Different Worlds |Daryl Dixon Fan Fiction- The Walking Dead|

Twenty Four: Dollhouse

                  I met Tom outside, sitting on the perch in the barn, watching over the yard. I climbed up and sat next to him, placing my bow in front of me. We didn't say anything, just sat quietly, letting the late night breeze ruffle our shirts. It wasn't cold, just chilly, with a hint of glitter on the grass. Patches of clouds hid the stars above, but let the glowing half moon shine overhead. It was the only thing illuminating the world around Tom and I, our only source of light.
"You can go in, the moons starting to head downwards." I offered, wondering if the sun was beginning to peak behind the barn. There wasn't a lot of light coming from that direction, so I assumed not.
Tom stood up, clearly too tired to object. "Thanks." he grunted, then climbed off of the barn and went into the house as quiet as he could. I leaned against the wall, staring at the houses windows, watching Tom's shadow go up the stairs and then disappear.
I let out a yawn. Then, the brush separated across the field, revealing a stray walker stumbling out into the open. It seemed to be heading towards the road, so I didn't bother to ready my bow. It'd walk right by as long as I, and the animals, stayed quiet. And, we did, the walker reaching the road, then falling into the ditch. I didn't watch it get back up, just looked back to where it came from, making sure it really was alone.
The fields began to lighten, the barn casting a long shadow over the grass in front of me. The air began to warm up ever so slightly, but the sweet breeze was nice against my skin. The sky was a light pink, fading into blue ahead. The clouds began to thicken, meaning there was a chance of rain today. I hoped so, as it wouldn't hurt to have the extra water.
My eyes grew heavy as the sun rose up, and I slinked into a less upright position against the barn. The clouds were much larger than when it was night time, and the ground was gathering more dew. The air around me grew gloomy, holding onto the bit of light that the sun was able to project through the dark clouds. My vision grew darker, the soft breeze smelled like the fields, urging me even more to take a much needed nap.

A light hand touched my shoulder, waking me up. My eyes opened to see that the weather hadn't changed since I'd drifted to sleep, though I could see soft sprinkles of rain falling around me. Rick knelt in front of me, his arm slightly raised in the air, the same one that had brought me to reality.
"Come inside before it gets worse." I nodded, following the man off of the barn. He helped my sleepy self down the ladder, and held the porch door open for me. I wiped my boots on the mat, getting any dirt off before walking inside the warm house. People were eating breakfast here and there, the usual morning activities. Though, some day chores would have to be ignored pending the weather.
I grabbed a plate of bacon and eggs, scarfing it down. I hadn't realized how hungry I'd been upon awakening. I then decided to get a quick shower while some went outside to tend to the animals and double check to make sure everything was locked up nicely. Rick and a few others even hung up bottles and buckets to catch rain water.
I ran the water, stripping off my clothes and then hopping in. I quickly ran my hair through the water, then grabbed the soup to lather my body. I tossed a bit of shampoo into my hair, then rinsed everything away. I shaved my underarms, and did my legs with some left over shaving cream, knowing that Maggie had sensitive skin and could use the shaving cream for sensitive skin more than I did.
I dried off, even towel drying my hair a bit before tossing it into a heap on my head. I grabbed my robe from the back of the door, securing it around me before opening the door and heading upstairs. My slippers skimmed the floor as I walked into Daryl's room, and I tossed my dirty clothes with the rest. He was sitting upright, eating his breakfast. I gave him a small smile before digging through my clothes and grabbing some sweatpants and a navy blue shirt.
I left the room, changing in Toms. I tugged on a pair of socks, leaving my slippers and robe in his room. I walked back to Daryl's room to see if he needed anything before I headed downstairs. "No, I'm fine. What're you gonna do? It's raining." I shrugged at his response, taking his dirty dishes.
"Not sure, maybe bathe the dogs."
"I heard Carl saying he was going to do that next time it rained. He's probably already." there was a small smirk on his lips. He enjoyed giving me every reason not to leave him to lay here by himself. However, I knew if I stayed, he would sleep, which was something he could use.
I sighed, chuckling softly, "I never have anything to do anymore, you guys came here and took up all the chores."
Daryl nodded, "Ricks way of saying thanks, I guess." I nodded, seemed like something he'd have in mind. "Why don't you just hang out in here for a bit?"
"I guess I can, but not for too long. I'll be back." I headed downstairs, handing the dishes to my mother who was washing them.
Mom looked up at me, "Daryl's been asking why you're never up there." Her voice was almost accusing.
"He needs sleep. He'd never sleep with me up there." I instantly regretted my words by the look on her face. "Not like that, mom!" I nudged her jokingly.
"Sure, sure. The last thing we need is another baby, you got it." she'd gone into 'mom mode'.
"Yes, mother." I rolled my eyes sarcastically, giving her a small hug before heading back towards the stairs. To my surprise, there was Daryl, making his way down them.
He didn't seem to be struggling, just a small limp in one of his legs. I walked over, standing at the bottom to give him a hand when he got to me. "What are you doing out of bed?" I asked, wrapping his arm around my shoulders to support his weight. He moved it down, wrapping it around my waist instead.
"Thought I could do with a little walk." My mom had appeared, watching from the kitchen. She just nodded, meaning it wouldn't hurt.
He headed for the small window seat to look out of the window, and I settled down next to him. He didn't look in pain, though that could all be a lie. "Did Mom say anything about your stitches? How are you healing?" I asked, looking him over.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." I knew my face must just be worry. I couldn't help it. "Said they could be taken out in a few days. I just can't lay in bed all day," Daryl shook his head, and I nodded in agreement. I wouldn't be able to either. Two days in bed. No way.
I grabbed his hand, playing with his four fingers. "That doesn't freak you out, does it?" I shook my head fiercely.
"It's actually kind of cool." I laughed, a grin spreading across my face. Daryl chuckled, looking out of the window.
"Mmm." He mumbled, trying to hide his smile.
We sat for a bit, watching everyone start to come inside as the rain started to pour down from the clouds above. It wasn't even noon yet, at least I didn't think, but it was hard to pinpoint the sun through the dense clouds. Rick said something about a storm, saying the winds had picked up. I could tell, the tips of the trees were beginning to bend.
"Come with me," I stood up, looking down at Daryl. He slowly rose up to his feet, following me to the stairs that led to the basement. "I need your help with something." I told him before he could saying anything as we descended below ground.
The basement was musty, and the lights flickered before shining steadily. In the back of the room sat a wooden doll house my father had built for me long ago, and it definitely looked its age. I tugged it out of the corner and into the open floor, presenting it to Daryl. "I was thinking we could fix it up for Judith, maybe. Give her something to mess around with." I offered, looking up at him.
"It'll definitely take a bit, some of the woods splintering." I nodded, I could see what he meant. It'd need paint, replacements, stuff inside, as all of my dolls had been given away.
"Let's take a look, figure out what has to be done. Then, when it's nicer outside, we can head into town and grab what we need." I helped Daryl sit on the floor, then plopped down next to him. He picked at the wood, pushing on it, running his finger down it. After a few minutes of looking it over, he seemed to already have some ideas.
He pointed at the middle wall of one of the floors, it looked like it had been kicked in. "Gonna need to replace that one," then he moved his finger to the roof, which wasn't doing so well, "that," and then rested on the floor of the top floor, "and that one." I nodded along, watching him work. "Grab me a hammer, I'll knock them out."
I got up off of the floor, snatching a hammer. He easily took out the wall, floor and roof. "I think we should paint the outside yellow and white."
"You can be the interior decorator, how 'bout that?" Daryl looked over at me with a small smile.
"This is going to be the best doll house ever." Daryl nodded in agreement.
"Grace? Daryl?" a voice called down the steps. It sounded like my father.
"We're-" I was cut off by Daryl's hand covering my mouth.
"We'll be up in a minute!" Daryl answered instead.
I pulled his hand away, "What?" I asked, frowning.
"I want it to be a surprise, even for Rick." I smiled, loving the idea.
"Alright, let's go." I got up, helping him. We headed upstairs together to see what my dad had wanted.