Resilience [Daryl Dixon ♥]

28| triggerfinger

"Where's Lori?"

"Hmm?"

Spencer looked up from her hands as Daryl approached her. She had been sitting on a log, just  staring into her hands. She was daydreaming, she thought, maybe about  Sophia, maybe about a better time, and didn't realize how late it had  gotten. She looked around and saw that the camp was vacant. The farm  house was lit up and Spencer presumed that everyone was inside.  "What?" 

"Lori, have you seen her?" Daryl asked, putting his hands on his hips. 

"No, why?" Spencer stood up and dusted her pants off. 

"She came by earlier, askin' me to go out lookin' for Rick and I―" Daryl met Spencer's eyes. "Anyway, I came over here to ask for a map, decidin' I'd go out and find Rick and the others, but I can't find her. You haven't seen her?" Daryl asked again. 

"Not  since earlier. Last I saw she was heading out towards the cars. She  didn't say anything to me, but I figured she was leaving to go get some  air."

"And she ain't back yet?"

"I don't think so..."

"Damnit," Daryl muttered, looking towards the farm house as he chewed on his thumb. 

Spencer frowned, not catching on to the situation.

She  really had no idea what was going on around her. After the group had  found Sophia in the barn, Spencer was in a daze. Whether it was caused  by shock, guilt, fear, etc., Spencer was in a daze. She had been so  preoccupied that she didn't realize day had turned to night. She hadn't  heard when Lori asked her where Daryl was. She hadn't heard Glenn ask  her if she'd seen Hershel. She hadn't even heard Oliver when he was  trying to coax her into the farm house after everyone went inside. 

She  hadn't heard anyone, but the moment Daryl's voice reached her ears, she  was broken out of her daze. She was suddenly aware of the things around  her. She noted the empty camp, the chilly night air, the two missing  cars, and the fact that she was alone with Daryl―and  everyone was hundreds of yards away, all cooped up in the farm house.  Spencer's face warmed and she shivered, but it wasn't caused by the  cold. The wind was picking up, throwing Spencer's hair around her face.

She watched Daryl pace back and forth, mumbling obscenities and truly oblivious to Spencer's inner turmoil. Spencer, on the other hand, was glad Daryl wasn't noticing her. She was red in the face as images of her and Daryl in her tent danced around in her mind. No one was around that could interrupt them or bother them. They were alone.

"Daryl,"  Spencer murmured, her voice just above a whisper. She took a step  towards him as he turned to face her. When their eyes met, Spencer could  couldn't distinguish his pupil from his iris. His eyes were so dark as  they looked down at her, and the way he was looking at her took her  breath away. 

She  reached out her left hand and her fingertips brushed against his  cheekbone. Their bodies were so close, yet they were only connected by  Spencer's hand caressing Daryl's cheek. Then his hand shot out and  gripped her right hand by the wrist, his other hand hanging by his  side. 

He closed his eyes and leaned his face into her hand, sighing with content. He always felt at peace when she was around him. It was as if her presence had a calming effect. But it was her touch that seemed to slow his heart rate, and cause his heart to race at the same time, and when she touched him, all his worries went away.

There  was something hauntingly familiar about the way she was caressing his  cheek. He thought about it for a moment before the realization hit him.  And when it did, his other hand gripped harshly at her hip, as if to see  that she was real. The way that she was caressing his face, was similar to―if not exactly the same―way she had done it down by the quarry. 

Her  free hand covered his and his grip on her hip loosened. "I'm here," she  assured him. She now cupped his face with both hands, "Daryl," she  whispered, but he wouldn't open his eyes to look at her. "Look at me,"  she pleaded and finally, he opened his eyes. 

His  eyes met hers and he could see the nervousness and longing deep in her  brown eyes. The way she was looking at him sent shivers down his spine.  No one in his life had ever looked at him like that. It was then that  Daryl noticed the distance between their faces; inches. Their noses were  almost touching. 

He  breathed out a shaky breath, and that's when he saw the lineup of cars  behind Spencer's head. There was two missing, the one Glenn and Rick had  taken and the one Lori had taken. "Lori," Daryl breathed out. 

Spencer's eyebrows knitted together and she dropped her hands from his face, allowing him to back up. "What?" She was confused. 

He looked at her, "Lori left hours ago."

"So?"

"Rick left hours before that with Glenn, to go find Hershel, and they ain't back yet either," Daryl said, running a hand through his hair. "Something's wrong."

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Spencer and Daryl reached the house just as Shane and the others were barging down the porch steps. 

"Hey, you guys seen Lori? We can't find her anywhere," Andrea asked.

"No, she's gone," Spencer said back.

"What do you mean gone?" Shane asked her, shining his flashlight right in her face. 

"That's what we came to tell you guys, Lori left. She asked Daryl to go into town―"

Everyone's eyes fell on Daryl but he shook his head. "Must've gone herself."

Shane swore before taking off towards one of the cars.

Everyone else dispersed  but Spencer and Daryl remained. Spencer looked towards Daryl and could  see the shame and guilt written all over his face. She placed a hand on  his arm, "Hey, this isn't your fault." Daryl looked at her. "You're not  their errand boy."

Daryl shrugged her hand off of him and stalked off towards his tent. 

Spencer glanced back over towards Shane who had reached a car. She took off sprinting to catch up with him before he left. 

"Shane,  wait!" She called as he opened the driver's side door. He paused and  looked at her. When she reached the car, Spencer lowered her voice.  "She's pregnant, isn't she?"

Shane  got into the car and closed the door, looking down at the steering  wheel. Shane didn't say anything as he started up the car, the  headlights coming to life and lighting up the dirt driveway. When Shane  met Spencer's eyes again, she knew the answer. Lori was the only thing  in the world that Shane cared for, more than he cared for himself.