'Morning.' Ava chirped as she entered the pantry. She was greeted by a dark haired woman of ample proportions.
'Ava, hi.'
Olivia smiled as she looked up from her clipboard. She stood in front of a rack of shelves, counting the number of canned goods each of them contained.
'I heard you had quite the day yesterday?'
Her words caused Ava to falter ever so slightly in her step. Yesterday's events flooded her memory along with embarrassment. Her right hand involuntarily reached up to graze her sore side, a fresh reminder of her own stupidity.
Suddenly it was the memory of warm, calloused hands accompanied by piercing blue eyes that engulfed her. Her stomach fluttered slightly while a red hue danced across her cheeks.
A gleeful sound escaped Olivia and Ava cursed her bodily betrayal.
'Tell me everything." Olivia put her clipboard down, giving Ava her full attention while grinning widely.
'Please don't do this Olivia.' Ava sighed, her eyes pleading. 'There's really not much to tell.'
'Not much to tell?' Olivia replied with feigned dramatics, placing a hand on her chest for emphasis. 'Are you telling me that the town's school teacher, our very own English rose rides off on the back of a motorcycle with our new, mysterious leather-clad bad boy and you have nothing for me?'
A small snort escaped Ava as she tried to squeeze past the woman to get further into the pantry. 'I'm sorry. I guess there isn't really any way to put a sexy spin on a trip to get children's school books.'
'Are you kidding me? I can think of at least ten scenarios from the top of my head. The two of you alone in the library, his strong arms holding you up against the shelves…' Olivia listed blissfully as she trailed after Ava into the next room.
'Oh God. Stop.'
'But you know how much I miss my soaps Ava. Please just let me have this' Olivia groaned.
'I'm sorry, but I refuse to be the substitution for you romance novels.' Ava chuckled before turning her attention to the stocked shelves. 'I'm serious.' She continued when Olivia lingered behind her.
'Fine.' Olivia sighed, throwing her hands up in defeat. 'Listen, I need to pop up to use the ladies room real quick. Can you just write down whatever you're taking and leave it here for me?'
'Of course.' Ava nodded and waved her off, grateful that the conversation was over.
'You two would look good together though, are you sure that you're not -' Olivia started from the hallway.
'Bye, Olivia.' Ava called laughingly after her. The other woman scoffed before she left. Ava listened until she heard the door close behind her.
Left alone she let out a sigh of relief. As she began picking what she needed from the shelves, Olivia's words kept replaying in her head. The fact annoyed her. It was the ideas of an entertainment starved individual, nothing more.
She grabbed a can of tomato soup, rolling it in her hand while not really staring at it. She did enjoy his company. The realization somewhat surprised her. He had been rude, abrasive and unpleasant towards her since they met. But in between that she'd seen glimpses of a kind and gentle man.
Yes, she enjoyed his company.
Ava suddenly felt uneasy. Her brow scrunched when she realized she was still holding the can of soup. Why was she thinking so hard about this? Decent people was a commodity these days, she should be glad Daryl had turned out to be a good guy.
Her list of people she enjoyed in Alexandria was embarrassingly short and consisted mostly of the youngsters she taught. Eric, especially, would be proud if she added another name to it.
She thought back on Daryl and briefly wondered if they could even become friends. Then she remembered the myriad of annoyed glances she had received from him the day before. Yep, Olivia was way off base with that one she chuckled to herself.
Returning her attention to the task at hand she tossed the soup can in her bag. She made quick process of the rest, getting everything she needed and everything on Eric and Aaron's list as well. She was just about to leave when she heard a pair of voices entering through the door. Upon recognizing them as Shelly and Barbara she groaned silently, resting her head at the top shelf.
They were speaking in hushed voices and Ava couldn't make out what they were saying until she had almost rounded the corner to the hallway.
'Goodness that man scares me.' She heard Shelly say in a heated whisper. She stopped instinctively, remaining hidden.
'Did you hear that Ava went out alone with him yesterday?' Barbara replied.
'No?' Shelly drew out the o's in surprise.
'Oh yes, and you should have seen the way she looked when they got back. All roughed up'
'You don't think that he -'
'Who knows, but I wouldn't put it past him. I still can't believe that Deanna let that redneck and the rest of his gang in. I for one, have started locking my doors now.'
Ava's jaw tensed and she could feel her blood start pumping in her veins. She closed her fist until her knuckles were white. She took a deep breath and tried to will the outrage she felt away. Ignore it, she thought to herself. Nothing good will come of it. It was a mute point to argue against stupidity.
'Me neither. I bet you he was a criminal before this. He just has that look.' Shelly said, matter-of-factly. 'That's why I can't believe that Ava would agree to go out there alone with him, but then again you remember how she was like when she first got here. I swear, she scared me half to death at times.'
'I don't care what Deanna says, sometimes I fear she might not be a good influence on my kids' Barbara replied.
Ava couldn't take anymore and finally found the use of her legs, rounding the corner while clearing her throat. The two women almost jumped out of their skins.
'Heavens. Ava – we didn't see you there.' Shelly stated meekly. Ava only offered her a cold stare and pushed past her towards the door. Inside she repeated her mantra over and over. It's not worth it. It's not worth it.
'I don't know what you think you heard but-' Barbara started, voice thin, but Ava cut her off with a raised hand.
'I heard enough.' Ava pressed out between gritted teeth and reached for the door. God, she had to get out of there.
'Honey, we're only worried about you.' Shelly called after her. Ava paused, her arm suspended in the air. She closed her fist tightly. There was no rising above it she realized.
'Why? Why would you be worried?' she all but snarled and swirled around to face the duo.
Shelly seemed taken aback. 'It's just this guy. He might be dangerous.'
'And it's not just you' Barbara quickly joined in. 'We fear that you're not setting the best example for the kids'
Ava drew a shaky breath. She had been working on moments like this, working on keeping her temper in check. Yet, in the back of her mind she knew she had lost her battle the minute she'd turned back around. Now, she might as well enjoy it.
'You have to remember that you have certain responsibilities' Barbara stuttered and took a step back.
'Responsibilities?' Ava asked, incredulous, yet not intending to wait for an answer. She felt the familiar surge of rage and she reveled in it. After the outbreak she'd found that anger was always the easiest feeling.
'My responsibilities to those kids is to teach them how to think for themselves, something they will clearly not learn from you' She hissed and stepped closer to the two ladies. 'As for this dangerous man you are so worried about, he has a name and it's Daryl. You best remember that name because trust me, the day will come when you'll be screaming for him to save your sorry lives.'
Ava could hear her voice grow louder and found that she didn't care.
'You see, it's not Daryl that I should be afraid of; it's the likes of you simple-minded idiots. Cause when a horde of roamers are coming towards me you can be damn sure I'll want Daryl there beside me and not you two cowards.'
'You can't talk to us like that' Shelly sputtered, her eyes wide with shock.
'You better apologize right now or I'll make sure you're not teaching another day in this community.' Barbara's face was now matching her auburn hair.
'Oh sweetheart, did you just try to threaten my post apocalyptic career? You truly are as stupid as you look aren't you. Listen, there are corpses walking into our walls on a daily basis, you really think I give a shit about whether or not you want me to teach your kids? You can tell Deanna whatever the fuck you want. But if I hear you talking shit about my family or Daryl again, I'll make sure you'll regret it.'
By the end of her speech Barbara's mouth was bobbing like a goldfish while Shelly's face was drained of color.
'Now unlike yours, that is not an empty threat.' Ava called over her shoulder as she stepped outside, slamming the door shut behind her.
Adrenaline ran through her and she started walking away from the pantry in large strides so preoccupied that she nearly walked straight into the two men outside. Raising her head she looked into Aaron's puzzled eyes. Beside him was Daryl who looked away immediately.
'What are you doing here?' she barked.
'The armory. We're heading out.' Aaron said and looked over her shoulder. Ava followed his gaze to see Shelly and Barbara peeking through the window, perfecting the look of suburban shock. The only thing that was missing was actual pearls for them to clutch. The two women quickly withdrew from the window, the curtain swaying from the sudden movement.
'What happened here?' he asked.
'Nothing. Just a small misunderstanding that's all.' Ava muttered and pushed past them. She needed to calm down, alone.
Behind her she could hear Aaron mumble some apologies to Daryl before following her. She cursed under her breath. She was not ready for Aaron's voice of reason just yet. She wanted to wallow in her anger just a little bit more.
Aaron broke into a jog next to her to keep up. He reached for her shoulder.
'Hey, slow down'
She turned her head and glared at him but slowed her pace.
'You want to tell me what really happened?'
Ava bit her lip, refusing to look at him. She knew that he had that worried expression he always got and that it would be sufficient to wipe the last residues of her anger away.
'Ava' Aaron sighed. 'The window was open'
Ava halted. 'Then you already know'
'Hey' Aaron dipped his head to meet her eyes. When he did he offered her a small smile.
'You had every right to get mad in there.'
Ava's lip turned upwards into a half smile and she kicked a small pebble off the road. 'They are the worst, right?
Aaron let out a small laugh and put his arm around her shoulders as they resumed walking. 'The absolute worst'
'I'm fine though. Really.' Ava said after a little while. 'You don't have to worry.'
'I'll always worry about you Ava' He said in a muted, warm voice before giving her shoulder one last squeeze. 'Come on, I'll make you some coffee'
Daryl yanked his knife loose from the windowsill absentmindedly before bringing the blade down into the wood again. His eyes were fixed at a point front of him, but his gaze was turned inwards.
There had been no way that he would go in to the armory alone after Aaron left. Not with those two women still inside.
Ava's words kept running through his head. His insides churned again, seemingly stuck between emotions. Whenever his chest swelled at her praise his stomach dropped. Why did he care? The question ran through him for the millionth time. It made no sense.
His knuckles turned white as his fingers tightened around the handle and he brought the blade down hard. Anger filled him when he thought of her smiling face from the night before. It was like she was mocking him with it.
He had grown to accept the group's affection towards him and his own feelings as real. He knew that because of the raw hole he felt inside after Beth's death. Rick was as much his brother as Merle ever was. Carol and the rest of them was the family he'd never had. But they had been through so much shit together. Daryl figured that was why they cared for each other so deeply.
Ava wasn't part of that family. She hardly even knew him and yet she was running her mouth at the others, defending him. She had no right he thought, slamming the knife down hard again. He wanted to yell at her, make her see the real him. Set her straight. Hell, she was a smart girl. She'd see.
Or maybe that was it. Maybe she had somehow been able to see through him and now she pitied him. Or thought him weak, and felt the need to protect him. The very idea of that made his jaw tense, muscles dancing tersely across his temple.
Yet, whenever he heard her words running through his head a small ripple of electricity jolted through his stomach. It was a strange feeling, being defended by a girl like her.
'What did the window sill ever do to you?' Carol's voice jerked him out of his thoughts. Looking down his brows furrowed. The sill was ridden with deep marks from his knife.
'Nothing' he muttered and got up. 'What are ya doing?' he motioned towards the basket she was carrying.
'Cooking. You want to help me?'
A strange sound escaped his nose and Carol winked at him.
'So I was down at the pantry earlier. Seems like you made a new friend yesterday?' Carol crooked an eyebrow at him while she emptied her basket on the kitchen counter. Daryl tensed again.
'We ain't friends.' He said defensively.
'She didn't like your book?' Carol raised her brows and smiled innocently, voice thin.
Daryl felt the tip of his ears get warm. He scowled at her and walked over to his crossbow, swinging it across his shoulders. Damn her all knowing ways.
'I'm going out.' he grumbled and didn't offer her a second look on his way out.
'Oh, come on.' Carol called after him, laughter succeeding her words. 'I'm joking'
'Whatever.' he waved her off as he walked down off the porch. This place was bullshit.
His mood hadn't improved much when he returned hours later with two dead rabbits tied together, dangling off his shoulder. He'd hoped that some fresh air and space around him would help him forget about the annoying brunette but he'd been wrong. Her stupid voice had been ringing in the back of his mind all day.
He was about to turn left down the street to their house when he saw the lights were on at Eric and Aaron's porch. In the shadows he glimpsed Ava's long dark hair. He turned right, marching towards her.
He'd just tell her to mind her own damn business and be done with her intruding in his thoughts all day.
Ava jumped at the sound of his boots clambering up the stairs but she quickly recovered. Upon recognizing it was him against the afternoon sun she beamed.
'We have to stop meeting like this' she laughed. She held up the book she was reading, it was the book that he gave her the night before. 'I'm almost done, see?' She flipped the book to show him the remaining pages.
She smiled at him, a warm and genuine smile. Her hazel eyes seemed dark brown now in the fading light. She really was beautiful. Daryl felt his determination waver. Why did she always have to smile at him like that. There were no expectations in her eyes, no fear or hesitation. Just warmth. He felt his anger melt away and for a minute he let himself marvel in the way she looked at him.
Suddenly he became painfully aware of how long he'd stood there without saying something. He cleared his throat, looking down at the rabbit hanging down his side. The words he'd been replaying in his mind, the ones he'd planned on saying to her had all disappeared, leaving only a blank slate. Before he could think he'd lifted the string over his shoulder and thrust it forwards towards her.
Her brows furrowed as she looked down at the dead animals swaying below his hand.
'Rabbits' she said slowly before looking back up at him. 'Are you giving me rabbits? Her eyes were now filled with confusion. Daryl noticed the way her nose wrinkled ever so slightly when she got confused.
'Nah.' He said, his voice just short of cracking.
What was he doing? He couldn't just hand her two dead rabbits like that. The air suddenly felt warm and thick around him.
'They're for Aaron.' He added when his brain finally regained some function. 'I promised him some rabbits.'
'Oh. Do you want me to get him for you?'
'Will ya just take 'em?' The words came out harsher than he intended, but all he could think of was getting off that porch.
'Yeah, sure.' She said hastily and grabbed the string from him. Daryl felt his skin burn from where her fingers grazed his.
'Thanks.' He mumbled and turned away before she could say something else. He hurried off the porch and quickly put some distance between them by walking briskly down the street.
He didn't slow down until he had slammed the door to his house shut behind him.
'Daryl?' He heard someone call after him but he ignored it, taking the stairs two steps at the time. Once he reached the attic he propped his crossbow against the makeshift bed and flopped down on it. Reaching behind his head with his arm he stared up at the ceiling and let out a long sigh.
It had to be this place he thought. It was driving him insane. He felt relived that it was just one more day until he and Aaron were heading out. A couple of days out on the road again and he'd be fine. Just one more day and he would be able to get her out of his system.
Ava's confused eyes flashed before him and he groaned, rubbing his face. He just had to avoid her until then.
A/N Thank you so much to everybody that has left such lovely reviews, it really helps my motivation. To the quest reviewer, I haven't really decided what to do about the whole Rick/Jessie storyline but I agree that it lacked chemistry on the show. I don't think I'll want to bring it that heavily into this story at least. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, I'm having a blast writing it! :)