Forsythia - Daryl Dixon (BOOK TWO)

Chapter Sixteen

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Natalia softly brushed Daryl's cheek with her thumb— the two sat on the bench with their legs crossed facing each other. Daryl snuck his hand to take Natalia's that laid on her lap and played with her fingers.

"Thanks for bringing back Johnny, I really thought that if you found him, you'd make sure he won't follow you back." Natalia said jokingly, making Daryl crack a small crooked smirk.

"Well, lesbian over there ain't half bad." Natalia couldn't help but snort at Johnny's nickname given by Daryl.

While Carol, Daryl and Johnny were out there, Johnny had saved Daryl out of harm's way, which Daryl appreciated it. Even though Johnny's love for Natalia bothered Daryl, Daryl knew that Johnny was a good man and couldn't look past it any longer.

"Gonna tell me what's on your mind?" Daryl gently lifted Natalia's chin so her eyes met his.

Her quietness didn't sit right with Daryl and knowing her well, Daryl knew Natalia was buried deep in her thoughts by the way she chewed the inside of her cheeks.

As if reading her mind, Daryl spoke for her. "It's Glenn and Maggie, isn't it?"

"I hate how separated we are again." Natalia spoke solemnly. "How...How easy it was for Glenn to decide to leave."

"I know." Daryl shared the same feeling with Natalia but Daryl knew it was better to make Natalia see Glenn and Maggie's side than their own. "We'll see them again, Maggie and Glenn. In DC."

Natalia shook her head and spoke softly, still hurt by Glenn's decision when everyone seemed to be okay with it.

"That's not the point...finding everyone again. Everything that I've been through. What we've been through to find each other again. Did it not matter at all?"

Daryl wasn't big on words, but with little words and doing the right move, Daryl knew how to silence her aching thoughts.

"We'll find them again, baby. I think that'll matter more now." Daryl wrapped an arm around Natalia's waist and pulled her into his lap.

Natalia wrapped an arm around Daryl's neck and comfortably rested her head in the crevice of his neck.

———

Once the sun was shining bright in the sky, Rick and his family began tearing down parts of the church to lock out any enemies and keep Carl and Judith inside safely.

Natalia was getting ready to join Rick, Johnny and Daryl when Tyreese stopped her.

"I thought you were staying?" Tyreese said to Natalia, as he too, was ready to leave to join Rick.

"I thought you were?" Tyreese shook his head. "Well, I think it's best if I go and you stay."

"No. What if you have to kill someone? You don't have it in you anymore, Ty." Natalia said in genuine worry. "I'll take your place."

"I appreciate it, really." Tyreese place a hand on Natalia's shoulder. "But I think I need to be there for Sasha. She isn't doing too good."

The two turned to see Sasha still smashing one of the benches with the axe aggressively and violently.

"Okay. You take care of yourself out there." Natalia said to Tyreese before she made her way to Johnny who had his back against the wall, biting down on his thumb.

"Y'know, you can stay back here with me and Carl."

"I can't do that, Nat." Johnny shook his head. "I gotta bring back Beth myself."

In his time in the hospital with Beth; Johnny and Beth grew very close. To Johnny, Beth grew to be his little sister that he needed to protect. Some nights when they were on schedule together, Johnny and Beth would play a confession game and sometimes, Beth would talk about how much she missed her father to him.

Natalia simply nodded, understanding Johnny's need to go back and get Beth. Before Rick left, Natalia placed a soft peck on Daryl's cheek and went inside the church with Michonne, locking themselves in.

"Y'know— she used to say goodbye to me first." Rick shined a crooked smile at Daryl.

"You ain't butt hurt are you?" Daryl teased Rick who simply chuckled.

Back at the church, Michonne sat with Carl and Judith while Gabriel obsessively scratched the blood stained floor— Natalia was in Gabriel's office, sat down on the sofa.

A feeling she couldn't push away grew and as something told her to look out the window, Natalia did just that.

The black figures that she didn't see for a while were back and she couldn't help but let out a small gasp at the sight of them. The dark figures were by the trees and it finally drove Natalia insane.

Natalia opened the window and tried to remove the wooden planks that they put up earlier.

"What are you doing?" Gabriel sounded from behind Natalia.

"Come here and tell me that you see what I see!" Gabriel was too afraid to step closer to Natalia by the window but when Natalia snapped at him again, Gabriel immediately rushed towards her.

"Do you see them? Those dark figures?"

"Who are they?" Gabriel asked nervously as he looked between the opening of the planks.

"You...you see them?" Natalia's eyes went wide as her mouth gaped.

"Yes, I do." Gabriel began to panic.

"I'm not crazy..." Natalia whispered to herself.

"Is it the remainder of Gareth's people? I thought we got them all—"

"Gabriel, you tell nothing to Michonne. She needs to look after Carl and Judith, I don't trust you enough to do that."

"Why?! Where will you be?"

Natalia managed to break one of the planks off and it was a good fit for her to slip out.

"I'm going to go deal with them."

To be continued...