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WARNING: THERE IS TALK OF FORCING TWO PEOPLE TO HAVE SEX WITH EACH OTHER. IF THAT MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE THEN PLEASE DON'T READ BECAUSE I REALLY DON'T WANT TO UPSET ANYONE!

Payment

(Part 1)

"This is bullshit, Daryl." Darcy hissed to her companion under her breath so the group in front of them didn't hear. "Complete, utter, bullshit."

"Think I don't know it?" Daryl growled to her just as quietly. "T'hell ya want me to do 'bout it? Think I'm some kinda miracle worker?"

"Why don't we just make a run for it?" she suggested, her eyes not moving away from the backs of the men leading the way. "They can't see us right now, right? So let's just go already!"

She was frustrated as hell, if that wasn't obvious already. They'd had no choice but to stay with 'The Claimers' over night, thanks to the watchman who kept a close eye on their every movement, and as soon as the sun was up and Daryl mentioned about them leaving, Joe had called him out on it.

He didn't exactly say that if they left, he would kill them, but it was the impression they recived, and from the evil gleam in the rest of the groups eyes, it was obvious that they were all for it. So Daryl shot daggers at them as they packed up their shit and began their trek through the forest.

"You fuckin' stupid, girl? Ain't you seen how they're one member down?" he pointed out to her, anger barely contained. He was pissed, and not just at her constant whining and looking up to him like he was some kinda super hero who was gonna get them outta this situation, but because of the fuckers who weren't gonna let them leave easily. "Guy with the bow, he's in the woods, most likely watching and makin' sure we ain't gonna skip out on 'em."

That shut her up. No, she hadn't noticed the 'guy with the bow' separate from the group, and the thought unsettled her. Could he have heard the bickering between her and Daryl? Was he watching them right now?

Anxiety squeezed her heart tightly, making it feel like she couldn't breath. She didn't know how the fuck they were going to get out of this situation and she hated how Daryl seemed to be going along with everything like a little puppy. It felt as if she was the only one coming up with ideas on how to escape and he just shot them all down.

She sighed heavily in worry and defeat. Would they ever get home, or were they gonna live out the rest of their days as a fellow 'Claimer'?

As she got lost in her thoughts, she felt a weight on the side of her hip and glanced down at it. A warmth spread through her limbs when she spotted Daryl's finger hooked through one of the belt loops on her jeans, keeping her close to him.

She knew it was just a small action that made them look more of a couple; purely for show, but it didn't stop her from wanting more of it. When she glanced up at him to catch his expression, she couldn't find one which meant she had no idea whether he wanted more of it too.

The rest of the journey was spent mostly in silence, other than the odd joke or laugh from Joe's group. Darcy noticed that they seemed to be heading in a certain direction instead of aimlessly walking through the forest like she first thought.

One of the members (whose name she couldn't remember) kept knelling down, running his fingers over the ground before gesturing to a direction. She didn't need to be a hunter to realise that they were tracking something, or someone.

She knew that Daryl must have noticed it too since he was a lot more observant that she was.

After a few more hours of walking, Joe decided it was time to take a break. A few of the men went for a leak while Darcy continued to stand as close as she could to Daryl. She really didn't want to find herself alone with one of the 'Claimers'.

She watched as Daryl removed his backpack and pulled out a bottle of water. He then opened the lid before bringing it to his lips and taking a large gulp.

Which was how she found herself gulping, but for a different reason; as he drank, a small bead of water escaped from the bottle and ran over his chin and down his neck, leaving a trail next to his Adam's apple.

Her eyes followed the movement and she held her breath, wondering if it would be inappropriate to lick it off.

Is that even normal, wanting to lick men you barely know? She wondered to herself briefly before trying to think of an excuse if she did go through with it. I could always tell him that I was thirsty and didn't want to wait for him to finish.

No, she couldn't say that. He'd probably think she was a freak before giving her that look which said 'I don't know what t'hell is wrong with you, girl, but I'ma leave you to it'. Basically the Daryl version of 'Smile and wave'.

Then again, he already thought she was weird. She doubted there was much else she could do at this point which would surprise him.

Great, and there it was. The nagging voice in the back of her head which was challenging her to do it now that she had thought of it. I dare you, it said to her, and she was never one to turn down a dare.

Fuck it. They were meant to be a couple anyway.

So she leaned forward and place her left hand on his chest as she pushed herself up onto her tiptoes, opened her mouth, and flattened her tongue against the base of his throat.

Dirt, sweat, salt; an surprisingly yummy combination that seemed to travelled from her taste buds straight to the space between her legs. She wanted more. Much more.

Daryl, who had stopped drinking the second her tongue brushed against him, froze completely, water bottle forgotten as he held it up. He didn't know if he wanted to pull her closer or push her way; t'fuck was she up to now with her weird-ass shit? Did she want him to fuck her? 'Cause he would, quite happily, but no way in hell was he doin' it with an audience.

He couldn't help the small grunt which escaped his lips however when her warm tongue finished it's journey, stopping just underneath his chin.

Darcy hummed and took a step back while licking her lips. She could see the look Daryl was giving her and was very pleased with the lust she saw in his eyes. Looks like I'm not the only one feelin' all this sexual tension.

The wolf whistles and dirty jokes from the Claimers were forgotten in the background as Daryl went to speak.

"T'hell was tha' for?" he questioned her, voice deep and gruff like the night before.

She just shrugged and smiled at him sweetly. "You dropped some. Can't let water go to waste nowadays, y'know?"

Fuck that shit. He may be a redneck but he weren't that fuckin' stupid. No way in hell was he fallin' for that innocent look in her eye. As much as he wanted to call her out on it, maybe even go straight to the point and ask her 'You want my cock, girl? 'Cause I'ma give it to ya if ya carry on with this shit.'he decided it was better to defuse the situation because now was not the time to drag her off into the woods and have his way with her.

Shit, how'd it go from her annoyin' the hell outta me, to me feelin' like this?

He cleared his throat, tryin' to get rid of some of the gruffness. "If Joe spilt some'a his, would'ja of licked that off too?"

Wow. Horny to disgusted in less than a second. She let just how disgusted she felt show on her face, causing her nose to scrunch up, and makin' him snort a laugh.

"Erm, no, that's gross. And wrong," she informed him. "So, so, so wrong."

His snort turned into a chuckle. He couldn't help himself. It was fun messin' with her, and he could see why she liked doin' it to him so much.

Suddenly Joe's voice spoke up. "C'mon. Enough muckin' around, ladies. Time to move on."

Darcy sighed as Daryl passed her the bottle of water since she hadn't managed to have a drink yet (licking water off of him didn't count) and pulled his backpack on once more.

On the road again...

Slowly, shadows of trees stretched along the forest floor as the sun moved along the sky before disappearing from sight completely and leaving darkness in it's wake.

They were forced to spend another night with the Claimers but at least it was in the comfort of a large, hunting cabin that they'd manage to stumble across.

Darcy and Daryl awkwardly stood by the entrance of the livingroom, watching as the Claimers argued over who slept where. Joe quickly announced that he claimed the largest room upstairs while Len claimed the second smallest, leaving one upstairs room available which was quickly snatched up by some guy wearing a bandanna.

The remaining men looked angry but otherwise accepted their sleeping arrangements and began to make themselves comfortable on the couches.

"Guess we're in the kitchen." Daryl mumbled under his breath to Darcy, tryin' to sound disappointed when really, he was far from it; sleeping away from the group in a room with a nice, lovely back exit was a dream come true for them right now.

And hopefully once the men were snoring away, they'd be able to make their escape.

"Actually," Joe interrupted quickly, using a tone of voice Darcy really didn't like. He sounded like he was up to something; like he'd thought of an idea he was really going to enjoy. "I wanted to speak to you two. Alone. If ya'll join me in my room." it wasn't a question, or a suggestion; it was an order.

Daryl and Darcy glanced at each other with matching expressions. It seemed that Daryl had also caught onto Joe's tone of voice and didn't like it either. So she licked her lips nervously as she begged Daryl with her eyes to come up with something. Anything.

"Hey," One of the men – Len, Darcy thinks – called over to them. "You heard the boss. Get goin'." he told them, sounding ready for an argument.

It was then Darcy realised that Joe had already began making his way up the stairs, just assuming the Daryl and Darcy would follow like obedient little pups.

If they weren't surrounded by a group of men who looked ready to jump on them if they said 'no', Darcy would have thrown a fit for the way they were being treated but since they had no choice, she gritted her teeth and grabbed Daryl's hand before tugging him towards the stairs.

'What are we going to do?' the question was on the tip of her tongue as they slowly made their way up the wooden, creaky steps. Daryl had taken the lead and was walking in front of her, fingers firmly entwined with her own. Behind them, Len was making his way up with his belongings wrapped in his arms. It was then she remembered him 'claiming' one of the upstairs rooms.

Fear made her throat tighten almost painfully. She felt like a caged animal with no escape. And then they reached the upstairs landing and through an open door, saw Joe sitting back comfortably against an old, rocking-style chair.

She wanted to punch the dirty smile off of his face as he looked over at them, eyes lingering on her as he brought a cigarette up to his mouth and inhaled deeply.

"Move." Len ordered roughly behind them, nudging her forward where she almost tripped but Daryl managed to catch her.

"Wanna try that again, pal?" Daryl growled angrily as he held Darcy close and stared down Len.

Len didn't look happy at being called out and immediately squared up to Daryl but Joe's voice quickly interrupted them.

"Len, let it go. Now ain't the time, son."

Len bared his teeth and looked at Daryl with disgust before stepping back and heading towards an closed door.

"C'mon now, ain't got all damn day." Len spoke once again, this time aimed towards Daryl and Darcy.

Daryl inhaled deeply, attempting to calm himself, before he took a step forward with his large hand pressed against Darcy's back.

She didn't know why but she really didn't want to enter the room. She knew they had no choice however so she tried to calm her nerves as she pressed herself as close as she could to Daryl.

As soon was they entered the room, they remained by the door, trying to get some comfort in the fact that if they needed to run, they were close to the exit. Not that Daryl was scared of some old guy – he could take him on easy as piss – but he didn't want Darcy getting hurt in the process, especially with all those woman-hungry men downstairs.

Joe chuckled at them. "Close the door behind ya. There ain't no need to be scared now. 'Less ya plan on doin' something stupid."

Since Darcy was closest, she was the one who turned and quietly closed the door. Her throat still felt tight and she was practically shaking with fear but she tried her hardest not to let it show.

"Atta girl." he said, showing his teeth. It made Darcy feel sick and Daryl must not had liked it much either cause the hand on her back pulled her closer to his side.

"Now, I'ma get straight to the point here. No reason to be playin' around, huh? We're all adults in this room." he started, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. He flicked the ash off the end of his cigarette before continuing.

"I ain't a fool thinkin' you two wanna be travellin' with us." he stated seriously. "I seen the way ya been lookin'. And I'll admit, it hurts. We took you guys in, fed ya, protected ya while ya slept and this is how ya repay us? With little glances of discomfort and lookin' like ya'd rather be anywhere else in the world?" he shook his head in disappointment.

Worried about the direction of the conversation, Darcy pressed herself closer to Daryl's side so his arm went over her shoulder and hers around his waist; her breasts were pressed into the side of his body and his shoulder brushed against her hair. She knew it didn't make her any safer but it provided the comfort she needed.

"So I've been thinkin'," Joe carried on. "If ya'll wanna leave then you ain't no good to us. Not really. But we're gonna need payment."

Daryl's hold tightened on Darcy. "W'kinda payment?" he spat while Darcy's heart came to a stop in her chest.

They didn't want...her, did they?

Joe's lips curled slightly. "Well, if ya were any one else then we prolly woulda killed ya before runnin' a train on your girl." he admitted honestly. "But...I'm kinda bored with that. Gets old, ya know? I wanna try somethin' different."

At this point, Darcy had no idea what to think. She was terrified. She knew these men were bad, but killing men and then raping their girlfriend repeatedly? They were monsters and she was terrified to find out what he was wanting to do them.

And Daryl didn't look too happy either. Okay, that was an complete understatement. His fingers were digging into her shoulders so deep she knew there was gonna be bruises, and he was breathing harder than a angry bull.

"You're fuckin' sick," Daryl growled fiercely.

Joe's eyes darkened. "You watch yourself, boy. I'm givin' you an easy out right now, and I'm bein' nice and keepin' it between us. 'Less you want me to get the rest'a my boys involved too?"

Daryl remained quiet but continued to glare daggers at him.

Joe nodded approvingly as he flicked his forgotten butt of an cigarette onto the floor. "So here's my offer. I want a private show, if ya get my drift?" he smirked.

Darcy's lips parted, her heart racing as Daryl questioned:

"T'hell is that supposed to mean?"

Joe clarified. "I wanna watch you...and your girl...get down on dirty on my bed. I wanna see ya undress her, and then her you, and hear you make her scream, hmm? My own little porn show." his grin was as dirty as his words.

By now, Darcy's mind was racing, unable to register the words which had just been spoken. Joe wanted her and Darcy to have sex while he watched...no matter how many times she tried to explain the situation to herself, the seriousness of it, her head wouldn't catch up. She just couldn't understand it, as if she'd just been told a hard math problem she couldn't solve.

"Forget it," Daryl spat at him immediately. "I ain't gonna let her become one'a your sick fantasies. She ain't gonna be used like tha'!"

"Alright," Joe shrugged as if it was no big deal. He then went to stand, looking awfully cocky. "Guess I'll just go and get my boys. Shame really, 'cause they're gonna do a hell of a lot more damage that you would..."

Daryl was panicking. He couldn't let Joe got get the others. Couldn't stand there and watch as they did god knows what with her; to her. But could he really have sex with her against her will? Even if she consented to it, it wouldn't be right.

Merle would be able to do this kinda thing no problem...but Daryl? He weren't no Merle.

"Wait." he gritted out as Joe went to take a step forward, and from the smile on Joe's face, it was exactly what he'd been expecting. Daryl ignored it though and turned to Darcy, whose expression was unreadable. "Tell me what to do." he demanded quietly, trying to catch her eyes with his own. "I can't-I don't-"

For Darcy, the answer was pretty simple. She could have sex with Daryl(something she'd wanted since she'd met him) or she could get gang-banged by a bunch of disgusting monsters – to be blunt.

Yeah...she'd rather have Daryl any day. Sure, the situation wasn't ideal and just the idea of Joe watching made her feel vulnerable and violated but it was either have Joe watch, or be forced to sleep with all of them.

She glanced up at Daryl and saw the distress in his features. She almost smiled. He looked lost, like a little boy, and he was looking to her for guidance because they both knew the only way to get out of this situation but he didn't want to do it without her consent.

So she manned up and placed both of her hands on his face as she held his gaze firmly. "It's okay," she whispered to him as confidently as she could. "It's okay, Daryl."

And then she kissed him.