8 more days, ya'll! We're in the single digits now!
TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD
Daryl was sitting on one of the picnic tables in the prison yard the next afternoon sharpening his hunting knife, making arrows and arrowheads and cleaning his gun. He might have appeared to be completely caught up in his work, but he was actually keeping a close and watchful eye on everything going on around him. He saw the change of guard and took note of the fact T-Dog and Maggie had replaced Andrea and Rick in the towers, his gaze flicked to alleyway between the prison buildings where Lori and Carol were hanging out clothes to dry since the day was relatively warm, he saw Carl playing catch with Beth out of the corner of his eye...Daryl Dixon never let his guard down.
And so he saw Andrea approaching from a mile away and he saw the mischievous grin on her face before she sat down next to him on the table and leaned forward to look at him. She was grinning like a possum.
"Didn't know you had it in you, Dixon," she stated.
"What would that be, blondie?" Daryl asked gruffly, not taking his eyes off the length of wood he was cutting down to an arrow as he spoke. He wasn't really interested in what she had to say to be honest.
"I guess it makes sense so," Andrea continued, "Even at the end of the world we all need to get off now and then."
Daryl tensed then, knowing what she was referring to now.
"I told that woman to keep her damn mouth shut," he muttered darkly, giving the arrow to be a firm swipe with his blade.
"You know, if you talk like that on a normal basis I can't imagine what it's like when you talk dirty," Andrea mused.
"Fuck you, Andrea," Daryl snapped, his blue eyes flashed as he continued whittling down the stick, trying to keep his temper under control.
"Well I always thought it might be more like..." Andrea leaned back and sat up straight, dropping her voice as she tried to imitate his southern drawl, " 'Oh yeah, girl, I'm gonna make ya come so hard' or 'Ya like that, ya dirty little thang?'"
Andrea knew she'd hit a nerve that time because Daryl blushed, flat out blushed, and his blade slipped and nicked his thumb.
"Shit!" he snapped, dropping the knife in the dirt and sucking on his thumb hard. He turned his head to glare at her. "Look what ya made me do, you idiot!"
Andrea laughed, because there was a playfulness to that statement and she knew he was slightly amused at her wonderings underneath his pissed off expression and words.
"So...Michonne, huh?" Andrea asked, seeking confirmation.
"What of it?" Daryl growled past his thumb. He removed it to examine the slice and spit off to the side and Andrea noticed it was bright red. She felt kind of bad for making him cut himself.
"Just...thought you didn't like her," Andrea admitted, "You two didn't really click well."
Daryl chuckled at that and gave her mischievous grin.
"I think we clicked just fine, if ya ask me," he stated.
Andrea looked at him in shock for a moment before bursting into hearty laughter as Daryl just chuckled.
"Who all knows then?" he asked.
"Everyone," Andrea admitted with a shrug.
Daryl growled low in his throat and glared in Carol's direction.
"Daryl, you're bleeding all over the place," Andrea chided, standing up. "Come with me and we'll patch that up."
Daryl sighed, looking at his torn thumb and nodded in defeat, it did look pretty deep and it was bleeding pretty steadily. So he grabbed all his stuff off the table and followed Andrea to the clinic.
TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD
Daryl was still in the clinic, Andrea had left a while ago, and he was looking at all the medications and instruments with keen interest. He'd never been to a hospital in his life, all his broken bones and gashes had been patched up at home to avoid suspicion from nurses poking all over and seeing the scars and bruises...but to tell the truth, he'd always been curious about medicine and all that but never had the opportunity to learn much other than what he read in books.
He picked up a small glass vial and examined it closely.
"Lidocaine," he muttered, reading the seemingly nonsense filled label, trying to decipher the use of the stuff.
"It's an anesthetic," a voice behind him made him jump and he turned quickly to see Carol standing there with her hands full of rag strips. She smiled and walked to the left side of the room and put them in a drawer before walking over to stand next to him, her arms crossed as she examined the collection of medications. "What are you doing?"
"Just...lookin' around," he replied, replacing the vial on the shelf. Then he remembered he was pissed at her and he squinted sideways at her. "Didn't I tell ya yesterday t' keep your mouth shut about me and Michonne?"
Carol looked at him in surprise.
"I haven't told a soul!" she claimed firmly.
"You ain't, huh?" Daryl rolled his eyes, "Then how come it is everyone in the damn prison knows today?"
Carol turned on her heels to face him, her head cocked slightly to the side. She raised her chin, defiantly.
"I don't know, but I can honestly say it's not my fault!" she said simply. "And I'm surprised you think I'd go behind your back!"
Daryl felt chastised and he blushed slightly, his eyes dropped to the floor and he scuffed his boot a few times.
"Sorry," he mumbled.
Carol smiled gently and placed a hand on his cheek, lifting his face back up. He looked at her and somehow everything felt a little less embarrassing. He didn't see any judgment or disappointment or annoyance or disgust in her eyes and he knew he never would. Carol Peletier was the only one who got him and knew who he was. And Michonne...Michonne was all those things too and more. There was an easiness he had with Carol that was different than with Michonne though, no sexual tension, just honesty and genuine care.
"I can help you find out who spilled the beans if you want," Carol said with a smile. "But I'm pretty sure I already know who it was."
"Who?"
"Michonne, of course," Carol laughed lightly.
"What?" Daryl looked at her in disbelief.
"Must have been worth talking about," Carol clarified with a wink. "Michonne's not much of a talker either, kind of like you, so if she was talking about it then you two must really have something good together."
Daryl smiled at Carol's back as she walked out of the clinic, having said all she needed to. He liked that about his good friend, she never wasted words around him and kept it honest and real. He made a mental note to talk this whole thing over with Michonne when she got back from the scouting trip with Glenn and Herschel.
TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD
Daryl was waiting for the group to return, waiting in the alleyway, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and one foot pressed back against it while the other supported him. He'd heard them return and he knew Michonne would be walking by on the way to take over watch for T-Dog and he had a plan to get her alone to chew her out over her big mouth.
Sure enough, she walked by the alleyway, whistling as she made her way towards the towers. However, she didn't get far because Daryl's hand shot out from under the hanging laundry and grabbed her arm, pulling her into the alley with him.
"Daryl! You scared the shit out of me!" she claimed, placing her hand over her heart.
Daryl looked at her terrified expression which had faded now to amused annoyance with a thoughtful look.
"Did ya tell everyone about us?" he cut right to the point, crossing his arms across his chest.
Michonne blinked a few times before she broke into a grin.
"Well...not everyone," she said slowly, "But I told a select few. Must have just gotten around like stories do, you know?"
She seemed way too pleased with herself for Daryl's taste.
"Don't ya think...maybe you're jumpin' the gun?" he asked.
"Why would I be jumping the gun?" Michonne questioned in return, looking less certain all of the sudden. "Are you...embarrassed to be with me in public or something?"
"Are ya seriously asking me that?" Daryl almost growled, annoyed at the accusation. "I ain't embarrassed. I just..."
"You don't like everyone knowing your business," Michonne finished for him, placing her hand on his face with a soft smile. "I'm sorry, Daryl, I should have thought about that. But...I just couldn't keep it to myself."
"That good, huh?" Daryl cocked an eyebrow as her thumb traced his cheekbone.
"Pretty damn," Michonne replied quietly.
Daryl felt his stomach do a funny little flip at the same time his chest puffed out slightly with pride at her confession. He reached out and gripped her by the shoulders, pulling her close to claim her mouth, his tongue immediately pushing past her teeth to trace the contours of her mouth. He'd expected some sort of defensive reaction, but he was overjoyed when she practically melted in his hands and stepped closer smoothly to deepen the kiss by adding her own tongue to the dance. She was by no means compliant, however, and Daryl found she was soon dominating the kiss and pushing him back slightly, so he spun her around quickly and backed her firmly into the wall of the prison. She giggled slightly as they broke their kiss and her hands slid under the material of his jacket and shirt to run up the expanse of his back, her dark eyes locked on his as she traced a few of the scars there.
"Did I ever tell you I think scars are hot?" she whispered when she saw his expression falter at the tracing.
Daryl looked unsure for a moment but then he broke into a genuine smile and he kissed her gently on the lips then pulled back and leaned his forehead to hers, just looking at her eyes because they were so captivating and his heartbeat picked up as she stared right back.
"Your eyes are so damn beautiful," he commented, his thumbs tracing her jaw.
"So are yours," Michonne said with a smile.
"They're just blue," Daryl shurgged, "Everybody's got blue eyes."
"Not like yours," Michonne insisted, "Damn, Daryl...every time you look at me it's like being eye fucked."
Daryl laughed out loud at that and Michonne's fingers traced the laugh lines that crinkled next to his eyes and she laughed lightly too.
They were just about to lean in for another kiss when the laundry parted and Lori stepped through with the laundry basket, Carol was right behind her.
"Oh! Sorry..." Lori's eyes were wide when she saw them.
The two of them realized suddenly how very, very close they were and the fact that Michonne's left leg had lifted to wrap her ankle around his right calf. They separated from eachother with a few mumbled words about "getting to the tower" and "wax my bow" and "see you later" before Michonne slipped out of the alley and took off for the guard tower, leaving Daryl standing awkwardly in front of the two ladies doing laundry with quite a noticeable lump in the front of his jeans.
"Sorry," Carol whispered with a smile, "Didn't mean to ruin the moment."
"Sorry I got mad atcha earlier, Carol," Daryl stated gently, ignoring her comment.
Carol just smiled and winked, letting him know she got the message and he didn't need to make a point in front of Lori. He gave her an appreciative nod before he edged past them and headed for the gate, feeling the need to get in a little hunting before dark.
TWDTWDTWDTWDTWDTWD
Ok...bedtime. My gosh, 12 hour E.R. shifts starting at 5 A.M. for the last few days...I am gonna sleep all day tomorrow! Guess what, guys...TWD SEASON 3 IS COMING SOON! If I DO sleep all day tomorrow, that's just one less day I have to wait :D
Review and let me know if there's anything you want to see because...honestly...I don't know where to go from here, really. For reals, give me some ideas :)