Happy Andryl fanfic time! Hope you guys like this one... even though Andrea's not at the prison... yet!
Nowhere was truly safe anymore, but the group from Atlantis was together… for however long that would last. Safety came in numbers and in actions, and the longer they made as little sound as possible, the longer they stayed together, then the longer they would be safe. But they weren't safe. They could hide in their semblance of safety, of course. But Rick wasn't pretending anymore. Real safety had long ago disappeared. Their new 'safe' haven came in the form of a prison, a place that had once kept the evil in to keep the outside safe but now kept the evil out to keep the inside safe. The prison gave them shelter, gave them food, gave them warmth, and gave them safety.
It was in this safety that they could sleep, that they could dream, that they could live.
Night had fallen and a cool breeze wafted through the cellblock. The breeze seemed to have no beginning and no end but it was welcoming as opposed to the stifling heat of the day. Somewhere beyond the walls, a coyote howled a thin, lonely note.
Restlessly, Andrea tossed and turned in her cot; it squeaked miserably as if going through some sort of abuse. Finally, unable to stand lying there any longer, Andrea kicked off the scratchy sheets, slipped on her shoes, and threw her shawl over her shoulders. As she stood, she glanced at Michonne, who slept in the bunk above her, and rejoiced in the fact that she had not woken her friend.
The hallway was silent. Andrea tiptoed as silently as she could on the concrete and was assured when the gentle sounds of sleep did not abate. Her next hurdle was Daryl, who lay in the entrance of the stairs at what he called the 'nest.' He was sprawled out and Andrea knew he had fallen asleep last, like always. A soft smile crossed her lips as she looked at her love lying there on the ground in that haphazard way. Then she moved past him, placing her feet carefully in the small paces of bare cement that he had left open. After sliding slowly down the stairs, Andrea pushed her shawl farther up on her shoulders and moved with little idea as to where she was going.
She ended up outside.
She closed the door that linked the inside world to the outside world and relished the fact that it had not made a sound. The moment her feet hit the grass, she kicked her shoes off. The cold bite of grass created goose bumps that travelled up her limbs. This area of the prison had long ago been cleared of the undead, for which she was happy. After walking a few steps more, the blond sank to the ground, crossing her legs as she sat. The dead moved just beyond the fences that served as defense, a multitude of dark, staggering shapes that seemed to create a wall of background echoes that she rarely recognized anymore.
Slowly, Andrea lay back, using the shawl as a blanket and her arms as pillows. With the lack of electricity, the night sky shone brightly with stars and the slight twinkling was oddly serene. She didn't know how long she'd been there staring up at the light display before she realized that she was unconsciously counting shooting stars. Surprised, Andrea noted the amount of meteors flashing into the Earth's atmosphere.
The reality of how things continued despite the human world falling into chaos dawned on her slowly. The knowledge that the walkers had just become another part of her life sickened her but, like Dale had often said, time stopped for no man. The Earth still rotated around the sun, the moon still kept the tides under control, and the animals kept surviving like they had for millennia.
She was just contemplating the thought of a meteor ramming into Earth when a noise startled her. She shot upright, hand reaching for her nonexistent gun before she realized who it was.
"Jumpy?" Daryl's rough voice asked as he settled next to her on the ground. She relaxed and lay back again, a faint smile on her face. He moved a little closer to her to close the gap; "You gotta try to be quieter."
"Only because you sleep like a bird." Andrea answered as she pushed one hand under her head to cushion it; the other she dropped lazily on her stomach.
Daryl chucked as he heard the sarcasm. "Nah, someone's creaky bed kept me awake."
Andrea snorted and rolled her eyes, "If you'd sleep in a cell, you wouldn't hear half as much of it."
Daryl let the statement go, favoring silence for a moment before asking, "So, whatcha doin?"
The woman pointed with her free hand, "I stopped to stargaze."
Daryl glanced up at the sky and Andrea took that moment to gaze up at his face, marveling at the shape of his nose, the slope of his forehead, the way his unkempt hair flopped in the wind, the way his lips pulled upward in a smile. "Can't make that many wishes."
The comment was unexpected, and Andrea blinked back to reality with a single word: "Huh?"
Daryl lay down and pulled her into the crook of his shoulder so she could use it as a pillow. He wrapped that arm around to lie on her stomach while he used the opposite arm as his own pillow. Times like these were rare and Andrea might have been nervous about the intimacy of his touch had he not instigated it. Instead, she moved the rest of her body closer to him, reveling in his warmth. A sense of complete safety washed over her.
"Never heard of it?" He asked, his voice low. "See a shootin' star and make a wish."
"Oh," Andrea said with a ghost of a giggle, "I've heard of that. You're right; there are a lot of wishes up there tonight. Wonder how many."
Daryl grunted in a non-syllabic way in answer. For a while, she stared up at the sky and counted the wishes. Soon, however, she felt herself begin to slip into sleep. She was lulled by the still of the night and Daryl's unconsciously repetitive stroking motions on her stomach. Each stroke sent tingles deep into her skin but even these could not rouse her enough to stay awake. It didn't help that she had her head pressed against his chest and the sound of his breathing and the beating of his heart were so regular that they seemed almost like metronomes further lulling her.
She was just on the edges of sleep when his voice startled her back into awareness. "There's so many of 'em."
Andrea pried open her eyes and looked at the sky to see two more streaks flash through existence. After shifting her body into a more agreeable position, she sighed and muttered sleepily, "Make a wish."
Daryl snorted, "I don't believe in makin' wishes."
"But you just said—"
"I know what I said, Blondie," He murmured back softly and without a trace of anger. "But I don't wish for things. I'll leave that t'you."
"Who said I made wishes?" Andrea countered back sarcastically, but sleep drugged her tone.
"Fine, then. Give the wishes to someone else." Daryl mused.
Andrea sighed and sleepily elbowed his side like a child, which elicited a small jump and a cry of 'hey' from the man next to her. She yawned and nuzzled into his chest, "Fine, what should I wish for?"
"A new puppy. Hell if I know. What do you wish for?"
"I don't."
She imagined a scowl crossing Daryl's face but was surprised, faintly, that his voice was calm as he said, "Pretend."
Andrea yawned, "Um… I'd wish for more food, ammo, I don't know. More certainty? Less walkers."
"Nothin' for yerself?"
"Who said this was for anyone else?"
"Y'ain't like that, Blondie."
Andrea grinned into his shirt. "I've never thought about it, honestly. Since this hell, I haven't seen a need to think about myself… since trying to die, that is.
"Maybe I want to be immune, but we all know that idea's stupid. Mmm, how about I wish for a hot guy to come and sweep me off my feet."
Daryl snorted. "Cinderalla story? Didn't think you were that kinda gal. Ain't you already got a man?"
"Do I?" Andrea asked as she looked up at him. He was looking at her seriously and even in the dark she could see his eyes glittering at her sharply. She smiled up at him. "Okay, then… I wish for a hot shower, new clothes, and new episodes for my favorite TV shows."
"Not very interesting." He mused.
"More interesting than you. Bet you'd wish for a better crossbow and bolts."
"And a new knife."
Andrea chuckled and settled back down. Daryl resumed his unconscious gesturing on her stomach. She closed her eyes and he turned to look at the stars again. A long while after she had fallen asleep, Daryl leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head before settling down himself, arms wrapped possessively around her.
"But I already got all I could wish for."