Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

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JINX

Rick was discussing a plan to go back in and search for the others when the sound of a baby crying appeared from nowhere. They spun around to see Maggie and Carl. Maggie was holding the crying infant but had obviously been crying herself too and Carl held his gun, but he didn't look up, the boy looked broken, and Jinx knew instantly that Lori was gone.

Rick dropped the axe he had been holding as he walked towards them, shaking his head. He moved from side to side as he got closer, Maggie was obviously trying to cry, "where... where is she? Where is she?" Rick asked. He walked past Maggie to go through the door she and Carl had just emerged from.

"No, Rick, No." she tried to catch his arm to stop him, the realisation finally hit him and he broke down.

"Oh No! No!" he called out, he looked at Carl, but the boy didn't move, "No!" he kept calling out.

Jinx moved closer to Daryl who noticed and held his arm out. She slotted herself into his side, silently sobbing into his shoulder.

Hershel checked the baby, and they were all relieved when he declared she looked healthy, but he pointed out she wouldn't last long without formula. "Nope, not her." Daryl put his crossbow on his back, "We ain't losing anybody else. I'm going on a run." Jinx, Maggie and Glenn all immediately volunteered to back him up. "Okay, think where we're going. Beth." He called the blonde girl aside and Jinx heard him say "Kid's just lost his mom, his dad ain't doing so hot." Beth promised to look out for him.

"You two get the fence, too many pile up we've got ourselves a problem." Daryl told the prisoners, "Glenn, Maggie, vámonos." He called to the others as Jinx walked beside him to the bike. Rick picked up an axe and ran inside, Maggie called out after him but he ignored her.

"Get the gate." Daryl called, "C'mon we're gonna lose the light."

"There's a Piggly Wiggly on 85" Glenn informed them.

"No, the baby section's been cleared" Maggie told them as they jogged to the exit, "Lori asked me to keep an eye out, I haven't had much luck."

"Is there any place that hasn't been completely looted?" Daryl asked them.

"We saw signs for a shopping centre, just north of here" Glenn remembered.

"But there's too much debris on the road, our car will never get through there" Maggie pointed out.

"I can only take one" Daryl looked at Jinx and she nodded, giving Maggie a quick hug before grabbing the bag. Daryl dumped the horse blanket poncho over her head before he got on the bike. She climbed on behind him and held on tight.

"Be safe." Glenn called out to them both.

___

On the journey Jinx spotted signs for a day care and they pulled over to try looking there first. "Company's close, stay tight" Daryl told her as the climbed off the bike and headed through a small gate into a children's play area. Daryl kept looking around as she smashed a window with the butt of her gun.

She climbed in, scattering small toys from the top of the piece of furniture in front of the window. The first thing she saw inside was a pair of cribs and she held onto the hope that meant there'd be some formula there.

She opened the first cabinets she saw and knew they'd hit the jackpot as she filled the bag with bottles, nappies and muslin cloths before Daryl had even made it through the window. As she stood back up, she saw him looking at a wall covered in children's handprints, he was staring at the one that said Sofie and her heart broke for him. She gave his hand a quick squeeze and pulled him away.

They moved further into the building, Daryl leading the way. There was a faint rattling sound coming from one room and they both sped up towards it standing on either side of the door. It was a half and half door so they could see in through the top half into what appeared to be the kitchen. Daryl put his flashlight in his mouth and leant over to open the bottom half. He held up the crossbow with both hands and nodded towards the cupboard where a scratching sound could be heard. She crept up as silently as she could and then whipped the small door open as fast as possible. An angry possum had just enough time to hiss before Daryl's arrow killed it.

"Hello, dinner" he said cheerfully around the torch still in his mouth.

"I'm not putting that in my bag" Jinx informed him as she turned back towards the cabinets, finding two cans of formula behind the first door she opened. "Jackpot!" she announced, spinning around and surprising Daryl with a kiss. After everything that had happened that day, she'd needed something to go right. Daryl dropped the possum on the floor and picked her up, not breaking the kiss as he put her on the counter, making them closer to the same height.

As they pulled away, Daryl stayed standing between her legs and she rested her hands on his shoulders, his moved down to rest on her thighs as he looked at her. "I love you." she whispered so quietly Daryl barely heard it.

She saw the panic on his face, he didn't know what to say and she hurriedly followed up, "After a day like today, I needed you to know, because anything could happen to any of us, anytime and I just needed you to know." She took a breath and continued again, "I'm not saying I'm in love with you, because I don't know that. Hell, I thought I was in love once before and now I look back and know I wasn't, so I guess I don't even know what that would feel like, but I do know I love you and I want you to know that."

Daryl stared at her in silence for another second, the panic slowly dissipating as he realised, she was just as terrified as him. "Christ, you can talk fast woman" he told her, leaning forward to kiss her again. As he broke away, he held one hand on her cheek and looked her in the eyes, "I love you too." She pulled him in for one more quick kiss, but this time when they parted, he lifted her back down. "C'mon, we got a baby to feed."

Daryl picked the possum up off the floor as Jinx went to do a quick check of the other rooms before they left, "That thing's still not going in my bag, no matter how much you love me" she called out behind her and glanced back to see Daryl chuckle at her.