The Moment I Knew: Grace and Daryl
AU stories relating to Safe and Sound thought up by the readers.
Love Story
Idea by WolfHappiness
We were both young when I first saw you.
I close my eyes and the flashback starts.
Grace knew when she first laid eyes on him that he was the one. You know, the one. That one boy you would find in your life that would completely steal your heart and hold onto it forever. That boy who made you his morning, his day and his night. That boy who you fell in love with and married. That boy who gave you his children and all the happiness you would ever need. That boy who would be there until your last breath, always holding you, always loving you.
Only, he wasn't a boy. He was a man.
And he was also her teacher's husband.
It started out like this. It was another day in 12th Grade English. They were finishing up Hamlet by Shakespeare but she was hardly paying attention. Actually, no one was paying attention to Mrs. Dixon's light voice as she read one of the female's parts (no one had volunteered). It was senior year after all. Pass their classes and they were done for good with High School. Besides, it was Homecoming Weekend. Grace could literally feel the restrained excitement trying to burst out of the room.
So while she was sitting there thinking of her gorgeous lavender dress that Bobby had better matched her corsage with, Mrs. Dixon continued to drone on about the play.
She was a pretty woman.
She had shoulder length brunette hair that curled just slightly at the ends. Her skin, spotless and pale, making her large brown eyes stand out in contrast. She had a nice body for being in her mid-thirties, granted Grace didn't think her and her husband had kids yet. But she had heard they've been having problems lately.
They lived in a small town just east of Atlanta, Georgia. Such a small town that word was easily spread and easily accessible when your father was the town's preacher. Of course, her father was always respectful when townsfolk came to talk to him about their problems. Confidentiality and stuff like that. But that didn't stop Grace from listening in once or twice.
Mrs. Dixon, also known as Lisa by her dad, had come in just a few weeks ago to discuss her marriage problems with her dad. She might have mentioned a divorce but Grace did remember her dad referring her to a marriage counselor to try and save her marriage.
Now that she thought about it, she had never seen her husband at church before. Lisa would always come in by herself or on the occasion with her mother. But never Mr. Dixon. She didn't even know his first name, which was really surprising. Everyone knew everyone here. But her husband was very secretive.
Just as Mrs. Dixon finished up Act I, the door flung open and standing in the path of light was the most beautiful man she had ever seen. He held a bouquet of red roses in his tan, calloused hands. His stature read masculine-strong and steady. His arms were toned and tanned and held in a very tense position. And while his face looked pained, as though this little interruption hadn't been his idea, his cobalt eyes caught her attention. Was this the mysterious husband of Mrs. Dixon?
Grace didn't care because in that moment, she was in love.
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns.
See you make your way through the crowd.
Grace frowned as she sat at one of the decorated tables, watching Bobby laughing and joking around with his friends. Since they got here, he had pretty much ignored her, not even asking if she wanted to dance or anything. She could see her best friend, Abigail, dancing with her date, a pretty smile on her face. She wanted that so bad. But here she was, sitting alone with a dinky corsage on her wrist.
She sighed as she soothed out the winkles in her lavender dress. She glanced around the room, looking at all the laughing couples and classmates. Her eyes caught onto her English teacher by the punch table, the man that interrupted their lesson yesterday next to her. Grace's heart skipped a beat as she realized Mrs. Dixon had brought her husband as her date to help chaperone. But the same uncomfortable expression was on his face, as if he wanted to be anywhere but here.
Grace stood up and walked to the punch table, eager to be closer to the man who she felt a strange connection to. Mrs. Dixon caught sight of her as she poured herself a cup of juice, taking glances at the tense man.
"Grace, what are you doing here all alone?" Her teacher asked, smiling comfortingly.
Grace shrugged as she looked to where Bobby was sticking to straws in his mouth and pretending to be a walrus, "I don't think Bobby wants to dance."
Mrs. Dixon followed her gaze and grimaced at the younger man's behavior. She looked to where her husband was standing, staring at his shoes before pushing him towards the younger girl.
"Daryl, why don't you dance with Grace?" She asked, but it was more of a command.
Daryl, so that was his name. Daryl Dixon. Grace felt her heart clench up and her face turn red.
"I don't-"Daryl began to protest but Lisa practically pushed them together.
"Go on." She encouraged. "Just one dance."
Daryl grumbled under his breath but took Grace's hand nonetheless and dragged her out to the dance floor. Grace let herself be pulled, staring at their enclosed hands. She could hear her heart pounding as Daryl took her other hand and began to sway to the slow music uncomfortably.
"I don't dance." He grunted and Grace looked up to him shyly.
"You don't have to do this." She replied, not wanted to force him to dance with her. But at the same time, she didn't want him to leave. The feeling of his skin against hers put her mind in a trance.
He shrugged, "Where's yer date?"
Grace looked away from him, embarrassed, "He ditched me the second we came in."
"Stupid boy if ya' ask me." Daryl mumbled.
Grace's mood shifted as his words lightened her heart. She let herself step closer to him as he continued to move them to the music. This felt perfect. It felt right. And as she looked up at the man, she wanted nothing more than to press her lips against him, to taste him. She wanted to feel more of his skin against hers. But she couldn't. This was her teacher's husband. He was forbidden.
She felt her heart drop at the realization but ignored it for a moment because right now, in this moment, he was dancing with her.
So I sneak out to the garden to see you.
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew.
"The Dixon's have invited us over for dinner tonight." Grace's father said as he read from the newspaper, a steaming cup of coffee next to it.
Grace felt her face heat up as she thought about her dance with Daryl last week. She quickly shoved a chunk of pancakes in her mouth to keep herself from screaming with excitement. She could get to see Daryl again.
"How nice of them." Her mother remarked as she set a glass of orange juice down in front of Grace.
Her dad set the paper down to look at his wife, "Lisa said it was a thank you for helping with their marriage."
Suddenly Grace began to choke on her pancakes. Both of her parents looked at her in confusion as she managed to shallow the piece down. She coughed a few times before sipping on her orange juice.
"You okay, honey?" Her mother asked.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Grace answered, wanting nothing more than to climb into her bed and hide her face from the world forever.
She had been so stupid to think that Daryl could ever be hers. It had been one dance. But she had felt something. Something so strong, a pulsing electricity between them. And she had thought he felt it too. But she had been wrong.
Grace could feel the heat crawling up her neck as she focused on the napkin on her lap. She was trying to keep herself from staring at the man next to her, who looked just as pained and tense as she did. Her food lay on her plate, untouched as she ignored the conversation shifting between her parents and her teacher. She wanted to leave, not feeling comfortable here. How could she? She was in love with her teacher's husband.
"Grace honey, can you pass me the mash potatoes?" Her mother called from the other side of her.
Grace's blue eyes looked up to see the dish settled on the left side of Daryl. She bit her lip in debate. She didn't want to ask the man to pass them over, knowing her voice would probably crack and her face would light up on fire. But she couldn't ignore her mother. She reached her hand over, trying to grab the plate without touching Daryl.
But the man grabbed the plate in his own large hands and held it out to her in silence. Their eyes met for a brief moment as Grace's cheeks turned a light pink. She could still feel every bit of desire for him. She reached out for the plate and their fingers brushed ever so slightly. A spark ignited inside Grace and in her shock, she dropped the dish. It clanged against the table as some potatoes flew up onto the cloth. If her face wasn't red before, it definitely was know. Both she and Daryl scrambled to clean up the mess, bumping heads as they both leaned down to wipe up the potatoes.
They both jumped back in surprise, Grace rubbing her newly throbbing head. Daryl cleared his throat uncomfortably before tossing his napkin on the table and standing up abruptly. Grace's parents looked at him in confusion as his wife glared at him warningly, telling him to sit back down.
"I, uh, I need some air." Was his only words as he walked out of the small dining room and out the sliding glass door.
"Ignore him." Lisa chuckled forcibly. "Sit down dinners aren't his thing."
Grace's father caught onto the tension and quickly worked to soothe it out while Grace went back to cleaning up the potatoes. The dinner finished quickly and Lisa escorted the family into the living room to talk some more. Grace glanced out the window to see Daryl seated on a wooden bench in the middle of a garden.
She stood up from the couch and her mom shot her a look.
"I'm, uh, I left my coat in the car." She said quickly. "Can I go get it?"
"Of course, Gracey." Her dad said before her mom could say anything. He handed her the car keys before engaging Lisa in another conversation.
Grace quickly walked outside and got her coat from the backseat. She stood there for a moment, holding her coat in her hands as she glanced between the front door and the man sitting on the bench. She shrugged her coat on before making her way to Daryl. His head had twitched up the moment she had opened the front door but he seemed to be ignoring her now.
She sat down next to him quietly and he glanced at her confused.
"Uh, dinners aren't your sorta' thing?" She asked hesitantly.
The man let out a breath of air, "Nah. I catch my own food."
"So you hunt?" Grace questioned.
The man tilted his head to the right, pointing to a tiny shed with a crossbow leaning against the wall. Daryl Dixon, the hunter. It suited him. The pair went silent for another moment.
"This is a nice garden." Grace finally said.
Daryl snorted under his breath, "Garden's ain't my thing either."
Grace giggled, "So what is your thing, Mr. Dixon?"
"Huntin'." Daryl said. "Huntin' and fixin' up bikes."
"You seem like a simple man." Grace observed. "So how come you're the biggest mystery of this town?"
Daryl shrugged, "Don't like nobody in my business."
"Try being the preacher's daughter." Grace mumbled. "You know everyone's business."
Daryl glanced at her and their eyes met as they fell silent.
"Daryl, Grace, why don't you two come back in?" Lisa's voice suddenly interrupted their moment, breaking the spell. Grace's face turned pink as Daryl nodded to his wife, standing up. Lisa went back inside as Grace stood up as well.
She looked up at Daryl once more, who hadn't moved from his spot. Something inside her heart took over her mind and in a second, she was pressing her lips against his rough ones. Daryl stood in shock as the younger girl kissed up. Grace backed away not even a moment later as her face turned bright red this time. She didn't know why she had done that, especially knowing his wife was just a few feet away in the house.
"Daryl, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"Was the only thing she could say as she turned around to walk back to the house, wanting to get away from him as fast as she could. She was so embarrassed.
But a calloused hand grabbed her arm and stopped her from moving. Daryl whipped her around and pressed his lips against hers now. Time froze for Grace as butterflies ate at her stomach. His lips felt so good against hers and her hands instantly went to his chest as he held onto her upper arms to keep her steady. His lips broke from hers as he leaned his forehead against her own. They were both breathing heavily, too caught up in the passion.
But then Daryl pushed her away and retreated.
"We can't-." He choked before walking off towards the house, leaving Grace standing in the middle of the garden with a heavy heart.
I got tired of waiting.
Wondering if you were ever coming around.
My faith in you was fading.
When I met you on the outskirts of town.
It had been weeks since she had seen Daryl. Word of the Dixon divorce spread around the town like wildfire. Because of their privacy and secrecy, no one had seen it coming except three people-Lisa, Daryl and Grace. The eighteen year old girl who had managed to get involved in a relationship. She couldn't tell anyone of course. She knew what she would be labeled. A home wrecker.
But she was in love. She was in love with the man who she knew was in love with her. This whole thing was a mess. But no matter how many times she had told herself to just let go-she couldn't. Grace knew she was supposed to be with Daryl. Everything about him felt so right. And she knew he felt it too.
But it had been weeks and he had disappeared.
After the papers had been signed, he had left. She never got a call, or a text or a letter. It was like everything they had was gone like their marriage. Had she just been a stepping stone for him? Something that finally convinced him he needed out? And now he dropped her because he didn't need her anymore? She could feel my heart snapping at the thought because Grace needed him. Grace needed Daryl in my life.
He was her prince.
Her rough, confusing, disoriented, pained, troubled, coarse prince.
Her phone suddenly beeped in my pocket. Her heart jumped a beat, as it had every time her phone made a noise in the past weeks. Grace pulled it out with shaky hands, trying not to work herself up for disappointment. She set it on her desk, face down.
Was this finally him?
She turned it over without breathing.
Meet me by Lake Helen at midnight.
Her heart soared. The number was unknown but she knew it was him. Grace grasped my phone to her chest and fell back on her bed. Daryl was back.
It had been a little difficult sneaking out. Her room was on the top floor. Luckily, her parents had gone to bed around ten so by 11:40, they were already in a deep sleep. Grace threw on my brown boots and blue jeans and dangled herself over the window. She used the vines along the wall to climb down the floor. After slipping once, she made it down with no problem.
She couldn't take one of the cars. It would wake her parents, so instead she walked. It was cold outside and the wind whipped her hair around my face as she walked down the desolated street.
But the minute she saw him waiting there, in his leather vest with the imprinted angel wings, it was all worth it.
In a second, she was on him. Her legs wrapped around his waist as one of his hands held her at my hip and the other tangled in her hair. His lips were as warm and rough as she remembered as he forced them against her own. She could feel herself start to smile against them before he took her bottom lip in his teeth.
Her lip slid out from between the bones before he set her down. Her arms instantly went around his neck, holding him against her.
"Daryl, I-"She started. But before she could get any more words around, the man held his finger against her mouth, silencing her. She looked up at him in confusion.
"I spent a lot of time thinkin'." Daryl started, the words coming out forced and pained because he wasn't use to this sort of thing. "'Bout Lisa…'bout us."
Grace forced herself to keep from speaking, knowing this was already hard for Daryl to talk about.
"I knew that once we got divorced, you would think that we could be togetha'." He continued. "But I ain't a young man anymore. And I knew ya' deserved someone who could hold yer hand in public and kiss ya' whenever ya' wanted. So I stayed away hopin' we could forget 'bout eachother."
"But Daryl, I don't care-"Grace started saying, eager to make him listen. She didn't want him to leave again.
"I know." Daryl interrupted again. "And that's why I'm here right now, doin' this."
He suddenly knelt down on one knee and pulled a tiny black box from his pocket. Grace's heart got caught in her throat as she watched the man she loved stare up at her.
"It was too hard to stay away from ya'. And I realized I never wanna' be away from ya' ever again." Daryl said and then pulled back to the top of the box to expose a shining, beautiful diamond ring. "Grace Elizabeth, will ya' marry me?"
Grace couldn't form words as tears shined in her eyes. She could only manage a tilt of her head as Daryl removed the ring from the box and slid it on her finger. He stood up, an uncharacteristic smile of his face as he grabbed her and pressed her against his toned body. She melted into his embrace, feeling his heartbeat pound in sync with her own. She would never let go of this.
Never.
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess.
It's a love story, baby, just say, "yes."
Author's Note: SOOO I hope you all enjoyed! Especially WolfHappiness! I know I made this a little unrealistic but it was so fun to write haha! The next four should be coming out relatively soon as well as Chapter 18 of Safe and Sound and boy do I have something big stored for all you readers! Thanks for reading! Love you all and talk to you soon!