Surprise middle of the week update because it's Wednesday, you guys were amazing with reviews, and I'm feeling really happy! Happy June!

"You be good for Johnny and Beth, okay, baby girl?"

"Yes, Jezze Momma."

I kissed her on the cheek and hugged her tight before I handed her over to Daryl so he could say his goodbyes. It was a little strange, watching him with Arlene. He was a big, dirty redneck with a crossbow strapped to his back and a jean jacket with angel wings on it, holding a tiny little blonde girl. Most of the time, the man scowled. But when he was holding Arlene, it was like his entire world was right there in his hands. It was the reason I couldn't keep him away from her. I'd never even seen Eric look at her like that, and she was his daughter. Daryl loved her unconditionally. Even with the problems between the two of us, I would trust her life to him.

He murmured something to her and made her giggle before she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him close. Daryl promised, "Me an yer momma be back 'fore too long, okay?"

"I know, Daryl. 'Cause you love me and Jezze Momma."

He looked over at me for a second before nodding and saying, "Course I love ya, Lil Bit. Person'd be a fool not to."

He put her down and we both kneeled in front of her to give her one last hug and tell her goodbye. I looked up to find Johnny and Merle watching us with similar scowls. Johnny because he didn't want Daryl anywhere near Arlene and didn't understand why I let him, and Merle because he didn't want Daryl to have a heart and couldn't understand why he loved my little girl so much. I picked Arlene up and carried her over to Johnny. I kissed my brother on the cheek and whispered, "I love you, Johnny. I'll be back before tomorrow."

"Love ya too, Jess. Don' kill Daryl."

I grinned at him. Across the cell, Merle growled, "Don' get fuckin' eaten. Just got ya back an yer already out there fuckin' off fer this bunch a rejects. Big fuckin' pussy."

Daryl snapped back, "Watch yer fuckin' mouth when Arlene's 'round. She starts repeatin' that shit, I'll kick yer ass. Don' fuck wit Johnny while I'm gone an leave Michonne alone. Try to 'pologize to Glenn an Maggie for what ya did."

"Ain't fuckin' 'pologizin' to no slant eye."

"Ya will if ya wanna stay here, Merle. I'll see ya tonight."

We followed Rick and Hershel out to the truck. At the warehouse where they were meeting, Andrea and two men were waiting. I said, "See, it's a good thing I came along. Now we're all even. There's a man like Daryl." I nodded towards the Mexican with the baseball bat. "A man like Hershel." I nodded towards the man that was clearly an intellectual. "And a bitch like me."

"Shut up, ya lil fuckin' psycho."

As soon as we arrived, Andrea showed Rick inside, avoiding me the whole time. The intellectual introduced himself as Milton and the Mexican as Martinez. I knew as soon as I saw him that he and Daryl were going to have a pissing contest. His first words to us were, "Damn, redneck. That ass belong to you? Don't see many of her type in Woodbury. You can tell she's looking for something."

"Shut the fuck up, spic! Ya keep yer fuckin' eyes offa her. Don' look at her, don' talk to her, don' even think 'bout her."

"I'm nothing if not a gentleman. I'll let her ask me to touch her."

"Won' be askin' ya fer nothin'!"

Daryl reached over and grabbed my arm. He yanked me close to his side and glared. I rolled my eyes and prepared for a long day of Daryl Dixon being an asshole. He shrugged his jean jacket off and handed it to me. He ordered, "Put it on. Yer shirt don' cover much."

I looked down at the green tank top I was wearing and raised my eyebrow at him. He knew I was still pissed at him for leaving. He growled, "Ain't 'bout ya bein' my woman or bein' wit me. 'bout that fuckin' spic over there thinkin' yer my woman an thinkin' yer wit me. Won' have him fuckin' 'round here tryin' to grab at ya. Put it on or go over there wit the ol' man an the pussy. Ain't a fuckin' request, Jesse."

I rolled my eyes and snatched the jacket away from him to yank it on. I hated doing it but I knew when to pick my battles with him. I didn't put it past him to snatch me up and chain me to Herschel if he thought it would keep me safe. He wasn't worried about me being mad at him. That was rare. The only other men that were never afraid of my temper were Johnny and my daddy. Eric had always shied away from it, avoided fights at all costs. Daryl didn't give a fuck if I was mad or ready to tear him into pieces. He'd do whatever it took.

Fifteen minutes later, when Andrea came back out, I was sitting on the hood of the truck with Daryl leaning against the hood beside me with his crossbow armed and in his hands. His eyes stayed on Martinez, who I was talking to about his dead family. Andrea strayed over and asked, "Can I talk to you…Jesse?"

"Talk." I ordered.

"Away from the men. I figured maybe we could talk about what happened the other day."

"Me almost kicking your ass because you don't know how to watch your mouth around my daughter?"

"Daughter? You're a mom?" Martinez asked. "You don't look like any mom I've ever seen. Is the redneck your baby daddy?"

"What's it to ya if I am?" Daryl snarled.

"It's not his daughter," Andrea spoke up.

Daryl's eyes narrowed and his grip on the crossbow tightened. He looked like he was considering shooting the woman. "Might as well fuckin' be so watch yer fuckin' mouth when yer talkin' 'bout Jesse an Lil Bit. Lil Bit is mine."

"Daryl, she isn't yours!" I cried out.

"She is, Jesse. Don' care if ya ain't wantin' to be wit me or if ya don' give a shit 'bout me. Ain't givin' up Lil Bit. She ain't mine like she's yers but it's kinda like that. Ain't gonna let ya tell me it ain't."

I stared at him and he stared back at me, his crystal blue eyes burning into my soul. It was another time for me to pick my battle. It wasn't like it wasn't true anyway. In just a few short weeks, Daryl laid claim to Arlene, and I knew that he wouldn't hurt her. He'd made a mistake once with her and, even though I wasn't forgiving him, I knew he'd protect her.

"He's right," I agreed without taking my eyes off of his. "Arlene's just as much his as she is mine."

"God damn!" Martinez chuckled. "World ends and the fuckin' redneck finds his soul mate and a kid. Funny thing this apocalypse."

"Ain't that right," Daryl snorted. I rolled my eyes and turned back to Andrea. I demanded, "What the fuck do you want?"

"To apologize. And to talk."

"Fine," I grunted.

I slid off the hood of the truck and started over towards Andrea. Daryl reached out and grabbed my arm quickly. He dragged me to his side and hissed, "Ya know what yer doin'?"

"I'm going to talk to the blonde bimbo over there about her guilty conscience."

"Not safe."

"I'll be fine, Daryl."

"Holler if ya need anythin' an don' hesitate to kill her."

"I never hesitate to kill anyone or anything standing in the way of me getting back to Arlene."

He nodded and his hand lingered on my arm. I promised, "I'll be back, Daryl. And you know I don't make promises I won't keep."

"Me either. Not anymore."

He let go of me and I made my way over to Andrea. She nodded to the side of a warehouse and I followed her. I leaned against it and studied her warily. She said quickly, "I just wanted to apologize for at the prison. It wasn't right to talk like that in front of your daughter, but you did attack me first."

I shrugged and replied, "I don't know you. All I know about you is that you're sleeping with the man who stormed into a place with children and tried to kill our entire group. My daughter is five years old. My brother is on crutches. Judith is a baby. I know Carol told you to take care of that man in there and you couldn't do it. I don't know what you went through, but I know that once upon a time, that group was your family. Carol told me that the reason you're alive is because of that group. And you chose a dick over them."

"I didn't choose sex over them!" she hissed. "I chose a life over them! Woodbury is a safe place. We have women and children there just like you do, but our group is much bigger than yours!"

"Killing isn't measured in how many you kill. It's measured in why you kill. They went to your town to get our people back. You came to our place to kill us for something you started."

"They didn't know if your group was dangerous or not! They've come across dangerous groups before!"

"You're trying to tell me that Merle didn't know that Glenn and Maggie weren't dangerous? You're telling me that it isn't god awful that the Governor kept it from you, when you know that he had to know that if Merle knew them, you knew them? You don't see anything wrong with that?"

"It doesn't matter! He was trying to protect people. He was trying to do what was right!"

"You keep telling yourself that, because, in the end, it doesn't matter what I think. I'm not the one who lives with him. I'm the one who's going to do whatever is necessary to keep him away from my family."

I turned to walk away and she demanded, "What about Daryl? You think you know him so well? You think he's some perfect guy? Because he's not!"

I spun around and my hand found her throat quicker than I realized what I was doing. I snarled low, "Listen here, bitch, you think you know Daryl, but you know shit about him. I know what he's done for that group. I know you chained his brother to a roof and left him to die and he didn't kill you in your sleep. That's more than I would have ever done. I know he went looking for that little girl when she disappeared on Hershel's farm when the rest of you wanted to believe she was dead so you could brush over it like it as nothing. Wipe it off your conscience."

"She was dead!" She struggled against my hand and I slammed her harder against the warehouse wall.

"But you didn't know that! I know that Daryl was the voice I heard screaming at Rick to let me in because I had a little girl on my back! If he hadn't been there, my little girl and my brother would be dead! So you don't to tell me shit about Daryl. You can go to fucking hell."

"Wow, and here I was thinking you two were in the middle of a fight."

"I don't care what you're thinking. I don't need opinions from the one brain cell you have left."

"You should try to be more civil."

"You should try to be quieter."

I walked back over to the truck where Daryl and Martinez were just walking up, both of them smoking. I climbed onto the hood of the truck and Daryl took his place beside me, leaning against the hood and smoking while he talked. When Rick came out, neither of us mentioned what we'd done while the other was busy. We just went back to the prison. I took Arlene and borrowed Hershel's bible to read to her. He helped Carol with Judith.