Chapter 39
When everyone arrived back at Alexandria it was a joyful time. Only Rick and Daryl were wary of the possible retribution by the remaining Saviors, even though they felt it was only a small threat. Rick instructed the guards on watch to be extra diligent in keeping an eye out anything out of the ordinary. Rick wasn't leaving anything up to chance.
Maggie and Glenn made a run up to Hilltop for a follow up visit with the doctor. He told them he didn't see any reason why Maggie wouldn't be able to conceive again. She was a healthy young woman, but sometimes these things just happen.
There they learned that not one Savior had been by to pick up any supplies from that community. Together they spoke to Jesus and explained what had happened with the Saviors. They asked him not to say anything to anyone as it was not to be common knowledge that the Alexandrians were responsible. They trusted Jesus to keep their secret.
In the meantime, the supplies at Alexandria were on the rise. Maggie had replanted the garden and tiny sprouts were starting to come up. The pantry was decently stocked for the first time in a longtime. Everyone was eating well.
Daryl was assisting on many of these supply runs, but he made sure he was back each night. He didn't want to do anything overnight if he could help it. Each time he went out he checked the female walker's hands for rings and the houses they scavenged too. The living needed food, medicine, weapons and shelter. No one needed money or jewelry anymore.
He didn't want anything flashy as that wasn't Emma. When he was originally thinking buying her a ring, he had secretly tried one on that she would occasionally wear, and he knew where it should fit on his finger so he kept that in mind as he searched for the right ring.
He finally found it in a jewelry box that was stashed in the back of a drawer in an abandoned house they were searching. It was a wedding ring with three small diamonds on the band. It was just what he wanted. There was no need for an engagement ring like he had been paying off so he figured this band would cover both. It wasn't like they could really get married now anyway, but it was more of a way to pledge themselves to each other.
He wanted that commitment and it surprised him. He knew that good marriages did exist, he just had never seen any being raised by parents that barely tolerated each other. His only example of a good relationship that was lasting was Glenn and Maggie.
He had one more thing he wanted to do, but he needed to check with Rick first. Daryl hid the ring in the box of extra ammunition for his gun. He stored the box in a dresser drawer where he kept some clothes. He didn't think Emma would ever look in there. Since they only private space they had was the bedroom, his hiding spots were limited.
A few days after Daryl found the ring he went in search of Rick. He located him walking through the Monroe house.
"Hey Rick?" he called out.
"Back here," Rick answered. Daryl followed the voice into the library.
"What ya doing?"
"I think the threat from the Saviors is pretty much gone, what about you?" Rick asked not answering Daryl's question.
"Don't think we should lighten up on the watch posts, but yeah I think those pricks are done."
"I thought so too," Rick replied. He walked over to the window and looked outside for a second. "Spencer is moving out of the house and in with Rosita. I think I'm going to move Michonne and the kids here. It will give us more space and some privacy," Rick told him. "Spencer doesn't want to stay here any longer and I don't blame him, but it will work fine for us."
"That's exactly what I was looking to run by you. I got the same thing in mind for Emma and me. A place of our own and more privacy. Can I take #45, it's the smallest of the empty houses and we don't need more than that," Daryl asked.
"Of course. You want it…it's yours." Rick smiled at his friend. "Looks like we are both finally in a good place. A lot different than a few years ago."
"Hell yeah we are. I don't want to go back to that time. Fuck no," Daryl said. That was a bad time for him and he didn't want to have to go through that again. Having his own place with Emma was all he needed. "I'm gonna go check out the house while Emma's busy. Gonna surprise her."
"Who woulda thought you had a romantic side ," Rick teased.
Daryl turned and gave him one of his patented glares. All Rick did was laugh. "Happy for you, man."
A small smile appeared on Daryl's face. "Back at ya."
Daryl started walkout of the room, but turned back. "You know if you move in here, am I gonna have to call you Mayor Grimes?" Daryl ducked as Rick threw a paperback at him and laughed as Rick cursed him out of the room.
The inside of the unused house was in decent shape. It was barely dusty. There was a crew that would go through the unused houses on a monthly basis to keep them in good condition. They never knew when they would need to use one and it gave a job to several of the women. Daryl figured they must have been in there recently.
He stood back and looked at the house that he was about to move into. Even though he knew this was what he wanted more than anything else, his stomach still filled with butterflies. Daryl wanted to bring Emma here tonight after they ate, he didn't want to wait any longer.
Emma noticed that Daryl was quieter than normal at dinner that night. It was just Rick's family, Glenn, Maggie, Daryl and herself. This was the people he was most comfortable with, so she wondered what was bothering him. He wasn't a huge conversationalist by any means, but tonight she could tell something was in his mind.
Since she always cooked, the others did the clean-up, so once they finished eating she was free to do whatever she wanted. Typically after dinner was usually spent relaxing on the porch swing so Daryl could have a cigarette. Emma was going to ask him if he was okay.
When they went outside, Daryl lit the cigarette right away hoping it would calm his nerves. "Let's take a walk," he suggested.
"Sure," Emma agreed. "What was he up to?" she wondered as they started down the quiet street.
Neither said anything for a couple minutes, until Emma couldn't take it anymore. "You going to tell me what's going on here?" she asked.
"What ya mean?" Damn his nerves were making him act odder than normal. Why'd she have to pick up on that?
"Nuthin's going on Em. Can't I take a walk with you?" he told her trying to play it off as nothing.
"Yeah, sure," she replied rolling her eyes.
"Alright, I got sumthin' to show ya, so give me a break, okay?" He could see the house as just a little bit further. The enormity of what he was about to do slammed into him and he felt his palms start to sweat and the butterflies he had been fighting all day turned into somersaults in his stomach.
"Okay," she said smiling up at him. "Is this a surprise?"
"Damn it woman, would you stop messing this up!" he cried out frustrated. She knew him too well for him to try to put anything past her. "Just shut up and follow me."
Emma tried not to laugh at him as he pulled her towards one of the vacant houses. It had always been a favorite of hers. It was slightly smaller than the rest of them, which she liked. Never having grown up or ever lived in a house like these luxury ones inside Alexandria, Emma was always drawn to this one. The cheery yellow color always made her smile and she loved the front porch. If it had the swing like their house did it would be absolutely perfect.
Her curiosity got stronger and stronger as she realized Daryl was bringing her up the front steps. "What was he up to?" she wondered again as he opened the front door and they walked inside.
Daryl wondered if she noticed that his heart was trying to jump out of his chest it was beating so hard. Then his mind went completely blank. Everything he rehearsed that he wanted to say was gone. His mind had gone completely blank. Fuck! Now he was just going to have to wing it.
Emma looked around the living room and saw it was as nice as she had hoped. It was the exact type of home she had always dreamed of, but knew was completely out of her reach. Waitresses didn't live in places like this. "This has always been my favorite house in the community," she told him walking around the room touching everything.
"Really?" Daryl asked. This was better than he had anticipated.
"Yeah. Not too big, not too small and I love that front porch. Modern kitchen and while it's not as big as our house it's perfect."
"It's good that you like it cause…its ours." Daryl watched her reaction as his words hit her.
Emma immediately whipped around to face him. "Ours? Like just you and me… ours?" she asked her eyes wide with surprise.
"Yep, just you and me. That okay with you?"
Emma couldn't believe what he was telling her. This absolutely perfect house was theirs? "You mean we no longer live with everyone at the big house and it's really just you and me alone in this absolutely incredible house with no one else?"
Only now did Daryl know that she was happy. "Yeah, just you and me Em, the way it should have been years ago. Rick's moving out of the big house too, into the Monroe house and it's time we had our own place. I would never have been able to give you anything like this on a mechanics salary, but that don't matter no more. This is ours…if you want it."
"If I want it? Daryl, this is my perfect house! To live here with you is a dream come true." Emma twirled around the living room not believing what was happening.
Her own house. Her very own house with Daryl.
He saw her excitement and it thrilled him to make her this happy. They had both lost so much and been through so much, that he could do this for her was the best feeling ever. He had one more surprise for her and did the first thing he thought of, he dropped to one knee holding the ring out between two fingers.
Emma turned around and stopped when she saw him. Her eyes got wider and wider as she slowly walked over to him. "Be my wife Emma. I don't want you to ever doubt us. I know this ain't official, but I don't want anyone else."
Emma threw her arms around Daryl almost knocking him to the floor. "Oh my God. Are you serious? Really? We're really doing this?"
Daryl stood up still holding onto the ring. "Are you gonna say yes? You're killing me here."
"Of course!" Emma exclaimed. "Yes, yes and yes."
Daryl took her left hand in his and slid the ring onto her finger. "I love you Emma Raines. You're all mine now …forever."
Emma cocked her head and looked him right in the eye. "That's Emma Dixon and I've always been yours Daryl from the very first minute we met."
Daryl was the happiest he had ever been in his entire life. Nothing was better than this moment right then and there. He took Emma's face in his hands and leaned in to kiss her. All of his love and desire for Emma came through that kiss. It started out gentle like they did, then he pushed it stronger and Emma responded with equal fervor.
Lips were crushed together and tongues played a game of tag. They were both hungry for each other and within minutes kissing wasn't enough. Daryl broke away first. He took Emma by the hand and started walking towards the stairs.
"Where are we going?" she asked trying to catch her breath.
"To consummate this marriage." Daryl was ready to run up the stairs. He couldn't get her naked fast enough.
"Hot damn!"
The sun had set leaving Daryl and Emma in a soft darkness as they lay in each other's arms. A lone flickering candle on the dresser gave off minimal light. Emma had never felt this happy or this content in her whole life… until tonight. Daryl Dixon was the best thing that ever happened to her. Everything she had ever wanted was in this room. He was her whole life. Slowly Emma closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep dreaming of their new life together.
Daryl looked on the nightstand next to the bed. They still had three unused condoms lying there and he fully intended on using them all. He was only going to have one wedding night and he was going to make the most of it. Luckily for him, Emma was just was eager to get back to their old habits of having sex whenever and wherever they wanted. They still didn't know if she was pregnant from the night of unprotected sex they had. If she was, they would handle it together.
He considered himself lucky to ever have found her in the first place. Merle had done something right when he rented them that trailer next to hers. Emma was the most beautiful girl he had ever met and he couldn't believe that she had actually wanted him back then...Daryl 'Nobody' Dixon. He didn't deserve her, but once they got together he never wanted to let her go. Then she was gone…suddenly gone and ripped from his life. For years he simply survived, existing in a fucked up world that she wasn't in. It was nothing short of a miracle that they found each other again. Two of the worst people in his life, Merle and Negan, gave him Emma…not once, but twice. It may have taken years, but she was back in his arms for good.
He let her sleep for a while as the room was slowly bathed in darkness as the candle burned itself out. He was happy just to lay her with her wrapped in his arms for as long as she slept.
His wife, his house…his awesome life.
Daryl was finally a happy man.
The end.
A/N - Thank you everyone who have been faithfully reading Suddenly...GONE. This is my interpretation of what made Daryl the man he was early on in TWD. Thank you to everyone that has taken the time to drop be a comment/review. They are much appreciated.
Shout out of thanks to - Inlovinfanfic, WalkingAddiction, I'm a Nerd & Proud, EastDensie, jeanf, missy7293, ks90, BeautifulDizastexDixon, Lorryltp, Heather, snowflaske2410 and Miss October 13
My next story is a departure from TWD storyline. It's completely AU. You'll find Daryl (of course), Rick, Michonne and Merle in a tale of that happens when Daryl steps out of his comfort zone and takes a chance. Follow me to see all of my stories and look for 'Taking a Chance' on Sunday.
Walker Witch
