Daryl Dixon x Reader romance

Chapter 31

⚠️May contain spoilers and triggering events⚠️

I woke up and Daryl was still holding me.
"Hey." Daryl whispered to me.
"Yeah?" I whispered back. "I'm always here for you, okay?" Daryl said to me.
I nodded. "I know." I whispered.
"I'm sorry that happened to you. I should've tried harder to stop you from going and I'm so sorry I didn't." Daryl said.
"Don't blame yourself okay? Please don't." I whispered back. Daryl didn't answer.
"Rick and the others are probably back." I said as I stood up. I looked over at Daryl. His eyes were super red, like he had been crying while I was asleep.
He stood up too and I hugged him.
"I mean it. Don't blame yourself." I said. Daryl nodded.
We walked down the stairs and outside.
"Perfect timing guys." Maggie said.
"The governor wants to talk. I need some of you guys to come just to make sure things don't go bad."
Rick said.
Daryl squeezed my hand. "I'm going to be sitting in the car in case things go bad. Daryl and y/n, I think you guys should come too, just to wait in the car with guns." Hershel added.
"Um..." Daryl said as he looked at me. "One minute." Daryl said as he motioned for me to follow him.
He went far enough from the group so they couldn't hear us.
"I can't. We can't." Daryl said. "I'll do it if I don't have to see him." I answered.
"I can't see him either." Daryl whispered to me.
"I'll kill him if I see him." Daryl whispered again.
"Then we will just wait in the car with guns." I said.
Daryl nodded and we headed back to the group.
"We'll do it." Daryl said. Hershel, Rick, Daryl and I got in a car and drove to their "meeting spot."
"I'll be quick." Rick said as he stepped out of the car  and went into the building.
"There's no other cars around." Hershel pointed out. I saw Martinez, the man from last night, walking around outside the building.
I grabbed Daryls hand and he looked over at the guy.
"I'm gonna go talk to some of his people." Hershel said.
"You sure that's safe?" Daryl asked. Hershel pushed open the car door. "I'll stay in sight. Just keep an eye on me." Hershel said as he grabbed his crutches and hopped towards Martinez.
I reached into the front seat and closed the car door.
"It's okay." Daryl whispered to me as he gently grabbed my face with his hand and looked me in the eyes. I nodded.
"I promise you that." Daryl said as he ran his hand up and down the side of my face.
"I believe you." I whispered. Daryl turned and looked over at Hershel. Hershel sat beside Milton, one of the governors top guys. I don't think Milton would hurt a fly though.
Daryl held my head still and leaned in. "Can I?" He asked. I nodded. Daryl pressed his lips against mine and kissed me. He pulled away and I could tell this was all hard for him too. I wish it wasn't, but I knew it was.
"How long do you think Rick will be?" I asked. Daryl shrugged his shoulders and turned around to look out the window.
Daryl and I talked for awhile, until we saw Andrea leave the room, and then Rick. Hershel hopped back over to the car and they both got in.
"He doesn't seem to want to cooperate." Rick said as we drove away.
"At all?" Daryl asked. Rick shook his head.
We got back to the prison and Rick called everyone inside to talk.
"He wants us gone." Rick told everyone. Glenn and Maggie looked at eachother . Beth held Judith in her arms and looked at her father, Hershel.
"If it's a fight they want, then it's a fight they have." Rick demanded. "But Andrea promised me one thing." Rick said.
"That she would try to stop this. She might be on her way back here right now." Rick said.
"We can win this." Rick said again.

The next day
Rick was talking to Hershel in private so I didn't want to interrupt them.
"Y/n!" I heard Daryl call. I turned around and he looked like he needed to tell me something.
"The governor told Rick it's either a fight... or if we give him Michonne he'll leave us alone." Daryl told me.
"We won't leave us alone... he'll just try to kill the rest of us on torture Michonne." I said.
Daryl nodded in agreement. "Ricks thinking bout it." Daryl said.
"He wants Merle to drive her out." Daryl said to me.
"Let's go talk to Merle." I said.
We walked down into the basement, calling Merles name.
"What're you doing?" I asked when I turned a corner and saw him.
"Looking for uh... some crystal meth." Merle admitted. Daryl sighed.
"He's gonna buckle. He won't give Michonne up, it's not him." Merle said, already knowing what we were gonna say.
"Oh.. and what you did to Glenn.. Maggie." Daryl mentioned. "I've done worse. You do what you gotta do little brother." Merle said.
"And you y/n..." Merle said looking at me.
"You know how to get by, so you know where I'm coming from." Merle said. I nodded.
"Get outta here." Merle said to Daryl and I. We both looked at eachother and walked away.
I went upstairs and sat out front with Daryl. Not long after, we saw Merle and Michonne walk away.
"He can't talk he Daryl." I said, trying to stand up. Daryl pulled me back down.
"The governor will torture her!" I yelled.
"Michonne!" I screamed but they were too far away.
"I'm sorry y/n. I don't want this either." Daryl said.
"I was with her while none of you were here. You don't understand, I can't just let the governor torture her!" I said, trying to run over to Michonne. Daryl grabbed my hand and pulled me into him.
"I'm sorry baby, I don't want to do this." Daryl said, holding onto me.
"We can't let her go!" I yelled. Our group watched me struggle but didn't stop it.
Daryl held me and Rick rubbed his head, knowing this wasn't a good decision.
After about 5 minutes, everyone re thought it.
"I was wrong." Rick admitted.
"So are we going after her?" I asked. "I will" Rick answered, but Daryl scoffed. "You can't track." Daryl said looking at me. "Y/n and I can. We'll go." Daryl said.
I nodded and Daryl and I both got our bags ready to go out and get them back.
"You guys ready?" Maggie asked as she opened the gate. Daryl and I looked at each other and nodded.
We would find them both.
"Be safe." Beth said as she held Judith. Maggie pulled open the gate and I looked back at Carl.
He was a tough kid, that's for sure.
Glenn closed the gate and I held close my gun.
"They walked down here." Daryl said, pointing to the obvious footprints in the dirt.
Daryl and I followed the footprints until we found a car, no one in it.
"Looks like it could've been driven by Merle." I said as I looked at the blood on the sides.
"That would explain the car tracks on the road." Daryl said, as he opened the car door, and pulled a bottle of alcohol out from the front seat.
"Definitely Merle." I said, looking around the area.
Daryl dropped the bottle on the ground and walked away.
"Right there." I said, pointing to a building. Daryl looked up at the building.
"That's the building where we met with the governor." I said. Daryl turned back and looked at me and quickly nodded.
"Take your knife out. There's a few dead ones." Daryl said as we walked towards the building. I pulled my knife out as I saw a few walkers.
Daryl stabbed one in the head and it fell to the ground infront of me, but when Daryl turned around he stopped moving and stared at the walker munching on a body.
I stepped to the side to see what he was looking at. My heart dropped and my knife fell to the ground.
I collapsed onto my knees when I saw it was Merle chewing up the body.
He was a walker. Son of a bitch. Daryl stood frozen infront of me and I landed on my knees, which hurt my knee even more.
"Merle?" I said, my voice breaking.
I quickly realized that there were tears in Daryls eyes. I stood up and grabbed Daryls hand, trying to pull him away. Walker Merle stood up and looked at us, and I noticed a gun shot through his stomach.
Michonne wouldn't have done this.
Walker Merle walked towards us, growling. I tugged on Daryls hand again, still crying.
Daryl started sobbing.
"No!" Daryl yelled, as he pushed walker Merle away.
"Daryl, baby, lets go." I said in tears.
Daryl sobbed as he pushed walker Merle again, but h just kept coming back. I pulled my knife out, but Daryl did too and stabbed Merle before I could. His body fell to the ground.
Daryl fell ontop of it, still sobbing, and continuing to stab him.
"Stop!" I yelled in tears and I grabbed Daryl and pulled him back. I fell down when I did, and Daryl fell over too, into my arms.
He sat infront of me and I wrapped my arms around him as we both cried.
"It's okay." I whispered trying to sound normal but it didn't work.
Daryl continued to cry and I held him. "It's okay." I whispered again, still crying.
Daryl turned away from Merle and buried his face in my chest, still crying.
I put my hand on is head and rubbed his head, trying to distract him. I sat and held Daryl , both of us crying for a long time. I layed my head ontop of his and tried to calm down.
We both started to calm down. Who did this?