Lottie

Reunited

Daryl turned silently and wrapped Lottie in a proper hug, now that they weren't surrounded by walkers, and sighed in relief.

"I wish we'd stop having to be reunited and we could stay together for longer than a few months." Lottie joked.

"Well, we're together now." Daryl said quietly, staring at their 'bed' which was just two mattresses pushed together on the floor.

"What's wrong?" Lottie said, taking off her bloodied clothes.

"Well I-" Daryl said distractedly "you-uh..."

Lottie looked up to realise where Daryl's eyes were staring, "Behave yourself!" She giggled. "Now what's wrong?" She pulled on some leggings and Daryl handed her another t-shirt of his.

"Nothing's gunna to be normal now. We might even need to leave here." Daryl mumbled.

"If we do, we will find somewhere and we will be okay. For now, are you okay?" Lottie said frowning at the bruises and cuts on his face and knuckles.

"I'm fine," Daryl sighed, "Don't ask, I won't tell you."

Lottie nodded, understanding the brutality of the Governor and what being there can do to a person. Also knowing how little Daryl liked to talk about personal things, so she simply offered to go and get him some food.

They both sat on their mattresses on the floor, munching on a couple of apples, wondering where the apples had come from. Lottie rested her head on Daryl's shoulder and peacefully they listened to the various conversations echoing through the cell block.

Slowly, the sun began to set. Rick had come to their cell to state that for that night neither of them were going to be on watch. The group were now on constant alert with walkers roaming almost right outside their windows. Rick knew how important it was for them to stay with each other, given Lottie's health and what Daryl had just been through.

"Why aren't you eating properly?" Daryl asked quietly as the cell block became almost pitch black.

"Carl was hungry, I just felt guilty." Lottie admitted.

"Me and you will even out our food then, after you've given it to Carl. That fair?" Daryl suggested.

"Well, I don't suppose I'd have a choice anyway?" Lottie giggled.

"Nope!" Daryl chuckled back.

The two of them began to settle down, they got cuddled up under the covers and watched as the final light disappeared behind the barred windows.

The two of them stayed up talking about everything from guns to comparing scars and even their favourite ice cream. For the second time that day Lottie felt somewhat normal, which concerned her considering what happened the last time she felt like that.

"Don't worry," Daryl whispered when he noticed her become a little anxious, "nothing's going to get us right now, we're safe for now."

Lottie thought back to when they had shared a tent on Hershel's Farm, how little he would talk to anyone. His tent being a good fifteen feet away from all the others.

Lottie thought about how quiet and simple things were, though they didn't realise. She remembered Andrea and Shane, how they despised her. She remembered how Daryl had managed to pull Shane away from her with one hand in the barn.

Everything they had worried about then, was minuscule compared to everything they worried about now.

She leant into Daryl as he drifted off to sleep, and made sure to treasure the feeling of being in his arms, as she didn't know how long she would be able to feel that way.