Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Twilight and the Walking Dead. Those rights are reserved for Stephanie Myer and Robert Kirkman. I do own the original characters created for this storyline. Please support the official release.
Writer's Notes: Welcome to The Dead are Walking! Hope everyone is having a great Saturday! So much action going on. So many things to go over. We lost Bob last chapter. How's that gonna affect Bella? We will see. As always. I appreciate all of you guys! Don't forget to follow, favorite and review!
[Rendezvous Point]
Daryl watched for Bella and the others. He felt uncomfortable with leaving everyone back there like that.
"Daryl, the area was being covered up. Trust that she'll make it back. She has accomplished the impossible before. Remember the prison?"
Daryl blew out a breath, pacing a little. "Rick, she's not okay. She was stuck in a flashback back there. Bob got bit and-"
"And she came back to. She knows what she's doing baby brother." Merle said. He walked over to Daryl and set a hand on his shoulder. "She's got you twisted inside."
Daryl shrugged his brother's hand off his shoulder. "You don't know nothing about it."
"I know that you're tied up inside because of her. You're pacing back and forward and angry that she's stuck back there and you're right here." Merle said. "Bella is a hell of a woman. She's going to make it back. You have to give her time."
Daryl wanted to believe all of those things, but right now, he was just worried. Worried for her because he did fall in love with her and that was eating him up inside. His brother was right and he hated it when he was right.
Bella appeared a short moment later, splattered with walker blood. She was filthy, extremely so, and she looked exhausted.
Tyrese was carrying a boy and Abraham was carrying Jasper. They all looked tired.
Daryl rushed to Bella, reaching to brush her hair out of her face. "You're okay?"
Bella pushed Daryl's hands away and stepped to the side. "Yeah." She said it simply. "Let's get back. We have to get Jasper's hand fixed better." She said and opened the van door. Rosalie was laying unconscious still. Abraham lay Jasper inside carefully, trying not to hit the stump at all.
"Thank you." Jasper rasped to Abraham, before Tyrese got the kid in the van.
Bella looked at Sam, a long pause and silence exchanged between them. They nodded to one another before they climbed into the van.
Daryl felt a little pain in his chest when she brushed him off, but she was tired and overwhelmed. He got in the van with the others and Rick drove the van back to Alexandria.
[Alexandria]
The gate opened and Rick drove in. Deanna was one of the first to greet them along with Reg and Aiden. Denise was there, the psychiatrist that Bella thought was really kind, even if she was a little timid.
Deanna frowned when she saw Bella. "My god, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. We need to get Sergeant Major Hale in the clinic. He's lost blood and a hand, we need to get him properly cared for." Bella said, not stopping to look at Deanna. She only helped open the foor on the van, Merle got the boy out gently, and then Tyrese got Jasper. Abraham grabbed Rosalie and the three carried them into the clinic house.
Rick waved Bella on so he could talk to Deanna and tell her what happened, especially with Bob.
Bella nodded to Carlisle when she came in. "Carlisle. Jasper needs to be cleaned up and his hand needs proper attention. Is Gabe upstairs still?"
Carlisle took in Bella's appearance. She was covered in filth and walker blood. He glanced to Tyrese carrying Jasper and then back at Bella. "Yeah, he's sleeping .He woke up for a bit but the medicine got him sleepy again. I'll handle this. Go clean up." He said and Olivia walked in. "Good. I need you to help get some clean water and towels."
"Of course." Olivia said and disappeared to get water and towels for Carlisle.
Glenn and Maggie arrived at the clinic house, brushing past Daryl on the way. "Hey, how is everyone?"
"We lost Bob." Bella said, breaking the news the only way she knew how. Being straight forward.
Glenn frowned and looked at Maggie before looking back at Bella. He took in her appearance. She was covered in filth and walker blood and guts. Her side was bleeding again. "Bella you need to get cleaned up."
Bella looked at Maggie, her worried expression told all. She nodded. "Yeah. I'll shower. I don't want to leave Jasper or his sister but…"
"I'll watch over them." Maggie said gently.
"There is another little boy. He looks starved. He's alive no wounds from what we can tell. If he wakes up-"
"You are the first person I'll come get." Maggie said with a small smile.
Bella blew out a breath. "Okay. I'll be back." She said and she left the clinic house. Daryl was with her. She hadn't realized but he was silent. They walked back to the house, ignoring the stares of the people that came outside their houses to see what was happening. This was probably the most action the town has seen since it started.
Bella gathered her clothes she was going to change into. She went back downstairs and saw Daryl. He was covered too in filth and walker blood but not like Bella. "I don't have the energy to argue with you. If you're getting in the shower with me. Then come on." She said and brushed past him to the bathroom.
Daryl sighed and followed her. "Bella, I'm worried about you."
"I'm fine."
"Just because you say those words doesn't make it true. I saw you. You we're trapped in a flashback… Bella… you could have been hurt."
Bella pulled her shirt off. Her side wasn't bleeding as bad as she thought initially. "I didn't get hurt. Bob died and that's on me. I feel like shit Dixon. If I hadn't froze, he would be alive right now. But I failed on the mission when we lost him. I fucked up. Is that what you want to hear?" she asked, her voice filled with frustration.
Daryl shook his head and reached for her but she moved away. "You didn't fuck up. Why are you pulling away from me? Did I do something wrong?"
Bella turned her back on Daryl and she turned the shower on before she finished getting undressed. "You didn't do anything." She said and stepped into the shower.
Daryl watched her retreat again into her own space. He sighed and pulled his shirt off and got undressed before stepping in the shower with her. "Talk to me."
Bella looked at the shower wall. Memories of Corporal Embry Call filled her head. "Rose's screams. They triggered me okay. When I was in Kuwait. We were hit with an IED during transport. We were captured and brought to a place. Horrible things happened to us there. Torture. Embry got it worse. He was stripped naked and raped repeatedly until he died during, his body not capable of withstanding that. I found out later that he went in my place because he was protecting me. When I got drug off. I was going to be next. Backup found us and we were rescued. We lost so many good men that day." Bella explained and turned to face Daryl. "So when I say you didn't do anything, I mean it. I am too damaged. I'm fucked up and I accept that. I am hard on myself. When I let people down, I do take it personally."
Daryl reached for her again and she backed away again. "You won't let me touch you?"
"I saw the look in your eyes this morning. It scares me. Daryl, I can't do this. I can't be attached or do whatever it is you want me to do."
Daryl swallowed. "What do you think that is? Do you think I'll hurt you?"
"Its not you hurting me that I'm afraid of Daryl." Bella said quietly and closed her eyes. The hot water felt nice but right now her chest hurts from feelings she didn't realize she had.
"You're not going to hurt me Bella. I've been through some shit and I am a big boy. I can handle things."
Bella shook her head tears coming to the surface now.
Daryl reached for her again and this time she let him touch her. He pulled her against him, letting the water wash over both of them and he just held her while she cried. He could see she was struggling and he never wanted to add to that. He was in love with her and it hurt him to see her ever in any pain. "Shhh, I'm sorry. Bella, I don't want you to be in pain because of me. I'm sorry that I've upset you."
Bella looked up at him seeing the regret in his eyes and his own pain. She realized she didn't want him to hurt and it made her chest hurt. She cared for him deeply. But it was more. It was more than just caring for a friend. She wasn't unempathetic. She formed friendly attachments all the time. But Daryl was different. He mattered to her more than she realized. She didn't want him to hurt because of her. She tipped up, her mouth crushing to his, pushing him to the cool tile wall.
Daryl kissed her back but pulled away. "Bella. We can't do this. You're-"
"Daryl. I know. I know how you feel. I see it in your eyes when you look at me. I don't want to think. I can't… promise tomorrow but I can do this now." Bella said and kissed him again. It was so easy to just have sex. Sex was the easy part for her. Her chest hurt more as she sank into her thoughts and emotions. Emotions that she buried deep. Tears streamed down her face and mixed with the warmth of the water.
Daryl pulled back again, framing her face with his hands. He saw her tears even in the shower. "Bella, it's okay to not have feelings for me. I understand more than you know. Don't force yourself to-"
"I love you." Bella cut him off.
Daryl froze hearing those words come from her. He never thought those words would come out of her mouth but they had and she was crying. She was crying about loving him. "Bella…"
"I am afraid of myself Daryl. These feelings are foreign to me. I don't love easy… have never loved a man before. The only love I had was for Gage and he died. So I thought… but now… I don't know. I don't know what tomorrow brings. I disappear in my head a lot. I have triggers that send me back to darker times. I'm a mess." She sniffed. "But you don't care. You seem to ignore all the bad about me."
"Because I love you. You mean so much to me. I want to protect you from the bad. I want to go sleep at night with you by my side and wake up the same way. I want to hold you close and kiss you in front of people. I want everyone to know how I feel about you." Daryl said and kissed her. "I want you and all of you. The good, bad and the ugly." He kissed her again. "Hell, I want to you to be my wife if that's even a thing anymore in this fucked up world." He kissed her again. "I want to hunt deer and slay the dead at your side. I want you Bella." He kissed her again and again, excitement filled him. "I love you."
Bella felt the tears stream down her face and she kissed him back deeply. Her hands moving over his body to his cock. She stroked him fast and he groaned before he lifted her and pinned her to the wall. He slid inside her with a hard thrust, penetrating her deep. She moaned against his mouth, her legs clung around him as he sank into her repeatedly. Tears still streamed as she let down her walls. The walls she had carefully built to keep out pain and sorrow. To keep out anyone that cared. She felt the deep connection to Daryl as he picked his pace and sent pleasure through her. It felt like a weight lifted off her chest and she was able to breathe again. Like she was drowning all those other times. Her orgasm. Wrapped around them both and she shivered against the cool tile.
Daryl moaned too, his climax just around the corner. "Bella…" he moaned as he thrust faster.
"Daryl…" Bella purred and then he was burying deep inside, the tip of his cock resting against her cervix as he released. His hot seed pouring out inside her.
They stayed tied together for several long moments before he let her down to her feet. His hands grabbed her hands and he laced his fingers with hers.
"Do you want to go steady?" He asked lightly, a smile on his face.
Bella smiled, her dark eyes staring up at him. "You are such a dork." She giggled a little and then she kissed him. "Yes."
Daryl smiled. He felt a radiating happiness that he never wanted to fade. He kissed her again before he turned her and grabbed soap and started washing it over her body.