I added this because Isa came across as weak in the other two chapters and I don't see her as weak, just hopelessly in love. Love at first sight for her definitely.

translations are in parenthesis

Isa's thoughts are in italics

Thanks for reading.

Isabelle hurried by the Dixon's overgrown yard as quickly as she could, the older brother always had something terrible to yell out at her whenever she walked by.

The younger one, Daryl, she'd gone to school with not all that long ago. She had been attracted to him right from the start, his blue eyes so different from her own, the way his hair was always a little too long and looked like he might just cut it himself and he never said a word in class unless it was forced out of him. To be honest he had a aura of sadness around him that she could relate to, but every time she tried to pluck up the courage to talk to him, she chickened out and ran away, if he was anything at all like his brother, the conversation wouldn't have ended well for her anyway. So she admired him from afar and it was that stupid crush that caused her to look up when she passed his house.

That was a mistake. No sooner had she made out his form on the front porch than a beer can came flying in her direction missing her but still splashing her shoes with back wash and spit. Her first reaction was anger, she hadn't done anything but walk by, it wasn't her fault the bus stop was near their house, but only a simpleton would try and fight with two drunk men, so she bit back her words and hurried on to her destination. It wasn't until she was safely seated on the bus that she stopped to really think about the fact that it wasn't Merle who threw the can at her, it had been Daryl, and that hurt. She fought back tears, I guess not talking to him had been a wise choice after all. So many nights she had called herself a coward for not speaking to him, it was a small comfort to know that she had made the right decision but being right didn't sooth the ache in her heart.

Somehow she had gotten on Daryl's bad side. She racked her brain trying to figure out what she had done other than look up at him. It didn't matter though because whether she'd done anything or not, whether she looked up at his house or not, there was always a glare or a rude comment thrown her way whenever she passed by. Each time it happened, she told herself she didn't care, that they were just redneck assholes, and each time she heard Daryl laugh at her, she knew she was a liar. She did care, and maybe Daryl was just a redneck asshole, but she still had feelings for him.

"No, Isa," she tried to tell herself, "you have feelings for a guy you just made up."

Finally she had enough, she found the nearest bus stop in the opposite direction and walked. Out of sight, out of mind, she hoped, and the walk would do her good, Merle was always yelling out that she was fat anyway.

It worked, sort of. Her days were more peaceful, less stressful and it was easier to just work her little fast food job and to bury herself in the library whenever she had a spare moment. The problem was, every romance novel she read ended up with Daryl as the hero, it didn't matter that the man was described as tall, dark and handsome, she would picture Daryl's blue eyes and muscular arms, his light brown hair and high cheekbones. She stopped reading romance and switched to horror.

Her peace lasted only so long. She nearly ran right into him coming off the bus. Her mind froze in shock and she stood staring at him like a statue, until he balled up a piece of trash and threw it at her.

"Why?" she asked, "What have I ever done to you?" She should have known she wouldn't get an answer, he smoked his cigarette and stared at her. Isa gave up, what else could she do but go home.

She walked as quickly as she could trying to get away from the young mans angry stare. To her dismay, Daryl followed. He didn't need to follow so close, she felt like prey, prey that could end up being beaten and broken and left on the side of the road. She stopped suddenly, praying that he would walk on by with nothing more that a shove or insult, instead he stopped.

"What are you doing?" she searched the street, if there were people around, Daryl was less likely to hurt her, she hoped. There was no one. Daryl's lip curled and he grabbed her arm in a vice like grip, dragging her into the woods.

"Daryl!" she tried to get him to release her, panic threatening to overtake her.

He stopped and turned to look at her, "You know me?"

"Of course!" Isa answered confused. "We went to school together. I know you." she tried to pull her arm away again.

Daryl paused only a second before he continued to drag her deeper into the forrest.

"Daryl, whatever you are going to do, please stop." she pleaded, she wasn't fool enough to think she stood a chance against him in a fight. "I know I can't beat you but i've never done anything to you, why are you being like this?"

Of all the things she expected him to say, that she was a spic and deserved to be treated like shit, that she was in his way, or that she was ugly, stupid etc. etc. What he actually said, shocked her.

"You used ta run from me in school girl and yer still runnin'."

What? "I didn't…." she stuttered "Of course I run! Look how you are!"

"Yeah you did, see me comin' down the hall 'n you turn tail and head the other way." He ignored her other comment she noticed.

"It's cause.." she stopped herself at the last moment, spilling her guts about her feeling for him was probably not the best idea.

"It's cause what? Huh. Scared of the redneck, then you wonder why I ain't nice ta ya. Fuck you!"

What? How could he get it so wrong? His arguments took her off guard.

"I wasn't scared….then….not like that." she looked toward the direction of the road, maybe she could make a run for it, nothing could be worse than having to admit her feelings to Daryl before he did whatever he was planning to do.

Like he was reading her mind Daryl stepped between her and the road. "Scared like how then, brownie?"

The slur was like a punch in the gut, "Fuck you redneck!" she finally snapped trying to step around him.

Daryl grabbed her, swiftly pinning her to a tree. She flinched in anticipation of a hit, it never came, instead she became very aware of Daryl's hard chest pressed up against her.

"Answer the damn question."

"I thought you were handsome…ok….now you have something else to torture me with." she cried out, her mind fuzzy. Daryl Dixon had her pinned against a tree.

"What?" he asked her surprised, shifting his body to get a better look at her face and pushing his groan into her belly in the process. That's when she felt it, he was hard. Her eyes widened in shock. It wasn't like she was a virgin, but she never expected that from him, not around her anyway.

"What are you going to do Daryl?" this scenario was so far out of anything she ever imagined that she was terrified.

Daryl gripped her chin and brought his lips to hers. For a few seconds she was too shocked to move. Daryl Dixon was kissing her! He'd been angry that she avoided him in school. Could it be that he was attracted to her too?

She shyly opened her mouth and kissed him back, and it was like a switch was flipped. Gone was the shy Daryl from high school, gone was the angry neighbor, in their place was a desperate man. He gripped her hair with one hand, holding her head in place as he kissed her, his other hand ripped her pants opened impatiently. Isa's mind screamed for her to stop him, this was the man that had been deliberately abusing her for months now, and now this? But all coherent thought left her mind as he lifted her up, his large calloused hands on her bottom, adjusting her over himself, in one swift move he was sheathed inside her with a loud satisfied moan. She let out a shaky breath at the intrusion.

"Isabelle," he growled into her ear and she gave in, wrapping her arms around his neck tightly and kissing him with as much enthusiasm as he showed her.

It wasn't until they were done that the guilt set in. He'd fucked her against a tree in the woods and now he was quietly getting dressed. She didn't look at him as she found her underwear and pants. She was scared, now what? Is it back to before? Does he care about me?

"Best if people don't know what happened."

Well, that answered that question. Still, there was hope in her heart, "Like your brother?"

"Merle wouldn't like it, should probably keep using this bus stop too."

Sure, what's a mile everyday. Are you done with this yet, idiot? She sat down to put on her shoes. Her mind berating her for being stupid the entire time.

"Hey." She didn't look up, "I know yer schedule, I'll come every chance I get."

He memorized my schedule?! Her hearted thumped excitedly. Don't be an idiot, you passed his house every day for months, of course he knows your schedule. She let herself give him a sad smile,

"Sure Daryl."

"Will you be here?"

Yes! her heart screamed No! her head answered, what is this some forrest booty call, you're supposed to sit around everyday and wait to see if he'll come to fuck you. No! have some dignity.

"I'll be here."

Pendeja, (dumbass) Her mind sneered, and she couldn't help but agree, not that it kept her from showing up the next day.

It turned out that Daryl never missed a day. She did, from time to time, but she always left him a note explaining her absence. She had a lot of people to look after and Daryl didn't seem to have all that much to do.

The first time she got her period was three weeks into their "relationship" she showed up to their tree to tell him and fully expected him to bail, but her didn't, he kissed her and sat down with her on the fallen tree trunk by their tree and they talked. They talked and kissed and ended up staying at their spot much longer than when they simply had sex.

After that week their "relationship" was different, at least to her it was. She allowed herself to really admit to herself that she had real feelings for him. They were still sneaking around and if she saw him in the street or the store he always looked away but the next time they met up, he would always sooth away the sting of rejection by telling her she looked good in whatever she'd been wearing at the time, or commenting on what she was buying, he let her know he saw her, really saw her. That is why when she realized that she was nearly two months late on her period, she was tentatively hopeful.

Her heart shattered when she saw the marks on Daryl's neck. It was obvious he'd tried to hide them, he was wearing a mock turtle neck shirt that she'd never seen on him before and it was the strangeness of the shirt that had drawn her eyes directly to his neck. The mark behind his ear was the first one she saw,

"Daryl what is that?" her mind raced, she knew what it was. She never left marks on him. Never.

"Merle, he insisted we go out with some bitches. But I didn't do nuthin'."

Liar! Her mind screamed, "You did something."

"I couldn't say no with Merle there."

"Why not?" there wasn't an answer to that, she knew.

"I tricked him though, didn't fuck her." That made no sense, why would his brother care if he didn't want to sleep with someone? Why would he need to trick Merle?

She felt so stupid. "No, I think the only one you tricked is me." she finally let her tears fall as she turned and ran home.

Pendeja….idiota….estupida (dumbass…idiot…stupid) and to top it all off, she was pregnant.

That night she spoke to her abuelita (grandmother), she was too upset and broken to make up a lie and the truth came spilling out. Her abuelita smoothed down her dark hair and whispered comforting words, she had her and her brothers and her tios and tias (uncles and aunts), she had help, she wasn't alone. She nodded and wiped her eyes, that didn't help the pain that was burning in her heart though.

Her abuela smiled and kissed her forehead, she would talk to her Tia Nina, maybe a change of scenery would do her some good. The next morning she called her fast food job and quit, her Tia in L.A. told her she was welcomed to stay with them and was going to have her work with her cleaning houses until she had her baby and could find another job.

She didn't leave right away, she wanted to stay and say goodbye to her brother Jose, who was getting out of jail in a couple of days and she took the time to play with her little cousin Carlos now that she had more time. She tried her best not to think about Daryl but every night she cried herself to sleep.

"He wasn't your boyfriend Isa, you have no right to be upset." she would whisper to herself in the dead of night but her heart felt different, she felt betrayed.

She stayed home, didn't bother doing her hair or make-up or even really getting dressed, she just pulled her hair up in a pony tail, threw on some old shorts and a ratty t-shirt and tried to distract herself with house work and playing with Carlos.

Telling Jose about her pregnancy had been the hardest,

"I'ma kill that fuckin' gringo!" her brother shouted angrily.

"No!" Isa gripped her brother's arm. "I made the decision to be with him and I didn't take my pill like I should have, I take responsibility for being stupid."

"Should have stayed with your own kind Isa." her brother shook his head.

"Like Jacob? I went out with him for three months and he went to jail for 5yrs, I would have been in the same boat if he had been the one to get me pregnant."

"There are other guys." Jose snapped at her, "You know I have other friends."

"Like Tony? He doesn't see his daughter either and he's been wanting to date me for the past year. It doesn't matter that he's white no it matters that you are brown …it could have happened with anyone."

"He's still a dick."

Isa wanted to argue but couldn't, when Daryl wanted to be, he could be a real dick.

"I love him." Isa muttered.

"Jesus Christ, I hope you get your shit straight in L.A. hermana (sister)."

"I will when you do." she shot back defiantly.

"Fair enough" he finally brought her in for a long awaited, much needed hug.

Two days later, Daryl showed up on her street. For a moment Isa thought she was hallucinating, he was halfway behind a tree, staring right at her. why now? the day before she was leaving! "meet me at our tree." she mouthed to him, holding her breath until he nodded and walked away.

She had hoped to leave and forget him, but now after just a few seconds of seeing him, she knew she had to say goodbye, she had to let him know about the baby and she had to let him know how she felt. She went inside and wrote a letter but it didn't seem like enough, she walked to her boombox and eject the tape she had been playing over and over again for the last few days. She placed both the tape and the letter in a baggie and snuck down to their meeting place before the sun even rose the next day. She nailed the bag to the tree with a small smile, her family would be happy to not have to hear that song again for a long time. Two hours later she was in plane headed west. If he really cares, he'll find me her heart hoped Don't count on it her mind warned.

Nearly a year had passed, her abuela was with her in the delivery room when she gave birth to Daryl Dixon Jr. A blue eyed, light-skinned baby boy, who looked so much like his father that even Merle Dixon couldn't deny him with a straight face.

"You named him after that puto?" her brother rolled his eyes.

"He's his father, he might want to know him one day."

"Give up already Isa."

"I have." She hadn't heard a word from or about Daryl in all these months, she accepted that he didn't want her but perhaps he would want their son one day.

"Isa?"

She let herself fall into the chair by the living room phone, "Daryl?" it can't be! It's been almost a year!

"Isa where are you? I know we got a son, Jose and yer grandma told me…..I….I want ta meet him. I want ta see you."

She couldn't believe it, he cared about his son, her heart warmed and her excitement was nearly uncontainable.

"I want that too. I wont keep him from you, I'm not like that."

"But you did!" Daryl yelled at her, "You split, you took him!"

She had never thought of it that way, he could have found her..them if he had tried.

"I didn't think you cared and it's been so long and you had others." she cried. "He's almost six months, I was sure you didn't care." He had other women, he probably had another women now, she was happy for her son, but she wouldn't get hopeful for herself.

"Tell me where you are Isa. Ain't been no one, not since the first time with you, I fucked up lettin' Merle pressure me inta kissin' that bitch, but it didn't mean nothin' and I swear ta you I didn't fuck her, I ain't even seen her or no one else since. I want us to make a go of it."

Isa was so happy to hear him say that, that she couldn't even speak, whatever he had done was long forgiven, if he was willing to have a real relationship with her she would jump at the chance.

"You got someone else don't cha. Someone smarter than my dumb ass."

She nearly laughed at the ridiculousness of his statement. Did he not know how much he meant to her?

"No," she let out a small laugh, "I'm just happy, I hoped you'd find me but never believed you would. There is no one else. I'm in L.A."

"You willin' ta come back home? Got tha place ta myself now. Merle's in jail for at least 10, got me a job as a mechanic. I can give you and my boy a life."

The grin on her face felt like it could split her apart. "I think my Abuelita will let me move back in." she agreed happily.

"Naw, not with yer Abuelita, Isa, with me. I wanna make a real go of it."

"Yes! Daryl." she nearly screamed. "We can come home in a couple of weeks." she was nearly shaking with excitement.

"I'll be waitin' baby."

And just like that her life was flipped upside down, in the best way possible.

Daryl took to fatherhood like a duck to water. The second he set eyes on her and Little D he took them both in his arms and kissed them each on the forehead. Little D giggled and pulled at his daddy's whiskers.

"Let's get our boy home, baby." Daryl's eyes sparkled in a way she had never seen before. He carried himself lighter with a slight bounce in his step as he slung her bags over his shoulder and held out his hand to her.

She looked around the airport, half expecting to be getting sneered at and ridiculed, but nothing happened, her son got some smiles and some ooo's and ahhh's and that was it. Nobody cared, they were just another family in a sea of families.

The transition to their home life happened just as uneventfully, she moved in and set to work making their house a home. Daryl didn't ask for much, happy to be fed and cared for when he came home, and open to the help her family readily offered, and just like that the roof was fixed, the house was painted and the porch that looked about ready to fall off on it's own was torn down and rebuilt.

Daryl fixed Jose's car and soon had enough side work from all her brother's friends to buy new furniture for the house.

They couldn't keep their hands of each other, making up for lost time. Daryl surprised her time and time again with how loving and affectionate he could be, P.D.A was never something he participated in, but behind closed doors there were kisses and hugs and snuggles every chance he got.

Little D crawled all over his daddy, spilled food on him, yanked his hair, and never got yelled at once, he told her about his childhood, she saw the mess his father had made of his back, their son would never live the life he lived, he promised her.

"I want ta take him ta see Merle." he told her one morning.

Daryl visited his brother every two weeks and never told him anything about his life, for Isa this was a huge deal.

"He won't be rude to him will he?" she worried.

"I don't think so. Merle just went like our daddy but he ain't so bad as ta hurt a kid, 'specially if he's mine."

Isa took a deep breath, "OK, I trust you."

Daryl kissed her and picked up their son, "Well be home latter, I ain't workin' today."

She smiled and kissed her son, "Be good for your papi, mijo (my son)." Little D giggled and gave her a sloppy kiss in return.

Isa was fixing dinner when Daryl returned a sleeping Little D cradled in his right arm.

"How did it go?" she didn't even need to ask, Daryl's face was positively glowing.

"It went well, gonna take 'em every visit. Merle insisted on it." he hugged her with his free arm. "We got us a fine boy, Merle ain't a fool, he saw it."

"What he say about the new baby on the way?"

"Baby steps girl, baby steps. I'll tell 'em next time."

Isa laughed, "Alright, just don't wait till this one," she patted her small swollen tummy, "is almost two, OK."

"Never gonna be that stupid again, Isa. That I can promise you."

She believed him.