Carl held onto Daryl and didn’t let go, only stopping to lift his head. The man’s eyes were watery as well as his own and Carl dropped his head to sob into the fabric of the man’s shirt.
“I missed you,” he heard Michonne tell Daryl, her hand being placed on his shoulder as a friendly gesture while Carl continued to cling to him.
“Hey, kid,” Daryl said, slowly pulling away. “That’s enough, just about couldn’t breathe, man.”
Carl nodded, wiping his nose. “M-My dad?” he choked. “You said he was with you, where is he? You said he was safe? Can I see him?”
“Carl,” Daryl soothed. “He’s fine. Left him back at camp to sleep.” He preferred not to mention his cousin, still unsure of what exactly he’d seen last night. If they were truly in love then he didn’t want to disrupt it- he didn’t want to be the storm to break it down- but when Daryl took them all back to see the other members of their group- none of them knowing about Aislynn- they would surely know she was there.
}------------------------------------{
Aislynn stared at him, watching the way he moved about.
“You can’t leave,” she hissed. “What if something happens, Rick? What if something happens to me?”
At the last sentence, he turned to look at her.
“We need Daryl back, I don’t have a choice. If something happens, yell. I’ll find you, I promise. I will run until my legs give out just to get you back. You’re strong, you’re a fighter, and you can protect yourself. Prove it.”
She toyed with the knife in her hand, flipping it around and examining the last rays of daylight flickering off it. “I’m scared,” she squeaked and it was the first time- she could recall- in her entire life that she’d said them. “I don’t want you to leave, I want you to stay.”
Her voice was small and child-like and hearing it tugged at Rick’s heart, making him inhale a deep breath. “Aislynn, it’s okay.”
“One day, I’m going to die,” she said, voice firm. “And one day you’re going to die. Let’s not make that day today.”
“This is your cousin.”
“And your best friend, Rick, but I’m not willing to risk your life just to lose both of you. If Daryl comes back with the rest of our family and you don’t, what becomes of us? Because I already told you I’m not letting you out of my sight and I meant it.”
He tucked his gun into the waistband of his jeans, giving her a cautionary look. “I’m leaving and you’re staying here. That’s the end of this discussion.”
“Stop treating me like I’m a freaking child!” she scoffed. “Ya said it yourself, I can look after myself, but it isn’t me I’m worried about.”
“I’ll be okay-“
“And if you aren’t?” she asked, knowing she was losing an already-won argument. “If days from now, you stumble into camp and I have to put a bullet in your skull because the Rick I used to know is gone, then I will never forgive myself.”
“I’m leaving.”
She nodded. “I know.
“You can’t stop me. I’ll bring him back, I-“
“I know.”
}------------------------------------{
Daryl grasped her warm hand between his, still needing to remind himself that it was real and not another figment of his twisted imagination.
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Tomorrow Will Be Kinder {IHOFIL Sequel}
RandomNow forced from the safety of her prison home, Beth makes her way to Terminus but all is not what it seems. Where does the meat come from and why do the residents of the small sanctuary treat her strangely? Is it because of her new close bond with t...
