Ok, Guys, thanks for everything. This was a blast to write and I'm glad so many you "alerted" and "favorited" it! It means the world to me, really!

Chapter 18

Daryl gingerly lifted Hallie out of the jeep and laid her in the back of the van. She had cried out when her knee was moved and then he noticed she was biting her lower lip any time they jostled her. Daryl agreed reluctantly to let T-Dog drive his truck back to the camp while he sat in back of the van with Hallie.

Hallie told Daryl and Rick the whole story, including the fight in the kitchen. She fought back tears most of the way through. It was difficult for her and at times her memory seemed a bit fuzzy, but they were able to get most of the details. When they returned to camp, everyone was quiet, surrounding Hallie, greeting her with delicate hugs. Hallie sat on the picnic table, her injured knee supported by one of the bench seats. They listened to Daryl and Rick retell most of Hallie's account of the time with Shane. They were shocked to learn what had happened, but no one said anything negative - they'd had plenty of time to absorb what he'd done to Sophia and once she was returned, it was easy for them to accept that Hallie was an unwilling participant.

Lori hung back, a guilt-ridden look on her face. Carol kept holding Hallie's hand and rubbing it. Dale and Andrea looked Hallie over carefully. They checked Hallie's pupils and compared her other symptoms to those in Dale's medical book. Rest, lots of rest, was the apparent prescription. Rick and Daryl carried her to Daryl's tent and helped her to the bed, where Carol and Andrea took over, cleaning her up, washing her hair, getting her wounds dressed. It was a struggle to keep her awake at times so they kept her attention with their best dirty jokes and girl stories. It unnerved Daryl to hear raucous laughter from the tent, knowing that Hallie was in such pain.

"What tha' fuck're they doin' in there, Dale?" he looked at the older man as they both sat at the table, sharing a couple shots from a near-empty bottle of Jim Beam. "She needs to be restin'."

"Keeping Hallie awake, if I had to guess." he said.

"Ain't right." the scruffy man scowled. "She's hurt 'n they're in there cutin' up."

"Daryl, Son," Dale said gently, "sometimes laughter's the best medicine. Let them take care of her. She's going to be ok. She's got you."

Daryl looked down at his feet and nodded.

XXXXX

Lori brought in a bowl of canned stew and Hallie wolfed it down. She could barely look at Hallie and as Andrea and Carol excused themselves to go get Hallie some more clothes, she stayed behind.

"Lori, what's the matter?" Hallie asked, leaning her head back on a pillow.

"I'm just so sorry about all of this." the brunette said quietly. "I feel like it's all my fault."

"You didn't make Shane go off the deep end. I think he's been wound pretty tight from the get-go. Don't blame yourself."

"I can't help it."

"I know. But you gotta stop. It's over now."

Lori wrung her hands and fought back a tear. "I really didn't know." she said, looking straight at Hallie.

"I know you didn't." Hallie said, nodding. "How could you? I think Shane really thought Rick was dead too. Just let it go, Lori. It's all over."

The tall woman shook her head and smiled. They sat there in silence for a minute. "Need anything?" she asked.

"A ton of vicodin...but I'll settle for Daryl."

"Sure." She smiled. "You sure you can't have a couple shots to help you sleep better?"

"Positive. Aspirin's all. It's going away already, now that I'm back." Hallie smiled.

"Hallie?" Lori asked, turning from the door. "You didn't settle for Daryl. You made a smart choice. You got a good one." she smiled.

"I know. I got lucky too." Hallie said. "First try. I guess it's not really third time charm, is it?"

"I guess not."

XXXXX

Daryl slid his head into the tent and looked at Hallie. She was laying back on the pillows, half-propped up, covered in a quilt to her waist. Her bloody sweatshirt had been replaced with a loose gray t-shirt. Her hair was still damp, waves and curls spilling over the pillow and down her shoulders. Her eyes were closed. She looked a thousand times better now, but the lump in Daryl's throat was so hard to push swallow when he looked at her eye, her cheek, her neck.

He moved as silently as he could and laid down beside her, kissing her arm gently. "You ready to take a nap?'' he asked. "I think it'd be ok now.'

She opened her eyes and ran her hand through the hair over his forehead and down the side of his face. "God yes, but I'm afraid to." she smiled. "I'm afraid this is all a dream and I'll wake up back there with him."

"Ain't no dream. 's real. Yer' back where ya' belong."

"Where's that?" she said, yawning.

"Right here. With me." he kissed her gently.

"Daryl?"

"What now, Baby?"

"Can you have sex with a concussion?" she smiled.

"Nuh-huh." he said. "But when you're better, we'll fuck so hard we'll both have one."

XXXXX

Hallie laid back against Daryl's chest, her hair tickling his chin as they sat by the fire just after dark. He ran his hand down the length of her curls and buried in the thick mass at the base of her neck, rubbing her scalp, massaging her neck. She stretched her neck upwards and he kissed the side of her head, her temple, and wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Ready?" he whispered.

"Um-hum." she said in a low voice. She leaned up as Daryl stood and he pulled her up, her hand snaking around his waist, his arms around her shoulders, helping her hobble on her good leg, keeping weight of the other. Halfway between the fire ring and tent she stopped to rest. "I fucking hate this." she said between her clenched teeth.

"I don't." he said, a broad grin started at one corner of his mouth and spreading across his face.

"What? I feel helpless. How can I not hate this?"

"I fuckin' love it." he said, rolling his eyes. "From this angle, I can see right down yer' shirt 'n watch yer' tits jiggle when ya' hop."

"Oh. My. God!" she laughed and smacked his ass with her hand. "You are such a pig."

"Yup." he said, gently picking her up and carrying her the rest of the way. When he got to the tent, he dropped his head to her chest and nuzzled her breasts. "Mmm. Sou-eee." he said as Hallie squealed and giggled.

XXXXX

Daryl laid Hallie on the mattress and sat back, looking at her. He licked his lips and looked down, biting at the skin on his nail.

"Ask me." she said.

"No."

"We haven't talked about it at all."

"Can't."

"He didn't. " she said quietly.

"Really?" Daryl looked at her and then looked back down.

"Really. It was weird. It wasn't like that. He kept saying he wanted to protect me."

"From what?

"Being abused. Like Carol."

Daryl cocked his head sideways and looked at her. "He thought I'd do that to ya'?

"He was sick, Daryl. He wasn't in his right mind. We both know that."

Daryl was quiet for a minute.

"I ain't never hit a woman in my life." he said, looking up at her, his eyes intently focused on hers. "I'd never hurt you."

"No. You wouldn't. I kept telling him that" she said, running her fingers along his arm, up and down, gently. "I believed that. I still do." He looked at her and she looked up, their eyes meeting. She opened her mouth to say something and he leaned in quickly, covering her lips with his, pressing gently at first, quickly moving his tongue inside. Hallie began to moan softly and withdrew suddenly, surprising Daryl.

"No?" Daryl said.

"No, not no. I just want to make sure first, that you know I didn't mean anything I said. I was so afraid he'd hurt Sophia and I knew if you figured it out, you'd try to come after us. He said he'd kill Sophia if I didn't make it real. I had to make it convincing." Hallie's eyes were closed now. "I had to make you hurt bad enough to not want to have anything to do with me anymore. To leave me alone so he wouldn't hurt her."

"I know, Baby. I know."

"I'm so sorry." she whispered.

XXXXX

Hallie's eyes were closed, her lips apart slightly. She was moaning softly, her hands running through his hair, pulling, tugging gently, kneading his scalp as she moved her hips against him, pressing herself against his mouth. Daryl was making up for lost time, his mouth moving hungrily against her most sensitive parts. Long, lapping strokes, swirling, exploring every fold, every nook, darting from side to side, tongue flat then sharp and pointed. She threw her head back as he changed his pace and latched onto her center, sucking softly, teasing her with quick flicking movements, then slowly twirling circles. She whimpered as she moaned, his hands under her hips, pulling her wider, exploring deeper. She was breathing hard now, her diaphragm contracting, forcing her breath out hard on the exhale, quick and quiet on the inhale.

Daryl knew that making love to her tonight could be awkward, even painful for her. Her bruises were growing lighter with each passing day, cuts beginning to heal, but the damaged tendon in her knee was healing much slower than the other injuries. He took care to prop her knee and the rest of her leg up on a pillow, immobilizing it as best he could. He was so afraid that something he did, a twist, a bump, anything would cause her to be in pain.

Hallie's moans became low, throaty, closer together, indicating that she was near the edge. "Stop. Daryl. Stop." He peered up from between her legs, his deep blue eyes twinkling, ignoring her pleas. An arm covered her eyes, the other hand gripping the sheet tightly now, her foot planted flat on the bed beside his chest, her back arched slightly, pressing her further towards his mouth. "Baby stop. I don't wanna go like this." she panted.

"How can we..." he stopped the heavenly torture briefly, running his finger around the outside of her, now swollen, throbbing.

Hallie sucked in air through her clenched teeth and hissed. "I don't care if my fucking leg falls off. Get...up...in...there...NOW!" She reached down with her hands and pulled on his shoulders, frantic. "Fucking shit, Daryl, now!" she begged.

Daryl moved up and positioned himself over her, leaning on his hands and knees, completely ready. He went slow, inch by inch, watching her face for any sign that he was hurting her. Her top lip was curled under as she pressed both together. "Ohhhhhhhh God." she whined as he put his hands on her, moving her cautiously, as if she was delicate porcelain and would break with the slightest bump. He straddled her leg and brought her other leg carefully up on his hip trying to keep her balanced, keep her from putting pressure on her knee. He studied her face and began to move inside her, watching her, her eyes closed, watching her pulse throb on the side of her neck, her eyelashes flutter and her lips open slightly as she wet her bottom lip with her tongue, back and forth.

Daryl thought it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done, going slow like that. Had she not been injured, he would have pulled the truck over on the way back and had her right then and there, quick, dirty, all hands and mouths and tongues, right there in the front seat. He wouldn't have even cared if the others could see them through their rear-view mirrors at that point. It had been too long since they were together.

"You ok?' he asked slowly, quietly.

"Mmm-hummm." Hallie said, opening her eyes. "This is the best."

"Knee ok?"

"I have knees?" she smiled dreamily.

Daryl grinned and began to pick up the pace a little more. He lowered his forehead to hers, kissing her gently, tenderly, his lips barely touching the bruises near her eye, on the side. He was surprised to find the whole going-slow thing now quite enjoyable, moving gently, rocking back and forth, really feeling what it was like as he moved within her, inch by inch. They stayed this way for what seemed like forever, until he realized that she was looking back at him.

"Are you..."

"Gettin' there...are you?" he nodded.

"Oh, God yes, Daryl, go."

Daryl grabbed Hallie's hip and rocked on his knees now, faster, her foot flat against his chest. Daryl didn't know how that wasn't hurting the other knee but she wasn't complaining and so neither was he. "Jee-sus Christ" he moaned loudly as he came suddenly, unexpectedly. "Holy shit!" as his hands moved to either side of her shoulders, pushing himself up as he arched his back, driving himself into her with a shudder, causing her to tremble as she came at the same time. "Where the fuck did THAT come from?"

He looked down at Hallie, the back of her hand over her mouth, stifling a small scream, eyes clamped shut, back arched, her other hand wrapped around his neck, holding on for dear life. She dropped her arm from his neck and propped herself up on elbow. "Oh my GAWD!" she said loudly. "Dixon, that was unbefuckinglievable!" She dropped back on the bed and started to giggle. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, still panting for breath.

He moved to lay beside her, kissing down one shoulder. "You ok?"

"Nuh-huh." she said, turning to him, twisting awkwardly, leaving her knee on the pillow behind her still. "I am not ok. I am not even here right now. I think maybe I'm still on the moon." she smiled. "Are you?"

"Yup."

"See, Daryl, that's what I love about you." she said, propping her head up with her hand.

"What?" he said, pulling a strand of hair off her shoulder, running his fingers down the length of the stand and curling it around her breast.

"Everything."