Hi guys! My deepest apologies that the chapters are coming with more time in between them. I've been very busy and to be honest, this chapter just kinda poured out all at once when I had planned on going to bed. The muse strikes at odd times, huh? Storyline development, drama, anger, to a smutty ending in this chapter. More to come as soon as I can. Bear with me. And as always, your reviews make my writing possible! Thank you for all the kind words! Xoxo Enjoy. - saintsugarcyanide

Chapter 10- Better This Way

She came out of the words to the field beyond and nearly bumped into Daryl, Rick and Shane. Rick rushed over to her before anyone else could, concern flooding his features,"Ya a'ight? What happened?" She didn't know how to explain her actions. She didn't even know how to explain them to herself at this point. She knew she had done it for Daryl. But she wasn't sure if even he would get it. So instead of an explanation, she put a hand to her forehead,"I..I had to come back. I don't feel so goo..." Cutting herself off, hopefully not too dramatically and obvious, she faked a dead faint. Rick caught her. "Daryl, ya wanna take her ta Hershel while me 'nd Shane git that brother 'o yers?" She felt herself being shifted into familiar arms. "I got 'er. Go." There was a rustling, which she assumed was the other two moving into the woods. And what would they find back there? Was Merle still there or had he gotten away while he could? If he had regained consciousness at all yet. She guessed she would find out soon enough.

Daryl hoisted her up into his arms, bride over the threshold style, and she remained limp for a bit. Just taking in the sweet, manly smell of him. She lifted her head up groggily,"Daryl? What happened?" "Ya did too much. Knew it were gonna happen." He sounded tender and kind, despite his snappy words. "Put me down please. I can walk now. I'm fine." "Don' wanna risk it." "I said put me down, Daryl." He finally sighed deeply and relented, setting her on the ground gently. She began to briskly walk away from him back towards the farm. Her head was reeling with what she had done and trying to figure out why. "Hey." She kept walking, ignoring him. "Hey." The stable was in sight. "Hey!" He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. She let her gaze drop before she could drown in those eyes of his. He tried to lift her chin and she shook him off. "Da fuck is wrong wit' you?"

"Nothing. Just let me go see my group please."

"Talk ta me first, baby. They gonna be fine a few minutes more."

"Yeah, you'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"

"S'that 'sposed ta mean?"

"Never mind. Did you have a point for holding me up here, Dixon, or just bored and chatty?"

"I wanna know why."

"Why what?"

"Why didn' ya kill 'im?"

She looked at him then, hearing the tears in his voice. Daryl was taking shaky breaths to hold them off but she saw the shine in his eyes. And God help her, she did love this man. And she knew why she had done it. She had done even more than he knew yet. And she had done it so he wouldn't have to feel that pain. The pain of watching his brother die. Or even the pain of keeping Merle tied up and locked away somewhere on the farm, shouting insults at everyone, especially his brother. Raising the danger level even higher. She just wanted Merle to go back to being the unknown factor in Daryl's life. Not knowing if he was dead or alive. "I can't explain it to you. It was something I had to do." Daryl placed a hand on her cheek and nodded, as if he knew. And maybe he did get it. They were not exactly a normal couple. They didn't need long, drawn out explanations for this kind of stuff. Sometimes a look was all they needed to say it all.

"Mouth! Weren't nothing out dere!" They both turned to an angry looking Shane. Rick was close behind him, shouting after him to calm down, to slow down, to stop. His cries went unheeded as Shane shoulder blocked Daryl out of his way and grabbed her tightly by the arms, shaking her,"What kinda fool game ya'll girls playing wit' my group?" The unmistakable sound of a gun being cocked came swiftly as Daryl put it to Shane's head. "Ya best let 'er go." Another gun cocked and there was now Rick's service pistol pressed to Daryl's head. She shook free of Shane's grip and screamed, "What the fuck is wrong with you people? This is always what it comes down to around here, isn't it? I've heard this exact thing has happened before. Only the funny thing is, it may involve others, but it always involves a gun trained on Daryl! You are all fucked if you don't realize the born leader you have in this man right here!" She gestured to Daryl. He put his gun away but Rick kept his pointed.

She forcefully shoved Daryl out of the pistol's way and stood in front of it herself, staring down the former small town sheriff. He dropped his weapon back into it's holster quickly without a word. Rick tried to turn his distressed baby blues away from her gaze and she grabbed his wrist,"Not so big time cop man when up against me, huh? I like you, Rick. And I like your wife and kid too. But you need to get some priorities and things straight in your head soon. This man here," she pointed to Daryl,"is gonna be a big help and has been to the entire group. And this guy," she pointed to Shane,"is a piece of shit. Figure out who you can trust." And with that, she left them staring in shock at her outburst as she walked briskly away.

She got back to the camper area and looked around to find her girls in a huddle off in a corner, whispering. "So? When ya leaving me here to rot?" Anna looked up,"First light." Glenda was shaking her head over and over,"I didn't agree to this. I won't agree to this. We're a group." Tera chewed her nails and sat silently, trying to make eye contact with no one. Anna stood and faced her possibly now former friend,"And we can stay a group. If you agree to our terms." Glenda moaned miserably,"She won't though." "What are the terms, Anna?" She didn't back down from Anna's angry stare. Anna smiled, recognizing the fire in her friends eyes,"We leave, the four of us, first light. We tell no one. And you forget that man ever existed in time. Back to how it was. You made a promise."

"I love him, Anna. I don't want to leave him. I want him to come with us. He won't tell anyone. We'll just go."

"No! We made a pact! Either he stays here and you come along, or you stay here too. That is our final decision, isn't it ladies?"

She turned to look at Tera, who sadly nodded. Then she looked at Glenda. Glenda had trails of tears pouring down her face, but she too nodded. Anna smiled a little grin of victory that her friend wanted to deck her for. "Well? Your choice?" She closed her eyes and gulped before answering,"First light it is then."

Merle had once again gone missing. Everyone had a lot of questions for her and she wanted to run, to scream, to do anything to just get away. She told them she remembered nothing other than a wave of sickness overcoming her and stumbling from the woods. They finally accepted this. She hadn't seen Daryl in hours. Once she was able to slip away unnoticed, she went looking for him. There was a tent pitched quite a bit away from the rest. Since everyone was already accounted for, she figured she had found him finally. She snuck to the tent and peeked in to see his back. She entered the tent and zipped it closed behind her, sliding to the ground with her back to the tent door flap. Daryl made as if he had been resting. And maybe he had been after the long week and a half he had dealt with.

She knew he knew she was there but they spoke not a word. He kept his eyes closed and slid one hand haphazardly down his chest. He stopped, tracing a scar or two before moving lower and undoing the snap and zipper on his pants. He slid his hand inside and let out a shaky breath as he pulled his hardened member out. He stroked slowly, almost lazily for a moment, before raising his hand up to spit in his palm for lubrication. Her breath hitched in her throat as she watched his half lidded eyes, his mouth slightly slack and panting, his tongue flicking out to moisten his lips every so often as he made a fist around his cock and pumped. His pants became moans, his strokes more forceful, perhaps even painful from the looks of them. Then her name escaped his lips and she was bottomless and on top of him before she even knew she was going to do it.

He slid his hand off of his dick from between their bodies to stroke her sensitive nub as she reached to maneuver him inside of her. He never once opened his eyes the entire time as she rode him and he kept making tiny circles over her clitoris. It was all eyes closed, biting their lips to stifle too loud of moans, sweat dripping down between their bodies, hands clutched tightly into the slim cot mattress they were fucking on. Small sounds, massive touch, extreme passion, nerves on fire with every thrust deep inside. Maximum feeling. Their movements became one. Daryl bucking his hips up into her as she slammed down onto him. His fingers circled faster and faster, pressing harder until she came, her orgasm racking her body. He came a few seconds later, so intense he ripped an actual chunk from the cot.

She collapsed onto him, his dick beginning to wilt still inside of her. Eyes still closed from both of them, he felt around and found her to kiss her passionately. His one hand gripped up her hair while his other grabbed her ass tightly before sliding up her smooth back. The kiss turned from hot to romantic. She felt through his short, darkened blonde locks with her hands. They kept up the kiss, inching their hands closer and closer til they finally met and laced together down at their sides. Bodies pressed together, they finally opened their eyes to look at each other. Daryl spoke in almost a whisper, dripping with the pain she had done insane things to prevent,"Guess this is goodbye, ain't it, baby?"