A/N: I just realized that in like the second chapter Anna got a cigarette burn on her shoulder and then I completely forgot about it...so its all healed now guys!
I appreciate all the reviews, especially the ones about the Sophia controversy. I think I finally have it figured out. The new episode really helped and my other plan for what would have happened will just go into my next Daryl story!
I shot up terrified and looked towards the door seeing Hershel, standing stiffly in the doorway. I felt most of the tension leave my body and relaxed. Only slightly though because he still looked angry. I could feel the bed shifting as Daryl slowly sat up next to me. He stretched casually before looking towards Hershel.
"Wha's the problem ol' man? It's early an' I got shot yes'erday." Daryl's accent was more stronger when he was tired and it was adorable, but I was too nervous to think about that now.
"What you do outside my house is none of my business, but under my roof I expect a certain level of decency. I'll come back to check your stitches later."
Hershel's face was harsh as he left. Daryl yawned as he turned to look at me. His eyes narrowed slightly before he ran his hand up and down my back. I hadn't realized I was shaking until he touched me. Daryl pulled me too him before laying back down.
"Don' let him get to ya. Nothin' indecent about what we did." I shook my head against his chest.
"No it's not that. When I first heard him I thought it was Dad and I panicked." I felt tears in my eyes, but refused to let them fall. "I know he's gone, but I just..."
Daryl pulled me closer and rested his head on top of mine. He kissed it once before pulling back and pushing me up to my knees. He grabbed my hair and moved it away from my face still keeping a hold on it. He smiled slightly at me.
"How 'bout I take ya out to the woods today? I got a job to do, but I'll need some help." I smiled down at him before standing to get dressed.
"I'll go pack a picnic! Make sure you have Hershel check your wounds before you come out." Daryl sat up on the bed.
"Yer not gonna help me get dressed?" I turned and looked at him.
"If you want me to, you don't need me to." I kissed his head on my way out to pack us up some lunch.
On my way out of the house I stopped in the kitchen and got some of the leftovers from last night's dinner. I then went out to the Rv to get some other things to take along. I wrapped the different foods into clean clothe scraps piling them on the counter. I then jogged to the tent and got my backpack before going back and filling it with lunch. As I left the Rv I saw Glenn walking up with a large basket of peaches. I jogged over smiling and looked over the fruit.
"Where did you get these." Glenn looked distracted, but looked up at me.
"Oh, Maggie gave them to me." He looked down at the basket frowning.
"Well that was nice of her." Glenn just nodded slightly. "Are you OK, Glenn?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." He smiled at me slightly before setting the basket down. "Listen, if you knew something that might affect the group, but you promised not to tell, what would you do?" I stared at him for a little.
"Um, I'm not sure. I think that a promise is promise, but sometimes doing what's right is more important." I smiled and laughed slightly. "The right thing can be just as hard to figure out though."
Glenn smiled slightly before handing me a couple of peaches. I took them thanking him and turned towards the house. As I walked back towards the house I saw Daryl walking towards me with his crossbow on his back. I smiled as he approached and he threw an arm over my shoulder leading me towards the woods. Before leaving camp he turned to me.
"Ya still got that gun?"
I shook my head and pointed towards the bike. He walked over and shuffled through the bags before pulling it out and checking the cartridge. Daryl walked back over and handed it to me. I tucked it in the back of my pants before pulling my shirt over it. Daryl frowned and reached around me touching my shirt into my pants behind the gun. While he tucked he grabbed my butt cheeks I squeaked before he quickly pulled away.
"Ain't gonna do ya any good if ya can't reach it." He smirked before grabbing a bag and walking off into the woods. I smiled and followed him catching up quickly.
"Are we hunting or can we talk." Daryl turned back looking at me as he took his crossbow off his back.
"Woman, in the woods we're always huntin'." I frowned at him and he sighed. "Ya gotta be quiet either goin' or comin' yer choice."
I smiled before jogging up to him and grabbing his arm.
"I chose coming." I leaned my head on his shoulder and Daryl shifted uncomfortably. We walked for a few minutes before Daryl pulled away from me. He turned and looked me as I frowned.
"Ya know I usually let ya cuddle all ya want, but we gotta be careful out here. I need to be able to move." He rubbed my arm before pulling me into a hard kiss. "I gotta be able to protect ya."
"Alright, but you owe me when we get back." Daryl rolled his eyes and continued walking while I laughed.
"You can complain all you want, but I know you love it."
I walked quickly to catch up with him and saw a slight smile on his face as he turned away from me. Daryl paused and pulled his crossbow off his back loaded it before starting to walk again.
"So what are we doing anyway."
"Found a deer stand, but the stairs are nailed into the tree. Geeks could learn to climb and I want to turn it into a rope ladder."
"You're so smart, always thinking ahead." I smiled and kissed Daryl's cheek. He blushed slightly looking away again.
We walked in silence for a while until Daryl came to a stop in front of a large tree. I looked up and saw a platform built across tow of the branches. I looked back at Daryl and saw that he was going through his bag. I set my bag next to his as he pulled out a hammer and a pile of rope putting them on the ground before pulling out his knife. He then stood and turned towards me.
"Yer job is to catch the steps as I toss them to ya." I frowned.
"I hiked out here with you to catch things you drop? I'm just a substitute for the ground." Daryl smirked.
"Yer gonna do more later, just be glad yer jobs easy."
I just frowned harder as Daryl turned back towards the tree. He climbed up to the ladder with the hammer. He then started pulling nails out of the top board. After pulling them he tossed it down to me and I held my arms out squinting, scared to get hit in the face. I managed to catch the board and looked up at Daryl to see him staring at me. I shrugged before setting the board down by our bags. Daryl turned back to the tree and started on the next board.
The work continued in the same way for a while until Daryl finished with the last board. He walked over to the pile of boards and sat on the ground and I joined him. Daryl handed me the small pocket knife and pulled out his hunting knife. He then showed me how to drill holes into the ends of the planks. I was a lot slower than Daryl and he smirked at me every time he finished a board.
"The only reason that you're going faster is because you have the hunting knife." Daryl smirked at me.
"Alrigh' you can have it for one and we'll see." He handed me the knife and I took it giving him mine.
We started working on the next board and I looked over at Daryl. He was still moving faster than me , I frowned. I couldn't let him beat me, not after I made a big deal about it being the knife. I turned back to my board and tried to work the hole faster. As I worked I must have hit a knot in the wood and the knife jumped off it. And right into my left hand.
I shrieked and dropped the knife as Daryl quickly turned looking at me. Blood started pouring from the cut between my thumb and finger and I covered the wound. Daryl quickly dropped his board and pulled the cloth from his back pocket before moving my hand out of the way. He pressed the cloth tightly against the wound and held it there.
"God, didn' anyone teach ya not to rush with a knife? Ya coulda lost a finger."
Daryl stared angrily down at my hand and I slowly started to cry. Not very loudly, but tears streamed down my face. Daryl stood before pulling a water bottle and new clothe out of his bag. He kneeled back down next to me and removed the old clothe. Then he dumped some water over it before drying it off. Daryl then tied the new cloth around my hand as a makeshift bandage.
I wiped my eyes with my good hand and Daryl sat back and looked at me. When he saw me crying his face softened slightly. He pulled me against his chest and leaned back against one of the trees. He kissed my bandage before holding my hand against his chest. My tears quickly stopped as he held me, but I snuggled into his chest.
"Come on, we still gotta finish this."
Daryl sat us up and grabbed the bloody cloth before walking off into the woods away. I watched as he dug his heel into the dirt before tossing the cloth into it. He then covered the hole and stomped down on it. When he walked back and I looked at him confused. When he saw me looking he shrugged his shoulders before sitting and picking up his knife and the board I had been working on.
"Don' want the walkers smellin' the blood." I smiled at him and picked up the pocket knife and the last board.
Daryl and I finished at about the same time since he had two to finish and I had one. Daryl then grabbed the rope and sat down right next to me. He pulled out one length and gave it to me before grabbing a board and strung it on the other rope before tying a knot at the end. I then tied a knot in the end of mine before stringing the other half of the board onto my rope.
I smiled at Daryl as he tied another knot in his rope. I then turned back to my rope and measured how far up Daryl's knot was to match my knot to it. We kept working silently on the ladder except every once in awhile when one of us would make a mistake with a step. When that happened I would laugh and Daryl would grumble saying that I should be paying more attention.
Finally the ladder was done and Daryl gathered it over his one arm before climbing up on the tree next to the one with the stand. I watched as he looked down at the platform before jumping off the tree and onto it. I didn't see that coming and let out a little scream before covering my mouth. Daryl quickly looked over the side at me shaking his head before he started to attach the ladder to the side. When he was done he tested his weight on it before climbing down.
Daryl landed next to me and smiled at me before kissing me. I wrapped my arms around his neck kissing back before he pulled back and grabbed his crossbow and bag. I put my backpack on as well and looked over at him as he held the ladder. He motioned up at the stand.
"Ladies first."
I smiled at him before grabbing the ladder and quickly climbing up onto the platform. It looked out across a lot of the forest and it was beautifully surrounded by green. The back of the stand hugged the tree and I leaned against the trunk setting up lunch. Daryl tossed his bag up over the edge startling me before climbing on after it. He pulled the ladder up before sitting against the tree next to me. I pushed some of the food towards him and also handed him a water bottle.
Over lunch we talked about our lives before the outbreak. It wasn't the happiest conversation, with what we had to deal with. I talked about living in constant fear of Dad and Daryl talked about living with Merle when he came back home after having disappeared for years. Daryl's life didn't seem so bad as an adult. He worked construction and kept himself fed and clothed. From the sounds of it for the douchebag that Merle was he really did seem to care about Daryl.
While I talked about my whole life, Daryl didn't mention anything before his father died. Well he did talk about his mom a little. He mentioned her briefly saying that she died when he was young and that she had been drunk most of the time anyway. While we were having a heart to heart I figured I may as well ask Daryl why he hadn't taken off his shirt the night before.
"Daryl how come you don't want me to see you without your shirt on?" Daryl looked away from me and down at his pants pulling at some of the loose threads.
"I got a lot of scars. Nothin' pretty to look at." I frowned.
"Scars from what?" Daryl chewed on the side of his thumb and spoke so quietly I could barely hear him.
"My dad." I smiled slightly and reached out hugging him. I pressed my face into his neck after kissing his cheek.
"Sweetheart you're not the only one with scars." Daryl turned his head and kissed my forehead before standing up and starting to gather our stuff.
I cleaned up what was left of our lunch before putting on my bag and following Daryl down the ladder. We quietly walked back to camp and I tried to remember the way to the stand for future reference. When we got back to the farm we went to our camp and set everything down. We hadn't been back very long when Shane with the others came storming up.
"Daryl there are walkers in the barn." Daryl dropped his bag and turned towards Shane. "We gotta do something about this, you with me?"
"Yeah I'm with ya."
Shane tossed him a gun before continuing on towards the barn. Daryl followed after and I quickly followed him. When we got to the barn I saw Rick and Hershel coming from the woods with two walkers caught on poles. I gasped and quickly grabbed onto Daryl's shirt as he moved in front of me.
"What is going on here?" Hershel shouted as he approached.
"What's going on here? What were ya thinkin' keepin' walkers here without tellin' us. These things are dangerous."
"These people are sick!"
"They're dead! Otherwise they wouldn' keep comin'." Shane then shot the walker five times in the chest.
"Shane, enough!" Rick had been trying to keep Shane in line for days now and it looked like Shane was sick of it.
"You're right."
Shane then shot both walkers in the head before running to the barn. He started banging on the doors as he unlocked them. Finally the doors were being held back by just one chain as Shane moved away from the barn as everyone shouted at him. The doors rocked with the force of the walkers and Daryl quickly moved in front of me more cocking his gun.
At last the doors to the barn burst open and walkers slowly streamed out into the yard. As the walkers came towards us the group slowly started to pick them off. Daryl hadn't really taught me how to shoot a gun yet, but I guess this was a good time to try. I pulled the handgun out of my pants held it out in front of me and picked one of the walkers. I tried to aim the same way Daryl had taught me with the crossbow and pulled the trigger.
To my surprise the walker's head snapped back and he fell to the ground. I quickly cocked the gun and got another walker in my sights. It was oddly satisfying to take down walkers and I continued shooting until the chamber emptied. Once I was out of bullets I stepped back and felt someone grab onto me from behind. Startled I jerked and turned, but saw it was only Mom. She didn't seemed shocked at all by my reaction, instead she simply stared the carnage. I reached up and grabbed her arm with my hand as we stood watching.
Finally the stream of walkers stopped, but we all stood still, staring at the barn.