We're The Ones Who Live | The Walking Dead (2)

Part 34 - Troopers at the Gates

CJ grimaced when the floorboards creaked beneath her feet as she walked up the stairs. The house was shrouded in darkness, filled with that kind of midnight silence that caused every move she made to feel like the loudest thing ever.

Entering her bedroom, she was relieved to see that Daryl was still fast asleep and snoring. She made quick work of going into the bathroom and cleaning herself up as quietly as possible, changing out of her jeans and hoodie, wearing just an oversized t-shirt. The clothes she had been wearing went straight into the laundry hamper in the corner, and she buried them under a damp towel.

Taking a final look in the mirror, even in the darkness, she could see a small spot of dried blood on her forehead, and quickly dampened a washcloth to wash her face again.

Satisfied that the events of the night were washed away, she snuck out into the bedroom and climbed into bed, curling up beside Daryl and resting her head on his chest. In his sleep, he moved to hold her closer, his hand going to her hip and rubbing up and down a few times before stopping and falling back into his deep slumber.

CJ lay there for a moment, waiting and wondering if Daryl was going to wake up and say he knew she had left, but thankfully, he never did. She was exhausted, and the darkness paired with being in Daryl's arms helped her drift off into sleep.

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When Daryl woke up, it was to the feeling of his wife being pressed up against his chest. He was laying on his back whilst CJ lay on top of him. Her head was on his chest, her arms were hugging his sides, and her hips were settled around his thighs, almost straddling him. His right hand started playing with the ends of her hair whilst the fingers of his left hand rubbed circles up and down her back.

It had been one week since CJ had come home, and it seemed as though things were improving around Alexandria. The Dixon couple had talked through everything that happened in the time they were apart. Tears were often shed when it came to discussing how tough it was after CJ was missing, but they worked through everything, and it appeared that they were on track for getting back to normal.

Waking up next to her after everything was still like a dream for Daryl. Every morning since finding her and bringing her home, the first thing he had to do when he woke up was touch her, just to know she was really there. He had barely left her side in the weeks she'd been back, worrying that she may go back to having episodes of panic. Nothing like that had happened besides her going out on her own one day without saying anything. 

Daryl still worried for her. Sometimes he got the feeling like she was holding something back.

As he absentmindedly kept rubbing her back, he heard CJ hum softly in her sleep as she stirred. Her eyes stayed closed as she nuzzled into his chest more, but Daryl could see her lips curling into a faint smile.

"Hello," she whispered sleepily.

"Hey," Daryl mumbled, kissing the top of her head. "Sorry, did I wake ya?"

"Yeah, kinda," CJ replied with a soft giggle. "Just didn't want you to stop."

She felt Daryl's chest rise and fall as he quietly chuckled and continued rubbing her back. "I ain't gonna stop. I'll stay here forever if I gotta." He kissed the top of her head and closed his eyes. "Go back to sleep."

"Sounds good to me," CJ whispered.

They fell into a small silence where they both ended up falling asleep again for a little while. When CJ next woke up, the sun coming through the curtains was a lot brighter, and she could hear a couple of people out and about in the streets below.