Light | TWD | Daryl Dixon Fanfiction

026

Daryl had left early in the morning to get out from behind the walls, he had told Juliana that he needed to go hunting, she knew that probably wasn't the real reason why. As much as she wanted to ask him if she could come along, she bit her tongue and let him go off on his own, deciding that maybe she needed to explore Alexandria while he was gone for the day. But first, it was time for a shower.

It was much needed, as she assumed that the rest of the group had taken advantage of a shower already aside from her and Daryl, she finally jumped at the chance to clean up. Before Carol wandered off, she had given her a clean change of clothes; a dark navy t-shirt paired with a pair of faded jeans. Juliana was most excited about the clean socks and underwear, though. She was almost certain she was in the shower for hours, scrubbing away at her skin. She took note of the new scars that littered her body in places she couldn't remember where they came from.

Juliana begrudgingly exited the shower and dried herself off, putting on the new, clean clothes and threw her wet hair up into a messy bun to get it out of her face. She caught a glimpse of herself in the foggy mirror and leaned forwards, wiping away at the condensation that had formed on the glass: she couldn't remember what she had looked like before, but now she looked tired. There was a small scar just below her bottom lip and she appeared perpetually tired. Rubbing a hand down her face, she stepped away from the mirror and headed downstairs to find Tara, Rosita, Abraham and Eugene still lingering in the living room area.

"You got like, two shades lighter," Tara mused out loud in Juliana's direction.

Juliana grinned slightly, rolling her eyes at the comment as she made her way towards the front door, hand on the door knob before Tara spoke up again.

"Uh, Deanna said they were having some sort of, welcome part for all of us tonight. You should come."

Turning her head towards Tara, she kept he fingers wrapped around the cool metal of the knob as she spoke, "I don't think that's really my scene."

"They'll have beer," Abraham interjected from the couch, feet up on the coffee table and an arm draped around Rosita's shoulders. Juliana bit the inside of her cheek to keep from lashing out at him, he didn't know she didn't drink; or the reason why she wouldn't.

"Gonna have to pass," Juliana repeated, twisting the handle open on the front door and swung it open, stepping out into the early morning heat.

Blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sun, she shut the door behind her. As it clicked shut, she began her way down the stairs and onto the street. If felt strange to have left her weapon behind at the house. Sometimes her hand would grope aimlessly at her waist, trying to feel for a knife that wasn't there. It felt strange.

Walking towards her, Rick and Michonne came into view, rounding around a corner. Juliana couldn't help but smirk at their outfits. Deanna must have designated them as the new police force, and frankly, Juliana wasn't that surprised.

"Ho-ly shit," Juliana teased as the two stopped in front of her, a playful grin crossing her face, "I guess this is your job now, huh?"

"Has Deanna given you one?" Rick questioned, eyebrow raising slightly.

"No, neither has Daryl."

"Where is Daryl?"

Juliana shrugged, "I ain't his keeper, but he's out. You should know he won't stay put."

"Are you planning on coming to the party tonight?" Michonne asked, her and Rick exchanging glances for a moment.

"Nah. I think I'll..wander. Figure this place out."

"Alright," Rick patted her on the shoulder as he and Michonne moved past her, "You let us know if you need anything, Jules!" he called out as the two of them headed down the other end of the street.

The rest of that day Juliana spent wandering. She discovered the infirmary, food storage, and checked out the walls around the rest of Alexandria. Sometimes someone would say hi to her, and she would awkwardly wave and half-ass a smile. Other times, someone from the group would stop to talk with her, ask her how she was doing; ask where Daryl was, and invite her to the party. She didn't want to go. It wasn't as if she wasn't social, it was just in her mind, there were bigger issues to deal with. Surviving outweighed having a stupid dinner party.

When night fell, Juliana had sat herself down on the front step of a random house, watching as people began to arrive to the party. The house was lit up warmly, and the clinking of glasses and soft laughter could be heard from that way. Her heart twisted; it was almost painful to hear these sounds. They didn't belong here anymore.

Just before she could get lost in her thoughts, a familiar voice broke through.

"Hey," Daryl grumbled, standing above her.

"How do you do that?" she asked, standing.

"Do what?" he asked, and the two began to move down the street, away from the party.

"Sneak up on people like that! I still can't get over that shit."

"Yeah well," he lifted a hand up, rubbing his chin, the stubble making a scratchy sound as he did so, "I'll teach ya', someday."

"Deal."

The sound of a door opening and closing, made both turn their head in the direction the sound came in. On the dimly lit porch, Aaron had stepped out, waving at the two of them.

"Daryl, Juliana, hey."

"Thought you were goin' to that party over there?" he pointed in the direction where the party was before dropping his hand down to his side.

"Oh, I was never going to go 'cause of Eric's ankle. Thank God." Aaron chuckled, grinning at the two of them.

Juliana glanced over at Daryl, watching as he narrowed his eyes slightly, looking as if he was trying to process something from earlier. "Why'd you tell me to go, then?"

"I said try. You did. It's a..thought that counts thing."

He had tried to go to the party. Juliana hadn't be able to see him over by the house, but she knew how stealthy he could be, and she wasn't surprised she didn't see him over there. She had to admit, she was glad he decided to not go. It meant more time with him, and it made her look like less of an asshole.

"All right," he grumbled, reaching up and gently tugging at Juliana by her upper arm to get her to follow him.

"Hey!" Aaron called out, "Come in you two, have some dinner."

Juliana and Daryl looked at each other, both quietly trying to read each other's minds.

"Come on. It's some pretty serious spaghetti."

Without waiting for their answer, Aaron stepped back into his house. The two of them stood there; quiet and still for a moment. Juliana reached out, grabbing a hold of Daryl's hand and gently pulled at him as she took a step towards Aaron's.

"Serious spaghetti." She repeated, the corner of her lip upturning into a playful smirk. It was all she could do to not burst out as she felt Daryl wrap his fingers tighter around her own hand and quietly follow her into Aaron's home.