This story was written as I was inspired by the idea of Emily and Norman being on a cruise ship together for the Walker Stalker Con. Normily is something that I cannot explain in words for the most part, but this little story will have to do. I hope you enjoy it.
I wrote this while listening to Mescalito by Mark Lanegan and Duke Garwood. (highly rec this song)
"I'll rest in your shadow. You take the sorrow from your heart. And I'll be forever with you. Though the world keeps us apart."- Mescalito
Emily felt very much like the little fish in the big pond. She was about to board the ship and though she was with her bandmates she couldn't help but be a little nervous. He was going to be here. He was her costar, she reminded herself. Somewhere deep within her, her soul answered back.
You know he's much more than that and always will be.
She had been looking forward to this cruise as much as she had been dreading it because she hadn't seen him in months. Not since they broke things off. Her heart clutched inside her chest at the memory.
She shook her head in answer to something Hayley was asking her while they all made plans to meet up later, knowing she was distracted. It was okay though; Hayley knew better than anyone what she had gone through in the last year and how crazy her and Norman's relationship was. She knew too how hard it had been for her every single time she had to see him in recent weeks. Then again, it had been hard on him too. She saw it in every picture he posted on Insta, every song he tweeted and even in some of his event photos, his eyes seemed more drawn and tired.
Sometimes she wondered though. What the hell were they doing? This thing with them, this crazy dance that they'd perfected over time, was supposed to be forever. They were supposed to get the happily ever after that none of the characters either of them had ever played seemed to get.
Then, before she could figure out what had happened, it was all over. The dance was done; the song ended and she spun right out of his arms and was left standing against the wall, like the lonely little flower she'd always thought she was.
Time apart. Figure things out. Get our heads straight.
They called it a lot of things, but the reality was they weren't together anymore. And in breaking up, she felt something inside her was irrevocably broken as well.
But then she'd noticed things. Something changed. With him. Something she hadn't expected. He was Norman Reedus and not many people expected things of him. But she did. And she thought he did too; at least where this was concerned. But he was always surprising her. It's why when he'd texted her last night and said he'd done some thinking about what she'd said and he needed to see her, those broken pieces of herself started to feel like they might not be shattered.
"I miss you, Em." Four words and a heart emoji and it was enough. It was enough for now. Her heart had skipped those same beats they'd skipped back when it was all new between them. Back when it was good. So she'd said yes.
Maybe it was wrong. Maybe she shouldn't. But all the maybes in the world couldn't keep her from this meeting now.
The tricky part of course had been trying to get away from both their cast-mates and the fans alike, to someplace where they wouldn't be seen. So the only thing that made sense was to meet in the area outside where all their rooms were located and access was off-limits to the fans.
She saw him first. Standing off to the side, thumb against his lower lip, eyes flitting nervously about behind those Ray-Bans. She couldn't see that part, but she knew him well enough to know he was always going to be watching out for her. Watching out for them.
Looking at him now, standing there, his presence seeming to take up the entire corridor, she wasn't sure what had ever happened. Why were they torturing themselves when everything they needed was right here in the spaces between them. Suddenly, she just needed to be in his arms. She must have made some sound and then she wondered sometimes if Norman Reedus didn't have the same hunter's sense that Daryl Dixon had.
He turned and if a facial expression could be translated into words, his said "I missed you so bad, I need you, I love you, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Maybe it was her that moved and maybe it was him, but all she knew was suddenly the distance melted away between them, slipping through the very cracks of this ship and sealing up what she already knew to be true. Looking up into his eyes from his trembling embrace, this was where she was supposed to be.
Norman had often wondered, before all this, if Daryl Dixon would possibly hope to know what to do with Beth Greene if she ever landed in his arms. And here he was, holding Emily Kinney in his and it struck him in near hilarity that he had no clue what to do either. He never had. Beth Greene was coming to life under his lips and he realized he had no more idea what to do with her than the redneck he portrayed.
Fortunately, he didn't have long to think about it. Because it seemed to him that Emily Kinney knew exactly what to do with the man she was wrapped up in. She kissed him with passion. She kissed him with love and devotion. She kissed him with barely restrained fever that was starting to match his own. He slid his hands further back on her head cradling her head in in the crook of his arm, and knew now how fucking stupid he'd been this entire time.
But he didn't mention it, just yet, and neither did she. He thought maybe she was just as glad as he was that the distance that had separated them for so many months was now gone and here she was, her lips pressed against his and a sigh in her throat as his fingers gripped her a bit tighter and his breathing was a bit shallower. Like she'd disappear on him again. Like she'd slip away and under a barrage of hurt feelings and broken promises, swear him off for life leaving him to lie in a bed of regrets. He'd made it himself, just like he had his whole life, but lie there he must.
But, she was here. She was here and she was kissing him back like she missed him as much as he did her. Suddenly, she broke away from him and leaned back in for another quick peck to his lips and whispered between them conspiratorially. "Let's get out of here."
With relief, with gratitude, he nodded. He didn't think he'd be able to speak if he wanted to. She grabbed his hand and before he could blink his eyes and make sense of what had just happened between them, he was being pulled along the long corridor towards the bank of rooms at the front of the ship where they were all staying.
As they travelled down the long hallway, he expected someone to jump out from one of the suites any instant and spot them, hand in hand, like they were running. Running like Beth and Daryl had, except this time it didn't feel as if he were running from something. It felt like he was running towards something. He'd been running for such a long time, he was surprised he could tell the difference at all.
They finally reached the end of the hallway and Emily turned to him, slightly breathless as she pushed the button at the group of elevators that would lead them to his suite. "You did want to go to your room, right?" God bless her sweet soul, she blinked up at him, blue eyes bright as always, as she rested her fingers gently against the blue denim of his shirt, like this had been the plan all along.
He knew they'd have to talk about it eventually. What had happened. What had gone so horribly wrong and how they'd go about fixing it. He'd done a lot of soul searching in the last several months and he knew what he wanted now. He knew all he would ever want was leading him through elevator doors, her delicate bones slipped right between his, pulling him along gently.
He nodded and winked at her. "You know I do."
As the elevator doors closed, she grinned in answer and launched herself back into his arms, and he was ready and waiting. It took him a while, maybe even longer than it would have taken Daryl Dixon even (and that was saying something), but he'd missed her so much since she was gone and he never wanted to feel that way again.
He'd walked around like a dead man long enough. It was time to come home. To this girl in his arms. To forever.