Light | TWD | Daryl Dixon Fanfiction

025

"Let's make a deal," Beth stated as she walked side by side with Juliana. Daryl was ahead of them, stomping out scraggly brush out of the way as the three of them pressed forward.

"A deal?" Juliana inquired, raising her left eyebrow slightly. The corners of her lips twitched upwards in a small smirk at Beth's suggestion, "What deal is that, Greene? Ya' gonna braid my hair or somethin'?" she teased.

Beth flashed a smile, "When we find everyone else, you're gonna teach me how to be, you know, tough."

Juliana let out a short, sharp laugh, "You're jokin', right? C'mon Beth, be serious."

"I am serious!"

Juliana glanced over to see Beth was tight lipped, staring over at her with a hardened stare. Letting out a sigh, Juliana raised her hand to move a low hanging branch out of her way, ducking under it slightly as Beth followed suit behind her.

"You can't teach that shit, Beth. Besides, ya' got Daryl, or if we find 'em, Rick, Michonne, your damn sister. They're all pretty tough."

"Yeah, but, you're different."

"I ain't," Juliana replied.

"No," Beth took a few hops in front of Juliana, causing her to stop short in front of the blonde-haired girl. With her hands on her hips, Beth continued, "You ARE different. They wouldn't take the time, even Maggie, to give me the time or explain things to me, and even though I know you get pissed off with me and think I'm just some girl who managed to make it this far, you still manage to tell me what I did wrong. Or show me how to hold a gun the right way. I mean, you were one of the first people I've ever seen stand up to Daryl and that's saying something." She grinned at Juliana, her face softening, "So, will you?"

Juliana's eye darted behind Beth's shoulder to see Daryl waiting for them. He motioned for Juliana and Beth to follow him, obviously irritated. She held up a hand, silently telling him to wait before turning her attention back to Beth.

"I ain't gonna teach you to be tough," she told Beth, "I am gonna teach you to stick up for yourself. You think Daryl and I will be the last ones around, but this fuckin' world's gonna need more people like you, Beth. I want ya' to survive."

Beth's grin had formed into a wide smile, and her arms opened as she took a step forwards to Juliana. Juliana held out her hand to Beth, and then quickly grabbed her by the upper arm and spun her around in the direction where Daryl was waiting, "Let's go, Greene. The mushy shit can wait."

When they finally found Beth, Juliana felt like the air had gone from her lungs. She couldn't imagine what Maggie felt like if this was what she had felt like as she watched an emotional Daryl carry her limp body out of the hospital. Everything they had tried to do was in vain. Her memory constantly replayed watching Maggie next to her fall to her knees in agony, and how loud her steps sounded as she walked up to Daryl, placing a shaky hand on Beth's cold face. She had told Beth that she was going to survive, and death had made a liar out of Juliana.

She began to distance herself from the group after they buried Beth. Then Tyrese. Before that, Bob. It reminded her why she had stayed so far away from people in the first place. You got too attached and then they were taken away from you without another word. There had been nights she had wanted to leave the group, but Daryl must have known something was wrong, so he quietly sat by her side, neither of them having to speak to the other person. Juliana couldn't help but sometimes feel guilty that her distance had affected Daryl as well, but in this way they were the same; they needed time apart from everyone, including each other, to figure out the own mess in their heads.

Soon after they had met a man named Aaron who wanted them to come stay with them in a community he fondly referred to as Alexandria. While it was rocky at first, it was eventually decided that they would go. Juliana was a little taken aback by the scale of Alexandria. It was behind a pretty well fortified wall, people were clean and well-fed, the homes were pristine and taken care of, it seemed too good to be true. That first night, they stayed together in one of the houses, taking up residence in the living room, everyone ready to run or fight if the time called for it.

Juliana had made her way out to the porch, settling herself down on one of the steps that led down to the paved walkway that led up to the house. Somewhere in the distance she could hear faint laughing a talking, accompanied by a few soft bangs and groans along the outside of the wall from walkers. In moments of absolute quiet, crickets rubbed their legs together and owls hooted in a tree nearby.

"Hey," a mumbled voice broke the silence. Juliana jumped slightly, tilting her head upwards to see Daryl standing above her, "Sorry," he followed up, noticing how she had jumped as he spoke. He shuffled his feet forwards before he set himself down on the step next to her, their legs brushing up against each other's.

"Hey," Juliana replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, "Too crowded?"

Daryl nodded, mumbling a muffled 'uhuh'. Juliana watched as he picked at the skin around his fingers, looking as if he had something to say, though she wouldn't be the one to push him into that. Juliana was the one to speak up first, breaking their long silence.

"I miss her," she admitted, heat flooding into her cheeks and he throat tightening up, "I told her she deserved to survive because she's good, SO good, Daryl, and I-" Juliana let out a shaky breath, "I fuckin' let her down. I should have stopped that asshole from takin' her, it should have been me-"

Daryl cut her off quickly, "Don't fuckin' say that shit. Don't." Juliana turned her head towards Daryl to see that he was already looking back at her, "Don't." his voice was quiet and soft now, a stark contrast from the harsh, sharp words that had come out of his mouth earlier.

"I wanted to leave, Daryl," she told him, "I wanted to leave and be on my own again and not have to deal with this shit. But I couldn't."

Daryl's hand reached out, gently cupping the side of Juliana's face. His thumb gently grazed her cheek, causing Juliana to close her eyes as her hand reached up, wrapping her own fingers softly around his wrist. When she opened her eyes, Daryl was staring back. The porch steps creaked as he shifted himself forwards towards her and Juliana's eyes began to flutter shut when the door behind them opened with a loud click, and Eugene poked his head out of the door.

The two of them pulled backwards quickly from each other, and Daryl stood, rubbing his hand on his pant leg as if he had burned himself.

"Sorry to interrupt your quiet time," Eugene said, "But Rick would like to discuss some things with everyone."

Daryl was already halfway inside before Eugene finished what he was trying to say, but Juliana took her time, standing up and slowly wandering back over to the doorway.

"Are you coming back to us, Juliana?" Eugene inquired, eyeballing her as she slithered in past the one-mullet wonder.

"I ain't been gone long."

"I mean, that mentally you are returning to us. It would be nice to get to know you better, Juliana."

"Thanks," she murmured as she stepped back into the house and Eugene shut the door behind her. As she made her way into the living room, she couldn't help but take in the group of people before her. Her gaze wandered over to Daryl, sitting on the windowsill besides Carl, and for the first time in weeks, she smiled.