[Author's Note: Currently, this is the last chapter. I have kind of an idea to continue on the story, but it's like, half an idea and I don't know how to complete it. I was thinking at the end of this chapter Merle would wander up to the gate, since I cut the whole 'Daryl and Merle fight scene in Woodbury' from my plot line, because I couldn't get it to flow correctly. So basically, if you want more of this story, I need some serious ideas. Otherwise, this is the last chapter.

Please let me know either way, Continue or Good as it is.]

Rick decided it would be best if only he and I went. Maggie told us she should come too, but we told her she needed to watch after the baby and Hershel. She didn't like it, but she agreed.

We took our stuff outside, loading it into the car. I saw Rick pull Carl aside, but I moved away from them so they could have a minute.

Maggie came up to me with fire in her eyes. "You best bring him back, Daryl." She told me firmly. "If you bring Emma back, you best bring back Glenn too."

I nodded, knowing how much Glenn meant to her. "I will, Maggie."

"I swear to God, Daryl, if you don't…" She said, letting the threat hang in the air.

"We ain't losin' nobody else. We'll bring 'em back." I told her.

She nodded, turning and making her way back into the cell block.

Rick called me over and we loaded up the car. Carl manned the main gate for us and we headed out through the forest. We drove for a while until Michonne, the girl, told us we'd have to go the rest of the way on foot to sneak in. Rick pulled off the road and into a little culvert of trees, hiding the car from the road.

We took our bags out and followed Michonne through the trees as it started getting darker. It took us about half an hour of walking before we reached a fence that seemed to be made of school buses and sheet metal.

"Alright, Michonne. What now?" Rick asked.

"There's a break in the fence twenty yards down, right behind the armory." She told us.

We nodded, following her lead down the fence. She pulled back a piece of sheet metal that only appeared to be riveted shut. We snuck in and just as she said, it was behind some kind of warehouse. We snuck into the armory, seeing if there was anything we could use that would help us get Glenn and Emma out.

We grabbed a couple grenades, smoke bombs, and I put a couple flash-bangs in my bag. Satisfied, we filed out the back of the building.

"They're probably being held in the warehouse on the outskirts of town. Nobody's allowed in but the Governor's men." Michonne told us.

We followed her along the fence for a while until we got to the end of the residential buildings. Rick and I looked at each other as gunfire broke out. We glanced around the building and heard it coming from the warehouse that Michonne had told us about.

One by one, we ran across the open space towards the door. Rick opened the door and tossed in a smoke bomb, letting it explode. I pulled my bandana up over my mouth as Rick tied one around his face. We nodded to Michonne and stood up, charging in. We found Glenn and Emma coughing, stumbling through the hallways. I grabbed Glenn and I saw Rick grab Emma and we made our way back to the street.

Michonne covered us as we dived into the closest building; some kind of distribution center.

Glenn turned to me and his face was badly bruised and bleeding. "Merle's alive. He's here, working for the Governor. He almost killed me."

I shook my head out of instinct. "Merle… Merle ain't no killer." I told him.

"He was gonna execute us." Glenn said sharply, before turning to Emma. "Tell them."

"I ain't tellin' 'em shit. It's done." Emma said and I noticed she wasn't making eye contact with anyone but Glenn. I realized Glenn was shirtless and Emma was wearing it.

"This is where we part. I've got a score to settle. Get out the same way you got in." Michone told us.

"We'll wait for you. Half hour. Any more than that and we're leaving." Rick informed her. She nodded and walked right out the front door.

Gunfire could be heard in the distance.

"We have to move." Rick said and we nodded.

"Can you walk?" I asked Emma.

" 'Course I can walk." She told me, still avoiding eye contact. We made our way back to the fence, some of the gunfire slipping through the alleys in between the building and bouncing off the fence.

I felt the sting of the bullet slicing the skin above my ribs, but I gritted my teeth and kept on. I had the get the rest of the group out of here before anything else. Rick led the group through the hole in the fence while I held the panel back, making sure we weren't being followed.

The gunfire faded away the further we got from the fence. Glenn figured one of his ribs was broken and I put his arm around my shoulders to help him walk. We got back to the car and Rick glanced at his watch.

"What happened?" Rick asked quietly.

"Some Mexican guy grabbed us from the store. He threatened us and locked us in that warehouse." Glenn said, glancing at Emma, who stayed quiet.

"What'd Merle do to you?" Rick asked.

"Tied me to a chair. He wanted to know where we were holed up. I wouldn't tell him. He tried to beat it out of me and then he threw a walker at me. I broke the chair and killed it." Glenn said.

"I told them where we were." Emma said quietly, head hung low.

"What?" I let the word slip my lips.

She looked up and there were tears pouring down her face. "H-he put a gun to Glenn's head. I-I couldn't let them kill him. I'm so sorry, Daryl."

"Shush now. Shush." I said, pulling her into my arms. "It's okay."

She cried against my shoulder and I swallowed painfully.

"Why ya wearin' Glenn's clothes?" I asked, pulling gently away from her.

She shook her head, moving away from me.

"Emma." I said quietly.

She broke out in a sob and all I wanted to do was comfort her. Glenn's face was red and I knew that he knew what happened.

I couldn't bear to think about whatever happened to her.

Michonne suddenly appeared, alone.

"Where's your friend?" Rick asked.

"She chose her side." Michonne said, looking pissed.

Rick nodded, then looked at me. "We need to get back to the prison."

I nodded, looking back at Emma, who just climbed in the back seat, next to Glenn. I didn't think she wanted to be close to me, so I got in the passenger seat, Michonne taking the leftover back seat.

The ride back to the prison was quiet. My head kept tellin' me I shoulda gone back for Merle. But the rest of me knew I was where I was supposed to be. Next to Rick, making sure our group got back safe.

Carol and Carl were in the yard when we approached and opened the gate for us. Glenn got out, helping Emma out. She had her arms crossed over her chest, still avoiding eye contact. We entered the Cell Block and Rick told Hershel to inspect Michonne's injuries, but to only keep her in the common area.

Beth handed the baby, which Carl all informed us was now named Judith, to Rick.

Hershel decided to look at Glenn's wounds, as they appeared more serious. I couldn't be so close to Emma and not touch her or help her. It was killing me.

Glenn kept glancing at Emma, who Hershel looked at next. I wanted to know what her injuries were, but Hershel called Maggie over and the three of them talked for a moment before Maggie came over and talked to Rick briefly. He nodded, glancing at me for a second. I watched Maggie set her hand on Emma's shoulder and lead her out of the cell block.

I wanted so badly to follow, but I knew that wouldn't do me any good.

Hershel put two stitches in my side where the bullet grazed me. It didn't do much except tear skin.

"You wanna hold her?" Beth asked.

I looked up to see her holding Judith. "Hey 'Lil Ass Kicker." I said, taking the baby from Beth.

"I think she likes you." Beth said.

"That's 'cause she don't know me well." I told her.

Beth shook her head. "That ain't true."

I shrugged. "True as it ought to be."

I couldn't stand it anymore. It'd been nearly an hour since Maggie and Emma went… wherever the hell they went. I walked through the cells until I found Glenn's.

"Hey." He said cautiously.

"What'd they do to her?" I asked.

Glenn watched me before ducking his head. "I can't tell you."

"Ya can and ya will."

He shook his head. "Emma has to tell you."

I set my jaw. Goddamn Koreans. I turned around and punched his wall. I could hear the cracking noise my knuckles made as I leaned against the wall, but I didn't feel the pain.

"Daryl, I know it's not what you want to hear. But if it had happened to Maggie, I'd want her to tell me instead of somebody else." Glenn told me quietly.

"She ain't talkin' to me." I told him.

"She's a girl, Daryl. You have to be gentle with girls or they break." He spoke up.

I looked over at him and knew he was right. I sighed. I didn't say anything else, just headed up to my bunk.

I stayed there the rest of the night. I heard Beth and Maggie singing a song and I heard Carl tell a story from his school days. I could smell the meat they were roasting. But I couldn't pull myself off the bunk to look at the girl who wouldn't talk to me.

I heard footsteps, but didn't move.

"Hey." Emma voice said softly.

"Hey." I croaked out, staring at the brick in front of me.

"I uh… brought you some dinner since you didn't seem like you were coming down." She said.

"Thanks." I replied.

I didn't hear her move for a minute until she laid the tray on the table across from the bed. Then she surprised me by sitting down on the section of bed that my legs didn't occupy. "I'm sorry." She said, so quietly I almost missed it.

"Why ya apologizin'?" I asked.

"You're mad at me."

I shook my head. "Ain't mad."

"Ya are." She said, her accent slipping through.

"I dunno how I can help ya if I can't talk to ya." I told her.

She was quiet for a moment. "Do you remember when we were happy?"

I thought about it. Every moment I spent with her was happy to me. Seein' her alive on Hershel's farm was happy for me. But I knew she meant years ago. "I do."

"I wish we could have that back." She said quietly.

I laid there for a minute before I sat up and looked at her. She watched her lap. "That what ya really want?"

She looked up at me. She hesitated, but she nodded.

"Then tell me what happened so it ain't between us. And I'll kiss ya and love ya like we were seventeen." I told her heartily.

Her eyes began to water and she ducked her head quickly.

I pulled her into me so she was sitting on my lap, her head against my shoulder.

Her whole body was racked by sobs and I would've ripped my beating heart out if it woulda helped her.

"He told me to take off my shirt and bra or he'd kill Glenn. And then he came up behind me and slammed my head into the table. He didn't do nothin'… But I ain't never had somebody force me to do that…" She trailed off through her sobbing.

I held her close. A mix of white hot rage and pure pain rocked through my body. I didn't know what I could do to help her. "I'm gonna kill him." I said without thinking.

She slowly quieted down, gripping my shirt tightly. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't you be sayin' that. Ain't your fault." I told her.

"I didn't want them to kill Glenn." She said.

"I know, baby. I know. He won't get away with it. Did David McAlister get away with it in high school?" I asked her.

She gave a short laugh. "You broke his nose, cheek and three ribs."

"And he didn't do half this to ya." I told her.

She nodded, seeming to calm down. "Will… will you…" She stuttered.

"I ain't goin' nowhere." I said, pulling her closer to my chest.

She nodded, nuzzling into my shoulder. "You were always my hero, Dixon."

"You were always my reason to be." I told her, kissing the top of her head.

I asked Rick the next morning if he knew what happened to Emma. He said he knew she'd been hurt, but not the specifics of it. I told him, so it wasn't hidden in the closet. Rick was pissed, but disagreed with my idea of burnin' the whole town to the ground.

Emma had told me she wanted us to be happy again, like when we were kids. But she was now avoiding me. It'd been better than a week now since we'd gotten her and Glenn back, and we'd barely talked at all. I couldn't bring myself to say something I might regret, when I didn't know why it was she was avoiding me.

I'd gone and asked Maggie, hoping maybe she could help me out. It wasn't what I wanted to hear though.

"Daryl. She was assaulted. You think she's gonna go back to her normal self in a week?" She asked.

I sighed. "No. I knew it was gonna hurt her in the head. I don't mean it like that."

Maggie nodded. "She needs comfort. She doesn't want to be a burden to you. She wants you to hold her and tell her you still care despite the fact she thinks she's tainted now."

I looked up at her sharply. "She ain't tainted."

"Then tell her that. And be gentle." She reinforced.

I'd nodded, going off to think about it somewhere I could be alone.

I heaved a sigh, looking out at the field that was finally walker free. We'd worked so hard to make this a safe place; we even lost people for it. I didn't think anything was worth that spilled blood.

My thoughts wandered back to Merle. Glenn said he was gonna kill him, even though Merle knew Glenn from before. I didn't think Merle was a killer, but I didn't think I'd be able to saw off my own hand neither.

And I thought about Emma. I remembered how we were in high school. How she'd bring me lunch at the shop and all the guys would give me shit because the rest of them were lonely fucks. And here I was a lonely fuck because of my own stupid pride. I didn't have the balls to talk to this girl like a man. This girl that I loved, even ten years later.

I floated back inside, hoping maybe I could figure out my next move. I closed the gate behind me as I entered the common area. Emma sat at a table by herself, twiddling her thumbs. She gave me a glance before standing up.

"Can we talk?" My voice sounded loud in my ears, but she paused, turning back to me.

"About?"

I gestured between the two of us. "Us."

"What's there to talk about?" She asked.

I felt an ache in my chest. "We gotta fix this."

"Ain't nothin' broken." She told me, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Emma. Stop." I told her quietly.

"I ain't doin' nothin', Dixon." She told me and her use of my last name was sharp.

"Ya are. You're pushing me away. That same as ya always do." I told her.

"Maybe you're pushin' back." She said, stepping closer to me.

I shook my head, holding up my hands. "I'm standin' right here."

She narrowed her eyes at me before shaking her head.

I growled. "Fine." I told her, taking the defensive. I moved around her, walking into the main area of the cells.

"Dixon! Don't you walk away from me." She called.

I stopped and turned to her. "Just takin' lessons from the master." I said, giving a little bow.

Her jaw dropped. "You did not just say that to me." I nodded simply. "I never walk away from you!" She said sharply.

"But ya keep my goddamn ring. Pawn shop wouldn't give ya 200 bucks?" I asked. I knew it was a low blow, but I didn't care.

"You want your goddamn ring?" She said, taking it off her finger and throwing it at me. "Have it."

I was fuming. "I don't give a rat's ass about the goddamn ring. Ya need to stop avoiding me."

"Like how you walked away from me, just now?" She asked.

I was aware in the back of my mind how we were being watched but I didn't really care. "It's always what you do when the chase goes south. You pack your shit and leave."

"Maybe I will." She said and I could hear the venom in her voice.

"You wanna fuckin' leave, you pack your shit and get. Ain't nobody here gonna stop your sorry ass." I said, feeling the fire in my veins.

"You want me to leave? Fine." She said, storming up the stairs and down the catwalk.

I glanced over and Maggie was staring, open mouthed. "What part of gentle did you not understand?" Maggie asked, looking exhausted.

"Daryl, she can't just leave." Glenn said.

There was a banging noise and Emma walked past me. She had her duffle on her back with her bow strapped to it.

"Where the fuck are you goin'?" I called.

"You said get." She called over her shoulder as she left the room.

"Goddamn woman." I growled, putting my hands on my hips as I turned away from the door.

"Daryl! What are you doin'!" Beth exclaimed.

"She wants to walk, she can walk her ass back to Savannah for all I give a shit." I growled.

Maggie made an angry noise before stalking over to me. "You're such an idiot. Go get her."

"Why?" I asked sharply.

"Because you love her and don't want her to die." She said, giving me a solid tone.

Her words made me pause, looking down at her. "Goddammit." I leaned down to pick up the ring before turning and running for the gate, barely closing it behind me. By the time I got to the yard, Emma was almost to the main gate.

"Emma!" I called, but she kept walking. "Mere!" I yelled again.

She made the same angry noise Maggie had as I stopped her. "What? What do you want? What could you possibly have to say that's more important than 'get'?" She asked, fire in her eyes.

"I love you." The words tumbled out of my mouth.

She paused, her face devoid of any emotion.

I leaned down and kissed her, my hands cupping her face.

It took a minute, but I heard her bag drop to the gravel and her arms wrapped around my neck as she kissed me back. I felt her lips turn up and I pulled back to look at her eyes.

"Took ya long enough, fucker." She said with a smile.

I laughed heartily. "Be mine forever. I don't even care if forever ends next week or in fifty years."

"I wouldn't have kept the stupid ring to tell you no." She smiled as I slipped it on her left hand.

"I can't believe that worked. How did that work?" Glenn asked from behind us somewhere.

"You always were a rough bastard." Emma told me.

"Ah darlin'. But ya never complained." I smiled, kissing her again.

"It's actually kind of sweet." Hershel said from behind us.

"No, but how did that work? If you told me to fuck off, I'd figure you literally meant fuck off." Glenn said and I could only assume he was talking to Maggie.

"That's because I would." Maggie spoke up.

I pulled away from Emma and smiled. "I don't give a shit if you're tired of me or not, you don't getta leave no more."

"I only left once!" She spoke up, sounding offended.

I looked at her sharply, before turning to see how far we were from the prison to the gate. "Twice."

She shrugged. "I knew you'd come after me this time."

"This time?" I asked sharply. "I came after your ass last time."

Confusion covered her features. "What?"

I nodded. "I drove out to Savannah the night before you were supposed to have your wedding. I was gonna stop ya, but your roommate said you were at your rehearsal dinner."

Her eyebrows drew together and she looked kinda cute when she was confused. "Oh. That bitch. If I find her still alive, I'm gonna gut her. She's gonna wish she'd gotten eaten by walkers. I didn't even have a rehearsal dinner because she slept with my goddamn fiancé! She's dead!"

I smirked, loving the fire I felt coming off her. I didn't have to say anything, I just pressed my lips to hers, silencing her yells. She melted against me, pulling me closer. I pulled back enough to rest my forehead against hers. "Mine forever."

She grinned. "I always knew I'd make a good Mrs. Dixon."