Daryl's POV

"Has anyone seen Hope?" I ask as I go into Rick's house.

Everyone's gathered for dinner there, as per usual. They all look up at me, shrugging.

"Last time I saw her was when she was training Buttons," Michonne mentions.

"Same," Maggie agrees.

"Maybe she went and had a nap. She's been working pretty hard lately," Glenn suggests.

"You checked your house, right?" Abraham asks.

I cross my arms. "No..."

"That's the most obvious place, dude," Tara says.

"I know! I know!" I turn, heading to the door. "Be back soon!" I call over my shoulder.

"Bye!" everyone choruses.

I head to my house, strolling inside and heading up the stairs. I poke my head into our bedroom, where sure enough, Hope lays sprawled out on the mattress, sleeping.

I move to her side, touching her shoulder and shaking gently.

"Hope? Hey...it's dinner," I murmur.

She wakes up with a small noise, looking up at me. She blinks a few times, the film of sleep still blurring her vision.

"Huh?"

"Dinner. Rick's place."

"Oh. Yeah."

She gets up, shaking her hair out. Her hair has dried into her natural curls while she slept, so her bedhead looks good. She brushes past me, throwing on her boots and leaving without a second glance my way.

I follow her back to the group, where everyone is settling down with plates of food.

"Hey! You found her!" Noah says as we get inside.

"Yup," she replies, deadpan.

"Napping?" Rosita asks.

Hope nods. "I keep forgetting I'm pregnant and need to sleep."

"Well, we're all glad you're here anyways," Tara says. "This food's pretty good, considering the rations."

"I'll be glad to try some." She puts on an obviously forced smile and spoons some of the food on to her plate.

I follow, wondering what's bothering her so much. Is this another pregnancy thing?

Again, I feel that same guilt flare up. I need to tell her. I can't do this.

Carol smiles at me. "Hungry?"

"Yup," I mumble.

"Good thing I'm a good cook." She smirks.

I smile lightly, glancing over at Hope. Her gaze flies back to her plate when she sees me looking.

"Where's Sasha?" Eugene asks.

"Out on patrol, I think," Rick answers, spoon feeding Judith mashed up veggies. "She needs her space."

Everyone agrees silently. I move to the spot beside Hope, flopping down. Although she doesn't object, she doesn't meet my gaze either.

"What's wrong?" I whisper to her.

"Nothing," she mumbles, eating some of her potatoes.

"That's a lie and you know it," I return.

"Oh really? What if I don't know it?"

I arch an eyebrow, frowning. "Is this another hormonal pregnancy thin'?"

She huffs. "No. Drop it. I'm fine."

"Quit lyin'."

"I'm not!"

"You are!"

She shakes her head. "I'm not."

"Tell me what's wrong."

She shovels the rest of her potatoes into her mouth, chewing. She points to her mouth, silently claiming that she can't talk.

"Right. That's super mature of you," I huff.

She scowls, swallowing. "I don't really give a fuck right now."

I put my fork down, feeling even more angry by the moment. "Why are you bein' such a bitch?"

"Why do you keep being vague with me?"

"I'm not!"

"YES YOU ARE!"

"Uh...guys?" Glenn's voice sounds.

We both stop talking, realizing that everyone is staring at us. Hope's face becomes red as she stands up, putting her empty plate on the table.

"I think I'll go get some sleep," she says, her voice with a fake sweetness in it.

She storms away, everyone watching in disbelief between her and me. I put my plate aside and stand up, following after her.

Hope's POV

I'm so done. Not only am I completely emotionally drained, but I just embarrassed myself in front of everyone.

"God, I am such a bitch," I mumble, smacking my forehead.

"Hope! Wait!" Daryl's voice calls behind me.

I keep walking, heading up the porch and throwing the door open. I kick my shoes off forcefully, not stopping.

"Would you calm down? I just need to talk to you!" he tries again.

I get up to our bedroom and slam the door, locking it. I sit down, leaning my head against the door and shutting my eyes.

I hear the doorknob jiggle before he pounds on the door forcefully.

"Hope, open the goddamn door," he demands. I don't respond. "Please just talk to me!"

"NO!" I shout.

"I will kick this thin' down!" he threatens.

"Yeah, right!" I hiss.

There's a moment of silence before the door splinters. I scramble away right before it flies open at the second kick. Daryl storms in, grabbing my wrists and pulling me to my feet.

"Just fuckin' talk to me instead of doin' this!" he demands.

"I don't want to!" I insist, trying to pull away from him.

"No! Just-"

"I don't need to tell you anything!" I yell.

"I do! I'm sorry for lyin'!"

Daryl's POV

Her anger disappears, her eyes seeming to flood with sadness.

"About what?" she demands, her voice breaking.

"About goin' outside the fence and workin' out a backup plan without you! Rick and Carol thought it'd add too much stress on to your life and told me not to tell!" I yell.

Tears start to stream down her face as I release her wrists.

"S-so...you're not cheating on me with Carol?" she asks hoarsely.

I take a step back, my mouth falling open. "That's what you thought this was about?!"

"I heard you and her talking! It sounded like what I heard when I was cheated on before! I got scared!" she screams, her eyes red rimmed with tears. "I...I didn't want to go through another heartbreak ok? Ok?!"

I remain completely still as she cries. She was cheated on before? When? Why?

Most importantly, is the motherfucker who did it dead? Because otherwise, I will find him and kill him myself.

"Ok?" she whispers, the heartbreak so evident in her tone that I can feel it hurting me.

She covers her face, her body shaking. I move forwards, tilting her face up and pressing my lips to hers in one swift movement. She stiffens, keeping her eyes shut, but she doesn't back away. I kiss her like my life depends on it, and I can feel her slowly releasing the tenseness in her body.

"Don't...ever think that'd I'd do that to you," I whisper, only leaving her embrace for a moment.

Her tears mingle on our lips, and I make no move to wipe them away. I hold her against me, breathing in her scent and feeling her heart beating against mine. She breaks away, her breathing still heavy from crying. She looks up at me, her kind eyes glistening with sorrow and fear. I hate seeing her so broken. For a split second, I imagine this is how she felt when I was feeling the way she is now; when I needed to feel something other than pain.

I kiss her again, my lips working against hers hungrily. I lift her up, sitting down on the bed with her in my lap so that she's straddling my waist. My arms wrap around her waist as we break away again, our gaze never leaving each other. I brush her soft curls from her face, kissing the tear stains gently.

"I love you so much, Hope," I whisper. "Anythin' you need, I'll get."

She smiles sadly, her hands trailing up my chest. She leans forwards, kissing me again and tangling her fingers in my hair. That's the only answer I need.