Hi there!! Sorry this update took so long! As some of you may know my 92 year old great grandmother was staying with me and let me tell you that was a blast! (note my sarcasm here) Well she was here for almost 2 months. That being said I was the one taking care of her seeing as my mom worked. I didn't get to leave the house for 2 months! I was going nuts! She was so bipolar. One minute she would be nice and the next minute she was threatening to kill me! On Friday she finally left and I have been partying ever since! Friday night I rode up and down my road in my car with the windows down screaming 'FREEDOM!' Since then I have been hanging out with friends who didn't want to come around with granny being here! I've had a lot of catching up to do!! Anyway now I'm back and I'll be updating as much as my mind will let me again!! WHOOP!!!!!!

It was so freaking awesome to come back and see over 20,000 reads for the whole story!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And 9 comments on the last chapter!!!!!!!!!!!!! That is freaking amazing!!!!!! I hope you keep all those comments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would love to get comments like that on every chapter!!!!! Hope you enjoy the update!!!!

REEDUS KISSES FOR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!! Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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Daryl and I had an interesting night. We were both now lying in bed with the blankets pulled around us. Daryl's arms were wrapped around me and my head was lying on his chest. I was running my fingers up and down his chest.

I watched as Daryl shivered a little under my touch. "This is why I'm okay with you not being able to have kids," that southern drawl broke the silence. I smacked his chest lightly and sat up. "Dick," I said. I looked around the room taking in the surroundings around us.

The moonlight was shining through the window. Suddenly gunfire broke out and we heard screaming. "What the hell?!" I asked jumping out of bed. Not this again. Daryl and I quickly threw our clothes on and ran down the stairs. We grabbed our crossbows and darted out the door.

Walkers were everywhere. "Son of a bitch," Daryl growled. He looked down at me. "Sophia," I whispered. Daryl squeezed my shoulder lightly and we both took off down the porch steps. We took down walkers left and right. Who knew how many there actually were.

I heard the sickening sound of a bolt sinking into a skull. I turned around to see a walker on the ground. I yanked it out and looked over at Daryl and nodded slightly before making my way through more walkers. Daryl was by me in seconds.

"Where the fuck did they all come from?" Daryl asked me while we fought our way towards the front. I grunted while stabbing a walker in the head. I looked behind me to make sure that there weren't any walkers behind me and luckily there wasn't.

"Daryl what about Sophia?" I asked him trying to keep the concern out of my voice. I didn't want to sound weak. He stopped for a second to look at me. "She's gonna be fine," he whispered while shanking another walker in the head. I sighed a little as I looked around.

"Daryl the gates are open!" I pointed at them. Daryl nodded slightly and we both took off running with our crossbows slamming across our backs. We both tugged on the gates but they wouldn't budge. I looked down. "The bars are bent on the track so they can't move."

Daryl growled and kicked the gate. "What do we do?!" I asked him. He grabbed my hand and pulled me back towards the houses. Everything had stopped. It was quiet except for our boots crunching through the gravel. Daryl squeezed my hand lightly.

We approached the rest of the guys that were outside. "What the fuck happened?" Daryl asked Rick. He shrugged a little. "I looked outside and noticed them. I don't know what happened to the gates though," Rick said while running his hand through his hair.

"There's no way that those can be fixed. They can't be shut back either. Walkers didn't do that. They were purposely damaged," Rick nodded slightly at my comment and tugged on his hair. You could tell that he was pretty aggravated. Daryl squeezed my hand a little.

"Sophia?" Daryl questioned Rick. He sighed and pointed towards his house. Daryl pushed me slightly towards Rick's house and I hurried up the steps. I quickly opened the door and called out to Sophia. I heard footsteps barreling down the stairs and Sophia was in my arms.

I picked her up and spun her around slightly. "Are you alright?" I asked her while looking her over. She nodded slightly and buried her head in my shoulder. I looked over at Lori and Carl and nodded at them slightly before walking out with Sophia in my arms.

When I arrived to the group back outside Daryl was missing. I watched one of our bigger vehicles moving towards the gate. "Daryl's moving one of the cars in front of the gates to block it off," I nodded slightly and adjusted Sophia on my hip making sure to avoid my crossbow.

I heard the door shut and watched Daryl walk back over to us. I watched a smirk form on his face as he saw tiny Sophia sitting in my arms. He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and ruffled Sophia's hair lightly when he approached us. I sighed and leaned into him.

"We'll stay here the rest of the night. At sunrise we need to head out and find another place to stay," Rick said. We all nodded a little before breaking apart and heading back to our houses. Daryl squeezed my shoulder a little and looked down at me.

"It's cold," I mumbled. He smirked slightly and nodded. "I know," he said. I shook my head. "No, I mean, it's like really cold. The houses help holding out the cold air. We can't live on the roads and in tents. We'll all freeze to death," I whispered. Daryl sighed a little.

"I know I know, but we can't stay here. We're in danger again," he said. I scoffed. "We've been in danger this whole time! We've never been okay. Look around Daryl! There's nowhere safe! We're all screwed!" I heard Sophia whimper in my arms.

I kind of forgot about having her here. Daryl glared down at me. "Not here, not in front of her," he said while pointing at Sophia. I nodded a little and kept my mouth shut until we arrived back to our house. Daryl locked the door behind us and I walked upstairs with Sophia in my arms.

I laid her down on her bed but she wouldn't release her grip on me. "Soph, honey, you have to let go," I said while trying to pry her arms from around me. "Don't leave me," she whined. I sighed and pushed her back slightly. She had tears rolling down her face.

"Sophia, I have to talk to Daryl for a second alone. I promise I'll be back. You'll be okay," I said. Sophia wiped her eyes slightly before nodding. "Okay, can I stay in your room tonight," I looked over at Daryl who was leaning against the doorframe to her room.

He cocked his head slightly and then nodded. I looked back at Sophia who had a slight smile on her face. She sighed and snuggled into her pillows while hugging her doll to her chest. "I'll be right back," I said. Sophia nodded and I got off the bed and followed Daryl.

We shut the door to our bedroom and we both collapsed on the bed. I went into the bathroom and grabbed a wash cloth and a bottle of water. I wet the wash cloth and ran it over Daryl's cheeks lightly. He had blood and dirt caked on his face. I sighed as I tried to focus on cleaning him off and avoiding his eyes.

Daryl reached up and squeezed my hand lightly. I sighed again and connected my eyes with his. "I don't know how I feel about this," I whispered. Daryl blinked a couple times before answering. "I know, but we have to find somewhere else to live," he said.

I let my hands drop from his face. "It would be different if it was summer and it was just you and me. Its winter now and I have Sophia to worry about now," I said. Daryl cocked an eyebrow at me. "And I don't have to worry about her?" he asked. I shook my head.

"No, I didn't say that. I'm just saying we have a kid to look out for. That's completely different than just having to look out for each other. She can't fight. I don't trust her to go out on her own! She's not even 10 yet!" Daryl ran his hands down my arms and squeezed my hands lightly.

"I know, I get it. We have to look out for her and everyone else," I shook my head. "No, we only have to Sophia to look out for. Screw the rest of the group," I said. He nodded slightly and pulled me into his lap so I was straddling his waist. Daryl ran his hands up my sides.

"I get where you're coming from. It's like a uh......a mother's intuition," his voice trailed off. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him into me. He buried his head in my shoulder and I sighed as he turned his head to kiss my neck lightly. I sighed again and ran my hands through his hair.

"We should probably pack our stuff," I whispered. I felt Daryl nod a little and I slid off of his lap. I grabbed my bag and started putting my clothes in the bag. I looked down at my shirt and saw a ton of blood on my shirt. I groaned and started to peel it off.

I winced a little as I moved my shoulder the wrong way bothering my large wound on the back. I felt Daryl's hands cover mine. "Is it still bothering you?" he asked me. I nodded slightly and I felt Daryl's fingers run across my skin lightly. I leaned into him.

"Let me help you," he whispered. I guess I had overdone it this week with killing everything that it had pulled on my shoulder a little too much. I felt Daryl's hands pull at the hem of my shirt. He was so gentle about it and that shocked me. He easily pulled it over my head.

His hands ran down my body making it feel heated all over before grasping my hips lightly. I gasped as he started kissed and sucking on my neck lightly. "Daryl," I groaned as I felt myself push back into him lightly. This caused him to groan in pleasure.

"Daryl, Sophia is just across the hall," Daryl continued kissing up and down my neck completely ignoring what I said. I groaned again as he bit down on my neck lightly. "Daryl," I groaned again turning around in his arms. He pouted a little and I leaned up to kiss the pout away.

I wrapped my arms around his waist lightly. "I would love to continue, but I know Sophia is scared and probably waiting impatiently for us to finish our conversation," I said. Daryl nodded slightly and I stepped out of his arms. Daryl leaned against the dresser behind him.

"I promise the next time we get alone time," my voice trailed off a little bit and Daryl chuckled. "I'll hold you to that," he said while I opened the door to go get Sophia. I walked in her room to find her still sitting in the same position as how I had left her.

I sighed and picked up her bag and started packing her clothes and anything else that she had. I sat her bag at the end of her bed and held out my arms for her. She crawled across the bed and into my arms. "We need to change you into some pajamas," I said.

Sophia nodded slightly and I grabbed the pajamas that were sitting on her nightstand. She quickly changed and then jumped on my back as I carried her across to our room. I plopped her down on the bed and found a pair of sweatpants to change into.

I cracked the bathroom door to see Daryl standing in his boxers with his back to me. I slipped inside and shut the door while leaning against it. Daryl glanced over his shoulder at me before continuing to change. I quickly slipped out of my jeans and slipped into the sweatpants.

Daryl had just finished changing his pants and he was still shirtless. I stepped forward and let my fingers trail lightly over his slightly raised scars. He stiffened a little before relaxing into my touch while I snaked my arms around his waist from behind.

I kissed his scars slowly before he turned around and kissed the top of my head. I sighed as I stepped back and he slipped his shirt on. I walked out the door and back into the bedroom to find Sophia asleep curled up in the middle of the bed. Daryl sighed a little.

I moved Sophia to the side so I could pull the blankets over us before placing her back in the middle of the bed. I crawled in beside her while Daryl got on the other side of her. He reached out and rested his hand on my hip. I sighed and connected my eyes with Daryl's.

"I love you," he mouthed. I smiled a little. "Love you too," I mouthed back. Daryl squeezed my hip a little and I sighed happily. I looked down at Sophia lying between us and I ran a hand softly through her hair. Who knew how much sleep I was actually going to get tonight.

~~

I woke up the next morning to a thud. My eyes opened immediately and they focused on Daryl standing by the bed and looking at Sophia and me with a concerned look. I chuckled a little. "Well good morning," I whispered. I slowly crawled out of bed trying not to disturb Sophia's sleeping figure.

I quickly changed into some other clothes and strung up my boots. I stood up and quickly threw my hair up in a ponytail and looked back down at Sophia. "Should I wake her up?" I asked Daryl. He shook his head lightly. "Let her sleep a little bit longer," I nodded and followed him down the stairs.

It was quiet between us as we walked through the house. Right before we walked out the door Daryl turned to me. "What?" I asked him. I was slightly confused as to why he stopped. Daryl bent down and kissed me lightly before quickly pulling back.

I smiled a little and grabbed his hand. Daryl ran his thumb across his mother's ring slowly and smiled at me weakly. I smiled a little in return before reaching my free hand up and grabbing the back of his neck and pulling him towards me. I kissed him once more before I pulled back and sighed.

Daryl rubbed his chin a little before turning around and opening the door. He pulled me out with him and we started walking towards the fire ring that was in the middle of the housing addition. Only the guys were up excluding Dale. Andrea, Lori, Dale, and the kids were all still sleeping.

"We need to head out soon. We need to find a new place to stay," we all nodded slightly and I tried to pull my jacket around me tighter. It was getting colder and I already knew that this was going to suck. Daryl wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into him.

We all walked back to our houses to get our bags so we could all head out. "Any idea as to where we're going?" I asked him. Daryl shook his head and squeezed my shoulders. "I have no clue," he said. I sighed. "What about your neighborhood?" I asked him.

He shook his head again. "I don't want to go there. There's already enough memories here. I don't want to go there and deal with all the negative stuff that is around there," I nodded slightly. "Well, what about.....no never mine," I said my voice trailing off.

We were now back upstairs and were grabbing our bags. "No what? Tell me," he said. I sighed and sat on the bed. "Some place just popped in my mind but I don't know how you'd feel about it," I said my voice trailing off again. Daryl sat beside me. "My dad's hunting cabin," he said. I nodded slightly. "Only your family knew about it and I doubt anyone could just randomly run into it."

Daryl nodded slightly. "What do you think?" I asked him. He shrugged a little. "We all have to make sacrifices I guess," I moved over beside him and laid my head on his shoulder. "We don't have to mention it if you don't want to. It was just an idea."

Daryl grunted a little. "We'll see," he said. Sophia walked into our room and dropped her bag on the floor. "Ready to go?" I asked her. She nodded and I grabbed her bag along with my own and walked out of the room with both Daryl and Sophia behind me.

We met everyone outside where Rick told us he would lead the way. I sighed as I threw mine and Sophia's bags in the back of Daryl's truck. I helped Sophia inside and let her sit in the middle of us. Daryl hopped behind the wheel and backed the truck up from the entrance.

Rick went out, followed, T-Dog and Glen, then the RV holding Dale and Andrea, we pulled out behind them and Shane followed behind us. "Where are we going?" Sophia's tiny voice piped up. She was so tiny that she could barely see out of the windows.

I squeezed her shoulder lightly. "I don't know, Soph," she was quiet after that. Daryl was biting his thumb nail nervously and stayed silent as he followed the caravan. I sighed and got comfortable in my seat. Who knew where we were going. We would probably stop in a little bit and decide where to go. I looked over at Daryl who was looking at me out of the corner of his eye. Here we go again.

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Again thank you so much for over 20,000 reads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It makes me feel amazing as a writer!!!

So DarEm? Emryl? Which name do you like better? Where do you see there relationship headed?

I don't know if I've mentioned this but I've lowered Sophia's age. She's going to be around 6 or 7 instead of like 11 to 12 years old.

For those of you who have played or watched someone play Walking Dead Survival Instinct you all know that Daryl and Merle are from Louisiana. But because their back story isn't in the show that often I think everyone assumes that they're from Georgia so I'm trying to keep it that way so I don't confuse anyone! Hope you all understand!!

I'm about 99.9% sure I'm naming my new story 'My Damaged Savior' Thanks to everyone who voted! It is much appreciated!!

Comment, vote, fan, follow, add to reading list, spread the word about this story!! Reedus kisses for everyone!!!!!!!!! Y'all are fucking awesome!!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx