Rotting carcasses lay in dozens upon dozens of piles near the gated entrance of Alexandria, their foul stench staining the air.
Evelyn stood up on the guard tower, rifle in hand as she glanced at the people down below that were hauling the walkers into the backs of and driving them to the outside world to be dumped.
It had been merely five hours since the once safe, gated community had been overrun by walkers, but not a single person living there wanted to waste a moment in rebuilding their home. Whether it be to keep the place moving or to keep their minds from wandering to the loss they all experienced not long ago was up for debate.
While not too many lives had been taken by the grimy hands of the dead that night, it was still more than enough to sting.
The entire Anderson family had been taken out in one fell swoop as well as Deanna and a couple others that Evelyn wished she had gotten to know better.
Even though it hadn't seemed like Deanna was in charge for a while, after Rick had stepped up, it still felt as though Alexandria had lost its leader. She had, after all, been the one to mostly start this place up. Without her, it wouldn't be anywhere near where it is today- if it would even still be around.
Without Evelyn's group, though, it would not still be standing, that much was for sure. Even if Deanna was still around.
Carl had also been through a hell of a night. Apparently, Ron had shot him in the eye right before he had met his own demise, thankfully the young boy was alright, though. The last Evelyn had seen of him, he was laying, unconscious, in one of the medical beds, recovering.
The woman had been quick to offer herself up to keep watch, not wanting to make anyone else do it nor did she want to be standing around doing nothing. Especially while Daryl worked almost around the clock to help try and clear the walkers from the streets.
At the thought of the man- as if her mind ever truly strayed too far from him- Evelyn found her eyes wandering to where she knew him to be working.
Daryl was just standing up down by a truck, dusting his hands off on his jeans, his back to her. Though, as if he could feel her stare, he turned around. Lifting a hand to block out the sun as he squinted up at her, and unlike what she had been doing for months when he caught her staring at him, she didn't look away.
Evelyn and Daryl stayed like that for a moment, as the corners of their mouths both twitched upwards in sync.
Their eyes were torn away from one anothers gazes, though, when Glenn came up beside Dixon and nudged him, his own eyes swimming in amusement.
Daryl's face immediately dropped to a scowl as he turned to look at the man, who looked as though he were biting back at laughter and said something that Evelyn couldn't hear, but she could assume it had to do with getting back to work and to stop staring.
Her assumptions were proven right when Daryl gave the man a slight shove, emitting laughter from Rhee while they both did in fact get back to work and Evelyn was left, averting her gaze back to over the wall and biting back a laugh of her own.
Five hours had passed since Daryl and Evelyn were reunited in the middle of the chaos of the fight against the walkers. Five hours had passed since Evelyn had leaned forward and kissed the man she had once loved with all her heart.
For one agonizingly long moment, Daryl had stood there, frozen like a statue with her lips pressed against his. As if he were unable to recognize- unable to comprehend- that Evelyn Wright was kissing him.
When he still hadn't moved, Evelyn had begun pulling back slightly, her breath catching as a look of both horror and complete despair had overcome her features.
That look alone seemed to be enough to shake Daryl to the core, immediately snapping out of whatever foolish trance he had been sent into as he hurriedly learned forward and captured Evelyn's lips in his with a hunger that rivaled hers.
It had only taken a beat longer for her to kiss him back.
"I'm surprised you're not making all of us sit in a classroom right now."
Evelyn hadn't even heard the boy climb up the ladder until he was standing right beside her.
"I figured I would be nice and give you kids a couple days off." She threw a playful look at Finn sideways, "I could always assign you some homework if you want, though-"
"No!" He quickly yelped before clearing his throat and attempting to speak more calmly, "No, that's alright."
She chuckled, gently bumping her shoulder against his before quieting and growing more serious, "How're you holding up?" She asked softly.
Finn shrugged slightly, "Pretty shitty." He admitted, "But I'll be fine."
Concern overcame Wrights features, "You know you can talk to me if you need to-"
"I know." He interrupted, a rare softness lingering in his own voice, "I will if I need to."
There was something in his tone and words that made Evelyn believe him wholeheartedly.
"You should get some rest, though, it was a long night." She realized suddenly that the boy had no doubt gotten absolutely no sleep.
He rolled his eyes, "I don't need-"
"Phineas." She warned, turning to face him fully with her eyebrows raised.
This time, when he rolled his eyes, the woman knew he was relenting, "Fine, whatever. I'll try." He sounded slightly sarcastic.
She cracked a smile, reaching out and ruffling his hair, "That's all I can ask."
With that, the boy descended the ladder and made his way to his house, hopefully to be able to actually fall asleep.
Just off to the left a bit, some of the people in the community had already begun rebuilding the wall that had collapsed yesterday, some others standing guard just in case any walkers got close.
From the group, Evelyn was able to easily spot both Daniel and Caspian, the two men standing side by side with guns, facing outside as they kept watch.
When everything calmed down, she would really have to interrogate her best friend about what was going on between the two of them.
"Never fear, your savior is here." A teasing voice called up the ladder as someone once again ascended it.
Evelyn felt a grin form on her face as she looked over her shoulder to Maggie, who was sporting a similar one, "Oh? And what is it that I need saving from, oh great savior?" She teased back.
"Being awake." The woman informed her, easily taking the rifle from her friend's grip, "It's time for you to get some rest."
Her lips began pulling down, "You're the one that's pregnant. You need it more than I do-"
"I already slept." Rhee reassured her with a dazzling smile, "A full five hours. A lot more than could be said for anyone else within these walls. So it's my turn to keep watch." She held up a hand before Evelyn could argue, acting much like the other woman had only moments ago with Finn, "Nobody needs you falling asleep while on watch. Kinda defeats the purpose of the whole thing."
Evelyn rolled her eyes, "And there's nothing I can do to change your mind?"
"Not a single thing." Maggie drawled before playfully nudging the woman, "Now get out of here. I'm already tired of you."
She laughed, "Alright, alright. Consider me gone."
When she got to the bottom of the ladder, her gaze somehow found its way over to where Daryl and Glenn, as well as some of the others, had been loading up walkers, only to find all of them and the trucks gone, meaning they had already gone to unload them.
After their kiss, Evelyn and Daryl hadn't really gotten the chance to talk much outside of seeing if one another was okay because everyone had found their way over to them and everyone had dove into action on what to do next. So, naturally, she had been hoping for a chance to get to talk with him.
She guessed she would just have to wait until he got back.
Evelyn sighed a little before forcing her feet in the direction of her house, knowing that it was the smart thing to do, going to rest up.
When she pulled to a stop in front of her porch, though, staring up at the front door, no amount of will could force her legs to move once more. Sleep meant nightmares. Nightmares meant remembering.
And right now, Evelyn was more than fine with skipping out on remembering.
Instead of doing what Maggie had wanted her to, Evelyn found herself traveling in the direction of the medical room, knowing her favorite family of three would be there currently.
Her suspicions were proven right after she lightly rapped on the ajar door and peaked in, finding Rick sitting on a chair, Judith on his lap, both looking half asleep, next to the bed Carl was laying on, still unconscious from the previous night's events.
The eldest Grimes looked up when she came in and managed a tired smile, "Hey," He whispered.
"Hey, yourself." She spoke quietly back, moving closer to where he was, "Why don't I take over for a few minutes while you go get something to eat?"
"You don't mind?" Rick didn't fight her on it, though he did look her in the eyes, making sure she truly didn't care.
"It would be my pleasure." She promised, holding her arms out for the baby.
Rick handed Judith over with an appreciative 'thank you', promising to bring her back something too, before slipping out of the room.
Evelyn gently sank into the seat the man had previously been occupying, shifting Judith in her hold so that she and the baby were facing each other, "Hey, little lady." She greeted with a soft smile, gently rocking her back and forth, "How's it hangin'?"
Judith babbled happily, loosely grabbing at Wright's face and taking it between her hands, patting the older woman's cheeks with a quiet giggle.
She hummed softly to the youngest grimes for a few moments, playing with her and thankfully keeping the baby entertained enough to hold her off from screaming and crying in the absence of her father.
"Would- would you ever consider running away with me?" A hoarse voice- groggy from unuse- came from the bed.
"Carl!" Evelyn was immediately on her feet, Judith positioned to rest on her hip, her eyes wide and frantic as they searched over the young boy.
His one eye was peeled open, though it was half lidded, the other side of his face bandaged up. And yet, despite all of it, he had a small smile sitting on his lips.
"Well?" He asked quietly, "Would you?"
Evelyn laughed in surprise, tears stinging the corners of her eyes for a brief moment, just happy to see him awake and joking around. He was alright.
With her free hand, she smoothed his hair back from his forehead, "That's really the first thing you've got to say to me?" She joked as Judith made grabby hand motions towards her elder brother.
Carl reached a shaky hand up and allowed for Judith to grasp onto his fingers, "What else is there to say?" He joked with a small chuckle.
Evelyn laughed again, Judith joining, just in time for Rick to enter the room once more, a wide smile breaking out across his face.
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"What're you thinking about, Dan?" Caspian asked softly, reaching out and smoothing some of Daniel's hair off of his forehead, watching as he leaned into the touch.
The man sighed, leaning into his boyfriend's touch from where they lay, side by side on the former's bed, both trying- and failing- to take a nap midway through the day.
"A lot, I guess." Hayes had never been the kind to be non-chatty, so considering the fact that he was wide awake and not saying a word was slightly concerning to the other man.
"Anything you'd like to share?" The worry was evident in his wide, brown eyes.
"It's just..." Another sigh, "a lot. This always happens. Everytime I'm finally beginning to feel comfortable somewhere, something goes wrong." He admitted.
First, it was all of those random groups with Evelyn, and then it happened to them at the prison, and now here, in Alexandria. Nothing ever stayed consistent and safe long enough. Ever.
"But everyone's okay," Caspian reminded him, taking the man's hand in his, "We're okay. We made it through."
"I just can't help but worry. What about the people that lost their houses? How is everyone going to feel safe after the wall went down just like that? Not to mention the fact that we wasted a lot of bullets last night and-"
"Hey, hey," Still holding onto one of Daniel's hands, Caspian took his other and gently held the side of the man's face, rubbing his thumb back and forth as he did so, "We'll figure it out. It'll all work out. The worst part is all over now." A soft smile overcame his features, "One of the things I love most about you is how you're thinking of everyone else before even sparring yourself a single worry, do you know that I love that about you?"
Daniel was still for a moment before shaking his head.
"I do love that about you." Capsian continued, his thumb still moving back and forth, "But I also hate it sometimes. Do you know why?" Daniel shook his head once more, "Because then you're not looking out for yourself. And I happen to really like you, so I like it when you look after yourself." He chuckled a little, ducking his head to meet Daniel's eyes once more.
Hayes looked up at him, a look of brokenness laying within his brown orbs, the attempt at distracting him having not worked, "I'm so scared."
Daniel was never like this. He was never scared, at least, he never showed it. Never in front of other people.
The look in his eyes alone caused Caspians heart to shatter into thousands of pieces right then and there, "Oh, Dan." He breathed out softly, pulling the man into his arms so that his head was resting against his chest, holding him close, "We're okay, I promise you we are."
Daniel squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, feeling the sting of tears against their corners and buried his face further into Caspians shirt.
The two lay there, on Caspians bed, limbs entangled, holding each other close and tight, doing everything in their power to try and take away the fear and pain the other one was experiencing at that moment.
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"Ev," The man reached out, shaking her shoulder slightly.
Evelyn peeled her eyes open slowly at the movement, coming face to face with Daryl Dixon, causing a small smile to grow on her face.
"Hey," She whispered, sleep still lining her voice.
"Hey," He echoed back, a soft smile of his own making its way onto her face, "A bit tired?" He teased lightly.
"Mm-mm." Evelyn let her eyes flutter shut as she shook her head, leaning back against the cushions of the couch she had evidently fallen asleep on while trying to stay up awaiting Daryl's arrival.
Since she, Daniel, and Daryl were currently sharing one of the larger houses- with separate rooms, of course- she figured that he would have to be back sooner or later, so why not wait up for him? They hadn't talked all day.
She peeled her eyes open once more, deciding now that he was there, she would much rather look at him than the back of her eyelids and she smiled again, stretching her arms over her head, still speaking in a sleepy voice, "I was waiting for you."
Daryl sank down onto the couch beside her, gently moving a strand of hair behind her ear, "I can see that. You were doin' a great job with it, too."
With a glance behind him and out the window, she could see that night had fallen once more. The first night since the collapse of the wall.
He looked as though he had already washed up to go to bed- like he had seen Evelyn sleeping and decided to give her a few more minutes before waking her. He was in a fresh set of clothes and didn't reek of whatever the day had brung, meaning he had showered as well when he got back.
It had only taken one stern talking to from Evelyn before he and the others had left to move the herd and Daryl suddenly got better about taking showers more often.
She huffed out a bit of a laugh, "Shut up." She went to lightly push his shoulder, but he caught her hand with ease, instead, holding it in his own- rubbing his thumb back and forth over the back of hers.
"What did ya wanna see me for?" He asked softly.
"To do this." Came her answer before she slowly leaned in, gently placing her lips against his.
Unlike their last shared kiss, this one was slower, more lazy from both of their clear exhaustion. It was sweeter. Simpler. It was perfect.
It set off butterflies in Evelyn's stomach and fireworks in her heart. It melted her insides but also held her entire being together.
Nothing about it- about them- was awkward. Not after all that waiting they did, not after all that time had passed between them before the prison.
It just felt so natural. So right. As if this was what should have been happening all along. As if it were a puzzle piece finally clicking into place. As if a key had finally appeared and unlocked the walls they had built up around their hearts in the absence of one another.
It took a few minutes before Daryl- oh, so very begrudgingly- pulled away slightly, "Come on, we've gotta get to bed or else we might fall asleep like this."
They were still practically nose to nose, "I can think of worse ways to fall asleep." Evelyn teased beginning to lean forward again.
Daryl couldn't completely resist as he allowed her another moment and another sweet kiss before fully pulling away and rising to his feet, holding out a hand for her.
"Come on, let's get ya to bed."
This time, Evelyn didn't argue as she took Daryl's hand and let him pull her exhausted body to her feet, tucking her into his side and steering her up to her room.
He gently nudged her door open and helped guide her into her bed, lifting the covers for her and waiting for her to fully lay down before he set them on top of her.
Despite the fact that her eyelids were growing unbearably heavy and practically begging her to let them drop closed, she kept her eyes open for a moment, watching Daryl as hesitated for a moment before bending down and placing a lingering kiss to her forehead, "Night, Ev." He whispered before shuffling out and softly closing the door behind him.
Perhaps this was coming as naturally to him as it did to her. Perhaps despite the fact that they hadn't actually talked about the kiss from the other night- instead just doing more of it- they would be alright. Perhaps they weren't moving too fast and weren't in desperate need of a conversation about them.
Perhaps, for now, they could just enjoy what they had.
Despite what Evelyn had thought earlier, about being plagued with nightmares and memories alike once she fell asleep, she actually slept soundly through the night without a torment to so much as stir her from her slumber.
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"I'm telling you, I've read every single comic in this place. Some of them twice! I need new ones." Finn sighed as he and Evelyn walked side by side, each carrying a large basket in their arms.
After waking up this morning after some much needed sleep- that many people may or may not have suggested for her- Evelyn once again felt refreshed and needed help.
What better way than offering to do something as mundane as the laundry of her friends and family while they ran around doing things that actually mattered- none of them having time to do it.
So naturally, when she had seen Finn walking by, the poor, unsuspecting boy had gotten roped into the chore too and after an hour or two of washing and hanging their friends clothes, they had decided to go from house to house and offer to do others as well while everything dried, figuring they might as well assist while they could.
"I'll definitely keep an eye out when I go scavenging." She promised.
While picking up the Grime's laundry, Rick had talked to her about possibly taking her and Daryl in a couple of days and going to look for supplies. Anything that they think the community could need.
Naturally, she agreed, wanting to help Alexandria in any way that she could. Getting to spend extra time with Daryl was just a bonus- Rick too, of course.
"Here, you go to that house, I'll go to the next one over." Evelyn motioned to the last two houses they had to hit to offer people their clothes back, splitting off to do what they needed to do.
Just before she could step onto the porch, a voice called out to her.
"Evelyn!" Her name was spoken pointedly, as if to call attention to the fact that it was her full name instead of nickname.
The smile from her eyes immediately faded and her lips pulled down into a straight line.
She turned, "Jordan."
Said man came to a stop in front of her, his lopsided smile that used to hold charm now doing nothing but irritate Evelyn, "Hey, I heard you were offering to wash everyone's clothes. Couldn't help but notice that you skipped over my house." Though it was said with a smile on his face, the tone wasn't matching up.
"You're a grown man with two working legs. Do it yourself." The words were snipped and her tone let on her agitation.
His smile dropped and he scoffed, turning his head to the side a bit, "Okay, seriously? Come on! What is happening? One day we're good, and the next you're acting like I'm one of the damn walkers. What the hell, Evelyn. Care to explain?" He spat her name out again.
She gritted her teeth together, not bothering to sugar coat or hide how she was feeling, "Yeah, we were good. But then you started getting on my fucking nerves. So take a hint and back off, Reid."
There was something about him that frustrated her so much, that made her want to slap that smile off his face. Perhaps it was because of the way he acted as though Evelyn were obsessed with him- or that she should be.
Or perhaps it was the fact that he had called her a name only one person ever called her. Or perhaps it was his cocky, arrogant attitude that never seemed to leave him.
Whatever it was, Evelyn had enough and was fed up. The charm from the first few meetings with him and been quick to fade.
Movement caught Evelyn's attention from over the mans shoulder, drawing her eyes to the source.
It was Daryl, a few houses down, walking along the street with some sort of animal or another in his hand, crossbow slung over his shoulder.
By the time Evelyn had woken up that morning, Daryl had already been gone, and from the looks of it now, he had gone hunting, no doubt for the dinner that night.
To celebrate Carl waking up, Maggie- with the help of Michonne- had insisted on everyone from their group- plus a couple extras- getting together and sitting down for a dinner. It was rare for them all to be in the same place unless something was wrong, and it wasn't too hard to get everyone else on board.
Daryl's attention also seemed to have wavered to Evelyn, because the corners of his mouth turned up and he raised a free hand in greeting.
Momentarily forgetting about Jordan, Evleyn waved back, a smile of her own tugging at her lips.
At her movements, the man in front of her whipped around to face Daryl, Dixon's smile immediately dropping as he did so.
"Oh, come on! Seriously? What is that Dixon guys deal? He obsessed with you or something?" He exclaimed.
Due to the distance, Daryl clearly couldn't hear what he had said, but his eyebrows furrowed nonetheless.
"If he were," Evelyn was right back to glaring at the man, appreciating how Daryl stayed back to let her handle this, though was still within shouting distance if she needed him- she knew he did that on purpose, "It would be none of your damn business."
Jordans eyes narrowed in return, he was right about fuming now, "Okay, you know what-"
"Evelyn!" A much more cheerful and pleasant voice chirped as the owner came to stand beside the woman, immediately lacing her arm through hers, "How's it going?"
Wright's dangerous look never wavered from the man in front of her, "This asshole is trying my patience." She hissed.
Carol laughed lightly, tapping her arm sympathetically, "Oh, come now, we can't be starting an Alexandrian war, now can we?" She threw a playful wink at Jordan, "Not yet anyway."
Though Peletier kept the atmosphere about her light and playful, there was a bit of a warning lingering within her sharp gaze.
Jordan just stood there, staring between the two women, seeming at a genuine loss for what to say.
With that, Carol pulled Evelyn along and past Reid, making sure to 'accidentally' hit his shoulder on the way past, "Come on, dear, want to discuss this murder over a batch of cookies?"
The two women made eye contact and it took everything in Evelyn not to burst out laughing in that moment, seeing that Carol was desperately trying to keep it at bay as well.
Carol had put up her nice act once more, but this time had let on a bit of her more- true- deadly side.
It wasn't until they were out of earshot and had turned a corner that the two women started cackling, their interlinked arms the only thing holding them upwards in that moment.
Evelyn wiped a tear away from her eye, "That- that was perfect, thank you. I seriously was about to murder him."
Carol laughed, "Oh, I know. I wasn't kidding about that part. I have to make cookies for dinner tonight so I figured we could plan his demise and bake together."
Evelyn grinned over at her, "You just described a perfect evening."
"Hey," Daryl called, approaching the two, his eyebrows still furrowed slightly, "What was that all about?"
The brunette woman waved a dismissive hand, "Just Reid being an ass and Carol being a badass." She snickered.
Dixon wasn't quite convinced yet, as his eyes scanned over her, "You're okay, though?"
Her smile softened a bit, "I'm fine."
The two were looking at each other for a moment before getting interrupted by Carol clapping her hands together, "Evelyn, about those cookies-"
And with that, Wright was whisked off in a separate direction, though she glanced over her shoulder at Daryl once more before fully disappearing into the woman's house.
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"How're ya doin'?" Daryl asked softly, leaning against the doorframe of Evelyn's room as she moved around in it, trying to find an outfit to wear for that night.
At the sound of his voice, an unconscious smile grew on Evelyn's face as she looked over her shoulder at him, "Pretty good." She answered honestly, dropping the shirt she had been holding onto her bed as she made her way over to him.
Daryl straightened his body just in time for Evelyn to throw her arms around his neck, interlocking her fingers there, but instead of moving in for a kiss right away, she just stayed here, staring up at him, eyes scanning his every feature as he did the same for her, his hands resting on her hips.
He was the one that gave in first, closing the gap between them.
This time, the kiss was a bit faster, but not as intense as their first one had been.
Sparklers were flying through Evelyn's mind, blocking out every and any other thought as she pulled herself closer to Daryl just as he-
"E! You home?"
Daryl and Evelyn sprang apart as if they had burned one another just in time for Daniel to emerge from his room right across the hall.
Neither of them had known that he was there.
The man pulled up short when he caught sight of them, both looking flustered and standing a bit too far apart to have a non awkward conversation.
His eyes narrowed, "What're you two kids doing?"
Evelyn quickly cleared her throat, hoping her disarray appearance wasn't as noticeable as it felt, "Nothing, just talking about the dinner tonight."
Daryl nodded along, though his eyes stayed glued to the floor.
Daniel's eyes stayed narrowed on the two of them, but he couldn't seem to understand what it was that was really going on, so he let it go for now, "Okay, I'll be ready to leave in fifteen if you wanna go then."
"Sounds perfect!" Evelyn chirped, a little too enthusiastically.
Instead of going back into his room, though, Daniel stood there, giving the two of them no time to do anything else before Daryl finally understood that and made his way to his own room, his face still turned towards the ground.
Just as he entered his room and lifted his head, though, Evelyn caught a glimpse of the redness on the tip of his ears.
Once he closed his door behind him, Evelyn whipped around to glare at Daniel, who looked at her helplessly, "What?" She rolled her eyes and went back into her room, slamming her door shut, "What did I do?"
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Everyone was slowly but surely piling into The Grimes and Michonne's house, where multiple tables had been pushed together to make one long one, mismatched chairs lined up all around it so that there was a seat for everyone.
Daniel, Caspian, and Gabriel were chatting and laughing with Glenn, Maggie, and Tara by the fireplace while Abraham, Sasha, and Eugene all stood around the counter, searching over the food that was laid out.
Rick, Michonne, Rosita, Carl, and Finn were all setting the table with bright smiles on their faces just as Aaron and Eric wandered in, greeting everyone with wide and welcoming smiles.
Evelyn held Judith against her hip from where she and Daryl stood on the opposite end of the counter from the others, the ladder also looking down at the food.
Just as his hand reached out to grab a cookie that she and Carol had made an hour before, Evelyn swiftly reached out and slapped his hand away.
The man let out a small yelp, his eyes widening in surprise as he turned to her, only to be meant with a stern look from her and an overjoyed Judith, who couldn't help but laugh profoundly at his shock.
"What the hell was tha' for?" He demanded, rubbing his hand slightly.
She waved a warning finger at him, "Wait until it's time." She scolded.
He rolled his eyes slightly, though he couldn't necessarily hide the smile that was threatening to crawl onto his features, so he turned his head in hopes that she wouldn't see, "Yeah, yeah."
Just then, Rick clapped his hands together loudly, gaining everyone's attention, "Everyone grab a plate from the counter and set it on the table and we can start eating!"
Daniel whooped loudly, immediately diving towards the food and hurrying back to the table, eager to eat.
Everyone laughed loudly for a few seconds before following suit until everyone was sitting around the table.
Caspian sat on one of Daniel's sides, Evelyn on his other with Daryl beside her and Rick, Carl, and Finn taking up their seats across from them as everyone milled out to the other available seats.
Just like that, plates began getting passed around and everyone filled theirs to their hearts content before they started eating.
Multiple conversations broke out at once as everyone turned to someone or another, Evelyn being pulled into a conversation with Caspian, Daniel, Aaron, and Eric about what all of their favorite movies were before the end of the world happened.
"Action movies are by far the best genre." Evelyn stated as she took a sip from her water, "Mission Impossible. The Matrix. Nothing can top those kinds of movies."
Aaron nodded along, "I hear you, but what about romances?"
"How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days." Eric jumped in, "The Notebook."
"Titanic. Sleepless in Seattle." Caspian continued.
"I've got to agree with them, E." Daniel admitted, "They've got you there."
Evelyn's mouth dropped open in mock absurdity, "I'm feeling outnumbered, here."
"Action movies." Daryl piped up from beside her, glancing up at the group, "Way better."
The woman turned her head over her shoulder to give him a grateful smile, "At least someone has my back."
"Always," He said lowly, his eyes trained solely on Evelyn and for a moment, it felt as though they were the only two in the room as the other four continued on with their conversation without them.
"Why're you two acting so weird?"
As soon as Finn spoke, everyone at the table somehow found their conversations to become irrelevant as their eyes all snapped over to the boy, but his narrowed gaze was just snapping back and forth between the two adults across from him.
Evelyn immediately felt dread settle in the pit of her stomach. Why, oh why, did he have to say that so loud- why did he have to say that at all?
Immediately, the woman tried to feign nonchalance, eating a piece of the meat in front of her, "What do you mean?"
The young boy's eyes were still sweeping back and forth between the two, and just like that, everybody's eyes were doing the same. As if it were a game of following the leader.
"I don't know what you're-" She tried to say.
"No, Finn's right." Tara piped up suddenly, she of all people suddenly finding immense interest in this, "You two have been acting differently than normal."
"Us?" Evelyn guestred between her and Daryl, "Why would we be acting differently at all?"
Daryl was staying silent. Most likely because he either didn't know what to say, or had become like a deer in headlights at the boy's accusation.
"You wouldn't be unless..." Right then, Tara's eyes widened greatly- almost comically so- and she gasped loudly, her hands flying to cover her mouth.
Just like that, one by one, in a domino effect, every single person's eyes widened along with her as they stared at Evelyn and Daryl- the two wanting nothing more in that moment then to go back in time and duct tape Finn's mouth shut.
"Oh my god! We make a great team, dude. That deserves a fist bump." The woman exclaimed, grinning widely before reaching over, across Father Gabriel- who was right next to the young boy- and holding her fist out for him- only for it to go ignored as everyone stared at Daryl and Evelyn, comprehending in their own way.
As if whatever was happening between the two of them affected their lives in any way shape or form. It didn't.
"Wait, that means- oh my god!" It was then Danny's turn to let out an over exaggerated gasp, this one more high pitched as he jumped to his feet, his finger whipping to point back and forth between them, "When I saw you two- I mean- you were- you were- kissing? Oh god, I'm gonna throw up!" He cried dramatically.
It was at that moment that everything around the table erupted into chaos.
"Kissing?" Carl shrieked, while Finn stared at the two in horror.
Michonne and Carol both grinned wildly at one another, reaching across the entire table to high five.
Maggie was bouncing up and down in her seat, shaking Glenns shoulder out of pure excitement.
Abraham was confusedly asking Sasha some questions quietly as she explained things to him whilst sending the two smiles from where they were.
Rick was bouncing Judith on his lap and he clapped her hands together while she babbled and grinned as widely as her little face seemed to be able to do.
Aaron, Eric, and Caspian all seemed to find the scene amusing, for some reason.
Everyone was acting as though this was the best news they had received in a long, long time. As if they even understood what was happening- Evelyn and Daryl didn't even know. But from the looks of it, their group had been waiting for this to happen for a long time.
"Wait!" Daniel all but yelled suddenly, standing once more and slamming his hands on the table before pointing straight at Glenn, "You owe me twelve bags of gummy worms!"
"What?" Glenn looked a bit confused, as well as angry, "No, I don't! You owe them to me!"
"Nuh uh!" Hayes argued childishly, "The bet was, that if they got together before winter, then I would win. If they get together once winter starts or after, then you win. Guess what, buddy boy? Looks like it's still warm enough for a short-sleeved shirt outside and you owe me twelve bags of gummy worms!"
Rhee paused, seeming to think about it for a second before his face screwed up, "Damn it!"
"Hey!" Daryl's voice boomed suddenly as he rose to his feet, all but slamming his hands on the table, "None of this is any of your damn business! You nosy ass people think ya know everythin', but ya don'! So do us both a favor and keep yer goddamn noses out of our business!"
Everyone- including Evelyn- seemed to be stunned into a silence as the man stood there for a moment, glaring at each and every person before quickly- yet gently- taking Evelyns hand in his and marching them right out of the house.
It was silent for a moment before Rick broke the silence, a small smirk on his lips, raising his glass in a toast-like manner, "It's about time," He muttered before taking a sip.
"Here, here!" Everyone else cheered, raising their own glasses, similar smirks and smiles on their faces.
Everyone but Finn and Carl, who had now resorted to staring at one another in horror.
It was safe to say that almost everyone at that table had a bet going with one person or another about when something would happen between Daryl and Evelyn, not just Glenn and Danny.
A/N: Sorry this is so long- after this idk if I'm gonna skip the two month time jump and go straight to the story or if I'm gonna write more chapters like this