A/N: this is a work of fanfiction, I only own Thea.

Wallflower

By Leah Pensotti

Thea's heart leaped up in her throat, she didn't like how worried Daryl was. He carried her off the road to the tree line of the woods. Daryl put her down and they hid behind a broad white oak tree. Thea pressed herself against the tree and poked her head out, while Daryl stood close behind her.

The motorcycles neared and came to a halt near their car. Luckily they had all of the weapons they brought with them and none were left in the vehicle. Men could be heard walking and talking, they wore leather and had guns. Thea felt herself tense up and Daryl put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

One of the men wandered close to the tree line and looked into the woods. Thea turned around quietly, too scared to look. Daryl lowered his head to hers and put two fingers over her lips, urging her to be quiet. She pushed herself to breathe evenly, even though her heart was now pounding in her ears.

As Daryl watched the road intently, it gave Thea the chance to study his face. He wasn't the same handsome as Rick, but she appreciated the roughness of him...and he seemed to be gruff, but kind. She liked his hands, too.

Thea heard a door slam and an engine attempt to start, Daryl shook his head and grumbled lowly, "Shit."

Soon, the motorcycles revved up again along with the car engine turning over, Daryl looked disheartened and Thea felt her stomach bottom out. As the group sped away, Daryl hung his head and didn't look at her.

"They took the fuckin' car."

Thea shrugged and tried to be positive, "We can make it back before nightfall."

"I brought ya out here. Ya weren't supposed ta get out of the car."

She reached out to him, hoping to comfort him. Thea touched his face gently and he looked somewhere between surprised and scared, "Hey, I'm not hopeless. I can walk quickly. You can give me a piggy back ride if we need to go faster...but maybe we should try to find a car first...before all of that. We can work this problem out together, okay?"

Thea was still touching his face. Why was she still touching his face?

Daryl nodded, "Okay."

Thea dropped her hand quickly, denying herself the urge to pull him to her.


He couldn't believe those assholes had hot-wired the car.

He couldn't be sure...but he got the feeling they were from the same group that he, Sasha and Abraham had encountered after trying to lead the herd away.

Thea remained positive, even though she was clearly shaken up by the experience. Daryl saw her tense a little and touched her shoulder, when the man surveyed the woods, she had turned around to face him, her back up against the big oak tree.

Her lips, pink and full trembled and her grey eyes went wide with fear. Daryl touched her mouth with his fingers, trying to keep her quiet. Her lips were soft, and immediately he realized she probably didn't want him to touch her.

But then, after the men had retreated, she touched his face with her hand. She was gentle and warm...and she was trying to make him feel better. Thea didn't seem afraid of him or disgusted by him.

He had never really known that much about women. There hadn't been that many in his life; but Thea seemed different...attainable. Like someone who could understand him...and the things he had been through.

Part of him was curious of what would happen if he had pressed her against that tree?

Instead, he carried her back up to the road and they started walking. Most of the cars were rusted and burned out, and for about a mile, they did not see anything of interest. Daryl offered her some water from the canteen and she thanked him.

"So those men...on the motorcycles...I got the feeling you have encountered them before?"

Daryl kept walking and nodded, "The day the herd passed through...we were headed back. Got stopped by some men on motorcycles. Wanted to kill us. I took care of 'em...same way I set the pond on fire when we got back."

He saw Thea screw the cap back on the canteen and smile a little, "The rocket launcher?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah."

"That's impressive. You're pretty handy with that thing."

He thought he might blush for the first time in his life, but he just shrugged.

Thea could walk quickly, but he still noticed all her little learned movements. He thought it was probably from physical therapy. He liked how she didn't make a huge deal over it, how instead of worrying she insisted that they could still make it back before nightfall.

They didn't talk for awhile and another mile in, she spied a small gas station, and nodded towards it, "You guys been in there?"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. Awhile back. Mostly smokes and liquor...car stuff."

"Any wine?"

He looked at her curiously and stopped in the middle of the road and shrugged, "Yeah. I think so. Been some time though."

Thea smiled, "I've had a hankering for some wine. Would you mind...?"

"If ya wanna. We should make it quick though."

She agreed, "Okay."


Thea waited as Daryl went in first, making sure the shop was clear. He waved her in and saw what he meant. There wasn't too much left. She maneuvered quietly around the store, looking around. Daryl pocketed a few packages of cigarettes, while she walked to the refrigerated cases.

Broken glass was everywhere, mostly bottles. Thea opened one of the cases and found a sad six pack of Seagram's wine coolers and couldn't help but laugh. It reminded her of college parties and girls who couldn't handle their liquor. There was also a bottle of Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill, which was the first alcohol she ever tried at sixteen. This also made her laugh.

Daryl walked over curiously, "Whatcha laughin' at?"

Thea turned to him and smiled after pulling the bottle out of the case, "The cheapest, girliest shit ever. Also the first thing I ever got drunk on."

"When was that?"

"Sixteen years old at my friend's house. My foster parents were nonplussed. I ended up in a group home after that."

Daryl shook his head, "Ya don't strike me as a hell raiser."

Thea agreed, "I'm not. But being a teenager wasn't easy. I still pushed back. I've always been bookish, but at that time I wanted to be like everyone else...and there was peer pressure."

Daryl took the bottle from her and put it in his bag, "See anythin' else?"

Thea walked around the counter and went behind it, no red wine, but beggars couldn't be choosers. She looked through the cabinets under the register and searched in the dark with her hands, finding little packets and one large one.

She smiled, as the large package was beef jerky...the little ones were condoms.

Thea covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. She definitely wasn't going to tell Daryl Dixon about the rubbers, but decided to take them back to Denise anyway...in case anybody needed them at the clinic.

She shoved them in her pockets, Denise would crack up when she emptied them on the marble island in the kitchen. Thea would probably get a decent laugh, too.

When she was done she stood up carefully, and Daryl smiled when she held up the beef jerky, "I figure we can split it on the way home."

When they got back out on the road, Thea ripped open the bag and offered him the first piece. Daryl reached his hand in and pulled out a piece and she followed suit. They walked and ate for another two miles, stopping to look into cars or see if they would turn over.

Thea wiped the sweat from her brow, the late summer heat was thick and suffocating. Daryl offered her another drink from the canteen and she stopped for just a moment.

"Ya okay?"

Thea nodded, "I'm just hot."

She took her hair down, it was sticking to the back of her neck. She tied it up higher like a cheerleader took the canteen from him and allowed herself a long pull of water.

They had about another mile to go.


Daryl looked at Thea with concern, she hadn't had to walk that far in some time, but she was just stubborn enough not to say that something was wrong.

He watched as she pulled up her hair, and he caught sight of a shiny packet sticking out of her pocket. Daryl looked closer and realized it was a condom.

She had a condom in her pocket.

Daryl wasn't going to bring it up...but it definitely piqued his curiosity. Mostly...who was she planning on using it with?

He remembered walking up to her house that morning, finding her looking at Rick in that way that she had never looked at him.

Rick was a far better choice. He had been married, had kids...Daryl hadn't really come into his own until the world went to hell.

Thea took a sip of water, now sporting a high ponytail and handed the canteen back to him, "We're almost there. I'm surprised we haven't had more issues with roamers."

He nodded, they'd only seen one while they were in the car. They started walking again, and Thea spoke up, "I was really hoping for some red wine. My kingdom for a horse, I guess."

Daryl shook his head, "What?"

Melanie shrugged, "It's Shakespeare. It's when a character wanted to trade his kingdom, which was valuable, for something simple. I guess mine is closer to my kingdom for red wine, ice cream and PBS."

Daryl made a mental note; he couldn't help with the other two, but he could keep an eye out for the red wine.

They walked that final mile, Thea looked exhausted, but happy to see the gates of Alexandria in the distance. When they got closer, Spencer opened the gate and Rick appeared and marched out to meet them.

"Did you guys have trouble? Where's the car?"

Daryl looked at Thea and then back at Rick, "We had a flat. Then motorcycles came. We hid in the woods. They hot wired the car."

Rick put his hands on his hips, "You think-"

Daryl nodded, "Yeah. I do."

Rick looked concerned and waved them in. Daryl noticed a bit of a pronounced limp in Thea's step. She had walked almost five miles in the Virginia heat.

Once the gate was shut, Rick put a hand on her shoulder, "You okay? You hurting?"

Thea wiped her brow again and shrugged, "I'll be okay. I just need to take a load off. Maybe some ibuprofen."

Rick nodded, "You go on home, alright? I'll be by in a bit."

Thea nodded and as she turned, Daryl called after her, "Hey Thea...wait up."

She stopped and let him catch up. He took the bottle of wine of his bag and handed it to her, "Uh, here."

Thea took it from him and smiled, "Thanks...hey, do me a favor. Let me get this chilled and...would you like to share it with me? Come over around nine?"

Daryl felt struck dumb. She wanted to see him tonight? Drink wine?

He nodded, "Okay."

She smiled and walked in the direction of her home after saying goodbye. Daryl turned around and went with Rick, wondering exactly what was going to happen when he went to Thea's house.


Rick paced back and forth in his living room, feeling disconcerted by the news that Daryl had brought back. The motorcycle men...again.

Poor Thea had gotten more than she bargained for going out on that recon. Daryl felt terrible about it. They both saw her limping back to her house, but she made no fuss.

Rick realized she was probably made of tougher stuff than he gave her credit for.

They decided on beefing up the guard duties and also training more with rifles for long range shooting. Rick didn't want Alexandria to be full of sitting ducks, they had come so far since the herd and the wolves...but it was hard to plan before they knew exactly who they were dealing with, but knew it was only a matter of time before they were found.

As Daryl left the house, Rick checked in with Carl and Michonne who were keeping an eye on Judith. Carl had rebounded nicely once he got home, but was still learning to get used to his new situation.

Rick wanted to pop out quickly to talk to Thea. Daryl said he was impressed with her as a whole. She thought things out, she stayed positive...she didn't care about having to walk five miles back home.

When he reached her door, he could hear laughter coming from the kitchen and Denise's voice telling him to come in. By the time he hit the kitchen, both Thea and Denise were in hysterics. Thea's cheeks were pink and she was wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so much.

Denise straightened a bit when she saw Rick, "Oh hey...is Carl okay?"

Rick nodded, "He's doing great, actually. I just got done talking to Daryl...wanted to talk to Thea about their outing today."

Thea had stopped laughing and nodded, "Alright? Do you mind if we sit in the living room? I should probably take a load off."

Rick nodded, "Sure."

Denise shoved her hands in her pockets and nodded, "I'm going to the clinic, I'll bring you back some ibuprofen. Thanks for the...stuff you found today."

They walked into the living room and Thea took off her shoes and sat down slowly. She was still limping.

Rick sat down next to her and tried to get a read on how she was feeling. As usual, the girl gave no indication, "So...what was so funny?"

Thea stifled a laugh with the back of her hand, "I happened upon some things for the clinic while we were out. Denise made a joke. We both found it funny."

Rick felt a curious smile pull at his lips, "What things?"

Thea looked at her hands and not at him and smiled, "Um, uh...about twenty magnum sized condoms."

Rick wasn't expecting that answer.

Thea shook her head, "I'm not repeating the joke though."

He could tell she was slightly embarrassed by the topic, but it was nice to see her laughing when he came in. She had a infectious laugh.

"I just came by to check in with you...about the run. I'm sorry you had to walk so much."

Thea shrugged, "We got back okay. We didn't even have to brain anything. I found beef jerky and a bottle of really cheap wine. I'd call it a win...even though it makes me nervous when Daryl thinks something is wrong...the men on the motorcycles unnerved him...and that unnerved me."

Rick could understand that. He studied her profile for a few moments and wondered why it had taken him so long to pay attention to her. She was smart, forthright...and she had a nice smile when she felt comfortable with someone.

Which he noticed she had started becoming more comfortable with him...but not as comfortable as she was with Denise. Which made him wholly curious about who she was behind that reserved personality around people she trusted.

"Well, we're going to beef up guard watches and also rifle training...which you might be good at."

Thea smiled and shrugged, "True. No running required."

He did something he knew would get her attention, he took her hand in his. Thea's eyes went wide again, and she turned to him, but continued to look down at their hands. Rick let his curiosity take over and he tipped her chin up so her gray eyes could meet his.

"I want you to be honest with me...if you're not comfortable with something, tell me."

Thea gave a small nod, "I will."

She looked down again, but didn't pull away. Rick found himself leaning a bit closer to her, their noses inches apart.

"Rick..."

"What?"

"I uh, I'm not sure what's happening here."

He couldn't help but smile, "I think...I mean, I know I'm curious about you."

Thea smiled that familiar secret smile, "Why? Why now?"

Rick shrugged, "Because I want to know what you're thinking...that smile of yours is like the goddamn Mona Lisa. I want to make you laugh like Denise did."


Rick Grimes was getting ready to kiss her.

Thea felt the butterflies winging all the way to her throat. His blue eyes were boring holes through her, his breath tickled at her cheek.

It had been years since she'd been properly kissed. Of course she was curious about being in the handsome, rugged arms of Alexandria's proven leader...what red blooded woman wouldn't?

Thea looked up again and met his eyes, her pulse quickening. She prayed for the ability to be bold. Rick found her lips with his own, kissing her sweetly...testing out the waters. Once again, she froze, hoping she wouldn't spoil the moment.

She enjoyed the stubble on his face and the slight scratching against her own skin. Thea opened her mouth against his, allowing him to have full access. Her hands cupped his face, and his arms snaked around her, pulling her closer to him.

They didn't break apart, instead, their foreheads rested together as they took in what just happened. Thea swooned like one of the ladies in her historical fiction novels, she was going to be thinking about this...well, until it happened again.

She smiled gently, even at the thought.

Rick touched her cheek gently, "I've got to patrol tonight...but maybe tomorrow morning we could meet at the gazebo, spend a little more time together?"

Thea nodded, "I'd like that."

"Sunrise?"

She nodded in agreement and Rick kissed her again softly, before showing himself out of the house.

Thea touched her lips gently with her fingers replaying the moment in her head, a small smile dancing there.


A/N: hello loves! Just to be clear...there will be romance with both for Thea, so all you Daryl fans be ready ;). It is a love triangle after all! Next up: Strawberry Hill with Daryl and a chat with Rosita ;) any guesses to what the joke Denise told was?

You all blow me away. Thank you for the constant support, follows, favorites and reviews. You are the best!

Super Special Shout Outs to: Gillyflower34 (you know I got you;), CLTex, wolfkibagirl69,Kingi, Jemstone6259, zaii, enchantmentanjel, cappiesgirl23, ThisIsWhereIScreamFrom (oh, she will be romanced by both, but will choose one;), BreenaBelle-xoxo, EmmalovesDemetri and TheFaceOfAlison (Girl, I feel the same way!)

Thanks and Love,

Leah P!

xoxo