Thanks for the feeback! I know everyone else is as excited by the recent Season 6 Trailer as I am, and it definitely gave me a feel for where the story needs to go.
Onwards and upwards!
He let his head fall to the crook of her neck, muttering, "Yeah, that's a yes," into her soft skin. She smiled broadly and threaded her fingers through his hair, feeling him relax against her body. They both needed this. With a world constantly on the verge of chaos, the rare escape was not something to pass up.
A loud knock on the garage door echoed in the garage, drawing them out of the reverie. Star let out an audible, exasperated growl, but crossed to the garage door and hauled it up a few inches. Daryl was hot on her heels, crossbow at the ready.
Maggie's face appeared in the slit near the ground. "Rylynn, Deanna sent me over. She needs you at her house."
The night under the stars with Daryl disappeared before Star's eyes. She sighed in defeat and hauled the garage up more, gesturing for Maggie to duck under. The newcomer raised her eyebrows upon seeing Daryl in the outsider's garage, but a glare from him silenced her on the matter.
"What does Deanna need?" Star asked, already gathering her spear and its carrier as she walked into the house. Maggie and Daryl trailed after her.
"The townspeople are in an uproar," Maggie explained. "They don't want to follow Rick."
"And she wants me to be the voice of reason," Star rolled her eyes. "Convenient."
Maggie gave her a disapproving glance. "She just lost her husband, Rylynn."
"Who is over there?" Star powered through the woman's reprimand, crossing to the closet and selecting several pieces of clothing. Daryl turned around and pretended to be straightening the knives in the kitchen as she stripped down and began tossing clean clothing on.
"Aaron, Eric, Jessie, Sam, Ron…pretty much all of them," Maggie informed her, unfazed by Star's state of undress. "Glenn's there, trying to keep the calm, but they won't listen to him."
Star nodded and began to sloppily braid her long hair down one side of her neck. Daryl turned back around to find her dressed in loose, torn jeans, a short white cami, and a light blue lace wrap. She slipped her feet into a pair of worn, tan sandals and tossed the spear in its carrier over her shoulder. With only a, "Come on," to her two companions, she was out the door and down the street, purpose in her stride.
As they closed in on Deanna's house, she addressed Maggie. "I think it would be best if you and Glenn went back home. If they've already been arguing with you, your presence may cause some tension."
"Deanna's in no shape to be left alone," Maggie reminded her sharply.
"Deanna's in no shape to have another fight break out in her home," Star replied with the same tone. "You and Glenn can come back when the discussion is done." With that, Star stepped around the red head and approached the steps to Deanna's home.
Daryl grabbed Maggie's arm to keep her from entering the house.
"That ain't fair," he scolded her. "She's loyal to us. She moved into th' family house last night."
"Oh really?" Maggie challenged him. "And did she move that Jeep and all those supplies in, too?"
"She's gonna," Daryl protested. "Maggie, she's with us."
Maggie roughly pulled out of his grasp. "Just because she's with you, doesn't mean she's with us. Who knows what she's going to say to them once she kicks us out?!"
"I'll stay then," Daryl resolved. "You and Glenn done enough. Go home."
Maggie seemed mildly appeased by the solution, and nodded slightly. "Fine."
Glenn appeared at the doorway, looking slightly confused and entirely exhausted.
"Rylynn sent me out and said to go home," he informed them, taking his place at Maggie's side. "She's going to talk to them and try to find some sort of solution."
Maggie gripped his hand in hers. "That's fine, let's go," she answered, and with a pointed look to Daryl, the couple began their walk home. Daryl took a deep breath and walked into the home, closing the door behind him.
A small crowd had gathered inside the house. It reminded Daryl a bit of the group discussion they had once held inside Hershel's home, when deciding the fate of the injured teenage boy. Only this time, the only familiar face was Star's.
Deanna looked years older than she had the night previous. It was clear that she had spent most of her time crying, and very little sleeping. Jessie had a similar look on her face. Aaron and Eric looked up and smiled at him as he entered, and Aaron frowned, pointing at Daryl's crossbow. Daryl took the hint and placed the weapon behind a nearby wall, out of sight. Star, however, had kept her spear on her back.
Aaron, Eric, Sam, and Deanna seemed relieved to see Star there. The rest of the townspeople, who had all been so engaging, trusting and friendly towards her, now regarded her with hesitation and unease. Many gave him open looks of disgust. Star recognized this and stepped closer to him, challenging the townspeople.
"Rylynn, thank you for coming," Deanna began. "There has been some concerns about Rick Grimes being constable in this town, given last night's…events." Her voice began to fade at the recollection of Reg's demise.
"We were wondering," Aaron picked up, "what insight you might have."
"Yeah, you always seem to be hanging out with them now," a tall man in his mid-thirties spoke up, an accusatory tone edging in on his voice. "Especially that one." He jabbed a thumb in Daryl's direction.
"You all know Daryl," Star said meaningfully. Heads nodded across the room. "Now, are there any actual questions or concerns that we can discuss, please?" The conversation about her and Daryl's relationship was effectively shut down, and Daryl was grateful for it.
"Rick is unstable, and dangerous," a stout woman piped up. "He killed Pete, and he brought that biter into the courtyard!"
Murmurs of agreement rose up.
"The biter was already within the walls," Star reminded them promptly.
"But why bring it into a public place?" the woman continued. "It's unnecessary!"
Daryl wanted to jump in, but Eric beat him to it. "To make a point, Elise. The town isn't as safe as we've been assuming it is."
"Well, certainly not, if he's acting like that!"
"Elise, stop, please," Star cut in, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance. "The point is, biters can get into the town, and they already are. We are grossly unprepared to handle biters within these walls. Your reaction, instead of looking for weaknesses in the walls and training with weapons, was to complain that he dumped the evidence at our feet."
There was a brief pause as the townspeople realized that she was not there to comfort them, as she always had. This time, she was there to wake them up.
"Whose side are you on, anyway?" the first man asked severely.
"The side that stays alive, Thomas," Star responded promptly. "Which one are you on?"
"We've been fine for two years, without incident!" Thomas wasn't backing down. "And then this group from Georgia comes in, and suddenly the world goes to shit!"
"The world went to shit two years ago," Star corrected him. "You've all been blessed enough to not have to see it. But now, it's coming in. Rick has seen what's on the outside. His family has survived reality. You have been hiding from it. There's no more space to hide. You're going to have to face it. Deanna has done an incredible job leading you in peace." The weary leader nodded in appreciation of the young woman's praise. "But now, it's war. And we need a leader experienced with battle. We need Rick, whether or not you like it."
"Rylynn, it's not that we don't appreciate what Rick has to offer," Jessie spoke up quietly. "But we want to keep some civilization. We've worked so hard to have real lives here, without violence."
"Jessie, I'm sorry, but that's not an option anymore," Star simply stated. "Either learn how to survive here with weapons, under Rick, or leave, with no skills and no idea what's out there."
"See?!" Thomas jumped in. "She's on their side! All these months living with us, and you never get close to anyone. But as soon as they show up, you become inseparable from Daryl!"
"That's not true, Thomas!" Aaron protested. "Rylynn has always been close with Eric and myself. Just because it wasn't with you…"
"Shut up, you bitch!" Thomas returned.
"Hey!" Eric hobbled to his full height.
"Man, cut it out!" Daryl injected, moving to stand between the shouting parties. Thomas shoved Daryl away from him.
"Stay out of it, fucking white trash!"
The foot came out of nowhere, flying past Daryl's shoulder and landing squarely on Thomas's nose. The man stumbled backwards into a wall, blood gushing from his nose.
Daryl turned to see Star lowering her leg back down to the floor, a cold look on her face. She grabbed a cloth napkin from the nearby table, and pressed it against Thomas's face. She twisted her grip slightly, and Thomas cried out in pain.
"Are you quite done?" she hissed at him. He whimpered in surrender. Roughly, she shoved him away from her and stood up straight to address everyone else. "This is how it's going to be. Out there, the biters will kill you for breathing. And the living will kill you for less. Stay and finally have to get your hands dirty, or take your chances on the road."
"Those are our choices?!" Elise interrupted. "Stay and comply, or die?"
"What do you want me to do, Elise? Lie? I've been doing that for you for months!" Star snapped. "I've been running around in the biter-infested woods, collecting the supplies you need for your cushy lives! I've counseled you through the nightmares that don't even compare to the things I've seen! I've killed your dissenters in the night so you don't have to see it! What more do you want from me?!"
Daryl saw the tears welling up in her eyes, the anger erupting from her balled fists. He moved closer to her and ghosted his fingers down her arm to her wrist. Her body stayed taught and tense; she was afraid that if she let go, she would fall to bits. All she wanted was to curl into his side and let the tears fall, but she had twenty sets of eyes on her, and a role to play. She wasn't Star, the lost intellectual and the last Laudine left; she was Rylynn, the confident, unshakeable runner. Right now, the world needed her to be Rylynn. But for the first time, all she wanted to do was be Star.
"This is the real world," she finally choked out. "This is the reality you've avoided for so long. There is no leaving it. So you better get used to it, and learn to live in it. Rick's in charge, and that's the end of that."
She turned sharply on her heel and marched out of the room, through the doorway and onto the porch. Daryl was prepared this time, and matched her step for step, his hand never leaving her arm.
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They walked all the way to the family home without a word. Upon entering the house, they were greeted with the sight of the entire clan collected in the living room, waiting for their return. Rick got to his feet when they walked into the room.
"Maggie and Glen told us what happened," Carol informed them. "What did they say?"
"Who cares?" Abraham rolled his eyes from the couch. "Buncha pussies anyway."
Star had gone silent, so Daryl stepped in. "They didn't want ya to lead em," he told Rick. "Last night spooked em. They're afraid ta get violent."
"What did you tell them?" Rick asked.
"That this is th' way it is now," Daryl answered. "Didn't much like it. Aaron and Eric might be on board. Some dude named Thomas started causin' issues."
"Issues how?" Michonne cut in.
"Callin' Aaron a bitch, and getting' at it with Eric," Daryl glossed over the details.
"Jesus," Rick said, shaking his head. "That's going to really set them against Aaron and Eric, our only two real connections with the group besides Star."
"I'd count me out, too," Star finally spoke. "I kicked Thomas in the face and twisted his broken nose."
"Awesome!" Carl called from the adjacent room.
"Star, you shouldn't have done that," Rick reprimanded. "That's only going to cause more of a rift between us and them."
"Rick, come on, the guy was askin' for it," Daryl protested.
"Petty fights are irrelevant now. We need to establish either total control or total confidence, and right now, we have neither."
"Rick, I understand what you're saying," Star acknowledged. "But I'd do it again, in a heartbeat. I don't tolerate disrespect."
"I get that," Rick sighed. "But next time, put your pride aside, please."
Star had had enough. She turned to Daryl. "I'm going to take a shower and sleep." She wished the rest of the group a good night, and disappeared up the stairs.
"Keep her under control," Rick told Daryl. Daryl gave a quiet laugh to that. Rick gave him a warning look.
"I mean it, Daryl. We can't have any more issues."
'Rick, that ain't my choice," Daryl reminded him. "Star's gonna do whatever she does."
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Quiet had settled over the group home. Almost everyone was asleep, and Star had not appeared to take her place on the couch. Daryl was sitting in the kitchen, pouring over the collection of maps Star had been working on. Sadelia, Alexandria. Sadelia, Alexandria.
Rick was in a similar mindset, his hands holding his head as he sat on the couch. A quiet knock came at the door.
"Rick?" a soft, feminine voice called. "It's me, Jessie."
Daryl made no move to open the door, believing it best to let Rick's affairs be Rick's alone. Rick crossed the room and opened the door, allowing the petite blonde in.
"Jessie, hello," he greeted. She moved to the couch and sat down heavily.
"Did you hear about Rylynn's talk at Deanna's?" She asked right away.
"I did. What are your thoughts?"
Jessie was quite for a few moments before speaking. "I…I think she had good points. I don't like it, but I think she was speaking the truth. She was actually getting through to a lot of people, but then with Thomas…I think she scared them."
"I understand. She shouldn't have done that."
"Oh no, I get why she did. He practically started a fight with Aaron and Eric, and what he said about Daryl was just wrong."
Another pause followed as Rick processed what she was saying. "What did he say about Daryl? I thought she was defending herself…"
"No, Thomas called him white trash when Daryl tried to stop the fight. I think that's mostly why Rylynn struck him. Regardless, people are still unsure. I think they would have trusted her word more, but they've seen her with Daryl so much…they feel her allegiances have changed, and her judgment has been clouded."
"You could speak to them, Julie," Rick suggested.
"I can't, Rick. Not with Pete's death…it's not right."
"I understand."
"Just…I just wanted to warn you that nothing's changed. It might be a good idea for Rylynn to stay out of the spotlight for a while. Daryl, too."
"Again, I can see why. Thanks for coming by, Jessie."
"Of course, Rick. I..really…I…"
An awkward silence followed. Daryl decided that he had heard enough. He silently crossed the kitchen to the staircase and left the two to their own devices.
Upon entering his room, he found it void of Carl or Abraham, but blonde and brown hair was sprawled across his customary mattress, Star curled around his pillow and fast asleep.
All the tension she had held in her body at the meeting strongly contrasted to the flowing, relaxed shape her limbs were in now. The tips of her hair were still damp; she had changed into a soft pair of shorts and loose top after her shower. He removed his jacket and vest, and, seeing the pair of sweatpants he had borrowed from her place folded on the desk, pulled those over his boxers. Uncertain of what to do, he slid his back down the wall, sitting near her head and watching her eyes quiver in her sleep. He cautiously lifted a hand to her shoulder and settled it there, taking note of the coolness to her skin.
Her golden eyes fluttered open and settled on his face, a lazy smile crossing her features. "Hey, about time," she mumbled. He gave her a crooked smile.
"Come here," she muttered, scooting over so she only took up half of the mattress. Daryl's eyes went wide and his blood rushed to his feet.
"'s ok," he replied. "I'm fine."
"Angel, don't be stupid. There's plenty of room."
"I'm fine," he insisted.
A hurt look flashed across her eyes. "Oh…okay then."
"Not like that," he whispered.
"Then what's it like?" she challenged. Try as he might, he couldn't find any answer.
"Exactly," she responded to his silence. "Please, Daryl? Don't be afraid."
He swallowed his fear and crawled onto the mattress wordlessly, settling down on the extreme opposite of her. She rolled her eyes in the dark at him, and promptly hauled herself up on her arms, leaning over him. Before he could question her actions, she leaned down across his chest and captured his lips in a deep kiss.
His brain, with all its previous objections and mockeries, went blank, and all he knew was her soft lips and cool skin, engulfing him and coursing through him. His hands went up around her waist to press her more firmly against him, and she responded by releasing her arms and falling completely on top of him.
After a series of long, intimate kisses, she settled her head on top of his chest, arms encircling his waist as she slid her torso off of him. His hands awkwardly floated above her until they settled around her shoulders and waist.
He knew he should feel nervous, and whisperings of the voice in his head echoed in his mind. Too good for you…no good loser…she'll never really like anyone like you…Thomas was right…What if someone see you?
But her steady, rhythmic breaths combated every doubt, and soon, he found himself lulling off to sleep.
I know several of you will be disappointed that the inevitable was postponed, and I'm sorry for that! But never fear! I just felt there was more development to do in the community, and between Daryl and Star, before we get there. As always, reviews and commentary are greatly appreciated!