The revelation of the other Woman

Chapter 19: Hanging Back Doesn't Sit Well With Me.

I woke up to someone shaking my shoulder and looked up to see that it was Daryl. "Come on. Rick wants everyone to gather in the holding room." He told me bluntly then walked off.

So we all listened while Rick told us what was going to happen today. Rick, Daryl and Hershel were going to meet up with The Governor at a feed store down the road. Then Rick proceeded to tell us what he planned to accomplish with this meeting. Throughout the whole lecture Daryl never even looked at me. I wished he would just talk to me, but how was I supposed to get him to talk to me when I couldn't even get him to look at me?

When the meeting of our group disbanded I followed Daryl to his cell. "What do you want?" Daryl asked coldly.

"There's something I need to tell you before you go meet The Governor. Before you possibly go get yourself killed." I told him and he turned around to glare at me. "Rick kissed me yesterday." I felt my chest tightening but forced myself to breathe.

"I bet you just melted is his fuckin' arms. Didn't you?" he asked with a growl while he pointed at my face. His attitude made me want to cower away from him.

But I was trying to do the right thing by telling him the truth. So I stood my ground. "No. I pushed him off of me. I didn't know Morgan had snuck up behind him, but I pushed him right into Morgan's choke hold."

Daryl just scoffed and grabbed his crossbow off of his bed. "I got places to be." he threw the crossbow over his shoulder as he walked out of the cell.

"Y'all aren't leaving for another fifteen minutes. Will you just talk to me please?" I called out to his retreating back.

He stopped for a second then turned to face me. "You want me to talk?" he asked walking back to me. "Fine I'll talk." He said while nodding sarcastically at me. "I could tell something happened between you two the second you walked through that door. It was written all over your face." All I could do was blink up at him. "He must have said something before he kissed you. What did he say?" he asked walking around me back into his cell.

"Why are you asking that?" I asked, confused.

"I'm just tryin' to wrap my mind around this. Tryin' to figure out what made him think it was alright to kiss you." he said as he twirled his finger next to his head "So what did you talk about?" he asked louder as he paced around the room.

"Out of the blue he asked me if I was happy with you." I started from the beginning. When I paused Daryl motioned for me to keep talking. "I told him I was very happy with you. Then he said that he liked it better when I was gone because without me in the picture you two could be friends. Now that I'm back you're rivals again." Daryl pulled a pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his shirt and pulled one out. "Then he started talking about how jealous he is of you and how he hates that you're the one that makes me laugh. Giggle is the word he used." He put the cigarette between his lips and flicked open his lighter. "He put his hand on my cheek. I moved it away he did it again and I walked away. I told him to stop talking like that because it wasn't him talking. It was the nostalgia of us being back at the police station together on top of losing Lori making him not think straight. But he wouldn't stop. He just kept telling me to tell him that I didn't love him." Daryl took a long drag off the glowing cancer stick in his hand and blew the smoke out of the corner of his mouth to keep it from going in my face.

Even in the middle of arguing I found that action incredibly attractive. "Did you tell him you don't love him?" he asked surprisingly calm.

"I told him several different times that I'm in love with you." I answered.

"But did you tell him that you don't love him?" he asked again then took another drag from the cigarette.

I shook my head in confusion. "What? No."

"Why couldn't you just say that you don't love him?" he asked then blew the smoke out of the corner of his lips again.

He was driving me all kinds of crazy at the moment. Pissing me off and turning me on with that damn cigarette all at the same time. "Because I do love him." the words flew from my lips before I could stop them. I stood there staring at him with wide eyes, shocked at what I had just told him. "Just not the same way I love you." I admitted as my eyes fell to the floor.

He dropped the cigarette to the floor. "Glad we cleared that up." he stomped on the still smoking stick then walked out of the cell. This time I didn't stop him. I just let him go because there was nothing more left for me to say and he was clearly done talking to me.

I kept to myself for most of the day. That was until I heard arguing going on downstairs followed by a gunshot. I took off to where the noise had come from, the holding room. "Let me go! Let me Go!" Merle yelled, Glenn clearly having been in a scuffle with him a few seconds prior to my arrival.

"What the hell's goin' on in here?" I asked no one in particular.

"You're a little late to the party." Beth said with a look over her shoulder at me. "I took care of it." she gave me a smart ass smirk. "You can go back to brooding over your boy troubles now."

"You're really judgmental for a kid who has no working knowledge of the real world." I said dismissively before I went back to my cell.

I didn't come out again until I heard Daryl's motorcycle approaching the prison. I didn't run out to greet him like I wanted to. I just walked out onto the perch and watched from above as everyone gathered in the cellblock to hear what Rick had to say. "So I met this governor, sat with him for quite a while." Rick started.

"Just the two of you?" Merle asked.

"Yeah." Rick answered with a nod.

"Should've gone when we had the chance, bro." Merle told Glenn as he walked by him and away from the group. I didn't know what he was talking about exactly, but I figured it has something to do with the argument they got into.

"He wants the prison. He wants us gone." Rick continued, but I wasn't looking at him. I was looking at Daryl where he leaned against the wall under one of the barred windows. He glanced up at me for only a second before he turned his glaring eyes back at Rick. "Dead. He wants us dead for what we did to Woodburry." he paused and the room was dead quiet for a few seconds before he said, "We're going to war." and walked off.

People exchanged glances before they dispersed. Daryl nodded at his brother before he started up the stairs. I went to my cell before he could get to me. Once in my cell I pressed my back against the wall and sighed. My love life was a mess as usual and now on top of all the shit going on in the prison we were going to go to war with another town. The Governor could attack tomorrow and we could all die. If I died tomorrow I didn't want things between Daryl and me to end on a bad note. So when my eyes fell onto the shiny new crossbow that I had grabbed for Daryl I knew it was time I gave it to him.

So I scooped it up along with a stash of arrows then slung the crossbow strap over my shoulder and headed for his cell, but when I walked out of my cell door I slammed into someone. I didn't have to look up to know that it was Daryl. "Hi." I told him without looking up.

He hooked his finger under my chin making me look at him. "Hi." He answered back quietly. I took a step back. "What's that?" he asked nodding to the bow still hanging on my shoulder.

"I would think you of all people would know a crossbow when you saw one." I quipped and he smirked. "It's a gift I got for you from Morgan's place." I told him as I took it off and handed it to him. "I was trying to wait for a special time to give it to you." he took the bow from me but didn't put it over his shoulder like I expected. He walked around me into my cell. "But I figured if we're going to war, you'll need it now." I said as I followed him inside. He set it on my top bunk along with its arrows.

"Thank you, but a bow ain't what I need. Not right now." he said with a shake of his head as he walked closer to me where I stood in the doorway of my cell. My question was clear on my face. So I didn't even get the chance to ask what he needed now before he grabbed my arm and pulled me into him. He wrapped his arms around my waist, one hand resting on my ass, and looked down at me with a raised brow. I resisted the urge to wrap my arms around him and kiss him and just raised a brow of my own at him. "Come on, don't make me sound like a hallmark card." I just let a smile play at the corners of my lips. "Fine, I'm over the Rick drama. He can go fuck himself. You're mine." His last two words came out as a growl as he pulled me tighter into him and started kissing my neck. "And I need you." it amazed me how he could take something that made him sound so venerable and cheesy and make it sound sexy as hell.

I sighed and tilted my head to the side giving him better access to my neck. He kissed a trail from my shoulder to just below my ear. His actions had me completely relaxed until he stuck his tongue in my ear causing me to laugh and pull away. He laughed quietly and tried to do it again. "Daryl." I laughed his name as I pushed myself back to look into his eyes. This playfulness was a side of him I'd never seen before and I loved it.

"That's right, Baby." He said with a smile on his lips before he tried to lick my ear again but I laughed and pulled away. "Let 'im know you're happy with me." It suddenly felt like we were back on the farm again when we were just trying to make Rick jealous. "Let him know that I'm the only man who can make you laugh like this." he went for my ear again but I moved my head fast enough that he got my lips instead. He kissed me for a second then pulled back and started tickling me.

"Daryl." I laughed as I squirmed in his grasp. "Stop it."

"Yeah, Daryl, stop it before we all throw up." We heard Carol say unenthusiastically as she stopped to stand in the doorway. Daryl turned to look at her and I hugged him from behind then moved under his arm to stand at his side with his arm draped over my shoulders. "Rick wants to talk to you." she said to Daryl.

He looked at me as if he were waiting for permission. I just shrugged. "Tell him I'm busy." He told her without looking at her then leaned down and started kissing me.

"Yeah, we all know you're busy. This place is like an amphitheater." She said and I could hear the hatred she had for me in her voice. "He still wants to talk to you."

"Then tell him I said to shove it." he said between kisses.

I pulled pack and placed my palms on each side of his face. "You should probably go talk to Rick. It might be important." I hated to put a damper on our fun, but now wasn't necessarily the time to be having such fun. There was also more that he and I needed to talk about before we went any further.

Daryl sighed and rested his head on my shoulder. "Fine, but I will be back to pick up where we left off." I winked and smiled at him before he walked out of the cell.

After Daryl walked off Carol remained outside my cell giving me a mean glare with her lips pursed. "You will never be good enough for him." she said and I just rolled my eyes. "He needs someone who has their shit together."

"Like you, right?" I asked sarcastically.

"At least I wouldn't string him along." She said before she walked away.

She left me there feeling like the most unwanted person in this group. Carol hated me, Beth hated me and my presence was putting Rick and Daryl at odds. If it wasn't for the fact that I would feel miserable without Daryl I would have snuck out then and there. But I couldn't abandon Daryl like that and the prison would need as many able body fighters as they could get. This was bigger than just me. The two women that hated me would just have to get over it.

I was sharpening my knife when Daryl came back into the cell. He just plopped down on the bed and kicked his feet up. "So what did Rick want to talk to you about?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Governor bullshit." He grunted then rolled over to hover over me. "So where did we leave off?" he asked then moved in to kiss me, but I place my finger over his lips stopping him. He sighed and let his head hang. "What?"

"I know you said you're over the Rick drama, but I told you that I love Rick and I'm having a hard time believing that you're cool with that….that you can just get over it."

He moved back around to sit with his back propped up on the wall. "I ain't cool with it." his tone almost sounded mocking. "But ya keep comin' back to me. I know there's a reason and ya ain't gotta tell me if ya don't want to."

"Do you want to know why I keep coming back to you?" I asked as I moved to straddle his lap. He placed his hands on my hips and nodded. "You make me feel…good. Like a good person. It feels right when I'm with you. I feel like I'm in control of myself. You keep me grounded." I said and he smiled a little. "I get to see sides of you that no one else does." I said and he blushed. "We make each other happy." I said with a smile. "Right?" I asked.

He nodded and pecked me on the lips before he answered "Right."

"But with Rick… I don't feel like me. I don't feel like myself or grounded or comfortable. It somehow feels…immoral."

He just stared at me for a minute. "Then why do you love him?" he asked in a serious yet curious voice.

"I don't know." I answered honestly. "All I know is my love for you is stronger." I answered as I rested my hands on each side of his neck and stared down at the black leather of his vest. "And I hope that's enough for you because I…" my voice caught in my throat and I had to stop to clear it, "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you." I felt a tear slip down my cheek as he lifted my face to look at him.

He brushed it away with his thumb. "You'll always have me…always."

I laughed through my tears and stress making him smile at me with a hint of confusion on his face. "You make the cheesiest shit sound so sweet and sexy."

He laughed with me before I cut him off with a kiss. His hands instantly gripped my hips harder and pulled me in closer. My fingers fiddled with his hair as his hands slid up my back over my shirt then back down to slip under the fabric. I sighed and started kissing my way across his jaw line down to his neck where I started kissing and nibbling. I nibbled just above his left collarbone pulling a satisfied grunt from him. I kissed the spot a few more times before I nibbled again. It got the same grunt from him as before but this time he squirmed under me. "Ya gotta stop that woman." He grunted as he gripped my back, just below my shoulder blades.

I kissed my way up to his ear where I lightly bit his earlobe. "Why?" I asked before I kissed his neck just below his ear. "What am I doing?" I asked. Mischief was clear in my voice even to me.

"Ya know exactly what you're doin'." He said and when I pulled back to look at him his moonlit eyes sparkled. "My turn." He said quickly before he held onto my back tightly and flipped me around so that I was lying on my back on the bed. He hovered over me for a second just taking me in before he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.

He was now in control. Were my kisses had been soft, laid back and slow, his were passionate and verging on needy. This was what I loved about Daryl. He didn't have to talk to let me know how much he needed me. His actions did all of the talking.

-Later-

Daryl and I lay in bed covered by a thin sheet. My head rested on the bicep of the arm that he had wrapped around my shoulders. Every once in a while he would play with my hair that hung lose around my shoulder and splayed out on the pillow. I loved these moments. "Can we just stay like this forever?" I asked as I ran my fingers over the tattoo on his chest, tracing each black, cursive letter.

"It'd be nice." He grumbled sounding half asleep.

"You sleepy?" I asked as I glanced up at him.

"A little." He admitted even though I could tell he didn't want to go to sleep. I lifted up my head and rolled onto my stomach so that I could look at him without craning my neck. He brushed my hair out of my face. "I love ya, Joanna." He whispered.

I smiled a sleepy smile before I kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you too, Daryl." I rolled back over and snuggled into his side. He wrapped his arm back around my shoulders and grabbed my hand that rested on his chest. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." He yawned back and I smiled as my eyes slipped shut.

When I woke up the next day I was alone and when I walked outside I was immediately recruited by Michonne to start preparing the prison yard for attack. As the day went by I noticed Daryl and Rick avoiding me. Yes, we were all busying about doing this and that, but not even during breaks did either man talk to me. The one time I managed to talk to Daryl, he kept the conversation short and to the point. I got the eerie feeling that someone was keeping something from me and I was determined to figure out what it was.

In the afternoon when things started settling down I set out, determined to find either Rick or Daryl. Eventually I found Rick outside around the corner of the cell block we called ours. He had a blue phone cord wrapped around his wrist. His eyes were turned to the catwalk that led from one building to another. "You're not there." he said as he turned his eyes to the ground, not even aware that I was standing across from him, trying to figure out what he was talking about. "She's not there." he looked back up at the empty cat walk as if someone was standing up there. But when he said She's not there, I know he must be talking about Lori.

He sighed and unwrapped the cord from his wrist then tossed it to the ground as he stood up. He froze when his eyes landed on me. "She's not up there, but I'm down here." He shook his head and pressed his finger tips to his eyes. "What's going on Rick?" I asked. "What are you and Daryl not telling me?"

"The Governor, he uh… He made me a deal." Rick stared and I found myself crossing my arms over my chest. "He told me that he would leave us alone…stand down, if I turned Michonne over to him."

"What!?" I asked, tears stinging the backs of my eyes as I realized what his intentions were with the telephone cord. "I can't believe you're even considering it!"

"I'm not goin' through with it." he said taking a step closer to me as he made a motion with his hand that told me I needed to calm down. "I can't. It's like Hershel said, it's not who we are." He stopped a few feet away from me.

I took a step back. "Who all knows about this?" I asked. "Does Daryl know?"

"Yes. I've only told Daryl, Hershel and Merle. Now you." he said and I just glared at him, shaking my head as it tried you wrap my mind around it all. "I was trying to think about the safety of the entire group." He tried to defend himself.

"And Michonne is part of that group." I said still glaring at him.

The first place I want was Michonne's cell, but she wasn't there. So from there I started looking for Daryl, I found him outside in the courtyard talking to Rick. "Hey, either of you seen Michonne recently?" I asked in a huff and they both shook their heads.

"I can't find Merle." Rick said and we all exchanged glances.

"Come on." Daryl said as he headed into the prison and Rick and I followed. He led us to a room in the tombs. "He was in here. Said he was lookin' for drugs." He said as we walked further inside and started looking around. "He said a lot of things, actually."

"Like what?" Rick asked before I could.

"Said that you were gonna change your mind." Daryl answered as we walked around a machine to see a bag lying on the floor. "Here we go." Daryl kneeled down and picked up the bag then tossed it back onto the floor. "Yeah, he took her here, they mixed it up." he said before he stood back up.

"Damn it!" Rick scoffed and headed out of the room to a door that led outside. "I'm goin' after him."

"You can't track for shit." Daryl countered.

"Then both of us." Rick said. Neither of them seemed to notice that I was even still in the room with them. For two people who I had always seen at odds with each other, they were working together pretty well now, when shit was hitting the fan. Was this what they were like when I wasn't a part of the group?

"Na, just me." Daryl said as he headed to the door ahead of Rick. "I said I'd go and I'll go."

"I'll go with you." I offered, reminding them that I was still tagging along.

"Na, you stay here where it's safe." Daryl told me before he kissed me quickly on the lips then turned his eyes to Rick. "Plus they're gonna come back here and you need to be ready." He glanced at me then back at Rick. "I'm trusting you to keep her safe." He said as he pressed his back to the door pushing it open. "Besides, you're family too." With that he rounded the corner and was gone.

"Last time he told me to stay where it's safe I ended up not seeing him again for eight months." I said, thinking out loud.

Rick just scoffed and shook his head.

Later that day Rick gathered everyone together and gave a speech. He told everyone else about the deal that the governor made him and told us that he isn't our Governor. We all had a say in what happens to us as a whole. It was our choice if we stayed and fought or fled. I already had my mind made up that I wanted to stay and fight for this place.

Michonne returned alone, neither Merle nor Daryl with her. She told us that Merle let her go and Daryl continued on looking for Merle. I wanted to go after him, but Michonne said that Daryl told her not to let anyone come looking from him, especially me. So I, after much internal debate, decided to respect his wishes and stayed put. As soon as I got word that Daryl was back I raced out to the court yard to greet him, but as soon as I saw his face, red and tear stained I knew Merle was no longer among the living. All I knew to do was wrap my arms around Daryl's neck and hug his close. He pressed his face into my neck and cried. I found myself shushing him like a baby and rubbing his back. Eventually he let me pull him to his cell where he cried himself to sleep on my chest.

A/N: I'm sorry I haven't been updating this story more here lately. Having an 11 month old kind of puts a damper on my free time. lol.