close to home | chapter forty eight
close to home | chapter forty eight
plot: the reader gets to Hilltop and reunites with her family
series masterlist
Pairing: Eventual Daryl Dixon x f!reader
Word Count: 3,536
Warnings: violence, blood, typical twd
A/N: thank you for reading!!! As promised, here is a long chapter
The trip to Hilltop was about fifteen miles or so, but the car held up. With the A.C. blasting and some old CD playing, it was actually a nice drive. And Tora enjoyed spreading out in the passenger seat. Each time you looked at her and remembered you were free, you were overcome with such joy that you wanted to pull over and cry.
But you knew you weren’t safe until you were inside those walls, and you wanted, more than anything, to be there.
You started recognizing the area decently well, and to make sure you saviors never find the car, you set it in neutral a few miles out and let it drive itself into a tree. Then, you and Tora set out on foot. Unfortunately for you, it started raining when you were halfway there.
It was nearing noon when you knew you were getting close, and with each step, your anxiety got the better of you. What if they’d left the community and headed back to Alexandria? And now the car was trashed, and you’d have to walk all the way there. You scolded yourself for being so stupid, for letting your excitement get in the way of reasoning.
When you finally arrived at Hilltop, and it was just a drizzle, you hesitantly waited behind a tree. Tora, soaking wet and in your arms, was getting impatient. But you'd like to scope out the area first. You waited a few minutes, watching a man stand at their watch post you didn’t know.
“What are you doing?”
You jumped at the sound behind you, and Tora scrambled out of your arms. You grabbed your new knife and spun around, ready to attack, when a hand wrapped around yours.
“Jesus,” You sighed. “You scared the shit out of me.”
Jesus laughed and let go of your hand. “You scared me. I couldn’t tell who you were while I was following you. Finally spotted Tora in your arms, and I knew.”
You shook your head and put your knife in the holster before giving him a hug. “It’s good to see you.”
“Are you okay?”
You stepped away from the hug and nodded. “Daryl’s here? And Maggie?”
“So are Sasha and Enid. Come on, I’ll bring you inside.” He said.
You smiled, wiping wet hair from your face, and whistled for Tora, who followed you up the hill.
“What were you even doing out here anyway?” You asked.
“Gregory pissed me off; I needed air to cool off.”
You nodded and looked at the enormous walls that were now only meters away. The guard yelled down for them to open the gates, and slowly they pulled open.
Your stomach was riddled with nerves as you walked through the gates. The light rain didn’t keep anyone down; you watched the community work through it. You supposed they had to, with the saviors taking half of what they owned.
You were looking around instantly, trying to spot someone you loved. Finally, at the blacksmith hutch, you saw your cousin and dropped your bag. She was staring at you as if you were a ghost, and then broke out into a run.
Already crying, you ran toward her and met in an embrace. Her body shook against yours, and you don’t think you’d ever felt her hug you that tight. When she pulled away, she grabbed your shoulders.
“Are you okay?” She asked you.
You nodded, bringing her into another hug as you cried. You closed your eyes and squeezed yourself against her. “I’m so glad you’re okay, how’s the baby?” You asked.
“The baby’s fine,” She said.
When you opened your eyes and pulled away, you saw Enid and Sasha approaching you. You felt tears come on again, and you quickly gave them both a hug. Then, you heard one of the RV doors close, and you looked over to see Daryl walking out.
You covered your mouth as you choked back a sob. You watched him freeze when he saw you there, but you couldn’t wait. You broke out into a run, your boots thudding against the muddy ground. Your gaze stayed focused on him as he ran.
Your body slammed against his, and you jumped up, wrapping your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck. You cried hysterically as he gripped you tight, and you dug your face into the crock on his neck. Your hand ran down the lengths of his hair a few times before you leaned back and cupped his face in your hands.
You didn’t hesitate before kissing him. You couldn’t take waiting any longer. You kissed him quickly like you couldn’t get enough of him. Like each movement of his lips brought life back into your body. You didn’t care that you could taste both of your tears; you were just so relieved to be back in his arms. To be with him again.
“I missed you,” You told him between each kiss, “I missed you so damn much.”
When your feet were on the ground again, you couldn’t help but pull his face towards yours for another kiss. His hands squeezed around your waist, and you had to pull away from him so you could cry.
“I thought ya didn’ get out,” Daryl said, breathing heavily and you could tell he was trying his hardest not to cry. “I was so scared. Maggie wouldn' let me go try and find ya, was tryin' find a way to get outa here.” He admitted to you, dropping his head and resting it on your shoulder. You pressed a few long kisses against the side of his head.
“I’m here; it just took me a little while,” You told him reassuringly.
That was when you felt the presence of others, and you and Daryl pulled apart. Maggie, Enid, Sasha, and Jesus were waiting for you. You felt your heartache at Maggie and Sasha’s pained expression, and you walked over to your cousin to give her another hug.
“I’m so sorry, Maggie.” You whispered to her.
“Let’s get you inside, we can go to my trailer. Let’s get some food in you,” Maggie told you.
You nodded and let her walk you towards the trailer she lived in. You grabbed Daryl’s hand as you passed him, not that he needed any encouragement to follow you anywhere. You whistled for Tora, who came running.
Once inside, Maggie quickly found some dry clothes, and everyone turned so you could quickly get dressed. Maggie busied herself by making you a sandwich, and when you saw it was peanut butter and jelly, you laughed.
“Where’d you find this?” You sat down at the table and quickly devoured it. Then, after Maggie told you about Jesus’ last run, you spoke through a full mouth. “The Kingdom gave me a shit ton of food. It’s in my bag.”
They laughed at you, aside from Daryl, who nervously paced and kept looking at you. When you nodded towards the seat next to you, he sat down.
“How the hell did you end up there?” Maggie asked you.
You wiped crumbs from your mouth, took the glass of water Maggie had given you, and took a long sip before you answered. “It’s a long story. Everything is a long story.”
“I need to know everything,” Maggie said, grabbing your hand across the table. “What did they do to you?”
You gulped and looked around at Enid, Sasha, and Jesus. Daryl knew parts of what happened, and Maggie knew nothing. You slowly nodded. “Okay. I was held in this closet of sorts. I don’t know what it was. I was there for… two or three days, I think. And one of Negan’s wives came to me--”
“One of his wives?” Sasha asked you.
You nodded. “He has several. The one that came to me was Sherry. She brought me to this room where the wives mostly stayed. She showed me what was going to be my room. And she told me… she told me that if I didn’t submit to Negan that it would mean bad things for... for Daryl.” You said, looking at him. He was staring at you, biting his lip, and shaking his leg with anxiety.
You turned back to everyone else as you touched Daryl’s knee. “So I did. I said I was Negan, and I agreed to marry him. Sherry told me she had been in the same situation and had to do the same. So that’s what I did because I was scared.”
“Oh, sweetie,” Maggie rubbed your hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“Once I was his- his wife, things changed. Sherry showed me around. I got to take whatever I wanted. I got to just take things. I didn’t feel right about it. And the wives… guys, they weren’t evil women. They were just like me. Scared. Desperate to live or help their families live. I couldn’t hate them. I tried, but I couldn’t. And not Sherry. She helped me with everything.
“And Negan, he took a liking to me, I guess. He did things for me. He brought Tora to me. And when Carl came, he let me talk to him. Sherry told me Negan didn’t do anything like that.”
Maggie looked at you and squeezed your hand. “Did he…?”
You shook your hand. “No. There’s a rule about that kinda stuff. It’s not allowed. If you even try it… you’ll be killed. But Negan knows the wives were only doing it because they had to. They wouldn’t have said yes otherwise. And I knew, I knew that if I was there any longer, I would have to do the same.”
“That bastard,” Sasha muttered.
You took a deep breath and blinked back a few tears. “I’m okay. I am. Sherry planned it all. She got Daryl out. We had to take a different exit and just needed to put as much distance between us and the compound. And then she told me she wasn’t coming with me. She wanted to leave, get far away. And she was gone, and I couldn’t find my way here. I was lost in the woods for days.
“When I finally found a town, I guess it was near the Kingdom. They saved me and brought me back. I met Morgan there. I got there only a day after you left,” You looked at Daryl. “I met Ezekiel and everyone else. They wanted me to stay, but I couldn’t. I wanted to come home.”
Maggie stood up from the table and gave you another hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too."
***
Eventually, Enid, Sasha, and Jesus departed, and Maggie followed soon after. They were working at making as many weapons as possible, and she had gained some leadership roles. You weren’t surprised.
So it was finally just you and Daryl, and you couldn’t keep your eyes off him. He looked so defeated and run down. It broke your heart.
“Ya want somethin’ else to eat?” He asked you, “I can make ya ‘nother sandwich.”
You shook your head and reached out to him. Daryl let you touch him, of course he did, because he’d been craving that touch for weeks. So you climbed onto his lap and wrapped your arms around his neck. It wasn’t the most comfortable way to sit, but you didn’t care.
“I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more,” You told him, hiding your face in his neck.
Daryl shook his head as he pulled you closer to his chest. “Ya did everything,”
You started to cry again. “I’m so sorry, Daryl.”
“Don’ say sorry. ‘M the one who should be sorry. I couldn’ protect ya like I promised I would. I couldn’ stop them from tryin’...”
You leaned back and looked at his face, brushing away his hair so you could see him. “Don’t you dare apologize for that. It wasn’t your fault.”
Daryl nodded, and you could see tears forming, and you knew that moment would haunt him for a long, long time. You leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose.
“It wasn’t your fault.” You told him.
“Do ya promise he didn’ touch ya?” He asked you.
“Negan didn’t touch me. I promise.” You reassured him, running your fingertips down the side of his face. “God, I missed you so much,”
You were kissing him again, hard, trying to show him how much you missed him. Tears burned your eyes as you did, and you sighed into him. His chest was moving quickly against yours, and he squeezed your waist. It was like a reflex to him, and you loved it.
You pulled away before the kiss led to other things, and you looked at his face, taking in the bruises and cuts, the bags under his eyes. He looked exhausted, and you knew he probably wasn’t sleeping. You furrowed your eyebrows and ran your fingers against his face again.
“You’re the most handsome man in the world,” You whispered, giving him one final, light kiss. “I thought about you all the time. I watched you from that wives' room. Out on the fence. I’m sorry they did that to you. I’m sorry I couldn’t stop it.”
“Stop,” Daryl whispered. “Please don’ say ya sorry.”
You closed your eyes and nodded. “I don’t wanna be apart again. I know things were up in the air before, and I know things are going to be harder, and we’re going to war with the saviors. But I can’t do that again. I wanna be with you. Always.”
“Nothin’ gonna take ya away from me again,” Daryl told you. You knew that was him agreeing to it. Agreeing to be with you, whatever that means in this world.
“We should go out and help,” You finally said. “There’s a lot to do. And I wanna help.”
“Just like at the prison, throwin’ ya self right in there.”
You smiled and slowly moved off his lap. “Why would you expect anything else, Daryl Dixon?”
When you stepped outside, the sun was breaking through the clouds. You looked up at it and smiled, enjoying the feeling of it being on your skin. You’d missed it so much when you were at the Sanctuary, and this was nearly heaven to you. It was a blissful feeling.
You spotted Maggie at the blacksmith and led Daryl over to her. She smiled when she saw the two of you, even though it had only been a few minutes since she did. When you asked her what she needed you to do, she put you and Daryl to work. She asked Daryl to help with the blacksmith and you to help her tend to the gardens.
You knew Daryl didn’t like the idea because he wanted to stay close to you, but you gave him a reassuring nod and followed Maggie to get the supplies and head to the garden. Besides, you could see each other clearly.
“So you two are together now?” Maggie asked you, handing you gardening gloves.
“We were before, just… I don’t know. We are.” You said quietly, as guilt consumed you. “Maggie, where’s his grave?”
She froze for a moment and looked up at you. “He’s here. I should’ve brought you sooner. I know how much you loved him.”
Her words stabbed your heart, and you followed her to where the graveyard was. Only two bodies were buried there. Glenn and Abraham. She brought you over to Glenn’s, and you knelt beside it.
Tears spilled out, and you placed your hands on the dirt. “I miss him,” You said quietly, “Both of them.”
“Me too,” Maggie said.
You looked up at her then, at your beautiful, strong cousin. “I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I am so sorry, Maggie,” You said.
“Hey, you didn’t know what Negan would do. You were trying to save Daryl. I don’t blame you or him for anything,” Maggie grabbed your hand. “He’s a monster and a killer. Glenn was beautiful. And we both know he would’ve been glad it was him instead of one of us.”
You nodded slowly and squeezed her hand. “Daryl blames himself.”
“I know. He won’t really talk to me.” Maggie said, “I don’t blame him. He’s the only one that had the courage. He couldn’t have known…”
“I love you, Maggie.” You told her. “We’ll make this right. He’ll pay for it.”
Maggie smiled at you, “I love you too, (Y/N).”
***
You helped Maggie with whatever she needed for the rest of the day and then sat with Enid and Sasha in the trailer while Maggie finally talked to Daryl. You knew that what you told her affected her, and you knew how much she loved and respected Daryl. You were all family.
When Maggie returned with teary eyes, she looked relieved and hugged you. Then she sat down with you and helped herself to a second plate of the meat pie that was made for her and, by extension, you.
“Daryl’s been sleeping in a tent in the back, says there’s too many people here,” Enid told you. “It’s been me, Sasha, and Maggie, so I guess I don’t really blame him.”
“He seemed like a burden was off his shoulder, but he might need some company.” Maggie told you.
You nodded and finished your last bite of dinner. “Subtle.” You told the two of them, to which they chuckled. It was good to see Maggie laugh.
After clearing your plate and kissing your cousin on the head, you left the trailer. The night air was cooler, and thousands of stars were in the sky. It was breathtaking, and one of the things you loved about this new world. No light pollution.
Daryl was sitting at one of the tables, and you approached him slowly, giving him a once-over. You didn’t want to crowd him after his conversation with Maggie.
“Hey, old man,” You said quietly, walking up to him.
He grunted, “Not an old man.”
You smiled at his words and looked at his plate. “Finish that, okay?”
He nodded, and you sat down next to him. Well, he was sitting on the table while you took the bench. You watched him eat, not seeing his face well because of the night, but enough. He looked so handsome, despite how rough he looked.
“I hear you got a tent. Room for one more?”
Daryl looked at you then. “I thought ya woulda wanted to be in there.”
You shook your head, “I love them, and I’m so happy to be here, but I don’t miss all of us cramped in one space. Besides, I wanna be with you, Daryl. So, do you have room for me?”
He stood up and jumped down, then reached out for your head. “I’ll make room.”
The tent behind the medical trailer that belonged to him was decently big. It reminded you of the tents you used to have camping with your family. There was enough room for two people to fit comfortably, but that was about it.
Daryl turned on a lantern and you watched with a smile as he moved around things to make room for you. Smiling to yourself, you zipped up the tent behind you and helped him spread out the blanket and pillow, and move everything else to the side. You took off your knife holster and set it with your boots, and then slid out of your leggings and took off your bra.
“Sorry, it’s on the ground,” Daryl said to you quietly.
“You realize I’m the same woman who spent weeks sleeping next to you on the ground without a tent, right?” You said. “You don’t have to be nervous around me. It’s me, okay?”
He nodded and pulled the cover back for the two of you. Within a few seconds, you were cradled in his arms, and the lantern was out. Your cheek pressed against his shoulder, and his arm around your waist. The blanket was wrapped around the two of you, keeping you from the chilly night air.
“I missed this,” You mused, bringing your leg up to rest against his and trying to get closer to him.
Daryl kissed the top of your head, and you smiled, soaking up your pure happiness. You never thought you would have this again. And now that you did, you would never give it up.
“What ya did for me, back there, I don’ know how I could ever repay ya,”
You looked up at him, “Daryl, you never have to. After everything you’ve done for me. I would’ve done anything to keep you safe.”
“Ya married him to keep me safe. I don’t…” His voice trailed off. “It’s all I could think ‘bout.”
You pressed your hand against his cheek and propped yourself on your other arm. “Of course I did. And you never have to thank me for it. Never.”
“(Y/N)...”
“I’m here. I’m right here.”
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20 Questions for Fic Writers (& Artists)
AN: I wasn't tagged, but I saw this and just had to do it!
1. How many works do you have on ao3(Tumblr)?
44 works on ao3
51 works on Tumblr
2. What's your total ao3 (Tumblr) word count?
570,835 words on ao3
84,623 words on Tumblr
3. What fandoms do you write for?
Honestly, whatever I'm into at the time (but I have a tendency to bounce around a lot) so I'll just list off a few of my favs to write for:
Call of Duty: MW2
Spider-man: Across the Spider-verse
Teen Wolf
Stranger Things
Supernatural
The Walking Dead
4.What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
What Is Meant To Be (Always Finds A Way) | Geraskier | 2,687 kudos
Tell Me Every Terrible Thing You've Done (And Let Me Love You Anyways) | Montgomery Gator & Gregory [Gen] | 2,359 kudos
The Goal Isn't To Live Forever (It's To Create Something That Will) | Winterberg | 1,897 kudos
Sometimes Peace Come From Painful Things | Winterberg | 1,143 kudos
I Just Wanna Hunt You, Hunter | KiriBaku | 1,025 kudos
5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?
I don't always respond to comments and I usually leave that to my co-writer (and partner in crime) Tibby since we both collaborate on most of the fics I post and they're more comfortable with responding to comments. But if it's a solo fic, then I work through my anxiety and respond to anyone who's kind enough to leave a comment because I genuinely love getting feedback and seeing people enjoy my work really inspires me to keep writing!
6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
Uhhh... That's gotta be my newer oneshot, Free Fall. It's a SoapGhost fic and a rewrite of the ending of MW3 (Yeah, you know the scene).
7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
I've got a few (cause I'm a sucker for a happy ending) but the one I'm gonna go with has to be The Goal Isn't To Live Forever (It's To Create Something That Will). It's a part of the list above and it's currently one of my only completed, multi-chaptered fics.
8. Do you get hate on any fics (Art)?
Unfortunately, yeah. But mostly on my smut pieces (especially the ones that include a trans character).
Though I also remember recently getting a particularly rude comment accusing me of using chat ai to write my Geraskier fic, even though it was first published it way back in 2020, before chat ai was even a thing that people used.
9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?
Yup. I usually stick to my comfort zone and write M/M stuff.
Though, in my longer fics, the smut isn't really the main focal point so I keep it pretty tame.
10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?
Oh boy. My co-author has actually got me hooked on a crazy rare pair to the point where we wrote a whole fic for it (and are working on the second in the series). It's a Daryl Dixon/Dean Winchester pairing set in the TWD universe.
A close second would be my Among Us x KiriBaku AU.
11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Nope, thank god.
12. Have you ever had a fic translated?
Yup! Someone reached out to me and asked to translate my FNaF: SB fic into Russian.
13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Sure have, but only with one other person.
14. What's your all-time favorite ship?
Omg, no! I have to pick!?
Well, if forced with a gun to my head, I supposed I'd have to say Rinch (John Reese x Harold Finch from the TV series Person of Interest). I love the show and the characters and the story and the world building. It's just a pairing that I will always keep coming back to no matter how many other ships/fandoms I fall into.
15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
My KiriBaku x Among Us crossover fic. The main page, where I had planned out the entire fic, was accidentally deleted and I don't know if I'll ever recover from that since I'd have to rehash the entire rest of the story from scratch if I decided to one day come back to it.
However, that being said, I'm still holding out hope that I'll randomly get a burst of motivation for the story. Who knows.
16. What are your writing strengths?
I'd say my strengths are writing angst, witty banter, and transition paragraphs (since my co-author often gets stuck going on tangents and writing really detailed scenes so they often ask for me to make a segue in order to get us to the next plot point, which works out for everyone).
17. What are your writing weaknesses?
My weakness is definitely in-depth, detailed scenes, hands down. It's kinda embarrassing, but my writing can sometimes lack the descriptive, engaging language necessary to make the story/situation/characters interesting (especially when it's decidedly not a writing day) and it often reads like boring exposition.
18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?
I am not fluent in anything other than English, but that doesn't exactly stop me from (relying heavily on google) and using other languages in my fics, especially if the character that I'm writing for prefers another language. Take Miguel O'Hara for example, who is canonically bilingual.
The same kind of goes for accents too. I try my best to emulate how it the words would sound while speaking it while writing dialogue. Take for example my SoapGhost fics, where both characters have a thick, distinct accent.
19. First fandom you wrote for?
Unofficially (as in never posted): Vampire Diaries.
First fandom I posted to Wattpad (yikes) when I was like twelve: BBC Sherlock
20. Favorite fic you've written?
Jeez, another difficult question. Um... I'm gonna go with What Is Meant To Be (Always Finds A Way), for several reasons.
It was the very first fic that I posted to my ao3 account.
It was the first multi-chaptered fic that I'd ever completed.
I managed to finish and post the final chapter on the day of my birthday (which was a pleasant surprise).
I love it so much that my co-writer and I are actually currently in the midst of lovingly revisiting/revising the entire fic to make it even better!
_____
That was fun! Now for the tagging!
@mistertiberius, @ghostao3, @captain-mj, @fogsrollingin
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