Newly Revised
Another week came and went with no major incidents and a clear guard schedule and chore routine became common knowledge. Angie and Gretta, the two most elderly women in the camp, took up roles helping Beth with Judith and kept an eye out for Lucas. Brian had become Merle's shadow, much to the man's ire, and had learned the proper way to hold a gun because of it. The biggest thing that happened was when a few more of Woodbury's camp showed up and asked for shelter after they had driven back to Woodbury from a different direction than Karen's group. When they returned to the town, it was a burned out hovel and they had come to the prison originally to take revenge thinking that their group had killed everyone. When Karen and another of their manning the gates and a couple of the others on watch, they had rightfully been confused. After an explanation and introduction to Ani, the prison was able to gain another ten fighters and a decent haul of weapons and bullets.
Finally, two weeks after the Governor had crashed through the gates, Ani was going to keep her promise of letting Daryl steal her away. He had the entire day planned out, and if she said she hadn't laid in bed awake most of last night, giggling like a little school girl while she and Daryl talked about what they'd do. Daryl was packing a bag as she finished dressing, throwing her braids over her shoulder as she stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind. She was still smiling and hadn't been able to stop at the prospect of truly being alone with her man outside of the guard towers. It had been a long time, ever since the day they'd come back to the prison when he'd taken her in the woods, since they'd been truly alone. Ani hadn't even been able to get enough alone time with him after what had happened with Macy even if she had been able to clearly state her claim while the woman was at the prison. It wasn't enough for her, though; she was still angry that someone else had tried to make a move on Daryl. This time alone was a much needed respite for the both of them to strengthen what had been strained during the Governor's reign of terror.
"'Bout damn time I make good on that promise, huh?" she asked, smiling like a kid in a candy shop.
"Fuck yeah it is," he gruffed out, though she could tell he had a small smile himself.
"So, where we goin'?"
"You'll see."
"Dammit, D!" she whined. "I've been askin' for three days now! Ya won' even give me a clue! That's not fair!"
He just chuckled and turned around, grabbing the back of her head and kissing her for everything it was worth. Daryl had been waiting for a chance to get Ani alone so he could do the proposal thing right, like Merle told him to. He'd hidden the ring in his vest, inside the hidden pocket on the left of his chest, holding the ring against his heart. Merle had taken them right to the wedding and engagement section of the store where Glenn found something for Maggie damn near the minute he'd set eyes on the assortment. Daryl, though, just couldn't find anything that seemed right for his girl, something that called to him or made him think of Ani. Eventually, he'd moved on to other areas of the store, walking around the store and looking at every damn case of jewelry, even the bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, and still hadn't been able to find something. It had damn near driven Merle out of his mind when Daryl had went around the store for the third time. Glenn had been the one to placate Merle, the two of them heading outside when Glenn held up a box of cigars he'd found in the building's office. Thanks to Glenn distracting Merle, Daryl had been able to find a set that he knew she would love, one that he felt was meant just for her. He'd slipped them into his pocket and walked outside only for the other two to ask if he'd found something. When he told them he had, they'd gotten excited to see it only for him to inform the two of them that they'd have to wait and see it on Ani's hand. Now he had his chance to give her his find, and it felt like his insides were going to literally jump out of him with how worried he felt.
When he finally let go of her, she had that sappy, silly smile she only ever showed him on her face, making her that much more beautiful than she already was. Literally no one had ever seen that smile, because no one had ever been present when he kissed her completely breathless. Sure, they'd seen him kiss her hard, dirty, and rough when they'd come back from the mattress run but they'd never seen when she was completely breathless from him. They were always in the privacy and comfort of their cell or otherwise in total solitude when he made her look at him like that. It made him feel damn proud of himself and as if there was at least one thing special in this world that was meant just for him. The smile turned into a smirk as she turned around and went to leave the cell only for Daryl to take the opportunity to smack her ass. She turned to give him an incredulous look after a yelp that made Carol, Beth, and Maggie giggle as they'd been walking by with Sophia and just so happened to catch his action.
"What's so funny?" Sophia asked innocently, having not caught on to the fact that Daryl had smacked Ani's behind.
"Nothin' ya sweet head needs ta worry 'bout," Ani said, looking up at the women behind her with a grimace.
"Just the lovebirds bein' lovebirds," Maggie told Sophia with a laugh.
"Shut it," Ani quipped, before heading down the stairs.
Greeting Sasha, Tyreese, and Karen as she walked down the stairs, she took note of how close the man and woman were starting to get. It was nice to know that romance was still very much alive as Tyreese helped Karen sit for breakfast. She double checked with Sasha about the guard schedule and who was on rotation this week and who would be keeping the fence line under control. There was a run that was being planned for the day after tomorrow, though Ani wasn't entirely sure she'd be back for it. As she didn't know what Daryl had planned and he'd wanted a day or two, in his own words, she was expecting to be gone for a maximum of four days, two and a half at the bare minimum, and even then, they were going to catch up with Michonne before heading back to the prison. With that in mind, she walked over to Glenn with Maggie as he stood over the maps taking note of Ani's markings of where they'd already been.
"Everythin' almost ready?" she asked him.
"Yeah, just double checking. Last thing we have to do is gather a list of things that are needed," he told her. "Which reminds me, do you and Daryl need any, uh, well.."
"Condoms?" she finished for him with a cheeky grin.
"Uh, yeah," Glenn replied sheepishly.
"Ya realize we've neva once asked for 'em, right?"
"Really?" Maggie asked. "I find it hard to believe you're not pregnant."
"We had a scare," Ani told her honestly. "Right 'fore Judith was born. In fact, found out for sure the day she was. Didn' really think 'bout it 'til we were worried 'bout it. Don' really think eitha a us care now. We got a safe place. If it happens, it happens. If it don', it don'. Long as I got 'im, I'm happy 'nough. 'Sides, there's plenty a kids 'ere ta look afta if it don'."
"You sure seem to be trying to convince yourself," Maggie said while Glenn looked constipated; it was obvious he wasn't exceptionally comfortable with the topic.
"Oh, I, uh, I suffa'd from ovarian cysts and something called endometriosis when I was a teen. Hormones were jus' a bit too wild goin' through puberty. Went away with treatment and age, but it can leave scarrin', lowarin' the odds a conception. Already told Daryl all a this, but 'e don' care. Keeps sayin' he's goin' ta get a baby out a me some day regardless a this and that," she laughed, though she had a sad look on her face.
"How do you feel about that?" Maggie asked her, thinking that Ani was trying to cover up discomfort.
"I want it ta happen," she said, as she looked at the map and made small notes to show what she hoped were stores and wanted them to double check.
"Do you want us to see if we can find tests?" she asked, making Ani look up at her.
"Hmm, that might not be a bad idea. For the two a ya, too. Jus' in case."
"We'll add it to the list," Glenn said as Daryl walked up and put a hand on her hip, leaning over and kissing her temple.
"What're y'all talkin' about?" he asked.
"Nothing!" Glenn hurriedly said, but Ani had already started saying, "Pregnancy and tests."
Daryl and Glenn both froze, causing Ani and Maggie to laugh at their shared facial expressions of horror. The two women linked arms and walked off, heading toward the new warriors who had acclimated easily enough after being there for a few days and seeing how things worked. Ani hadn't talked to all of them individually yet, but she'd talked to all of them enough times to accept them into the prison with relative ease. It was nice knowing that one of the younger children's mothers made it back; the man who'd been sick was her husband, too, so they got to witness an entire family reunite. Ani stayed long enough to check how everyone was doing and letting them know if they needed anything while she was gone, they were to go to Merle, Rick, Glenn, Maggie, or Carol depending on what it was. Hershel was to be the last option unless it was a medical emergency, as it would be difficult for him to be much use without his leg.
Making her way around the commons and through the cell blocks, she made sure everyone knew she would be gone for most likely a week and who to go to. She finally found herself out in the courtyard and leaned against a wall watching Daryl as he did a quick tune up on his bike. She watched as his arms, now sleeveless as the weather had begun to turn warmer, worked as he tightened something. Being too far away to see what exactly he was doing, she was close enough to admire the muscles of his biceps as he worked. Pulling her bottom lip through her teeth before licking it, she walked up to him slowly; she was definitely ready to be alone with him.
"Gonna be the death a me if ya keep workin' ya arms like that," she said coyly when she stopped next to where he was working.
"Really? Got an arm kink?" Merle asked from behind her, startling her and making her turn around.
"Dammit, Mer-man!"
"Quit fuckin' callin' me that, girly!"
"Quit fuckin' sneakin' up on me then!"
"It's too much fun," he said as he flicked her earlobe.
"Ya gonna fuckin' get it Mer-man!"
"Told ya to quit callin' me that!" he said as he made to rush to grab her.
Daryl just huffed a chuckle, smiling as he shook his head as his brother and Ani played a game of cat and mouse around the vehicles. They were smiling and calling each other plenty of names as Merle chased her, only for her to sneak up behind him and playfully jab him in the side and duck back out of his reach. Michonne and Rick walked out of the cell block as the two played around and laughed at the pair. Ani really brought out the child in people without even trying or realizing she was acting like a child herself. Rick had noticed that Ani managed to make everyone open up, even Lucas and Brian, who had been closed up just over a week ago had started coming out of their shells. Lucas had even managed to find a friend in one of the other boys that had come from Woodbury and Brian and Carl were kicking it off as well. Like Carl, Brian had had to 'end' his mother, and that was when his aunt took over, right at the start of it all. The soldiers that came back from Woodbury and joined the prison only took two days for her to worm her way into their ranks and take over as their commander. She didn't even see it, either, which made it all the more obvious to the old cop that she really was the right person to lead.
To her, she was just doing her job, but to Rick, Ani had become a living symbol of humanity in the same way that Judith had become a symbol of hope. She was hard, willing to kill at the drop of a dime if it meant keeping her family safe, and willing to put herself in the line of fire to accomplish the same goal. But somehow, even with all that she was willing to do, she had not lost her heart like he had after Lori had died. Ani stayed true to herself and cared about everyone around her, learning everyone's name, backstory, and why they continued to fight in this world gone to hell. Ani had been helping him through his grief over Lori while also helping Carl and Sophia retain their childhood as much as possible. Where she considered herself cold and unfeeling, anyone with eyes could tell she cared deeply about the people at the prison. If she didn't, she wouldn't have made sure everyone knew who to go to while she was away personally or when she would likely be back.
Michonne eventually went up to Ani and caught her around the middle while Merle tickled her side and made her scream in laughter. The only problem with that was when he tickled, she kicked wildly and managed to knee him in the balls. Everyone who had been outside was full on laughing, Daryl included as the man went to his knees and told Ani she won. Michonne shook her head at the antics of the two, leaning down and putting a hand on Merle's shoulder and asking if he was okay. The man always seemed to draw the short stick when it came to getting beaten up by Ani, whether by accident or design or just his big mouth. He got himself into a lot of trouble with his mouth and it didn't get any better when the others had come in. Several times she had managed to put a bruise on the man's arm from punching it and she'd lobbed a few books at his head that they'd grabbed from Woodbury's library.
"Note to self, find a damn cup," Merle choked out. "Second time you've tagged me in the nuts. Almost think you're doin' it on purpose."
"If I was, ya nuts would be back up in ya anus, 'stead a in the sack," Ani quipped back at him through her laughter.
"You two be careful out there," Michonne told her. "And I'll meet up with you in a few days over at Woodbury. We'll start our search from there."
"Sounds good," Daryl said as he walked up and pulled Ani towards him. "Gotta get goin' 'less you just wanna stay here all damn day and waste our chance at gettin' away."
"Nah, can' wait ta get where ya takin' me. Jus' wish I knew where it was," she pouted.
"Don't you go worryin', Ani. I know where he's takin' ya and trust me, you're gonna love it," Merle said, making Daryl glare at him while Ani scowled.
"If ya think that helps, it don'," she told him before grabbing the bag off the ground.
"Come back in one piece," Rick told them.
"We'll be back 'fore the end a next week. Plan a second run if ya need ta and we'll try ta bring some meat back."
With a final goodbye and a quick, one armed hug to and from Merle, Ani climbed on the back of Daryl's bike and kissed his neck before she sat down behind him. She didn't sit squeezed against him this time, rather just close enough to tease the man. It was no secret to anyone at the prison as to why the two of them were leaving by themselves without Michonne earlier than the samurai warrior. A few of the older women, older meaning in their thirties and lower forties, had taken to making comments when Daryl wasn't around about how they wished he was theirs. They fawned over the fact that he was able to hunt and help with the defense, how he could work on cars, basically anything and everything under the sun. Ani had thought they would have learned from what she'd done to Macy, but the more ruthless women would make comments about how the man was to good for her. She had regularly would give them her signature smile, the one that even Merle knew not to mess with, and told them exactly how good of a husband he was and said that was why Macy had wanted him, too. It was a subtle yet effective move as every time she did that, she found that the women would quit talking about Daryl for a while. She found it to be the most annoying thing in the world and would also bitch out the men who tried to say anything about her being too good for Daryl and try to flirt with her. Little did she know that he and Merle had essentially been going around and doing the same to the men, albeit in a much more threatening fashion while Merle even threatened the women.
When one of the female warriors had started flirting with Daryl outside of Ani's presence, Merle had pulled the woman off to the side and subtly warned her of what would happen if Ani caught her. If they thought Ani was protective of her family, Merle told the woman she had no idea what Ani would do to her for trying to get between her and Daryl. The woman hadn't blanched like he'd hoped and was back to pestering Daryl within the hour. When Ani had gotten off of watch a while later, the woman had stayed right where she was, still trying to get Daryl to talk to her. Ani had waltzed right up to her and stared down at where she was sitting ready to throw a blow to the woman in her stupid face. If it hadn't been for Daryl picking her up, literally putting her over his shoulder, and taking her to their cell before slamming and blocking the door, she would have knocked her teeth out with a single punch. She'd cussed the woman out the entire time until Daryl made quick work to remind her that he was hers and hers alone while Merle was chuckling at his actions. The woman had a blank face woman when he walked up to her and told her that she might as well stop now before she looked desperate and pathetic. Daryl wasn't about to leave Ani, and Ani wouldn't let anyone flirt with Daryl; Daryl was less restrained than she and Merle were, though. She had been hounded by one of the men when he was on watch with Merle once and as soon as he came in and saw the man with her wrist in his hand, he'd flown off the handle. Even though Ani had broken his grip very easily, Daryl was already there throwing punches until the man was knocked out. After both of those instances it had fast become common knowledge within the prison that the Dixon trio were not to be trifled with nor divided.
"Think she knows?" Michonne asked Merle.
"She don't got a damn clue," the man said, smiling widely.
"Did you get to see the ring?" Rick asked Merle.
"Damn brother, had it hidden real good when I tried to look," Merle admitted. "And I couldn't go in while they were sleepin' to check his clothes, either. Ani would have my hide if she caught me in there at night. Hell, I wouldn't be able to make it through the door before I had a knife at my throat."
"Learned the hard way, huh?" quipped Michonne with a smile, getting a toothy grin in reply.
"Yup."
~x~
Riding on the back of the bike was freeing and Ani had her hands out to the side, leaned slightly back, neck limp to allow her head to roll back. She enjoyed the feeling of the wind as it passed over her and although she couldn't see it, Daryl was smiling as he felt her move and saw her in his rear-view mirrors. Her amber hair flowed so beautifully behind her and even with the braids keeping it out of her face and off the sides of her head, it billowed out like a blanket on a clothes line in strong wind. It was mesmerizing and it took everything in him to concentrate on the road and not pull over to take her right there and then. As she brought her arms back around him, he released one side of the handlebars and momentarily grabbed one of her hands, bringing the back to his lips before returning his own hand to the bar. Soon, he hoped, that hand would have his rings and she would actually say yes and enjoy the surprise he had in store for her.
He was taking her to a place that he and Merle knew about roughly two and a half hours away from the prison. It was a small fishing cabin by a lake out in the middle of nowhere that had belonged to one of Merle's army buddies back in the day. They'd used the thing a few times when they found themselves between jobs and homes, not wanting to return to their father's trailer and opting to sleep in the truck over going home. It was small and intimate, had a generator just in case on top of being solar powered, and gave a perfect view of the stars at night. The friend had been rather well off, so the cabin was much more comfortable than a normal fishing cabin and even had a fireplace they could use to cook. He could only hope it was still in one piece and untouched when he got there and that no one else had made it theirs. Being so far out of the way, he wasn't sure if anyone else knew about it or had found it and there was a chance that it would be surrounded by walkers, but he wanted to try. In all honesty, as they traveled down the road, he began to admonish himself for not better planning this entire trip out since he wasn't sure where else he would take her.
Daryl began thanking every lucky star in the sky as they turned down the dirt road that lead to the cabin that it didn't look like it had been traveled on in a while. They had passed only a few random shamblers on the way, but it was nothing they couldn't handle and it looked as if the cabin had been completely untouched as he pulled up to it. Turning off the engine and waiting for Ani to get off, he smiled broadly as he touched the breast of his vest to ensure the rings were still there. She had the bag on her back and all her knives attached where they were supposed to be as he watched her move towards the cabin. He pulled his crossbow off it's holder on the bike and walked over to the door and rapped on it to see if anything was inside. After several minutes of just standing outside waiting, he tried the knob, finding it as unlocked as it always had been back before the world went to hell.
"You're gonna love this," he told her as he pulled her through the threshold.
The entire cabin consisted of one room with an open bathroom in one corner, a kitchenette in the other, and a bed against the wall. A large fireplace stood on one wall with a stack of wood sitting next to it so that the wood would stay dry and make it easier to start a fire. It was exactly the way he remembered it and had honestly been the poshest place he'd ever spent a night in. Of course, Daryl had never slept on the bed since Merle was always around and claimed it, but he was happy that was changing now. Daryl wasted no time in depositing his bow on the loveseat in front of the fireplace, immediately walking over to the place where the hot water heater was and checking the pilot. It wasn't lit, but there were matches nearby specifically to light it and once it was he beamed at her.
"Give it a couple hours, you'll have that hot shower you were wantin' earlier," he said.
Ani beamed at him before disposing of the bag and taking all of her weapons off, placing them next to his bow on the small couch. She walked up to him, pulling him by the collar of his vest into a passionate kiss. He immediately picked her up and carried her to the bed and all but threw her on it before laying on top of her. His hands were in her hair as her reached under his shirt to gently scrape her nails on his skin, making him buck into her. Ani was drowning in the feel of him as he bore his weight down on her even as he ground against her. She was breathless when he released her lips and pulled her shirt off her collarbone to darken the mark he perpetually kept there. It was like a brand on her skin that only he could put there and every time he latched onto it she would move her head to give him more access and breath out his name. The way she acted went straight to his dick every time as he pulled back and sat on his knees, straddling her and keeping her pinned. He slowly took his vest off before pulling his shirt over his head and giving her a wonderful sight of his toned body.
Daryl was watching as her breasts heaved up and down while her breathing got deeper in anticipation as he leaned back down and kissed her roughly. He moved to have his hips between her legs once again and bore his weight down upon her and ground his hardened length against her. She moaned into the kiss while her hands went to his head and pulled him even closer, his tongue entering her mouth to dominate her even more. When he sat back on his heels, he pulled her with him before he put his hands under her shirt and released her lips. He ran his hands up her sides slowly and made her giggle a lit at how it tickled as he raised her shirt up and over her head. The amber locks he loved so much fell in a cascade down her back as he ran his hand down her spine. Daryl kissed her once again as he laid her back down on the bed, his arms wrapped around her body tightly. Everything was slow and sweet and Ani was drowning in him as she ran her hands down his back.
He moved one hand down to the thigh of the leg she'd wrapped around his hips before he moved from her lips to nip at her jawbone. Daryl lazily kissed and nipped a trail down her neck while loving the feel of her hands pulling at his hair. Ani's head was thrown back as he moved on to her chest, the hand on her thigh moving back up her body to knead her breast while he took the other peak into his mouth. He paid each mound the same attention before continuing his trail down after nipping her ribs under her breasts. She was arching her back when he reached the top of her jeans and opened the button before starting to creep them down her hips. Her fingers were pulling at his hair when his tongue pressed against her sensitive bundle of nerves, mewling his name as he began lapping at her sex. He slapped her hip while looking up at her which snapped her eyes to his at the silent command. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes as he worked on her, his tongue entering her opening as she moaned his name while her head fell back.
Daryl loved the sight of her chest heaving as he back arched up before she bucked into his mouth, her eyes snapping back to him. His dick was painfully throbbing in his pants, causing him to take one hand and open them just to get some relief. It fell heavy against her leg and made her start begging for him to finish what he'd started as her juices poured out of her and onto his tongue. He made quick work of taking his pants off before he finished pulling her pants off and worked his way back up her body as slowly as he had gone down. His length rubbed against her sex as he wrapped an arm around her and kissed her once again. He aligned himself with his other hand thrust into her all the way to the hilt, both of them moaning at the sensation. Ani didn't even have time to adjust as he began to slowly buck into her while her hands clutched at his shoulders. Daryl kept the slow and steady pace, Ani matching him thrust for thrust, wanting to last as long as he could to make sure he could get her to cum several times.
He was deliberately driving her crazy and Ani knew he was even as she got closer and closer to the edge. Both their breathing was coming out heavy by the time Daryl felt her walls clench around him and she raked her nails down his back and quit moving. He kept his arms around her as he rolled them so he was on his back and she was impaled on top of him. She moved to sit up and adjusted her position as she ground down against him with her hands firmly on his chest. He grabbed her hands and entwined their fingers while she moved against him, trying not to take over instead of letting her be in control while watching her. She tortured him as much as he had her by deliberately moving her hips in a slow circle as she stared right back into his blue eyes. Ani kept her slow pace until she leaned down to kiss him while releasing his hands, his going to her ass to help her bounce on top of him so he could thrust harder up into her. When she leaned back and her walls crashed around him, he practically threw her off, unable to handle anymore of the slow movements.
"Daryl!" Ani laughed as she hit the bed on her knees, her laugh turning into a moan as he plunged right back into her. "Fuck!"
"Better get a tight hold of them sheets, baby girl," he growled out with a harsh slap to her ass.
Ani was already dripping with anticipation and the result of the two orgasms he'd already given her and when he slammed back into her from behind, all she could do was cry out. The savage pace he set this time had him hitting the back of her walls with every thrust and her practically screaming his name. Both his hands were on her hips as he drove into her and made her walls quiver around him as he slapped her ass once again. She cried out again as he did so, her face pressed against the musty sheets as he pounded into her harder and faster with every thrust. He changed their position, laying her on her side as he brought one leg over his shoulder and entered her once again as he pulled her hair with one hand and rubbed her sensitive nub with the other. Ani was drowning in him, screaming his name as he pummeled her, dominating her completely. His grunts and groans and the way he was still staring at her even as her eyes closed made her walls clench down around him. Daryl was too far gone and the feel of her walls tightened around his shaft pushed him over the edge and right into his own climax. By the time he'd stilled inside her, Ani was completely sated and trying to catch her breath. She wasn't given much time to as Daryl leaned down and kissed her passionately before pulling out and heading towards the corner the shower was in.
Rather than starting the shower for her, Daryl drew a bath in the deep, clubfoot tub that was the only luxurious item in the entire place. He was surprised to find the pipes still working, but then again, the water came right from the lake outside, was treated in a system under the cabin, and filtered back out. It was honestly the perfect set up, but it wasn't big enough for everyone to live in though it was a rather nice getaway. He thought about the prospects as he moved to the bed where Ani lazily lay half asleep. His pride was practically rolling off him in waves at seeing her skin marked by him as he bent to pick her up, making her laugh as he took her over to the bath. Climbing into it, he lowered himself into a sitting position and placed her between his legs in front of him, remembering how hot she'd liked the shower at the CDC. Ani relaxed against Daryl's broad chest and sighed, the water perfect and definitely dulling the aching muscles she had.
They spent the evening lounging nude around the cabin, making use of the canned goods they'd found in the cupboard rather than the supplies from the prison. It was nice, laying around in an actual bed with the man she loved more than anything in the world. If it were only the two a us foreva, jus' us, this would be perfect, she thought to herself as she laid in his arms fighting sleep later that night. This was exactly what he'd wanted to get away for, so he could just be lazy and give her an excuse to be lazy and Ani couldn't help but agree that she'd needed it. Although she would never admit it to him, Daryl had been spot on the nose when he'd told her two days ago that she needed the break when she'd tried to argue against leaving the prison so soon. Learning all the names of the citizens from Woodbury and helping plan the coming run as well as helping with getting a good guard schedule going and planning defenses with Merle and Sasha had been taxing. She'd been getting headaches the last couple of days because there was just so much to do and so much to think about. Daryl had had to force her several times to sit down and eat over the week few days as well as drag her to bed. There was just so much to plan and so much to think about. She'd been having problems shutting her mind off to sleep at night, though, she fell into a deep sleep held securely in Daryl's arms as he whispered he loved her.
In the morning, she took a long, hot shower early while Daryl was still sleeping, or at least she thought he was still sleeping. He was watching her and wondering when would be the right time to propose because he wanted to do something special with her, but not knowing what, he stood and made his way to the shower. Taking the cloth from her hand, he washed her back for her before getting a couple towels as she rinsed and shut the water off. He helped wrap one around her and guided her to the love-seat, sitting her down in front of him on the floor as he sat on the cushion. He started drying her hair from the bottom before it had a chance to cool and drip down her back only to make her cold again. It was so nice to have her sitting between his legs while drying her hair, the braids that had been in it all undone after the night they'd had. Ani reveled in the way he was treating her as he dried her hair while she relaxed even more, sighing as she felt his fingers rubbing against her scalp.
"Ya spoilin' me now, D?" she asked.
"Maybe," he said, nerves skyrocketing as she leaned her head against his leg. "Maybe I'm just tryin' to butter you up."
"Why would I need buttarin' up?" asked Ani as she leaned her head back to look at him.
"Maybe I got somethin' to ask you," Daryl told her, deciding that if he waited he was going to end up balking at the last minute, and Merle would have his ass if he did.
"And what would that be?"
Daryl leaned over to the other side of the couch and grabbed his vest, reaching into the breast pocket to pull out the rings, keeping them hidden in his palm. He looked down at her to see her curious face looking up at him as his nerves started getting the better of him. She'd always told him that she was his and even though they had their fair share of arguments and disagreements, Ani had always been there for him when he needed her. He really couldn't imagine life without her anymore but it was still the most nerve wracking moment in his life. Daryl had been in some of the worst situations in his life including having a gun shoved in his face and yet he was more scared in this moment than he had ever been. After a year of running for their lives, a year of having her by his side, a year of seeing her at her best and worst, he knew he had to ask her properly finally. While he'd given her a vest and honestly felt that that had been good enough, Merle had started pestering him and Glenn joined in after he'd gotten Hershel's blessing. Now that he had the rings in his hand and was looking at her sitting between his legs, he was terrified she would reject him even though she never had before.
"D?" Ani asked, moving to sit on his thigh as he stared off into space.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry," he said while clearing his throat before he pulled her in for a kiss he hoped would convey everything words failed to, pulling back to look in her eyes. "You know I love you."
"I know. I love ya too," she told him, kissing his lips softly.
"I'm sick of fightin' men off'n you," he told her honestly, making her chuckle a little until he continued. "You already took my name as yours and said that you're my wife. So, I'm hopin' that you'll say it again, just more official like."
Ani didn't know what to say as he opened his hand and showed her the rings he'd picked out just for her. One was a simple silver band while the other had an emerald in the setting with small diamonds on the sides. She stared at them for a minute, completely confused by the fact that he was holding them out to her, the fact that he was trying to propose completely lost on her. Daryl watched the confusion settle on her face and realized that she was oblivious to what was really happening. Rather than give her time to think about it, he simply took her left hand and slowly slid the rings onto her ring finger as she watched. She had to have had an epiphany when he did it because she gasped and looked at him in shock. He didn't have a chance to back out now that he'd already put them on her finger and the only thing he could do was get the words out before he chickened out.
"Ania, I'm askin' you to marry me. Not just say we're married, but say the vows," he told her. "So, will you?"
The smile on her face was brighter than anything he'd seen as she kissed him for everything she was worth, laughing and telling him yes. He didn't have to be told twice as she moved to straddle him, her lips not leaving his as he grabbed her ass. They didn't get off that couch for quite a while, and when they did, it was just to go back to the bed. Ani couldn't stop smiling every time she looked at her hand and saw the rings sitting there. They were so delicate and beautiful and she couldn't believe he had brought her to the cabin just to ask her to marry him even though they had already told each other they were married. Neither of them bothered to get out of the bed for the better part of the day, only getting up for food, answering mother nature's call, and taking another bath to relax their sore muscles. In the morning they would have to leave for Woodbury to meet up with Michonne, but for the rest of the day and that night, it was just Ania and Daryl Dixon.
