zaii - Yeah I know the actual birth isn't going to happen until the next part (which is the beginning of season three) but I already have the gender picked out and the name and everything. I know you guys won't be disappointed - I know Daryl and Tessa won't ;)

Sorry-I-Wasn't-Listening - I love your reviews. Seriously I do lol - they are so amazing :) I get a grin on my face whenever I open an email and see its a review from you. I know that Daryl is this badass guy but I always envisioned him with a soft side and since adults have fucked him over since his childhood, then the only things left in my mind, are kids and animals, which is why he spent so long looking for Sophia. And since Tessa was there for him since their adolescence and not their adulthood, I think she kinda managed to . . . slide underneath that closing door of trust, I guess. And yeah, you'll figure out how Jimmy got hit in this chapter :)

scoobydoo0811 - Thanks for reviewing! I know this is rare for writer's to say, but I actually like writing fluff, Daryl in particular. I don't know why, maybe because I like trying to find that balance between badass tough guy and soft, total sweetheart. That's a balance not easily found. And like I said earlier, I love Tessa too - she's probably my favorite OC I've ever written and I'm glad you like her and you can relate to her - I've been having a challenge with that when it comes to my OCs. And a part will be coming up soon (like, next chapter!) where I hope Tessa turns up her badass meter just a little bit :)

Not really anything to say about this chapter other than Daryl and Ethan kinda reach the first hitch in their father/son relationship . . . so I guess just read, review and enjoy!

- Nagiana

Favorite Line(s):

"What tha Hell did I do? Well . . . other than pull him out of a fight tha' he could have potentially gotten his teeth kicked down his throat in, although I doubt it! He is ma son, Merle is his uncle and he was kickin' some serious ass when I walked in there, so if he couldn' continue to kick some serious ass after I showed up after still havin' those genes in him, then I still need to teach him a thing or two, I think!"

The funeral for Annette, Shawn and little Sophia, was a much more of a somber affair than the one for Otis had been. Everyone found themselves grouped around the three freshly dug graves and even Carol was there, standing solemn and seemingly uncaring between Rick and Andrea. Nothing much of anything had been said and when the so called 'funeral' was done (if you could even call it that speaking nothing had actually been said) they all parted and went back to whatever they were doing up until that point. Daryl immediately stalked back to the two tents occupied by his family, one for them and one for Ethan, and told them to start packing their things up when they reached it. Tessa and Ethan's eyebrows immediately furrowed in slight confusion as they shared an equal look.

"Where are we going?" Tessa asked, and Daryl stood then, his eyes pinning briefly onto Shane over her shoulder before he turned them back onto her.

"Ever since tha' little stunt he pulled at tha barn, I'm not even gonna pretend tha' dumbass is sane anymore!" He told them. "So tha' spot up on tha hill over yonder – tha one with tha crumblin' chimney – we've movin' our shit up there. It seems like a good place to be if he snaps again, 'cause then me and Ethan will see him comin' from all sides."

Tessa swallowed hard as Ethan gave him a glare of disbelief. However, it was Tessa that ended up replying to him. "Daryl honey, are you sure -?"

"Tess, babydoll, don' forget tha' ya pregnant!" Daryl reminded her quietly and she nodded.

"Yeah, it's kinda hard to forget that little fact of life right now . . .!" She spoke with a little caustic laugh, and he gave a short sigh as one hand curled around her hip, which brought her closer to him as the other flattened out on her stomach. His eyes were unwavering when he turned his gaze onto her.

"Thing is, with Shane actin' tha way he is, I don' want us bein' down here - not one of us!" He added, his eyes holding Ethan's for a moment before flickering back onto Tessa's. Her eyes became wide and pleading as he continued, "And call it me bein' paranoid, but I don' want ya around him, pregnant!"

"What's he gonna do, deddy?" Ethan couldn't help but ask him, his tone coming out snider than Tessa would have liked. "Is he gonna figure out momma's pregnant, go into a jealous rage and then cut her baby out?" Tessa flinched at her son's vivid imagery but Daryl simply shrugged coolly, his hands leaving her and the warmth disappearing.

"Dunno, but given what happened this afternoon, I don' think we can put anythin' past him, now can we?"

"Daryl, God knows that I am long used to the Dixon paranoia! I also happen to agree that Shane is clearly losing it! But, however, I don't agree with you when you say that we need to be separated that far from the group – even with you with us!" Tessa told him and Daryl opened his mouth to reply, however, Ethan smoothly interrupted him.

"She's right deddy. There's safety in numbers. We're all alone out there – it'll take a good walk or a run to get down here -!"

"Yeah, well, I'm thinkin' 'bout ya momma right now, Ethan, and ya little brother or sister's safety, not how long it'll take ya to get down here for ya little meetings with ya girlfriend!"

You could practically hear the stinging slap that Daryl had just delivered to Ethan with his words and before Tessa could say anything to diffuse the situation, Ethan's face had gone beet red. He glared at Daryl for a moment, Daryl expertly and impassively glaring him back before Ethan threw his hands up into the air in exasperated disbelief when he realized that he wasn't going to win - not against a man like his father, anyway.

"You know what - fine! Move our shit up there -!"

"Ethan! Watch your language!"

"Move our stuff up there, then!" He quickly corrected himself with an impassive glance in his mother's shocked direction. "But don't expect me to help ya'll!"

And that was that. Ethan spun around on his heels and stomped back towards the farmhouse, where Glenn was already making his way up to it too. Tessa gazed after him for a moment and watched as he hurried to catch up with Glenn, a shocked look on her face that she only pinned on Daryl when she turned back around to face him. Her hands moved to her hips. "Daryl, what was that about?" She asked him, her voice coming out cautious and curious all at the same time, and he waved her away as he bent down to collect their things.

"Aw, it's nothin' ya need to worry 'bout. He's prolly still miffed at me for draggin' him away from Beth earlier."

"Was it that bad?"

"He made it tha' bad, babydoll!" He replied, a little angrily and defensively as he suddenly stood back up and whirled around to face her again. Tessa recoiled slightly at the suddenness and defensiveness of it, her eyes growing wide as she did so. Quite obviously there was still something more to the story than what Daryl was initially letting on, although she wouldn't have to wait long to hear it. It wasn't long after speaking the first time that he was already heaving a heavy sigh and launching into the full tale. "I went in there to get him like ya told me to and when I entered the dinin' room where everyone was gathered, I saw him already in a fistfight with tha' boyfriend of hers – a fistfight tha' Hershel had to get in tha middle of and pull apart. Now what's tha kid's name again . . .?"

"Jim-my . . .?" She offered him once he trailed off, eyebrows knitting together in thought for the right word. Her voice came out careful and he let out a fierce nod.

"Jimmy – yeah, Jimmy! Anyway, they were already pretty heavily into it. When I asked her what was goin' on, Maggie said it had somethin' to do 'bout how Jimmy didn' like tha way Beth was holdin' onto Ethan when he ran over to her – didn' like tha' either, by the way - so finally, Hershel managed to tear them apart. Ethan had done given tha kid a nasty lookin' shiner too - and tells Ethan tha' he better leave. I'm already there, so what do I do – I do what Hershel says! I grab him by tha scruff of his shirt and pull him from tha room. I end up pullin' tha kid out of tha house with absolutely no problem. But then, when we get outside, he suddenly yanks himself out of ma grip and tells me tha' I need to stop buttin' into his business and tha' ya need to stop buttin' into his business too!" Tessa recoiled in shock at that.

"Me? What the Hell did I do?" Daryl shrugged weakly, a beats-me look on his face.

"What tha Hell did I do? Well . . . other than pull him out of a fight tha' he could have potentially gotten his teeth kicked down his throat in, although I doubt it! He is ma son, Merle is his uncle and he was kickin' some serious ass when I walked in there, so if he couldn' continue to kick some serious ass after I showed up after still havin' those genes in him, then I still need to teach him a thing or two, I think!" Tessa rolled her eyes.

"Daryl!"

"What? Oh yeah! Well, tha's jus' what he told me anyway, and we've kinda been miffed at each other since . . ." She rolled her eyes again.

"He's probably just going through a phase. He is a teenager, you know, although I don't appreciate him getting into fights whatsoever - especially with the boyfriend of the daughter whose father is allowing us to stay on his land, although that's probably been blown to shit after what Shane did!"

Daryl shrugged her worries away but did give a nod at the mention of Shane. "Aw, he's jus' a teenage boy, Tess – teenage boys get into fights – it's natural. But he is gettin' in fights 'cause of a woman - an older woman . . .!" He muttered, throwing a slightly apprehensive look back towards the farmhouse where he and Glenn had so recently disappeared into. "Don' suppose we need to reinforce tha Birds and tha Bees talk with him, do we . . .?"

"Daryl, he's thirteen -!"

"Don' try and pull tha' argument with me, Tess, 'cause it won' work!" Daryl interrupted her with a shake of his head. "He's a thirteen-year-old who looks like he's sixteen and who acts like he's Glenn's age. He's already gettin' involved with a seventeen-year-old girl who already has a boyfriend and a very overprotective father! I'm pretty sure we might wanna reinforce tha Birds and tha Bees talk with him 'fore it gets too late – jus' in case!" Tessa let out a snort of a laugh as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"You think I am? Think again, darlin' – you are!" She told him and Daryl's eyes widened in shock at her words as he continued to gaze at her in the same emotion.

"Wait - I am?" Tessa nodded.

"You bet you are, Daryl! You're the man of the family and he's your son. So, using that logic it's your job to inform your son, no matter what his age is, on how to be smart when he goes splashing around in rain puddles! If and when we have a daughter, then it'll be my turn!" Daryl grinned as he got to his feet.

"No offense, babydoll, but I don' think I'm exactly tha best person to be talkin' to him 'bout wearin' his . . ." A sneer appeared on his face then. "His rubbers whenever he goes splashin' 'round in all his favorite rain puddles!" He replied, still grinning, as he leaned down and kissed her, his hand moving down to plant on her stomach, as if to further drive his point home, whereas Tessa simply swooned. She never thought she would get tired of feeling his hand on her stomach, right over the spot where their baby slumbered beneath her heart. When she had been pregnant with Ethan, she used to hate the feel of Sam putting his hands on her stomach and to the point to where it could make her snap at him in anger quicker than anything could. But with Daryl . . . with Daryl, she found, it was very different. She didn't know if it was because the baby was his or because his hands felt so gentle and respectful when they touched her, but it felt so comforting to have his hand on her stomach.

When they broke apart, he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'll talk to him, though, so don' worry. But at tha same time, I wouldn' worry none either, Tess. Ethan's a good kid – he's got a good head on his shoulders – ya raised him right! He knows better – he's smarter than we're givin' him credit for, I'm sure of it." Tessa sighed and nodded in hopeful agreement before she glanced towards their tent standing beside them. Her eyes narrowed slightly and a small, slightly teasingly sly smile appeared on her face.

"Let's stay down here, okay – at least until Shane snaps again, which will probably happen again soon, knowing him. He won't do anything here in the camp and whenever you're not here, I promise that I'll stay practically glued to Lori or Maggie's hip, okay?" Her face softened as his arms moved to loop around her waist, where he pulled her to him. She ran her fingers across his lips and his eyes stayed glued to hers as he kissed each individual pad as they skated over the slightly chapped flesh and she stopped the hitch in her breath from happening. "And besides, it'll smooth things over a little bit between you and Ethan and right now, I don't think that could hurt, you know? And not-to-mention . . ." She trailed off and glanced towards the tent again. "Do you really want to tear them both down, only to put them back up again all in the same day? You'll be exhausted and that just simply won't do for tonight!" His grin grew just a little bit bigger.

"And jus' what were ya plannin' on doin' with me tonight, Mrs. Dixon?" A smooth shiver of warmth crawled up her spine at being called that and she smiled lazily as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her.

"You'll have to wait and find out, Mr. Dixon, but only if we stay down here instead of taking up a bunch of energy to move up there!" She simpered and Daryl heaved a sigh before nodding.

"Fine, I guess. But only 'cause I'm too lazy to move everythin' up there right now!" He told her and Tessa grinned and rolled her eyes as she turned around and moved into the tent to fold up their clean clothes before separating them into piles – those that would stay with them and those of Ethan's that would go with him.

"Yeah, yeah - whatever Daryl! You seemed to have plenty of enthusiasm to move our shit up there a few minutes ago!" She quipped teasingly and Daryl grinned evilly as he stuck his head into the tent.

"Yeah, but tha' was before I figured out tha' I'd get a hot piece of ya ass if we stayed down here! Rule number one ya need ta know about men, babydoll – wherever sex is concerned, we ain' passin' it up within good reason!"

Tessa grinned and gave another incredulous shake of her head as she continued sorting through the clothes. Daryl quickly glanced in all directions while she remained distracted, making sure no one was around, before grinning and ducking quickly inside. His arms wrapped around her waist as he fell to the side, Tessa letting out an immediate shriek of laughter as she had no choice but to go with him. They rolled a couple of times until Tessa found herself suddenly being pinned to the ground, Daryl above her with a more than satisfied smirk on his face. He slid his knee in between hers to push them apart so that he could lie in-between them before he leaned down and kissed her slowly, letting out a growl of appreciation when he felt her fingers skim lightly up his sides underneath his shirt, careful of his stilled stitched, healing side before skating upwards to grasp his shoulders from behind. She felt the puckered, raised flesh of the numerous scars that littered the plain of his back, and he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth as her thighs gave an enticing squeeze on his hips ever-so-slightly.

"You do know that patience is a virtue, right, Daryl?" Tessa grinned as her voice came out in a playfully sing-song voice. Daryl's lips moved down to suckle at the pulse-point of her throat for a moment before she felt him take his lips away from her skin. When she spoke, he couldn't resist but turning a grin down onto her.

"Are ya makin' fun of me, Tess? 'Cause tha' voice tells me ya were makin' fun of me!" He asked her with an amused arch of his brow before he rolled his hips against hers. She gasped and bit down on her bottom lip at the amazing feeling.

"It's not making fun if I'm simply stating fact! Patience is a virtue and you are one very impatient man, Daryl . . . you always have been . . ." She continued to gasp out as he continued the same slow, torturous roll of his hips against her clothed core. She remained grinning like the Cheshire Cat, though, even when he undid a few buttons on her shirt – just enough for him to slip a hand into her top to grasp and knead one of her breasts through her thin, white cotton bra. She let out a slight moan as she brought her arms up to curl around his neck, where she then wove her fingers through the downy hair at the base of his neck.

"Tha' could be it . . . or maybe I'm jus' smart enough to realize tha' I could get tha' piece of ass now instead of havin' to wait 'til later!" He grinned back and she bit down on her bottom lip as he began rolling his hips slightly more differently against her, enjoying watching her expression change. Eventually, she grinned as she pushed him to kneel above her. Her hands flew to him and she worked at undoing his belt and jeans and he wasted no time in pulling his shirt over his head, her lips meeting the skin just underneath his belly button as she did so. He let out a guttural moan as her hand came up to rub him through his pants and she was just about to slide down his zipper when a voice cut through the heated stillness of their tent – the sound thudding between them like a damn anvil:

"Daryl . . . Daryl, are you over here?"

Daryl immediately let out an angry growl from the back of his throat and allowed his chin to fall against his chest when they heard Lori calling out his name. He was about to yell for the annoying woman to go away but Tessa grinned and reached up, where she covered his mouth with one hand when his head came up. Beautiful blue eyes looked down and met hers and she shook her head.

"We should probably go see what she wants. It could be important, you know." She told him before smiling apologetically. "Rick could need you for something, and better you than Shane, right?"

Daryl sighed and nodded in reluctant agreement as he moved back off her a few slightly, rubbing his face in sexual frustration as he did so. "Ya - ya friggin' little tease! Ya have no idea how hard I'd plow ya into tha ground right now!" He hissed to her and Tessa immediately laughed as Lori called his name again, her voice sounding much closer to the tent that time. Daryl couldn't help but return her grin as he got to his feet and moved towards the entrance, doing up his pants and belt as he went while also hoping that the bulge in his black jeans wasn't that easy to see. Tessa was hot on his heels and Lori shot her a curious look upon seeing the state of her rumpled hair and slightly undone shirt, as well as her flushed skin. Her eyes flickered to Daryl's bare chest and her eyes widened slightly at the heavily scarred surface and stitched side but passed it by when her eyes crossed with his. She shoved her hands down into the front pockets of her jeans in slight nervousness.

"I'm . . . sorry to be interrupting something, but listen – Beth's in some kind of catatonic shock. We need Hershel," She told him and Daryl glanced down at Tessa before shrugging his shoulders, his thumbs moving to hook into his two front belt loops as he did so.

"Yeah – so tha fuck what? What do ya want me to do 'bout it?" He wasn't about to tell Lori that Beth was Ethan so-called 'crush', nor was he going to announce that the thought her being in this catatonic shock thing gave them the time they needed to try and get through to their son. And judging by the way Tessa was staying as tight-lipped as he was, he figured she wasn't about to say anything either.

Not-to-mention she had just interrupted him when he was about to get laid and his dick possibly sucked. Damn right he wasn't about to do anything she told him to, even if she asked nicely and with sugar and a cherry on top!

Lori heaved a sigh. "So, I need you to run into town real quick and bring him and Rick back!" She told him, almost as if he had been stupid for not realizing what she had needed of him in the first place, when they had first heard her walking towards them. He immediately pinned her with a 'who-the-fuck-do-you-think-you-are?' look and Tessa bit down on her bottom lip as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Daryl, baby, you need to wait a minute before you start -!"

"Ya bitch went window-shoppin', okay?" He told her, his tone immediately coming out angry and snappish when it drowned out Tessa's. He spoke before Lori or Tessa could speak any further and by the way Lori recoiled in slight shock that he would talk that way to her in front of Tessa, almost made him laugh - almost. Bitch obviously didn't know him that well. "Ya want him, go fetch him yaself!" He glanced down at Tessa. "I've got better things to do . . ."

Tessa blushed slightly at the true meaning behind his words, but Lori simply shook her head. "What is the matter with you?" She couldn't help but ask him, a defensive tone appearing to her voice. By the way that Daryl's body tensed again, Tessa immediately knew this was quickly not heading in a good direction and that it would be better for Lori's feelings in the long road if she simply shut up. "Why would you be so selfish?"

Daryl's teeth gritted and his eyes stormed over in anger. Tessa did the same as her grip on his shoulder tightened and as her other hand came up to grasp his bicep and to lend additional strength to her hold on him. Her knuckles immediately turned white and it took Lori a moment to realize that was because she was holding him back . . . with just that little grip on his arm!

"Daryl, baby, please wait a minute -!"

"Selfish?" Daryl asked her in abject disbelief. "Ya listen here, Olive Oyl, I was out lookin' for tha' girl every single day! I took an arrow and a bullet in tha process and I almost died - I almost lost ma own family for tha' little brat! So don' ya talk to me 'bout gettin' ma hands dirty!" He gestured to Tessa standing beside him as he spoke, before shaking his head. "I gotta look out for ma family more than ever now - I gotta keep 'em foremost in ma mind, especially now tha' Tess is gonna have a baby. If ya want those two idiots, then go have a nice ride - I'm done lookin' for people!"

He ducked back into the tent then without another word, and Lori watched him go for a minute before turning around and walking off. Tessa adopted a pleading look in her eyes. "Lori, wait a minute –! Daryl, why did you do that?" She demanded, slightly angry as she wheeled around to face him when he finally stepped back out of the tent. His shirt was back on and his crossbow was strapped to his back. He gazed at Lori's retreating figure for a moment before bending down and pecking Tessa on the apple of her cheek. She allowed him to, her impatience at waiting for her answer growing.

"I'll get tha' piece of ya ass later, okay? I'm goin' huntin'."

He stalked off then, leaving Tessa weakly standing there, feeling like she had just missed something important.