Survive - Daryl Dixon - Follow The Plot Fanfic

Seventeen

"Hello. I'm Deanna Monroe."

"Hi. Uh- Robyn Dixon. Nice to meet you."

"Do you mind if I film this? We're all about honesty here." 

"Uhm- yeah, sure?" I reply, slightly confused, given that phones and recording things hasn't been something we've been able to do for years, and nervous about not being in the same room as Daryl, not knowing if he's safe. My eyes pinned on the door to the other room.

I hear the camera beep to indicate that its recording and Deanna gestures for me to sit down, I do.

"Now, Robyn, I can see that you're quite tense about being away from your people, which is understandable, but I can assure you they are safe, they're being given food and water, just next door, just as you will be once we've spoken."

I nod softly and just look at her.

"So, how long have you been out there?" Deanna begins.

"Since the start. People like me were built for a world like this. Even before it was this way."

"How did you find each other? Did you know each other before the fall?"

"Uhm- Some of the others knew each other. But personally? no. I didn't know any of them before all this."

"Aaron says I can trust you. Can I?"

My eyes darken slightly at that. "Aaron doesn't know me, nor my people. Aaron doesn't know what i'm willing to do to keep my family safe."

"Was it not you that defended him when Daryl was being rude? And who took care of him while he was knocked out? And made sure to run with him, away from your people, when Eric set off the flare because his hands were tied and he wouldn't be able to defend himself?"

"That's just basic human decency, not a lot of people take care of others these days." I reply, looking away. "But I still think it's important to be a good person. If Aaron was watching us for as long as he said he was, then he'd know that I lunged at one of my own. Held my knife up to her throat."

"Because she almost got you and some of your family killed, any logical human would've done the same. Self-preservation is a basic human instinct. It's people like you, that can take care of themself and others that we need in Alexandria. We need people who have lived out there."

"Deanna, with all due respect. Every single one of my people has killed. I don't even know how many people I've killed at this point. But, I know why I killed them. They threatened my family. I killed them all so each one of those people in the next room would have the chance to survive, and have a life. That's all I care about."

"Sounds like I'd wanna be part of your family, Robyn. You're not a bad person for protecting your own. Families should be able to raise their children in a safe environment. Carl, Judith. They should be able to grow up in a place where they can be children. Maggie and Glenn. They should be able to live their lives as a married couple and not have to worry about not being alive the next day, and so should you and Daryl. Be married, have children, grow old. You're sceptical. You have every right to be. But its time for you to live, not just survive."

I look at her and take a deep, slow breath at the mention of being able to live again, not just get by. God, that sounds good.

Stood with Daryl, Rick and Carl outside of the two houses we've been given Rick and Carl go into one, Daryl and I go into another.

Looking around cautiously as we walk through each room, I look at the kitchen and smile widely. Looking around the beautiful room and then over at the sink, going to it and turning it on. Clean, fresh, cold water runs from the faucet and I tear up.

"Running water... I haven't had a shower, or even felt clean since before the fall..."

I look over at Daryl to see him already looking at me. "You wanna keep looking around? Deanna told me there was fresh clothes for us in the closet upstairs."

My face lighting up as I immediately run upstairs, looking through the bedroom, the closet, the spare room and the bathroom. 

"Its beautiful! I always wanted a house like this..."

"Now you got it." Daryl mumbles as he comes over, wrapping his arms around my waist and kissing my shoulders gently. "Happy?" 

I close my eyes and lean back on his chest gently. "Ecstatic. I love you, like, a lot. But, I'm taking a shower. And not even the great Daryl Dixon is gonna stop me."

Turning to face him, I kiss his cheek and run into the bathroom, closing but not locking the door. After stripping down out of all of my clothes, I look at myself in the mirror for a moment. I'm filthy, I've lost weight, and my hair as a mess.

I smile a little at my reflection and get into the shower, turning on the hot water and smiling softly at the heavenly feeling of the water on my skin, running my hands through my hair to rinse it, I look down at the floor of the shower to see the water running off of me is brown with dirt.

I thoroughly wash my hair, my body, and use the time to clean under my fingernails, shave myself and just enjoy the feeling of the water.

When I get out of the shower and dry my hair, I wipe the condensation off of the mirror and just look at myself, smiling softly before walking out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel and go into the closet, getting dressed. 

Walking around the house, my hair now in its natural curl and not forced straight by grease, my skin glowing from being freshly cleaned and finally wearing clean clothes. After properly looking around and opening all of the cabinets and squealing loudly when I opened the fridge, I walk outside with a snack in my hand to see Daryl sat on the porch gutting the Possum.

"Dixon, can you at least try not get Possum guts on our pretty new house?" I joke and sit next to him, he just scoffs softly before looking at me.

"You know, theres a fridge full of food, you don't have to do that anymore my love..." I rub his arm gently and kiss his cheek.

"You do something with your hair?" 

I laugh softly at his question. "Nope, nothing but a wash and a brush. This is my natural hair, what its meant to look like."

"I like it."

After a while of just sitting and processing the new environment, we collect sheets and pillows before heading to Ricks house, where we all decided we'd sleep tonight. Daryl sets himself up next to Judith's crib and I set myself up next to him, looking around and smiling as we're all huddled in one room of the house like we have been so many times before.

When the door knocks, everyone perks like a meerkat, Rick quickly hands Judith to me as I stand up and hold her on my hip. That involuntary part of the human, apocalypse instinct kicking in, ready to protect or defend. Once I see its Deanna, I sit down, setting Judith on my knees and bouncing her gently, listening to her giggle and smiling softly at the soft, angelic nature of such a pure soul, so innocent, so fragile...  After a while, I clock into the conversation when Rick and Deanna start to talk about jobs. The others have jobs?

"You haven't given me one." Rick points out.

"I have, I just haven't told you yet, same for Michonne. I'm closing in on something for Sasha, and I'm just trying to figure Mr. Dixon out."

"What about me?"

"I have a job lined up for you, but I need to make sure I can trust you first." She smiles in response as I nod and focus back in on Judith's giggles, understanding her hesitance.