Floating (Sequel to Daring Dixon)

Chapter 9

Glenn pulled the car up to the entrance of the prison and waited for a few seconds while Rick opened the front gate for them. 

Rosaline was asleep in the backseat, and Maggie had thought about waking her, but decided against it. She looked like she needed the sleep. 

She wondered vaguely things would go down when the rest of the group found out Rosaline was alive. She hadn't exactly left on the best of terms with Carol, and she'd been fighting with Daryl and Merle when they'd left. Maggie hoped that everything would be good when she got back, but there were no guarantees. 

The gate opened and Glenn pulled the truck up the lane. As he pulled to the stop and parked, Rick came around the corner and met them. 

"How was it?" he asked of Glenn and Maggie. 

"It would've been good..." Glenn replied.

"Would've?" RIck asked.

"There was a complication," Glenn said.

"We ran into another group. One of them tried to take us as hostages," Maggie told Rick.

"And?" he demanded.

"Another of the group shot him. And we found someone," Glenn said, walking over to the side of the car and opening the door. 

Rick peered in and his face turned white. "How in the hell-?" he began, but he couldn't finish.

Rosaline woke up at that moment and realized that there were three sets of eyes staring at her. Upon closer inspection, she realized one set belonged to Rick.

The expression on his face was one of complete and utter shock, and he looked vaguely like he'd just seen a ghost. She couldn't blame him. If the roles had been reversed, she'd surely react in the same way. All the same, she felt slightly uncomfortable under his gaping gaze, and sat up slowly before crawling from the back seat of the car.

"It's uh- good to see you," Rosaline said after clearing her throat.

But Rick didn't seem to want any of it. Instead, he pulled her into a hug without saying anything. It was a simple gesture, but one that spoke volumes- he'd missed her, and he was glad she was back.

The hug was broken soon after and Rick couldn't seem to wipe the smile off his face. Rosaline coming back was definitely the best thing that had happened to the group in months.

"So where have you been?" he asked of her.

"I think I ought to explain this whole fiasco to the group at once so I don't have to tell the same story thirty different times," Rosaline joked, and Rick nodded in agreement. 

"You're right. We'll get the group together and introduce you properly to the new people," Rick agreed.

"New people?" she asked as they walked towards the prison, Maggie and Glenn trailing in their wake.

"Oscar and Axel. Prisoners. They've been real helpful since we got here. Helped protect us aginast some prisoners who weren't all that good. But that's a story for another time," Rick said.

"If you say so," Rosaline muttered, just low enough so that she was the only one that heard her remark.

Rick and the others arrived at the prison door and one by one they filed in to the space. It was open and spacious and yet it exhuded an air of depression. The area was dark and instantly, Rosaline felt uneasy, but she put that thought aside. 

"Well I'll be God damned," Rosaline heard a familiar voice say, and she turned around to see Merle leaning up aginast one of the cell doors.

"Didn't think you'd see me agian, did ya?" Rosaline asked of him.

"You're one strong woman, I'll give you that," Merle muttered under his breath.

People had begun to make their way down, including a new face, but Rosaline also noticed that there was a missing face as well.

 "Where's Lori?" I asked. "And Hershel?"

"Lori's resting. She's due any day now. And Hershel... got bit," Rick replied.

"Oh no..." Rosaline said, her hand flying up and covering her mouth with shock.

"He's alive... Although he's going to need a lot of care these next few days," Rick assured her.

"Well, if it isn't the only woman I know who can fight her way out of any mess," Rosaline heard T-Dog say.

Before Rosaline could reply, the room went completely silent, except for the sound of boots on concrete. Rosaline turned towards the noise, and her breath caught in her throat as she saw him standing there. 

Daryl Dixon.

It was no surprise that Rosaline had trouble stringing a coherent thought together as she stared at him. When it finally seemed to sink in to Daryl who he was actually looking at, he stopped dead in his tracks.

"You were dead," was all he could muster to say.

"Believe me, for a moment there I wished I was," Rosaline replied, her voice soft and wavering.

"You're... alive?" Daryl asked, as if he couldn't possibly believe it until she affirmed it herself.

"Broken, shaken... but yes. Alive," she replied.

All eyes were on Daryl and Rosaline during the exchange, but neither of them seemed to care. They stood less than thirty feet from each other, but the distance seemed vast and never ending. 

There was a silence hanging in the air, one that nobody could quite explain.

"You two look like you either wanna kiss or cry."

Leave it to Merle to break a perfectly good silence.

But it was enough to snap the group out of it, and enough for Rosaline to cross those last yards and wrap Daryl in the biggest hug she'd ever given anyone in her life, save her parents when she'd first found them after the apocolypse. 

She was surprised when he returned the hug, gently at first, then squeezing her into a bear hug that was sure to break a few ribs. 

"How did you-?" Daryl began.

"Fell down the stairs. Woke up to Andrea and a woman named Michonne standing over me.... Ended up at a place called Woodbury where a psycho named Casper almost killed me... And then Maggie and Glenn and I made the trek here," Rosaline replied.

"You look like shit," Daryl said jokingly.

"Well I'm sorry to say but you don't look so hot yourself, Dixon," Rosaline replied.

"C'mon, I'll show you around the prison," Daryl offered, and Rosaline followed as Daryl led the way around her new home.

Hey guys! I haven't forgotton about you, promise!! 

I've started the editing process on Daring Dixon and there is going to be some major editing happening! There may even be new material added so keep checking it regularly. If there is something major that's changed I will let you know either here or through a message to all my followers.

My New Year's resolution this year is to be a better author for my readers so that begins with writing for you guys. I know New Years is a few weeks away, but it doesn't hurt to start early, does it?

So what do you think? Is the Governor going to get revenge on Rosaline? Will he even find the prison? What about Martinez? WIll he face reprecussions for what happened? Leave your comments below!

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DFTBA!