Chapter 37

"Finally!" Maggie exclaimed when Daryl and I walked into the main room. Her eyes instantly went to my necklace. She picked it up looking at it. "Ooh shiny new necklace. Good work Daryl." She smiled and winked at Daryl only for him to scoff at her then walk off. I didn't know if that was a double sided compliment considering the hickey that was in plain sight. She turned to Glenn backhanding him in the chest. "How come you never get me pretty things?"

He held his hands up in defense. "I don't know." He answered with a red face and a shrug.

"He said he got it from a jewelry store when he went on the supply run with Merle and Violet. He might take you back there if you ever do want to get her something." I explained trying to defuse the situation between the two, but I don't think it worked. Maggie just went to the exit of the room with her things in hand.

"Are you coming or what Glenn?" he nodded and quickly followed after her. Everyone else was asleep so I went to the perch. Daryl was lying on his back with his hands folded behind his head. The moonlight from a nearby window was shining on him. He watched me as I laid down beside him mimicking his position except I had a pillow so I folded my hands over my stomach. Thinking about Maggie and Glenn made me laugh out loud.

"Whatcha laughing at woman?" he asked turning just his head to look at me as I did the same.

"I think ya got Glenn in trouble." He looked at me a little confused.

"How did I get Glenn in trouble?" I turned on my side and ran my fingers through his soft clean hair.

"Because ya gave me jewelry, I doubt Glenn has even given Maggie flowers." He laughed a little after realizing that he just in fact might have gotten Glenn in trouble. "By the way, please don't ever give me flowers." He looked at my funny.

"Why not? I thought women loved that romantic shit." I smirked at him.

"Because flowers die. I don't consider that romantic. People give flowers because they're supposed to symbolize love or be equal to the beauty of the receiver. But love doesn't die and I don't like to think of the fact that I'm gonna get old, wrinkled and ugly like the flowers do. I just never understood the gesture." He laughed at me.

"Ya are the strangest woman I've ever met, but I love that about ya." He brushed his hand over my cheek. I closed my eyes loving the feel of his rough hand across my skin. "Ya could cut all yer hair off and ya'd still be beautiful to me." I smiled and grabbed his hand that was still on my cheek. I held it in both of mine arranging it to that our palms were pressed together. I saw that his fingers were about half an inch longer than mine before he intertwined them with mine. I rolled onto my side propped my head up on my elbow and put our hands on his chest. I sometimes caught myself wondering about his scars. Mainly the one on the right of his chest near his collar bone, but I never asked. I didn't think it would be a good idea to. He had let go of my hand to tuck his back under his head. I ran my finger tip lightly across the scar feeling how raised it was from the rest of his skin. I couldn't imagine how painful it had been to have an injury so bad that it would leave a scar that bad. "Whatcha thinkin 'bout?" I jerked a bit when he spoke because I thought he had gone to sleep.

'Oh um, nothin." I answered not wanting to let him know what I was thinking about.

"Yer lyin." His eyes were squinted at me in the moonlight. "Ya know I can tell when yer thinkin 'bout stuff. Plus yer fiddlin with yer necklace." I hadn't realized I had been. "So yer either thinkin really hard bout somethin or yer worryin." I remained quiet. "Come on babe which is it?" I smiled a little at the new name for me and he brought a hand up brushing my still damp hair out of my face. He broke me and I couldn't help but tell him what was on my mind.

"Ok, I'm not worried about anything I was just wonderin about somethin."

"Mkay." I ran my fingers across the scar lightly and he cut his eyes down to look at it.

"How'd ya get it?" I looked up to his eyes to find that they had darkened a bit. "Ya don't have to tell me. I was just lettin ya know what I was thinkin about." I said it faster than I had meant to and he smirked at me a little.

"I don't care if ya ask, but I'll tell ya some other time. Today has been too good to end it with a bad story." I smiled and pressed my face into his warm neck taking in his clean sent.

"I love ya Daryl Dixon." I said into his ear and he wrapped his arm around me.

"I love ya to Talitha uh…I don't know yer last name. If ya ever told it to me I can't remember." I laughed a little.

"My maiden name is Moore." I explained.

"Oh, well I love ya too Talitha Moore." I snuggled into him as he pulled the covers over us. I quickly fell asleep.

I opened my eyes wondering if it had all been a dream. I raised my hand up touching the cold white gold and diamond angel wings that rested on my chest and I knew it wasn't. I really was with the most caring, loving and gentle man I have ever known. He was still sleeping next to me in our makeshift bed. It was still pretty early, I could see dim sun light coming in through the windows. I let my thoughts drift as I laid there with Daryl's arm draped across my stomach.

My thoughts drifted to my sister and Merle. I was happy that they had each other. Merle was a completely different man than the one he had been when I first met him. He was just as kind as his brother and he would probably never admit it but I think he wanted to become a father. My thoughts were pulled to a halt when I felt Daryl stir. I put my hand on top of his and ran my thumb lightly over the back of his hand. I turned my head to look at him only for his lips to catch mine before I had the chance. I opened my eyes pulling back from the kiss and put my hand on his face. He gave me a sleepy smirk. "Good mornin." He swept my hair out of my face and gave me a gentle peck on my cheek.

"Morning." I answered cheerily and sat up in the bed stretching. "Ya hungry?" he nodded and I stood up putting the uncomfortably light converse on. I held my hand out to him and he grabbed it letting me pull him to his feet. We walked down to the cell we stored the food in. "How are we supposed to cook this stuff?" I looked at the bags of cornmeal then started looking through the can foods in the boxes. I didn't know how to make anything but cornbread out of cornmeal I couldn't make that without milk and eggs, and with out someway to warm up the stuff in the cans our only option was to eat it cold. Daryl just reached down and grabbed a can and the can opener not caring about what he grabbed or the fact that it was cold.

Everyone must have heard us because soon the main room was filled with people. I walked out of the cell eating a can of cold butter beans. Those are better cold anyways. "Has anyone seen Glenn and Maggie?" Hershel asked and everyone shook their heads. He looked at me and Daryl. "Did they come back from taking a shower last night?" We both just stood there silent. We honestly didn't know. "Well someone has to know."

"They didn't come back." The voice of Axle trickled down to us. "I would have said something but I just figured they were off…you know."

"Thanks Axle." Rick called up to him then turned to us. "No one panic. Daryl, Merle, and George come with me. Lets go see if we could find them." Everyone grabbed their usual weapons and followed Rick.

I grabbed Daryl's hand before he left the room. "Be safe?" I said with pleading eyes and he nodded before he leaned down and quickly pressed a kiss to my lips. He kneeled down to be level with Kasey who was clinging to my leg.

"Ya mind yer ma now munchkin." She nodded at him, tucked her hands behind her back and rocked back and forth on her feet. Daryl kissed the top of her head quicker than he had kissed me earlier then stood up. "I'll be back before ya know it." With that he disappeared into the dark hall with a small flashlight in his hands.