Every couple of steps they took Daryl's gaze fell to their hands that were intertwined. They were almost back to camp and had been walking for a while, almost an hour, all the while their hands still in each other's hold. Rhiannon didn't seem to notice, she kept the conversation going, paying no mind to the thoughtful gesture that made Daryl's nerves go haywire.
"How can number four not be your favourite?" Rhiannon looked up at him, a wide smile on her face. Daryl felt his lips quirk up in a half smile. He didn't think he'd ever be able to have a conversation about the music he liked with a girl like her. He'd definitely been pleasantly surprised when she asked him what his favourite Led Zeppelin album had been.
"I dunno, It just ain't."
"But Stairway to Heaven's on it."
Daryl fought the urge to laugh at her, she was acting like he just told her he didn't like dogs or something outrageous. "That ain't my favourite song." He shrugged.
"Then what is your favourite song?"
Daryl shrugged, staying silent. No one had ever asked him what his favourite song was or his favourite movie, no one had ever cared enough to get to know the little details about him, or anything at all. It was sad that a question as simple as that caught him off guard.
"What's wrong?" Rhiannon asked, noticing the vacant expression on his face. "Are you gonna tell me you really don't listen to Zeppelin and your favourite song is by ABBA?"
Daryl couldn't help the small laugh that escaped him. The sound made Rhiannon smile, knowing it was a rarity and she was special that she was able to hear it.
"Fuck no. I just…" He sighed, running a hand through his messy hair. "No one's ever tried to get to know me like this...no one's ever cared enough to ask." His voice was low, his eyes staring ahead, not wanting to look at Rhiannon and see the look of pity on her face. He scolded himself mentally for sounding so whiny and weak.
"Well they don't know what they're missing." Rhiannon spoke casually. Daryl looked down at her with his mouth agape slightly. Defending him and making him feel better was like second nature to her it seemed.
She squeezed his hand reassuringly, giving him a shy smile. She knew what she was doing to him and the look on his face made her feel almost embarrassed. She didn't think anyone had ever looked at her like that - like she was someone so special. Rhiannon could tell he was embarrassed too. Daryl didn't strike her as a suave lady's man.
That actually did make her feel special, knowing Daryl was different with her than the rest of the group.
Little did she know he was different with her than anyone else he'd ever met. She was the that was slowly breaking his hard shell, she was the one to show him that getting close to someone was maybe not all that bad.
The pair walked in a comfortable silence. They were at ease with each other and didn't feel the need to fill the silence with meaningless, forced conversation. Before they had talked about nothing of importance but it was so natural, it was just them getting to know each other, well, more Rhiannon getting to know little details of Daryl's life like what his favourite food was or when he learned to ride a motorcycle.
Daryl was still far too reserved to begin to ask her about her life. It was still out of his comfort zone to outwardly show affection or general interest, but he figured he was willing to try for her.
As he looked down at his hand that held hers, he realized that maybe pushing himself out of comfort zone wasn't entirely a bad thing. It was quite scary at first for him to make contact with her but she didn't seem bothered by it, she actually initiated it and that made him calmer somehow.
The two of them bit their lips, trying to stop from smiling like idiots. They both felt something intense between them but neither dared to bring it up. Rhiannon was a confident woman, but not that confident. Usually she had no problem talking to men, they fell at her feet with one smile. But Daryl was different, he was more special than some douchebag in a bar who just wanted to get laid.
They emerged from the thicket of trees, the RV coming into sight with Glenn sitting on top with a shotgun in his hands. Daryl immediately pulled his hand away from Rhiannon's grasp. He felt himself deflate at the loss of contact with her soft skin but he couldn't let the rest of the group see them like that. Those people were gossips and he didn't want them to get the wrong idea. Surely, they saw him as an idiot for thinking he could be with a girl like her. He was positive everyone knew she was out of his league.
Rhiannon frowned but kept quiet. She had a feeling if she prodded Daryl about it he'd end up lashing out. He'd really surprised her today, especially when he hugged her back, she didn't want to push him in the wrong direction.
Daryl took a slight step to the side, creating a bigger distance between them. He found himself longing for the feel of her hair brushing against his arm in the breeze.
He could feel her gaze on him as they walked closer to camp but he refused to look at her.
"Good luck with Carol." She spoke suddenly, stopping in her spot next to the RV. "And remember what I said, you're part of the group, we all want you here."
Daryl gave her a slow nod, biting the inside of his cheek. "Good luck with..all that." He said, turning his head to look at the barn that was being guarded by Andrea.
Rhiannon frowned, she'd forgotten about all the drama that awaited her back in the house. She wished she could just stay with Daryl for the day, he truly did make her forget everything that has been stressing her out.
Daryl grabbed her arm, gently pulling her closer to him. Her breathing hitched as he leaned down, this was the closest they'd ever been. She could see the vibrant blue of his eyes clear as day and it made her stomach flip with excitement.
"Stay away from Shane ok?" He spoke quietly, his voice a low growl. Rhiannon suppressed the shiver that ran down her spine. All she could do was nod in response. "See ya later?"
Once again she nodded wordlessly, a touched look on her face. He really did care about her. Before she could stop herself she leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek, the stubble scratching her lips. To her, it was the best feeling in the world. She let her lips linger for a few seconds before pulling away.
She smiled up at him, noticing the shocked expression on his face. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly closed it and dropped his head to avoid her gaze but not before she noticed the redness on his cheeks.
"I'll see you later." She spoke quietly, giving him one last thoughtful glance before turning and walking back to the house. It stood before her menacingly. She feared there'd be a confrontation the second she entered.
A loud sigh left her lips at what awaited her. She turned around and saw Daryl standing where she left him, his gaze was fixed on her with the same perplexed expression. She giggled slightly and gave him a small wave making him awkwardly wave back.
Daryl couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she walked away. It felt like his whole body had been lit on fire. His breathing stuttered as he took in a deep breath. Gotta find Carol, he reminded himself, trying his best to push the thoughts of Rhiannon from his mind. It was highly unlikely but worth a shot anyways.
He spared her one last glance, a small smirk working it's way onto his face. He ran his hand through his hair. That girl was doing things to him he didn't think was possible.
"Fuck." He muttered to himself before finally moving from his spot to find Carol.
He just hoped his fierce blush was gone by the time he found her.
As soon as the eldest Greene daughter shut the front door behind her she could hear soft crying coming from the kitchen. Rhiannon slowly crept across the room, trying not to make any noise. She peered around the corner and frowned as she saw Beth sitting at the table with her head in her hands, her shoulders shaking with each of her heart breaking sobs.
It was absolutely devastating to see her like this. Beth had always been very emotional and it used to make Rhiannon uncomfortable until she realized that just made it worse. Beth wanted her big sister, her idol. So she stopped being a bitch and made sure to be there for her little sister.
She walked in silence, only gaining Beth's attention when she pulled out the chair beside her. She looked up at her big sister with teary eyes which only served to make Rhiannon feel even worse.
"You ok?" She asked, grabbing her hands in hers.
Beth shook her head, her face creasing as she tried to hold back her cries. "Do you think they're gonna kill everyone in the barn?" Her quiet voice shook with each word.
Rhiannon winced, she really didn't want to have to be the one to explain to Beth the whole walker situation. "Beth, they're not people anymore, they're dangerous. If they got out…" She shook her head, not allowing herself to finish the sentence. Beth getting hurt was unfathomable, she couldn't let it happen.
"But it's mom and Shawn!" Beth yelled, the tears continuing to fall down her flushed cheeks. "It's like losing them all over again."
Rhiannon stayed silent, she didn't have any words of comfort. They were walkers, end of story. They should have been taken care of before they turned. It was hard to give her any kind of advice when they didn't agree on how to handle walkers, it made it even harder that Rhiannon was a total bitch to both her stepmother and stepbrother who were Beth's biological family.
She was surprised Beth didn't hate her for that.
Rhiannon looked up as Patricia suddenly walked into the kitchen, her gaze falling on a crying Beth. She sent the older woman a pleading look to which she nodded understandingly and sat down on the other side of her baby sister.
"Oh, Honey. Come here." Patricia spoke lovingly, wrapping her arms around the young girl, allowing Beth to cry on her shoulder.
Rhiannon watched with a dejected expression. She couldn't even comfort her own sister, just add that to the list of things she'd done wrong to her family.
The chair scraped on the floor as she stood but neither Beth or Patricia seemed to notice. It was like her heart was disintegrating in her chest, she'd never felt so helpless before. Her little sister always came to her when she was upset but now she couldn't do anything to help her. She'd failed once again.
Her footsteps were light as she walked out of the kitchen, not sparing a second glance at her distraught sister.
She let out a shaky breath as she stood outside, closing her eyes as a calming breeze ran over her. What else could go wrong today?
"You see it?" Daryl asked, looking behind him as Carol followed.
"See what?"
Daryl pointed to the thicket of bushes where the Cherokee Rose stood, the only symbol of hope they had. "We'll find her."
Carol swallowed thickly, trying to ignore the stinging of tears she felt in her eyes. "How did you find this?" She practically whispered, not trusting her voice not to crack with emotion if she raised it any louder.
"Rhiannon showed me." A hint of a smile appeared on his face without even realizing it.
Carol looked over at him, not even trying to hide her smile. She nodded slowly, turning her gaze back to the flowers as Daryl looked back at her. She didn't want to embarrass the poor guy but he made it so easy. His affection for the farmer's daughter was probably the cutest thing she'd ever seen. It made her happy that the two damaged people could find happiness with each other.
Daryl felt his cheeks warm with a blush at Carol's knowing smile. He was just thankful she hadn't asked any questions about Rhiannon, Daryl would have been a stuttering mess for sure.
Daryl could almost hear Rhiannon's voice in his head. Just apologize you dick, stop wasting time.
He cleared his throat. "Hey, I'm sorry about what happened this morning."
Carol smiled sadly. "You wanted to look for her." She paused, her gaze on the flowers in front of her. "Why?"
It was the same with Rhiannon, she couldn't understand why the two of them were so hell bent on helping her. "This whole time I've wanted to ask you. You and Rhiannon don't owe me anything."
Daryl looked over at Carol and it was rare that she ever saw him without a scowl on his face. The look he gave her was something she'd never seen before - he had hope.
"I think she's still out there, we both do, and we're gonna keep lookin'."
Carol smiled at him, feeling a lump in her throat.
"Truth is, what else I got to do?" He shrugged. Looking for Sophia gave him a purpose, like it finally gave him a reason to be anything other than the selfish redneck asshole he was sure everyone thought he was. There was also the small matter of spending hours on end with a certain someone but there was no way in hell he would mention that.
Carol stepped forward, running her fingers over the soft petals of the flower. "We'll find her. You and Rhiannon make a good team. I have all the confidence in the world." She looked back at him, trying not to show the teasing smile that was threatening to grow.
Daryl's eyes widened at her words. He nodded slowly, his lips quirking up ever so slightly, hardly enough for Carol to notice.
"I'm glad we found her. She's done so much for all of us." She spoke, reveling in the awkwardness that surrounded Daryl. He just looked down at his shoes, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Sophia would love her, she always wanted to be a dancer." Her voice turned somber as she thought of her daughter.
Daryl noticed the look on her face and frowned. He couldn't let her lose hope again. "Rhiannon's gonna love her too." He spoke, making sure not to use past tense that would imply it would never happen.
Carol let out a small laugh and placed a hand over her mouth to hide her growing smile. She nodded at him with tears in her eyes.
She really did have so much faith in them.
Rhiannon tried to ignore the people around her but it was no use. Carl sat beside her as he played checkers against Patricia. Beth sat beside her, looking better than she had before, all thanks to Patricia.
It was bittersweet to see her like that. She was happy Beth was ok but seeing her just reminded Rhiannon that she wasn't the one to make her feel better.
"Can I put that one there?" Carl asked her, holding the black game piece in his hand.
"Uh sure, why not?"
Patricia laughed. "Honey, you can't move it there."
Carl sighed and gave her a pleading look, silently asking her for help. Rhiannon shrugged, she had no idea how to play this game and she had a lot on her mind so it was really hard to act like she gave a shit about a game of checkers. But the way Carl looked at her so hopefully made her stay and humour him.
"She's probably just saying that so she wins." She joked making Carl laugh. He put the game piece where she pointed making Patricia laugh and roll her eyes.
"Damn it. Isn't anybody takin' this seriously? We got us a damn trail." Daryl's voice snapped caught her attention. She put a hand on Carl's head, giving him a look that told him to stay where he was.
She walked down the porch steps towards him but he wasn't looking at her. Her steps faltered as she saw Shane walking towards them, the bag of guns her father had forbidden hung over his shoulder.
Just the sight of him made her blood turn cold. She stepped closer to Maggie who gave her a worried look. This didn't look good.
"What's all this?"
"You with me, Man?" Shane asked, holding out a gun for Daryl to take. "Time to grow up. You already got yours?" He asked Andrea.
"Yeah. Where's Dale?" She asked with hesitation.
Rhiannon noticed the way Dale glared at Shane, she doubted he knew just how bad he really was but the older man was definitely suspicious. That alone meant Rhiannon could trust him, it meant he had good judgement.
Her eyes shifted to Daryl who held the gun in his hands confidently but his face looked anything but. He looked at her with worry, he had a feeling this wasn't going to end well and he didn't want to get kicked off the farm and leave her.
Shane grabbed another shotgun from the bag and practically threw it at Rhiannon. A small grunt escaped her lips as it hit her in the chest. She caught it in time before it hit the ground and she gave Shane a deep glare.
Carol eyed Shane suspiciously, her brows furrowing even deeper at the way the ex cop sneered at the young woman.
Daryl grit his teeth, Shane had a lot of nerve to treat her like that in front of everyone. He wished he could get him alone and beat the shit out of him. He looked over at Rhiannon as Shane made his speech about protecting themselves and he couldn't help but smirk at the death glare she was giving him. That girl was certainly a spitfire.
He stepped forward, ready to tear Shane apart when he noticed Rhiannon rub her collarbone where the gun had hit her. That's twice today Shane had hurt her and he wasn't going to stand for it.
Rhiannon shook her head at him with wide eyes. He sighed and gave a slight nod, staying in his place.
Carol noticed their exchange and gave Daryl a confused look to which he ignored. She knew there was something going on between Rhiannon and Shane and it looked like Daryl knew.
Shane approached Maggie after giving Glenn a gun making Rhiannon stiffen, she didn't want him anywhere near her sister.
"Can you shoot?"
"Can you stop? You do this, you hand out these guns, my Dad will make you leave tonight." Maggie spoke defiantly.
Rhiannon had to give her credit, she could stand up to the man no problem. It worried her though, she didn't want Maggie to underestimate how far Shane was willing to go to get what he wanted.
Her eyes met Daryl's once again. He looked down suddenly, he couldn't stand to see the sad look on her face.
"Now look, Hershel, He's just gotta understand. Ok- He's just gonna have to."
Rhiannon couldn't ignore the threatening undertones of his voice. "And if he doesn't?" She asked him coldly, earning a glare from him.
"He will." Shane growled, suddenly wishing he was alone with her. She'd been a thorn in his side about this whole situation and he was sick of it.
Rhiannon saw the look on his face and took a step back, putting more distance between them.
She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched Shane try to give a gun to Carl. She knew he needed to learn to protect himself but he was still just a kid and if Shane was doing what everyone was thinking he was doing, there was no way she wanted Carl killing a bunch of walkers that stepped out of the barn. She didn't want the kid taking out her family.
She was so thankful that Lori stepped in. Despite the relationship she knew Lori had with Shane, she was glad the woman was able to stand up to him, it seemed like she'd had enough of his bullshit too.
"Oh shit." T-Dog's worried voice made everyone snap out of their thoughts and look to where he was pointing.
"What the fuck?" Rhiannon whispered as she saw her father and Rick holding walkers while Jimmy guided them.
The whole group started to run, following behind Shane who was sprinting with a fury that scared the crap out of her. An angry Shane was completely unpredictable and she didn't like where this was going.
The gun in her hands felt as heavy as a cinder block when she noticed the pointed look her father gave her when he saw it. If he was disappointed in her before, this would surely put her over the edge. Her breathing was shaky, she ran a hand through her tangled hair. This was all just too much.
Listening to Shane yell was pushing her close to a panic attack. She wasn't even paying attention to what he was saying, it was like white noise to her. All she could hear was her rapid heart beat.
She stumbled back as one of the walkers attached to the pole swung its arms out, barely missing her. Maggie grabbed her arm, pulling her close to her so she wouldn't lose her footing. Daryl raised his gun, aiming at the walker that almost touched her. He snarled, keeping his aim on it if it got too close again.
The sound of a gunshot snapped her back to reality, she couldn't afford to freak out now. Maggie ducked, a choked sob leaving her throat. Rhiannon placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing tightly.
"That's three rounds in the chest. Could someone who's alive, could they just take that? Why is it still coming?" Shane brought his gun up and shot again.
Normally, Rhiannon wouldn't even flinch at someone shooting a walker, but this was different. Shane wasn't putting it out of its misery, he was putting on a show. The look on her family's faces were heartbreaking. Beth cried in Jimmy's arms and the horrified look on her Dad's face made her want to cry.
"Shane, enough!" Rick yelled, noticing how distraught Hershel was.
"Yeah, you're right, man. That is enough."
Shane shot the walker in the head, finally ending its life. Hershel kept his grip on the snare pole, falling down to his knees with the corpse.
Rhiannon placed her hand over her mouth, her shoulders slouching with defeat as she watched her Dad. She wanted him to come to terms with reality, but not like this. Shane was making it more brutal than she could've imagined.
Maggie grabbed onto her hand tightly, giving her a look of despair. Rhiannon just stared blankly, she honestly had nothing to say, she could barely process what was happening. Sure, she was glad the walker was killed like it should've been but she couldn't help but feel remorse. Her family was hurting and it overpowered everything else in her mind.
"Enough risking our lives for a little girl that's gone!"
Rhiannon sneered at Shane's words, anger suddenly taking over every other emotion she felt. She looked back at Carol who had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. She gave her a sympathetic look, wishing she could just get Shane to shut the fuck up.
She turned her attention back as Rick started yelling - Shane was trying to break the lock. Her body tensed and her grip tightened on the gun she was holding. Maggie pulled her arm and gave her a pleading look.
"Don't." She whispered desperately, tears pooling in her eyes.
"Maggie," Rhiannon choked out, a conflicted look on her face.
She needed to protect her family but she couldn't very well be apart of the slaughter that would inevitably shun the group from the farm. But it was their lives on the line and she would be damned if she sat back and did nothing. Rhiannon looked at Maggie and shook her head, she made her decision.
She stepped forward, aiming the gun at the doors. She needed to protect her family, that was all that mattered.
The barn doors opened and the first walker stumbled out into the sunlight. Her face was hard as a rock as she focused on the threat that was growing in numbers. She took a deep breath and moved her finger to the trigger.
It wasn't until the familiar sight of Annette stepped out into view that she faltered. She let out a broken gasp and stumbled back, the gun falling from her hands. Her eyes locked onto the cold, grey eyes of her dead stepmother and then another gunshot tore through the air. Rhiannon flinched as the body fell.
That was the first walker she'd known. The first person that meant something to her that became an undead monster.
"Hey! Get back." Daryl shouted, now standing in front of her, blocking her from the view of the slaughter.
"Go!" He yelled, holding her shoulders and gently pushing her backwards. The shocked look on her face made his chest ache and the way she just stood there as the walkers got closer scared the hell out of him.
Maggie grabbed her, hugging her tightly and nodded to Daryl, letting him know she could take care of her sister. He nodded and jogged back to his place on the front line.
The shooting finally stopped and all that was left was the sound of the Greene family crying. Rhiannon didn't let any tears fall though, she was shocked into numbness.
Daryl turned, his gaze meetings hers. He worried that she blamed him, that she was upset that he'd been apart of it. But there was no anger in her face, in fact there was no expression on her face at all, it was just blank. That worried him even more.
He started to walk towards her, wanting to make sure she was ok. He doubted they'd have much time left on the farm after what just happened and he wanted to get in as much time with her as possible before he left.
The sound of shuffling feet made him stop. He turned and focused back on the barn. There was one more.
Rhiannon tensed, wondering who would walk out of the barn. Her aunt, her childhood dance teacher, her best friend from middle school?
A little girl stumbled into view, snarling at the people in front of her. Her shoulders deflated at the sight of her. She couldn't watch another child die.
A sob was heard from behind her. "Sophia?"
Carol's voice was the a knife in the chest. Rhiannon's mouth dropped open and a shaky breath left her mouth. Carol ran towards her daughter only to be stopped by Daryl who looked just as shocked as she felt. His eyes met hers briefly before he glanced down at Carol, telling her not to look.
This was Sophia, this was the girl she'd been looking for day after day and she'd been in her backyard the whole fucking time. She placed a hand over her heart that beat rapidly. Loud pants left her mouth and Maggie's arms tightened around her, pulling her in even closer.
Rhiannon turned her head as Rick stepped forward. She knew what he needed to do and she couldn't watch it. Maggie placed a hand on the back of her head, running her fingers through her long blonde hair comfortingly. It always used to be Rhiannon doing that for Maggie.
The gunshot startled her, making her whole body jump. The sound of Carol's cries only made her feel worse. A mother had just lost her child and once again, she was powerless to do anything.
She'd failed again.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter! More shit about to go down in the next one, and it is juicy! And shout out to Dawnie-7 for giving me the best review I've ever gotten. It made me so giddy and smile so much xx
Thanks for reading and thanks for your comments!
