A/N- This is getting good. Honestly I have doubted myself a few times with this story, but you guys build me up. Thank you all for the support and good reviews you have given me. I am planning on going back and fixing typos I have apparently missed lol. So alls good. You guys ready to jump into this? Oh yeah, M RATING! Cause I freaking can! HAHA :p And it's not like you crazy ladies don't like it. Bunch of freaks! :p
The air still reeked of rotten flesh and gun smoke. The tears were drying slowly, for a few of us. Abby and I accept Joshua's fate, accepted that heaven needed him more than we did. We both slowly rises to out feet, wiping our eyes. We wanted to bury Joshua and Sophia, they deserved it after having their lives so violently ripped from them. Daryl pulls Carol to her feet, he tells her not to look. I feel for her, we had given her hope and all this fucking time Sophia had been in the damn barn. I watch Carol shove Daryl away and run back towards camp. Daryl just watches, he looks at me and then down at the Joshua's body. I could see he was wondering, I look at him through my hazy eyes as Abby hugs me.
"He was our friend, we sent him on his way before we got to the CDC." I say softly.
Daryl nods and brushes a few hairs from my face. I know he wasn't sure how to process things, it was ok though. He asked if I was going to be ok, I tell him I always am. He, Abby and I all three walk away, slowly, ignoring the sobs of others around us. Daryl went to the RV to check on Carol, Abby and I went to retrieve a sheet from her and Shane's tent. Neither of us speak, but we knew what the other was thinking. Abby looks at me and we nod, we had to bite down and muddle through, what else could we do? I admit I felt drained, emotionally, mentally drained and I wanted to just fall into the darkness for a few hours. Let my body just give out for a while and let sleep talk hold of me, at least in my dreams life was still normal.
When we got back there was a bit of commotion, Shane was ranting and Rick was trying to defuse the situation. Abby grabs Shane's wrist, but he jerks away, he was still to fired up.
"Can you control him?" Maggie yells towards Abby.
"Control?" I ask. "He's saying what we're all thinking, just some of us don't have the balls to say it. You're father put us all in fuckin' danger and we're suppose to sweep it under the rug Maggie? Come on. Open your eyes and look around, even you have to admit keeping a barn full of walkers was fuckin' insane." I yell.
"SOPHIA AND JOSHUA WERE BOTH IN THAT FUCKIN' BARN. AND YOU MEAN TO TELL ME NONE OF YOU KNEW? THAT'S BULLSHIT!" Abby screams.
I throw a disgusted look towards Hershel and just ignore Rick's pleas. Abby and I walk towards the barn as Hershel and his family head into the house, Shane, Rick and Glenn hot in their heels. Abby and I just shake our heads, emotions were running high and right now we just needed to get our loved ones buried and figure out what our next move was. Abby and I kneel down and cover Joshua with a sheet, Abby takes the cross from around her neck and place's it around Joshua's neck before we cover his face. There was more rain moving in, the air was getting cooler, we had to move soon.
T-Dogg asks if we should start burying, Andrea suggests a service and we all agree. Bury the ones we love, burn the rest. T-Dogg walks over and offers to help Abby and I move Joshua. We pick him up and place him next to Sophia, I smile through the sniffles. I knew he was able to finally meet Aurora beyond the pearly gates of heaven. Joshua always said he would of spoiled her, referred to her as his little princess. Now my princess would have a charming prince to watch over her in heaven, her and Leigh both. Sophia wouldn't be alone, I know Joshua would take care of her as well.
We work for a few hours, digging graves and saying prayers. Shane brings a truck around and we help load the ones we wanted to bury. I knew I was going to need a bath later, I reeked of stale blood and rotting flesh. Abby and I stand at the graves, the guys slowly lower the bodies into the graves. We gather around, I put my arm around Abby as we stand next to Daryl and Shane. I look towards Daryl, he was stone faced, but I expected that. I drop my hand to my side and lace my fingers with his. I guess he figured I needed it because he didn't move, he just looked at me. I nod and exhale softly. Shane walks over to comfort Abby as I let her go. I hear her say she was going to lay down, she wasn't feeling too great. I nod, I was feeling the effects.
"Sorry bout yer friend." Daryl says.
"Thanks, I guess he didn't make it as far as I thought he did." I say softly.
"Where was he heading?" Daryl asks.
"Tennessee, his girlfriend was there." I say.
Daryl nods and squeezes my hand. He lets go and before I knew it he was walking off towards the woods. I knew he needed time, hell I needed time too. I sigh and walk away, towards my tent. I ignore Toby coming out asking what all the commotion was, like he fucking cared. I rummage around in the tent until I find a washcloth in my duffel bag, I head towards the water supply. I spend minutes in silence washing the blood from my neck and shoulders. I was sad and angry. Sad that we had lost Joshua and Sophia, but pissed no one else had done much to help look for Sophia. Yeah, we had closure, but our foundation was now weakened. There was another storm brewing, I could feel it. I look up towards the sky and snort sarcastically before tossing the rag in a bucket next to the water spout.
I decided to go and find Daryl, I really didn't want to be around anyone else. I thought about comforting Carol, but after Daryl had told me what happened I was kind of angry. How dare she not come say goodbye to her little girl. At least she had time with Sophia, at least she had years with Sophia, memories of Sophia. She had more than I ever got with Aurora and now she wanted to just pretend that wasn't Sophia? I stayed away because I knew if I didn't, I would say something I would later regret.
I head out into the field to find Daryl. I know he probably wanted to be alone, but I knew he needed to talk. It was going to be a battle to get him to talk, but it was a battle I was willing to wage. As I walk into the field I see Lori approaching, she looked a bit annoyed and ticked off. When she sees me, she starts making a bee line towards me.
"What's wrong Lori?" I ask.
"Rick went into town to find Hershel, but Beth is in some sort of shock, I needed someone to go bring them back. I asked Daryl, but I can't believe he is being so selfish." She says.
"Daryl? Selfish? Are you kiddin me Lori?" I say, not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice.
"I just mean, he could lend a hand." She says.
"Are you a fuckin' moron? Daryl almost died looking for Sophia. He went out every day while everyone else gave a half hearted effort. You wanna talk selfish, where were you Lori? Where were you when he fell down the hill? Where were you when I almost got eaten by a fuckin' walker on the side of the damn highway? Huh? You wanna talk selfish, look in the fuckin' mirror because you're one of the most selfish people around here." I snap and cut Lori off as she tries to speak. "You ever think maybe, just MAYBE, he's grieving too? Just cause you guys think he's worthless and an asshole like Merle doesn't mean he can't have feelings. How dare you call him selfish when you don't know anything about him and don't seem to care about how HE may be feeling." I snap and point towards Daryl's direction. "He is a good UNSELFISH man. If he were as SELFISH as you think he is, he would of ditched all of you a long time ago. If he was SELFISH, he would of gave up on Sophia like most of ya'll did. If he were SELFISH, that squirrel and deer you've been eatin' at night wouldn't exist! How about next time, ya think before ya speak, Lori!"
I didn't give her a chance to respond, I just walk away from her. I bit my tongue cause I could of been much more venomous. Lori just mumbles something and walks away as I make my way towards Daryl. He sat carving what I'm guessing were going to be arrows. I walk towards him and squat down in front of him. At first he ignores my presence, so I just sit and watch him work. He was quite good, I had to admit, but it didn't shock me. No one really gave Daryl the credit he deserved. Minutes pass and we sit in silence, but that was ok with me. I continue to watch him work.
"Didn' no one ever tell ya it's not polite to stare?" He asks, but doesn't look up.
"Yeah, well nowadays manners are out the window." I say.
Daryl grunts at me, he is like a little kid at times. I shake my head and continue to watch him, I could tell he was concentrating, but also that he wanted to ask something, but wasn't sure how. We continue to sit in silence, I move to sit on the ground and pull my knees to my chest. I look up at the sky, dark clouds seemed to be moving in, not that there wasn't already dark clouds over each one of us.
"Ya know, you didn' have to go off on Lori, I handled it." Daryl says glancing at me.
"Yeah, I could have, but she had no right talking about you like she did. She had no right to discredit your efforts in finding Sophia. If anything, she was the selfish one for not giving you time to grieve like everyone else is." I say.
"Eh, I don' need to grieve. Not like I care about any of em, sides you and Abby." He says.
"Everyone has to grieve Dixon, it's what makes us human." I say.
"I was taught it's a sign of weakness." He says.
"How do you figure? being weak and being human are two totally different things. Just because you're hurting on the inside doesn't mean you're weak, Dixon." I say softly.
"I'll leave that up to every one else." He says.
I look towards him, Daryl hadn't opened up much to me, but I could read him well. I move so I was kneeling between his legs as he sat on the rocks. He looks at me, but I stand my ground. I place my hands on his knees and look up into those blue eyes of his. I saw the anger and frustration, but I also saw something inside him reaching out.
"Don't push me away, please. Trust me." I say softly.
"I do trust ya, jus there ain't nothin' to talk about." He says.
"Your eyes lie Dixon, you mean to tell me you're just angry for nothing?" I ask.
"Could be..." He says looking away.
"Come on Dixon, I know better. I know how frustrating it is, you put everything into finding her and it isn't fair how her life ended and it sure as hell isn't fair that Lori said you were selfish. You can talk to me." I say.
"Why, so then you can smarten up and leave jus like everyone else. So you can see I'm not as great as ya wanna make me out to be and realize I ain't worth the effort?" He says.
"Smarten up? Damn it Dixon, you may not see it, but you're a good man. Stop beating yourself up. I see you as a good person because under your extremely rough, jagged exterior, is a good heart. It's everyone else's loss if they don't want to see it." I say softly.
Daryl goes to look away, but I turn his head back. He jerks away again and this time I move to follow his eyes. I wasn't going to let him beat himself up and retreat into himself. He was a tough nut to crack, but I knew I could do it.
"Damn it Dixon, talk to me. You're not gonna shut me out just cause you THINK you can." I say.
Daryl stands up and walks around me, I stand up as well and follow him. He wasn't getting away that easy, I could be just a stubborn as he could be. I stomp after him determined to get him to talk.
"What? Are you scared?" I say, knowing I was going to provoke him.
"I ain't scared of shit!" Daryl snaps.
"Then talk to me. You can pretend you're not hurt over Sophia, or you can get it out and grieve with everyone else. I lost two people I care about today, I need you Dixon and I know you need me damn it! Please!" I say
"What do ya want me to say, Muph? I failed? I put everything into findin' that girl and she was in the fuckin' barn all the damn time. Shouldn' have gotten my damn hopes up, jus turned out like a lot of other things." He grumbles as we walk.
"Only this time you're not getting the shit beat out of ya for it?" I ask.
Daryl stopped, he looked over his shoulder at me for a moment. I could tell I struck a nerve, but I wanted him to talk to me instead of just brushing things off. He turns to walk away again and of course I continue to follow.
"All you have to do is stop running away and let me take care of you for once." I say softly.
"You think I ain't heard that before?" Daryl says.
Again, I guess I was letting my "inner Dixon" show because I lunge for Daryl and knock him down, he goes to struggle, but I sit on his stomach and pin his arm down to the ground. I stare into his blue eyes, he was pissed, but I didn't care. I was going to get what I wanted whether he liked it or not.
"You wanted to talk about me Dixon, the scars on your body tell a story. You retreat into yourself and don't ever let any emotion, but anger, show, because that was the emotion that was shown to you the most. You think that if you let too much show it's a sign of weakness, that if you even let one tear fall someone will beat you down, call you a pussy and tell you to man up. Stop running Daryl, you don't have to be brave all the time. Just like you told me, I'll be there to catch you if you fall. I won't turn my back on you or give up on you like others have in the past." I say.
"Get offa me ya crazy bitch!" Daryl snaps.
"NO! Not till you fuckin' talk to me! I'm not lettin' you up because I fuckin' care." I yell.
"You got three seconds." He warns.
"1...2...3! BOOM!" I yell.
Of course I was pushing and Daryl pushed back, flipping us over, I wasn't shocked, I really didn't think I was stronger than him. He was now pinning me down and staring at me, anger filling his blue eyes to the point they were watering.
"I said drop it woman! So drop it!" He snaps.
"NO!" I yell.
Daryl just growls and lets me go, getting to his feet. Of course he didn't get far because I spin my body and use my legs to sweep his from under him, causing him to hit the ground with a thud. I scurry over and roll him over. I sit on his back and wrap my arms around his shoulders. He growls and yells at me, but I tighten my hold. He manages to get to his knees and then his feet with me dangling from his neck. He pries my arms from around his neck and lets me drop to the ground. I get up and charge him as he walks away, leaping onto his back knocking him down again.
"STAY THE FUCK DOWN DIXON!" I yell.
"FUCK OFF!" He yells
Daryl lays on the ground for a minute as I roll off his back onto the ground. By now Daryl was covered in dirt, I was as well and had leaves and twigs in my hair. We were both breathing heavy, but I wasn't going to give up. I look at Daryl and watch him just lay there, catching his breath.
"I can do this all damn day, Dixon. You're not the only one who can be a stubborn ass." I say.
"Whatever, O'Connor." He says.
"What are you afraid of if you stop running? If you let yourself feel more than anger when clearly you're hurting inside?" I ask.
"I dunno. Just never been good bout talkin' bout it is all." He mumbles.
"I'm not askin' for a care bear moment. I just want you to stop running from me, let me take care of you Dixon. Let me show you that you aren't the failure people told ya you were." I say.
"Why? I don' need pity." He mumbles.
"I'm not pitying you Daryl, it's ok to be sad, to be scared and to need a shoulder to lean on. Let me return the favor. Please?" I ask softly.
Daryl grumbles and gets to his feet. He reaches down and grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet as well. He looks at me, and I return his intimidating gaze.
"I'm not going anywhere Dixon!" I yell.
"Good, you stay I'll go till you find yer mind you apparently lost!" He says walking towards the lake that was near by.
I run up behind him and shove him, growling as I was determined to get this man to talk to me. Daryl turns and grabs me, hoisting me up on his shoulder before continuing towards the lake.
"WHY ARE YOU SO STUBBORN?" I yell.
"Cause I can be!" He snaps.
I knew I was yelling at him about being abused, then kind of abusing him, but honestly I just him to talk to me and I knew if I pushed him enough it would come out. I try and squirm away, but Daryl had strong arms and kept me firmly planted over his shoulder. I growl and slap his uninjured side.
"Put me down Dixon!" I yell.
"Not till you calm down. I sit you down, you get all crazy again." He says.
I kick my feet and flail my arms. I growl and try to push off of Daryl, but it was no use.
"Now, ya gonna calm down or am I gonna have to help ya cool off?" He asks
"FUCK YOU!" I yell.
Of course that was the wrong choice of words, Daryl heaves me over his shoulder and into the lake. I can't say I was shocked, Daryl was a man of action. I surface and brush the hair from my face. I growl and look towards Daryl who was standing on the bank of the lake glaring at me.
"REALLY DIXON? YOU'D RATHER THROW ME IN THE FUCKIN' LAKE THEN TALK TO ME?" I yell.
"When yer being a crazy bitch, yeah." He says calmly.
"GO TO HELL!" I say splashing water at Daryl.
He just turns and walks away, leaving me floating in the lake. I yell out and splash a bit.
"FINE! WALK AWAY DIXON! WALK AWAY BECAUSE YOU'RE AFRAID!" I scream.
"FUCK YOU, MURPH!" He yells over his shoulder.
"ALREADY FUCKIN' DID! TWICE! AND IF YOU SAY IT WAS A MISTAKE I'LL PUT A BULLET IN YOUR HILLBILLY ASS!" I scream.
Daryl just keeps walking, why did he have to be so fucking stubborn? I float there in the lake for a moment, watching Daryl retreat back to where I found him. Slowly climb out of the lake and storm off back towards camp. I mumbled the whole way back, I was hurting, angry and I just wanted to scream. Of course as I approach camp Toby was sitting at the picnic table. Everyone else was gone, busying themselves with burning the walkers. Toby looks up at me and snorts as he lays the cards he had down on the table.
"The fuck happened to you?" he asked.
"None of your fuckin' business." I snap.
I stop as I realize Daryl's tent was gone, I turn and look into the distance to see it pitched by the rocks. Fuckin' great, I thought to myself. I grumble and plop my self down in a near by chair. Toby continues to stare at me, of course I was wearing a white tank top and it was now hugging my chest like a second skin.
"The fuck you lookin' at?" I snap.
"A mouthy bitch who needs to be put back in line." He says back.
"And what, you gonna be the one to do it?" I snap.
"If you keep runnin' your mouth. That's the problem with your redneck, he don't know how to keep his bitch in line." He says standing up.
I was looking for a fight, I was pissed and Toby was going to be the outlet if he didn't back off. I stand up as well and flip Toby off as I did.
"You're gonna be the one gettin' shut up if you don't step off. I'm not in the mood for you and your bullshit. I should of shot your ass the other night!" I yell.
"Damn girl, you've gotten real fiesty. Imma have to teach you just who is the alpha in this arrangement." He says as he stalks towards me.
"You wanna fight, I'll give ya one." I say stepping towards Toby. "I'm not afraid of you, you can't hurt me anymore. I'll stomp your ass and not think twice about it!" I add
"That right buttercup?" He snaps getting in my face.
With out thinking I spit in his face, which gets me a back hand, knocking me back a few steps. I lunge for him, throwing punches at his face. He grabs me and slams me up against the near by tree and wraps his hand around my throat.
"Bitch, I'm gonna teach you a fuckin' lesson you won't ever forget." He growls.
"FUCK YOU!" I yell.
I knee Toby between the legs and he lets me go. I shove him down and kick him. He grabs my leg and pulls me down, making me hit the ground hard. My head bounces off the hard ground and I cry out in pain. Toby gets to his feet and starts kicking me in the stomach. I roll away to avoid the blows and get to my knees. He grabs me by my hair and pulls me up. He takes a a few swings at my face knocking me back down. My lip was busted and bleeding as well as my nose. He leans down to grab me again and I head butt him making him fall backwards. It was my turn to get up and start kicking him. I kick him in the stomach and the chest. He grabs my leg once more and pulls me down. He gets on top of me and starts to choke me. I yell out and try to pry his hands off my throat. I wasn't thinking right now, it was just like old times and I was in survival mode. Finally, I knee him between the legs and he falls off. I tackle him and claw at his face.
Suddenly I feel myself being pulled off Toby. I fight against the arms holding me, spitting a mouth full of blood at Toby, kicking my legs and screaming "get the fuck off me." The arms squeeze me tighter and tell me to "calm the fuck down." I recognized it as Shane's voice as I see T-Dogg pulling Toby to his feet. Abby was by my side as Shane held on to me. Toby fought against T-Dogg, but T-Dogg was strong and held on to him. I continue to spit and yell at Toby who was yelling right back.
"Alright! Alright! Everybody calm down and tell us what happened?" Shane yells still holding on to me.
"THAT LIMP DICK BASTARD WANTED A FIGHT AND I FUCKIN' GAVE HIM ONE!" I yell
"STUPID BITCH, JUST WAIT! YOU'LL GET YOURS!" Toby yells.
"Man, get that fool outta here." Shane tells T-Dogg.
"Gladly." T-Dogg answers.
T-Dogg drags Toby away from the group as Shane finally lets me go, only to spin me around and inspect my face and look me over.
"Ok, Murph, what the hell?" he asks.
"I'm fine! Just leave me alone!" I snap.
"Come on Murph, don't do this. If Toby started it, which I can bet he did, it's ok." Abby says.
"Yeah, whatever!" I mumble. "Just leave me be, Abby!" I snap as Abby tries to follow me.
I storm off, leaving Abby and Shane standing there staring. Normally Abby would of run after me, but right now I think even she was shocked. I grab my gun holster from the picnic table and trudge into the woods. I wanted to be alone, I had so much going on inside of me that I felt like any moment I could explode. Maybe I was soft, I don't know. Was it so wrong to want Daryl to talk to me? I know I was wrong for attacking Toby, but he was the scapegoat for my anger. This whole day was one giant cluster fuck, one giant ticking time bomb and I didn't know when it was going to explode or who would be left standing when the timer hit zero.
I was cold, wet, bloody and sore, but I kept walking, deeper into the woods, not caring for much right now. My face and neck were going to bruise, my stomach was going to have a boot print on it. Of course I knew I had to figure out how to hide this from Daryl, he was so angry and volatile, I really didn't know how he was going to react. I slow down, take a seat on a rock, with my back against a tree. I un-holster one of my guns, having it ready if need be. I stare into the forest, let the tears fall and run down my cheeks. Everything felt like it was falling apart around me, my heart and my body were breaking and I felt like I couldn't stop it. I look down at myself, blood dripped from my lip and nose down the front of my tank top, I spit blood on the ground and flinch, my jaw was hurting bad.
I don't know how long I sat there, crying and feeling bad for myself and everyone around me, I just knew it was getting dark now. I pull myself to my feet, stumbling a bit, my legs were asleep from sitting so long. I grumble, my fucking face was still hurting, my clothes were dry, but stained with blood. My face was still covered in dried blood and my stomach hurt. I lift up the bottom of my shirt and sure enough, there was a large bruise on my abdomen. I mumble a few "fucks" before trudging along. I knew I had to head towards Daryl's tent, he had my stuff, at least in his asshole moment he thought of me.
By the time I had made it back near camp night had fallen, I look around before heading in the direction of Daryl. I saw a small fire burning on embers and Daryl's voice echoing through the trees. I couldn't hear or see who he was talking to, but I realized quickly when I heard "If you spent half yer time mindin' yer daughter's business, instead of stickin' yer in everybody else's, she'd still be alive!" I heard Daryl yell, it had to be Carol. I was shocked, I still couldn't believe how cold she had been in not wanting to come and say goodbye to Sophia. I walk slowly as I listen to Daryl.
"Just go, I don' want you here!" I heard Daryl yell.
I shake my head, he was still so angry, so hurt and like an animal backed into a corner, he was ready to lash out, ready to attack and defend himself if need be. I can't blame in him a way, I mean everyone around camp seems to only care if they want something. He is normally cast aside, he doesn't say anything because he's use to it.
"What, are ya gonna make this about my daddy, or some crap like that?" Daryl rants.
I continue to make my approach, Carol seemed to hold her own against Daryl, I know it's not easy. It's not easy to not retreat when you have someone that hurt and angry breathing down your throat. I holster my eagle and wrap my arms around my stomach as I continue to walk.
"Yer afraid. Yer afraid cause yer all alone. You got no husband, no daughter, you don't know what to do with yourself. You ain't my problem. SOPHIA WASN'T MINE!" Daryl screamed. "WHY DIDN' YOU JUST KEEP AN EYE ON HER!" Daryl added with a scream.
Carol just stood there and nodded, they shared a look before Carol turned and walked away. She walks right past me, only offering a glance. I make my way towards Daryl who was now pacing back and fourth.
"That make you feel better?" I ask.
"HER! SHE SHOULD OF JUST WATCHED HER! SOPHIA WASN'T MY PROBLEM, NONE OF THESE PEOPLE ARE MY PROBLEM! FUCK THEM ALL!" Daryl snaps without looking at me.
I just stand there and let him vent, he needed it. He continues to growl and pace for a bit, though after a few minutes his pacing slowed and he glanced at me.
"She shoulda been the one protectin' her daughter." Daryl grumbled.
Finally I walk towards him and put my hand on his arm. He flinches, but stops and stares at me. I see his face grow even more angry as I remember just how I looked.
"The fuck happen to you?" He asks.
"Nothing, don't worry bout it." I say turning my head away.
"The hell I won't. What...happened?" He asked again turning my head to examine my face.
"Had a misunderstandin''" I mumble.
"Uh huh." Daryl growled.
Before I could stop him he stormed past me. I yell for him, but it fell on deaf ears. I knew where he was heading and I knew I had to try and stop him. I grunt as I follow Daryl, I continue to try and stop him, but he ignored me. It all happened so fast, once Daryl reached the others, he went right after Toby. He threw a punch that connected with Toby's swollen jaw. Before Toby could react Daryl was kicking him while everyone stood in shock.
"THE FUCK I TELL YA? YOU DON' PUT YER HANDS ON WHAT'S MINE!" Daryl yelled as he threw another punch towards Toby who laid on the ground. "I TOLD YA WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YA DID!" Daryl added.
Toby tried to fight back, but Daryl just kept nailing him in the face. Finally Shane managed to pull Daryl off, Carol helped Toby up, but Toby pushed away. He went to go after Daryl again, but T-Dogg stepped in. A stern look from T-Dogg and a "drop it, you had it comin'" and Toby backed off. He flips Daryl off and tells him he'll get his.
"TOUCH HER AGAIN, I'LL FUCKIN' END YOU YA PIECE OF SHIT!" Daryl growled.
Everyone looks towards Daryl, who just growls and storms away. I look around, Abby shakes her head and Shane mumbles as he walks off. I sigh and shake my head, Abby gave me a look as if telling me she would calm everyone down. I follow Daryl back to his spot.
"Daryl, stop!" I say
Daryl turns around and stares at me, he looks me over and what he did next shocked me. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me towards him. He looked me over once more before looking me dead in the eyes.
"That was his one warning, he touches ya again and I'll kill him, no questions asked." Daryl growls.
I nod slowly, what else could I do? Though I knew Toby needed to leave, my conscious would be clear. I shiver a bit, but I wasn't cold, it was more from my body finally calming down, my adrenaline was fading. Daryl was still pissed, still so full of anger. I sigh softly as I watch him start to pace again.
"Daryl, please calm down. It's been a bad day for both of us, please, just come to bed." I ask softly.
He looks at me, I could see he was having a hard time. Without thinking, and forgetting my bruised body, I move to hug him. He flinches, tries to pull away, but slowly stops fighting me when I whisper I needed him. I look up at him with my bloodstained face and pleading eyes.
"Please..." I ask once more.
"Let's get you cleaned up." Daryl said as he finally submitted.
Daryl slowly walks towards our tent, which I made note to ask him about later. He stops and grabs a bucket of water he had sitting next to the dying fired. He grabs the red rag out of his back pocket and motions for me to sit down by the rock wall. I was a bit lost as I sat down, but then I see him kneel in front of me and dip the rag into the water before slowly beginning to wipe the dried, crusted blood from my face. I flinch, but he kept going, knowing he had to get the blood off. I could see the anger in his blue eyes, it was still burning bright. I reach out and touch his cheek as I speak softly.
"This wasn't your fault. None of what happened today was your fault. You gave it your all and no one can fault you for anything. Don't shut yourself off, don't push those of us away that want to help you, that want to love you like you deserve to be loved, Dixon." I say.
"Yeah, well ya see how much tryin' to care got me." He grumbles.
Daryl dips the rag into the bucket again before wiping the blood from my lips and cheeks. Under the anger, the rough exterior, was a broken boy, someone cast out and told he was less than dirt. I would never admit it to Daryl, but I saw how broken he really was, how lost he felt. My heart broke for him, broke because I was treated the same way, told how worthless I was. I close my eyes and let Daryl finish cleaning the blood before opening my eyes once more. I was met with his gaze, which had softened a bit. I reach out and place my hands on his cheeks as he drops the rag into the bucket and moves between my legs to rest his forehead my shoulder. I gently stroke his hair, trying my best to soothe way his tension.
"I should of been there...with you." He mumbles into my shoulder.
"It's ok..." I say as I continue to run my fingers through his hair.
"I couldn' save Sophia, I couldn' protect you...maybe people are right." He mumbles barely inaudible.
Daryl goes to pull away, but I pull him right back to me and look him in the eyes.
"Stop, stop beating yourself up, Dixon." I say softly.
He doesn't answer, but slowly rises to his feet. I stand up as well, taking the rag from the bucket, dumping the water over the dying fire and sitting it aside. I look back at Daryl and reach for his hand.
"Daryl, take me to bed, please?" I ask innocently.
He nods and we both make our way towards the tent. We kick off our boots, leaving them laying right outside the tent. Daryl lets me step in first and soon follows, as always he sits his bow by the door and zips down the tent. He is quick to get out of his shirt, tossing it in the corner. He looks towards me as I just stand there, my body feeling the effects of the fight. Daryl moves close to me and brushes my hair away from my face, revealing the bruises on my cheeks. He kisses my forehead and my shoulder, before slipping my gun holster off my shoulders, sitting it by his bow and the door. I sigh softly as I feel him slowly lift my shirt up and over my shoulders, revealing the bruises on my abdomen.
They were already purple, one was in the crescent shape of the toe of Toby's boot. Daryl growls in frustration as he tosses my shirt aside. He runs his hands up my back and slowly un clasps my bra, tossing it aside. There I stood bruised and exposed in front of Daryl. He lifts my chin, looking at my bruised cheeks, slightly swollen nose and busted lip. He takes the time to kiss every mark on my face before pressing his lips against mine. He moves his kisses down my neck and slowly sinks to his knees as he kisses his down my chest and abdomen.
I watch as he inspects my abdomen, running his fingers gently over the bruised skin. He looks up at me and I can't help but run my fingers though his hair. I feel him undo the buttons on my jeans and slide them down my legs. I slowly step out of my jeans, kicking them aside as I do. Daryl gently pulls me down to him, and lays me back on our makeshift bed. He looks down at me before moving down and sliding my panties over my legs. I watch him as he kisses my thighs, my stomach and slowly makes his way down. I bite my lip gently and buck my ups up as I feel Daryl's lips and tongue come in contact with me. I run my fingers through his hair and whimper softly. My toes curl as I run my tongue over my lips.
Today had been hell, things had been shaken up. But at the end of the night all I needed was Daryl, even through the anger and the fighting, I knew he could make things better. I let Daryl's name roll off my lips as I squirm under his touch. My fingers continue to gently grip his hair as he continues his torture. Moments pass and soon Daryl is making his way back up my body. I pull him towards me and kiss him gently, my lip stung, but it was worth it. Daryl deepens our kiss as he runs his hand down my side and grips my hip.
I moan into Daryl's mouth, between kisses, as I feel him thrust up. I groan a bit, but soon get situated with him. The kiss breaks and he looks down at me, those eyes of his searching mine, as if looking for an answer to a question he didn't know how to ask. I wrap an arm around his back and lift my other hand to gently rub his cheek. I move my hips in the same slow rhythm as Daryl, we were one, moving in sync with the other. It was slow, deep, loving and any other word you could use to describe the peace and pleasure that was washing over me.
The anger in Daryl's eyes was fading, he leans down and kisses my neck, teasing and running his tongue over the bruised skin. I close my eyes and enjoy the sensation of having Daryl Dixon make love to me. It was new, normally our time was rough and full of passion, but not this time. It was just as passionate, don't get me wrong, but Daryl was taking his time, not that I minded, he could take all night if he wanted. I run my nails down Daryl's back as I whimper softly in his ear. I tilt my head and bury my face in the crook of Daryl's neck. I nip and lick the skin there as his rhythm speeds up. I run my fingers up the back of Daryl's neck and through his hair as I whisper in his ear. I tell him I love him, in my eyes he was a hero. Daryl turns his head and looks down at me. I could see his eyes questioning me, but I only place my finger to his lips to silence him.
I feel Daryl gently hook his arm around me and roll us over, so now I was on top of my blue eyed hunter. I continue our rhythm, grinding my hips against him as I did. I let my hair fall forward and watch as Daryl stares, his fingers gripping my hips and his tongue running over his lips. I lay my head back and close my eyes as I speed up the rhythm just a bit. That's when I felt Daryl lean up and slowly kiss my abdomen, running his tongue over the bruises and then kissing them softly. I moan Daryl's name as he growls possessively at me. I slowly open my eyes and look down at him. His gaze tilts up to meet mine and I whisper softly.
"Tell me I belong to you. Tell me I'm all yours, I need you Daryl." I whisper sweetly.
Daryl stares up at me for a moment, gently rubbing my hips as he did. I lean down and kiss him sweetly, but get an almost primal growl from him. I tilt my head and his lips find their way slowly up my neck, until his lips meet my ear.
"Yer mine Murphy, nothin's ever gonna change that. You belong to me, not Toby or anyone else, me. Yer all I'll ever want and I'll stomp any asshole who wants to try and say other wise." Daryl growled in my ear.
"Promise?" I growl back at him.
Daryl hisses as I speed up the rhythm, rocking my hips hard against him. He grips my hair and kisses me roughly for a moment before pressing his forehead against mine.
"I promise, Murph. No one's ever gonna hurt you again." He says in a low tone.
God I believed him, I admit it was a turn on. To have Daryl claim me and be willing to hurt anyone who threatened what we had, it only made me want Daryl more. I run a hand through my hair and lick my lips, I felt myself getting close. Daryl rolls us back over as his thrust become hard and deliberate. He lowers his head and gives my chest some much needed attention. I squirm under the gentle bites and long swipes of his tongue. God, Daryl was going to be the death of me. Minutes pass and the moment finally hit us both at the same time. I dig my nails into Daryl's back as he buries his face between my breasts, while we ride out the waves of pleasure. We lay there for a while, connected, basking in the afterglow.
Daryl leans up and kisses me gently before rolling over on his back. I move to lay my head on the pillow next to him as I pull the blankets up over us. He looks at me, there was a lot to make up for today, a lot of hurtful things said and done. I go to speak, but Daryl pressed a finger, gently against my lips.
"Save it for the mornin'." He says softly.
He was right, right now I wanted to bask in the afterglow, enjoy that for this moment, right now, I was safe beside my hunter and nothing in this world could touch me. Daryl rolls over onto his side and I move, laying my head under his chin and burrow down under the blankets as I hear the rain that had threaten us all day, begin to fall. I laugh a bit, it was the perfect ending for the last few moments of this night. I glance up at Daryl, he kisses my forehead and whispers for me to sleep. I yawn and decide it wasn't worth protesting. For tonight, we were at peace and tomorrow we would face everything, together. So there I laid, wrapped up in the arms of Daryl Dixon. We were both safe in each others arms, the way it should be.
A/N- Thank all you guys for EVERYTHING! I'm hugging you all in my mind! Sorry about the lateness, I got hit with writers block! :(