KEZZ 1: Thank you, here is more!
pyrojack25: Man, I hated how they made Andrea in the show. I don't know what they were thinking but they ruined a good character from the comics.
"We found it washed up on the creek bed right there." Daryl pointed onto the map to Rick as he laid on his side so Hershel could patch the holes that his arrow had left. He held a rag to his head where the bullet grazed him from Andrea's gun.
Miri was sitting backwards in a chair, her back facing out as she hugged the back of the chair. The top buttons of Daryl's dirty shirt were unbutton so Patricia could dab at the scratches at her back. It looked like it hurt and Daryl felt the guilt intensify. if he had been alone, he wouldn't have dragged her down like that and hurt her some more.
Daryl ripped his eyes away from Miri's back to look at Rick, who just turned his head to look back at Daryl. "She must have dropped it crossin' there somewhere."
Shane noticed where Daryl's eyes went when he looked at the blonde nearly shirtless. His anger doubled when he saw Miri wearing the redneck's shirt with only her bra underneath. He knew that damn hick was trouble, but why didn't Miri see it?
Rick nodded approvingly, looking back at the map with hope in his eyes. "Cuts the grid almost in half."
"Yeah, you're welcome." Daryl grumbled as he tensed from Hershel snitching up his wound in his side.
"How're they lookin'?" Rick looked to the Vet and his assistant that was working on his sister.
Miri hissed softly and bit her lip as the sting got to her. She held up her right thumb, showing a bandage around the palm from the scratches she got from the rocks. "Other than my back feeling a bit wonky, fine." She turned her eyes to the blue eyed hunter on the bed. "You?"
Daryl averted his eyes from the new skin that showed as the piece of clothing slid a bit lower down her arm. He looked his snitching over as a distraction from the warm skin he felt just under an hour ago. He made some random grumbles as his answer.
Hershel placed the needle he was using down in a bowl of water. "I had no idea we'd be goin' through the antibiotics so quickly. Any idea what happened to my horse?" The old Vet was annoyed that Daryl and Miri had taken a horse without asking and now it was missing, most likely dead.
"Yeah, the one who almost killed Aussie and me?" Daryl scoffed, showing his hatred for the horse that had caused Miri and him to fall down and get injured. "If it's smart, it left the country." He mumbled.
Rick rolled up the map as Patricia gave Miri the OK to put the shirt back on. She left the room afterward with a blank look on her face, still in shock about Otis' death.
Hershel narrowed his eyes as he washed his hands in a bowl. "We call that one Nellie, as in nervous Nellie. I could have told you she'd throw you, if you'd bothered to ask." He grabbed a towel and dried his hands as he made his way to Rick. "It's a wonder you people have survived this long." Then he walked out of the room.
Rick gave his sister two kisses on the top of her head and held the back of her head tightly, he was happy to see she was alive and okay and tried to reassure his pounding heart that she was fine.
Miri smiled and squeezed his forearm, giving him that reassurance that they both needed.
Rick gave Daryl a nod and left with an angry looking Shane behind him, who threw Daryl a glare.
The door opened quickly to show a worried looking Alice, eyes wide and a bit out of breath from running.
She ran over to Miri once she saw her in a chair across the room. "You're okay!" she sobs into her shoulder. "The grown-ups said you and Daryl were hurt, and-and they didn't want to tell me anything." Alice started to hiccup as she cried.
Miri cupped her face gently. "Sweet pea." She cooed into her hair, trying to calm the small girl down the way her mother use to. "Ali, you don't have to worry."
"She's right." Daryl's gruff voice remained the girl that he was here. "Your momma is strong, drug my a-" he paused as Miri threw him a look, then mouthed 'language'. He quickly changed the word. "Butt up a cliff and saved me from bein' eaten." He gave the little girl a wink. "She's a super hero."
Alice's hazel eyes shined as she took in Daryl's story about Miri, who Daryl dubbed her 'momma' every time he talked about her to the little girl. "Really?"
Miri grinned at the girl she had grown so close to. "Well, other than that, Daryl found Sophia's doll when we were out there."
Alice smiled, glad to hear something about her friend. "That means she's still around?"
Miri nodded while playing with the little girl's bangs. "Yup, and when we find her, Sophia and her mommy can be happy and safe together." She patted the hairs that stuck up. "What did you do while Daryl and I were fighting the forest?"
Alice started to explain that Carl was recovering from injuries and even woke up a couple times while he helped her read a word she couldn't say, would listen to her read to him, Lori and Carol are cooking dinner and that Hershel let them can cook in the kitchen, and she drew a picture for Daryl.
Daryl lifted his head up a bit when Alice mentioned his name. "What now?" Ali ignored his tone as she ran out the room with Daryl watching her wondering why he heard his name. "Where she goin'?" He turned his head towards the grinning Australian.
Miri chuckled. "She made you something."
Daryl groaned, plopping his head back down onto the pillow.
Tiny footsteps were heard coming quickly towards the room as Alice ran into the room with her notebook in her hand. She placed the book on the bed near Daryl and started to flip through it. She ripped the page she was looking for out of the notebook and showed it to him. "See, this is you." She pointed to the drawing of a guy in the middle of the page with a red shirt and a crossbow. "This is the walkers that you took down to get to the Princess." She pointed to the trail of 'walkers' behind 'Daryl' and then pointed to the 'Princess'. She looked at him, waiting for his reaction.
Daryl held in a laugh as he saw the Princess in the drawing had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a bow. It didn't take a genius to know who the Princess was.
"Can I see?" Miri tried to look at the picture but Alice shook her head and put the picture face down so Miri couldn't get a good look at it.
"Nuh-uh. Only Daryl can see this." She shook her head, making the loose strands of hair fly around with the quick motion of her head.
Miri pouted but Ali crossed her arms and shook her head again. "Please?" Miri pleaded but the little girl didn't cave in.
The door opened and Carol walked in with a small smile on her face. "Hey, dinner is gonna be ready in a bit. I think you two should clean up."
Alice cheered. "Yay." She pulled Miri off the chair, who winced a bit but didn't move her hand out of the small girl's tight grip.
Miri stops the little girl by the door as she looked over to Daryl. "I'll bring you up some food since you're on bed rest. You want me to bring you anything from your tent?"
Daryl tensed, remembering the items he didn't want her to find out. "Just my bag." He grumbled. "Don't need nothin' else."
Miri nodded and left the room with Alice.
She finished washing up and sat with the group at the dinner table.
Alice sat with Beth, Glenn, Maggie, and Jimmy at the 'kiddy table' as Miri kept a close eye on her from her seat by Carol.
Everyone was quiet while eating, when Glenn broke the silence that was suffocating the whole room. "Does anybody know how to play guitar?" everyone stopped eating as they stared at him confusingly. "Dale found a cool one. Somebody's got to know how to play."
"Otis did." Patricia's throat tightened up as she held the sobs and tears back in the mention of her dead husband.
"Yes, and he was very good, too." Hershel squeezed Patricia's arm, giving her strength before going back to his meal.
Miri looked at Shane from the corner of her eye, noticing how his body just radiated guilt and anger and how he was muttering silently to himself.
'What the hell is with him?'
The tense dinner finally ended and Carol made a plate for Daryl as everyone started to go rest for the night.
She handed it to Miri but stopped her from leaving. "I just wanna say thank you for riskin' your life twice now for my little girl." Her eyes became glossy. She grabbed Miri's head and placed a kiss on her cheek. "Give one to Daryl from me as well, and a thank you." She left the house after.
Miri nodded and spun around to leave when Shane stood in her way.
He glared down at her and the tray in her hands. "Where you goin'?" his shoulders squared as he tensed his body. He knew where she was going.
"I'm going to bring Daryl his food. He's on bed rest, Shane. He needs food." Miri goes to go around him but Shane threw his arm out in front of her suddenly, making her jump from the quick movement and grow tense from the feeling between them.
"What really happened in that forest?" Shane growled as he glared down at the woman in front of him. "You came back wearin' his shirt all dirty and shit. Don't like that."
"Excuse me? But if you hadn't noticed, we both fell off a horse and nearly didn't make it back if we hadn't work together. He gave me his shirt when mine was ripped to shreds." Miri narrowed her eyes at his own dark ones and furrowed her brows. "I've said this once, and I will keep saying it until you get it through that thick skull of yours." Her words caused Shane to grind his teeth in anger, she could almost hear it. "I will never be yours, so back off."
Shane punched the wall hard, never taking his eyes off of Miri.
Miri looked from his fist to his eyes. She didn't show the flinch at the action or the echo of his fist hitting the wall, expecting it after knowing his anger from so many years. "Are you done?" she asked coolly before shoving him to the side so she can get pass him.
Shane watched her as she walked away, the darkness in his mind pulling him more in.
Miri entered the room Daryl was in, making the hunter jump and try to quickly cover his body from her view, yet he was not fast enough. She spotted the scars and small burn marks along his back and chest now that he was clean, and he also had a fresh bandage wrapped around his head to protect the stitches "Hey." She gave him a smile as she brought in the tray with his food and glass of wine that Hershel found for dinner. "How are you feeling?"
Daryl watched as Miri put the tray gently down on the night table next to him. The blue button-up shirt she was wearing brought out her eyes and the peachy tone of her skin, and it hugged her sides gently. The khaki's she wore hugged her legs, hips, and ass nicely as well, his eyes taking a longer view on that area before looking back up and answering. "As good as I look." 'Though you look amazin' as always. Wonder how you do that when the world has gone to shit.'
Thankfully Merle's voice didn't say anything… though he hasn't really said anything ever since they came back to the farm.
"I brought you some dinner. You must be starving."
Daryl looked at the food and his stomach called out in hunger, though he feared to eat in front of her after the face she gave him when he ate the squirrel raw, though he didn't blame her.
Miri bent down towards Daryl, who jumped a bit from how close she was but didn't move as she came even closer. She placed a warm kiss near the snitches, the smell of her hair filling his nose as the blonde strands touched his face. Her hair smelt like the shampoo that she said she found back in Atlanta.
When she pulled away, Daryl was red faced, not liking how this woman made him react with just the smell of her hair. "Watch out, I got stitches." Daryl told her as he looked away to hide his red cheeks, embarrassed.
Miri chuckled. "That's from Carol." She sang. "As a thank you for looking for Sophia."
The hunter scoffs. "I didn't do anything Rick or Shane wouldn't have done."
Miri's eyes darkened and her lips turned downward into a frown at the mention of Shane. Her mind went to the interaction that happened in the kitchen, and she got a slight chill from fear. The look on his face showed he was ready to hurt her, just for her to listen. She had seen this look on his face before, but never that dark. She decided to get her mind off of Shane before it goes too deep.
She placed another kiss on his head, her hand on the back of his neck softly, Daryl slightly leaning towards the warmth of her but chastised himself for doing something like that. He would not fall into this, he would not! "I'll go get your bag now, be right back."
Daryl went to stop her but Miri was already out of the door. "Ah, fuck." He cursed as he placed his head on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. "She better not find it."
Miri helped Alice into her sleeping bag since she was falling asleep while trying to doodle in her notebook. "Goodnight, sweetie." She placed a kiss onto the little girl's head and put her things inside her bag for safe keeping. Miri took Burnie from the corner of the tent and placed her in Alice's arms. "There you go."
Miri then went over to her bag, grabbed a flashlight since it was already dark outside and made her way outside. When she got to Daryl's tent, she shone her light inside to see where she was going. The inside of the tent was oddly organized for someone who looked messy all the time. She was so use to Austin's mess that seeing another man be neater than him was amazing, though she couldn't talk. Her mess was organized, but it was still a mess.
She shined her light around when she spotted something shiny. "The hell?" she made her way over and pulled it out from a back pack. It was a magazine with her on the cover.
New SoBe's water girl Miranda Grimes single?!
See the story in page 23.
Miri narrowed her eyes as she opened it to the page. Something fluttered down, catching her attention. She picked it up and shone the light on it. It was a picture she had taken on her step-dad's bike back in Australia for a photoshoot for his bike business.
'Why does he have this and where the hell did he get it?'
She shoved them in Daryl's bag and got out of the tent, ready to crack down on Daryl on why he had things on her in his possession.
She marched into the room and closed the door.
Miri went over to the bed and nearly slammed the bag down on top of him. "I have a few questions for you."
Daryl panicked as she opened the bag and pulled out the magazine with her on the cover.
"Why do you have this?" she reached into the bag again to pull of the photo of her on the bike. "And this? Because I don't think I've ever given this to you. Trust me, I would remember."
Daryl said nothing as he panicked. What should he say? That she attracts him? That he can't stop looking at her?
'Hell no, she'll think I'm a bigger creep than she does now.'
Miri threw the magazine at him but kept the picture in her hand. "Why did you have this?" she held up the photo to his face.
Daryl looked from the picture to the furious Miri in front of him, never saying anything as he tried to come up with something, but his brain had abandoned him.
She glared at him and went to leave the room but Daryl's hand grabbed her forearm and pulled her back. The force he used pulled her back too hard and caused her to fall on top of his wound.
Daryl groaned in pain and moved her so she was now underneath him. He kept his eyes shut as he tried to make the throbbing pain in his side go away, but he could hear Miri breathing under him and opened his eyes when the door opened.
They both looked at the door to see Carol, red faced as she walked into something she thought was a private moment. "Oh! I'm so sorry! I just came to give Daryl his medicine." She placed the pills down on the night table. "I'll lock the door." she locked the door and closed it, leaving the two in silence.
Miri glared up at Daryl. "Get off me." Daryl didn't move, he just stared down at her. "Daryl, get off me-" Miri's words were cut off as Daryl did something neither expected.
Daryl's slightly chapped lips slid over Miri's wet ones, getting a bit stuck to each other. Daryl's bottom lip was captured between Miri's. He could taste the wine on her lips as he sucked her upper lip, drowning in the taste and feel. Her tongue traced over the bottom lip she had captured.
Daryl gently bit down on her upper lip and look down at her with half lid eyes. Her eyes were closed as she started sucking on the bottom lip, giving him a great sensation that gave him a shaky breath.
Miri ran her hand up to the back of his neck, and dug her fingers in his hair. She pulled it, ripping Daryl off her lips and making him groan. "What was that?" she asked breathlessly as she heard a noise somewhere down the hall.
Daryl's mind went foggy during the events, not believing what he had done. He did something he thought he would never do, what his brother said he didn't have the balls to do. He fumbled with his words, not really paying attention as he felt every heavy breath Miri took under him.
She tugged on his hair to get his attention. "Why did you do that, Daryl?"
Daryl relished in the way she said his name, his mind still fuzzy. "Don't know."
Miri knocked his arm out of the way and stood up, she took the picture and left the room in a hurry, leaving Daryl laying in the bed with the discarded magazine and confused over what just happened.
Daryl wondered what caused her to run out the room like that.
Miri turned the corner to nearly run into a broad chest. She stepped back to see Shane in the shadows, looking down at her.
He glared at her as he took her in. He heard what happened in the room, the sheets moving, the groan from Daryl and he was not happy about it.
She ran past him and towards her tent, Shane's eyes watching her from the front door until she got into the tent.
He turned his eyes to the door Daryl was behind, his thoughts turning to slowly killing the man and making it look like an accident crossed his mind, but he stopped them. Soon, he'll get what he wanted.
Daryl moved to pick up the magazine that fell to the floor when the Australian ran out. He turned to the page where it showed her and the other man. He started to read the story, wanting to get his mind from the kiss he shared with Miri.
"Fuckin' Aussie." He grumbled as his eyes scanned the page, every so often taking a peek at the man with Miri.
The next morning, everyone was busy doing chores around the farm.
Chickens were clucking as Carl, who was finally on his feet, was feeding the chickens with Alice and Lori, who looked worried as she fed the chickens, not paying attention to how her son saw her worried looks. Alice was trying to feed the baby chickens from her hands but they were too scared of her and moved away.
"Don't look so worried." Carl told his mother as he threw chicken feed onto the ground.
Lori snapped out of her thoughts about the pregnancy. "It's my job."
"No, it's not. You're a housewife."
Lori gave her son a look and playfully threw some feed at him. "Yeah, punk? You see my house around here?" she scoffed and mumbled under her breath. "A housewife."
Cheeping came from the baby chicks that Alice was trying to hand feed. "Where's their mommy?"
Carl crouched down near Alice. "They don't have a mother."
Lori's eyebrows knitted together, not liking the way her son was speaking to the five year old. "She might be somewhere else."
"Maybe she got eaten." Carl looked at his mother and saw the shocked look on her face. "Everything is food for something else." He told her plainly, but that answer didn't help Lori.
Maggie made her way over to Miri, who was folding the dry clothes that Carol washed. "Hey Miri."
Miri looked up at the brunette woman, her sunglasses shielding her eyes from the sun. "Hey Maggie, what's up?"
"My dad gave me this to give to you so you can make sure Daryl's wounds are okay." She held out a roll of bandages and a tube of Neosporin. "Just put some of the Neosporin on the snitches and re-bandage them."
"Okay?" Miri took her glasses off and took the items from Maggie's hands. "Why come to me?"
"Well, I went to Carol first but she said that sounds like something you can do." Miri's cheeks reddened as she remembered what happened last night, something that Maggie caught. "Are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah, just hot." She gave her a small smile and got up. "I'll go now." She turns to go to the house when Maggie stops her.
"He's not at the house, he left to his tent early this morning."
"Alone?"
Maggie nodded. "Yeah, was real quiet about it." She left with a small wave to Miri and made her way past Carol, who gave Miri a wink and put her fingers to her lips before pretending to zip them.
Miri groaned under her breath and started to make her way towards Daryl's tent.
"Hey, Miri!" Glenn called out to her while carrying a large basket filled with peaches and a small amount of jerky covered in paper towels. "Do you want some peaches or jerky?"
Miri picked up a peach and bit into it. "Wow this is sweet." She took her eyes away from the peach to look at the ex-pizza guy. "Where did you get these?"
"Uhh, Maggie gave them for the group." He swallowed, wetting his dry throat at the thought of the farm girl.
"You alright?" Miri gave Glenn a smirk when he nearly jumped.
"Yeah… I'm fine, you alright?" Glenn asked quickly, the question making the blonde frown, wondering if he knew about the kiss as well.
"Yup." She licked her lips from the juice of the peach as she took another bite.
Glenn looked to the medical items in her hand, anything to distract the thoughts he had of Maggie. "Where are you going with that?"
"Maggie told me to go make sure Daryl's wound is clean and all that." She shrugged as she placed a peach in the arm holding the medical items. "I'll get one for Daryl since I'm heading that way. Make sure Alice eats something, she should be with Lori and Carl feeding the chooks."
Glenn looked confused. "The whats?"
Miri laughed. "Chickens, Glenn. The chickens." She took another bite from her peach, savoring the sweetness. "You got to get use to the way I talk. See ya." She waved at him as she walked toward Daryl's tent. She threw the seed of the peach to the side and tapped on the door of the tent.
Daryl was laying in his tent, poking holes into the netting with one of his bolts, and waiting for the blonde to reach his tent since he watched her talking with Glenn.
"Knock, knock." Miri's voice called out from the door of the tent.
"Go away, Aussie." Daryl called out, not wanting her near him so he doesn't have to explain his actions of last night. Miri ignored his words and barged in. "The fuck."
"Hershel wants me to check up on your wounds. He thinks something might have happened when you moved out here." She put the items down on the bag net to the cot. "I need you to sit up."
Daryl didn't move, not wanting her here in his tent. 'That's a fuckin' lie.' He thought to himself.
Miri sighs and rolls her eyes. She grabbed Daryl's arm and tried to pull him up by he fought against her hold. "Can you get up? Please?"
"Nah! Let go!"
Miri groaned and used her strength to pin him down onto the cot. "Will you just let me do this?"
"Get offa me!" Daryl tried to push her off but froze when the smell of Miri's blonde hair tickled his nose, the taste of peaches on his lips, and a warm breath filled his lungs.
Miri pulled him into a sitting position without taking her lips off of his. She pulled away slowly, a soft tug of their lips disconnecting filled his thoughts.
Daryl opened his eyes when he felt the side of his tank being lifted. "Whoa, what the fuck?"
Miri rolled her eyes. "I told you, I gotta check your stitches."
"You kissed me."
She nodded but didn't look at him. "That I did, just like you kissed me, but unlike you I have a reason why I did it." She put some of the cold Neosporin on the stitches on the front. "Had to distract you somehow so I could do this without you fighting back. Besides," she placed a fresh bandage over the freshly Neosporin covered wound and looked at him with a smirk. "It worked." Miri motioned for him to turn around but he didn't move. She sighed. "I'm not going to kiss you to make you turn around." She got off the cot and got behind him. "Can you raise the back a bit, my hands are still messy from the Neosporin."
Daryl started to grumble to himself about the woman behind him.
Andrea suddenly popped her head it. She was surprised to see Miri in here as well, but brushed it off. "Hey. This is not that great, but…" she had a book in her hand, and she handed it to Daryl.
Daryl scanned through the pages. "What, no pictures?"
"I'm so sorry." Andrea apologized to Miri and Daryl. "I feel like shit."
"Yeah, you and me both." Daryl flinched as Miri rubbed some more Neosporin onto the stitches.
"I don't expect you two to forgive me, but if there's anything I can do…" Andrea looked at them hopefully for forgiveness. She should've listened when Rick said not to shoot, but she just wanted to protect the group like everyone else. She was tired of feeling like she was doing nothing but women's work all the time.
Daryl looked away from the book, understanding why she shot her gun. "You were tryin' to protect the group. We're good." Andrea smiled and looked to Miri who gave her a nod. "But hey," Daryl caught her attention again. "Shoot me again, and you'd best pray I'm dead."
Andrea understood and looked at Miri. "Hey, I didn't know what to get you as an 'I'm sorry' type of thing. I was actually going to look for you to ask after I dropped off the book. Is there anything you want?"
Miri chuckled, the sound vibrating through Daryl. "We're fine, Andrea. Though if you find any peanut butter, I'd love you forever."
Andrea scrunched her nose. "Peanut butter? You like that stuff."
"Yeah, it's so good."
Andrea laughs. "Alright, I'll try and see if I could find any peanut butter any time soon." She leaves, leaving Daryl and Miri alone.
Daryl makes a list in his mind about the things he knows about Miri, adding peanut butter into the list.
"Well the stitches look fine and clean, thankfully, but can you check my back? it's been stinging a bit."
Daryl froze, nearly dropping the book. He turns around to see Miri taking off the blue button up shirt she was wearing yesterday to show a black Cami underneath.
His throat dried as she handed him the Neosporin.
She can hear him hold his breath as he opens the tube.
As he's lightly rubbing the Neosporin into the scratches, a thought goes into his mind. "What happened between you and your boyfriend?"
"Ex-fiancé actually." Miri told him as she held her blonde waves in one hand so they weren't in the way. "Ended it when Rick went into a coma, caught him cheating." Daryl didn't say anything as he inattentively rubbed her back. "Why do you ask?"
Daryl shrugged. "Magazine said somethin' else."
"What?" Miri turned to look at him to see he was reaching under the cot, pulling out the magazine. She quickly took it and turned to page 23.
That's right, the sexy Australian star of our favorite spy show is single. We couldn't get in contact with her, but we got her ex, Mr. Austin Reilly.
Interviewer: Thanks for meeting up with me, Mr. Reilly.
Austin: No problem.
Interviewer: Now, we've all heard the news about the break up, but we want to know why.
Austin: Well, we've been having fights since we haven't seen each other that much, but after I asked her to marry me, she said no.
Interviewer: (gasp) why?
Austin: (shrugs) I don't know, maybe she wasn't ready, but I still love her.
There you have it folks, the reason why one of our favorite couple split. Poor Austin. You should've said yes, Miranda!
Miri threw the magazine away, her rage toward her ex growing. 'Wanker fucking lied!'
"He seems like a dick." Daryl commented as he watched the rage on her face.
"He is one." She stood up. "He better hope I don't find him if he's still alive or dead." Miri picked up the peach and handed it to him. "Here, got this for you. And you shouldn't poke holes in that." She pointed to the netting Daryl was poking hole into. "Mozzies* are gonna get in." (Mosquitoes)
She left, but Daryl can still taste the peach on his lips as he licked them.
"The fuck are mozzies?" he bit into the peach, the taste reminding him of her and shook his head. "Damn girl makes up too many words."