" What's the point in hiding that you look lost. "
90. he knows
QUINN
SHE STEPPED OUT OF THE HOUSE LATE IN THE afternoon. She'd spend the entire night tossing and turning, trying so damn hard to fall asleep. To empty her mind and let go of her worries. If anyone knew how to handle themselves in this world, it was Daryl but that thought alone wasn't enough to calm her racing heart down. Eventually she'd grown annoyed with the sheets twisting around her legs, with her mind refusing to calm down and with her heart aching in her chest and so she had moved to the couch in the living room, finally falling asleep while the sun was already climbing back into the sky. When she finally woke, her entire body was aching. She took a quick shower but didn't feel like eating anything and so she left the house with an empty stomach.
She felt ridiculious for acting this way. Like a child so dependent on their mother that it couldn't stop crying until it was reunited with her again. But her soul was crying out to him, a desperate scream into a void that refused to answer. And she knew her body wouldn't be able to rest until an answer was given.
As she marched down the streets, she searched for a quiet spot away from prying eyes and burning questions, wanting only peace and quiet. She clenched her trembling hands, trying her hardest to trap her restlessness inside and crush it.
Even though it was late in the day, most of the community seemed to be asleep. With the lingering danger outside the walls, she figured most people were probably hiding away in their homes, too scared for the noises, too repulsed by the smell. They had been safe for so long, sheltered from the horrors of the outside world. It must be a strange feeling to have that security ripped away all of a sudden. Still, Quinn couldn't bring herself to care much about the suffering of others at the moment.
'Afternoon,' a voice greeted her with a teasing tone.
Frowning she looked up at the watchers post on the wall above her. Spencer was standing there, looking down at her with a rifle over his shoulders. She simply nodded back at him, not finding the strength within her to reply, annoyed by his act, like he knew anything about the emotions swirling within her. She picked up her pace, walking around the streets without a real purpose. When Milo told her that Spencer had been the one to shoot the truck driver, she had trouble believing him. His brother had almost gotten Glenn and Tara killed with his stupidity, his father was dead because his mother refused to deal with a dangerous man, how could he know any better? She still wasn't convinced but maybe she had to allow herself to believe in the possibility that Rick's words were finally being listened to.
She arrived by the small lake at the center of the community and she took a seat on one of the benches surrounding the water. She wanted to do something. To go out there and search for her friends instead of sitting around on her ass waiting for the situation to go either completely wrong or very right. But walkers surrounded the wall at every turn and according to Milo the sewers didn't go out far enough to escape the herd either. Her only choice was to sit here wait for help to come, unless Rick was able to come up with a brilliant plan but she doubted even he could think of something to do. Her only option was to hope. Hope that Glenn, Abraham, Sasha and Daryl were alive and well, on their way home to lead the herd away.
Footsteps came from her right. Quinn didn't need to look up to know who those quiet steps belonged to. Michonne reached her and sat down next to her on the wooden bench.
'Goodmorning,' Michonne said, that same teasing tone in her voice, smiling knowingly at her friend. Her friend could see right through her, right into her restless soul. Quinn hadn't expected anything less and simply pretended she didn't notice her penetrating stare.
'Rick, Carol and I just talked with Morgan,' Michonne said, focusing her gaze on the lake in front of them.
'Why?' Quinn frowned.
Michonne sighed deeply. 'Carol said he let some of the "W" people go.' She turned to look at Quinn. 'He confirmed he did and then Rick figured out they were the same people who attacked you two on the road.'
Biting her tongue, Quinn nodded slowly, trying to figure out what to do with that information. Morgan had changed completely since the first time she met him all the way back in King County. When he saved her, Aaron's and Daryl's lives she had seen it in his eyes. They were now clear of insanity, stable even. She had never wondered though what had made him change.
Her friend seemed to read her thoughts. 'He said all life is precious. That it was that idea that brought him back and kept him going.' She frowned. 'I just don't think it can be that simple.'
Nothing was simple anymore in this world. Every action had consequences and there wasn't enough room to deal with them all anymore. If Morgan had chosen not to kill, it could get someone else hurt, hell, it already had. She wasn't sure how she felt about his decision, but knew one thing with absolute certainty, she could never be brave enough to make that same choice. Because she knew that killing to protect her friends was something she would never walk away from. Killing to protect her family wasn't a question, it was a fact that she had learned to live with in this new world. Maybe that made her cold, but she believed that there was no greater purpose in her life than to protect those she loved, even if that included killing. 'He must realise that sometimes killing is the only answer,' she muttered.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Michonne took a deep breath. 'I guess we'll see.'
Silence engulfed the two friends, as both their thoughts were occupied with different things. Morgan was already gone from Quinn's thoughts, all her energy went into reassuring herself that Daryl was fine, that he was still alive. There wasn't room for anything else. She had devoted her heart to him and was incapable of taking it back.
'You know, Daryl only startled me once,' Michonne began, looking at her friend beside her. 'When you were taken by those people in Atlanta.' That same knowing smile as before appeared on her features. 'I had never seen him like that before. So...lost.'
Her heart beat sped up, her stomach ached with longing while her mind wandered back to the moment in the crater when the herd broke lose. In the middle of all the chaos she had turned to him and he had turned to her. And even in the middle of all that chaos still he took the time to tell her that he knew. He knew.
'Until he was reunited with you,' Michonne added softly. 'What's the point in hiding that you look lost now too, Quinn?'
She took a deep breath, wishing her heart would calm down. Looking at her friend, she finally managed a smile. 'You do remember our deal, right? When I tell him, you gotta tell Rick.'
Michonne's smile turned into a playful grin. 'Oh I know, but with the speed you're moving at, I figured I got all the time in the world.'
Somehow, through all the misery trapped in her bones, a laugh escaped her lips and just for a second the weight of her worries was lifted of her shoulders. But the moment shattered like glass when the sound of gun fire cut through the air.
The two friends shared a small glance before jumping on their feet. They ran down the street, following the echos of bullets being fired. It didn't take long to find the source. The watchpost that Spencer had been guarding only minutes before was now empty. Instead of standing guard, Spencer was climbing a rope attached to the roof of the church, or at least, he tried to because his legs were slipping and suddenly he was hanging only by his hands. Beneath him the walkers were stretching out their fingers to the sky, snarling hungrily at the sight of a meal.
On the platform a few metres away, Tara was hanging on the outside of the wall, using one hand to keep herself from falling while using the other to kill the walkers trying to take a bite out of Spencer. Her eyes flashed between the two platforms and in a split second her decision was made. She ran forwards, climbed up the ladder and reached for Tara's arm.
'Hold on!' She shouted, looking down worried at the younger woman.
Sweat crawled down Tara's forehead from the strength it took to keep herself hanging from the wall. She tugged the gun behind her belt and grabbed a hold of Quinn's arm. Tara placed her feet against the wall to try and climb to the other side while Quinn pulled. Michonne appeared beside them and took Tara's other arm in her hand, helping to get her over the wall. Only when she was back to safety did Quinn turn to look what had become of Spencer.
Rick and Milo had pulled the stupid son of a bitch to safety, both now breathing heavy from the strength it had taken. Sweat glinstering on their foreheads from the blazing heat of the sun.
'Tara!' Rick shouted out, making Quinn turn to look at him. 'You almost died once for these people!'
'What?' Tara shouted back at him, rage and disbelief brewing beneath her tones.
'What the hell were you doing?' Rick snapped at her.
She scoffed and then flipped him off, turning away from their leader with an angry scowl on her face.
'Are you okay?' Quinn questioned, scanning the girl for possible bites or slashes, relieved when she couldn't find any.
'Fine,' Tara sighed.
Quinn looked to Michonne, who was staring at Rick in thought. His anger towards the people of Alexandria was becoming worse with each passing day and now that anger was even turning to their own family whenever they tried to help the Alexandrians. Quinn knew she would never become friends with most of them, but she also wasn't stupid. They needed these people to survive. Funnily enough it was Aaron, the only Alexandrian she actually liked so far who taught her that.
Quinn was the first one to turn away from Rick and to climb back down the ladder. Down on the ground she was met by her brother, who stared at her with worried eyes. She offered him a reassuring smile. 'I'm okay, so is Tara.'
He nodded. 'I know,' he said, though his eyes added a few silent words that made her sigh. He wasn't wondering about her physical state, but rather her bruised soul that was so desperately trying to keep convincing her mind that he was alive and safe.
'What happened?' A small, familiar voice came from her right. Quinn turned to see Beth standing beside her, looking with a small frown at Spencer and Rick, who had now climbed down the ladder as well.
'Spencer thought he'd be able to climb above the walkers on a rope attached to the church,' Quinn said, sarcasm leaking from her tones.
Beth's frown became deeper and she opened her mouth to share her opinion when her eyes fell on something behind Quinn that made all her words die on her tongue. 'Look!' The teenager exclaimed happily, pointing up to the sky.
Turning on her heels to see what had the youngest Greene act so excited, Quinn raised her eyes to the bright blue sky. Her heart jumped in her chest, her soul cried out with happiness at the sight of ten green balloons floating through the sky. The very same balloons they had used to pinpoint the meeting locations while leading the herd away. Quinn never liked balloons but right now they were the most beautiful sight she'd ever soon. She felt like crying and laughing all at once. No matter who had send them up, it was a sign that they were alive out there. Alive and ready to come to their rescue.
Running footsteps came from her right and she turned to see Maggie racing towards them, her eyes glinstering with hope and a smile tugging at her lips. 'That's Glenn!' She spoke, out of breath but never sounding so happy before. 'That's Glenn.'
Rick nodded, a small smile beginning to form on his face. There was a glimmer of hope in the blue of his eyes, no matter how small, it was there, glowing like a diamond in the sunlight. And seeing Rick, of all people, have hope again made her heart overflow with glee.
But then a bone splitting crack broke the with hope filled atmosphere. Faith turned into fear as the people of Alexandria turned their eyes towards the source of the sound. Above their heads they could see a rip break through the wood of the church tower just outside the wall. The warm glow in her heart dissolved like the smoke of a dying fire and left her trembling from the sudden cold. There was nothing she could do, nothing anyone could do as the tower slowly descended to the ground. Another crack followed when wood hit metal and wall came tearing down.
She was frozen in place, her feet refusing to move while her brain tried to process the fact their safe haven had collapsed within a matter of seconds. The tower and the wall crashed against the ground, blowing a cloud of dust into the air, taking away her sight. A hand landed on her arm, pulled her away from the wreckage and snapped her out of her state of shock. She blinked to try and get her view back while her hands went to her waist and took a dagger in each hand. Finally she was pulled out of the cloud of dust and her saviour came into view.
Milo was using one hand to pull his sister along and the other to guide Beth. The teenager was frantically looking around for the older Greene sister but Milo refused to let her go and run off on her own. Walkers were flooding through the gates, slowly filling the community with their empty eyes and hungry snarls. The rotting corpses had already seperated Beth from Maggie and if she were to run off on her own, she would surely die.
'Fuck,' Milo grunted when walkers came from their right as well. If they didn't hurry, they'd be cut off from any sort of escape route.
Quinn jumped forwards and pushed her dagger through the skull of a corpse, then used the dead walker as a shield while she pushed through the crowd. She could hear Milo's axe slicing off heads behind her, eventually mixed with Beth's war cries as she used her knife to defend herself. Finally the trio managed to break through the crowd of corpses. Quinn pushed the now useless walker aside and hurried towards the nearest house. She all but kicked the door in, holding it open while ushering her brother and Beth inside. Walkers were gathering all around them, the rotting corpses were the only thing in sight. They were filling the small front yard of the house, though the little staircase that led up to the front porch made them stumble and fall.
She was about to follow Milo and Beth inside and slam the door shut when one of the fallen walkers reached out and managed to take a hold of her ankle. Her body tumbled down, her head colliding with the hard wooden floor, making a pained scream escape her lips. She blinked rapidly to try and get rid of the dancing lights before her eyes. When the walker pulled at her leg, her fight instincts came alive and she started kicking around wildly to avoid getting bitten.
Milo rushed forwards, raised his axe and cut the walker's head clean off. Immediately the corpse released her leg. Beth helped her stand and Milo closed the door behind them, throwing his body against the wood to prevent the walkers from outside to come in. 'Get that closet!' He shouted, pointed at the wooden closet that stood against the right wall.
The two girls didn't hesitate and with their combined strength they managed to push the piece of furniture before the door. Once they did, Milo took a step back and grabbed the table, pushing it against the door as well.
The three of them rushed into the living room and Quinn darted towards the window to close the curtains, hoping that if the walkers wouldn't be able to see them, they'd leave. She knew that the banging on the front door would attract a lot more. For now though, they were safe. She turned around to see Beth had collapsed on the couch while Milo stood in the door opening, his gaze focused on the hallway, like a guard dog protecting his home.
'D-did one of you see Maggie?' Beth's small voice cut through the noise of the groaning walkers outside. She had wrapped her arms around her small body as though she was feeling cold. Her hands were covered in blood and so was her shirt but Quinn couldn't imagine she looked any better herself.
She wanted to say yes, she wanted to reassure the teenager but the truth was she had no idea if Maggie made it out of the chaos. She had no idea if any of them made it out and so she gave a small shake of her head. The hope that appeared in her chest only minutes ago was gone and she struggled to reach for it and capture it again. Her arms were growing tired from stretching out for hope only to lose it again each time.
'She made it to the guard tower,' Milo said, offering Beth a small smile but it failed to reach his eyes. If even her brother had trouble smiling, Quinn knew the situation was truly hopeless. He had been her rock through so many dark times. She had never wondered what it would be like if her rock would start to crumble down himself.
Beth let out a shaky breath of relief, closing her eyes for a second as if wanting to picture it. When she opened them again, there was a blazing determination shimmering within them and it slightly startled Quinn. 'We're gonna make it out,' she said, her voice no longer soft. 'Our friends are out there, they'll lead the walkers away.'
'They're too spread out,' Milo mumbled, his eyes still focused on the front door.
The teenager scoffed, as if his argument was irrelevant. 'We'll figure it out.' When Quinn opened her mouth to protest, Beth looked at her as if she was ready to spit fire. 'We always do!'
Quinn wanted to believe it, she wanted so badly to have the determination to know that everything would be okay again, but her heart was too shattered. The pieces were scattered all around the floor and she had no time to pick them all up. She didn't even know if she wanted to. She threw one last look through the crack in the curtains, her stomach tightening at the sight of the herd filling the streets. Then she turned away with the intend of walking to one of the chairs at the table and sit down. But her body had other plans. Her feet falthered and she fell backwards. A started yelp left her lips as she reached out with her hands to seek support by the wall. She must've hit her head harder than she first thought she did.
Soft but steady hands wrapped around her shoulders and guided her towards the chair. Beth helped her sit down carefully, then headed towards the kitchen, grabbed a towel and held it beneath the tap. Then she returned and carefully started cleaning away the blood that was tickling down from Quinn's hairline.
She bit her tongue to keep herself from hissing in pain, focusing her gaze on the concentrated features of Beth instead. When she furrowed her brows like that, she looked a lot like her father and it made Quinn's heart clench painfully. At the thought of Hershel, though, her mouth started speaking without her brain's permission. Her heart longed for words of comfort and it was like her body knew that she'd find them with Beth, like she had that ugly shed months ago.
'Do you think he's alive?' Quinn whispered, her voice so soft and small that it was easy to miss.
Beth's movements faltered as she turned her blue eyes to meet Quinn's hazel ones. The smallest of smiles found its way unto her face as she replied. 'Yes, I know he is.'
'How?' Quinn couldn't help but ask, not caring that sounded like a wounded animal, like someone whose soul was broken and bruised.
'Because I know that nothing could ever stop Daryl Dixon from returning to his family,' Beth spoke like it was clear as day, a small twinkle appeared in her eyes as she added: 'To you.'
Quinn closed her eyes, letting Beth's words pour over her like a warm shower and once again her mind went back to yesterday morning when they were standing in that crater. He knew.
Glass shattered, breaking her out of her blissful memory.
'Move!' Milo shouted.
The girls did so without hesitation, heading after Milo up the stairs in a hurry. Quinn sought support by the wall as she ran up the stairs. When she was at the top she risked a glance over her shoulder. The walkers had broken through the window beside the front door and were now filling up the house, snarling at the sight of their next possible meal. Milo came hurrying out of the one of the bedrooms, pushing a bed through the door opening and in front of the stairs, blocking the way for the walkers to come further up, but at the same time, cutting off their only escape route.
The three of them hurried into the bedroom and closed the door, though it would not do much if those walkers managed to break through. Quinn sat down on the ground, her back against the wall while trying to calm her wild beating heart. Her mind was racing, grasping at ideas to escape the house alive, but she came up empty every time. When she turned her eyes to Milo, however, she could tell that an idea was forming in his head.
'What are you thinking?' She asked, not liking the way his kept on flickering to the window. Darkness was slowly falling over the overrun community, the sun slowly disappearing behind the horizon. Whatever he was planning, his odds would only decrease if it was dark outside. While he could sneak around with more ease, the same could be said for the walkers.
'I'm gonna go out that window, move around the house and lead the walkers away,' her brother said, not looking at her when he spoke and rightfully so because Quinn knew her eyes were filled with an angry fire at the mere suggestion.
'Are you insane?' She hissed, pushing herself back on her feet.
Milo turned to look at her. 'What other option do we have? You're injuried, Beth isn't tall enough to make the jump, which leaves me.'
She took a step towards him. 'Do you realise how many things could go wrong with that plan?'
'Of course I do,' he said and she hated how he tried so hard to keep his voice calm. 'But it's not like we have a lot of options here.'
She wanted to protest but her words got stuck in her throat. Her heart ached, knowing he was right. Their options were limited, time was running out. Hadn't she earlier that day decided that murder was just another fact in this world, something she had chosen to live with instead of turn away from? She just never thought that living that way would lead to a plan that would most likely murder her very own brother, one of the people she wanted to protect most of all.
A gunshot echoed through the evening air.
One single shot, signalling both an end and an beginning.
Dread spread through her stomach as the three of them hurried to the window. With wide eyes she watched Rick and Michonne sprint across the streets towards the infirmary. They were both wearing sheets covered in walker guts, but that wasn't even the worst thing.
It was Carl.
Rick was holding him in his arms as he ran. One side of his face was completely covered in blood. Michonne was killing walkers left and right, clearing a path. She was holding her breath, her heart twisting painfully inside her chest. Walkers reached out their hands to the crying father but Michonne cut them all down. Until they finally reached the infirmary and the door closed behind them, taking them out of sight.
Silence lingered between the three of them as Beth slowly backed away from the window, a small gasp leaving her lips. 'He was shot. How could he be shot? Who would shoot him?' She spoke fast, holding her hands against her chest as she desperately tried to make sense of the situation.
Quinn had no answers to her questions, her own mind spinning at the sight of the wounded kid. The despair on Rick's face, the angry way Michonne had been cutting down walkers. They couldn't lose Carl, the future of this world, of this community, just another kid in a world that he should never have grown up in. Not Carl.
Finally she walked forwards and wrapped her arms around a shaking Beth. Much like she had done when they had escaped from the prison and found the bodies of their fellow survivors. She held Beth as she tried so bravely to swallow her tears and hold herself together. It was then that Quinn realised how much the teenager had grown. Escaping the hospital, dealing with the loss of Noah and now this. The thought made her hold on to Beth even tighter.
'What the hell?' Milo mumbled. He was the only one still standing by the window, looking outside with wide eyes.
Both Quinn and Beth made their way over to him, staring through the glass to see what had him so shocked. It wasn't easy to miss. Rick had stepped out of the infirmary, the sheet of walker insides now gone. He was holding his axe and all but threw himself into the herd. Walker after walker he killed, corpse after corpse went down by the touch of his blade. He was a deadly force, a whirlwind coming to bring justice, a storm to clean their safe haven and rid it of the rot. But even the mighty Rick Grimes wouldn't be able to bring this entire herd down all by himself.
And she wasn't the only one who realised this fact. Michonne came storming outside, followed closely by Heath, Aaron and Spencer. They met Rick between the rotting bodies and formed a tight circle, killing everything that came in their path.
'We gotta help them,' Quinn spoke, the sight of her fighting friends made her reach out and slowly gather the pieces of her shattered heart. This was what they were meant to do, what it all came down to, the fight of their lives.
'We will,' Milo said, his features radiating hope and his eyes sparkling with determination. He reached out and opened the window, leaning outside to look down. It was a far drop, but if they jumped right, it was doable. The real problem were the few walkers stumbling around the ally. Milo turned to look at them. 'You got your guns?'
Both nodded and took out their weapons, ready to get out there and fight.
'I'll go first,' Milo explained, 'Beth you come second and Quinn you come last so we can both catch you, okay?'
'Okay,' she repeated, nodding at her brother. She watched as he held on tightly to the windowsill as he slowly lowered his body to the street below. She held her gun ready to fire, but so far none of the walkers had noticed what they were up to yet.
Milo looked down to make sure the ground was safe, then he let go and dropped down to the grass below. He landed perfectly, immediately taking out his axe to kill the three walkers stumbling around. Then he looked back up and gestured for Beth to follow. The teenager tried to lower herself the same way Milo had but her arms were trembling too much, forcing her to let go before she was truly ready. Lucky for her Milo was standing ready to catch her, putting her down savely on the ground. Then it was Quinn's turn. If her head hadn't been spinning so much the drop would've been easy, but now nausea was making it difficult to think straight. When she finally jumped down, she, too, was lucky her brother had been waiting for her.
The three of them shared a look, maybe to silently encourage each other, maybe to silently tell each other that they would be missed if they were to die tonight. Their eyes said more than words ever could. Then they turned and ran down to the street. Quinn had traded her gun for her daggers, holding on to the blades tightly as she mowed down corpse after corpse. They formed a small circle, looking out for each other as they slowly but surely made their way towards the others.
Soon enough her clothes were covered in blood. Her fingers were raw from spinning the blades in her hands. Her skin was coated in sweat. Her arms were aching and her head was spinning. But she refused to give up and with every walker she killed, another piece of her heart seemed to be restored. Hope was no longer a struggle to find, it was right before her, as clear as day.
The door of the house on their right was opened. Olivia and Eric came storming outside, both with machetes in their hands and a determined fire in their eyes. They joined up with their circle as they moved through the herd and finally met up with Rick's group.
Quinn lost the ability to think, in that moment she nothing more than a machine designed to kill walkers. With the group of Alexandrians around her only growing, they slowly made their way through the herd.
Over the groaning and moaning of the walkers she could hear Rick screaming: 'We can beat 'em! We can beat 'em!'
And at his words hope came flaring alive within her chest. She shouted out a war cry while pushing her dagger through the skull of a female walker, only to pull it back out and kill another one immediately after that. Out of the corner of her eyes she could see their group was growing. Carol came running to their aid with Morgan on her heels as well as Tara, Rosita and even Eugene. At the sight of her family fighting together a small smile found its way onto her face and she wanted to laugh. Adrenaline was flying through her veins and it felt as though everything was heightened. She was caught in a dance of blade, flesh and crimson red blood.
Light exploded on her left, breaking her focus as she turned to look, her eyes wide. A fire had set the small lake ablaze. Almost as if in trance the walkers turned to it, drawn to the dancing flames like moths to a light. Her eyes, however, went to a figure on the other side of the flames, standing on top of a truck. The shadows of the fire were dancing on his skin, making his features even sharper. He looked like an archangel, coming to save them, coming to save her.
Her feet were running before she had even realised she was going to. She was like a magnet being pulled to her other half, her heart finally finding its last piece to be made whole.
She stormed through the thinning crowd of walkers, killing every single one of them that stood in her way. Her heart was crying out to him while her body fought like hell. There was only thing on her mind, to reach him, as soon as possible. She was running, fighting, her daggers dancing her hands as she cut down every obstacle in her way. Her breath was heavy as she plunged her dagger through the eye of a walker and once it was down, there were no more left to replace it. With a wild beating heart she looked up from the corpse.
Her hazel eyes connected with ocean blue eyes.
Daryl Dixon was standing only a few feet away from her, staring at her like she was the brighest star to ever shine in the heavens. Both may have looked like demons, completely drenched in blood and sins but when they looked at each other, they only saw angels. Their souls pure white, shining brightly when returned in each other company.
The blades in her hands fell to the ground, all but forgotten. Her body moved as though it had a will of its own, no mind to control it, only the will to reunite with its soul. He opened his mouth, as though he wanted to speak but Quinn gave him no chance.
She reached him and placed her lips on his.
There was a rush of fear, spreading like ice through the pit of her stomach but it was overruled by an all consuming warmth that threatened to set her very skin on fire. Her hands were curled up against his chest, her lips desperate against his, all rational thought gone from her mind. He wrapped his arms around her, the only thing holding her steady.
Her heart was racing, her skin set aglow with the most wonderful feeling. She leaned in closer, wanting more, needing more. Soft at first and then with an every growing intensity that made her cling to him as though he was the only solid thing left in the universe.
Somewhere, far in the depths of her mind, the comprehension that he was kissing her back started to grow. The thought alone sent a shiver through her veins and awoke sensations she never knew she was capable of feeling.
His lips were sure against her own trembling ones. He kissed her like her lips were air and he couldn't breathe. She kissed him like the warm, yellow sunlight kissed the dark blue of the night away. She wanted to drown in him, never to return to the surface, forever lost.
The world came rushing back all at once when the need for air burned too bright in her lungs to ignore. She pulled away from him, suddenly hesitant, careful almost, but when she looked into his eyes all her doubt disappeared. Daryl was looking at her with a softness that she had never seen on him before and it made her heart flutter in her chest. His light blue eyes were now as dark as the night sky and she swore that in that moment they held entire constellations, just for her.
A small smile appeared on her lips, she just couldn't help it. Trying to stop it was like trying to resist the urge to breathe. 'Sorry it took so long,' she whispered, out of breath.
The corner of his mouth twisted, a smile tugging at his lips and it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. 'Don't want yer damn apology,' he mumbled.
Her smile widened as she leaned her forehead to rest against his, at home in his arms she was finally able to breathe again. He knows.
A U T H O R 'S N O T E
I only have one thing to say ya'll
F I N A L L Y
No but in all seriousness, I know I've kept you guys waiting for a long time. It just didn't feel natural for me to make either character move any faster than this. I loved developing their relationship slowly and let them grow in a way that felt natural.
Granted, sometimes I hated myself for making it last this long. So I can only thank you guys for sticking with me all this time and having this much patience!
xXx
UYM