I'll Always Find You (A Daryl Dixon X Reader)

CHAPTER 34: One Happy Encounter

CAROL'S POV:

I lost Sophia. She was dead. Daryl and Y/n had also lost Charlotte. We had no idea if she was dead or alive. Y/n was gone and Daryl was secluding himself from the group. I could tell he was depressed and something was wrong. He didn't deserve to suffer alone. The others still hadn't gotten back yet from trying to find Y/n and Hershel. Normally Y/n was the one to put a smile on Daryl's face. Bringing him out of the funks he got in when bad things happened. But since she wasn't here, I decided it was my responsibility.

Neither of them had ever left my side as they were the only two seriously looking for the girl's. Even when I didn't want anyone around, they were there to pester and squeeze their way into my heart when all hope seemed lost. It was the least I could do after everything they did for me. I walked back across the field in the dark and towards the low campfire light across the property. As I made it there I looked around, not seeing Daryl in sight. There was about 15 squirrels hanging on a clothes line that Daryl had hung. I looked at them and sighed. He was trying so hard to stay busy.

    "What are you doing?" Daryl snuck up on me and I jumped slightly.

    "God." I gasped. "Keeping an eye on you." I told him concerned.

    "Ain't you a peach?" Daryl scoffed.

    "I'm not gonna let you pull away." I told him. "You've earned your place."

    "If you spent half your time minding your daughter's business instead of sticking your nose in everybody else's, she'd still be alive!" He spat at me.

His words hurt, but I wasn't going to let them hurt me. I was starting to notice a trend. A trend he carried out with Y/n too. When he's hurting he vents. When he vents he uses his words to deflect and hurt you instead. I knew I could get through to him. I just had to figure it out how.

    "Go ahead." I stated simply with a shrug.

    "Go ahead and what?" Daryl asked with a scowl. I stayed silent as I looked at him sadly. "I mean, just go! I don't want you here!" I stayed still and Daryl came towards me getting in my face. "You're a real piece of work, lady... What are you gonna make this about my Daddy or some crap like that? Pfft. You don't know jack. You're afraid. You're afraid 'cause you're all alone. You got no husband, no daughter, you don't know what to do with yourself. You ain't my problem! Sophia wasn't mine!"

There is was. The truth. He was hurting because of losing Charlotte.

    "All you had to do was keep an eye on them!" Daryl screamed in my face.

We sat in silence just staring back and one another.

    "Yeah." I sighed quietly.

We sat by the fire in silence for some time. Daryl, I noticed wiped his eyes. He saw me looking at him and he scoffed.

    "You got a staring problem too?"

    "You're crying." I shrugged.

    "I am not! It's just the damn heat from this fire." Daryl scoffed again and he stood up wiping his eyes some more. "I thought I told you to leave?"

    "I'm not going to sit by and let you push me away, okay? Our daughter's are gone, Daryl. I've cried my tears. I ain't got none left. It's your turn. You sit here and you cry damn it. Because you can sit here and yell and scream at me. Beat me down with your words. But I'm not leaving. You need to open up to other people. Besides just Y/n. So god damn just let it out!" I said loudly.

Daryl looked at me in shock. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Daryl walked aggressively towards me. I flinched slightly prepared to be struck, that's what Ed would have done if I ever spoke to him that way. But to my surprise Daryl hugged me. He actually hugged me. I felt wetness dropping on my shoulder. I wrapped my arms around him.