Hello again! I'm back sooner than normal because this chapter was already almost finished when I posted the last one. Hope that's okay! Again, I apologise for deviating from the time scale in the TV show but wanted to add in extra Red/Daryl stuff. Feel free to review x x x
After her conversation with Carol, Emily busied herself with helping Daryl sort the ammo and chatted to Beth for a while, until Rick eventually emerged from speaking to Michonne.
"We can drive part of the way but then it's on foot through the woods. They have a high wall around the town with armed guards working shifts. They use spotlights to look for walkers so it'll be tough getting in. Daryl, I want you and Oscar with me. I can only use people who can fight and fight well." The guys nodded solemnly in response. "Hershel has stitched up Michonne's leg but she still limpin' bad. She's our guide so we'll have to wait until tomorrow. Give her some time to heal."
Beth overheard and stormed over to confront Rick. "No! We have to go now! We can't leave them there overnight!"
"From what Michonne has said, this Governor sounds like a smooth talker. He'll probably treat 'em nice to begin with. Try to get information. So stay calm," he said to Beth, a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We'll get 'em tomorrow when we're better prepared."
Beth's eyes filled with tears and she ran off down the cell block. Emily wondered whether she should follow but decided against it. She didn't know her well enough yet and didn't want to overstep the mark.
She wandered out into the prison yard with Daryl and breathed in big lungfuls of fresh air.
"That place may be secure but it's kind of claustrophobic," she admitted as she sat on the grass and stretched her legs out, enjoying the warmth of the sunshine. Daryl sat beside her, arms resting on his knees.
"So what d'ya think?" he asked. "Haven't had time to ask if you've decided to stay."
"I'd like to... At least for a while." She looked at him, her eyes squinting in the bright sunlight. "Do you want me to stay?"
He looked away, embarrassed, and started nervously pulling grass from the ground.
"Guess I do," he eventually answered, his voice low. "Never thought I'd meet someone who gets me like you do. Besides," he chuckled. "I'm worried you'd kick my ass if I said no!"
She laughed and elbowed him playfully in the ribs. He retaliated and before long they were wrestling each other on the grass, laughing and trying to come out on top. She could tell he was being gentle with her because of her shoulder but he still managed to overpower her and ended up on top of her, pinning her to the warm ground. She took the opportunity to kiss him. He kissed her back, all former resistance gone, and she lost herself in the taste of him and the comforting weight of his body on hers.
"Oh, excuse me!"
They were jolted to their senses by Hershel, who had evidently decided to catch some fresh air himself. Carl wasn't far behind him and the boy grinned as he spotted Daryl and Emily hurriedly disentangling themselves from one another.
They both blushed, embarrassed to have been caught out but Hershel only smiled. "Good to see the young ones getting on with life, but may I suggest you find somewhere a little more private in future?" His friendly eyes sparkled and Emily smiled as she realised he was teasing them. He turned and carried on with his walk with Carl.
"I like him," she said to Daryl, who nodded in agreement.
"So do I. Not sure what we'd have done without him these past nine months." He told Emily the group's history; from Atlanta and the CDC, to Hershel's farm and eventually their discovery of the prison. She listened in silence as he told of loss after loss of people they cared about. Friends and family, including his brother...all gone. No wonder the people who remained were so fiercely protective of each other and their surroundings. They had all been through hell. All lost people they loved.
"What about you?" he asked. "What's your story, Red?"
"Not much to tell," she admitted with a shrug. "My friends in Florida were lost right at the start and I've been alone ever since."
"How did you make it so far on your own?"
"By remaining unseen and not trusting anyone. The only time I ran into another living person it couldn't have ended worse." She wrapped her arms around herself as memories of that night invaded her consciousness.
He paused before responding, as though choosing his words carefully. "Is that what your nightmares are about?"
She nodded, unable to look him in the eye. "Ran into a redneck asshole outside a store I'd been looting. He was drunk and decided he wanted to have a little fun with me."
"Did he..." Daryl stopped, unable to say the words.
"God no. I kicked him the balls and ran. Really freaked me out though. He was so strong and for a minute there I felt completely helpless and out of control."
He nodded as though in understanding and Emily felt brave enough to ask him a question that had been on her mind since they first met.
"Do you mind me asking how you got your scars? I saw them when I redressed your wound and I felt more on your back when we were...you know."
He immediately tensed and she instantly regretted it.
"I'm sorry, forget I asked," she said apologetically.
"Don't worry about it," he replied, but offered no further explanation.
They spent the rest of the day in each others company. They got supplies ready for the rescue tomorrow, helped Carol prepare dinner and played with baby ass kicker, all the time chatting and slowly getting to know each other better. Emily could feel Carol's eyes on them at various points, but figured she was just protective of the man who had been determined to find her daughter. Yes, she suspected that Carol would like more than friendship with Daryl but she wasn't worried about the competition.
By evening, she felt she knew all of the group much better than before and was one of the few people who spent time with Michonne. She reminded Emily of Daryl in the sense that she had so many barriers up but if you took the time to get to know her, she began to open up. In fact she had quite a sense of humour, a quality that Emily loved in a person.
As night fell, she began to wonder where she was going to sleep. They all seemed to have their own cells but she couldn't help but hope that Daryl would be willing to share. She'd learnt so much about him today but he still seemed quite nervous about the rest of the group knowing they were fooling around together. Since the incident with Hershel, he'd been careful not to touch her at all.
The others began to drift into their cells, falling quiet as they realised that tomorrow brought with it a dangerous outing for some of the group.
"Where do I sleep?" she eventually asked Daryl, who was yawning and looking tired.
"One of the empty cells. Take your pick." He gestured to the end of the block.
"Where do you sleep?" she asked suggestively as they walked down the corridor.
"The perch. I ain't sleepin' in a cage."
She slipped into an empty cell and climbed onto the bed. It was far more comfortable than it looked and she stretched out in bliss before opening her eyes to find Daryl looking at her through the bars.
"You know, you can join me if you get lonely out there," she said cheekily.
He smiled back, shook his head and walked away, leaving her alone in the quiet darkness.
She woke in the early hours, body drenched with sweat and breath coming in heaving gasps.
"Shhhhh," Daryl whispered from where he was crouched next to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, fine," she insisted but her body was shaking regardless. Daryl wordlessly climbed into the bed beside her and she shifted over to make room. He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her, keeping her close and secure. After a few minutes her breathing and heart rate began to slow and she was able to relax and drift back into a dreamless sleep.
The sunlight filtering through the barred windows of the prison block felt warm on Emily's face whilst the man sleeping next to her felt warm against her body. She lay with her eyes shut, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and his soft breath against the back of her neck.
Suddenly she fell into shadow as someone moved in front of the window, blocking the light. She opened her eyes and propped herself up on her elbows. Daryl began to stir and they both peered through bars to see Carol, standing with a bowl of food.
"I...I brought you some breakfast," she stammered, looking away from the unexpected sight of the two of them in bed together.
Daryl jumped up and left the cell, glancing guiltily at Carol as he passed.
"Thank you, that's really kind of you." Emily stood and took the bowl before wandering out into the common area to join the others for breakfast. They were all up and eating in silence. Michonne had been allowed to join the group although she sat separately, warily watching those around her.
"When are we leavin'?" Daryl asked Rick as he entered the block and helped himself to some water.
"This afternoon. It'll be dark by the time we hit Woodbury, which will give us some cover."
Daryl nodded in agreement and silence descended once more, only broken occasionally by small gurgles of contentment from the baby who was being fed her bottle by Beth. Emily glanced around at the solemn group and figured they were nervous about the impending rescue mission. It was going to be a long day.
She was running laps in the prison yard when Daryl approached her. She stopped at the sight of him and began to stretch out her leg muscles while she caught her breath.
"What are you doin?" he asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Cardio," she replied, her breath still uneasy. "The shape I'm in right now, those walkers are close to being able to outrun me." Emily lifted her top up to her face to wipe the sweat away. She lowered it again to see him smiling at her bashfully. You'd think after what they did yesterday, twice, that he wouldn't be so embarrassed about her flashing her bra at him. It was sweet and made her like this man even more.
"Take it easy," he mumbled. "You'll be safe enough here."
"For now. Nothing's guaranteed. Besides, I'll be leaving for New York eventually."
He frowned at her. Obviously he still thought she was crazy to attempt the journey.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't find out whether my father is still alive," she explained gently. "I know he is. I can feel it."
As soon as she said the words she knew they were true. It saddened her to think of leaving Daryl and the new friends she'd made at the prison, but her loyalties lay with her family. Her father had been her entire world since her mother was killed by a drunk driver when Emily was five years old. Maybe by the time she was ready to leave, Daryl would consider coming with her.
"Can we walk?" she asked. "I don't want my muscles to seize up."
They started a slow amble round the prison yard. Daryl still hadn't spoken since she mentioned leaving and she hoped she hadn't ruined things between them. She didn't even know if there was anything to ruin, but there was definitely potential there.
As they neared the opposite end of the building she realised they were finally out of sight of the rest of the group.
"Alone at last," she whispered in his ear and began to slowly kiss his salty neck. He glanced around them, making sure no-one was watching before returning her kisses. They stumbled backwards until they hit the wall, completely lost in each others touch.
She pulled open his sleeveless shirt, the buttons flying in all directions.
"Hey!" he objected, frowning. She smiled at him innocently.
"Two can play that game," he murmured before grasping the fabric of her tank top in his large hands and ripping it apart. He drank in the sight of her breasts in the black bra she was wearing before beginning to kiss them, gently and teasingly slowly. The hesitant, awkward Daryl of their first encounters was nowhere to be seen as he explored her body with his tongue , sending her heart rate sky high.
She could feel his erection straining against the fabric of his jeans so began to unbuckle his belt.
"Not out here," he ordered, taking another look around the yard. Spying a door ajar just a few feet away, he grabbed Emily by the hand and pulled her into what turned out to be a garage. She finished undoing his jeans and as he removed them she slipped out of her own shorts, tossing them aside. They stared at each other for a minute, smiling shyly. They knew each other a little better now and this was the first time they hadn't just fucked each other, consumed by lust and need. She got the impression it would mean more this time and it made her nervous.
She could see him beginning to fidget and grow uncomfortable with standing in front of her in his boxers so she approached him and pulled him towards her, running her hands across his broad shoulders. They kissed again, slower this time, and Daryl responded by caressing her ass with one hand whilst the other got lost in her mass of curly red hair.
He fumbled to undo her bra and blushed as it got the better of him, so she reached behind her back and did it herself, immediately kissing him again after to make him forget his embarrassment.
He lifted her as though she weighed nothing and she wrapped her legs around him before he knelt down and lowered her to the hard floor. She slipped her underwear off as he pulled his boxers down over his impressive erection and removed them. She couldn't resist leaning forward and taking him in her mouth. He gasped and moaned as she fellated him, her jaw already aching from his size. His breathing became faster so she released him, not wanting him to come too soon.
Suddenly he stood and grabbed his jeans from the floor.
"Where are you going?" she demanded. Surely he wasn't going to do his disappearing act again.
He ignored her questions, and instead began searching the pockets. Having found what he was looking for he threw the jeans back on to the floor and knelt down between her legs. In his hand was a condom and she watched in shock as he ripped open the packet and put it on.
"Where the hell did you find that?"
"Maggie and Glenn's cell. Consider it payment for us rescuin' their asses later."
She wasn't about to complain. In fact, they should probably go on a run for more once the couple had been returned safely.
She moaned with pleasure as he entered her, her body remembering how good he felt. He began to move and they kissed each other, everything slower and gentler than their previous encounters.
He flinched as she ran her hands over the scars on his back so she moved them into his hair instead, not wanting to distract him from their love making which was steadily causing her body to tingle with electricity and that familiar feeling of careering towards an orgasm.
Their bodies were slippery with sweat as he moved faster and began to groan. Her voice joined his, both of them abandoning all sense of caution in their desire for a release. Their eyes locked as they came simultaneously, loud enough to attract walkers from the other side of the county. He collapsed onto her, breathless and shaking from the intensity of his orgasm.
"Wow." She uttered between heavy breaths. "Just...wow."
He recovered enough to prop himself up onto his elbows and gave a bashful half smile. "You weren't bad yourself, Red."
He brushed a stray lock of hair from her forehead and kissed her tenderly.
"I could get used to you bein' around."
She tried to hold back the goofy smile that was threatening to appear. "You too."
He pulled out of her and tossed the used condom aside before laying down next to her again on the cool floor of the garage and pulling her into his arms. They lay entwined and silent, occasionally stroking each other tenderly. No words were necessary. At this moment in time, in a dirty prison garage in Georgia, they were content.
To be continued...