Solitary: The Walking Dead

Chapter 141.

I'm gonna protect you.

"How was the journey?" Maggie asks as Iris climbs off her bike, she pulls her bandana down "it was fine" Iris answers, hugging the woman, pulling away and walking to Daryl as he makes his way over to her, "how'd it go?" he asks wrapping his arms around her, "i think it went well" Iris says looking up at him.

"How're things going here?" Iris asks, looking back at Maggie, "it's been fine" Maggie says as they walk up to the porch steps, Iris sits down and pulls out a cigarette from her back pocket, lifting her lighter and holding the flame to the end of the stick, "how's Alexandria?" Daryl asks sitting next to her, Maggie sitting on the other side of her, "it's fine, they're still trying to fix the houses" Iris explains, taking a long drag of the cigarette before handing it to Daryl.

"How was Juniper when you told her you were staying here?" Maggie asks, "i don't know... she said she was fine" Iris says, taking the cigarette from daryl and looking up at the stars as she inhales the smoke, the three of them sit in silence, listening to the sound of the night.

........

Iris kicks off her boots and sits on the bed, watching Daryl take his shoes off before taking his vest off and sitting it over the armchair, Daryl sits down next to Iris, she turns her attention to him. He leans in and connects his lips to hers, holding onto her hips and pulling her onto his lap, Iris pulls away and looks down at him, "what?" he questions as she takes in his features.

"Nothing" Iris mumbles, kissing him on the cheek, slowly moving her lips down his jaw kissing his neck and listening to his breathing as he closes his eyes, Iris pulls back and looks down at him. "You're so beautiful" Daryl mumbles, looking up at the woman he loves, looking into her eyes he thinks about how comfortable she makes him.

He had never had anyone make him feel like this before, he always wants to be with her, when he wants to be alone he wants her there with him. When she turned up at the farm he never would have thought they would be here today, holding her in his lap. "What you thinkin' about?" Iris whispers, kissing his jaw again "you" Daryl mumbles.

Iris sits back in his lap "why didn't you tell me how you felt sooner?" Daryl questions "because... i- i don't know" Iris mumbles, Daryl watches her emotions change, "i've never been able to tell people i'm struggling... i just keep it to myself... I grew up being trained to keep it in. I would get punished if I got upset" Iris explains, looking down like a nervous dog.

Daryl gently holds the side of Iris's face, lifting her to look at him "I'm never gonna let anyone hurt you again. I'm gonna keep you safe" Daryl says, he watches tears fill her eyes as they try to look everywhere but him, "i promise. I'm gonna protect you" Daryl says, Iris lays her head on Daryl's shoulder, he wraps his arms around her body.

.........

Daryl wakes to Iris tossing and turning, he slowly sits and watches over her, reaching down he starts stroking her hair from her face, she slowly wakes, turning and looking up at him, "sorry i woke you" She mumbles, sitting up and rubbing her hands over her face "what was it?" Daryl questions, Iris stands up from the bed and walks towards the chair sat in front of the window, swiping her cigarettes and lighter from the dresser before sitting in the chair.

Daryl watches as she slides the window open, she pulls out a cigarette and holds it between her lips, she holds the flame from her lighter against the end of the stick, Iris looks out at the stars, holding the smoke in her lungs as she builds up the courage to speak. "When I was out there in the beginning. I came across a woman and her child" Iris mumbles, Daryl sits and listens to her words.

"She convinced me to let her stay at my camp for a couple days" Iris adds, bringing the cigarette to her lips again and takes a long drag, Daryl stays quiet scared that if he speaks he might spook her, "i gave her some food and let her get some sleep and she tried to convince me to let her stay longer. But I said no. i told her she needed to leave" Iris explains, her hands shaking as she holds the cigarette out in front of her.

"I woke up to find her holding a knife to her child... she slit her own daughter's throat because i didn't let them stay... My dad was right. I get the people around me killed. I got hershel killed. I got Abraham and Glenn killed... i let Carl die" Iris snaps, falling deeper into a spiral, Daryl quickly stands and walks over to her, he sits on the window sill in front of her and makes her look at him.

"I don't want to be like this anymore. I don't want to feel like this anymore. I need it to stop" Iris says, Daryl looks down at her, no words come out of his mouth, his mind blank on ways to help the woman he loves. "I don't want to hurt you" Iris mumbles, Daryl places his hand on Iris's knee "we'll figure this out, together" Daryl says. Iris looks up at him, the suffocating feeling filling her chest slowly escaping her, she reaches down and lays her free hand on top of Daryl's hand sitting on her thigh.

She wants to get better for him. She wants to get better for Rick. for juniper. She needs to do this for Judith. She's failing Carl by doing this to herself. She needs to be better.

Iris and Daryl climb back into the bed, holding each other; they slowly drift back off to sleep.