Same Love

33: Bonds

They followed the car closely yet not suspiciously. They needed to stay far enough away from it to be invisible yet stay close enough to keep up. Carol took note of the closeness of Sam and Daryl in the front seat. How Daryl drove with one hand and held Sam's fingers tightly with his other.

"We should just run it off"

"If they're holding her then following it is the best option. The driver might not talk" Sam wisely said as he ran a hand through his hair. The car came to a stop and two police officers got out, carrying bicycles and what looked like a body bag. It confused all three of them who jumped when a walker began banging on the back window of the car. The car left and Daryl tried to start their car back up again but the gas tank must have been empty and it wouldn't start up.

"We need to find somewhere to hold up 'til sunrise" 

"I know a place. A couple miles from here" Carol said as she wound down the window to stab the annoying walker. They drove for a few minutes before coming across an office building that they broke into. They found keys that opened up doors to some temporary housing and plopped down onto the beds. There was one set of bunk beds and then one double bed. Carol was not for conversation but Daryl and Sam were quite talkative, by their standard anyway. Carol took first watch. Sam volunteered to have the bottom bunk but Daryl insisted he have the double bed. Daryl turned his eyes away when Sam stripped off his shirt, exposing his bare skin and tattoo. Daryl had not noticed before that there was a scar stretching across his left pectoral, small and barely there but standing out to him as he took in every inch of Sam's upper body. A smug smile came to the Hunter's lips when Sam climbed under the covers. It almost felt normal. Daryl also stripped off his dirty shirt and vest, placing them beside Sam's clothes. Sam grabbed his hand just as he went to lay down on the bottom bunk bed. 

"Just talk to me for a bit, won't you?" Sam's voice was gentle and whimsical and Daryl gave in, climbing under the covers hesitantly. Sam turned over so he was facing Daryl and laced his fingers with the other man's.

"I'm tired"

"Go to sleep then"

"I can't"

"Why?"

"You know why" Sam's face fell as he recalled the nightmares, the mother that still watched over him with a disappointed glare and the fear he felt whenever he went to sleep. He felt Daryl shift, his strong arms wound around Sam's body comfortingly and he felt warmth radiate between them. With more courage than ever before, staring straight into Daryl's eyes he placed his lips on Daryl's. No hesitance this time from either of them, they pressed back with equal strength and their lips moved in sync, breath mingling together. Sam was the one to break it, albeit reluctantly and leant up on his elbow to stare down at Daryl whose face had flushed and whose chest heaved. Sam smiled dazzlingly and stopped Daryl from speaking by planting another shorter sweet peck on his surprised partner's lips.

"I don't know what this is but....I like it" Sam sighed, lying back down in Daryl's arms and trying to sleep. Daryl listened to the breathing as it slowed down, becoming heavier as Sam fell into the clutches of sleep. The body in his arms also comforted him. Carol entered after a while and froze up, taking in the scene in front of her. All of a sudden a noise broke the lovely peace and Daryl propped himself up on his elbow, moving himself out of the bed to follow Carol down the hallway. A group of child walkers banged at an obstruction and Daryl stopped Carol from stabbing them, saying that he'd deal with it. As they entered the room once again Daryl climbed back into the warm bed, wrapping his arms around Sam's sleeping figure once again, it provided him with some comfort. 

"You two seem comfortable" Carol sounded a mixture of bitter and happy and Daryl moved his eyes to her, lifting his head slowly.

"I'm tryin' to help a friend"

"A friend. I can give you some advice here, Sam loves you more than that" Carol revealed and then went to watch out again, leaving Daryl's mind to spin. Sam loved him? Did he know what that meant?

The sun rose high above the city, streaming in through the window and waking Sam up with it's warm rays. He shifted, constricted by arms that he became aware were protective, like a shield. He sat up causing the appendages to fall to his waist and observed the still sleeping man beside him. Daryl's skin was rough, flush against his own. He extracted himself from the comfort of the bed without waking Daryl and got dressed, well rested. he actually never experienced any night terrors that previous night and was mentally sound this morning. He rooted through the cupboards and shelves int he building before finding some dried meats and a few cans of baked beans. He set to work cooking and that was what Daryl awoke to. It was almost unreal. Groggily, Daryl shuffled into the kitchen to see the person he'd fallen asleep beside cooking breakfast, a nice smelling breakfast too. Sam placed a full plate beside Daryl and smiled, sitting beside him at the makeshift table to eat. Carol was still sleeping and Daryl explained the walker situation so when they both finished their food they went outside and started a small fire, burning the walker bodies. Carol surfaced and gratefully accepted breakfast. After, the three packed up to continue the search for Beth. They decided to scale a building to aid in the search, entering through a door after traversing a car park. Upon reaching the top of the building they discovered a bridge between the rooftops. Sam stopped Daryl from setting foot on it, testing it out himself with careful feet while Daryl held his breath, letting out a relieved sigh when Sam was fully across the wooden surface to the other side. Carol and Daryl followed just as carefully. They made their way to what appeared to be an executive's office, Carol gazed out of the window, taking in the burnt city below.

"You still haven't asked what happened...when I met up with Tyreese and the girls" She seemed haunted by memories and Sam tuned into the conversation, knowing the comment was meant more for Daryl.

"I know that they ain't here"

"It's so much more than that" 

"The reason I say we're gonna start over is because we're forced to" Daryl looked over to Sam who was tensed up, eyes staring intently out the window as though he saw something, jaw clenched.

"Fuck the way it was. What's important is now" Sam muttered and Carol nodded in agreement. What Sam had been staring at was made known. Two cars that looked like the one that had taken Beth. They made their way through a small opening in a chained door to the outside. Once outside they found themselves at gunpoint. A dark skinned male held a gun, aiming it at Sam's head who had come out first into the open. Sam held up his arms, sharing a slightly fearful look with Daryl who decided against reaching for his hand.

"Put down your weapons"

They did so. Tents surrounded them, filled with walkers that stirred restlessly. It had obviously been used as a temporary hideout.

"No one has to get hurt, I just need your weapons. You look strong...you'll survive" He cut the tents open with a knife yet didn't anticipate just how quickly the three would defeat them. Carol aimed at the boy's back yet Daryl stopped her from shooting him, pushing the gun off focus. The continued to give chase but the boy had disappeared.

"Did you think i'd kill him? I was aiming for his leg"

"He was just a kid" 

"He has our weapons. Beth could die because of this"

"We still have our knives and some pistols"

They made their way to the van they had planned to search before the ambush and found nothing of use besides the medical services, they gave the three a lead as to where Beth was, the hospital nearby. Walkers began to swarm and they used up all their bullets and were forced to climb into the van to avoid the swarm.

"Buckle up" 

The swarm pushed the van off of the bridge, it landed right side up but left those inside dazed. As walkers landed atop the van they climbed out a continued on foot. When they stopped to rest Carol found she'd injured her shoulder and as they came up with a game plan Sam had a bad feeling.

"I have that feeling again"

"What feeling?" 

"The feeling that death is upon us"