Ode to Summer

Dressed in a warmer, long sleeved shirt and dark jeans, Jamie was much more comfortable as she slipped several bottles of Advil and Tylenol inside the bag she had stuffed her clothes into, hoping that she could remember to give them to Rick when she got back; or to Dale to stash away in his trailer for when someone was hurt. Shane might pop a blood vessel if she even tried to give them to Hershel as penance for the amount of times they've needed his help.

"All ready?" Daryl asked as he stepped from around the car she was kneeling beside, his crossbow slung over his shoulder as his eyes scanned the area. They had spent much of the day moving from vehicle to vehicle, looking through things or just lying on the roof or hood as the sun passed overhead. They didn't want to chance anything and made sure that they were completely prepared to leave before the sun had even passed behind the trees.

"Yea," she answered immediately, straightening up and slinging the bag over her shoulder. "Find anything else?"

"Bunch a dead people…and more half-eaten dead people," Daryl answered back smartly, getting a mock gag from his fiancé that caused him to chuckle deeply. "Come on, Angel, let's get back before they all end up killing one another," Daryl declared, opening his arm to her. Shaking her head at him, she still stepped into his side with a soft sigh.

"Do you really think they'd do that?" she asked quietly, leaning her head on his shoulder as they made their way back through the maze of cars, trucks and bikes.

"This group? Fuck yea." His reply made her heart lurch in her chest as her hand fisted in his shirt at his side. "This group is fuckin' broken, and there's nothing that you or anyone else can say to convince me otherwise. Shane, Rick, Lori…fuck, even Andrea. There's too much personal shit going on that it's tearing everything apart." Jamie nodded her head in understanding; she knew all about that confusing circle of emotion going on. She was sadly in the circle as well, with Lori thinking that something was going on between her and Rick while she had cheated on her own husband.

"What are we going to do?" she asked, more to herself. Daryl pulled her to a stop and turned her to face him completely, his hand moving to the base of her skull and keeping her looking up at him.

"Survive," he answered gruffly. Blinking slowly, Jamie thought back to when she had refused to let anything slow her down. She had once forced herself to move even as her body seemed to be falling apart, and it was all to find Daryl. Now that she had him, was she as selfish as Andrea accused her of being?

"Am I selfish?" she asked suddenly, meeting his confused look. "About having you, am I being selfish? I don't exactly stop to think about the others-"

"Stop," Daryl ordered, taking a fist full of her shirt material and giving the woman one hard shake. Jamie's head snapped back and forth slightly from the movement, but was otherwise left with a simple shocked look at Daryl's reaction. He looked pissed off as his eyes held hers, hands fisted in her shirt and his lips drawn into a thin frown. "Never say that," he growled out, shaking her one more time but slightly less hard. "Never. Never say you're being selfish."

He could feel Jamie's chest rising and falling heavily against his fist in her shirt, her eyes locked on him and revealing her awe at his reaction.

"You have risked your life for the people of this group, and I'll be damned if I let ya go and say it's selfish to be happy," he snapped, hands still tightly clenching the material of her shirt. He sighed a moment later and lifted his hand from her shirt to instead pull her forehead up against his, their skin both chilled, "Sometimes your heart it just too fucking big, Jay."

"So you've told me before," she said, laughing humourlessly.

"It's not always a bad thing, but you've gotta stop letting everybody in-if I find out you've been pitying the little shit that shot at you, I'll shoot you," Daryl said, suddenly switching in what he was saying and causing Jamie to nearly choke on her own breath as she was caught between laughing at his words and scoffing in annoyance at his overprotectiveness.

"When did this become about Randal?"

Daryl pressed her forehead more firmly against his own, drawing her eyes up to his. "He won't get a scrap of sympathy from me, Angel, he could have killed you in that fuckin' town," he growled out, fingers fisting in her hair and tugging on the golden strands. Calmly, she reached up and placed a hand over his to relax his grip, relieving her head from feeling the ache of her hair being pulled so harshly.

"I'm safe now, with you," she assured, knowing that her most frequent near death experience had left him in a state. Unlike the other times that she had been hurt, he hadn't been there to help her, to know that she was alright. Perhaps, in some ways, Daryl was being selfish as well because of the need he had for keeping her with him and him alone, fighting against the wants and needs of the others so that she didn't need to be away from him. If she was at his side, he knew that she was safe and that there was no chance he could lose her.

"No one's safe on this fuckin' highway, let's get back," Daryl declared suddenly, pulling away from their embrace slightly as he looked over her shoulder. Jamie barely even had to glance back before seeing the walker that was stumbling along, ignorant to their presence for the moment. Jamie was silent as she nodded, crouching to pick up her bag and follow after Daryl as lightly as she could.

The walker was still trying to stagger through the cars when the motorcycle roared to life, Daryl wasting no time before he kicked them forward and threw rocks backward as they bolted back toward the farm. Jamie's arms wrapped around his waist, resting her cheek against his shoulder blade, and used him to keep her on the bike as well as to keep her upright from the weight of the bag and his bow on her back. That was the only issue with sitting behind him; she always had to carry the load.

The ride back was chilly but enjoyable, Daryl's familiar woodsy smell all that she could breathe as they glided along the asphalt. Closing her eyes, she let herself bask in his presence as the slowly dying trees passed them by. Things were changing again, and it wasn't yet a point in time that she could be sure whether they were or were not for the better. Freeing one of her hands, Jamie held it out alongside the bike and relished in the feeling of the wind rushing through her fingers, trying to push her hand and arm back at the force of the air.

She could barely see Daryl turn his head to see where her arm and gone, catching sight of her hand reaching out, and soon returned his attention to the road, driving slightly more slowly after a moment. Jamie smiled when she realized he was doing it because he didn't want to risk her falling off with the lesser grip she had on him, her other hand still fisted in his shirt.

"I swear to fuck if you fall off-" Daryl called over the roar of the engine, drawing a laugh from Jamie as she wrapped her arm back around his waist and leaned heavily against him, trying to roll her shoulders to relieve some of the pressure on them. Daryl sped up again after he was sure she wasn't going to fall backward, returning his full attention to the road and concentrating on getting them back to the farm before it got any later.

Before either of them really wanted, they were pulling up by the campsite once more. Jamie could see T-Dog and Carol, but everyone else must have been scattered about because she couldn't see them. Carol smiled and waved when she saw them, getting a smile in return from Jamie and the cold shoulder from Daryl. They two women gave each other sympathetic looks but neither tried to force him to be polite; Daryl was an enigma and he just needed his own time to accept things back as they were.

"Did you find everything you needed?" Carol asked quietly, stretching her hand out to place on Jamie's arm. Relieved of the weight of the crossbow, Jamie shouldered only the duffle bag as she looked about the camp for anyone else.

"Yea, and we picked up the supplies we could find," she answered, keeping the words 'we left for Sophia' out of the sentence. It was meant more to lighten the truth, since she knew that Carol was well aware of what supplies she was speaking of. "Nothing happened while we were away, though, right?" Jamie asked, slightly worried. There was always a nagging feeling, almost a nauseous twist in her stomach, that she had to keep an eye on the others lest she not be there when things turned bad.

"No, it's been quiet all day. Randal's been passing in and out of consciousness, but there's been no other change. Rick and Shane want to wait about a week before they drop him off somewhere, that way he's not completely immobile." Jamie nodded along, looking toward the house. She wouldn't say she felt good about abandoning someone that was hurt, but she disliked the idea of having him moving about freely with them even more.

"Still don't know how I feel about that," she grumbled to herself before she dropped the duffle bag on the ground and crouched down to begin pulling out the supplies she had found. Carol took most of them from her and took them to the RV to be put away neatly, while Jamie stayed where she was and continued to pick out different medicines, foods supplies and small things like battery packs for their flashlights.

"Need a hand with that?" T-Dog asked, crouching beside her. Offering a smile, she held out a handful of sealed batteries, all of different kinds.

"I don't know where those should go, so how about you keep them in the camp until you can find out from someone? They won't be doing that much good staying in my bag." T-Dog nodded and slipped the packs into one of the large pockets located on the leg of his pants. Jamie finished shuffling through the pockets of her bag before she closed them up and pulled the large thing back on her shoulder, looking over to where Daryl was coming out of the house after speaking with the guys and Randal.

Jamie glanced over to the RV, relieved that Carol wasn't coming out, before she smiled in greeting to Daryl and angled her body as an invitation for them to walk back to their camp together. Daryl took her bag from her before she had a chance to decline and started walking, holding out his free arm in his own invitation. Smiling, Jamie immediately stepped into his embrace, wrapped her arm around his waist as his wound the curve of her neck and they began the trek back to their tent.

"This is your favourite time of year," Daryl commented as they were stepping carefully through the field. Jamie glanced at him from the corner of her eye before nodding her head and leaning further into him. It was the truth; she loved autumn. The time of the year when all of the leaves were turning colours, beginning to rain down like a storm of reds, oranges and yellows. She would be the adult that went running through the forest like a child whenever a huge gust of wind blew through the trees and shook the leaves loose, creating a beautiful waterfall of colours.

"Only downside is that now I'm sleeping in a tent, when I used to sleep in an apartment with a fireplace," Jamie teased, squeezing Daryl a little tighter as she thought back to the times that they had spent in front of that fire, whether it was simply drinking or something that involved far less clothing. "Although, I do love the outdoors, thanks to you."

"I really corrupted you, huh?" he sneered, teasing back.

"Oh, more than that." Daryl let out a deep, breathy chuckle before he pulled her toward him and sealed her lips with a kiss, smiling against her warm skin. She laughed softly and leaned against him, their walk slowing down until they were standing still in the middle of the field, the long shadows of the trees stretching out toward them like dark fingers. Using the strength that Jamie always marvelled, he hoisted her up with one arm, letting her hook her legs on his hips and begin walking them toward the tent.

"You're too damn light," he accused when he pulled away, pressing another kiss against the corner of her mouth. "You need to eat more."

"Just cause I'm lighter than I used to be doesn't mean I'm 'too light'," Jamie defended, before taking his lips once more and silencing him before he could chance continuing with the conversation. It would be just her luck for him to suddenly get the idea to force feed her or some other activity that included her gaining some weight.

Daryl quickly dropped the duffel bag in their tent, but surprised Jamie when he continued on instead of stopping as she had expected him to. Placing her on her feet, he took her cold fingers in his own and pulled her along a path that had been worn into the ground throughout the years. She tried to question him, but he would turn around and place a kiss against her lips before continuing on. A smile graced her lips before she could stop herself and she followed after him in silence after the first couple of times.

When they reached the end of the path, Daryl led her in front of him and placed his hand over her eyes, making her burst into laughter.

"What is this, Daryl?" she asked in breathless laughter, letting him slowly guide her along as he carefully watched for any movement around them. Everyone said that the property was secure, but he didn't trust a flimsy fence, especially if it was worth his life. Or Jamie's. "Sure, put the one that can't see in front," Jamie continued, reaching down and smacking Daryl's thigh. He laughed, before bending slightly lower to her height, level with her ear.

"I'd never let anythin' happen to ya, Angel."

Jamie nearly stumbled when the dirt beneath her feet suddenly cut off and she was walking on wood, the deep thunk of her boots hitting the compressed material the only sounds that she could hear. But as she began to concentrate, Jamie realized that she could also hear the quiet, relaxing lulls of water. Daryl pulled his hands back and allowed her to open her eyes, looking forward over the remaining length of the dock and the pond that he usually came to when he needed to be away from everyone. A bright smile rose to Jamie's face as she looked over the span of the water, the colourful trees reflecting off the water and giving a picture perfect scene.

Walking onward, she stepped carefully to the edge of the docks and looked down into the dark water, watched as leaves rippled along the surface. A large gust of wind rushed over the water, carrying with it the smell of moist leaves and chill of autumn. Closing her eyes against the wind, she inhaled the natural smell and leaned her head back.

Her back soon met with Daryl's chest as he stepped directly behind her, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead before he wrapped her in his arms, enveloping her in warmth and warding off the chill of the impending night. Leaning her head back on his shoulder, Jamie's warm eyes looked up and were met with the beauty of Daryl's blue irises, the happiness in his eyes bringing a flush to her cheeks and causing her skin to tingle pleasantly.

"I love it," she whispered, speaking of the view that he had brought for her to see. "I love you."

"Love you, too," Daryl mimicked, leaning his cheek against hers and looking forward once more, returning their attention to the trees and leaves. Jamie hummed happily and lifted her hands to rest on Daryl's arms, stealing his warmth and enjoying the rough feel of his jacket sleeves under her fingers. The moment was quiet and peaceful, the perfect end to their quiet day away from camp. Jamie couldn't bring herself to care that they were exposed or that they had basically abandoned the others; she would feel bad later, when she wasn't in Daryl's arms and happier than she had been in a while.

Gently removing her hand from his arm, Jamie looked over to Daryl as he manoeuvred her around, turning her to face him. As confused by the motion as she was, she still smiled and stepped up against him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and ghosting a kiss against his lips.

"Still want to go get married in Vegas?" Daryl asked tauntingly, though the humour was light. Jamie smirked and leaned against him heavily, pressing another kiss against his chapped lips and lifting her fingers to caress his nape.

"I would marry you in my apartment, with a friend legalized over the internet, wearing nothing but lingerie," she answered, getting a smirk as her reward for a perfect reply. He took a moment to try and picture her standing before him in her living room wearing nothing but a pair of expensive, sexy lingerie. "And what would you wear, my dear?" she asked with true curiosity in her voice, raising a blonde eyebrow at him in question.

"Nothin'."

Humming in approval, she leaned her head forward to rest her chin on his shoulder, pressing a lingering kiss against his neck. A shiver travelled up her spine as a gust of wind flew over the water, carrying the cold air along in a rush of movement. Daryl's hands splayed on her back, emitting heat, and drew a content sigh from her. "This is wonderful," she finally whispered.

"Jamie," Daryl started carefully, going completely still. The blonde in his arms frowned slightly before drawing back and looking at him with wonder and faint worry in her eyes. She wasn't exactly feeling very well about the tone of voice that he had used when saying her name. It wasn't a tone she had heard often and she didn't know whether or not to be concerned on what was to come afterword. Before she could speak, though, Daryl pulled completely from her arms.

Opening her mouth to call him back, she paused when he stopped moving less than a foot away from her and instead, lowered himself down. Confused for only a moment, her brain soon registered the fact that he was all the way down on one knee before her, looking up to her with clear blue eyes as the orange colour of the sunset, and the shades reflected off the leaves of the trees, gave his skin a reddish hue.

"Since the outbreak, I've been thinking about all of the opportunities that I've lost; both with you and in general. I swore I'd never get down on one knee for someone, simply 'cause it was tradition, but I don't want either of us to miss the opportunity." Reaching forward, Jamie's heart leapt in her chest as he took her hand in his and laced their fingers together, never once breaking eye contact. "This time, I ain't asking you from hundreds of miles away and over a phone; Jamie Knight, will you marry me?"

The brilliance of Jamie's smile nearly made everything worth it as she looked down at Daryl, before she nodded her head, "Yes, Daryl, I would give the world to marry you." Instead of standing up as she had expected, however, Daryl reached into his pocket and pulled his hand back from hers, unlacing their fingers, before holding onto her palm gently. To her shock, she watched as he lifted a gold ring with a small blue sapphire in the center up to her hand, the fading light catching the jewels.

It was a perfect fit.

Rising to his feet, Daryl caught Jamie up in his arms and spun her around, lifting her feet from the dock and drawing a breathy laugh of joy and awe from her.

I'm totally enjoying this marathon! I hope everyone else is watching it when they can. I'm just switching between writing and homework with The Walking Dead playing in the background. Kind of funny when I had it playing and my boss called :P

Thanks to all for the reviews, I always love when I open my email and see that people have commented on the new chapter!

Chapter 37 – All My Secrets

It was in a large wave of people that everyone dispersed, moving off to prepare for the day and all that they were individually doing. Jamie pulled her hair back as she moved toward the kitchen to help clean up while Daryl went to get some supplies to take with them for the day. She had barely stepped into the room when a hard hand grasped her bicep and spun her around to face them, a glare firmly held on her face.

"What the fuck?" Jamie asked, trying to pull her arm from his grip but only ending up getting him riled. Her shoulder met the wood of the cabinet as he pushed her roughly backward. Her eyes darkened with rage as she glared deep into his eyes, wanting nothing more than to hit him. "Shane, let me go."

"What did you do to Lori?" he demanded, shaking at her arm and drawing a pained grunt from her when her shoulder joint was jostled rather harshly. "I know something happened between you two, she's been avoiding you and looking pissed off since the barn walkers got out-"

"Go out?" Jamie mimicked, finally succeeding in freeing her arm. "You let them out, jackass. Now back the fuck up." Shane just short of snarled in her face, causing her to instinctively drive her elbow against his ribs and force him back in order for him to collect himself. "I didn't do anything to Lori, just a difference of opinion."