Prompt Title: 74: Found
Rating: T
Characters: Daryl Dixon, Rick Grimes, Andrea, Andrea/Daryl
Word Count: 1000+
Summary: He knew she was okay. She had to be okay.
Author's Note: Happy Thanksgiving!Thought I'd do my spin on the whole "Daryl-going-back-for-Andrea" scenario. Hopefully I didn't royally mess up. Enjoy!
. . .
He had been through hell several times. But nothing could compare to this.
Daryl gazed at the barn that was set aflame; he watched it burn as zombies waltzed around the fields, horrifying everyone into submission. For the first time in Daryl Dixon's life, he was terrified. He had never experienced something as cruel and harsh as this.
He heard the distinct, feminine cries of Carol as she stumbled along the fence towards him, walkers in tow. Once she spotted him, she sprinted over to him. He quickly let her on and sped off before any of the walkers could touch the pair. She wrapped her arms around his torso and wept into his shoulder, soaking the back of his shirt.
He drove on, trying to ignore the sobbing women on the back of his bike. He needed to focus on getting away from the walkers and meeting up with the group. After the walkers were out of reach, he could fully think about where the group might be. The highway, he thought suddenly, taking a sharp turn towards his destination.
After half an hour he arrived at the site behind Glenn and Maggie. There was a heartfelt reunion among everyone and a moment of relief was shared among the group. Then, people started to notice that others were missing.
For Daryl, it was a certain blonde beauty.
"Where's Andrea?" he asked gruffly, looking around the group to make sure he hadn't missed her. He didn't.
"I saw her go down." Carol said softly from beside him. Anger flared inside of Daryl. There was no way in hell that his woman was gone. She was one tough bitch and if anyone could've survived the attack on the farm, it was her.
"I'm gonna go find 'er." He stated to no one in particular, hopping onto his bike.
"I don't think that's a good idea, Daryl." Rick said, halting him for a moment, "We need to stick together. We're stronger as a group."
"Yeah, well we're also stronger with 'er." He said kicking the stand up on his motorcycle and driving off before anyone could make any more protests. Driving down the abandoned highway, his eyes trailed over the forest, looking for a flash of blonde hair.
After a solid fifteen minutes of searching, he pulled over on the side of the road and parked his bike. He listened, hoping to hear her call out his name. It was futile to think this because if she was running, she probably wouldn't waste her breath on something as pointless as his name. He waited to see her running through the forest away from the walkers, but all he saw nothing.
"Andrea!" he shouted desperately, "Andrea!"
She ain't gone, he thought stubbornly, I ain't losing her. He pulled out his crossbow and started heading into the woods to look closer but then he heard it. His name.
For a split second, he thought he was being delusional. But if there was one thing he could distinctly remember about her, it was the way she said his name. Whether it was when she was annoyed with him or when she was screaming it late at night, he knew it was her.
"Andrea!" he called out again, hoping that she would hear his voice and start running in his direction, "Andrea!"
Then he saw her – she came running down the hill with a bag of ammo slung around her shoulder. There was a whole herd of walkers behind her as she stumbled down the hill, falling face first into the forest floor. She was quickly back on her feet and sprinting towards him.
Once she reached him, he grabbed a hold of her wrist and tugged her along behind him. Surprisingly, she kept pace with him even though she had been running for hours on end. They reached his motorcycle and she clambered on behind him as he started up his bike. Without a second thought, he quickly turned around and started heading back to the group.
He felt her loose grip around his torso and her quick breathing on the back of his neck. His heart had been racing the whole time he saw her running down the hill and he ached as he stood there. He wanted to run to her so badly but he knew that they would be caught by the walkers sooner.
The sight of the group was on the horizon and relief quickly flooded his body. The tension in his shoulders was released and he could feel Andrea breathe a sigh of relief as she caught sight of them too.
They reached the group, who were more than shocked when they found that Daryl had returned with a very exhausted Andrea. Maggie quickly came to the bike, helping Andrea who was too weak to stand. She gently placed a hand on her back, helping her walk along. Andrea stumbled and Daryl acted quickly, catching her before she could come into contact with the concrete.
"Come on, Blondie." He grunted, pulling her to her feet. He wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her to one of the tents, where she promptly passed out from exhaustion.
. . .
After a few hours, Daryl went to check on Andrea, worried about her wellbeing. He entered the tent and zipped it closed behind him, taking a seat next to her sleeping form. She shifted uncomfortably in her sleeping bag, her eyes fluttering open.
"Daryl?" she whispered hoarsely.
His reply was shoving a water bottle in her face, muttering that she needed to drink before she damn well passed out again. She gladly took it, chugging it down her sore throat. Slowly sitting up, she placed a hand to her head, feeling a killer headache coming on.
They were silent for some time – she drank the water greedily as he sat there, sharpening a few of his bolts with one of the knives. She glanced over at him, studying the look of concentration on his face as he whittled away at the piece of wood.
"Why?" she asked suddenly, causing him to look up from his work.
"Why what?" he asked confused, looking at her as if she had two heads.
"Why did you come back and look for me?" she explained.
He was silent for a moment, gazing at his bolts on the ground of the tent, "'Cus I knew you were still alive. And I sure as hell ain't leaving ya behind."
She smiled slightly at that, "Thank you."
"Sure, Blondie." He said, smirking at her. She rolled her eyes, leaning forward and placing a chaste kiss to his lips.
"Love you too, Dixon." She replied, causing the young Dixon to blush a very deep red.
