I have school again tomorrow Hopefully on Wednesday I get off because we're supposed to get snow where I live and usually like three inches closes my school. But even if its not closed I'll still be writing. This chapter is going to start off with a memory and then get into season four territory, so I'm excited to continue into that storyline. And I don't know how long this chapter will be, but it will be all of episode one, so maybe it will be lone, but who knows? Hope you enjoy the chapter! Heaven knows I will! .
Annabelle sighs as she flops down onto the couch that had come with the apartment she had bought. It was her sophomore year of college and she couldn't STAND the NYU dorms. That and the fact that her roommate always brought back boys to their room to screw. The girl needed sleep, not the listen to moans and groans all night.
The apartment was spacious, but Anna realized she hadn't even seen all of it. She had just turned 20 the summer before, and she was excited to start living her own life in an apartment.
Of course, there were two things missing.
Specifically two people.
But she would work everything out later.
She gets up from the couch and looks around the room she was in. It was big, enough room to fit a living room set as well as a pretty big TV. She could probably fit a little play area for when she brings Aria up here. Some art stuff. That little girl loved to fingerpaint.
Anna moves towards the kitchen and notices it is pretty nice. The counters were granite and there was a little island in the middle to place food on. The fridge seemed kind of old, but Anna could buy a new one. She had been saving up some money to buy her own stuff.
There was a small kitchen table and the left an actual dining room. It was quant, not to extravagant but not to simple. She liked things like that.
She moves to the left and up there steps to the hallway. Walking down, she sees a bathroom and steps in. When she notices the color, she cringes.
Green.
She hated green.
She made a sidenote to pick out a new color and paint it. But other than the color, the bathroom was good. It had a nice large bathtub in one corner and a shower in the other. The toilet was obviously white, and the counter had two sinks, so two people could get ready at once.
She had gotten this place for a steal!
She moves out and walks down the hallway more and notices three bedrooms. She chuckles. She really only needed two when Aria cam up. She walks into one and smiles.
It had obviously been a kids room. It was small, with bright pink walls and flowers painted on every once and a while. There was no furniture left in the room, but Anna was sure she could easily get some from IKEA. There was one just down the road from where the apartment was.
She walks out and goes into the next room and few yards over. It was bigger than the last. It seemed that this would be like a teenagers room or something like that. The walls were grey though, and Anna hated that color as well. The only dark color she liked was black, ironically. She hated anything else that reminded her of disease or sickness. She hated hospitals. They made her literally want to throw up.
The last time she had been to one was after the accident. After her mother….
She shakes her head. Her mother was gone. She had to accept that and move on. I mean, it had been three months! Why was she still sad as hell about it? It's not like she ever really did anything for Anna besides bring her into the world and give her money. Half the time Anna wanted to earn the money herself. She hated getting money from her friends or family. She hated when people bought stuff for her. She just didn't feel deserving enough to get it.
She moves out of the room and walks down the hall to the last room and smiles. This would be her room that she would stay in.
It was a light blue, but seemed darker because there were no lights in there currently. There wasn't any furniture, just like the last two rooms, but Anna could go and get some. She walks in and looks out the window, a nice and beautiful view of Central Park.
She loved the south. After all, it had been where she grew up. But New York was something different. And she liked it. In fact, she loved it. The one thing she loved was the random food trucks and carts on the street, offering food to passerby pedestrians.
She loved getting a random thing of curly fries at 12 am in the morning.
Or getting a coffee and 9 in the night.
You couldn't ever really find those back in the south. They had great barbeques, but it never amounted up to the street shakes in the street.
She walks over to the closet and smiles. It was big enough for her clothes and her vanity. Nice big walk in closet. Now all she had to do was bring up the rest of her stuff and head on out to get the furniture.
She walks out and considers calling Joey to help her out, but she shakes her head. She could do this. She has muscles. Granted, they were in her leg, but she could.
But the sound of her phone ringing stopped her.
And it was Joey.
"I was just thinking of calling you!" Anna says, laughing into the phone.
"I just wanted to ask if you needed any help with stuff or anything," he says. Anna notices the nervousness in his voice. She raises an eyebrow and tries not to laugh.
"Joey? What's wrong?" she asks, chuckling in spite of herself. He sighs.
"Shane wants to have 'the talk' and I don't. I really don't." Anna snickers.
"Joey, stop being such a pussy. You're the womanizer and the manizer to just go and grow some balls." He laughs.
"Jeez, you don't mess around, do you?" he chuckles. She smiles.
"Nope! Now, go and talk. I gotta head out and get shit."
Anna stares at the receipt for the second time and then at the furniture they placed in her apartment the day after. Thank God for insurance money from her mother.
No, more or less thank God her mother created one of the most successful fast food chains in history. She rolls her eyes and goes to her room, changing to go out on a run.
Her room had been furnished, and now there was a queen bed ready to be slept on. But even though it was raining a little, Anna was heading off to the fitness center at the school to run for track. Her team had gotten to National Division and she was not going to let them down.
She changes into all her Nike shit, because she was a sponser for them. She never really wanted to be a professional runner. That wasn't even what she was going to college for. But it was a hobby, and people wanted her to be the face of it.
She grabs her MP3 and laces up her sneakers, putting the headphones in her ears. She grabs her keys and puts them in her pocket, and then runs out the door, locking it behind her, and into the elevator. When she reaches the bottom, she runs outside, avoiding the people, and is on her way to the fitness center.
The music blasts in her ear, making her want to run faster, but she knew if she did she would slow down too quickly after. So she keeps a steady pace.
'Hey now, you're an All Star
Get your game on, go play.
Hey now, you're a rock Star
Get the show on, get paid.
All that glitters is gold
Only shooting stars
Break the mold.'
Anna runs into Central Park and avoids all the couples reenacting a stupid scene from a movie by kissing in the rain. She rolls her eyes. If she ever had a boyfriend, she wouldn't do something like that. It was cheesy and cliché. The only thing she probably would reenact would be something from Titanic or something like that. Now that was a good film! And Leonardo DiCaprio was amazingly hot.
To think, that kids her age at the time were killed all because of a stupid ice berg.
That movie made her afraid of even the thought of a cruise. She woule probably jump off the railing herself just like Rose tried to do. She would never take a cruise if her life depended on it.
She runs to a foodstand quickly to pick something up. She would be burning it off anyway for the next five hours probably. Plus she hadn't had any breakfast yet.
"One pretzel, please," she says, reaching into her pocket for money, only to find it was gone. "No shit," she whispers, looking around for who actually snuck into her pocket and took her wallet.
"Looking for this?" someone says next to her. She turns to the person, a hard glare set on her face, ready to curse them out New York style, when she sees a little girl and a man. She knew both of them. Her mouth dropped wide open.
"Daryl?" she says, amazed, and then to her daughter. "Aria?!" she says.
"Mama?!" she mimics. Anna smiles and takes her in her arms.
"You little minx. Oh I can't believe you're here." She looks up at Daryl. "I can't believe both of you are here! How did you-"
"Lily told me exactly what ya were doing today. Wanted to surprise ya." Anna laughs.
"Consider me surprised! Give me my wallet! Sorry sir," she says, placing the two dollars on the cart. The man grumbles in reply. She grabs the pretzel and breaks off a piece for all three of them. "Well, screw my day. Let's head back to my place. There's no way you're heading out to the fitness place with me." Daryl snorts.
"With all those college kids? Hell no." Anna chuckles and grabs Aria's hand. They were in New York.
"Well, looks like I'm buying extra furniture," Anna later says as she watches Aria watch the new show, Spongebob. "I don't understand that show. What's so fascinating about a sponge talking to a starfish?" she asks, turning back to Daryl. He shrugs.
"Exactly that, I guess," he replies. She shrugs and takes a sip of the beer Daryl had brought.
"You know, I shouldn't be drinking this," she states.
"Who cares?" he simply states. She chuckles and looks back at him.
"So tell me, exactly why did you and Aria come all the way up here? Just to visit or I'm guessing you are staying." He shrugs.
"Ya could kick me out. I'm pretty sure Aria doesn't want to leave though." Anna shakes her head,
"I'm just joking," she snickers. "You can stay, but you're helping pay for half the shit you need. I have money, but I ain't a billionaire. But why didn't you tell me?" she asks.
"Like I said, I wanted it to be a surprise. The last time I saw ya it was at the funeral, so…" Her words choke up and she shakes her head.
"No it's fine. I'm fine. Just a…still hurts a little and I don't know why because it's been three months and I should have gotten over it but I haven't and-"
"Anna?" he says, interrupting her.
"Yeah?" she replies quietly.
"You're rambling." She laughs and places the beer down. "It's ok to cry. She was your mom. And even though she was kind of-"
"Unemotional? Uncaring? Probably wouldn't have cared if I killed myself or not back in senior year?" she finishes, looking down at the table.
"Anna, that's in the past. Let it be." She looks up and notices that he's staring at her with concern. She smiles sadly and shakes her head.
"I'm not gonna pull another one like that, Daryl," she sighs, rubbing her temples. "I just…I need something to get her off my mind. School's been stressing, and now the apartment and Divisions and just-"
"How about a movie?" he states. "We could get someone to watch Aria." Anna thinks for a second. A movie with just Daryl would be nice.
"What movie?" she asks slyly.
"Blair Witch Project," he replies. Anna groans.
"You know I don't do well with scary movies," she replies.
"Which is the perfect way to get your mom off your mind. What do ya say?" She thinks for a second, then takes out her phone.
"I'll call Lily. But If you do one thing after that movie to scare me I swear to God above." He snickers, knowing she knew business when it came to that kind of stuff.
Present
Five Months Later
A little girl ran through the halls near the prison yard with her friend Billy. The two had been spending time with each other and were playing tag. She had to catch him before he reached the end of the hallway. But he did.
"I win!" he teases, sticking out his tongue. Scarlett stomps her foot on the ground.
"No fair! You took a short cut!" she yells.
"It is fair!"
"Not it's not!"
"Yes it is!"
"No!"
"Yes!"
"What's going on over there?" someone says from above. Both kids look up and notice Joey staring at the two kids, a slight amused look on his face. "Billy are you annoying Scarlett again? You know Daryl will kick my butt if you are," he says, picking up his kid.
"No daddy," he says. "She just says that our game was unfair!"
"Because it is!" she whines. Joey chuckles and leans down to Scarlett.
"I saw you're daddy outside along with your sister. How about you go and see them while I talk to Billy, ok sweetie?" he says. Scarlett nods and runs out to the prison yard to where there had been tables set up and a food station where everyone was getting breakfast.
She walks through the amount of people and sees her sister at one of the tables, talking to Carl with her sketchbook on the table. She walks over and listens to what they were talking about.
"I wish we still have DVD players. The other day I found this whole set of horror movies in one of the offices here," Carl says. Anna shakes her head, laughing slightly.
"No! God No! I do terrible with jumpscares!" she chuckles. "When I went to see them my popcorn would fly everywhere when one would happen!" He laughs.
"They're not that scary," he replies. She shakes her head.
"Then you have balls of steel if you never jump during a jumpscare," she says, ending laughing hard, him laughing as well. Scarlett pops up from under the table, effectively scaring Aria. She squeals and jumps out of her seat, then glares at her little sister. The few people around them were laughing, including Scarlett and Carl. "Why Scarlett?!" she whines, sitting back down.
"What's everyone laughin' about over here?" someone says from behind Aria. She turns around and sees Daryl looking at the two girls with a smirk on his face.
"Daddy!" Scarlett yells, running out from underneath the table. He smiles and takes the girl up in his arms. Everyone knew that Scarlett was biologically Daryl's now, but it didn't matter because her name was Scarlett Dixon now.
"Morning, kid. But why does your sister seem mad at ya?" he says, chuckling slightly.
"Scarlett just scared the bejesus out of me," Aria states, still glaring at the small girl. "She's learned of my fear of jumpscares thanks to this ass right here for bringing horror movies up," she says, her thumb gesturing to Carl who was still laughing slightly.
"I didn't even know ya had a fear of that. I thought it was just spiders," he says, giving a hint to Scarlett. Aria's eyes widen and her arms go in the air.
"Really?" she growls. Daryl chuckles.
"Where's your mom?" he asks.
"Still sleeping. Had rough night trying to secure the fences. The one near the north side of the prison starts to fall the other day," Carl answers for Aria. She was still fuming from the jumpscare.
"Wanna help wake her up?" Daryl asks the two sisters.
"I got in trouble last time, this is all yours," she says. "I don't need to get punished for the third time in a month. Heaven knows she's always mad."
Scarlett was giggling as Daryl placed her cautiously on the bed where her mother was sound asleep. She looks up at him and he starts from three, then two, then one, and then says "Go."
"MAMA!" she yells. Anna jumps up from her bed, ready to fight off whatever was there, but sees only her daughter and Daryl. She growls and places her head on her pillow. "Wake up!"
"Really Daryl?" she says. He chuckles and takes the kid off of her mother.
"I had to," he replies. "Hey, I heard Billy lookin' for ya before we came in here. Head out there," he says to the girl. She nods and runs out of the cell. When he turns back to Anna she's up and glaring at him. "What?" he chuckles. "Ya had to get up."
"You can really be an ass, you know that, right?" she says, throwing on her shorts and then her boots. "That was not nice." And yet there was a smile on her face.
"Yet you're smiling," he replies. She rolls her eyes.
"Yeah? Well guess who's going on the supply run with you because you did that!" Daryl cringes and walks over to her.
"Anna-"
"I'm going. Paybacks a bitch, ain't it?" she says. She throws her hair up in a ponytail and turns to him. "You're lucky I'm not giving you a legit punishment."
"Oh, and what would that be?"
"No sex for a week?" she states, turning back to the small mirror on her desk.
"I could go that long-"
"We both know you can't," she says, chuckling slightly. "But since you did wake me up, let's head outside. I'm hungry anyway."
The two walk outside and are automatically met with greetings. "Morning, Mr. Dixon!" someone greeted. Anna chuckled slightly, knowing how it irritates him.
"Morning Daryl and Anna!" someone else says. Unlike Daryl, Anna actually waved back to them. He just wasn't used to the attention. Just as they sat down to eat, a kid with glasses came over.
"Good morning, Mr. Dixon! Anna!" he said happily. Anna giggled slightly and how Daryl was slightly uncomfortable.
"Morning Patrick. How are you?" He fidgets awkwardly for a moment and smiles nervously.
"I'm g-good. Just wanted to thank Mr. Dixon for the deer be brought back yesterday. It was a real treat," Patrick replies. Daryl sighs.
"Whatever," he says. Patrick nods and sticks out his hand.
"It would be an honor to shake your hand, sir," Patrick says. Daryl looked to Anna for help, but she was trying her hardest not to laugh. Her face was probably red.
"Go on, superstar," she teases. Daryl sighs again and licks his fingers before shaking the kids hand. But Patrick didn't seem to mind. When the kid leaves he turns to Anna who had started to laugh.
"Bring back one deer and suddenly you're the new Elvis Presley. What the hell?" he complained and started to eat.
"They adore you, Daryl," Anna says to him. He snorts.
"Adoration gets ya nowhere." She raises an eyebrow.
"You adore me and the kids and look where we are now." He rolls his eyes.
"You're in a different category." She leans closer.
"And what category is that?"
"People I don't want to go on the run with me." She groans and backs away a little.
"It's your fault I'm going!" she replies.
"I just don't want ya getting hurt," he replies. "You've done literally so much for the past few weeks and ya look like you're going to pass out. I don't want ya there." She thinks for a moment. She had been doing a lot lately.
"Fine, I won't go. But you better bring your ass back here safe." He swallows what he eats and leans over, pecking her cheek. "Lucky bastard," she mumbles under her breath.
"Yeah, I am," he replies, smiling slightly. She pushes his shoulder, laughing.
Anna sat in her cell later that day, well, night. The sun had started to go down and she was starting to get a little tired, but that's because her daughter would come into her cell every once and a while to say something, effectively keeping her up.
So she just decided to stay up all together.
Daryl and the rest of the group hadn't gotten back. At least from what she was told. She hadn't seen him yet so he could be back but just not there. She was drawing in her journal again.
She actually had wanted to go on the raid. She needed some new clothes as did Aria. Both of their sets were covered in muck from when they went out in the rain one day. Since there were no lakes nearby to wash, at least they knew of, they had been wearing the dirty clothes for the past week.
She looks at the painting her daughter had painted the night before. It was the prison in the daylight, and it actually looked pretty cool. It wasn't scary like people usually thought it would be. Her daughter had such a gift. She wished one day that her daughters work would be in a museum. Maybe if the world ever was to go back to normal, but that was one of the most unlikeliest things that could ever possibly happen.
She finished up her drawing and goes to put the journal in her bag, but stops when something covers her eyes. It-whatever it was-had landed on her head.
She takes it off and smiles.
A new top.
She looks to the doorway and sees Daryl leaning against it, a bag of something in his hands. "You're back," she smiles.
"Course I am. I brought back some clothes. Knew ya needed some." She smiles and leans up, kissing his lips.
"Thanks, D. Did you-"
"Aria got some too," he says, finishing her sentence. She smiles but notices a hint of pain on his face.
"What happened?" He looks to her.
"Ya know that kid Zach?" he says. She nods.
"Yeah. He's Beth's….oh," she ends sadly. He nods.
"I just told her and she seemed so cold about it. Just tired of losin' people." She sighs.
"I think everyone is, Daryl. But to be true, I'm happy you're alive and that's that. Plus, also the fact that I have new clothes." He smiles slightly. "Now, can we please get to bed before Scarlett comes in here again? I couldn't get to sleep because of her. Missing you so much," she chuckles.
"I mean, I am the best things that's ever happened to her so." Anna smacks his head playfully, causing him to snicker.
"Get to sleep before I smack you harder."
And episode one is a wrap. I'm probably not going to update tomorrow. I'll try, but it'll be hard. But I'm happy I got this chapter done. I didn't think I would. But I am excited to continue to story. And yes, Daryl and Anna are 'married' now, even though it's not official. Nothing is in the apocalypse. Just wanted to make that clear. Hope you enjoyed! Review! So excited for the rest of the story!