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“I was right. Nobody listened to me, but I was right,” Madison grumbled, leaning her back against the side of the red and white SUV where Daryl was perched on the hood, keeping watch. She sighed and pushed her bangs out of her face. Just a matter of weeks ago the group was safely holed up in a convenience store, it was nothing fancy, but it had protected them and kept them warm. Rick believed there was a better, safer, more permanent place for them to live and moved the group onward days after settling in to the convenience store. Madison had argued that what made someplace permanent was their decision to stay, not the location itself, but she was overruled by the restless group eager to find someplace as idyllic as the farm to call home. Unsurprisingly such a place didn't seem to exist and the group was falling into a habit of either sleeping in the cars or on the asphalt, blocked in by the two cars and Daryl's motorcycle, reminding Madison's inner history teacher of the wagon circles made by the pioneers as they trekked along the Oregon Trail.
Daryl threw a sidelong glance at Madison and suppressed a smirk, knowing there would be hell to pay if she caught him smiling at her when she was upset. “Ain't my fault nobody listened,” he said, facing forward again, “Now’re ya jus’ ‘ere t’bust my balls over somethin’ I didn't do’r d’ya want somethin’?”
“What?” Madison asked dumbly, fighting her way back to the present, “Oh yeah, here.” She turned around and handed a chipped mug of weak, lukewarm instant coffee to Daryl, “That's the last of it, we polished off the container this morning so enjoy.”
“Thanks, Buster.” As he took the mug from her outstretched hand he gently covered her fingers with his, sending a jolt of excitement coursing through her and coaxing a flush of red to her cheeks. A self-satisfied grin covered his face as he took a drink, irrationally pleased with himself and the effect he had on the woman standing next to him. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand before passing the mug back to Madison, wordlessly offering to share the last of their coffee. “But, yeah, y’were right.”
“Then why don't I feel better?” she whispered, knowing the answer already. She didn't feel better about being right because it didn't change their situation, it just made it more frustrating because it could've been avoided. “Rick’s on the way over,” she said into the raised mug as she sipped the coffee, watching the group over the rim and catching a glimpse of the former sheriff striding purposefully towards them. She took one more swallow and gave the mug back to Daryl, “I’ll leave you boys in peace.”
“Don’t gotta go if ya don’t wanna.”
Madison bit her lip and smiled, considering Daryl’s comment and glancing back at Rick. “Yeah...I do,” she laughed, “I’ve seen that look on his face before. Plus…” She paused and let out a deep breath, shaking her head, “if I stay I know I'll only end up saying something I’ll regret.”
“Sounds ‘bout right,” Daryl teased, eyes focused on the coffee in his hand then flickering to her face, “Knowin’ ya an’ yer mouth.”
“I walked into that one,” she groaned, smiling at the way Daryl's face lit up when he gave her a hard time. Mumbling a soft goodbye she turned around and walked back to the others huddled around a small fire, glancing over her shoulder at the two men talking by the SUV as she took a seat by Maggie. Before she drew attention to herself by staring at Daryl she pulled out her knife and set to work trying to sharpen it on a large rock she found by her feet.
A few minutes later Rick called Glenn over to their conversation. “Looks serious,” Maggie said in a low whisper, glancing up at the men by the car then turning to Madison, “What're they talkin’ about?”
“How should I know?” the redhead asked, tossing a confused expression at her friend.
“You were over there with Daryl all mornin’.”
“And now I'm here, very much not a part of the discussion.” Madison turned her attention back on sharpening her knife, but quickly lowered her hands and looked back to Maggie, “And I wasn't over there all morning. Just a few minutes.”
“And what were you doin’ over there?” Maggie pressed, thoroughly enjoying torturing her friend and hoping that if she pushed far enough Madison would finally break and admit to what was really going on between her and Daryl.
Before she answered Madison dropped her eyes back to her knife and tried to ignore the burning in her cheeks, “Bringing him coffee.”
“Mhmm,” Maggie said triumphantly.
“Don't go reading too much into it. It was just coffee, it doesn't mean what you think it means.”
“Course not,” Maggie agreed a little too hastily and Madison looked at her, against her better judgement. “All I'm sayin’ is you never take coffee to T-Dog.”
Madison opened her mouth to argue Maggie's observation or release some witty comeback, but drew a blank instead. “Oh just shut up,” she chuckled, cheeks aflame, “Remind me again why I missed having a sister?” She nudged the brunette next to her and smiled before jumping to her feet and offering Lori a seat closer to the fire, overjoyed to find a natural way to end the conversation.
Despite the group’s less than ideal living conditions, lighthearted chatter broke out among them as they awaited instructions from their leader. Madison chuckled quietly to herself as Hershel told the group that camping out on the side of the road reminded him of the time his car stalled driving Maggie's mother home from a date and they were forced to spend the night in his car. “We caused quite the scandal,” he laughed as he turned to Maggie, “I don't think your grandfather ever forgave me for it.”
Madison shook her head and turned her attention back to showing Beth how to clean her gun. After the incident at the mill Madison took it upon herself to make sure the group was better prepared to defend themselves. Beth was terrified of guns and hated the idea of using them, but she was slowly making progress which was all Madison could ask for. A shrill whistle rose above the group's babble causing her to drop the gun pieces in her hand. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Daryl strutting towards her and looked away, suppressing a smile as her heart leapt in her chest, “There's nothing wrong with calling me by name, you know.” He came to a stop next to her and she met his gaze with a smirk, “I'll answer and everything.”
“Ain’t as much fun,” he drawled, “Grab yer shit an’ come find me.”
“Wait, what?” Madison called after him as he made his way to his brother's motorcycle, “Are we going somewhere? What do I need to grab? Daryl!”
“We need to find someplace to wait out the winter,” Rick answered, joining the group with Glenn at his side. It took every ounce of self-control Madison had not to snap at Rick and remind him that they had someplace safe weeks ago and he made them leave; instead she chewed the inside of her cheek and nodded, hastily handing Beth the rest of her gun. “I asked Glenn and Daryl to grab someone and scout the area for anythin’ that looks promisin’. Two teams will get twice the group covered. T and I’ll hold down the fort here.”
Glenn told Maggie to gear up and meet him at the SUV then turned around to talk with Rick some more. Madison jumped to her feet and checked for her knife at her hip and counted the bullets in her gun. “‘Twice the ground covered’,” Maggie murmured handing Madison a box of ammo with a sly grin, “If you ask me, seein’ how the pairs’re splittin’ up I think it's safe to say not much ground is gonna get covered.”
“Speak for yourself,” Madison replied, her eyes anxiously dancing around the group to see who, if anyone, was listening.
“Still keepin’ quiet?” Maggie laughed, shaking her head, “Really, Madison, how dumb do you two think we are?” Madison’s mouth fell open and before she had a chance to respond Maggie crossed in front of her to join Glenn, a pleased smirk on her face.
Dumbfounded, Madison watched Maggie walk away. As she pulled her attention from the brunette, she unwillingly made eye contact with Carol who stared back at her with an icy, loathsome expression. More eager than before to get away from the group of people surrounding her Madison slipped silently from view and all but ran towards Daryl’s bike. The prospect of an afternoon alone with Daryl was enough to shove Maggie's relentless teasing and Carol’s cold glare to the back of her mind and a wide smile took over her face as she came up behind the man hunched over his motorcycle, studying a map. “So where’re you taking me?” Madison whispered, gently rubbing Daryl's back and casting a sidelong glance at the group to ensure no one, especially Maggie, was paying attention to them. Every muscle in his body tensed unexpectedly and Madison dropped her hand with a defeated sigh. “No one was looking,” she mumbled, leaning heavily against the bike and staring at her shoes, “I checked.”
“Sorry, Buster,” Daryl said, his deep voice barely above a whisper as he covered her hand with his and caught her eye. “It don't change...how...how I feel ‘bout ya. I jus’ ain't ready fer…”
“I know,” she answered softly, holding onto his hand tighter and offering him an understanding smile, “You don't have to explain yourself; I'll be more careful. Of course they're all going to figure it out eventually.” Daryl pressed his lips together, forming a tight line, and turned his unblinking eyes back to the map. A small groan escaped Madison. She meant it, Daryl didn't have to explain himself, she just wished she knew why he was still so determined to keep their relationship a secret, what she'd done to make him feel this way. Forcing those doubts from her mind she faced the map and changed the subject, “You never answered, where’re we heading?”
Daryl relaxed and cast her a grateful look with the faintest hint of a smile then looked back to the map and jabbed a finger at the crinkled paper, pointing out a subdivision, “I wanna check this place out, but if anywhere else catches yer eye ‘long the way we can stop.” He glanced at Madison expectantly, but she didn’t notice; her attention was solely focused on the map as she considered his plan, chewing her lip and folding her arms. “Whatcha thinkin’?” Madison’s head snapped up and she met his piercing blue eyes with a confused expression. “Y’always scrunch yer face up like that when yer tryin’ t’figure somethin’ out. This a bad plan?”
Madison smiled softly to herself and let out a small laugh; no one had ever been able to read her like Daryl could and while it unnerved her slightly after three years of masking her emotions from Charles she couldn’t deny the pleasure she got from it. “No, it’s just,” she sighed and her tone turned serious, “Is a neighborhood really the safest place to go? With all the people who tried to tough it out and stay home thinking all this would end…won’t it be crawling with walkers?”
“No more than anywhere else,” he said eventually with a shrug, taking time to mull her concerns over.
“That’s true,” she sighed, looking back to the map, unconvinced, then muttering under her breath in an attempt to make herself feel more at ease, “And I guess they did try to evacuate everyone, did they?”
“We’ll be fine, Maddie. If it looks bad an’s overrun it ain’t like we gotta go in; we can jus’ turn ‘round.” Madison pushed her hair out of her face and held her hand to her mouth as she pondered their plan one last time before hesitantly nodding in agreement. The worried lines running across her forehead were impossible to overlook and Daryl nudged her gently, forcing her to pry her eyes from the map and look at him, “Ya sure yer okay with this?”
“Yeah, yeah I am. I trust you.” She stopped herself from kissing his cheek, instead settling for folding up the map and handing it to him with a smile, “Let’s get out of here.”
Nowhere else along the way caught the pair’s attention and soon Daryl came to a stop on the outskirts of the abandoned neighborhood, opting to go the rest of the way on foot to keep noise to a minimum. The eerie stillness of the street seemed to amplify every sound. Madison strained to hear the telltale moans before walkers came into view, but only heard leaves rustling in the crisp autumn air and the soft sound of their footsteps on the asphalt. “I was wrong,” she mumbled as she lowered her previously tense shoulders and looked at the empty houses on either side of them, “Coming here was the right call.”
Daryl cast a sidelong glance at her and squared his shoulders with pride, “Ain’t too bad, is it?”
A sharp crash ripped through the quiet afternoon and Madison’s heart stopped. Both she and Daryl raised their weapons and spun around, searching for the source. A scraggly cat darted out from beneath a rusty car and cut across the street in front of them. Daryl followed the cat with his bow before lowering it with an aggravated huff, “Damn cat better run. Gonna skin it alive if I ever catch it.” Madison’s stifled laughter did little to improve his mood, “What the hell’s s’funny?”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that seems like a slight overreaction for making you jump.”
“Keep it up an’ yer next,” he grumbled as he started walking again.
“It’s okay, Daryl,” Madison chuckled, jogging to catch up with him, “Everyone’s afraid of something. Even of teeny tiny kitty cats.”
“I ain’t scared of shit,” he barked.
Madison shook her head, “Yes you are, you just don’t want to admit it.” She looked up at him expectantly as she laced her fingers with his, “Okay, I guess I’ll go first. I hate clowns, they freak me out. Always have. I’d rather face fifty walkers on my own than get locked in a room with a clown for an hour.” Daryl looked at her like she’d just grown and extra head then rolled his eyes, fighting the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “Hey!” she said, playfully elbowing him in the side, “Don’t judge me, this is a safe space. Come on, your turn. Tell me what you’re afraid of.”
Daryl glanced down and met Madison’s warm brown eyes and his expression softened, “Tell ya what, ya find someplace fer e’erybody t’wait out the winter an’ I’ll tell ya.”
“That’s such a copout!” Daryl shrugged and Madison heaved an exaggerated sigh, “Fine, but don’t think for a second you’re getting out of this. I’m holding you to your word.”
“Didn’t expect nothin’ less,” he said, squeezing her hand before letting go so he could have a firmer grasp on his crossbow. Another crash echoed through the streets, reminding the couple where they were. Daryl momentarily tensed then took off at a jog, “Son of a bitch’s gonna get it!”
“Shhh! It’s not that big of a deal, let it go!” Madison called in a loud whisper, chasing after him.
“Let it go? That damn cat’s gonna bring e’ery walker in the place straight fer us.”
Madison whipped her head back and forth, relieved not to see any movement along the street, “Then let’s not be standing here waiting for them.” She grabbed Daryl’s arm and pulled him back the way they came, anxious to get moving again. “Pick a house and we’ll check it out. We’ll kill two birds with one stone; maybe we’ll find a place to bring the others and we’ll get off the streets for a bit. Come on.”
It took Daryl a few seconds to calm down and forget his ill-advised quest for the cat. He eventually nodded, “Yeah, okay. Yer right.” He scanned the street and picked a house at random, gesturing towards it with a nod, “C’mon.”
As they approached the house Daryl sped up and got in front of Madison, climbing the porch steps and reaching the door first. Madison joined him on the porch as he pounded on the door and held a finger to his lips, leaning in and listening for any noises coming from inside. “Shit,” he mumbled, straightening up and seeing Madison’s shoulders slump from the corner of his eye. The growling got louder as the walkers pushed against the other side of the door, trying to get to the food waiting outside. “Place’s full of them things, ain’t worth it. Let’s check next door.” Madison nodded in agreement and turned to walk down the steps then let out a strangled scream.
Daryl spun around and froze for a fraction of a second. A large group of walkers was swarming the porch and clambering to reach the fresh meat at the top of the steps, making the growls and moans they thought were coming from the house. “Go! Hop the railin’! Run!” he shouted, pushing Madison behind himself and towards the railing. Madison did as she was told and jumped with Daryl following seconds behind her. The instant their feet hit the ground they were surrounded. Without a moment’s hesitation Madison opened fire, clearing a path for them to escape the throng of decaying bodies. They ran around the house and towards a rickety wooden fence then darted through the gate. Madison ran into the center of the backyard, searching for an escape route while Daryl closed the flimsy gate behind them. “That fence ain’t gonna hold,” he said, watching it bend and sway as the horde piled up against it, “We gotta get the hell outta ‘ere now.”
Swallowing the fear coursing through her, Madison did her best to tune out the creaking of the wood and ran to the back door of the house. A walker slammed against the sliding glass door and she backed away slowly; by the time they took out the walkers inside the swarm at the fence would be in the yard, there wasn’t enough time. She frantically searched the yard for a way out. The fence enclosing the yard was in far better condition that the sorry excuse of a fence they’d just come through. It was much taller than Daryl and plastered smooth, there was no way to scale or jump it; what once served to keep neighbors out was now holding Daryl and Madison prisoner.
Out of desperation Madison ran across the yard towards the tallest tree and nearly wept with relief when she got closer and saw a makeshift ladder nailed to the trunk. “Daryl!” she cried, pointing skyward, “We’ll be safe up there!”
He sprinted towards her and followed her finger, his eyes landing on the treehouse nestled in the branches. “That’s m’girl,” he said, immediately dropping to his knee and cupping his hands together to give Madison a boost up the ladder and out of immediate danger.
Madison gave him a puzzled look then shook her head when she understood what he was trying to do. “There’re too many rungs missing, I’ll never make it,” she admitted, knowing her upper body strength left much to be desired, “You climb up first then pull me up.” Daryl stood slowly and threw an anxious glance over his shoulder to see if the fence was still holding, he hated the idea of leaving Madison to fend for herself while he climbed to safety. “Daryl! We don't have time,” she insisted, seeing his hesitation, “I'll be fine, get up there!”
With a huff he threw his bow across his back and started climbing, grunting as he went, “Bossy lil’ thing, ain't ya?”
“Shut up!” Madison called, struggling to follow him up the ladder, “You make this look so easy.”
“Quit whinin’ an’ focus,” Daryl said as he reached the treehouse. He turned around and stretched his hand out towards her, grabbing her securely by the wrist, “Yer almost there, I gotcha.” Madison glanced up to his encouraging face then looked down to find the rung beneath her as she tested the decaying ladder’s ability to support her as she slowly made her way towards their sanctuary. Wood splintered behind her and she froze, looking over her shoulder as walkers poured into the yard through the broken fence. Panic crashed over Daryl as he watched the horde stagger towards Madison dangling against the tree like bait and he anxiously pulled on her arm to get her moving again, “Madison! Climb, dammit!”
She peeled her eyes away from the monsters closing in and extended her hand, stretching her arm to its limit to reach the next rung. The weathered wood of the ladder met her fingertips and she pushed herself on the tips of her toes to give herself the necessary height to wrap her fingers around the rung, wishing more than anything she was closer to Daryl’s height. The growls grew louder and Madison lunged for the rung, putting her full weight on one hand then the world gave way beneath her. Time slowed down for a fraction of a second when the rung supporting her separated from the tree. Her, wide, terrified eyes flew to Daryl and she shrieked his name as time returned to normal and she began to fall.
“Shit!” Daryl caught Madison by the arm, nearly falling out of the treehouse himself with the unexpected force of her fall. He managed to anchor himself against the walls of treehouse with his legs and he clasped Madison’s arm with his other hand, struggling to hold on as she flailed around frantically trying to find her footing and kick away the walkers grabbing for her legs. An eternity later she regained control and stabilized herself with her feet against the tree trunk and digging her fingers of her free hand into the bark, the walkers were still reaching for her, but she was out of danger for now. “Gimme yer hand!” Madison squeezed her eyes closed and summoned the courage to release her grip on the tree. She nodded and tightened her hold on Daryl’s forearm then let go of the tree and shot her arm in his direction. Daryl sacrificed his two handed grip on her for a moment and Madison dropped half an inch before their hands met again. Realizing just how precarious her situation was Madison rested her forehead against the tree to regroup; if either of them lost their grip she would fall straight into the jaws of the waiting walkers below. She looked down at her feet and tried to find what was left of the ladder as Daryl pulled her up. “Don’t worry ‘bout the steps. Jus’ walk up the tree,” Daryl grunted through the strain of holding her. Uncertainty filled Madison’s eyes as she looked up at him and he added, “I gotcha Maddie, y’ain’t gonna fall.”
“Okay,” Madison whimpered with a nod as she slowly and deliberately put one foot in front of the other and walked up the side of the tree, clinging to Daryl for dear life, “Okay, okay, okay.”
Several torturous minutes later Madison was safely inside the treehouse, sitting with her back against the wall and trying to get her breathing back to normal, her hands clasped tight around her mouth as she shook uncontrollably. Daryl sat on his heels in front of her and rested his hand on her knee, “Maddie?” She abruptly pushed herself to her knees and threw her arms around him and buried her face against his neck, trembling. Daryl exhaled and wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer with his other hand on the back of her head. They stayed in each other’s arms until Madison’s soft sobs faded away into shaky breaths. “Ya coulda died,” Daryl whispered, his voice hoarse from trying to keep it steady.
Madison pulled back and looked at his face, pain and worry clouding his eyes. He cupped her cheek and wiped away a stray tear with his thumb as she said quietly, “I know, I’m sorr-”
“Dammit, Maddie,” he cut her off, shaking her gently, his soft blue eyes boring into hers, “Don’t ya get it? That’s what I’m scared of!”
For once Madison didn’t know what to say and her mouth fell open as she ran Daryl’s confession over in her mind making sure she heard it correctly. Before she could recover Daryl pulled her face towards his, meeting her lips with a fierce kiss. The intense heat and passion of the kiss was unlike anything she had ever experienced and it shocked her, but she quickly recovered and was soon matching his movements, kissing him deeply as her desire to be as close to Daryl as possible skyrocketed. Though it pained her to release him, she shrugged off her jacket and let it fall to the floor behind her then pushed Daryl’s off his shoulders and down his arms as far as she could, only stopping when the sleeves got caught by his bent elbows. A devilish smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as comprehension dawned and he understood Madison’s intentions. He yanked his arms free from the confines of his jacket then grabbed hold of Madison and pulled her next to him, their bodies melting into each other. Madison’s hands moved of their own free will, traveling across Daryl’s broad chest, down his back, and up to his hair. The feeling of his toned muscles moving beneath her fingertips as his strong hands freely explored her body fascinated her, but paled in comparison to the trail of fire his touch left in its wake.
Daryl tore his lips from Madison’s and moved to her neck, alternating between kissing and nipping at her skin as he made his way to her collarbone. A soft gasp fell from her mouth as she closed her eyes and rolled her head back, lost in the delicious sensation of his hot breath tickling her skin. Daryl’s tentative tug on the hem of her shirt went unnoticed. “Madison,” he whispered, caressing her name with his husky voice as he covered her mouth with his once again before pulling back to make her look at him. When her eyes fluttered open and locked with his, Daryl tugged on her hem again, silently asking her permission before he went further. This was more than just a drunken hook-up with a stranger in the parking lot behind the local bar, he reminded himself. The woman in his arms meant more to him than anyone ever had, or ever would, and he wanted to treat her right. He wanted her to know she was safe with him.
For the second time that afternoon Daryl rendered Madison speechless. She’d never known love like this, never had a man place her welfare as his top priority, no matter the circumstances. It was incredible, incredible and overwhelming. She smiled at him, never looking away from his sincere, crystal blue eyes, and gently touched his face as she nodded, leaning into him to press a tender kiss to his parted lips, eager to finally be with the man she loved.
Stars stared down at Daryl through the gaps in the roof as he gazed up, not looking at anything in particular while he waited for sleep to overtake him, knowing it wouldn’t. His mind refused to shut down for the night and the constant moans from the walkers wandering aimlessly below him didn’t help matters. He tucked his right hand underneath his head while his other traced invisible patterns on the bare back of the woman curled up next to him, fast asleep with her head on his chest and arm around his waist. Not even Madison’s slow, deep breathing couldn’t soothe him enough to lull him to sleep as he wracked his brain for a way to get them back to the group in one piece. Was his mind playing tricks on him or were there more walkers in the yard than before? How long before they’d give up and leave? Would they even be able to find their way out through the small opening left by the downed fence, walkers weren’t exactly smart. Daryl rubbed his eyes, how was he supposed to get Madison past them safely? He went back and forth between taking some of the useless old junk left in the treehouse and chucking it beyond the fences, hoping the walkers would follow the sound, and risking the noise and shooting them from above before climbing down the tree. But would they have enough ammo to get them all without attracting others? He groaned and shook his head, remembering the state of the ladder; he wasn’t even sure how they were going to get out of the tree.
No matter how hard he tried to focus on the important issues like living to see another day, his thoughts inevitably returned to Madison. For the life of him he couldn’t figure out what a kind, strong, beautiful girl like her was doing with a piece of redneck trash like him and he knew it was just a matter of time before she realized her mistake and left. Madison stirred slightly and he watched her move her arm from around him and draw it to her chest in a feeble, unconscious effort to get warm. Daryl raised his head and looked around the treehouse for something to cover her with. Squinting to make sense of the unfamiliar shapes in the dim light he saw the remnants of a blanket fort and his stomach twisted around itself knowing the kids who made the fort a matter of months ago were most likely dead or worse by now. Madison’s slim body started shivering next to him, erasing all thoughts of the unfortunate children, and he tried to get his arm free without waking her so he could reach the blanket.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Madison asked, an impish smile covering her groggy face as she propped herself up on her elbow, “You don’t get to sneak away in the middle of the night. This isn’t a one night stand, Dixon. Sorry.”
She placed her hand on his chest and gently tried to lay him back down, but he only chuckled and moved her hand away with a smile, “Jus’ grabbin’ somethin’, Buster.” He groaned as sat up and reached for the blanket. “I’m freezin’ my nuts off,” he explained, settling back in and draping the blanket over the top of them. He paused then pressed his lips to Madison’s cheek before lying down again, “Thought y’might be too.”
“Maybe if I had any,” she giggled, snuggling in beside him.
Daryl’s throaty, quiet laugh resonated in his chest as he pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. “Good t’know where yer head’s at though,” he murmured, running his hand along her arm to warm her up.
“About my lack of balls?” she teased, rolling onto her stomach and resting her hands and chin on his chest so she could see his face better.
“Not ‘bout that, ya wiseass. ‘Bout t’night.”
“What do you mean?” Madison asked quietly. She slowly sat up and held the blanket in front of herself, suddenly feeling incredibly exposed and terrified that she’d misinterpreted their night together, “W-what about tonight?” Daryl didn’t say anything and only responded with a grunt, shrugging and staring intently at the ceiling. Tears of anger and embarrassment stung Madison’s eyes, “Don’t give me that! Tell me what you mean, Daryl. Because I thought...I thought we were on the same page here.”
Daryl groaned and ran his hands over his face, realizing how this was sounding to Madison. “Maddie, all I meant is yer too good fer me an’ one of these days yer gonna see it an’ yer gonna…” His sentence trailed off as he swallowed, trying to relieve the unexpected dryness in his mouth, “I ain’t used t’the girl stickin’ ‘round ‘til mornin’. I-I like it, don’t wanna lose it...lose ya. It’d kill me.” He turned his head to face Madison and tentatively placed his hand on her leg. “‘Specially now,” he added in a tight whisper.
“Oh,” she breathed, unable to think of any other response. She could count on one hand the number of times Daryl had opened up, really opened up, to her like this and every time she was caught off guard. She knew how difficult it was for him to reveal that much of himself to her and in an attempt to redirect their attention from his proclamation she decided to try and lighten the mood.” Well, you’re my ride back, so…” she shrugged, fighting a grin. Daryl narrowed his eyes at her, clearly not amused, and Madison chuckled, covering his hand with hers as she continued, “Sorry, I know you’re being serious. Putting aside the mental image of you with other women, thanks for that by the way-”
“Call it payback fer knowin’ all ‘bout that asshole y’were shackin’ up with fer three years.”
“Anyway!” She playfully kicked his leg, drawing a short chuckle from Daryl as she went on, “In all seriousness though, I wish you’d give yourself a little credit. You’re so much better than you realize. You can relax, Daryl, I’m not going anywhere.” She offered him a heartfelt, loving smile, then laid back down in his waiting arms. She rested her head on his chest and took his hand then softly kissed his palm, “I don’t want to lose you either.” A heavy silence fell over the couple and Madison glanced up at his face, still clasping his hand, “Daryl?”
He kissed the top of her head, buying time to steady his voice as her words sunk in, “I heard ya, Buster.” Madison’s body relaxed, molding against his own, and he closed his eyes with a small, lopsided grin on his lips, “Try an’ get some shuteye. We got a fight waitin’ fer us in the mornin’.”