Don't Leave Me -DISCONTINUED/READ NEWEST CHAPTER-

Ducky

"Daryl!?" I hiss as I recognize the man's face. I give the music box a kick, silencing it. 

Daryl squints up at me for a few seconds, eyes getting used to the light before he recognizes me. 

"Andy? Shit, what are you doing here?" He seems to scoot forward a few feet but is too weak to do much else. He was naked but I paid that no mind.

"I've been here since Daddy died." I mumble. "I didn't know you were here." 

Daryl forces himself to his knees, reaching out a hand. "'mere." 

I tentatively step into the cell, trying not to let the smell affect me. Daryl grabs my shirt and jerks me to squat in front of him. He shoves a lock of greasy hair out of his eyes before examining me. 

His eyes float towards Lil' Lucy on the ground. 

"Are you okay?" He voice was soft. "Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? What about those damn fuckers that called themselves your parents?" 

"I'm okay." I promise him. 

"Does he know you're here?" Daryl peeks past me into the empty hallway. 

"No." I shake my head. "Sherry told me to come here." 

Daryl nods. "Sherry. You stick close to Sherry." 

He then reaches up to touch my face as if to make sure that I'm real and not a delusion. "What happened to you, Andy?" 

"Everybody's okay." I mumble. "Ma is fine and the baby is still growing. Carl came to visit briefly. Daddy and Abraham are buried at Hilltop." 

"I didn't ask about everyone else, I asked about you." Daryl grunts. 

My passive face crumbles and my lower lip quivers as I blurt out everything. 

I tell him about the abuse, the people I killed, the drinking, thinking Maggie was dead and trying to kill myself and of my new handle of Little Negan. I'm a sobbing bundled mess by the time I finish and I find myself cradled in Daryl's naked embrace. 

Little tears go down his face, paving through dirt and leaving clear spots. This little sense of familiarity comforts me. 

Daryl says nothing, because whispering mindless reassurances isn't him. 

The last time he held me like this, I think I was twelve. It was after I got shot by Ron and Daryl was helping me get over my fear of guns. 

If I close my eyes hard enough, I can pretend that I'm back at Alexandria. Nothing is wrong and I'm just with Daryl. 

"I should get back." My voice cracks when I speak. "They'll notice me gone." 

Daryl's arms loosen and it's like he's given up hope. 

"I'll be back. I'll bring something for you too." I promise him. I stand and his arms finally break their connection with me. 

"Get out of here, Andrew." Daryl mutters. 

I stand in the doorway. I take the cell in for a few moments before I step out and heave the door closed. I replace the lock and head out. 

I grab Lil' Lucy and ride the tricycle back  to the wives rooms. 

I dunno what Sherry was playing at or why she chose to tell me about Daryl, but I was thankful for that little bit of comfort. 

I noticed that the sun had gone down the moon was at it's full peak. I had spent the whole day with Daryl, still in last nights pajamas.