— PLACES LIKE THIS MADE NATE'S skin crawl, knowing exactly who these people were before the outbreak and how they treated people without money, how they looked down upon them all like they were dirt on the bottom of their shoes, like they were nothing; when Nate was growing up, he learnt to hate people like this, hate what they stood for, and hate how they preyed upon the weak to gain the upper hand. Nate grew up in poverty, he lived in an old shack with his alcoholic father and his two older brothers whom were never truly around; Merle moved out the second he was able to, leaving his two younger brothers behind, and Daryl often took the beating from their fathers, nearly being killed one night due to how much beating he had truly taken. That was, until Daryl eventually moved out and all of their fathers anger then turned onto Nate, the boy now being all alone in the small, cheap home that he despised with his whole heart. Daryl visited often, though, and that was the difference between him and Merle, Daryl cared, and that's why Nate had always felt more drawn towards the middle Dixon child. Even if they don't have the same mother, Nate always saw Daryl and Merle as his true brothers, and he would have never seen them as any different.

But overall, this place didn't bring any joy to Nate; he didn't want to stay here, and he sure as hell didn't feel bad for anyone that had died here, knowing that they would have never shown him any gratitude before the outbreak. If they had survived the outbreak without taking the easy way out, Nate was sure that if he had come into contact with them, he would have been saving their asses, which was ironic, considering how it would have been the opposite before the outbreak had first occurred. As much as he didn't want to admit it, the outbreak was the best thing that had happened to him — he didn't have a job before everything went down, he had no experience and no chance at getting one either. That, and the outbreak had pulled him towards Zoe Grimes, the love of his life..

Beth had found some Peach Schnapps, with it being the only bottle that wasn't broken and empty, and Nate side eyed the stuff, knowing that it was a teenage drink, something that Beth shouldn't have as her first drink, but then again, if she wanted to drink it, then he couldn't stop her. He sat in silence in the corner of the room as he watched Daryl throw darts at the presidents of the golf club, and the man knew that his older brother was thinking the exact same thing as he was, that everyone here probably got what they deserved. Not soon after, however, Beth began to cry quietly, clearly trying to hide it from the two Dixon's, but they both looked over at her with different looks on their faces. Nate had never been good at comforting people, especially before he met Zoe, but now that he had been with her, and seen first hand how she cared about her family and friends, he felt like he was a better person with how he had grown. So, the man stood up and walked towards Beth, slowly pulling the girl in for a hug, giving her the chance to pull away if she didn't want the hug, but the girl did anything but that, instead, she wrapped her arms around the larger man, pushing her face into his chest as she began to sob, letting out her feelings at last.

Nate wasn't close with Beth by any means, but he still saw her as family, he sees Maggie as family, and he saw Hershel as family, the Greene family taking them all in when they could have kicked them all out; he didn't like to see Beth so torn up about everything, and the fact that she was finally letting out her tears, meant that it was eating her up inside. Seeing this, Daryl didn't waste any time in rushing over and throwing the Peach Schnapps to the floor, "Ain't gonna have your first drink be no god damned peach schnapps." The man revealed, as Beth looked up through her hair parting, still holding onto Nate as Daryl headed towards the back door, "Come on." Daryl told the two of them, nodding his head towards the door to get them moving.
And they did. They followed Daryl out of the door, Nate looking back at the destroyed bar before finally leaving the building.

Seeing Daryl sitting in an armchair drinking moonshine, wasn't something that Nate wanted to see in his life time; he hated to admit it, but he looked just like their father, and he wanted that thought to be rid from his mind. Daryl could never be like their father, he knew that, and Merle knew that, too, hell, even Merle could never be their father, no matter what kind of things he had done in his life. But seeing his fathers figure on an ark chair again, sent chills throughout his body — he felt bad that he had refused Beth's drink, but still, he just couldn't bring himself to drinking, not when he felt like this. The man had motioned to the window to imply that he would keep a look out, to allow the two of them to let go so they would be able to drink, without the worry of walkers getting in.. It wasn't long afterwards, that the three were sat in a circle, around a bottle of Moonshine; even if Nate wasn't drinking, he didn't want to deny Beth a good time after her fathers death. The teenager was describing how to play the drinking game, and Nate had never heard of it before — he had never been invited to any of the attire at school, having never even had any friends, so this game was completely new to him.

Nate had his bottle of water out, scoffing at the fact that he was playing a drinking game with water. "I've never shot a crossbow." Beth started, after claiming that she used to watch her friends play this game; Nate knew that it meant he had to drink; so he did, Beth smiling at him for playing along her drinking game.

"Ain't much of a game." Daryl mumbled, taking a gulp of his own drink.

"That was a warm up. Now you go." Beth responded, speaking directly to Daryl, knowing that Nate wouldn't speak up, since he hadn't since the first night they were away from the prison. The last sentence he had uttered, was 'she's dead', and the girl couldn't feel more heartbroken for what he was going through, Beth wished that she could bring Zoe back to him, and it's all she wanted for him; the girl knew that it was the only way she could make him happy again, and she believed that Zoe was out there somewhere, and she wished that he would feel the same way.
When Daryl spoke up the next statement, Nate tried to hide the smirk on his face at the sight of Daryl playing along with Beth's game, even if he didn't enjoy it, Nate was having a good time watching it go down. "Never have I ever.. Been in jail. Like a prisoner." Beth continued, waiting for Nate or Daryl to drink because of their backstory and just how they acted in general.

Just because Merle was a drug dealer back before the outbreak, it didn't mean that the two younger Dixon's were like that, too; sure, Merle sent Nate money when he was a teenager to help him move out of their dads hut, but the boy had never done anything illegal in his lifetime. Daryl, he honestly had no clue, but for himself, he was clean. "Is that what you think of us?" Daryl asked the stuck up girl, as Beth merely smiled.

"I didn't mean anything serious." She claimed, shrugging her shoulders at the two brothers, "I just thought, you know, like the drunk tank. Even my dad got locked up for that back in the day." Beth continued, hoping the Dixon's didn't get offended at her words. It was then, did Beth begin to question what each brother did before the outbreak, guessing that Daryl was a prison guard, but Nate knew that Beth was never going to guess; the world before this one, was nothing to them, now, and whatever anyone did before, didn't matter to them anymore.

Daryl seemed to be taking the game a bit to heart, though, when the girl just carried on trying to guess, not liking the fact that she thought he was in jail before this whole outbreak; he got up, throwing his glass to the ground and beginning to take a piss in the corner of the room. It was why Nate didn't like drinking, and seeing Daryl loose his temper, was a lot of the reason as to why he didn't want any of the Moonshine, and he wouldn't ever drink when he was feeling upset or angry. "It's my turn, right?" Daryl asked, turning back around when he had finished his business, "Never eaten frozen yogurt. Never had a pet pony. Never got nothing from Santa Claus." He snapped, Beth keeping her mouth shut as she looked away from the man, "Never relied on anyone for protection before. Hell, I don't think I've ever relied on anyone for anything. Never sung out in front of a big group out in public like everything was fun. Like everything was a big game. I sure as hell never cut my wrists looking for attention." The man carried on, picking up another glass off Moonshine when Nate had finally had enough of him and his harsh words.

Nate stood up, grabbing the full glass from Daryl and throwing it across the room, keeping his eyes on him as he did so. "That's enough." He warned, not wanting to square up against his brother, exactly, but not being able to sit down quietly whilst he continuously insulted Beth to make himself feel better. "Can't you see you've had enough? Leave the poor girl alone, don't take your frustration out on her." He continued, staring Daryl down as he stared right back at his little brother, the man walking forwards slightly and pressing his forehead against Nate's, testing him.

"What, now you wanna talk?" Daryl scoffed, finding it ironic that now Nate had the cheek to speak up after days of not saying a single word to them both, "You're been so locked up in your own little head, feeling sorry for yourself.." He carried on, just making Nate even more angry, the fact that he could talk shit about him when he wasn't doing any better than he was.

"Shut up." Nate snarled, wanting him to shut up, as Beth stood up from behind them, trying to get them to split up.

"You think just because you lost your little girlfriend that you can pretend you're better than me? That's bullshit." Daryl just kept on going, Nate not wanting to hit him, but getting pretty close to actually doing it, his hand forming into a fist as his hand shook.

"I'm not gonna hit you." Nate said, as Daryl scowled.

But what interrupted them all, was a walker pounding outside of the small hut they were arguing in, Daryl scoffing and taking a step back when Nate wouldn't punch him — Nate didn't think he could ever punch Daryl, not since the man had given him so much in life, taking beatings for him when they were both so small and helpless themselves, giving him pocket money for food even when Daryl couldn't afford food for himself. He knew that his brother was hiding his feelings from him and Beth, he was projecting his anger onto both of them to hide the fact that he was scared that they wouldn't find anyone from the prison, but Nate could see straight through it, and Daryl knew that.. "Oh, sounds like our friend out there is trying to call all of his buddies. Hey, you ever shot a crossbow before?" Daryl called out, pointing towards Beth as he knew she wouldn't take his anger as well as Nate did, and he just wanted a reaction.

"Leave it, Daryl." Nate warned, backing up as Daryl grabbed his crossbow, grabbing Beth's arm, and pulling her out of the hut, Nate following with a sigh. With the look that Beth had given him, he didn't step in, the girl knowing that she needed to stick up for herself. So, Nate stood to the side as Daryl began shooting at the walker, pulling Beth back to shoot at it herself — until Beth had finally had enough, grabbing her knife and storming forwards ti stab it in the skull, putting it down.

"What the hell you do that for? I was having fun." Daryl complained, rolling his eyes in annoyance as he stared down Beth.

"No, you were being a jackass." Beth shouted, finally having enough of his bullying towards her and Nate. "If anyone found my dad.." The girl went to explain, only for Daryl to interrupt.

"Don't. That ain't remotely the same." Daryl snapped, the man having a respect for Hershel, one high enough that he didn't like to think of the man that way.

"Killing them is not supposed to be fun!" Beth argued, getting in his face.

Nate knew that Daryl wouldn't do anything to harm Beth in any way, but he stood by, anyway, knowing that Beth was the only one who could get through to him. "What do you want from me, girl, huh?" Daryl snapped right back again.

"I want you to stop acting like you don't give a crap about anything. Like nothing we went through matters. Like none of the people we lost meant nothing to you. It's bullshit!" Beth yelled, knowing that at least Nate was showing that loosing everyone upset him greatly; Daryl was just pretending, and she hated it. "I know you look at me.. You too Nate. You two look at me and you just see another dead girl. I'm not Michonne. I'm not Carol. I'm not Maggie. I'm not Zoe! I've survived and you guys don't get it 'cause I'm not like you or them. But I made it, and you don't get to treat me like crap just because you're afraid." The girl ranted, Nate instantly feeling bad that the girl was feeling this way, and he didn't notice because he was trapped inside of his own head.

"I ain't afraid of nothing." Daryl told her, hating that her words got too close to home. He looked towards his little brother with a look on his face, "What? You staying silent again now? Back to being a mute?" He scoffed, finding it ironic when he would only speak when he wished to and when it benefitted him.

Nate glared back at Daryl, "She has a point." Is all he said, just pissing Daryl off even more than before, hating to be told that he was afraid of something when he didn't believe he was.

"You two don't get it! Everyone we know is dead!" Daryl shouted at the two, as Nate had to bite his tongue and hold back his words as his brother yelled, "And even if they ain't, you ain't never gonna see 'em again! Rick.. You and never gonna see Maggie again, and you.." Daryl continues, now looking at Nate, "You ain't never gonna see Zoe again." He stated, as Nate had finally had enough. The man sprung forwards, pulling his fist back and finally bringing it to Daryl's face, his brother falling down to the ground, laughing, finally getting the reaction he wanted. "Let it out, brother.. Let it out." He chuckled, as Nate climbed on top of him and sent another punch towards his face.

"Nate, Nate stop!" Beth shouted, instantly rushing up to the two brothers and trying to pull Nate off of Daryl, not liking how far this had escalated.

The second that Nate realised Daryl wasn't even trying to push him off, told him that he wanted this, so with a shout of frustration, Nate pushed off of him, tears streaming down his face when he landed on the ground next to his brother, the man now frowning as Beth's words dawned on him. "The Governor rolled right up to our gates. Maybe if I wouldn't have stopped looking.." Daryl finally spoke up again, leaning forwards as he looked up, his voice breaking; Nate looked up with tears falling down his own face, "Maybe 'cause I gave up. That's on me. And your dad.. Maybe I could'a done something." The man carried on, finally allowing himself to feel, as Beth rushed up to pull him in for an embrace.

Nate merely watched, still hating the fact that the love of his life could be out there somewhere, he just needed to look.. "I can't admit that Zoe's gone.. At least, not yet. I can't." Nate finally spoke up, Daryl and Beth looking over at him as he did, "If she's truly gone, I don't know if I'll be able to go on, that girl.." He whimpered, "That girl is my everything. And I can't let her go. I won't." He said, looking down at the soil beneath him when he saw a hand hover in front of him, Beth's hand, in a fist.. Before it opened, and he saw the ring he was looking at in the golf club, but instead of the dirty diamond ring he saw, it was clean.

Nate looked up at Beth through his tears as she gently opened up his hand, opening up his palm and dropping the ring into it, smiling. "I knew you would admit that Zoe was out there somewhere. This is for when you find her." The girl stated, smiling even more when Nate pulled the girl in for a hug, having never felt so grateful for someone before.

"Thankyou."