My Secrets In The Apocalypse

Chapter 21

Riley woke up the next morning feeling an unusually warm weight on her. When she opened her eyes she was surprised to see Daryl still lying next to her, fast asleep. His usually grumpy expression was replaced with a serene one. She laid there quietly and watched him sleeping peacefully. She felt warmth fill her chest as she laid there in his arms. This man, this rough, grouchy, loyal, caring, beautiful man was hers. She never thought in a million years she would ever find such happiness, especially after the world changed.
Riley sighed happily and snuggled against Daryl's chest, listening to his steady breathing. She jumped slightly when his arms suddenly tightened around her and he buried his face in her hair.
"Daryl?" she asked quietly.
"Hm," he mumbled.
"Is everything ok?" she asked, her voice nearly a whisper.
"Mhmm," he mumbled quietly into her hair, his arms still wrapped tightly around her. Riley wrapped an arm around him and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest.
"We gotta go soon. Pay respects to Dale," he said, his raspy voice making her shiver.
"I know," she sighed. She pulled back some, looking up into his eyes. She never got enough of his blue eyes. They seemed especially vibrant in the early morning light.
"Guess we should get up then, huh?" Riley said quietly. Daryl nodded, loosening his hold on her. He sat up slowly, tossing the covers aside and rubbing his face. Riley shivered and curled into a ball, the chilly morning air hitting her without the blanket.
"Come on, Dinky," Daryl said hoisting himself up from the sleeping bag.
"Alright," she huffed, dragging herself out of the sleeping bag.

She stood up and stretched her arms over her head before turning to Daryl, her breath caught in her throat as he pulled his shirt off. Riley walked over to him as he picked up a clean shirt, he froze in place when he felt her hand touch his back. Riley's hand gently grazed across his back, lightly tracing the long, dark scars that marked him. Her heart broke as she looked at the multiple scars. She had felt them before, but never seen them, she had never imagined they were so bad. She had just assumed they were from years of being in the woods, like the ones on his chest and arms, but this was completely different. Immediately she understood why Merle and Daryl were the way they were, why Daryl kept to himself and pushed people away, why he didn't care to be touched very often.
Daryl stood rigid as Riley's hand slowly trailed down his back. Sighing softly, she slowly leaned forward and kissed him gently on the biggest scar right across the middle of his back. She wrapped her arms around him tightly and held him, closing her eyes and resting her head against him. She wanted to cry for him, for all the pain he must have gone through, the suffering, but she wouldn't. Crying wouldn't solve anything, so she would be strong for him instead. She would love this broken man, and give him everything she had to give. She felt as he took a deep breath and slowly relaxed in her arms.
Riley released her hold on Daryl and moved in front of him. His head was down and his gaze was locked on the floor of the tent. She lifted her hands slowly, placing them on either side of his face and making him look at her. His piercing gaze locked with hers as her thumbs grazed his cheeks softly. She tiptoed and pressed her lips to his, kissing him lovingly. When she pulled back from him she released his face and wrapped her arms around him again tightly.
"Riley-" he said quietly.
"Don't," she cut him off. "You don't need to say anything. I get it." She looked up at him and he nodded lightly. "I'm gonna go change, I'll meet you over there," she said pulling back from him. She slipped her boots on and picked up her hatchet before stepping out of Daryl's tent and heading to her own.

All of the members of the Atlanta group had gathered to pay their respects to Dale. Riley stood next to Daryl, listening quietly as Rick spoke.
"Dale could get under your skin. He sure got under mine. Because he wasn't afraid to say exactly what he thought, how he felt. That kind of honesty is rare and brave. Whenever I made a decision, I'd look at Dale and he'd be looking back at me with that look he had. We've all seen it one time or another," Rick spoke in a quiet steady voice. Riley discretely slid her hand into Daryl's, his firm grip grounding her, helping her keep calm as her eyes teared up.
"I couldn't always read him, but he could read us. He saw people for what they were. He knew things about us. The truth, who we really are. In the end he was talking about losing our humanity. He said this group is broken. The best way to honor him is to un-break it, set aside our differences and pull together. Stop feeling sorry for ourselves. Take control of our lives, our safety, our future. We're not broken. We're gonna prove him wrong. From now on, we're gonna do it his way. That is how we honor Dale," Rick finished strongly.