Author's note: well, it's been quite a few weeks. So thankful for your follows and faves! It's made everything a bit better. I've watched an entire season (and I'm coming on a half…) of TWD since I last posted… Glenn and Abraham :,,,,,( and just now, Olivia! But I have a good idea how this fic is going now!

CHAPTER FOUR

By sunrise, Tessa had tied the bloodstained bandana to her wrist. She was sure Daryl wouldn't want it back with the guts on it and she was sure she would need it again.

She knew a little more about the community now. There were quite a bit of people. Quite a bit of room… pretty much untouched by the apocalypse. Aaron's lips were slightly too lose and Tess didn't know if she trusted herself with the information. The hope and chance these two men gave her… it was tingling in her feet.

It was pretty uneventful, only coming across a handful of zombies. Aaron tried to do small talk, Daryl was silent, and Tess questioned herself the entire way. They lead her through the woods before they turned around again and switched directions. She wondered if they knew she noticed, if it was purposeful. She knew they couldn't be lost. Were they still testing her? All these talks of hope and redemption, but they were still cautious and careful? Tessa didn't know how much longer she could fool them.

The woods grew slightly less thick and they found themselves back on the road. Off to the side were a small car and a pile of brush, which Daryl strolled over to and uncovered a motorcycle.

Tess tried to fight the wave of memories that gave her.

"You're still testing me," she commented, following the men towards the vehicles.

"What makes you say that?" Aaron asked, opening the driver's side door.

"We were going north and then we went back south, to here," Tess answered, but her eyes weren't on Aaron. They were trying not to look at the motorcycle but failing.

"Yeah, we're still testing you," Daryl said, before adding, "Because you're still testing us." He pulled the bike into a standing position and dragged it onto the road.

She felt like the testing was coming close to the end with the location of their transportation revealed. Tess looked really hard at Daryl then, who went to avoiding her eyes to holding them fast.

"You're still not in the clear, but we ain't the only one making the decisions here. You'll have to make one too," Daryl told her.

His face was hard, but he talked of a home. He came and went. He had one foot and one foot out. He did both… could she? If they found out you're a psychopath, it wouldn't be much of a choice.

"Out here brings out the worse in people. We get that. But take that away and it shows who you really are," Aaron put in.

"But if you cross us… you won't come out of it alive," Daryl warned, mounting the motorcycle.

Tessa didn't respond. She wanted to give in. She didn't want to be a psychopath… she didn't want to be her father. But it's the only reason she's alive and it's the only reason Arabella isn't. She looked away from Daryl, she couldn't take his hardened face. His one foot in and the other foot out.

But Tessa was sure what kind of people they were. They were the kind she wanted to be.

"I want this," Tess admitted, and even they could tell the admission hurt.

"Then we'll help you have it, if you help us protect it," Aaron replied. Any look of innocence she thought she saw earlier, disappeared. It was a choice.

She was going to choose this. Tess nodded, "I will."


Aaron sat in the driver's seat and started the car. The door slammed shut, but the window was open. Tessa walked around the front of the car, intending to get in, but the bike caught her eye, and the dam broke.

The memories flooded her and all she could do is laugh bitterly. Daryl turned back to glare at her.

Despite herself, she explained, "My daddy had one of them. You woulda thought it was birthed out of my mother… you woulda thought by the way he treated it, he would know how to treat his own daughter. Nah." The laugh was more like a bark. "Nah. One time in high school, my boyfriend convinced me to take it out for a joyride. I knew Daddy would be pissed, but I also knew I was getting a beating that night anyways. Thought 'might as well make it count'. It did. I never tasted freedom till that moment. It felt better to deserve the beatings. Made more sense, I guess..."

Daryl was quiet, but Tessa knew he wasn't just processing it. She could tell he got it. His mouth worked, fighting internally over something.

Finally, he said, "Them little bars on the back tire… you can put your feet there."

Tessa nodded once, knowing not to let on to the raging emotions in her chest. She mounted, trying to loosen her tense bones as she rested against Daryl's back. However, even as she wrapped her arms around his chest, her stiff body wouldn't rest.

"My boyfriend was scared shitless, just by the look of my daddy's face," Tessa chuckled in his ear before they took off. "Well, he wasn't my boyfriend after that. He was scared shitless and I was beat shitless. Being shitless doesn't make for good company."

"Ain't that the truth," Daryl muttered, his back vibrated with his voice, vibrated her heart.

Tess took a deep breath and Daryl pumped the pedals, before driving away.


Tessa wondered if Daryl could feel her increasing heart rate. The longer they traveled, the faster it got. Aaron and Daryl cared about these people and she was starting to worry she'd get them all killed.

The terrain began changing from thick, wet woods to open, dry fields to deserted, dead suburbs. They ignored most of the zombies in the road and this neighborhood was no different, but they weren't the only thing to look at anymore.

It was a ghost town… holes in houses, burnt roofs, open doors, cracked window. Too caught up in the story of these old homes, she hadn't noticed the tall fence till they began slowing down.

There was a figure standing near a gate, on a platform. To keep watch, Tess assumed, but he wasn't looking at their direction. His back was to them.

"Hey!" Daryl yelled up, and the man finally turned around. His eyes widened.

The guy disappeared from view, but Tessa now understood what had taken his attention. There were shouts in the distance.

The gate swung open and they came inside, quickly parking to the side. Daryl and Aaron began running towards the source. Tessa followed close behind.

Her head was swarming. She couldn't make out much of what these guy with curly hair was yelling, but she did make out the pistol swinging around in his hand.

He looked unhinged. There was a beaten and bloodied man unconscious next to him. There were cries of "Dad!" and "Rick, stop!" but he was a madman.

Then suddenly a woman with dark skin and dreadlocks pushed her way through the crown, pulling out a sword from her back, and clocking him on the head.

Rick crumpled to the ground.

It was so silent in the street. A circle of people stood speechless around the man.

The women with the sword made the first move. She and a short older women exchanged words.

Finally, a few people went over to Rick, and Daryl joined them. Tessa followed behind, but she tried not to overcrowd.

"He was beating his wife," a timid looking woman was saying, but her eyes flashed anger. She had white short hair.

"Dad lost it," a teenage boy said in disbelief. He had long brown hair and a cowboy hat.

"What did you do that for?" Daryl hissed at the dark-skinned women when she returned.

She looked pissed for being questioned. "He was out of control! Couldn't you see that!?"

"If that bastard was beating his wife-" Daryl snapped back, eyes burning. Tessa didn't know what he was going to say, but she was sure she would agree with him.

"We'll deal with it," the women cut her off. "Deanna says to put him in the house over there. Someone needs to keep watch. There will be a meeting tonight to discuss it."

"A meeting," Daryl retorted but didn't say anything more.

Tessa sighed, looking down at Rick. There was bright red blood dripping from cuts along his face and his cheek was beginning to swell.

Daryl and Aaron made to move him, but Tessa put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Wait, let me make sure he should be moved like that."

"Who are you?" It was the women with the sword asking, her hand firm on the handle of it. She moved in front of Tessa's view, blocking her from him.

"I'm a nurse. I'm Tessa. If he has a concussion or hurt his neck, you're going to need something to stable his head before you move him," She answered, dropping her backpack to her heads. The sword went up into a defending position. "I'm just getting a flashlight. I just want to check his eyes… and then I could stitch up some of those wounds."

"You didn't tell us you was a nurse," Daryl commented from beside her, but she didn't look to see his expression.

"You didn't tell me what you were before either," Tessa snapped back, feeling indignant she was suddenly being questioned about this, but it had surprised her how fast her mind reverted back to nurse mode. Maybe there was hope for her yet. Maybe her dad's sociopathic tendencies weren't as natural as she thought.

"Let her, Michonne," Aaron said from behind Tess.

"Fine, but one wrong move..." Michonne threatened, before moving out of the way.

Tessa took a breath as she got her flashlight, but her hands weren't even shaking. For once, her heartbeat was steady.

She knelt down and pulled up his eyelids, checking his pupils. They dilated fine. On closer inspection of his face, only one of the cuts needed stitches. The rest could get away with butterfly strips.

"Okay. That cut by his forehead could use some stitches," Tessa informed. "Do you have medical supplies?"

"We can get some," a new female voice commented, but Tess didn't look at her. The older women who had been talking to Michonne came towards them.

"Who are you?" She asked. She breathed a little heavy, but her voice was mostly calm. Tess could tell she wished she wasn't here.

"Tessa."

"And you're a nurse?"

She answered with a quick nod.

"Can you look at this man, Pete, too? He's kinda our doctor and now he's the one needing medical help," Deanna asked, pointing down to the bloodied man next to Rick.

Tessa didn't even hesitate when she answered, "No."

Deanna pursed her lips. "But what about your code of ethics?"

"I have my own code now," Tessa answered, not breaking the glare. "I don't save people who deserve to die anymore."

"Do you realize I'm the leader of this community? You're not making a very good first impression with me right now," Deanna replied, sounding exasperated.

"Neither are you."

"I think the past couple of minutes have been very stressful," a new voice joined the circle around the two unconscious men. She broke the glare between Tessa and Deanna. "I think Rick should go into isolation with a guard, like Deanna suggested, and Tessa will be our responsibly till the morning. Pete will be taken care of. I'll make sure of it," the last part was directed towards the older women.

Deanna let out a weighted sigh. "You're right, Maggie," she said. Then she touched Tessa's arm to get her attention in a more gentler way, but it startled her and Tessa flinched. Graciously, Deanna ignored her reaction and added, "This isn't the homecoming people generally get. With a little rest, we'll all be in better moods in the morning, and we'll get to know each other a little bit better then, Tessa."

Tessa nodded and replied, "Thanks." It was a more little sharp than she attended, but she was trying hard to smooth the edge she felt from the physical contact. She watched as Maggie squeezed Deanna's arm and told her to go get some rest.

She turned away from the two of them, trying to find Daryl and Aaron, currently the only one that had a pinch of her trust. They were helping another man to get Rick to the unfinished house he was sent to.

Tess followed quietly behind.