I'm not an angel (Daryl Dixon Love Story)

Chapter 6- forgiveness is a beautiful thing

When morning came, Marie woke up with a headache. It was probably because she cried last night. She groan and sat up from bed, even if she didn't want to. It had been a long time since she had a bed to sleep on. She quickly changed into some shorts and a t-shirt. She unlocked the door of her room and walked down the stairs, towards the kitchen.

"Morning" Carol greeted her with a warm smile.

"Mornin'" Marie nodded her head at her. She grabbed an apple from the counter and headed to the door.

"That's all your having for breakfast?" Carol asked worried "I'm making something for everyone"

"I'm good" Marie shrug her shoulders. She didn't want to be in the same room as Daryl.

"Is this about your argument with Daryl?" Carol asked annoyed. They had always argued back at the prison.

"Mind your own" Marie snapped and hurried out the house. She closed the door quietly behind her, she didn't want to wake anyone up.

"Where are ya goin' this early?" Daryl asked her. It was about six a.m. she was never up this early. Marie only ignored him and walked down the porch stairs.

"Marie" He called after her, he wanted to talk to her. It was going to take a lot for him to get to.

"Fuck off, Dixon" Marie snapped at him. She felt anger towards him.

"Come back here!" Daryl shouted at her, causing her to stop walking. She stood in the middle of the street, waiting for him to say something. She could hear his boots as he walked towards her.

"What do you want?" she sighed frustrated. His presence bothered her.

"I want to talk to you, but don't even give me a damn chance!" he snapped at her.

"What the hell you want to talk about?" She turned around to glare at him "I have nothing to talk to you about "

He let out a loud sigh before speaking "please, just not here"

"Then where?" She asked aggravated. She saw his hand twitch, it was like he was afraid of touching her. He slowly brought his hand to hers, lacing his fingers with hers before leading her into the house.

They didn't care if the group heard their arguing. They were used to it, it was how they were. They walked by the kitchen and the living room. They received looks as they walked by. It was like they all already knew what was coming. They walked into the room Marie had slept last night. Daryl sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. Marie just awkwardly stood by the door. She didn't know where to sit, as he was occupying the bed.

Daryl released a sigh, he was trying to think on what to say. He knew she wasn't going to break the silence.

"When the prison fell.." He stared, trailing off a bit before speaking again "I thought you were either dead or you were far gone. I didn't think I would see you again"

Marie silently stared at him from where she stood. She felt the same as how he felt. She didn't know where he was, but she looked for him.

"I wanted to look for you so bad, I really did, but I couldn't. I was afraid I was going to find you as one of those things" he said, whispering his last sentence.

He waited for her to say something, but she never did. She only stared at him. He had never told her what happen after the prison was attacked. She knew because he would have to bring Beth up.

"Say somethin'" He looked at her with pleading eyes. It was something he never did, plead.

"I.. I looked for you," She looked away from him "I had to find you. I was foolish enough to think you were looking for me too"

"I-" he tried interrupting her, but she stopped him before he could say anything more.

"I wanted you to find me. Not Rick or Michonne." she shook her head "spent days wondering where you were. Wondering if you were okay, if you were alive. It was killing me"

Daryl looked down at his hands and played with his fingers. He didn't want to admit it, but it was killing him too. The constant wondering if she was alive was stuck in his head. The fear that she could have been attacked by walkers or bad men.

"I care about you, Daryl" she choked out "I really do. I want things to be how they were before. When everything was fine and we didn't want to kill each other"

I want that too it was what he wanted to say, but he couldn't. He didn't have the courage enough to say it to her. He was being held back by a fear he had deep inside.

The fear of not being good enough.

All his life he was told he was a redneck piece of trash. As much as Marie had told him he wasn't, he still believed it. He felt like he wasn't good enough for her. He knew someone like her, someone smart and beautiful, could find someone better. Still she stayed with him. She gave up so many things for him.

She left her house at age eighteen and moved in with him and Merle. She couldn't handle being in the house with her parents. She couldn't handle watching her mother cry because the man she loved was off with another family. She couldn't handle the good memories that were haunting that house. Those nights when he parents would tuck her into bed or read her a bed time story. All that was replaced with shouts of hate and and cries of pain.

He took her away from all that. He took to a better place. He took care of her when she needed to be cared for. He was there for her last day of college. He never knew how grateful he was for that.

"I..." he trailed off, he wanted to say those words, but he couldn't. Every time he tried he would stop. The two times he had said it was once after they reunited and when he had to go on a medicine run back at the prison. Other than that he hadn't said.

"I.." He cleared his throat, trying to find his voice to say it.

Marie slowly walked towards him, stopping in front of him. He looked up at her, searching her eyes for anything.

"I love you too" she mumbled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on his lips. He didn't have to say because she knew.

He loved her..