CHAPTER FORTY

Daryl's POV:

Juliet slammed the driver's side of her mother's SUV, parking next to Daryl's truck. She didn't even knock when she got to the front door, instead she opened it and let herself in. "Daryl," Juliet called walking into the living room. "Daryl!"

Daryl walked down the small hallway with a towel around his waist. "Fuck, Jules, what is it?"

Juliet smiled at the sight of him- his wet hair and water dripping off his broad shoulders onto the brown carpet. "How long were you in there? I've been calling you."

"I know."

"Well…" she said, looking down at her feet. "Why didn't you answer?" She asked, her age really showing.

Daryl could barely keep his eyes open. He had taken a handful of Merle's sleeping meds so he could pass right out. "Because I'm fuckin' tired."

She was taken back by his tone, and Daryl could tell. It wasn't his intention to come across as cruel, but after the day he had, this was the kindest way he could act. "You don't have to be a dick." Juliet paused. "I had a bad day. My dad is being such an ass."

Daryl turned around and walked into his bedroom. He needed to sit down before the sleeping pills knocked him out on his ass. She followed him and when he heard her footsteps trailing behind him, he turned around to face her. "Look, kid. I'm fuckin' tired. We were out until I had to be at the construction site this morning. I fucked up on site and it's gonna' come out of my check. I ain't got time for these kind of fuck ups."

"How much?"

"What?" He asked.

"How much was your fuck up?" Juliet asked. "I' can write a check."

Daryl let out a deep breath and clenched his jaw. "I ain't in the mood today. I'll see yew tomorrow." The thought of his girlfriend, or in this case, his girlfriend's father, paying for his mistake made him want to vomit.

She crossed her arms and tried to act tough the way she did when her feelings were hurt. "It's not like your job is life or death." Juliet paused and waited for a response that didn't come. "I'm tired too, it's just been one hell of a day."

Daryl sat on the end of his bed. "Can't you figure it out by yourself?" He hated sending her away, but he needed to skip all the dramatics that a high school girl could conjure.

She let out a scoff. At eighteen,Juliet wasn't accustomed to being told "no" by anyone, and especially not by Daryl. "Yeah."

"Yew'll see yourself out then?"

"Yep," she said as she turned around and all but ran back to her mother's car.

Daryl didn't even bother throwing on clothes before he scooted back to his pillow and felt his body plop down on the comforter that Juliet had gotten him. She was shocked that some people only used sheets, which Daryl was accustomed to. It was Georgia, after all. It was barely under fifty degrees.

The moment Daryl closed his eyes, he was out. He slept a hard, dreamless sleep. He had taken sleeping medication before, so he knew that drill of waking up slightly groggy. So when his phone ringing woke up seven hours later, it took him a few seconds to register what was making the noise. His eyes adjusted to the dark and the glow of his phone as Juliet's name appeared across the screen.

Daryl sat up and ran his hands over his face and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. With his right hand, he reached to grab his phone. "Hey, kid," he said, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Uh…" A female voice said on the line. "You're number one in Juliet's speed dial. Do you know her?"

Daryl got to his feet, his towel falling to the floor. "Yeah, what's goin' on?"

"We're at the creek off Foshe and… can you just come get her? I know she wouldn't want me calling her parents and I have to make curfew."

Daryl was pulling on a pair of jeans. "Is she alright?"

The voice didn't reply right away. "I think so."

"Can yew put her on the phone?" He asked, sliding his feet into a pair of boots.

"She isn't able to come to the phone. Can you please just come get her?"

"I'll be right there," Daryl said as he grabbed a shirt off his bedroom floor. He put it on as he walked down the front porch steps. As he cranked up his truck, he thought of how distraught Juliet was when he sent her away and he immediately felt guilty. While she seemed to be mature beyond her years, she was still an eighteen year old girl who was deeply damaged.

Daryl made it to the creek within ten minutes and as he walked down the dirt hill, he called Juliet's phone. He could hear her phone ringing, and since no one answered, he followed the sound of her ringtone. Moments later, he came across the cellphone in the dirt and looked a few feet away from it to see Juliet lying in the fetal position.

"Juliet," he said hoarsely as he knelt down beside her. "Are yew alright?"

She looked up at him, but didn't say anything.

"Fuck, kid, talk to me."

"It's so bright," she said slowly.

Daryl looked around. Being the middle of the night, the only thing shining was the moon above them.

"What did you take?" He asked patiently.

"L...S…"

"LSD? Acid?"

She nodded.

"How much?"

Again, Juliet went quiet.

Daryl scooped her in his arms and stood up. He picked up her phone on the way back to his truck with Juliet still in his arms. He could feel her hot skin through her shirt and the dampness of his own clothes from her rising body temperature. When he got her inside his truck, he took out the flashlight that he kept in the glove box and saw how dilated her pupils were. She recoiled from the light and hid her face in her hands.

"Ow!" She yelled at the bright light.

Daryl crawled over her and sat in the driver's seat.

Juliet turned to look at him. "Just make it stop," she said softly, referring to her trip. "I don't feel good."

"I'll see what I can do."

Lucky for them, Merle had an extra tablet or two of Benzo that would help her senses calm down and ease her to sleep.

Daryl watched as Juliet was able to fall asleep after ingesting two tabs. He sat on the floor across from his bed and watched her chest rise and fall. He didn't know what he was going to say to her when she woke up, but he knew that whatever he decided to say, it was something that she was going to remember.

...

Several days had passed since I saw Daryl and I had been paraded in my underwear in front of the Saviors when my cell door flung open.

Jameson stood in the doorway. "Get up," he said as he tossed me a pair of sweatpants and matching sweatshirt.

I pushed myself to my feet, gripping the new articles of clothing.

"We're leaving in five minutes."

"Where?"

He tossed me a cloth bag. "Put this over your head."

I didn't have enough energy left to argue or ask. Chances were, he didn't even know where I was going to be taken. I quickly changed my clothes and put the sack over my head. Jameson bound my hands together and escorted me outside. I could feel the warm sun on the skin of my hands.

This feeling was short lived, as I was thrown into the back of a van. I made a small sound as I pushed myself up and found a seat.

"Jules?"

"Daryl?" I said as I turned to the sound of his voice.

"Yew okay?"

"Yeah. Are you?"

"No talking!" Someone yelled from the front of the van.

I pushed myself toward his voice. I wanted to wrap my arms around him and have him hold me back. I scooched myself towards Daryl and didn't stop until I felt his hands reach for me and help me beside him. His calloused fingers squeezed my wrist.

"Where are we going?" I whispered.

"Not sure," he whispered back.

"I said no talking!" The same voice yelled.

We sat in silence until the van shook with someone's weight as he climbed into the back with us. "We blacked out the widows, so there's no use for these," Negan's unmistakable voice said.

Negan yanked the bag off my head and I immediately turned to my right to see Daryl. I let out a sigh of relief seeing that while he didn't look a-okay, he also didn't look like shit.

"Isn't this cozy?" Negan said as the van started to pull onto a road. "You know, I would be lying if I said I was curious about the two of you, before this."

Daryl shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but refused to take his eyes off of Negan.

Negan's mouth formed a wide grinned that made me scoff in disgust. "I knew he'd want to keep it to himself." Negan shrugged. "But, Jules, you'd like to tell me a little about the two of you."

I was officially intrigued. I knew Negan had to be up to something, but I couldn't figure out what. "And why would I do that?" I asked, my question dripping with displeasure.

"Well, you begged me to let Daryl out of his cage," he said looking between us.

Daryl shot me a quick look, but remained silent.

"Oh, I saw that," Negan said. "I knew your old man wouldn't like the idea of you begging from me."

I bit my inner cheek as I mentally fought with myself to keep my mouth closed. "What do you want to know?" I asked, surprising myself just as much as it must have surprised Daryl.

Negan's smile grew as he rubbed his hands together.

"Want to know all the dirty details?" I asked in a condescending tone. "Make me a cosmo and I'll spill."

Negan laughed to himself and then moved towards me, catching me off guard. I felt Daryl's arms tense next to me. "Just when I think we're going to have a civil conversation."

"Untie us and then check back," I scoffed.

"What is it with pretty girls always demanding more?" He looked at Daryl. "Am I right? Jesus Christ, it's like you just want and want and want." He paused to evaluate my reaction and when I didn't give him one, he looked to Daryl. "Has she always been this way?" He leaned back, getting comfortable. "The way I see it, she rebelled against her mom and dad by dating you- the town redneck, white trash extraordinaire. Why else would she give you the time of day?" He shrugged. "I mean, I wouldn't necessarily take offense to being used by that," he said as he gestured towards me.

I saw Daryl's jaw clench and unclench, knowing that Negan had hit a nerve.

Negan grinned and looked back at me. "Well, well, well." He laughed under his breath.

"You don't know what you're talking about," I sprouted.

"Well fill me in, sweetheart."

When I didn't reply, he leaned towards us. "Don't get me wrong. I get it now; I get the two of you now. But then, I am floored as to why you would be with him. He clearly won the lottery, but what did he do for you then?"

I bit my lower lip, fighting back words that I had yelled at my father when he had asked me something similar all those years ago.

"Or maybe you were just too fucking damaged for anyone else to love?" He said as he looked at me. "Sometimes, us men can't get past all that bullshit, no matter how pretty the face or tight the pussy."

Daryl lunged towards Negan, but before he could touch him, Daryl was grabbed and shoved back into his seat by Nate, a guard that worked the transport shifts. I looked at Daryl with a heaving chest only to see that Daryl was staring down Negan.

Negan roared with laughter. "You have one hell of a rabid dog."

I scoffed at Negan's remark. "Daryl Dixon is more man than you could ever be. I knew it then and I know it now. I owe him my life and not in just the zombie apocalypse kind of way."

Negan leaned back with a smug smile. He had gotten what he wanted. A reaction from Daryl? A confirmation of my undying love for Daryl? "I think I'll leave you two love birds," he said and made his way to the front of the van, next to the driver, leaving Daryl and I alone with three Saviors.

Before either one of us could protest, we were masked by the Saviors, leaving us to look through old and tattered cloth bags until we arrived.

When the van came to a stop, we heard Negan whistle, followed by his banging on a gate.

We were home. We were back at Alexandria.

Rick's voice followed Negan's insistent talking as the gate opened.

"Oh! I almost forgot," Negan's voice rang right outside the van's door. "Come on out, Daryl."

Negan pulled the masks off our heads and I was able to make direct eye contact with Daryl as he stepped outside the van. When I went to follow his lead, Nate stopped me.

"Daryl is coming with me, but you're staying here with Nate. If your boy does anything stupid then Nate will blow your smart little brains out right in front of everyone."

Daryl growled under his breath at Negan, but with both of our hands literally tied, there was nothing either one of us could do. I watched as Negan closed the van door, leaving me inside, alone with Nate. I could hear Negan going on and on, just to hear himself talk.

When I heard Rick say Daryl's name, Negan shut it down.

I sat back and looked at Nate. "Like being Negan's lackie?"

Nate leaned forward and smiled. "I'm just waiting for that order."

I crossed my arms and let out a deep breath. My mind wandered to where Daryl was and how we were going to get out of this.

My mind was only brought back to reality when a gunshot was heard. I jerked my head towards Nate, who had his happy trigger hand on his gun.

"Shouldn't you go take a look?"

"Can't leave you alone."

"Then bring me with you. Negan would be really pissed if you just sat here if he needed you." I smirked. "What? Scared I'll take you, handcuffed and all?"

"They would radio for me."

"Is that the kind of guy you are? I'd think if you'd want to move up on the totem pole, you'd take some initiative. Or do you always want to play babysitter?"

Nate rubbed the side of his nose as he watched my movements. "I'm not babysitting you."

"You're watching to make sure I stay put, don't do anything reckless, and in one piece when Negan returns. I got paid a solid eight dollars an hour when I was thirteen doing the same thing for the Jackon's twins." I leaned back. "I'd say you're a little more useful than a thirteen year old girl."

Barely, I thought to myself. Shrugging, I added, "But why listen to me?"

Nate was getting agitated, if not from me than from the heat that was pounding down on the van. He cracked the door open to let a breeze in.

"Don't get any ideas."

"Hey, you're the idea guy. I'm just a little ole' hostage."

Nate pointed the gun to his head. "I'm too smart for your bullshit. Why do you think Negan left me in charge of you?"

I licked my lips, deciding to take this in a different direction. "Maybe because he wanted to get back at Daryl."

"What do you mean?"

I looked at him coyly. "I guess Kate told Negan that I…"

"You what?"

"Well, that I thought you were cute." I almost hated myself for going this route, but I needed to get out of here and find Daryl. If we were free, maybe we could fight the Saviors.

Nate chuckled and shook his head.

"I know, it's super embarrassing," I said. "So he didn't tell you?"

"Nah, nah he didn't."

Nate was more difficult to read than I thought. I swallowed and positioned my body towards him. "Do you think you could help me take off this sweatshirt? It's so hot in here."

I watched the sweat beads drop off Nate's eyebrows as he looked me up and down.

"Then I'll leave you alone and won't say another word."

"What did Kate say when you told her that you liked me?"

I bit my lower lip. "I don't remember exactly." I scanned his face and saw that that was not the response he wanted. "But, uh, from what I remember, she seemed a little jealous."

This made Nate's straight look turn softer with a small grin. "Yeah, I could tell she had a thing for me."

I smiled meekly at him after I had unknowingly passed some sort of test.

"I think you're pretty," he said in a low voice. "But you belong to Negan."

I scooted closer to him. "I don't have to."

He scoffed. "You saying you want to belong to… me?"

I nodded slowly, silently thinking not in a million years.

He ruffled the back of his dirty blonde hair with his hands. "Listen, I can't take off your sweatshirt and we can't go into Alexandria, but it is hot in here."

I nodded, this time more quickly.

"Alright, we can step outside the van. Just for a few minutes."

"Thank you so much," I squealed as I squeezed his hand.

Nate smiled at me and stepped out of the van first. He held his hands out for me to use to balance myself as I put my feet on the dirt road. I pushed myself into him, having to think quickly, and my shoulder hitting him square in the face. Nate bent over with his hands covering his nose and let out a small yell. I used this time his hands were distracted to grab the gun from his belt.

I stepped back with the gun aimed at him. As I stood in front of him, I had little idea what I was going to do next. I looked through the gates, not able to see anyone clearly. They must have been on the other side of the settlement, close to where we kept the guns.

Suddenly, Nate's radio went off. He moved his hand to reply when I cocked the gun.

"Don't."

His fingers danced over the radio antenna.

"Don't," I repeated. I looked down the gun and realized that there was a makeshift silencer attached to it. "Nate, I will shoot you."

The radio went off again, asking Nate to reply. He went to answer it as I pulled the trigger and waited for the kickback. I closed my eyes for half a second and when I opened them, I realized the gun didn't go off. I pulled the trigger a second, a third, and a fourth time before it registered that the gun wasn't loaded. Negan had given Nate an unloaded gun.

In shock and with my hands tied, Nate wrestled the gun from my hands and hit me across the forehead with it.

I stumbled backyards, falling on my back. I reached my hands to my face and felt the blood that trailed from my temple. I pushed myself over and couldn't help but to vomit. The splitting headache that followed only made me more nauseous.

I looked up to see Nate towering over me. "You stupid bitch," he said as he grabbed my hair and slammed by face into the dirt. The blinding hot light of the headache was replaced by pitch blackness.

I know I'm leaving this at a bit of a cliffhanger, but next chapter will be posted soon!