Chapter 46

It had been a week since we left, Scout was enjoying himself here, he wasn't asking when we were going home. Of course I wondered myself when I'd be going home, I was ready but I also felt apprehensive. On this day I was strolling the garden with Scout, that looked alot better than when we arrived. All the crops were standing up straight, they looked healthier, I was happy to see it thriving. Scout had been playing hard all morning, and I could tell he was getting tired.

"You wanna go lay down for a little while?" I asked.

"No." He rubbed his eyes.

"Well I wanna go relax and read a book, come on." I led Scout back to our room, the two of us getting comfortable on the couch. I read my book aloud to him, until I heard him softly snoring.

I continued reading quietly until there was a knock at the door, if it was Negan I was going to punch him. I opened the door and almost shut it just as quickly, he stopped the door with his foot.

"Hazel, I just wanna talk." Daryl said softly. I continued looking at the floor allowing him to come inside.

"He just fell asleep, let's go talk in the room." I gestured him toward the bedroom. Once I shut the door I looked at Daryl, he looked broken, he didn't look like the sun the way Scout explained, he looked like the moon now.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been talking to you." Daryl said softly.

"No, no, it is not your fault. I've been doing a lot of thinking. I realized it was my fault. You weren't ready to move on yet, I didn't give you a choice." I explained. "You were angry that I was willing to move on so quickly, you wanted to stay in that moment for a little longer and I didn't let you."

"I didn't think of it that way. I was angry with you." Daryl confessed. "But I don't wanna be angry with you."

"But you have the right to be angry with me. You weren't ready." I said simply.

"No, no but you have the right to be mad at me, I wasn't there when it started. You went through most of it alone." Daryl was blaming himself.

"So we're gonna argue over who should be angry at who now?" I laughed a little. Daryl looked at me with a smirk and tears in his eyes.

"I haven't heard that in a while. I missed it." I wiped the tear that fell from his eye.

"I have to show you what Scout drew, he explained it to me too." I grabbed Scout's drawing off my nightstand, and handed it to Daryl.

"The sun and the moon?" Daryl questioned.

"Yeah, but the sun is you, and I'm the moon, the stars are Scout and Huck." I explained simply.

"I'm happy and your sad." Daryl observed.

"Scout said you were up with the sun and I was up with the moon, and when we argued it was dark and scary." I explained looking him in the eye. "He said when we talked loud it scared him."

"We scared Scout?" I could see the guilt on Daryl's face.

"He's a tough kid, and he understands, he's going to be okay. Before he drew this he told me I wasn't the moon anymore." I explained. "Seeing you in front of me, you're the moon now."

"I can tell you're happy." Daryl looked back at the drawing. "Without me."

"Daryl, no." I grabbed his arm. "We need each other, I'm not leaving you, and I'm not letting you go."

"Are you sayin' you're ready to come home?" Daryl looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"I think I am, I'm ready to go back home." I spoke softly.

"Really?" Daryl flashed his pointed tooth at me.

"Really, I'm ready for you to take us home." I smiled. Daryl embraced me so tight like his life depended on it. I heard him sniffling into my shoulder as he continued to hold me.

———

Scout was ecstatic to see Daryl, he missed him a lot. He jumped on him hugging him tightly, Daryl covered him in kisses. Of course it was followed by the question if we were going home, and we told him yes. He jumped up and down the bed excited to be going home. Daryl had managed to come on his own in a carriage, taking Carl and Eugene's place. I don't know how he convinced them to stay behind while he came and got us. The trip home felt longer then the trip up, we had to stay the night at the Hilltop, which was okay, I enjoyed the stay.

We moved on first thing in the morning, getting home at nearly dark. It was time away that I really needed, I wanted to assume Daryl benefited from my time away. He definitely didn't look like he enjoyed it, because I'm sure he thought I was leaving forever. Scout was fast asleep, Daryl carried him inside and placed him in his bed, he tucked him in and placed a kiss on his head. I was in the bedroom unpacking, Daryl sitting on the bed next to me.

"I feel like I keep missing out on his life." Tears filled Daryl's eyes.

"Don't do that." I shook my head. "He asked about you everyday, also I may have told him you had a surprise waiting for him when we got home."

"What?" Daryl looked at me confused.

"I didn't want him to feel sad that you weren't coming." I shrugged.

"I don't know what I'll surprise him with." Daryl looked at his hands.

"I do. We'll make him a fort." I smiled.

"A fort?" Daryl looked at me confused.

"I made a blanket fort and he loved it. We make him a more permanent fort where he can go to be alone. He'll love it."

"He's expecting it in the morning." Daryl was doubting.

"You built a motorcycle in one night you can build a fort in one night, of course with my help." I winked at him.

We made our way to the shed in the backyard that I had built. We had a tree stump in our back yard that was about three feet high, it was about two feet wide. We started by building a platform on top of the stump, putting stilts on each corner to make sure it was sturdy. The floor was five foot by five foot so he could use it for a while, the roof five foot tall. There were shutters for the windows, a door with a latch, we even put in a trap door. We made a small rope ladder so Scout could climb into the fort easier. I painted a sign for Scout's fort saying 'Scout's Lookout', I was excited for him to see it.

By the time we were done the sky was changing color, and the sun was about to come up. I pulled a blanket from the shed and laid it out on the grass, laying down on it, patting the blanket next to me. Daryl laid down next to me, the both of us sighing heavily.

"We can have a new normal." I looked at the sky. "I'm gonna fight for us." I reassured him.

"Me too." Daryl spoke softly.

"From now on when we argued we have to do it where Scout can't hear us." I ordered.

"We can argue in the shed." Daryl said bluntly.

"The shed is the designated arguing room." I smirked.

"Just know, I'll always love you." Daryl spoke softly as he fiddled with his fingers.

"I'll always love you." I looked at him. I reached over turning his face to mine. I kissed him long, gentle, and loving, Daryl wrapping his arms around me.

"So, would you wanna, ya know?" He winked and gave me a slight smile.

"Um, let's just take it slow for now." I said biting my lip nervously.

"I know I'll wait, but I mean not even high school stuff?" He said innocently.

"What did you do in high school?" I said jokingly, as I laughed a little.

"Eh, you know, even though people hated me, girls liked the bad boys." He shrugged.

"Woooow." I said with laughter.

"Why, what did you do in high school?" Daryl asked.

"I focused on school, studies, played sports, and smoked pot in my spare time." I smiled.

"Really?" Daryl looked at me shocked.

"What, don't act like you didn't." I shoved him playfully.

"Looks like you were a bad girl too." Daryl said seductively as he leaned in to kiss me again.

"What kind of high school stuff?" I asked, leaning back.

"Not full on sex, just some kissing, maybe second and third base stuff, you know all hand stuff, no home run." Daryl said slyly.

"Momma?" Scout called from the back door.

"Right here." I called back to him, sitting up to look at him.

"Is that my surprise?" Scout ran toward the fort.

"It sure is." Daryl smiled.

"It's mine?" Scout asked looking at the fort in awe.

"It even has your name on it." Daryl pointed to the sign above the door.

"Can I go inside?" Scout asked excited.

"Go for it, climb up the ladder." Daryl said proudly.

Scout easily went up the ladder sitting on the little front porch, and pushed the door open. He ooed and awed inside, opening up the shutters on the windows then shutting them again happily.

"You can put anything you want in there, it's your little hang out." I said to him.

"I'm gonna get my sleeping bag, and my binoculars, toys, books..." Scout listed off all the things he wanted to put in his fort, it was practically his whole room.

We spent the day helping Scout set up his fort, with extra things around the house, so he wouldn't empty out his room. He set up a little bed with his sleeping bag and a pillow, he hung a pack on the back of the door that contained snacks. He hung his binoculars next to one of the windows, we made an extra slingshot to leave in his fort. I did put a lantern in the fort, hanging it from the ceiling. I installed some shelves for books he wanted to keep in his fort, he filled a jar with small rocks and pebbles for his slingshot. He was in love with his fort, in fact he was already planning on spending the night in it, he already ate his lunch in it.

"Can I show Judith my fort?" Scout asked once he felt it was adequate enough in it's set up.

"Sure, go get her." I sent him on his way.

He ran off, Daryl and I sitting down on the blanket in the grass again.

"I'm so tired." I sighed.

"Just a little longer until bedtime." Daryl yawned.

Scout and Judith came running into the backyard Rick, Michonne, and Carl not far behind. Scout and Judith climbed into the fort, hanging out of the windows climbing in and out of the trapdoor, having the time of their lives. Nice to know a kid Judith's age liked the fort.

"This is impressive." Rick complimented. I knew Rick knew our situation, there was no way Daryl didn't tell him.

"Hazel's idea." Daryl mentioned.

"But as far as Scout knows it's a surprise from Daryl." I added.

Carl walked over to the Fort opening the windows and scaring the kids, they started playing a game with him. He would hide, and they would keep an eye out for him until he would jump out and scare them.

"You guys worked things out?" Rick asked carefully.

"I think so." I said, Daryl agreeing.

"You look tired." Michonne looked at us both.

"Haven't slept in over 24 hours, but we're fine." I laughed a little.

"Well go sleep." Michonne ordered.

"You know we'll keep an eye on Scout." Rick confirmed.

"Well just so you know he's wanting to sleep in the fort tonight." I mentioned. "Just in case we haven't woken up by then."

"Won't be a problem, we'll figure it out. Go get some rest." Rick patted Daryl's shoulder, then mine.

We went inside, heading to our bedroom, I yanked off my boots and clothes and fell on the bed. Daryl stripped out of his boots and clothes and climbed in next to me. We looked at each other, longing in each other's eyes. We began kissing each other slowly, longing in every kiss. I gave in, it's not that I didn't want to, and Daryl really wasn't pressing me, or forcing me to do something I didn't want. I did desire to feel him against me again I was just scared that I would get pregnant again, and lose the baby like last time, I couldn't go through that again.

The love making this time was purely hand stuff like he mentioned, Daryl had his hand between my thighs rubbing me just right, and I had his length in my hand, moving my hand up and down like he liked. He would play with my nipples, sucking them into his mouth, pinching them in his fingers. Our time was heated, we left marks on each other like at the beginning of our relationship, gasping and moaning for hours, coaxing multiple orgasms out of me, before Daryl couldn't hold his back anymore.

We were laying in bed, after cleaning ourselves up, both satisfied, and ready to sleep. Bedtime, I'll admit was my favorite and least favorite time of day, because I loved sleep, but what waited for me there is what I didn't like. Sleeping next to Daryl was comforting, it did help me get to sleep faster, and keep me dreamlessly sleeping longer than usual, but the nightmares did come and he was there to comfort me like he said. The best part was that it was already morning, and it was time to get a move on.