Nothing On Us

Jamie made sure that her bandaged leg was as secure as it could be before they started their climb up a fucking mountain. She probably should have accepted Daryl's offer to eat some of the Squirrel he had caught, but she also knew that there was a higher probability that she would only throw it up and what was left in her stomach in the first place. He could have it, she'd rather go hungry. Damn horse, taking all her food.

"That path's not big enough for us both, so who's going up first?" Jamie asked as she looked over to Daryl. She nearly had to do a double take at the look of him. He had blood all around his mouth, stuck in his goatee, and he was wearing a shoelace around his neck with the four ears from the walkers they had grounded.

He was looking back at her, his light blue eyes watching as he waited for a reaction. She had never really had a great trouble with blood, but he knew that she preferred to go without blood in places that it shouldn't be. She just cocked her head to the side slightly as she looked at him, squinting.

"Is it wrong that I find that kind 'a sexy?" she asked finally, causing him to smirk devilishly in response. It was true, too, that there was just something about the wild look of him that was a complete turn on. She found herself wanting to kiss him, even with the blood all over his lips. He was just that appealing when he looked all badass like he did at that moment.

"You're up," Daryl said challengingly, looking up along the hillside that they had to scale. Jay looked up along the path for the first bit to see how she'd get up the dirt side. It would be easier at the base, because it was nowhere near as steep as the top portion was. A glance up toward the sun told her that they had time before sunset, but it was best not to lag because of walkers.

Daryl was right behind her as she began to scale up the side of the mountain before them, using as many trees and roots as she could to pull herself upward instead of having to rely on the strength of her legs. She only had one good one and even that one wasn't in the best shape energy wise. Her hands scraped up because of the dirt and rocks but she really could have cared less at that moment. Her arm muscles didn't take long to get tired from constantly pulling herself upward and she soon fell forward on her forearms to rest.

"No way, you stop now you ain't gunna get moving again," Daryl growled out behind her before he pushing her up by her ass, throwing her into a forward momentum that got her going again.

"Now comes the hard part," she grumbled to herself as she looked up at the two ridges that were left to get over. There wasn't much to grab a hold of aside from dirt and even then it was soft dirt. Jamie huffed irritably as she lunged for the large tree root sticking out of the side of the steep ridge, gripping it with both hands and using her already tired arms to keep her up as her legs faltered for a moment when there was nowhere for them to take purchase.

She could hear Daryl grunt in pain behind her, trying to make a move over in the same direction that she had taken. Pulling hard with her arms, making them shake with the effort, she was able to get her feet up onto the ridge just below and push on her good leg to get herself high enough to grab hold on the vine wrapped around the base of the tree.

Daryl looked up to where she was, making sure her feet were in a good place and there wasn't a risk of her falling down as he had done. She looked like she had safe, but her shirt was soaked through on her leg completely because of the excessive use of her legs and her torso was covered in cuts, scrapes and dirt from lack of protection on her skin. The bruise on her back was turning yellow from the healing process, allowing her tattoo to become clearly visible again. He had to shake himself from his thoughts when he found that he was staring at her and not concentrating on getting up the hillside.

The loud screech of birds overhead turned his attention up through the trees, looking at the circling birds that were visible through an opening in the canopy of leaves.

"Please don't feed the birds," Merle's voice called suddenly, causing Daryl to look back over to where Jamie was struggling to pull herself over the final ridge to get back onto the path they had been taking. Merle stepped into view over the side of the hill, looking down at Daryl in amusement. He laughed in amusement as he looked between him and Jay. "Well what's the matter, Darleena, that all you got in you?"

Daryl ignored the voice of his brother, looking away from him and beginning to pull himself backward up the hill, using his arms to pull up. The trees and veins around him helped slightly, but he was still fighting against the tremendous throbbing in his side and the many sore muscles that covered his body.

"Come on now, even Jay-Jay's better at this than you? Woo-wee, look at that girl go, no shirt on an' all exposed," Merle mocked in amusement, crouching down to the side of where Jamie had stopped to take a breath and collect herself.

"I did better when yous was missin'," Daryl finally grumbled out, looking away from Merle again as rage burned away at his insides. Merle wasn't there…he knew that Merle wasn't there. He didn't notice the look that Jamie sent his way as she looked over her shoulder to him, her eyes filled with concern as she heard his words. She had a strong feeling that he wasn't talking to her.

"Now come on, don't be like that, I'm on your side!"

"Yea? Since when?"

He's having a conversation with someone? she thought, watching as Daryl gripped at a vein to keep himself in place as he looked for a way to get up. He's hallucinating, she realized. She turned her attention back to the final ridge that she had to pull herself over, knowing that she needed to get him back to the camp as fast as she could. He clearly had knocked his head far harder than she'd thought he had.

"Awe, hell, since the day you were born, baby brother," Merle called down to Daryl, watched the younger man as he positioned himself carefully before pulling up quickly to get himself higher to the top. "Somebody had to look after your worthless ass."

"You never took care of me, you talk a big game but you's never there!" Daryl yelled from behind her, causing Jamie to pause for just a moment as she dug her foot down into the dirt and prepared to jump for it. The emotion in Daryl voice tore at her heart and she immediately knew who he was talking about. She immediately remembered when they were fixing themselves up and he'd said something about someone being right. Merle? He'd been hallucinating that Merle was there? When he was on the ground, he must have been dreaming that Merle was there as well.

"Come on," she mumbled to herself, tensing her tired arms to pull herself up at the same time she jumped.

"Hell, you ain't here now. Some things never change," Daryl continued below her, panting with exertion. There was a brief pause as he continued to slowly gain height, lessening the distance between them, before he spoke again. "I know what I saw!"

Jamie gritted her teeth, wishing there was something that she could do. She didn't even know what it was that he thought Merle was saying to him; the only way that she could be sure was to either ask him or if she could hear Merle, too. She wouldn't ask him, though, because she knew that it was between him and whatever he was struggling with about his brother.

"You best shut the hell up!"

With a short cry of pain, Jamie pushed on both her legs to get up to the top, a tearing pain ripping through her knee and thigh. Her knees struck on rocks and her arms were scraped up as she pulled herself up over the edge of the drop, using the ground to drag her body up and onto safe ground. She gasped in pain as she lay still for a moment, her hand lowering down to the dripping bandage on her knee. She'd bleed out at this rate.

"Well come on a do it then, it you think you're man enough!" Merle mocked as he stood at the top of the ridge that Jamie had disappeared over, looking down at Daryl. "Hey, kick off them god-dammned high heels and climb, son! That fine piece of ass can get up this pansie climb, what's stoppin' ya?" The mockery of Merle's laugh caused Daryl to shake his head, trying to shake away the sounds of his brother's voice. He didn't want to hear it. He refused to listen!

Merle was never there. He was always the one that watched his back, he never needed his brother. He'd grown up on his own, taught himself how to take all the shit from his father and his brother! He wouldn't let Merle stand there and tell him how he'd worked so hard on makin' him a man; he was a man because of what he himself had become. If there was anyone out there that had helped him become who he was, it was Jamie. She had always been there.

"Come on," Merle said, holding his hand out for the younger sibling to take. "Come on, little brother," he encouraged, motioning him up further as he laughed. "Grab your friend Rick's hand!"

Daryl's hand shot out to grab his hand, trying to keep himself up as he moved. To his shock, he connected with flesh instead of Merle disappearing like before. When he looked up, his eyes didn't meet blue, but hazel. Jamie had one leg leant against the tree so she wasn't pulled back down, nails digging into the bark for added support as she took a firm hold on Daryl's hand with the other. Her face was caught in a determined look, set in her ways.

"I'm here," she assured before pulling on his hand, letting him use her to pull on in order to lift himself up. Her leg screamed in protest but she never once showed it as she used the last of her strength of pull him up, soon using both hands to help him. As soon as he had one knee up on the top of the hill, he was able to give that final push off the joint and lift the rest of his body out of the shadowed cliff side.

Both toppled to the ground together, Daryl landing harshly on Jamie's body as he fell in fatigue. Her arms embraced him with tired relief, her head resting against his. He stunk of sweat, blood and creek water but she couldn't bring herself to care as she held onto him, so relieved. Daryl looked over her shoulder as he loosely returned the embrace.

Merle had indeed disappeared again. And he doubted that he'd be coming back.

He pulled himself up enough so that he could look into her face, her eyes filled with her relief and showing how tired her was, with blood and dirt straining almost all of her tanned skin. She didn't show a single care, however, as he lifted her face up gently to press a kiss to her lips.

"Gotta get movin', Angel," Daryl whispered against his lips, feeling her nod even as she never pulled away from the kiss. Her arms tightened around him, pulling him closer. He pressed her down into the dirt as one of his hands slid around to the back of her neck to keep her in place, deepening the kiss further. He pulled away before long, knowing that they would need to get back before sunset.

"It's going to be a long walk back," Jay gasped out as Daryl looped one of her arms over his shoulder, letting her take some of her weight off her injured leg. Daryl looked down at the path that they could have to take, knowing that it was very true. It was going to be long, they were injured, and there was the chance of walkers.

One hell of day.

"That walk," he started, looking down at where she was resting her temple on her arm from where it draped over his shoulder, "ain't got nothin' on us." She smirked as he repeated what she had said before nodding in agreement and taking the first step. Pain rippled through her body with each movement, but she knew that it would only get worse over time if she stayed to rest. She'd soon be too bad to walk at all.

They kept an eye on the sun, making sure that they stuck to a good pace through the woods so that they didn't get caught out at night. Jamie stumbled constantly, but Daryl was always there to keep her up and pull her forward again when she just wanted to sit down and rest. He pressed forward with a determined stride that didn't waver. He had to get back to that camp.

He would count off all the reasons in his head as he took each step, just to keep himself moving.

Jamie's leg would get infected or she might bleed out. She also had a concussion that could be very severe. He needed to get back to the others with the news on Sophia and her doll. Daryl would be damned if he let Shane take the satisfaction of him dying. He couldn't let Merle be right; he would not die before his older brother did.

Jamie stumbled again, this time too much to recover, and fell to the ground. She hissed in pain as her arms were scraped up. Daryl moved over to get her back on her feet, but was left surprised when she pulled herself back onto her feet on her own, her legs shaking but able to hold herself up. She had pulled her hair back and out of the way, exposing the nasty gash on her forehead. The bared skin of her midsection was coated in red lines from where she'd been caught with sticks and rocks from the climb. However, she had gotten back up on her own.

"I'm gunna kill that fuckin' horse," she finally gasped out as she met his eyes. Daryl let a tired grin reach his lips before he wrapped an arm around her waist and got them moving again.

He wouldn't let Jamie die like this.

When Daryl finally saw the familiar tree line that led into the field to the side of Hershel's farm house, Jamie was nearly stumbling every other step. Her entire left leg was covered in blood, the once blue denim left with a full stain of crimson. His hand gripped the back of her belt and pulled hard when she nearly fell again, keeping her on her feet nearly painfully.

"Almost there, Angel, come on now. Don't give up on me now," Daryl mumbled, beginning to repeat it over and over to encourage her to keep moving. The amount of blood that she'd lost was going straight to her head and she could barely even see properly anymore. They sun struck them as it moved to the farmhouse, nearly out of view as it was close to disappearing behind the trees. Jay stumbled again, nearly going down to one knee before Daryl was able to haul her back onto her feet.

He wasn't so sure she'd be able to pick herself up again this time.

"Who's that," she suddenly mumbled out, seeing people rushing through the field toward them. Daryl panted heavily as he looked over in the direction the four were coming from. Shane, T-Dog, Glenn and Rick were moving through the tall grass of the field at a jog toward them. Must have been a sight for sure; all four were carrying weapons. He looked at Shane's pickaxe with hatred, knowing that the fucker'd use it, too.

Jamie's eyes were unfocused, but she didn't miss when Rick stopped a couple yards from them and held up his gun, pointing straight for Daryl's head. He thought they were walkers? She supposed that it wasn't really a surprise, how the both of them looked and all.

"Oh my god, is that Jamie and Daryl?" Glenn asked first as he noticed them leaning heavily on one another.

"That's the third time that you pointed that thing at my head," Daryl finally growled out, his voice rough and scratchy. "You gunna pull the trigger, or what?" he challenged, watching as Rick lowered the gun and the other three men relaxed. Jamie looked over to Daryl's face, seeing the amount of blood that still covered it from before the climb. Perhaps she should have had him wash his face.

There was a familiar cracking sound a moment before Daryl fell away from her side, leaving Jamie in shock for a millisecond as she stood alone before her legs gave out at the same time she dove down for him, his name leaving her abused throat in a rough scream. Her heart jumped in her chest and began to race at a pace it had never met before, her hands moving to look over his face for any sign of a bullet hole. Fresh blood covered the left side of his head, the side opposite that she had been standing, where there was a long line from a bullet graze.

"No!" Rick was shouting out hysterically in the background of her attention, to whoever had fired the shot.

"Baby, baby, open your eyes," Jamie gasped out as she leaning against his good side and on his chest, too tired to stay on her knees.

"I's kidding," he finally slurred out after a moment, causing her to gasp in tears and press her cheek against his right one, away from the fresh injury. Tears slipped from her eyes in relief, her stomach relaxing from the nauseatingly tensed feeling that it had been in before. He went limp in her hold, passed out from the near deadly shot to his head.

Who had fired off that shot?

"Come on, Jamie, we need to get him inside," Rick explained carefully as he took hold of her arms and pried her away from the male on the ground. A new energy came to her as she looked over to see Andrea and Dale rushing over to them. The only other two that could have taken that shot.

Andrea was the one asking in hysterical panic if someone was dead.

She lunged toward the other woman with a feral scream, her hands reaching for her throat. Hands held her back, stopping her from getting to her desired target so she could choke the life out of her. She tried to fight, she tried as hard as her weak body could. Black rage boiled in her blood like fire, curling and burning her from the inside out.

"You bitch! You stupid fuckin' bitch! You shot him! I'm going to kill you!" Rick held back the enraged woman, surprised at the strength she was still able to exude, even though she'd been leaning heavily on Daryl less than a minute before.

"Jamie, calm down! He's alive!" Rick yelled as he forced her to the ground, holding her on her side as she tried to kick out. "He's alive!" She gradually stilled beneath him as tears coursed down her face, leaving cleared tracks through the gore that covered her skin. Her body shook with sobs as she finally stopped fighting, letting her head fall back onto the ground as she gave up.

"T-Dog, help Shane with Daryl. And for Christ sake, someone get rid of the ears around his neck," Rick ordered from above Jamie, his hands still holding onto her arms gently as she quivered. T-Dog pulled the shoelace from around Daryl's neck and tossed it back the way that Daryl had come, letting them fall hidden in the long grass.

Jamie fell still under his hold suddenly and drew his attention down to her. Her head had fallen to the side, unconscious.

Glenn had the rifle and crossbow that had fallen when Daryl was shot, following after the others. Andrea looked petrified at the reaction that had been drawn from the other blonde, standing back as Dale tried to comfort her, reassuring her that she was only concerned about Daryl and she'd be alright after she rested and was assured he was okay.

Rick carefully picked the woman up in his arms, the blood from her leg coating his hand and arm quickly when he hooked his right hand under her knees. Her head rested on his shoulder, her blood smearing onto his uniform shirt. Her arm hung limp over his arm as he walked. If the recovery from the blood she's given last time annoyed her, she'd be pissed at the time she was to spend on bed rest this time around.

"Guys," T-Dog said suddenly stopping him and Shane's movement when he felt something bumping against his leg. He pulled something out from Daryl's belt, raising it up for everyone else to see. "Isn't this Sophia's?" Rick turned to look what he was talking about, feeling a lurch in his stomach at the sight of the doll, stained and battered from the elements.

"Let's get them inside," Rick called out, "we'll have to wait for them to wake up before we can ask them what happened."

Lori and Carol recoiled in shock at the sight of the two when Rick first stepped up with Jamie in his arms, rather worrying that she was as light as a feather. She was nearly unrecognizable with the amount of blood and dirt that covered her body, wearing only a sports bra on her upper body. The two women quickly agreed to help with undressing her so that her injuries could be treated. Carol took off to her and Daryl's tent to get them a change of clothing while Lori followed Rick and Hershel.

"Put her in the room down the hall next to your boy," he ordered Rick when they were in the house, motioning for the hallway before he turned his attention to T-Dog and Shane and had them put Daryl in the room close to the dining room. Maggie laid out a sheet over the comforter to keep the blood and dirt away from where she's be resting once she was treated.

"We've got her," Lori assured Rick as soon as he'd put her down. He looked down at the gash on Jay's forehead with concern before he nodded his head and pressed a kiss to Lori's temple before he moved from the room. Maggie used a set of scissors to cut off the bandage Daryl had done on her leg before doing so with the area around the injury.

"She doesn't have any other pants, best to salvage these if we can," Lori said to stop Maggie when she went to cut the rest of the pant leg off. She hesitated a moment before nodded her head and instead helped Lori to gently pull the pants off the blonde woman. The blood covered her skin, too, as well as several large bruises around the area of the cut. There was a large, jagged injury that ran from her thigh to her knee for nearly four inches, deep enough to expose muscle.

"That's going to take a lot of stitches," Maggie commented sadly as she looked down at the unconscious woman. "Hope and pray she don't wake up when it's time to take care a' that."

I'm baaa-aaak! :)

Sorry that it's been forever since I've updated this, there is truly no excuse! I've been trying to continue a lot of my stories but it's been a while and I don't have the same thoughts as I did when I last worked on them. Damn school.

Anyway, I hope you're all glad to know that I have returned and will be fulfilling your cravings! :P

Chapter 26 – A Purpose, My Lifeline

His side throbbed as he walked, but he refused to stop until he got to her room. The door was cracked open the slightest bit, letting him nudge it gently to let the heavy wood open the remainder of the way. Jamie lay to one side of the bed, the sheets only pulled over half of her body. Her left leg was out of the covers, her sweatpants rolled up to just above the stitches along her knee and thigh. He was relieved to see the dirt had been washed off of most of her.

Closing her door behind him, he limped his way over to the other side of the bed. The sheets were cool to the touch when he slipped under them, moving over to Jamie's side. He took her hand from her side and lifted it up so that he could keep a hold on her somehow as he rested beside her. He had seen the cuts and scratches along her torso from the loss of her shirt and he didn't want to take the chance of aggravating any of them.

She exhaled loudly suddenly, her hand tightening around Daryl's before she fell still again and resumed her peaceful slumber. For the first time since she and Daryl had entered a physical relationship, Daryl was afraid to touch her. Her entire body was riddled with cuts, bruises and stitched lacerations. For the first time since he had met her, he was truly afraid he was going to hurt her.