Finding Myself, Finding You *Daryl Dixon X OC*

Chapter Thirty-Four

*A/N--This is a long one. I'm sorry but I'm mostly not. I'm almost finished writing the story. The last two chapters will be posted next week (Tuesday and Friday respectively, provided I can lock in to this lengthy-ass epilogue).

Daryl and I had our coffee together, and shared plenty more kisses, before he had to go relieve the overnight person from watch. I tried to return his vest to him, but he insisted on me wearing it for the day. Wanted me to "show these pricks what's up" and "it looked better on me, so I should be the one wearing it anyway." After he went and got changed, I met him at the front door, brushing his dark hair out of his eyes and fixing it so it looked a little less crazy.

"Gonna be hard bein' away from ya all day after that," Daryl said as he snaked his arms around my waist. I tugged him by the collar of his button-up and pulled him in for another kiss, this one a bit longer than the others.

"Will that hold you over 'til later?" I asked, dropping my eyes to the floor and blushing heavily. With the amount of time I'd spent blushing since I first walked through the front gates months ago, they might as well have just permanently stayed pink. He gave me another few soft, quick pecks before pulling me close for a hug.

"Now it will," he replied. I couldn't see his face, but I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Try not to miss me too much," I joked, giving him a flirtatious wink as he went out the door. He should've been the one saying that to me. I was already aching to be back in his arms.

There was an extra pep in my step as I bounded upstairs to get dressed. Before my series of very fortunate events, I planned on just wearing a regular pair of shorts and a t-shirt with Daryl's jacket. But now, especially knowing he had some kind of surprise planned for later, I decided to wear the beautiful sundress he'd gotten me all those weeks ago, back when we hardly knew each other. I put his vest over top of it and looked at myself in the mirror. I was glowing, the smile on my face stretching from ear to ear. I was a giggling mess as I went back downstairs, taking some deep breaths to regain my composure before stepping outside.

The leaves had almost fully changed colors now, beautiful shades of red and orange creating a stunning visual, the branches swaying in the gentle breeze. The sun had almost completely peaked over the horizon, and there were hardly any clouds in the sky. Lights were starting to come on in people's homes as everyone began to awaken and get ready for the day. Alexandria was like a painting.

I promised Aaron I'd stop by and help him practice walking before spending my day in the infirmary. My plan was to hang out in there all day, and I'd let everyone know to just stop by if they needed anything. And I of course encouraged my friends to come by if they wanted to chat. I softly knocked on the front door, hoping they were awake and I wasn't disturbing anyone's sleep. After a few moments, Aaron answered the door, the scent of whatever he or Eric had been cooking wafting out.

"Mornin'," I greeted in a sing-song voice.

"Well you're awfully cheery this morning," Aaron acknowledged, "I'm ready when you are. Figured we could walk circles around the community for a bit if that's good with you."

"Actually, could we maybe...go to the infirmary?' I asked, gesturing to it over my shoulder.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Aaron replied, looking puzzled, "do you need to check something?" I shook my head.

"No. I, umm, I need to talk to you. We can walk after, I promise," I explained, practically stumbling over my words. My pink cheeks were quickly turning red. His eyes wandered down and grew wide when he realized what I was wearing, and a big, silly smile spread across his face.

"Ok, yeah. Yeah, we can go," he agreed. He put his shoe on his good foot and came outside, taking my arm to balance as he closed the door behind him.

Once we got to the infirmary, I shut and locked the door. Everyone knew that when the door was locked, it meant I was with someone & to come back later. Y'know, doctor-patient confidentiality and all that.