Chapter 14 - The Wedding
Emma looked at herself in the mirror. Amy had chosen a pale, pastel pink gown for Emma to wear. It was very much Amy's shade and style in every way. The skirt was full and bell shaped with a cream trim complete with pink bows circling the bottom. The neckline was modest, but the cap sleeves fell just barely off of Emma's shoulders to expose her collarbone. Her curls were swept up into a bun. Several sections of her hair had been braided into a halo that disappeared into the bun at the base of her neck. It was all Andrea's doing, and not because she had grown fond of Emma, but because she refused to let anything, big or small, ruin her little sister's day. In fact, if it were at all possible, Andrea disliked Emma even more than before. It wasn't Emma's doing. As a matter of fact, it was Shane's...
Emma smacked Shane's hand when she caught him trying to stick his finger into her sweet potato casserole. He chuckled and pretended to tend to an injury Emma had inflicted upon him. She shook her head as she turned back around to pick up the pie she had baked. She took it to the open window and left it on the sill to cool. Meanwhile, Carl was carrying five-month-old baby Judith around in the living room while she babbled and drooled on his shoulder. Rick was looking on in amusement.
"I can't believe how big she is." Rick commented aloud as he watched his son and daughter.
"She looks just like Lori." Shane murmured, leaning against the door frame.
"She does." Rick agreed with a melancholy smile.
"I think she looks like me." Carl piped up, bouncing Judith up and down in his arms.
"Well, that's because you look like your mother, too." Rick replied, softening his smile.
Even though Rick had come a long way from the winter, Emma didn't want everyone to dwell on Lori being gone when it was supposed to be a fun day. She came to the doorway.
"Carl, company should be here any minute." Emma held her arms out. "I can take Judith while you go on upstairs and change your shirt."
"I've got her, Emma." Rick said, opening his arms as Carl plopped Judith down on his lap.
Carl ran upstairs to change. While Rick entertained Judith, Shane went into the kitchen with Emma while she finished setting up for their early supper. He watched the way several locks of hair fell loose from her bun, curling around her face. She didn't seem to notice or to care. Shane smiled to himself. He was doubtful that Emma realized how charming she could be when she wasn't being sassy or serious.
Shane had started courting Andrea the previous fall, but after Lori's death, he had to take on more responsibilities in town. Andrea took it quite personally. She accused Shane of toying with her and was embarrassed by how the state of their relationship made her look to the rest of the town. Even though Shane cared for Andrea very much, he didn't have the time to win back her affection. By the time Rick returned to work, the damage was done. Andrea refused to speak with Shane on the few occasions he tried to make things right with her. So, Shane decided to let her stew. He figured things would blow over eventually. In the meantime, he had been spending a lot of time at Rick's. Shane had gotten to know Emma a little that way. He liked her very much and knew she was good for Rick and the kids.
One afternoon at work, Shane had brought up the idea of him spending more time with Emma. Rick didn't seem to approve. He asked about Andrea. When Shane pointed out that Andrea wasn't speaking to him, Rick seemed to struggle for another reason as to why Shane shouldn't ask Emma if she would be interested in him. Finally, Rick came out and confided in Shane that Emma had developed some sort of unorthodox relationship with Daryl Dixon. Shane couldn't help but laugh at that. The Dixon brothers were nothing but trouble. If Rick's reason was Daryl, Shane knew he had nothing to worry about.
"Need any help?" Shane asked as Emma began setting the table.
"No, thank you." Emma replied.
Shane watched the way Emma's hips swiveled in her skirt as she moved around the table.
"If you don't mind my saying so, Emma, you look-"
"They're here!" Carl shouted, thundering down the stairs. "I saw them from the window!"
Rick handed Judith off to Carl so that he could go and greet his guests out on the porch. Emma followed close behind, much to Shane's dismay. He sighed.
"Are you nearly finished?" Andrea's voice was on the other side of the door, annoyed and impatient. "My sister is dressed and waiting for you to come and see her."
Emma reached for the cream colored gloves laying on the vanity.
"I'll be right out." Emma replied, pulling on a glove.
As Emma pulled on the second glove, she remembered the reason she had been stalling in the first place. Guests were already in the chapel downstairs waiting for the ceremony to start. Sam was surely standing nervously, but excitedly at the altar. That meant that the reverend and Sam's groomsmen were waiting below for Amy, Andrea, and Emma to descend. Much to her dissatisfaction, Merle would be escorting Andrea down the aisle. She had voiced her opinion about her predicament several times, but each time her father had shushed her. Since Merle would be Andrea's escort, that meant only one thing. Daryl would be escorting Emma down the aisle just before the reverend and Amy would proceed.
Emma hadn't seen Daryl since April. She tried not to think about their last moments together. That memory would only rile her up. She needed to remain calm and focused on the task at hand. All she need do was walk down the aisle with Daryl, then allow him to escort her out of the chapel once the ceremony was finished. If Emma could spend two days on the Dixon farm after what had happened last winter, she could stand only a few minutes with Daryl at her side. Then, he would return to the farm and Emma wouldn't have to see him again, at least for a while.
"Honestly, Emma," came Andrea's voice again, "what is taking you so long?"
Emma was surprised to see Clarke had come with the reverend, Amy, Andrea, and Sam. Emma hadn't seen Clarke since that day at the fall gathering. She remembered his proposal and her silent denial. Somehow, as she watched Clarke offer his arm to Andrea after helping her out of the carriage, Emma felt more sympathetic for Clarke than she had when she had denied his proposal. She wasn't sure what had changed her mind, but she thought maybe it was time that had altered her feelings. In fact, Emma felt as though she could understand how Clarke must have felt being rejected by her. When Daryl's face flashed through her mind, Emma frowned.
The reverend, Amy, and Sam were the first ones to the door. Rick and Emma greeted them. Sam and Amy were both beaming with happiness. Sam had come to town a few days before and had asked the reverend for permission to court Amy. The reverend granted Sam permission. So, Sam was staying at the inn for the next two weeks to spend time with Amy.
Rick led the reverend, Amy, and Sam inside, leaving Emma to greet Clarke and Andrea. As they started up the steps, Andrea seemed to clutch onto Clarke's arm more firmly. Emma saw it right away, and Andrea seemed to notice. She narrowed her eyes and smirked up at Emma.
"Hello, Emma." Andrea spoke first as she used her free hand to rub Clarke's arm. "Thank you for having us today. I know Amy was just thrilled when you offered to cook supper for her birthday."
"I'm glad." Emma replied with a sweet smile.
Emma turned to greet Clarke, her features softening into a more genuine expression.
"It's good to see you, Clarke." Emma gave him a soft smile as she held her hand out to him. "I'm sorry that I didn't call on you once the snow melted. I should have."
Emma couldn't see Andrea's face fully out of the corner of her eye, but she imagined that she was very unhappy about the interaction taking place. Emma didn't care. She accepted Clarke's hand in hers. His palm was sweaty.
"I'm glad to see you, Emma." Clarke cleared his throat. "As for your apology-"
"He accepts, of course." Andrea interrupted Clarke with a laugh.
Clarke turned to look at Andrea, who gave him a smile. Clarke mirrored her expression before turning back to Emma.
"Of course."
The door opened behind Emma. She felt a hand on the small of her back as Andrea's smile faded. Emma looked up to see Shane standing at her side. He was grinning at Clarke and Andrea.
"Hey there, Clarke." Shane kept his hand on Emma's back as he reached out to shake Clarke's hand. "Good to see you. Glad you could come."
"It's good to see you, Deputy." Clarke replied, shaking Shane's hand.
"Clarke, you may call him Shane." Andrea scolded Clarke gently and patted his hand.
"Of course he can." Shane agreed with a nod. "Afternoon, Andrea."
"Shane." Andrea answered him coolly.
Shane's grin widened. Andrea pulled Clarke closer as she glared daggers at Emma. Clarke looked very uncomfortable. He cleared his throat several times. Emma rolled her eyes.
"Well, why don't ya'll come in?" Emma suggested, stepping away from Shane.
Emma opened the door. Andrea stood on the other side, her tongue in her cheek and her hand on her hip. She wore a dress similar to Emma's, but it was blue instead of pink. Her hair was plaited into a spiral at the back of her head. It was tied off with a ribbon that matched her dress. She wore the same cream colored gloves that Emma had just put on.
"My sister is waiting." Andrea told Emma unhappily.
"All right." Emma said.
Emma headed down the hall to Amy's room. Before she could knock, Andrea had joined her at the door and opened it. She pushed past Emma to enter the room first. Emma stifled a chuckle before going into the room. Amy was standing in the middle of her bedroom. Her veil had not yet been pulled down to cover her face, so Emma could see that her blonde hair had been pulled up into a braid that resembled a delicate noose. Her dress was exactly what Emma had envisioned - layers of frills, ruffles, and lace. To top it all off, there was a blue bow tied around Amy's waist as though she were a present. Emma smiled as she thought of Amy as a gift for Sam.
"You look beautiful, Amy." Emma murmured.
"Do you really think so?" Amy asked breathlessly, looking down at herself.
"Of course you look beautiful." Andrea piped up quickly.
Andrea crossed the room to embrace her sister.
"You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."
Amy returned her sister's hug.
"Thank you." Amy whispered.
Andrea released Amy with a sniffle. She pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket to dry her tears, then used it to dry Amy's.
"Are you ready?" Andrea asked as she put her hanky away.
Amy smiled at her sister, then at Emma.
"Yes."
"She said yes!" Sam exclaimed excitedly as he dismounted. "Amy said yes!"
Rick let out a cheer as Emma got up from her chair to meet Sam at the base of the steps. To her surprise, Sam lifted Emma off of her feet and spun her around in circles while Rick looked on in laughter. Emma couldn't help but laugh as Sam twirled her around and around until he finally became dizzy and had to put her down. He stumbled, but with a smile on his face.
"Congratulations, Sam." Emma told Sam when her laughter died down.
"We want to be married in June." Sam said as he and Emma started for the house.
"June?" Emma asked. "The first is only a week away."
"I know." Sam replied with a grin. "Isn't that great? Amy will be my wife in just a few weeks."
"Congratulations, Sam." Rick reached out to shake Sam's hand once he and Emma had climbed the porch steps. "You're a lucky man, and Amy's a lucky girl."
"Thank you." Sam replied as Rick clapped him on the back.
"So, how did they take it?" Emma asked as she took her seat once more.
Sam's smile disappeared as a look of confusion took over his face.
"How did who take what?" Sam asked.
"How did Merle and Daryl take it when you told them you were getting married, that you would be leaving them?" Emma asked.
The smile returned to Sam's face.
"There's more good news." Sam excitedly waved his hands as he spoke. "When I got back to the farm to tell them I wanted to marry Amy, I found out that while I'd been gone, they'd been busy. They built me and Amy a house of our very own. A house of our very own."
Emma was surprised. She had just figured that if and when Sam and Amy married, they would live in town. Since arriving on the Grimes' farm, Emma had been hoping for it. The thought of having Sam closer to her made Emma very happy.
"That's great." Rick said.
"Have you spoken with Amy about it?" Emma asked.
"Yeah." Sam nodded. "She said she would come back with me, but that I had to promise we could come to town to visit her family and you whenever she wanted."
Emma was stunned that Amy had agreed to leave town. She knew Andrea would probably have a fit when she found out.
"I guess it was all Daryl's idea." Sam looked down at the porch with a smile. "He said he figured I was gonna marry Amy, so him and Merle might as well build us a house as a wedding present."
"Daryl's idea?" Emma asked.
Sam slowly looked up at Emma.
"Yeah." Sam answered softly.
"Emma, are you ready?" Andrea asked as she pulled her sister's veil down over her face.
Emma turned to look at the open door. She could hear muted voices downstairs. With a sigh, she turned back to Amy and Andrea as Amy's veil was situated.
"Yeah."
0o0o0
Daryl was dressed in his best slacks and a salmon colored shirt, which he had buttoned all the way up. In lieu of his red suspenders, which he wore almost daily, he wore a cream colored pair that had been given to him and Merle by Sam at the inn the night before. Andrea had tried to talk Daryl into greasing his hair for the wedding when she had returned his laundry, which she had insisted on washing herself, but Daryl refused. He had, however, pulled a comb through it, which happened on a very rare occasion. He had also trimmed up his facial hair. That was the extent of his effort.
"You boys all cleaned up well." The reverend told Merle and Daryl as they stood below the stairs.
"You sound surprised, Reverend." Merle replied, an eyebrow lifted in question.
"No...no." The reverend waved his free hand while the other held a bible to his chest. "I didn't mean it that way-"
"Aww, shucks, Reverend." Merle laughed and gave the reverend a gentle thump on the back. "I was only kidding around."
The reverend laughed.
Daryl plastered a smile to his face and even managed a chuckle or two, but his thoughts were preoccupied as he gazed up the stairs. He knew that any minute, the girls would be coming down. In a matter of moments, Emma would be descending those steps. Just the thought of her being upstairs, somewhere above where he stood, had made Daryl's heart beat faster since entering the house. He tried in vain to lower his heart rate by controlling his breathing, but it was no use. Daryl was anxious to see Emma, excited even. He knew he had no right to be excited to see her after the way they had left things back in April. His brother had made sure he got that fact through Daryl's head...
Daryl was so caught off guard by his brother's swing that the force of the punch knocked him off his feet. He fell on his rear and nearly went back, but he was able to catch himself before he could fall flat on the floor. He wanted to be angry. He wanted to leap to his feet and tackle Merle to the ground so that he could put the whooping on him, but Daryl remained seated on the floor. Much to his surprise, he wasn't mad that Merle had hit him. He was shocked, but also, he felt relieved. Relief turned into confusion by the relief that was flooding through him. Why would he be relieved to have been hit?
"You said what?!" Merle thundered from above Daryl, his face bewildered. "Why in the hell would you say that?!"
Daryl couldn't answer. He couldn't give Merle a good reason for saying what he had said to Emma. The only excuse he had was that he had been hurt by Emma's words, but that wasn't a good enough reason. At the time, Daryl would have argued otherwise. With time came the realization that Daryl had acted like an ass when he had fought with Emma on the porch. No longer did he wonder why she had slapped him. Instead, Daryl wondered why she hadn't killed him on the spot.
Merle closed his eyes and took a breath. Then, he shook his head and chuckled.
"You're a lot dumber than I thought, little brother." Merle said, opening his eyes.
Daryl was pulled out of his memories when he saw movement above. He lifted his eyes to the steps as Emma appeared at the top of the staircase. Their eyes met immediately. As Emma slowly came down the stairs, getting ever closer to Daryl, he could barely stand the anticipation.
"You look lovely, Emma." The reverend spoke from behind Daryl.
Emma tore her gaze from Daryl so that she could smile at the reverend.
"You just wait until you see your daughter." Emma told him.
Daryl didn't take his eyes from Emma as she smiled over at the reverend. His gaze was still upon her when she turned her head back to him. Daryl caught a look of surprise flicker across her face before her features relaxed. He wondered where her surprise had come from.
"Hello." Emma greeted Daryl solemnly.
Daryl felt an urge to become mad, to allow the pain he felt to become anger, much like that day he had fought with Emma in April. Instead, he contained that urge and remembered that as hard as it was to admit, Emma had every right to be angry with Daryl. It had been difficult for him to come to terms with the fact that all that had occurred between him and Emma was his fault, but he could thank Sam for showing him the error of his ways...
Sam and Daryl sat together on the front porch of Sam's new house. Sam would be leaving in the morning to return to town. There, he would ask the reverend's permission to marry Amy. Then, he would have a ring to buy and a girl to propose to with said ring. Daryl was happy for Sam, despite the fact that things would be changing on the farm. Even though he didn't know her well, Daryl could tell that Amy wasn't like Emma. She wasn't going to roll up her sleeves and get her hands dirty on the farm like Emma had. Sure, Amy would probably cook and clean for the men, but it wouldn't be the same. Merle and Daryl would have to remember to mind their manners and to be gentle with delicate Amy, something they had never had to do when Emma was around.
"You should come with me." Sam said suddenly.
"What?" Daryl asked, his forehead becoming a series of lines and creases.
"To town." Sam explained. "You should come to town with me and see Emma."
Daryl grunted in reply. Even though Merle and Sam had never asked Daryl about Emma's quick departure, they had both treated him differently after she left. Merle didn't speak to Daryl for a day or two after Emma left the farm. Daryl would catch his older brother looking at him with an expression Daryl had never seen on Merle's face before. His brow was furrowed and his eyes were narrowed, but they weren't angry. Daryl had seen Merle angry plenty of times to know when he was in a sore mood. It was a different emotion Daryl wasn't sure of. When Merle would see that Daryl had caught him looking at him, he would shake his head and sigh, then return to whatever he had been doing before. Sam's behavior lasted for a whole week. Unlike before, Daryl didn't confront Sam. He let the kid ignore him, glare at him, and sulk. Eventually, Sam's behavior towards Daryl returned to normal.
"You know what?" Sam asked, turning towards Daryl. "I'm leaving tomorrow, so I'm just going to say what I have to say. If you want to be mad at me, you'll have time to stew while I'm gone."
Daryl lifted his eyebrows in surprise.
"I think you're being really stubborn and stupid." Sam told Daryl. "You made a mistake last year when you left. You thought Emma was getting married and that upset you because you..."
Sam's voice trailed off when Daryl looked away from him.
"Why don't you just tell her?" Sam asked quietly. "Emma would understand."
Daryl scoffed.
"Emma wouldn't care." Daryl murmured as he stared at the ground.
"Why do you think that?" Sam asked confusedly.
Daryl sighed. A part of him felt extremely uncomfortable discussing Emma with Sam, but he would have been lying had he said that another part of him didn't feel relieved to be letting some of what he kept to himself out. Besides, Daryl had to respect Sam for all the growing up he had done. He wasn't a kid anymore. He was a man.
"...she left." Daryl finally muttered. "She left twice."
Sam laughed, causing Daryl to look up.
"Daryl, you idiot." Sam shook his head. "Of course Emma left. What did you think she'd do? Sit around here waiting for you to come back? We both know her better than that. She has pride...just like you."
Daryl had never really stopped to see the many similarities between him and Emma. They were both strong and they both worked hard. They both came from families with absent or dead parents. They both had to work hard to where they were as adults. If they had all of those things in common, was it possible that they had more in common? Daryl remembered how he felt when he discovered Emma had gone back to town, how he felt when they fought on the porch, how he felt when she left the second time. He had been hurt. Daryl wondered if Emma had been hurt, too, when he had gone in December.
Daryl pictured Emma waking the morning after they laid together. He imagined her waking up alone in the loft, her nightdress and her body soiled from the night before. He thought about what she must have felt when she found out Daryl had gone to the cabin. It brought an ache to Daryl's chest that quickly evolved into pain. He felt ashamed of himself for what he had done. He knew that if his mama were alive, she would have been ashamed of him, too. Daryl finally understood why Merle and Sam treated him the way they had after he had returned. They were ashamed of him, disappointed in him. They had seen what Daryl couldn't because he had been wrapped up in his own feelings.
"I..." Daryl began to speak, but his voice cracked.
"It's okay, Daryl." Sam laid his hand on Daryl's back. "We don't have to talk about it anymore."
"Hello, Emma." Daryl murmured.
Daryl reached for one of Emma's gloved hands, but she moved it to her side.
"You're mighty pretty, girl." Merle moved to his brother's side with a grin.
"Thank you." Emma replied. "You both look nice."
Merle offered Emma his hand, which she accepted. Daryl watched Merle escort her down the steps and away from the base of the stairs so that Amy and Andrea could come down. While the reverend admired his daughters, Daryl watched Merle and Emma as they stood together. Merle was muttering to Emma, who would occasionally smile or laugh. Daryl was jealous, not because he thought anything romantic was occurring between the two of them, but because he wanted to be the one making Emma smile and laugh. Daryl knew it was going to be difficult to get back in Emma's good graces. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to her. He didn't have anything rehearsed or planned.
"We're ready to start." Andrea announced having returned from the chapel.
"All right." The reverend waved to Merle. "It will be the two of you first, then Daryl and Emma."
While Merle got in a mild tangle with Andrea over what she expected of him, Daryl went to Emma's side. She was already standing behind Merle and Andrea, her eyes ahead. As he stood beside Emma, Daryl became aware of the sound of her breathing. With his keen hearing, he picked up the sound easily and tilted his head in her direction to listen closer. She was taking deeper, much more deliberate breaths than normal. Concerned that something was ailing Emma, Daryl reached out to touch her arm. He hesitated when he remembered their confrontation and the way she had pulled her hand away from him on the steps just moments before.
"Emma, are you all right?" Daryl asked in a hushed tone, his hand hovering over her arm.
Emma looked up into Daryl's eyes.
"I'm fine." Emma answered quietly, holding Daryl's gaze.
"Okay." Daryl replied with a nod.
Emma suddenly looked away from Daryl. He was becoming frustrated, but he tried to remain calm. He reminded himself that he had hurt Emma and that it would take her some time to come around. On the other hand, Daryl wished Emma knew how hard it was for him to put himself out there.
Merle turned to look over his shoulder at Daryl and Emma as the sound of a piano being played drifted out from the chapel. He gave Daryl a wink before he turned back around. With that, he was escorting Andrea in the direction of the chapel.
As Merle and Andrea passed the reverend's office and entered the chapel, Daryl felt Emma take hold of his arm. By the time he registered that she had touched him, she had already intertwined their arms. Daryl looked down at their linked arms. His gaze lingered over Emma's hand, which was resting on his forearm. It was just as well that his sleeves were unrolled, seeing as how Emma's hands were gloved. All the same, Daryl felt a small wave of relief wash over him knowing that Emma had initiated contact. Daryl thought maybe she was beginning to warm up to him.
When Merle and Andrea were halfway down the aisle leading up to the altar, Daryl and Emma started after them. Daryl looked over at Emma as they stepped inside of the chapel. It was as if time had begun to move slowly in those moments. Daryl was vaguely aware of the sound of a piano in the background, but if there were other people present in the chapel, he didn't notice them or feel their presence. His focus was entirely on Emma as they walked together down the aisle. Merle had been right before, about Emma looking pretty. Daryl was having trouble taking his eyes off of her, not that he would have wanted to had he been able. When Emma tore her gray-green eyes from the altar to look up at Daryl, and a blonde curl suddenly decided to tumble out of the bun at the nape of her neck, he was certain that his heart started pounding hard enough that she could hear it.
When Emma began to pull away from Daryl at the altar, his first instinct was to tug back. Her eyes widened in surprise as the on-lookers began to chuckle and laugh softly at the display. Suddenly, Daryl became very aware of the fact that he was not alone with Emma. He could feel his cheeks burning with embarrassment. Daryl released Emma so that she could go and stand at Andrea's side. He quickly took his place next to his brother, who was still chuckling. Daryl gave Merle a mild shove, which ended the chuckling, but failed in removing the grin from his face. Even Sam seemed amused, but his amusement didn't last for long when everyone suddenly stood as the bride and her father entered the chapel.
All eyes were on Amy as she walked down the aisle with her father. There were whispers in the audience as she passed the pews full of townspeople. Rick and his children sat in the front row with Shane and Clarke. Six-month-old Judith had fallen asleep against her daddy's shoulder. Her mouth was hanging open as she slept soundly in Rick's arms. Rick was staying in town at the inn for the next few days since Shane and Emma had offered to help Sam and Amy pack up all of Amy's things for the move up to the farm. His children were staying with him. Carol had already offered to look after them while Emma was busy and Rick was working.
The reverend passed Amy over to Sam, who eagerly accepted her hand. The townspeople were seated as the ceremony began.
Emma intended on watching the ceremony, but she couldn't help but glance over at Daryl, who was succeeding in keeping his eyes upon Sam and Amy while the reverend read from his bible. She had been surprised by his behavior so far that day. The last time she had seen him, his temper had reared its ugly head when she had denied his touch. That day, Daryl didn't seem angry at all when Emma refused his touch. Then, there was the way he had been looking at her. Emma had felt Daryl's eyes upon her as she spoke with Merle, as they stood together behind Merle and Andrea, and as they walked down the aisle together. Whenever their eyes had met, Emma had to subtly catch her breath.
The ceremony captured Emma's attention as Amy placed a wedding band on Sam's finger. She smiled at the two of them. She knew how happy they were, and even though Emma was disappointed that Sam would be returning to the farm, she couldn't deny their happiness.
Emma looked up momentarily and caught Daryl staring at her. Daryl saw Emma's chest pause mid-breath, then contract as she exhaled. He was reminded of his conversation with Sam and couldn't help but wonder if Emma was feeling the same way that he was. Daryl decided to watch Emma more closely to find out.
The ceremony ended as Sam slowly lifted Amy's veil to reveal her face, which was tear-stained, but glowing with a smile. Sam cupped Amy's face, just under her chin, and gave her a chaste kiss. Amy's hand fell to Sam's waist. She didn't seem to want to end their kiss just yet as she caught Sam's lips just as he began to pull them from hers. The audience was already on their feet clapping for the newly married couple. Andrea couldn't help herself as she reached out and tugged on Amy's elbow while Sam and Amy continued kissing. The reverend reached out to set his hand on Andrea's shoulder. He shook his head at her. Andrea let go of Amy's elbow with a frown.
Sam led Amy down the aisle, past all of their friends and family, and out of the chapel. They would wait at the front door to thank people for coming to the wedding and to invite them to Andrea's house for the reception.
Emma watched them go, then watched Merle escort Andrea out of the chapel. She knew Andrea would want to scold Sam and Amy for kissing too long in front of everyone. Emma wanted to prevent that if she could, or stop it if it was already happening by the time she got to the foyer. She turned to go to Daryl's side so that they could follow Merle and Andrea.
"I won't let her ruin their day." Emma muttered to Daryl as they linked arms in front of the altar.
Daryl chuckled and tried to keep up with Emma as she walked quickly after Merle and Andrea.
"I don't think she could even if she tried." Daryl replied quietly.
Daryl and Emma were hot on Merle's and Andrea's heels. Sam and Amy were already at the door, Amy's arm still intertwined with Sam's. Andrea couldn't get away from Merle fast enough.
"Amy, you really should have remembered your manners." Andrea told her sister in disapproval. "That was very inappropriate. I'm sure you made everyone feel uncomfortable."
Emma opened her mouth to speak on Sam's and Amy's behalf, but Amy giggled.
"I'm sorry." Amy apologized half-heartedly, still giggling.
"I'm sorry, too." Sam agreed with a smile.
Then, Sam lifted his hand to Amy's face as he leaned in and pressed a single kiss to her forehead. Andrea scowled, but didn't say another word about it. Merle and Daryl laughed.
While Merle and Daryl offered their congratulations to Sam and Amy, Emma looked on with a smile. Daryl had been right. Nothing Andrea could say, or probably anyone for that matter, could ruin the day for Sam and Amy. They were elated to be married to each other, and nothing could spoil that for them. Emma didn't know if she had ever experienced that kind of happiness. She tried to think of a moment in time when she had been in a state of pure bliss, but the only memories that came to mind were those times she had shared with Daryl before he had gone away in December. His face was stuck in her mind.
"Emma, are you coming?" Merle asked, waving his arm at Emma.
Emma realized that Merle and Daryl were waiting for her at the door.
"Yes." Emma answered.
"Josephine" - Brandi Carlile [Daryl waits for Emma to come downstairs/Daryl's flashbacks, Daryl and Emma walk down the aisle]
"I Made A Lover's Prayer" - Gillian Welch [Sam and Amy's wedding]