So, the first section of this chapter is going to briefly go over what happened since yesterday. How Daryl felt about it all. I tried to do it so it's not redundant. I think that most of you will be surprised at the difference between Daryl's feelings and Stella's perception of things.

Daryl's POV

He was scum. Worse, he was worse than that. What was wrong with him? First yesterday and then today? He groaned just thinking about it. He looked over at the group getting ready for dinner. She still wasn't there. What if she wasn't alright? He had been so rough with her. He was just about to climb down from the guard tower to go look for her, when she walked out through the door. He looked down at her with misery. She was never going to talk to him again.

Yesterday had been bad enough. He had just lost it. All morning he had been thinking about the night before. He couldn't help but wonder why she would be spending time with him. She was so beautiful and educated. She knew stories about Greek gods, and all he could come up with was the The Three Little Pigs. She was too good for him. He knew it. Even in this world, she was way, way out of his league.

So, when she said, what she said, about wasting the IVs, he just flipped out. Looking back he knew that she didn't mean it like that. She had meant that if she didn't have to use it, she didn't want to. It had just come out wrong. But it was Carol. Carol was like him. She was also the first person in the group to make Daryl really feel as though he mattered. That he was a decent man. He couldn't let something happen to her, she was his best friend here. The whole way back to the cell block he was afraid she was going to die. He had been so afraid. Still, that's no excuse for what he did to Stella. He knew he had blown it the moment that he had stormed out of the prison. He had wanted to go back in, tell her he was sorry, but apologies weren't something Daryl had a lot of experience with. Either giving them or getting them.

By the time she came to tell him Carol was awake he was berating himself for what he had done. She had looked at him like she didn't know who he was, and he couldn't find the words to apologize. And then, when she came out of Lori's room with tears in her eyes, a piece of him died. After they moved Carol into a room Hershel really laid into him. He agreed with everything Hershel said to him. He had been out of line, he had hurt her, and what's even worse, he scared her. He just didn't know how to say sorry.

When he saw her in Carol's room he had known something had changed. He had been glad she had yelled at him. He deserved it. She was so angry at him, and then had stormed out, walked away from him. It hurt to see her walking away. All night long he had looked for an opening, a way to say he was sorry. When she went to bed early, he followed not long after, and her door had been shut. Then later... waiting for her to come in, it had seemed like eternity. He had been so scared she was going to walk out of the gates. And then today, she did.

He had been planning to go hunting today as well. But once she left, he couldn't. He needed to be here when she got back. There were so many things that could happen to her out there, he couldn't think about it though. So he threw himself into cleaning out the offices. If she wanted a room with a door, she'd have one. And then he heard her voice, talking to Rick. He had heard her laugh. He looked up and saw her walk by, her skirt swirling around her legs.

He had gone in the first time to talk to her. But she walked right out. She wouldn't even look at him. And he had been embarrassed. He didn't want her to yell at him in front of everyone. When Rick called an end to the day, and she was staying behind, he saw his chance.

He had made some lame excuse to Rick about leaving something behind. Rick wasn't fooled for a minute. "Good luck," He had said as he glanced back at the room Stella was in. "I think you're going to need an awful lot of it." Daryl had waited until they had all disappeared around the corner before going into the room and shutting the door.

He had gone in there just meaning to say he was sorry, to say he was wrong for saying those things to her, for scaring her. But when he got in there every thought left his head. She had looked so angelic standing there. The light was shining through the window and he could see the shape of her legs under her dress. He had just needed a moment to collect his thoughts. But she went to storm past him and he couldn't let her leave. Not till he said what he needed to. When she exploded he had just wanted her to listen. He did something awful. He grabbed her and shook her. When she looked up at him, with her eyes wide, he couldn't help it. He just dove in.

Kissing her had been like riding on a rollercoaster. The fear and excitement had twisted his stomach into a knot. He could have pulled it back. That is, until she went from pushing him away to holding on to him. All of the self-control he had left crumbled.

Daryl buried his head in his hands. God, he had even ripped off her panties. And when she cried out. He thought that maybe he had hurt her, but still, he couldn't stop. When it was over, when he could move again, he realized what he had done. He had gone in there to say he was sorry, and he had made it worse. He couldn't face her.

"Some lookout you are." The shock of hearing her voice snapped him back to the present. His eyes met hers. "I just came to tell you dinner's all ready. You should come get it while it's hot." She moved to leave.

"Wait!" He bounded up from the chair. "I just wanted to say I was sorry. That was a mistake, it never should have happened. I should never have touched you like that. I had no right. I promise, it won't ever happen again." The words just tumbled out of his mouth. And instantly he knew he had said the wrong thing.

"Glad to know you regret it." She started back down the stairs.

He lunged out from behind the desk and started after her. "No! No, no! That wasn't what I meant." He caught up with her a few steps down. "It's just that you know, I'm a redneck Georgia boy, and well, you're you. It's just that I shouldn't have done that. I should've kept my distance." As he talked Daryl got the feeling that he wasn't getting out of the hole he was in.

Stella pursed her lips and nodded her head real slow. "I get what you're saying, that I am unable of making decisions for myself. You're saying I'm too stupid to know what I want." As Daryl opened up his mouth to protest she ran right over him. "That must be the case because I don't remember ever asking you to stop, and if I didn't do that then I must be to dimwitted to know who I do or don't want to have sex with. Did I get the gist of what you were saying?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that! Shit! This is all coming out wrong. This is all my fault."

"Well maybe that's because this has all been about you. This conversation has been all about you. You never even bothered to ask me what I wanted. My feelings don't matter at all, is that right? Oh, but I forgot, it was obvious my feelings didn't matter the moment you left without saying a word!" She ducked past him.

He caught her on the next landing. "Woman, stop twisting my words around! I'm just.. I'm trying to say I'm sorry is all."

"Okay, first of all, my name is Stella. Stop calling me 'woman' all the time. Do you realize that the only time you've ever called me by my name was in that office? The only time. Secondly, what exactly are you sorry for? And please, let me help you out here. Think before you speak." She crossed her arms, and raised her eyebrows. "Well?"

Daryl vaguely recalled that at some point he had thought that it would fun to push Stella's buttons. Boy had he been wrong. He took a breath. "I'm sorry I said all those things to you yesterday, and that I scared you. I didn't mean anything that I said. But Stella, most of all I"m so sorry if I hurt you earlier, if you thought your feelings didn't matter." He took a step towards her and tucked her hair behind her ear. "They matter, more than I can say. But I shouldn't have guessed what they were, I should have asked. All I want is to be with you."

Stella looked down at the ground, she was utterly still.

"She's so quiet, why won't she say something?" the thought screamed in his head. And then she leaned up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips softly to his. She shifted slightly and her tongue teased his bottom lip. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. She sighed against his lips. He could feel the tension in her body seeping out little by little.

He felt like he was drowning in her. Her pushed her back up against the wall and pressed his body into hers. Dropping his head down to her neck, he explored, tasting, savoring this time. Stella's fingers gripped his hair as he nibbled on a particularly sensitive spot just behind her earlobe. She pulled his face back to hers, and kissed him with unrestrained passion. She tugged his shirt over his head. He hissed as her nails raked down his abdomen. Her mouth brushed over his chest, her tongue flicking across his collarbone. His hands dug into her sides and he twisted her around. As she leaned against the wall he ran his hands up the front of her body. They molded to her breasts. She moaned and her head fell back against his shoulder. He ran one hand down and slipped it under her skirt and into her undies.

She was so wet, and it was for him. The thought made him groan. He slipped two fingers inside her. She twisted her head so she could have access to his lips. When he found the magic nubbin, she jerked in his hand and her breath caught. He began to tease and rub it. She tried to turn to face him, but he held her tight where she was. Her hand moved down to cover his, to press it closer. When the explosions had finished rolling through her, he pushed her underwear off. He freed himself from his jeans and turned her back around. He lifted her up against the wall and lowered her onto himself. Her legs wrapped around his waist tightly. He had to wait for a moment after he entered her. She was so tight, felt so good, and he already felt as though he was going to explode. She ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him lightly. He began to move slowly. Soon he had a smooth rhythm. He could feel the orgasm building inside him. When Stella arched her back and he felt her start to come, he let go and joined her.

This time, when it was over, he kissed her gently as he lowered her to the floor. "Are you alright?"

She laughed, "I'm slightly better than alright. If only I could get my legs to work." He kissed her lightly on the tip of her nose.

"Want me to carry you?" He asked, his voice was serious but his eyes crinkled with humor.

She nudged him back and started straightening her clothing. "The group would think that you threw me down the stairs. I swear, I think everyone about died when Glenn asked me to come get you. He's fairly oblivious, isn't he?"

Daryl decided that Glenn was going to get some sort of a special gift. "I don't care what they think, I only care what you think." He retrieved his shirt from the floor. "Stella? What do you think?" He held his breath as he waited for her to answer.

Her hands paused as she was pulling her sweater back on. "I think that you're a fool Daryl Dixon. I think that I am too. I also think that I owe you an apology as well, and you're a good man for not calling me on it."

He pushed her hair back. "What are you talking about? Why would you owe me an apology?"

"Daryl, I was so angry at you about what you did that I couldn't see anything else. I took offense to everything you said or did. I could have made the situation better, but I didn't. I was so wrapped up in what I was thinking, I made assumptions too. I assumed I knew what you were feeling and thinking. I didn't bother to ask either. I'm sorry." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in. After a minute he pulled himself away with a groan.

He looked down into her eyes and couldn't believe how much things had changed in the last two days. To be here with her, like this, was beyond anything he had ever hoped for. He reached down and took her hand. "Come on, dinner's going to be cold by the time we get back."

When they got to the door at the base of the tower, Daryl released her hand in order to pull the door open. Stella walked through and turned to wait for him. As soon as he was next to her again, he claimed her hand once more. She had given him another chance, and he was going to learn from the mistakes he had made.

Lori and Carol were both feeling good and were able to join the group for dinner. It became a festive affair. Conversations swirled around Daryl. He didn't join in. He was content to sit and watch as Stella rocked Judith to sleep.

"That is a pretty pair of girls there." Hershel sat with a grunt. "Was starting to wonder which one of you was going to come out of that tower alive. Could hear you two yelling at each other all the way over here. No offense but I had my money on Stella."

Daryl laughed. "I would have put my money on her too."

"Was glad to see the two of you figured it out. Word of advice?" Daryl turned to look at him. "Stella's a tough lady. She's had to be. Doesn't mean that she wants to be. Find some ways to give her some romance. In this world, give her beauty anywhere you can." Hershel fell silent, letting Daryl think about what he said.

Romance? Him? Daryl felt panicked at the thought. He didn't have a romantic bone in his body. But didn't she deserve it? Didn't she deserve everything that he could give her? He had been with other women, but had never had any real intimacy. Not until Stella. The most charming thing he had ever done for a woman was pay for her drink. The other night under the stars was the most romantic night he ever had. But that hadn't been him, it had been her. Still... that didn't mean he couldn't do it. 'Course a lot of the usual clichés were out. He couldn't take her out for a fancy diner, or have roses delivered. He grew even more quiet than usual as he continued to think about what Hershel had said.

Suddenly he knew what he should do to show her how much he wanted to be with her. He silently slipped away from the party. He was gone about forty minutes getting everything together. When he returned he was nervous. What if she didn't like it? He thought about going in and undoing everything he had just done. No. He'd let her decide.

He stopped by just to let Rick know what was up, Daryl didn't want anyone looking for them. He walked over to where Stella was holding a now sleeping Judith. "Think you can tear yourself away from her for a little bit?" he asked her. Her smile reassured him. He was doing the right thing.

"Sure," she said passing the baby over to Lori. "Where have you been? I looked over and you were gone."

Daryl pulled her to her feet and smiled. "Come on, I have something to show you." He led her back into the prison. Stella started to move towards the cell block, but he pulled her in another direction. "This way." He continued until he reached the hallway they had been working in today. Unlocking the gate, he held it open for her.

"What is this?" Stella asked confused. "Why did you bring me down here?" She stepped through the doorway.

Shaking his head he relocked the door. "You'll see. Come on." The excitement was building in him. He hurried down the hall until he was in front of a closed door. Tilting her face up, he kissed her gently before he swung it open.

Stella gasped. Daryl had taken one of the cleaned out offices and made it into a room for them. There were two mattresses side by side on the floor. He had made up the bed and turned down the top covers.. Daryl had moved one of the bookcases back in and placed her personal items on the shelves. Their clothes were folded side by side on the shelves on the wall. He had even made a bed for Gertie, who climbed right into it. Candles were lit randomly throughout the room. He watched as Stella looked around the room. She walked over and ran her fingers over the top of the bookcase, until they reached her hairbrush. Turning to him, she said, "You did all this? Why?"

Daryl nodded. He was glad for the dim lighting. He could feel his cheeks burning. He shifted restlessly. "The other night, sleeping with you, holding you in my arms. That was the best night I ever had. I don't want to wait for everyone else to be ready to move in. I want to be with you now." He swallowed hard, waiting for her response.

"I love that you did this, I think it's beautiful." She walked over to stand in front of him.

Being careful not to touch her skin, he slowly slipped her sweater off her shoulders, then reached behind her to pull the zipper of her dress down. He pushed the straps off her shoulders and the dress pooled at her feet. He knelt before her as she stepped out of it. He gently tugged her shoes from her feet. As he stood he hooked his thumbs into her panties and pushed them down her legs. She stood naked in front of him. He had admired her body before, but she was even more beautiful than he thought. Her breasts were full and high, with a small waist and a gentle swell to her hips. Daryl quickly shed his own clothes. He wanted to reach out and crush her to him, but he held back. He wanted to take his time with her tonight. He wanted it to be everything the first time wasn't. He entwined his fingers with hers and led her to the bed.

I hope Daryl redeemed himself in this chapter. I knew I was setting him up as a bad guy, and felt badly doing it. But things aren't always what they seem. Now that you've read this, you might want to go back and look at it through Daryl's eyes, it's easy to see how things can be misinterpreted.

As always I welcome your reviews.

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