Disclaimer- I do not own the Walking dead.
Alwaysand- He was useless, and knew she would come and he just had to sit there while she risked her life for him and there was nothing he could do to stop her.
Angel JJK- And about time to.
Two in two days. I'm feeling productive.
Enjoy.
Danny's POV
"Get Glenn". Eugene just stands there with his mouth open, staring at me. "NOW!" I shout at him. He nods and runs off. I lean my forehead against the door. Tears falling down my cheeks, it seems that's all that's been happening today, me crying but this time, I'm crying because he's here, I found him. I press my hand flat against the wood. "I'm here. Please tell me you're okay?"
I hear him shuffle, "I'm fine." His voice comes out louder as he's now closer to the door. "What about you?"
I let out a teary chuckle. "Oh I'm just dandy. You know me. We were ready to leave but you were taking too long to come back. So figured we'd come and see if you'd gotten yourself stuck." I shrug even though he can't see me. "Low and behold you've somehow blocked yourself in".
Daryl stays silent for a few seconds. "Yeah I know you. Please tell me ya didn't risk ya life for me?"
I lightly tap my fingers against the door. I can't answer him because I don't want to tell him everything that has happened. I will but not yet. Not until I've seen him with my own eyes.
He sighs heavily, he knows. "Is Riley okay?"
"He's safe, I sent him and Judith away with Merle and Carol a good few hours ago. Guess what?"
"What?"
"You were right. The suspicions you had about Eugene were correct. He lied. About everything. Abraham seems to be in shock over it".
He lets out a scoff. "I held out a little that maybe he was tellin' the truth but it just didn't sit right with me. You holdin' up okay about that?"
This time it's my turn to scoff. "Out of all the things that are top of my worry list for today that just doesn't even seem important. I thought I would be upset over it but I'm not. My life wasn't riding on us being part of a cure".
"Danny!" Glenn's voice comes from the shop.
"In here".
Glenn skids into view followed by Rosita and then Eugene trailing behind.
"They're here. We'll lift this up and then you're out". I crawl back out from under the shelving, Glenn helps me to my feet but then steers me behind him.
"Stay there. Ready Rosita", they both grab the racking. "On three. One, two, three". They managed to get it to stand back up and as soon as they're out of the way I'm rushing to the door. Just as I reach it Daryl opens it. The door swings out and as soon as his frame fills the doorway I'm jumping at him, and he easily catches me. My arms wrap tight around him and I bury my face into his neck. His arms wrap tight around my waist and then he's lifting me up off the floor, I wrap my legs around him as he walks us away from the cupboard he's been trapped in for hours, alone. In the dark with no food, no water and with no way of escape.
"Shit. What happened?" Glenn asks.
I can feel Daryl's chest vibrating as he talks. "I don't even fuckin' know. I was surrounded, but I just ran. Used light clusters of Walkers as my pathway. Less to kill, less likely to get stuck. I kept going until there were only a handful following me which is when I knew I could lead them inside, kill 'em and then just wait it out".
"A handful", Rosita exclaims. "That's more than a handful here".
I can feel Daryl shrug beneath me. "Racking was already half fallen when I got in here, a few remaining Walkers ended up tipping it completely over a couple hours later. Where's everyone else?"
Nobody answers him but by the fact Daryl doesn't push the question any further I know Glenn's given him some sort of signal, but you know what. I don't care. All that matters is he's here, alive. I lift my head up and immediately attach my lips to his.
Glenn chuckles from behind me. "We'll wait outside".
Daryl walks us over to the counter where he then places me on top of it, all the while staying attached at the lips. I run my fingers through his hair, I rub my thumbs against his cheeks as he grips the back of my head with one of his, the other grips my hip.
He moves his head back a fraction and tilts his forehead against mine. "I could see it. I could see you runnin' after Eugene. I couldn't let you do that for him".
"You scared me, I…" I whisper. "I didn't want to believe it, I wouldn't accept it but I was starting to lose hope. I thought you were de…."
He cuts me off by kissing me again, and I'm glad he does because what I thought doesn't matter anymore because he's safe.
Finally he steps back and lifts me off the counter so I stand back on my own two feet but he doesn't let go of me. He leads me back around to the cupboard he was in to grab his crossbow and then with his hand in mine he leads me from the shop.
We make our way back around to where the car is, we don't hurry and we don't speak. I know he wants to know what happened, what he missed but he doesn't ask.
When we make it back to the car I leave Daryl standing by his bike as I go and grab him some food and water from the boot. I grab what I need but when I go to walk back to him I stop. He's talking to Glenn and by the look Daryl throws my way I know it's about me. So I turn my back on them and sit on the edge of the open boot and wait. He'll come to me when they're done and he'll tell me I was reckless and stupid and should have left him. He'll tell me his life wasn't worth risking mine.
"You okay?" Rosita takes a seat beside me.
"Yeah I am. Thank you for helping me and I'm sorry about …" I gesture to where Eugene is standing off to the side. He's staring at Daryl, nervously twisting his hands together.
"No worries, it's okay. It's hard. We lost people just getting him this far and I don't know when or if I'll forgive him but it doesn't change anything. He lied and we've gotta move on. If you'll allow us I'd like to come with you to wherever it was you were planning on setting up home".
"I want you to come, it's just…" How do I say this without insulting anyone?
"Abraham" she finishes for me.
"Yeah. You saw him back there, he's unstable especially now that Eugene has come clean."
"Getting Eugene to Washington was the only thing keeping him going. He lost his family and I think that if it wasn't for the mission Eugene provided, Abraham would have been lost too. I know it's hard to see it after what happened between the two of you earlier but he's a good man he just needs to find his purpose in the world again".
I know that won't be an easy thing for him to do. I look over at Eugene again, he's still staring at Daryl. "You think he'll be okay?"
Rosita shrugs, "I don't know. He doesn't know how to do anything. He doesn't have the know-how to survive out here. He's always had people to protect him. Honestly I can't help but think about how long he would have kept up that lie if it hadn't been for his guilt for Daryl going missing". Eugene suddenly starts taking small steps forward, Rosita shakes her head at him. "Don't".
I look around the side of the car, Daryl's coming our way. Eugene was gonna go up to him but the look Daryl gives him just before looking at me shows that he does not want to talk to Eugene at all.
"I… I…" Eugene stutters but Rosita jumps to her feet.
"Come with me". She then gives him a little shove on the shoulder to get him walking.
I lean back on my arms so I can look up at Daryl easier. "Don't! I know Glenn probably told you everything but just, don't." I bet Glenn didn't leave a single thing out. He probably knows about the pain from running as far as we did when I clearly wasn't ready for it. I know he's probably told him about the multiple break downs I've had. About the anger issues I've had. I was acting crazy and I'm ashamed of it all. "I know you'll think I shouldn't have done any of the stuff I did but that was the only way I could make it safe to look for you. You had to have known I would look for you?"
He nods as he squats down in front of me, I lower my gaze to him. "I'm not gonna say anything 'bout it. I knew ya would look for me, I didn't want you to but I knew ya would. And I know ya would do some reckless shit but you know I would do the same thing for you. All I am goin' to say is that I'm back, you found me so now it's time for you to rest. Do nothin'. We'll meet up with the others tonight and tomorrow we'll be at our new home. You let me do everythin'." He holds his hand up so I put mine in his. "You've got us here so now let us get you home".
I look up, away from him so he can't see the sheen that's washed over my eyes. When I know I'm safe against them falling I lower my head again. "You think it'll be what we want?"
"Yeah, and if it's not we'll make it". Daryl stands up and pulls me up. "Come on, we need to get back to Riley."
Daryl reaches out to close the boot but he hesitates, and then he reaches for the strap across my front. He pulls the now useless bat holder off of my back, removes the gun and then throws the holder into the back of the car.
"We'll find ya another one," He casts a look at me over his shoulder as he leads me to the front of the car. "Seein' as ya gave ya spare one to Axel".
Glenn told us how far Merle was planning to drive and in what direction he was going. Merle's plan was to drive 40 miles away and to stick to the same road for as long as he could. If there were any turns he would leave clues, nothing too obvious so that other people wouldn't know what it meant.
We follow the road for about 25 miles before there's a junction. Daryl slows the bike to a stop as we stare at the signposts ahead. Written in what looks like mud is the initials D+D, those initials are sat inside a big heart. Glenn pulls the car up beside us and rolls his window down.
"I guess Merle did that?"
Daryl scoffs, "Dick". He then shakes his head and turns left.
We see about six more of that design until Daryl's headlight lights up a person who steps out onto the side of the road. He slows down just as another person joins them. It's Tara and Maggie.
Maggie laughs as we stop beside them. "You're a sight for sore eyes".
"Welcome back", Tara says through a beaming smile. She then points to the other side of the road towards a dirt road. We follow the road around the back of a barn and that's when everyone comes into view. I'm off the bike before Daryl has even turned it off because I can see Carol standing beside Merle and she's holding our baby.
I race to her, I don't even greet her, I just take Riley from her and hold him as close to me as he can possibly get. I then turn back to take him to Daryl only to find he's already right behind me. He hooks one arm around my neck to bring me closer and uses his other hand to touch the top of his son's head. He looks over my head, "Thank you". I don't know if he's saying it just to Merle or if he's saying thank you to everyone here but I'm not that concerned in finding out because I don't want this moment right here ruined and it seems Daryl is thinking the exact same thing because he ignores anyone who tries to say something to him, instead he uses the arm around me to lead me away.
He walks us over to the side of the barn and then puts some pressure onto my shoulders to make me sit on the floor. When he's sat beside me he holds his arm out for me to put Riley into. "Rest".
At one point last night Carol brought over a blanket and a pillow for me so I could lie down, although the pillow went unused as I used Daryl's thigh instead. I slept for the entire night, not even the whispers of the others talking to each other could keep me awake.
I only opened my eyes when the sun became too bright and was lighting up the back of my eyelids, but I still haven't moved. My head is still on Daryl's thigh, he is still holding Riley against his front with one hand and with the other he's gently running a couple of his fingers across my forehead and down my cheek, he then runs it back up and repeats. He knows I'm awake but neither one of us wants to break this moment. The longer we stay like this the longer we can put off talking to everyone else. I don't know what to say to them because the last time I saw most of them I shouted for them to leave. That I didn't want them there any more. I know it was for their safety, I sent them away because why should they risk their lives while I was going crazy but to them that can't have been what it looked like.
A shadow falls over me, I move my eyes to look at Merle. The sun is behind him so I can't exactly see him clearly. "Ya gonna make me wait any longer?"
Daryl's fingers halt their movement and then after a beat he removes them altogether. That means we have to get up and remove ourselves from our little bubble. I sit up with a heavy sigh so Daryl can stand up.
Merle holds his hand out for me to take and then helps me up. "Don't worry neither of you 'ave gotta tell us all the shit that went down. The other's did it yesterday, and Glenn's filled us in what the fuck 'appened to you baby brother but ya can't hide over here any longer. We need to know what's happenin' next. The plan."
"The plan," Daryl starts, "the plan is to get where we planned to go right at the start, and until we get there Danny isn't to do shit. From now on, we're the ones gettin' her to her new home".
"Sounds good with me", Merle looks down at me, eyes squinted. "I know why you sent me away yesterday but it don't mean I'm allowed to like it. I've been here waitin' on you goin' out of my fuckin' mind. My brother was missin' an' then you go and pull all this shit and I ain't there to make sure ya come out the other side. I didn't know if he was alive or not and havin' to be away from you as well…." He suddenly grabs my shoulder and rather forcefully pulls into his chest for a hug. "I've spent the last fuckin' year havin' to deal with one or the other of you goin' missin', and now ya both fuckin' do it in one day. I ain't young as you so often point out. Ya gonna give me a fuckin' heart attack at some point".
I wrap my arms around his middle. "I'm sorry".
He squeezes me tighter. "Yeah, ya better be".
It seems Merle's in no rush to let me go, not until Riley starts making a fuss which forces him to let go.
Daryl offers me a small barely there smile as I take Riley from him, "Get somethin' to eat while ya at it".