Part II. Again, please leave all reviews at the end of THIS chapter and those tissues I mentioned in the last part? Yeah, your gonna need them in this chapter.

Please don't hate me - again, this is only temporary!

- Nagiana


The sun was rising when the small group finally trekked their way through the woods and found the car they had left on the side of the road, and Glenn and Michonne they left behind at it as well. The both of them couldn't help but release breaths of relief when Rick shouted for them in the woods and they immediately moved to join them, a look of relief on Glenn's face the entire time. "Oh thank God Tessa – I thought we'd have to –"

"Glenn, we have a problem here, but I need you guys to back up!"

"What the Hell is he doing here?" Glenn immediately spoke after Rick interrupted him, his eyes firing up when he saw Merle trailing a little ways behind Tessa and Daryl. The sound of Michonne drawing her sword could also be heard and Rick and Daryl immediately moved to stand in-between them and Merle as Maggie ignored them both. She instead turned and pulled Tessa into a fierce hug. Tessa closed her eyes and returned the hug the best she could with her hands shackled and ended up only being able to grip her friend's shoulder as tears filled the two women's eyes.

Eventually, though, the loud shouts of protests coming from everyone except them, brought them out of their hug and they turned to face them, right when Rick stepped in-between Merle and Michonne, who had her sword pointed directly at Merle and Rick. Maggie swallowed hard as she picked up Tessa's hands and looked at the shackles wrapped around them. "Come on, let me look at these chains, we might want to get you out of them as fast as we can . . ."

"Daryl, if it wasn't for him -!"

"He helped us get out of there!" Daryl interrupted him, a look of anger appearing on his face as he shot his eyes back at Merle standing against a tree behind him. "I still got one Hell of a bone to pick with him!"

"Yeah, right after you guys beat the shit out of each other!" Rick snapped back before returning his eyes and his gun to Michonne. "At least it looks like you did a fair amount of the beating, though." Daryl nodded.

"Yeah, that was for the kidnapping. I still got plans in payback for other shit . . ." He muttered as he glanced at him again and it was then that a loud "Gotcha!" split through the air. They glanced at Maggie and Tessa, right when the shackles slid from her wrists and pooled on the forest floor. Daryl kept a steady handhold on the chain, though, knowing it would make a good improvised weapon if it came to that.

"How did you do that?" Tessa asked in slight awe as she moved to massage her wrists and Maggie sheepishly showed her the bobby pin she had in her pants pocket.

"Saw it in the movies; thought it might work 'cause the shackles look kinda old. Glad it did though, huh?" Tessa nodded as Maggie pocketed the bobby pin before moving over to the rest of them. Tessa shoved her way past Glenn to standing in front of Daryl as Maggie took a hesitant position behind her fiance. Glenn's gun arm faltered now that it was pointed on Tessa and even though his lips pursed in irritation and slight anger, it fell, nonetheless, to his side. In addition, Daryl also finally let the chain fall from his hand as he placed a hand on the small of her back – just to feel the warmth blooming from her flesh through her clothes and to make sure that she was actually there and it wasn't just a cruel dream.

"Put down your weapons – especially you!" Tessa spoke, her voice brooking no argument as she placed a hand on both Daryl and Glenn's chests, keeping them apart in case they wanted to lunge at each other, even though it was pretty unlikely. Her eyes flashed when they met Michonne and the woman's eyes steadily met hers back.

"You must be Tessa – Daryl's wife. I've heard a lot about you."

"Wish I could say the same. There is something you should know, though. These boys here," She gestured to Glenn, Daryl and Rick then. "As well as every guy back at the prison, are known as my boys – I'm kinda known as the Den Mother of the group, you must understand. And you just happen to be the bitch holding a sword with the intent to do harm to one of my boys. So I'd suggest that you sheath it – now."

"I dare you to stop me."

"Oh bitch, you don't know what I can do – so please, don't force me to make you!"

Merle's laughter caused everyone's attentions to shift. "Damn brother, looks like ya squaw's got some mouth on her!"

Daryl twirled around to face his brother at her words, his eyes darkening. "Ya know what? Ya ass is lucky ya even here alive!" He told him, his anger quickly bubbling back to the surface as he stood there, gazing at him. "Hangin' out with tha' psycho back there – doin' all kinds of shit to Tessa – ya lucky I didn' kill ya back there!"

"Daryl, baby, he didn't do anything to me," Tessa told him, her voice quiet and he turned to gaze at her in turn, a wide eyed, shocked look in his eyes. She nodded. "Believe me, I want so badly to tell you that he did after the shit he said to me, but he didn't lay a finger on me. Unbelievably, I know, but . . ." She trailed off then in a mutter, her voice one of slight disbelief and Merle shrugged.

"Yeah, man, he is a charmer, I got to tell ya tha'," He turned his eyes onto Michonne then. "He's been puttin' the wood to ya girlfriend Andrea. And believe me, Tess, it wasn' tha' I didn' want to -!"

"Ya bastard -!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, brother, calm down!" Merle quickly spoke up as Daryl's hand clenched in the scruff of his shirt and his fist rose. Merle's hands rose too in quick appeasement as Rick turned around and settled his gaze onto Michonne. "Damn, brother, ya startin' to look like the old man whenever ya do tha'!"

Those words alone seemed to take the air out of his wings and he stepped away from him entirely too quickly for Tessa's liking. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stepped closer to Daryl, her gaze switching back and forth between the two of them as Glenn spoke, his eyes going back and forth between Merle, Daryl and Tessa.

"Andrea's in Woodbury?"

"Yeah . . . right next to the damn Governor." Daryl replied to him, his tone quieter as he finally was able to pull Tessa into a hug then, where he brought her tight against him. Her arms immediately wrapped around him and she buried her face in his chest. They stood there for a moment, trying not to allow tears to appear in their eyes as they struggled to process that they finally had each other back! After countless tears and heartache and fears and worries and doubts, they finally had each other back!

"How are the kids? How's Ethan and-and the twins? Are they safe?" She asked him when she broke apart and after placing her hands on his chest, turned a worried look up to him. Daryl nodded, his eyes soft and loving as he framed her face with his hands and pressed a loving kiss to her lips.

"They're fine – ya don' have to worry about them -!"

"Kid- zuh? Damn, baby brother, I knew ya had twins but there's another one too?" Merle asked before whistling in disbelief. "Dayum, ya and Tessa have been fuckin' like bunnies since this whole thing started, haven' ya?" Daryl's teeth gritted in slight anger as he nodded and left her in order to turn around and face him, his face hard.

"Yeah, his name's Ethan. He's thirteen, 'bout to be fourteen." He spoke before falling silent, allowing Merle to do the counting in his head. When he finally did, he immediately shook his head and pointed a finger at him.

"Oh no, Daryl, don' ya dare tell me -!"

"I'm sorry, but this can be settled later! Can we please get back on the topic of Andrea being in Woodbury?" Glenn asked rather impatiently as he interrupted Merle mid-sentence. The oldest Dixon shot him a look before pinning Daryl with one none of them could rightly decipher as Rick yelled at Michonne to drop the sword when she tried to make a lunge for Merle.

"You know Andrea?" Rick demanded when she was still and Michonne glared at him for a moment before a grinning Merle answered him.

"Yup, she does. She and Blondie spent all winter cuddlin' up in the forest. Mmm, mmm, mmm . . . yup, my Nubian Queen here had two pet walkers. They had no arms and she had cut off the jaws and kept 'em in chains," He glanced at Tessa. "It's kinda ironic, now that I think 'bout it, eh sweet-pea -?"

"Shut up, bro!" Daryl snapped at him as he took a threatening step towards him and Merle shook his head, ignoring his outburst.

"Hey man, we snagged them out of the woods, Andrea close to dyin'."

"Is that why she's with him?" Maggie asked and Merle nodded.

"They're as snug as two little bugs, they are," He spoke before turning a cold gaze onto Rick. "So what you gonna do now, Sheriff, huh? Surrounded by a bunch of liars, thugs and cowards -"

"Shut up!" Rick snapped at him over his shoulder and Merle – damnable Merle – only laughed in response.

"Oh-ho man, look at this! Pathetic, ain' it?" He asked, directing his words towards Daryl. "All these guns and no bullet in them -"

"Merle – shut the fuck up!" Daryl hissed at him as he turned around to face him, Tessa's hand immediately latching onto his arm as he did so. Merle quickly turned to face him as his laughter dried up in favor of anger.

"Shut up yourself! Bunch of pussies; you roll -!"

Merle was suddenly shut up by Rick knife-butting him in the back of the head and Tessa rolled her eyes as she turned away from them, her fingers rubbing away the migraine that was starting in her temples. "Oh thank God – thank you, Rick! I was starting to get tired of hearing him!" She muttered and Rick nodded in welcome as he sheathed his knife seconds later. Daryl shook his head as he gazed down at his brother.

"Asshole."


"Daryl, what are you saying?"

"Look, I ain' tryin' to piss ya off, Tess, but maybe me unleashin' ma anger and wrath on him right now isn' the best thing. The Governor is gonna be on his way to the prison – we all know tha' - and he ain' exactly gonna be waitin' for a damn invitation!" Daryl spoke as he moved to hold everyone's gaze but purposely avoiding Tessa's wide-eyed look of shock. "Merle knows how he thinks and we could use the muscle. He'd he useful!"

"I am not having him that prison!" Tessa snapped at him as she shook her head. "Ethan, Wren – the fucking twins and oh my God!" She let out a laugh of sarcastic disbelief then as she threw her hands up in the air. "Do I honestly have to mention myself too in that list? You know how Merle feels about me Daryl - how he feels like he has to compete with you for me!" She shook her head. "So how could you possibly advocate such a thing?" Rick nodded in agreement.

"I'm sorry, Daryl, but I have to agree with Tess. There is no way in Hell that Merle is going to live with us – not after everything he put Tessa through and not with the kids there."

"He ain' no fuckin' child molester!" Daryl snapped and Tessa gritted her teeth in anger as she turned her eyes up to his.

"Yes, but he is a fucking rapist! Or have you forgotten what he fucking did to me in that barn?"

"Of course I haven' Tess! Jesus Chris, I have nightmares 'bout tha' happenin' to ya again and again and I'm not able to get to ya! I jus' think right now tha' the pros of Merle jus' happen to outweigh the cons!" Tessa shook her head in disbelief again as she turned around and walked off a little ways.

"I can't talk to you right now. Hell, I can't even look at you right now!" She snapped, almost beyond angry and Rick glanced at her before he turned his eyes back onto Daryl.

"I can't have everyone at each other's throats and look at you and Tess - look at how angry she is just by you bringing this up! You can't tell me that this wouldn't become an everyday thing with you guys! And the twins and Ethan – they don't need that."

"No they don't!" Tessa fumed behind him and her eyes connected with Daryl's for a moment before she looked away again, her lips pursing.

"So you're gonna cut Merle loose but bring the Last Samurai home with us?" He asked then as he gestured to Michonne leaning up against the car a few meters away, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Rick glanced at her as Tessa still stood there a little way behind him, her back to Daryl and her arms crossed in front of her breasts. She was trembling in anger and didn't deign to answer him for once.

"She's not coming back." Rick assured him and Maggie gave a shrug.

"Rick, she's not in a state to be on her own." She told him as their eyes connected and Glenn heaved a sigh as he turned to him too.

"She did bring you guys to us."

"Yeah, and then ditched us!" Rick immediately replied back before turning his eyes onto her again. "Not-to-mention she's too unpredictable." Daryl nodded in agreement.

"That's right – we don't know who she is." His eyes flickered onto Tessa's back then before falling onto Rick. He knew these next words wouldn't sit well with her but he had to say them. "But Merle – Merle's blood -"

"You fucking asshole!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Tess – calm down!"

"How the fuck could you say that, you piece of shit?"

Daryl cringed underneath Tessa's fingernails and her fists as she mercilessly pummeled him, a look of absolute fury appearing on her face. When Rick finally managed to wrap his arms around her waist and yank her off of him, Daryl turned an expressionless look onto her as she wrenched herself free of Rick before pinning a look of fury onto him. "You call him family after what he did to me?" She asked him, her voice barely a whisper. "You call him family after he lied to you about where I went when I left you – how he made me leave you to begin with?" She shook her head and swallowed heavily, her finger trembling as she pointed in the general direction of the prison. "Your family – your blood, Daryl – the only blood that should matter to you - is back at that prison! It runs in the veins of your son and your children – in Ethan and Daniel and Aayla. That-that . . . undeserving motherfucker, in no way, deserves whatever scant loyalty you are crazy enough to still put in him!" Glenn nodded in agreement.

"She's right. My family, Daryl – my blood, is standing right here and is back at that prison too."

"And your part of that family," Rick told him. "Your family is an integral part too! Your little boy and your little girl will grow up with mine – with whatever other children will be born in the group too!" Tessa swallowed hard then, her anger dissipating somewhat as she shakily placed a hand on his cheek.

"But Daryl, baby, he's not! He's . . . he's not!" Daryl's eyes fell onto hers then and he saw tears bubbling up in her eyes as her voice lowered still. "Those children back in the prison are not his – I didn't have his children – I didn't give birth to his children! I had yours, Daryl,because I love you and I've wanted your children ever since we slept together for the first time I realized that I couldn't love another man the way I do you!" She shook her head. "Don't make me do this, baby, please don't make me do this!" He knew what she meant and he didn't want her to do it either, but as his hand curled around her hip, attempting to bring her closer as he gazed at her with pleading eyes, he knew before he even spoke that she would.

"Tess, please, the group needs him -!"

"No . . . absolutely we do not need him!" Tessa spoke as she shook her head and turned her gaze down to the ground then, her pleading tears quickly becoming tears of anger as she wrenched herself out of his grip. The motion almost seemed to rip her heart in half and she had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out in pain. "No, Daryl, I'm not doing this. You told me once that one of the reasons you loved me was because I wasn't like your mother - that you knew I would do everything in my given power to protect my children – that I would fight tooth and nail for them if the moment came that I would need to do so!" She shook her head then as she turned a determined gaze up to him. "Well I'm doing that now, even though it's practically killing me. You leave Merle here and come back with us – back to your family, or you don't come back at all," She shook her head. "If you do, though, then I'm done, Daryl. If you choose Merle over me, then I won't be able to do it anymore. I'll . . . I'll have to cut you from my life and then . . ." The tears spilled over from her eyes then, running streaks down her dirty cheeks. "Then you'll never see me or your children again – I promise you! But you need to know that you will kill your son, Daryl! You will hurt Ethan so badly and please, don't do that! I don't think I could handle seeing him so hurt!"

They held gazes for a moment then and in hindsight, Daryl didn't know what came over him. He didn't know what made walk away from her. But he did. He pushed past her and then pushed past Glenn and Maggie and when she tearfully called out his name, her voice so full of fear and agony that it almost make his heart explode, he forced himself to keep walking, even though it felt like every step was being weighted down with a cinder-block. He told himself that the only reason he turned away and walked away from everything he had ever known until they – the woman of his dreams, his three beautiful children, was to keep them safe. He told himself that as soon as they were gone, him and Merle were gonna go to Woodbury and put a bullet through the Governor's head, then he would put a bullet through Merle's for what he did to her and then go back to the prison.

But as he walked away, he knew deep in his gut that, that wouldn't happen . . . that he was walking away for good.

The smell of gardenias in his nose as he would bury his face in her hair – the taste of her and the feel of her tongue in his mouth, tangling with his . . . the look in her eyes when they would lay naked together afterwards and tease each other and whisper sweet nothings, that beautiful grin always on her face . . .

The grin on Ethan's face when he shot his crossbow for the first time – the first time Daryl ever let him drive the bike . . . the first time he ever looked at him and called him 'deddy' . . .

The feel of his son and his daughter sleeping in his arms after Tessa was done feeding them, their warm, pink skin so soft from the womb and he would marvel at how him and Tessa could ever have created something so perfect together when the both of them were so damned broken and wounded . . .

As every memory flitted through his mind, cruelly taunting him and reminding him what he was leaving behind, he vowed that he wasn't leaving them because of Merle. He was leaving them to keep them safe and to end the evil before it even arrived on his doorstep.

He nonetheless couldn't help but bow his head and allow a few tears to leave his eyes, though.

I'm so sorry, Ethan . . .