Rolling over onto my side, I gazed out the window. The night sky was filled with stars, making me remember my mom. When I was a kid, we would grab blankets and climb up in the back of mom's pickup truck to stargaze. It was moments like those that she'd tell me stories of my dad. Tears brimmed in my brown eyes and I let a few slide down my cheeks. I never thought I'd miss those days so much.

It was hard to believe that now I was expecting my own child. I slid my hand over my still-flat stomach and sighed. It was just us now. Us against the world, I thought to myself with a smile. Maybe I needed some fresh air. These thoughts were keeping me awake.

I wiped my face into my pillow to dry my tears and sat up in bed. The blankets I'd had wrapped around me fell of my frame and I grabbed my jacket which Michonne had lied on the nightstand. Pulling it over my pajamas, I walked out of my room and down the stairs to the lower level of the house. All of the lights were off and I could just hear the faint snoring of Abraham in one of the other rooms. I smothered a giggle that bubbled up from my lips and slipped out the front door. The cool night air hit me, seeping right through my thin pajamas.

But it felt good on my skin. I closed my eyes and just breathed it in. It'd been way too long since I had enjoyed something as simple as walking outside. Suddenly, the smell of cigarette smoke filled my nostrils. My eyes popped open and once they adjusted to the darkness, I finally noticed a figure sitting on the front porch steps. It was pitch-black outside but I recognized him instantly from the angel wing vest. Daryl.

He took a drag from his cigarette then and let out a puff of smoke. A surge of nerves shot through me. Sucking in a breath, I almost turned to leave. But wait, why was I - underlined! - leaving?! I lived here too now and I had a right to stand outside on the porch as much as he did! My bare feet padded across the wooden flooring of the porch over to where he sat. I cleared my throat but he didn't look up.

"Mind if I sit here?" I asked, gesturing towards the front steps.

He grunted in response so I took that as a 'no'. I sat down beside him but not too close. Sure, he was my dad but I didn't know him. He was a stranger to me. We sat there in silence for a while, the only sound to be heard was the chirping of the crickets.

"Surprised Rick let you live here. He's usually not that trusting of newcomers...'Specially when they're Wolves..." he spoke up suddenly, trailing off.

My brown eyes narrowed, watching him in the darkness. He still hadn't turned to look at me, just kept puffing on his cigarette. I didn't reply to that. Instead, I gestured to the death stick he held in his hand.

"Those things will kill you," I told him quietly.

He scoffed.

"Better these than walkers," he bit back.

I fell silent, deterred by his gruffness. We sat there like that for a few minutes, him just smoking and me looking up into the night sky at the stars before he spoke again.

"You have a last name?" he asked suddenly, surprising me.

For a second, I didn't know what to say but after a moment, I found my voice.

"Yeah..." I nodded.

He turned to face me and arched an eyebrow.

"And?" he pressed on.

"And...how is that your business?" I bit back as harsh has he'd been earlier.

Shock registered on his face for a split-second but he covered it up quickly. He hadn't been expecting me to stand up to him like that. Shrugging, he took another drag before exhaling the smoke.

"Just askin'..." he said.

Well, this conversation had gone well. Sighing to myself, I got up from my perch on the front steps and turned to go back in the house. I stopped abruptly then and glanced behind me at his lone silhouette in the darkness. Why did he push people away like that? It's not like I'd done anything to him. But...maybe that was what went wrong between him and mom.

Maybe...maybe he'd pushed her away too... Sighing softly once more, I pushed on the front door. It squeaked open and I slipped inside.