Daryl's POV:

Emma was so light in my arms when I carried her back inside to the hotel, it felt like carrying one of the tiny animals I had killed in the forest many times. I laid her down on the bed in Hershel's room so he could examine her the best he could. He was still getting used to only having one leg now, but appeared to be feeling much better. Hershel hobbled over on his crutches and then laid them beside him on the bed before taking her pulse from her wrist.

"Shes alive, but barely" Hershel said looking over to me. I bit my thumb nail nervously and nodded to the older man. I would never admit it to anyone out loud, but I was trembling with fear on the inside. Emma was the one person I felt understood the person I was without needing me to spill my whole life life story to her. When i felt myself loosing hope in this world, this damned world, i would look to this strong woman laying in front of me and suddenly I would find the strength within.

i felt this attraction to her that I never had for any other woman in my entire life, not even the whores Merle and I would find in our local bar. She was beautiful, even in these tragic circumstances we found ourselves. She often had smelled even worse that i did, her brown hair in a tangled mess across her shoulders and dirt and blood smeared across her face, and i still would find her the most gorgeous woman I had ever seen. I couldn't tell her any of this though, I could never tell her about the aching feeling in my stomach when she left my sight...that feeling I got when our skin slightly brushed when we slept....If she didn't feel the same way about me, it would ruin everything we had and that was something I couldn't risk.

Hershel had said something else to me but i didn't quite catch what it was, I was too busy staring down at Emma's blood soaked stomach from where Shane had stabbed her. "Daryl, did you hear me?" I heard Hershel ask. I looked up to see hims staring back at me. I shook my head and took my thumbnail from in between my teeth and gently grabbed Emma's cold hand in mine. "You need to leave and let me take care of her, I promise you she will be fine" Hershel said with confidence in his voice. I Bent down to kiss Emma on the forehead but instead walked out of the room, not wanting Hershel to see that. I trusted Hershel to take good care of her, so I headed outside to the son of a bitch who did this to her...

I walked outside to see the sun setting behind the trees of our home, leaving a bright glare that made me blink my eyes several times to get used to the light. Carol was standing beside me on the opposite side of the door, rocking Rick's daughter slowly in her arms. I was glad Emma had found some clothing for her since for a few days the baby was wearing a makeshift diaper made out of socks. "How is she?" Carol asked quietly as not to wake the sleeping baby in her arms. "Hershel says she will be fine" i mumbled before heading over to Rick and Shane. 

Rick had Shane handcuffed, and he sat leaning against the same tree Emma once was leaning against. I could still see a large blood stain running down. Carl, Glenn, T-Dog and Rick were all standing in a semi circle around him. Maggie and Beth were standing off to the side, but once they caught sight of me they took off back inside the hotel. "What the fuck was that?!" I found myself yelling the second I walked over to the group of men. Shane just sat smirking against his tree.

I couldn't take looking at his face that looked all too happy about what he had done....what he had done to the only woman I had cared about since my mother died when I was eight years old. My fist collided with his jaw so hard he tumbled over to the side, causing Carl to jump out of the way. I heard Shane grunt in pain as his face hit the dirt hard. I continued punching him over and over again until my knuckles were bleeding just like his swollen face, and even then i didn't stop...that is until Glenn and T-Dog pulled me back.

Shane rolled to his side and spit out pools of blood onto the ground. "Your one fucked up son of a bitch, you know that!" I screamed down at the bleeding man crumpled in pain. "Bitch had it coming" I heard him spit out. But before I could get another hit onto him, Carl beat me to it by kicking him across his jaw hard. I was surprised Carl had taken it upon himself to kick a man that had been like a father to him for so long.  "Shut up Shane" Carl growled down at him.

"What are we going to do about him?" Glenn asked, finally removing himself from holding me back, as did T-Dog. All of us were looking down at Shane, and then to Rick who looked beside himself on how to handle the behaviour of his best friend. Rick shook his head before bending down to squat on his knees, His revolver steady in his hands. "He cant stay here, and if we let him go he obviously knows where we are" T-Dog said. Shane still hadn't tried to get up after the hits from me and the kick from Carl, and I was glad he was suffering in pain just like Emma did...but it wasn't enough.

"Rick, you decide or I will" I said crossing my arms across my chest. Rick was still bending down staring at his former best friend in front of us. "Anything to say Shane?" Rick asked quietly. Today was the most Rick had spoken in over a week, since the death of his wife and the birth of his daughter. "Go to hell, all of y'all" Shane spat at us, blood dripping slowly down his chin. "You got a broken leader. You are all weak, one day you will realize I was meant to be in charge, not that bitch inside" Shane said coughing up even more blood. Rick finally stood from his squatting position and pointed his revolver at Shane's head.

"You really gonna kill me man?" Shane asked rolling from his side onto his knees, where he squatted staring down the barrel of Rick's gun. "Thought you said we don't kill the living?" He added, his face turning murderous. 

"Emma is a part of my family Shane. She's family to everyone here" Rick said tilting his head sideways, I felt myself nodding in response. I felt Emma and I were pretty close as friends, but even more so we were family, even more so then the other members of the group. "Emma saved my life, I owe her" And with that he cocked his gun, loading a bullet into the chamber. Shane seemed unfazed by the gun pointed at his head, he didn't really seem to care that death was mere moments away. 

"Do it dad" Carl said confidently from his spot behind Shane. The sound of Carl's voice seemed to had triggered something within Shane to make him want to live. "Man, you don't wanna do this, I know you don't wanna kill me!" He said shouting up at his best friend with trembling hands. Rick's eyes faltered for one second before i found him handing his revolver over to me. His eyes were pleading up at me to finish this, I could see the pain he was feeling, the confusion and devastation of having to kill a man he knew for half his life....his best friend and partner. He just lost his wife barely two weeks ago, and now he would be loosing someone else.

His eyes were pleading with me to finish what he started, and I took his gun with shaking hands that I quickly steadied with a weapon in my hand. Rick placed a hand on my broad shoulder before grabbing his son and turning them to face the other direction. They didn't leave, they didn't run away...they just couldn't actually watch the life leave Shane's eyes. I could see Rick's shoulders shaking from where i stood, only meaning he truly was human even having to make the decision to kill a human being. I took a steady breath before finally putting the gun to Shane's head.

"Tell that bitch I said-" But Shane never got to finish those words as I pulled the trigger, ending his life forever. His body slumped sideways, blood pouring out of his head. "Can you handle this? I need to get to Emma." I asked T-Dog and Glenn who were staring at Shane's lifeless body. "You got it" Glenn responded before turning to T-dog and grabbing the body. I handed Rick his revolver back, and received a silent nod of gratitude, before heading back inside the hotel...

I could hear mostly female voices coming from the room when I got inside, guessing it was just Maggie, Carol and Beth. I was just hoping that Emma was alright when i got there, that her baby blue eyes would be looking up at me with that certain sparkle they always seemed to have even on the darkest of days...

I slowly braced myself for the worst before I pushed open the door to Hershel's bedroom. I didn't see Emma at first, Carol and Maggie were standing next to the bed. "How is she?" I asked over their conversation that quickly stopped with the sound of my voice. Maggie turned around to see me standing there and gave me a smile. "Shes fine, just resting" Carol told me, handing the baby over to Beth who was sitting next to her father on the couch. "Ill be back" She said before wandering off outside.

I sat down beside Emma, and grasped her hand tightly in mine. Her hand was warmer than i felt only hours before and the color was returning to her face. "Stitched her up, it wasn't deep but it was messy, hit a vein somewhere...but she will be fine" Hershel said with a smile as he gently patted his daughters leg who sat beside him. I nodded to him before turning my attention back to Emma....

It felt like I had been sitting here for hours, and when I looked back around the room I noticed everyone was gone. The curtains were pushed open revealing the tops of several bushes, and the moonlight pouring in through the large windows. I stifled a yawn before finding myself laying down beside her on the bed. She looked so peaceful... she was laying on her back, her brown hair surrounding her head on a pillow like a halo. Her arms were tucked under the blanket, and I could hear her steady breathing since her head lolled to face me.

I reached over and gently stroked the side of her face with my hand, I didn't have to worry about to group watching, or Emma feeling uncomfortable, although I wish she was awake and here to talk to me, I was enjoying this peaceful moment between us. My fingers traveled south only to gently tuck some of her soft brown hair behind her ear. My hand was gently resting on her neck when i found my eyelids growing heavy, and i fell into a peaceful slumber knowing that Emma was ok......

When I felt my body waking up, Something felt odd...Someone was tickling the side of my face causing my head to twitch. "Wake up sleepy head" I heard a soft voice say. It sounded familiar but i couldn't quite place it. It felt like something was stroking the side of my face, something like fingertips. "Dare" Someone said softly, I moaned hearing that sweet voice again, that familiar voice I couldn't place. My eyes started opening, and winced at the bright light coming in through the windows. I looked around for a second before my eyes met crystals blue.

Those crystal blue eyes I had been wanting to see. Emma was looking over at me with a smile on her face, her fingertips were gently grazing the stubble on my chin. I reached up and grabbed her hand in mine before resting them both on my chest. "Your ok?" I asked looking over at her. She just nodded her head slowly and squeezed my hand that she was still holding. I got an overwhelming feeling of happiness looking over at her happy face. Emma was alive, she was ok and i wouldn't have to worry about Shane messing with her ever again. 

"im a little sore but I think I'll-" She said but she never got the chance to finish, as i sort of awkwardly tackled her into a hug knocking the air out of her. She groaned for a second before I felt her thin arms wrap themselves around my neck. "Im ok Dare" She whispered in my ear, gently playing with the ends of my overgrown hair. I nodded into the crook of her neck and just enjoyed holding her in my arms, knowing she was alright. "Don't do that again" I said softly in her ear before pulling reluctantly pulling myself off of her. 

I laid back down beside her, only closer, close enough to feel her hot breath on my face. "im not going anywhere" She said laying on her side looking over at me. Our matching blue eyes stared back at one another before her eyes closed, her falling asleep and I was right behind her.