Ch. 1

Thank you again, Jen, for taking the time to edit this story!

This one is a bit different from the last one, but I hope that you'll like it just the same. The layout of the prison is a bit different simply to fit my needs better, and the timeline is changed up a bit for reasons that you'll see very soon.

His hand slipped up the back of her shirt, and she pushed up on her toes, deepening the kiss. He had no fucking clue how he'd gotten in this position and wasn't too sure if he wanted out of it, either.

She gasped when he popped loose the clasps on her bra, but she didn't pull away.

"Your daddy's gonna kick my ass," he mumbled against her lips, laying her back on the small bunk in his cell.

"He don't have to know just yet." She traced her hands up his arms and then tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck.

He kissed her again, his tongue pushing into her mouth as she arched up against him. She dropped her hands to his jeans and slipped one inside after she got him unbuckled.

"Shit," he groaned, dropping his head to her shoulder.

"I guess I'm doin' somethin' right."

That one little comment made him cringe. "Damn, girl. How old are ya?" In his head, he chanted, "Please be eighteen," over and over as she continued to work him with her hand.

"Seventeen," she whispered, and he shook his head but didn't speak. After several seconds of silence, she stilled her hand and asked, "Want me to stop?"

Daryl buried his face in her neck and swallowed hard. She'd come to him, he reminded himself, but that didn't make him feel much better. He sucked in a ragged breath, his heart hammering in his chest, and shook his head.

He hadn't been this wound up in a long time, and he'd never had someone as good as she was. Daryl had always thought himself strong and self-controlled—especially after the turn—but in that moment, he let his weakness win.

"I'm goin' to hell," he muttered and thrust into her grasp, his body tingling with sensations he'd all but forgotten.

She smiled and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Save me a seat?"

Daryl shot awake, sweat dripping from his brow as he reached across the narrow bed. She wasn't there, though. She hadn't been there in three months.

He sighed and rolled over, rubbing his face as he planted his feet on the ground.

She'd stormed into his life and turned it upside down in a matter of minutes. Before she'd entered his cell, he'd seen her as just another girl. She sang nice and was cute, but he never looked at her that way. Well, maybe a few times, he'd looked at her a bit longer than he should have. She always caught his eye and smiled or waved. She was a good girl. Didn't no good girls go after him.

He guessed that was a lie now, though, because she had. She wasn't a good girl when she was wrapped around him. She was a fucking hellcat, leaving scratches on his back and hickeys on his chest.

He'd have done the same damn thing if he could have gotten away with it. But she wore less clothes than him and couldn't cover up any marks he might have made.

He ran his finger along his bottom lip and sighed.

It wasn't all fucking between them, either. He missed everything about her. She used to stay with him and talk—a lot. Daryl had told her things he'd never told anyone. She was optimistic and loving—everything that was still good in the world—and she looked at him like he could bring down the stars for her. It was a powerful feeling.

He stood and glanced over at his brother before inspecting the shine shack they were calling home. Damn bullshit was what it was. He should be back at the prison with her and looking after his group.

For the millionth time, guilt settled over him at the choice he'd made.

Merle was his blood, though, and if it all worked out right, he'd have them back at the prison before too long. He just needed to make him think it was his idea first.

"Whatcha doin', Darylina?" His voice was rough, and Daryl backed away. Sometimes Merle sounded so much like their old man that it made his skin crawl.

"Getcha ass up. We gotta find food," he muttered before picking up his bow and walking out the door.

Merle stumbled out a few minutes later and started pissing right off the porch. When he finished, he slapped Daryl on the shoulder.

"You're fuckin' nasty, Merle. Damn."

Merle just laughed and went back inside. Daryl gripped his bow strap and looked through the trees, hoping today they'd at least find something decent, but then figured the hungrier Merle got, the more likely they'd head back to the prison soon.

"All right, baby brother, let's get ya fed. Swear, you're worse than a kid, goin' on about food all the time."

"Well, I was used to two meals a day before I followed your ass out into the woods again."

Merle narrowed his eyes and grunted. "Those bastards were just usin' ya. Didn't think ya were worth a shit."

"You're kinda amazin', Daryl." Her blonde hair fell over his chest, and he shook his head. "Ya are. Trust me."

"Whatever."

"Oh, did I hurt your feelins?"

Daryl flipped him off and picked up the pace. He scanned the ground as Merle fell into step beside him. Neither spoke for a while, but then Merle asked, "Ya hear that?"

Daryl froze and turned his head, listening closely. It was pretty distant, but something was coming their way.

"Sonofabitch." Merle kicked the ground, scattering leaves.

"C'mon," Daryl pulled on his shoulder. "We gotta move and get our shit before they find us."

They took off running and made it back to the shack in no time. Their bags were on the floor and still fully packed, but Merle stuffed two mason jars full of shine into his before they headed out the door.

On the porch steps, they paused again and listened. Merle pointed to their right and nodded before holding up both hands. Daryl knew he meant there were more than ten. He could hear that, too. Merle might have been a dickhead, but he was a damn good hunter and tracker.

They walked quietly to the left, leaving the shack and walkers behind.

"Damn, I'm fuckin' starvin'," Merle griped as they walked through the woods beside a paved county road.

"We ain't ate since yesterday. Ya should be hungry."

"Yeah, I bet you're dyin' then, seein' how you were so damn spoiled livin' with Officer Friendly and crew."

Daryl didn't say anything, but her face flashed through his mind.

"Look what I got ya!" she whispered, her voice full of excitement. "Ya have no idea how hard it was to sneak an extra piece. People were losin' their minds over it."

She held out a single square of chocolate and smiled.

He'd taken it and let it melt in his mouth a little, moaning softly at the taste before chewing it up and kissing her hard.

Chocolate kisses, she'd called them. One of the best nights of his life.

"Ya even listenin' to me, Darla?"

"I try not to, but ya won't ever shut the fuck up."

Merle held up his hands and laughed. "Whoa ho ho. Someone's got their panties in a twist."

Daryl looked away. "Just want food."

They found a gas station a couple of miles down the road and stopped. All they found was sardines, but they ate them as quickly as they could open the can. It fucking sucked.

That night they bedded down in the back room, still hungry and in bad moods. Merle was cursing under his breath as he tried to open a jar of shine, and Daryl shook his head. He didn't give a shit if Merle only had the one hand now; he wasn't going to offer any help.

"That's gonna knock ya on your ass," he muttered and chewed his thumbnail. "Ya ain't used to it, and ya ain't ate good in a few days. Don't want ya to get poisonin' and me wake up with you as a damn walker, Merle."

"Ahhh, fuck off, baby brother. It's gonna take more than this shit to put me down."

Daryl lay back against his pack, ignoring Merle as he took a big drink out of the jar.

"That's the stuff right there." He coughed a little.

It didn't take too many more sips before Merle was out cold. Daryl went to his brother's side, screwed the lid back on the jar, and put it away.

After checking the lock on the door again, he went back to his corner and lay down, resting his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and tried to get some rest, but his mind ran wild with thoughts of the prison and how they were all doing. No matter how much he tried, he could never just imagine them all okay. Instead, his mind harped on the bad thoughts, and he fell asleep thinking about walkers knocking down the fences and storming the cellblock.

"I—Beth, I don't have anything," he whispered against her shoulder. He'd undressed her completely and kissed nearly every inch of her skin before making her shudder and sigh his name. Now he was hovering over her, his own clothes gone, realizing this couldn't go any further.

"Huh?"

"Don't got any rubbers," he muttered.

"Oh!" She reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed her jeans. "Here." She held out the foil square with a proud smile.

"Where the hell did ya get this?" He stared at her, wondering if he'd read her wrong.

"Stole it from Maggie and Glenn."

"Oh." He took it from her and dropped it on the bed then ran a hand through his hair. "I—uh... it's been awhile. Since before—you know?"

"That's okay. It's...um, it's my first time. Not really sure what to expect, but from what other girls said, it's not that great but it gets better. So, I guess my expectations aren't that high." She babbled nervously and blushed as she spoke.

Daryl felt his cheeks redden, too. "Damn, girl, ya know how to hurt a man's ego before he's even gotten started."

She shook her head. "I think ya've proven yourself already, but I'm certainly lookin' forward to what else ya can do." She looked him up and down as well as she could, stopping briefly to stare at his dick pressed up against her thigh. "I want this. And I only want it with you."

Daryl nodded and took her lips again, sighing as she gripped his shoulders and pulled him into her harder. He'd been trying to go slow the whole night, to really enjoy and feel, but she was impatient and digging her nails into his skin, almost crying out too loudly when he did something she really liked.

There sure as hell wasn't any coming back from tonight. Come morning, he wasn't going to be able to pretend it didn't happen, and he could tell by the way she looked at him that she wasn't backing down, either.

"Why me?" he asked as he ran a hand down her side. He lay beside her with his jeans and shirt back on, but she was stark naked against him.

"I told ya. I wanted to."

He shook his head. "Don't think any women has every just 'wanted to' with me without bein' completely wasted first."

"Well, I did." She sent him a coy smile before sighing and snuggling into his pillow.

She was so beautiful and innocent looking even though her hair was all tangled and her lips were swollen and red. Daryl glanced around quickly and felt ashamed that he'd given in so quickly, especially in such a public place. Anyone could have walked in, but he'd been too caught up to think about it.

He cleared his throat and said, "Your first time should have been with someone special to ya. Somewhere better than this."

"It was special," she whispered, cuddling closer. "I've had a crush on you for a while. Just figured I'd act on it instead of bein' scared. We don't got the time to waste anymore, ya know? Plus, it was well worth the jump." She kissed his cheek before settling back against the pillow.

He thought about her words long after she'd snuck back to her cell.

It wasn't until much later though that he realized how right she was.