Daryl's Precious Gem (Daryl Dixon FanFiction)

31: Decipher

The sun was at its peak and shone brightly through the kitchen windows. Daryl continued to tinker on the motorcycle while I sat inside decoding the clue. The day zoomed by as I tried to piece together the numbers. Michonne was working on the map to see if it meant a location. I, on the other hand, had no idea what it could've meant.

Nineteen, One, twenty-two, nine, fifteen, eighteen, nineteen. My mind kept repeating.

"Ugh.." I rested my head on the countertop as I sat on the stool. Why did this have to be so difficult? My hand fiddled with the pencil as I wrote down all the numbers onto a piece of paper. I tilted my head to the side as my mind kept eyeing the repeated numbers. That's when it clicked. I wrote out the alphabet and numbered each letter off.

"S. A." I started to spell out. The front door creaked open which startled me as Daryl walked inside. I quickly ripped the paper and stashed it into my pocket.

"What are ya doin'?" Daryl grunted.

"Trying to remember one of my moms recipes." I lied, as I listed off random ingredients on the ripped paper.

"Mess up on it?" Daryls eyes narrowed at me as he became suspicious.

"Yeah, I was frustrated because I kept forgetting how to spell certain words so I ripped up the other piece."

Daryl huffed as he poured himself a glass of water. I eyed his now bandaged hand and wondered how bad it had been. I knew better than to ask so I kept my mouth shut.

"Wanna go huntin'?" Daryl muttered.

My eyes lit up as he asked me. It had been a while since him and I hunted together. "I'd love to."

"A'right. Grab your gear and let's go." Daryl grabbed his satchel before marching out the front door. Before heading out I ran upstairs and hid the piece of paper in my sock drawer. I would finish decoding it later and reveal the information to Michonne.

I zipped up my jacket and strapped my bow and katana to my back. With my bow in hand Daryl and I made our way to the gate and hiked through the forest. Daryl and I had fun as we turned hunting into a little competition. Neither of us wanted to lose. We split up as we shot down pheasants, squirrels and rabbits. My backpack was almost full now but that wouldn't stop me from shooting more. My head snapped to my right as I heard tree leaves rustle. I lightly gasped as a deer came into view. It had been nearly two years since I had seen a deer. It was truly a rare sight!

I stood still and quietly arched back an arrow. Pulling back I aimed down sight and let out a steady breath releasing the arrow. The arrow hit the doe directly through the lungs and heart.

Two whistles sounded from behind me as arms wove around my waist. My body melted into Daryls as he kissed the side of my head.

"Nice shot."

"Thank you." I turned in his arms so that I could face him. "I really needed this."

Daryl leaned closer to me and kissed me gently before pulling away. My eyes searched his for a moment before I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around his neck. Daryl lifted me up as he held my legs around his torso and my body against a tree. Heat tore down to my core as Daryl unzipped my jacket and kissed down my neck. I let out a soft moan as he trailed further down to my breasts. This is what I needed.

It all happened so fast that I couldn't stop myself from what I moaned out next, "God I love you!"

My eyes widened at what I had just allowed to exit my mouth. Fuck, I mentally groaned. Daryl immediately stopped and lowered me to the ground before he backed away. Instant regret settled over me as my heart tore at the distance between us.