Hi guys, sorry these have taken so long. I have been really sick as well as SUPER busy. I hope you will Follow, Favorite, and Review. If you like my work and want to see more, make sure you follow this story.

On a side note this is a little longer as was the last one, sorry I haven't been posting as regularly lately. I promise to TRY to be better. Thanks for reading!


Chapter Nine

The sun was bright and crisp, the air fresh and cool. She had been cooped up in that cabin for nearly a month. She hated that place. It was her only option, but one day she was going to break free and leave that place, she and Daryl. Pack everything up and just leave. Leave the hurt and the pain. Leave the mind numbing boredom. Leave that man.

How many times had Daryl taken the brunt of his beatings? How many times had he stepped in to protect her? After Merle left, how much of the man's temper had been let out of him? She didn't want to feel the wrath of the man's strap, but she never wanted Daryl hurt.

She was wandering now, just aimless, like the breeze. She could hear the creek flowing and bubbling, whispering sweet nothings to the forest. She veered that way, heading toward the water. When she reached it she splashed in, the water was cool on her bare feet and naked legs. She splashed down the creek until she reached the place where it swept around a bend and climbed out. She sat under a tree and pulled an apple out of her dress pocket.

"I thought you'd never get here." Jeanne jumped and looked up as Daryl swung down out of the tree then grabbed her apple took a bite and handed it back.

"Your daddy wouldn't let me leave." She said taking the apple and taking a bite. Daryl got a dangerous look in his eye.

"Why not?" He asked.

"Floors needed cleanin. Then he couldn't find his flask. Took the strap to me but passed out two lashes in." She said. Daryl pulled her up and started lifting her dress to look at her legs. There were two thick purpling welts across the backs of her thighs. He growled and dropped her skirt.

"He ain't gonna put his hands on you again." Jeanne hugged Daryl to her.

"Stop. I'm fine. You gotta come back though before suppers ready." Daryl nodded pushed away from her and took off in a fast trot away from her.

As she turned she heard a low moan then felt hand grabbing at her.

Jeanne shot up, her hand to her heart. Rick had chased that group out the day before. She was in a prison. She was safe. She looked around. The girls were cuddled together on the bunk above her, while Ginger had made a pallet on the floor. She looked around the room then eased off the bed. She moved quietly out of her cell and down the stairs. She looked around when she got the sense of someone watching her, her skin prickled and as she turned she met Glenn's hard look, he said nothing just watched as she moved out of the cell block and toward the yard.

She stood watching the yard for a long time, the sun rising and the prison beginning to come alive. She watched as Axel and Carol went about fortifying the cat walk over the yard. She gave them a hand where she could. Ginger stayed in with the baby and the girls, helping Beth as best she could, getting to know the others. A few minutes later she saw Glenn leave, get in a truck and leave the compound.

At one point Carol approached her, a smile on her face. "I'm sorry about yesterday." She said. "Daryl never mentioned you, he's a good man, but you were a surprise."

"I'm sorry about that. I wasn't looking for Daryl; in fact I was pretty sure he was dead. We were just trying to find a safe place."

"How old are your girls?" Carol asked a hint of sadness in the question. Jeanne helped Carol lift a pallet and carry it across the catwalk.

"Evie is four and Emma is nine." She answered. Carol smiled and nodded.

"They are beautiful girls."

"Thank you." She answered, she wanted to ask if Carol had children, but decided not to, she had a feeling it was not something she wanted to talk about. "It looks like we've got a good bit done, I need to go check on the girls, will you be ok up here?"

Carol smiled. "Yes. I'll come find you if I need any more help." Jeanne nodded then headed to go back in, passing Axel on her way she nodded hello, then moved on.

Inside the girls were singing a song with Beth, while Ginger had found a needle and thread and was mending the holes in the girls' clothes. Jeanne smiled when she saw them both smiling. It had been a long time since they could be children.

Jeanne left them with Beth and went over to Ginger. "What are you doing?" She asked taking a seat on the steps net to her.

"Found these in the bottom of my bag, I was working on them back at the estate, I had forgotten about them." She said as she began to sew again. "They're pretty rough on clothes these days." She commented.

"Yes they are. I was won-" Just then shots rang out. Jeanne's heart jumped into her throat. "Ya'll stay here. Don't leave this room." Jeanne ordered looking over at Beth, I mean it, stay here." She said grabbing the pistol out of her back pocket and picking up her crossbow on the way out the door. She ran for the yard. She could see the men out past the gates as well as the man in the guard tower. She hit the deck as a spray of bullets popped around her. She saw Carol pinned down and moved to dodge behind one of the walls, before taking aim and laying down some cover fire for her with the help of Carl and Maggie.

She continued to shoot at the man spraying bullets at them. Finally Maggie was able to take him down. Just as Jeanne was about to take a breath there was a loud crash and a truck came blaring through the front gates. Jeanne and the others went running for the gate to watch in horror as Michonne and Hershel were pinned down in the field by gunfire. She watched as someone jumped from the truck and opened a gate releasing a large number of the dead into the yard, then ran by shooting at Michonne and out the destroyed gate.

The men outside the gate continued to fire at Hershel but Michonne was on her way, taking down the dead with her katana as she went. Just as Jeanne was about to throw open the gate and run to help Glenn can raging back through the gates, swinging to pick Michonne and Hershel up before powering toward the inner gate.

"Where the hell is Rick?!" Glenn asked as he got out of the truck. Watching from the gate Jeanne saw Rick pinned to the outer fence three of the dead on top of him, she gasped as a crossbow bolt flew out of the woods and caught one of the dead, dropping him. Merle took another of them down while Rick dispatched the last.

The three men turned looking at the inner gate before moving together toward it, picking off the dead as they moved through the yard. They reached the gate together and Glenn and Jeanne threw it open letting them in. Daryl paused only for a second when he saw her, his mouth dropping open then snapping shut.

Jeanne grabbed him to her, hugging him tight, then shoved him away and punched him as hard as she could in the jaw, dropping him to his knees. "Ya lyin son of a bitch!" She screamed at him, before turning away and heading toward the door.

"Eh girl, you get back here." Merle called after her following and grabbing her arm. "I said get back here."

"You aren't my father, and you sure as hell ain't your own. Let me go of I'll take the other one off."

"You ain't lost a lick of that temper have ya?" Merle said with a laugh still holding her arm.

Jeanne reached into her pocket and pulled out her knife flicking it open she held it up, "Let me go." She said her voice a deadly calm. Merle let her arm go lifting his arms in a surrender motion.

Jeanne moved inside and toward the cell block. Beth and Ginger met her at the door both holding weapons. "It's alright girls, everything's ok. Where are the girls?" She asked.

"In our cell." Ginger said as Beth came out and headed toward the yard then stopped.

"Ginger will you watch the baby?" Ginger nodded.

Jeanne moved into the cell block and toward the cell she had claimed as her own. She went in and gathered Eve into her arms. "Oh baby." She said softly kissing her hair and just holding her. A few minutes later she heard the group coming in; Daryl was up the stairs and standing in front of her cell quickly. Jeanne sat there holding Eve then looked up at him a hard look on her face. Daryl just stared.

"Mommy." Eve said softly pulling a strand of her hair to get her attention. "Is that my daddy?" She asked looking with big blue eyes up at Daryl.

Daryl looked at Jeanne as if asking the same question. Jeanne licked her lips then nodded. Daryl took a deep breath. "I went back for you." He told her. "The house was in ashes. The truck was gone. I thought you were dead."

"Well, we aren't." She said. Emma looked at him tilting her head.

"You're Daryl?" She asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, who're you?"

"I'm Emma Louise Dixon." She said.

"I ain't seen you since you was baby."

"Is my father here?" She asked.

"Yeah. He's down there." He said pointing.

Emma moved toward the door. "Wait Em, I'll go with you."

"No mama, I gotta do this by myself. I'm not a baby anymore. I'll be ok." She said, then licked her lips and moved forward.

Daryl let her past then stood awkwardly at the door, Eve struggled out of Jeanne's lap and went over to Daryl wrapping her arms round his legs, then lifted her small hands to be picked up. "Daddy." She said softly.

Jeanne just watched opening her mouth to stop Eve, but stopped when Daryl leaned down and picked her up resting her on his hip. "Hello." He said as she ran her small fingers over his face.

"You gots a bwuies." She said touching the place on his chin where Jeanne had hit him.

"Your mama still throws a mean right hook." He told her gently pushing her hand down, then he kissed her cheek, and set her down, "Go find Beth." He told her and she obeyed leaving Jeanne alone with him. He entered her cell and sat next to her. "How old is she?" He asked.

"She's yours." She answered.

"How old?"

"Four." She answered and looked away.

"Four god damned years." He said softly. "I ain't seen you in four god damned years. Explain to me why cold cocking me was your first reaction."

Jeanne smiled. "Actually, hugging you was my first reaction if you recall." He nodded then.

"Yeah, guess it was." He reached up and pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. Memories flooded back to him. He could see her how he'd left her, standing bare foot on the front porch. She'd been wearing a long dress, but he knew she had thrown it on in a rush that morning just so she could come out and kiss him good bye. Jeanne froze, there was kindness in the man before her and a fire burned through her. He knew her and she knew him. He had been hers, now he was no more. He was someone else's. Daryl felt a softness when he was near her, a piece of him had been frozen solid since he had found the house in cinders, and that piece was slowly melting.

"Daryl."

"Jeanne." He said at the same time. They both stopped.

"Daryl I know you came back for me. We had to leave in a hurry, we were surrounded. It was hard. There were days when I didn't know where to go or what to do. I was scared and hurt and tired, but I kept going. I kept Evie safe. I kept Emma safe. We survived. I know that doesn't mean much but I never stopped thinking about you."

"Jeanne, I thought you were dead. I couldn't let myself believe you were alive somewhere alone. But I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped caring. You were what made me help these people. You were what made me want to stay with these people. Carol…she reminds me of you; she's strong, and smart. She's a good woman."

Jeanne smiled pain in her eyes. "She says you're a good man. She believes it too." She nudged his arm with hers then smiled again. "Where does that leave us?" Jeanne asked softly after a long moment.

"I don't know." He said then leaned in and kissed her cheek. "One day at a time."

Jeanne laughed. "We only have today, tomorrow is a joke without a punch line." Jeanne leaned forward, took either side of his face in her hands and kissed him on the mouth hard. Daryl didn't move for a moment, then drove the fingers of one hand into her hair, his other hand going to her backside dragging her closer.

"Daryl!" Rick bellowed. Daryl broke free and stood. Gave her a look then moved out of the room and down the stairs.