Chasing Amy (Daryl Dixon/The Walking Dead)

Chapter 47 - Déjà Vu

"Amy." I was in the process of sneaking down the stairway of Daryl's perch, one foot on a lower step, whilst the other remained on a higher.

Rick.

"Morning," I murmured, "What time is it?"

"It's..." Rick looked down at his watch. The one he had been using for a while, after he found a box of batteries in a cupboard some time ago. Ever since then, I'd been relying on either him or Glenn and his stopwatch for the time. "It's almost nine."

Rick lowered his hand, his eyes wandering from where I stood, back up to the mattress behind me, and again to me.

My cheeks immediately felt hotter, and I only prayed I wasn't bright red.

"We need your help out in the field... Clearing cars and the like," Rick said, standing just ahead of me as I slowly walked down the flight of stairs. "We, ah, have some food if you want anything for breakfast..."

"Oh, God, yeah... I'm starving." I coughed, stepping as far away from the perch as humanly possible. "Where'd you find it?"

"We've got some cereal." Rick chuckled breathily as he added, "No milk."

He raised his eyebrows as he looked back up from the ground, "The prisoners were living in the cafeteria hall, they have half the food, we have half."

"Oh." I nodded shortly, pulling my loose ponytail from where it had slipped under my shirt and was brushing against my bare back. "Where is everyone?"

"Daryl, T-Dog and I were gonna try move the cars, bodies, on our own earlier this morning, but we're gonna need some help."

I remembered waking up to an empty bed that morning, after my foot brushed an especially cold area of the mattress that would have previously been occupied by Daryl's leg. It left me wondering where he'd gone so early in the morning.

I tried to avoid looking embarrassed as Rick scratched at his stubble, even when inside I was nervous about being seen walking down the stairway of his perch.

"Trust you had a good night's rest? We had a big day yesterday," Rick asked slowly. "We've got an even bigger one coming."

"Oh." I blushed, "Yeah, I slept well... I mean, I can definitely come out and help."

There was something about sleeping in the same bed as Daryl that felt a little more personal than sleeping beside him in the open air.

I'd acknowledged little movements through the night, little hidden gestures that echoed with closeness... His leg pushed against mine, whilst I essentially nuzzled against his shoulder. For once, he didn't mind it, the closeness...

Or he didn't say anything about it, if he did.

His arm was under the pillow, supporting my neck, his uneven breaths giving me the sense he never really fell asleep until way after I had... And that he had woken way before me the next morning.

There was something personal about that, something that I wasn't sure I wanted everyone to know about...

He was Daryl, the first thought on my mind when I woke, and the last when I slept... He was the protection I didn't want to need, the comfort I craved, the warmth I desired... He was my only company, and I his...

He was something more.

The thought of others knowing this somehow worried me, somehow made me recover my composure and nod quickly, reassuringly, at Rick.

"I'll help."

"T-Dog brought some rations down for the next few days... If you want to, just come on out when you're ready."