You should let those dry. Could get you sick."

She lowered her spoon for a moment, "I'm fine."

"You're still cold."

Harley rolled her eyes, quickly finishing her stew and setting the bowl aside. She stood and made her way back to the bathroom that she deep cleaned the last time she was there, her blanket still wrapped around her shoulders. She sat on the closed toilet lid and pulled off her socks and shoes that were still quite damp.

The redhead shed her jeans that stuck to her like glue and laid them over the shower curtain to dry. She rewrapped the blanket around her and shuffled back out to the main area of the cabin,

Daryl had refilled her bowl with what remained of the stew and waited for her to come back before holding it out for her,

"I'm good." She signed, sitting on the couch rather than the rug,

Daryl stood and held the bowl in front of her, waiting for her to take it. She stared up at him, searching his eyes before taking it from his hands. He made sure she was eating it before moving to grab the pot and putting it in the kitchen.

Harley only took a few more bites of the stew and turned around on the couch to hand him the rest. Daryl paused, the firelight from behind her made her look like she was glowing, almost angelic.

He swallowed nervously before taking the bowl and staring into the half eaten stew, "Eat." Harley signed,

He gave her a small eye roll before walking back over to the kitchen, quickly slurping down the rest of the stew.

Daryl checked outside, the rain still pounding on the rood. Lightning flashed and the area was still clear of walkers, unlike his last visit. He tossed another log onto the dimming fire before sitting next to her on the couch.

Harley shuffled around a bit, moving closer so he could have some of the blanket. She made the mental note to bring more blankets and pillows the next time she made a trip out there.

Daryl let her lean against him, invading his personal space. Her skin was still cold, despite getting rid of her wet clothes and sitting next to the fire.

The two sat there, watching the fire together. Daryl liked that they could sit in silence and not have it be awkward. He wasn't much of a talker, probably one of the reasons why he didn't mind being around Harley. Not to mention she could clearly hold her own and didn't treat her lack of hearing as a disability, despite what others thought.

She let out a small sigh as she fell asleep against his shoulder. He moved the blanket so it completely covered her before pulling her closer. He wasn't much for physical contact, but he needed to get her warm.

Harley curled into him, following the heat that seemed to radiate off of him. He lifted her legs to say in his lap and kept a hand on her knee to keep them in place.

He sat there until the fire went dim. Lightning periodically flashing into the room. His eyelids grew heavy and he shifted to get more comfortable.

Harley's fingers gripped his shirt and he wrapped an arm around her to make sure she didn't fall.

Maybe they'll get the deer tomorrow.