SPOILERS through 4x10 Inmates! AU after that point.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything to do with The Walking Dead. This is for my own entertainment and definitely not for profit.
This is an itty bitty drabble that fell out of my head as I tried and failed to sleep last night. It's not intended to be anything more than it is now, but who knows what insomnia will bring.
Sorry I've been MIA of late – bit of writers block followed immediately by family emergency. Back now!
Yes, I know the two groups walked opposite directions on the tracks, but I don't care. Nyah.
Daryl trudged along behind Beth, not really caring what happened from here on out. He stayed with her out of habit more than anything, unable to let go completely of the protectiveness he had for his family.
His family that was now gone.
He felt in a fog after the nightmare at the prison. So much death. So much loss. He and Beth had fled at the last minute, dodging swarms of walkers as they went. Only their well-developed survival instincts had kept them alive.
Beth had been hopeful at first, believing so strongly in her father's words of faith that she refused to accept that they were alone. But after finding the bloody remains by the railroad tracks, even she had lost hope. They followed the train tracks just because they were there. They kept moving only because they had nothing else to do.
That night they built a small fire, but he didn't really sleep. He just stared into the flames and waited for the night to end.
They smothered their fire before dawn and kept walking. Just before the sun broke over the horizon, he caught the faint scent of wood smoke. Scanning the trees ahead, he saw a spot that was disturbed – someone had walked through the underbrush there. He waved Beth to a stop. Raising his crossbow, he moved softly toward the trail. They slipped quietly through the trees, following the scuffed earth and bruised greenery. The smell of smoke grew stronger, and he heard a rustling and the murmur of voices just ahead. They crept slowly forward until the camp came into view. He stopped in his tracks, unable to believe what he saw.
Behind him, Beth sobbed out, "Judith!"
The group in the camp turned at her voice to see Beth running forward to scoop Judith up. She dropped to her knees, holding the baby tight and reaching out to pull Mika and Lizzie into an awkward, four-person embrace.
"I can't believe we found you! We thought everyone was dead!" Her words were nearly unintelligible, she was crying so hard.
Tyreese stood looking shocked and eventually broke into a wide grin as he took in what was happening. He patted Beth warmly on the shoulder in welcome, causing her to wobble with her squealing burden.
But Daryl noticed none of that. He still stood where he had stopped, crossbow on the ground where it had fallen from his fingers. Part of his mind was trying to decide if he was asleep and dreaming. The rest of him simply soaked in the sight of the last person he would have thought to find out here in the woods.
He saw it in slow motion. Carol was sitting on the ground by the girls in front of the fire and, at Beth's first cry, turned to look behind her, hand reaching for her knife. But as she recognized Beth, she relaxed into a surprised smile. Then her eyes shifted farther back to find him and her smile melted into shock. Her blue eyes never left him as she rose to her feet. For just a moment, she seemed struck immobile just like him.
He felt one of his hands reach forward, though he couldn't make his feet move. That small gesture was enough to break the stillness between them. Her face lit up in pure joy, and she took a step toward him. Next thing he knew, he staggered back from the force of her body colliding with his, her arms locked tightly around his neck.
"Oh my god!" She was somewhere between laughing and crying as she clung to him.
He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her, hardly believing she was really here.
"Thought I'd never see you again." His voice was raw.
She pulled back to look up into his face with wet, shining eyes. "Me, too."
"When Rick said what happened-"
He was cut off as she grabbed his face and pulled his lips roughly to hers. It was a quick, fierce kiss, and the intensity of it left him breathless. His whole body tingled as every nerve lit up in response. She wound her arms around his neck again. Her breath tickled him as she whispered into his ear.
"Tyreese doesn't know."
He froze, realizing the potential danger of the situation. He nodded slightly against her cheek. She relaxed and started to back away, but he didn't let her go. Instead he drew her closer, pressing his nose into the join of her neck and shoulder, breathing her in deep. He had no idea what made him do it, but his relief at finding others – at finding her – was enough to make him forget anything but the feel of her in his arms.
"Missed you," he said softly and pressed a kiss to the pulse beating in her throat. She gave a little gasp and shivered at the touch of his lips.
He eased back, and she smiled up at him with a flush in her cheeks.
"Missed you, too, Pookie," she said.