Disclaimer: I don't own The Walking Dead or its characters. I only own Elise Young.

A/N: Hey, guys! I hope you enjoyed the last chapter! This one's all original stuff. No script from the show. I really, really hope you like it and for my reviewers who I haven't heard from in a while, I hope you haven't gone off this story!

Equal-Opportunity-Reader: I wanted to kick Andrea into the next century when she did what she did. It was the most stupid thing she could've done. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, hon! Thanks for the support so far! You really are amazing!

ShadowXMoonlight: I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks so much for the support. I hope you like this chapter too.

Happy reading!

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Can't Make It Alone

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Moonlight Serenade

The group watched worriedly as Elise paced on the edge of camp, crucifix held tightly in her hand as she prayed.

Her mouth hadn't stopped moving for the time she'd been pacing and the tears hadn't stopped falling. Andrea had stupidly gone to approach her only for her to take out her large knife and point it in the blonde's face to warn her off. That was enough for Andrea to know she wasn't to go near the younger woman again. Dale was keeping on eye on Elise as she moved further and further from camp, making sure she wasn't going to wander into the forest. It wasn't long before Hershel emerged from the house, and spotted the girl heading towards the barn, looking like a nervous wreck. He moved past everyone who was watching her without a word, and got close enough to quietly call her to him, not wanting to startle her.

She moved quickly over to him, holding the cross even tighter as she waited for the news of Daryl's condition. Hershel could tell the young woman had been through quite an ordeal. She was exhausted, pale and distressed, and the group was worried about her current state of mind. She needed to see Daryl desperately, and Hershel knew that she was someone that the hunter trusted. He didn't want anyone to clean him up, but they needed to. He was caked in grime, sweat and dirt, and Hershel needed to redress his wounds after he was cleaned up.

"I need your help with your young man." He told her, "He's really touchy about us helping him clean up... We thought maybe he'd let you give him a hand with a sponge bath. He puts a lot of trust in you, and I know you haven't been an item for very long, but Rick said you'd be the best person to ask."

Elise simply nodded and the pair quickly made their way into the house. Hershel handed her a bowl of hot water and a cloth as they passed the kitchen, and led her to her boyfriend's room. Knocking on the door, Hershel and Elise waited for Daryl's permission to enter, which came as a grunt, and Hershel opened the door, closing it behind Elise as she stepped inside. She fought back a sob when she saw how Daryl looked. He was tired, filthy and those bandages just made it more real. He was clearly in a lot of pain.

When Daryl saw the young woman holding the bowl of water, he scowled and covered himself with the sheets, turning away from her. He wasn't angry with her. Far from it, in fact. He was just in a lot of discomfort and pain, and he'd insisted on cleaning himself up. He didn't want her to see the scars or to have that dreaded conversation with her. He watched her swallow thickly, and as he turned over, he noticed her tense up out of the corner of his eye. She felt sick when she saw his face twist in pain as he tried to get comfortable. He should never have been in that situation, she thought as she approached. She should've been with him.

"Hey..." She said quietly, putting the bowl on the bedside table and taking her lover's hand, "Dare I ask how you're feeling...?"

"Peachy." Daryl snapped, noticing the tear tracks on Elise's face, "You here to clean me up?"

"Here to help." Elise whispered, "I'm just glad you're still with us. I thought I'd lost you."

"M'fine." Daryl mumbled, looking up at her, "Don't need no help."

"Please..." The young woman answered, tying her hair into a bun, "Please. Let me take care of you for once."

Daryl sighed, watching her move to help him sit up. She struggled a little but she managed to ease him up comfortably, and stopped to gently stroke his cheek after she'd got him sat upright. He kept the sheet held tightly to his chest because he really, really didn't want her seeing the mess his dad had left him in. She was determined to care for him, though, and she started on his arms, wringing out the cloth and tenderly wiping the grime away. She had such a gentle touch that Daryl was quite enjoying her caressing his arm, even if she was cleaning it.

"I almost killed Andrea." She admitted, dipping the cloth back in the water and wringing it out again, "And I wouldn't have given a damn. What kind of person does that make me?"

"She almost killed me, but I ain't that mad at her." Daryl answered, flinching as she moved close to his chest, "To be honest, I didn't think you cared that much."

"What?" Elise asked, looking at him with hurt in her eyes, "Of course I do."

She put the cloth back in the bowl of water again and dried off his left arm with the towel Hershel had left for them before moving to his right one and beginning to wash it. Daryl watched how gentle she was being this time, like she was scared of hurting him. He then noticed the green nails. It was a really nice colour too. Glenn had picked up a perfect set for her. He took her hand in his now clean one and examined it, noticing how much more delicate it looked.

"You painted them..."

"Yeah." Elise whispered, "Wanted to look nice for you. I'm sorry I wasn't with you. I wish I had been, now..."

"You're still sick. You needed the rest." Daryl told her, noticing her lip trembling, "This ain't on you."

She nodded, swallowing down the lump in her throat and leaning down to kiss him before continuing her work. When she dried off his right arm, she went to pull down the bed sheet, noticing how he moved to stop her. She wasn't an idiot. She knew that he was shy about certain things, but this was something else. The thought that suddenly entered her mind caused her to startle, and she instantly pushed it away, focusing on taking care of him.

"Daryl..."

"I can clean myself." He suddenly spat, startling her.

Despite his anger, Elise clenched her jaw and arched her eyebrow at him, leaning forward with the cloth cautiously. Shaking her head, she moved to gather the sheet in her hand, only for Daryl to grab the cloth from her and throw it back at her. It hit her t-shirt with a splat, instantly soaking the fabric which was horrendously uncomfortable. Elise couldn't believe he'd just thrown something at her.

"I said, I can do it myself!" He yelled, hearing her scoff as she picked the wet cloth from her t-shirt, which was now sticking to her.

"Fine." She said, a little too calmly for Daryl's liking, "Suit yourself. See you around."

With that, she stood up and handed him the cloth, which he took from her gingerly, realising how ungrateful he'd been. He saw the hurt and the anger in her eyes, even though she wouldn't so much as look in his direction. She then turned around without even meeting his eyes, and left the room, passing a concerned Lori who stood outside with a plate of crackers in her hand.

"I brought these for you..." She said slowly, noticing the wetness on Elise's top, "You okay?"

Elise clenched her jaw again and raised her head, taking the plate of crackers and smiling sweetly at Lori. The woman was unnerved, but smiled back anyway, wondering what on earth had just happened. She'd heard Daryl shouting, and assumed that Elise's caring gesture was literally thrown back at her, judging by the huge wet patch on her t-shirt.

"Fine, thank you." The ex-teacher said warmly, "These look great. You wanna share?"

When Lori shook her head silently, Elise set off towards the stairs, leaving the older woman looking pretty startled and worried behind her. She turned towards the door, hearing the sound of Daryl breathing heavily as well as the soft pitter-patter of water hitting water. She assumed he was trying to clean himself up and that he was struggling. She decided not to interfere. She didn't want that cloth getting thrown at her.


"Hey, Elise? You doing okay?"

Elise looked up as Shane approached her, noticing the others watching them from a distance. She was laying on the grass in the sun with the legs of her jeans rolled up and her arms behind her head like it was just a normal day, and like she hadn't almost killed someone earlier on. She was sick of people asking if she was okay. She was a little pissed at Daryl but she understood, and she knew everyone was sticking their noses into her business. It really was beginning to get on her nerves.

"I'm fine, Shane. Just minding my own business." She answered him in a warning tone, "I'm sunbathing."

"I hear your attempt at cleaning Daryl up didn't go too well." Shane replied, watching her sit straight up as he knelt beside her.

"What of it?" She asked, "I'm trying not to be mad at him. He's had a horrific day. He's laid up... Frustrated... He threw the damn cloth at me, is all. Not like he beat me."

"No-one's suggesting anything like that." Shane looked at her with confusion, "We're just worried about you."

"Yeah?" Elise asked, looking over at the others, who were all watching the conversation before shouting loudly at them, "Well y'all can stop worrying! Mind your own!"

"Now, there's no need for that." Shane told her, as if he were speaking to a child.

"Can we talk somewhere away from prying eyes?" She asked him after a moment, "I hate being stared at."

Shane nodded and helped her to her feet, and the two set off walking towards the forest edge. Elise could hear people whispering, and whether or not she could hear their words, she knew it was about her and Daryl. She just wished people would leave them alone. Like they weren't going through enough. She was careful to move slowly due to Shane's ankle, and the conversation between herself and the ex-cop was almost non-existent until they got to the tree line. They headed just out of sight and into the trees, making sure camp was still visible but that no-one would pry on their conversation.

"Look..." Shane said quietly, "You and Daryl... You've only been together a week... And already things are going downhill. I know he's injured but you can't accept him treating you that way."

"I haven't accepted it. I've just chosen to be calm about it." Elise corrected the ex-cop, "Look, I don't know how much time Daryl and I will get together... I almost lost him today. I want to treasure each moment with him... Even if he flips out from time to time."

"He's a loose cannon."

"He's a wounded man. He's tired too."

Shane gave Elise that look he gave everyone he was trying to reason with. His hands were on his hips, eyebrows raised, and Elise couldn't help but feel like she was being scolded by a parent. It made her skin crawl that he was talking down to her and looking at her like that. She suppressed a shudder, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Even if the world has ended, you need someone who'll respect you. Who knows how to treat women." Shane told her, "You sure Daryl does that?"

"Yeah." Elise answered quite angrily, "He's learning. You know, he deserves a bit of respect from the rest of you. He brings you food. He's looking for Sophia. What thanks does he get? None. You all judge him and now you're starting to judge me, and the relationship he and I have. Y'all got no right to be judging us."

"If the world hadn't ended, would you be with him?" Shane asked, "I mean, in normal society, would you date him?"

"Yeah, I would." Elise spat back, "I'm not shallow. I'm not all about social status and good looks, or any superficial shit like that. By the way, before you twist that to turn it against me, I think Daryl's gorgeous. I think he's beautiful. He's amazing. He's a lot more fucking special than some of the people in this group. You included."

"You done now?" Shane asked her, earning a slow nod from Elise, who clenched her jaw again and stormed past the ex-cop.

Steadily, Shane rubbed a hand over his face again before slowly following behind her, watching her march her way back to camp.


"Don't you think you should go up and see him?" Carol asked Elise that night as the group sat around eating dinner.

"No. I think he needs his space." Elise replied, casting a dark look at the other woman, "You go see him if you want."

"You can't be mad at him forever." Andrea spoke quietly, only for Elise to hold up a hand almost in her face.

"You don't speak to me." She said sharply, looking back at her untouched plate before putting her cutlery down, "I can't eat this."

She'd tried. She'd really tried to stomach it but her belly just whirred like a washing machine every time she looked at the plate of food. It was a feast compared to what they normally had, but today, after everything, food was the last thing on her mind.

"I'll take it for Daryl." Carol said softly, "I'll tell him you'll see him later?"

"Yeah." Elise answered with a sigh, rubbing her hands over her face, "Feel free to tell him I'm mad at him. Give him a bit of warning before I go up there."

Carol let out a soft chuckle and took the plate from Elise, heading out of the room. Hershel looked across at the former teacher who was sat with her head in her hands, knee bouncing anxiously. He poured a small glass of water and approached the young woman who took it from him gratefully and drank it slowly, savouring each drop.

"You should eat." He told her quietly.

"I can't." Elise replied, shaking her head, "I just can't. It would be a waste. It'd just come back up and I don't want to waste supplies."

"Very well, but..." Hershel began, "You'll be out of action for longer if you don't start eating."

Elise looked up at him and gave him a soft nod, finally giving in. Watching as he walked away to the kitchen, she sighed, running a hand through her hair. She was thinking of cutting it off. Maybe it'd look nice shorter. Twirling a strand round her finger, Elise looked up to see Hershel returning with an apple in his hand. She looked at him curiously, eyeing the fruit in his hand.

"This might settle your stomach." He said, handing her the fruit, "We'll see if you can't manage something else later. Daryl wouldn't like to know you were going hungry."

Elise nodded in thanks and took the apple, taking a bite out of it slowly. By the time she had finished her small meal, Carol was returning from visiting Daryl, and Elise was on her feet in seconds. Even though she was mad at him, she still needed to know he was alright.

"He's pretty anxious to see you." Carol said quietly, "Asked me to send you up."

"You tell him I'm mad?" Elise asked, putting her hands in her pockets.

"I told him." Carol replied, "He says he isn't surprised. Even laughed about it."

Elise laughed at her words and shook her head, looking to her feet. She knew she had to let it go. She knew it was just because he was laid up in bed instead of looking for Sophia. She knew that he wasn't like his brother and that hitting her or doing anything of the sort was the last thing on his mind. She'd go upstairs and not even ask for an apology. She needed to spend time with him, rather than stew over silly outbursts of anger.

"That's my man." She chuckled, wiping a hand over her face slowly and letting out a sigh, "I'll go up."

Carol gave her a small smile and a pat on the back as she headed past her and up towards Daryl's room. Cautiously, Elise knocked on the door, this time entering straight away to see Daryl laying with his back to the door. In the dim light, his flesh had a beautiful glow, despite most of it being covered with soft bed sheets. She sighed softly as he struggled to turn over and moved forward to help him, only to have him wave her away.

"Don't bother apologising to me." She said quietly after he got comfortable, "Ain't nothing to forgive. I'm not mad any more."

"Carol said you were." Daryl answered, looking up at her tiredly, "She said I should be warned that you were on the warpath."

The smile that crossed his lips at the last part of that sentence made Elise grin too. It had been a hard day for everyone, and she was just so relieved that he was still alive and she still had him with her that she couldn't be mad at that time, even if she tried. She moved to the bed slowly and sat on it, taking his hand in hers and drawing it to her lips to kiss it lovingly.

"You sore?" She asked him, reaching out to gingerly stroke his bandaged head.

"Yeah. Had worse." Daryl told her with a small smile, "I'm sorry I scared you."

"It was an accident." Elise whispered, "I didn't know if you'd been bit. I was so scared I was gonna lose you. I can't lose someone else..."

Then it hit Daryl how frightened she must've been. She'd lost her whole family, even her daughter, and she'd almost lost him too, on top of all that. He reached for her as he saw the first tear slip down her face, and he took her hand, leading her to the right side of the bed. He pulled her gently to lay beside him and wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tightly as he pressed his head to hers.

"Shhh..."

That was all it took for the first sob to escape Elise's lips. She'd been trying so hard to hold it in. To not show him how scared she'd really been for him. She'd tried to be strong, but knowing that it had been that close a call brought home the seriousness of that day and how she may not have had Daryl to hold at that moment.

"I ain't going down without a fight." He whispered, "I'm still here. I ain't even hurt that bad."

"You could've died." She breathed, "I thought you were gonna die, Daryl. I thought Andrea had killed you."

"I know." Daryl said quietly, cupping the back of her head, "Look at me."

Elise pulled back to look at him, allowing him to brush the hair back from her face. She was so beautiful even when she was in tears. He kissed her as gently as he could, smoothing her hair back again and wiping her tears away.

"I'm not going anywhere. You aren't going to lose me." He said sternly, "I'm only gonna be laid up for a little while. I'm alright... Okay? Stop these tears, Elise. I don't like seeing them this often."

Elise nodded and lay her head back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat to soothe herself. He was going to be fine. He'd survived. He'd been lucky, but he'd done it. That proved to her that he was so, so strong, no matter how broken and damaged she knew he was. She wasn't an idiot. The fact that he was painfully shy about his body was the confirmation for her. His attitude towards people and how closed off he was told her that he was a damaged soul. Hiding his body from her told her that there may be marks that he didn't want to show her. Scars perhaps? Something from his past that he didn't want her to see. She'd dealt with kids who weren't unlike him, even at the ages of five and six. But, she knew she had to give him time. He'd come round in the end. She had a few scars of her own.

"I'm gonna sit outside for a little while, by the fire." She whispered quietly, "Just to gather my thoughts. I'll come back and say goodnight."

"You better." Daryl answered, kissing her forehead as she got up to leave.

"Do you want the window closed?" Elise asked as she passed it.

"Nah, leave it." Daryl replied, settling against the pillows tiredly, "I like the breeze."

"Okay..." Elise whispered, heading to the door and squeezing his hand as she passed, "See you, sweetheart."

Daryl watched her leave and settled down to try and get comfortable, wishing that she'd stayed, if only for a little longer. About five minutes later, he heard the familiar sounds of Elise playing the guitar and he smiled to himself. He liked to hear her play.

"I wanted you to know that I love the way you laugh...
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain away.
I keep your photograph, and I know it serves me well.
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain,
Because I'm broken when I'm lonesome
And I don't feel right when you're gone away..."

Daryl froze, listening to her sing loud enough so he could hear each word clearly. Her voice was so worn from screaming, but it gave it a smoky tone that Daryl would never forget. She was singing to him and he loved it, no matter what anyone else thought.

"The worst is over now, and we can breathe again.
I wanna hold you high, you steal my pain away.
There's so much left to learn, and no-one left to fight...
I wanna hold you high and steal your pain,
'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome,
And I don't feel right when you're gone away..."

He listened to the passion in her voice and the pain. He heard the waver as she sang and he knew she was probably in tears again. But she carried on playing regardless, making sure he could hear her. This was the only way she could probably face telling him how she felt about him. Maybe she was just trying to do a nice thing. Daryl didn't know.

"'Cause I'm broken when I'm open
And I don't feel like I am strong enough.
'Cause I'm broken when I'm lonesome,
And I don't feel right when you're gone away..."

After a small series of chords, she began to sing again, and as the music quietly died down, Daryl heard one voice that made his blood boil. His fists tightened against the sheets at the thought of Shane being anywhere near Elise, and he knew that the ex-cop was sniffing around his girl.

"That was beautiful, Elise."

Daryl's skin crawled at how Shane was speaking to her. He wanted to go outside and smash the guy's skull in, but he wasn't in any condition to do so. Being laid up only made it worse. He knew Shane would be around his girl even more and there was nothing he could do.

"Oh, thanks..." Elise said sweetly, "I'm gonna go see Daryl... Hopefully Hershel will let me stay with him tonight."

"Goodnight." Shane said softly, making Daryl almost snarl, "You come find me if you need anything."

Elise didn't answer, much to Daryl's relief, and several minutes later, he saw his woman enter the bedroom with her jeans and shirt folded up in her arms. She gave him a warm smile, closing the window as she passed, and she headed towards him in just her vest and shorts, climbing into bed beside him.

"Hey." She said quietly, "Hershel's letting me bunk in with you. Just for tonight, of course."

"Where's Shane?" Daryl asked, "Don't like how he is with you."

Elise studied him for a moment and let out a small giggle. She loved it that Daryl was jealous. It meant he cared about her and that he wanted to protect her. She knew that Shane was talking to her a lot more and saying things to her he wouldn't normally say. She wasn't an idiot. She knew how men operated and she was also aware that something had been going on between Shane and Lori, although she didn't exactly know what. She could imagine though.

"Aww, is my Daryl getting jealous?" She asked quietly, stroking his cheek, "You're too cute."

She leaned across and kissed him, quickly and carefully settling into his arms, holding onto him tightly. He settled with her, holding onto her hand as she practically snuggled into him before planting a soft kiss on her forehead, hearing her gentle whisper in response.

"Night, Daryl."

-TBC-


Hope you enjoyed!

Thanks for reading so far!

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