Jinx || Daryl Dixon || The Walking Dead Fanfic

-31-

JINX

Jinx walked back through Cell Block C, she spotted Shadow napping on Hershel's bed as she passed the ground level cells and started up the stairs, towards what she had once considered her cell. Now it was just a place where she'd left some clothes. She paused at the doorway when she saw Daryl sitting on the bottom bunk fiddling with an arrow, he looked like he was in a foul mood, but she needed fresh clothes as hers had walker blood on them.

He looked up as she walked in, she ignored him, but she could feel his eyes on her back as she walked over to her bag and pulled out what she wanted. Something silver caught her eye as it fell to the floor with a 'ting' sound as she stood back up. It had landed a short way from Daryl's foot, he picked it up and held it out to her, but he didn't let go as she went to take it.

He looked her in the eye as the tips of their fingers touched, his eyes looked more grey than blue in the dull light of the prison cell. "Thanks." She told him, pulling the lighter from his hand.

She turned to walk away and was just at the door of the cell when she heard his voice, "Wait." It was quiet, like he hadn't even meant to say it. She stood still and felt him stand up behind her. "I'm here." He told the back of her head softly, "I'm here, when you're ready to come back." Part of her longed to turn around and fall into his arms, to feel that sense of safety that he'd always given her before, but that part wasn't strong enough to win out.

Her faulty sense of self-preservation took over and she walked away. Her mind telling her that she was disgusting, that if he knew what had been done to her, he'd want nothing to do with her. Reminding her of what the Governor's hands on her body had felt like until she could no longer stand the idea of anyone, even Daryl, touching her. She subconsciously scratched at the back of her neck until she was back to D Block and alone again.

___

DARYL

Daryl picked up the pillow from the bed and threw it across the room in anger. First Maggie and Glenn wanted to throw Merle out and now Jinx still wouldn't even speak to him. It didn't help that Rick still wasn't 100% there, but apparently, he was doing better than before Daryl got back.

He dropped his head to his hands, but something sparkled from the floor on the other side of the room. He looked up, not sure where the flash of light had reflected from. The room was still covered in Jinx's belongings, if you looked around, you'd think she had never left, her bag was still in the corner, though she'd taken a reasonable pile of clothing with her so he guessed she wouldn't be back for a while.

There was a small shelf on the wall just above and Jinx had propped up a mirror along with the two books from the CDC and next to them laid the cell phone he'd seen her cry over before. His eyes dropped back down to a couple of items of his own clothes sitting beside her bag, far too neatly folded for him to have left them there, he had a vague memory of Jinx folding clothing and disappearing up the steps with it shortly before she left on the run where she'd been taken, and he realised she must have washed them for him.

He stood up and walked the two steps it took to get to where the pillow had landed and he picked it up, the glint from before catching his eye again. He pushed the small pile of clothes out the way to discover it was the necklace and ring he'd caught sight of around Jinx's neck at the farm.

He held the two pieces of jewellery in his hand, noting that the clasp of the necklace chain was broken as though it had been yanked from her neck. He hadn't noticed before, but there was a tiny little moon charm that hung from the gold chain which was what had stopped the ring from slipping off as he picked it up. He rolled the ring around in the palm of his hand. Inspecting it closer than he had before, no wonder her mom hadn't wanted her to take it when she travelled, it must've been worth a decent amount back before the world went to shit. He tucked both into his pocket with a resolve to find a way to fix the necklace and return them to her.

He sat back down on the bed and went back to fiddling with the arrow. He wasn't alone for long as Carol slowly appeared and stood leaning against the doorway. "Haven't had a chance to say I'm glad you came back." She told him.

He audibly exhaled and continued spinning the arrow tip around, "to what? All this?" he asked her looking around the cell.

"This is our home." She told him as she perched on a box just inside the door.

"This is a tomb." He said earnestly, still spinning the arrow tip.

"That's what T-Dog called it." Carol said softly, looking up towards the ceiling. "Thought he was right 'til you found me." She looked over at him, just the hint of a smile on her lips. He felt the whisper of a smile on his lips as he looked back at her, but it was gone before it had fully formed.

She looked down before continuing speaking to him, "He's your brother, but he's not good for you. Don't let him bring you down." Daryl frowned slightly, tilting his head to look at the arrow in his hands. "After all, look how far you've come." She smiled at him gently and they both paused, before chuckling slightly, they'd both come so far.

The smile from his face faded again though as he looked across at where Jinx's belongings sat. Carol saw where he was looking and smiled at him again. "She'll come back too. Now you're back, she'll come back, she just needs time."

"Mm." he said with a small nod, not saying what they both were thinking; 'unless she gets herself killed first'.