A/N: Warning! Mentions of sexual abuse of a minor! Don't read if it triggers you or you're easily offended. This is the last time it will be mentioned, promise. Daryl/Jarah goodness is in here, too, to lighten the mood again. Enjoy.

Chapter 8

Daryl stayed out in the woods all day. By late afternoon the group was worried, Daryl's fall down the ravine was still fresh on everybody's mind. Rick had just rolled out the map on the hood of Carol's old Cherokee to organize a quick search before dark, when the hunter appeared, looking like he had taken on an army of walkers. He was covered in blood and guts, some single leafs sticking to him. He tossed a string of dead squirrels and two rabbits at Glenn, who caught it and made a sound of disgust when one of the dead animals hit him in the face.

Daryl was walking right past the men without a word, but Rick wouldn't have any of it.

"Daryl, wait up... I thought we agreed that no one would go out by themselves anymore. Why the hell didn't you tell anyone you were going to be gone the whole day? We were about to go looking for you,... DARYL!"

Rick grabbed Daryl's arm to keep him from walking inside his tent. Daryl whirled around and shook Rick's hand off.

"Just needed to get away from you goddamn people for a day. There's your food, leave me be!" Daryl got into his tent without another word only to come back out a minute later, fresh clothes in his hands and walked up to the house to wash the walker remains from his body.

He had torn through the woods like a mad man all day long, killing everything that dared to move into his sights. He had encountered a couple of walkers and had used them to blow off some steam, literally shredding them with his knife.

After getting clean and getting dressed he checked on Jarah and Jamie real quick to make sure they were okay. He quietly watched them from the hallway for a minute. They were cuddling, Jamie was babbling quietly with his head snuggled against his mother's shoulder. Jarah was resting her cheek against his forehead with closed eyes and slightly swayed from side to side. He quietly made his way back towards the front door, but stopped by the kitchen when he heard the voices of Maggie and Beth. He popped his head in and when both women looked at him expectantly, he cleared his throat.

"You looking after the kid again tonight, when we're outside?"

Maggie suppressed a grin. "Sure, always do..."

Daryl nodded and left without another word, to go back to the camp and get something to eat. Jarah would put Jamie to bed soon and he wanted to be done by the time she came out.


She had barely even opened the door to come out, when she heard Daryl's deep voice. "Leave your knitting shit in the house, we gotta talk."

Jarah looked at him confused, but put her box of wool down one of the small tables by the door, before she joined him outside. "Okaaaaaay,... what's up? Something wrong?"

"Not here. Come on" he jerked his head towards the stables and led the way. Jarah followed him back into the stall where they had spent some time together the previous night and smiled.

"Hey, did you check for spiders like you promised?", she joked, but it didn't elicit the reaction she thought it would.

"Not in the mood for jokes, Jarah. Need to talk about things." Daryl replied darkly. He had a lot of time to think today and there was stuff they had to talk about and discuss.

"So something is wrong,... what is it. Tell me." Jarah sat down and motioned for him to keep talking.

He shook his head. "I need you to tell me something first. Tell me about your uncle... I wanna know what he did to you when you were a kid and I wanna know why you can talk about it like it was nothing."

Jarah's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What? How do you even know about that? Did Maggie tell you?"

"Was going to get milk from the house this morning. Heard you talking to the girl... You said all anybody had to do was ask. So I'm asking. What happened?"

Jarah sighed deeply. "Are you sure you wanna know? It'll probably not lighten your mood very much."

"Girl,... don't start that shit up with me again" he growled, "told you, wouldn't ask if I wouldn't wanna know, now fucking tell me what he did!", his voice increased in volume with every word. Anger was starting to fill every fiber of his being for the second time that day. He couldn't even explain, it just came over him when he thought about her being touched by some dirty creep.

"Alright, no need to yell, sit down. I'll tell you, but you gotta promise that once I'm done, that's it, okay? You need to let it go. No more talking about it." she patted the space next to her on the haystack. Daryl took off his crossbow and placed it next to him after he sat.

"Promise. Now talk!"

"Started when I was six,... we were the only ones on a playground,... were sitting on a bench having ice cream. I can't remember what we talked about, but I remember when he asked'Hey, remember how you told me about that thing you wanted to do to me?' I told him that I didn't know what he meant. He then proceeded to tell me, that I had said to him, that I wanted to kiss and lick him... you know... down there. I was sure that I had never ever said that, I KNEW I had never said that, but he insisted, told me I was all excited and really really wanted to do it and now he was looking forward to it and how it wouldn't be right to back out. Said that he would tell my parents that I made false promises and that they would punish me. I didn't feel like spending another 2 months in my room all by myself so... I went home with him... He would have me, you know... do what I supposedly said I wanted to do to him... wasn't much else..."

"He touch you?" Jarah looked at him, she could tell Daryl could barely contain himself with anger. His fists were clenching, his jaw was clenching, everything about him was so tense that it looked almost painful.

"Yeah, but he never raped me, and by that I mean he was never inside of me, never."

Daryl looked at her and shook his head like he couldn't believe it. "How can you talk about it like it's nothing? You sound like you're talking about something you read in the paper or something."

"Because Daryl, he was really smart about it. He put doubts in my head. I was doubting myself, I kept thinking, trying to remember if I had really said that shit to him. I am STILL doubting myself, up to this day! One of the reasons why I can't fully blame him, not even after almost 25 years. I KNOW, I couldn't have said that, I didn't even know the stuff that he wanted me to do..., but growing up, my parents always believed strangers more than they believed me, so I am really good at doubting myself, hell I was raised to always question myself, so I still am."

Daryl got up and started pacing. "That's bullshit Jar, no way you would have ever said that to him. You were fucking six years old. Ain't no six year old in the world who would say something like that... to their uncle no less. Dirty sick motherfucker couldn't get it from a real women, so he manipulated an innocent little kid? Disgusting old fuck."

"I know, but it's done. Just try to forget, I barely ever think about it. Somehow what my parents did all my life was way worse for me."

Daryl rubbed his hands through his hair and walked back and forth in front of her for a couple of times, trying to process what she told him. After a moment he shook his head and bent down to grab the bottle of whiskey they had left there the other night. " I need a drink... Never understood how someone could touch a child."

"It's sick, I know,... I hope to God something like that will never happen to my son. I'll do everything I can to keep it from happening." They sat in silence for a while. Daryl held the bottle over to her but she declined. "Nah can't have you getting me drunk again. Had a headache all day long. Well you wanted the story, you got it. Can we move on now?"

"I'm gonna find him and introduce his fucking dick to my arrows, one by one... "

"Daryl stop, it's in the past and also you would be too late. He died a couple years back. Heart attack. Just forget about him. I did." She rubbed her hand over his back for a moment, then she laughed, "Do you realize that it's the second time you offered to kill for me? Why are you so invested in my peace of soul?"

Daryl's cheeks reddened. 'There goes my upper hand', he thought. He took another swig of whiskey and shrugged. "Just wanna help,.. wanted to the last time you needed it, but was too much of a pussy", he admitted.

Jarah smiled surprised. "You mean when I was pregnant? Didn't really think you noticed me all that much"

"Wanted to help you every time you limped down the hallway. Carry you downstairs or shit, spare you some pain.", he was resting his elbows on his knees and hung his head, so Jarah wouldn't be able to see his red face.

"Really? That's sweet, but I would have died from embarrassment had you gone through with it."

Daryl laughed. "Figured you wanted to do it on your own anyway. Saw how proud you were when you got back."

She laughed. "Why do I get the impression that you watched me quite a bit?"

Daryl shrugged and answered real quiet. "Maybe cause it's true..."

Jarah smiled and nudged him. "Well Mr... wait, what's your last name anyway?" She couldn't believe she hadn't asked him before. Must have slipped her mind.

"Dixon... "

"Ah okay... like D-I-C-K-son or what?" Jarah giggled.

Daryl laughed out loud, a sound that absolutely delighted Jarah.

"Girl, get your head out of the gutter... it's D-I-X-O-N."

"Hm, like those really slim pencils?", Jarah teased, making Daryl scoff.

"Stop!"

"Really? So you don't wanna know that I looked at you, too?"

Daryl smirked. "Did you, now?"

"Yup, I did. Looking at you was pretty much the highlight of my pregnancy." Jarah admitted with a smile.

Daryl was surprised. "All the other guys with their sixpacks and shit and you looked at me?"

"Yeah, I have great taste. And I'd take a guy with a nice voice and nice eyes who tells me to 'just order that shit online' over one with a six-pack who takes longer in the bathroom than me any day." Jarah grinned.

Daryl's cheeks turned even redder, but he still looked up at her with a little smirk.

"I'll keep that in mind..."

Jarah reached over slowly and carefully took his hand in hers. "You do that,... "

Daryl looked down at her hand on top of his. He hesitated a second, but then he turned his palm up and slowly intertwined their fingers.

"Jar, I think you should come with us, if the farmer wants us to leave. I thought about it all morning. You'd be safer with us. He and his daughters can't protect you. Not like we can."

"Daryl, we talked about this. I can't. Jamie is a strong little fella, but the weeks on the road got to him. His health is not what it used to be, he has changed a lot and I can't do that to him again, not on purpose, he'll only get worse the next time." Jarah explained to him once more.

"But what happens when we're gone and a herd comes through, like it happened to us on the highway? You might be able to fight a couple walkers, but you can't fight hundred AND protect little JD at the same time. Doesn't even have to be walkers, what if another group shows up that's not as friendly as we are?" Daryl countered, squeezing her hand.

"You're right Daryl, that could happen, but... God I don't know. I don't know what to do. But being on the roads for possibly weeks again, not being able to sleep properly, not knowing when we'll next get water or milk or anything..."

"We gotta find shelter,... I wanna find something. Maybe I'll drive out in the next couple days, take a look what's out there. We could make it work,... If you come with us, I promise I'll protect you,... Both of you. You'll never be alone again." Daryl tried to convince her.

Jarah squeezed his hand and looked in his eyes. "You're killing me here, I don't know what to say, Daryl."

"I'll tell you what, I WILL find something,... even if Hershel asks us to leave tomorrow, doesn't matter, I'll find something that will work and when I do, I'll come back to get you. You'll both come with me, with us... think about it. 'Kay?" Daryl searched her eyes, he could sense he was close to having her on his side.

"Okay, I'll think about it, but then there's still Andrea and Lori I can't be around. And that fucker Shane, I don't want him near me." Jarah said while playing with his fingers.

Daryl looked down and watched her do it. "We'll make something work,... you'll be safer, I'll never let anything happen to you again. Hey, look at me." he tilted her chin up with his index finger to look deeply into her eyes, "That's a promise."

Jarah lost herself in his intense gaze. She didn't even notice that she was leaning in closer. Daryl was sending out a quick prayer to all arachnids around to not screw this up for him again, then closed the gap between them, pressing his lips softly against hers, waiting for her to pull back.

She didn't this time. She responded right away, her lips ghosting over his, sensually tickling him. The butterflies in her stomach were going so crazy, she felt like they were shooting up her throat, stealing her breath. Daryl's free hand slid up her arm and over her shoulder to rest against her neck, pulling her face closer to his. He deepened the kiss and taking advantage of her gasp, he let his tongue slide in between her lips. Little exciting shocks shot through both of them as their tongues touched.

Jarah moaned into his mouth and grabbed at his chest, bunching the material of his shirt in her fists as their tongues started ardently dueling in her mouth.

What seemed like an eternity later, they came up for breath. Daryl still didn't let go of her with his hands, he didn't want her to move too far from him.

"Damn Dixon, you don't fight fair. How am I supposed to say no to you now, when the time comes to decide whether to go or to stay?" Jarah asked out of breath.

"Don't want you saying no. And I'm gonna do everything it takes to make you say yes!" he rasped quickly, eager to get his mouth back on her.

Jarah didn't get the chance to say anything else, not even a second later his tongue was back to teasing the tip of hers, efficiently distracting her from any thinking and decision-making.