" Miss me when I'm gone, do ya? "
98. parting glass
QUINN
SHE WOKE WITH TWO STRONG ARMS wrapped around her, forming a warm fort of comfort. Light came streaming through the crack in the curtains, bathing the room in a golden glow that she had come to associate with home. A content smile appeared on her face as she snuggled closer against Daryl's chest and closed her eyes again, hoping to sink back into the blissful nothingness of sleep.
'Mornin',' Daryl mumbled with his heavy morning voice.
'Shh, I'm asleep,' she replied.
A scoff vibrated through his chest and the sound sent shivers down her spine. But he didn't speak again and instead pulled her closer, burying his head in her hair and peaceful silence returned to the room.
Two weeks had passed since the attack on the satellite station. Quinn had tried her hardest to ban that night out of her head, all of it. Murdering those men while they slept, the gruesome pictures on the wall, getting shot, seeing her father again...The first night after it happened she'd woken up in the middle of night, bathing in sweat and fear making her heart race. It had been a while since she suffered from nightmares, but seeing her father had brought back memories she'd spent years trying to forget. She'd been too scared to go back to sleep and so did the only thing she could think of at that moment. She left the house and made her way to the house next door where Daryl had his room. He was still awake when she entered but hadn't asked any questions when she crawled into his bed, probably because of the fresh tears still streaming down her face. And only in his arms had she been able to fall asleep again.
It'd been like that every night since. She didn't even want to think about sleeping alone anymore, it was no longer an option. Her fear of pushing Daryl away by trying to bring him closer seemed to have been for nothing, because he wordlessly accepted the new situation, seeming more than content to wake up next to her every morning.
'I gotta go,' Daryl broke the silence once again.
A sigh left her lips as she opened her eyes to the golden sunlight. She turned around so she was facing him. Her eyes roamed over his face and she couldn't help but smile. She loved the way his hair was even messier than normal when he had just woken up. She loved his blue eyes, watching her just as intently as she did him. As though her hand had a will of its own, she reached out and traced the lines of his cheekbones, drawing a shaky breath from him that made her smirk playfully.
He reached out quicker than she could retrieve her hand and entangled her fingers with his own. 'Don't,' he warned, though his lips were curled up in a playful smile.
'Don't what?' She asked innocently.
He seemed close to rolling his eyes. 'Ya know what,' he spoke softly and before she could reply he leaned in closer and placed a quick kiss on her lips. Way too soon he pulled away from her and made his way out of bed.
'You're not leaving today are you?' She asked, watching him as he got dressed.
'Miss me when I'm gone, do ya, swan?' He teased, grinning at her while pulling his shirt over his head.
'Not at all, just thought you might trip without me out there,' she smiled at him while moving to the edge of the bed, carefully holding her arm. Most of the pain was gone, but it was still stiff and if she moved it too much the pain would come back. Denise told her she wasn't allowed to go on any runs in the near future, not until it was fully healed. Quinn was already bored out of her mind, especially when Daryl went out there and she remained stuck in here. When she finally got to her feet, Daryl was already dressed and walked up to her. He moved his hand to her cheek, his thumb rubbing small circles on her skin, setting her body aglow with flames.
'You ain't better yet,' he said, his voice low and filled with a worry so genuine that it made her heart flutter in her chest.
'I know,' she sighed, leaning into his touch. 'I'll be careful, I promise.'
'Good,' he nodded, then placed a kiss on her forehead and stepped away, gathering his weapons from the nightstand. 'I'm gonna work on the bike, see ya in a bit, kay?'
'Okay,' she replied, smiling at him as he left the room and closed the door behind him.
The bike he found in the building they attacked, the same one that had been taken from him by those people he met in the burnt forest. She knew he felt angry about what happened, about not being able to help them and instead having them turn on him despite his good intentions. She knew part of him believed he should've killed them when he had the chance but a much larger part of him simply wished he could've helped. He didn't like to talk about it but she'd never needed words to understand what he was feeling anyway.
And the same was true for him, Daryl never needed words to understand what was going through her mind. He knew something was eating her alive about that day she'd been kidnapped. She'd never said a word about what truly happened and yet he could see the ghosts haunting her and he knew it was about more than simply being taken. She hadn't even told Milo about running into their father but she feared telling Daryl even more because it would be Daryl's wrath the man would face, not Milo's. Of course Daryl knew something was up, but he was simply too good for her and so he waited for her to bring it up herself. She honestly didn't know what she'd ever done to deserve him.
Carefully she got dressed, choosing a simple black shirt and a leather jacket, jeans and her favorite knee high lace up boots. She put her wounded arm in the arm sling Denise had given her. She hated the thing but it was best to use it now then to risk permanent damage to her arm. Then she made her way downstairs where she found the remains of breakfast still on the counter. As well as a blonde teen with a cup of tea clutched between her fingers seated at the kitchen table.
'Morning Beth,' Quinn greeted, frowning in surprise at seeing her here. 'Shouldn't you be at the school?'
She shook her head while holding out a plate for Quinn. 'It's saturday today, they're free.'
Quinn reached for the eggs and put some on her plate. 'You keep track of the days?'
Beth shrugged. 'Olivia does, she has been ever since it started. She said it's important to keep track of what we used to have.'
Quinn wasn't so sure she agreed with that, what use was it to know the date when the world had literally come to a stop. But apparently Olivia thought differently. 'So, what date is it today?' She asked before taking a bite.
'January 3rd,' Beth said.
Her food caught in her throat, making her cough violently. Tears appeared in her eyes as she kept coughing to get it free. Beth jumped up and gave a few pats on the back. Finally Quinn managed to swallow and was able to breathe again.
'You okay?' Beth questioned, worry shining in her eyes.
Quinn nodded and reached for a glass of water, hoping to calm her aching throat.
Beth sat down again, though her eyes remained focused on Quinn. 'What was that all about?'
She swallowed the water and put down the glass before finally mustering the courage to say it out loud. 'It's my birthday today.' The words felt strange on her tongue. She hadn't thought about something so mundane as a birthday for such a long time. Who busied themselves with thinking about birthdays when you were fighting for your life?
Understanding flashed through Beth's eyes. 'Well, congratulations!' She grinned, seeming way too eager about all this.
'You won't tell anyone about this, right?' Quinn almost pleaded. She really didn't want to think about something as stupid as her birthday right now. She'd never made a big deal out of it anyway, her father certainly didn't care. It was always Milo who made sure there was cake and, if he could afford it, even a present but as they got older, birthdays became less important compared to all the other problems going on in her lives. And she eventually told Milo not to bother anymore.
'Of course not,' Beth promised, though the mischievous sparkle in her eyes made Quinn's stomach turn with dread.
Quinn opened her mouth to tell the teenager to stop it when the door behind them opened, cutting her off. She turned around to see Maggie had entered the kitchen. She smiled at them. 'Morning,' she greeted.
'Goodmorning,' Quinn replied before taking another bite of her breakfast.
'Beth can I talk to Quinn for a second?' Maggie questioned.
'Sure,' the younger Greene sister said and jumped off her chair. She left the room so quickly that Quinn didn't even have the time to shout a warning after her. She stared at the closed door but then decided to deal with the stubborn teenager later and turned to look at Maggie instead. She had taken a seat at the kitchen table, next to Quinn, a worried frown on her face. Quinn had been dreading this moment for two week and it seemed like it finally arrived.
'Let me guess,' she said before Maggie could open her mouth, 'you wanna talk about my father.'
Maggie simply nodded, not bothering to deny it. 'I wasn't going to,' she started, 'but Milo came to me yesterday, asking me what happened that day. I didn't tell him because it isn't my place. Daryl's been asking Carol questions too, she hasn't told him either.' She inhaled deeply, as though preparing herself for a possible hostile reaction. 'We both think it should be up to you.'
Quinn stood up and turned to the kitchen counter, placing her plate in the sink and simply to have something to do and distract herself. 'Why should I tell them? It's not like we're in danger anymore. They're best of not knowing.'
'Maybe,' Maggie nodded, keeping her eyes focused on Quinn while she started working on the dishes. 'But I think you need to talk about it.'
Quinn took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second to try and calm herself. Never did she think she'd have to deal with this. With seeing her father again, with deciding whether or not she was going to kill him and then with facing the decision of telling her brother and boyfriend about it. She hadn't even thought about him since that day of the outbreak, not in any way that mattered at least. She'd seen him reflected in the Governor's eyes, a warning to stay away, but she'd never even wondered if he was still alive. That part of her life was over. She had grown beyond that pain, beyond the horrors of living trapped in an endless nightmare. And now she was forced to face it all again, to talk about a life she had long since left behind.
And the worst thing about it all was the fact that she wasn't the only one who'd changed. The man she had seen two weeks ago was but a shadow of the man she had feared as a child. If he hadn't looked the same she wouldn't have recognized him. And that was something she feared to face even more than revisiting her past. Because what if he had changed? What if he was truly capable of being a better man? What happened to him to make this change? And most importantly, if he was truly capable of change, why hadn't she been enough to change for?
Finally she opened her eyes and turned to look at Maggie, who had been observing her in silence. She wondered if Milo ever told anything to her about their past or if her reaction was enough for Maggie to draw her conclusions. 'I'll think about it,' she whispered. 'That's the best I can do for now.'
Maggie nodded. 'We're here for you, alright? All of us.'
'I know,' Quinn whispered.
And with one last reassuring smile, Maggie made her way out of the kitchen and left the house. Quinn watched her leave through the window, until she was out of sight. Her eyes were then drawn to Daryl, seated on the pavement in front of his bike with Beth beside him. For a moment she just stood there, watching them while her thoughts drifted to past memories of her and Milo. Of her sleeping in her brother's bed when the nightmares would become too much to bear. Of her taking joy rides on the back of his bike to get out of the house for a change. Of him coming to her very first show, the only support she ever had.
But it wasn't like that any more, she had an entire family now. Friends who looked out for her, people who were willing to kill to protect each other. It was more than she could ever have dreamed of and she didn't want the pain that accompanied every thought of her father to ruin this. She didn't want Milo to worry about that anymore. He deserved to live a life free of worrying about his sister. He had spent his life taking care of her and now it was her turn to do the same, by sparing him the pain of having to face this. She didn't want Daryl to worry about it either. He knew her pain all too well and the very last thing she wanted was to drag him back to those painful memories.
She blinked and looked away from the two when she remembered the conversation with Beth before Maggie came in.. 'Shit,' she muttered, throwing the towel she'd been holding down and making her way out to the porch.
Her footsteps made Daryl and Beth turn around. The teenager smiled innocently at her and Daryl was trying very hard to keep a straight face, but Quinn knew better than that. 'What's going on?' She asked, raising her eyebrows.
Beth's smile widened. 'Nothing, I was just saying that Denise was looking for you two.' She looked down the street. 'Here she comes now!'
Quinn was about to tell her to cut the bullshit when she noticed that Denise was indeed making her way over to them. She was holding a map in her hands and her expression was serious. Daryl got to his feet and offered Beth his hand, pulling her up as well.
'Beth said you were looking for us?' Quinn questioned once the nurse reached them.
'Yeah, you're the only ones not out on a run or pulling a shift,' she said and held up a paper map for them to see. She'd drawn a red circle somewhere off the highway they had followed on their way to Washington. 'After I got out of DC, I just drove,' Denise started explaining. 'I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going. Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall. But if it's really an apothecary, they had drugs.'
'How do you know they still got 'em?' Daryl questioned.
Denise didn't seem to have an answer to that and a small sigh left her lips. 'It isn't that far. Can you please just go check it out?'
Daryl nodded. 'I'll go.'
'Wait a second, you're not going alone,' Quinn said, glaring sternly at him.
'Ya ain't coming, you're not better yet,' Daryl was quick to respond.
She took a step towards him, standing so close that their chests were almost touching, tilting her head. 'Think of it as a birthday present.'
He frowned. 'Birthday present?'
She opened her mouth to respond but then realization hit her and she turned to look at Beth instead. 'You didn't tell him.'
Beth shrugged, a smirk playing at her lips. 'You told me not to.'
Quinn pointed her finger at the teenager. 'You're evil, Beth Greene.'
She didn't respond but made no attempt to hide her pride of the fact that her little scheme had worked. She was practically beaming.
'What the hell's goin' on?' Daryl questioned. The confused look on his face was absolutely adorable and made Quinn smile despite the situation.
'Apparently Olivia keeps track of the dates, Beth told me this morning it was january 3rd.' A sigh left her lips. 'My birthday.'
Understanding flashed through his eyes but Quinn didn't give him the chance to reply, not wanting to dwell on the situation and make it more of a big deal than it already was. She turned back to Denise and took the map out of her hands. 'I'm good, right nurse?'
'Just use the arm sling I gave you so you can't accidently use it and you should be good,' Denise nodded, pointing at the sling around Quinn's shoulder, seemingly not in the mood to be the one to tell her that she had to stay behind.
'See, all good to go here,' Quinn said, flashing a smile at Daryl before making her way back to the front door. 'Just gonna get my daggers and a backpack and we can go.'
'Can I come?' Beth suddenly spoke up again. Both Quinn and Daryl looked at her, expressions identical in their meaning, no. 'Come on, I've been in here way too long,' the teenager pleaded. 'I can't forget how to protect myself.'
Daryl turned his eyes to Quinn, a silent question lingering in the depths of ocean blue. They both knew Beth could take care of herself, they witnessed it first hand. Plus, she had a point. If she stayed inside the walls too long, danger would become a strange concept, something from another life. It was good to go out there every now and then to be reminded of the state the world was still in, and probably forever would be.
Quinn nodded and a small sigh escaped Daryl's lips. 'Fine,' he said.
The response made Beth smile. 'I'll go grab my gear!' And she ran off into the direction of the house she shared with Glenn and Maggie.
'Meet by the gate in ten!' Quinn shouted after her. Then turned towards Denise. 'Can you make us a list of what we need?'
The nurse nodded. 'Of course.' Then she turned around and made her way back to the infirmary.
Quinn continued to make her way inside, with Daryl right behind her. She could basically feel the displeasure radiating from him, but she chose to ignore it and instead walked into the living room to get her daggers. When she turned around, ready to leave, she saw Daryl was standing in the middle of the doorway. His eyes were studying her intently, burned in her soul and left chills all over skin.
'What?' She mumbled.
Daryl took a step towards her, his eyes still burning holes in all the walls she had put up around her heart. 'Ya know you ain't got nothin' to prove, right?' He reached her and his voice dropped to a whisper when he added: 'Not to me.'
She inhaled sharply, then reached out and tangled her fingers through his. She knew he'd been able to read between the lines. He was aware of almost every thought running through her head, sometimes even before she was aware that she was thinking it. Just like right now. Of course she had nothing to prove, especially not to him but running into her father had screwed with her mind. She had to do something, go out there and practice fighting back. She'd been captured by her father of all people. She had to prove to herself that it was still possible for her to survive out there, that she was strong enough. But she couldn't tell Daryl any of that without mentioning her father and so instead she offered him a smile, knowing he could see right through the facade but trying to reassure him anyway.
'I know,' she mumbled.
His expression didn't change and yet she could feel his disappointment at the fact that she was still hiding something from him. But instead of commenting on it, he did what he always did, respecting her decision. 'Okay,' he replied, then pulled her closer and kissed her.
The feeling never changed. Every single time their lips touched she felt as though her veins were set on fire. He was the only thing in the world and she held onto him like he, too, would disappear. Her hands in his hair, his on her waist and their hearts beating as one.
She was the first one to pull away, breathless. 'We gotta go. Beth's waiting for us.'
'Yeah,' he replied and after one last quick kiss he let her go and made his way out of the house, though their fingers were still tangled together.
Beth was already waiting at the gate, talking with Denise who had handed her the list of the medicine they needed to get. Tara was standing next to her girlfriend, laughing with Beth about some stupid joke. For some strange reason the sight made Quinn's heart jump. Her family, happy and laughing, it was more than she could ever have dreamed of and now she had it all.
As they approached the trio turned to them. Beth walked up to Quinn and put the list in her backpack. 'Ready?' The teenager questioned.
'Let's go,' Quinn replied.
'Goodluck,' Tara smiled and offered them a small wave as the gate was opened for them.
Going beyond the walls got a little harder every time Quinn did it. Whether it was because she was leaving home behind, or because it was so easy to forget what the world was like, she didn't know and she had no interest in finding out. She hadn't been out here for two weeks and it already felt like she was a stranger in a land that wasn't her own. With every step she grew more confident in her decision to let Beth come, who no doubt felt the same way. It was easy to grow comfortable behind those walls and forget what it was like to fight. But in this world you couldn't afford to forget.
'It's been a while since it was just the three of us,' Beth smiled. She seemed so happy she was almost skipping besides them on the pavement.
'It has,' Quinn said, just about managing to swallow the words she'd meant to say next. And I'm not losing you this time. Instead she squeezed Daryl's hand, showing her feelings in a way words never could.
He squeezed back, letting her know he was right here and that everything was fine. They were going to be just fine.
'So, where exactly is this drugstore?' Beth questioned.
Quinn handed her the map. 'Have a look,' she said. 'It can't be more than a twenty minute walk.' She frowned. 'If it hasn't been raided already.'
'Why didn't Denise go looking for it earlier?' Beth asked while studying the map.
Quinn shrugged. 'Probably too scared. You know what they were like when we first arrived.'
Beth shot her a warning glare, not that it would help. The people of Alexandria were no longer a danger to their safety, they could fight now, knew what the world really was like. They'd become part of their family. Something Quinn never thought possible. Though, she still didn't like some of them but then, she didn't like some of her family either.
It turned out she'd been right about the walk. After twenty minutes of walking in the watery winter sunlight, the three of them arrived on the place Denise had marked on the map. The windows of the store were closed off with wooden panels and the door seemed to be rusted shut. It gave her hope that maybe this place hadn't been raided yet. Trash was scattered around the parking lot that surrounded the building. Bloody hand marks had left their prints on the wood that had been hammered against the windows. The sight sent shivers down her spine but she buried the thought of what might have happened before it could even start to form in her mind.
Daryl let go of her hand and walked up to the door first, crossbow ready. He hit the door a few times, then waited for any possible response from the inside. When none came he put the crossbow down and took a crowbar from his back.
'MIght wanna take a step back,' he muttered at them, waiting for them to do so before moving to open the door. After some wrigging the door swung open and Daryl managed to catch it before it could hit the wall and signal their position to every walker nearby.
With their weapons firmly in their hands they moved inside, keeping the door open to let the light in and the smell of whatever died in here, out. With practised precision they went through the rows of the small shop, searching for anything that might pose a danger. Her eyes went over the racks filled with trash, hoping to find something of value between. The world was full of treasures nowadays, you just had to know where to look.
As her eyes went through the rows however, she quickly realised that most of the stuff in here was pretty much useless. Stuff that tourists used to buy as souvenirs and pretend like it was the best they got out of the whole trip. Whispers behind her made her turn around and she frowned when she saw Beth and Daryl standing by one of the racks together, whispering softly to each other.
'Everything alright?' Quinn asked, walking closer to them.
Immediately the two turned around, and it didn't escape her notice how Beth quickly put her hands behind her back. The teenager offered Quinn an innocent smile. 'All good. We found the pills.' She pointed to the wall on their right but if she'd hoped that would divert Quinn's attention, she'd been mistaken.
Quinn kept her eyes on the teenager for a moment longer, hoping her burning gaze made it clear that she had very much noticed that something was going on. Finally, though, she turned away from the two and walked towards the back wall of the shop. There was a roller shutter, with the words pharmacy written above. Daryl walked past her, going to work with his crowbar. He rattled the shutter but it refused to open. His movements became more frustrated with each passing second but still the shutter remained closed.
Beth raised her eyebrows at Quinn, who simply pursed her lips at the sight of Daryl struggling with a roller shutter. 'Need any help?' She offered.
Daryl didn't reply and instead, with a frustrated grunt, he pushed the crowbar against the shutter once again, finally breaking it open.
'Took you long enough,' Quinn said, unable to stop herself from smiling.
'Shut up,' Daryl replied, refusing to look at her and climbing over the counter to get the pills instead.
Smiling at his back, Quinn removed her backpack from her shoulders and put it on the counter before climbing over herself. 'Keep an eye out,' she told Beth, before turning her attention to the shelves packed with pills.
'We're gonna take it all?' Beth asked.
'Yeah,' Daryl said, holding his bag open and throwing the pills in there.
'Guess we didn't need that list then,' Beth mumbled but was ignored by both of them as they worked to get the medicine from the shelves into the bags. They stopped in their tracks however when a loud thump echoed through the store.
Silence returned as the three of them froze and waited. Another thump followed soon after. It seemed to come from behind a door in the corner of the store.
'It's just one,' Quinn said.
'Sounds like it's stuck,' Daryl added, before moving his attention back to the shelves.
Quinn turned to the few shelves left untouched and threw the last of the pills in her bag. Her eyes caught the label of one of the bottles and her outstretched hand froze in place. For a moment she was no longer in the drug store, but instead seated on the floor of her crappy apartment, crying from the pain in her feet after dancing on her pointe shoes all day. The very first time she had reached for those pills, the very last day before destroying her life.
'You good?' Daryl questioned from behind her.
She was back in the drug store, still standing with her hand frozen in the air. 'Yeah,' she mumbled, blinking the memory away before taking the pills and quickly throwing them in the bag, not wanting to think of them a moment longer than she had to. She turned away from the shelf and noticed then they had it all.
'Let's go,' she said, walking back towards the counter. As soon as her eyes landed on it though, her heart seemed to stop. There should've been a blond teenager standing there, but there was no one.
'Beth?' She called out, quickly making her way back over the counter, followed closely by Daryl. She only needed one glance around the store to notice the previously closed door was now open. Before she could so much as move however, Beth came stumbling out of the room, pulling the door shut. Her eyes were wide and skin was pale. Whatever had been inside that room, it wasn't pretty. For a moment she simply stood there before running out of the store.
'Beth!' Daryl shouted, running after her with Quinn on his heels.
She was waiting for them outside, trying to hold back her tears.
'Hey, what happened?' Quinn asked as she walked to Beth's side and placed her hand on her shoulder.
Her eyes went back and forth between Quinn and Daryl and she took a trembling breath before finally answering. 'I forgot, for a moment.' Her voice grew in strength as she spoke, as though saying it out loud made it less horrible than repeating it inside her head. 'What the world was like, I forgot. And then I saw that walker in there and I thought of Noah...' Her voice trailed off and she seemed to grow small, her body trembling with unshed tears.
Quinn pulled her in her for a hug, holding the teenager close, hoping to take away some of her pain. 'It's gonna be okay,' she whispered. She held onto her for a moment longer before letting go. When their eyes met, Beth's tears were gone and instead made way for a fiery determination.
Daryl took a step towards the two of them, placing his hand on Beth's shoulder. 'You ain't ever gotta worry. After the shit you've been through, yer gonna be just fine.'
A shaky laugh escaped her lips and the response lit up Daryl's face. His eyes shone with a fondness that he rarely showed, but Quinn knew was always there, lingering beneath the surface.
'Come on,' he said. 'Let's go.'
Beth nodded and the three of them left the parking lot and the drug store behind, their bags filled with medicine. They crossed the street and headed back into the direction of the community they left behind.
The days were growing colder but it seemed the sun had made an exception for today, shining out brighter and warmer than it had in a long time. The light casted long shadows of the trio on the pavement, moving with them as they walked. With her free hand, Quinn once again reached for Daryl's hand. She'd come to love the feeling of his hand in her own. It felt so right, like she was meant to hold him. And honestly, if that was the single purpose of her life on this miserable earth, she'd be okay with that. She'd come to know every line, every scar on his perfectly carved hand and could die in peace if that was her destiny.
'What yer thinkin' about?' Daryl questioned softly, his eyes never strayed from Beth who was walking ahead of them, seeming to soak up the sunlight like an angel made to walk in a golden glow, but his question aimed at her as his thumb rubbed circles on her hand.
A small smile lingered on her lips as she answered. 'Nothing, I'm just,' -she looked at him, studying his face-, 'happy.'
His eyes drifted to hers and a smile broke through on his features. 'Don't go all soft on me now, swan,' he muttered, but his voice was light and soft, more at peace than she'd ever heard him before.
'Daryl!' Beth called out, coming to a halt in the middle of the road and turning back to the two of them. There was a sparkle in her eyes as she watched them but she didn't comment on it, as Quinn had expected she would. 'Can I give it to her now?'
'Now?' He questioned.
'What?' Quinn asked.
'Nothing,' Beth and Daryl replied at the same time.
Quinn raised her eyebrows at the pair. Her heart was hammering with sudden nerves as the thought of what they were up to crossed her mind. 'This better doesn't have anything to do with-'
'Your birthday?' Beth shot back. 'You really think we were just gonna forget about it?' With a grin she walked up to Daryl's backpack and took something out of the little pocket on the side. Then she walked up to Quinn. 'This is from Daryl but since he's too much of an wuss, I'm giving it to you.'
Quinn shot Daryl a quick grin as he awkwardly chewed on his lip. Never could she have imagined to see Daryl Dixon nervous about giving her a birthday present. She wished she had a camera to capture the moment with. Instead she would have to make do with painting a mental picture, one she hoped she could carry with her forever.
She turned her eyes back to Beth and watched as the teen held up her fist and slowly opened her hand to reveal a small silver necklace. There was a little, silver pendant in the form of a swan attached to the chain. Her heart stopped as she lifted her eyes again to look at Beth, who was beaming at her reaction. She kept her eyes focused on the girl, afraid of what her heart might do if her eyes were to drift towards Daryl.
'It's gorgeous,' she breathed and she swore she could Daryl exhale with relief.
'Your turn,' Beth said, smiling at the archer.
He came walking closer and finally Quinn let her gaze drift towards him. The tips of his ears had turned bright red and he was avoiding her gaze. Instead he walked up towards Beth and took the necklace out of her hand. Quinn reached up and pulled her hair away from her neck. When Daryl's fingers brushed against her skin to put the necklace around her neck, she swore her heart stopped beating for a moment. The silver swan hung proudly on her chest, beautifully visible against the black of her shirt. With a smile she turned around to look at Daryl. 'I love it,' she whispered.
His eyes turned to her and the blue shone like ocean waters when the sun glittered upon the surface. 'Thought birthdays ain't your thing?'
Her smile widened. 'I can make an exception for today.'
Beth cheered loudly behind them, making the two of them turn to look at her as she clapped in her hands. 'You two are so cute!' She grinned. 'You know I talked with Milo about it, how I always knew you two would end up-' The world stopped.
Her sentence was cut short by an arrow suddenly sticking out of her eye. Her lips kept moving but no sound came and then her body was falling. Daryl rushed from Quinn's side to catch her, bringing her body to the ground, falling to his knees while his hands desperately searched for her pulse to listen to a heartbeat. The world was swaying, colors fading and she forgot how to breathe. Her eyes drifted towards the side of the road where a group of men had come storming out of the forest with their guns raised. One of them carried a crossbow, and a familiar one too. But it didn't matter, not when the bleeding teenager at her feet was laying there so still.
Her body was frozen in place, her eyes glued to the girl in front of her. She didn't realise she was crying until she could taste the salt on her lips. Suddenly Daryl was at her side again, standing in front of her with his gun raised. Instinct took over and Quinn reached for her own gun, holding it in her trembling hands as she raised it and took aim. She was about to pull the trigger when her eyes landed on the familiar figure of Eugene, forced on his knees in front of the guy holding the familiar crossbow, Daryl's crossbow. She'd recognise that weapon everywhere and somehow her hazed mind managed to connect the dots before either man even had a chance to speak. A sudden flame of hatred took hold of her, burning away all rational thought and she wished with a fury so intense it could've burned the entire world down, that Daryl had indeed killed the man that day in the woods.
'You drop 'em now!' The man shouted. His blond hair and beard couldn't completely cover up the side of his face that was completely covered in scar tissue. A burn wound that hadn't healed properly.
Daryl and Quinn slowly lowered their weapons, eyes focused on the man as though they could burn him to death with their stare. Rage was clawing inside of her like a monster, roaring to be let out while tears continued to fall down her cheek in silent sorrow.
'Well hell,' the scarred man said, eyes focused on Daryl. 'You got something to say to me? You gonna clear the air? Step up on that high horse? No, you don't talk much.' He turned to look to his men and gestured for them to step forward.
Two men moved, guns still pointed at Quinn and Daryl as they searched them for any possible weapons. There wasn't anything she could do but when the man searching her took away her daggers she felt like punching him in the throat. She wanted to unleash her fury, free the monster calling for justice inside of her but she was frozen in place, unable to move without risking the death of Daryl and Eugene.
'Still getting the hang of her,' the scarred man said, nodding at the crossbow in his hands. 'Kicks like a bitch but-' 'I should've done it,' Daryl grunted out suddenly, anger barely contained behind the hurricane swirling in his blue eyes.
'What's that?' The man mocked. 'Seriously, I didn't catch what you said.'
'I should've killed ya,' Daryl repeated.
For a moment the air seemed loaded and when the man replied Quinn thought to see pain flash through his eyes. 'Yeah, you probably should've,' he replied but his eyes hardened as soon as he finished speaking, making her think she probably imagined it. 'So, here we are. Kinda begs the question, right? Who brought this on who? I mean, I get that you'll just have to take my word for this but she wasn't even the one I was aiming for. Like I said, kicks like a bitch.'
She took a step forward, her body acting on its own, the beast taking over and anger spilling over but Daryl simply held out his hand, never taking his eyes off Dwight. The small movement was enough for her to freeze in place, locking her anger back up in a cage. She'd never felt this way before, like her heart had been ripped out and replaced with an all consuming thirst to murder the man in front of her.
The man finally shifted his gaze from Daryl to look at her. 'I'm sorry darlin', I didn't catch your name.' She swore she saw Daryl wince at his words. 'I'm D. Or Dwight. You can call me either. So? What's your name?'
She barely managed to get the words out of her throat, afraid that if she opened her mouth she might scream. 'It's Quinn.' Her voice was low, filled with a dripping venom that she'd never heard in her own tone before.
'Well, Quinn. I'm sorry to say that this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements but you pricks kinda set the tone. Now you and Daryl are going to let us into your little complex. It looks like it's just beautiful in there. And then you're going to let us take whatever and whoever we want.' He tightened his grip on Eugene's shirt, shaking the man back and forth. 'Or we're gonna blow Eugene's brains out and then yours and then his.' He gestured at Daryl and the hatred inside of her chest burned even brighter. If it had been just her out here she would've gladly let herself be killed to prevent them from entering Alexandria. But she couldn't say the same about Daryl. She'd die if she were to lose him.
'I hope it doesn't come to that,' Dwight continued. 'Really. Nobody else has to die. Just trying to start with one. You know, maximum impact to get our point across.'
She wanted to blow his brains out and wipe that smug smirk from his face.
'So, what's it gonna be? You tell me.'
Suddenly Eugene spoke up, barely getting his words out through the terrified tremble in his voice. 'If you wanna kill someone, you start with our companion hiding over there behind the oil barrels. He's a first-class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us three.'
Her eyes flickered towards the rusted barrels on the side of the road but she didn't see anyone. Dwight clearly didn't trust the situation and shouted to a few of the men to go and check it out. He got his gun out and waited as his men got closer and closer...until Eugene moved and tore a scream from Dwight's throat. It took her a second to register what was happening. Eugene had used his kneeled position to his advantage and was biting down on Dwight's dick, making the man scream like a pig ready for slaughter.
Gunshots came from behind the trees, taking down two of Dwight's men. Chaos broke out as the men started to return fire, completely forgetting about Quinn and Daryl. The two stormed forwards like a hurricane of hatred being unleashed. Daryl reached one guy and pulled his knife free, slit his throat and grabbed the man's gun. Quinn went for the man who'd taken her daggers. She took the belt from his grip before he could even register what was happening, then pulled one of the blades free and buried it in the man's skull. When he was down she reached for his gun as well.
Bullets rained down around her and she sprinted towards one of the closest cars to hide behind. As she knelt down her wounded arm banged against the car and a hiss escaped her throat but the pain was insignificant right now. A thud beside her made her turn around with her dagger in her hand but she lowered the blade when she saw it was Daryl. Now that he was sitting so close she could see the unshed tears in his eyes. He was keeping them captured behind his anger, only thinking about lashing out right now. He would allow himself to break down later, but this was not the time.
He got to his knees and pulled the trigger of the machine gun he'd taken, taking down men left and right. She crawled to the back of the car and took aim as best as she could with one arm and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the man in his shoulder but as soon as he went down, walkers attracted by the sound of the fight attacked him, killing him.
Dwight had finally managed to break himself free from Eugene's jaw, both men had fallen to the ground and Daryl was focusing every bit of ammo he had on the man, lying there unprotected. Dwight cried out for the few men that were left to fall back and fury scorched her bones. He was not going to get away with this.
Quinn aimed her gun at him, pulling the trigger again and again but it was useless. She had to watch how he disappeared into the treeline with the rest of his crew. Daryl jumped up and sprinted across the street. She wanted to follow but her arm was aching and a pained yell escaped her lips when she moved it trying to chase him. The sound brought him to a stop and made him turn back around. He walked towards her but her eyes were focused on the lifeless body of Beth on the ground. Slowly, as if walking through water, Quinn made her way towards the dead teenager. She fell on her knees, the shock vibrating through her arm but she hardly felt the pain, for the sight before her hurt more than any physical pain could have.
Daryl knelt down beside her, tears now streaming down his cheeks as well, unable to hold them back any longer. Carefully he reached for Beth's body and pulled her into his arms. She seemed so small, like a broken bird, an angel with wings.
Quinn stumbled as she got back to her feet, her chest aching painfully as sobs tore through her body, making her shake. Her eyes went to Eugene who was helped back on his feet by Abraham, who'd come out of his position from behind the trees. The two men watched the dead, blonde girl with wide eyes. Sorrow for a life lost mirrored in both their gazes.
Without a word Quinn started walking back into the direction of Alexandria, her heart shattered and her mind set on revenge.
A U T H O R 'S N O T E
Please don't hate me guys...
I have been thinking about what to do with this chapter for a long time now and I realised that Denise dying just wouldn't make enough sense for Quinn's motivations in the following seasons. I also felt that it was time for Beth to go. I've kept her around because I wanted to give her a chance for a character arc that the show never gave her. But that arc has been fulfilled. It's time to say goodbye to Beth Greene. It was an honor to add to her story and I'm really going to miss writing this wonderful ray of sunshine.
As I was writing this chapter I reallised this is the last time we are going to see Quinn and Daryl happy and smiling before a new war starts. And so I wanted to give them as much happiness and peace before shit is going down. This chapter really feels like the start of a very emotional journey and I'm just not ready to write...well that scene. But all in good time.
Two chapters of Collapsed left to go before the sequel is up! I'm excited, but a little scared as well. Thank you guys for all your love and support. It really means the world to me.
xx Nelly