This is by far my favorite chapter yet. :3 I actually wrote it fairly recently, after some later chapters that had been prewritten, so I think it reads smoother and portrays the characters better~ nwn

For the record, it's been a while since I watched this particular season of TWD that the story is in (season 5 I think?), nor do I feel the desire to do so any time soon, so I apologize for any chronological errors on things such as when certain characters come in in relation to one another/other's deaths... IT'S A FANFIC JUST BE GRATEFUL I'M NOT COPYING THE SHOW WORD FOR WORD LOL.

Hope you all enjoy~

Sammy was bored out of her mind. Her two best friends had gone off on adventure without her. Peter had left on a supply run earlier that day while Sammy was still sleeping, Abigail and Glenn in tow, and Daryl had left a few days prior with Aaron to scout for new recruits. Carl was nowhere to be found; she noticed he had taken to disappearing with the new girl, Enid, and Sammy wasn't about to get in the way of the budding puppy love. Even Daniel seemed to have more pressing matters that involved staying far away from Sammy, though the girl didn't count his absence a great loss.

Of course, with no one to occupy her time, Sammy had to find other ways to keep herself entertained. While on the road, it had been fairly easy; she would find enjoyment in a song or a traveling game, and when that failed the scenery that she encountered had captivated her. Her desert life was long behind her, though, and greenery and life were less fascinating than they had been when she started her travels. The sights of Alexandria were something she had grown accustomed to. And, behind the safety of the walls, she felt the least safe belting out the lyrics to her favorite songs. Her alternative: taking watch duty at the gates.

So there she was, perched atop one of the makeshift watchtowers by the front gates. Bored beyond belief as she stared out onto the empty road. The most movement she had seen in the last three hours was the rustling of leaves every time they caught a slight breeze; as exciting as that was, it grew old after about the twentieth time.

Eyes drooping, she leaned against the fence. The unsanded wood that dug into her forearms helped to keep her from dozing off while on watch, but only so much. She sunk slowly lower until her chin rested on her arms, a yawn passing her lips.

Then, she spotted movement in the distance. Instantly alert, she pushed herself up and grabbed the hunting rifle leaning beside her. Squinting against the broiling sun, she waited while the figure came into view.

There were three; instantly, she recognized Daryl's form beside the other two bodies. She quickly made out a second figure to be Aaron. The third man with dark skin and a walking stick was unfamiliar to her, but she felt he wasn't a threat; after all, Daryl wouldn't have brought the stranger back with him if he deemed him a threat. He would sooner risk his own safety than endanger his family within the settlement. Daryl was good like that.

Sammy offered a short wave to the trio, feeling the relieve flood through her at their safe return. She was fond of Aaron, she had to admit; the guy was so sweet, and even more so he was always open and honest. And, even with the sting of rejection fresh in her mind, Sammy couldn't quell the deep affection she held for the country man. She always worried relentlessly when any of her friends stepped outside the gate, though she had long since learned to tune out the thoughts of doubt that plagued her mind in their absence. It did no good to worry when she could do nothing.

"Hey," Sammy called down to the nameless face that stood guard on the ground. She had been introduced to the man once, but the name eluded her. "Daryl and Aaron are back. Looks like they got a new recruit."

The man gave a short nod in response, standing and going to pull open the barrier to the outside world. While Sammy was excited to greet her friends on the ground, she knew better than to abandon her post. She merely leaned over the fence as they neared, beaming a smile down at them.

"Welcome back!" she greeted, her unspoken relief at their return shining through as clear as the grin on her face.

The look that Daryl sent up at her sent a chill down Sammy's spine. He looked worn down, the creases at the corner of his eyes seeming deeper with worry. Something was off. Pulling back, Sammy looked around for a replacement. Seeing a familiar face roaming nearby, she called out.

"Hey, Sasha? You busy?"

The woman squinted up at her, lips pressed into a tight line. "Not really. You need something?"

"Can you take over my post for a bit? I need to take care of something."

With a reluctant nod of acceptance, the two women swapped places. Sammy practically leaped off the ladder in her descent, shooting Sasha a grateful smile.

"Thanks," she voiced as the woman climbed up to take over. "I owe you one."

With a short wave, Sammy approached the gate as the men entered. Her full attention was soon on Daryl, and the man seemed to reciprocate with a strange urgency in his eyes.

"Is something wrong?" Sammy questioned as she came to a stop in front of the man, voice low and eyebrows drawn together in worry.

"I need to talk to ya'," Daryl answered, sounding nervous. He shifted his stance slightly, grabbing the strap of his crossbow as though it was grounding him to the earth. With a shifty glance toward Aaron and the stranger, both of whom continued walking without him, Sammy felt herself go into high alert. "Alone," the man added, eyes not meeting Sammy's again as he started walking.

Sammy took a deep breath as she followed, her pace quick to keep up with his long strides. "Daryl?" she questioned, voice faltering slightly. His demeanor was starting to scare her. Was the newcomer bad news? Had Daryl come across a bigger threat during his mission? She couldn't fathom what had the man so worked up, but she knew it couldn't be good.

After several minutes of what seemed like aimlessly wandering around Alexandria, Daryl finally came to a halt. Sammy took in their surroundings: they were on the far end of the settlement, behind one of the houses. There was no one in the vicinity, and her eyes landed back on the country man as she tried not to jump to conclusions about his news.

Daryl couldn't meet her eye for longer than a second. His thumb soon found its way to his mouth, and he chewed absently on the skin as he took in the repetitive pattern on the back wall of the house they stood beside. He didn't know how to breach the subject, but he had decided it was something he needed to say. After sitting in that car, surrounded by walkers. So sure that he was going to die. He needed to do this.

"Daryl..." Sammy's soft voice broke through his thoughts, and blue eyes met green. "Daryl, please talk to me."

He took a deep breath to steady the thundering of his heart against his chest. "I wanna try somethin'," he stated, silently cursing the light tremor in his voice. He felt so pathetic, but Sammy just gazed up at him with big, curious eyes. No judgment or ridicule. The look gave him a little bit of courage, and that was all he needed to continue.

"I wanna try something, and I don't want you to move while I do."

Now she was staring up at him with worry. He bit his lip, stomach churning slightly. He really didn't like when she looked at him like that.

"And close your eyes," he added, almost as an after thought.

Sammy's eyes widened slightly at the order. "Huh?"

"Ya heard me," Daryl huffed, averting his gaze. "I can't do it with ya starin' up at me like that."

Sammy swallowed hard, stomach twisting in knots at the rush of emotions running through her. She was so confused; what was he going to do? She had a few ideas, but none of them seemed like something he would do. She knew he would never hit her; she desperately hoped she was right on that account. As much as she hoped for it, she knew better than to expect a kiss from the man. The only other thing that came to mind was a prank. Was Daryl the type to pull a prank on an unsuspecting girl?

"I'm trusting you," Sammy managed to say passed the cluster of nerves that tried to steal away her voice. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she clenched her eyes shut. "I'm trusting you to not do anything cruel..."

Daryl's heart dropped slightly at that, his gaze returned to the girl before him. He observed her for a moment. The way her fists clenched at her sides, and her shoulders tensed. The way mouth moved slightly in anticipation of whatever was to come. The way her eyebrows would draw together slightly before she forced them to relax, only to repeat the process. Daryl realized that she felt just as scared as he did, and the thought gave him an odd peace of mind.

Lifting his hand slowly, Daryl brushed his fingers against Sammy's cheek. The girl flinched slightly at the touch, and Daryl froze as she lifted her head. Her eyes peeked open for a split second, but she quickly screwed them back shut with a hard swallow and a look of determination. She trusted him completely. Daryl's chest tightened.

He continued, and Sammy didn't move this time as rough, callused fingers trailed along her face. Starting at her temple, brushing lightly through her hair, thumb trailing down her cheek bone, along her bottom lip, touch feather light. Her lip quivered at the contact, mouth parting slightly as her breath quickened. He spent a moment longer, rubbing gingerly at the soft, pink flesh and watching her reaction. A mix of confusion and anticipation. It was torture for the poor girl. Daryl moved his hand back along her face, her cheek resting perfectly in the palm of his hand as his fingers brushed just below her earlobe.

Even as he tilted her head upward, Sammy kept her eyes closed and stayed rooted where she stood. Daryl's thumb rubbed along her cheekbone idly, taking in the reddened face that obediently waited for him to make the first move. He leaned forward, heart hammering in his rib cage and echoing in his ears. He almost chickened out at the last second; he could pull away and say he was just messing with her, but the thought of doing so disgusted him. She deserved better than that, and he was determined to at least try. Finally, their lips made contact, and the man merely stood, suspended in time.

Sammy's lips puckered just so in response but she didn't otherwise move. Even as the man just stood there, lips applying the barest of pressure, she let him go at his own pace. She was on cloud nine, even if it reminded her painfully of her first, inexperienced kiss with no movement and awkward nerves. Unlike her first kiss, the sparks were still there; just the simple touch had her heart soaring.

Only when he pulled away did Sammy allow herself to move again. Her eyes fluttered open first, locking onto Daryl with a curious gaze as he took a step back. His hand dropped to his side, while Sammy lifted a hand to brush her fingers over her lips.

"I..." She had to clear her throat as her voice broke, cheeks turning scarlet as the embarrassment caught up with her. "I was under the impression that you didn't have those kinds of feelings for me."

The way she said it held no judgement or blame. It wasn't a question that demanded a response. It was just a simple statement. Just a confused thought she felt the need to voice.

"I dunno what I feel," Daryl admitted, eyes back on the plain, white paneling of the house that suddenly seemed so interesting. His hands found his pockets as his shoulders tensed, but they only lingered a second before his arms folded over his chest. "All I know is I almost died today."

"Daryl..." The name was breathless as it passed Sammy's lips, fear and worry and surprise mixing together in the single word.

"Lemme finish." It came out harsher than he had meant it to, regret crossing his features as he glanced back at Sammy. Her shock vanished as quickly as it had come, and she nodded somberly as she waited for him to continue. He averted his eyes again, staring down at the space between them.

"Sittin' in that damn car, sweating my ass off, surrounded by fuckin' lamebrains," he scoffed quietly, eyes narrowing as his boot kicked idly at the dirt beneath him. "Was sure that was the end for me and Aaron. Hell, probably would'a been, if Morgan hadn't come along and saved our asses."

Sammy didn't need to voice her assumption that Morgan was the newcomer they had brought with them. Daryl didn't give her a chance to, anyway. He lifted his gaze, blue eyes boring into her with such intensity that it sent shivers down her spine.

"Only thing I could think of in there was you."

Sammy's heart fluttered wildly in her chest at the confession. Was she really the last thing he thought of when he thought his life was about to end? It was both flattering and haunting to know.

"You havin' to get on without me... How I might not see your goofy smile light up your dumb face again... And that fuckin' kiss..." His thumb lifted to his mouth, and he rubbed lightly at his bottom lip. "Haven't been able to get that damn kiss outta my mind..." He looked equal parts angry and embarrassed, his face bright red as he gnawed away on the skin of his thumb.

Sammy took a step forward boldly, hand resting gently on the man's arm; she decided she would let that comment about her face being dumb slide for now. The muscles beneath her fingers jumped, but the rest of the man froze at the contact, gaze fixed on Sammy like a deer caught in headlights. She didn't say a word as she pulled his hand down, getting his abused thumb away from his mouth. As she wrapped her fingers delicately around his, her eyes dropped briefly to the appendages before lifting to meet his gaze again.

"I don't really know what I'm feeling, either," she admitted softly. Her gaze dropped to their hands, idly rubbing her thumb along his knuckles. "I know that I feel safer when you're near. I enjoy being around you, and I enjoy talking to you a lot; which is really weird for me, because small talk is the bane of my existence." That drew a quiet snort of laughter from the man, and Sammy smiled feebly as she lifted her head to look at him again. "I know you always seem to do these little things, I don't even think you realize it, and I get this compulsive urge to kiss you." Daryl turned red at that, but, to his credit, he didn't break eye contact. "I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I would like to figure it out with you." Her cheeks turned red as she looked away feebly. "I mean, if that's what you want to do."

"Yeah," Daryl answered, chewing lightly on his bottom lip as he watched Sammy's emotions play so openly across her face for him. She was just as new to all of this crap as he was. It made him feel a little better; a little less inadequate in her presence. "Yeah, I wanna do that..."

Sammy glanced up at him shyly, a smile pulling at her lips. Even after all this time, she still had difficulty reading him with things like this. Every time she weaseled passed one of his walls, two more seemed to pop up in front of her. Seeing him now, kneading his lip nervously between his teeth, she felt a renewed hope that he would finally start to let her in.

"Can I kiss you?" Sammy asked, voice barely above a whisper. She felt silly asking, but after her last attempt, she wasn't risking making a fool of herself twice. At least, not in that regard.

Daryl swallowed as his mouth suddenly went dry. His only response was a short nod. That's all the permission Sammy needed. She pushed herself onto the tips of her toes, her free hand resting on Daryl's cheek and guiding his face down to her. The kiss started as slowly as the first two, but Sammy decided to take it a step further this time. She parted her lips slightly, taking the man's bottom lip between hers and nibbling lightly on the flesh.

Daryl responded positively, releasing a breath through his nose as he leaned in closer, lips moving awkwardly in an attempt to match her movements. Sammy guided his hand to her hip as she shifted closer, holding it in place for a moment before letting her hand slide upward to rest on his forearm. She could feel the muscles tensing and relaxing beneath her fingers, but didn't feel the need to question the man's nerves. There were still a few inches separating their bodies, but neither dared to close the gap.

A moment passed, and Sammy broke the kiss. A dazed smile pulled at her lips, eyes closed as she savored the exchange just a moment longer. In just that short kiss, the man seemed to have improved exponentially. When she opened her eyes, she was met with stormy blue eyes and the most adorable smile she had ever seen plastered on Daryl's face.

"I really like kissing you," Sammy blurted out. Her cheeks turned red not a moment later, a bashful smile consuming her face.

Daryl chuckled quietly, ears taking on a hint of rogue. "Yeah?" he questioned, sounding just as dazed as Sammy felt.

Sammy hummed in affirmation, recovering from her embarrassment when she wasn't met with teasing. "I give you permission to kiss me whenever you feel like it," she decided with a nod. "Except, you know, during times when it's obviously a bad idea. Like, if we're being chased by a horde of zombies, or we're in the middle of a Mexican stand-off. Don't kiss me then, it'd probably get us both killed. Survival first."

Daryl swooped forward and stole another kiss from the girl, effectively ending her babbling. Both his hands on her waist held her in place as he pulled away, and he was met with another goofy grin that his mouth seemed to instinctively want to mirror. He just chuckled quietly as he managed to squish down a bit of the giddiness that really kissing the girl seemed to fill him with.

"Don't go thinking you can do the same," he answered. The dejected look she shot him made his heart drop. When she tried to step back, he held her firmly in place. "I ain't a fan of PDA," he elaborated, awkwardly avoiding his gaze. He felt like an ass now, making her think he was rejecting her. Again.

"Oh," was the sheepish reply he got from the girl. "So, when we're alone, can I kiss you to my heart's content?"

Daryl stared down at her hopeful smile before averting his eyes once more. "I mean... Within reason, I guess." He wasn't sure how he felt about her trying to make out with him every time they were alone together. Sure, he was enjoying it now, but how long would it take to get tired of it if they were kissing all the time?

Sammy merely giggled in response, pushing herself upward to steal another quick kiss from the man. "You're an ass, but I won't take it personally."

Daryl lifted an eyebrow at her, but she just grinned and grabbed his hands, squeezing them lightly as she pulled herself out of his grasp. "If you'll excuse me now, I have a boring job to do that I pawned off on an unsuspecting bystander in order to, apparently, make out with a hot guy. That's not usually my style."

As she stepped away, Daryl grabbed at her belt loop and pulled her back. A sly grin pulled at his lips, his hands the only thing separating their hips from colliding. "I think Sasha can survive a 'lil bit longer," he decided, face hovering close to Sammy's. The shuddering breath that escaped the girl made Daryl's smile widen. He stole another soft kiss, parting to turn his head and try it from another angle, lips working deliberately around hers. The soft moan he received for his efforts stirred up strange feelings in his chest. Sammy curved into him, chest pressing against his in an attempt to get closer.

Daryl felt like he was suffocating. He broke the kiss abruptly, breathing ragged and pupils large as he stared down at Sammy. He swallowed, trying to accumulate enough saliva to make the action worthwhile as he released his hold on the girl. She didn't move for several lingering moments, matching his gaze with an intense look of her own.

Sammy bit her lip, stuffing her hands awkwardly into her pockets as she took a step back. After all this time, and the man still confused her. Still, she offered him a smile as she slowly retreated. "I'll see you around, Daryl," she stated. As though that wasn't a given.

The man simply nodded mutely in response. Without another word, Sammy turned on her heel and sped off toward the gates. As much as she would love to just hang out in a secluded place and make out with him until they were both blue in the face, she got the feeling that Daryl wouldn't be comfortable with that activity. It would definitely be a long work in progress, trying to get passed all of this walls. It was also something Sammy was willing to work at; she was happy to take it slow, if that's what Daryl needed. Just knowing that he wanted her in the same way she wanted him was more than enough to satisfy her.

With a skip in her step and an extra sway in her hips, Sammy left Daryl to ponder on exactly what he had gotten himself into. The man let his eyes roam over her body as she walked away, lingering longer on her legs and ass than anywhere else. She spelled trouble for him, that was for sure, but Daryl had always had a habit of getting into trouble. This time, he didn't think he minded so much.

Gaaah THIS ENTIRE CHAPTER IS JUST SO LAME AND CLICHE AND AWKWARD. But I love it lol. /sappy, awkward romance is what I live for owo

YES they have finally gotten together~! Happy day~ On another note, I MIGHT END UP WITH ANOTHER HIATUS SOON ;w; /I'm running out of prewritten chapters and I have been greatly neglecting this story between the stresses of a starving artist's life and my crippling depression... I'll try to pick it up again and get some good, fluffy content out, but I apologize in advance for the inevitable hiatus that this story will be taking soon... I also totally don't know where I'm going with this story, I have no clear ending in mind anymore. I started with a clear ending, but that was before season 6 so now my original plot for this story's ending just seems stupid and totally illogical and I can't have that;;;;

While this story might end crappily merely because I find it too stressful to follow where TWD is going through seasons 6 and 7 +, and I lack the ability to come up with a decent ending within this story amidst all that chaos, I can promise plenty of other Daryl Dixon x Sammy stories in the future! I have several chapters written for one that starts out in season 1, an nonzombie AU that I can probably stretch out into at least a 5 chapter story, a highschool AU, and lots of short stories floating around in my mind. As well as a few other DarylxOC stories with new female protags other than Sammy (all awesome in their own right, but none that hold as special a place in my heart as Sammy~). So at least that's something to look forward to when this story falls flat on its face~ ;w;

Whelp, until next week, my beautiful readers~!