Norman Reedus Imagines

Moonlight (Daryl)

CREDIT TO: http://imagine-daryldixon.tumblr.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long day for Daryl, not just because he got up so early today and it was already dark outside but metaphorically as well. He had to think of a book he read a while ago, something he had started to do when he found out why his wife had been so passionate about them. In a way he felt close to her again when he read the books she had loved. Daryl sighed deeply. Or was it a song where he had heard it? Maybe a movie?! He couldn't remember but now more than ever he knew what it meant. It had been such a long day without her and every night Daryl was wondering when the time would come to meet her again, tell her all about the things he did while she had been gone. She... and their daughter. Daryl crossed his arms behind his head leaning against the wall behind him. He missed them more than he could tell. If only he knew what happened to them, if only he knew if they were still alive. He had assumed them dead after he found their home burned down, overrun by walkers but he never found their corpses. Maybe they had gotten away somehow.
"Hey, Daryl, wanna lend me a hand over here!?", Merle panted appearing next to Daryl out of thin air. He wiped away the sweat on his forehead and threw a quick glance over to his cell room where he was packing the few belongings he had brought with him.
"Watcha tryin' to do anyway?" Daryl looked him up and down. They had found Merle a few weeks ago and he had moved to the prison shortly after. Daryl had thought his brother dead. Finding him safe and sound after so much time had passed... It raised hope in Daryl, hope to find his family again. His wife and daughter or maybe just one of them. Anyone. But maybe it was too much to ask for.
Daryl hadn't felt like himself since he had lost them. He wanted to feel whole again but didn't know how to do that without them. Maybe he simply had to get used to feeling empty, alone, as if he was merely a shadow of who he used to be.

"Tryin' to move closer to that girl", Merle licked his lips looking into the distance. "Carol. She's playin' hard to get but I know we'll get along sooner or later", he laughed, but got serious again as he noticed Daryl's raised eyebrows.
"She ain't gonna like ya, Merle. Get used to it", Daryl shook his head but he couldn't fight back the idea of a smile around the edges of his lips. Good old Merle, it was probably too late for him to really change for the better, even though it was obvious to everyone that he really tried, he tried to become a better person, someone useful to the group. Even if he only did it to not end up alone on a roof again everyone was happy to see the change in his brother.
"Ya never know, lil' brother. Told ya the same 'bout your wife but ya got her anyway", Merle grinned not noticing the pain he had caused Daryl by mentioning her. It was true, Merle had told him to give her up and stop chasing after her because clearly she had been too good for him but Daryl wouldn't give up. He had loved her too much, still loved her more than he could tell. Maybe if he had listened to Merle back then... maybe she would still be alive. Daryl sighed deeply trying to shake off these thoughts. If he had stayed away their daughter wouldn't have been born and deep down Daryl couldn't even imagine a world without his daughter, the only other person he loved as much as his wife.
"Yeah", he muttered in response trying to hide his feelings. Merle read him like an open book anyway.
"Sorry", he murmured squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to support Daryl, show him that he cared even though he would never say it out loud. "Hey, listen. She's tough, tougher than I'd care to admit. She made it." Merle squeezed his shoulder again and grinned at him. Daryl forced a smile himself, tried to brush it off as if he was fine. He wouldn't admit that Merle's support meant so much to him, that his older brother's support was important to him.
"Thanks, man", he smirked looking down. "Ya wanna move your stuff now?" He gestured towards the boxes that were lined up at the wall.
"Yeah. I'll show her that I've changed", Merle grinned turning around to get the first box.
"Ya did.... She still won't like ya", Daryl teased grabbing one of the boxes himself. "The cell next to her?!"
"Yes, sir!", Merle laughed walking past Daryl. He hurried to follow but when they reached the cell room they didn't find it empty.
"What is this shit!?", Merle grunted.
"Backpacks", Daryl stated the obvious observing the two backpacks that were lying on the bed. A big orange one with sleeping bags tied to the sides. And a small blue one, with a duck printed on it. A child!? The backpack had obviously belonged to a child at some point. Daryl wondered if Maggie and Glenn brought new people back with them from their run. It was most likely but Daryl had a hard time imagining a child surviving all this. Then again wasn't that what he hoped for most!? That his own family, his wife and four year old daughter, a child indeed, had survived all this?!
"Daryl!?", he suddenly heard a voice behind him. A voice he knew better than his own. Daryl flung around. The box slipped out of his hands and landed hard on the ground probably scattering whatever had been inside. The second he had turned around to look for the voice's owner she was in his arms, her arms clasped tightly around his waist, her face buried against his chest. "It's you, it's really you", she cried trying to get herself even closer to him. Daryl couldn't say anything, the lump in his throat was impossible to swallow, the tears in his eyes impossible to hold back. When he finally woke from his paralyzation he threw his arms around her, ran his fingers up and down her spine. He breathed kisses on her hair, made his way to her forehead as she lifted her eyes to look at him. And further down to her lips. He still couldn't say a word. Daryl felt as if he was dreaming and he was afraid to wake up.
"I thought you were dead", she breathed as their lips parted. "We thought you were dead", she corrected and Daryl wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. They?! Could it be?! He finally swallowed the lump, cleared his throat before he tried to speak.
"Is she... Is...she... alive?!", he breathed still afraid of the answer. It was a miracle that his wife was here in his arms again. He couldn't believe that he was lucky enough to get them both back. But the smile on her face.. the bright flashing smile.... raised his spirits.
"She is!", she smiled. "She's outside in the car sleeping. I didn't want to wake her before I checked this place.... I would have brought her with me right away if I had expected to find you in here!" She sounded as hysterical as Daryl felt. "I'm not dreaming, am I!?", she asked with a suddenly sad look on her face.
"No!", Daryl gasped pulling her against his chest again, holding her close. "No, we're not. We're not dreaming. You're back!" He needed to thank Glenn and Maggie later on for bringing his family back. Daryl still couldn't believe it. He knew he didn't deserve this much happiness but he was more than grateful to have them back with him. With his arm wrapped around her waist, determined to never let go of her ever again Daryl walked outside. It was already dark, the street illuminated by nothing more than the white moonlight. When he saw his sleeping daughter, when he lifted her up in his arms to carry her to bed, Daryl felt like he was looking into the face of an angel. They were back with him. He breathed a kiss on his daughter's cheek as he tucked her in. As much as he wanted to hug her, tell her how much he loved her, he didn't want to wake her up. His daughter had been through so much she deserved to sleep in safety, with her Dad watching over her. With a loving smile and his wife in his arms he watched her sleeping face for a while.
"I won't leave ya ever again, I promise", he whispered as he pulled his wife close to him breathing a kiss on her temple. He wanted to ask her so many things, but more importantly he wanted to hold her, feel her close to him, kiss every inch of her body. They had been apart for so many months, they had to make up for so much lost time but with his wife in his arms and his daughter sleeping in safety Daryl knew that from now on everything would be fine. His future looked so much brighter. He felt whole again.