Chloe's POV

I vaguely remember waking up in the middle of the night and Daryl comforting me. I'm so embarrassed I'm pretty sure I had another nightmare. Daryl's snoring lightly next to me, his arm draped over me as I lay on my side facing him. I look up at his sleeping face and push some hair behind his ears. I'm not going to let my emotions drive him away, I'm going to be strong for him like I was when we first met. So much has changed since then including me. Daryl moans as his eyes flutter open, I didn't realize I started playing with his soft hair again. His lips lift into a small smile, and I can't help smiling back.

"I'm sorry I was so clingy last night," I tell him.

"Don't be sorry," he says reaching out for me.

"Can we just not move from this bed for the rest of the apocalypse?" I question.

He laughs and my body responds with warmth. He pulls me into him and kisses the top of my head. I love how somehow we are able to just pick up right where we left off. There's no awkward getting to know each other again, it just feels so natural and for the first time since this mess started I finally feel somewhat happy.

"So how did you wind up all the way up here?" he asks.

"College, I was attending Gallaudet University studying sign language. I really wanted to work with the deaf community..."

As I speak Daryl gently rubs my arm and I fold myself into him a bit more. It hurts a bit to talk about it because I did all of it for Liam. It's been a few years, but the pain has never subsided.

"It took me a few years after you left to save up to go. I had to move out of that house, I went and lived with Katelyn for a few years to save up money. I'd just moved to the area and was in my second year when shit hit the fan," I say. "Liam was up here visiting me, I did get to see him a bit after everything. I'd only just reconnected with him for about a year before everything started to happen," I stop because I'm about to get emotional and I'm tired of crying.

"I knew you'd get out of there," he tells me.

"At least one of us had faith. Right before I had the money to pay for school I was at my lowest point, lower than when you left. I'd been hit hard struggling never thinking I'd make the money. I was missing Liam a lot, he wrote me but that was really all the contact we had. I missed you... I was just not in a good place," I tell him.

"I've been there more times than I can count," he tells me.

"What about you?" I ask. "How'd you end up here?" I ask.

"It's a much longer story than yours," he laughs.

"I'm okay with that," I say. He smiles down at me.

"Merle and I grouped up with some of the people you'll meet, Carol who you've met was a part of that group. We've been to a lot of places, I've actually lived in a prison," he laughs.

I can't help it I laugh with him. Thinking about how hard Daryl tried to stay out of prison it's funny to think of him ending up there.

"Merle must have loved that," I say.

"Actually he really wasn't too fond of that group, and we'd been split up for a while. Anyway we ended up trying to make our way to DC and ended up in Alexandria, and we've been in this area since," he says.

I look up into his eyes he's the same Daryl, but different in so many ways. Since the world changed everyone who survived had gone through a lot of shit. We've done things we may not have done if the dead didn't come back to life. People who never even held a gun or a knife have, people who never would have killed before have killed. It's a new world and with that new world change has not only occurred around us but within us.

"I'm sorry about Merle, as much as I hated him I know how much he meant to you," I say.

"It's okay," he says.

I lean up and kiss him again, I'm not sure I ever want to stop. He pulls me into him hard as I adjust myself so that I'm straddling on top of him. His soft lips touch my neck and I'm suddenly back in my bedroom in that small town in Georgia. I can feel him under me and my body responds by rubbing my body against him. He moans softly as he tugs at my shirt. He lifts it over my head and throws it to the ground. Carefully his mouth finds my skin again starting at my neck and slowly making his way down towards my breasts. I throw my head back and remove his shirt too. My hands touch his warm chest. Daryl breaths heavily as I lean down and start kissing just along his neck too.

Before I can blink both of us have tossed our pants aside and he's somehow managed to get a hold of a condom. Hoping it's not expired, I don't want to experience what I did after he left. Something I'm not even sure I want to bring up. I'm afraid that whatever we have here in the present will all be destroyed by this one thing. I try not to think about it and just let the magic take over. I say magic because that's how it feels with Daryl, it always has. It feels like a million fireworks going off inside of me and he's my only release.

He rolls me onto my back and once we start it's like it never ended. His eyes are focused on nothing but me. He doesn't close them once, it's like he's trying to take all of me in. Like he knows that this could be one of the last times we are intimate. If I would have known that last time I would have looked at him the way he's looking at me now. I won't make that same mistake so I do the same. It's not awkward or weird, it feels just right.

I come undone the same time as him and we both flop onto our backs breathing hard. His hand finds mine and he squeezes hard. I stare at the ceiling while he disposes of the condom into the pail next to the bed. Our eyes meet as he turns back to me and he smiles.

"You really want to drop me off in some random location and leave me there? If I stay with you we could do this every night," I say.

"So tempting," he murmurs tickling my ear with his lips.

"It is isn't it?" I question.

He laughs, "I'm not just dropping you off and never coming back, I won't lose you again Chloe," he says. "I'm just taking you to a safer location, this is enemy territory here at the sanctuary. Shit is not good here and I don't want you to be around when it all goes down," he says.

"I can help, you know I don't take any shit from anyone. Look at how I dealt with Merle," I offer.

"I have no doubts that you can help, but I have a better place for you," he says.

"Will you take me there?" I ask. "I mean, I know you wanted Carol to take me, but I just would feel more comfortable if you did," I say.

He nods, "I can do that," he says.

Once we get ready Daryl tells me to wait just outside of the place they call the sanctuary. It's kind of a creepy place and I can see why Daryl would rather me somewhere else. I hope that wherever I'm going it feels more like a home than here. It feels cold and evil here. Carol comes out with a few others and waves as she hops into a car. Daryl starts walking out a few seconds later and leads me to a motorcycle.

"Leave it to you to still ride a motorcycle in the apocalypse," I laugh.

"What else would I drive?" he asks.

I hop on the back like I've done several times before and wrap my arms around his middle. I rest my head against his leather vest and breathe in deep.

"You okay back there?" he asks his voice sounding funny.

"Yup," I say.

"Okay good, you think you can let go a bit," he chuckles.

I didn't realize I was literally squeezing him.

"Sorry," I whisper.

"S'okay," he says.

He starts the bike and starts after the car that Carol got into. I hold on tight but not too tight. I want to open my eyes and watch where we are going, but I'm too busy soaking everything in right now. I'm not sure how much longer I have with Daryl and I want to remember the feeling. Last time he was taken so quickly I barely had time to really appreciate and enjoy our time together. I will no longer take people and things for granted. It was a miracle that we found each other again.

We start to slow down and that's when I finally open my eyes. In front of me is a dirt road leading up to a huge gate. Guards stand up top watching and monitoring who comes and goes. The door opens and we enter. I'm in awe with this place because I've never seen anything like it. All of the places I've been have been small camps or in homes that have been boarded up. This place is amazing and is centered near a huge brick mansion. There are a ton of crops and it kind of reminds me of something from a renaissance festival. We hop off the bike together and I notice a few people walking out of the house. A woman who looks to be around our age comes strolling out. She's kind of intimidating.

Daryl takes my hand in his rubbing gently along the top of my hand with his thumb. He leans down and whispers into my ear.

"That's Maggie, she um... she's in charge," he tells me.

I look up at him and then back at her as she heads straight for us. Her eyes stare straight at me and then down at our hands. Confusion crosses her face as she stops in front of us.

"Daryl," she says.

"Maggie, can we talk?" Daryl asks.

"Yeah, inside okay?" she asks.

Daryl nods and she turns without introducing herself or anything. I'm feeling like maybe coming here was a mistake. I start to think that maybe I should have Daryl take me back to where I was originally.

"You okay?" he whispers.

I look up at him, smile and nod. We follow behind Maggie and into the mansion. It's huge and I'm in awe that they have a place like this to call home. Daryl stops just before we reach a set of doors. He points to a chair in the foyer, "You should stay out here, and let me talk to her, okay?" he says.

"Um... yeah sure," I say.

He grabs a hold of my other hand and pulls me into him. I look up and bite my lip.

"It's gonna be okay," he promises.

"I trust you," I whisper.

"Do you really?" he questions.

I nod, although he'd left me high and dry before there was reason behind it. I have faith that Daryl wouldn't willingly put me in danger. I just have to trust that he bringing me here is the right decision. He kisses my head softly and pushes me towards the chair. I sit down and the doors close. Alone I sit and wait.