11A/N: This is my first TWD fanfic. Please play nice kids!
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"All I'm saying, Daryl, is that if you wanna read something good instead of that awful dime novel, try Daniel Dafoe. Robinson Crusoe is like... you'd get him. He survives cannibals and all kinds of things... The book practically started the survival genre," Maggie was saying to Daryl as they sat on watch together in the dusky moonlight.
"Hmm," was Daryl's profound response.
Maggie sighed to herself, looking back down at the wood she was whittling with her knife. She had absolutely no idea what she was making, but sometimes when you were on guard duty it just felt good to be pretending to be doing something useful.
"I reckon you'd really like him if you gave it a go," she continued. "We could try pick some better books up on a run. I know Carol would appreciate it."
Maggie knew Daryl was kinda smart, just not in the way of book learning. Quite a few of their group weren't too big on reading. The trouble was, with no electricity anymore, there wasn't much else to do with your free time other than read.
Daryl snorted, making it clear what he thought of Greene women trying to educate him. If Maggie knew her sister at all, she would hazard a strong bet that Beth spent most of her time alone with Daryl trying to open him up to her way of thinking.
Beth...
Maggie hated that she didn't know where her sister was, although she had this kinda gut feeling that she was still out there somewhere, alive. They couldn't have the rest of the group make it back together okay and just Beth end up dead by herself. It wasn't fair. She refused to believe it.
Maggie looked across the camp of sleeping bodies to one of the trees she'd painted the name "BETH" on. Glen and Daryl had been helping her do it. There was such a small hope she'd be there reading the signs but...
The group had seen a van with a cross on the back windows drive past on the road about three days ago. Seeing a working vehicle on the road was a rarity in itself, and Daryl seemed sure it had something to do with Beth's whereabouts, referring to the vehicle that had taken her in the first place. The group had eventually agreed (under the blazing glares of Maggie and Daryl) that if they saw another vehicle, or any other sign, that they'd pursue it. Rick was just sorry they hadn't managed to track the vehicle before it was long gone. They didn't know if they'd get another opportunity.
The thought was very sobering.
Abraham and Rick seemed keen to push on for Washington DC in the meanwhile, although Daryl didn't seem all that convinced by Eugene and his closely guarded save-the-world knowledge. She thought the exact words he'd used were something along the lines of "Load of bullshit. Ain't no cure." Secretly, Maggie kinda agreed with him.
Maggie and Daryl had sorta become... Well, friends wasn't the right word. Allies? They'd bonded on guard duty in recent weeks over talking about Beth. Maggie guessed that the two of them being holed up together for a couple of weeks had meant they'd got close. The way Daryl spoke about things she'd done or said was as a man who got her. He definitely seemed pretty melancholy when Beth was brought up in conversation and equal parts determined to find her.
Maggie was happy to take all the support she could get, even from the unlikeliest of quarters.
A faint rustling in the shadows of the wilderness caused Daryl's ears to immediately perk up, his eyes suddenly alert. Maggie had barely even noticed.
"You hear somethin'?" She asked him quietly.
Daryl held his finger to his lips, effectively shushing her. Maggie pursed her lips, trying not to act indignant. Daryl sometimes treated her like she was some kinda city girl who hadn't ever seen a wild animal or a farm. Left hand instinctively reaching for the strap of his crossbow, he rose silently to his feet.
"Prolly nothin'," he muttered. "Stay here."
She knew someone had to stay and keep watch, so she didn't argue. Not that she could've changed his mind if she'd wanted to.
"Alright. Be safe."
He nodded curtly and, without so much as a backwards glance, he disappeared into the bushes. Maggie thought he looked like some sorta panther, slinking through the undergrowth like he'd spent his whole life out there prowling in the woods. He probably had, she thought, with a twinge of sadness. She hadn't really consciously realised it at the time, but living in the world as it was now had made Maggie understand that life on the farm in that chocolate box house with all her family and friends around her had been pretty easy. She'd certainly never had to worry about when the next time she'd get to eat or if her daddy was gonna throw a rage and kick her out the cold.
Life on the farm had been simple and happy. Maggie had always felt a bit useless, though. She didn't want to just get married and have babies on her own farm - she'd wanted something more. As terrible as it might be to say, killing walkers and surviving out here was something she was pretty darn good at. And Glen. She couldn't imagine a world without Glen anymore.
Daryl hadn't come back yet. It must've been five minutes since he'd gone. Maybe he'd run into a few walkers? Maybe even... people. It was a strange world indeed when the living were more dangerous than the dead. She looked across at the others asleep on the ground. Carl stirred slightly, but he didn't wake.
Oh screw this.
Making sure her knife was firmly holstered at her side, Maggie grabbed her gun and edged cautiously into the bushes. She wouldn't go far and leave the group completely unprotected, just see if she could hear any sign of trouble. Daryl'd do the same, she reckoned.
After traipsing through the undergrowth for about a minute or two, she heard the sounds of hushed voices. Quickly darting behind the first tree she could find, all leafy and made up of low branches, she sucked in a breath.
She didn't know what she was expecting to find, but Daryl clearly wasn't alone. Maggie hesitated, not wanting to be seen yet, especially if it turned out she was hearing things (Daryl already thought she was crazy) and clambered up the tree onto the first low branch.
Peering cautiously through the thick leaves, grateful for the light of the full moon, she could make out Daryl's face. His eyebrows were knitted together in concern, hands resting on the uppers arms of the petite and slim blonde girl standing before him.
A faint bubbling of hope welled up inside Maggie.
It couldn't be... It...
The blonde girl was clearly explaining something in hushed undertones whilst Daryl nodded and continued gripping her arms. The blonde girl smiled and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, turning her face to the side.
Happiness exploded inside of Maggie. She couldn't believe it... It was Beth! She looked much older somehow but it was her; she was alive! After all this time! Just as she was about to cry out to her, overwhelming relief flooding through her body, something happened. Maggie saw Beth throw herself into Daryl's arms, flinging her arms round his neck.
What. The. Hell.
Maggie's hand shot to cover her mouth and the offending gasp threatening to escape.
Daryl was cautiously leaning into the Beth's iron-like grip, whispering something into her baby sister's ear while one of his hands slowly stroked her hair. Maggie was struggling to process what was happening. Daryl? And her Beth? I mean, she'd known from the way Daryl spoke they'd gotten pretty close but close like that?
Eventually, after what seemed like hours (but, in reality, was most likely about a minute) Beth drew away from Daryl's arms and contended herself with lacing her fingers with his. Beth was smiling serenely and Maggie thought she could make out a pink tinge on Daryl's cheeks. The aloof and inscrutable Daryl Dixon! Blushing!
They turned back in the direction of the camp and Maggie yelped, struggling to quickly untangle herself from the branch and head off into camp before she was caught spying. This was not the way she wanted to reunite with her sister. In her urgency to escape, she snagged her foot on one of the branches. Sensing the inevitable, Maggie came tumbling down in a mass of leaves and curses, landing in a jumble mess on the ground before the bemused pair.
"Maggie?" Beth said incredulously, hand still entwined with Daryl's, staring down at the crumpled heap before her.
Fuck.
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A/N: I know Maggie seems a little erratic, but I think we can let her off considering the shitstorm of emotions she just went through. Thoughts?