#daryl x oc smut

[d1xonss]

Older | Part 2

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x Reader

✧ Era : Season 6

✧ Pronouns : she/her

✧ Genre : ⚠️Smut (18+)

✧ Word Count : 8.7k

AN ~ Ask and you shall receive:)) I also made sure to tag a few people that seemed to really like the last one! ps- This is my first time ever attempting to write actual smut so it's safe to say I am extremely nervous to put this out there. Writing smut vs reading smut are very two different things I've come to find out lol. But I hope it's good enough and I hope you guys like it!

(Make sure to read part 1 first if you haven’t already!!)

The night before had been a whirlwind of different emotions. Something you weren’t totally expecting. But it happened. He was practically begging you, seconds from getting down on his knees to plead. But then you were unexpectedly dragged away from the whole interaction, and you hadn’t seen him since.

It was a lot to take in. Though at the same time it really wasn’t. You had what you wanted now laying in the palm of your hand, all you really had to do now was act on it. He expressed how he felt about you, told you just how much he wanted you just as you wanted him, you heard everything you wanted to hear. And in your mind, you didn’t want to drag it out any further than you already had. Because you had to admit, you found yourself growing just as desperate as he was at just the mere thought of him. The thought of him beneath you, panting and groaning, it was getting you all worked up as you daydreamed about it. But it didn’t have to be a daydream, not anymore.

You didn’t know what you completely planned to do yet, but a thought crossed your mind about inviting him over to your house, maybe for dinner. The setting would be perfect, the timing would be perfect, and you knew that he would be perfect. It was really all about finding him now to ask him officially, to which you knew he would say yes. But you also slowly realized that you had absolutely nothing left in your house to cook. So you decided to make a quick trip down to the pantry, to pick up just a few simple things as you went over in your head over the options you could make.

Though unbeknownst to you, Daryl was pacing around in his own home, thinking wildly about the whole interaction just a few hours prior. The things he said, the way he sounded. He felt like such an idiot now, knowing that the whole thing was pretty much ruined ever since Carol took you by the arm and away from him. Practically hogging you for the entire rest of the night. He didn’t know how to fix this, but what seemed to be worrying him the most was he didn’t exactly know whether or not you were going to agree. It was hard to tell in the moment, but thinking back on it now, it really could’ve gone either way in his mind.

But suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks as movement outside his window seemed to catch his attention. It was you. Making your way down the streets and heading straight for the pantry it seemed like. He stood frozen for what felt like hours, thinking over how he should approach it, or if he should even approach it at all. The thoughts clouding his mind were enough to make his head spin, but ultimately the older man did know what he wanted. You knew what he wanted. He just confessed every little thing last night, he figured now the least he could do now was talk to you about it.

So with that, he rushed out of his house in hopes of catching you before you had a chance to leave the building, hoping that the pantry itself was free of anyone else so he could speak with you privately. His steps were fast and heavy, his worn boots slapping on the concrete with how fast he appeared to move. In just a split second he was already at the front door, opening it a bit quietly to peer inside, seeing your back facing him as you picked through the food, taking note that there was no one else around.

He stepped in the space as silently as he could, approaching you almost with caution it seemed like as he couldn’t pull his eyes away from you. Though the man couldn’t see your face, a smirk was playing on your lips as you knew of his presence the moment he stepped through the door. For a hunter he sure was awfully loud, but perhaps he was just so nervous he didn’t even know how loud he was being.

“It’s not polite to stare.”

The man froze right where he was at the sound of your voice, his eyes widening once he realized how easily you had caught him. He still couldn’t take his eyes off of your however even if you claimed it wasn’t respectful, watching as you turned around to face him with a warm and sweet smile as you always did.

“Hi Daryl.”

His heart jumped a little at you using his name the way you were, hearing your voice alone was enough to bring a small smile to his face as he looked at you, “Hey.”

He watched as you approached him further, standing in front of him now as you tilted your head a little in question, “What brings you down here?” you asked, your tone clear and knowing.

He felt like he had just been caught once more, knowing that you might’ve figured out that he had come down here just to see you, talk to you. He decided now he had to come up with some sort of lie to get him out of his tension, to make it seem like the situation was all in your head. “I just…uh…I was just comin down for some stuff m’ runnin low on back at the house.” he said almost confidently.

Your face then dropped a little at his answer, though you knew he was lying, you decided to play into it, “Oh…you mean you didn’t come all this way to see me?”

His eyes widened a little upon seeing the hurt look you had on your face, “N-No, I-...I mean…” he trailed off with a sigh, wondering how the hell he managed to already fuck this up when he had been down here with you for about thirty seconds. “I…I did.” he finally admitted.

A slow smirk was brought to your face at his sudden switch in honesty, “I know.” you teased, brushing past him lightly to look at the vegetables just behind him.

The man felt his cheeks heat up drastically, not only that you knew the real reason he came down here to begin with, but the way you barely brushed up against him as you passed. This whole thing was nearly torture at this point as he groaned a little to himself, turning to look at you again.

“God damn it woman…” he said as he moved up next to you, “Yer killing me, ya know that?”

He heard you hum a little to yourself as your eyes never moved away from the plethora of food in front of you as you scanned through them, “Am I?” you asked, your tone coming out almost innocent.

Daryl found himself swallowing thickly as he shook his head, “Yes…ya really are.”

You hummed again in acknowledgement as you finished putting a few things in some kind of woven basket around your arm, before turning to fully face him, “It’s still wrong you know…” you said obviously.

When he hears you state the lone and knowing fact, he can’t help but silently agree. He knew how wrong it was, even without you having to remind him he was well aware of the situation he was placed in. The age difference was big, you were still so much younger than he was and he knew that his lingering thoughts about you were very wrong. But if it was so wrong, then how come he still wanted you? So badly.

He then huffed a little at your statement, “Yeah…it’s still wrong. What if…what if we got caught or some shit? I know it’s all…too risky. And…we’d probably feel guilty if anyone found out about it, right?”

You nodded along to everything he was saying, “...Right.”

But even after saying all that, clarifying how bad this all was to even consider it, a part of him still didn’t care. He laid everything out before you, he had already admitted everything and all the two of you had talked about thus far was everything negative about the situation. That wasn’t what he wanted, and surely it couldn’t have been what you wanted either. Though he couldn’t read your mind, he couldn’t just ignore the slightly disappointed look on your face at the conclusion you assumed you both came to.

“...But…” he started, not knowing how to word exactly what he was feeling.

Your interest piqued however, wanting him to say it, “But?”

His eyes meet your with a mixture of softness and hunger, stepping forward a bit as his confidence took over him so suddenly, “But I don’t give a fuck about how wrong it is. If ya really wanna know how I see it…to me it feels like the only right thing in the whole damn world.”

You felt as if your heart stilled, actually wondering to yourself if any of this was even real. You had been practically dreaming of this moment for years, craving and wanting him so badly for what felt like decades. And now it was unfolding right before your very eyes. For some reason, this statement alone had you sold, not needing to hear another word to know how much he truly wanted this. Last night he almost looked filled with lust and would say just about anything for you to give in. But this right here was different. A determination of some kind that you hadn’t seen from him before.

You were silent for a long moment as you collected your thoughts, worrying the older man slightly as the two of you stood there facing each other awkwardly. That is until your face broke out into a smile, tilting your head a bit at him as you finally spoke.

“Are you free tonight?”

Daryl’s mouth parted a bit in shock as he blinked a few times in utter disbelief, questioning to himself if he even heard you right at all. But all he could do in that moment was nod his head, finding his mouth completely dry as he didn’t even want to attempt to speak.

“Good.” you smirked before gesturing down to what was in your hands, “I’m making dinner. I think it would be nice for you to join me so we could…discuss this some more.”

His head bobbed up and down frantically, his ears turning red at the thought of spending the evening with you, talking about what desperately needed to be considered.

You couldn’t help but smile again at the fact that he hadn’t uttered a word, “Perfect. Come over around seven, yeah?” you said before walking around him towards the exit, heading out the door and down the street to prepare everything, a little pep in your step as you walked.

The man however was rendered completely speechless, standing there frozen like a goddamn statue as if he couldn’t believe that actually happened. But he didn’t want to question it, linger on it for very long before he was suddenly smiling widely to himself, snapping out of whatever trance he was put in to get ready himself. Though he was growing so anxious he hardly couldn’t wait until seven at all, part of him just wanting to go back to your house to spend as much time with you as he could. But he didn’t want to push it. You called the shots. And he would be there at seven.

However the set time could not come soon enough. For the both of you. The remainder of the day just slowly passed by as the seconds dragged on and on for what felt like an entire lifetime. You at least had something to keep you busy, tidying up your house and cooking the dinner you promised as you waited for him to arrive. But he, however, had absolutely nothing to pass the time. He couldn’t go hunting, it was already growing too late for that. There were no patrols for him to get done as every shift was assigned to someone else for the day. 

So he was left sitting there with his racing thoughts. It was both a good and a bad thing he found. Good because he could plan what he wanted to say, what he wanted to do, think over how the night would play out just by the suggestive tone you used when you invited him to begin with. But bad because his mind was stuck wandering to the sinful images of you. How badly he wanted you now, how long it felt like he had been waiting. It was like an eternity, but he found that he would wait centuries for you if it meant you would give into him completely. Anything to just have you.

At seven on the dot, he was on your front step, giving the door a firm knock as he waited patiently for you to answer and let him in. You found yourself smiling as your eyes glanced up to the clock you had on the wall, seemingly impressed that he was here right on time. Though you could almost sense how anxious he was from the moment you left him in the pantry earlier, silently knowing he was just itching to get over here.

You then moved through your house to the front door, finally pulling it open to reveal him in all his glory. But you swallowed a bit thickly taking in what he was wearing. The older boots and black jeans he had on were nothing really new as you had seen him wear those countless times before. It was the dark navy blue button up shirt he had on that caught your attention, the sleeves rolled up to just above his elbows and a few of the top buttons already undone to expose just the beginning of his chest. You could practically feel your mouth watering already and it wasn’t even time for dessert yet.

He however was feeling the same exact way. His eyes trailed over your body, almost in awe as he saw the little black dress you were wearing before him. The straps that sat on your shoulders were a little ruffled and the length of the dress itself was perfect to him, seeing it come up to about your mid thigh. Your hair was perfect as it sat just above your chest, neat and put together as always yet there was something more about it that seemed to catch his eye. You were absolutely glowing, and he couldn’t help the wide smile he gave you the second you opened the door.

“Wow…right on time. I’m impressed.” you said almost proudly.

He chuckled a little as his head ducked down for a moment, “Yeah, well, I guess I was too excited to wait any longer.” he said honestly.

You smirked at him, “Eager aren’t you?” you couldn’t help but tease as you send him a small wink, before opening the door a bit wider and nodding for him to come inside, “Dinner’s almost ready.”

He sucked in a small breath after you winked toward him, already beginning to sweat a little as his nerves were getting to him. Though he quickly stepped inside as you wished, scanning around your house absentmindedly as if he had to somehow distract himself from how nervous he truly was. But just seeing you in that dress alone was enough to send a rush of heat right through him.

“Let me get you something to drink.” your voice spoke sweetly, heading back in towards the kitchen.

The man was quick to follow your lead as you walked, watching how your hips swayed effortlessly back and forth, nearly hypnotizing him. He couldn’t tell if you were doing it on purpose or not, but damn it was really working as he felt himself seemingly get hotter the more he stared. The smell that hit his nose when he entered the kitchen was also incredible however, his eyes moving over to the pot you had over the stove as it was just about done according to you.

You stopped in front of the fridge as you quickly pulled out a bottle of wine, glancing over your shoulder at him with a small smile, “Actually would you mind opening this for me? I just so happen to need a big strong guy to help me.” you flirted.

His eyes fluttered the smallest bit, finding himself nodding immediately as he would help with any little thing you needed from him, “Course…I got ya.” he said as he took it from your hands, finding a bottle opener to get the cork out with a small “pop” before offering to pour it into a few glasses for you as well.

After maneuvering around the kitchen for a moment as the silence shared between you was comfortable, you set the table up with two bowls of soup you had made on either end, while he seemed to wordlessly follow behind you to hand you one of the glasses he had poured. You thanked him quietly, brushing your fingertips against his hand purposefully as you took it from him, before moving over to take a seat. The man let out a small breath at even a sliver of your touch, but snapped out of it quickly as he saw you move to sit down, blinking rapidly as he did the same right across from you.

The silence had grown much thicker now, not being able to avoid what was quite literally sitting in front of either of you. It was so quiet you swore you would be able to hear a pin drop, the tension that now filled the remaining air was growing to be unbearable. The two of you were alone now, out of the public eye and in the privacy of your own home, even you had to admit it was hard to keep yourself together as he kept looking at you a certain way. But you wanted to talk, so you forced yourself to take a breath and just…wait. Though it honestly surprised you that he was the one to break the silence.

“So…discuss things…what exactly did ya mean by that?” he asked as he took a spoonful of soup into his mouth, his eyes never moving away from you as he did so.

You knew how eager he was too, it was written all over his face, and even with the way he slightly shifted in his seat you could tell. But in a certain sense, it brought you a bit of relief knowing that he was just as needy as you were.

You found yourself stirring the soup in front of you absentmindedly as you took your time with your response, “I wanted to talk about last night.”

He raised an eyebrow in your direction as he took a long drink of his wine, swallowing it thickly before responding, “Last night…what about it?”

A small and gentle laugh escaped you at even the mere thought of it, “...How desperate you were.” you stated a bit bluntly, completely changing the atmosphere around you.

Daryl’s face suddenly became a bit flushed with a little embarrassment after you stated the obvious so casually. He almost felt stupid now as his eyes now ducked down to look at the table, noticing your pretty floral tablecloth instead of acknowledging how he completely broke down right in front of you so easily the night prior.

But you wanted to see his eyes, not wanting him to be embarrassed by any of it, “Look at me.” you gently said to get his attention.

Hearing your voice say that command, yet it came out so sweet, he slowly glanced back up toward you. He almost began to feel ashamed, but seeing a glimpse of your face for a split second, told him he shouldn’t be.

“I liked it.”

His entire body seemed to shiver slightly just the mere way you admitted such a thing. He felt himself crumbling all over again, his desperation for you growing further the longer he sat there hearing and stewing over your words. You looked so devious yet so innocent when you spoke, it was almost too unreal to him.

“Really..?” he asked with a breath, almost wanting to hear you say it again as he felt his heart thump even faster than it had been before.

You nodded slowly in response, your eyes narrowing slightly the longer you looked at him, “But I have to know one thing.”

The man quite literally was sitting on the edge of his seat as he waited for you to continue, willing to give you whatever answer you wanted. “Did you mean everything you said?” you asked quietly.

It might’ve been a stupid question to ask, sure. But you needed to be absolutely certain about all of this, needing to know that this wasn’t just going to be the two of you fooling around. You wanted to make sure his feelings for you were real, that he actually cared about you. Because you knew the things you wanted to do next, there would be no going back from it.

He had to admit he was a little thrown off by your question, yet it was a completely valid one to have. And he didn’t have to worry about sounding convincing or needing to play something off. Because his answer was nothing but the truth.

“Yeah…I did.” he said with a firm nod.

Your heart fluttered wildly in your chest hearing how sincere he was with such a simple answer, the only answer you ever wanted or needed to hear. It slid so effortlessly off his tongue that you believed him completely, feeling your breathing pick up just the smallest bit at the returning thoughts of something happening between the two of you.

But to your surprise again, he continued.

“And…before ya say somethin again bout how…it’s wrong for us ta do somethin like this…together.” he trailed off for a moment, almost trying to collect his thoughts, “It might be wrong…but…it just feels…so right.” he said with a heavy breath.

That was it. That right there, was all you needed to hear.

You suddenly got up from out of your seat, watching his eyes widen a little at your movements as he stayed frozen in place where he sat, seeing you come to stand right in front of him. Your body now hovered between the table and his chair as you stood right above him, seeing him gulp a little bit in anticipation. Your hands then came up to move softly across his shoulders, feeling the material of his shirt under your fingers. He let out a soft breath at your touch, looking up at you as if silently begging you to do more, his desire building and resurfacing.

“If we were to do this…it would be a secret…right?” you asked barely above a whisper, your tone sending goosebumps on his skin.

He opened his mouth to answer, before suddenly feeling your hands move up to either side of his neck, swallowing thickly at the new feeling. His mind raced for a moment before he tried desperately to stay focused, even though it felt at this point that you were trying to kill him.

“Right…” he sighed, feeling his breath feather across your face with how close you were to him now, “It would just be our little secret…”

“No one else has to know…yeah?” you asked again as your touch only became more addicting to him.

He nodded frantically again as he felt his skin getting warmer with each passing second, “No one…no one else has to know…just us…”

You smiled at his confirmation, seeing his body nearly quivering at just your hands lingering on the side of his neck, finally decided to not make him wait any longer for your answer. “Okay.” you nodded, moving your hands to caress the sides of his face.

The older man let out a quiet groan at the feeling of your soft hands moving against the light stubble on his cheeks, his jaw, his heart completely racing out of his chest with how close you had become. “God…don’t make this harder than it already is.” he let out a breathy laugh.

You smirked to yourself as you obviously watched him squirm, “But that’s what makes it fun.” you flirted as you tilted your head a bit to the side.

He sighed again deeply as you just seemed to continue to torment him to no end, though he liked it, he wanted more. “Such a tease…” he muttered under his breath.

“Maybe…” you whispered softly with a growing smile, your thumb moving over to trail over his bottom lip, practically dangling a carrot in front of his face. “What do you want?”

He was so clearly struggling to stay still in his seat, fidgeting around restlessly as you still found a way to drag this to a point of pure desperation. His chest heaved and his skin was now not only hot, but felt as if it were on fire. All he wanted was to pull you on top of him and finally end this constant teasing, but he refrained, knowing that all he had to do was be patient. Because even though you were good at hiding it, he could see right through you too, seeing how eager you looked before him.

His mouth parted as he licked his lips, “I want you…I want you so fucking bad…” he spoke quietly, trying to hold still.

Your smirk only grew the longer you looked at him, “What’s the magic word?” you teased again, absolutely loving this sight below you as you could hardly contain yourself.

Daryl felt himself getting even more turned on, aroused at how you continued to play with him even in the last lingering moments. He had completely fallen apart for you again, and he loved it more than he was willing to admit.

“P-Please.” he finally begged, “I need ya…please.”

With that single word alone, you finally caved, lowering yourself down to straddle him as you sat yourself on his lap, your faces even closer than before. He trembled beneath you in anticipation, feeling him getting hard in his jeans the longer you stalled, only proving he secretly adored what you did to him entirely. But it only grew to a point where you couldn’t wait any longer as you finally crashed your lips against his, a euphoric feeling washing over the both of you.

The older man groaned loudly into your mouth as you finally did what he so desperately needed, wrapping his arms around you to press your body even closer to his. Your hands went back to the sides of his neck as his lips began to urgently massage yours, his hands trailing down to grip your hips tightly as you practically rocked against him. You drank each other in, in every possible way as you felt his tongue slowly push past your parted lips, easily slipping inside to explore every inch of your mouth.

You hummed in approval as your hands trailed down to his chest, your delicate touch sending shivers of pleasure coursing through him, feeling as though it was all washing over him like some sort of tidal wave. His muscles twitched a little at the feeling, his breath hitching in the back of his throat as he only pulled you in further as if you weren’t close enough, one of his hands moving to cradle the back of your head. You felt his other hand move down further to squeeze your ass gently, sending a surprised gasp from your lips that turned into a quiet sigh.

You both had waited too long for this, getting more antsy with each passing second as the two of you grew even more eager than before if that was even possible.

He pulled away from your reddened lips suddenly, his mouth trailing across your cheek to leave light and delicate pecks across your skin, traveling down towards the skin on the side of your neck. He sucked, licked, and nibbled lightly across the softness of your flesh hurriedly as he searched for that one specific spot, the one spot he knew would surely send you over the edge. Eventually his lips brushed over the skin just beneath your ear, hearing a small gasp from you as he smirked to himself. There it is. The man then paid extra attention to that one spot, sucking on it lightly until you let out a soft moan at his actions, gripping his shoulders tightly as you involuntarily rocked against his hips.

That action alone made him lose all self control as he grunted from the impact, lifting you up in his grasp as he suddenly stood to his feet, trying to ignore the fact that his legs were shaking. You squealed lightly in surprise by his sudden movements, wrapping your arms around his shoulders as you feared you might fall as your legs tightened around his waist. But he would never drop you. Never.

He pulled back slightly to look at you, his eyes blown with lust as his mouth parted to speak, but you cut him off before he even got the chance. “Upstairs on your right.”

His eyes widened the smallest bit as you were able to tell him without him having to ask, chuckling to himself as he placed a few more light kisses on your neck before carrying you up the steps. The man moved at a rapid speed, causing you to hold on tighter as you laughed at his actions, hearing him kick open the door before you were suddenly laid down on the soft mattress. He continued to hover over you, taking in the closeness as much as he could as you gently brought him in to kiss him again, pecking his lips over and over as he chuckled at your affection.

“God, you’re so perfect.” he whispered against your lips, his hand slowly moving up to your breast, squeezing it lightly as his mouth hovered back down toward your neck.

You moaned a little at the feeling, your cheek pressed against his head as your breathing only picked up when he got just the smallest bit rougher. His movements were spurring you on even more as your hands moved towards the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one as quickly as you could.

He chuckled against your skin as he pulled back to look at you with a raised brow, “Eager?” he asked simply with a smirk.

You huffed, “Shut up.” your words came out in a breath, pushing him back a bit as your hands glided over his shoulders, removing the fabric from the upper part of his body. 

He let you do whatever you wanted to him as he sat up a bit on his knees, helping you a little as he fully discarded his shirt onto the ground. You couldn’t help but stare at him a little in awe, his toned chest and arms being fully exposed to you for the first time was something you would surely have to memorize. Your eyes trailed over every part of his skin, even reaching out a little to run your fingers across his chest, sending another shiver of pleasure down his spine as you did so.

Though he couldn’t help but laugh quietly as your eyes were glued to him, “Ya want me to get a camera for ya?” he asked teasingly as he tilted his head a bit.

You let out a breath, “Don’t tempt me.”

He chuckled again, leaning down to peck your lips a few times as his hands traveled down towards the hem of your dress, pulling back the smallest bit to look you in the eyes as if he was silently waiting for permission. That alone caused you to want him even more, nodding your head frantically as you raised your arms, feeling him pull the material up and over your head in one swift motion. You then laid there in nothing but a bra and underwear, his eyes trailing over every part of your skin as his pupils grew drastically.

“Fuck…” he muttered under his breath as his mouth dove back in towards your neck, earning you letting out a sound of surprise as you smiled, wrapping your arms around his neck as you closed your eyes at the feeling he provided.

His tongue dragged down the side of your neck, traveling down to your collarbone as he nipped at the area lightly. The feeling of his mouth alone caused a small whimper to escape your lips, only imagining how everything else would feel as he took his time with you. A part of him wanted to savor every moment, cherish it as he had been waiting so long for this to unfold. But another part of him wanted to take you right here right now, practically growling at the thought of you squeezing around his dick. But he did know one thing. He wanted to take care of you first, taste you on his tongue, hear your screams and pleas.

He felt he couldn’t wait any longer as his mind ran, quickly moving his hands to the back of your bra, fumbling with it a bit as it caused you to laugh to yourself a bit as he struggled. He grunted and lowered his mouth to your shoulder to bite you teasingly at your amusement, finally getting it undone and pulling it off of you completely.

You felt the cold air hit your breasts, almost shivering at the feeling as you breathed deeply, but it didn’t last for long as you then felt his hot breath hovering over them. Before you even had a chance to process his next actions, he softly took one of your nipples in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the flesh as his hand came up to massage the other.

You let out a breathy moan at the feeling, your head falling back against the pillow as his mouth worked wonders against you. You were so sensitive already, feeling yourself get wetter the longer his tongue was all over you. It almost felt like a dream to you, that all of this was happening so fast. But with the blissful feeling he gave you, you knew it was far from a dream.

His mouth then broke away from your breasts, his tongue trailing down your stomach almost frustratingly slow before he reached the top of your clothed pussy. You felt his lips delicately place a kiss against you, causing you to let out a soft gasp at the feeling, your eyes lightly fluttering.

He then looked up at you again, “You okay?” he asked softly, not wanting to mess anything up. The last thing he wanted was to be too rough with you or do something you weren’t ready for, wanting to make sure you were still okay. But what he wasn’t aware of was your racing thoughts, wanting nothing more than for him to just fuck you right now.

“Yes.” you sighed heavily, “Please…do whatever you want to me.” you breathed as you looked down at him, your expression heavy and desperate.

Seeing this made his worries beforehand suddenly vanish, a new hungry feeling washing over him as a smirk was brought to his face. He then didn’t hesitate to take the waistband of your thong and pull it down your legs, tossing it behind him carelessly as he slowly began to lower himself onto his stomach. The action alone excited you greatly, letting him softly move your thighs open and rest them on the tops of his shoulders, a heat already pooling in your stomach. He saw your wetness glistening even in the darkened room, finally leaning his head down to press a gentle kiss on your clit.

Your mouth fell open at just the littlest feeling, leaning your head back on the pillow as you sucked in a harsh breath. His gaze moved back up to your face as he saw your reaction, spurring him on more as he dipped his head back down to lick slowly down your slit, teasing you as he barely put any pressure at all which is what he knew you needed. A huff passed through your lips as you felt his tongue dart out to slowly continue to lick you up, teasing around your entrance as your hands gripped the bedsheets beside you in anticipation at how long he was taking. But what you weren’t aware of, was that he was doing it on purpose.

“More…” you practically whined as you squirmed a little, swallowing thickly.

His movements stopped completely as he pulled back a little to look up at you, “Ya want more?” he asked, his tone almost condescending, but you couldn’t bring yourself to pay attention to that.

You could only nod your head frantically, needing him now more than ever as your writhed a little right in front of him, begging for his mouth to return to the place you needed him most. But then he spoke again, his words causing you to freeze.

“What’s the magic word?” he repeated, a large smirk crossing his face.

He couldn’t deny that it was just tempting to give you what you wanted right then and there, seeing you squirm was making him twitch in his pants. But everything leading up to this moment was you teasing him, playing with him in a way that was so utterly frustrating. And now seeing your guard fall down instantly as you let him take full control, he couldn’t resist to give you a little taste of your own medicine.

Your head shot up at his words, processing them slowly as your chest heaved up and down more frantically. “Please, please, I need you so bad.” you practically begged as you realized what he was doing.

He chuckled a little as he nodded, knowing he had you right where he wanted you, “Okay, okay…I’ll give ya what ya need angel.” he said sweetly, rubbing your thighs softly as they still rested on either side of his head.

Your mouth parted as you planned to say something else, but the feeling of his lips moving in to suck lightly on your clit, your words seemed to fail you. You instead let out a moan, falling back against the bed as his mouth sent shockwaves through you, nearly making you feel numb. His tongue then darted back out to swirl circles around your sensitive spot, groaning to himself at the sweet taste of you as he trailed down toward your entrance. He lapped up your wetness, gently fucking you with his tongue as you were a full on moaning mess, your hands moving back down to his hair to tug on his locks.

He groaned again to himself at the simple feeling of your fingers through his hair, his pace picking up the smallest bit as he heard the distinct sound of your moans growing a bit louder at the pleasure coursing through you. The tingling sensation you felt in your stomach only grew with each passing second, feeling him kiss and lick you over and over again, an exhilarated feeling washing over you.

Your thighs instinctively squeezed his head as he hit a particularly sensitive spot, and he grunted a little unexpectedly, but he didn’t mind one bit. The feeling of your warm plush thighs pressing firmly on either side of his head sent him into a wave of his own pleasure, loving the sensation. Even if there was a small chance he could suffocate beneath you, the man would easily die happy.

His mouth then traveled back up towards your clit, sucking sensually as he heard the constant sounds of approval from you. Even the feeling of you tugging more at his hair as you desperately somehow needed him closer, that was enough to cause him to pick up his movements. You then felt his finger slide down your slit painfully slow and towards your entrance, finally pushing through to enter you while his mouth was still glued to your clit. 

You let out a strangled moan, “Oh god…yes.” you sighed as your entire body felt like it was burning, in the most pleasurable way you could imagine.

He grunted at your words, the praises falling from your perfect lips only spurred him on more, delicately adding another finger to pump inside your entrance, stretching you out. You panted as your back began to arch off the mattress, feeling the familiar tingles running through your entire body as your orgasm built. Daryl felt you squeezing against his fingers, signaling him to pay more attention to your swollen clit as he silently knew you were close, your sounds growing louder as you then called out his name in such a blissful state. Feeling his fingers curl up inside and hitting that special spot is what sent you over the edge in seconds, moaning sensually as you felt that sting snap inside of you, the feeling so intense you could’ve sworn you saw stars for a moment.

Daryl drew your orgasm out as long as he could, licking everything up before he placed one final kiss onto your clit and slowly removed his fingers from you, smiling almost proudly to himself. Your chest moved up and down rapidly as you tried desperately to catch your breath, eventually opening your eyes to look down at him with a tilt of your head, seeing the smirk he had on his face. Your eyes then widened a bit as he made eye contact with you, before licking his fingers, humming to himself all the while. His actions alone only turned you on all over again, your eyes blown and wide as you watched him intently suck them completely clean.

“Ya taste so damn sweet.” he rasped, leaning in to hover above you to place a few delicate kisses on your cheek, “Ya okay?” 

You sighed in content as you smiled, “Better than okay.” you confirmed, “That was…” you trailed off, not even being able to find the right words to describe the feelings you had felt.

But he smirked as if he knew what you meant, leaning down again to whisper in your ear, “Don’t worry…I ain’t done with ya yet.” he promised.

The words sent a shiver through you as you felt him move away from you momentarily, his hands reaching down to undo his belt in a quick motion before fumbling with the button of his jeans. You sat yourself up on your elbows, watching him almost in anticipation as he maneuvered himself off the bed for a moment, slowly tugging his jeans and boxers down to his ankles before kicking them off completely onto the floor. Your eyes widened ever so slightly at the sight in front of you.

You always knew he was perfect, but now seeing him like this it only made it more real. His dick was full and hard with veins running up the sides of it. You found you couldn’t pull your eyes away, hearing him chuckle to himself in response as he moved himself back onto the mattress, sitting on his knees in front of you again.

This caused you to actually look up at him as you let out a quick breath, “Now I really want that camera.” 

He laughed to himself again, a bit louder than last time as he shook his head at you, leaning down at bit, “Nah…if anything I need one…” he trailed off as he reached out to grip your waist gently, running his touch down to your hips at he stared at you, “So stunning…” he whispered to himself.

Your eyes softened as you looked up at him, reaching up to pull his neck down to connect your lips to his again in response, your mouth gently moving with his as you felt him lower himself even further into you with a sigh. His touch moved up and down your sides gently, leaving almost a ticklish feeling behind before he reached down further to grip his dick in one of his hands, gently moving it to run up and down your slit. You gasped lightly at the feeling, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him even closer as you silently begged for him to keep going. You felt his tip continue to tease you, circling up around your clit a few times as he wanted to hear those little sounds from you all over again. Wanting to play them on repeat if he could. He smirked to himself when he heard the faintest whimper fall from your lips and echo into his mouth.

But then his lips parted from yours as he hovered over you, a serious look to his eyes now as he spoke, “Just tell me if ya need me to stop…yeah?”

You nodded in response, the anticipation building as he saw your approval, moving down to your entrance as he slowly began to push his tip into you. Your mouth parted at the feeling, but it was anything but painful. It was a feeling of satisfaction after all the pent up feelings you had felt for him, you finally welcomed the feeling of him after years of believing it could never happen. But now it was. And you were positive it couldn’t have felt better as you felt yourself practically melt beneath him.

Inch by inch he slowly pushed into you as slowly as he could, not wanting to hurt or make you uncomfortable in any way as he swallowed a strangled groan in the process. Finally you felt you were stuffed full of him, the two of you just staying perfectly still as you both seemingly let out sighs of pleasure at the feeling of one another.

He lowered his head, leaving a trail of kisses on your shoulder and the side of your neck, before he slowly pulled out of you, only to push back in a little quicker than before. A louder moan left your lips as he slapped back into you, causing him to pull back before moving forward again as his hips met yours. A low growl left his lips as he found a perfect pace to keep at, his mouth returning to your neck to suck and lick lightly at your skin as more blissful moans left your lips with each motion you felt.

You then grew a bit self conscious at the sounds coming out of you, the sounds he was pulling from your throat at the feeling of him tickling the sweet spot deep inside of you. The sounds you were convinced only he would be the one to bring out. One of your hands then moved away from his back as you placed it over your mouth, muffling any sounds you let out.

But he noticed immediately, slowing down his pace as he picked up his head from the crook of your neck, gently tugging your arm away, “No, no, no…” he breathed with a shake of his head, “Don’t do that…I wanna hear those pretty little noises.” 

Your heartbeat quickened at that as you nodded frantically, willing to do anything for him to keep moving the way he was. He smiled at you and placed a quick, sloppy kiss on your lips before picking up his pace again, pounding into you at a more rapid speed as he couldn’t help himself. An exaggerated moan left your parted mouth as your hands returned to claw at his shoulders, your eyes rolling back into your head.

“That’s it.” he whispered as he heard the things he was doing to you, “So fuckin pretty.” 

The words he spoke combined with his movements sent you near the edge, feeling another orgasm build in the pit of your stomach. You almost couldn’t believe how much of an effect he had on you, how you were only able to last a few minutes under his touch before you writhed beneath him. But then again, he didn’t just know what he was doing, but he looked absolutely incredible while doing it. Sweat began to glisten on his forehead, causing his hair to stick slightly to the sides of his face as his hands moved down to squeeze your hips gently, pumping himself in and out of you. The sounds he began to let out were almost animalistic, but he couldn’t help it. You felt so good, better than he ever could’ve imagined.

Your hips moved rhythmically against his, feeling him hitting your clit at the perfect angle now which sent a whole new wave of pleasure through you, “Oh…Daryl.” you cried softly.

The sound of approval and praise spurred him on further, snapping his hips against yours quickly as he could feel you tightening around him, “You gonna cum again? Hm?” he asked.

You cried out again when he kept hitting that same spot, “God, yes! Yes!” you said as you clung onto him more desperately.

His head moved up to leave a few rushed kisses on your cheek as he whispered near your ear, “Come on baby…come on.” 

With one final thrust you completely fell apart all over again, moaning loudly as you felt yourself shake a little as another orgasm washed right over you. Your moans turned into heavenly sighs as he continued to push back into you over and over again, though the feeling of you cumming on his dick, he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. In a few short seconds, he reluctantly pulled out of you, stroking himself a few times before he came all over your stomach, some even landing on your breasts.

The two of you were now only left with a feeling of euphoria, catching your breaths and coming down from your amazing highs. Your head rested back against the pillow as you came to your senses again, feeling him moving around for a moment before he was cleaning up your skin with a bandana he carried around in the pocket of his jeans. You let out a soft sigh at his gentle touch, seeing him then throw the piece of fabric somewhere else along the floor before slowly laying down beside you, pulling the blankets up to cover your bare bodies.

He then wrapped his arms around your middle, pulling you back against his chest, feeling yourself smile at the feeling. “Was that even real?” he questioned out loud, his lips kissing your shoulder as he couldn’t help but want to taste every part of you.

You smiled again before slowly turning around to face him, “Hm…I don’t know. Maybe we should do it one more time just to make sure.” you winked, leaning up to place a few kisses across the base of his neck.

He chuckled at your response, his hand running up and down your bare back gently as he let out a deep sigh, “At least gimmie a few minutes first…ain’t gettin any younger ya know.”

You pulled back again to look at him fully, your eyes tracing all over his features as you took in this moment as much as you could. You didn’t exactly know where the two of you would go from here, what the future would hold for your specific situation, so you found you didn’t want to forget a thing. Your eyes took in the entirety of his face as he stared back at you softly, your hand coming up to the side of his face as your thumb ran across his cheekbone lightly. He was so beautiful, so perfect to you. You didn’t want to let him go.

“You’re wonderful.” you couldn’t help but whisper as you looked at him so warmly.

His eyes softened as he took your face gently in his hands, “And you pretty girl, are so, so addictive.” he practically whispered as he brought you into a deep kiss.

And his words were far from a lie. He couldn’t describe it better than he just did. You were like a drug to him almost, finding himself craving you more and more even though you were right next to him. He desperately needed you in his life just as you needed him in your own. And you found that just those few words he spoke to you, it gave you more reassurance for what was to come.

You laughed against his lips as you felt him move up to hover over you again, breaking away briefly to say, “I thought you needed a few minutes.”

He smiled at you as he placed a few gentle kisses across your face, “I guess ya keep me young.” he teased as he leaned down to bite at your neck playfully, causing you to let out a delighted squeal.

Perhaps the future wasn’t something to worry about. But something to cherish.

~ Thanks for reading!

Tags ~ @fluffy-dixon @ryoujoking @dreamtofus @indiasfanficcorner @darylssluttt @richardsamboramylove55 @yoowhatthefuck @pops450 @dixiezstoryz @petalsthorns @seongwin

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon the walking dead #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x oc #twd daryl #twd daryl dixon #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x original character #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x y/n #the walking dead #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead imagine #daryl twd #twd fanfiction #norman reedus #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus x reader #twd

[bambieyedoll]

⊹ ⋆ ꒰ఎﾟMOODBOARD ໒꒱ ⋆ﾟ⊹

biker!daryl dixon x reader

“c’mon, hun” daryl caressed your arm as he walked passed you and towards his bike. your eyes followed him as you turned around only to see him turn on the engine. “let’s get outta here” he said waiting for you and with an excited little smile, you walked to him. his protective gaze never leaving you as the soft touch of your hand laid on his shoulder and you sat down behind him ready for the wild ride.

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon moodboard #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x oc #twd moodboard #twd #the walking dead #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon au #daryl dixon imagine #twd daryl #daryl dixon x y/n #fanfic #daryl dixon fluff #daryl dixon angst #daryl dixon smut

[dreamtofus]

anyway

Summary: You spend a night with Daryl

Word Count: 842

Masterlist

“You wish you weren’t here, but here you are. Standing stupidly in front of Daryl’s grey tent, lousy bulky backpack in arms and barely dressed”

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You wish you weren’t here, but here you are. Standing stupidly in front of Daryl’s grey tent, lousy bulky backpack in arms and barely dressed.

You’ve been Beth’s best friend for a while now. You worked as a farm hand, and the blonde is your type of gal. So when shit went loose, you started to bunk up in Beth’s room. The two of you had it pretty sweet until Beth started telling you her plans.

Naturally, you didn’t mention it to anyone. It wasn’t your business. You especially didn’t tell anyone after she attempted, granted that you were now supposed to keep an eye on her.

Except last night, Beth had talked you into it. The idea wasn’t half bad, and who wants to live in a zombie world anyway? The both of you had then created a plan for a joint suicide, they can’t keep both of you from committing, right?

Unfortunately for you and your blonde bestie, Maggie has overheard the whole thing and was furious at you for encouraging this behavior from her sister. The whole day Maggie tried to come up with a plan to keep this from flourishing until she finally landed on just kicking you out of Beth’s room.

You were offered the living room but it felt weird with Lori and Carl sleeping in there, so you decided to look elsewhere.

Elsewhere is here. On the outskirts of the camp. You and Daryl get along fairly well, considering your quiet demeanors. While you didn’t know him too well, you knew him best out of all the new outsiders.

The moon shines bright in the midnight mauve sky while the breeze runs against your almost bare body, your only protection being a pair of thin white shorts and a loose graphic tee. Holding your bag of belongings in one hand, you gently knock on the flap of his tent.

“Hey Daryl… it’s me…” You groan, cheeks heating up.

You hear a light groan and a sharp unzipping noise, revealing the sleepy hunter.

“Hm? It’s cold out girlie, what are yer doing out here,” Daryl eyes you up and down and quirks an eyebrow, “…like this?”

You grimace and clutch your bag closer as you explain the situation, hoping he’ll be understanding.

“Shit. Yer tryna kill yourself too?”

You let out a meek giggle, “Not if you let me in…”

Daryl softly grunts and moves out of the way, inviting you in. There are a few blankets on the floor and his crossbow in the corner. The whole place is cramped, barely fitting the two of you as he lies back down on the sprawled sheets.

You stuff your bag down in the corner and then awkwardly lay down next to him. The tent is only really built for one person, as the two of you are uncomfortably lying side by side.

You mutter a few apologies as you get comfortable. He ends up draping an arm over you with your face against his chest.

Every time you move, the delicate lace of your shorts rides up, making you struggle to pull it down. You softly press your face into his chest, attempting to pull them down and hide the soft curve of your ass for a final time.

Daryl grunts at you to shut up and stop squirming before reaching over you and hooking his bulky fingers under your shorts. His knuckles make contact with your bare skin, causing your thighs to squeeze with heat. He pulls the fabric of your shorts down, then rests his heavy hand on your waist.

You whisper a quick thank you and sorry before settling into a soft slumber.

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When you finally blink your eyes open, the space next to you is empty. You raise into a seated position and reach for your bag. You pull out a pair of jeans and slip them over your shorts. While exiting the tent you make eye contact with Daryl, who’s tinkering with his motorcycle.

“Hey,” You sheepishly smile at him, “What’s up?”

He mumbles, “Nun much… You staying here again tonight?”

You pause and take a moment to think, but you know Maggie wouldn’t allow you to stay the night with Beth.

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

He nods in response. You notice in the distance that most of the group is huddled over the fire, most likely cooking breakfast.

You inquire, “Did you eat?”

He shakes his head, “Not yet.”

You start making your way over the fire, waving to Carol as you approach.

“Hey.” You greet her warmly, picking up two plates.

She smirks at you while serving the two plates with some eggs and mystery meat, “Stayed the night with Mr. Hunter, huh?”

“Hah… I guess,” Your chin dips in embarrassment and you let out a small giggle,

Once she’s done, you’re given a teasing pat on the shoulder. You playfully roll your eyes and make your way back to Daryl.

“Here,” You smile at him and extend the plate, “How’d you sleep?”

He takes the plate, “Thanks, slept ight.”

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not really done but if anyone has an idea for p2 I’ll write it

#daryl dixon #the walking dead #daryl dixon x reader #daryl x reader #the walking dead daryl #twd #daryl dixon fanfiction #twd daryl #daryl dixon smut #twd fic #the walking dead smut #the walking dead daryl dixon #twd quotes #daryl twd #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon the walking dead #daryl #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon twd #daryl dixon x oc #twd daryl dixon #the walking dead fanfiction #SoundCloud

[1427]

masterlist

Daryl Dixon x OFC

When the Levee Breaks

The one in which a stripper that used to know Merle and Daryl shows up at the Atlanta camp. Daryl’s feelings are complicated but mostly he hates her, right?

part 1 // part 2 // part 3 // part 4 // part 5 //

i love you (always forever) (sister!ofc)

In the winter of ‘95 Daddy died. Leaving Lady to finish up her senior year in high school, and Daryl to brood over when to sell the house. The summer of ‘96 is the first time Lady feels alive. Daryl wants to give her one last summer to remember before she has to grow up for real.

part 1 // part 2

Daryl Dixon x Reader

Something to Prove

Every time your mom goes down to the city with Merle she lets Daryl stay behind and watch TV.

part 1 // part 2 //

petal plush’d

Sinnedenoderum: Floral Species - When inhaled by human beings it has psychoactive properties as well as acting on the nervous and vascular systems. Often causes a lack of inhibitions and desire or delusion of the need for sexual intercourse. In some cases will cause tumecense in individuals affected. 

Negan x Reader

humiliation

Negan makes an example of you. (extremely dubious consent)

Would you? (niece!reader)

Your mom dies, leaving Lucille and Negan as your guardians. Lucille dies, the world ends, and Negan becomes the leader of the Saviors. After taking residence in the Sanctuary he becomes a stranger. No one wants anything to do with Negan’s “daughter”, so when you confront Negan about needing company, he obliges. You don’t realize that the feelings you’re developing are inappropriate, but Negan does.

part 1 // part 2

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #twd daryl #daryl dixon smut #daryl fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x y/n #daryl dixon x you #jdm #negan #negan x reader #negan x you #negan fanfiction #negan smith #negan smut

[rfsak2]

Holy shit, guys! I have never had this kind of reception. Y’all have been so very kind and I appreciate it so very much! I love interacting with y’all so keep leaving comments and I’ll keep responding!

Spitfire; pt. 2

Everyone always thought Daryl was the rough one. DarylxOC

Warnings: it’s TWD so there’s a good bit of traumatizing stuff discussed, wartime atrocities, violence, etc.. And smut buried down at the bottom. Minors DNE

Part 1

**

“If y’coulda done anythin’, what would it’ve been?”

She shrugged and pulled her knees to her chest, rifle barrel-up between her legs. “I actually don’t know. I’ve sorta fallen into everythin’ I’ve ever done.”

“What’dya mean?” He hunkered down, arms across his chest.

“I can’t remember a single choice I have ever made free n’clear. There’s always been somethin’ forcing’ my hand.” She picked at her cuticles. “My grandfather, my father, my aunt, the US Government.” She sighed heavily. “Life has always been ‘point and shoot’. Someone points me and I shoot.”

He nodded vaguely. “That’s why y’don’t like Shane.”

She snorted. “That’s one of the many reasons I don’t like Shane.” She smiled at him. “He’s also a prick. Thinks he’s bigger than he is, better than he is, smarter than he is.” She elbowed him gently. “What would’ve y’done?”

“Probably been a mechanic.” He shrugged.

“That sounds nice.” She hummed.

He scoffed.

“What?”

“We woulda never met, not for all’a this.” He gestured vaguely.

She hummed. “I don’t know ‘bout that.”

He grunted, hands shredding a leaf idly. “How woulda we met? You with your military career. Me, wandering the backwoods of Georgia with Merle.”

She smiled and leaned to press against his arm. “I was stationed in Savannah and I explored a lot in my free time.” She caught his eyes. “I went hunting a lot. Liked to drive to small towns and spend time in the forest. We coulda run into each other.”

He watched her, quiet in his stillness. “And what would’ya have done if we did?”

She smiled. “Honestly?” He nodded. “Fuck ya if you were down for it.”

He blushed. “No y’wouldn’t ‘ve.”

“Hell yeah, I would’ve. Some hot dude carryin’ a crossbow or a deer you just shot?” She whistled. “I woulda jumped y’bones.”

“Y’don’t gotta lie t’me.” He sucked on his teeth.

She pulled back a bit. “Why would I lie?”

“Com’n.” he shifted, putting some space between them. “You wouldn’t ‘ve been interested in some filthy-ass hick.”

“I am, and often was, before this, a ‘filthy-ass hick’.” She huffed a breathless little chuckle.

He shook his head. “You were a captain in the Army, means y’went to college right?”

She hummed in agreement.

“So you had options.” He kept his voice low, maybe on purpose, she didn’t know, but there was intensity that she wasn’t sure was all for her. “You coulda done anything you wanted.”

“No I couldn’t.” She shook her head. “I went to college because that was part of the deal. They needed the time to expunge my record so they sent me to college. At least that’s what they told me.” She made a vague motion. “I think they just didn’t want to wait.”

“For what?”

“For me to make grade and qualify for Ranger School.” She shrugged. “They wanted to get me in the back way, make a big stink only when I made it. If I didn’t make it, there wouldn’t have been egg on their face. They set up everythin’, choice had nothin’ t’do with it.”

“Y’still don’t get it.” He scoffed. “You woulda took one look at me-“

“Daryl, we ain’t that different.” She nodded and caught his shoulder when he tried to turn away. “We are made of the same stuff. Just different flavors of redneck. So yeah, I’d like t’think that you’da had me at hello. I’d like to think that I’d see you for what you are.”

“And what’s that?” He seemed to soften, shifting back so they were pressed together, shoulder to boot.

“A good man. A kindred spirit.” She settled back against his side as he relaxed. “Besides, I woulda taken one look at you, with your arms, your shoulders, your pretty blue eyes…” She grinned, whistling.

He was looking at her mouth. “And?”

It was okay because she was tracing the line of his bicep down his arm with her eyes.

He leaned in closer. “And?”

Her eyes jumped from his arm to his eyes. “Can I kiss you?”

He nodded and leaned over her. Their eyes remained locked as she reached up to cradle his face. She smiled and bit her lip.

“You gonna kiss me or nah, Spitfire?”

She pressed an almost chaste kiss to his mouth. It didn’t last long enough, so when she pulled away, Daryl chased her lips with his, pressing her back against the tree behind her.

“That all ya’got?”

She threw her head back and laughed, before pressing him back and crawling over him. He grinned and settled his hands on her hips. She laid over him, elbows coming to rest on either side of his head.

She dipped her head down and caught his lips again, groaning into his mouth when he squeezed her hips.

Smiling, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. He lifted a hand and dug his fingers into her hair, loosening her bun and directing her head where he wanted it.

Daryl’s other hand drifted lower and squeezed. She laughed against his mouth and let him guide her hips against his.

His tongue followed hers back into her mouth-

Crack

Daryl sat up in a shot, his hand on her ass keeping her upright.

“Walker?”

He shook his head. “It’s an animal.”

“The deer!”

She turned back to him. He seemed to be withdrawing, some anxiety or another causing him to pull back, so she pressed a gentle kiss to his mouth. “Next time.”

He watched her for a brief moment and nodded. “I’ma hold ya t’that.”

**

Mitzi rested a hand on Daryl’s shoulder and hopped down behind him, eyeing the group standing in the clearing.

She frowned, trying to figure out why they were just standing there, weapons drawn. She saw the walker at the same time Daryl did. “Fuckin’ piece of shit.”

“Sumova Bitch.” Daryl strode into the clearing, red in the face. “That was m’deer!”

She was more hesitant, catching the apprehension in the way the men, one of whom she didn’t know, were looking at Daryl.

“Daryl…”

“Look at it, Mitz.” Daryl kicked at the walker. “All gnawed on by this disease-bearin’, motherless, poxy bastard.”

Dale sighed. “Calm down, son, that isn’t helping.”

Daryl got in his face. “What do you know ‘bout it, Old Man? Why don’t you take that stupid hat and go back to On Golden Pond?”

Mitzi sighed, arms cradling her rifle to her chest. “Leave him be, D. It’s not his fault.”

He backed up, turning back to the deer. “We’ve been tracking this deer for miles... Gonna drag it back to camp, cook us up some venison.” Daryl yanked his bolts from the deer and motioned to the large bite mark in the deer’s neck, staring up at her. “You think we can cut around this chewed part right here?”

“I would not risk that.”

Despite her avid dislike for Shane, Mitzi agreed with him, shaking her head at Daryl before focusing back on the new man in the circle.

Daryl straightened and faced the group around them, suddenly quieting, noticing the odd tension in the air. He caught her eyes, arching his eyebrows and motioning to the new person. He waited for her answering shrug, before turning back to the group.

“That’s a damn shame... Well, I got some squirrel, ‘bout a dozen or so. That’ll have t’do.” Daryl gestured with the bolt for Mitzi to walk ahead.

As they walked past the walker, it snarled, mouthing ineffectually in the direction of her ankles.

She stepped back into Daryl with a soft grunt, who maneuvered her out of the way, a bolt piercing the walker’s brain through the eye not a second later.

“Com’n people. What t’hell? Gotta be the brain.” Daryl tugged the bolt free and wiped it on his work pants. He shared an exasperated look with her and pushed her forward, eyes on the group over her head. “Don’t y’all know nothin’?”

They made their way towards camp, Daryl hollering for Merle. The tension from the clearing followed them into camp.

“Daryl, slow up a minute, I need to talk to you.”

She felt Daryl’s hand on her shoulder and turned as he answered, “‘Bout what?”

“‘Bout Merle. There was a… a problem in Atlanta.”

She hooked her hand around Daryl’s arm. “Shit. What happened?”

Daryl sucked in a breath and straightened his arm, catching her hand as it slid down his arm. “He dead?”

Shane shrugged and she had never wanted more dearly to knock his teeth in. She restrained herself, choosing to squeeze Daryl’s hand instead.

“Not sure.”

Daryl shifted forward, directing her slightly behind him. “He either is or he ain’t.”

The new man stepped forward, hands on his hips like he was used to wearing a gun belt. Another cop.

He sucked in a breath. “There is no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it.”

Daryl turned on him, pushing into his space, letting go of her hand. “Who’re you?”

“Rick Grimes.”

Mitzi’s eyebrows shot into her hairline. She found Lori in the crowd and Carl soon after, the kid the sitting image of the man in front of her. The ring Lori had worn on a chain around her neck ever since Mitzi had met her, was suspiciously gone.

Interesting.

Daryl was getting agitated, pacing like a big cat in a cage. Mitzi stepped around him, putting herself in between Daryl and this new cop. She set her hand on his chest and tried to catch his eyes. “Daryl. D!”

“Rick Grimes?” Daryl mocked, as he set his hand on her forearm, trying to gently push past her. “You got something you want to tell me?”

“Your brother was a danger to us all, so I handcuffed on a roof hooked into a piece of metal. He’s still there.”

“The fuck you say?” She turned and Daryl took the opportunity to step around her, continuing to pace. “You left him on a roof?”

Shane pointed at her, stalking towards her. “Stay out of this, Donovan.”

“Fuck outta m’face, Walsh.” She stepped around him, shaking his hand off of her arm. “Don’t touch me.”

“Donovan!”

She ignored him and moved closer to Daryl.

“Hold on. Lemme process this.” He swiped at his face with the back of his hand and made a vague motion at his head. “You handcuffed my brother to a roof and you left him there?”

Rick hung his head. “Yeah.”

Daryl threw the brace of squirrels he had been holding and moved to charge at Rick.

Shane charged Daryl, dropping his shoulder and knocking him off his feet.

When Shane had straightened, standing fully, she landed a punch to his jaw that sent him sprawling again.

Someone caught her around the middle, Dale, she thought, as Shane shot her a dirty look and helped Rick disarm Daryl.

She shook free of Dale and approached Rick and Shane, the latter of which had Daryl on the ground in a chokehold.

Rick was preaching about rational conversations just as Mitzi’s small, freckled fist landed on square on Rick’s 5 o’clock shadow. Shane cussed under his breath as she straightened and turned toward him.

“Let him go now.”

Daryl tried to shake free and Shane held him fast. “Or what?”

“I know you think you’re bad, Shane. Been in a couple fist fights, maybe got some training along the way.” She got in Shane’s face, bending at the waist to look him in the eye. “We aren’t on the same level though, Walsh. You let him go now or I demonstrate that for you and the collected constituents of our fine camp.”

Shane growled and released Daryl, who accepted her offered hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

Shane pushed into her space. “I’m gettin’ sick of your attitude, Donovan.”

“I’m gettin’ sick of the way you treat a man who’s gone outta his way to feed you.” She cast a look around at the camp. “Fuckin’ world is over and you dumb twats want to keep the Sunday morning judgement going. Fuck the lot’a ya.”

She felt Daryl tug at her shirt and allowed herself to be pulled back. She turned to Rick, who let out a hesitant, awkward chuckle before turning back to Daryl.

“Now do you think you can have a rational discussion?”

The question was half-posed to her, posted up in front of Daryl like a bodyguard, arms crossed over her chest.

She sucked on her teeth. “Don’t know why you feel entitled to rational discussion after you chained his brother to a roof.”

“That’s fair. What I did was not on a whim.” Rick looked Daryl in the eye, before meeting her eyes as well. “Your brother does not work and play well with others.”

T-Dog stepped forward. “Not Rick’s fault...I had the key and I dropped it.”

“You couldn’t pick it up?” Daryl growled, voice breaking.

T-Dog shifted nervously. “I dropped it down a drain.”

Daryl paced a couple feet and threw a fist full of dirt at the ground. “If that was supposed to make me feel better, it don’t.”

T-Dog nodded. “Maybe this will: I chained the door to the roof, so the geeks couldn’t get at him.... with a padlock.”

Rick hesitantly, conciliatory, approached. “Gotta count for something.”

Daryl wiped at his face and motioned to the camp. “T’Hell with all y’all! Just tell me where he is, so’s I can go git him.”

“He’ll show you, isn’t that right?” Lori turned away, disdain clear in her body language.

Mitzi whistled. They are definitely married.

Rick nodded, shying away from his wife’s eyes. “I’m going back.”

Shane huffed and shook his head as Rick walked toward his- Lori’s tent.

She looked up and caught Shane’s very angry eyes. He snarled at her, slapping his hat on his thigh. She arched her eyebrow and he flipped her the bird. She laughed.

A couple minutes later, Rick returned in uniform.

“So that’s it then?” Shane rumbled. “You just gonna walk off? T’ hell with everyone else?”

Rick buttoned his shirt, shaking his head. “I’m not saying t’hell with anybody. Not you Shane, Lori least of all.” He walked away, towards the camper.

“Tell her that.” Shane shot back.

Rick turned to face Shane and sighed. “She knows.”

Shane stalked up the small incline after him. “Well look. I don’t, okay, Rick? So could you just- could you throw me a bone here man? Could you just tell me why? Why would you risk your life for a douchebag like Merle Dixon?”

“Hey!” Daryl pointed at Shane with the bolts he was cleaning, before sitting on a milk crate next to her. “Choose your words more carefully.”

Shame dismissed him. “No I did. Douchebag is what I meant.” Shane shot Daryl and Mitzi a dirty look.

Mitzi returned it, drawing a whetstone over her hunting knife. “Remember what I said about the end of my patience, Walsh.”

“Be quiet.” He pointed at her and she pointed right back. Still glaring at her, he turned to Rick. “Merle Dixon.. the guy wouldn’t give you a glass of water if you were dyin’ of thirst.”

“What he would or wouldn’t do, doesn’t interest me.” He leaned into Shane. “I can’t let a man die of thirst- me -thirst and exposure. We left him like an animal caught in a trap. That’s no way for anythin’ to die, let alone a human being.”

Lori spoke up from where she sat near the adjacent fire. “So you and Daryl? That’s your big plan?”

Glenn sighed. “Oh, come on.”

“You know the way, you’ve been there before.” Rick shifted his feet. “In and out, no problem. You said so yourself. It’s not fair if me to ask, I know that. But if feel much better if you came along. I know she would too.”

Mitzi wasn’t so sure about that with the look on Lori’s face.

“That’s just great. Now y’gonna risk three men, huh?”

“Four.” T-Dog drawled.

Daryl scoffed. “My day just gets better and better, don’t it?”

“You see anyone else here stepping up to save your brother’s cracker ass.”

“Why you?”

T-Dog straightened his shoulders. “You wouldn’t even begin to understand. You don’t speak my language.”

“That’s four,” Dale observed.

“I’m goin’.” She stood.

“Now, Donovan…”

“Mind your business, Walsh.” She caught Daryl’s eyes and held them. “I’m goin’.”

“A’ight.” Daryl nodded.

“Ma’am, I don’t know you.” Rick grinned wryly at her. “I know you can handle yourself in a brawl, but this is going to be dangerous. It could get ugl-“

“You ever done an exfil?” She crossed her arms across her chest.

“An exfil?” He frowned and looked over at Shane. “What do you mean an exfil?”

“Exfiltration, otherwise known as an extraction. Infiltrate, eliminate hostiles, remove MVP.” She smiled meanly. “They don’t teach cops that wherever you’re from?”

“Have you done an exfil, Donovan?” Shane’s lip curled. “They teach that in Basic?”

She answered his sarcastic smile with one of her own. “Not Basic, you tool. At Ranger School. Not the coolest name for a Spec Ops school, I’ll grant ya, but it does the trick.”

Glenn parroted, “Spec Ops?”

She nodded. “Special operations, special forces. I’m an Army Ranger. I’ve done literally hundreds of extractions. If Glenn can get me in, I can get us and Merle out. So kindly put your dicks away, boys, I win this pissin’ match.”

“You’re a Ranger?” Shane set his jaw. “Do they even let women in Spec Ops?”

“They let her.” Daryl rasped. “Recruited her special for it an’ everythin’.”

She reached over and squeezed his shoulder.

Rick seemed a little shell-shocked. “Why?”

“I’m going to assume you’re not being an asshole on purpose, Rick-“

“Thank you?”

She barked out a laugh. “The likelihood of you meeting someone who’s a better shot than me was laughable before the end of the world. Now?” She whistled.

It seemed to dawn on Rick at the same time Shane realized just who he had been fucking with this whole time.

Rick set his hand on her shoulder. “You’re a sniper?”

She grinned and confirmed. “I’m a sniper. A damn good one. I hold the current record in the Army for longest kill shot.”

“How far?”

She smiled at T-Dog. “3400 meters. Give or take. The presentation I was coming up to Atlanta for would’ve broken the worldwide record if I had made it- 3700 meters. I’ve been practicing for months.”

Awe lit up Glenn’s face, like a kid at Christmas, and T-Dog suddenly looked hopeful, less resigned to dying.

That is, until Glenn turned to him with a huge smile. “You owe me fifty bucks!”

T-Dog shook his head. “You said ‘special agent’. She’s Spec Ops. That’s different.”

“Closer than you!” Glenn grinned and turned to Mitzi, pointing at T-Dog with his thumb. “He thought you were a taxidermist.”

“A taxidermist?” She tilted her head in confusion. “No one told y’all that I was military?” Both men shook their heads and she cast a look at Shane, who was looking down at his boots. “How interesting.”

T-Dog stepped forward. “Didn’t mean nothing’ by it.”

She waved him off, chuckling. “T, that is the least offensive guess I have heard thus far.”

He nodded, relaxing. “Sorry about Merle.”

She nodded, catching Daryl’s eyes. “Shit happens. Let’s go get him.”

**

“When we get there, I’ll take point.”

Rick puffed up, preparing to argue. “Mi-“

She shook her head, checking the railroad ahead of them through her scope. “I’ll take point, Daryl will have my shoulder. We have quieter weapons.” She turned back to Rick. “We’ll clear the ground floor, room-by-room until we get to the stairs. On the off-chance we miss one or one comes up behind us, you’ll have our backs. Try to avoid firing that Python, Sheriff. It’s too loud.”

Rick sighed, nodding. “Okay. Then what?”

She turned to Glenn and T-Dog. “If we enter the building where you want us to, is it a straight-shot to the stairs?”

“No.” Glenn shook his head. “No, we have to go through the department store, the stairs are on the other side of the elevator.”

She made a face. “Directly behind?”

“More or less. There’s a small hallway.”

“How many doors?”

“Three, I think.” He looked up, counting in his head. “Yeah, two bathrooms and a utility closet.”

“The doors on the bathrooms, they push open or do they latch shut?” He shrugged and she nodded. “No problem, we ha-“ she paused and lifted her rifle, aiming over T-Dog’s shoulder. Looking down the scope, she whispered, “Stay still, T.”

There was a thud and she turned back to them, lowering her rifle.

T-Dog looked over his shoulder at the walker ten yards away. Shakily, he turned back. “Thanks.”

She ignored the slack-jaw looks. “We have a major blind spot, but that’s okay. We’ll clear the department store and pick a side around the elevators. If the bathroom doors are open or they don’t latch, we’ll deal with it then.”

Daryl nodded. “Not like geeks are all that smart.”

She smiled. “Definitely easier than armed hostiles.” She turned back to Glenn and T-Dog. “What are the stairs like?”

Glenn looked confused and Rick supplied, “concrete?”

She chuckled. “Are they open to the basement?”

“And a sub-basement, too.” T-Dog nodded.

“Okay, then. When we get there, I’m gonna cover the basement. Daryl will lead you up the stairs. We’ll go flight-by-flight. It’ll be slower but we won’t have any surprises.”

Glenn just stared. “I wanna be you when I’m older.”

She grinned and opened the bolt on her rifle. She slid in a couple rounds and cocked the rifle. “A’ight. Let’s go.”

**

“You’re not doing this alone.” There was a note of authority in Rick’s voice that was already driving her up the wall, but he was right.

Daryl huffed and interjected from somewhere over her head. “Even I think it’s a bad idea and I don’t even like you much.”

Mitzi studied the crude, sharpie drawing. Sucking on her teeth, she shook her head. “I’m still not-”

Glenn cut her off, irritated. “It’s a good plan, okay, if you just hear me out.” He looked up at Rick and sighed, squatting over the drawing. “If we go out there in a group, we’re slow, drawing attention. If I’m alone, I can move fast. Look.” He focused down at the map, setting a binder clip and a balled-up sticky note on one of the ‘streets’. “That’s the tank, five blocks from where we are now. That’s the bag of guns. Here’s the alley I dragged you into when we first met. That’s where me and Daryl will go.”

“Why me?”

Glenn nodded. “Your crossbow is quieter than his gun.” Daryl quieted, nodding, and Glenn moved back over his map, placing a blue post-it flag dispenser in the alleyway. “While Daryl waits here in the alley, I run up the street, grab the bag.”

Rick seemed slightly appeased. “You got us elsewhere?”

“You and T-Dog, right.” Glenn placed a pink rubber eraser in another connecting alley. “You’ll be in this alley here.”

“Two blocks away? Why?”

“I may not be able to come back the same way, walkers may cut me off. If that happens, I won’t go back to Daryl. I’ll go forward instead, all the way around to that alley where you guys are. Whichever direction I go, I got you in both places to cover me. At the same time, Mitzi can pick off walkers that get too close with her rifle.” He placed a paperclip in the same alley as Daryl’s blue post-its “There’s a fire escape up to a small balcony that runs almost all the way around the building next to this one, Mitzi will go there and watch my back. Afterwards we’ll all meet back here.”

“Hey kid.” They all swiveled to look at Daryl. “What did you do before all of this?”

“Delivered pizzas. Why?”

Mitzi hummed and regarded the kid with an assessing eye. “You’dve made a hell of a strategist. Better planned than half the missions I went on.”

Rick smiled. “You recruitin’ right now, Mitzi?”

Mitzi grinned. “Wanted to be like me, kid? I can put ya through the paces, make a soldier outta you.”

Glenn rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Maybe another day.”

**

“We can still go with my plan.” Mitzi checked the bolt on her rifle and then slid her handgun out to check the clip. “Wait a bit longer and I can just sneak on in-“

Rick shot her a look. “I’m not sending you in alone. Stop.”

She grinned. “I can take Daryl with me?”

“Mitzi, no.”

She made a face and mouthed, “Mitzi, yes.”

Daryl grinned and gripped her knee. “Simmer down.”

Miguel scoffed. “What are you going to be able to do all by yourself, GI Jane?”

She laughed and leaned forward. “You should ask your friend… Jorge, was it? I’m a damn good shot. I didn’t miss. He’s alive because I didn’t want him dead. You should remember that.”

He recoiled.

Thirty seconds later, they assembled in the courtyard.

“That’s the bitch that shot me!”

Mitzi nodded. “I sure the fuck am! I don’t like it when people beat on my friends...”

Jorge snarled, pointing a gun at her. Only to have Guillermo push him back.

Guillermo approached Rick, eyeing the guns then giving Mitzi a quick one-over. “I see my guns, but they’re not all in the bag.”

“That’s because they aren’t yours.” Rick shifted slightly. “I thought I mentioned that.”

Felipe moved closer to Guillermo’s ear. “Let’s just shoot these asshole’s right now, ese. Unload on their asses, ese.”

Jorge took a couple steps forward. “I get the bitch first.”

Daryl leveled his rifle at Jorge as Guillermo waved them off. “I don’t think you fully appreciate the gravity of the situation.”

“No. I’m pretty clear.” Rick cut the cord around Miguel’s wrists and pushed him lightly forward. “You have your man. I want mine.”

Guillermo set his jaw and stalked forward. “I’m gonna chop up your boy..feed him to my dogs. Three of the evilest, nastiest man-eating bitches you ever saw. Picked ‘em up from Satan at a yard sale. I told you how it has to be! Are you woefully deaf?”

Mitzi frowned, something itching at her intuition.

Rick settled his rifle against his shoulder. “My hearing’s fine. You said come locked and loaded.” They all followed Rick’s lead, clicking their weapons. “Okay, then we’re here.”

Guillermo backed up, his men raising weapons simultaneously.

Mitzi sucked her teeth. Something was definitely not right.

There was a shuffling from the back of the crowd of Vatos. “Felipe? Felipe?” called a frail, reedy voice as an elderly woman emerged from behind Guillermo.

With his gun still raised, Felipe half-turned to regard the woman. “Abuela, go back with the others - now.”

“Git that old lady out of the line of fire!”

Guillermo turned to regard the woman as well. “Abuela, listen to your m’hijo. This is not the place for you right now.”

She didn’t listen, instead addressing Felipe. “Mr. Gilbert is having trouble breathing. He needs his asthma stuff... Carlito can’t find it. He needs his medicine.”

She stepped forward, nose of her rifle dropping. “Asthma stuff?” She whispered, then louder. “What the fuck is goin’ on?”

Guillermo shot her an anxious look but ignored her. “Felipe, go take care of it, okay? And take your grandmother with you.”

Felipe led the woman away, speaking to her soothingly in Spanish.

Daryl caught her eye. “What?”

She nodded at the vatos. “This is all just ball-bustin’. Half of these idiots can’t even aim at us properly from where they’re standing.”

Rick turned towards her. “What?”

She lowered her gun, keeping her voice low. “This is all bullshit. Intimidation.”

Rick’s jaw worked noiselessly, mind putting pieces together like hers.

“Who are these men?”

Felipe’s grandmother had noticed them, stopping their conversation short.

Rick lowered his weapon and she took a couple steps forward. “Ma’am.”

She caught sight of Rick’s uniform and twisted her hands, distressed. “Don’t you take him! Felipe’s a good boy. He had his trouble, but he pulled himself together. We need him here.”

“Ma’am, I’m not here to arrest your grandson.”

“Then what do you want him for?”

Rick met her eyes and she huffed. “They ain’t gonna kill us. Would’ve already done it. Somethin’ ain’t lining’ up.”

He nodded at her, turned back and stuttered. “He’s... helping us find a missing person... Fella named Glenn?”

“The Asian boy?” She smiled. “He is with Mr. Gilbert...Come. Come, I'll show you.” She began to lead them into the crowd. “He needs his medicine.”

Sensing defeat, Guillermo grit his teeth. “Let them pass.”

Daryl fell into step behind her, Jorge glaring at them as they passed. Daryl glared back, his hand landing lightly on her lower back as he guided her forward.

The woman led them into a nursing home, past a number of individual rooms complete with old people and into a large main room where a small group was watching Felipe administer an inhaler. There in the middle of the group was Glenn, unharmed but anxiously staring at the man.

Rick marched straight up to him. “What is this?”

Glenn looked at him then turned back toward the man in the wheelchair struggling for his next breath. “Asthma attack. Couldn’t catch his breath all of a sudden.”

T-Dog clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “We thought you were being eaten by dogs, man!”

Glenn arched an eyebrow and they all turned towards the corner of the room, where three Chihuahuas sat on a pink and leopard print dog bed.

Mitzi sucked on her teeth. “The fuc’-“ A little, old lady caught her eye and Mitzi winced. “The fricken gall.”

**

She wiped her face with an old shop rag and hung her head.

“I say we put a pick-ax in his head and the dead girl’s and be done with it.” Daryl stood behind her, his knee pressing against her back as she sat back against him.

She opened her mouth, trying to breath through her mouth and not her nose, the smell of burning rot- human rot -thick in her throat.

Shane shook his head. “Is that what you’d want for you?”

Daryl’s hand landed heavily on her head, as if he was trying to silently check on her. Without hesitation, he answered. “Yeah and I’d thank you while you did it.”

Dale sighed heavily. “I hate to say it, I never thought I would, but maybe Daryl’s right”

Rick stepped forward. “Jim is not a monster, Dale, or some rabid dog...” Dale tried to cut in and Rick spoke over him, “He’s a sick, sick man. If we start down that road, where do we draw the line?”

Daryl squared his shoulders. “Line’s pretty clear: Zero tolerance for walkers or them to be.”

Mitzi shook her head. “We’d have to watch Jim night and day. Whoever watches him would have to be on- no dozing off, no bathroom breaks. There’s no way to quarantine him safely.” She shrugged weakly, head still swimming. “I hate it but, there’s only so many options.”

Rick cut in. “What if we can get him help? I heard that the CDC is working on a cure.”

“‘Working on’ and ‘has’ are two very different realities.” The breeze blew over them and she felt bile in her throat.

Shane shook his head. “I heard that too.. heard a lotta things before the world went to hell.”

“What if the CDC is still up and running?”

“That is a stretch right there.”

She leaned over, her eyes screwed shut, shop rag pressed over her face. She felt Daryl’s hand on the back of her neck.

“Mitzi? You okay?” It was Carol.

She waved her off with her free hand.

Shane sucked his teeth. “You are being uncharacteristically subdued.” He grinned. “Kinda nice.”

She caught Daryl, before he could step forward, hand on his thigh. She breathed deep one more time and dropped the hand holding her shop rag to her face.

“Fuck you, Shane Walsh.”

He laughed. “There she is! Done being dramatic?”

Rick frowned hard at Shane and Lori shoved to her feet. “Shane!”

He made a face, shrugging. “Big, tough Spec Ops sniper? Fuck outta here.”

“You smell this before?”

Everyone turned to Mitzi, who had set the rag down on the cooler next to her thigh and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes.

Shane shrugged. “No.”

“I have, a couple times, before all’a this.” She looked up. “Last time was a year ago, in this tiny little mountain village in Afghanistan. We had holed in this village a number of times. It was a farming community, vibrant and generous. The people were nice. The kids use’ta bring me little trinkets, cool rocks, wind-polished desert glass.”

She paused and dug her keys out of her pocket, holding up a smooth, green, translucent piece of glass on a keychain. Daryl pressed tighter against her back.

“The last time we were there, insurgents had wiped the place off the map. Piled all the townsfolk in the center of the town; men, women, children… and set their bodies on fire.” She looked up at Shane. “Denying them a proper Muslim burial because they had colluded with the US Army. Because they colluded with me. So yeah, I’m feeling a little subdued, present circumstances considered.”

He shrunk back. Everyone was quiet for a solid five minutes.

Rick placed his hands on his hips and sighed. “If there’s any government left, any structure at all, they’d protect the CDC at all costs, wouldn’t they? I think it’s our best shot. Shelter, protection, rescue...”

Shane huffed in frustration. “Look, Rick, we all want those things. I do too. If they exist, they’re at the army base at Fort Benning.”

Mitzi shook her head. “Fort Benning is not going to prioritize civilian lives. If they are still operational, their mission is reestablishing authority and control. They’ll stick us in a camp, off-base, with limited supplies and security, and we’ll have to trust that they have checked every civilian. That no one is bit.”

“You sure that’s not just because you don’t want to go back to work?”

She sighed, reaching in her pocket for her brass knuckles. She slipped them on and launched at Shane.

Rick and Daryl must have been expecting it, because before she could take a step, Daryl had popped her off the ground, Rick using his upper body and arms to press her back into Daryl.

“Mitzi, breathe.”

“He fuckin’ has it comin’.”

Rick caught her eyes and held them. “Breathe.”

Daryl pressed his face into her neck and whispered. “Com’n, Spitfire. Calm down. We’ll get ‘em another time, right? Breathe, baby.”

She breathed deep.

“M’Fine. Fuckin’ put me down.”

Rick nodded and they directed her back onto her cooler.

**

She leaned up against the door of the office she would be sleeping in. Catching his hand, she pulled him over, waiting for the others to move past them. “Want to conserve water with me?”

He blushed and knocked his forehead against hers. “Conserve water?”

She nodded. “Jenner said to take it easy on the hot water.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. “You’re drunk.”

She shrugged and fisted a hand in his shirt, pulling him into the room behind her. “Tipsy, more like, but if you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have t’do anythin’ but shower.”

He chuckled, closing the door behind him. “Don’t chicken out on me now.” He reached back and pulled his shirt over his head.

Her shirt hit the ground shortly after his and she hooked her finger over his belt buckle, drawing him into the bathroom behind her.

He briefly pressed his face to her very functional bra and teased his teeth over the swell of her breast.

Smiling, she directed his face back to hers and pulled his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking gently. He groaned, reaching down and grabbing at her ass and lifting her onto the sink.

He paused to squeeze one more time before leaning over and turning the hot water on in the shower.

He turned back to her and paused, watching her. She ran her hands down his chest, running her fingers over the old faint scars that littered his torso.

“You’re pretty like this.” He didn’t give her time to respond but leaned over and caught her lips with his, slipping his tongue into her mouth with a gravelly moan.

She returned it, drawing him between her legs, cradling his face between her hands. He pulled away, moving instead to press wet kisses to her neck and shoulders.

She moaned and moved her hand to squeeze and grip at his arms and shoulders.

He stopped, pulling back a bit.

“What's wrong?” She rubbed her hands through his hair and jumped a little when his thumb pressed into her shoulder, just shy of the ball of the joint.

“You got shot.”

She nodded. “Lucky shot, just outside my Kevlar.” She lifted her opposite arm and motioned to her bicep, where another scar marred the yellow rose tattooed there. “Same guy got me there too. Pissed me off. That tattoo was only a month old. Never did get it touched up.”

He pressed his lips to her shoulder and then her bicep, before leaning up to catch her lips again.

She grinned as he pulled away and patted her thigh. “Got one here too and that one almost killed me.”

Chuckling, he reached for her belt and opened it. “Best git these jeans off too.”

She pressed a kiss to his mouth and reached up to open the closure on her bra. He groaned as she shrugged off the garment and pressed their chests together.

Wrapping an arm around her, lips still locked to hers, he supported her and she shimmied down her pants and underwear.

She hummed as he stepped away again and leaned to press a kiss to the round scar in the top of her right thigh, eyes locked on hers.

“You’re so fuckin’ hot,” she blurted out in a rush, before reaching for his belt and opening his fly.

He grinned and popped her off the sink. “Git in the shower, baby.”

She did, casting a look at him as she stepped under the water.

He stepped free of his pants and underwear and followed her in. He caged her up against the glass, shielding her from the water and wrapping an arm around her.

His free hand found her nipple and worried it between two fingers. She arched hard against her and teased her teeth over the arch of his jaw. Moaning, his hips stuttered against hers before beginning to roll in earnest rhythm.

She slipped her hands around his side and dug her fingers into the muscles of his upper back, pressing flat against him.

She paused when she encountered raised scar tissue. He flinched away and she kissed over his sternum, dropping her hands to the small of his back. “You don't gotta tell me anythin’.”

He caught her eyes and held them, nodding and leaning in to resume the kiss. A breath later, he pulled away. “You still want this?”

She nodded. “Hell yeah.”

He favored her with a small smile and grabbed her hand from his hair. Touching his forehead to hers, he guided her hand down. “Show me what y’ like.”

She moaned and caught his hand in her much smaller one. “Your hands, not mine.”

He kissed her, carding his fingers through the hair he found there. “Why?”

“Bigger.” She moaned into his mouth as he slid his index finger lower, calloused finger tip rubbing lightly over her clit.

Lips still attached to hers, he slid his finger deeper yet, finding what he was looking for and slipping the tip of his finger inside of her.

She moaned again, lips moving against his, sloppy and out of rhythm as he petted at her with barely there touches.

“Stop teasin’.”

He pressed a smile to her lips. “Who’s teasin’?” He sunk two fingers into her in one motion, swallowing her high moan.

They spent the next few minutes locked together, his fingers wringing moans unchecked from her.

She teased her fingers over the head of his cock and dug the fingers of her opposite hand into the meat of his hip. “D, please.”

He grunted and removed his hand from between her thighs, swallowing her protest with his mouth. He hooked his hands around her thighs and lifted her against the cool, wet glass.

He kissed her as he balanced her weight and smoothed his thumb over her clit.

She hissed as he guided his cock into her. He chuckled, mouthing at her jaw. “Make a man feel good, reactin’ like that.”

She laughed, breathy and distracted. “Make a woman feel good with a cock like that.”

He blushed and ground his hips into hers, partially in retribution.

She caught his eyes, pressing her forehead to his. “How you can blush with your dick inside me…”

He shot her as baleful a look as he could in such a circumstance. “You always sayin’ wild shit.”

She dug both hands into his hair and kissed him, full and deep, before pulling away and whispering against his lips. “I like it when you blush.”

He grunted and hooked her legs over his arms. He took advantage of the new position to snap his hips against hers.

She moaned out a shaky, “fuck!”

“Not blushin’ now.”

She smiled and bit her lip. He watched her face as she moaned, smiling against her mouth as the heat and humidity built.

“Touch y’self.”

Her eyes opened, half-lidded and dark and she hummed like she hadn’t heard him.

“Touch yourself. Com’n baby, help me get ya’there.”

He groaned as she sucked her index and middle finger into her mouth and then hissed when he felt them against the base of his cock. She panted, fingers working furtively at her clit.

“Daryl-“

“I know, Spitfire. You’re squeezing’ me. I gotcha.”

He followed her a handful of thrusts later, lips sealed to hers, each swallowing the other’s pleasure.

Part 3

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[lilyevanstan1325]

❤️ Built For This World ❤️

Chapter 8

I don't think I'll ever get used to a man like Daryl.

And I'm not just talking about his physical appearance, which damn is absolutely fantastic, but about him as a man.

His personality.

His strong, authoritarian nature.

Every gesture, every word that comes from this man exudes a power capable of putting me in awe, sending my brain into a tailspin.

The first lights of this dawn dimly illuminate his profile.

From the moment I reopened my eyes I couldn't take them off his face even for a moment.

His features are relaxed, soft, beautiful.

His strong arms are folded behind his head, a few strands of hair falling lazily across his forehead.

A light and adorable snore comes from his slightly parted lips, his chest rises gently, his breathing slow and steady.

Daryl Dixon sleeping is a sight to be enjoyed.

I sigh dreamily.

Is there anything this man doesn't do excellently?

I curl further into myself, hands clasped under my cheek and knees pressed against my stomach.

I enjoy this little show that I'm sure is something no one else can boast of having seen.

When I wake up the sky was still dark and my head was still resting on his chest, the scent of him in my nostrils was so strong it made my eyes roll.

I gently moved away from his body, ignoring the voice in my head that instead invited me to decrease the space between us even further.

I just had the burning desire to wrap my arms around him and bury my face in his neck.

But I listened to that little part of my self-control.

And now here I am.

Crouched in a corner enjoying this wonder.

Daryl moves slightly.

Instinctively I move away a little more.

I don't want to make him uncomfortable.

Even though he himself invited me to spend the night in his tent, I fear the moment he wakes up.

Why?

I don't even know why.

Maybe I'm just afraid that the night might have led him to change his mind about me.

About us.

I pinch my bottom lip between my teeth.

I still want to kiss him.

But him?

What about him.

His fluctuating mood is the thing that destabilizes me the most, we practically went from not looking at each other to sleeping hugged in the same tent.

Thinking back to yesterday...

God!

Yesterday more than once we got dangerously close to each other and more than once everything's came to nothing.

What if today he doesn't want it anymore?

If I close my eyes I can still feel his hands squeezing my hips, his breath on my heated lips.

His scent.

God.

I would let those strong, calloused hands do anything to me, I would let his thick fingers explore every millimeter of my scorching skin.

I squeeze my legs tightly, the fire burning between them seems to consume me mercilessly.

I whimper lightly, pathetically.

I sink my teeth into the back of my hand to try to quell my own pleasure.

Can I burn with passion for a man I just met?

This isn't me.

I'm not like that.

I have never been so passionate.

So eager.

So needy.

And this new part of me scares me.

It scares me because I shouldn't feel certain emotions, not now that the only goal of our life is to survive.

I return my gaze to the archer's face.

His very relaxed features soothe my agitated soul.

I could stay hours, days, maybe even years, still like this with him sweetly sleeping at my side.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer” his still sleeping voice whispers.

I gasp violently, blushing.

“What?” I squeak, letting my hair slide in front of my face, trying to hide my growing embarrassment, immediately interrupting all my unchaste thoughts.

Daryl turns his face slightly towards me as his body moves into the same position as mine.

His long legs come closer to mine while he bends one arm to support his head while the other hand comes closer to my face and pushes away my unruly locks with his fingertips.

His blue eyes now alert and attentive have a relaxed look.

“Yer starin’.’S creepy”

A veil of slyness is hidden in his drawl.

He's making fun of me.

He's trying to embarrass me.

I torture my lower lip between my teeth, tormenting it.

“Don't do tha’ or ya'll ruin those pretty lips” he murmurs, bringing his thumb to my lip, freeing it from the torture of my teeth.

My breath gets stuck in my throat.

His gesture sends the part of my brain capable of formulating meaningful sentences into total blackout.

Actually my entire brain.

Trying to hide the passion that this man arouses in me, I decide to respond to his provocations with a little audacity.

“I wasn't staring at you.I was admiring you” I wink.

My lips rub gently on his digit still pressed to my lips.

“Stop” he grumbles, blushing too.

Well.

His own game is turning against him.

I smile satisfied, amused by the blush that spreads across his face as I watch him roll onto his back, his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze fixed on the ceiling of the tent.

He seems to tense up, I can feel the tension radiating from his body like waves.

The temptation to touch him is too strong.

Simply too much.

I move closer to him, carefully sliding my hand along his pecs and then back up towards his hair.

Daryl turns his face towards me, his gaze uncertain and his body rigid, almost scared like a cornered animal.

He acts like he expects to get hit every time my hands come near him.

The thought that a human being can be so little related to contact makes me sad.

I have always been used to being hugged, to being loved but for him it is as if all this were unknown.

It's all new to him.

I smile shyly trying to reassure him, trying to make him understand that the one thing I would never do is hurt him.

I push my hand into his hair, digging my fingers into the messy locks and smoothing them down.

A shaky sigh escapes his lips then his body relaxes and his eyes close.

With a little more courage than I had a few minutes ago I approach him, resting my head on his hard bicep.

The archer's muscular arm moves to make room for me so that I can rest my head right next to the junction of his neck and his clavicle.

My hand abandons his hair to move towards his neck, stroking the soft skin behind his ear and finally finding a place on the nape of his neck where my nails scratch his scalp languidly.

Without shame I take a deep breath.

“You smell good” I murmur although more than a murmur the words come out of my lips like a soft moan.

The man's body stiffens again but this time it is different.

His attitude seems to have another nuance.

It's not fear.

It's more like he's trying to tame something bigger.

“Do I make you nervous?” I whisper with my lips pressed to the base of his neck unable to stop.

This sweet torture intoxicates me.

It's unstoppable.

I propping myself up on my elbow and keeping my eyes fixed on Daryl's I move closer to his face leaving a light trail of small kisses along his jawline.

Slowly.

Slowly enough to give him all the time he needed to pull back but that doesn't happen.

Daryl turns his entire body towards me, his arms wrapping around my waist pulling me against his body, his fingers playing on my lower back.

“Watch out, pretty eyes.Ya be careful wha’ ya wish fer”

His low drawl makes me blush.

His voice, still thick with sleep, awakens all my senses.

“You know big boy, I think you have a crush on me”

I wink, curling up against his chest to hide the blush that slowly and inexorably spreads across my face.

A light laugh resonates in his large chest, making the strings of my soul vibrate.

“Ya think?” the archer teases me by letting his long fingers run along my spine.

I nod, nuzzling my head against his neck, my lips finding his chin where they leave a little peck.

“You call me pretty eyes, pretty lips...so…”

He let out a hmph sound.

And I find it adorable.

I giggle as I move away from his body or at least I try because his strong, muscular arms keep me anchored to him.

I barely lift my face in search of his eyes and I find them already staring at me with an intensity that makes me breathless.

Everything is so easy with him.

All so natural.

Where's the catch?

Am I really ready to let him enter in my heart?

But in the end do I still have the time to choose?

Maybe...maybe I'm already in too deep and if he decides to smash my heart into a thousand pieces I'm sure I'd let him do it.

I'm willing to suffer even to have a little piece of him.

“Yer right.Ya pretty little thing, ya look so delicate but I know ya not like tha’.Oh no, ya ain't as sweet and delicate as ya would like to let me believe”

Daryl whispers barely brushing my lips with his.

His attentive gaze is studying me and his words crush my heart.

He is right.

I'm not like that or rather there was a time when I was delicate but it's been a really long time ago.

I had to replace sweetness with strength.

I had to replace the desire for love with the desire to survive.

Now I'm stronger, tougher and more cautious with people.

Distrust has become my dearest friend.

I hid my true nature behind a stronger, stoic demeanor.

A mask that this man seems determined to destroy and I'm ready to let him do it.

“If I let ya in…”

Daryl inhales deeply taking a moment to reflect on his own words before continuing.

“How dangerous are ya, Summer?”

His question makes my blood run cold.

I am not dangerous but my past, my history, is.

And a lot too.

I stammer something incomprehensible under my breath, moving away from his grasp, escaping his now suspicious gaze.  Pushing my hands against his chest I give myself a gentle push and roll onto my back to put an end to whatever was about to happen.

I sit there unable to say anything.

Unable to answer his simple question.

Basically he doesn't know anything about me and before getting involved it's right that he wants to know.

But what about me?

Am I willing to answer him?

I already know my answer.

And fuck, this hurts for a million different reasons.

Behind me I can hear the rustling of the sleeping bag under the archer's movements.

His hand rests delicately on my back, making me tremble.

“Tell me who ya are, sunshine”

His short plea is muffled by his lips on my shoulder.

Very cautiously Daryl approaches me, sitting right in front of me, welcoming my figure between his long legs.

The soles of his boots resting firmly on the ground, legs raised and strong arms resting on his knees, his hands lazily caressing my biceps.

Small shivers blossom where his fingers pass.

I feel infinitely small locked in the prison of his body.

I bring my knees to my chest, wrapping them in my arms and risking a glance in his direction.

“Wha’ are ya runnin’ from?”

This is the final blow.

I only have two options.

Lie.

Lying like I learned to do.

Or I could tell him the truth.

Tell him why I'm running away.

What I'm running from.

Who I'm running from.

A sad smile caresses my lips.

Daryl cocks his head slightly to the side, his narrowed gaze busy studying my reaction.

Ready to grasp every little nuance.

I look down at the tips of my boots.

“Do you think it is possible to escape from our past?” I whisper.

The sound of my voice drowned only by the deafening beat of my heart thundering in my ears.

“If I told you I was running away from myself would you believe me, Daryl?”

The man's large hand makes space on my face, finding the perfect fit in the hollow of my neck.

His thumb is a light caress on my cold skin.

His head tilts further in search of my elusive gaze.

“Good luck with this.I've been doin’ this shit my whole damn life”

His words catch my attention like a moth attracted to the light.

His blue gaze, like crystalline water, seems to darken, behind it a veil made of ancient memories and pain.

His past also seems to haunt him.

“It doesn't work, does it?” I smile defeated.

I don't know why this makes me sad, after all I am aware of the fact that it ain't possible to escape from our demons, from our mistakes, yet I always hope that it's possible...

“Listen to me” Daryl whispers, moving a little closer.

Our faces are really so close that I feel like I'm running out of oxygen in my lungs.

“Ya can run, ya can run fer yer whole life.Ya can run fer miles but yer past is here” he murmurs, touching my left temple with the tip of his index finger.

“And here” he whispers, moving his finger towards the center of my chest, pointing it right at my heart.

“Yer past will forever be a part of ya.Yer past is what has shaped the woman ya're today”

His hands gently wrap around my face caressing me as if I were made of crystal.

As if he was afraid he would break me if he held me tighter.

“I dunno anythin’ ’bout tha’ past and I don't give a shit.Do ya know wha’ I see instead?”

His southern accent sweetly envelops my every thought, making my mouth go dry.

My fingers timidly find his wrists, wrapping around them with desperate need.

I cling to him, to his words, as if they were my only hold.

Daryl is the only thing keeping me afloat in this sea of pain right now.

“What do you see?”

Daryl licks his lips.

And then he smiles.

And the world stops.

His face looks infinitely younger.

It's as if all his pain, all my pain, just disappeared.

Nothing exists anymore.

Just me and him.

“I see a strong woman, a woman who defied death to find something else.I see a brave woman, a woman who isn't afraid to take on an asshole like Shane.I see a loyal friend, a friend who puts aside her own shit to help Carol.Summer ya so many beautiful things tha’…God!It pisses me off tha’ ya don't see it”

With my eyes wide open and my heart racing, I don't even realize what happens immediately afterwards.

Daryl's lips crash against mine.

His firm grip on my face is fuel on the fire.

The violence of the contact only fuels the fire inside me.

I get up, kneeling and bringing my body closer to his, our chests pressing against each other with so much vehemence that if it were possible I would melt and merge into him.

My arms wrap around his neck, my hands dive into his soft locks, pulling them hard.

A pathetic moan leaves my lips and Daryl takes the opportunity to slide his velvety tongue between them.

I moan louder in response.

Despite the fervor of the kiss, Daryl's tongue moves shyly as if all of a sudden he isn't so sure anymore.

As if he were embarrassed by his own passion for me.

We both don't know what we're doing and where all this will take us but we can't help but surrender to our needs.

Because yeah, what we feel is need.

A physical need, the need to soothe our pain.

The corrosive need to no longer be alone.

I soften my grip on his hair by sliding my fingers along the back of his neck, giving him sweet caresses with my fingers.

I move my lips delicately caressing his tongue with mine.

Kissing Daryl is like downing a shot of tequila in one gulp.

It burns every sense and goes straight to the brain clouding every thought, every fear, every inhibition.

Kissing Daryl is losing yourself in the oblivion of pleasure.

Suddenly the kiss ends and when my eyelids flicker again, the first thing that strikes me is the man's bewildered look.

He seems intimidated, almost scared.

I tremble as I lower my gaze, suddenly struck by a thousand anxieties.

His strong hands move down my sides and then cling tightly to my feverish skin, his forehead rests delicately against mine.

“It was so bad?” he tries to lighten me up noticing the tension in my body.

I just shake my head with a shy smile.

“Not that bad, big boy” I whisper, seeking his lips again, kissing him once more.

A light and quick kiss.

With my fingers I continue to absentmindedly caress the back of his neck, enjoying this little moment of haze.

Daryl looks thoughtful as his intelligent, attentive eyes probe my face.

“Listen to me, sunshine.If ya don't wan’ to talk ’bout it that's fine but don't give me bullshit.No lies.I hate lies”

Daryl is trusting me and I know I don't want to disappoint him, I can't do it for the simple fact that I would never forgive myself.

I know it's an effort for him too to trust me and I can't betray him.

“There was a man” I whisper, moving my hands towards his chest, holding onto his shirt.

Talking about Negan always hurts.

My cold fingers grip the fabric of his shirt almost angrily as my heart pumps furiously.

“I ran away from him, from his men…I couldn't stay any longer.I don't want to lie to you” I whisper under my breath, looking for his gaze.

The archer looks at me seriously and imperturbably.

“I don't want to lie to you but…but I don't feel like talking about it.Not now.Do you understand that?”

My anxiety is so powerful that I can't hold his gaze for a moment longer so I bury my face in his chest while his arms close around me giving me the comfort I crave.

One day, when I'm ready, I'll talk about him.

I'll tell Daryl everything.

But not now.

Now I need to find myself again.

I just need to find my balance again.

Because the only person I ever lost and need back is me.

Daryl's steady heartbeat helps me regain some self-control.

His silence gives me time to compose myself.

We remain still in our embrace until he pulls away just enough to find my eyes again.

“Did he hurt ya?”

His simple question hides an anger so visceral it scares me.

Even though he has always been sweet and delicate with me, Daryl is a strong, feral man and I am sure that anyone could only tremble in terror if they faced a man like him.

In response I simply shake my head.

Negan never physically hurt me but the pain he inflicted on my soul and heart was pure torture.

That man destroyed my heart and my soul and if he had also inflicted physical pain on me I would have almost welcomed it with open arms to no longer feel that pain inside me.

Daryl inhales deeply.

“Ya safe now and will be as long as I have the strength to protect ya.I will never let him get close to ya.Never again” he whispers.

My heart flutters at his promise.

And then, before I could even think he kiss me again.

This time with more confidence, with more awareness.

He kiss me so hard that I might consider the idea that my lips might become bruised.

And honestly I'm not complaining one bit.

The feeling of his lips on mine makes me arch my back in ecstasy.

I let out a sigh, which I didn't mean to sound so much like a moan, but the archer's lips curl up against my lips.

He seems satisfied and he leans back to give me another smile.

I return a smile resignedly, aware of not being able to control the reactions of my own body in his presence.

Not that he seems to be complaining about it.

“Are you mad at me?”

The archer tilts his head slightly to the side, shocked by my question.

“Wha’?Why should I be mad at ya?”

His tone seems almost amused.

I shrug.

“I do not know.Because I don't want to talk about…”

Daryl cuts me off immediately by crashing his lips against mine, pressing them so hard that I bend backwards until my back hits the hard ground.

I watch him as he leans towards me, placing his hands on the sides of my head.

“Ya don't even have to think ’bout it, sunshine.Ya talk when ya ready and if ya never be ready it'll be fine anyway, alrigh’?”

I nod, smiling and pinching my bottom lip between my teeth.

My hands grab the scruff of his shirt pulling him towards my lips but before I can deepen the kiss a voice makes us jump.

“I hope you're not naked because I already have too much trauma.I don't need to see your ass too, pookie”

I can't resist the laughter that forcefully bursts from my lips.

Carol enters the tent with a hand covering her eyes and a toothy smile.

Daryl huffs, letting his head fall forward.

Still shaking from laughter, I press my hands on the man's chest, pushing him away from me and sitting back down.

“C'mon Carol.Don't worry, we're already done” I smile, pushing my foot towards her boot.

The archer lies down on the sleeping bag, rolling onto his back and then sitting up.

“So…pookie?Really?” I ask amused laughing again followed by Carol’s laughter and another adorable snort from the man in question.

“Stop.Both of you” Daryl grumbles, focusing his icy gaze on both of us.

At first glance he might seem angry but the tips of his ears deliciously red make me understand that he is just terribly embarrassed.

Carol laughs as she sits next to me.

“Why?Doesn't it suit him?” the woman teases him, eyeing the man on the verge of embarrassment.

“Stop” he grumbles again, crossing his arms over his chest and avoiding our amused looks.

“Oh Carol, don't be mean” I scold her affectionately, putting my arm around her shoulders.

“Do you need something?” I ask her.

I can't stop smiling.

And it hits me.

I haven't felt so relaxed, so comfortable in a long time.

These people I just met managed to bring some calm back to my wounded heart.

I will never be able to thank them enough, not even if I lived a thousand more lives.

Subconsciously these people did more than they were supposed to do.

“Yeah.Breakfast is ready.You need to eat.Both of you need it”

My stomach growls loudly at her words.

I forgot the last time I ate.

Between Shane's mess, Sophia's search and the accident I lost track of time and my needs.

“You almost died, both of you.Now you have the duty to get back on your feet.Let's go” continues the woman, standing up and leaving the tent.

“I'll give you five minutes.Hurry up!” she yells before walking away.

I smile again shaking my head.

I have to get used to feelings like kindness and receiving care and attention from others again.

When I look for Daryl I find him staring at me.

His eyes, blue as the ocean, shine with a light I have never seen in them.

His lips are curved in a small smile.

“What's up?” I ask, embarrassed by his insistent gaze.

The archer shrugs.

“Uhu nothin’.Yer really pretty when ya smile.Ya should do this more often”

His half-hearted compliment awakens a sweet warmth in the center of my chest.

This grumpy and unfriendly man is truly adorable.

I scoop near him pressing a light peck on his beautiful lips.

“The same goes for you.You're really beautiful when you smile, pookie” I murmur bringing my lips to his again.

Daryl huffs but doesn't reject the kiss.

I smile against his lips.

“I think it suits you.On the outside you're grumpy like a bear but on the inside you're really soft” I tease him and without giving him time to reply I quickly kiss him again and leave the tent and head towards the camp where everyone else is.

The first to notice me is Shane.

The man stands slightly apart from the others.

He glances at me briefly and then returns his attention to the plate in his hands.

Strangely, his gaze wasn't full of hate as it often is when it's directed at me.

Maybe, since I got shot less than 48 hours ago, he decided to cut me some slack.

Good.

Carol smiles at me and tilts her head towards a chair.

I sit down smiling at the rest of the people.

Rick, Lori and Carl are sitting together enjoying their breakfast.

As soon as Carl sees me he gives me a shy smile which I return with a wink, the boy laughs in amusement attracting his mother's attention.

Lori nods her head a little.

I think she still feels embarrassed about what she asked me to do but the fact that she finally talked about it with her husband seems to have made her relax a bit.

Rick watches her, his crystal clear eyes are an ocean of fear and confusion.

At the moment Lori seems to be fine and mentally I breathe a sigh of relief.

I feel so fucking guilty for getting her those damn pills.

I really hope that the little one is okay.

T-Dog is helping Carol by the fire.

It looks like they are cooking eggs.

Great.

My stomach rumbles again as their delicious scent reaches my nostrils making my mouth salivate.

Andrea is sitting in front of me busy smoothing the large blade of a hunting knife, her sister Amy, sitting next to her, is also observing her carefully, waiting to receive her food ration.

Glenn and Dale are next to each other and both exchange weird looks.

Glenn, unlike other days, seems particularly tense.

Nervous I dare say.

He shifts his weight from one foot to the other uncomfortably, casting a fleeting glance towards the porch of the Green house from where Maggie is watching us.

Her expression is too serious.

Maybe the two lovebirds had some spats.

Who knows.

My thoughts are interrupted by heavy footsteps.

And I don't need to turn around to understand who they belong to.

Daryl's scent reaches me before his hand gently rests on my shoulder.

“Take it.It's cold today” the man mutters, handing me a blue checked flannel shirt.

One of his shirts.

My heart jumps into my throat and begins to beat in a completely irregular way.

I actually didn't pay much attention to the weather when I left the archer's tent.

Today the gray sky is covered with large clouds and a light wind makes me shiver.

My t-shirt is certainly not appropriate.

Daryl sits down next to me, giving me a brief smile.

I blush as I slip my arms into his shirt, a shirt that is full of his intoxicating scent.

“Oh wow!This shirt has sleeves.I didn't think you had one" I whisper teasing him and getting an adorable amused snort from him in response.

“Thanks” I whisper with my cheeks still burning, resting my head on his shoulder for a moment.

“’S nothin’ ” he shrugs giving me a gentle shove with his elbow.

Our little exchange of effusions ends when Glenn clears his throat a couple of times.

I observe him carefully while he walks back and forth with an agitated pace.

What happens?

It's not like him to behave like this.

Glenn is always sunny, always with that sweet smile on his face, but this morning he is different.

His eyes are surrounded by the hint of dark circles as if he's had little sleep and his lips are curled into a serious line.

Something's wrong, I can feel it under my skin.

“Um, guys” he mutters, nervously running a hand over his chin.

My eyes immediately search Daryl's.

The man returns my gaze with his equally worried look.

He too realized that there is something strange in the delivery boy's attitude.

We both turn our fullest attention to him.

“So…theburnisfullofwalkers” he snorts in one breath.

Immediately ten heads snap towards the barn.

Ten pairs of wide, disbelieving eyes turn their attention back to Glenn.

I feel panic gripping my guts as in a completely involuntary gesture my hand goes to squeeze the forearm of the man next to me.

My eyes full of terror are reflected in the archer's incredulous ones.

His hand gently squeezes my fingers which are unconsciously squeezing his arm.

Unceremoniously Rick and Shane are the first to quickly walk towards the barn.

Everyone else follows them.

Everyone except me.

I feel as if my legs are paralyzed, a general tremor radiates along my limbs.

“C'mom sunshine, everythin’ will be fine” Daryl urges me.

I turn towards his voice and find him standing next to me, my hand still tight on his arm.

My nails are digging little half-moons shapes into his tanned skin.

As soon as I realize this I immediately withdraw my hand, bringing it to my lap and muttering an apology under my breath, my eyes lowered to my knees.

Daryl kneels, bringing his face level with mine, his hands are a delicate caress on my thighs.

From the knee they slowly move up along them and then repeat the same reassuring movement over and over again.

“Hey!Will everythin’ be good, alrigh’?C'mere” he whispers, bringing his face close to mine and kissing me lightly on the lips.

I feel the blush arise from my neck to the tips of my ears.

I look around nervously and then return my attention to the man kneeling in front of me.

“Daryl!Someone might see us!” I squeak in panic.

Daryl huffs in response, standing up and holding out his hand.

I look at his large, calloused fingers and with a trembling hand I accept his hold.

“I don't give a damn ’bout others.Do ya care?” he asks without looking me in the eyes.

Our fingers intertwine and together we walk towards the barn from where we can already hear the agitated voices of the others carried by the wind.

Before we can reach the others I stop, yanking the archer's hand who, looking at me furtively, stops.

“I don't care about others either” I smile shyly.

And it's the truth.

I could never be ashamed of him.

His gesture definitely took me by surprise, I must admit, and for a moment I feared what others might think.

My arrival has already caused several problems and tribulations in the group and I wouldn't want my closeness with the handsome archer to be a further reason for arguments between him and Shane.

“Good” Daryl grunts and I could swear I saw him blush as we start walking again with a determined pace.

I beam at his back while I can't take my eyes off our fingers locked together.

Rick and Shane are facing each other while the latter points a finger at his friend's chest.

“You cannot tell me you're all right with this” Shane hisses out.

Rick's gaze hardens.

“No, I'm not, but we're guests here.This isn't our land" replies the officer.

The sharp tone of his voice seems to make Shane even more angry.

The man takes a few steps away, bringing his hand to his face and rubbing it nervously.

“Oh God.This is our lives, man” he shouts.

From the barn, increasingly insistent moans and growls follow one another.

“Lower your voice” I invite them, pressing me close to Daryl.

The hotter things get, the more the walkers seem to get agitated.

Shane gives me a mean glare but, perhaps seeing me clinging to Daryl's arm, he decides not to say anything to me and simply shakes his head.

I exchange a quick glance with Glenn.

Anxiety seems to be eating him up.

Andrea lovingly wraps her arm around her sister's shoulders, as if she wanted to protect her from what's in that damned barn.

“We can't just sweep this under the rug” the woman vehemently explains her opinion, immediately earning a hint of approval from Shane who immediately after her adds “It ain't right.Not remotely”

Then he starts walking back and forth again.

His body radiates nervousness from every pore, making me more and more nervous.

Next to me Carl squirmed slightly, hiding behind his mother.

Lori grabs her boy's hand and tries to silently comfort him.

“We either got to go in there, we got to do things right, or we just got to go.Now we have been talking about Fort Benning for a long time” Shane says confidently but his words clash with the determined frown of his best friend.

Shit.

Would they really want to leave this place?

What if the group decided to head towards Washington?

I can't even think about it...

I squeeze the archer's fingers tighter and his gaze immediately falls on me.

I think he sees the panic all over my face because, reciprocating my grip around my trembling fingers, he whispers “Don't worry.We found a way”

I nod, chewing the inside of my cheeks until I taste the coppery taste of my blood.

What a fucked up situation!

Why would Hersel keep all these walkers imprisoned?

Does he not realize the risk he places his own daughters in?

“We can't go” Rick barks, gesturing nervously.

Of course he can't.

His wife is pregnant and leaves like this blindly without a real and safe destination is unthinkable.

“Why Rick?Why?” Shane shouts with his eyes almost bulging.

But before anyone can respond Carol advances with a determined step alongside Rick and facing Shane.

“Because my daughter is still out there”

Her eyes are full of tears.

How could we ever leave this place without first finding Sophia?

It is an absolutely impossible option to take into consideration.

Unthinkable.

Shane scoffs by burying his face in his hands.

His reaction activates every cell in my body.

I am fully aware that if Shane says the wrong words I will lose my mind.

“Okay, okay” Shane murmurs, moving closer to Carol.

In a completely automatic gesture I let go of Daryl's hand to move closer to Carol.

“Okay” the man sighs “Okay, I think it's time that we all start to just consider the other possibility”

“Fuck you Shane!We're not leaving Sophia behind.We're so close” I snap, pressing my hands forcefully on his hard chest, making him move back just a few steps.

Daryl approaches immediately trying to calm things down but now it's open war between me and that piece of shit of Shane.

I put my hands on my hips, daring him to respond to my words.

He snorts in response, rolling his eyes.

“Daryl and I found his doll two days ago”

The man chuckles sarcastically at my words.

“You found her doll.That's what you did.You found a damn doll.You almost died for a fucking doll.Do you understand, kid?” he yells a few inches from my face sending shivers down my spine.

I feel myself being grabbed violently by the arm and before I can understand what's happening Daryl comes dangerously close, screaming too.

“You don't know wha’ the hell ya talking ’bout”

“Man, look, I'm just saying what needs to be said here” retorts Shane.

I feel like my head is exploding so I decide to take a few steps away, leaving the shouting and arguing behind me.

I'm too nervous and too angry that I really could have hit that idiot if I had stayed there a little longer.

I approach the barn door, peering between the boards.

Inside it, dozens of walkers walk aimlessly, grunting and bumping into each other without any logic.

Something brushes against my shoulder making me jump startling in fear.

When I turn around I have Glenn's tired and heartbroken face in front of me.

“Shit dude.You scare the shit out of me” I scold him with my nerves on edge.

“Sorry” he apologizes, lowering his gaze and digging his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“It seems like lately whatever I do doesn't work out right”

My friend's words make my heart ache.

“Hey” I call him hugging him.

“It's not your fault.We are all nervous.Sorry”

Glenn returns the hug with much more force than usual, burying his face in my hair.

“I had to say it.Even though I love Maggie, you are my family.I couldn't stay silent.You understand me, don't you?” he murmurs in my ear, continuing to hold me in his arms.

Poor Glenn.

I'm sorry to see him so torn between his love for Maggie and his loyalty to all of us.

“You did what you thought was right.Don't blame yourself.Maggie is a smart woman, she will understand” I try to console him.

Suddenly all hell breaks loose behind us.

I abruptly break the hug in time to see Daryl lunge at Shane.

And it's chaos.

The two are pulled back by several hands, each trying to prevent the two men from being able to hit each other.

Without thinking twice I run into the fray, standing right in front of the archer's body, catching Shane's fist right in my face.

I stagger a few steps, feeling a heat dripping from above my eye.

Grunting, while the screams get louder and more excited around me, I put a hand to my face.

A hand that is immediately tinged with a bright crimson shade.

Fuck!

I stagger a few steps, tripping over my own feet and ending up with my ass on the ground.

“Shit” I cough as my back hits the hard ground.

Immediately afterwards some hands press against my forehead but when I try to rebel a voice immediately silences me.

“It's me.Stay still”

T-Dog's friendly voice reaches my confused brain.

The man takes a rag out of his pants pocket and presses it right to my left eyebrow.

I hiss as the fabric touches my broken skin.

"Don't worry.It's the eyebrow, it's normal for it to bleed a lot.A couple of stitches and you'll be as good as new” he grunts as he takes my weight on himself, passing my arm over his shoulders and helping me stand up.

And even though my vision is blurry and I'm currently seeing double I can paint the picture of the situation in front of me.

Rick's arms are wrapped around Daryl's torso as Glenn tries to help calm him down.

Lori protects her little boy with her body, an action that Andrea is also carrying out towards her little sister.

Shane's chest rises and falls rapidly, his body shaking with uncontainable anger.

Carol and Dale try to bring sanity back to the group but they're all too busy yelling at each other to realize it.

“Would you take me to Hersel?” I ask, receiving a nod from T-Dog in response.

I'm too tired and too confused right now to deal with them.

With limping steps we finally manage to reach the porch of the large white house.

A thoughtful Maggie is sitting on the steps and as soon as she notices us and the state of my face she reaches us with a couple of quick strides.

Without saying a word she takes us inside going to call her father.

It's just Hersel and I in the big bedroom.

The man began to sew up my wound without asking any questions.

I think they heard the screams all the way inside the house and Hersel is a smart man.

He knows that we know.

I hiss a little every time the needle digs into my skin.

I wouldn't have minded a little anesthetic.

Or a glass of scotch.

“You don't have anything to tell me?”

His question doesn't surprise me.

The calmness with which he asked it to me makes me understand that it is not the first time that he has addressed this discussion with someone.

And thinking about the reactions of each of us to the discovery of what the barn contains, I can say with absolute certainty that the only one who knew besides Glenn was Dale.

And I'm also pretty sure that the latter has already spoken to the kind vet to ask him for explanations.

I shrug, trying to appear as relaxed and indifferent as possible.

“I have nothing to tell you.This is your house so your rules.The thing I don't understand is how a man of your intelligence doesn't understand the danger of this crazy choice"

Hersel continues his work without answering me.

His blue eyes are fixed on his hands as he expertly sews me up.

I sigh.

Rick is right.

This place doesn't belong to us but we can't leave either.

Not without Sophia.

Not with Lori in this condition.

“Well since you have nothing to say I'll do the talking” I step forward.

Hersel doesn't look me in the eye but nods slightly giving me permission to express my opinion.

“What you're doing is dangerous Hersel.Those things...having them so close won't lead to anything good”

“Those things" the vet promptly replies “are human beings.They're just sick people”

My face contorts into a grimace of confusion.

“Hersel…you don't see things clearly”

It's absurd.

I swear this is the last thing I ever expected to come out of his mouth.

The man applies gauze to my wound and then turns his back on me to rinse his hands in a small basin of water.

“I need you and your group gone by the end of the week”

His words hit me like a slap, making me flounder in confusion.

I stand up behind him, hug my midsection with my arms to try to hold together all the pieces that threaten to fall apart at the idea of finding myself on the road again.

Back in that hell.

“You and I have our differences with the way we look at the walkers.Those…those people, they may be dead, they may be alive, but those people” I say vehemently, pointing with my hand to the field outside the window “Us…us, we are alive right now, right here, right in front of you.You sand us out there and that could change”

Hersel leaves the room without answering me but I can't let him so I follow him.

The man reaches the kitchen, positioning himself in front of the sink, his hands tightly grasping the edge of it.

“I've given you safe harbor.My conscience is clear” he says.

I stand next to the man looking for his gaze.

Meanwhile Rick appears on the doorstep.

I was sure he would come but now I can't let him interrupt us so I stop him with a hard gesture of my hand.

Rick doesn't say a word, remaining motionless on the doorstep, his eyes tired and his pale face.

“This farm…this farm is special” I continue looking for the vet's gaze.

“You've been shielded from what's been going on out there.Maggie tells me that you saw everything happen on the news.Well, it's been a long time since the cameras stopped rolling”

Hersel continues to keep his gaze down trying to move away from me again.

My hand gripping his arm tightly prevents him from doing so.

“Hersel what the world is out there isn't what you saw on TV.Is it much much worse, and it changes you.I know it.What I saw out there, the people I met out there…God!You can't imagine how lucky you are to have met a man like Rick and his people.If you had met my group…just know that you would have wished for death Hersel”

Both men's eyes snap in my direction.

The weight of my words crushes me.

I knew the truth would come out but I didn't imagine that their looks would hurt me so much.

I look at Rick with a million apologies etched in my eyes.

He trusted me and I should have told him the truth first.

But now it's too late.

Now my goal is to convince Hersel to let the group stay and if I have to leave I will be ready to face the weight of the consequences of my choices.

“Please do not…do not send us out of there again” I murmur in a faint voice, now defeated, returning my attention to the only man who currently has the power to choose which direction our lives will take.

Hersel seems closed in his silence, convinced of his decisions.

So with shoulders hunched and head down I walk towards Rick.

When I'm about to walk past him and leave him alone with Hersel, he gently grabs my hand and squeezes it in his, forcing me to stop.

In his gesture there is no anger but a tacit thanks for having exposed myself on the behalf of everyone.

My eyes, dilated with amazement, look for the officer's but he isn't paying me the slightest attention.

He and Hersel are looking at each other, eye to eye, so intensely that I almost believe they are communicating telepathically.

“My wife's pregnant”

Rick suddenly begins, earning a look of pure amazement from the man in front of us.

“That's either a gift here or a death sentence out there.If we were to stay, we could help you with the work, with securing this place.We can survive together”

Rick's words make me shiver.

We can survive.

We can really do it.

This baby will be a blessing I'm sure.

Now everything is in Hersel's hands.

He will decide our fate.

“You can't stay” was his only response.

Rick stiffens and seems ready to retort forcefully, I can feel it in the way his fingers tighten around mine but before he can open his mouth I tug on his arm telling him to be quiet.

“Just think about it, okay?” I ask him politely, dragging Rick away with me out of the kitchen and then out of the house.

As soon as we go out onto the porch I am literally overwhelmed by Daryl's arms.

His arms wrap around my neck, pressing my head against his rocky chest.

The stitches on my eyebrow pull uncomfortably.

I hiss, immediately attracting the attention of the man who lets me go but immediately brings his hands to the side of my face, cupping it gently.

“Ya good?” he asks, studying my wound as if he could understand its extent from under the white bandage.

I nod, smiling faintly.

The argument with Hersel drained every ounce of energy I had.

Rick clears his throat, placing his hands on his hips.

His gaze flies towards the barn, towards Shane.

“I'm going to talk to him”

His worried look doesn't escape that of the archer who goes back and forth between Rick and me.

Our state of mind is certainly perceivable even from miles away.

Daryl lets go of my face and sits on the porch steps, clapping a hand next to him, a clear invitation to take the seat next to him.

I sit down, getting as close as possible and the man, understands my intentions, my needs, lift his arm and welcomes me into his gentle embrace.

“Wha’ happened in there?” he asks.

My gaze goes towards the barn, towards the two men who are arguing heatedly.

I'm more than convinced that Shane won't take Hersel's decision well.

I return my gaze to the archer's worried one.

I look down at my hands clasped in my lap, a lump in my throat preventing me from breathing.

What will we do if we really have to abandon this place?

“Hey sunshine”

“Hersel wants us to leave” I whisper trembling.

Daryl tightens his grip around my shoulders, pressing his lips to my temple.

“How will we do?” I whimper, sniffling.

A thousand fears cloud my heart.

The walkers.

The cold of the imminent winter.

Lori and the baby.

How are we going to survive out there?

I barely made it and I was alone.

How will a large group like ours cope with walkers, starvation and cold?

And then there's Sophia, how will we look for her if we have to leave?

Daryl stands up offering me his hand, which I accept as every time without any hesitation.

I let myself be pulled onto him, letting myself be wrapped in his embrace.

This time the man takes infinite caution not to press against my wounded forehead.

"It'll be fine.As long as we're together everythin’ will be fine”

His sweet words echo in my ear pressed against his welcoming chest.

After a few hours everything around us begins to populate.

The sun is now about to set while, wrapped in Daryl's embrace, all the others gather next to us.

And people seem decidedly calmer.

Glenn and Maggie sit on the steps behind us, smiling lovingly at each other.

I was sure they would clarify.

Glenn and I give each other a brief, knowing look.

Both smiling and above all full of confidence in the future.

Daryl is right.

As long as we all stay together everything will be fine.

Together we are strong.

Andrea joins us flanked by T-Dog.

“Do you know what's happening?” asks the latter.

This last question is followed by Andrea's question about where Rick is.

Carol arrives from the other side of the field, joining us at a brisk walk.

I lift one of my arms, inviting her to come closer and holding her against my side.

“Has anyone seen Rick?He went off with Hersel.We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago” Andrea informs us.

“Rick told me he was going out” Carol replies, frightened.

Is it possible that no one knows where Rick is?

What happened to him and Hersel?

“Damn it.Isn't anybody takin’ this seriously?We got us a damn trail” Daryl gets agitated, freeing himself from our embrace and leaving me with Carol.

Heavy footsteps attract our attention.

Shane approaches quickly, on his shoulders I can recognize the bag full of weapons.

“Oh, here we go” Daryl exclaims reaching him.

I look around with a worried look trying to understand what is happening and only meeting other worried and anxious looks.

“What's all this?” asks the archer as soon as the ex-policeman reaches him.

His haunted gaze sweeps all our faces and then settles on Daryl again.

“You with me, man?” he asks him, pressing a rifle into his hands.

The two men stare at each other intently, warily.

“Do you want to keep your woman safe?” Shane asks, moving his hard gaze to me and then back to the man in front of him.

Daryl's fleeting gaze falls on mine, an indecipherable feeling in his beautiful blue eyes.

I shake my head imperceptibly trying to make him understand how bad this all is but his need to protect me is too strong so looking down with a silent apology he nods in Shane's direction.

“I'm with you, man”

So with a heart full of fear I can't do anything to stop them.

Shane is making a mistake and I can't stop him, especially if I don't even have Daryl's support.

Shane continues to gather support by handing out weapons to anyone who accepts.

Someone perplexed by the speed with which the situation could degenerate tries to respond.

“Look, it was one thing sitting around here picking daisies when we thought this place was supposed to be safe.But now we know it ain't” Shane speaks with agitation.

Being in charge of these people again seems to fill him with new energy.

He approaches Glenn handing him a rifle.

“How about you, man?Are you going to protect yours?” he asks him.

Glenn exchanges a fleeting glance with Maggie, his gaze full of displeasure but in the end he accepts the weapon that is given to him.

“That’s it” Shane replies, puffing out his chest proudly.

“Can you shoot?”

“Can you stop?” I interrupt him, trying to make him think for once.

I cannot stand still and helplessly witness the destruction of this group.

“Shane please listen to me.I know you don't like me but please try to think about it.If we do this Hersel will make us leave tonight.Please”

The man looks at me seriously, nervously running his hand all over his face, then grabs another rifle and forces it into my hands.

“What about you, huh?Do you really want to show that you care about being part of us?Join us.Protect us”

I don't have time to reply as Carl advances towards Shane.

“We have to stay, Shane”

A breathless Lori comes out from inside the house.

“What is this?” she asks nervously, focusing her dark eyes on the man.

The latter ignores her by answering Carl's statement.

“We ain't going anywhere, okay?Now look, Hersel, he's just gotta understand.Okay?He…well, he's gonna have to.Now we need to find Sophia.Am I right?Huh?”

Shane kneels in front of Carl.

How sleazy is this man?

Using Sophia's name just to gain personal advantage.

I feel the bile rising up my throat.

I slowly move closer to Daryl, searching his eyes.

“We can't Daryl.Please”

The archer doesn't even look at me, his stiff fingers tightened around his rifle.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Lori stand in front of her son.

Sighing resignedly to the archer's indifference, I approach to understand what is happening between Shane and Lori but I don't even have time to take a couple of steps when I hear walkers growling in the distance.

“Oh shit!” I exclaim, trying to make sense of what my eyes are seeing.

Rick and Hersel are dragging two walkers towards the barn with two snare poles, the young Jimmy waves his arms in front of them trying to attract the attention of those two monstrous beings.

Shane launches into a frantic race towards the newly arrived group.

We all start running as fast as we can.

“What the hell are you doing?” Shane shouts beside himself with anger.

Rick grunts with difficulty to hold onto the walker.

“Shane, just back off!” he gasps while Hersel groans indignantly at the sight of the weapons in our possession.

And his words do nothing but add fuel to the fire.

Shane moves as if he were in the grip of pure madness.

“Are you kidding me?You see?You see what they're holding onto”

Around us there is total chaos.

I look for Daryl in the crowd and without thinking twice I approach him looking for contact with his body.

The man in response grabs my wrist and moves me behind him.

His grip is nervous.

Shane and Hersel continue to argue, yelling at each other with escalating anger.

Until the ex-cop stops and pulls a gun from his trouser pocket.

“Hey Hersel, man, let me ask you something.Could a living breathing person, could they walk away from this?”

He then fires three shots into the walker's chest.

Each shot resonates in my head, making me grip the archer's shirt tighter and tighter, burying my face between his shoulder blades, my body shaking with shivers.

Shane continues to scream as he fires more shots at the walker.

Until finally I hear one last shot and a surreal silence descends around us.

I move away from Daryl's back.

Shane storms toward the barn.

“Enough risking our lives for a little girl who's gone!Enough living next to a barn full of things that are trying to kill us.Enough.Rick, it ain't like it was before!Now if y'all want to live, if you want to survive, you got to fight for it!I'm talking about fighting right here, right now!”

Now the man is out of control as he spits the words with an uncontrollable fury.

We all watch him helplessly while he grabs an ax and begins to break the lock that separates us from the walkers without stopping even with the repeated screams of everyone else.

For my part, I can't move, Carol next to me has a shocked expression.

My hand lets go my grip on the rifle to wrap around hers trying to give her some courage, the same courage I'm trying to muster for myself with all my might.

The situation has now completely degenerated.

“Shane, man, please don't do that!” Rick shouts, drowned out by the shouts of Lori and Glenn who try in every way to make the man reason but it's all in vain.

Shane grunts with each swing of the ax until the heavy metal lock falls to the ground with a dull thud.

Hersel and Maggie are kneeling in the dust, big tears streaming down their faces.

Patricia and Beth have a mask of terror on their faces.

Daryl and T-Dog raise their weapons in front of them ready to eliminate any threat while Glenn looks petrified, his arms hanging lifelessly at his sides.

Everyone else is simply too stunned to even move a muscle.

Slowly the barn doors open and the walkers begin to emerge from them.

A barrage of bullets hits them and even though the roar of the shots is deafening, the only thing I can hear are the subdued and heartbreaking cries of the Green family.

As I watch the bodies go down I can't help but think that each one was someone important to these poor people.

Dale walks past us with a shocked look and his mouth parted in a grimace of disbelief.

When the last shot rings out in the air, Beth's sobs soar with even more desperation.

Shane turns towards the man who is supposed to be his best friend, the two exchange a silent look full of mutual accusations.

Something has definitely broken between the two men.

The sound of shuffling feet coming from inside the barn captures everyone's attention.

The weapons rise again towards the large wooden doors waiting for the last walker to come out so they can put an end to it all.

After infinite moments a small figure appears.

A little blonde girl, wearing a blue t-shirt with a rainbow on it.

And even though I've never seen her I know who she is.

Without wasting time I forcefully grab the woman's hips, closing my arms in an iron grip around her waist.

Carol's scream is heartbreaking.

“Oh God!Sophia!Sophia…” sobbing Carol as she drops to the dusty ground.

My tear-filled eyes meet the archer's pain-filled ones.

The man drops his weapon on the ground, reaching us with two long strides and kneeling in front of us, he wraps his reassuring arms around both of us.

Unable to be strong enough for Carol I let out a soft cry too overwhelmed by the pain.

“Oh no no, Sophia.Sophia” Carol continues to sob.

I see Rick take a step forward and then another.

And another.

Until he reaches Shane's side.

The former officer puts his hand at his side and takes out his gun from his holster, watching helplessly as the girl advances and growls.

For a moment I can understand Hersel.

Even if the one in front of us is just a soulless monster, in our eyes she will always remain the sweetest Sophia, a sweet innocent soul torn away too soon and too violently from this damned world.

A sob shatters my chest, Daryl's hand immediately finds my face, caressing it with a disarming sweetness.

The click of Rick's gun makes Carol jump, the woman squirms slightly as if she wants to free herself from my grip and that of the archer to run to her little girl.

“Don't look” Daryl whispers in her ear and Carol obediently lowers her gaze, burying her face in his chest.

Horrified, I can't look away from Rick's movements.

I see his arm lift and point the weapon right at Sophia's head.

“Summer?”

Daryl's voice sounds distant, muffled, as if I'm underwater right now.

“Sunshine?Eyes on me”

His sweet command penetrates the bubble of pain in which I was imprisoned.

His head drops, hiding his tormented eyes from me.

And I'm sure he's fighting against his own feelings with all his strength to keep from falling apart, because he feels the visceral need to always show himself strong for the others.

Even though I knew it would happen, the echo of the shot makes me jump violently.

The tears now fall from my eyes without stopping.

“We were so close” I stammer between sobs.

“I know baby.I know” Daryl murmurs in a strangled voice, kissing my forehead and holding me close to him.

God, what are we going to do now?

Please share, comment and rate ❤️

🔥 Masterlist 🔥

Taglist ❤️

@deansapplepie @celtic-crossbow @daryldixmedown

#daryl #daryl dixon #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixon smut #daryl smut #normanreedus #norman reedus #norman reedus smut #the walking dead #built for this world #fanfiction recommendation #fanfic #fanfiction #daryl x oc

[crustless-toast]

Screaming Your Name

Here is Chapter 1 to Screaming Your Name! An Oc x Daryl Dixon story! I'm gonna really try to not make the story too cringy and if I am please let me know so I can fix it lol. I hope you enjoy it either way!

I'm a little new to posting on Tumblr so I hope to be able to link all the chapter together properly as I post them. Until then, Enjoy!!

Raven was like any normal person. She worked a boring retail job that paid close to nothing. Just to go home to an empty house, pay bills, eat and sleep. Nothing exciting really happened in her life. She was just different than the average person. She enjoyed the little things. She was more of a glass half full kind of gal. Always enjoying the little things in the world. Unfortunately, the world came to an end. She wasn’t the athletic type but when monsters are chasing you down to eat you alive the only thing you can do is run. Running is what led her to her new life with people she never thought would enter it. She found friends, family, and love. She learned to fight, to face her fears, and to keep pushing forward even through the dark times. Out of everything all she wanted was to get one man to open up to her more. To show him the good that was left in the world. For Daryl Dixon to see there is still hope in the world. That life is still good. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gripping my blanket closer to my body, I shiver as cold sweats soak my body. I don’t know how much more I can handle this. My cold that I've had from the start of this, has turned into something much worse.

 What medicine I did have is gone. Finding medicine is close to impossible nowadays. A few Advil here and there, as well as a bag of cough drops can only get you so far. Everywhere I’ve looked has already been picked through. The more populated areas are hard to look through. Too many of the dead filling those areas. I can't look through them on my own. It’s close to impossible. 

The summer heat had no effect on my cold body. The warmth just feels like the blanket. The slight breeze just makes me shiver more. If it was a normal day in the old world, people would think I was insane having a thick blanket wrapped around me with the sun beating down on me. But in the old world I’d have medicine and I'd be fine in a few days.

The sound of the dead was behind me and there was nowhere to go. No place to hide. I looked around to maybe find something, but there was only an empty road surrounded by woods. I grip my knife, deciding my only option was the woods. 

My legs were getting so heavy. I was having a hard time staying ahead of them. I needed to keep moving but I had to stop. My throat was burning from the sickness and the heat. I need to stop and to drink some of my water. Quickly getting back up. The sun was starting to set and it was getting too dark to see. 

I was getting too tired to keep going. My eyes feeling like someone is pushing them closed. I drop my bag, dropping to my knees but I kept a tight grip on my knife. Taking deep breaths that end with me coughing. I covered my mouth with my blanket, needing to keep quiet incase any of the dead were near. 

I jump at the snap of a twig not that far from behind me. Looking around, seeing if there was anything up ahead. I didn’t see much, but there was something ahead of me. It was hard to tell what it was exactly. But what light was left I could see something reflecting. Like a window.

Grabbing my bag, I moved ahead, dragging my bag next to me. Not having the strength to pick it up. As I got closer, I could see it was a cabin of some kind right in the center of an open field. Abandoned before the world ended. 

Growling was behind me. Staying here was my only option. 

Throwing my bag on my shoulder, almost making me fall. I raised my knife and slowly made my way to the cabin. I head up to the steps of the porch, listening closly to see if I could hear anything. So far nothing. 

I closed the door behind me, locking it with its old rusty padlock and placed a chair in front of it that was close by. Moving forward once my eyes were adjusted to the darkness. There was another door in front of me that led to the other side of the cabin. I drop my bag, heading to the door to close it as well as put a chair in front of it. In case something comes in I could hear it first.

To my left looked to be some kind of dining room with a table flipped over and chairs thrown all over. As well as the kitchen that appeared to be cleared out with every cabinet opened wide.. To my right I think it was a living room. It was empty with only a couch that looked so comfortable. The livingroom appeared to have a small hall that lead to other rooms. Each was empty with nothing in them but some old furniture that was rusted and destroyed. 

Grabbing my bag I made my way to the couch. My body relaxed as I sunk into it. Not caring about the dust. Exhausted from having to run all day. 

Reaching in my bag I grabbed my water, but it was empty. Just my luck. I didn’t realize I drank it all already. 

My body was so cold. I could see the bottle shaking in my hands. I dropped it, not caring where it went. Gripping my blanket even tighter around me as I lay down, my knife still in my hand. Finally being able to rest my head on something that wasn’t a hard floor. I don’t care that I can feel the springs in the cushions. I was so tired and sick. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any more. No matter how hard I fought it. I needed rest so I let myself sleep.

~~~~~~~

A loud bang woke me from my sleep, but I couldn't move. My body was so heavy. I couldn't keep my eyes open long enough to see if it was one of the dead or not. I was still shaking to the point where it hurt even more. My bones are sore from, well, everything. My knife was no longer in my hand. I must have dropped it in my sleep.

I could hear footsteps getting closer to me. I opened my eyes just enough to see the sun was up, shining through the windows. A figure walked into the door frame. I can barely make out a man holding something. It was pointed at me. 

“You bit?!” The voice was stern, southern and loud. 

I close my eyes, not able to keep them opened any longer. “N-no. Sick.” 

“Sick, how?” 

My lips quiver as I try to speak, “Fr-from a cold. I-i had fr-from the begin-beginning.” 

“Is it just you?” He was demanding an answer. 

I nod, too tired to answer. 

I felt a hand being placed on my forehead. His fingers were cold and rough. 

“Ya burin up.” 

I grip my blanket closer, “So-so cold.” 

I hear things moving around. I couldn't tell if he was taking my stuff or looking around the place. I didn’t care either way. 

“My camp has a Doctor. ‘M take ya to him,” Before I could answer him, I could feel his arms snaking under me. He grabs my arm and places it over his shoulder. Picking me up from the couch. With my blanket still gripped in my hands, I wrapped my arms tighter around him. Scared to fall. 

“Gonna make me hot,” He says in my ears.

He started to walk. I opened my eyes enough to see who this man was. His face was a little dirty, with some facial hair around his mouth. His hair was short and filled with sweat. His eyes were sharp, looking at everything around him.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. 

He looked down at me for a second, and his eyes were a sharp blue that when the sun was shining just right, it made them shine a beautiful sky blue. 

My eyelids were getting heavy again so I closed them and fell asleep to the sound of his breathing and the morning birds chirping.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Is that Sophia?!” A women screams, waking me up just enough to hear whats going on around me.

“Nah, just some girl I found. She sick.” I hear from above me. The man that was caring me.  

“Bit?” Another man spoke.

“Said it’s some cold.” He held onto me tight as he got closer to the people

“Bring her inside. I’ll take a look at her.” 

I was still too tired to speak. I fell back into my deep sleep. To a place that was safe. 

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon drabbles #daryl dixon imagine #the walking dead #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon x reader #norman reedus #rick grimes #twd #twd fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fanfiction #oc x daryl dixon

[d1xonss]

Desert Rose

Series Masterlist ~ Seasons 1-5

✧ Media : The Walking Dead

✧ Pairing : Daryl Dixon x OC

✧ Status : Ongoing

Warnings : Mentions of blood, death, gore, swearing, sex, violence, etc.

Prologue ~ When a zombie apocalypse breaks out and wipes over half of the population, Rose is left alone to take on this new world as it unfolds. She knew it would be difficult, for things to not work out the way they once did, turning in ways she never would've expected. But what she really didn't expect was to come across more survivors like her. Not only that, but the journey that would come right along with it.

Disclaimer ~ This is a fan fiction I wrote that follows the TV show The Walking Dead, Seasons 1-11. This mainly follows the entirety of the plot of the show, but there will be little changes here and there that I've added on my own. There may be some disturbing topics in some chapters, but there will always be a warning at the top before you read. I don’t own any of the characters in the series except for my OC. As of now the story is not complete, but there will be weekly updates. Let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist!

Hope you enjoy!

Season 1 ~ Moodboard

Chapter 1 - Introductions

Chapter 2 - Who the hell are you?

Chapter 3 - Opening up

Chapter 4 - One long day

Chapter 5 - Decisions

Chapter 6 - Metallica

Chapter 7 - Overthinking

Chapter 8 - Panic Room

Season 2 ~ Moodboard

Chapter 9 - Sophia?

Chapter 10 - Darkness

Chapter 11 - The Farm

Chapter 12 - Cherokee Rose

Chapter 13 - Hey Stranger

Chapter 14 - Thank you

Chapter 15 - Heart Attack

Chapter 16 - It ain't like that

Chapter 17 - Guitar lessons and confessions

Chapter 18 - Gone

Chapter 19 - Goodbye

Chapter 20 - Stay

Chapter 21 - Randall

Chapter 22 - Scars

Chapter 23 - Broken

Chapter 24 - Good Mourning

Chapter 25 - The Herd

Chapter 26 - Reunited

Season 3 ~ Moodboard

Chapter 27 - New Beginnings

Chapter 28 - Stranger Danger

Chapter 29 - Shit happens

Chapter 30 - Three little words

Chapter 31 - Happy Birthday

Chapter 32 - Avoiding Me

Chapter 33 - Woodbury

Chapter 34 - Come with me

Chapter 35 - Hey Jude

Chapter 36 - The Attack

Chapter 37 - Welcome Back

Chapter 38 - Worries and Apologies

Chapter 39 - Going to War

Chapter 40 - The Deal

Chapter 41 - Peace

Season 4 ~ Moodboard

Chapter 42 - Wildflower Wildfire

Chapter 43 - The Honeymoon Phase

Chapter 44 - Little Things

Chapter 45 - All Good things Must come to an End

(Coming soon!)

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixon x oc #daryl twd #daryl dixon smut #daryl dixon the walking dead #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon twd #daryl x reader #daryl x female reader #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl dixon x original character #the walking dead masterlist #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead daryl #the walking dead #twd daryl dixon #twd daryl #twd fanfiction #twd #norman reedus #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus x reader #desert rose

[theteasetwrites]

Merciless Beauty

Series Masterlist

❧ Media: The Walking Dead // Medieval Fantasy AU ❧ Pairing: Knight Daryl Dixon x Princess Reader ❧ Reader Pronouns: she/her ❧ Status: ongoing

❧ Before You Read...

❧ Glossary

❧ Spotify Playlist

❧ Synopsis: For ten years, the world has been ravaged by a plague known as the Scourge. The kingdom of Alexandria remains one of the few bastions of peace in a world of death and decay. Keeping the kingdom and its castle closed off from the rest of the world has kept its citizens safe. For you, the princess of Alexandria, and King Ezekiel's daughter, it hasn't been easy. You dream of seeing the outside world again, and when the king invites a local duke and his knight to court, marking the first time in a decade that an outsider has been allowed into the kingdom, you see it as your chance to finally be free. The duke's knight, Sir Daryl, seems to be your only hope, but around the same time of the knight's arrival, trouble begins to break out in Alexandria, with a mysterious group of bandits and outlaws breaching the walls and wreaking havoc. Their leader's threats endanger both the kingdom, and you. Can your loyal knight protect you?

❧ A/N: So this is happening. No one really asked for it, but it's happening.

❤️‍🔥 = smut (18+)

❧ Chapter 1: Your Eyes Slay Me Suddenly ❧ Chapter 2: Me, Who Was Once Serene ❧ Chapter 3: The Wound Is Quick and Keen ❧ Chapter 4: Only Your Word ❧ Chapter 5: While Yet the Wound Is Clean ❧ Chapter 6: Through Life and After Death ❤️‍🔥 ❧ Chapter 7: I Tell You Faithfully ❧ Chapter 8: The Whole Truth Shall be Seen ❧ Chapter 9: Heal the Injury ❧ Chapter 10: Straight Through My Heart ❧ Chapter 11: You Are My Queen ❤️‍🔥 ❧ Epilogue (coming soon)

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon x you #daryl dixon x oc #the walking dead #twd #the walking dead fanfiction #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead smut #norman reedus x you #norman reedus fanfic #norman reedus x reader #norman reedus fanfiction #norman reedus #daryl dixon smut #theteasetwrites series #theteasetwrites masterlist #theteasetwrites fanfiction #merciless beauty series

[lady-phasma]

Happiness at the end of the world

Chapter 3 of ?

Daryl Dixon x OFC

Warnings: 18+ MDNI; this is really different than anything I have ever shared on Tumblr before - it's fluffy and has lots of feelings and quite a few warnings; Smut, Not Canon Compliant, PTSD, mentions of past SA, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Demisexual Daryl Dixon, p in v sex, ultra-Light Dom/sub

Summary a/n: I'm terrible at summaries, it's just more fluffy smutty stuff like chapter 2. No beta. 4.5k words.

Kristina scrubbed her eyes with her fists and squinted at the sun light. They had fallen asleep, possibly overslept. Thankfully neither of them had a run planned. Daryl might have work detail, she wasn’t sure, but she had the day off. He would probably need to take Dog out soon. She yawned as silently as she could manage, not wanting to wake Daryl yet. She was surprised to find she had fallen asleep naked. He was still wearing his jeans. He was barely snoring but the soft sound made her smile. She snuggled in close to his side. One of his arms was flung above his head, the other draped across his chest. She put her head close to his arm pit, indulging in the guilty pleasure of how wonderful he smelled, embarrassed even though only she knew. She thought she might not care if he did know, he would probably like that she liked it. She curled next to him, took a deep breath, and slipped her hand under his on his chest.

He stirred just a bit, one eye opening to assess the interruption, then he swept his arm down and crushed her into his side. She smiled against his skin. The illusion of being small with him would never get old. She let her mind wander and relished being here, in the moment, no urgency. She savored it. Her thoughts drifted through the sleepy fog of memories from the previous night. She was more satisfied than she had been in years. She watched his stomach as he breathed, the sunlight from the window highlighting a few scars and fine blond hairs. It took all of her willpower to resist the impulse to touch them, move her palm over and down his stomach. The waist of his jeans was low on his hips, revealing the darker hair just below his bellybutton. Of course she noticed the bulge in his jeans. Her mouth watered. She suspected it wasn’t a particularly comfortable way to sleep.

Her lazy thoughts drifted through things she would like to do with him, to him, back to their present arrangement, and then to coffee. It was a luxury she had long ago learned to live without but this morning felt so normal, so like before, that she could almost smell the dark roast in the French press. An impromptu fantasy formulated in her mind’s eye of a world without walkers, Daryl in her bed in her last apartment. Laying with him on a Saturday maybe, windows open to let in the cool spring morning air. The smell of him, coffee, clean sheets, and the anticipation of toothpaste combined into a snapshot that made her a little melancholy. She let the thought of toothpaste guide her back to the present and wondered if he had any. He probably did, he had the basics most of the time.

She wriggled from under his arm. When she started walking to the bathroom she was very aware of her nakedness but didn’t cover up, just in case he was awake enough to watch her. She smiled to herself as she searched the bathroom sink and medicine cabinet for toothpaste. Fuck yes, she thought, as she picked up a flat, rolled up, tiny tube of the stuff. She never knew she would love it, miss it, so much. With just the tiniest spot of it on her finger she scrubbed at her teeth. Her toothbrush was at her place. She took her time, it was a lovely feeling, then sipped some water from the faucet and rinsed. She breathed into her palm, sniffed, and was satisfied that most of the morning breath was gone.

Daryl had at least one eye on her as she stepped out of the bathroom. He tried to play possum but she saw his eyelids flutter. She leaned against the door frame. If he was pretending then he would be curious when he didn’t hear the expected footsteps approach or feel the dip in the mattress as she got back in bed. Ha! There it was again.

“Playin’ possum, huh?” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“Huh?” he opened his eyes slowly but his lips made a tight line as he suppressed a smile.

“Yeah that’s what I thought,” she walked toward the bed. She tossed the toothpaste at him. “I’ll pay you back what I used and find some more on my next run. That shit needs to be a priority unless some hippie around here can make us some from tree bark and dandelions or some shit.”

He scoff-laughed and picked up the tube from the bed. She knew him pretty well, knew he wouldn’t care if he had water or not. In a pinch just the paste would do and she didn’t want him out of bed just yet. She stood at the side of the bed as he pushed his toothpaste around his mouth. No one ever looked dignified “brushing” their teeth with their finger. She waited until he was done and held out her hand for the tube.

“Wha?” he asked.

“Gimme and I’ll take it back to the bathroom,” she answered, making a grabbing motion with her hand.

“Nah,” he said, tossing the tube on the floor. “Com’ere.”

She blushed while she hesitated. She had wanted his attention, that’s why she hadn’t put on clothes. However, Daryl’s attention was intense, she kept forgetting that.

He put his hand out to her but he remained laying down. She gingerly stepped onto the mattress, using his hand for balance. She was unsure where he wanted her so she stood, one foot on either side of his hips. She felt a bit like an Amazon and didn’t hate it. He slid his hand out of hers, letting each finger trail down hers. His eyes moved slowly over her. Just before she was about to sit down or run or sink into a hole in the floor, he sat up and slid his hands up both legs from her ankles, over her calves, and cupped her ass. Their communication was simple, silent queues, pressure with fingertips, glances with eyes. She loved it. Some combination of his signs instructed her to kneel, straddling him. She did.

She shivered. It wasn’t a cold morning at all but she felt like all the heat in the room was now only where their skin touched. His grip on her ass never faltered. This helped her get to her knees gracefully instead of the careless, unsexy way she probably would have done on her own. He also wouldn’t let her sit back on her heels. As much as he was learning her, she was learning him and she had not moved her hands from her sides since he let her hand go. She was looking at him, shivering a little, and struggling to think of anything other than her bare pussy spread open exactly how he wanted it. She blushed a deeper shade of pink.

“Mornin’,” he said. Before she could reply he moved both hands in tandem to cup her ass cheeks. She bit her bottom lip. Then his fingers began to move between her thighs. One hand held her thigh from behind, the other found her pussy.

“Ya get wet real fast, huh?” he grinned. She nodded, lower lip still pinched between her teeth.

“How come?” he asked.

“Uh, you, uh,” she mumbled and gulped and remembered she actually knew words. “You make me wet. Thinking about you, looking at you, smelling you…” She trailed off. His eyes had flashed a little at the last one.

“Mmmmhm,” he responded. Then he started to move his fingers. The sensation of being played with from behind while looking at him made her knees weak and her mouth dry.

He pulled her legs toward him, for better reach, but she lost her balance a bit and steadied herself with her hands on his shoulders. She was now straddling his lap, her stomach almost pressed against his. He looked at her and slowly shook his head. As soon as she understood she dropped her hands from his shoulders and made an apologetic face. His face was unreadable.

Then his fingers parted her lips and pressed against her clit. He stroked back the full length and then forward again, stopping to dip into her and then out quickly to circle her clit. He repeated the motion. God she was dripping wet. His hands were rough and felt amazing on her sensitive skin, on her swollen clit. She had never been stroked in quite this way before and found herself once again admiring his instincts.

“Oh Daryl,” she moaned. “Oh shit you feel so good.”

“Yeah, ya like that,” he growled. “Ya want me to make you come?”

“Fuck, please,” she begged. She had started to sway with his rhythm and her back arched to push her hips closer to him.

“Nah,” he said as he pulled his fingers out. Her eyes flew open at the sudden loss of stimulation. Before she could protest she watched him lick his fingers, tasting her, and she moaned.

His other hand still held her in place. Her breasts were nearly level with his mouth and he leaned forward sucking a nipple into his mouth. She squirmed and his grip on her thigh tightened. He placed his other hand on her side, high up on her ribs, and pulled her chest closer. She felt off-balance and unsteady. Every sensation from his mouth and hands on her tugged at her cunt with electric strings.

“Daryl, please,” she moaned.

“Please what?” he immediately put his mouth back on her nipple.

“Can I please touch you?” she whispered. She wasn’t afraid to ask but was unsure of the answer.

An mmhmm vibrated from his mouth through her nipple and straight to her clit. Her hands flew to his hair and grabbed fistfuls. Her hands roamed everywhere without thought. She caressed his neck and shoulders, his chest, arms, anything she could reach while remaining upright. She kept her eyes closed and made a mental map of him. He had given both nipples attention as well as the sensitive skin under her breasts. The sensory overload forced unintentional sounds from her.

He hands rested on his upper arms. She couldn’t get enough of his biceps flexing under her fingertips. She didn’t grip to steady herself, she didn’t need to.

His mouth moved away from her and his hands began to slide to her hips, his thumbs pressed hard in the hollow of her hip bones. He understood how much she enjoyed that almost immediately the night before. He gently pulled down on her hips so that she was sitting on his lap. Her knees ached but she cared with only a small sliver of her mind. His dick was so hard that she gasped when her pussy came to rest on the zipper of his jeans.

Kristina took advantage of the permission to touch him and slid her hands to the back of his neck. She held his gaze while she moved close enough to kiss him but stopped just out of reach. He leaned in to meet her lips and she pulled back, teasing, grinning a little. She enjoyed having his lips just out of reach, sharing his air, watching his expression change from control to something like pursuit. She darted out her tongue and licked his bottom lip. He was faster than her. He pressed his lips against hers and tugged at her bottom lip with his teeth. She moaned into his mouth as he released it. She wanted to learn every way he liked to be kissed, felt she could do that all day. She moaned again when he forced her mouth open with his tongue. He responded to her moans by gripping her hips and adjusting his.

His jeans were rough and delightful against her. She was almost sure they were soaked by now. She was aching and couldn’t imagine how he must feel. She wanted to make him feel everything, help him experience everything, she was impatient. As they kissed she moved her hands from his neck to his chest. She ran her fingers through the rough hair and avoided the scars she could remember with her eyes closed. She was learning as quickly as she could but sometimes part of learning was testing. She let her fingertips graze his nipple, her nails tracing the muscles of his pecs, and returned to his nipple. Each time she did, he moaned and slightly rolled his hips.

She didn’t want to be made to choose but this new information was intriguing so she pulled back from their kiss. She placed small, delicate kisses up the line of his jaw to his ear, and breathed hotly next to it. She increased the pressure of her fingers as she passed over his nipple again. Slowly, she told herself, don’t rush. She circled her other arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer. There was almost no space between them She loved this closeness. She got a bit braver and made gentle circles around his nipple. His short, quick breathes guided her. His head was in the curve of her neck and he was lazily sucking and kissing her neck and collarbone. She hummed, licked his earlobe, rolled her hips, and almost pinched at his nipple.

This was too much. Daryl grabbed her by the waist, moved her off his lap, and almost pushed her onto her back. He was hovering over her before her surprise had subsided. She giggled. She squirmed a bit, wiggling her hips and him, taunting him. Her giggles turned into quiet laughter at the look on his face. God it was endearing. It was a comical mix of delight and annoyance but with a trace of something like fear.

He began to smother her chest and stomach and hips with greedy, kisses, sucking and nibbling at times. Her laughter transformed into panting and moaning as he slipped a thigh between her legs. He ground the coarse denim against her as he kept kissing. When she felt his teeth she arched her back toward him, forcing her hips against his thigh. He groped and searched for her wrists while his kissing slowed. He brought them together in one hand and pinned them above her head. He raised up to do this and was looking down at her, hunger and need in his blue eyes.

Kristina defied him and raised her head to kiss his chest, reach her mouth almost a nipple. He pressed harder on her wrists, not painfully, and she dropped her head back on the pillow. She bit her lower lip in a challenge. He made a point to push his leg against her cunt as he moved off the bed. She knew better than to lower her arms. She had no idea what he was doing until he walked back into the room with one of his bandanas. He got back on the bed, straddling her. The cloth smelled of motorcycles and Daryl and earth as he wrapped it around her wrists. After he tied the knot he tugged on it and her arms moved but her wrists stayed together.

He looked at her. Just looked. She tried to make her face unreadable but the more she tried the hotter the blush felt. He got up from the mattress again. He assessed the scene and tapped the inside of one of her ankles. He was gentle but knew what he wanted. She spread her legs.

He nodded once, satisfied, and the rested a hand on the fly of his jeans. He held her gaze to ensure she was watching. He was insecure about almost everything about himself except his abilities to track and hunt. Only a day ago what he was doing now only existed in his imagination, nothing he could actually do. Kristina looked at him the way he looked at her. He wasn’t comfortable in his skin, might never be, but that seemed okay when he was with her. She didn’t expect him to be. Not that he thought she preferred he be some beat up mess but that it didn’t really matter to her or if it did at all it only made her enjoy him more. He always overthought, analyzed, tried to anticipate what would happen next. A survival skill he developed to dodge words and fists and pain. Last night he had moments when his brain took a break from the extra work, when his world was nothing but being wrapped up in her. He could do that as long as she would let him.

So with her he did things that scared him at first or made himself feel a little unhinged. He was sure her psychology shit had words for all that. The words didn’t matter to him. He just wanted to keep returning to that edge and finding out that he could go past it. And that he had someone who stood on the other side with her hand out, helping him. He rarely felt brave, he did what was necessary, but there was a small flicker of bravery when he pushed past the fear.

He watched as her eyes did what he wanted and followed his hand to his jeans. He cupped the bulge, pressed the zipper a little too hard against his dick, but the slight pain helped him focus. Once his jeans were unzipped his narrow hips couldn’t hold them up. He let them fall to the floor and stepped out of them. She licked her lips. He liked that a lot. He enjoyed being able to watch her shallow breathing in the sway of her breasts, how her belly rose and fell, close to panting.

He wrapped his hand around his dick and stroked, long, lazy strokes. Her eyes followed. He swiped the precum off the tip and she licked her lips again. Oh yeah? he thought. He leaned over the mattress and painted her bottom lip with it. Her eyes nearly closed as she slid her tongue out to taste it. Watching her enjoy that tugged at the base of his dick and he groaned through gritted teeth. He knelt down next to her, hand back on his aching dick, and licked at her nipples, her belly button, kissed her carefully above her pussy. He breathed in her smell. He wanted his mouth on her, to taste her, feel her with his tongue, almost as much as he wanted to fuck her. He had already moved his mouth away though. The very fucking last thing he ever wanted was to make her uncomfortable. He kissed her ribs, her arm pit, mostly to watch her squirm but also to learn all of her smells, kissed her elbow, and her curled fingers.

Her eyes narrowed as she watched him sit down beside her. He reached over and helped her sit up, her bound wrists making that action particularly difficult. Then he guided her over him while he lay back. She let herself be led. He positioned her straddling him, she was so easy to move like this, compliant, willing, but, most of all, enthusiastic about letting him take control. She sucked in a small gasp of air when he had her where he wanted. Her pussy rested on his lower stomach and his dick was hard against her ass.

He slid his hands in tandem over the insides of her thighs, let his thumbs brush her swollen lips, press into her hips, and continued up her sides, along her ribs, and then pulled her down onto him. Her arms relaxed with her wrists on the pillow just above his head. She felt almost weightless. The only part of her not supported by him were her knees. When he breathed she felt herself lifted with him, her breasts pressed hard into his chest. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips as he moved his hands to her ass. She liked being able to figure him out and not be too many steps behind. He wanted her to get used to letting him hold her up, feel safe.

Daryl kissed her cheek, her neck, her arm beside his head, and started to lift her ass. For a moment he knew it would be awkward and difficult for her but he had her. Having her lay on top of him was a wonderful feeling. For a brief flash he wished he could communicate that to her in words but then he focused on where his hands were. He had to strain just a little to reach behind her. He guided the tip of his dick into her hot, wet pussy, taking his time to brush against her clit before fully sliding in. Then he slowly pressed her hips down with his hands. She didn’t make a sound, she only breathed, her head tucked between them. Her breath was warm and almost damp on his chest.

He groaned enough for both of them. He adjusted his hips for a better angle and they both hitched in breaths. He didn’t know quite where to put his hands so he placed one on her lower back. When he brought his hips up he could keep her steady with that hand. She made a soft purring sound when he did that. He pulled out a little and slid back in, repeated, just to hear that sound again. His other hand searched her body as he rolled his hips. He wasn’t fucking her yet. He wanted to go slow as long as he could. When his fingers grazed the fold of her hip she twitched away from his hand but pressed her hips into his. He touched the side of her belly, she was so soft that he sighed, nothing in this world was soft anymore. He gently worked his hand between them, palm on her stomach, and circled her clit with a finger.

She pushed down onto his hand. She wasn’t in control of her body anymore. Her hips moved without her instruction, her arms were jelly beside his head, her mind was empty, and now every nerve in her body was either focused on her clit or his dick inside her. The slow, steady rhythm of his hips and finger were overwhelming. She wanted to grope and grab at something. Her hands clenched into fists. With her wrists bound she couldn’t touch anything. Her forehead was pressed hard into his chest and she was breathing her own recycled air in the space between them. He held her still with his hand on her back and couldn’t fuck him like every part of her ached to do. Panting, her eyes closed tight, she could feel her lips on his chest. Without thinking she bit. She knew it wasn’t hard, probably not even enough to bruise, but it was the only action her mind could find.

“Shit,” Daryl groaned, at first in surprise and then a wave of intense feeling ran from her mouth to his dick. His hips jerked as a reflex and she gasped. The place where she had bit him throbbed momentarily. He snatched his hand from between their bodies. He grabbed her with all of his strength and rolled them over. Kristina made a small oof sound and when he looked at her to make sure she was okay she was smiling. In one smooth motion he pinned her bound wrists above her head with one hand and swept one of her legs over his shoulder with the other.

He thrust deeper into her. He leaned into her leg as far as he felt he could without hurting her and put his mouth next to her ear.

“This what ya want woman?” he asked through gritted teeth, quickening his pace with shallower, faster thrusts. “Ya wanna be bad, that it?”

“Yes, oh god, yes Daryl,” she yelled. “Fuck!”

“Fine,” he growled as he lifted himself up enough to move his hand from her wrists. At first he gently slid his hand to her throat. She looked into his eyes and nodded. He squeezed and she rasped out a please. Just a bit more pressure and they found the sweet spot. Her breath was ragged and her eyes rolled back. He felt her leg wrap around him, pressing on his ass to push him deeper. His thrusts became more erratic as her muscles tightened around his dick.

He watched her face carefully as his orgasm started to tug at him. Her lips were parted, her eyes shut, and her cheeks flushed. She was so beautiful. Seeing his rough, tan hand around her pale throat nearly sent him over the edge. He didn’t pull back on his last thrust, he ground his hips against hers. He felt her groan in his hand before he heard it. Then he released her neck and her body rocked against him. Her muscles pulsed around his dick.

Her orgasm tore through her. She yelled his name and gasped. Loud, hitching breaths shook her chest. He let her leg slide off his shoulder, wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her breasts. His hips bucked against her. He felt her hands find his neck.The bandana strained against her movement. The sensation of the fabric on his skin made him moan a quiet, drawn-out fuck against her chest. He felt his cum pour into her. She wrapped her legs around him and held him as his entire body vibrated.

Kristina kissed the top of his head. She loved his smell and nuzzled her face into his hair for a moment longer. She felt his body relax on top of her. Her pulse pounded in her ears, her wrists, her cunt. His cum seeped out from between them before he pulled out. He slid his arms from underneath her and raised up to see her watching him. She held her bound wrists in front of her face. He didn’t think he had ever seen someone as beautiful as her in his life. He carefully pulled out of her with a small moan in his throat. He sat up and untied the bandana. He pressed his lips against each wrist. When he let her hands go she sat up and kissed him hard.

She flopped back down on the mattress, completely graceless. Daryl laid down beside her. She kissed his shoulder. It was so easy for them to forget what the world was like now. Walkers didn’t exist, they didn’t have to forage for toothpaste, potable water wasn’t a limited resource. Unfortunately this spell would break. They would have some daily tasks to do and normal human things to attend to but for a moment she enjoyed this small bubble of peace.

“Guess Dog’ll be needed some attention,” Daryl sighed. “Imma take him out and feed him. Ya want breakfast too?”

She smiled and nodded, her eyes half closed.

#I have about 5k words of chapt 4 done already #daryl smut #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon #daryl x oc #twd fanfiction #cw ptsd #tw ptsd

[1427]

i love you (always forever) pt.1

Daryl Dixon x sister!OFC

Summary: In the winter of ‘95 Daddy died. Leaving Lady to finish up her senior year in high school, and Daryl to brood over when to sell the house. The summer of ‘96 is the first time Lady feels alive. Daryl wants to give her one last summer before she has to grow up for real.

He gave her anything she asked for that summer.

Setting: Doublewide on some lone property in the middle of the woods, Georgia. Summer 1996

Warnings: INCEST (like it's the whole thing), virgin!oc, drug use (a joint), underage drinking, TENSION, poorly written SMUT, masturbation (f), lite!somno, oral (m receiving), some leering (??); most of the smut will be in part two. 

Word Count: 6.1k

A/n: INCEST I'll say it again. if it's not your thing, or can’t ever be your thing, DON’T READ IT. 

I didn't write it. I simply lived it in my head and documented (I wrote it but it felt like I didn't have a choice). 

Lady, Daryl calls her Lay, Bug

She calls him Bub, Bubba

// part 2 //

MDNI 18+ 

Wind chimes. Soft like the breeze. The heat of the Georgia in June. Daddy died this past winter, and Lady’d never had a summer feel so much like a hug. Finally able to really breathe again. Like a little kid. Magic around every corner. She swore sometimes, when she looked out the window in the dead of night, that she could see the faeries dancing out back in the woods. For a few years they'd gone, but this year they were back again.

Just her and Daryl (and the deer, and the squirrels, and the mice, and obviously the mosquitos, and sometimes the faeries); Like it shoulda always been. Like it always kinda was. After Merle left and all. Got older, moved out. Daryl stayed, though. Past his 18th birthday, and a few more after that. Didn’t wanna leave Lady all by herself with their old man. Couldn’t. 

Now he couldn’t really leave her alone in the house, even though she’d turned 18 last fall. Doesn’t even cross his mind. 

Lady’s finally done with school for good unless she decides she wants to go to college. First one in the whole damn family and no one but Daryl was there to see it.  Daryl quit his job as soon as Daddy died. Even if Daddy didn't have a few dollars in his bank account he didn’t know about, Lady figures he would have anyway. 

Daryl thought about selling the house but… not yet. 

He knew he was putting a pause on his life for this summer with Lady, but his whole life had been on pause til now anyway. Knows that when it’s over, it’s all over. Her whole childhood, their whole upbringing. Their dad dyin’ was just the bow ontop to seal the deal. They’d both think of it as the end. For the rest of her life, Lay’ll know this is when she had to grow up for real. So Daryl wouldn’t sell the house until Lady had her last summer as a kid with nothin’ to worry about. 

The heat was starting to get unbearable. 

“Lay!” Daryl yells, standing above a bed she'd made up in the living room. Dad had always kept the one lone air conditioner in his room, in front of the tv, in front of the recliner, in front of the bed. Lady had the idea to hang sheets on the doors to the living room and make a bed on the floor big enough for both of them to sleep in. She forgot the pillows, though, and now she was nowhere to be found. 

Daryl put down the tools he’d been using to fix the a/c to the window, pushing past the pink floral sheet between the living room and the hall toward the bedrooms, “Lay!” He quickly paces the double wide but she’s no where. 

Left a towel on her bed though, so Daryl’s got a good guess where she went. Swimmin’. 

It’s about a half miles walk, so it’s pretty far to just up and leave like that without saying anything, but Lady did it all the time. Like the creek was her own personal bathtub. Daryl’s not annoyed, not really. But he walks the half mile like he is anyway. Why couldn’t she just let him know? Because then he wouldn’t have to make sure this is where she went. And he wouldn’t have to bring her the towel she forgot. 

Daryl walks down and sure enough Lady’s shoulder deep in the muddy creek water, her clothes and shoes all bundled up on the dirt a few feet in front of him. She’s faced away, and at first doesn’t hear him come up. 

Lady tried to sneak away without being noticed to have a private moment. Like momma taught her. You’re allowed to touch yourself like that, but you can’t do it around other people. Momma said as long as you can be in private, it’s alright. 

Lady didn’t mean to forget her towel, but she almost assumed Daryl would find her anyway. She’d been fast though, always was. Was easy with the hormones. 18 and learning all new kinds of feelings. Merle always called her a late bloomer. Not being interested in boys until recently. She thought about the boys at school, and their plush lips on the soft skin of her shoulder, the protection in their arm wrapped around her waist, the butterfly light kiss of their eyelashes on her stomach. 

It didn’t take much for Lady to feel somethin’. Not in this heat, not with the breeze of freedom prickling every inch of her skin. 

Daryl can’t tell what she’s doing. All he sees is her shoulders barely moving in the lake, her head above the water and facing away from him. “Lay!” 

Daryl’s voice cascades through the air a few seconds after Lady, with a barely there mew, has her orgasm. Lady’s kisses with pleasure are soft, new, wanting. Like a light peck instead of a deep kiss. A soft mist instead of a thunderstorm. Lady only knew sweetness, even in her private moments. 

She’s beaming from ear to ear as she turns around to face him, making sure to keep her body covered by the water, “Bubba, what? I’m just swimmin’.” She already knew he was ready to be annoyed with her by his tone. 

“Yeah, uh-huh,” he nods, and smirks. Despite being annoyed he’s casual, “Thinkin’ maybe ya forgot som’n?” He throws the towel down ontop of her clothes and goes to stand behind a tree while she gets out of the water. 

Lady was always doing this. And Daryl was always following her with whatever thing she’d forgotten, or didn’t know she was gonna need. Daryl was always there. 

Full name Lady-Rae Cheryl Dixon. See momma wanted the name to rhyme with the boys but always said if she had a girl she was gonna name her Lady. Really liked that movie when she was a kid, didn’t matter it wasn’t a girls name. Didn’t matter to her what anyone thought. She thought it was sweet. And Lady was sweet. Could get away with probably anything if she wanted to, but she never even tried. Besides running around the woods naked, she didn’t find herself in much trouble. Sweet as honey. 

Daryl wasn’t sure how that was gonna work out in the real world. If she would get eaten up, or if she’d outshine everyone around her. He didn’t like to think about it. She didn’t belong out there. Not yet. Right now she’s naked in the woods, covering herself up just to be polite; right where she’s meant to be. Who she’s supposed to be. 

They make the walk back, Lady’s teeth chattering but she never complains. Barefoot like she grew the forest herself. She knew every inch. Daryl shuffled behind her, knowing the trail just as well, but letting her be the force she was. Skipping and stopping and stepping on her favorite parts as she went. He watched. 

Her towel small, and frayed on the ends. See through in spots. He tries to look away. He knows he should. But he can’t manage to stop himself. the way her tiny ass bounced as she walked, it was too lewd for him to avert his eyes. Like maybe if it wasn’t jiggling so much he’d have been able to stare at his feet or off into the woods, or at her bare shoulder or something, anything, else. 

But it was, just… her tight skin moving the fat of her ass back into place over and over, snapping against the sheer fabric of the towel, moving that too. Daryl keeps himself from leaning back to see more, to peak through and see the light between her legs. Wouldn’t do that. He’s not trying to sexualize her. What her ass is doing is right there in front of him? He tells himself it’s not his fault he’s looking. He’s seen her naked anyway, it’s not even a big deal. 

Getting caught up in shit that doesn’t matter, that’s what Daryl was good at. Getting stuck up in his own head and hung up on looking just barely a little too long at his sister. Merle would say it was no big deal, Daryl just needed to relax. He was making it weird by thinkin’ about it. 

He manages to look away, and to forget all about it.

💕 

Lady always assumes Daryls looking. Why wouldn't he look? Didn't mean nothin’. Boys always looked, wasn't a big deal unless they made it one. Unless someone made private thoughts public, with a purpose. Who cares who's lookin’? Lady doesn't. Never did. Why would she? How could she?

With Daryl for a brother, Lady never even got the chance to know what a bad touch might be. Never even heard of it. Maybe that's why she was such a late bloomer. Never even knew what she had down there until last summer when she met a boy who had a truck and talked like her brothers and he touched her through her pants and she ignited. 

Never saw the guy again. 

Never wanted to. Never needed to. She was alive and on fire and everything around her burned brighter for it. 

She was finding it hard to get comfortable in the bed she’d made. Still too hot even with the air conditioner on full blast. Daryl was about 3 feet away, a whole heap of comforter between them. “Get up” Lady’s voice a playful smirk. 

Daryl had been trying to fall asleep but got stuck staring at the ceiling fan. Trying to watch a single blade in its rotation. He stands up like she’d asked and watches as Lady lays the comforter out on top of the rest of the blankets she’d piled up, “if we’re not gonna use it.” She explains. 

Lady’s still got her light blue baby blanket that goes almost everywhere with her. Just as tattered and falling apart as the towel. Daryl never sleeps with a blanket anyway. Usually just passes out in his clothes, on his bed. Now he’d do the same thing here, in the living room. Hum of the a/c, chatter of the TV, the heat from Lady’s body - Daryl didn’t think he’d be able to fall asleep anyway. 

Well maybe. He did have a joint stashed in with his cigarettes that he’d been saving for sometime this week. So when lady gets up to grab herself an ice cream cone from the fridge, Daryl yells, “Lay, grab ma pack’a smokes.” 

Lady’s halfway to the living room but she turns back and grabs them from the kitchen counter for him. “You’re really gonna smoke in the fort?” 

“Fort, huh?” He grunts then smiles at her as she tosses the pack at him. 

“Yeah?” She looks around, elbowing the sheet hung behind her, “What else would you call it?” 

“Th’ livin’ room.” He’s not looking at her when he answers. Eyes and fingers fixed on the pack, fidgeting with the hinged top for a bit before pulling the joint out and putting it in his mouth. 

Lady stops complaining when she sees it’s not a cigarette, and takes her seat back down on the pallet. Laying on her stomach, up on her elbows, facing Daryl. Her ice cream cone had already started melting, her tongue now on a race with the liquid dripping down her hand. 

Daryl just watches her struggle, until she finally gets a hold on it. “Y’good, there, Bug?” 

“Shut up.” And she shoves him a little. She’s got strawberry icecream all over her cheeks and chin and Daryl wishes he took pictures because at this moment he needed one. He needed her to remember forever who she is right now. 

“Y’wanna hit?” He asks her like he asks her every time he smokes a joint in front of her. Which is often. And every time she says no, because it’s always no. Never wanted to, never really saw the point. Things were beautiful enough. And it reminded her of Merle, and the bad things he got up to. 

Her mind slowly has been changing about it, with Merle gone for so long now. And Daryl being so chill about it when he was about it. A lot of the kids in high school had been doing worse and Lady found herself wanting to say yes when Daryl asked her. 

But when she does, Daryl doesn’t believe her, “No fuckin’ way, Bug. Yer buggin’.” 

“Bubba, no I’m not. I been thinkin’ about it.” 

“Oh, ya have? What’chya been thinkin’ ‘bout it?” 

“Just that I kinda wanna try.” She sways on her elbows, licking at her ice cream, “I’m gonna eventually, right? Why not now?” 

She’s trying to keep herself calm, but she was more relaxed than she’d usually be when she thought about sayin’ yes. Maybe that’s why she’d finally said it. She was finally able to. Lady thinks that means she must be ready, if she’s not afraid to say she wants to try it. 

She remembers this moment for the rest of her life. 

Makes her feel brave, like she’ll always know if she’s ready for some new scary experience or not. If she can ask, she’s ready. 

He thinks about it for a second, but he doesn’t see where she’s wrong. She probably was gonna try it eventually, why not now? She was safe here, he knew it. She knew it. So he says, “Alrigh’, fine. But yer prolly gon’ jus’ get tired,” and passes the joint to her. Thinking she'd take a tiny hit, probably not even inhale, and wimp out.

Lady takes it delicately in her fingertips and brings it to her lips. She’d tried cigarettes before (and didn’t like them), so the motion wasn’t completely foreign. But everything about it felt new and different. It burned. She almost didn’t feel it until she exhaled. A cloud of smoke billowing out and surrounding the both of them. 

Daryl laughs and mutters, “Shit, Bug,” while Lady’s face falls. That was way more than she thought was supposed to come out. Way more than her little lungs were expecting or could take. Her hand shoots out to Daryl for him to take her half eaten ice cream cone as she turns into a rabid dog. 

A wild beast on all fours hacking up half her lung and Daryl’s laughing so hard he’s crying, taking the ice cream and the joint back from her as she seizes. 

She’ll be okay. He knows she will. And she’ll sleep amazing and she’ll be safe like she always is. Somethin’ in the air felt different there now. With everyone else gone. Like nothing could touch them. 

So even though Lady’s about to be as high as a girl could ever be, neither of them are worried it won’t be a good time. 

Just them in their fort. Way too old to be playing little kid games and way too young to be playing house. 

💕

Lady’s vision was fuzzy. Glittering and dancing and hazy, rainbow bursts of fizzy glowing sparkles. 

Lady was secretly afraid she was on fire. She stared at the TV but wondered to herself if it was possible that her lungs were embers that were slowly consuming her chest cavity. She could breathe now, it had been nearly an hour since she hit that joint, but she was sure that she was literally burning alive from the inside out. 

“Dar, do you think you can be burning inside your lungs? Like on fire? Is that how people spontaneously combust?” 

Daryl’s eyebrows shoot up, she’d been quiet for a while and he had been pretty sure that she’d fallen asleep. He had to think about her question. If he wasn’t also stoned he probably would have been able to tell her the answer was obviously no. Instead he says, “Don’t think so.” Which doesn’t really make her feel better. “I ain’t ever hearda it.” That does. Daryl’s hearda everything. 

Their voices are soft, the tv’s the only light in the room. Daryl looks over at Lady. Her bare legs disappearing under an old pair of pajama shorts, she’s definitely not on fire. Not the way she means. 

“Think yer good, Bug.” He reassured her before asking, “Need som’thin’?” 

Lady, sweet as ever, asks, “Tuck me in?” 

Daryl rolls his eyes but sits up anyway. Crawling the two steps toward her. He takes what he can of the stretchy old fabric and wraps it around her body. It’s not big enough, it was never gonna be. Daryl cracks a smile, Lady’s been laughing at his attempt. He pushes his fingers with the fabric around her, she’s laying straight as an arrow, blanket stretched to its limit tight against her body. 

Daryl isn’t paying attention to his fingers as they tuck the fabric under her thighs, or how tight it’s pulling against Lady’s breasts. Lady does. She took one look at him after she hit that joint and she hasn’t been able to sit right since. 

It’s the air, it’s the heat. It’s the sun, maybe something in the water at the creek? Its the pot. It’s gotta be the pot. It’s somethin’ that Lady doesn’t understand. That sometimes just being in proximity is enough. 

She felt brave. She wanted to skirt that line. The line itself moving, and blurry, and hard to make-out. She wanted to be touched. And she wanted Daryl to touch her. Not too much, just a little. Just enough to make her heart race. Just enough to kiss her sleep with something that felt like magic. 

Her pulse is pounding in her ears and down her throat as she looks at him up above her. She feels her blood burn in her palms, slowly falling away from her sides as the tight fabric comes loose from around her. 

Daryl’s lost in the same moment, just caught staring down at her, in a haze himself. Stuck in his head, romanticizing every moment of Lady’s last summer.  

“Kiss goodnight?” 

The words come from between them. Lady’s voice had spoken them but she’s certain it didn’t come from her mouth. 

Doesn’t matter. They’re in the air and Lady and Daryl both pretend that she doesn’t mean it in any way other than what a sister might say to a brother. 

Daryl leans down and just barely brushes his lips over hers. Soft and sweet, like he was leaning down and smelling a flower. It’s so brief, and it’s so feather light it almost wasn’t there. Lady and Daryl both pretend it wasn’t. 

She closes her eyes and snuggles into her blanket, all bunched up in her arms. And Daryl moves back to his spot, trying not to think about what just happened. How it’s all different now. In two seconds everything was different. 

She initiated something new and Daryl already knew he was gonna do what he always did with Lady. Whatever she wanted. 

💕

The sun is just barely peaking through the windows when Lady opens her eyes. The tv still playing, she sits up and leans herself forward to turn it off. Turning around to observe Daryl. But she wasn’t expecting… this. 

He must have gotten up in the middle of the night and ripped his clothes off because he’s just laying there in his boxers and his wife beater. Head leaning back off the pillow, arms laying on either side of his body. The part that catches Lady completely off guard was between his legs. Hard and trying to push its way out of his boxers. Lady can see a hint of pink between the fabric. The hole in the front tenting out around his bulge. 

Lady tries not to look. Knows she shouldn’t. But it’s too lewd to look anywhere else. He moves briefly in his sleep, which only makes their situation worse. His erect member pushing its way completely out of the hole. Lady gawks, feeling something akin to a squeel in her throat. She’d never seen something so… she needed to touch it. 

She shuffles closer to him, her knees padding on the layers of blankets underneath them. Her small hand moving out in front of her, she can’t look away. 

Her fingertips meet the skin of his bare cock with something Lady is sure is electricity. It’s warmer than she’d imagined, and as she moves, her nails grazing on the skin as she lightly traces up and down, she realizes that his skin here is softer than she’d imagined too. 

After a while, she can’t help herself, and wraps her fingers around him. Slowly working her hand up and down, her fingers just barely putting any pressure against him. She wants to squeeze it, to feel how hard it really is, she wants to roll it between both her hands and put it in her mouth and she wants to get to know it better than she knows any part of herself - but she doesn’t wanna wake Daryl up. 

It wasn’t even her fingers that woke Daryl up. It was the pressure. Below his stomach, twisting deep inside and throbbing.

He keeps his eyes closed, tries to keep his breathing steady. Tries to get himself to speak up, say something, tell her to stop. At least let her know you're awake. But he can't move. 

With his eyes closed he can feel every light touch of Lady’s hand. The way she pushes her palm down when she gets to the base and pulls it off as she gets to the tip, the way she's moving in soft semi-circles, but not while she's going up and down. She's exploring. 

Daryl didn't want to stop her. 

He's so hard it hurts. He almost winces when she grips him tighter. She was only moving herself in a different position, Daryl realizes, because he feels her other hand on his cock now too. 

Lady holds him in one hand, bringing the other up she grazes her index and middle finger over the tip of his length. Gliding his pre-cum all over his head. Trying to see how far it would go, she's surprised it's as slick as it is. She wants to taste it. 

Daryl feels her fingers leave him, and hears the slick pop of her tongue as she moves her fingers between her lips. He has to stop himself from rutting his hips up into her hand, stop himself from pushing her head down onto him to feel her wet mouth. 

He doesn't have to make her do anything, though.

Daryl feels a soft veil of hair tickle his skin above the waistband of his boxers, and he realizes she's about to put her mouth on him. Her pretty pink lips were about to wrap around his cock head. Her tongue, that he'd watched lick up melting icecream only a few hours ago, was gonna be flat against the underneath of his dick. Lady. With all the sweetness inside of her, was about to suck him off. 

Lady can't help herself, doesn't want to. Never learned how. She’s not quite sure how to start what she wants to do but decided to put her lips together and kiss right underneath the tip. She doesn't pull away. Parting her lips and flicking her tongue out from between her teeth to taste more of whatever was coming out of him. 

She feels it twitch under her tongue, so she licks him again. Longer, this time, with more certainty. Moving her fingers out of the way, she licks him once all the way from the bottom to the top. 

Daryl didn't think about what was gonna happen when he came. What he should do. It happens so fast that he doesn't have time to warn her. The first shot goes right on her face. 

Daryl sits up in time for the second and third to be lost somewhere on the blankets or his boxers. 

“Shit, Lady. M’so. M’fuckin’ sorry.” 

“It's my fault.” She explains in a flat tone. She sits still while Daryl uses his shirt he was wearing last night to wipe off her face. He’s a mess. Red-eared and scared as a dog but Lady's smiling bigger than she has in her whole life. 

She ignores his apology, his frantic attitude. She was serene. Like she always was. “When did you wake up?” 

“I’unno.” Right at the beginning, really, but he can’t tell her that. Can’t tell himself that. 

She ignores him, she didn't really care. “So that’s what happens then? When a guy…” she mouthes the word ‘comes’ in an exaggerated way, looking in Daryl’s eyes the whole time. 

He lays back into the pillow, grabbing another one to pull over his face. He can’t believe she just asked him that. She can’t believe this just happened at she was being so casual about it.

Lady pulls the pillow out of his hands just as fast. “No, come on. Ya can’t just not tell me. Not now.” 

Daryl puts his arm over his face, only his mouth and his nose peeking out behind the crook of his elbow. She had a point, “Whad’ya wanna know?” 

“Everything. All of it.” 

“Whad’ya wanna know righ’now.” 

Lady tells herself that if she’s ready to know, she’ll be able to ask. “When I have an orgasm nothing comes out. But when guys do it, that’s what happens?” 

She bites on her lip and looks down at him, his eyes and most of his face still hidden behind his arm, laying back on the bed. He’d stay like this and answer her questions. Wouldn’t be able to do it if he was looking at her, “uh-huh”. It's more of a grunt than a word.  

Lady tries to figure out which question to ask next. She knows a lot of stuff. Boys like it when girls suck on it. Boys like it when girls let them put it inside them. Lady isn’t sure exactly how that works, but she knows what she has. And what they have, and she doesn’t need to ask where it would go. 

“Did you like it?” 

A long pause. A half sigh, a grunted response, “uh-huh.” 

“Do you want me to do it again? Can I.. can I do it again?”

“Na’righ’ now.” 

Those words hang there even after Lady gets up and Daryl gets up and they both go about their day. This promise of ‘maybe later’. Daryl has errands to run in town and Lady says she’s got laundry to do, but hes pretty sure she just likes staying at the house. 

“Need somethin’, Lay? Goin’ ta town!” He shouts inside the house from out of it, he’d been outside most of the day, mowin’ the lawn, finally cleaning up the old trampoline. Trying to tell himself that even if he'd tried to stop her, she wouldn't have let him. 

Lady appears in the doorway in a breath, “Where ya goin’ in town?” 

“Store.” He leans against the wood frame lining the area around the steps and lights a smoke. 

Lady leans back, swaying her body with both hands on either side of the door by the handles, “Hmmm, maybe we could get stuff for grillin’. And we’re out of ice cream.” 

Daryl nods, taking a drag, his eyes squinting against the sun, “Somethin’ else?” 

“More pot?” She squints back at him. 

He breathes out an almost laugh against the cigarette between his lips, “Yeah, alrigh’. Tha’s it?”

“Wine coolers?” 

Daryl actually laughs at that one, “What’re ya tryna prove, Bug?”

She stops swinging on the door, “Not provin’ nothin’. Daddy's dead. Let's live a little.” 

💕

So Daryl gets some girly somethin’ - what he assumes are wine coolers. They're in the refrigerated case at the distributor, and there's strawberries and an island on the cardboard carrier. And the bottle’s shaped stupid. Daryl’s sure he's gotten the right thing, or at least something she'd probably like. 

Daryl doesn't feel bad indulging her. Never did, and anyway he's surprised it's taken her this long to ask. As far as growin’ up in the sticks, Lady was a good girl. And so she wanted to smoke some pot and drink some wine coolers with her brother? 

So what she had all the curious burning of an explorer on their first expedition with every new thing that she tried, and so what if that new thing was Daryl's body and how it reacted to hers? 

Daryl doesn't feel bad indulging her. He reasons with himself his whole drive that it can't be that bad. Not if Lady wanted it. Lady never wanted anything bad ever. She never gossiped, or tattled, or cheated at board games. Lady never even tried to sneak sweets. She told Daryl once it was cuz she didn't want anyone else to get in trouble if someone noticed it was missin’. Nah, Daryl figures if Lady wants it, if she asks for it, it can't be somethin’ ugly. 

💕

Daryl's on his third beer before he's able to say it, “Lay. Wha’ we did this mornin’ -“ he’s tried to figure out how he feels about it, he’s still not sure he’s making the right choice, but he needs to decide something before she decides for them. “Ya didn’t do nothin’ wrong but - can’t go tellin’ people we did that.” 

Lady laughs, she’s on her second wine cooler of her whole life, and all of a sudden Daryl thinks she’s new to the planet earth. She was backwoods but she wasn’t that backwoods. She was, after all, a high school graduate. “You mean I can't tell Auntie Norma I made you…” She mouthes the word ‘come’ again in the same exaggerated way she had earlier before losing herself in a fit of giggles. 

Lady and Daryl had folded up their temporary bed and shoved it in the corner. She was currently leaned back on the far edge of the coach, head thrown in laughter. Her shoulders shaking, her hands gripping the bottle between her thighs. 

Daryl bites at his thumb, sitting in the armchair across the room from her, he was trying to be serious for a damn second and she was laughing at him. “Jus’ don’ really know whatya think yer doin’. If yer in your right mind ‘n all. An’ y’know we ain't supposed ta.”

He just needed to hear her say it, if she could say it - if she could ask for it, it couldn’t be bad. 

“Wasn't thinkin’, Dar. Was just doin’.” She doesn’t really have an answer for him. She's in her right mind, she knows people aren't supposed to do that kind of stuff with their family. But nothin’ ever felt wrong between her and Daryl.

Daryl downs the rest of the beer he's holding in one gulp. He puts his finger in the hole at the top and spins it absentmindedly on his knee, “Jus’ need ya t’know what yer doin’.. it ain't somethin’ people usually do, Bug.” 

Lady’s starting to get frustrated. She knew what he was getting at, but why'd he have to say it? “I know I'm not supposed to, Dar. It's like those times you and Merle let me watch scary movies when I was little and I had to tell Momma and Daddy we were watching lions on PBS instead.” 

Daryl reaches down and grabs another beer from the case next to the armchair. He just shakes his head. She's gotta know it ain't that simple. 

“Bubba, look at me.” 

Daryl looks over, curious what she needed the eye contact for, “W’sup, Lay?”

“It’s just you and me out here and as far as I can tell we didn’t hurt anyone.“ She finishes the rest of her drink in one gulp just like he had, “The woods are good at keepin’ secrets, Bub. You know that.” And she smiles, looking down before looking directly at him.

If they didn't know before they both knew now. It wasn't just going to be that one thing that happened between them. The stagnant ‘maybe later' coming back and sitting on their shoulders, in their laps, in every empty space of the room. 

‘Maybe’ turns to definitely. To obviously.

Daryl grunts, trying not to let a smile on the corners of his lips. He opens the bottle in his hand and takes a sip before bringing it back down to look at it. Pondering her words like they're written on the label. All he thought he'd needed to hear was that she knew it had to be a secret. That she knew she was committing a crime against god here with him. But now what?  

Lady almost can't take it, the cicadas buzzing from outside are so loud it's infesting her brain. She’d been sitting there for an hour trying to figure out how to ask him if she could touch him again. And now that he's brought it up, she can't think of anything else but the way he tasted, the way his thing pulsated and twitched underneath of her tongue. She wants to make him cum again. 

Daryl's drinking his beer, lost in thought, while Lady decides she should probably have another one too. She gets up and walks past him to the kitchen. 

“Where ya goin’?” He half shouts behind him, a little worried he'd hurt her feelings. Read something wrong. Said something wrong. 

Lady smiles to herself, Daryl worried all the time about everything and it always ended up being for nothing. “Just gettin’ another one. That okay with you, pop?” She teases. 

She reappears from behind the sheet holding another wine cooler. As she takes her seat back on the couch Daryl leans forward, elbows on his thighs, taking another sip of his drink, “Might wanna slow down on those, Bug.” He's smiling into the bottle. 

Lady sticks her tongue out at him, her eyebrows drawn down in mock anger, “What, afraid I'm gonna blow chunks instead of blow you?” She's been on the edge of it for so long it spills out of her mouth.

Daryl has no idea what the fuck to say to that but he laughs out loud. He genuinely guffaws. If it wasn't his little sister he'd be frozen in his fuckin’ chair. Churning a little at this realization - Cuz when she said it he wasn't uncomfortable. Wasn't afraid, or worried that he was gonna have to do something he might mess up. 

“Nah.” He answers her before his mind takes off on a tangent about how it's his sister and the proposition of her sucking his cock should make him uncomfortable. But it didn't. 

Cuz if she wants it, it can't be wrong. 

“Just keep drinkin’, Lay. If ya blow chunks yer the one stuck cleanin’ it up though.” 

“Let's smoke that pot.” 

“No.”

“Aw, c’mon. Why not, bub?”

“Cross-faded.”

“What's that?” 

“Pots different after y’drink. Jus’.. trus’me on this one.” He sips his beer, “‘nless yer really set on blowin’ chunks. Tha’s definitely a sure fire way.” 

Lady shakes her head, taking her drink from between her thighs again and sipping it before putting it back. 

She's gotta figure out how to ask soon or she was gonna drink herself to sleep. 

Daryl can see her workin’ something out in her head, “S’goin’ on, Lay?.” 

She’s staring at a spot on the ground and she doesn’t look up, “Thinkin’.” 

“‘bout wha’?”

“Your cock in my mouth.” 

Daryl chokes on the spit he was swallowing, “Christ.” He says as he coughs. He doesn't think he's ever heard her say that word. “Yer really serious, huh?” He asks again, this time because he truly can’t believe it. Why would she, the sweetest piece of Georgia pie, wanna put her pretty mouth on him? Even if he was her brother. Especially because he was her brother. 

She smiles and looks down at her fingers around the top of her bottle. Blushing beet red and nodding her head so aggressively her hair moves. 

He wants to let her but somethin’ about it doesn't feel right. Not because of who she was or who he was, or cuz it was wrong. “Shouldn't jus’ blow guys, Lay.” 

“Whaddya mean?” She picks at the label on her drink, not looking up at him. Nervous and excited and hanging on his every word. 

“People, uh - usually… do other stuff first.” He explains, not wanting to make her feel bad for what she'd already done, but wanting her to understand she can't just do that to other guys. 

Lady laughs, a sigh of relief escaping her as she brings the brim up to take another swig. There's a million things sitting between her teeth and her lips just waiting to be said. Instead, she just asks, “Do you wanna watch a movie?”

💕

pt. 2

A/n: This is coming out a whole lot sweeter than I thought it was going to be and I know in the end it's going to break my little heart. 

Anyway sorry, most of the smut will be in part 2 where I imagine going into detail about their first time (for a few different things) as well as how they are once they get more comfortable as they get deeper into the summer. 

Broken up into two parts because I can't fathom proofreading these 6,000 words one more time. 

(Next part will be up as fast as I can write it.)

#daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon smut #twd daryl #the walking dead daryl #daryl dixon imagine #daryl dixon x oc #daryl dixon x reader #daryl dixon x female reader #daryl fanfiction #daryl dixon twd #twd daryl dixon #daryl dixon x you #Spotify

[rfsak2]

This one is long- almost ten pages longer than last post. It was a bit more difficult to write due to some of the things that happen in Season 3. Let know what you think of my characterization of Daryl. Feedback is much appreciated!

Also, prison/guard tower smut has been requested and, while I feel like I definitely delivered in prison smut, guard tower smut will be in the next chapter as I have plans.

And we’re off!

Spitfire, Pt. 4

Everyone always thought Daryl was the rough one. DarylxOC

Warnings: violence, lots of bad language words (including Merle’s backward views on people of color and women), smut under the cut, character death (Merle)

Part 3

**

Mitzi smiled at Carol. “Don't worry too much about any walkers goin’ after Rick. Me and Daryl will keep ‘em clear. Try to focus mid-field.”

Carol nodded. “Alright.”

“Good.” Mitzi squeezed her shoulder. “And try to keep your shoulder loose. The kick-back will hurt less.”

Mitzi lifted her M110 and switched it to automatic. She set to picking off walkers on the far side of the yard, a rhythmic thwump, thwump, thwump filling the air alongside the other guns firing unsuppressed. Occasionally, she shifted to shoot down one getting too close to Rick for comfort, then back to thwump, thwump, thwump.

She chuckled when Carol shot into the ground near Rick’s feet.

Carol winced. “Sorry!”

Mitzi turned and took out the walker before it could get closer to Rick. Through her scope, she saw Rick look down at the walker and give her a thumbs up.

She turned to Carol, smiling gently. “Breathe in. Aim. Shoot. Try to do it quick so you’re not holding your breath too long. Makes your heart rate jump and your hands shake.”

Carol muttered the pattern under her breath to herself.

“Keep loose.”

Carol nodded, adjusting her stance nervously. Mitzi moved to stand near her, mimicking and correcting her stance.

They raised their rifles at once. “Breathe in. Aim. Shoot.”

Carol hit her next walker through his cheek, right under the eye.

“There ya go, Miss Thing! Good shot!”

Carol blushed under her praise.

Mitzi inspected the yard through her scope and went down on one knee, using the railing as a bipod to steady her rifle. She started to pick off walkers lining up against the fence to a courtyard within the prison.

“Light it up!”

She grinned. Twump. Twump. Twump.

**

“You wanna mess around?”

“That for me or D?” Mitzi grinned over her shoulder at Daryl.

He pointed down at her where she sat, legs dangling over the chassis of the bus. “Stop.”

Carol giggled. “Both.”

Daryl let out a sound of frustration.

Mitzi blew a kiss at her. “I think that can be arranged.”

They both looked over at Daryl. He blew a raspberry, blushing.

Carol moved to get down off the overturned bus and Daryl held his hand up. “I’ll go down first.”

Carol caught Mitzi’s eyes. “Even better.”

Daryl huffed out a laugh.

“He’s fuckin’ good at it too.” Mitzi watched as he shot her an exasperated look. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Oh I know. We are all well aware of his prowess.” Carol mused, grinning.

He grunted. “Stop. Both’a ya.” He swung his legs over the side of the bus, and popped down. He held his hand up, steadying Carol as she jumped down.

He turned back to her and wrapped his arms around her calves. She put her hands on his shoulders and he supported her as she straightened against him. As he relaxed, letting her slowly slide down his body, she cupped his face in her hands.

She saw Carol dip around the corner of the bus, moving back towards the campfire.

He paused, holding her against him. “Yer a menace.”

She smiled and kissed him. “You like that I’m a menace.”

He set her on her feet, making a face and shrugging. “Eh.”

Leaning in to kiss him again, she laughed. “You keep tellin’ yourself that, baby.”

He backed her up against the undercarriage of the bus, but thought better of it. He cast a look around, hand still holding him tight to him. “Take my poncho off.”

She tilted her head. “What for? It’s still chilly-“

He pressed his lips to hers. “Take it off and throw it on the ground.”

Still obviously confused, she pushed him back far enough to pull it out from between them and threw it behind her.

He pecked at her lips, before pulling away. Leaning over, he spread his poncho out and motioned to it.

“My, my… you are romantic.” She fingered at his collar and pulled him to her, groaning when he slipped his tongue into her mouth.

He pulled away. “You’ve been windin’ me up all day. Touching my thighs, pressing your tits up against m’back. Getcha ass on that poncho, now.”

“Don’t need to threaten me with a good time, Dixon.” She grinned, leaning back in to kiss him, and moaned into his mouth.

He reached down and undid her belt and fly. Grunting into her mouth, he slipped his hand into her jeans and petted at her clothed core roughly.

She moved to mouth at his jaw, gasping when he rubbed the rough pad of his finger over her clit through her rapidly soaking underwear.

“Jeans n’panties off. Poncho, now.”

She nipped at his ear before moving back, pushing her jeans down past her hips. He licked at his lip, holding a hand out to steady her as she yanked at the laces of her boots and toed them off. She giggled triumphantly when she successfully removed her jeans and underwear and sat back on the poncho, making grabby hands at him.

He shouldered off his bag and passed it to her. Head tilted in confusion, she accepted it.

He chuckled. “For y’head. Lay back.”

She smiled up at him. “That’s sweet of ya, baby.”

He rolled his eyes and undid his belt buckle with quick, efficient motions. He started on the button of his fly when she shifted to her knees and took over.

She popped the button and lowered his zipper with one hand as she pushed the hem of his shirt up with the other. Maintaining eye contact to the best of her ability, she nibbled at the skin under his belly button.

He hissed and she dropped to press wet kisses to the head of his cock through his briefs.

He groaned. “Fuck, baby.”

She smiled a siren smile and tugged his briefs and jeans down his thighs. One hand bracing herself on his thigh, she mouthed at the base of his cock, lifting her free hand to squeeze gently around the tip.

His head rolled back on his neck and he groaned, fingers blindly finding the back of her neck.

She pinched his thigh and smiled when he rolled his head forward to look at her. She licked up his shaft and took as much of him into her mouth as she could, relaxing her jaw and throat.

He grunted, fighting the urge to pull her even closer. She started a gentle bobbing motion, teasing at his head with her tongue with every retreat.

“Baby-“

She met his eyes again and twisted her hand around the base of his shaft.

“Fuck!” He petted at her face, pushing loose red spirals out of her face with slightly clumsy movements.

“Wanna go down on ya.” He hissed again, tugging on her hair. “Gotta stop or this’ll be over too soon.”

She smiled and pressed a chaste kiss to the tip of his cock. “Spoil sport.”

An uncharacteristically cocky smile curled his lips. “You like sucking m’off, Mitz?”

She licked up the underside of his shaft, eyes locked to his. “I do.”

He exerted gentle pressure on the back of her head, coaxing her to stand. He kissed her deeply, his hands smoothing down her back to grab at her bare ass.

“Jump.”

He lifted her against him and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He knelt as gingerly as possible and laid her out under him.

He kissed her briefly before pushing her oversized Metallica shirt up over her sports bra. He groaned and pressed his face into her sternum.

He hooked a finger in the stretchy material and pulled it down enough to get her breasts out over the top of it.

He licked over the nearest nipple before taking it into his mouth. When he was satisfied with his work, he leaned up to kiss her again and moved to cup and squeeze at her other breast.

She moaned into his mouth and he smiled, pinching and pulling lightly at her nipple.

“Love your tits.”

He shifted to suck a mark into the skin of her breast. She gasped and raked her fingers through his hair, arching into his mouth when bit lightly at her breast.

He arched an eyebrow and pushed her breasts together, licking at the seam between them and then attempting to take both nipples into his mouth.

He succeeded and she threw her head back and laughed.

He smiled shyly. “Been wanting t’do that since I met ya.”

She giggled. “There are times I think you’re definitely an ass man and then you do shit like that.”

He shook his head and moved down, littering kisses over the sniper rifle tattooed on her side. “Just you.”

She pulled him back to her mouth. “What do you mean?”

He blushed, pressing his lips hard to hers. “Just you. Don’t care what I’m touchin’, ‘long as it’s you.”

She smiled brilliantly. “Daryl Dixon, that is easily the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”

He ducked his head, avoiding her eyes. “Turn over.”

She laughed and turned over. He directed her up on her knees, before squeezing and lightly slapping her ass.

“Love your ass too.”

She reached over and pulled his bag under her face, moaning loudly when he touched his lips to her clit. One hand on her shoulder, he pushed her shoulder down lower, lifting her ass up higher.

He licked up her slit, dipping his tongue into her.

She gasped. “Fuck!”

He went to work in earnest, alternating with broad swipes along the length of her slit, sucking her lips into his mouth and spearing her on his tongue. She dug her forehead into his bag, panting into canvas that smelled like him.

Her head swam.

He grunted against her and she had the thought that he might be jerking off behind her. It felt almost impossible to shift up enough to open her eyes and look between her legs.

She saw his hand, big and veiny, wrapped around his cock and moaned.

When his thumb made contact with her clit, her back arched so hard she could swear her back cracked.

“C’mon, Spitfire, gotta cum so I can get inside ya.” He rasped against her, the deep timbre of his voice vibrating against her.

Her feet arched. Her toes curled.

He attached his mouth to her clit and pushed two fingers into her.

She came with a whimper.

Not a second later, the blunt head of his cock was pushing against her entrance. “Y’okay?”

She nodded and lifted herself up on her elbows. Turning over her shoulder, she smiled at him. “So fuckin’ okay.”

He grinned back and entered her in a smooth thrust. He set a brutal pace, hips meeting hers with an arousingly wet sound.

Letting her head fall back against his backpack, she reached back and covered the hand on her hip.

“Fuckin’ pretty little thing, ain’t ya?” He grunted, free hand dipping around to circle her clit. “Y’gonna cum again? Squeeze me so hard, you’ll take me wit’ya?”

She nodded. “Fuck, D. Please.”

He sped up, the pace even more brutal and exquisite.

He stopped and she bit back a scream as he pulled out and the burning in her belly receded.

“Flip over.” He grunted. “Need’ta see ya.”

She nodded with a slightly frantic edge and did as he bid. As soon as she was settled, he pressed himself back into her.

After a few hard thrusts, he laid over her, groaning at the feel of her chest against his. She wound her arms around him, under his arms, and clutched him to her.

She arched up and caught his mouth. Moaning, she dug her fingers into his shoulder blades and met each grinding thrust with her hips.

“Pretty baby.” He chuckled into her mouth. “Gonna give me another? Gonna whimper f’me again?”

“I did not whimper.”

He grinned. “The fuck y’didnt.” He pressed an open-mouthed kiss to her lips. “Whimpered like m’pretty, little girl.”

She shook her head and one hand dropped to squeeze his ass under his jeans. “Y’heard wrong.”

“No, I didn’t.” He shifted his weight to one elbow and captured her chin with his free hand. “Cum, pretty girl.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “C’mon baby.”

She nodded and moaned into his mouth, his fingers capturing one of her nipples and pinching.

He sped up as she reached her high, reaching his own shortly after.

“Holy shit. Where did that come from?”

He chuckled into her sternum.

She lifted a lazy hand and carded her fingers through his hair.

**

“I wish you’d stay in there, Mitz.” T-Dog leaned in, whispering into her ear as they followed Rick and the prisoners down into the yard.

Daryl, in front of her, nodded. “These men ain’t seen a woman in a while.”

She shrugged. “They only have one gun. I ain’t worried.”

“One gun in the hand of someone who’s unknown crimes got him locked up in the first place.”

She made a face. “Fair point.”

“This could get outta hand.” Daryl cast a look back at her.

“In which case, you need more guns in hands. Am I right or am I right?” She reached forward to squeeze his shoulder. “Unless, you thinkin’ my feminine charms are gonna overwhelm their good sense.”

Daryl snorted and let her out of the stairwell ahead of him. “Overwhelmed mine.”

She pinched his side as she passed him. “I’m the best damn thing to ever happen to you and you damn well know it, Dixon.”

T-Dog passed Daryl and moved so she was continually between him and Daryl. “There's always a chance that they… lose control.”

She smiled up at him. “It is far more likely that their anger will cause them to lose control than lil ol’me.”

“Jus’ the same, stay behind me.” Daryl stepped in front of her, partially blocking the inmates’ view of her.

“You never said, how the hell did you get in here in the first place?”

Daryl pointed out at the guard tower. “Cut a hole in that fence over there by that guard tower.”

The smaller inmate nodded. “That easy, huh?”

“Where there’s a will there’s a way.”

“Easy for you to say.” Andrew muttered.

Mitzi kept her eyes on the de facto leader, who seemed unphased by the carnage around them. Rick caught her eyes and nodded.

The bigger inmate- Tiny- poked at a corpse with a stick. “So what is this? Like a disease?”

“Yeah,” Rick supplied, “and we’re all infected.”

The blond inmate stepped forward. “What do you mean ‘infected’? Like AIDS or something?”

“Sorta, I guess.” Mitzi shrugged, propping her chin on Daryl’s shoulder. “Don’t know how it spread or anything.”

“If I were to kill you, shoot an arrow in your chest,” Daryl pointed down at the nearest corpse. “You’d come back as one of these things. It’s gonna happen to all’a us.”

The inmates were silent until Tomas stepped forward. “Ain’t no way these Robin Hood cats are responsible for killing all these freaks.”

“Must be 50 bodies out here.”

“We have a lot of practice.” Mitzi shifted her weight to her other foot. “We’ve gotten pretty good at it. Efficient.”

Tomas laughed condescendingly, focusing immediately on her. “You tellin’ me you were a part of this, baby?”

She arched an eyebrow and Rick cut her off before she could instigate, shooting a look at her over his shoulder. “Most of the walkers in that courtyard were put down by her. She’s an excellent shot.”

“That so? You got a name, baby girl?”

Daryl shifted and she hooked her arm around his waist, allowing him to keep her firmly behind him. “Not one you need to use.”

“You sure, baby?” He grinned a grin she was sure he thought was charming. “I can show you a good time.”

Daryl moved to step forward and she caught his arm. “Nah, I’m not interested, dude. I have a man.”

“He here?”

Daryl rasped. “You’re lookin’ at ‘em.”

He leered at her for a moment longer, dismissing Daryl. “Where’d you come from?”

Rick shot her a look and she could’ve sworn she heard T-Dog mutter, “I told you so,” under his breath.

Rick stepped into his line of sight. “Atlanta.”

Tomas strutted toward Rick. “Where you headed?”

Rick met him head on. “For now, nowhere.”

Tomas brushed him off. “I guess you can take that area down by the water, should be comfortable.”

“We’re using that field for crops.”

The negotiations broke down after that, if they ever started to begin in earnest. Tomas kept glancing at her and she fought the urge to make it worse by making a face at him. Instead, she ignored him and moved to press against Daryl’s right side so her gun hand would be free.

“What did I tell ya?”

She shrugged, kissing his bicep. “I see your point, just- I can handle myself.”

He nodded. “You can. Ain’t no one arguing with that, but also no reason to start shit.”

She smiled up at him. “I didn’t, not anything that wasn’t already brewing anyways. Tomas is exactly who he seems t’be. Would be regardless of my presence. He’s not gonna last tonight.”

T-Dog ran his hand over his face. “She’s gotta point. He’s been aggressive since we found them.”

“You ain’t comin’ to clear a block for them with us.” He leveled his crossbow at them. “There's already gonna be too many people, too much noise.”

“D-“

“No.” He glanced down at her. “He’s gonna try something. We know that. No need to add extra wood to the fire.”

She sighed. “Fine.”

When Rick had secured half of the grocery for them, they moved back into the cell block. Rick pulled her aside.

“Go back to the cell block. Tomas doesn’t seem to be entirely stable.”

She held her hands in mock-surrender. “I have already been informed. I’m goin’.”

**

“Aren’t you going to tell me about your mom?”

She settled against the railing, feet dangling over the second floor landing. She shook her head. “No… I didn't know my mom.”

“At all?” Carl looked shocked. “Did she die?”

Mitzi shrugged. “Not as far as I know. She.. she left me with my grandfather not long after I was born.”

He nodded. “Her dad?”

She shook her head again. “No, my dad’s dad. I have never met my mother’s family. She didn’t really want to be a mom so I guess she got her wish.”

“That sucks.”

Reaching out to ruffle his hair, she smiled. “It did, but it was okay for the most part.”

“So what are we gonna talk about?”

“We don’t have to talk.” She leaned her forearms on the bar. “Sometimes it’s good to just sit.”

Carl looked at her and she smiled back.

They were silent for a while, maybe ten minutes. Mitzi leaned over and pulled the mattress her and Daryl had been using over. She laid back, head on the mattress. Carl followed suit, setting his hat on his chest.

“Have you ever lost someone you cared about?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I was really close to my aunt. She died when I was 18.”

“What happened?”

Mitzi winced. “My dad used to use certain substances… uh, recreationally and the man he bought them from showed up at my aunt’s house. He was lookin’ for my dad. He hadn’t paid him, owed him money. My dad wasn’t there, he was at one of his lady friend’s house.”

She sighed deeply. “The man was not in his right mind and he shot her. She died before the paramedics got there.”

Carl stared down at his lap and pondered. “What happened to your dad?”

“How do you mean?”

“When he found out… was he okay?” He turned childlike eyes on her.

Shame building in her chest, she shrugged, lied. “I don’t know. My dad and I didn’t get along.”

Carl nodded. “I killed my mom.”

Mitzi sighed. “You shouldn’t a’hadta.”

“No, it had to be me.” Carl was adamant. “It had to be someone who loved her.”

“That’s true.” She nodded. “But I had to learn this lesson when my aunt died, so I’m gonna pass it along to you too. Just because it can be you, doesn’t mean it needs to be you.”

“There was no one else.” He was starting to sound defensive, shrinking into himself.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Carl. You’re just not meant t’have seen all this shit at your age. It’s our job as adults to protect you as much as we can. We shoulda helped you, darlin’.” Mitzi reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “The way I wished I had been helped.”

He nodded and they fell silent again.

“Were you angry when your aunt died?”

She smiled. “You know me pretty well at this point, kiddo. What do you think?”

He nodded. “I’m not talking about being angry just then but… like after. I’m still angry.”

“And you will be, but yes, also that too. I didn’t speak to my father for years after that.” She sighed. “The key to this, I have learned, is to talk about it, not to try and shove it down.”

“With who?” Carl made a dismissive noise. “My dad is-“

“I’m talking to your dad soon as, but you can always talk to me.” She squeezed at his shoulder again. “You have every right to be angry, kiddo. About your mom, about Shane.”

“You didn’t like Shane.”

“The feeling was mutual, but no, I didn’t like Shane.”

“You beat him up.” There was amusement in his voice.

“To be fair, he started it.” She chuckled. “It’s true that I didn't like Shane but I didn’t want him to die either. You did the right thing then, too. I just hate that you had to.”

Carl sighed. “I just don’t understand why my dad did that. I think I hate him for hurting Shane.”

She nodded. “Sometimes, the relationship between two adults is more complicated than it appears on the outside. I can see why it must be difficult to trust your dad after that, but I have every faith that, while I believe it was the right decision, it was the only decision he felt he could make and I know that it tore him up.”

He bobbed his head absently.

“Take it from me, hun, you can’t keep holdin’ on to this anger. It will eat you alive. Gotta talk about it, not take it out on everyone.”

“I’ll try.”

“That’s all I ask.”

**

“You okay, boss?” She set her gun and knife kit on the desk and boosted herself up onto the desk, sitting across from where Rick sat slumped.

He looked dazed and not particularly present. To the side of the boiler room, down by the boilers, was an absolutely eviscerated walker.

She sighed, and crossed her legs under her. She started cleaning and sharpening her hunting knife, pausing periodically to check on him.

When her knife was cleaned and sharpened to her satisfaction, she holstered it and approached Rick quietly.

Squatting by his side, she spoke in a soft, quiet tone. “Can I clean your knife and gun for’ya, chief?”

He looked at her like he didn’t know who she was.

Slowly, she pulled his knife and gun from their holsters. She set them down as quietly as possible and hoisted herself back on the desk. She set to cleaning his knife with quick, smooth movements.

“She’s…” He sucked in a breath. “She’s gone.”

She paused, giving him her full attention.

“She’s just gone.” His face screwed up like he was in pain. “I’ve not… I wasn’t there.”

She nodded. “Can’t be everywhere.”

“But I wasn’t there… and I haven’t been there, not recently.”

She sighed and set his knife down, moving off the desk to sit next to him.

“I’ve been blaming her. I should’ve been kinder.”

“Blame was going both ways I’m sure.”

He shook his head. “No, she was tryin’ to heal, to bring us back together. I wouldn’t let her.

“You don’t sound like you were ready to, brother.” She patted his knee. “You didn’t know what was gonna happen. Don’t know if it would’ve changed much if you did.“

“I should’ve let her know. Tell her what I was goin’ through. I should’ve talked to her.”

“Sure, but botha ya should’ve. It’s a two way street and healing takes time.” She smiled. “If you coulda done something, if you had known, you would’ve.”

He shook his head. “I wouldn’t… I wouldn’t talk to her. I didn’t.”

“You couldn’t. There was something that made it too difficult, too painful.”

He sighed and nodded. “She slept with Shane and then, it wasn’t her fault, but Shane became… fixated on her. That night he took me out there to kill me.”

She nodded. “I figured. I was with Daryl and Glenn when they found the kid.”

“She looked at me like I was the crazy one, like I should’ve let him live.”

She sighed. “I’m gonna tell you something my therapist told me-“

He huffed out a laugh. “You had a therapist?”

She shoved him with her elbow, smiling softly. “For a while, yeah. The military fucked me up.”

“What did she tell you?”

“We are not responsible for other people’s emotional responses to us, just doing what we can to be as healthy as we can be.”

“I’m not sure that applies here.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t think that was the healthiest thing that could’ve been done. By any standard.”

She shrugged. “What were your options? Kill Shane, let him kill you, keep him alive after he killed Otis, Randall and tried to kill you?”

He digested that. “Maybe Shane should’ve led us from the beginning. He was already doin’ it.”

“No he wasn’t. Not effectively anyways. He went and got water, stood around with his hands on his hips while other people made decisions, acted as the welcome party. But never really led anything.”

“Other people thought he should lead.”

“Aside from Andrea, who was suckin’ his dick, literally and metaphorically, the only people who thought that, thought that when they were scared. I doubt any of them think that now.” She grinned. “He couldn’t lead himself out of a wet paper bag. That’s why I was willing to follow you when you got to the Quarry. You listened and you considered and you put yourself in danger. Didn’t just make knee-jerk reactionary, self-serving decisions. That would’ve never happened with Shane.”

He chuckled quietly. “So you think I did the right thing? With Shane, I mean.”

“I think you did the only thing. Shane would’ve had to die regardless. Once it became common knowledge that he killed Randall and tried to kill you, it would have been decided and your hand would’ve been forced anyways.”

He nodded, biting at his lip and she stood to grab his knife and gun.

She settled back next to him. “Or we would’ve been distracted by the herd and would’ve spent the last eight months stewing in that tension, watching the two of you battling it out constantly. Lori being stuck in the constant anxiety of Shane’s fixation on her. Our energy and focus constantly split. We would’ve never made it here.”

He smiled sadly. “Or you would’ve killed him.”

She shook her head. “Me n’Daryl would’ve left long before that happened.”

They lapsed into silence and she went back to cleaning his knife and gun.

“Mitzi.”

She hummed.

He rested his head back against the wall, watching her out of the corner of his eye. “What does ‘sucking his dick literally and metaphorically’ mean? How do you suck someone’s dick metaphorically?”

She shrugged. “Y’know what?”

He smiled back, sadly. “What?”

“I don't actually know what I meant by that.” She smiled. “Sometimes I just say shit.”

He chuckled, reaching up to pat her head affectionately. “That tracks.”

**

She grinned and glanced at Daryl, who shook his head at her.

“What? She has a sword! She’s fuckin’ cool.” She turned back and kept watch as Hershel finished stitching her up.

Rick sighed. “We don’t know her.”

“We know she’s cool.” Mitzi shrugged. “We know she did the hard thing, not the easy thing. Injured. Safe only because she was covered in walker blood. That takes guts.”

“That’s fair.” Rick raked his fingers through his hair.

“How do we know we can trust her?” Oscar, quickly becoming a voice of reason, pondered.

“She wouldn’t have brought the formula if she had ill intentions.” Mitzi leaned against the door, casting a look over her shoulder. “Woulda been easier to keep on marchin’, vengeance or no.”

He nodded. “Could be tryin’ to lure us-“

“She’s one person, despite whatever mad ninja skills she has- she’s one person.”

Axel stepped forward, eager to flatter and please. “The way they talk about you, you coulda taken this place by yourself.”

She snorted. “I’m just one person, too.”

Beth, on edge and tense, shot forward. “This is Maggie and Glenn. Why are we even debating?”

Daryl nodded. “We ain’t. I’ll go after them.”

Mitzi nodded, eyes back on the woman and Hershel. “Me too.”

“Well.. This place sounds pretty secure. You two can’t go alone.”

Beth nodded. “I’ll go.”

Axel was next. “Me too.”

“I’m in.” Oscar rounded out the troop.

Rick took a deep breath in and looked over at Mitzi. “Exfil.”

She nodded, grinning. “And now you got exfil experience too, might make this easier, Officer Friendly.”

“Exfil?” Oscar looked between them.

Rick smirked, nodding sarcastically. “Exfiltration, otherwise known as an extraction. Mitzi has done hundreds of extractions.”

“Hundreds of hundreds.” She corrected, pushing off the doorway. “Let’s get this party started.”

**

“Okay, we gotta do this fast and smart.”

Rick nodded. “What’s the plan?”

Mitzi turned over her shoulder. “Where did she go?”

Rick followed her eyes and grit his teeth when he didn’t see Michonne. “Damn it!”

She sighed. “Alright, we need to pick the buildings most likely to be where they’re kept.”

Daryl checked his clip. “How? Ain’t no way we’re gonna check in all them buildings. Not with all them guards there.”

She nodded. “It’s not likely to be this close to the gate, I reckon.”

“Right…” Rick pondered. “Too much noise.”

A twig snapped and they turned, guns leveled.

Michonne pointed in another direction, mouthing ‘this way’ at them. Rick nodded and they followed her to a section of fence in a blind spot.

They scaled it quickly and snuck into a dark building.

“This is where you were held?” Rick continued to clear the room, gun held up until Mitzi held her thumb up, indicating that the far side of the room was clear.

“I was questioned.” She corrected him flatly.

He moved to the front facing windows. “Any idea where else they could be?” He peeked out behind the sheets hanging over the windows.

Daryl followed, looking out next to him. He scoffed. “I thought you said there was a curfew.”

Michonne shrugged, anxious and jumpy. “The street is packed during the day. Those are stragglers.”

Rick grimaced. “If anyone comes in here, we’re sitting ducks. We gotta move.”

Mitzi caught Michonne’s eyes, motioning her closer so she could keep her voice low. “You were questioned in here?”

She nodded.

Mitzi stepped closer to her. “Somethin’ minor?”

“I guess.” Michonne shrugged. “I broke into the Governor’s apartment to get my sword. Took out some walkers they had locked up in some sort of arena space.”

“Arena space?” Mitzi looked at Daryl and Rick. “Dollars to donuts.”

Michonne nodded. “They could be there.”

“What if they ain’t?” Daryl moved back towards the back of the room.

Michonne met Daryl’s eyes unflinchingly. “Then we’ll look somewhere else.”

Rick followed Daryl, passing by Michonne with a dismissive: “You said you could help us.”

She bit back. “I'm doing what I can.”

Oscar huffed. “Then where the hell are they?”

Rick motioned to Mitzi and Oscar. They turned and paced back into the pantry space after him.

“If this goes south, we’re cutting her loose.”

They all turned to consider Michonne. Oscar spoke up. “You think she’s leading us into a trap?”

Mitzi sucked on her teeth. “I suppose an arena with walkers would be the place t’do it. But that don’t square, if she wanted to lead us into a trap, she coulda just done it at the gate. No reason to wait and get us inside.”

Daryl nodded his head. “More like the blind leading the blind. Let’s split up.”

There was a knock at the door, keys in the lock, and they all dove for cover behind shelves of canned goods. Mitzi looked over and saw Michonne crouched behind the table.

The man entered casually, like all he expected to find were teenagers up to some mischief.

Mitzi caught Daryl’s eyes. He nodded.

“I know you’re in here. I saw you moving from outside.” He moved deeper into the room. “Alright now. You’re not supposed to be here and you know it. Who’s in here?”

Rick rushed him, holding him at gunpoint and forcing him into his knees. Daryl leaned over and zip-tied his hands behind his back.

“Where are our people?”

The man shook his head. “I don’t know.”

“You’re holding two of our people. Where the hell are they?”

The man stuttered. “I don’t know.”

Rick gagged him and Daryl knocked him out with the butt of his crossbow.

“He’s tellin’ the truth.” Mitzi glanced at Rick. “They’re being kept someplace the normal people don’t know about.

“Gotta be this arena area.” Daryl nodded at Michonne. “It far enough away that people wouldn’t know?”

She nodded. Rick stared her down before nodding.

“Let’s go.”

They snuck out the way they came and followed Michonne to the arena.

Mitzi cast a look around. “Some mad max shit.”

Oscar nodded beside her.

“Mitzi, you got point.”

She nodded and moved in front of Rick as they entered a building made of corrugated metal. They cleared corners at a steady pace until they came up to a window and could hear movement and voices.

They plastered themselves to the wall, waiting a short moment. As soon as it seemed that the people inside the room were about to leave the room, Mitzi signaled them back, nodding to Daryl and Rick.

Rick and Daryl popped the tops on a flash bang and smoke bomb respectively, before tossing them into the small atrium area.

There was a flash and a pop. Smoke filled the room and the men, disoriented and blind, reared back.

Mitzi advanced and while she covered them, Daryl and Rick moved in to get Maggie and Glenn, pulling them back toward the entrance.

One of the men in the smoke popped off a few rounds and Mitzi returned fire, seeing one man hit the ground through the smoke. Rick patted her shoulder and Mitzi backed out behind them.

They backtracked and ducked into another dark building.

**

“Didn’t think you’d still be running’ with my brother, Lil Bit.”

Mitzi sucked her teeth. “That’s because you ain’t very smart, Merle.”

He laid his arm over her shoulder and she shrugged him off. “Don’t be like that, Mitzi. I helped get Daryl outta there. Returned your man safe and sound.”

She scoffed. “Youre the fuckin’ reason we were there at all. You don’t get to play hero.”

He hummed. “That’s true. Say, you think I can have my turn now, after all’a this time? Think my baby brother would-“

Daryl turned on his heel and shoved at Merle’s shoulder. “Give it a rest.” He put his hand on her shoulder and pushed her forward toward Rick.

Merle cackled. “You ain’t willin’ to share, brother? Ain’t that some shit.”

Daryl grunted and motioned her forward when she turned back to glare at Merle. “This ain’t gonna work if you start fuckin’ with her.”

“Damn, son. Her pussy must be-“

Daryl shoved at him again. “Stop it. You ain’t gonna-“

“Ain’t gonna what?” Merle pressed into his space. “You gonna start telling me what t’do?”

Daryl didn’t back down. “She ain’t some truck stop hooker. You ain’t gonna talk t’her that way.”

“Or else what? What’s gonna happen?”

“She’s gonna kick your ass. Again.” Daryl poked his chest with an aggressive finger. “But it ain’t just about what she’s gonna do. She’s m’girl. I won’t have y’talkin’ ‘bout her that way.”

Daryl paused and looked down at Mitzi, who had pressed her hand to his chest, standing between them.

“Let’s just get back home. We can hash it out there.”

Daryl nodded. She glared at Merle and then moved back toward Rick.

Rick leaned into her. “This ain’t gonna work.”

She sighed. “I know it. And Glenn’s gonna go ballistic when he sees him.”

“Do you think Daryl will leave him?”

She shrugged, casting a look back at Daryl. He caught her eyes, head tilting as if asking her what they were talking about. “I don’t know.”

Rick nodded, calling out for Glenn as they approached the road.

Glenn seemed to zero in on Merle the minute he cleared the car. He leveled his gun at Merle and chaos erupted.

She stepped up to him as Maggie leveled her gun at Michonne, trying to ease them into lowering their weapons. “C’mon, guys.”

Glenn turned on her. “You’re okay with this?”

Mitzi shook her head. “No, but we gotta discuss it and we can’t discuss it here. Not safe.”

Daryl swatted at the gun in Glenn’s hand. “Get that thing outta my face.”

Merle chuckled. “Looks like you gone native, brother.”

Daryl turned and paced back at Merle. “No more than you, hangin’ out with that psycho back there.”

Merle nodded, amused. “Oh yeah man, he is a charmer, gotta tell you that.” He turned to Michonne. “Been putting the wood to your girlfriend, Andrea, back there. Big time, baby.” He moaned lewdly.

“What?” Glenn lowered his handgun. “Andrea’s in Woodbury?”

Daryl nodded. “Right next to the Governor.”

Mitzi put a hand on Glenn’s shoulder. “I doubt she knew y’all were there. Seemed pretty distressed when she saw Daryl.”

Michonne attempted to get at Merle again and Rick cut her off. “I told you to drop that!” She did and he lowered his Python. “You know Andrea?”

She ignored him, focusing on glaring at Merle. Rick stepped into her line of sight. “Hey! Do you know Andrea?”

Merle grinned. “Yep, she does. Her and Blondie spent all winter, cuddling up in the forest. Mhmm… yeah. My Nubian Queen here had two pet walkers. No arms. Cut off the jaws. Kept ‘em in chains. Kinda ironic now that I think about it.”

Mitzi turned over her shoulder. “You are fuckin’ dumb, Merle. You are outnumbered and outclassed and you still don’t have the sense to keep the shit you talk to yourself.”

He spat to the side. “Shut up, Mitzi.”

“Always gotta ruin everything-“

“Spitfire.” Daryl set his hand on her shoulder and she quieted. He pointed back at Merle. “Stop it.”

Merle chuckled, dismissing Daryl with a wave. “Hey man, we snatched them outta the woods. Andrea was close to dying.”

Maggie sighed. “Is that why she’s with him?”

Merle nodded. “Yeah.. snug as two little bugs. So what are you gonna do now, sheriff? Surrounded by a buncha liars, thugs and cowards?”

Rick snarled. “Shut up!”

“Oh man, lookit this? Pathetic. All these guns and no bullets in ‘em.”

Daryl got in his face. “Merle, shut up!”

Merle responded in kind and there was a brief bout of chaos, Glenn attempting to push past her.

She focused on gently keeping Glenn back and jumped when Merle’s voice ceased suddenly. His body hit the forest floor and she turned to look up at Rick, Python held up, butt first.

She glanced at Daryl, who nodded at Rick. Slipping her rifle over her head and off her shoulder, she passed it to Daryl and moved to help Glenn down the small incline toward the car.

When Merle was conscious and everyone was back near the car, Rick spoke.

“It won’t work.”

Daryl sighed. “It’s gotta.”

“It’ll stir things up.”

She rubbed at her neck as Daryl made his case, adamant that his brother wasn’t a rapist.

Mitzi sighed. “He doesn’t have to be a rapist to be dangerous. He tortured Glenn. They were clearly about to execute them. He was okay with that, led the men that did that.”

Daryl huffed and ignored her, shaking her off when she reached for him. He focused on Rick. “You gonna cut Merle loose and bring the last samurai home with us?”

Rick shook his head. “She’s not coming back.”

Maggie shook her head. “She’s not in a state to be on her own.”

Glenn nodded. “She did bring you guys to us.”

“And ditched us.”

“At least let my dad stitch her up.”

Rick shocked his head. ”She’s too unpredictable.”

Mitzi kicked at a piece of gravel, looking down. “She doesn’t say enough and I don’t think any of us feel comfortable trusting what she does say.”

“That’s right,” Daryl nodded, staring out at Michonne. “We don’t know who she is. But Merle- Merle’s blood.”

Glenn grunted. “No. Merle is your blood. My blood, my family, is standing right here and waiting for us back at the prison.”

Rick leaned in. “And you’re part of that family. But he’s not. He’s not.”

Daryl glanced down at her then back at Rick and shrugged. “Man, y’all don’t know.” He paused. “Fine. We’ll fend for ourselves.” He reached out for Mitzi.

Glenn shook his head. “That’s not what I was saying.”

“No him. No us.” He squeezed Mitzi’s shoulder and she seemed to snap back to reality.

She rested back. “What?”

Daryl stared down at her, willing her to agree with him. “We’ll go. Fend for ourselves.”

She stepped out of the circle, shaking her head. “We just started a war with a psychopath to get Glenn and Maggie back. You want to leave?”

Daryl frowned. “Mitz-“

Mitzi stalked a couple feet away, still fighting to believe this was real. She turned toward the car and Merle caught her eye, grinning.

Daryl moved closer to her. “Baby, I can’t stay where m’brother-“

“D. Stop.” She cut him off. “I need to think.”

“No time.” He shook his head. “You gotta make a decision.”

“A decision?” She gaped at him. “Between your brother and the people I just risked my ass to save?”

“Between me-“

“Don’t do this. Don’t make this personal.”

“How is this not personal?”

“Because it’s not you, baby, it’s him. He is not you.” She gestured at Merle. “He’s the one who kidnapped and tortured Glenn and Maggie. The one who started windin’ you up the minute he saw ya.”

“Windin’ me up?” His face colored. “He's an asshole but he ain’t manipulative.”

“Yes, he is. If he wanted to come back with you, why did he start instigating shit?”

He made a frustrated motion with his hand. “That’s just who he is.”

“Yes! A manipulative asshole.” She threw her hands up. “That’s beside the point. D, we have been with these people for nearly a year.”

“So? I’ve known Merle my entire life.”

“They are family, baby. I won’t leave them.”

“What ‘bout me?” He locked his jaw. “You’ll leave me, but not them.”

“I'm not leaving, you are.” She deflated. “You're making the decision to leave. What am I supposed t’do?”

“Come with me!” He fought to keep his voice down.

She sucked in a breath. “Daryl, I can’t… I need to think.”

“I ain't leavin’ my brother again.” He reached out for her. She sidestepped him. “He’s m’blood.”

She shook her head, trying to clear it enough to see a way out of this.

Daryl scoffed and moved away, back towards Rick. “Well, guess that decides it. It’s always been me and Merle before this.”

She fought to breathe, chest clenching up. “Just give me time to think.”

“You made your choice.” He threw over his shoulder.

She squatted, ignoring whatever further discussion was being had and focusing on breathing normally. Maggie joined her, hand rubbing at her back.

Mitzi’s eyes caught Daryl’s. She could see him visibly react, sucking in air like she had forced it from his lungs.

**

“Where’s Mitzi?”

Glenn nodded at the window. “‘Main Guard tower.”

Daryl squinted at him. “She went back out there?”

“Never left.” Hershel kept his eye on Merle. “Hasn’t stepped out of the guard tower since she got back. Hasn’t spoken a word.”

“The attack was the first we’ve seen of her since we got back.” Glenn supplied, cutting his eyes to glare at Merle. “Maggie tried to go up there, check on her. Mitzi wouldn’t open the door.”

“I doubt she’s eaten.” Maggie nodded. “The only way we knew she’s still alive is the sound of her rifle. Those walkers out past the field were all her. She was picking them off yesterday.”

“I don’t want her to be upset, but she might’ve solved a problem for us.” Carol crossed her arms over her chest. “I bet she’s already cleared the field.”

Hershel nodded. “That’s true.”

Daryl sucked in a breath and nodded. “Right. I’ll go get her.”

Glenn made a face. “Good luck and godspeed. She’s pretty angry.”

“You chasing’ after your girl, brother?” Merle cackled. “Just let her untwist her panties, she’ll come ‘round.“

Daryl shook his head. “Shut up, Merle.”

“So that lil bit of redhead cooze is worth your dignity? Thought I raised you better.” He sucked on his tongue. “Gotcha all pussy-whipped. What a shame.”

Daryl rotated his shoulder, agitated. “I said, ‘Shut the fuck up, Merle’.”

Merle opened his mouth to speak, Glenn cut him off, grinning maliciously. “You don’t remember Mitzi that well, d’ya Merle?”

“Course I remember her.” Merle made a face. “What does that have t’do with anythin’?”

“You know what they say about redheads.” Glenn glanced up at Merle. “And she’s fuckin’ pissed at you. But telling you what to do, but I would be, at the very least, nervous.”

Merle glanced at Daryl, who shrugged. Glenn continued. “Pretty sure the rumor was that she had kicked your ass back at the old camp. If she didn’t then…” he whistled. “I’m sure she’s up for it now.”

Merle dismissed him with a wave. “Got a couple pot shots off. I ain’t worried. I outweigh-“

“So did Shane and she beat the holy shit out of Shane.”

Maggie nodded. “Shane couldn’t even put up a fight.”

Merle ignored them.

**

“I know you’re pissed. Y’got every right.”

She didn’t look at him, didn’t react.

“Spitfire.”

She huddled down deeper into herself, pressing into the corner, knees to her chest.

He sighed and sat next to her. She crossed her arms across her chest, effectively hugging her M110.

He rubbed a hand over his face. “He’s my brother.”

“He’s blood.”

He nodded.

“So fuck me then.”

He sucked in a breath. “I didn’t say that.”

“Didn’t need to.” She started picking at her cuticles.

“Look.. I know, I fucked up.”

She shook her head, twisting her lips in a dismissive moue. “Nah, that’s just how it is.”

“How what is?”

“It. Life.”

“Baby-“

“Fuck off.” Her thumb bled. “Go find your brother.”

He reached over to cover her fidgeting hands. She jerked away.

He let his head hang, rubbing over the back of his head. “Mitz-“

“What do you want?” She still wasn’t looking at him, still picking at her cuticles.

“You t’talk t’me.” He shifted so he was looking at her more fully.

She grunted, eyes on her now-bleeding ring finger. “For what purpose?”

“What purpose?” He dropped his head against the wall behind him. “Baby, I… I fuckin’ suck at this. I don’t know how t’explain what-“ he made a frustrated noise. “I know I hurt ya, I ain’t never seen you look that way, like I had just sucker punched ya.”

He looked up and caught her eyes. “M’sorry.”

She didn’t look the way he expected. No stormy anger, no piercing glare. She looked frightened, eyes wide, pupils darting around the small room. Daryl felt his chest tighten.

She stood and shouldered her rifle. “I need to shoot somethin’.”

She walked onto the balcony, spending the next ten minutes popping off walkers. When the magazine was empty, she turned and sucked in a shaky breath.

“I don’t generally assume people like me. My parents didn't even like me.” She gestured at the prison. “I’m just now starting to not struggle to believe that they might give a fuck about me. I am not dumb enough to do that generally.”

He stood, approaching her with quiet, cautious steps like she was a frightened animal.

“But… I think I was-“ She squeezed her eyes shut and sucked in a harsh breath. “I was dumb enough to believe you did.”

She rubbed at her face, shielding her eyes from his. “I know we’ve never really talked ‘bout it so maybe this is partially my fault. I should’ve known, shouldn’t ‘ve assumed but-“

He shook his head. “Baby, stop. Look at me.”

She wouldn’t, eyes focusing down at the floor. She shook her head, stepping away from him as he reached for her. “I just thought you’d at least consider me, but maybe that’s an overstatement of what this is.”

He cupped her shoulders slowly, gently, pressing his forehead to her temple.

He could feel the tension in her body, the occasional heaving convulsion, like her body wanted to sob but she wasn’t letting it. “Baby-“

She shook her head, biting her lip hard enough to bleed.

“Mitzi.” He grabbed the rifle from her limp hand, setting it against the wall behind him. “Baby, you ain’t overstatin’ nothin’.”

She scoffed, tears starting fall despite her attempts to control it, and tried to pull away.

He tutted, hand sliding from her shoulder to her jaw. “Don’t leave. We ain’t done.”

“You walked away, D. You looked me in my eye, threw down an impossible ultimatum and walked away. Didn’t even give me time to process, to understand, to make any kinda decision.” She shrugged powerlessly. “That kinda feels done.”

“Well, we ain’t.” His voice was adamant. “You said you were dumb enough to believe I gave a fuck about ya. I do. Don’t hafta believe anythin’, it’s true.”

She rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’ll bite. You give a fuck. What happened then? I don’t get it so you’re gonna hafta explain it. It sure doesn’t square with you givin’ even an iota of a fuck ‘bout me.”

He sighed, frustrated with his own lack of verbosity. “I know why I did it.” She shook her head and tried to pull away. He held her fast and squeezed her shoulders. “I’m not sayin’ it was the right call, but I know why I did it. I hate that I hurt’ya, but I did th’only thing I could think of. He’s m’brother.”

She breathed deep. “I appreciate that, I do. But Glenn is my brother, Maggie is my sister. They are part of our family.” She pointed between them. “Part of our family that Merle hurt.”

He nodded absently, squinting at her.

“Every day we chose to help them- and us -survive to the next day, we were choosing them.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “We talked about leavin’, I know that, but we didn’t. We stayed. That choice made them our family. They are our family now.”

He looked hurt. “So if I had given ya time t’think you wouldn’t a’left with me?”

She rubbed at her sternum and shrugged. “I don’t know. It woulda been difficult but we coulda talked about it. Preferably, here, where we are safe. Not out there in the middle’a nowhere with Glenn unable to walk.”

Daryl shook his head. “They wouldn’t a’let him come back.”

“Baby, what did ya expect? Your brother tortured them. If we had taken time to think, we coulda worked somethin’ out.”

He nodded. “A’ight. Say we had, what could we have done?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Keep him close? Set him up in a guard tower until amends could be made. He woulda needed to be part of that, though, woulda needed to want to make amends.”

He rubbed his hands over the back of his head. “Wasn’t too keen on that. Still isn’t.”

She nodded. “And what I said stands. Merle started windin’ you up the minute he laid eyes on ya. Didn’t want to follow the rules. Maybe he didn’t want to be under Rick’s thumb. I dunno, but Merle wants things his way.”

He sighed. “Yeah, you were right. Merle’s a stubborn suma’bitch. Started talking’ shit the minute we left. M’sorry.”

She breathed deep. “I’m sorry too. I know you weren’t tryin’ to force my hand, just lookin’ for support-“

He shook his head. “Ain’t no reason to apologize. I saw that look on your face every time I blinked while I was out there. Probably see it in my sleep tonight.”

She rubbed at her forehead and his hand shifted, massaging at the back of her neck. Stepping fully against him, she pressed her face into his chest.

“And y’gotta know that everyone down there loves the shit outta ya. You’re their family, too.”

She shrugged. “I’m convenient.”

He wrapped himself around her, shaking his head into her hair.

“Ain’t nuthin’ convenient ‘bout you, woman.”

She was silent for a spell and Daryl wanted to knock his own teeth in when she started shaking against him.

He pushed her lightly away only to realize she was laughing.

“I don’t know if that was a compliment or not.”

He shrugged and she reached up to brush the hair out of his eyes. He knocked his forehead against hers.

“Let’s go back.”

She nodded and leaned over to pick up her rifle.

“I am sorry.”

She looked up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You are forgiven.”

**

She set her cleaning kits down and set to cleaning the group’s cache of weaponry. She was breaking down a pistol when she saw Merle sit down across from her.

“Spitfire-”

She didn’t look at him. “Daryl calls me that. No one else.”

“Now, now…” He hummed. “Y’still angry with me?”

“Yeah.” She fed a barrel brush through the pistol’s barrel with staccato movements that bordered on violent. She glanced at Merle. “How’d ya know?”

He seemed to hesitate. She smiled sharply. “You rememberin’ the day you met me?”

He made a face, shaking his head. “No… no, I just think that… seein’ as you’re with m’brother and I’m not leavin’ him any time soon, we should come to some sorta agreement.”

“Like what?” She set down the barrel with an echoing click.

“Like you stay outta m’way, I stay outta yours.”

She grinned. “You in my way right now, though.” She reassembled the gun and reached for another one. She checked the clip and pulled back the slider. Catching his eye and holding it, she test-fired the empty weapon, pointing it at the ground.

He shifted. “How so?”

“This is my home, these people are my family, your brother is my partner. Anythin’ or anyone who thinks t’get between me n’them is in my way.”

He held up his hands. “I ain’t tryin’ to get in between you n’my brother.”

“Coulda fooled me.” She broke down the gun, maintaining eye contact. “Daryl told me what y’all talked about while you were out there. I know you care for him, I do, but your way of caring fuckin’ sucks.”

He nodded vaguely, rubbing a hand over his neck.

“Daryl is not the same little brother you knew a year ago.” She cleaned the barrel. “He has grown and changed. He’s stronger, more confident, happier. And I’ll be damned if you ruin it, if you start breakin’ him down the way your father broke you two down. Makin’ him doubt himself, doubt his decisions.”

Merle sighed. “So how do we do this? Can’t imagine you wanna be at odds until the end of time.”

“You can start by treating Daryl with some respect. Treat him like a man, not some broken, little boy you can boss around.”

He nodded.

“And you can stop bein’ an asshole.” She grinned. “Tall ask, I know, but stop antagonizing people for no good reason.”

He winced comically. “You don’t ask a lot, do’ya, Lil Bit?”

“Nothin’ a big, strong, tough man like yourself can’t handle.”

**

“Must not have been many walkers.”

Andrea looked up at her and shook her head. “Daryl and Martinez are comparing dicks.”

“Ah…” Mitzi chuckled. “Men, amiright?”

“You would think that with the end of the world, people would shake some old habits.”

“That ain’t ever gonna change, hun. I think it’s ingrained in them. In us too… though it looks different.”

Andrea considered her quietly. “What looks different?”

“Competition. I think it’s instinctual. Keeps the whole race goin’ forward.”

“Maybe so.”

“Speakin’ of men…” Mitzi sighed and sat on the bench next to Andrea. “You sure know how to pick ‘em.”

Andrea sucked in a breath, gearing up for an argument.

“I’m teasing, chill. You obviously didn’t know he was bat-shit.” Mitzi grinned. “Though I would think someone as smart as you would be better at seeing the signs, it’s still not your fault.”

Andrea nodded. “Thank you for that. I’m having a hard time remembering that it’s not my fault.”

Mitzi sighed. “That’s hard to do sometimes.”

“Michonne knew. She tried to tell me.” Andrea rubbed a hand over her face.

“She seems like a very intuitive person. Why didn’t you listen?”

“I…” Andrea stuttered. “I was tired. I wanted what he offered. The safety, the rest.”

“He preyed on your weaknesses.” Mitzi nodded. “I knew someone like him when I was in the military. Charming suma’bitch but I could smell crazy on ‘em.”

“Did you ever date him?”

Mitzi barked out a laugh. “Nah, he wouldn’t a’wanted me. Being heavily tattooed and mouthy is usually a pretty good deterrent for his type.” She fiddled with her scope. “He went after this pretty little Air Force liaison.”

Andrea hummed. “What happened?”

“She was married. He got her pregnant while on tour, when her husband couldn’t have. Pretended like he didn’t know she was married. Had connections that kept him outta hot water. They prosecuted her for adultery.”

Andrea looked uncomfortable. “I didn’t know there were laws like that still on the books.”

“Military does what it wants.”

“Do you know what happened after that?”

Mitzi sighed. “Nope. Had to keep my nose outta it. Woulda killed him.”

They were silent for a while, until Daryl and Martinez returned, the former holding out a fresh cigarette to her.

She smiled up at him, accepting his chaste kiss. “Thank you, baby.”

Nodding, he eyed them and lit the cigarette for her, moving back towards the door to check the perimeter.

Mitzi turned her head to blow the smoke away from Andrea. “He’s gonna kill ya, y’know that right?”

Andrea shook her head. “Phillip wouldn’t-“

“Don’t be dumb.” Mitzi caught her eyes. “Phillip is gonna do whatever it takes to get whatever it is he wants.”

Andrea sighed heavily. “Carol told me to kill him after sleeping with him.”

“A little Black Widow action.” Mitzi nodded. “Not a bad idea.”

“I don’t know if I can… do that.”

The doors started opening and Mitzi nodded at Daryl, standing up. “Better figure it out, princess. Clock’s a’tickin’.”

**

They entered into the carnage with quick, quiet steps, dispatching walkers here and there as quietly as they could.

She turned to check their blind spot, stepping backwards and nearly running into Daryl’s back when he pulled up short.

Looking around him, she bit at her lip. Merle’s corpse lifted his head.

His shoulders started to shake and she pressed her forehead against his shoulder. “I’m sorry, baby.”

He sucked a deep breath in as Merle’s corpse stood, still chewing on the man laying on the ground beneath him.

He passed her his crossbow and pulled his knife, starting to sob in earnest. Shouldering her rifle, she wrapped her arms around the crossbow.

Daryl knocked Merle’s corpse back, the walker immediately coming back again. Merle snarled as Daryl stabbed him in the shoulder, using the knife to gain control of the bigger body. He shoved the walker over and followed it down, stabbing the knife into its head and chest repeatedly.

She stayed silent, allowing him to vent his grief and frustration without comment or judgment. She kept an eye on the other walkers, hand on her knife in case one of them caught wind of their presence.

Body racked with heavy sobs, he stayed hunched over Merle’s body. After a few moments, she walked over and squeezed his shoulder.

“C’mon, baby. Let’s get him in the barn. Can’t bury him but we can at least get him out of the sun.”

Daryl pulled his bandana out of his pocket and wiped his face. He nodded and stood, taking his bow back from her and throwing the shoulder strap over his shoulder. Together, they dragged Merle’s body into the barn.

Once they cleared the room of any potential threat, Mitzi knelt to arrange his body respectfully and ensure that his eyes were closed.

“Bye, Merle.”

She looked up at him and he nodded, blinking away tears. He reached over and tapped at Merle’s chest. He turned and she followed him out.

They left and were silent for a long while as they worked their way back to the prison.

“I’m glad ya came with me.” Daryl breathed deep. “You didn’t hafta.”

She nodded and reached over to squeeze his side. “Course I did. You’re my man. Not gonna let you do that by yourself.”

Daryl leaned over briefly to kiss her head, muttering something into her hair.

She wrapped her arm around his waist. “What was that?”

He shook his head. “You ain’t gonna wanna hear it.”

She made a face at him. “You don’t know that.”

He muttered something under his breath, turning away from her to check the horizon.

“D, say it to my fuckin’ face.” She smiled, taking the sting out of her words.

He sucked in a breath and turned back. “Love ya.” He cleared his throat. “I love you.”

She gaped at him.

Daryl looked uncomfortable, making to move ahead. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back.

“Caught me off guard, s’all.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you too.”

Part 5

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[lilyevanstan1325]

❤️ Built For This World ❤️

Chapter 9

My head hurts like a bitch.

My breath rises laboriously down my throat, coming out in trembling sighs from my ajar mouth.

I've been locked in Dale's RV for hours now and I don't plan on going anywhere, not until I'm sure Carol is okay.

Just as I am certain that my friend will never be okay again.

Never again.

A deafening silence surrounds us.

With my arms folded over the small table and my head resting on them I cast yet another worried glance in Daryl's direction.

The man is sitting on the sink counter, right next to the vehicle door.

Our eyes meet for a fraction of a second then he drops his gaze on the rifle he still holds in his arms.

We've been going like this for hours.

It's as if he feels guilty and can't keep his gaze on me, it's as if he fears seeing the disappointment in my eyes towards him because he feels personally responsible for what happened to Sophia.

I can see the anger and the pain eating him up from inside.

Even if only partially, I understand what he is feeling.

Daryl poured his heart into this research and now he feels like all this failure falls on his shoulders.

Sophia's death was a heavy blow for everyone.

Carol continues to sob and with each sob my heart breaks more and more.

Out the window I can see the others at work.

Some are digging holes while the others are moving the bodies.

I bury my face in my crossed arms again.

Old pains inside me seem to awaken, making my guts twist in a painful way.

It's as if in a fraction of a second, in the infinitesimal time that that damned bullet ended Sophia's life, all my demons resurrected from the dark place of my heart where I had buried them.

Even though I didn't have the time to get to know and love that little girl, I feel like I've lost someone important again.

Her death broke another small portion of my heart.

Nothing will be the same.

Carol will never be the same again.

Daryl will never be the same again.

And I know how selfish it is of me to worry about something like this but her death will inevitably change my relationship with these two people.

I feel like I've lost a mother for the second time.

A soft whistle makes me lift my head.

Daryl is looking at me intensely, in his eyes a concern that goes beyond human comprehension, in his eyes there is perhaps too much pain for a single soul.

“Ya good?” he whispers, his voice hoarse, speaking to me for the first time since he joined Carol and me in this RV.

I shrug weakly before immediately returning my attention to the woman in front of me.

Carol sitting on the bed and looking out the window doesn't even seem to notice our presence.

Her gaze is fixed and absent as if her mind is light years away.

And I feel fucking helpless.

Helpless in this such immense pain.

I think back to my mom, I think back to the day I had to say goodbye to her.

The knowledge that I will never see her smile again, that my ears will never again be able to enjoy her sweet laughter, hits me with such violence that it makes me breathless.

I think back to the last time I saw my father, I think back to the fact that I couldn't say goodbye to him...

A wave of tears gathers in my eyes forcing me to hide my face in my arms again.

Trying to hide the sobs shaking my chest, I bite my tongue until it bleeds.

A hand brushes my shoulder and then a strong arm wraps around them and I find myself with my face pressed against the archer's chest.

“Shhhhh.Everythin’ will be fine, sunshine” Daryl whispers in my ear, trying to gently silence my crying.

I feel terribly guilty.

What right do I have to cry?

Who gives me the right to suffer when in front of me I have a woman who has lost her little girl?

I feel like a monster and this only makes my sobs increase.

I try to suffocate them forcefully by burying my face in the man's chest and crumpling the fabric of his shirt between my fingers.

“Hey” he murmurs in a faint strangled voice, also wrapping his other arm around me, drawing me towards his body and taking me into his arms, he makes me sit on his lap.

I'm sorry to make him worry about me too but I can't help but feel happy for his closeness at this moment.

I should be stronger and be the one ready to console but in this moment all I can offer to Carol is just my presence, I can't do more.

I finally look up at Daryl's face who, despite being destroyed by pain, gives me a small smile, just a corner of his lips raised.

“Hey” he repeats cupping my face in his big hands.

“It will be fine.Now we have to be strong, alrigh’?”

I nod imperceptibly before his lips caress mine with such sweetness that it makes me tremble.

A light knock on the door makes us jump while Carol on the other hand doesn't even seem to notice.

After a few moments the door of the RV opens and Lori steps in.

The woman looks exhausted, her swollen and red eyes rest on me for a moment.

She doesn't seem surprised by my closeness to Daryl as she sketches a shy, tired smile in our direction after which she lets out a shaky breath as she lowers her gaze.

“They're ready.Come on” she exhales as if these few simple words had drained her of all energy.

I know what her words mean.

And God only knows how much they hurt.

My attention immediately shifts to Carol.

The woman shakes her head slightly without moving her tormented gaze from the window.

“Why?” she whispers.

Her voice brims with resignation.

Daryl beneath me shifts slightly, tightening his grip on me.

“’Cause that's yer little girl” he replies softly as his worry-filled eyes move to the woman.

Finally Carol's gaze turns towards us and the harshness I see within them scares me.

“That's not my little girl.That's some other…thing” she says, choking on her own words.

Then she lowers her gaze again, looking back at the field outside the RV.

For a moment no one speaks, perhaps too shocked by the cynicism of her words.

I can't understand her.

I didn't see my mother turn into one of those monstrous beings but I'm sure that even if it had happened, I would have wanted to witness her burial.

I would still have given her a last final goodbye.

“My Sophia…” Carol whispers in a breathy voice.

“My Sophia was alone in the woods.All this time I thought…” her words are just a quiet murmur as she fights her own tears.

“She didn't cry herself to sleep.She didn't go hungry.She didn't try to find her way back.Sophia died a long time ago”

I can feel Daryl tense up.

The resigned words of our friend crumbled the man's last bit of self-control.

I can feel the anger, the anger at not being able to find Sophia in time, boiling under his skin and crashing in waves all around him.

Lori, head bowed, steps back out of the RV.

I need to do something so without thinking twice I get up from my little safe haven and join Carol with a couple of determined, almost furious strides.

The man's determined footsteps sound behind me but when I turn around he is no longer there.

All this is definitely too much for him and, rather than bursting out and threw up all his disappointment, he has decided that it is better to let it go.

I stand in front of the woman, my hands resting on my hips and a thousand words that continue to boil into my head.

I breathe in and out slowly trying to calm my heartbeat.

“Carol, you can't be serious” I begin, trying to keep my emotions in check.

Now it's not about me but about her.

And I care enough about her to stop her from doing something I'm sure she'll regret in the future.

The woman doesn't even look at me, her stubborn gaze far from mine.

She shrugs as if to tell me who cares.

Softening my gaze and my posture I sit on the bed next to her tapping my knee on hers.

Slowly and with a sigh she turns in my direction, her large shining eyes making my stomach tighten in a vice.

I don't think I've ever seen so much pain reflected in the eyes of another human being.

Losing someone you love is always painful but losing a daughter...

I don't think there is a greater pain.

No one should ever feel such sorrow.

I lost my mom, my dad, my life...yet I survived.

Yet I still fight.

But Sophia…she was her flesh and blood.

Every breath she takes hurts right now and will do so for every single day she lives.

Even though she will be surrounded by people who love her she will never love anyone else like she loved her sweet little girl.

And it is precisely for this reason that Carol must give her a final goodbye.

“Carol I won't pretend to understand how you feel right now, really.But you have to do it.You have to get out of here and say goodbye to your little girl”

The woman shakes her head, a few tears escape her control sliding down her cheeks.

“Listen to me.That may not be your little girl out there but her spirit is still here.Give her the peace she deserves.Sophia deserves to rest in peace and she will never be able to do so if her mom doesn't let her go”

The words get stuck in my throat but I continue undaunted, even ignoring the woman's sobs which slowly grow in intensity.

I grab her hands and squeeze them in mine.

“You're not alone, Carol.You have Daryl.You have Rick.And Dale, and Lori, and Glenn.We are all here for you.I'm here for you.You have me”

I lift her hands still clasped in mine to kiss her knuckles softly and stop fighting my own tears.

“I am here.I know that nothing will ever fill that void but I'm here.Maybe you don't even care but if you give up...I need you Carol.If you don't say goodbye to your sweet little girl today you will lose yourself...I will lose you”

A sob shakes both of our chests at the same time.

I sniffle, wiping my tears against my own shoulder.

“If it wasn't for you maybe I would still be tied up in that stable or Shane would have already broken my neck.You are all I have left.Please Carol…I've already lost my mom…I can't lose you too”

I know it's sound so fucking selfish.

I know I should think of her best.

But…but I've already lost so much that I don't know if I could get through this too.

By now we are both crying without any restraint.

Both heartbroken but for two completely opposite reasons.

Then through tears and pain Carol nods.

I smile at her weakly through tears.

“I will be with you, step by step.I'll stick so close to your ass that you'll end up hating me.But you will never be alone.Never” I tell her, drawing a light laugh from her which is immediately suffocated by yet another sob from her.

I let go of her hands so I can hug her.

I hold her head against my chest, stroking her hair.

Carol presses her face against me and I let her vent, welcoming all her tears, all her pain, hoping to make it a little mine and lighten this painful load on her soul.

When we arrive near the trees where the holes were dug for Sophia and Hersel's family, there is no one left.

Hesitant Carol approaches the smaller mound of earth, kneeling in front of it.

Without disturbing her, I kneel next to her, stroking her back in a reassuring manner.

Carol lowers her head, sinking her hands into the freshly loose dirt, crying all her tears, giving vent to all her pain.

“It's okay, honey.It's okay” I try to reassure her when the tears seem to take her breath away.

Footsteps come from behind us.

Daryl clears his throat before dropping to one knee alongside Carol.

In his hands he holds a small bouquet of Cherokee roses.

I smile at his sweet gesture.

“Do ya want…”

Carol shakes her head vigorously, interrupting the man.

“Would you do it for me?” she croaks in response.

Daryl doesn't have to be told twice and, standing up, places the flowers on little Sophia's grave with unprecedented delicacy.

When he stands up, his gaze rests on my face for a moment and then immediately lowers it and turns his back on us.

Even though the contact between our eyes was brief, I managed to catch the glimmer of his tears.

Making sure Carol is okay, I get up, brushing the dirt off my knees with my hands and with a hesitant step I approach the man's back, placing a hand on it.

Daryl gasps violently without turning so determined to respect his wishes I don't look for his gaze.

I just hug him from behind, intertwining my fingers on his abdomen.

His chest rises and falls rapidly.

He is crying.

And for the umpteenth time today my heart breaks.

I rest my cheek on his back trying to offer him the only thing I have at the moment.

My love.

Because yes, it may be crazy, but I feel like I feel something for this man that goes far beyond the simple attraction.

Because, surrounded by all this pain, I understood that if I had been the one to lose him, I wouldn't have tolerated it.

Today with the discovery of Sophia's now dead body I clearly understood that I cannot lose him.

“I'm here, big boy.I'm here" I whisper kissing him between his shoulder blades.

In response, his calloused fingers intertwine with mine and his breathing slowly slows, his body relaxes.

Daryl Dixon is all I have and I will always protect him.

I will forever protect his pure and tortured soul.

Behind us, a rustle of clothes followed by a timid voice brings us back to the present.

I slowly release my hands from the archer's and focus on Carol again.

A sad smile flits across her face as she stretches her arms in my direction.

Without having to tell me anything I give her what her eyes are asking me.

I hug her and even though I'm shorter than her I welcome her head against my chest.

Her arms envelop me while her voice, made hoarse by her tears, murmurs a small thank you.

Carol raises her head and waving a hand behind me she whispers “Come here, pookie”

After a few moments, Daryl's chest is pressed against my back.

All three held in one embrace.

All together as a family.

Because now we are a family.

We may not be connected by blood but something much stronger unites us.

We chose each other and we will protect each other as long as we have breath in our bodies.

After making sure Carol was okay, I begged Daryl to never leave her side and to come find me if there were any problems.

“Hey, I can handle her.Go” murmurs the archer, squeezing my upper arm with his hand and after kissing my forehead he moves away and sits a few steps away from Carol who is kneeling again in front of her daughter's tomb.

I really want to stay here and not leave her but I need to go check on Rick.

The desperation painted in his eyes after he pulled the trigger haunts a part of my brain.

His lost gaze wandering aimlessly as it fell on every person gathered around him is seared into my mind.

With a determined step I head towards Hersel's big house.

When my feet touch the first steps of the porch I feel a shiver shake me.

The house seems quiet when I walk through the door so looking around I head towards the kitchen but halfway I bump into a figure who quickly tries to reach the back door.

“Ouch” I hiss, running my hand over the bandage over my eyebrow as Glenn wraps a hand around his nose, his eyes bright from the impact.

“Where are you going in such a hurry, buddy?” I peep, pressing my fingers over the white gauze, underneath I can feel the slight pulsation from the stitches.

Glenn moves his hand away from his face, sniffing.

“Sorry Sum.I'm catching up with Rick.We're going to look for Hersel” he replies, trying to dodge me to reach the door.

I follow him, following his every step.

Hersel?

Why?

What happened?

“Glenn!” I get his attention by grabbing his hand.

The boy stops his run, finally resting his eyes on me.

“Beth seems to be in shock and we can't find Hersel anywhere.Rick and I are going to the bar downtown to look for him”

I nod once.

“I'll come with you” I offer immediately.

Even though a big part of me is screaming at me to stay here, to protect Carol, to stay by Daryl's side, I know I can't do it.

A little voice in my head keeps telling me that right now I'm an outsider and that I can't intrude on these people's pain so any distraction is welcomed.

And looking for the vet, being able to move away from here, seems to me to be the most suitable solution.

Glenn shakes his head as he grabs a rifle from on top of an old coffee table.

Before he can argue I place the flat palm of my hand against his mouth.

“I'm not asking your permission” I wink and, watching him while he snorts resignedly, I follow him through the back door.

Once outside we find Maggie leaning with her back to the wall and her arms crossed in front of her chest.

Smiling at her I leave them alone as I approach Rick.

The former officer doesn't even look at me but I can see a corner of his lips lifting into a sly smile.

“I bet you'll join us” he murmurs with a nod towards the car.

“Obviously.In fact, I'm offended that you didn't come looking for me.Do you really think I would have let you go alone?” I reply in a light but serious tone, giving him a playful shove.

Rick chuckles under his breath.

“Do you have a weapon?”

“I have my knife”

“Take this” he replies handing me a gun which I accept without replying.

I know that the use of guns must be strictly necessary due to the noise but nowadays it is better not to be caught unprepared.

“Does Daryl know?”

His question catches me off guard, making my gaze move from the weapon I hold in my hands to his face.

His clear blue eyes are focused behind me.

“He's not my fucking nanny” I huff, following the direction of his gaze.

My lips curve upwards.

“They're cute, aren't they?” I chuckle, returning my attention to the man next to me.

Rick smiles and then directs his glittering gaze of mischievous into mine.

“Yeah.You and Daryl are cute too.This is why you have to tell him where you're going because I don't want to catch an arrow up my ass”

I blush at his statement but intending not to show it I put on a cooky smile.

“Your ass is safe, cop.Let's go” I urge him, getting into the car while Glenn joins us with his shoulders down.

Rick sits in the driving seat while Glenn sits next to him, I sit in the center of the back seat so I can have a good view of the road and the men in front of me.

The journey proceeds in silence.

None of us speak perhaps too lost in our mental ruminations.

Too many things happened today and all too quickly.

Shane lost his mind.

We have all lost it.

Heavy words were flown and after all this I don't know if the group will ever go back to how it used to be.

Glenn continues to fidget on his spot.

Rick sends me worried looks through the rearview mirror, looks to which I respond with constant shrugs.

I honestly can't understand what's going on in my friend's head at the moment.

When the outlines of the buildings in the city appear on the horizon Glenn breaks the silence that surrounds us.

“Maggie said she loves me” he suddenly blurts out, turning his gaze towards Rick.

I smile radiantly.

“That’s great, Glenn” I laugh, leaning forward and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Glenn looks back at me but his face is serious.

Too serious.

Wait.

“That's a good thing, right?” I ask now unsure.

I certainly didn't expect such a detached reaction from the delivery guy.

If I had been in his place, if Daryl had said he loved me, I think I would have jumped out of my own skin.

The thought makes me blush and I chew my lower lip.

Glenn lets out a nervous laugh.

“She doesn't mean It.I mean she doesn't.I mean…well…she…she's upset or confused.She’s probably feeling like…” he exclaims, speaking hurriedly, the stuttered words rolling off his lips quickly.

“I think she's smart enough to know what she's feeling” Rick interrupts, eliciting a confident shake of the head from Glenn.

“No, no!”

Rick and I smile amused by his reaction.

“No it does not.You know what?She wants to be in love, so she's…she needs something to…to, like…to hold onto” continues the boy undaunted.

I can understand him.

Nowadays, becoming so attached to someone, even falling in love, is always a big risk.

We may never live long enough or even worse we may helplessly witness the death of those we love.

I understand why he tries to push away her feelings.

After all, how long has he known Maggie?

He knows her just a few days longer than I know Daryl.

I understand how the magnitude of such a huge, sudden feeling can catch you off guard.

But that doesn't mean it's right to reject it, on the contrary we must live it as much as we can because if Sophia's death has taught us anything it is that nothing lasts forever anymore.

Then it's best to bask in what little love we have left in the little time we have left.

“Glenn, it's pretty obvious to everyone Maggie loves you.For everyone except you of course, you stupid hassole.And not just because you're one of the last men standing” I encourage him, resting my chin on the seat where he sits.

Rick nods as if he agrees with every single word I say.

“I mean what's the problem?” I add softly.

Glenn looks out the window as if he's trying to coax the right words into his confused head.

“I didn't say it back”

“Shit” Rick and I exclaim at the same time.

I rise from my position to rest my back against the soft leather seat crossing my arms over my chest.

“Oh man.You fucked up” I tease him by pushing the sole of my boot against his seat.

“Hey!” he exclaims, turning his torso in my direction.

“I was nervous, okay?I've never had a woman say that to me before.You know, except for my mom, of course, and my sisters.But with Maggie, it's different.We barely know each other.What…what does she really know about me?Nothing!We're practically strangers”

The words slip out of my mouth before I can realize it.

“So?Even I barely know Daryl but I love him anyway”

When my words hit my own ears I curse myself.

I look down at my crossed arms chewing my cheeks nervously.

Why the hell did I say that?

God, I wish right now a chasm would open up under my stupid ass and swallow me.

A loud laugh resonates in the cockpit making me blush even more, I can feel my blood rushing through my veins violently.

I risk a look in front of me, finding Glenn's sly smile and Rick's bright and attentive eyes staring at me from the rearview mirror.

“Not a word, dumbass” I mutter, making both of us laugh this time.

Rick shakes his head with an amused expression and then turns his attention to the man sitting next to him.

“Listen to me, Glenn.This is a good thing, something we don't get enough of these days.Enjoy it.And when we get back, return the favor.It's not like she's going anywhere.And…”

I can feel Rick's smile as he turns his head ever so slightly in my direction.

“Same goes for you Summer.Tell Daryl how you feel”

Determined to ignore him I refuse to meet his gaze, he's too amused for my tastes.

“We're not talking about me.Keeps driving, sheriff” I murmur with an angry frown as the man slows down, having now reached the center of the city.

I don't like this attention towards me.

After a few minutes Rick pulls over the car and looking around, making sure the road is clear of dangers, we get out of the car and go into the bar that Maggie had suggested.

The room is dark and dusty.

Under my feet the dark wooden floor, matching the chairs and tables, creaks.

Rick proceeds slowly and Glenn, after a final glance towards the street, closes the door behind us.

Hersel is sitting on a stool right in front of us, his back to us while his arms are resting on the counter, in his hands he seems to be holding a glass full of an amber liquid.

After everything that's happened, I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't like a drop too.

“Hersel?” Rick calls him cautiously.

The man doesn't flinch, he doesn't move.

He doesn't seem at all surprised by our presence.

“Who's with you?” the man asks without turning.

His voice barely holds back the agonizing pain.

For him we are only the murderers of his family, we are the people who turned his peaceful life upside down.

“Summer.And Glenn” replies the former officer remaining still.

“Did Maggie send them?”

“They volunteered.They're worried”

Glenn and I exchange a look, leaving Rick to resolve the matter.

Slowly Rick approaches.

I grab Glenn's hand and indicate with a nod to one of the tables, the furthest from the two men but the closest to the windows at the entrance, so as to be able to leave the right amount of privacy to the two men but close enough to keep an eye on the situation outside.

Rick and Hersel's words are just a low murmur so I take the opportunity to talk to Glenn.

“Hey!What happened after…” I don't finish my sentence, Glenn knows what I'm referring to.

What happened after Rick shot Sophia.

Glenn glances at the counter and then brings his big dark eyes back to me.

With a slow movement he places the rifle on the table, running his hands through his hair.

“Shane accused Hersel of knowing that Sophia was in the barn and now he wants us out of his land”

“Shit”

“Yeah, shit”

“And you?What do you think you will do?” I ask even though deep down I already know the answer.

“What do you mean?" he whispers in response, avoiding my gaze.

One corner of my lips lifts.

I gently place a hand on that of the boy in front of me.

“You know what I'm talking about”

Glenn shakes his head, removing his hand from my grip and crossing his arms over his chest.

I can feel the confusion in his mind from here.

“I honestly don't know”

“Are you sure?”

“Maggie will never leave her family”

“I know”

“And I can't leave mine” Glenn sighs heartbroken, finally deciding to bring his frightened and lost gaze back into mine.

“Glenn, we are not your family”

I immediately stop him with a wave of my hand when I see his gaze darken, offended by my words.

“I don't mean that.Yes, it's true we are a family but she is the love of your life.How do you think I can ever live in peace knowing that I took you away from her?None of us could stand it, Glenn.But she has her father, Beth, Patricia, Jimmy.They have a safe place and I...I would be much calmer knowing you were there than in the middle of that shit out there” I try to make him think while I point the way outside with a finger.

Glenn sighs, closing his eyes and leaning back in the chair, his fingers wrapping around the locks of his hair, pulling them tightly.

The situation he finds himself in is not easy because, putting myself in his shoes, I am sure that, even though the choice would make me suffer, I would choose to follow the person I love.

I would choose Daryl.

“If Daryl asked you to give up everything and everyone, would you do it?”

I nod again before Glenn finishes his question.

He looks at me with a skeptical frown, I smile back at him.

“This doesn't mean I don't care about you but I'm sure I'll never find such a great love again.How could I leave him behind?”

Glenn seems to reflect on my words even though his furrowed eyebrows indicate that an ocean of conflicting emotions is still churning within him.

Some footsteps catch our attention and when we look behind us we see Rick approach the door of the bar and open it, Glenn and I immediately go alongside him to understand what is happening.

Rick shakes his head dejectedly but he seems to think about something so he turns back to the vet who still stubbornly turns his back on us.

“So what do we do?Just wait for him to pass out?” Glenn asks on the doorstep.

“Just go.Just go!” Hersel silences us.

Rick takes a couple of steps in his direction.

“I promised Maggie I'd bring you home safe”

Rick barely keeps his calm as he tries to reason with the man who in response snorts amused.

“Like you promised that little girl?”

His words take us by surprise with their wickedness.

He must be really upset, Hersel isn't like that.

But before Glenn and I can avoid it, Rick reaches the man, his nervous footsteps sounding loud and confident on the old wooden floor.

“So what's your plan?Finish that bottle?Drink yourself to death and leave your girls alone?”

“Stop telling me how to care for my family, my farm” Hersel blurts out, slamming the empty glass on the counter and finally deciding to get up and face Rick angrily.

“Your people are like a plague!I do a Christian thing, give you shelter, and you destroy it all!” he shouts while gesticulating senselessly but Rick doesn't seem intimidated by all that anger.

“The world was already in bad shape when we met”

“And you take no responsibility!You're supposed to be their leader!”

“Well I'm here now, aren't I?”

The two men are now shouting at each other.

With the tip of my boot I hit Glenn's foot, silently asking him if we shouldn't intervene before the situation can escalate further or, even worse, their screams can attract unwanted attention.

Glenn raises a hand as if telling me to wait.

In fact, after a few moments Hersel seems to calm down and regain some lucidity.

“Yes.Yes, you are” he sighs, staggering towards the stool and collapsing onto it, after which he grabs the glass and takes another sip.

“Come on” Rick urges him again with an authoritative voice but this time with a little more sweetness.

“Your girls need you now more than ever” I whisper moving closer until I reach the man, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Hersel looks at me with his deep blue eyes with a storm reflected in them.

“I didn't want to believe you” he says, dodging my hand violently but keeping his gaze fixed on mine.

“You told me there was no cure, that these people were dead, not sick.I choose not to believe that.But when Shane shot Lou in the chest and she just kept coming, that's when I knew what an ass I'd been, that Annette had been dead long ago and I was feeding a rotten corpse!That's when I knew there was no hope.And when that little girl came out of the barn, the look on your face, while you held her mother in your arms, I knew you knew too.Right?”

His words freeze my blood in my veins.

I remember that moment.

The moment I realized it was all over.

That there is no more hope.

That all hope died the moment Sophia stepped out of that damn barn.

The sweet vet's eyes are filled with tears just like mine.

Behind us Rick and Glenn seem to be holding their breath.

“There is no hope, Summer.And you know it now, like I do.Don't you?”

I put a hand on my chest trying to contain the pain that this man's words are awakening in my old broken soul.

A solitary tear escapes my control, eliciting a bitter smile from the man.

“There is no hope for any of us, Summer” he sighs, turning his back on me again.

My gaze shifts to my two friends who are looking at me helplessly while I sink into my own pain but...it is thanks to they worried gaze that I find the way back to myself.

I approach and position myself between them.

“It's not like that Hersel.Maybe...maybe a week ago I would have agreed with you.I was alone.Scared.I was ready to die alone.But then…then I found them” I murmur, smiling sweetly at the two men.

“I found friends”

I smile in Glenn's direction.

“I found a brother”

I say with more and more conviction, touching Rick's hand.

“I found love”

And I feel my heart explode thinking about the gruff man who must surely be worrying waiting for my return.

“I found a family.I have found hope again”

This time my voice sounds strong and confident around us.

“And if you can't see the beauty and the wonder and how God is so immense to still grant us these joys in this dirty, depraved world I feel sorry for you Hersel.I'm really sorry”

Glenn wraps an arm around my shoulders, leaving a kiss on my temple.

Rick squeezes my hand and then approaches Hersel in a last tired attempt to make him reason once and for all.

“Look, I'm done.I'm not doing this anymore, cleaning up after you.Do you know what the truth is?Nothing has changed.Death is death.It's always been there, whether it's from a heart attack, cancer or a walker.What's the difference?You didn't think it was hopeless before, did you?Now there are people back at home trying to hang on.They need us even if it's just to give them a reason to go on, even if we don't believe it ourselves”

Rick wearily runs a hand over his face, nerves on edge.

This discussion is wearing him down.

He believes in what he says.

He truly believes there is still hope.

And I believe it too.

“You know what?This…this isn't about what we believe anymore.It's about them.It's about Beth.It's about Maggie and Glenn.It's about Summer.It's about my pregnant wife.Now it's only about the people we love, the people we want to protect”

Hersel remains silent, visibly affected by Rick's words.

He stares at us for a few interminable seconds and then after drinking the contents of the glass to the last drop he stands up.

I smile encouragingly in his direction as Rick squeezes his shoulder affectionately.

Suddenly the door behind us creaks and two armed men appear in the doorway.

Damn.

We were so distracted by ourselves that we didn't stay alert enough.

After a quick look inside the two men focus their gaze on me making me shiver.

Glenn notices this and slowly, almost casually, grabs my wrist and moves me behind him.

“Son of bitch.They're alive" one of the two men sneers.

Both seem quite strong and this makes me suspect that they belong to a large and resourceful group.

They're basically a fucking danger.

They approach one of the tables while Glenn and I slowly move behind the counter.

Rick, feigning courtesy, approaches the table, pouring them both a generous dose of the same liquor that Hersel was drinking.

“I’m Dave” one of the two men introduces himself.

He is very tall, with short hair and a look that is too attentive for my tastes.

He is wearing an old pair of dark jeans and his arms are left exposed by a sleeveless t-shirt.

Around his neck he wears a gold chain that clashes terribly with everything else.

His fingers tighten around the butt of his gun.

His dark eyes rest on me again, looking me up and down and then winking in a way that in his fucking mind should be attractive.

I gag mentally.

In response I roll my eyes while Glenn stiffens, moving the rifle in his hands in order to get the guy's attention.

Dave continues with his rant as if nothing had happened.

“That scrawny-looking douche bag there is Tony”

Tony is a man with a stocky build, the t-shirt he wears pulls over his prominent abdomen.

“Eat me, Dave” Tony laughs, a loud, disgusting laugh.

“Hey, maybe someday I will” replies his friend, grabbing the glass and drinking, his eyes close as if he were tasting a fine liqueur and not a third-rate alcoholic drink in a worn-out bar.

I look around noticing the tight smiles on my friends' faces.

We have to find a way to get out of here without these bastards following us.

And even though none of us are visibly interested in the two of them, Dave continues to tell his story.

“We Met on I-95 coming out of Philly.Damn shit-show that was” Dave chuckles and then he goes back to staring at me intently.

From behind the counter Glenn grabs my hand and squeezes it forcefully, a clear signal to tell me to stay calm and play along.

Glenn laughs, thus diverting attention from me.

“I'm Glenn.It's nice to meet some new people”

“Rick Grimes.This is Hersel” Rick murmurs, passing a glass to Tony.

For a few moments a strange silence fills the air and then Dave's eyes are on me again, specifically on my boobs.

The man licks his lips, adjusting the crotch of his trousers in an absolutely disgusting way.

“How about you, sugar.Do you have a name?"

Tempted to respond with my innate sarcasm, I bite my tongue and count to ten.

With my face devoid of any emotion I force myself to speak but before I can do that Rick precedes me.

“She's my sister, she's got a name.And she's got a pretty rough husband.A man with a little problem of self-control, try to stay in yours, okay?”

This time the kindness is completely gone as he slowly hisses the words.

I shrug in response as Dave returns his gaze to me as he drinks the entire contents of his glass.

Him and Rick exchange a strange look, full of tension, then the man holds out his gun towards Rick.

“Not bad, huh?I got it off a cop”

“I’m a cop”

“This one was already dead” the man justifies himself even if I have the clear impression that this isn't true.

Then silence falls again.

The air around us crackles with a strange electricity, just like when the sky fills with clouds waiting for the storm that will sweep everything away.

Rick pours himself a glass of liquor too, displaying the right amount of nonchalance.

“You fellas are a long way from Philadelphia” he murmurs with his lips touching the edge of the glass.

His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows.

“It’s feels like we’re a long way from anywhere” replies Dave.

Apparently he is the brains of the group.

His friend, Tony, simply nods and looks furtively around.

“Well, what drove you south?” Rick asks politely.

My foot begins tapping nervously on the floor as anxiety rises up my stomach.

We have to get out of here.

Glenn, noticing my nervousness, places a hand on my back, caressing it with small circular movements.

“Well, I can tell you it wasn't the weather.I must've dropped thirty pounds in sweat alone down here”

“I wish” Tony chuckles but his friend goes on ignoring him, as if he hadn't even opened his mouth.

“First It was D.C., I heard there might be some kind of refugee camp, but the roads were so jammed, we never got close.We decided to get off the highways, into the sticks, jeep hauling ass.Every group we came across had a new rumor about a way out of this thing”

Well apparently they're not doing well out there.

Right now the farm is the only safe place and we need to make sure it stays that way.

“One guy told us there was the Coast Guard sitting in the Gulf, sending ferries to the islands” adds Tony nodding absently.

“The latest was a rail yard in Montgomery running trains to the middle of the country…Kansans, Nebraska”

“Nebraska?” Glenn asks genuinely confused.

Tony nods.

“Low population, lots of fun” he adds with a wink.

“Kinda makes sense” Glenn replies.

“Ever been to Nebraska, sugar?”

I sigh in frustration, pinching the bridge of my nose between two fingers.

I'm starting to lose my patience.

“Summer.My name is Summer, no sugar.Summer” I hiss, immediately adding “Anyway, no, never been to Nebraska”

“I like you, Summer” he replies languidly and then adds “Anyway there's a reason why they call 'em flyover states.So...how about you guys?”

“Fort Benning, eventually” Rick replies indifferently even if knowing him what he passes off as indifference is nothing more than a warning.

Smart move.

Well done Rick.

Tony and Dave exchange a look followed by a chuckle.

“I hate to piss in your cornflakes, officer, but, um…we ran across a grunt who was stationed at Benning.He said the place was overrun by lamebrains” adds the latter.

Glenn and I exchange worried looks.

This means that things outside are worse than we thought.

But we can't worry about that now, our problem now is these two idiots.

“Wait, Fort Benning is gone?Shit.What will we do now, big brother?” I ask in a worried tone, turning to Rick and hoping to sound convincing enough even if my anxiety isn't entirely fake.

If Hersel is still convinced of the idea of sending us away we will be in shit.

The real shit.

Rick gives me a reassuring look.

“Sadly, I am.Oddly, the truth is there is no way out of this mess.Just keep going from one pipe dream to the next, praying one of these mindless freaks doesn't grab a hold of you when you sleep”

For a moment Dave's words seem to weigh on all of us.

Even on him.

Tony gets up approaching the counter and turning his back to us we can hear the sound of a zip followed immediately by a loud noise.

Tony is practically pissing two steps away from us regardless of anything.

Disgusting bastard.

Dave settles into the chair, spreading his legs and clicking his fingers on his gun resting on the table.

“So what…so what, you guys set up on the outskirts or something?” he asks almost with disinterest.

Jackpot, jerk.

One corner of my lips lifts.

It was more than obvious from the first moment that these two are trying to get to this point.

Instinctively I tighten my fingers around the butt of the gun I have in my jeans pocket.

I have a sixth sense that this isn't going to end well.

“That new development?Trailer park or something?A farm?” adds Tony still busy with his personal business.

We all exchange a warning look as if to imply that whatever happens we must keep our mouths shut.

The heavy silence seems to capture Dave's attention.

“You got a farm?” he asks, exchanging a long look with Rick who, without betraying any emotion, remains silent.

“Is it safe?You got food, water?” he insists with a sly look.

His dark eyes move over each of us, perhaps looking for the weakest of us from whom he can extort the much sought-after information but he is interrupted by his friend who, lifting his zip, turns towards us and exclaims “You got cooze?Ain't had a piece of ass in weeks.Excluding yours, sweetheart”

The man finishes the sentence by winking at me.

I return his gaze, filling my own with obvious disgust.

Dave scolds him with a look, a silent warning not to screw this up, and then he raises his hands in front of him with palms facing me as if he's apologizing.

“Listen, sorry my friend.City kids…they got no tact.No disrespect.So...listen, Glenn...”

Now at the limit of my patience, I come out from behind the counter, ignoring the warning glances from my friend and positioning myself next to Rick.

“We've said enough.Rick maybe it's best to leave” I say with firmness in my voice.

Rick nods slightly.

Good.

Now we have to make sure they don't follow us.

Dave stands up.

“Wait, hang on a sec.This farm…it sounds pretty sweet.How about a little southern hospitality.We got some buddies back at camp, been having a real hard time.I don't see why you can't make room for a few more.We can pool our resources, our manpower”

Rick shakes his head but before he can speak I anticipate him.

“Look, we're sorry.That's not an option”

Dave and Tony exchange a brief but significant look.

My words definitely pissed them off.

Dave puts the gun in the back pocket of his filthy jeans and then smiles at us.

“I don't see the problem” he adds, trying to convince us.

They don't know that they are playing with the wrong people.

I know this type of men, the sanctuary was full of them.

They will have no scruples.

I know how they think.

“Sorry, we can't help you” Rick's words are calm but peremptory.

There is no fucking way for what they think to happen.

“I thought, ya know…I thought we were friends.We got people we gotta look out for too”

Rick shrugs at Dave's words.

“We don't know anything about you” Rick explains simply as if this were enough to make them understand the reasons for our refusal.

Dave shakes his head and sighs.

“That's true.You don't know anything about us.You don't know we've had to go through out there, the things we've had to do”

“We too did things that had to be done, even if we didn't want to” I interrupt him, tired to play fast and loose.

I'm tired now and this makes the tension only increase.

“Oh, I know.I know, sugar.We are all the same.So come on, let's take a nice friendly hayride to this farm and we'll get to know each other”

Fucking prick.

Rick smiles.

And I swear that if I didn't know him I would shiver from head to toe.

That smile of his is dangerous.

“This is bullshit!”

Tony becomes agitated at our side while he places the rifle on his shoulder with one hand.

The man is sweating profusely, a clear sign that he is losing patience and this does not bode well.

And in fact as soon as Rick tells him to calm down the man completely loses his composure and starts screaming.

“Don't tell me to calm down.Don't tell me to calm down.I'll shoot you four assholes in the head and take your damn farm”

“Whoa” I exclaim approaching the man with the gun clutched in my hand.

Rick behind me tries to pull me towards him.

Dave also tries to calm things down by telling everyone to calm down.

I remain still in my place, feet planted firmly on the ground and the gun in front of me.

“Take it easy.Nobody's killing nobody" Dave exclaims, placing a hand on Rick's shoulder and then leaping over the counter.

I don't move an inch, I just lower the barrel of my gun and look behind me where I see Dave placing the gun on the counter and ducking behind it in search of something good to drink, continuing to repeat that no one will die today and that we are friends.

Yeah, kiss my ass moron.

Rick's hand twitches towards his gun.

An imperceptible movement but I can see it.

Without being too dramatic, I turn towards Hersel who, with a small nod of his head, lets me know that he is fine.

Glenn, on the other hand, appears much more agitated.

His haunted gaze moves quickly among everyone present and then settles on mine.

I'm good I mimic with my lips and a bit of tension seems to leave his rigid shoulders.

“You gotta understand” Dave sighs as he pours himself a glass of liquor.

“We can’t stay out there”

“I miss the part where this is our problem” I hiss giving him my full attention.

The man doesn't seem irritated by my words, in fact he smiles.

“Listen man the farm is too crowded as it is.I'm sorry.You'll have to keep looking” Rick tries to mediate, throwing at me a hard gaze, imploring me with his gaze to keep my mouth shut.

Dave nods.

“Keep looking” he murmurs with his lips pressed against the rim of the glass, taking a moment to swallow the amber liquid.

“Where do you suggest we do that” he finally replies, placing the glass in front of him.

“I hear Nebraska's nice” I respond immediately with a toothy smile.

Dave laughs in response, throwing his head back.

“Nebraska.You're so feral, I like you” he chuckles and in the blink of an eye he grabs his gun but Rick is much faster than him exploding a shot straight at the man's head.

Without thinking twice I turn my back on Rick, leaning it against his and without even aiming I fire two shots at Tony's chest.

The man doesn't even have time to react, his awkward movements in grabbing the rifle to try to defend himself were fatal.

The shots ring out like rolls of thunder within the walls of the bar.

The man's enormous body collapses to the ground while two patches of crimson red spread across his white t-shirt, adding to the dirt that adorned it.

With an empty head I let my arms fall lifeless to my sides, the gun slipping from my fingers and falling to the wooden floor with a dull thud.

I watch as if hypnotized as the blood spreads.

It's the first time I've killed another human being.

I shot my mom but she was already dead...

My hands are shaking wildly and I ball them into fists trying to keep them at bay.

When I was at the sanctuary I never had to kill anyone.

He never allowed it.

For him I had to remain clean from this point of view for as long as possible.

He never wanted me to stain my soul with one of the most atrocious acts in the world, that is, taking the life of another human being.

When I ran away, on my long journey, I was lucky enough to meet few people and I always managed to avoid them without being discovered.

But now I had to do it.

I had to.

I couldn't let anything happen to my friends.

In the fog of my thoughts I can hear the sound of Rick's boots coming alongside me.

Then another shot.

And now Tony's face is also covered in blood.

I killed a human being.

“Summer?Summer, are you okay?”

Rick's warm, reassuring fingers touch my cheek and when I force my gaze to move from the lifeless body in front of me to him I don't know what he's reading because a moment later his arms are wrapped around my shoulders.

I can feel the sound of his voice through his large chest.

“It's okay” he whispers gently without loosening his grip on me.

I feel lost.

It's as if I wanted to cry but I no longer had a soul in my body.

I killed a human being.

A living person.

I weakly push my hands against Rick's chest.

His blue eyes observe me, a wrinkle of concern furrows his face.

For a moment I see Tony's corpse in front of my eyes and a wave of nausea overwhelms me, forcing me to close them.

Stunned, I tighten my fingers around Rick's shirt.

Other steps reach us and now Glenn is also at my side, I avoid his gaze as I delicately move away from his light touch.

I feel dirty and I don't want him to get dirty by touching me.

His soul is still pure...

Mine...

I feel like I lost mine the moment I pulled the trigger.

“I…” I croak, not recognizing my own voice.

“Rick…I…”

The worried look of my close friend softens and the worry wrinkle between his eyes smoothes out.

“Is your first time?”

I nod with a shy nod, lowering my eyes to my hands that are crushing the faded cotton of his shirt.

Rick's lips rest delicately on my forehead.

I'm still waiting for the tears but they don't come.

I want to cry, wash away my sins with my tears but they just don't come.

No matter how hard I try my eyes remain empty and dry.

It's as if my own body is punishing me for my reprehensible actions.

You killed another living being, you deserve to suffer by keeping it all inside.

Moving away from everyone, I head towards the door, deliberately ignoring the blood of the man lying at my feet which slowly spreads across the floor in a large dark and dense puddle.

I reach the door observing the outside.

In addition to our car there is another, certainly the car of the two unfortunate people who are now lying lifeless on the floor.

The devastating silence roars loudly in my ears until the vet's voice snaps me out of my horrible thoughts.

“Let's head back”

And although until a few minutes ago I wanted nothing more than to go back to Daryl more than anything in the world, now the very idea terrifies me.

How will I be able to look him in the eyes?

How will he still see me as the wonderful person he saw in me until this morning?

I feel like I should stay here.

My place is here in the midst of death, the same death I feel in my heart.

Behind me I hear my friends' footsteps approaching but before they can do anything else I see lights across the street.

A car.

“Car.Car!Get down” I exclaim lowering myself while the others imitate my same gesture.

After a few moments the car stops and parks right in front of the bar.

The sound of the doors opening is followed by the sound of footsteps.

“Dave?Tony?”

Shit!

Someone came looking for those two bastards.

They were right after all, they were not alone.

“I'm telling you.I heard shots”

“I saw roamers two streets over”

From the voices it seems to understand that there are three of them.

Damn.

I exchange a quick glance with Rick and Glenn, both of whom are on the opposite side of the door while Hersel next to me squeezes my shoulder with his fingers.

The three men talk to each other trying to find out the whereabouts of their friends.

We clearly hear their footsteps along the sidewalk as they argue with each other, ordering each other to be quiet and continue searching.

Rick gets up peering from behind the curtain then, remaining crouched, we approach each other.

“Why won't they leave?” Glenn asks in an agitated tone.

For the first time I look him in the eyes again.

“Would you?” I ask him.

And even if my friend doesn't answer me I know what he's thinking because it's the same thing we all have.

None of us would ever leave the others.

“We have to leave, we can't stay.They will find us.Let's head out the back and make a run to the car”

Nodding we try to move but sudden shots stop our every movement.

“What happened?” asks one of the strangers outside.

The answer doesn't take long to arrive.

Walkers.

Shit.

The situation seems to get worse moment by moment.

The men outside continue to argue until they come to the conclusion that their friends will definitely be in the bar and so a moment later their footsteps inexorably get closer.

Rick and I immediately point the gun at the door and when it opens Glenn rushes towards it, closing it, pressing his back against it.

Now they know we're here.

“Yo, is someone in there?Yo, if someone in there, we don't want no trouble.We’re just looking for our friends”

I shake my head vigorously at Rick.

We must remain silent and wait for them to go away.

If we engage in any kind of discussion with these people we already know how it will end.

And even if my hand trembles I already know that I will do what I have to do if necessary.

“We don't want no trouble.We're just looking for our friends.If something happened tell us.This place is crawling with corpses.If you can help us not get killed, I'd appreciate it” the man repeats once again.

Rick puts his hand to his forehead, fighting against himself, but in the end I can see the moment he gives in.

And then he speaks.

“They drew on us!” he screams.

The footsteps outside are getting closer again.

“Dave and Tony in there?Are they alive?”

No, they aren't.

Despite the darkness, my eyes immediately find the man lying on the floor.

The man I killed.

I killed a human being.

I close my eyes trying to ignore the turmoil stirring inside me.

I can't distract myself now, not now.

I will have time for this, now I have to focus on the present.

We need to get out of here and possibly do it alive.

“No” Rick replies.

Outside the voices are agitated, talking to each other.

Some want to leave while one of them doesn't.

“They drew on us!They give us no choice!I'm sure we've all lost enough people, done things we wish we didn't have to, but it's like that now.You know that.So let's just chalk this up to what it was.Wrong place, wrong-” Rick shouts again but without being able to finish because a hail of bullets hits us.

The windows above our heads shatter, forcing us to step back.

Rick quickly gets to his feet, shooting through the broken glass and telling us to run away.

I grab Hersel's arm and, remaining crouched, we follow Glenn towards the back.

Hersel and Glenn take cover behind the counter while I get stuck behind a column when a bullet whizzes past my ear, splintering the wall protecting me.

I'm panting heavily as I check the magazine of my gun, I only have four shots left.

The gunfire around us seems to stop so I lean forward trying to figure out where Rick is and if he's okay.

I find him loading his rifle.

“Hey!” he shouts outward.

“We all know this is not gonna end well!There's nothing in it for any of us!You guys just...just back off, no one else gets hurt!”

When no one answers Rick nods at me and I know my time has come.

Without wasting time I rush towards the back door and enter the back of the bar.

The old stairs creak under my boots, making my heartbeat skip a beat.

Trying to make as little noise as possible, I approach the door that would signal our salvation but the silhouette of a man appears from behind the glass and a moment later the door handle moves.

Instinctively I shoot, sending the glass shattering.

Three more bullets.

“Summer!Summer!” my friend's worried voice reaches me from the other side of the room.

Keeping the gun pointed at the door I assure them that I'm fine.

Nothing seems to be moving abroad.

Maybe I scared him and he ran away.

Or maybe you killed him.

You killed another human being.

A noise behind me makes me snap like a spring.

I turn around with the gun drawn in front of me and find Glenn with his hands raised.

Behind him Hersel.

Glenn moves my gun from in front of his face.

I exhale deeply.

“Shit, man.Sorry!Sorry!”

I close my eyes trying to calm down.

My goodness, I could have shot my friends!

“Rick wants me to try for the car”

I shake my head.

No.

No.

I can't let Glenn go out there.

“I'll go” I exclaim, ready to stop any protest from him.

I load my gun, trying to block out the two men's animated protests from my head.

I have three shots, I can do it.

I have to do it.

“Summer!”

“No, Glenn!We will talk about sex discrimination another time.I don't give a shit if you feel like a gentleman right now.You will stay here, protect Rick and Hersel.End of the story”

Before I can open the door I feel someone grab my wrist.

When I look at Glenn's face, his eyes are two hard and unreadable mirrors.

“Don't bullshit.Don't be the hero.You get the car and come back here.If things go to shit, run away.We'll find a way”

“Glenn…”

“Just…Just don't die, okay?”

“I won't” I promise him solemnly, leaving a quick peck on his cheek and disappearing out the door.

Outside at the moment everything seems to be quiet so I cautiously walk along the sidewalk that runs alongside the building but I don't have time to walk even ten steps before a shot rings out behind me.

I take cover against the wall and when I turn around another shot rings out in the air.

Glenn shot my attacker.

His chest rises and falls rapidly as with a shaking hand he lowers the rifle.

The man on the ground scream in pain and if we don't silence him he will immediately attract his friends but I can't stop now so I move forward hiding behind a dumpster.

After a few moments I hear Rick's voice.

“Summer?Are you hurt?”

“No.No.I'm good” I whisper.

The man reaches me crouching next to me.

“It's all right.The car's right there.We're almost home”

“Okay”

My voice is shaking, I try to clear my throat but to no avail.

That ball of anxiety and horror is still there weighing down my chest.

We're almost home.

Yeah.

I want to go home.

I want to see Carol again.

I want to see Daryl again.

Only at the thought of him my tears seem to return.

Because I need him.

Daryl was right.

As long as we are together everything will be fine.

Daryl will help me with my pain, he has already healed my soul once.

I'm sure he will do it again.

And again if I need it.

I just need him now.

I sniffle trying not to make too much noise.

Rick wraps his long fingers around my shoulder squeezing it hard.

“I'll take you home, little sis”

The shadow of an amused smile on his lips.

It's absurd how naturally he passed himself off as my brother to protect me.

“I know, big bro”

The man on the ground continues to scream in pain.

Too loudly.

Too fucking loudly.

“Let's go” he urges me but as soon as we get up other shots reach us forcing us to retrace our steps and hide.

Suddenly a car stops on the other side of the road and the man behind the wheel starts yelling that the place is quickly filling up with walkers and that it's best to go.

I lean forward a little to understand who he is talking to and I notice that on the roof of the building opposite there is a boy with a rifle, he must be just over twenty years old, who, invited by his friends, jumps from the roof and disappears from my sight.

Immediately afterwards an inhuman scream reaches us and the car skids off.

“Get Hersel and Glenn” Rick orders me, running towards the screams.

A group of walkers is approaching so shouting at my friends to follow me we run in the same direction as Rick.

The walkers don't follow us too busy devouring the man Glenn shot.

After a few moments the screaming stops.

Making sure the two men are following me I catch up with Rick.

When I arrived, the scene that appeared before me was terrifying.

The boy has impaled his leg on a metal spike, his screams make me shiver while his desperate crying only attracts other walkers.

“We have to go now!” Hersel shouts.

The boy cries even harder.

“I'm sorry, son.We have to go” Hersel murmurs with a heartbroken look towards the young man.

“No, no, don't leave me, please”

His plea tears my heart apart.

It's not his fault that he ended up in this mess.

Nowadays we are willing to do anything to survive, even joining a violent group.

I know something about it.

And in this moment I understand Rick's hesitation in wanting to help the boy and Hersel's determination in wanting to leave.

I can't choose and I can't take sides.

“We have to go!” Hersel reiterates as Rick shakes his head.

“We can't leave him here” replies the latter.

Glenn fidgets next to me.

“Rick, this guy was shooting at you!”

I am struck by his words.

“Glenn, he's just a boy”

But my friend doesn't even give me an answer.

Nervousness arises around us pitting us against each other.

“This place is crawling with walkers!” Glenn shouts while in the distance we can hear the walkers approaching.

Every minute is precious.

“Hersel, what chance do we have of saving him?” I ask the man, ignoring Glenn's almost betrayed look.

I know he is convinced that we are wasting precious time but too many people died today.

If we even have a chance of saving him we have to try.

“The fence went clean through.There's no way we can get the leg off in one piece.We're not gonna get that leg off without tearing the muscle to shreds.He certainly can't run.He may bleed out”

Shit!

Thing Summer, thing!

Meanwhile, Rick and Glenn tell the boy to be quiet, trying to calm his scream.

Then an idea.

“Hersel, can't we just take the leg off?”

At my question the boy begins to scream even louder.

I approach him pointing my gun at his face.

“Listen man, do you want to live?” I spit the words between my teeth, angrily.

I'm tired and out of control.

The boy is terrified by my crazy expression, so he whimpers and nods weakly.

“So shut the fuck up!Do you understand?”

With my eyes fixed on the boy I try to soften my gaze by trying to be at least a little kinder.

"It will all be fine.We won't leave you here just hang on, alright?”

He nods but his gaze remains haunted as Hersel lists the steps to take to amputate his leg.

The man takes off his shirt, knotting it as if it were a tourniquet around the boy's leg.

Rick joins me, pushing a hand against the boy's chest to force him to lie down.

Around us the grunts are getting closer and closer.

Glenn and I exchange a knowing look, splitting up to cover both sides.

He is the first to shoot and I follow closely but having only three bullets there is very little I can do.

“Rick!We have to move” I shout at him.

“I'm out of ammo.Glenn, how's it going?”

The delivery guy fires a couple more shots.

“I'm almost out of ammo” he replies.

Shit!

“Rick!”

I catch up with him while he and Hersel try to cut off the boy's leg.

“Hersel do it now!” Rick is yelling at him but the man shakes his head in defeat.

“There is no time” the vet replies.

Rick, after shooting a walker behind us, drops his rifle and, grabbing the boy's leg, forcefully removes it from the fence.

After an inhuman scream the boy faints.

Rick and Glenn put him in the car.

Hersel and I sit with him in the back seat periodically making sure he's breathing.

The journey continues in a surreal silence and when we reach the farm it is already morning.

I don't remember much about the return journey, it's as if my mind has turned off, excluding any sound, any word, anything that happened in the previous hours.

I feel numb, in my body and in my mind.

And it is with the same state of mind, with the same numbness, that I watch Rick and the others get out of the car.

The man hugs his son and his wife.

In their hasty and excited gestures I can see all the worry evaporate and be replaced by a love so immense, so tangible that it takes my breath away.

I see Maggie run to the car and throw her arms around Glenn's neck as Hersel instructs Patricia on what he needs and what she needs to prepare.

And I…

I sit next to Randall.

That's his name.

I watch his chest fall and rise slowly as small gasps leave his lips.

I look at my hands, placed in my lap, dirty with his blood.

The voices outside the cockpit are just confused murmurs but among them I can clearly hear heavy footsteps until the door on my side opens.

“Ya good?”

His voice unleashes a whirlwind of conflicting emotions within me.

When his fingers touch my chin I move away, turning my head the other way, focusing my gaze on the boy's mangled leg.

The blood continues to soak Hersel's once white shirt relentlessly.

“Summer?”

My name rolls from his lips wrapped in a spiral of worry but despite this I can't look him in the eyes.

I don't feel like myself and I don't want him to see me that way.

Daryl doesn't push any further, just crouches beside me waiting for me to be ready for him.

From the other side of the car someone approaches to take the boy away.

I don't have the strength to look who they are and after a few minutes they all disappeared inside the big house.

Everyone except me.

And Daryl.

The man doesn't let out a breath, he remains motionless at my side.

After minutes or hours I find the strength to speak again.

“You should reach the others” I murmur, lost of any emotion, of any feeling.

The words come out in such a soft whisper that I'm afraid he didn't hear me.

But I know that's not true.

The archer remains motionless at my side.

Not a breath, not a word.

I feel his eyes boring a hole into my face, even though I can't see him I feel his eyes on me.

I peek in his direction and it's just as I imagined.

His beautiful blue eyes are there, intently staring at me.

In his face there is not even a shadow of what I had imagined.

There is no anger, no disgust, oh no...in his eyes there is only so much concern but also so much relief at me coming back.

Come back to him.

And all this kills me.

I would have preferred for him to yell at me, for him to scold me for my recklessness, for disappearing without telling him anything.

I would have accepted anything but this.

Not this.

I feel like I don't deserve his gentle soul.

I look back at my hands, Randall's blood coagulated between my fingers.

The same fingers that pulled that trigger.

The same fingers that marked the end of a life.

I killed a human being.

With a sudden movement of my arm I push Daryl angrily, forcing him to stand up and make room for me while I get out of the car.

Shocked and without a specific destination, I walk away from the car and head towards the opposite side of the house.

The hill that leads towards the trees at the edge of the property extends in front of my eyes and so without having really decided my feet take me in that direction.

“Summer!” the archer grunts trying to reach me.

I snort, speeding up my pace.

Why can't he understand that I want to be alone?

His large hand grabs my wrist, forcing me to stop.

He stays behind me, granting me at least this.

I don't want to see his eyes and he understood this.

“Wha’ happened?”

“You should reach the others, Daryl”

My voice cracks as I say his name.

The same name that until a few minutes ago kept me away from my own demons now seems to push me further and further towards an abyss from which I can't see a way out.

“Wha’ happened, my sunshine?”

My heart skips a beat.

My sunshine.

He thinks about me as his.

And I want to be his.

But…but I feel so dirty…

I killed a human being.

“Wha’ happened?” he repeats but this time letting all his desperation towards my stubborn silence shine through his words.

What happened...

Happened that I love you and I feel like I don't deserve you.

Here's what happens.

But I will never tell him this.

Never.

Daryl Dixon is all I have and I will always protect him.

Even if it is from myself that I will have to protect him.

“Mind your fucking business, Dixon” I hiss angrily, yanking my hand from his grasp.

Daryl lets me go like he's burned himself and when I start to walk away I don't hear his footsteps following me.

I don't have the courage to turn around.

Because even though this is what I want, I can't handle the pain in his eyes.

I'm a monster.

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MarchWeres Day 10

Prompt: Cockwarming (NSFW alt prompt)

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Tabby (oc)

Warnings: Well, Cockwarming; werewolf shifting

Daryl Dixon did not play fair. He was usually Tabby’s good boy, bending to her every command, whimpering and writhing below her when she bounced on his cock, man and wolf. The delicious sounds he would make as she wriggled herself down, down, down until her body stretched to accommodate his knot when he was shifted.

It wasn’t often that the roles were reversed. Daryl was powerful and enjoyed giving that up and handing Tabby the reins. It was a way for him to escape the chaos.

Then there were days like today.

Tabby was utterly bare, cunt stuffed and stretched around Daryl’s cock while he did nothing more than watch her, touch her. He spent time connecting freckles, licking his fingertip to circle her nipple and watch it pebble. Once in a while, he would do her the kindness of stroking her clit with soft circles, just enough to stimulate her, make her flutter around his length.

That, however, wasn’t the magnificent torture. She had been still, warming his cock for just under an hour when she felt it, saw it. He dragged his tongue across his teeth, canines long and pointed. It was the only warning she got before he partially shifted, swelling and growing inside her, making her eyes roll back and her legs tremble.

“Oh, god. Oh, fuck.” She was so close just from the change in his size. His shift stopped there, claws and fangs and cock. Clever fucker.

“Don’tcha move, Spitfire.” He pulled her forward almost roughly, pressing her against his chest and claiming her mouth before he nuzzled her cheek and nipped her earlobe with the tip of his fangs. “An’ don’tcha dare cum.” He let her sit back, the movement making her jolt, his girth stretching her in all the right ways.

“Daryl, I can’t—I need to move, baby.” Tabby’s hands caressed his chest, down over his belly, and latched onto the each side of his open jeans, wanting nothing more than to feel the skin of his thighs flex beneath her ass. Before she could finish that thought, the stretch and pressure eased as he shifted back.

“That better then?”

The redhead whined, confused about what to feel. His human form was delicious, made for her cunt to squeeze. He could get her off without touching her clit, always tapping that perfect spot inside her. His wolf form pushed her limits, nearly splitting her in half. She would cum over and over with no room to squeeze him. And when he would knot her, well—she had lost consciousness before.

“Both are so good, baby. Please fuck me, one way or another.”

Daryl smirked, brushing away an unruly curl before both hands went to her breasts, fondling and weighing, but spending little time before continuing on a journey to settle at her waist. He watched her face intently as he shifted again, his eyes dropping to her belly. He could see himself sheathed there, protruding beneath her skin.

He was sure it didn’t hurt her, though it was sometimes uncomfortable, she had assured him it was nothing more than that. Tabby gasped, her cunt spasming. “Oh. Oh, Daryl. I’m—I can’t—”

“Don’t do it.” He warned, claws tapping rhythmically against her hips. He didn’t stop her when she started to bounce, the smallest of movements to acclimate her body to the size of him.

“Oh god, I’m cumming!” His hands slid from her waist to her lower back to steady her as she writhed and screamed. God, she almost took him right along with her, his knot swollen and sitting snug against her entrance.

Not yet.

Daryl waited patiently for her to slump against his chest, holding to him tightly and heaving for breath between apologies. After a moment of reprieve he hooked a finger beneath her chin and led her to look at him. He was shaking his head and clicking his tongue at her, eyes glowing and form shifting, uttering two words before the wolf completely took over.

“Bad girl.”

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