Hey guys, sorry I haven't update in a few days - had a very busy, very tiring weekend. But I'm home now and updating should be back on schedule. There is also the muchly anticipated lemon in this chapter, which means - ladies and gentlemen, the Hell Chapters are officially over *throws confetti in the air and cheers* You are welcome ;)

Maddy-MarieXO - That review made me laugh so hard - thanks for that XD

Smittendebs and HermionandMarcus - Thanks for the reviews - you'll get Merle's reaction to the kids a little bit in this chapter :)

HaloHunter89 - I do plan on Merle reacting a little bit more to Daryl and their dad thing, as well as Ethan and him having a little discussion about Merle and Tessa. Haven't figured out how to go about that yet, but it will come. :)

- Nagiana


When Hershel called Glenn back from the truck that afternoon, Ethan thought his friend was going to rear back and punch him. But he didn't and as Ethan hurried to catch up with the both of them, he heard Hershel ask him – in his infinitely gentle voice – if he was going back to Woodbury. Glenn didn't answer for a moment before he shook his head.

"No . . . I'm just going out there."

"Cool, man, I'll go with you." Ethan hurried to suggest, causing Hershel to shoot him a thankful look, and Glenn shook his head again as he turned back towards the truck.

"No, I got it."

"By yourself?" Hershel immediately asked, another question that stopped Glenn almost literally in his track. "How can you possibly begin to think that's a good idea?"

"I can't just sit on my hands!" Glenn told him, his voice determinedly level and Hershel gave him a slightly stern look.

"You went on a simple formula and groceries run and got the crap beat of you, Maggie attacked and Tessa done God only knows what to!"

Ethan flinched at the words and Glenn noticed but chose not to say anything. He instead, swallowed heavily as he replied to Hershel. "Are you saying that this is my fault?" Glenn asked, a note of disbelief in his voice and Hershel shook his head.

"No -"

"I did what I could!"

"Look, Glenn, we know that!" Ethan spoke next, his hand outstretched to him slightly. "And so does Maggie and momma and everyone else!" Glenn closed his eyes and shook his head as Hershel nodded.

"Maggie is one of the two people most precious to me in this world and Tessa is Ethan and the twin's mother. She means more to him than anyone else here!" Hershel spoke. "I trust you with Maggie's life and Daryl wouldn't have trusted you with Tessa's life if he didn't think you couldn't have done what you could!" Ethan looked away at the mention of his father and both noticed but didn't address it. Hershel continued on, though. "I still do. This rage, though, is going to get you killed." Glenn sighed then and turned back to face them.

"With Daryl gone and Rick wandering around Crazytown, I'm the next in charge," He spoke, his eyes flitting from Hershel to Ethan and back again. Hershel said nothing while Ethan simply adopted a look of hesitation on his face as Glenn turned back around and headed for the truck.

"What are you proving?" Hershel called after a moment and this time, Glenn didn't stop. He continued on to the truck and got inside, not choosing to give them another moment to shout something else at him. They stood there and watched as Carl opened the gate for him and he drove out before switching their attention onto Rick wandering down outside the fence by the creek. Ethan shook his head as he shouldered his rifle better – the rifle that used to be Daryl's when he wasn't handling the crossbow.

"Hershel, Glenn's my friend, but this is why I wish deddy was back," He told him, shaking his head. "Glenn can't handle this and Rick needs someone capable to take over until he gets better." Hershel's eyebrows rose as he turned to gaze down at him.

"And what if Daryl doesn't come back?" He asked him and Ethan stood there for a moment before shaking his head and turning back towards the cellblock.

"I don't want to think about that because I don't make a habit of thinking about me and momma and Wren and the twins dying."


"Daryl – I got you!" Merle shouted as he took aim at the walker towering over his little brother, where he pulled the trigger. They had heard the gunshots when they were nearing the prison and had rushed to the group's aid, only to get there when a large truck slammed through the chainlink fence and spilled walkers into the grassy prison yard. That was when Daryl majorly picked up the speed in his desperation to get to the group and protect his family, to the point to where Merle had lost him for a minute. He was glad that he found him now, wrestling with a walker.

He felt the trigger give way underneath his finger as the gun went off and the walker flew backwards as his rotted brains exploded everywhere, Daryl cringing down slightly so that the majority of the walker wouldn't get on him. Merle let out a sigh of relief as he lowered the pistol but it wasn't until the person straightened up, the bright sun falling onto his raven black hair and absent a black crossbow, that Merle realized he hadn't saved Daryl's life. It wasn't until the person looked up questionably in his direction, Dixon blue eyes wide with confusion, that he realized that he hadn't saved Daryl – that he had only saved someone who looked very much alike his little brother - someone who was a dark-skinned carbon copy of him.

"Holy . . ."

"Shit . . ." Ethan finished for him, breathless, his eyes growing wide when he realized who it was who had saved him.

"Ethan!"

The both of them turned around when they saw Tessa running towards him and immediately latch onto him, where she pulled him in the direction of the cellblock. "Come on – we got to go inside -!"

"Momma, wait!"

"What the fuck is there to wait about?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing in angry confusion and Ethan shook his head as he stood his ground and turned back around to face Merle. Tessa's eyes followed his and she immediately froze, her eyes growing wide with horror when she saw him standing there. Merle grinned and laughed as he held out his arms to her.

"Hey, Tess – lookin' good there, sweet-pea!"

Tessa's teeth gritted in both anger and slight fear as her grip on her son tightened. "Merle . . ." She hissed then, her eyes full of anger and her body practically thrumming with it. Ethan swallowed hard as he glanced at her.

"Momma, is this -?"

"Hell yeah, kid – I'm ya uncle Merle!" He told him, that same shit-eating grin on his face, and Tessa shook her head.

"If you're here, then that means -"

"Tessa!"

Ethan grinned when he saw Daryl moving quickly up through the chain-linked aisle towards them, Rick by his side. "Momma, deddy's back!"

Tessa nodded slowly, her eyes pinned on Merle as Daryl ran up to them. He swept her up in a tight hug, but she barely registered it. Her hands landed numbly on his shoulders but that went as far as she went registering that he was actually holding her. Her gaze was still pinned on Merle's slightly smirking face and she shook her head as he gently set her down on her feet, her teeth gritting again.

"Daryl, what the fuck's he doing here?" She demanded but before he or Merle could answer, there was a flurry of black in the corner of her eye running at Daryl. Her attention immediately snapped onto him and widened when she saw the flurry of black was Ethan. However, instead of running into his arms in a fierce hug like she suspected, he adopted a look of anger on his face as he lunged at him.

"You bastard . . . you motherfucking bastard!"

Everyone watched in slight shock as Daryl simply nodded and just stood there, his lips pursing and his teeth gritting in an undefinable emotion as Ethan began punching him repeatedly on the chest for a minute, as hard as the boy could possibly punch, which, granted, felt like mosquito bites compared to the punches Daryl had suffered in his early life and very recently. But more than anything, he wanted so much to just pull his son into his arms and apologize to him as much as he was allowed to. However, he knew that Ethan would never allow him do it, just like now, as Tessa slowly realized he was back, that she wouldn't let him hug her for a very long time. "You fuckin' left us – how could ya do that?!"

"Ethan, baby, stop . . . it wasn't entirely his fault . . ."

Tessa's gentle voice broke through the tense silence between the two as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, where she gently brought him off of him. Daryl and Ethan glanced at her, saw the softness in her eyes and Ethan nodded as he moved away from his father. Daryl swallowed hard and shook his head. "Ethan, kid, come here -"

"Get the fuck away from me!" He snapped as he threw away his father's arms. Rage speared through his Dixon blue eyes as he crossed his arms stubbornly and a little insecurely in front of his chest then – a movement that had Daryl pursing his lips again as he nodded. He saw Merle smirking from a little ways behind him and knew that there was a sarcastic little quip simmering just underneath the surface of his brother's skin but he managed to hold it back.

Tessa turned a slightly expressionless gaze onto him then as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, he's just -!" Tessa began but was interrupted by Ethan shaking his head and moving forward, where he threw his arms around Daryl's middle in a tight hug. Daryl chuckled for a minute before he tightly wrapped his arms around his son in turn. He wanted to childishly stick his tongue out at Merle when he saw the scowl that immediately crossed his face but passed it by when he felt Ethan shake his head as tears began streaming down his cheeks.

"Why did ya leave us? Ya had me so worried – ya had everyone so worried! And then momma, she was hopeless without ya . . ." He trailed off then and Daryl nodded as Tessa looked down at the ground.

Yeah, well, Ethan, I was pretty hopeless without her too . . .

"It doesn' matter why I left, Ethan, but I'm here now and I ain' ever leavin' again – I fuckin' promise ya that!" He promised him, his eyes holding Tessa's the entire time he spoke the words, and Ethan nodded as they broke apart, trying vainly to wipe away any stray tears before his father could see them.

"Good . . . good, 'cause I don' think this group can cut it without ya. I don' think we can cut it without ya!" He told him, the quip aimed mainly at Glenn and Rick and the two men looked away as well as Daryl shot him a small smile before turning to Tessa. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest by then and she swallowed hard when he approached her.

"Hey . . ."

"H-Hey . . ."

The words were awkward – not at all like they used to be whenever they greeted each other after an absence, and after a minute, Daryl heaved a sigh. He knew she wasn't about to forgive him (in fact, he'd be worried if she did) and he knew she wasn't about to touch him, but there was one thing he could do – one thing that he had wanted to do since he left.

"Can I . . . can I see ma twins, Tess?" He asked her, his voice hopeful and slightly scared and Tessa flinched violently at the words before immediately nodding.

"Of-of course you can! Come on - Wren and Beth should be watching them." She told him and he nodded as she took his hand and pulled him in the direction of the cellblock, her fingers entwining with his as she moved. It was a small movement – one Hell of a small movement, but he'd be damned if he wouldn't take it and revel in it.

They entered the cellblock then and Tessa made an immediate beeline for the cells, however, she felt herself being held back by Daryl mid-way there. She turned a questioning look onto him but he shook his head and instead nodded towards the other door that led to the other areas of the cellblock. Tessa's knew her face paled then, and her heart begin to pound away in her chest but she nodded nonetheless and allowed him to pull her through the door. It creaked open and then clanged shut behind them and she allowed him to walk through empty corridor after empty corridor, his senses tuned in to the slightest sound that could tip a walker off to him. When finally, they reached an abandoned common room, he led her inside and after quickly checking to make sure they were alone, he returned to her, nodding.

"Okay, go on . . ."

Tessa's eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion as she stood there and simply gazed at him. "Daryl, what are you talking about?" She asked him and he gave an impatient sigh and a roll of his eyes as he gestured to him.

"Come on – yell at me, Tess! Scream bloody murder at me; tell me ya hate me and that ya never want to see me again – I know ya want to!" He shook his head. "I left ya, Tess – somethin' I never should have done, I know that now! I'm just waitin' for ya to explode at me like ya've been wantin' to do – like ya deserve!"

She shook her head, a slightly amazed look appearing on her face then. "You think . . . you think that I should be the one to yell right now?" She asked and he stood there, gazing at her dumbly for a moment before she gave a laugh and shook her head. "Daryl, I didn't exactly give you a reason to stay, you know! In fact, I did just the opposite! I pushed you away because I was insecure – because I didn't think – for some fucked up reason - that you would stay to begin with! And I gave you the one ultimatum that I should never, in a million years have given you and I . . . I . . ." She shook her head then, tears brimming in her eyes. "Here I am, saying that I love you and yet, I was coldhearted enough to tell you that – that you would never see your children again if you left because I was so damn afraid that you would go if I didn't give you one!" She bit down on her bottom lip as a tear ran down her cheek. She shook her head again. "I'm sorry Daryl . . . I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, well, I ain' exactly completely innocent either, ya know!" He told her with a slightly mournful look in his eyes. "Ya might have pushed me away, but I was the one who decided to walk in the end, Tess! I left ya alone with the kids – with everythin' that just happened and I . . . Hell, I don' think I could ever forgive myself for doin' it – I don' expect ya ever to! I should have stayed with ya despite what ya said – I should have said 'fuck ya' to Merle and got in that car with ya, especially after I had fought tooth and nail to get to ya in the first place!" He shook his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Good Lord, I should have done so many things except walk!"

Tessa nodded as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So you . . . you came back?" She asked and he nodded.

"I couldn't stay away, Tess," He told her as he made his way slowly over to her, shaking his head as he did so. "I couldn't stay away from you, our amazingly talented son . . . our beautiful, beautiful twins . . ." She smiled a watery smile up at him and Daryl smiled as he pulled her into his arms. She allowed him to and eventually, her arms moved to wrap around him. She wanted to ask about Merle – what they were going to do with him but at that moment, she didn't care. She had him back and that was all that mattered to her.


Daryl couldn't help but grin later that evening when he entered the common room and immediately noticed Aayla struggling slightly in Carol's arms. They were sitting beside Tessa, who in turn was holding a rather drowsy Danny, and the woman immediately grinned when she saw the father of her children enter the room. "Uh oh Carol - Papa Bear's here! You know he's gonna want to demand his daughter from you – especially speaking he hasn't seen her in a long time!" She announced when he entered, and Daryl shot her a playfully imperious look as Carol grinned and automatically got her feet, where she made her way over to him.

"We can't call her sweetpea, anymore, Daryl."

"Why not?"

"Merle . . . he calls me sweet-pea."

"Well then, we'll just have to find her another name, won't we? She seems like she's a deddy's girl, so how about Huntress? My little Huntress Aayla . . .?"

"Damn right I am, Tess! She's my little Huntress, ain' she?" He asked her with a wink, and Tessa laughed and indulgently shook her head as Daryl slid his arm under Aayla when Carol handed her to him, expertly cradling her from head to bottom in one fell swoop. Pulling her against his chest, he swept the towel off of Carol's shoulder to toss over his own. When he did so, it was almost as if he had hit a switch. In her father's arms, Aayla immediately settled down, a soft grunt and sigh releasing from her lips as she pressed her face into the towel hanging over his shoulder. Daryl grinned as he began gently bouncing her. "Oh yeah, ya gonna be a deddy's girl like I thought, ain' ya?" He cooed lovingly and Carol and Tessa grinned and shook their heads in slight awe as they gazed at them.

"It's amazing . . .!" Carol spoke, her eyes wide with the same emotion that echoed in her voice and Tessa nodded.

"Ain't it though? She's been fussy all afternoon – ever since she woke up from her nap, in fact. She slept through the entire attack too – her and Danny. We didn't know what was wrong with her." She informed him and Daryl shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, what's wrong with ya, woman? She knew her deddy was back and all she wanted was jus' me! Ya should have called for me!" He added and it was then that Tessa stood and made her way over to them.

"You were on watch and I didn't feel like hearing it from Rick if we distracted you after this attack – even if the reasoning was your child that you haven't seen for a couple of days. I'm heading up, though - you want me to take her?" She offered with a grin as she shifted Danny to her other arm, and Daryl made a dismissive face as she quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "Daryl, honey, you've been on watch for hours since you got back and before then, who knows how long you've been up! You look exhausted!"

He shook his head again, more stubbornly. "Nah, I got her. Ya headed up to bed?" He asked as he brushed a bit of Tessa's hair back behind her ear and she nodded and smiled, her gaze softening.

"I am, if you don't mind getting her to sleep while I tend to Danny. He's been a little colicky and I want to stay up with him just a little longer to make sure it's nothing."

Daryl shook his head as he continued to bounce his daughter in his arms – his little Huntress Aayla. "Nope – I don't mind it at all!" He spoke cheerfully and Tessa immediately broke out into a loving grin.

"You'll have her to sleep before I can even get under the covers, I swear to God!" She teased as she bumped her hip into his. He returned the grin as he bent down and pressed a loving kiss to her lips before pressing the same to Danny's forehead. He grinned as he broke away.

"I'll just hang onto her 'till I feel like goin' up to bed. I'm still awake, so give me half an hour to settle down. Hell, I'll even take Danny up too if ya want – let ya get some uninterrupted sleep . . .?" Tessa shook her head and continued to grin as she ran a loving hand down her son's downy black hair.

"No, like I said, he's been a little colicky and I just want to make sure he's okay," Her eyes flashed good-naturedly then as she turned them onto Daryl holding their daughter. "I swear to God, though, Daryl Dixon, that you're gonna end up spoilin' her if ya don't put her down for at least five minutes a damn day!"

Daryl grinned. "That's the plan, babydoll! I plan on spoilin' both of them but especially my little Huntress here."

"That's what Deddies do . . ." Merle confirmed as Tessa and Daryl turned to gaze at where he was standing by the far wall watching the entire scene. Tessa's face immediately fell and Daryl pursed his lips slightly. Her hand fell on his chest and Daryl turned his eyes back down onto her. Her eyes were soft even though her gaze was expressionless and for a minute, he stopped bouncing Aayla.

"Come up as fast as you can, okay? I . . . I don't want her staying up too late, ya know?" She told him and he nodded and watched her go as she turned around and headed up to the guard office, her body softly swaying to some invisible beat that moved in tandem with her gentle shushes in her effort to get their son to sleep.

He knew he said this a lot, but he had never seen her so beautiful than at that moment, beautiful curves swaying as their tired son wearily fisted a small, pudgy hand in her ebony colored locks. He heard Merle whistle behind him but shook his head as he shot Carol a smile before following after her.

"Shut the fuck up, Merle."


"Hey, didn't expect you to be up this early."

"Yeah, I know, but Aayla was startin' to fall asleep, so I figured I mine-as-well bring her on up." Daryl spoke as he closed the door behind him with his foot, a now sleeping Aayla being cradled against his shoulder, and Tessa smile as he bent down and placed her in the cradle alongside her soundly sleeping brother. "We really got to get 'em a crib or somethin'." He sighed with a shake of his head as he gazed down at them for a minute, and she nodded in agreement.

"We do. We'll make a run when all this is settled." She told him and he shot her a look, one that she could decipher and after a minute, she firmly placed her hand on his shoulder, causing him to turn and look at her. "Daryl, if you want, I'll only do runs with you," She told him, her voice small but steady. "I know this . . . I don't want this to happen again, you know? And, with how much shit this has stirred up, I can't help but feel like -!"

And all of a sudden, she was interrupted by his hands in her hair and his lips were crashing down onto hers. His tongue was in her mouth and her hands were at his neck and her body was responding to his with a deep-seated thrum. She wanted to sing out in joy when she felt the fireworks immediately explode between them – the warmth from his body flooding into hers, causing her body to flush with the heat. They were both futile to the desires of their bodies and Tessa couldn't help but moan wantonly into his mouth as his hands framed her face and his tongue plundered her mouth, their breathing coming out harsh and wanton through their noses. Her kiss with Rick had been nothing like this and thank God it hadn't! She only wanted to have this kind of reaction with Daryl.

His hands were wounding along her sides to cross over her back, pulling her deeper into his kiss and making that fear go away. Daryl's embrace was protective – it was warm – and God help her for not being able to remain angry at him, but she wanted it . . . she wanted him!

The sounds of clinking metal from Daryl's belt and the swishing of clothes as they undressed each other filled the air and then, his lips were on her neck and her throat, suckling at the pulsepoint on her throat and everywhere he could reach and when he framed her face with his hands and pressed his lips to hers again, it was as soft and loving as ever.

"I love ya . . . oh God above, do I love ya, Tess!" He murmured and she bit down on her bottom lip before kissing him again.

"I know you do Daryl, so stop talking about it and show me!" She breathed, and he grinned as his arm hooked around her waist and he brought her gently down onto the bed. Grinning, they kissed again, Tessa's hands cradling his face as he pulled her underneath him, his hands on her thighs, on her waist and hips – running over the smooth skin his fingers had been itching to touch every moment of his life for the past two months.

She gasped out in slight pain at the soreness when he first entered her, every inch of his soul screaming out at the same time. The soreness gradually went away to be replaced with soft moans and sighs and the other's name that built steadily on their lips until they were forced to run over, filled the air around them as they made love - sweet, beautiful love.

Her hands trailed through his hair, clenching and yanking, causing him to growl slightly against her shoulder, her neck, her cheek. Hands grasped her thighs, her hips, her breasts and in-between them, where their bodies were joined together so intimately; they teased her and made her end come faster . . . it was rushing towards her now – blinding her -

And when his hips suddenly stilled in-between hers, his eyes squeezing shut and his teeth gritting together as his pleasure overtook him in a strangled groan, so did hers in a breathless moan. His name left her lips like a foreign word, creating a taste on her tongue that was different but one she did not find wholly unappetizing. The feeling of intensity that ran through both of their bodies caused the world to spin around them - the colors to brighten like an acid trip and the furniture to disappear along with Daryl for a moment.

And when she opened her eyes, she saw the stars in his eyes . . . the beautiful stars . . .

And then she realized . . . they were just mere reflections of her own.