Crossbow Hearts

I hurried down the hallway keeping my head down as I felt the tears spill over. I hated Daryl for making me cry, it was pathetic. I have never cried over a man, especially one as ungrateful and hostile as that son of a bitch. I hated the fact that I cared about him and I hated the fact that it made me feel like this.
“Jamie is everything alright?” Maggie asked trying to stop me as I jogged out into the exorcise yard. I shrugged her off.
“Just leave me.” I saw the guard tower and made for that. I’d be high up away from everyone, Merle to unhealthy to get up here and Daryl was to hurt to get up here which suited me just fine. All alone up here with my thoughts I quickly stopped my tears. Dad always said crying never got you anywhere. Suck it up and move on he always said. So that’s what I was trying to do.
“Jamie?!” What in the gods name was that no good red neck doing up here.
“The fuck do you want?” I snapped. Wait Daryl was injured and climbing all the way up here, was he out of his damn mind? What if he hurt himself? I scrambled over to the hatch and looked over seeing him struggling trying to climb up what must be at least 60ft. “Daryl! And you say I'm fucking crazy? You're going to seriously hurt yourself!" I shouted at him, but I couldn’t be angry I was more concerned with if he had pulled out his stitches.
"You have any idea how fucking hard this was?" Was his reply, which brought my anger at him straight back.
"I never asked you to come up here, I came up here to get away from you!" I snapped. "I don't know why I bother with you! You're a complete ass to me 90% of the time!" He wouldn’t look at me, well I was glad that he felt guilty, but know I had started I wasn’t going to stop.
"I know." I barely heard him.
"I helped look after you for three days, fed you, brought you water, hell I helped bathe you! I drive all the way to Macon, just to get some antibiotics for you and bring your, racist and sexist brother back. After been attacked by his fucking group and all I get is a fuck you crazy bitch?" I growled starting to pace as he leaned against the hut looking exhausted. I was trying to get my words together to say how angry and upset I was, but he suddenly grabbed my wrist. "What the hell are you," Were the only words I got out before he pulled me into him smashing his lips against mine. I felt my body relax even though my head was screaming at me to get him off. Eventually I got control pushing him back and slapping him hard. “What gives you the right? What you think kissing me is going to make it all go away? That I’ll just forget about how much of complete and total prick you’ve been to me? News flash, this isn’t the movies! Things don’t work like that in the real world…” But I ran out of steam fairly quickly with the way he was looking at me and the chills running through me. The way my lips were still tingling. I pushed up against him and this time I kissed him back. Attacking his lips with mine hungrily as his arms slipped round my waist a hand on my lower back pushing me into him as close as we could get to each other with our clothes on.
“I hate you so fucking much!” I got out as I pulled away to breath.
“I hate you too, I hate how you can make me feel like the biggest prick that ever lived.” He said back resting his forehead against mine.
“I hate how much I’ve come to care about you.” He laughed and I pulled away from him.
“No,” He said pulling me back. “I wasn’t laughing at you Jamie, I was laughing as that is exactly how I feel about you to. God when Glenn came back without you all I could think about was that other group and what they had done to you. And what if this group was the same, you’d gone because of me. I thought it was just to prove a point, but,”
“It was because I couldn’t stand the thought of you dead. I was ready to kill every one of them when they tried to stop me from leaving. Hell I’d have killed Merle if he’d tried to stop me. But I guess he kinda hit the nail on the head.”
“What are you talking about?” He asked.
“He said and I quote, ‘Well I'll be a monkey's fucking uncle, you're in love with my baby brother’ unquote and I denied it at first and I still don’t know if that’s what it is, but I care about you a hell of a lot. I just don’t get you though. One moment you’re fine, like on the farm with the Randall thing, after Carol turned you held me while I cried. But then you hurl abuse at me, treat me like crap and are ungrateful when I help you.” He looked around for a long time his eyes finally settling on mine.
“I don’t do feelings, but you…you’re feisty, independent, no nonsense, hell you get on with my brother and you’re…beautiful. I just don’t get what you see in a short tempered, bad mouthed, no hope red neck like me.” I smiled softly and pressed me lips to his.
“Because even though you’re a bad tempered, bad mouthed, red neck you’re a good man Daryl Dixon. You’ve saved me god knows how many times. You were there for me when I had my little break down after Carol turned. And the most important thing to me right now is how Caleb looks up to you and how good you are with him. Why wouldn’t I… love you?”
“Ok enough sappy bullshit, Merle already thinks I’m a fag.” Daryl grumbled, but I couldn’t help but smile kissing him quickly again.
“Deal, but we both know you’re not a fag.” I heard noises from the exorcise yard. “What is that?” I started to pull away.
“Nope,” He pulled me back kissing the side of my neck. I started to get back into it when.
“Get out!” I heard the voice shout from the yard below.
“No Daryl who is that?” He let go this time following me to the railing to look down below us. Dexter and Andrew were down there, they had guns, but how? Mine had been moved, locked up so that only Rick and I could get to them. They were backing the group up, it looked like Rick and Tyreese were trying to reason with them.
“Daryl do you know how to use my CheyTac?” He looked at me confused.
“Well yeah, but it ain’t going to do a lot of good seen as it’s in your truck.” I shook my head and went into the hut, quickly pulling out my case and unlocking it.
“I moved it up here the other day. No point having it on the ground, up here is a better place for it.” I told him as I quickly assembled it then past it to him.
“Well what are you doing?” He asked taking the CheyTac from me.
“Doing what I do best, being a crazy ass bitch.” I smirked and headed for the ladders before Daryl could stop me. Merle had pointed out I hadn’t killed Andrew, well I was about to change that. I had already said I had no qualms in taking a life. In the Army you didn’t have time to think of the moral consequences, it was kill or be killed. These two were threatening the life of my group, my friends, people who in this world could be seen as family, people I could rely on. And that didn’t fly well with me. I had both my knife and hand gun with me as I quietly descended the ladder. I was quickly within ear shot of the conversation.
“Now I don’t mind the military girl and the red necks staying they could be mighty help full now this place has been opened up, but the rest of you especially you and that bitch of yours have out stayed your welcome, so get out of my house.” Dexter barked. Well I guess I should be flattered, but they were both going to die if they didn’t stop pointing those assault rifles at Rick and the others. Rick and Merle were the first to notice me, though neither gave me away.
“Come on Dexter we can talk about this there is plenty of room here for all of us.” Rick tried.
“Yeah Dex, Rick is right brother, there ain’t no need for this hostility. Just let’s put the guns away and talk.” Axle added.
“Well if you’re with them you can go to.” Andrew was skittish as he kept waving the gun he had around to point at different people. Tyreese noticed me then and his eyes went wide.
“Jamie! Behind you!” I dropped and rolled to the side on instinct as walkers spilled from a door that had previously been locked. Daryl started unloading my CheyTac from atop the guard tower as I scrambled back from the walkers Merle yanking me to my feet.
“That was fucking close sugar tits.”
“Dexter we need to work together to get these walkers or we’ll all be killed!” Rick shouted. Dexter nodded both him and Andrew turning to face the walkers. “Lori get the kids inside!” Andrew was just a few feet in front of me. I just needed him to turn and see what was coming. I couldn’t shoot him in the back, it was cowardly and I was no coward. He turned and saw I had the gun pointed at his head, he opened his mouth to either beg for mercy or shout for help, but I didn’t give him the chance just pulled the trigger. A hand clamped down on my shoulder.
“Nice one, if you hadn’t I’d have got him later.” Merle said. I went back to shooting walkers and that’s when I noticed that Dexter was nowhere to be seen.
“Is that the last of them Rick?”
“Yeah Jamie,” he walked over to me, stopping and looking at someone on the floor, Dexter and then stepped to me. “Thanks for taking down that problem.”
“Welcome, nice shooting.” I nodded towards Dexter’s body showing I knew he had done it. “Guess we need to start on clean up.” I said making to move.
“No Jamie, you take Merle,” Rick started.
“I’ll go to.” Alan said coming forward.
“Are you sure Alan?”
“Yeah Rick, I need to keep busy.” He sighed, wringing his hands.
“Ok Jamie, take Alan and Merle check the perimeter for any roamers and take’em down.”
“You got it Rick, and someone might want to help Daryl down from the guard tower, unless he can get himself down.” I motioned Merle over and we set off.
“So what did my fag brother have to say for himself?” Merle asked after a while.
“We sorted things out, we’re on the same page now.” He looked at me as I said it and I couldn’t help the little flush of pink that creeped on to my cheeks as he stared at me.
“You screwed him didn’t you?” He laughed. I punched him on the arm.
“No I didn’t, though who knows what would have happened if Dexter hadn’t have tried to chuck us out.” He smirked and patted me on the back. “Alan stay close ok?” I turned to him as he lagged behind. He nodded and picked up his pace soon getting in front of us. “I can’t begin to imagine what him and Donna are going through right now.”
“I know.” Were Merle’s only words. Alan was leaning down to look at a walker.
“Alan don’t do that, it’s dangerous.” The walker lurched forward, but Alan moved and shot it. Merle and myself held still waiting to see if it would attract anymore, but it didn’t.
“Alan use the pipe Tyreese gave you, we don’t need to get trapped by a group of walkers.
“Sorry Jamie.” He sighed dejectedly. “Oh hey what’s in here?” I turn to see what Alan was referring to just as he opened the door.
“No ALAN!” But a walker pushes through grabbing Alan. I grab a hold of Alan and pull as Merle tries to shut the door. But all the pulling succeeds in doing is ripping the walkers upper body away from its legs. Merle slams the door shut as the walker takes hold of Alan’s leg sinking its teeth in deep. Merle sticks his knife in its head as Alan drops to the floor.
“Oh god my leg! I’m dying! I can feel it, the infection!”
“Alan, shit, you aren’t you’re going to live you hear me!” I shouted over him. I pulled out my belt tightening it above the wound fashioning it into a tourniquet.
“I heard someone suggest cutting off the limb that’s infected can stop them from turning.” Merle hollered over both of us.
“But I haven’t got anything to do that with!”
“Grab him and we’ll have to take him to the others!” We pulled him up and positioned him between us and tried to run as quick as we could.
“RICK! Somebody get Hershel!” I shouted as they came into view.
“Jamie, what’s happened?” I was so out of breath, but not as bad as Merle who looked ready to keel over.
“He opened a door…a walker…bit him…Merle says…amputate the leg!” I spat out. Rick paled slightly then his face changed to one of resolve. That’s when I noticed the axe in his hands.
“Tyreese, Axle hold him down.” The guys moved to hold him down, Merle pulling me back. My eyes fixed on Rick and the axe as he raised it above his head.