Dixon's Girl- TWD- Completed

Not Your Fight

Daryl Pov

When I woke up the night after the fight, I was black and blue, as was merle. My back had cuts all over, and it hurt to move, and to stay still. It hurt to breathe, to blink, to shit. Everything was a challenge

When I saw Jody, she didn't seem as bad. She had a red mark where he had hit her, but that seemed to be it.

"You alright?" I asked her after we had been sitting ontop of our trailers for an hour or two. She had been quiet. It was dark and we hadn't seen eachother all day, because jodys mama said she was too tired.

Jody looked at me and smiled. "I wish you'd stop asking that. It's you I'm worried about."

I scoffed, "you don't ever need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

"Ha. Yeah, sure. You'd do good in an apocalypse, surviving in the wild. But let's not pretend that you are doing well in this world. Your daddy must've beat you good."

"Yeah, something like that. Why haven't I seen you all day?"

There seemed to be a small silence as she thought about her next response. "I was tired. I thought mama told ya?"

"She did. Just wanted to make sure."

"Checking our story adds up?" She asked jokingly, raising an eyebrow whilst playfully nudging my shoulder

I rolled my eyes and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Don't be stupid. Has max said anything?"

"He called the phone a few times but daddy kept answering. I don't think he spoke to him. And then one time the answering machine got it. He was offering me a place to stay, refuge I suppose."

"You should take it," I whispered, kissing her shoulder.

Jody looked at me, as if I had offende her somehow. "What? You want me to leave?"

"I want you to be safe, no matter the cost."

"I don't wanna go, daryl. This is my home. You, merle, mama, you guys are my home and he isn't gonna ruin that. I love you, so so much. We just have to hang on for a little longer. Alright?" I could sense from her fast paced speech that she was stressed so I pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head

In agreement, I nodded, "It's alright, jody. Just a few more years, maybe one year if we find a cheap enough place. I'm doing well at work ya know. Just wish they didn't pay minimum wage."

She put her hand on my thigh. "You are worth more than what they're paying. But, I am proud of you for sticking with it. Soon enough, we'll be out of here. Close enough so we can see our family, but able to call the cops when my daddy trespasses."

"Sounds perfect, darling."

I kissed her head, and then her cheek, and I made my way towards her lips. When our lips touched, as they had done a hundred times before, she seemed to freeze and then push me away

"Jody, I'm sorry. You alright?"

"I'm...I'm sorry. I've gotta go."

"Jody, wait! Talk to me," I called after her as she jumped down from the top of the trailer. I watched as she walked inside her home, as if a piece of my heart had been ripped out and stomped on. What was wrong with her? Didn't she love me anymore? Had I don't something to hurt her?

When I got into the trailer, merle seemed shocked to see me. "Thought you two were fucking on the roof," he chuckled

"Shut up," I grunted, grabbing a beer and walking past him. I never usually drank, just supervised jody when she drank. I would like to be able to drink with her because she always seems so happy and carefree when she's drunk. But, alcohol turns me mean and it has been proven on several occasions. But one beer won't hurt

Later that night, I walked into her trailer, wanting to apologise or atleast ask Donna if there was anything I could do to help. Maybe she knew what was wrong with Jody

When I walked in, anger instantly filled my body as I saw Freddie Adams pushing Jody up against the kitchen counter, kissing her. Her own father.

"What the fuck?" I asked, storming over

"Daryl, don't!" She yelled but I did it anyway. My fist clenched and collided with Freddie face. All I saw was red. There was a blind rage and I didn't know what was happening until I felt two arms drag me off of an unconscious man

"Knock it off. Stop it. Stop it," merle was telling me, and I did. I stopped fighting him and ran my fingers through my hair, looking at Jody who was a crying mess

"Why did you do that?" She asked, sobbing loudly

"Why didn't you push him off? Why didn't you object or stop him?"

"Get out," she snapped

"No. I want answers and I want them now." She slapped me harshly round the face and began hitting me, moving me closer to the door before she pushed me out completely.

I banged my fist against the trailer, shouting for her to answer me

"Don't be an idiot. Get the fuck inside," merle told me, grabbing me by my t shirt and shoving me inside.

I was thrown onto the sofa but instantly stood back up, tears forming in my own eyes. "I wanna go back. She's been cheating on me and- and I need-"

"You really that stupid brother? You really think jody would cheat on ya?"

"You didn't see it, merle. You didn't see them. She was kissing him back! She was kissing him back, god dammit. There was no protesting from her end, none at all."

"Ever wonder why? If you stop and use your head for two seconds, you'd understand exactly what's going on! Freddie is a grown man and clearly sick in the head. You really think that was the first time he's done that? You seriously can't fathom the idea that maybe, just maybe, jody had given up fighting. When dad hits us, we take it. We sit and take it because it is easier to get it over with than to fight. What if this is the same situation? She can't overpower him, so she just let's it happen."

"No. Then that would mean-"

"That you just yelled in her face at a time when she needs you most. So what you're gonna do is you're gonna clean up your hands, you're gonna go to sleep and tomorrow morning, if Freddie hasn't already killed you, you are going to see Jody and apologise and comfort her."

I nodded my head and finally sat down, putting my head in my hands. Merle sighed, sitting down next to me. "How could I not know? How could she not tell us?" I asked, crying. I never cried infront of merle, but it didn't matter because he was almost in tears too

"You just reacted like that, and you still have to ask yourself that question? She was scared that you wouldn't believe her, or that Freddie would get angry and kill her. Daryl, I know you two wanna act grown up. But at the end of the day, you are both kids. Jodys not a woman, she's a little girl who's daddy was raping her. Go to bed, you can see her tomorrow."

"I wanna see her now."

Merle guided me to my room in protest. "She needs time to calm down and process what's just happened. So do you."

"How are you not freaking out, right now?"

Merle took a deep breath and then shrugged. "Because I got all my shock out when I caught him forcing Donna. Now I suspected something was going on but she promised me that she would rather take it for her daughter than let the police get involved. You gotta know when it's not your fight, little brother."