Finding Myself, Finding You *Daryl Dixon X OC*

Chapter Four

*TW for implied/referenced potential drugging

I was finally able to open my eyes ever so slightly. My eyelids felt like lead. Where was I? Why was I so groggy? Had I been drugged? Eventually, I was able to open my eyes all the way. My vision was fuzzy, and it took a minute to clear. Before it did, a gun was forced into my mouth. It tasted of metal and gunpowder. There were a few moments before I was able to piece together what was going on, and before my vision could fully clear, I screamed.

I hit the floor with a loud thud, scaring myself awake. I scrambled up into a sitting position next to the bed, taking in my surroundings. I was still in the bedroom in Alexandria. I was safe. It had all just been a terrible dream.

I wasn't sure whether or not I had screamed in real life, but that was confirmed when my door opened. I poked my head up over the bed to see him standing there.

"The hell was that?" a half-asleep Daryl asked me, sounding frustrated that he had been startled awake. God, his tired voice was even more attractive. I tried my hardest to keep myself from blushing, both from the sound of his voice and from embarrassment. Thankfully, it was dark outside by this point, so I don't think he could tell.

"I umm, just fell out of bed. Sorry to scare you," I replied. I propped myself up into a squat and stood up.

"Well don't do it again," he told me, "scare the shit outta everyone with how loud you was." He turned and started to walk away.

"I'll try not to," I said, "sorry again." With that, he shut the door behind him. I sat back on the bed, laying down and staring up at the ceiling.

"Fuck. Way to make an impression," I whispered to myself.

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The following morning, I rolled myself out of bed and looked out the window. The sun was just coming up, and I figured most people were still asleep. Despite my nightmare, I felt rested for the first time in months. I looked over and noticed a piece of paper sitting on the dresser with a small basket next to it. In the basket were all of my clothes and some extra, minus the plaid shirt I had used to wrap Aaron's leg. The note read "Didn't wanna wake you. Dinner's in the fridge." I figured it was from Maggie. I was going to have to do something nice for her and everyone here for welcoming me in so warmly.

I realized I was absolutely ravenous, so I dug through the small basket of clothes for a pair of my underwear and put them on, tossing my shorts back on before going downstairs. The floor was cold, and it creaked slightly under my feet. I tried to walk slowly to make sure I didn't wake Daryl.

In the kitchen, I saw a coffee pot and grounds on the counter. I hadn't had coffee since this whole thing started, and I missed the sweet rush of caffeine in the morning. I opened the fridge to see a plate it in with a note that read "Vector" on it. I wasn't exactly sure what it was, but I didn't care. I was just happy to have food that wasn't freeze-dried. The first bite was pure ecstasy. I almost cried.

I managed to figure out how to work the coffee pot and got it going. I cracked open the kitchen window, and a gentle cool breeze made its way in. I leaned back against the kitchen counter and rubbed the sleep from my eyes, yawning. My eyes and face felt puffy from all of the sobbing I had done the night before. My bun was starting to fall out from rolling around, and I'm sure I looked like hell. I was hoping to be able to get a cup and get back upstairs before he came down. Even though there wasn't even really a friendship between us, I wanted to stay out of sight until I felt a bit more put together.

I heard a door open upstairs, followed by footsteps. It appeared I spoke too soon.

I quickly turned and faced the window, pretending that I had been looking out at birds or something and didn't notice him coming down. My stomach dropped as I heard him making his way down the stairs, and I could feel the butterflies trying to make their way up my throat and out my mouth. I turned around once it sounded like he hit the bottom of the stairs. He was wearing the tank top and vest that he was wearing the day before, and I got a better look at how muscular his arms were. He looked strong, like he could pick me up and throw me on the ground with ease, and his bed head was tousled all over the place. He was beautiful.