Hey everyone! So I finally got around to properly editing this properly...a year later. Hopefully it flows better and makes more sense. Look for a new Valentine's day short story on Valentine's. Enjoy
Abby sighed as she watched the landscape roll by from her reclined position, in the front passenger seat, beside her, her brother sat in the driver seat. It was another chilly day and they had yet to find any food for any of their group, which left them all morose and literally starving. Abby felt a little bad for Daryl, driving on his motorcycle out there in the cold but he seemed to prefer it, he still didn't like being stuck around the others for extended periods of time, unless absolutely necessary.
The only exception was her. Daryl would go out of his way to seek her out, if he had time, or vice versa. Abby was tempted to challenge Rick's tolerance of their relationship and snuggle up beside Daryl when they would settle down for the night, but neither wanted to bother Rick with more things than he already had on his plate.
"Guess what?" Sophia asked excitedly from the backseat.
Both, her and Carl sat together in the back seat playing games and visiting while both of their mothers sat in the car behind them with T-Dog and Amy. Abby turned in her seat to look back at the two.
"What?" Abby asked, smiling at the two.
"It's Valentine's day tomorrow, if we figured the days out right." Sophia stated happily.
Abby thought about it for a moment, it was hard to keep track of time these days. "Well, it's definitely February…you just might be right."
Sophia smiled. "Are you and Daryl going to celebrate?"
Abby laughed, "I don't know how we possibly could. Usually couples go to restaurants and buy each other gifts but that's impossible. And besides, Daryl doesn't strike me as a valentine celebrating type of person."
"He might surprise you!" She said undeterred.
Abby chuckled. "Yeah he might."
111
Three hours later, their caravan pulled into a town so small, they'd nearly drove through it without realizing it was there. It literally had two blocks one way and only one the other. Rick squinted at the pharmacy sign, obviously trying to determine if it was worth the trouble.
"You think we'll find anything?" Carl asked as his head appeared beside Abby.
Rick sighed. "Maybe a few things. This place is so hidden that there is a chance that it hasn't been picked through yet. You two stay here, it's unlikely to be too exciting."
"Okay." Sophia said immediately, content with sitting in the still warm vehicle.
"Fine." Carl also replied but sounding less pleased as he plopped back into his seat.
Abby and Rick got out and joined the others, where they waited in front of the store. Lori avoided looking towards either of them, still mad at them for what happened with Shane and now Rick was finally getting angry with her. Not just because of her sleeping with Shane and then attempting to abort her pregnancy without speaking to him first but her being unreasonably angry at Shane necessary end.
Carl had quickly read into the relationship between his parents and had started giving his mother the cold shoulder while still giving Abby affection and looking to her for things he'd normally want from his mother, making Lori even less impressed with her. At seven months pregnant she was just plain ole hard to please.
"Alright, this is a pretty small store. We won't need everyone in there. Glenn, T-Dog and Hershel, why don't you check out that little café?" Rick ordered, pointing down the street. "Maggie and Amy, why don't you help me in the Pharmacy and Abby and Daryl can check out the houses. Carol, you stay with Lori and the kids."
For once, Abby was happy with their assignment. For the most part, Rick tend to put her and Daryl on different assignments and if they were together, he was right there to be the third wheel. Abby grabbed her backpack from the back of the car, then her and Daryl walked to the nearest house which was only a half a block away.
It was a tiny single level house, that couldn't have been more than six hundred square feet. The front half of the house was open, the living room and kitchen blending together, the back half of the house was two tiny bedrooms with a tiny bathroom in the middle. Daryl looked around as they stood in the entrance.
"This won't take long." He said dryly.
He took a step forward but Abby grabbed his hand. "Maybe but we get to be alone for a while." She said when he turned back to look at her.
Daryl smirked as he turned back towards her and put his hands on her hips. "That's true. Yer brother don't normally want to give us a second of privacy."
"Maybe Sophia got to him." Abby said chuckling as she wrapped her arms around his neck.
"What'd you mean?" He asked raising an eyebrow.
"She said that it's supposed to be Valentines tomorrow." Abby said, watching him closely.
Daryl suddenly looked awkward. "Oh." Was all he could manage to say.
Abby laughed then kissed him. "Don't worry, I'm well aware that we're in the middle of the apocalypse, and I don't expect anything. Not to mention yer not exactly that kind of guy."
Daryl frowned. "Maybe I am."
Abby kissed him again. "I'd be happy either way."
Daryl sighed and rubbed his head. "Sorry, tryin' to not get so defensive right away. Apparently, I'm failing that."
Abby smiled at him softly as she touched his cheek. "Yer tryin', that's what important and I think you're doin' pretty good. Yer pretty tolerant with the others most of time."
Daryl blushed and turned away. "We should get back to work."
Abby smiled as she turned and walked into the kitchen. After the third house, the others had finished doing their respective jobs and joined them in searching the remaining four houses. Abby stepped out of the backdoor of the last house that her and Daryl had just finished searching and shaded her eyes as she stared out into the horizon. Off in the distance she could see something peaking over the top of a cluster of trees, but she couldn't see it clearly from this distance with just her eyes. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her binoculars, then brought them up to her eyes. After adjusting the focus, Abby smiled.
"Whatcha see." Daryl said coming up beside her.
"Another house, looks big. I can see the roof stick up from the trees." She said as she handed Daryl the binoculars.
Daryl looked through them then nodded. "Yeah, probably a farmhouse. Maybe we'll get lucky and find something more than a couple cans, if nothing else, a good place to crash for the night."
When they all gathered in front of the pharmacy once more, Abby told Rick about the house she'd seen and he agreed that they should all go check it out. As everybody got back into their vehicles, Abby walked over to Daryl as he got on to his bike.
"Want some company?" She asked.
Daryl looked back at her, startled that she was there. "I don't mind but it's really cold right now." He warned.
"I don't mind, it's not like we're goin' far." Abby said as she came up beside him.
Daryl stood up and let her climb behind her. "Fine by me."
Abby snuggled up to him more than necessary and undoubtedly earning a glare from her brother but that dirty smirk that appeared in the side mirror on Daryl's face, made it more than worth it. Daryl lead them through the back roads then up the long, well treed drive way, until finally the house came into view. As Daryl had predicted, it was a big two-story farmhouse, one even bigger than Hershel's had been.
As they rolled up, three walkers almost instantly appeared and head straight for Abby and Daryl with Daryl's motorcycle being the loudest vehicle that they had. The second Daryl had rolled to a stop, Abby was off, moving towards the walkers. She quickly dispatched the first two and Daryl finished off the last walker before the others had time to exit their vehicles.
Everyone looked around carefully, looking for signs that another herd had caught up with them but after a minute of listening, they neither heard nor smelled the stench of walkers approaching. Abby and Daryl along with T-Dog, went around the backside of the house to the back door to make sure they were in the clear. After looking around to make sure they hadn't missed anything, they finally entered into the house. They entered into what was the kitchen, one that Abby had only seen in her dreams, and opened up into the dining room.
When the house had been cleared, Abby and Carol busied themselves with scavenging the kitchen while Daryl, T-Dog and Glenn went back outside to check the sheds and shop for anything useful while Rick started a fire in the fireplace. Abby was impressed with what they'd found, it wasn't large for the size of their group but it would last them a couple of days. Apparently, the people who lived there liked their preservatives as they had over a dozen cans of various canned goods. Carol had immediately brought Lori and the kids a jar of pickled carrots and beets before coming back and continued helping Abby.
When everyone had gathered once more in the living room, Rick told everyone to get rest while they could, leaving Abby and Glenn to take the watch shifts for the night. Abby volunteered for the first shift and sat in the dining room while everyone hunkered down for the night. In some ways she didn't mind standing watch overnight, it let her inspect her emotions and recent events without other people prying.
When Abby went to put more wood on the fire in the living room where everyone slept together, she realized that Daryl wasn't there. She threw the wood on to the flame then quietly weaved her way around and over the bodies spread out on the floor. Once she'd made it out of the room without disturbing a sole, she went and searched the main floor. After peering outside into the darkness, she still hadn't found him. Hoping he'd managed to sneak by her while she was searching for him, she went back to the living room to see if he'd made it back to his blanket.
When she still didn't find him, she carefully crept up the stairs, not wanting to wake anyone, then started searching the second floor. When she still didn't find him, she was really beginning to get concerned. Abby had just headed for the stairs to go back downstairs, when she noticed a pull cord at the end of the one hall. She walked over to it, pulled out her knife and flashlight, then gingerly pulled it down. She climbed the steps as quietly as she could, shining her light up the steps when Daryl's face suddenly appeared in her light. Abby was so startled that she gasped as she stepped back and lost her balance, if it wasn't for Daryl's quick reaction, she'd have tumbled down the steps.
"You okay?" He asked softly once she'd steadied herself.
Abby smacked his arm and shoved him back. "You scared the shit out of me!" She hissed quietly.
"You're welcome." Daryl replied sarcastically. "What're you doin' up here anyway?"
"Looking for you! Noticed you were gone then searched the whole damn house!" Abby growled, getting more and more annoyed. "I was 'bout to raise the alarm until I saw that pull string."
Daryl sighed. "You worry too much."
"Of course I worry! I happen to be in love with you, you big ass! Even if that weren't the case, I'd still have gone lookin' for you!" Abby sighed and rubbed her forehead, then noticed Daryl smirking. "What you smiling 'bout?"
"You jus' haven't said that since the farm and even that was after I'd said it first." Daryl said still smirking.
"Said what?" Abby asked, now confused.
"That you love me." He said pulling her to the top of the steps and wrapping his arms around her.
Abby sighed. "Damn you for bein' so smooth!" She grumbled as she put her forehead on his shoulder, Daryl chuckled as he hugged her. After a moment she straightened up again and looked up at him. "I'm on watch so you get yer fine ass back to the living room."
"I'll be down in a minute." Daryl said then kissed her.
Abby frowned as she looked around, in one corner a candle flickered on a small table where some tools also sat. "What are you doin'?" She asked him.
"That's a surprise." Daryl said turning her chin back towards him. "Just go back downstairs."
"What kind of a surprise? Is it a surprise for me?" Abby asked, her interest suddenly piqued.
"If I told you what I was doing, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" He said, then grabbed her ass, turned her around with her hips then gentle nudged her towards the steps. "Don't fall down."
She looked over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out at him before finally returning to the second floor and then the main floor. Abby made a quick check of the surroundings around the house, put another log onto the fire then went back into the dining room and waited for Daryl to come back down. It took him another twenty minutes before he finally appeared, he walked over to her in the dining room, gave her a kiss, then went and laid down on the floor.
When Glenn finally got up to relieve Abby from her watch, she was grateful. Normally she could stay awake for days but the extreme lack of food and virtually getting no sleep for the last several months, she was struggling just to make it through the day. Abby initially had thoughts of curling up near the fire but there was little room as Carl, Lori, Sophia and Amy all crowded around it.
Abby looked over to where Daryl lay on the ground. He must've sensed her gaze as he almost immediately looked up and smiled. When he saw her surveying the room for a spot to sleep, he pulled back his blanket and indicated for her to join him. After biting her lip for a moment, uncertain, she finally smiled back and walked over to him then laid down beside him. He wrapped the blanket around her, kissed her neck then wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body towards his before resting his head on the ground once more.
111
The next morning Abby woke when chill suddenly swept over and when she opened her eyes, she saw Rick and Daryl walking out the front door. Half of the room was empty with only Amy, Lori, Carol and Beth still in the room, starting to pack their things up so they could move.
"Rick have a cow this mornin'?" Abby asked no one in particular.
"He certainly didn't seem happy." Amy said wincing. "But I don't think that's why they left together."
Abby sighed. "Better go check."
"Just leave it be." Lori said. "Daryl's a grown man."
"But a grown man with a temper." Amy reminded her.
"I agree with Lori," Carol said, adding her two cents. "Those two need to work this out on their own."
"Didn't ask for any of ya'lls advice." Abby retorted as she walked to the door.
She went outside, expecting Daryl and Rick to be just off the front porch but were instead walking for the tree line. Abby debated for a moment whether she should follow or not, then decided that spying on them was the best option for the moment. She waited for them to disappear into the trees then ran to the edge so she wouldn't lose sight of them.
She followed them for only a couple minutes when Daryl bent over to inspect the ground, crossbow in hand. Abby inched close enough to hear them. At first, she heard Rick say something but was too far away but when she got even closer, she could hear Daryl's reply.
"If this is about me and yer sister, man, then I probably don't want to hear about it." Daryl replied as he straightened up and glared at Rick.
"Look, I'm just trying to look out for her." Daryl started to interrupt but Rick held up his hand. "Let me finish. I know I can be overbearing and that has to annoy you but I am working on letting go. You make her happy, happier than she ever was with Martin or any of her boyfriends. I thought she'd eventually bored get with you, hell, I thought she was takin' advantage of you, not the other way around." Daryl looked a Rick, unimpressed. "Hey, don't give me that look! She used to have the reputation of bein' a heart breaker!"
"I ain't no fool, man, I had a hard time believin' she had any interest in me in the beginning. Hell, even I don't get what she sees in me and I don't try and sell her any delusions. She's too smart for that but, for whatever reason, she's stuck around."
"I know. What I'm tryin' to say is, so long as you don't hurt my sister and look after her, I won't get in your way. I just want her to be happy. She's seen and been through too much. She deserves to be happy and I don't want her to hurt no more." Rick said sadly.
"I have no intention of hurtin' her, man, I ain't like my brother. I don't get involved with a woman jus' to have a good time, and with the way thing's are right now, we can't afford anymore tension in the group." Daryl suddenly looked down, obviously feeling uncomfortable. "I don't just like Abby, I'm in love with her, man. And…and I'm pretty sure she's in love with me too."
Rick slapped Daryl on the back, smiling slightly. "Let's get huntin', we need more than some preservatives."
Abby didn't follow as the two moved on, Rick following after Daryl; she hadn't expected for the conversation to move as it had. She full expected Rick to tear a chunk off of Daryl for sleeping together with Abby, not like anything had happened…beyond a little groping. Abby finally turned back to the house, keeping her eyes open for food as she went.
When she broke from the trees, she saw Lori standing on the porch with her arms crossed over her chest. Lori looked at her expectantly as she walked up the steps but Abby ignored her and went inside. As she sat down on the sofa, Amy too looked at her like she expected her too talk but she wasn't really in the mood to talk. Carl eventually walked over to her with a bowl of pickled beets and handed it to Abby.
"Here's your portion, Auntie." Carl said as he sat down beside her.
"Thanks, kiddo. Did you eat already?" Abby asked as she took the dish.
"Yup. Sophia and I went upstairs and read some of the comics in the one room, while we ate." Carl replied happily, obviously in a good mood.
"Did you share yer comics with Glenn?" Abby asked, smiling. Almost everyone was now in the living room and all but Glenn chuckled, as Glenn himself, looked down in embarrassment. "I'm just teasin' you Glenn, it's adorable that you still read comics."
"That's not helpful." Glenn said but he smirked and rubbed the back of his head.
Half an hour later, Daryl and Rick returned with a single, skinny rabbit and a pheasant. Daryl stepped in front of Abby, who still sat on the couch and handed her the rabbit. She smirked as she stood up then the two of them walked into the kitchen to work on his catches.
When Rick started a speech in the living room, Abby looked over at Daryl as he plucked the feathers from the pheasant. "What's he goin' on about?"
"We're gonna stay one more night. Set up a couple traps, hopin' for something later." Daryl said, his elbow practically touching hers.
He didn't need to crowd her like he was, with the kitchen being as massive as it was, but it was as close to contact as the two of them got, lately, so she didn't mind. Abby paused what she was doing and looked over at Daryl as he continued plucking feathers.
"So, how'd yer walk with my brother go?" Abby asked, she kind of knew but she wanted to know what he'd say.
Daryl shrugged. "Fine. He didn't freak out 'bout us sleepin' together last night, if that's what yer askin'." Daryl paused and thought for a moment. "In fact, I don't think he ever said anythin'."
Abby smiled at him. "That gonna become our new normal?"
Daryl returned her smile. "I hope so." Daryl suddenly shook the feathers off his hand then reached into his pocket. "I got something for you."
Abby continued to smile as she watched him. "Is it that surprise you were mentioning last night?"
Daryl pulled something from his pocket but held his hand shut. "I made this for you. Found some leather in one of the sheds. The people here musta worked with it, figured I should make you something since you said it was supposed to be valentine's day."
He held out his hand and unclenched his fist. Abby gingerly reached into his palm and pulled out a surprisingly delicate looking bracelet. He had cut five thin strips of leather and braided them together. In the center, he had drilled out the center of three pretty river rocks, then braided it in the middle of the bracelet.
"Wow, it's beautiful!" Abby said smiling. "I love it."
Daryl grabbed it from her, then wrapped it around her wrist and tied it on. Abby smiled as she rested her forearms on his shoulders and kissed him.
"Happy Valentine's day." He said softly then kissed her once more.
"I got the best Valentine ever. Thank you."
I know, still kinda corny. I was actually going to write a Christmas story but thought about it WAY too late. Like said in my opening statement, there should be a Valentine's story for Abby and Daryl come Valentines. If you haven't already read them, there are three stories with these two, starting with Life Goes On then continues with When Shit Hits The Fan and then ends with The Art Of Deception. Currently I am writing a Merle/OC story called The New Reality, check it out!