───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
ROSALINE SIGHED waiting for daryl to join her back in bed. he'd gone outside, carol following after him. she figured that he needed the motherly chat from her and not just her advice.
when she heard footsteps out in the hallway, her face lit up. she could tell by how he walked that it was him, it came naturally to her. rosa knew him so well by now.
the door opened and he stood there, looking somewhat relieved.
"carol offered to take over here." he told her, a happier tone in contrast to the one that he'd had downstairs when they first entered the sanctuary.
rosaline quirked a brow, smiling lightly, "yeah?"
daryl nodded kicking off his shoes and undressing himself, "yep."
rhaegar was in the corner of the room huddled up in a blanket, already asleep. he'd had a long day. the marksman glanced at her extended arms before pushing himself into her; he'd enjoy the slightest touch.
"you were pressured enough. it'd good that she's doing that for us. you prefer being out in the forest, where you belong." she comforted, wrapping her arms around him gently.
daryl buried his head in her neck, beginning to peppering kisses up her jawline, "i'm glad yer here with me. i love you."
"i love you too dare." her hands cupped his cheeks, her thumbs rubbing across them, she pulled in slowly, kissing him, "we're going home soon."
"yeah." he mumbled against her, pushing her body against the bed, her head landing on the pillows.
rosaline giggled, running her hands across his bareback. his scars were rough against the touch, and sometimes he'd shiver when she touched them, but he didn't care about that anymore. rosa had seen everything there was to him and stayed.
she was his soulmate.
that's what he told her he believed. the woman couldn't help but find it adorable on his part and went along with it. sometimes even believing that herself.
when his hands trailed up her abdomen, she hissed in pain and he looked down seeing a large bruising start to paint her skin a blue color. it'd been from earlier that day on the run.
"you're hurt." he uttered, his hands lingering on the spot.
she hummed, "give it a couple of days and it'll go. you're really concerned about such a small thing?"
daryl grew shy, blushing at the fact she was right. he had worse things happen to him and she had also endured worse, "i guess so."
"you deserve the world." rosaline muttered linking his hand with hers, "let's go to sleep, you're tired."
he nodded, laying his head on the pillow next to her, still holding her hand as he stroked her shoulder with the other which he'd slipped under her neck as a headrest. the marksman loved going to sleep like this because he knew that if he needed her she was there.
rosaline's insomnia had gone through the year. the brunette used to be a very light sleeper or waking up at the crack of dawn because her body refused her any more rest. now she slept through the whole night easily. daryl had done that for her.
slowly but surely, both of their lids fell close dragging them into sleep.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
the next day, daryl and rosaline arrived at the hilltop with michonne and rick. when the gates opened, they could immediately see some of the workers continuing on with making the gallows.
daryl stopped the bike getting off with rosaline to meet maggie. in the afternoon, rick and rosa took the time to have a little bit of a play date with hershel.
the baby was only a few months old. when hershel went for his nap, the girl gave the two some space to discuss other matters. she was tired of hearing about leading the two communities. rosaline wasn't a leader but she was becoming tired of hearing about the plans. people needed a break.
her husband met her outside the door. the pair had already heard about what gregory had done. so cowardly. he'd turned against maggie again and plotted to take the hilltop from her with the help of ken's emotional parents. tammy and earl. he took advantage of people for his personal gain once more.
during the night, maggie had come to daryl for a deal. he was going to punish gregory. however, the punishment that gregory was getting was far worse than what the other man was receiving.
maggie was going to hang him. the dixon was just going to send the horse off and leave him in the air to suffocate.
"do you have any final words?" she asked, with a hateful look.
gregory whimpered above her, "what you're doing isn't right! somebody stop this, please... killing me in the dead of night because you're ashamed."
rosaline stood between rick and michonne, rheagar watching the scene with hard eyes. he knew what was going to happen as he smelled the fear scent practically flooding from the older man.
"you're wrong." maggie said jerking her chin at daryl, "i'm not ashamed."
"stop this! please! now, for the love of god, stop it!" he pleaded, his breathing ragged.
behind them, rosa and michonne felt movement. when they turned around, two children had come around the corner, curious as to what all the noise was about.
michonne panicked, "maggie, stop!"
rick pulled her back, his strong arms trapping her, not actually seeing what was going on.
it was too late, daryl had already sent off the horse, leaving gregory in the air. his neck snapped as he gasped for air. the rope cracked ominously. rosa's head fell to the ground shamefully as the children witnessed the death.
maggie had finally seen, "get the children back in bed." she demanded, "i made this decision but this is not the beginning of something. i don't want to go through it again. cut him down."
rosaline averted her gaze from the swinging body as daryl cut it down, the dead gregory dropping to the ground with a loud thud.
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
with new light dawning on them, rosaline found the time to help out in the repairs of the damaged bridge. rhaegar kept a lookout for them, laying comfortably in the sun. the coast seemed clear for now.
"so... if i go in after her nap, and pick her up and the diaper just exploded all over me." aaron explained his early experiences with gracie. he ended up adopting the little girl to fill the void that eric left.
it was a healthy way to cope.
rosaline laughed, carefully putting down the next plank, "sounds like you're enjoying yourself."
"sounds like fun times." daryl added, agreeing with her.
"oh, the best. you'll see." aaron chuckled, but the couple paused for a moment, "what? i think daryl would be a great dad."
"yeah." he agreed sarcastically, nodding his head, putting the next nail in his mouth as he hammered the first.
rosaline crossed her arms, "didn't i already say that? aaron back me up."
the man laughed, "daryl, sounds like you've got a situation on your hands later today."
"sure." daryl smirked.
rosaline stopped her mouth dropping open, "you are morbid."
the three laughed, continuing to hammer in the planks until a noise caused their attention to be diverted.
justin had shoved henry who was giving out water to the people working. the boy got up, knocking the guy on his ass with the stick morgan had taught him to use. the saviors laughed, watching him groan from the floor.
"well looks like we have a situation now, aaron." rosa muttered, dusting off her hands and getting up.
daryl seemed to get the message as he sprinted after justin who'd stormed after henry, ready to retaliate, "hey." he grabbed him, "kid's just doing his job. get back to work."
"i don't need your people telling me what to do. you're not my babysitter anymore." the man seethed, spinning on his feet to leave.
when daryl went to pull him back, justin swung for him but to his dismay, missed. immediately, daryl delivered a right swing to his face knocking him back onto the floor. justin used that to his advantage, slinging balled up sand in his fists into the marksman's eyes.
they continued to fight, everyone crowding around them.
aaron and rosaline exchanged looks before she attempted to get between them. that seemed like a bad idea because instead of hitting daryl, justin had squared her right in the face, busting her lip. a painful shot seared through her jaw, causing her to yelp out in pain.
instantly, rhaegar snarled dashing for the savior, pinning him and clamping down on his arm, giving it a good yank back. blood started to seep out of the spot he'd bitten.
her husband was enraged and prepared to give justin the beat down of his life, "rhaegar off, i've got him."
just in the nick of time, rick arrived at the scene, pushing past people, "hey! break it up right now!" he threw justin into the other crowd of men whilst aaron kept daryl back, "i said enough! enough. look, you nicked her you idiot!"
daryl broke away and rushed to rosaline, helping her to her feet, "son of a bitch. i'll kill you for setting a hand on her!"
"i didn't mean to! she got in the way, she's less of a pain than you. i didn't want to hit her, i was going straight for you, asshole." justin flared, holding onto his bleeding arm.
the building crew murmured, their eyes all cast upon rosa who was clutching her mouth whilst it poured out with blood. daryl spat out his crimson-stained saliva.
rick walked over to her, "come on. let's get you to enid. everyone get back to work!"
within a few minutes, rosaline was getting looked over by enid while daryl ranted to her father, absolutely fuming with the outcome and how justin received zero consequences for his actions.
"so, that asshole just gets a free pass? he fights me and he hits rosaline but he goes free? is that it?" daryl fired at him, pacing.
rick let out a breath, "it's just a few more days." he reminded, "i don't like it, either, but we need to get that work done. he's strong. the saviors are over half the workforce, and we've had too many walk off already."
rosaline entered the tent with rhaegar, holding a cold compress to her mouth which had been provided by enid. it was just the freezing river water on a clean cloth. carol gestured her over, examining the injury.
"yeah, 'cause that's who they are. some of them ain't ever gonna fall in line just 'cause you say so," the marksman argued, "will it take one of them to kill rosa or someone else before you get that?"
"i'm fine." she reassured from the side.
"are ya really, though?"
carol looked to the former sheriff, "daryl's right. these people have never had to live together and we can't expect them to just forget what's happened."
"so far it's just been them getting away with disobedience scot-free and it being played off as needing adjustment." rosaline complained, finally catching some ground in the argument, "it's been a year and a half, dad. these people are still bitter."
her father's gaze dropped, "it hasn't been easy. i know. it won't be, not for a while, but it's not about forgetting. it's about moving ahead, all of us, together. we keep doing that, they'll see we're all on the same side."
"are we, though?" daryl questioned suddenly, looking rick up and down accusingly, "are we on the same side, rick?"
rosaline and carol stared at them both, quite surprised at the exchange of words. obviously, daryl was infuriated. absolutely infuriated. maybe that was an understatement.
rick paused, "well, you tell me."
"thing is, man, i've been tryin' to but you don't seem to want to hear it. " he snapped, walking out.
"daryl."
rosaline exhaled sharply through her nostrils, "let him cool off a second."
rick sighed, "it's complicated. it's been different since gregory, maybe since before that."
"you should talk to him." carol suggested, crossing her arms.
"and say what? i mean, rose, you know him best, so what do i say?" her adoptive father quizzed seeming stuck himself.
"you're trying to do the right thing but daryl has his own moral code. just like all those other people." the young woman explained, relieving in the cold sensation the cloth was providing her.
carol agreed, "maybe some of them are just not ready for it."
her and rosaline left the tent in search of daryl. it seemed like he needed someone to talk to.
rosa seemed to find him first with the help of rheagar. he was sitting upon a log kicking pine cones away and sinking his hunting knife into the ground. that was a common habit of his.
the young woman settled beside him, their shoulders touching, "i understood why you're angry. rick hasn't been the most open to new ideas." she began, "the saviors... some of them are disobedient and you've been handling them for longer than you should've."
he scoffed dropping the knife, "i'd kill the bitch. anyone ever touches you like that and i'll take their head off."
"i bet." rosaline laughed, "i've got a proposition for you."
"that might be?"
"me and you. live in the woods together once the communities are good to stand on their own. just the two of us and rhaegar." she offered, leaning her head on his shoulder as he breathed out. at the sound of his name, the german shepherd turned around letting out a confused noise.
daryl could feel a smile playing at his lips, "yeah. that sounds good."
"i mean, who knows? we could build a little cabin and have a mini you run around, causing havoc." rosaline joked, bumping him, "we'll just have to see. that's only if you want if not... we can plant a forest in the back of alexandria and camp there."
he put an arm around the back of her, "that is what i want." he assured even grinning at her silly suggestion, "even that part. could give it a shot, ya know?"
"we could."
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────
aww, again the pair setting plans for each other that's cute.
don't forget to vote and comment!
───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────