AN: Thank you to galwidanatitud, MiniHorseMeadow, Shadow knight1121 for reviewing the last chapter, and thank you to Djjezza, Shadow knight1121, Fedinavi39, Sophia Lillia Mitchell, The Beatles Babydoll22, Slasher264, and Fly Pig for following and favouriting this story. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and review it :)

Song: Sia - Bird Set Free.

~ Chapter 7 ~

"I'm fine," She wheezed and Daryl rolled his eyes.

"I wasn't born yesterday Violet," Hershel retorted and she tried to sit up. "Now, rest."

They'd got the kid called Randall off the spike and it was too dark to head back and the way they needed to go had been blocked by walkers. They made their way to one of the houses nearby and they'd hit luck, finding a lot of medical supplies. Hershel had seen to Violet first, stitching her up and checking the damage, then he'd helped Randall out.

Violet was lying on the couch, a pillow keeping her head propped up. Daryl was sat in the armchair nearby and he was resting his chin on his crossbow, biting the side of his thumb.

"We should head back," Violet said.

"We will, but you need to take it easy," Hershel explained.

"But, I'm fine," She retorted.

"Violetta-"

"I wish I never told you my real name," She grumbled and Daryl smirked over at her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"You need to take it easy. You were shot, you can't lift your arms high and you sure as hell can't carry anything that ain't lighter than a feather," Hershel looked into her eyes and she sighed.

"Okay," She muttered. "Can we go soon? I wanna' see Beth."

"We'll head back soon," He assured her, then he got to his feet and walked out the room.

"So, Violetta...its got a ring to it," Daryl snickered.

"It's not funny," She murmured. She looked away from him and out of the window. Daryl coughed and she looked back over at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I guess...I did just get shot, but we all have our bad days."

"That was one hell of a bad day," He replied.

"I really thought I was going to die...thought I wasn't ever gonna' get to see my baby brother again, thought I was never going to see..."

"See who?" Daryl asked, urging her to continue.

"Nothing, it doesn't matter," She laughed nervously.

"No, tell me."

"It's silly really," She muttered.

"I bet it ain't."

Rick stepped into the lounge, with Hershel behind him. He looked over at Violet and smiled and she returned it.

"We're gonna' head back to the farm now," Rick said.

"Good, I wanna' check on Beth."

...

"Rest," Maggie pulled the blanket over her body and Violet threw it off herself. "You're a handful."

"I'm fine," Violet muttered.

"Violet, you were shot twice. I still don't understand how you're awake," She shook her head and tried to pull the sheet back up over her body.

"I'm fine...seriously I wanna' see Beth-"

"You just saw her," Maggie butted in.

"I wanna' go for a walk. I wanna' get some fresh air. I wanna' talk to people," She explained.

"You need to rest, otherwise you will not recover properly," Maggie pushed and Violet shook her head.

"I'm gonna' go see Beth," Violet sat up and she cringed in pain. Maggie tutted in response and she helped her up out of the bed and they walked out of the room and into the room Beth was in. Violet sat down on the chair nearby and Maggie left, then Lori walked in carrying a tray of food. Beth sat up and looked at her with dead eyes.

"How about this, you eat up all your food and we'll get you out of here and take a walk, what do you say?" Lori asked.

"You'd do good being outside," Violet said.

"Your pregnant," Beth whispered, her head shaking slightly. "How could you do that?"

Lori looked down at the floor and then over at Violet. Violet could see the mental struggle on Beth's face and she felt her heart ache for her. Lori sighed and rubbed her forehead with her hand, massaging her temple.

"I-I don't really have a choice," Lori replied.

"You think it will make a difference," Beth didn't look over at her and continued to stare at the end of the bed.

"Of course it will," Lori sighed. "You eat something," Lori looked at her once more and then left the room. They sat in silence for a while and Violet stared out of the window. The silence was killing Violet, so she decided to say something.

"Beth," Violet whispered.

"You'd be like me. If it was your baby brother that came out the barn," She said, still not looking away from the end of the bed.

"Yeah, I probably would," Violet replied and then Beth whimpered and silent tears fell from her eyes. Violet got up, flinching slightly, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. "I know what it's like, my mom and dad are both gone," Violet whispered.

"It's just so pointless," She sniffed.

"You have Maggie, and your daddy, Patricia, Jimmy and me," Violet assured her. "You've gotta' stay strong for them and for me...I wish I could promise you everything would be alright, but I can't...but we can make now alright."

Beth slowly turned her head to look at her. She sniffled and bit her lip. "Thank you," She whispered and Violet smiled at her.

"I'll be right back and we'll take that walk with Lori," Violet tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and then grabbed the tray of uneaten food, then got to her feet and left the room.

She walked down the corridor and walked into the kitchen. She placed the tray down and took a second to relax, her bullet wounds throbbing in pain. She leaned on the counter and then she stared down at the tray, noticing that the knife wasn't there.

Violet's eyes widened and she spun around, letting out a cry of pain and she grabbed onto the table for support. She let out a staggering breath and then pushed herself off the table and made her way back into the room Beth was in. She looked inside to see she was facing the other way asleep. Her eyes scanned the room, looking for any sign of the knife.

"Beth...Beth give me the knife," Violet demanded. "You don't wanna' do this."

Beth shifted under the covers and then she brought her arm out and held out the knife. Violet took it from her hands and Beth pulled the sheet back up over her body.

Violet's hands shook and she stared down at the knife. She walked out of the room and sprinted down the corridor. She ignored the crying pain from her wounds and she flung open the door. She had a death grip on the knife and she looked around for someone. She saw some of them sitting around by the trees and she raced over.

Violet came to a halt and she leaned forwards, placing her hands on her knees. Her chest heaving for air. She looked up and saw Daryl, Lori and Andrea sat down.

"You should be resting," Lori said.

"I know, b-but-" Violet's vision blurred slightly and she began to sway.

"Is that a knife?" Andrea asked and Violet looked down at her hand, realizing she was still holding it. She threw it down onto the ground and looked back over at them.

"Beth, she took the knife...I think she was going to hurt herself," She explained.

"I'll go to her," Lori said, getting to her feet and walking off.

"I need Maggie and Hershel," Violet said and she looked at Andrea.

"I'll keep a look out for them," She got to her feet and walked off to the RV.

"Ya should be restin', that's what Hershel said," Daryl muttered from his chair. "Ya look like your 'bout to pass out."

"I need to check on Beth," She sighed.

"You'll tear your stitches," He said. "Rest."

"Why do you care so much?" She retorted and Daryl looked over at her. "I need to go," Violet turned around and Daryl watched her leave.

Daryl shook his head and looked away from her. He knew he was rude himself, but he wanted at least a thank you, which he hadn't had yet. He wanted her to thank him for carrying her, basically saving her life and coming all the way to the bar to get her, but he didn't think he was going to be getting one anytime soon.

...

Violet sat down on the chair at the table. Lori was sat on the counter and Andrea was leaning on it. They were all sat listening to Maggie and Beth screaming at each other. Violet sighed and she knew she'd done the right thing of telling everyone. Violet was really scared for Beth. She didn't want her to do anything stupid. She didn't want her to die.

Violet shifted in her chair and flinched in pain. When she'd woken up and saw Daryl carrying her, for a moment she thought he was an angel. The thing she did see though was the panic and fear in his eyes, but she'd fallen back into the darkness.

She wondered what he was doing there, because she knew he wasn't there before she got shot and he must've had a reason for coming all the way out there. Was he worried about her? Violet shook her head, pushing the thought out of her mind. He couldn't possibly be worried about her, as far as she knew he didn't really like her. They were just there to irritate each other at any chance they could get.

But, then there was the incident with Shane, when he'd hit her and Daryl took Shane to the ground and started to punch him. Then there was the incident at the barn and he had held onto her throughout it all.

She wasn't going to deny the fact that she found him attractive. She wasn't sure what is was about him though. Normally girls her age wanted some guy their age or a bit older and they were your typical jock, but Violet never really found that look attractive. She was sure that it was the roughness about him. He was a hunter, a hunter with a hidden past and for some reason his rudeness made her like him even more.

But, Violet knew that nothing could ever come of it, because he was about twice her age and he'd never feel that way about her. She knew that he only saw her as an annoying kid, since he likes to call her that so much. But, people could get lonely in this world and she liked being around him, because he didn't treat her like she was about to break at any moment.

"Where's Hershel?" Andrea asked, snapping Violet out of her thoughts.

"I don't know," Violet replied.

"I'm glad they're working it out," Lori said.

"You call that, working it out," Andrea laughed.

"When they stop fighting, then we start worrying," Lori got off the counter and walked over to the table.

"HOW COULD YOU BE SO SELFISH?" Maggie screeched and they continued to yell at each other.

"Surely this could've been handled better," Andrea muttered.

"They're sisters," Violet reminded her. "They both care about each other."

"And that's caring?" Andrea retorted, raising an eyebrow at her.

"Yes, that's caring," Violet grumbled.

"You shouldn't have taken the knife away," Andrea said and Violet's eyes widened.

"Excuse me!" She spat back.

"You were wrong," Andrea shook her head. "Like Dale taking my gun. That wasn't your decision."

"Fuck you!" Violet snapped. "Beth is my best friend. You don't get a say in this. Beth isn't like you, okay. She's in shock."

"She has to choose to live on her own. She has to find her own reasons," Andrea said and Lori stared over at her, baring the same shocked expression as Violet.

"What, so she can take her life, then regret it?" Violet hissed, her hands turning into fists. "I suggest you shut up, because you're starting to piss me off!"

"She only has so many choices in front of her and the only one she can see is suicide," Andrea shrugged her shoulders as if it was nothing and Violet grabbed the glass that was right next to her and she threw it at Andrea, who moved out of the way quickly. The glass shattered against the cupboard and Violet looked at Andrea with a venomous look.

"THAT'S NOT AN OPTION!" Violet screamed.

"Violet," Lori said.

"NO! We've all lost people and we have different ways of dealing with it, but we all get through it at the end of the day. I'm sure we've all thought, well maybe I could end my life, but then when we realize things move on and shit happens. We hate ourselves for even thinking about things like that!" Violet shouted. "Beth isn't thinking straight and she needs our help to get through it!"

"She doesn't need to be yelled at or treated like a child," Andrea muttered, slowly walking across to the other side of the kitchen, scared from Violet's outburst.

"She needs to be yelled at. She needs to know that we care about her!" Violet hissed. "You stay well away from her."

"I help keep this place safe-"

"The men can handle it. They keep this place safe!" Lori snapped at Andrea and she threw the cloth on the counter. "You don't care about anyone, but yourself."

Violet got to her feet and walked off, sick to death of the arguing. She walked out onto the porch and sat down on the rocking chair. She leaned her head back against the rest and sighed.

Her anger was still apparent in her body. She was shocked herself about her outburst. She'd just seen red and she reacted uncontrollably.

...

"Come with me," Maggie nodded to the door and Violet got to her feet and walked behind her. They made their way into the room Beth was in and they saw the bed was empty.

"Beth?" Violet called out.

"Beth!" Maggie shouted.

They heard crying coming from behind the bathroom door. They both walked over and Violet listened closely to Beth's sobs. The sound of shattering glass followed after.

"BETH!" Violet yelled and she banged on the door. Maggie pulled on the door handle, but it was locked.

"BETH!" Maggie screamed. "Beth, don't do this!"

"Beth! Open the door!" Violet pounded her fists against it. "Beth!"

"I left her with Andrea," Maggie told Violet and her eyes widened.

"Why did you do that?" Violet snapped. "She wanted her to kill herself!" Violet yanked on the door handle and Maggie went over to the dresser and started opening the draws. "A key, we need a key!"

"I can't find it!" Maggie yelled in panic. "Beth! Honey, please open the door!" Maggie banged on the door and Beth's sobs got louder.

Violet stepped back and looked around the room. She saw a metal rod and she ran over, picking it up. She ran back over to the door and wedged it in the crack. She pulled on it and the door started to creak and crack. The door opened and Violet pushed it open.

Beth turned around holding her wrist. Blood was pouring through her fingertips. Violet's eyes widened and Maggie ran past her.

"I'm sorry," She cried. Maggie hugged her tight, crying into her hair.

"It's okay," Maggie sobbed and she walked her over to the bed.

"I'll find H-Hershel," Violet stammered and she stumbled out of the room. Her eyes still wide in shock. She walked outside and she looked around, trying to find Hershel. She began to sway and her throat started to burn. Maybe she did need to rest.

Andrea came running over to her and she smiled. "How's Beth?"

"She tried to kill herself!" Violet snapped.

"She made her decision," Andrea grinned.

"She tried to kill herself and it's down to you!" Violet yelled and she stepped towards her and pushed her back.

"Violet," Hershel walked over and Violet nodded towards the house.

"Beth needs you," She said and Hershel walked past her and into the house. Violet looked back at Andrea, who was still smiling.

"She'll live," Andrea nodded her head and then made a move to walk past her.

"Stay away from her," Violet growled. "Don't you dare step foot in this house again. Stay away from Beth, stay away from Maggie and stay away from me."

"Violet-"

"STAY AWAY!" Violet exploded and pushed Andrea onto the ground.

"What's going on?" Daryl walked from around the house and Violet looked over at him with a scowl on her face. She turned away and looked back at Andrea's shocked face.

"If you go near Beth again. I'll kill you and don't think I'm joking, because I will not hesitate to do it. This is your fault. Just because shit's going on in your life, doesn't mean you need to inflict your hate for this world on other people! The world doesn't revolve around you Andrea! You just made someone want to take their own life, that's sick and twisted!"

Andrea looked away from her and then got to her feet, walking away. Violet's chest heaved in anger and she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. She collapsed onto the ground and she heard Daryl's footsteps. He crouched down in front of her, a worried expression on his face.

"I thought I told ya to rest," He said and she flashed him a weak smile.

"Sorry..." She whispered and he helped her to her feet.

"C'mon."

...

Night had fallen and Daryl had lit a fire. He'd brought Violet back to his small makeshift camp away from everyone else. No one bothered him that much here, so he saw it a fit enough place for her to get some rest. She was sat down next to him, staring into the fire. She took a bite out of the granola bar and then took a sip of her water.

"Ya gonna' tell me what that was all about?" Daryl spoke up and she sighed.

"Beth wanted to kill herself, and Andrea thought we should let her do it...let her make her own decision, I told her to stay away, but she didn't and Beth broke the mirror in the bathroom, and used it to cut herself," Violet explained.

"Really?" Daryl asked and she nodded her head.

"She's my best friend. I don't want her to go," She whispered and Daryl saw tears threatening to fall from her eyes. He didn't know how to deal with crying people.

"She'll be fine," He assured her.

"It's funny, because I know that this world is just a big game and I know that one day the people I care about are going to die, but I'm just not ready for that to happen," She looked over at him, a single tear falling down her cheek. Daryl felt a sudden urge to reach out and wipe it away, but he fought the urge off.

Violet reached up and wiped the tear away and then she bit her bottom lip.

"I'm sorry, I'm probably boring you," She muttered.

"No, ya not," He replied and she smiled over at him.

"I didn't overreact, did I?" She asked.

"No, Beth's your best friend. Those people are like your family, ya can react however ya want to," He explained and then he stared back at the fire. "I reacted badly, when I found out my brother was gone."

"Tell me," She whispered. "About him, what was he like?"

"He was a rude redneck ass," Daryl smirked and Violet smiled, never seeing him smile properly before.

"You should do that more," She replied and he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Smile more. It suits you," She said and he quickly looked away from her, feeling a blush creep up on his cheeks.

"He wasn't that bad, once you got to know him, but he just never let anyone get to know him," Daryl explained.

"I wish I could've met him," She retorted.

"Your baby brother, what was he like?" Daryl asked.

"He was cute and funny. I felt like I was the only one that found the things he did funny, but I didn't care, because I love him to pieces...I doubt my thoughts when they try and get me to believe that he's still alive. I know that he might not be, but I'm still holding onto hope. But we're stuck in this stupid game."

"Game?"

"Our lives are set in stone. We will fight, we will kill and we'll all die. It doesn't matter how young or old, No matter what color your skin is, at the end of the day we're playing the same game. It's just all about how long you want to play the game. No one's going to win, but everyone's going to lose."

"That's some deep shit."

"I know, but it's true. I'm just doing my best to hold on the longest," Violet replied, staring into the flames.

"I think we all are, kid," Daryl said. For once, Violet didn't mind that he'd called her 'kid'. The way he said it had a sort of hidden meaning to it. He wasn't saying it to get a reaction out of her, in a way it was his nickname for her and Violet didn't mind.

"Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you come to the bar...you weren't meant to be there, but you were...why?" She asked and she looked over at him and into his blue eyes.

"I knew somethin' was wrong," He muttered, trying to avoid making eye contact with her.

"You're lying," She whispered. "Look me in the eyes and tell me that."

"I ain't lyin' to ya kid."

"I may be young, but I'm not dumb. I got shot and you weren't there, but when I opened my eyes there you were. For a second I thought you were an angel and I was in heaven."

"I'm no angel," He grumbled and she leaned back looking at the angel wings on the back of his leather vest.

"That say's otherwise," She nodded at it and he stared back at the fire.

"You can wear it if you want," He murmured. "Consider it...me passin' my wings onto someone else...someone worthy of them."

"You are worthy of them Daryl."

"You deserve them, more than me, Violet," She froze staring into his deep blue eyes. He'd just said her real name. Heck she wasn't even sure he knew it, because he always called her 'kid' or 'girl'. She was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

Daryl stared back at her, staring deeply into her green eyes. He was having an inner battle with his mind. It was screaming to do something, it was screaming to kiss her, but he knew he shouldn't, because she was nineteen years old.

His eyes slowly fell to her lips and then he looked back up at her eyes. He quickly looked away and then slipped his vest off. He moved closer to her, so there hips were touching and then he reached around her and placed it on her back. She smiled at him and slipped her arms through the holes. It was a bit big for her, but it went well with her baggy grey top.

"You said my real name," She said and they were face to face, almost nose to nose. "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, well I'm full of surprises," He whispered back and her face reddened slightly. "Now, go get some sleep. I'm teachin' you how to shoot and defend yourself tomorrow."

"Wait, I know how you know about the shooting, but the self-defense...wait has Beth said something to you?" Violet asked, with a smirk.

"She may have hunted me down and hauled rocks at me after Shane hit you," He explained and Violet laughed. "Now, goodnight."

"Night, Daryl," She got to her feet and looked down at him.

"Night...Violet," He whispered and she walked away, a smile plastered on her face.

She walked up to the farmhouse, but she paused on the steps when she felt the presence of someone behind her. She turned around and saw Shane was standing there, his face flooded with panic and his chest heaving for air.

"M-Maggie," He breathed out and her eyes widened.

"Where is she?" Violet ran over to him and he pointed off into the woods. She took off in a sprint, ignoring every cry from her body to stop. She could hear Shane running behind her, then when she ran deep into the woods. She stopped and turned around to face him. "Where-" She saw the sickening smile on his face and she froze.

"You're so gullible, bitch," Shane tackled her to the ground, and she screamed, but Shane slammed his hand down on her mouth. She heard her stitches tear and blood began to seep through her top. "I'm going to need you to shut the fuck up," He growled and Violet heard the sound of his zipper being pulled down. Her eyes widened and she thrashed underneath him, screaming at the top of her lungs from the pain into his hand.

He began to pull at her trousers, and Violet managed to bite down hard on his fingers, and a shrill scream escaped her lips and he punched her hard in the face. Blood seeped into her mouth, and she tried to push at his shoulders, but her body was too weak to do anything. He pushed his hand down the front of her trousers, then his weight was suddenly thrown off her.

Violet curled up in a ball on the ground, bringing her knees up to her chest, and burying her head in between the gap. She heard the sound of punches connecting with bare skin and deep grunts following them. She whimpered, and tears poured from her stinging eyes. Her body was in agony, but she didn't care about the pain at the moment. She just wanted the ground to swallow her up.

"Violet," Daryl grunted, and she heard him kneel down next to her. "Girl, I…" She was picked up suddenly, but she didn't flinch or freak out. She let herself relax against Daryl's warm body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face into the crook of his neck. He walked out of the woods, and he carried her all the way to his makeshift camp. He put her down in his tent, and Daryl propped her neck up with a blanket. "I'm gonna' have to-" She nodded her head and he pulled his knife from his belt, and cut her top with it. He got his own medical supplies from his rucksack and he began to clean her wounds and stitch them back up.

Violet just stared up at the tent ceiling. She could feel Daryl staring at her, but she just blinked and ignored him. She didn't want to move.

"Violet did he…" Her eyes found his and she sniffled.

"He put his hand down the front of my trousers, that's all," She whispered, her voice raw. Daryl gripped his trouser and she saw his knuckles turn white. "He told me Maggie was out in the woods…hurt…he made it out like she was hurt," She whimpered. "I…I believed him. I believed him," Violet sobbed, and she sat up slowly, flinching from the pain. "I'm so stupid-"

"No your not girl," He growled. "You ain't stupid."

"I-" She choked on her sob, and Daryl reached out and pulled her into his arms. She cried and sobbed into his neck, and he wrapped his arm around her waist, then stroked her hair with his hand. He whispered soothing words in her ear, and her sobs soon stopped, so she just clung to the back of his shirt.

"I'm gonna' kill 'im," His voice was husky, and she shook her head against his shoulder.

"Don't get yourself into trouble. He isn't worth it," She whispered.

"How can ya say that?" He grunted and she sighed.

"He'll get what's coming to him. Karma is one hell of a bitch," She brought her head away from his shoulder, and stared into his eyes. "Thank you, I was weak back there, but you saved me, thanks."

She rested her hands against his chest, and she breathed out, staring into his eyes. "You ain't weak."

"Hm…my wounds and face beg to differ," She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his cheek. She slowly pulled away, then smiled sweetly at him. "Thank you, Daryl Dixon."