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.

Writer's Notes: Hope everyone enjoys the double update. A lot of stuff happening. Don't forget to follow, favorite and review!

Bella and Daryl made it back to Alexandria. The gate opened and Rick was there with Spencer the other Monroe brother. He was the youngest and not quite as arrogant. Daryl was limping some but otherwise in decent condition.

"What happened?" Rick asked as they got the gate pulled back and locked.

"My past." Bella grumbled and she set the deer down carefully. Her shoulders were screaming at her for the prolonged carry but she didn't mind that. She helped get the deer meat off Daryl's back. "Spencer can you get a couple guys to take this to Carol. She can skin the rest of this. I have to get Daryl on the clinic. He got shot."

"What?" Rick said and then went to help Daryl stand better.

Spencer darted off to get a couple guys to come help with the deer.

"I'm fine." Daryl grumbled. It was his first time being shot with a bullet. He admitted it wasn't pleasant but he was okay right now. He wasn't bleeding to death.

"Rick. Take him to the clinic." Bella said and Rick forced Daryl towards the clinic with him complaining the whole time.

Merle came running over, a little winded but he saw Bella and the blood that was drying on her skin. "Are you hurt?"

"No. Stay here and wait for Spencer. I've for to go with Daryl." Bella said and rushed around Merle and went to the clinic. Carlisle had Daryl on the table, his pants off so he could look at his leg. "How is he?"

Daryl had an arm tucked under his head and he looked up at Bella when she came in. "Its fine. It went in and out. I was sitting close to the bastard when the gun went off."

"Yeah minimal damage." Carlisle said as he cleaned the wound. "He'll be fine." He said and moved around the clinic and grabbed supplies to finish fixing his leg.

Daryl didn't take his eyes off Bella's. "I don't care about that. I care about you. What happened when I was unconscious?"

Bella swallowed but shook her head. "I'm not talking about it right now."

Jasper appeared then hearing commotion downstairs. "Bella, are you okay?" he seemed worried as he looked at her.

Bella looked at Jasper. "You should be resting."

"I needed to see what was happening. I heard your voice. What happened?" Jasper wasn't letting it go.

Bella looked at Daryl, his expression matched Jasper's, she closed her eyes. "Caius."

Jasper shook his head. "Bella you-"

"Fuck." Daryl sat up, ignoring Carlisle. "Bella I-"

"He's dead and you're alive. So, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter what happened to me because we're back safe." Bella said to Daryl cutting him off.

Jasper put his hand on her shoulder gently. "That's not the point. It does matter. Caius hurt you and-"

Bella turned and faced Jasper. "This is not the same as when I was 19. This is not the same as when I was 12 or 15 or 17. This was not the same. This was not the same as Kuwait."

Jasper's eyes softened a little. "Lays ealayk 'an takun bihadhih alquati." (You don't have to be this strong.) He said gently in Arabic.

"'ana bihadhih alquati. 'ana asf li'anani lam 'astatie 'an 'akun qwyan bima yakfi li'uhibik kama 'ahbabtni. Lakina hadha lays hu nafsuhu."(I am this strong. I am sorry I couldn't be strong enough to love you like you loved me. But this is not the same.) She responded back.

Jasper shook his head. "ant eanida. 'ant tahmil alealam ealaa ktifika. 'ant tunkir ma hadath lika. Maratan 'ukhraa. Sawf tadfaeuh beydan 'iidha 'ankart nafsaka." (You are stubborn. You are holding the world on your shoulders. You are denying what happened to you. Again. You will push him away if you deny yourself.) His voice was more fervent this time, adamant that she was being stubborn.

"'ant la tuerifu. Hadha mukhtalifun. 'ant la tafhami." (You don't know. You don't understand.)

"I don't understand?" Jasper looked at her appalled. He shook his head. "lam takun alwahid fi alkuayti. Kunt hunaka. Kan ealay 'an 'ushahidahum wahum yueadhibunakum jmyean. Fariqi bialkamil. Shahadathum yudhunaka. Almar'at alati 'ahbabatha." (You weren't the only one in Kuwait. I was there. I had to watch them torture all of you. My entire squad. I watched them hurt you. The woman I loved.)

Bella teared up. "I know damnit!"

"Then don't you fucking dare tell me that I don't understand or can't." Jasper said his tone serious. "For once. Listen to me. Just listen to me. I have never asked anything of you. Ever. Not when it wasn't an order. I never once begged or ask you to do anything for me. Even when I wanted you to. But now. I'm asking you to listen."

Daryl didn't know what the conversation was. He didn't speak Arabic and it was confusing but he had been silent the entire time. Carlisle was fixing this leg.

Bella let tears fall and Jasper reached his hand up and swiped them away. "Jasper, I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize to me. I'm not asking for apologies. I'm asking you to listen." Jasper said and cupped her cheek. "ana 'aqbal 'anak tuhibuhu. 'ana 'aqbal 'anani last taw'am ruhaka. Ana sadiquk wana akhuk." (I accept that you love him. I accept that I am not your soulmate. I am your friend and I am your brother.) He whispered softly and then kissed her forehead and nodded to Daryl. "yatahadathu." (talk) he said and then he left the room.

Bella blew out a breath and closed her eyes. It was hard for her to talk about but Jasper was right. She was denying what happened. And she denied it because it was painful. She turned and looked at Daryl. Carlisle finished with his leg and stood. He patted Bella's shoulder before he left the room to Bella and Daryl.

Daryl shook his head. "I don't speak Arabic Bella."

"I know. Um. Today. Caius… he did rape me. He said he would hurt you and he had other men hiding to do so. So, I complied. I let him lead me away and tie me up. I let him take advantage of me so he wouldn't kill you. It's not the first time I have sacrificed myself for someone and Jasper was reminding me that… I shouldn't bury it. I shouldn't deny that it happened." She wiped a year away.

Daryl reached his hands out and she took them. "You should never worry about me like that. I would have rather died or be tortured than to see you go through that. He defiled you Bella… nothing is worth that."

"You are worth it Daryl. You… I would do it a hundred times over to make sure you lived. I screwed up with Gage. When I didn't comply it got him killed. My son… died because I was a coward."

"Your son didn't die because you were a coward. He died because Edward was a coward." Daryl shook his head. "You have been through too much. Today shouldn't have happened."

Bella let a tear escape. "But it did happen. And he wasn't the only one. He had another man. He left after… after he was finished to go back to you and I was just trying to get myself free so I had to let it happen. I got free and I killed the man. I killed Caius and Demetri because they were going to hurt you. I did this in Kuwait too."

Daryl didn't understand. "What happened in Kuwait…"

Bella closed her eyes. "Corporal Call was tortured badly. They… did things to him over and over until he died. He did it to protect me. I was the only living female from the IED explosion and so the men they tried. When they went to take Jasper, I fought back. I was weaker then. Starved. Jasper watched them torture me, Daryl. They made him watch." Her voice small.

"No… oh Bella…" Daryl murmured and cupped her face with his shaky hands.

Bella sniffed. "Jasper and me… we have history Daryl. He… fell in love. It broke him to watch them and so… I never… formed attachments and I never reciprocated that love but we remained friends."

"Is that why he was upset just now? Because of…" he drifted off.

"No. He was upset with me because he doesn't want me to push you away like I pushed him away." Bella let a couple tears go.

Daryl pulled her in close, his mouth covering hers. "Baby… I'm going no where. I love you. You love me. I am pissed at myself for letting you get hurt. And before you say something, it is on me. I should have been faster. I… failed but… we can… we can move past this together… right?"

Bella kissed him again then again and sniffed, not holding back tears. "I love you. I was scared. I didn't want to lose you." She murmured.

"You'll never lose me." He said and kissed her again. It killed him inside that she endured Caius again. Had to go through trauma yet again. He hated himself for that but he didn't want to upset her more than she was, so he bottled up the rage he felt inside instead.

[Two weeks later]

Bella listened to Eliam's chest with the stethoscope. He was more alert and even though he was still thin, he was looking better. His bright blue eyes were like little crystals, and his hair was like pitch. He was 7, and his parents had died before the dead started walking. He was in foster care when it all happened. He was smart. Him and Gabe got on great and even Carl and Sophia. Eliam was staying in the house with Bella and the others. She had nurtured him and Eliam felt close to Bella.

"Sounds good kiddo. Make sure you don't skip meals and drink plenty of water." Bella said and ruffled his hair.

Eliam smiled at Bella. He saw her as a mother figure. She had busted in and defeated the wolfmen and brought him away from dying. "Bella." He said, his voice small. He was always quiet anyways but his voice was also a quieter voice compared to the others.

"Yeah?"

"Are you going to be my new mommy?"

Bella froze a little not expecting to hear those words come from him. "What makes you ask that?" she was curious.

"Mommy's take care of people and you take care of me all the time."

Bella smiled a little then cupped his chin and looked at him. "I am what you want me to be. I am always going to take care of you." Her heart felt like it grew. Taking care of Eliam was fulfilling. She cared deeply about the boy and would protect him with her life.

Eliam smiled at Bella. "Okay." He said and then hopped down off the exam table. "I'm going to go play with Carl and Gabe." He said and then hugged Bella.

Bella hugged him back, joy filling her and then ruffled his hair again. "Have fun. Remember water." She said and watched him run out of the clinic. She sat there a minute thinking about Gage before she felt a little sick to her stomach. She took some deeper breaths to help with the nausea. She had suspicions that it wasn't a stomach bug. But there wasn't a way to test. She was used to irregular cycles so she couldn't count on that either. She was worried of course and she knew that she shouldn't ignore it either.

Carlisle walked in. "Alright. I've got the clinic. You're free to go." He said with a smile.

Bella stood and smiled at Carlisle. "Thanks. Olivia said she would be by with your dinner later. She's sweet on you."

Carlisle smiled. "Olivia is very sweet. I enjoy her company. She is easy to talk to and Alice seems to get along with her too."

Bella thought it was sweet. As each day passed it seemed that they were meshing with the others in Alexandria and making this truly their home. "Well, I'll take clinic duty in the morning then. I'm going to go talk with Reg and Rick about the wall expansion." She said and waved before she left. She walked back towards her house first to find Rick. She saw Pete sitting on the front porch. For weeks now he just stared at her, glaring at her. His face was still bruised from Abraham breaking his nose, but he hadn't said anything to Bella. Just stared.

Until now.

"Look at you. All high and mighty. Big shot Army ranger and surgeon. Waltzing in and tricking these people. Taking away our jobs. You don't belong." Pete slurred.

Bella sighed. She could have went the rest of her life without hearing his voice again. But here he was, drunk on his front porch. "Pete. I think you should go inside and drink some coffee. Sober up some."

Pete got up off his porch and stormed towards her. "You don't fucking tell me what to do. You're just a cunt. A whore that takes and takes." He spat.

Bella put a hand up, to create a distance between her and him but he still walked towards her. "Pete, I don't want to hurt you." She warned.

Pete growled at her. "You think you can just do what you want. But let me tell you something. I'm the doctor around here. This is my home. Not yours." He said and he lunged. Bella shifted but he got his hands around her throat and she was pushed back on her back on the sidewalk. Pete was heavy and her mind flashed back to Kuwait momentarily where they used strangling as a form of torture a couple times.

"With you gone, then the others can go too!" Pete roared and then he pressed harder.

Bella felt her windpipe clamp and she kicked at Pete. Her blurred vision brought tears.

Suddenly Pete fell to the side, releasing Bella. Bella coughed and rolled to her side, taking deep breaths. She didn't realize that a gun sound had gone off. Bella blinked away tears and looked up to others running towards the scene. Daryl got to her, his hands helping her to her feet.

Pete was gurgling blood on the ground , his hands clutching at his chest.

Jessie was sobbing as she dropped the gun. Her face was dark on side where he had beat her recently.

Bella pushed away from Daryl and went to Pete's side and put her hands over the hole in his chest and pressed down to stop the bleeding. She felt dizzy from being strangled still. "Daryl, I need your shirt." She wheezed out, her voice hoarse.

Daryl shrugged his shirt off and went to the ground with her. She took the shirt and put it over the wound and pressed more.

Bella looked at Pete's face, seeing the dying light in his eyes and knew that there wasn't anything she could do. "Shit." She said and leaned back, moving her hands.

Pete gurgled one last time before his chest shuddered and stopped.

Bella took her small knife from her boot and inserted it into Pete's temple to prevent him from reanimating.

Deanna went to Jessie and put her arms around her and let her sob. She looked over at Bella. "Are you okay?"

Bella shook her head and stumbled up to her feet. She felt sick so she leaned over and threw up in the bush next to her.

Daryl got up fast and went to her, rubbing her back. "Hey. Try deep breaths. In through the nose out through the mouth."

Bella threw up again and worry shot through her. Pete had kneed her in side. The nausea rolled over her again and but she managed to fight it off. Her throat burned and she knew there would be bruising at her throat.

"Daryl take her to Carlisle." Rick was there now.

Daryl nodded and then swung Bella into his arms carefully and walked towards the clinic with her. His leg was fine now even if he had a small limp. He didn't care about that. He cared about Bella and that was it.