Chapter 30 - Emmylou Dixon
The reverend sat in the kitchen with Daryl and Emma that same evening to discuss their wedding. The couple had casually announced their plans to get married at an impromptu meeting at Merle's house. Everyone expressed their well wishes and congratulations for the couple, and they also wanted to help make their day special, even though both Daryl and Emma insisted that they only wanted a simple, no nonsense ceremony. The reverend asked to sit down with the couple so that he could get a better idea of what 'simple' and 'no nonsense' meant.
"Now, when would you like me to perform the ceremony?" The reverend asked.
"Uh..." Daryl looked over at Emma, who shrugged. "I don't know."
"How about before suppertime?" Emma suggested. "That way, I can help Carol afterward."
"Carol has already insisted on making dinner tomorrow night by herself." The reverend dismissed Emma's notion that she should help with supper with a wave of his hand. "Why don't we have the ceremony in the late afternoon? I'm sure Carol will want to attend the wedding, but she can't if she's inside making dinner for everyone-"
"That's fine with me." Daryl interrupted the reverend as he rambled on.
"Me too." Emma agreed with a nod.
"Good." The reverend wrote something down in one of the blank pages at the back of his bible. "We have a time, but what about a place?"
"It doesn't matter." Emma replied. "We can do it here, or in the barn-"
"I am not performing your wedding ceremony in the barn." The reverend snorted disapprovingly.
"I proposed to Emma in the barn." Daryl mumbled.
"Well, you shouldn't have." The reverend gave Daryl a stern look. "You both will remember these events for the rest of your lives. You should have chosen a better place."
Daryl started to grumble, but Emma covered his hand with hers.
"Reverend, with all due respect, the barn is sort of a special place for us."
The reverend didn't look convinced by Emma's statement, but he nodded all the same.
"Well, since neither of you seems to care about the place, will you let me choose?" The reverend asked.
Daryl and Emma exchanged a glance before they both shrugged their shoulders. They both watched the reverend scribble something else down.
"Are there any particular passages either of you would like me to read?" The reverend asked.
"I'm sure whichever passages you choose to read will be fine." Emma replied.
The reverend sighed and closed his bible.
"Are you sure you want to be married tomorrow?" The reverend asked. "Would you rather wait a few more weeks? Months? You could both have time to think about whether or not this is something you truly want to do-"
"Why?" Daryl interrupted the reverend angrily. "You don't think Emma wants to be with me?"
"I'm not saying that." The reverend reassured Daryl gently. "I mean no offense by asking those sorts of questions, but marriage is a very serious commitment. Frankly, neither of you seems to have given any of this a lot of thought."
"Reverend, you have known me for a while now." Emma spoke softly as Daryl turned his head to look at her. "Women my age have been married for years, have kids...but not me. I never wanted a man in my life. I didn't need one. I just wanted to be on my own with a place to call mine and mine alone...
Hershel left me a letter when he died. In it, he said that although I'm strong and independent...there is a whole other side of me... He said that I should let that part of me grow...that I should let other people see that part of me just as I let him see it..."
Emma looked away from the reverend and into Daryl's slowly softening eyes as he listened intently to her words.
"I think that...over the past two years...without really realizing it, I've been doing just that. I haven't lost who I am, but I have discovered another part of who I am. I think I owe that to my time here on this farm, to my time on the Grimes' farm, to my relationships with the people I have gotten to know, but mostly...because of my relationship with Daryl."
Emma looked directly into the reverend's eyes.
"I love him." Emma said with sincerity and conviction.
The reverend slowly gave Daryl and Emma a warm smile.
"I'm proud of you, Emma." The reverend said.
"Is there anything else we have to talk about?" Emma asked.
"No." The reverend shook his head. "We'll have the wedding tomorrow afternoon in a place of my choosing. I'll let you both know when I decide."
Daryl and Emma stood to go, but the reverend stopped them.
"Also, one of you should stay here tonight."
Daryl furrowed his brow.
"Why?"
"It's bad luck to see the bride before the wedding." The reverend replied with a wink.
0o0o0
Emma woke the next morning on the sofa in Merle's living room. She had insisted on sleeping there, leaving Daryl to the house they had been sharing since last year. Sometimes, Emma still saw it as Daryl's house, but she was slowly starting to see it as hers, too. Emma already heard Carol in the kitchen, so she quickly got up to help her with breakfast.
"Good morning." Carol greeted Emma immediately with a big smile. "How did you sleep?"
"Fine." Emma replied with somewhat of a question in her tone.
"Did you have any trouble?" Carol asked eagerly. "Were you feeling nervous? Excited?"
"I slept just fine." Emma insisted as she stepped into the kitchen.
"Why don't you sit down and have something to eat?" Carol asked. "I'm just finishing up here, then I'm going to bring the kids down to eat before lessons."
"I can do that-"
"No, no." Carol waved her hand at Emma as she circled the table towards the doorway. "I don't want you doing anything today-"
"Carol," Emma reached out and caught the woman's wrist, "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but it isn't necessary. The wedding isn't that big of a deal-"
"Not a big deal?" Carol asked, her smile unwavering. "Of course it's a big deal. You're getting married."
Emma let go of Carol's wrist.
"I know, but-"
"Emma, please let us have some fun." Carol pleaded, her smile softening around the edges. "Let me have some fun. This is the happiest most exciting thing to happen on this farm in...well, maybe ever."
Emma sighed, but she gave Carol a nod.
"Wait." Emma suddenly held one hand out as Carol tried once again to leave. "We? What do you mean we?"
Carol winked at Emma.
"You'll see."
Without another word, Carol slipped upstairs to get the kids. Emma took a seat at the table and waited patiently for Carol to return with the children. While she waited, she thought back to the night before, when she had spoken to Daryl privately before parting ways...
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Emma asked when she and Daryl were alone.
Daryl's lips pulled into an amused smile, but there was worry in his eyes.
"You gettin' cold feet?" Daryl asked, reaching out for both of Emma's hands as they stood on the porch together under the stars.
"No...I meant all those things I said inside." Emma murmured reassuringly, waiting for the worry in Daryl's eyes to vanish before she continued. "I just didn't expect everyone to make such a big deal about all of this-"
"I did." Daryl snorted.
"You did, but you asked me anyways?" Emma asked, weaving her fingers in and out of Daryl's.
"Just because everyone is nosey doesn't mean I don't wanna marry you." Daryl replied.
Emma smiled up at Daryl, who briefly returned her smile with one of his own before it suddenly faded.
"There is one thing, though."
"What?" Emma asked warily, lifting an eyebrow.
Daryl let go of one of Emma's hands so that he could scratch the back of his neck. Emma had come to understand that when Daryl felt the urge to scratch the back of his head or neck, it meant that he was feeling awkward, or nervous, or embarrassed. Emma took a step closer to Daryl and laid her free hand on his chest.
"What is it?" Emma asked softly.
"It's just..." Daryl started to reply, but then stopped.
Emma waited patiently for Daryl to spill his guts out onto the porch for her to see. There were a lot of itches being taken care of and sighs being exhaled in the meantime.
"Is it all right if...tomorrow...when the reverend marries us..."
"What?" Emma asked.
"Is it all right...if I don't..." Daryl sighed and lowered his hand from his head. "If I don't kiss you?"
Emma couldn't help but laugh when Daryl finally spat out his words. Daryl didn't seem amused by her laughter. He let go of her hand and frowned in disapproval.
"I'm sorry." Emma apologized halfheartedly as she tried to contain her laughter. "I just think it's silly that you were so nervous to ask me that."
"Well..." Daryl tried to respond, but he didn't seem to have anything worthwhile to say.
Unable to defend himself, Daryl broke down and chuckled...
"Good morning, Emma."
Emma looked up as Carl entered the kitchen with Sophia hot on his heels. Sophia made a beeline for Emma and threw her arms around her. Emma returned her hug, but was surprised.
"Happy Wedding Day." Sophia told Emma with a smile as she pulled away from her.
Emma looked up to see Carol standing in the doorway with Judith, beaming.
"Thank you, Sophia." Emma replied as Sophia sat down next to Carl at the table.
"When are you getting married?" Carl asked as Carol set Judith up in the highchair.
"This afternoon."
"Really?" Carl asked excitedly, turning to Carol. "Does that mean we can skip lessons?"
Emma started to laugh, but caught herself before she could encourage Carl and Sophia.
"No-"
"Since it's a special occasion, I think that would be all right." Carol interrupted Emma.
Carl cheered, but Sophia seemed apathetic about missing that day's lessons. Meanwhile, Carol set breakfast out on the table before she made up a plate for Judith.
"Emma, I don't know much about your courtship with Daryl." Carol spoke as she cut up a flapjack into bite sized pieces for Judith. "How did you two meet? Was it when you took the job up here?"
"Yes." Emma nodded as she passed the biscuits to the kids.
"What was it like?" Sophia asked from across the table.
Normally, Emma didn't like inviting others into her business. The only people who knew about her past were Sam and Daryl. Nobody else knew what kind of life Emma had led before she found Hershel. She certainly hadn't made a point of spreading the story of her relationship with Daryl. The only person she had ever spoken to about it in great length was Rick. Even still, Sophia looked so interested and eager as she waited for Emma's reply. Carol turned her head frequently, as though she thought she might miss something. Even Carl seemed to be waiting on Emma to speak. So, she decided that in light of the events taking place that day, she would break her silence.
"Well," Emma began, "I was getting ready for bed-"
"In the loft?" Carl interrupted.
Sophia and Carol both shooshed Carl in unison.
"Yes, Carl, in the loft." Emma replied with a nod. "Anyways, I was getting ready for bed when I heard this terrible groaning sound coming from below me-"
"Was it Daryl?" Sophia asked excitedly.
Carol and Carl shooshed Sophia, although Carl's shooshing was a bit more dramatic. Sophia reached out and smacked him in the arm to get him to stop.
"No, it wasn't Daryl." Emma shook her head. "It was the floorboards."
"The floorboards?" Carol asked, quirking her eyebrow.
Before the kids could shoosh Carol, she apologized profusely.
"The floorboards in one part of the loft were rotten and needed to be replaced." Emma continued her story uninterrupted. "Well, before I could get off of that part of the floor, the boards gave way. I fell through the floor. Even though I tried to grab onto something on the way down, I knew I was going to fall to the barn floor below and break both my legs."
Sophia gasped. Carol murmured something.
"What happened?" Carl asked, his hands flat on the table as he listened to Emma's story.
"I did fall, but not onto the barn floor." Emma replied. "I fell...into Daryl's arms..."
"Oh..." Sophia sighed.
"Emma, that is so romantic." Carol pressed one hand to her chest. "What did you say to him?"
"Uh..." Emma tucked a stray curl behind her ear. "I asked him to...put me down..."
"What?" Sophia asked, her nose wrinkling up in disgust.
"You did?" Carol asked, moving her hand to her hip. "Well, what did he say?"
Emma laughed softly when she remembered Daryl's first words to her.
"He asked me who the hell I was."
Carl burst into laughter. At first, Carol and Sophia were silent. Then, Carol covered her mouth as she began to laugh. Sophia looked between her mother and Carl, confused as to why they found Emma's story funny.
Suddenly, the bell at the gate rang out. Emma turned her head.
"Who-"
"It's your husband to be." Carol interrupted Emma.
Emma felt her stomach do a flip when Carol said the word 'husband'.
"Did you just get butterflies?" Carol asked as Emma turned her head back to everyone.
"What?" Emma asked a little louder than she meant to. "No."
Carol put her hands on her hips and gave Emma a smile.
"You did, didn't you?"
Emma could feel a flush coming to her face, which only spread faster as she heard hoofbeats approaching the house.
"No, no, no." Emma stammered, shaking her head.
"You're turning pink." Carl announced as all eyes fell upon Emma.
Emma ignored everyone as she picked up her fork to eat more of her breakfast. The hoofbeats came to a stop. Daryl was close. Emma felt her fork quivering in her hand. She didn't know what was wrong with her. Carol had been right, though. Emma felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach, which only grew stronger when there was a knock at the door.
"It's for me." Carol said, running her hands along the length of her apron.
As Carol left the room to answer the door, Carl got up out of his chair.
"Are you okay?" Carl asked, circling the table towards Emma.
From the next room, Emma couldn't hear what Daryl was saying to Carol, but she could hear the tone of his voice. The moment his voice reached her ears, Emma's breath caught in her throat. She was vaguely aware of Carl's hand against her flushed cheek. Emma tried to drown out Daryl's voice so that she could calm herself down. Suddenly, Carl's hand was on her chest.
"Carl-"
"Whoa." Carl's eyes widened. "Your heart is beating really fast."
"I'm fine." Emma insisted, taking a deep breath for good measure.
Sophia couldn't get up from the table fast enough so that she could join in.
"Cool." Sophia said as she felt Emma's heartbeat for herself.
"Kids," Emma swept both of their hands away from her chest, "sit down."
Carol was just returning to the kitchen when Carl and Sophia sat back down at the table. Emma turned her head to ask where Daryl had gone and what he wanted, but she remained silent upon seeing what Carol had laying over her arms. Then, Carol was holding it up for Emma to get a closer look at.
"Well?" Carol asked with the smile that seemed to be permanently attached to her face that day. "What do you think?"
Emma stared at the dress Carol was holding. It was made from a deep, emerald green material. There were buttons the same color as the fabric starting at the sweetheart neckline and ending where the bodice and skirt met. The skirt was fuller than any of the skirts Emma owned, but not quite as full as the skirt of the dress she had worn to the fall gathering. The sleeves draped away from the bodice, leading Emma to believe that they would fall off of her shoulders when she was wearing it. As she took a step closer, she saw that the dress was covered in a very fine herringbone pattern, but it was difficult to see because it was just one or two shades darker than the rest of the dress.
"What...?" Emma reached out to touch the dress.
"It's beautiful." Sophia breathed from her chair.
"It is pretty." Carl agreed, but less enthusiastically.
"Daryl told us last night that he was going to take a goat into town to trade for a dress for you to wear today." Carol explained as Emma ran her fingers along the soft material.
"He did?" Emma asked, lifting her eyes to meet Carol's.
Carol nodded.
Emma looked back down at the dress. It wasn't a wedding dress by any stretch of the imagination. Emma remembered the frilly, lacy, white gown Amy had worn to her wedding. The dress Daryl had traded for was something a girl would wear out on the town, or to a party like the fall gathering, but certainly not on her wedding day. It was in part because of that, among other things, why Emma loved the dress. She wasn't one to get excited over clothes or fashion, but as she ran her eyes over the dress Daryl had brought back from town for her, Emma was struck by the notion that she couldn't wait to wear it for him.
"Well?" Carol asked. "Do you like it?"
Emma returned Carol's smile.
"I love it."
0o0o0
The hours between breakfast and late afternoon flew by. Emma was forbidden to do any sort of work, so she read in Merle's living room. Occasionally, someone would pass through on their way to wash up or get dressed for the impending wedding. Emma would lift her eyes and hope to see Daryl come through the door, but he never did. The group was hellbent on keeping Daryl and Emma apart until the wedding. Before she knew it, it was time to get ready.
"Is it all right if Sophia and I help you?" Carol asked as Emma put her book down.
Carol and Sophia both looked beside themselves with excitement as they stood waiting for Emma's answer. They were both wearing modest outfits, but it was the most they had dressed up in a year. Sophia's blonde hair was plaited into two braids, which were then tied off with ribbons.
"Sure." Emma shrugged her shoulders as she stood up. "Why not?"
Sophia clapped her hands together as her smile grew.
"Your dress is upstairs." Carol said, sweeping her arm towards the stairs.
Emma let Carol and Sophia lead her upstairs to the room they shared. Sure enough, the green dress was hanging from the bureau. Emma allowed Carol and Sophia to order her around. Carol helped lace up Emma's corset, even though she was perfectly capable of doing it herself, while Sophia watched. Then, they both helped Emma into the green dress. Sophia held Emma's hand to keep her balanced as Carol pulled the dress up Emma's body and then fastened the buttons in front.
"Sophia, don't you have something for Emma?" Carol asked as she smoothed out the dress and made a few adjustments.
"Oh!" Sophia exclaimed.
Emma turned to watch Sophia hurry out of the room and then heard her gallop down the steps.
"I think you should wear your hair down." Carol said as she stepped back from Emma.
Emma touched a lock of hair.
"You do?"
"Of course." Carol replied. "Your hair is beautiful."
Carol pulled Emma's hair loose from the knot at the base of her neck, then brushed it out. Emma watched her wild curls become tamed by the bristles of the brush until they became softer waves. They spilled down her front in blonde waves, like a field of wheat blowing back and forth in a gentle breeze. By the time Carol had finished brushing out Emma's hair, Sophia had returned. Emma immediately smelled a perfume of flowers as Sophia lingered by the door, her hands behind her back, looking shyly at the floor.
"Sophia, go on." Carol urged her daughter sweetly.
Slowly, Sophia crossed the room to where Emma stood waiting for the reveal.
"I...made you this..." Sophia mumbled.
Sophia produced a crown of white flowers from behind her back. Emma recognized the majority of the crown was made up of dogwood flowers from the trees lining the path from the gate to Merle's house. Several honey locust flowers dangled from amidst the dogwood flowers. It was very pretty.
Emma carefully took a knee in her dress.
"Sophia, thank you." Emma murmured as Sophia looked up from the floor.
"You're welcome." Sophia replied with a meek smile.
"Will you help me?" Emma asked, bowing her head slightly.
Sophia carefully placed the crown of flowers on Emma's head, then arranged it just so.
"That looks lovely." Carol complimented her daughter as Emma lifted her head.
Emma stood up.
"Sophia and I are going outside, but there's someone waiting for you downstairs." Carol announced suddenly, motioning for Sophia to join her. "We'll see you at the wedding."
Before Emma could ask any questions, they quickly left the room, leaving her alone for the first time that day. Emma turned to look at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall. If she stood back far enough, she could see almost her entire reflection from head to toe. The dress fit perfectly. The sleeves were like a second skin, the skirt flared at just the right angle, and her cleavage was ample, but appropriate. With the crown of flowers atop her head, amidst her waves, her hair did look pretty down. Emma approached the mirror to see her face better. As she had seen other women do before, Emma pinched her cheeks several times to create a rosy effect. Emma wasn't sure how else she could improve her image, so she decided to leave her reflection behind and see who was waiting downstairs.
As Emma descended the steps, she saw Rick standing in Merle's living room. He was wearing his sheriff uniform, which he had been wearing the day Merle, Daryl, and Emma came to his rescue. The blood, sweat, and dirt that had caked his uniform before had been washed away. Any traces of it had been removed. His shirt and pants had been ironed. On his head, Rick wore his sheriff hat. His facial hair, which he had allowed to become a little longer and messier than before, had been shaved down.
"Emma," Rick breathed as he met her at the bottom of the stairs, "you look beautiful."
Emma wasn't used to all of the compliments or attention she was receiving that day.
"Thanks." Emma replied. "You don't look so bad yourself, Sheriff."
Rick shook his head, but smiled.
"Today isn't about me." Rick murmured. "It's about you, kid."
Rick's smile softened.
"I wanted to ask you something." Rick cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you if...would you give me the honor of giving you away today?"
Emma didn't know what to say. Ever since Emma spoke with Rick after the incident of the kids and the guns, their relationship had mended somewhat. They didn't speak about what happened, but eventually, things sort of returned to normal. Even though they were on speaking terms, Emma could sense a shift in her relationship with Rick.
"I know things between us haven't been what they used to be." Rick continued, as if he had read Emma's mind. "That's my fault. You were right when you said I asked you to become more involved, and then punished you for doing just that-"
"I broke the rules." Emma interrupted, shaking her head. "You were right to punish me."
"Yes, but..." Rick looked down at his boots and sighed. "I still don't like how things were handled. I don't like that I made you to feel as though things were better for you when you weren't a real part of the group. I don't..."
Emma waited for Rick to finish his thought. Eventually, he looked up from the floor.
"Ever since you came to my farm after Lori died, I've looked at you as more like...a daughter...than a friend." Rick admitted, his voice becoming thick with emotion. "That feeling has never changed, even after what happened with the kids, and I never meant for you to think it had."
Emma felt her eyes begin to sting in the corners. She blinked furiously to make the pin pricking feeling go away.
"The truth is, if Judith grows up to be half the woman that you are..." Rick cleared his throat. "Then...I'll be just as proud of her...as I am of you."
Simultaneously, Rick and Emma reached for each other and wound up in a fierce hug. Emma locked her jaw against Rick's shoulder to stop her lip from quivering. Rick ran one hand up and down Emma's back, which only made it harder for Emma to keep the tears at bay. She hated crying. It always gave her a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, like a heavy rock was weighing it down so that it fell past her guts and down to her feet. Emma was just so overcome with emotions she had only experienced during her time with Hershel. She could barely contain the tears, but she managed to.
After their embrace ended, Rick offered Emma his arm. She accepted it with a smile. Rick led Emma to the door, then held it open for her. As they stepped out onto the porch, they were met by Carl. He was holding a bouquet of wildflowers in his hand. It looked like they had been fastened together with a hair ribbon.
"I picked these for you." Carl said, holding the flowers out to Emma.
Emma took the bouquet from his hand.
"Thank you, Carl."
"I better get going-"
"Carl, how would you like to come with us?" Emma asked before Carl could leave.
So, Rick had Emma on one side, while Carl had her on the other. Together, the three of them circled Merle's house. Emma wasn't sure where they were going, but she didn't have to guess for long. Standing at the back of the property, against the willows, was the group. Carol with Judith and Sophia were standing together on one side, while Shane, Benjamin, and Sam stood on the other side. In the center, stood the reverend with his bible already opened up.
Daryl stood on the reverend's left, his hands folded in front of him. He was wearing the outfit he had worn for Sam's wedding - the salmon shirt, the creamy suspenders, brown slacks, and boots. Emma could tell even from afar that his hair was combed, but she was glad to see that his facial hair remained. As Emma got closer to Daryl, she was half expecting to wake up from a dream. It was all too surreal, but Emma had the memories to prove that her relationship with Daryl existed...
"Who the hell are you?" Daryl asked roughly.
"I'm Emma." Emma replied calmly, taking another breath. "Your brother, Merle, he hired me earlier today."
"Hired you?" Daryl asked suspiciously, looking at Emma sideways. "Merle?"
"I don't have any proof of employment, but we could find your brother if you're so concerned." Emma folded her arms over her chest.
"What'd he hire you for?" Daryl asked, his expression relaxing, but only slightly.
"I'm your new farmhand and cook." Emma replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear...
As they finally reached everyone else, Rick and Carl let go of Emma. Rick leaned in and gave Emma a quick kiss on the cheek before he escorted Carl to where Carol and Sophia were standing. Rick took Judith from Carol to hold on his own hip.
Emma met Daryl in front of the reverend. The fluttery feeling that had weakened within Emma's stomach suddenly returned as Daryl reached for her hands. Emma smiled when she felt Daryl's clammy palms. She was relieved to discover that he was experiencing his own slew of emotions, just like she was.
"Let us pray." The reverend began the ceremony, raising his hand over the couple as everyone bowed their heads in prayer. "God, we ask for your blessings upon this man and this woman as we celebrate this momentous occasion in their lives. Grant them happiness as they build a home and a family together. Bless their friends and family, who have supported and strengthened their relationship. When times are hard, and tempers flare, which knowing this couple, they will..."
"Look, maybe we started off on the wrong foot-"
"You sure started off on the wrong feet." Daryl laughed over the crack of his axe.
"Well, maybe if the boards hadn't been rotten, I wouldn't have fallen through the floor." Emma replied with an icy tone.
"The floor was just fine before you walked on it." Daryl challenged.
"If the floor had been fine, I certainly wouldn't have fallen through."
"If you don't like it here, you're more than welcome to leave." Daryl grumbled angrily.
"You're not going to get rid of me that easy, Daryl."
"Suit yourself." Daryl finally said...
Everyone snickered around Daryl and Emma as they laughed in agreement.
"...help them to look into their hearts and remember the love they shared on this special day." The reverend lowered his hand and lifted his head. "Amen."
"Amen." Everyone replied.
"Now, I would like to recite a passage that I find to be appropriate for this occasion." The reverend looked back down at his bible. "'Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work. If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.'"
Emma looked into Daryl's eyes as the reverend read. He was looking at her so intensely that she was having a hard time breathing. Emma remembered a time when that would have made her feel foolish, and maybe she still did sometimes, but she was much more open to the way love made her feel than she had been before.
"Emma, I would like you to repeat after me." The reverend turned towards Emma. "I, Emma-"
"Wait." Emma suddenly interrupted the reverend.
Lines and creases started forming on Daryl's face, spelling out the concern bubbling up inside of him as Emma leaned in and whispered to the reverend. The reverend gave her an incredulous look. Emma nodded. The reverend suddenly appeared amused as Emma leaned away from him.
"I, Emmylou Anne Thorne, take thee Daryl to be my wedded husband..."
"I, Emmylou Anne Thorne, take thee Daryl to be my wedded husband..." Emma repeated.
"...to have and to hold from this day forward..."
Emma ignored Daryl as she headed up the path that would lead her to the gate. She had been so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't heard Daryl coming after her. When Daryl came upon her, he wrapped his fingers around her wrist to stop her. Emma turned around to face Daryl, to tell him to leave her alone, but she didn't get the chance. Daryl released Emma and, before she could speak, he had grabbed her face between his large hands and brought his mouth down upon hers. Emma was so surprised by his sudden kiss that when his lips crashed down on hers, she kept her eyes open upon his face at first. Caught up in the moment and her emotions once more, Emma's eyes fluttered closed as she returned Daryl's kiss. His scraggly beard was scratchy and warm against her face. She could feel it leaving red patches on her skin. His lips were feverish against hers, the air passing between their open mouths hot in the cool air. Emma could feel the occasional snowflake falling onto her cheek and melting away when it came into contact with her flushed face...
"...to have and to hold from this day forward..."
"...for better, for worse..."
"Why aren't ya'll out working?" Emma asked, taking a step forward, confused by their behavior.
"It's Daryl." Sam finally spoke, looking up from the floor.
"Daryl?" Emma asked, feeling as though her suspicions about Sam and Merle knowing he had come to her in the barn the night before.
"He's...gone..." Sam replied slowly.
"Gone?" Emma took another step forward. "What do you mean gone?"
"...for better, for worse..."
"...for richer, for poorer..."
Suddenly, Emma heard a familiar sound in the distance. She set down her coffee and sat up straight as the sound got closer to the cabin. It was hoofbeats. Someone had found Emma's hiding spot. Emma sank back into her chair with a frown. She hadn't been creative when thinking of a place to go, but there weren't many options for her. Besides, the cabin had been good enough for Daryl to use when he ran away from the farm.
The hoofbeats came to a stop just as they had gotten loudest. Whoever had figured out where Emma was staying had arrived. It could have been anyone. Emma left a note for Rick, and Emma knew she had mentioned the cabin to him before, so it could have been him. It obviously could have been Merle, Sam, or Daryl, seeing as how the cabin belonged to the Dixons'. Rick could have told anyone about Emma having gone away, so it could have been a volunteer from town. Emma had no idea who or what to expect, but she couldn't put off greeting her guest any longer.
Emma got up from the chair with a sigh. She crossed the one room cabin to the door. With a deep breath, Emma pulled open the door to reveal the mysterious rider. Emma came face to face with Daryl, the man she had been running away from to begin with. It was completely dark outside. The lantern light from inside of the cabin illuminated Daryl as he stood in the doorway. Emma was reminded of their first meeting in the barn due to the way the light shone in his dark blue eyes. She shouldn't have been surprised that it was Daryl, but she truly was.
"Emma, I..." Daryl's voice was thick and husky when he finally managed to speak.
Overcome with emotion, Daryl stepped forward at the same time he was lifting a hand to Emma's face and dipping his head to capture her lips. Emma threw her arms around Daryl's neck and returned his kiss with fervor as Daryl kicked the door shut behind him without missing a beat...
"...for richer, for poorer..."
"...in sickness and in health..."
"Stay over there." Emma snapped weakly, her head spinning. "I don't want you near me."
"What the hell has gotten into you?" Daryl asked, keeping a few feet between himself and Emma.
"Nothing." Emma insisted, her voice growing involuntarily softer.
"Why don't you want to stay with me?" Daryl asked. "Why don't you want me near you?"
"Emma, look at me." Daryl said, his voice lowering.
"Emma, please." Daryl pleaded, taking a step forward. "Look at me."
"Go." Emma managed to force one word out of her mouth.
Emma tried to walk past Daryl, but he reached out for her. It had become too much for Emma. As Daryl's fingers wrapped around her wrist to stop her, her body gave in. Daryl's eyes widened as Emma started to crumple beside him. The lantern fell to the floor with a crash as Daryl caught Emma in his arms before she could fall to the floor...
"...in sickness and in health..."
"...to love and to cherish, til death do us part..."
"Now, what were you going to say about Amy in the woods?" Emma asked, getting right down to it.
"Do you feel like you can't tell me?" Emma asked softly.
"I mean no offense, Emma, but I don't think you'll know what I'm talking about." Sam finally spoke up quietly. "You're so independent. I don't think you've ever..well..."
"I..." Emma looked down at the ground, then back up at the path. "I think...you'd be surprised..."
"The sight of her face, it gives your stomach a sort of fluttery feeling." Emma spoke softly, but loud enough for Sam to hear. "You feel as though your guts are flipping and flopping all over the place, like a fish out of water."
"When your eyes meet, especially when she smiles, your breath catches." Emma went on as Sam slowly turned his head to look at her. "The touch of her hand, well, that makes your heart beat so hard in your chest that you feel as though the whole world could hear it."
"It's terrifying because it's new and it's intense, you've never known anything like it before and you aren't sure you can survive through it all." Emma looked at the barn. "At the same time, it's exciting and it's thrilling. You never want it to end, even if it means you never regain your breath again or your heart bursts."
"How...how did you know...?" Sam asked slowly, in awe. "That's...exactly how Amy makes me feel. It's incredible, but then...when I'm not with her..."
"My chest aches...aches like I been working all day long." Sam moved his hand to his stomach. "It feels like a big old rock is sitting in the pit of my stomach, dragging it way down."
"You love her." Emma said simply, as though it was nothing...
"...to love and to cherish, til death do us part..."
"...according to God's holy ordinance..."
"...according to God's holy ordinance..."
"...and thereto, I pledge myself to you."
"...and thereto, I pledge myself to you."
"Daryl, repeat after me." The reverend turned away from Emma towards Daryl.
"I, Daryl Earl Dixon, take thee Emmylou to be my wedded wife..."
"I, Daryl Earl Dixon, take thee Emmylou to be my wedded wife..." Daryl repeated.
"...to have and to hold from this day forward..."
In all of their kissing, Daryl and Emma found themselves on Emma's mattress above in the loft. Skipper quickly realized there wasn't enough room for him. He toddled off to sleep in another pile of hay. Meanwhile, Daryl was hovering over Emma, one knee on either side of her body. His hands were still upon her waist. The warmth of his hands was causing Emma to sweat. Her nightdress clung to her damp skin. All Emma could hear in the shadows was her breaths - short, through her nose - and Daryl's - heavy, through his mouth. Emma realized that Daryl was waiting for her. He needed some sort of sign, a signal from her that all was well and that was he was doing was okay. Emma, tied up in all of those feelings she wasn't used to, used one of her knees to nudge Daryl towards her. He responded to her budging by carefully laying down on top of her. Emma could tell he was worried he was hurting her in some way. He kept looking down at her body under his, kept trying to hold himself up above her. Emma wrapped her arms around Daryl to pull him down to her. Their lips met. Their kissing resumed as though nothing had happened to interrupt it before.
Emma had never been with a man before. All of what was occurring that night was undiscovered territory for her. Judging by Daryl's hesitancy, Emma guessed he had never been with a woman. Had she been in her right mind, she would never be on her back kissing a man she had only known a few months. She wasn't, though. There weren't any thoughts racing through her head. The only thing racing through Emma's body was her blood. It was pumping hard, coursing at high speeds throughout her limbs. Pressed together, Emma's and Daryl's hearts were thudding together like two wild horses galloping through a field.
In all of their kissing, Emma's nightdress had hiked up around her thighs. She could feel Daryl between them, writhing against her bare skin as they kissed. Emma became aware of something else between her legs. As Daryl moved rhythmically with her, something hard was rubbing against Emma's inner thigh. She knew enough to figure out what it was. As it was pressed harder and harder against her skin, a fire began to grow in Emma's stomach. She felt hot all over, but her gut was in flames. The fire kept building and building the more Daryl kissed her and rubbed his body against hers. Then, suddenly, Emma felt an animalistic urge rise to the surface and take hold of her. She managed to move a hand between herself and Daryl to feel the bulge in his pants. When her hand grazed it, Daryl groaned. Before that night, Emma knew nothing of intimacy, but in that moment, she wanted that bulge inside of her.
Daryl seemed to sense Emma's desire. He held himself up with one hand while he fumbled with his belt. Emma brushed his hands away to do it herself. When the belt was off, Emma undid his pants. From there, Emma was able to finally free the unseen bulge. It was hard to see clearly in the shadows, but Emma could feel Daryl's manhood between her hands. Suddenly, Daryl's breathing changed. He was pulling in air sharply. When he expelled the air he had taken in, it came out amidst a groan. Emma didn't know what to do with the unfamiliar appendage in her hands. She ran her hands all along the length of it, studying it with her fingertips in the darkness. It had become harder between her hands. It was warm and soft. Emma could feel a tuft of hair at its base. She kept her fingers clear of it so as not to tug any hairs loose. The tip of it was sticky. Curious, Emma tasted the stickiness on her fingertip. It was warm and bitter, but not unbearably so.
Emma couldn't wait any longer. Anxiety and excitement were all bundled up at her core, ready to explode at any moment. She released Daryl's penis so that she could tug on his open pants. Daryl laid back down on top of Emma. She could feel him fumbling between her legs. Whether he was nervous or he couldn't see, Emma didn't know. After a few moments, she decided to help him. She found his hand between her legs. It was wrapped around his penis. Emma guided his hand towards her womanhood. She didn't know what to expect as Daryl's penis got closer and closer to her. When the head touched her opening, Emma moaned in the shadows. She felt Daryl's penis stiffen. He took over then, pressing his penis hard against Emma's opening. She could feel the head push into her easily, fanning the flames in her stomach. As Daryl tried to push himself further into Emma, her muscles tightened. She felt pain as Daryl's penis slowly inched into her. She tried to hide it, but she knew Daryl could see it. He hadn't taken his eyes from her face since he had first entered her. He was concerned.
Then, the pain faded as Daryl pushed himself all of the way into Emma. She gasped at his full length, arching her back up off the mattress. The worry melted off of Daryl's face. He wrapped both arms around Emma to pull her even closer to his body. It became easier as more time passed for Daryl to drive himself into Emma's core. She had one arm wrapped around his neck. The other was along his back, her hand pressed between his shoulders. Each time Emma made a sound, Daryl picked up his pace. As Daryl thrust himself into Emma faster and faster, she threw her head back and moaned. The fire in her belly was growing hotter with each thrust. Just as Emma thought the flames couldn't get anymore intense, Daryl was suddenly going completely rigid. From within her, Emma felt Daryl's penis jerking and pulsing. She felt warmth spreading from inside. Daryl growled as he released into Emma. He pulled her even closer. Emma could barely breathe within his strong hold...
"...to have and to hold from this day forward..."
"...for better, for worse..."
"The reason...that I left in December is because..." Daryl cleared his throat. "I found a letter in your belongings. It mentioned Clarke's proposal to you. I thought..."
"You thought I was engaged to another man, but..." Emma couldn't even speak the words. "You thought so little of me...that I was nothing but a liar and a whore?"
"No." Daryl shook his head and took a step towards Emma.
"Don't." Emma snapped, taking a step back.
"That first week you were gone..." Emma looked out into the field. "I thought of all sorts of reasons you could have left. I won't share them with you...but my character? I never thought you had gone because you thought little of me as a person. We fought sometimes, but I thought...I thought there was a mutual respect between us-"
"There is." Daryl interrupted Emma passionately as the words suddenly came to him. "At first, I couldn't stand you, but...Emma, it was me who carried you to bed that night you fell asleep at the table."
"It wasn't Sam." Daryl placed a hand on his chest. "It was me."
"Why-"
"I finally began to understand you that night." Daryl continued, despite the fact that Emma had started to speak. "I saw you as the woman that you are, the woman that you are where Sam or those kids you take care of are concerned."
"Then, I heard you telling Sam all about your past...the things you went through..." Daryl kept looking at Emma even though her eyes darted between his and the darkening field. "I put it all together. I figured out who you were. You're strong and stubborn and spunky...and you work hard because you've had to your whole life...but you're also soft and kind...but sometimes you just have to look harder to see those qualities."
"We're alike...you and me." Daryl motioned to himself and then to Emma. "We're cut from the same damn cloth...which is why this has all been so damn hard..."
"I ain't a perfect man." Daryl now stood opposite Emma at the top of the stairs. "I've made all kinds of mistakes in my life...but...leaving you last year was the biggest one I ever made."
"I was just...so...scared that I had...put myself out there..." Daryl closed his eyes. "The thought of you belonging to another man..."
"How do you think I felt?" Emma blurted out, suddenly discovering speech again. "You don't think I wasn't scared to be vulnerable?"
"I know." Daryl lowered his voice and softened his tone.
"I know I don't deserve it...but I want you to give me a second chance."
"I want you to come with me." Daryl's voice had suddenly become quite husky with emotion. "I want you to come home...where you belong..."
"...for better, for worse..."
"...for richer, for poorer..."
"Hi." Emma finally broke the silence.
"Emma..." Daryl's voice was nearly lost in his breath. "What...?"
A soft, close-lipped smile came to Emma's face as she gave Daryl a single shrug.
"I'm home." Emma murmured...
"...for richer, for poorer..."
"...in sickness and in health..."
"Hey there." Daryl replied in a whisper so as not to wake the doctor or Rick. "How do you feel?"
"I feel much better." Emma repeated herself for Daryl to hear.
"Has the doc been taking good care of you?" Daryl asked.
"Mhmm." Emma nodded at the same time she stretched, then she rolled onto her side to face Daryl. "Has he been taking good care of you?"
"I didn't need him taking care of me." Daryl whispered as he lifted his hand to feel Emma's forehead and cheeks. "You ain't nearly as warm as you were before."
"Rick told me what happened." Emma finally broke the silence when Daryl's hand settled on the side of her face, her cheek perfectly nestled into his palm.
"What'd he say?" Daryl asked.
"That after you refused to bring me back to the farm, he decided to bring the doctor here. He said that when they arrived, they found the cabin empty. So, they took a look around. They saw us down by the pond, and it was pretty clear from above that the ice had broken in several places. By the time they got to us, we were both unconscious and soaking wet..."
"You..." Emma slowly opened her eyes. "You saved me..."
"Thank you." Emma murmured.
"You don't ever have to thank me for that..."
"...in sickness and in health..."
"...to love and to cherish, til death do us part..."
"I wanted to talk to you because..." Daryl hesitated as he led Emma to the fire.
"What is it?" Emma asked.
"I've been...feeling strangely for a while now-"
"Poorly?" Emma asked worriedly.
"No." Daryl shook his head. "It's...well, it's hard to explain..."
"You can tell me." Emma reassured Daryl, setting her hand on his waist.
"Well, it all happens...when I'm..."
"Yes?" Emma asked.
"When I'm...with you..." Daryl finally spit it out, his voice soft and low. "Whenever I see your face, my stomach flip flops, just like a fish out of water."
"Sometimes, it's hard for me to breathe around you." Daryl confessed.
"When you touch me, my heart starts pounding," Daryl lifted Emma's hand to lay on his chest, "just like this."
"This is...scary...because believe me when I say, it's new for me." Daryl lifted his other hand to rest against Emma's face. "At the same time, it's intense, and exciting, and thrilling..."
"It sounds like...you love me..." Emma said breathlessly.
"I do." Daryl finally admitted. "I love you."
"...to love and to cherish, til death do us part..."
"...according to God's holy ordinance..."
"...according to God's holy ordinance..."
"...and thereto, I pledge myself to you."
"...and thereto, I pledge myself to you."
"Well," the reverend closed the bible and smiled, "by the grace of God, I now pronounce you man and wife. Daryl, you may kiss-"
Emma shook her head and began to say, 'no', but she was suddenly cut off. Daryl leaned in and captured Emma's lips in a chaste kiss as he brought his hands up to her face. Surprised, Emma didn't return Daryl's kiss right away. She didn't understand why Daryl had changed his mind, but she was glad as she melted into his kiss. Daryl parted his lips so that he could press a kiss to Emma's bottom lip, then her top lip. Emma lifted one hand to Daryl's waist as one of his hands slipped from her cheek to the small of her back to pull her in closer. Emma parted her lips, willing Daryl to deepen their kiss. Daryl complied with only the tip of his tongue, but Emma urged him to kiss her more deeply as she moved her hand from his waist and instead wrapped her arm around his neck, pulling him even closer to her than before. Daryl seemed to forget the reason he had wanted to skip the kiss to begin with, because public display like kissing made him feel strangely, as he poured all of his emotions into his first kiss as Emma's husband.
Suddenly, the sound of clapping reached their ears. Daryl and Emma pulled away from each other as they remembered that they had an audience.
0o0o0
That night, Carol made supper for everyone. What followed was the group's interpretation of a reception. After the kids were sent to bed, Daryl broke out the liquor while Benjamin pulled out his fiddle. Everyone was in high spirits, the highest they had been in a long time. Even Benjamin seemed to be having a good time as he played song after song on his fiddle.
"Emma," Shane asked in a haze of liquor, "what was that dance you did with Dixon at the fall gathering?"
"Who taught you to dance like that, Daryl?" Rick asked with whiskey on his breath.
"My mama." Daryl answered from the sofa where he was smoking his pipe.
"Did Hershel teach you?" Carol asked Emma, who was picking flower petals from her hair.
"Mhmm." Emma replied, her cheeks rosy from the whiskey she had consumed.
"Will you dance?" Carol asked, clapping her hands together. "Please?"
"No, no." Emma waved her hands and shook her head. "We couldn't."
"Why not?" Carol whined.
"Well, for starters, there isn't enough room..." Emma's voice trailed off as Rick and Shane abruptly shoved the sofa back, with Daryl still seated upon it.
"There's plenty of room." Carol insisted as Rick and Shane made space in the living room.
Daryl had moved from the sofa to lean against the wall, chuckling around the pipe in his mouth.
"I remember the tune you guys danced to." Benjamin spoke up as he sat back down with his fiddle. "I could play it right now."
Daryl and Emma exchanged an amused look between them. Then, he set his pipe down, which sent Carol into a fit of giggles. Benjamin started the song as Daryl walked across the room towards Emma. He held out his hand to her and gave a small, silly bow. Everyone laughed, including Emma, as she slipped her hand into his. They stepped out onto the dance floor they had been provided. Daryl held Emma around the waist while she set one hand on his shoulder. Then, they held each other's free hand as they began to dance.
By the time they had taken their stance, Benjamin was already a third of the way through the song. Daryl leaned his head as he listened to the music, waiting for his opportune moment to catch up with the song, then swept Emma to the right as she kicked her foot out. Then, Daryl led her to the left, where Emma mimicked the same move from before. They let go of each other only to spin in their own circles before coming back together as everyone started to clap in time with Benjamin's fiddle. Daryl led Emma to the right, then left again, like before. Then came all of the footwork that had tripped Clarke up at the fall gathering. Daryl and Emma kicked up their feet in unison, their footsteps clattering across the floor in accompaniment with everyone's hands. A few of them even began to stomp their feet.
As they danced together, Emma remembered the day of the fall gathering. She couldn't believe that two years later, she was performing the same steps with Daryl, but he was now her husband.
Daryl spun Emma all around the living room in time with the lone fiddle, lifting her and twirling her as much as they could in their somewhat inebriated states. As the song came to a close, Daryl spun Emma out away from him. When he spun her back in, she leapt up into his arms. Daryl held Emma in his arms, with hers around his neck, as everyone whistled and cheered. As Daryl and Emma looked into each other's eyes, they both knew it was time to head home.
"Well," Daryl announced as he carried Emma towards the door, "I'm taking my bride to bed."
Everyone gave the couple their congratulations, dished out last minute compliments, and said goodnight as Daryl carried Emma out of Merle's house and towards their own.
"Emmylou?" Daryl asked as he carried Emma home.
"Oh..." Emma laughed. "My real name is Emmylou, but I never liked it."
Daryl chuckled as they approached the house.
"I never told anybody that before today." Emma admitted softly. "Not even Hershel."
Daryl looked down just in time to catch Emma's lips as she leaned up to kiss him. Though it took some effort to get the door open with Emma in his arms, Daryl didn't dare break their kiss. With the door finally open, Daryl carried his wife over the threshold.
"How You Get The Girl" - Ryan Adams [Flashbacks of Daryl and Emma, Daryl and Emma marry]
"She Said Yes" - The Wedding Band (Mumford & Sons) [Daryl and Emma dance for everyone]