FINALLY we come to the chapter that explains the title of this fic, I really hope you'll love this one as much as I do.

Also, thanks again for the messages of support, every one means so much and inspires me to keep writing xx

Enjoy...

Chapter 35 - Property of Daryl Dixon

"Goddammit!" wheezed Tahlia as Daryl landed on top of her in the dirt. "Why do you have to tackle me?!"

"Can't be assed dealin' with ya dancin' 'round me today. Too hot out. Easier just to take ya down and be done with it." grinned Daryl, his face only inches away from hers. "Dominated."

As he rolled off her, Tahlia landed a punch on his shoulder before nimbly jumping to her feet.

"Hey! We're kinda like Simba and Nala in The Lion King." she said jovially, gesturing between them. "You know, when they're grown up and they're playfighting and getting all flirty in the jungle?"

Still lying on the ground, Daryl's breath caught in his chest. Did that mean that she was...?

"You're Nala, obviously." Tahlia's voice cut in over his musing.

"Wait, what?!" Daryl's head snapped up at that. "Nala?! The girl one?"

As Tahlia started to walk away, she shot him a feigned innocent look over her shoulder. "Yeah, of course! You know, because she's the better hunter."

"No way!" cried Daryl indignantly as he launched himself off the ground, jogging to catch up with her, his earlier thought forgotten. "I'm Simba, the rightful king!"

Tahlia looked him up and down thoughtfully, appraising him. "No, you're definitely Nala. The one who doesn't like the water... or having baths."

With a snort at her teasing, Daryl grabbed her in a headlock, ruffling her hair as she squealed, then eased off, dropping his arm to her shoulders as he grinned at her.

"You ain't cool enough to be one of the lions anyways. You're more like that crazy-ass monkey."

"Wait." Tahlia just realised something. "You've seen The Lion King?!"

"How can it be so hot when it's still only morning!" Tahlia complained, wiping at the sheen of sweat on her chest as they weaved through the trees.

"Know a place just ahead that'll cool ya down."

Daryl led her to a narrow stream where they followed the winding bank as it widened out then dropped down some large rocky steps into a small waterfall a few feet tall, tumbling into a natural, deep, water hole.

"Oh my God, this is beautiful!" exclaimed Tahlia as she pushed through the bush to get to the edge of the bank and peered into the water.

"It's so clear! You swam here before?"

"Yeah, couple times. Found this place end of last summer." Daryl told her as he sat against a tree nearby.

"I wanna get in." Tahlia glanced back at Daryl. "How much weird shit is swimming around in there?"

Daryl shrugged. "Normal amount of weird shit. It's pretty deep though. So... just don't look down."

"Ok. I'm getting in! Will you rescue me if I get attacked by a crocodile?"

"Naw."

"What?" Tahlia turned to face him, propping her hands on her hips.

"Ain't no crocs in there." scoffed Daryl.

"I know that, but I want to know that if there were, then you'd rescue me."

"Like from a saltwater croc? Ya seen the size of them things? Naw. You get set on by one of them, you're on your own."

He shot her a lopsided grin and Tahlia narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll remember that."

She then grabbed the hem of her tank top, and raised her brows. "I'm stripping down to my underwear. And yes, it is lacy. Consider this your official warning."

"God's sake." he hissed and quickly turned away, only deeming it safe to turn back when he heard the splash as she jumped into the water.

"It's sooo good!" called Tahlia as she immersed herself in the chilly water.

"Ain't no crocs, but might wanna watch out for gators!"

Tahlia let out a little squeal. "Oh my God, don't!"

Daryl chuckled as he settled back against the tree trunk, almost ready to close his eyes when he heard her call out again.

"Come on! Get in!"

"Naw, I'm good." Daryl folded his arms, but had to admit, it did look pretty enticing. The whole scene.

"Come on! I can see you sweating even from here!"

"Naw. Ain't gettin' in."

"Alright! Suit yourself, Nala! You just stay up there, all nice and dry, girl!" goaded Tahlia before she floated onto her back and shut her eyes, enjoying the relaxation.

Suddenly, there was an almighty splash right next to her head as Daryl did a massive bomb into the water, and she was dunked under the sloshing waves he'd made.

Tahlia spluttered as she floundered around, righting herself and wiping the water from her face.

"Dick!" She aimed a splash at him, but he was already swimming away laughing.

"S'what ya get for callin' me Nala!"

He'd finally decided that he couldn't resist getting in the water and had stripped down to his boxers, but had sworn to himself that he wouldn't get too close to her and that he would do his best to keep his eyes averted from her skimpily clad body (forest green bra and tiny black panties today – damn clear water), otherwise, with only a thin layer of cotton on his lower half it would probably become very obvious very quickly what he thought of her.

Swimming over to the waterfall on the far side, Daryl ducked out of sight, then Tahlia, watching on, started to wonder where the hell he was. And then something grabbed her ankle and tugged her down, making her squeak in fright.

"Gator!" Daryl joked as he popped up next to her.

"You're an asshole to swim with!" she cried out, launching herself at him and trying to dunk him under the water, but he shoved her away easily, then pushed her straight under.

Gasping as she rose back to the surface, she swore at him, but wasn't to be deterred and tried again, landing her hands on his shoulders and using her weight to try and push him down. Daryl disappeared under the water but grabbed her hands and dragged her down with him, submerging her again.

"Ugh!" Tahlia coughed and spat out some water when she finally came up for air, pushing her hair out of her face, only to see Daryl advancing on her again with a devilish glint in his eye.

"Please no! Not again! You're gonna drown me!" she laughed, trying to catch her breath as she swatted him away.

"Alright, alright, won't be an asshole no more." he chuckled, then turned his back to her. "Grab on. Take ya to the waterfall."

He regretted the offer as soon as it was out of his mouth, and then even more so as he felt her hand slip lightly along his shoulder, and her body bump up against his back, his own body starting an immediate response.

And there's one obvious reason why y'ain't meant to get too damn close.

Thank God he was mostly underwater.

Then he felt her draw back from him a little as her fingers gently traced along his left shoulder blade, then moved further down his back.

Shit. His scars.

He'd forgotten about those.

Of course, she knew he had them, but she hadn't seen them up close, nor had she seen his whole back before. He knew it was a jarring sight and hoped she wouldn't be too disturbed by it. Still treading water, he turned his head to the side to see if he could gauge her reaction and, to his surprise, was met by a firm kiss on the cheek as she moved close behind him again.

"Just in case you didn't know," she murmured against his ear. "...you've got me now and I'm gonna be keeping shit stuff from happening to you ever again too."

At that, a fist of emotion clenched sharply in his belly, winding him and making him suck in a shaky breath. With difficulty, he swallowed the lump in his throat down, grateful that she was behind him and couldn't see the look on his face. Unable to trust his voice, he just reached up and gave her hand a hard squeeze, and that said more than enough.

Then she wound her arms loosely around his neck and said brightly, "And nice tattoos, by the way! Can't believe you've never showed me those before. Very cool. Very you."

And Daryl smiled a little as, once again, she made everything feel all right.

As he swam slowly to the waterfall, he could feel the lace of her bra rubbing on his back and her skin smooth and soft sliding against his and it felt so good he didn't want it to end, but at the same time he knew he needed to get her off him as soon as possible. Swimming straight through the small wall of water, he gently tugged her arms from around his neck and deposited her on a rock that was a foot below the surface. The water was cascading over a protruding rock shelf, which had created a tiny cave behind the waterfall, and he saw Tahlia's eyes light up immediately.

"This is so beautiful." she murmured as she gazed around.

She was right. It was. The tumbling water, the striated rock, the soft light, the company.

Another bad fucking idea on his part.

Of late he seemed to be unintentionally yet continually finding ways to muddy the waters between them, blur those lines, yet he couldn't stop.

Couldn't draw back from her to save himself.

Tahlia studied him for a long moment, his gaze soft and intense and perhaps, underneath that, a little pained.

God he was a beautiful man.

A sudden rush of affection and all of affection's closely related emotional cousins stormed her and she drew in a slow, steadying breath.

He was less than an arm's length away from her.

It would be so easy to close that gap and wrap her arms around him and press her lips against his and offer herself to him.

It would be so easy to spill her heart and her want and her hope.

It would be so easy to bring everything they had crashing down around them.

She'd been on the receiving end of self-indulgent moves like that enough times to know how disconcerting and disheartening it could feel. To be happy in the purely platonic feelings of a good friendship only to be blindsided by unwanted advances. And things were never quite the same afterwards. A seed of mistrust was planted that would inevitably grow into a tangle of vines slowly obscuring the closeness, slowly forcing distance.

And she wouldn't do that to him. To them.

He had told her he didn't want that, so despite her own selfish desires, she needed to respect that. She would respect that.

So, she did what she was good at, and changed to a lighter gear.

"All that tinkling water kind of makes me need to pee."

Daryl had been a little lost in his thoughts, and her random comment dragged him out. He chuckled and shook his head, then with a wistful sigh leaned forward and held his hand out to let the water pummel his palm.

Eventually he gave a little nudge of his head, indicating that they should go, and she reluctantly nodded, following him out under the waterfall and back across to the bank. He was a stronger swimmer, so was already up on the bank and crouching by their pile of clothes as she pulled herself out of the water.

Tahlia flinched as Daryl's balled-up shirt came flying straight at her face.

"Use that to dry off." He didn't want her standing there in her underwear any longer than was absolutely necessary.

"Thanks." she said, wiping her face with the material. As she started to dab at her chest, she looked up to see Daryl standing side on to her a couple of yards away buttoning up his pants.

Tahlia's mouth dropped open. "Damn!"

"What?" he looked up at her, startled.

Daryl hadn't bothered to dry off at all, so his skin was glistening from the water, his chest and abs impossibly defined, the muscles across his back rippling as he moved, a smattering of dark hair across his pecs and down beneath his belly button, an enticing trail into his pants that were slung low on his hips, and Tahlia gave a hard swallow. She should have guessed he'd look like that, given how muscular his arms were and how solid she knew his body to be. But nothing could have prepared her for seeing him in the flesh like this and now she was all deliciously tingly. She might have resolved not to act on her feelings, but she would certainly enjoy the view.

"Tahls?" he questioned, pushing his wet hair back from his forehead. "What?"

"Oh... uh... nothing." she breathed dreamily, then glanced down at his shirt that she was still holding and clutched it tightly against her. "But just so you know, this shirt is way too wet for you to put back on."

Daryl shrugged. "S'alright. I'll just wear this." he replied as he swung his leather vest over his shoulders. "Get dressed."

Busying himself lacing his boots and gathering their things, being sure to keep his back to her so he wasn't tempted to sneak a peek, he then walked off a little way to take a piss behind a tree. When he wandered back, he saw her standing there tying her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head – clothed, thank God, but feet still bare – watching him return.

"Ya still ain't ready to go yet? What's takin ya so damn long? Put your shoes on." Daryl kicked Tahlia's boots over to her, but she still hadn't taken her eyes from him.

"Hell's up with ya?"

Barely attempting to suppress her grin, she said, "I just keep getting distracted." Then she waved a finger around at him. "You know that's just as bad as me walking around in my underwear, right?"

"Huh?" It took a second for Daryl to work out what she was talking about, then he glanced down at his bare chest, and immediately back up to her and rolled his eyes. "God's sake. Hand me my shirt, then."

"Nope!" Tahlia hastily jammed his top into her pack, her grin spreading. "No way. It's soaked. I'd hate for you to... catch a cold or something."

Blushing a little, Daryl bit back a smile as he picked up a pine cone and lobbed it at her.

"Fuck outta here, ya perve!" But her blatant admiration injected an immediate swagger in his step. "C'mon, jackass, let's go."

They trekked back to the bike which they had hidden near the main road, and as Tahlia made her way through the thinning trees to the roadside, she gestured to the grass there.

"Just gonna collect up some more of this red clover. It says in my book that you can drink it as a tea to help with respiratory problems."

"That so?" Daryl replied, watching her kneel down just ahead of him and begin to pull up some plants.

Her hair, dry already, was still tied up on top of her head and dark tendrils were curling down her slender, exposed neck. He wanted to touch it. Touch her. And then he had an idea, one that would allow him to do just that. While remaining mostly within the bounds of their friendship, of course.

Tahlia was aware of Daryl crouching down behind her, rasping a soft instruction. "Keep still."

His fingers moved gently across the back of her neck a couple of times, impossibly light, impossibly intense. At his touch, goosebumps appeared unbidden on Tahlia's skin and her eyes fluttered closed for a second, all her willpower required to stop her from leaning back into him, tilting her face towards his...

The pop of his pen lid grounded her, and in the next moment she could feel one of his hands gently tugging the neckline of her tank down as the cold tip of the marker moved across the nape of her neck, then lower across her spine, between the top of her shoulders.

Then he was done, but he couldn't resist running his fingers down the curve of her neck one more time before he stood up.

"What did you draw?"

"Nothin'." he said slyly, putting the lid back on his pen and pocketing it. "Want some help here?"

"Daryl! What is it?!" she asked, running her fingers over the back of her neck.

But he just smirked at her, then deflected once again. "You're gonna want some of this over here too. Broadleaf plantain. Real good for bug bites."

And with her attention now elsewhere, Tahlia forgot all about Daryl's latest piece of art on her skin.

Later that evening, Michonne and Tahlia were slouched next to one another on a sofa in the courtyard sharing a bag of mini Oreos that Michonne had scavenged on a run.

"These taste weird." Tahlia commented as she popped a cookie in her mouth. "Do you think that the cream stuff in the middle ever goes bad?"

"I think there's enough processed crap in these to keep them good forever." replied Michonne. "We just need to eat more then they'll taste normal again."

"I'm on board with that." Then Tahlia elbowed Michonne. "Saw you down by the horses this afternoon with Judy-cakes. Looked like you guys were having a great time."

"Yeah." smiled Michonne. "After me and you spent that time with her, I just felt so... I don't know. It's hard to explain, but kind of... freer, maybe? Like a little part of me opened back up, and it felt good. So, I decided to hang out with her a little more. And it helps that she is so damn cute."

"That she is." agreed Tahlia. "Good stuff, Michy. I'm real proud of you, I know it hasn't been easy for you."

"Thank you." Michonne bumped against Tahlia's shoulder. "Oh, hey, I've been thinking about your stupid love theory. About how you think you're programmed to run for the hills to save yourself from falling in love."

"Ye-ess?" Tahlia raised her brows.

"It's flawed."

"Oh God. Am I about to be dissected?"

"Yes. So listen up." Michonne sat up a little straighter and turned to face Tahlia. "Think about the guys you've dated - how many times were you friends with them first before it developed into something more?"

Tahlia shrugged. "Lots."

"And how many of those times has it been you that's made the first move?"

"I don't know!" Tahlia thought about that for a moment, then shot Michonne a sideways glance. "I plead the fifth."

"Answer!" Michonne punched Tahlia's thigh.

Tahlia frowned. "Fine. None."

Michonne started to look excited. "And how many of those guys were you actually having deeper feelings about before they made a move on you? Be honest!"

Chewing on her bottom lip, Tahlia just gazed at Michonne, then shook her head. "Yeah, but feelings always developed after we hooked up!"

"Mmm-hmm." Michonne raised a brow. She wasn't done yet. "And how many guys have you ever dated that you were real into before dating them?"

Puffing her cheeks out as she exhaled, Tahlia tipped her head to the sky as she racked her brain, then raised a finger triumphantly. "There was Evan! He was a friend of a friend. Used to see him around at parties sometimes. I was crushing on him for ages before we even had a proper conversation."

"And then you dated him?"

"Yeah."

"And then…?"

Tahlia looked sheepish. "And then as I got to know him I realised he was a douchebag so that was the end of that."

Michonne gave Tahlia a self-satisfied grin. "See?! You've never been with anyone who you're really into! You fall into these relationships by accident, guys get all deep and lovey with you and then you start to freak out because you know you're not really into them, and that's when you run!"

"That is not true!" stated Tahlia even as it dawned on her that Michonne had made a very valid point. Surely she hadn't been looking at her love life from the wrong angle all of this time?

"So true. You've spent all these years thinking that you can't let yourself fall in love, but you're actually just afraid of getting stuck in a relationship that you don't want to be in with someone who feels way more for you than you do for them!"

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm too scared to fall in love with someone in case they abandon me!" Tahlia countered airily, folding her arms.

"Tahly." Michonne gave her a stern look. "Two things. One: You gotta let that go. All that stuff with your family was so complicated and so much bigger than you. You can't choose your family and that's why most of them are dysfunctional and a terrible benchmark to measure anything against. Romantic love is totally different. And two: Yeah, your heart might get broken. It'll hurt, but then it'll heal. Look at me. I thought I'd never recover from losing Andre, but time is a healer, and opening myself up to the one person I thought would make it feel worse is actually helping to heal me. So, you gotta stop trying to hide behind these excuses. Don't be such a wuss. Put yourself out there."

Tahlia frowned a little at the scolding, mostly because she knew Michonne was totally right. She let out a sharp huff. "Don't give me that look. The smug one. The one where you think you're so damn smart."

Michonne grinned at that. "I'll take that as admittance that you know you're being an idiot! So... now that we've decided you'll open yourself up to love, and we've debunked your original stupid theory, let's talk about Daryl."

"Oh my God, is that what this is about?! Daryl?!"

"Of course it is! You think I just spend my time mulling over your love life for no reason at all? God, it's not that boring here."

"Shut up!" giggled Tahlia, elbowing her.

"So, Daryl is perfect for you because you've already confessed your gross feelings for him, and you know he's not a douchebag!" Michonne thought for a moment, then made a face. "And I've seen the way he looks at you – bleurgh - there's no way that guy's ever gonna get sick of the sight of you." Michonne raised a pointed brow.

Tahlia laughed at that as she ducked her head. "Whatever! Anyway, I've already told you - he's not interested. So just leave it."

Michonne looked at Tahlia like she was crazy. "Not interested?! What planet are you on?! You are so damn oblivious! You wouldn't even notice that someone was into you even if they announced it with a big marching band and circus acts in tow!"

"Not true!"

Michonne gave Tahlia a level stare. "Really. What about Vinny?"

"He wasn't into me!" protested Tahlia.

"He wrote you a weird song!"

"That song could've been about anyone."

"Please! I'll never forget those creepy lyrics! 'Eyes as green as the grass covering my world, the grass I want to lay my head down on forever.' He sat in front of you and stared directly at you as he sang it!"

Tahlia snickered at that. "So awkward."

"And what about the insect guy?"

"Oh... Sherman!"

"Yes!" Michonne started laughing at the memory. "Remember he used to bring you bugs every day?"

"Ugh, don't remind me!" Tahlia held a hand to her forehead. "Although, the pressed butterflies were kind of pretty."

"He left them on your pillow!"

Both the women cracked up at that, then Tahlia wiped at her eyes. "Ok, ok! What's your point? That I seem to attract some very strange people?"

"I actually can't even remember what my point was. I'm just having a good time making fun of you." giggled Michonne. "Oh, wait! I remember! You suck at being able to tell when someone's into you. Everyone else knows before you do. They have to practically throw themselves at you before you even get a clue!"

"Which Daryl is not doing, because he is not into me!"

"He is totally-"

"Michy! Stop!" Tahlia held a hand up. "He's a really good friend, and if you keep going on about it you're gonna make it all weird, and I don't want that! We're fine just the way we are." Then she gave Michonne a big grin and an elbow in the side. "Right! Let's tear your love life to shreds now, shall we?! How about we start with-"

"Nope!" Michonne quickly jumped to her feet. "I'm exhausted! I'm going to bed!"

Laughing, Tahlia stood up and stretched. "We'll just pick up exactly where we left off tomorrow, then!"

"I'm definitely busy all day tomorrow!" declared Michonne, then put a hand on Tahlia's shoulder and turned her around. "What's that on your neck?"

"Oh my God, I forgot about that! Tell me what it is!" Tahlia pulled her t-shirt down over her shoulder to lower the neckline.

Michonne peered at her for a minute before letting out a loud laugh.

"What? What is it?"

"It says, 'PROPERTY OF DARYL DIXON' in big block letters!"

"What?! I'll kill him!" cried Tahlia, outraged.

Slapping a hand on her thigh as she guffawed, Michonne raised her brows. "Oh yeah, he's so not interested in you! That right there my friend, is a perfect, shining example of someone practically throwing themselves at you!"

Tahlia just shook her head in irritation. "'Scuse me, Michy! I've got a bone to pick with that boy."

And then she was off at a jog to Daryl's cell.

Daryl had just stopped at his cell to grab a jacket before heading back out for his shift on tower duty, when a rattle on the bars caused him to turn around just in time to see Tahlia burst in.

"'Property of Daryl Dixon', huh?!" she demanded indignantly, shoving him in the chest.

It took him a second to register what she was talking about, but then he broke out into laughter. "Ya finally figured it out."

She held her frown as best as she could, despite the smile wobbling underneath.

"You jerk! I forgot about it and have been walking around with this all day! Who knows how many people have seen it?! Michonne only just told me about it now!"

That caused Daryl to laugh even more as he blocked another jab from Tahlia.

"I think that might be my best work so far." he grinned. "Give us another look."

"No!"

But he'd already grabbed her and spun her around, pinning her arms to her side as he secured her in a bear hug.

"Ha! Yep. Suits ya. Should think about gettin' it done permanent."

Tahlia struggled free from him, and she shook her head as they held each other's gaze in amusement for a long moment, then she rubbed at her neck.

"Property of Daryl Dixon." she muttered. "How'd you figure that, huh?"

Daryl drew in a slow breath as he considered her question.

For a long time now, he'd thought of her as belonging to him.

His.

Or maybe he belonged to her.

Whichever way he framed it, he knew he'd be bound to her for the rest of his days. He might have temporarily marked his claim on her skin, but that was a minor thing compared to the permanent mark she'd left on his heart.

Only a ghost of a smile remained on Daryl's lips now, and sincerity burned an intense flame in his eyes as he raised a thumb to briefly graze her cheek.

"Coz I always take real good care of my stuff."

Their relationship was increasingly filled with moments like that. Big, heavily-laden moments of meaning, of more, that hung in between them like a quivering bubble, one tiny touch and it would burst all over them, cover them in the undeniable truth of what they really meant to one another. But bound by misunderstanding, misguided promises and fear of change, they didn't dare move.

And so it was again that evening as they held each other's gaze for too long but resisted the urge to step any closer.

"I gotta go do watch." Daryl broke the moment first, half wondering what would have happened if he'd chosen to remain silent. Half wishing that he had.

Tahlia nodded, her fingers reflexively touching the back of her neck again, unintentionally letting Daryl know how much his words had touched her.

And with a brush of his hand against her waist, he was gone, and she was left standing there staring after him.

Squeezing her eyes shut tight for a brief moment, she reached out to grab the bunk and steady herself, her head spinning, the air still heavy with him.

This thing that they had clearly and definitively labelled as a friendship was progressively feeling like it ran so much deeper than that.

Did he not feel that too? It was getting harder and harder to believe that he didn't.

Irrespective of how Daryl felt, Tahlia now knew one thing for certain.

She was falling for him. Or had fallen.

Whether she was mid-tumble or already splattered messily on the unforgiving ground, she didn't know, but what she did know was that she was too far gone to ever go back.