For Daryl Dixon [part 1]

I've been thinkin' that too (5)

"Twenty-one." Daryl said to me now as we raided a house we found after walkin' for a while.

"Really?" I asked shocked.

"Yeah so?"

"I just woulda figured..." I started to say.

"What? That I was smokin' and drinkin' at age eleven?" He finished my thoughts.

"Nevermin'." I said remembering the last time I assumed something about him.

"Had my first smoke at twenty-one. Merle was a lot of things but he didn't particularly like me smokin' much." He explained and grabbed the bag of supplies we found and headed towards the back door. "You ready?"

I nodded my head and held tight to my knife. I watched him push open the door and start for the road. There were only twelve walkers from this house to the one we were holding up in but you can never be too safe. Four walkers down and we made it to the house. Once we were inside I cleaned off my knife and we walked to the kitchen. There was only one walker in the house when we found it. Daryl found it up stairs and we both agreed it smelled too bad to stay up there. I looked at the pallet on the floor he had made the night before when we found roaches living in the furniture. We spent the whole day moving the furniture into the bedroom in the back. I went to sit on the pallet in the middle of the floor. I could see Daryl in the kitchen fixing us dinner.

"Hope your hungry." He said and sat across from me leaning against the wall. I picked at the squirrel meat and ate it quickly. "Take that as a yes."

I nodded. It was always when it was most quite that I found myself thinking about Maggie. Then I would think about the others and find myself hoping we would find them. I thought about telling Daryl this but never did.

"What's wrong?" He asked bringing me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, nothin'." I took another bite of the meat and then a sip of water as he watched me with a concerned look. Hell, it ain't like we have anything else to talk about. "It's just..."

"Spit it out Greene."

"I miss Maggie." I said quickly and looked up at him. His face seemed to stay the same, which I took as a sign to continue. "I miss Glenn. I miss Rick and Judith. I know they're alive. I just know it."

He didn't say anything but I could tell he was thinking. "And you wanna go find them?"

I wasn't sure why he was being so calm but I wasn't about to upset him with my talkin' so I just shrugged.

"I've been thinking that too." He finally said surprising me.

"You think they're still alive?" I asked hopeful.

"I think you was right."

"About what?"

"Can't just spend the rest of our lives starin' at a fire and eatin' mud snakes." He said and stood to put his drink away and then stopped before going into the kitchen. "You deserve more than that."

I was happy he wanted to golookin' for the others but couldn't help but think about what he said. What did he mean I deserve more? There ain't much more in this world. I lay down andtried to fall asleep as the darkness closed in around me, the only light coming from the moon through the window. I heard Daryl move into the room and lay on his pallet next to mine. I slowly shifted myself around and looked at him. He was facing me too, eyes open. I reached for his hand by his face and placed mine on his. Before I closed my eyes I swore I saw Daryl Dixon blush.