AN: Thank you to Shadow knight1121, galwidanatitud and MiniHorseMeadow for reviewing and thanks to ShadowHunter90 and Suaru-chan for following :)

Song: Foxes - If You Leave Me Now.

~ Chapter 11 ~

Three Weeks Later:

Violet poked at the fire with a stick. She was tired...knackered. She'd barely slept in three weeks. They'd gone on a supply run, and scavenged some tents and some food. Violet didn't have a tent, no one seemed to realize that she didn't. Maggie was in one with Glenn. Hershel and T-Dog were sharing one. Rick, Carl and Lori were in another, and Violet heard them arguing constantly in there. Carol and Beth were in another and Carol seemed to be nurturing Beth back to her normal self after Jimmy and Patricia's deaths. Daryl had his own tent and it was set the furthest away from the others. They were only in a small clearing and it was obvious everyone was getting stressed out about not finding a safe place.

When everyone was ready for bed, she'd watched them all leave and then she'd sneak past the person on watch and walk into the woods a bit and climb up one of the tree's to sleep. She didn't fancy kicking up a fuss about it, so she'd wake up before everyone else and climb down from the tree and no one would ever know she'd slept in the tree.

When they'd gone on the supply run, Violet managed to piss Daryl off and now he was determined not to talk to her. She never meant to do it...she just snapped at him. She was nineteen and she didn't need him to tell her what to do:

Violet looked through the window of the convenience store. She blinked once and scanned the inside for walkers. She walked over to the door and pulled it open, slowly pulling out her knife. She stepped inside and released a staggering breath.

Someone's hands slammed against her shoulders and she was pulled back out the door and slammed up against the window. She screamed and then Daryl smacked his hand over her mouth.

"The fuck ya doin' girl!" He hissed and she pushed his hand away from her mouth.

"I'm checking what's inside," She retorted and a low growl erupted in his throat and Violet sensed she'd given him the wrong answer. "What?"

"You don't just waltz on in!" He snapped. "You especially don't go in alone!"

"I checked...Jesus lay of me a bit will ya," She remarked and his grip tightened on her shoulders. "I don't need you looking over my shoulder 24/7."

He narrowed his eyes at her and she gulped. She could feel his hot breath plastering her face and she pushed on his chest, but he wouldn't let go of her.

"I don't need you to look after me!" She growled out in frustration.

"Girl, you'd be dead if I hadn't have stopped ya!" He hissed back.

"Stop gettin' in my face! I don't like it!" She squirmed against his hold, then his fingers dug into her shoulders and she cried out in pain. She shoved him hard and her reflexes kicked in and she slapped him hard across the face. Her hands flew to her mouth in shock, and her eyes widened from her action. "Daryl...I-I..."

Daryl didn't look at her. He gripped his crossbow and walked off and back to where Rick was.

She stared contently at the fire and placed the stick on the woodland floor. She sighed resting her chin in her hand. Beth came out from her tent and she walked over, and took a seat on the log she was sitting on.

"Hi," She chirped and Violet smiled sweetly at her.

"Hi, how are you feeling?" Violet asked.

"Fine," Beth shrugged. "It's just...Maggie's been actin' weird with me...she only seems to have eyes for Glenn. It sounds pathetic, but she's my sister and I'd at least like a hello in the mornings."

"It's fine to feel that way, but I'm sure Maggie isn't doin' it intentionally, we lost Patricia, Jimmy and Andrea...no one's actin' right at the moment."

"I thought you didn't like Andrea," Beth added.

"I don't, but she still didn't deserve to die. Plus, I only hated her for the things she said about you."

"Yeah, well you've got to learn to forgive and forget," Beth sung.

"You are exactly like your daddy," Violet replied and Beth giggled.

"So...you gonna' tell me what happened?" She asked, raising her eyebrow.

"What?"

"With Daryl, I thought you two were together-"

"We never were together, we just kissed," She muttered.

"Yeah, well I remember you gettin' really excited because he kissed you...it clearly wasn't, just a kiss. I know when your lyin' Violet," She explained. "You can admit you like him...even though he's like twice your age."

"It doesn't bother me about the age difference...he's just different. I didn't mean to hit him-"

"You hit him!" She snapped and Violet shushed her.

"Yeah...I didn't mean to. He got in my face, and it just reminded me of...it reminded me of him...when I was alone in the city, after I'd left my Uncle's...I hate it when people get aggressively in my face. The scars on my back started burning...I-I hated that he made me feel like that..."

"You never talked much about that night, you just told me that there was a drunk man that got to hands on with you...you never said anything about scars? What happened?" Beth asked and Violet shook her head.

"It don't matter," Violet grumbled.

"Yes it does, your my best friend, you can tell me anything."

"I know I can, but that story, is just one for another time," She whispered and Violet returned to poking the fire. She wiped the stray tears from her cheeks and Beth sighed.

"I'm gonna' get some sleep, you should too...you should come and join me and Carol, because I'm not stupid Violet, I know you've been sleepin' in a tree," Beth explained.

"Oh," She whispered.

"Join us whenever your ready," Beth walked off towards her tent and Violet stared at the hot flames.

Suddenly, she realized she was still wearing Daryl's vest. She'd never taken it off, even though he didn't want to talk to her anymore. She dropped the stick and slipped the vest from her shoulders. She stared at the angel wings and sighed.

Everyone else was in their tents and she wasn't even meant to be on watch tonight, she was pretty sure it was T-Dog's turn, but she was just going to have to stay here until he comes out of his tent, because she didn't want to leave the camp unguarded.

She heard someone cough and she looked over her shoulder and saw Daryl leaning against the tree. She looked away from him and down at his vest, which was on the ground in front of her.

"You can have your vest back," She whispered and she heard his boots crushing the leaves on the ground, then he slowly sat down on the log next to her. She picked his vest up and held it out to him, but she didn't dare look him in the eyes. She was too ashamed of what she did.

"What did he do to you?" He asked and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and she brought her hand away, dropping the vest in her lap.

"Who?" She responded, staring into the flames.

"The drunk man...the one you just mentioned to Beth, the one I reminded you of when I got in your face," He replied flatly and she sighed.

"I don't want to talk about it," She sighed.

"Fine," He grumbled and he snatched his vest from her lap, and got to his feet, disappearing into his tent.

Violet sighed and she buried her fingers into her hair and tugged on the strands as her punishment. Why can't I just keep my mouth shut! She heard a fumbling sound coming from one of the tents, then T-Dog emerged from his tent and walked over.

"You can go get some sleep now," T-Dog said.

"I'm gonna' go for a walk," She whispered.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I'll be fine, I'll holler if I need help," She got to her feet and walked around the fire, then headed into the trees.

She rubbed her eyes and yawned. Violet had overheard Lori saying there was a stream somewhere around here, and Violet could really use a wash. She inhaled her scent and cringed, how could anyone stand to be near me.

Violet soon came to another small clearing and down a little embankment was a stream. She raced down the embankment and into the stream. She didn't bother taking her clothes off, she just submerged herself into the water and rubbed her hands over her face, using the water to remove the dirt. Probably should've taken off my clothes!

"They need a wash anyway," Violet mumbled to herself, and she went underneath the water. When she came up she pushed her wet hair out of her face.

It was hard. She wished she could just open up about what happened, but whenever someone asks about it. She feels like there's some kind of barrier between her brain and mouth, then she just shuts down, and she can't say anything. It's like a thousand images just flash in front of her mind. She just wished that someone could understand how she was feeling.

She had secrets. She had people she was terrified of, but they were all in the past now.

Violet stared down at her top, and she suddenly felt bare not wearing Daryl's vest. She sighed and rubbed her cheek with the back of her hand. She casted a glance up at the night sky. The stars were shinning bright, and the moon was full. The wind was warm, and it was quiet.

Violet knew they needed to find a new place to stay. A new place, which would be safe for them all. Shane was gone. He wasn't going to be a problem anymore. She just hoped that if they did find a place, that they could all be safe there.

"You all wet sweetheart?" Violet looked away from the night sky, and her gaze snapped to the top of the embankment. She saw a rough looking man standing there. He had a stubbly beard, deep dark eyes. A sickening smile on his lips, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"What-"

The man came charging down the embankment, and before Violet could even move, he was in the water. He tackled her to the ground and she was forced underneath immediately. Without having a chance to take in oxygen. She began to choke straight away. She fought against his hold, and she came to the surface gasping for air.

He grabbed her roughly by the collar and held her close to his face. She thought to herself that she should grab her knife, but she remembered that it was by the campfire. She cringed and stared into his dark eyes.

"You all alone girl?" He asked and Violet blinked. He shook her roughly. "Huh?"

Violet kept her mouth shut, and he let go of her collar. She stumbled backwards in the water, and she narrowed her eyes at him. He tilted his head to the side in a sickening manner. He dashed forward, and he latched his hands around her throat. Her eyes widened and he forced her body down into the water.

Violet thrashed her whole body, and she pulled at his wrists, but it all seemed useless. It was then that images of Oscar filled her mind. She couldn't give up. She just couldn't. He brought her back up to the surface quickly, and she took that as her advantage. She took in a deep breath, and screamed at the top of her lungs.

He quickly thrusted her back into the water, and she began to thrash around again. Her throat was burning and her chest was getting tighter. She wasn't sure she could hold on anymore. She could make out his blurry form. Her eyes were stinging, red raw from the water. She swore she could hear her fast beating heart in the water.

Suddenly, his hands loosened around her throat. She zoned in on him, and the first thing she saw was an arrow sticking out of his neck. He fell into the water, and Violet felt someone grab her top, and she was yanked out of the water.

Violet gasped for air, and coughed up all the water in her mouth. She gripped on tightly to his arms, and she looked up at Daryl. He began to pull her out of the water, and he put her down on the woodland floor.

Violet's lungs were burning, and she continued to cough violently. She was wrapped up in Daryl's arms, and she could hear his heart racing in his chest. His hand came up to the side of her face, and she looked into his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked, urgently.

"Violet!" Beth screamed, and she came running down the embankment, with everyone else behind her. She appeared at her side, and she grabbed her hand.

"What happened?" Rick asked, and Daryl turned to look at the floating body in the water.

"He came out of nowhere," Violet's voice was hoarse. "He pushed me under the water...I-I..."

Everyone gathered around her. Daryl didn't let go of her, and she kept her hands latched onto his shirt. Hershel placed his hand on her arm, and she flashed him a weak smile.

"I'm sorry..." Violet whispered.

"You haven't got nothing to be sorry about," Rick said, and he glanced at the man in the water. "Let's get you back to camp, and in your tent."

"She doesn't have a tent," Beth retorted, and everyone looked at her. "She's been sleeping in a tree for the past three weeks."

"What?" Lori gasped, and Violet looked up at Daryl who was staring back at her with the same look everyone else had on their faces.

"I didn't want to cause a fuss-"

"Violet don't be so silly," Maggie exclaimed. "You're apart of this group. You shouldn't be sleeping in a tree."

"Let's head back to camp," Rick ordered, and Daryl helped Violet to her feet. Beth hugged her side, and Hershel linked arms with her.

Everyone walked up the embankment, and headed back for camp. Violet rested her heavy head on Hershel's shoulder, and he kissed the side of her head. Beth kept herself tucked firmly into her side, and Violet kept a tight grip on her shirt.

They reached camp, and everyone started to make a fuss about what tent she was going to go in, but either the tent was too small, or there was already too many people. Violet casted a glance over at Daryl's tent, which was away from the rest.

Daryl stepped forward.

"She can rest in my tent...it's only me in there," He chewed on the side of his thumb, and Rick nodded his head.

"Is that okay with you, Violet?" Rick asked, and Violet slowly nodded her head. Her eyes were heavy, and she could feel herself about to fall asleep.

Hershel and Beth took Violet over to Daryl's tent, and everyone scattered off and returned to their own tents. Daryl stood in the middle of camp, and Rick stayed next to him.

"You okay?" Rick wondered, and Daryl brought his thumb out of his mouth, and he nodded his head.

"Suppose," He grunted. "Stupid fucker had his hands around her neck...had her under water..."

"I know, luckily you were there," Rick said, and Daryl slowly nodded his head. "I know something's gone on between you two, because you seem to be avoiding her...whether it was your fault, or hers. I think you should talk to each other."

"Yeah, maybe your right," Daryl replied, and Rick walked off towards his tent. He looked to see that T-Dog was back on watch, and he glanced over at his tent to see Beth leaving with Hershel.

He slowly made his way over, dragging his feet along the floor. He opened the flap, and stepped inside. Violet was lying on the left side of tent, a grey blanket on top of her, and a rolled up t-shirt serving as a makeshift pillow. Her eyes were shut tight, and her skin was ghostly pale.

Daryl sat down on his sleeping bag, and he rested his chin on his knee, chewing on the side of his thumb. He looked over at her and a sigh escaped his lips. He wanted to know. He wanted to know about the man she'd been talking to Beth about. He heard her mention scars and he could only think of his own.

Daryl understood about why she'd slapped him. He knew what it was like to have someone in your face that you didn't want. He hated that he'd scared her, but he was only looking out for her. He didn't want her dead. The thought that someone had actually hurt her, but scars on her skin, made him angry. He couldn't bear the thought of the pain she must've gone through.

He reached out and brushed a piece of her hair away from her face. He felt her forehead with the back of her hand, and she was still freezing cold. She shuddered suddenly, and began coughing. Her eyes flew open, and she turned to the side, and let the fit of coughs take over her body. She soon stopped and she turned to look at Daryl.

"Do ya need some new clothes?" Daryl asked, and she glanced down at her wet clothes, then nodded her head. Daryl grabbed his rucksack, and pulled out his long sleeved shirt, a pair of joggers, and some socks. He handed them to her, and she stared down at them.

"Thank you, Daryl," She whispered, and he turned away from her to give her some privacy. Violet quickly took off her wet clothes, and she slipped on Daryl's top, and the pair of joggers. She put on the socks, then she grabbed the hair tie form her wrist, and tied her wet hair back. "You can turn around now."

Daryl slowly turned back around, and she smiled weakly at him. He didn't return it, he just sighed and looked at the entrance of the tent.

"Daryl...I-I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean to hit you..." She stammered and he chewed on the side of his thumb.

"What did he do to ya?" He asked softly, and she sighed, blinking back her tears.

"I...Daryl..."

"I heard you talkin' to Beth about scars on your back...you ain't the only one with scars," He explained, and she looked into his eyes.

"You got scars?" She asked, and he nodded his head. "How?"

"Darlin' it's a two way street. I'm not gonna' tell ya if your not gonna' tell me," He smiled slightly, and she sighed looking away from him.

"It happened when I first got to the city. I'd just moved away from my Uncle Frank's down in Florida. I was depressed, I missed my baby brother. I didn't know where to go in the city, everywhere looked the same...but one day I ended up in the downtown area, most of the places were abandoned. I just wanted to be in a quiet place, I needed shelter since I was living on the streets," Violet glanced over at Daryl to see he was watching her contently. She quickly looked away and stared ahead. "I found a warehouse. It was abandoned, no one was staying there...well that's what I thought...one night this man came in. He was drunk out of his mind, he wasn't making any sense and when he saw me. He looked at me like I was a piece of meat, and he came at me...t-tried to touch me...I started to run away. We were on the top floor, and I was running down the corridors. This place was huge, and every corridor I went down l-looked the s-same," Her breathing hitched in the back of her throat. "I came to a dead end, but there was this huge window at the end. I was going to try to climb out of it, but when I was trying to open it. I heard his heavy breathing behind me. I-I remember turning around, and b-before I could do anything. He'd t-tackled me, and I was so c-close to the window...that we both went straight through it. The force he'd tackled me at shattered the window immediately, and my back took most of the glass...we fell from the second story...I landed on my back, which crushed the shards further into my back. His drunken weight didn't help either...doctors told me I was lucky it didn't cause any damage to my spine, but I still get back ache from time to time...my backs covered in scars from the shards...I hate looking at my back...I feel ashamed that I let him do that, and it just reminds me that I should've stayed down in Florida with my Uncle and baby brother...I guess I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time...just like I was when my mom and dad died...I hate it...I hate that bad things happen to me, and the people I love die. C'mon my mom and dad are dead from the car crash, and I was in the backseat, and I didn't die...I left Florida, because I got beat up and didn't fit in, and left my baby brother behind...he might be dead along with my Uncle...Otis is dead, because I shot Carl...I-I j-just..."

Daryl reached out and hooked his arms under her knees and wrapped his arm around her waist, lifting her into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her face into his neck. She let out a sob, and he rubbed his hand up and down her back in an attempt to sooth her. He could feel her tears soaking his shirt, but he didn't care. Her shaking fingers curled around the back of his shirt, and she sniffled.

"I'm sorry," She whimpered, pulling her face out of his neck, and she wiped her tears away.

"Girl, ya ain't got nothin' to be sorry for," He whispered, and she looked down at her lap. "Violet, I'm sorry I got in ya face...I never meant to scare you...I just didn't want ya to get hurt."

"I never meant to hit you...I really am sorry," She sniffled. "You don't have to tell me about your scars...I don't mind, only when your ready."

"Maybe that's a story for another time," He said, and she nodded her head.

"I'm such a mess."

"You ain't a mess, girl, your 'bout the prettiest thing I've ever seen," She looked up from her lap, and smiled sweetly at him. Daryl slowly reached up his hand, and he wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. She reached up and laced her fingers around his wrist. He glanced down at her lips, and she began to smile through her tears. He couldn't resist her big smile, and he moved in slowly, pressing his lips against hers.

She let go of his wrist, and he cupped the side of her face. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth. His tongue slid along hers, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He placed his other hand on her thigh, and squeezed it gently. He began to push her down onto his sleeping bag, and he shifted his body over hers.

Violet's heart was hammering in her chest, and she molded her body against his. Daryl's body was like a furnace, and she no longer felt cold. Daryl stroked his hand up her thigh, and he paused at the bottom of his shirt. He pulled away and looked into her green eyes.

"You should get some rest, girl," He whispered, and she nodded her head.

She didn't move from underneath him, but she reached over and grabbed her blanket. Daryl rolled away from her, and she sat up, shaking out the blanket, so it was over both of them. Daryl furrowed his eyebrows, and she lay back down, resting her head on his chest, and flinging her arm over his stomach.

"You're like a bloody furnace," She mumbled into his chest, and Daryl smirked.

...

Violet stepped out of Daryl's tent, and she stretched out her arms, then yawned. She wandered over to the campfire, where Carol and Lori were cooking breakfast for everyone. Carl was sat down on a log next to Beth, playing with Violet's knife, which she'd left by the campfire.

"Morning Violet, how are you feeling?" Carol asked, and Violet smiled.

"Much better," She responded, and she sat down next to Beth.

"Here's your knife," Carl said, and he handed it to her.

"Thank you, Carl," She smiled sweetly at him, then slipped it into her belt.

"Your neck," Beth gasped, and Violet's eyes widened. She brought her fingers up to her neck, and she winced in pain. "It's bruised."

Violet knew it was from where the man had strangled her. She forced a smile onto her face, but Beth saw right past it and she pulled her in for a hug.

"I'm fine," Violet said.

"Sure," Beth remarked.

"Here you go sweetie," Lori handed Violet her breakfast, and Violet nodded at her in thanks.

Everyone soon came out of their tents, and migrated over to the campfire for breakfast. Hershel crouched down in front of Violet, and began to inspect her neck.

"Does it hurt?" Hershel asked.

"Only if I touch it...I'll be fine, I always am," She said, and Hershel chuckled.

"I know," He ruffled her hair, and got to his feet.

Daryl was the last to come out of his tent. He had his crossbow on his back, and he was now wearing his vest. He made his way over, and he sat down on the other side of Violet. She smiled at him in greeting, and he nodded back at her.

Violet glanced down at her clothes, and she suddenly realized how weird she must look wearing Daryl's clothes, especially, because his shirt was like a dress on her, and the joggers were twice the size of her.

"We need to go out on a supply run today. We don't all have to go, but when we get back we're only going to be staying here one more night, then we'll be moving along," Rick explained. "Who wants to come on the supply run?"

Violet's hand flew up, and she almost smacked Beth in the face. They both giggled, then Glenn raised his hand, along with Maggie, and Daryl.

"Okay, we'll be leaving soon," Rick walked off and into his tent.

"Ya sure your up for it?" Daryl asked from next to her, and she turned to him.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I need to change my clothes though," She gestured to what she was wearing and he smirked.

"I think you look fine in what your wearin'," He raised an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled, nudging his side.

"I've got people to impress you know," She grinned at him, and he frowned.

"Like who," He growled.

"I hear T-Dog's looking for some action in his tent, so I might just sneak into his tent tonight and-" She saw the angry look on his face, and she couldn't help, but smile more. "I'm joking," She rested her chin on his shoulder, and pouted. "If you wanna' fool around later that's fine with me."

He smirked, "Knock it off," She giggled and kissed his cheek.

"You can borrow some of my clothes," Beth said.

"Okay, thanks," Violet said, and Beth grabbed her hand. They both headed over to her tent.

When they were inside. Violet took off Daryl's clothes, and Beth passed her a pair of jeans, and a black tank top. She slipped them on quickly. The jeans were tight, and they hugged every curve, and she just about managed to pull them over her ass. The tank top was rather small and the hem of the top stopped just below her belly button, and the tightness forced her breasts together, making a more obvious cleavage. Violet let her hair fall from her ponytail, and it fell in loose curls. She knew that her hair would make the scars on her back less obvious.

"God, Beth what size are these clothes?" Violet grumbled.

"I'm not sure. They fit me though," Beth turned around to face her, then she paused. "Wow..."

"What...What is it? What's wrong?" Violet asked, and Beth laughed.

"You look really pretty," Beth chirped.

"Huh?"

"You should wear tight clothes more often. You've got amazing curves," Beth giggled some more, and Violet rolled her eyes, then left the tent. She immediately collided into someone's back. They turned around, and she saw it was Glenn.

"Hi, Violet-Wow..." He looked down at her chest, and she hit his arm.

"Eyes are up here Chinaman!" She scolded, and he jumped.

"Yeah, right...sorry," He rubbed the back of his neck, and she laughed. "Maggie...right, Maggie," Glenn looked around deliriously, then walked off in search of Maggie.

Rick walked out of his tent, and appeared next to her. He quickly looked her up and down, then nodded at her.

"You going to be okay out there today?" He asked.

"I'll be fine," She responded.

"Have you and Daryl sorted things out?" He wondered.

"Yeah, we're fine now," She replied.

"Violet, I wanna' give you something, but I'm not saying you have to use it, only in the worst case scenario," She looked down at his hand to see he was holding a gun.

"Rick-"

"Worst case scenario," He repeated, and she reached out a shaky hand, taking it from him. She slipped it into the back of her belt, and nodded her head. "Thank you. I only want you to be safe."

"We ready to go now?" Maggie walked over with Glenn behind her, and Daryl soon joined them, standing next to her. He glanced over at Violet, and looked her up and down.

"What?" She asked, and he stared down at her chest. "Daryl?"

"Hm? What?" He looked up at her and she blushed.

"Okay, we're heading off now," Rick announced.

"Be safe," Carol said, and she waved them off.

They began to walk through the woods. Rick took the lead, Maggie and Glenn walked behind him, then Daryl and Violet walked behind them. Violet pulled her knife out and began to play with it. Daryl kept quiet next to her, and she felt her eyes wandering over to his.

"Violet," Maggie said, and she looked ahead at her. "Remember to grab a tent if you see one."

"I will," Violet responded with a smile, and Maggie turned away, grabbing Glenn's hand.

"Ya sure your up for this?" Daryl asked, and he pulled his crossbow off his back.

"Yeah, I'll be fine," She replied, and she quickly brought up her hand to her neck. "Daryl?"

"Yeah?"

"I never did get to say thank you for last night, for saving me," She explained, and he nodded his head.

"Never heard a scream like that before in my life. Scared the crap outta' me. I was talkin' to T-Dog, then I heard you scream, hurt my fuckin' ears," He smirked and Violet smiled back at him.

"I'm glad it was you that saved me," She reached out and grabbed his hand. "Guess the next time your in trouble, I gotta save you!"

"I never get into trouble," He grumbled, and she laughed, pulling him along behind her.