When the dead roam - (Daryl Dixon)

Chapter 53 - He ain't stayin'

"I still think I should've sat in the back" Lou sighed, rubbing her temple as she sat, leaning against the car window. So far the drive had been quiet; the occasional awkward cough escaping Rick's mouth as he discreetly looked between Daryl and Louise.

"No way" Daryl said from behind her.

She moved her semi-dried hair to the side and turned in her seat. "If he wakes up, he's less likely to hurt me than he is you"

"He took a pretty hard hit" Rick stated, tapping the steering wheel. "Denise needs to look him over"

Daryl grumbled. "Yeah..."

"You wouldn't have gone through with it" the sheriff sighed, staring at Daryl through the rear view mirror. "You wouldn't have left him"

"I would've. Right up a tree" Daryl insisted. "I would've"

"Nah. I know. Almost as soon as we got to Alexandria, you got it. You saw...you...and Michonne, Glenn, you all tried to tell me. So, shut up" he moved the car to the left quickly, smirking as Jesus's head dropped onto Daryl's shoulder. "'cause I'm finally listening"

Lou struggled to hold back a laugh as the hunter pushed the body away from him, causing their captive's head to smack against the solid doorframe. She turned back to the front, resting the back of her head against the rest and allowing her eyes to drift closed. Soft breaths escaped her lips as she stirred. Rick smiled at her before speaking to Daryl.

"What's goin' on with you two?"

"What? Nothin'"

"Daryl"

"I said nothin', shut up and drive" he grumbled, shaking his head as Rick chuckled to himself.

It wasn't long until the pulled into Alexandria. Darkness had taken over and the only light came from the headlights of the old car. Rick shut off the engine as the gate closed behind them and he shook Lou's shoulder gently. "Hey, c'mon, get up"

She shook her head as she woke and stretched her arms above her head, her fingers grazing the roof slightly. Rick nodded at her and slipped out of the car, pulling Jesus's legs from the floor and carrying his body across the grounds with Daryl. The trio jogged towards the infirmary, careful not to drop his weight on the way there.

Lou tapped her knuckles on the door two times before the porch lights came to life and Denise answered. She pulled the door inwards and raised her eyebrows.

"Hey, sorry to wake you up" Lou sighed.

"Who's this?" She asked, pointing towards the unconscious body in Rick and Daryl's arms.

"C, man, he's heavy" Daryl grunted, carrying him over the threshold. "Oh, that thing, uh, didn't work out. It's this assholes fault" he said to Denise as she shut the door behind them. "Sorry"

"Lay him on the bed" Denise instructed, guiding them towards the closest mattress.

"Alright, take a look at him" Daryl said, dropping his body. "He ain't stayin' though"

It seemed to take forever for her examine Jesus correctly. She poked and prodded him, shined a small light in his eyes and then nodded at Louise. "Just a concussion. He's gonna be fine"

Lou visibly relaxed and nodded. "Alright. Thanks. You guys ready?"

Rick and Daryl resumed their previous positions and lifted him up from the bed. They carried him down two flights of stairs and placed in him the middle of the basement. Lou dropped beside him and searched his pockets, carefully removing his weapons.

"It is pretty stupid of us to go out there. Isn't it?" Rick laughed as he placed a glass of water beside Jesus's torso.

"Yep" Daryl said.

Lou smirked. "Do it again tomorrow?"

"Yep"

The trio chuckled before Daryl leant against the doorframe. "I'll watch him 'till someone can take over"

"You sure?" Rick asked. Daryl nodded. "Well, alright then, I'm goin' home"

Lou looked towards Daryl, who nodded at her to leave. "Okay. Shout if you need us"

He smiled at her encouragingly as she walked away from him and back up the stairs. She shut the front door behind her, grimacing at the cold night air on her bare skin. Quickly she untied her jacket from her waist, removed her bow from her back and pulled her leather jacket over her arms. Both her and Rick nodded, silently bidding each other a 'goodnight' before going their separate ways.

She wasn't expecting anybody to be awake when she got home but Aaron was sat on the couch, waiting for her safe return.

"Hey!" He said, standing up and wrapping her in a hug. She smiled into his shoulder.

"You alright?"

"I am now" he sighed, pulling away and smiling at her. "Coffee?"

She chuckled. "Got anything stronger?"

"Long day?"

"Yeah...y'know, I think I'm just gonna head to bed" she said, hanging her jacket on the bannister and walking up a few steps. "Night Aaron"

"Night" he called after her.

She pushed open her bedroom door and collapsed onto the soft duvet that covered her bed. The clean sheets brushed against her bare arms and she thought herself lucky, to have a comfortable place to sleep. Louise kicked off her shoes and striped out of her dirty clothes, grimacing as the smell of stagnant dried water invaded her nose and replaced them with a fresh oversized t-shirt. The pale grey material hung midway down her calf and buried her small form.

The moment her head hit the pillow she fell asleep, the events of the day dragging her down into a deep slumber. Louise used to dream; she used to enjoy watching her ideal life unfold before her own eyes but now, she was lucky to have the slightest glimmer of hope between the nightmares she relived. Night after night she suffered through the recurring scene of her daughter's death and day after day she pretended it never happened. It was curse that she was forced to endure.

A loud thud on her door sent her downstairs, bare feet pattering on the laminate as she ran. Her soft hand gripped the handle and she pulled the door towards her. The night air was cold, freezing in fact, and coming face to face with Daryl Dixon only sent more shivers down her spine.

"Daryl?" she asked, wrapping her arms around herself. Suddenly aware of how little clothing she was wearing. "It's two in the morning, what's wrong?"

"I need to try somethin'" he stated.

Daryl hesitated for the briefest moment before crashing his lips against hers. No matter how taken-back Louise was, it didn't take long for her to reciprocate and she pulled him closer, balling his vest up in her fists. The crossbow that he carried over his shoulder clattered to the ground as he moved her backwards into the house and kicked the front door shut, never once moving his lips from hers. Louise pushed him back against the closed entrance, ignoring the keys when they jingled in the lock and tugged off his jacket. His vest followed shortly after and he moved it to the side with his boot, twisting so that he held her against the door instead.

She gasped as he moved his lips to her neck, leaving soft kisses down her collar bone.

"I thought you didn't run towards danger" she mumbled, smiling as he let out a hoarse chuckle. He didn't reply to her; instead, he linked his lips with hers again and placed a hand on either side of her neck. Louise ran her fingers down his arms, laced them through his own and guided him up the stairs.

Their hearts were racing. It had been years since either of them had been touched by another person so, desire took over everything else they were feeling and for the first time, in a long time, they shared a normal human experience.