A Painful Place (Walking Dead Fanfiction)

Chapter 25: A Little Blue House

“You were awfully quick to agree to this,” Glenn observed as he looked over the back of his seat at Michonne. “That doesn’t seem like you.”
The woman shrugged as she took a drink from a water bottle. “Like to think I’m a good judge of people,” she explained, screwing the cap back on and returning it to her pack. “I knew something was off with the Governor from the moment I met the asshole. These people are different. They’re like us.”
“Are the rest of you ok with this?” Glenn asked the rest of the survivors in his vehicle. “I mean, he just left us here. He could be gathering up his people to attack. We are on their turf.”
“If they do, we’ll be ready,” Tyreese answered, “but I’m with Michonne. I don’t get that feeling from the ones we’ve met, anyway.”
Carol sat silently in her seat, quietly observing the community through her window. From where they were parked she couldn’t see much, but the place seemed peaceful enough. She turned to face the young, dark-haired girl sitting next to her and gently placed a hand on her knee. “Ashton, you alright, hun?”
The poor girl had only been with their group a couple of day and was being forced to integrate into a new group of people all over again. Carol could sympathize with her struggle. Even though she’d been with them from the beginning, she had been isolated with Ed and Sophia while they were at the quarry. When her husband died, and then Sophia, it felt like she had to adapt all over again.
The girl nodded. “Just nervous,” she responded, barely looking up. She began to fuss with the end of the messy braid Carol had tied her hair into the night before.
“That’s understandable,” Morgan chimed in, leaning over the back of her seat a bit. “I’m a bit skeptical myself, as exciting as a warm bed sounds.”
Ashton turned her head and gave him a small smile. “A bed does sound nice,” she responded quietly. “Can I stay with you?” she asked Carol.
“Of course,” she answered. “I’d like that.” Though she was still a little hesitant to get close to another child after she’d lost the girls from the prison she’d promised to protect, not to mention her Sophia, her motherly instincts were undeniable and it felt natural to take care of the girl. They had immediately taken to each other.
A knock on the van’s window brought them out of their conversation. Rick stood at the driver’s window and Maggie rolled it down so they could talk.
“Get all of your things and come on out,” the leader ordered. “The deal is we all have to submit to an interview before they let us in.”
“Let me guess,” Glenn sighed, “there’s also a blood test.”
Rick chuckled a bit and shook his head. “This isn’t the CDC. They just want to make sure we’re alright. I’ve asked him to allow us to interview in pairs for our peace of mind and he agreed. We’ll also be allowed to keep our weapons.”
“Wasn’t going to let anyone take it anyway,” Michonne mumbled as she adjusted her trusty katana on her shoulder.
As both vehicles emptied the group gathered together before splitting into pairs, the exception being Rick who was allowed to keep both Carl and Judith with him. They were then led to the front of a large white home where they were to wait to speak to the leader of the community.
Daryl and Tilly were the first ones to be ushered into the striking house. It looked remarkably pristine for something that existed post-apocalypse. The furniture was clean and well-kempt, framed works of art hung on the walls, and the smell of some sort of food wafted through the air. The place was completely untouched by the horror outside of the walls.
Aaron guided them into a small office at the back of the house. An older, white-haired man sat in a padded chair and stood as they entered, offering his hand. “I’m Douglas Monroe,” he smiled at them as they each shook his hand.
“Matilda Snow,” Tilly answered politely.
“Daryl,” the hunter mumbled. “Daryl Dixon.”
“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Douglas answered formally.
“I know you,” Tilly observed as the familiarity of his face suddenly registered. “You were a senator.”
“For the great state of Virginia,” he replied proudly. “I see you’re someone who takes an interest in politics.”
Tilly shook her head. “Not particularly. I just kept up with the news.”
“How about you, young man?” he addressed Daryl, who scoffed at the statement.
“Nah,” he answered. “Never had a TV to watch it.”
“That so?” Douglas asked, raising an eyebrow. “What’d you do before all of this?”
Daryl shifted uncomfortably at the question. He knew it was coming, but he always felt like a loser answering. “Whatever it took to survive,” he answered vaguely. “Hunted mostly.”
“He’s the best hunter I’ve ever met,” Tilly offered, noticing Daryl’s cheeks flush at the compliment.
Douglas nodded happily. “That would be an excellent asset to our community. Most of our folk are from the city and don’t have any experience in that area. Some fresh meat would be nice.” Next he turned to Tilly. “What about you, Matilda?”
“You can call me Tilly,” she responded. “And I was an electrician. Odd jobs, mostly, but I was pretty good. Can’t say that skill has served me well since the world went dark, though.”
“Well, it’ll be a great help here,” he replied. “We operate on a power grid that was put in place long ago just in case something of this nature were ever to happen. It will be nice to have someone to help with any repairs that arise.”
“I’m glad to help with anything you need,” she agreed, excited at the prospect of doing what she loved once again.
“Now, I have to ask,” he began seriously, “what is your relationship to the rest of the group? Is there anything I should know?”
Daryl was surprised the stranger expected them to give up so much information about their group. If they had any deep, dark secrets he wasn’t just going to lay them out on the table.
Luckily, Tilly took over answering the question. “Daryl has been with them since the beginning, in Atlanta. They saved me and two of my friends from some cannibal assholes back in Georgia several weeks ago and I’ve been with them ever since.”
“Your friends, are they still with you?” Douglas asked cautiously.
Tilly shook her head, managing to keep her composure. “No,” she answered. “One of them was killed as we were escaping the day they found us, the other was bitten not long ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said sincerely. “Do you have any relations within the group?” he asked Daryl.
“We’re all family,” he answered bluntly. “But I was with my brother when it all started. He was killed a while back by some asshole who ran a place just like this.”
Douglas could see the hunter was more than skeptical of Alexandria. “I assure you there won’t be any murdering here,” he said firmly. “We only kill if we’re threatened.”
“That’s the way our group operates as well,” Tilly replied. “But you have to understand we’re a tightly knit crew. We’ll do anything to protect our own, so if you all are planning to harm any of us in any way, shape, or form, I’d suggest you reconsider.”
“Because you’ll lose,” Daryl completed her thought.
“Noted,” Douglas nodded, a look of mild amusement on his face. “I think you two will fit in just fine here. If you’ll go back out the way you came in Holly will be waiting to show you to your new home.”
“Home?” Tilly answered, surprised. “We’ll be sharing one?”
Douglas put a hand to his forehead in mild embarrassment. “Pardon me, I thought you two were together. I apologize for assuming. I’ll make sure to let her know you’ll be needing separate-“
“No,” Daryl cut him off, “we’ll stay together.” He glanced over at Tilly who raised an eyebrow in confusion, but nodded.
“Very well, then,” the older gentleman said, standing. “Get settled and you’ll be given your work assignments the day after tomorrow. We like to give newcomers a couple of days to assimilate before we put them to work.” He winked at Tilly as she and Daryl turned to leave and she rolled her eyes once her back was to him.
Outside, they were met by a tall, blonde woman who looked to be in her early 40s. She wore her light hair in a short bob, and her face was still beautiful despite slight signs of aging.
“You must be Holly,” Tilly addressed her, offering her hand.
“I am,” she smiled as she pulled out a clip board, running her finger down a list Tilly couldn’t quite read. “Matilda and Daryl, correct?” she asked.
“It’s Tilly, actually,” the redhead said politely, “but that’s us.”
Holly nodded as she made note of her preferred name on her sheet of paper. “Your house will be on the east side of the zone.”
“Who will we be sharing the house with?” Tilly pressed, though she didn’t care much as long as she got a bed.
“It will just be the two of you,” Holly answered, causing both of the other survivor’s eyes to widen. “Your house will be between,” she glanced down at her clipboard, “Rick and his children’s and Glenn and Maggie’s.”
“Works for me,” Tilly answered, no longer listening to the woman but instead studying the town as they passed through. Small, but nicely maintained, homes lined the narrow streets. Several people strolled about casually, and she even saw some children playing basketball on an asphalt court. Many of them took a moment to look over the newcomers, but quickly offered a friendly nod or wave. They didn’t seem menacing in any way, just curious.
A few minutes later Holly stopped in front of a small, two-story home. The siding was light blue, and white shutters flanked the windows, their paint only just beginning to peel. It had a modest front porch, complete with a pair of lawn chairs.
“Here you are,” Holly smiled as she gestured toward the home. “Number 45. I apologize that it’s so far on the edge, but we thought your group would want to stay close to each other and this was our largest cluster of houses.”
“Don’t apologize,” Tilly said as she stared at her new home. “Thanks, Holly.”
Holly patted Tilly on the shoulder as she went to leave, heading back to lead the next pair of survivors to their new quarters.
Though her mind still warned her that nothing in that world was permanent, Tilly couldn’t help but allow herself to get excited as she bounded up on the front porch of the blue house and pushed the door open.
The inside of the home was plain, the furnishings very simple, but in that moment it seemed like a four-star hotel. Wooden floors sprawled throughout the home, including the small kitchen that sat just off the living room. A dining table, just large enough for two people, sat against a wall. The living room held a love seat and a large dark brown recliner, each facing toward the picture window that looked out over the porch. Upstairs they found a bathroom, complete with a bath tub and shower, and a large bedroom.
Bedroom. Singular.
“Can I ask why you wanted to stay with me?” Tilly asked, turning to Daryl as he wandered around the bedroom and took a seat on the green and white quilt that lay over the queen-sized bed. “I mean, if I had to choose anyone to live with it’d be you, but you’re the kind of guy who likes his privacy.”
“Didn’t like the idea of you staying alone,” he answered simply. “Don’t know these people yet, and I don’t think any of us should let our guard down.”
They both knew she could have just as easily lived with Beth or Tara, but Tilly knew better than to push it. No matter his reasoning, she was glad to have him close.
“I’ll take the couch,” he said as he stood and pulled his pack onto his shoulder.
“Oh, stop being polite,” Tilly laughed. “We’ve slept together, Dixon, unless you’ve forgotten. Surely we can, ya know, sleep together. Long as ya don’t steal the covers, anyway.” Her grin grew as his cheeks flushed.
He silently removed his pack again and sat it on the floor as she made her way over to where he stood. Tilly reached both her hands around his waist and held her face near his, forcing him to look her in the eye.
“I missed you, ya know,” she said softly. “I was worried I’d die without ever finding you, but somehow I knew that wouldn’t happen.”
“I shouldn’t have left ya to begin with,” he replied, shame dancing behind his eyes.
“It worked, didn’t it?” she said firmly. “We all got out of there alive, and now we’re back together. We got Beth, too, so I’d say that makes it all worth it.”
He knew she was right, but as usual he was having a difficult time forgiving himself.
“How’d you get out of there?” he asked. “You told us how you found Beth, but not how you got away from that douchebag in the cabin. When we got there the place was blazin’, no sign of you anywhere and walkers crawling all over the place.”
Tilly smirked at the question. Truth be told, she was pretty proud of how she’d gotten out of that one. “I busted an oil lamp over his head and turned the fucker into a human sparkler.”
“That’s my girl,” he laughed, not thinking before uttering the words.
Tilly knew better than to press the issue, but her heart fluttered a bit at the sentiment. Just that morning she’d been covered in walker guts and now she was standing in her new home with Daryl Dixon in her arms.
Wait, guts, she remembered, suddenly disgusted with herself. I’ve been walking around this place reeking like the dead.
“Shower,” she said simply, turning away and bolting toward the bathroom in search of the hot water she was promised.
As she left the room Daryl chuckled to himself. He’d been so caught up in the moment he’d completely ignored the fact that she still smelled like shit. He decided to busy himself with putting his small collection of clothing in the drawers of the dark wooden dresser that sat on his side of the bed.
My side of the bed, he thought. Which means the other is her side of the bed. Our bed. Oh, shit.
While he paced the bedroom nervously at his revelation, Tilly was in a state of complete bliss as she stood under the shower head letting the nearly scalding water wash off weeks of grime. She had found the small bathroom pantry stocked with all of the necessary toiletries, and she relished the feel and smell of the floral-scented conditioner as she coated her long hair.
She lingered in the shower until the water ran cold before stepping out and wrapping herself in a large blue towel. She looked around the bathroom for a moment before realizing in her hurry to hop in the shower she’d forgotten to grab clean clothes out of her bag. She knew that stepping out and walking to the bedroom in just a towel was a sure-fire way to completely mortify Daryl, and judging by the number of times she’d seen his cheeks turn red that day she figured he’d had enough embarrassment for the time being.
Instead, she opted to do something she’d seen Lana’s mom do to her husband more than once: She yelled at him to bring her things.
“Daryl!” she called through a crack in the door, clinging tightly to the towel wrapped around her chest. “Daryl! I need your help!”
She should have chosen her words more carefully, because in typical Daryl fashion he came running with his crossbow in hand. “What?” he called back as he reached the bathroom door. “You alright?”
She laughed at the sight of his readiness to take on whatever danger she may have been facing. “I’m fine,” she smiled. “Just naked. I forgot to grab clean clothes.”
“You got more in your bag?” he asked, lowering his crossbow and shaking his head at the sight of her drenched head poking out of the door. He was careful not to stare as her bare shoulders glistened in the daylight that shone into the hallway.
She thought carefully, unsure of what she had left after all of her misadventures. “I know I grabbed some underthings from the house where Beth and I hid. There’s a pair of shorts in there too, I think.”
Daryl sighed as she continued to take her time recalling what she may or may not have. “I’ll find ya somethin’,” he replied impatiently before making his way back to the bedroom and unzipping her small bag.
He had never been as uncomfortable as he was as he pulled a black bra and pair of underwear out and laid them on the bed. He also found the pair of shorts she’d mentioned as well as a pair of leggings and a thin, green t-shirt. There were no other clothes to be found in her bag.
Too damn cold for shorts and a t-shirt. Think she’d be smart enough to grab something warmer.
He threw the useless summer outfit aside and held onto the leggings before retrieving a long-sleeved flannel shirt and a pair of socks from his dresser and sliding them to her through the small opening she left in the bathroom door.
“Thank ya!” she called as she accepted the stack of clean clothing happily. She pulled on her underthings and the thick, black leggings and smiled as she buttoned his flannel and pulled on the long, grey socks.
She returned to the bedroom a few minutes later and found him lying on the bed flipping through a copy of The Odyssey he’d found on a bookshelf in the corner of the room. He looked up at her as she entered.
“I look like a lumberjack,” she laughed as she pantomimed swinging an ax over her shoulder.
“I ain’t ever seen a lumberjack looked like that,” Daryl answered, unable to keep his eyes from traveling all over her. She’d left the top couple of buttons on the shirt undone, and though her small chest didn’t allow for much cleavage, it was still enough to intrigue him. The leggings clung tightly to her long legs, and her wet hair was starting to curl a bit as it began to dry.
Tilly walked over and took a seat on the bed, facing him and crossing her legs in front of her.
“I wanted to stay and look for ya,” he began, continuing the conversation from earlier she’d tried to end. “We got run off by a herd, though. I wanted to go back, but Rick said we couldn’t risk it.”
“Rick was right,” she said firmly. “You couldn’t put the whole group in danger for just me. I understand the notion, though. I’d have wanted to go back for you, too.”
“Why would you do that?” he asked earnestly. No matter how often she’d told him, he still didn’t realize how highly she thought of him.
“Cause I’d miss ya too much if you were gone,” she replied. “Did you miss me?” She knew the answer already. It was obvious from the way he’d been so happy to see her on the bridge and the way he’d quickly volunteered to live with her, even though it was way outside of his comfort zone. She just wanted to hear him say it.
He nodded and stared down at his hands. “Course I did,” he admitted. “Missed ya real fucking bad.”
“I was only gone a couple of days, ya know,” she said as she moved to sit shoulder-to-shoulder with him against the headboard, the sides of their bodies touching.
“Too long for my liking.” He reached over and took her smaller hand in his large, rough one, intertwining his fingers with hers. For a moment even he was surprised at the gesture, but with her he knew he didn’t need to feel awkward about it.
Tilly squeezed his hand gently before pulling it to her lips and slowly placing a light kiss on each of his knuckles. He squirmed a bit at her touch, a rush of unfamiliar feelings pouring over his body. They’d already gone all the way physically, but he knew it went beyond that. He wanted her. It wasn’t just her body he desired, though he most definitely did appreciated it too, but he wanted to be hers, and for her to belong to him as well.
It seemed like forever ago that she had let him know she wasn’t going to pressure him into any kind of commitment, but as time passed he became more comfortable with the idea of having her beside him. He wanted to keep her there forever.
He released her hand and rolled onto his side to wrap an arm around her waist, pulling her to face him. He stared into her dark blue eyes, and allowed himself to get lost for a moment as he worked up the courage to tell her how he felt.
“I’m glad I’m here,” she whispered as she lay with her face only inches from his, “with you.”
“Yeah.” He couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face. He was more than glad to be there, he was elated.
She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips, and as she pulled away he caught an intoxicating whiff of her freshly washed hair. He inhaled deeply, committing the scent to memory. A moment later, his hand brushed across the soft skin of her cheek before coming to rest behind her neck.
She expected him to pull her in and kiss her, but instead he began to speak, something that was often uncharacteristic of him.
“I, uh,” he paused for a moment, and Tilly could see the nervousness and sincerity behind his eyes.
“It’s alright,” she encouraged softly. “Whatever you need to say, you know you can be honest with me.”
He nodded slightly before continuing. “I want you to be with me,” he said, so quietly she wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly. “My girl, I mean.”
“You sure about that?” she asked, surprised the words had come from the normally reserved hunter. “I mean, I’m a giant pain in the ass. I’ve got a temper, I do stupid shit and get myself in tro-“
She was silenced as he slammed his mouth onto hers.
“And ya talk to damn much,” he said, pulling back for a moment, “but I meant it. If ya don’t wanna-“
“No,” she smiled, “I do. I want to be.”
Excitement sparked through him, and though he was sure he looked like an idiot schoolboy smiling ear-to-ear, he didn’t give a shit. He knew he didn’t have to put on a tough exterior with her. He pulled her back to him and in a moment they were lost in each other, the afternoon passing in a flurry of passion and tangled sheets.
No one bothered them until early evening when Glenn came knocking at the front door.
“Howdy, neighbor,” Tilly greeted him as she opened the front door, her hair pulled up in a messy bun and Daryl’s flannel shirt still hanging loosely on her shoulders.
Glenn chuckled at the sight of her, but it wasn’t until Daryl appeared behind her, his nearly chin-length hair sticking out in all directions, that he broke into full-on laughter. “Seems ya’ll are enjoying your new place,” he joked as he caught his breath.
Daryl shot him an annoyed look, but Glenn had taken enough crap from him when he’d been sneaking around the prison with Maggie that he was glad to be able to dish it back.
“You here for a reason, or just to chat?” Daryl asked grumpily.
“Aaron wanted us all to meet him for dinner,” he explained. “Maggie and I are heading over there in a few minutes if you guys want to come with.”
“Yeah,” Tilly nodded, interested in hearing anything Aaron may have to say about the workings of the settlement. “We’ll meet you guys back out here in ten.”
Glenn nodded and made his way back over to the yellow house next door, Maggie waving from the front porch. Tilly returned the gesture before making her way inside to get freshened up. She dug through her bag for clothes, only to remember that her only warm set was still dripping with walker goo. She sighed and buttoned the top couple of buttons on the flannel, doing her best to make it look presentable, before shaking her hair out and letting it fall into long waves.
It’s funny how my idea of ‘getting dressed to go to dinner’ has changed.
She shrugged at her reflection in the full-length mirror that sat in the corner of the room before turning to Daryl, who had already smoothed his hair down and was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her. She walked over to him and stood between his legs, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head to rest against her chest.
“Do we have to go?” she sighed, suddenly just wanting to stay in bed with him, as she leaned down and kissed the top of his head.
“We do if we want to learn anything new about this place,” he answered.
“Always the responsible one,” she teased before begrudgingly making her way to the front door, Daryl following behind.