Julia Nolan

      Six years had passed since Rick’s supposed death. No one really knew what happened as there was never confirmation of his body. Almost everyone split off and did their own thing, Daryl had gone on his own. Half of the group was at Hilltop, the other at Alexandria while Carol was at the Kingdom. Julia had stayed back at Alexandria, helping out Michonne with the kids until she had gotten a bit better. She and the others made most of the decisions now. Yet she finally joined Daryl, needing her own time to grieve the friend she had lost, which the only place she knew was safe too was with her lover by her side.

      The two came back to the fold soon enough. Staying at Hilltop with him for the time being, glancing over at she saw him coming back from talking to Jesus. “How was catching up with him?” Julia asked as Daryl got close enough to hear him, reaching a hand up, hiding a yawn as she had grown exhausted from the day, considering it took a while to get here. Her eyes feeling heavy. 

He grumbled softly in reply. They sure would. Ready or not, the reunion was inevitable. He just hoped it didn’t hurt as much as he expected once he saw the place. It was hard enough when he’d left and he’d nearly decided not to return at all. Julia had been the saving grace for that. He knew he could handle anything with her alongside him.

A smirk tugged minutely at the corner of his mouth with her kiss, but was quickly abandoned with the realization there were others around. While Daryl cared deeply for Julia, his love for her unfading with their absences, he still wasn’t used to the pda. No matter how small.

He shook his head in agreement slightly and gently cleared his throat of his awkwardness. “Yeah, I know,” he told her. “Me too,” he added letting his smirk free a bit. “We better rest up before tamorrow. They have a room for us at tha main house,” he continued, motioning behind him toward the building. “Guess they knew we still come as a pair huh?” he joked lightly.

Rolling her eyes, she couldn’t help but smile to herself as Daryl grumbled in reply to her question. Julia had grown used to his grumbles and mutters as replies, considering she has lived with him for years at this point. The time that they spent alone together, it helped bring them closer than before.

Shaking her head, she reached for his hand, pulling it in-between their bodies to make him a bit more comfortable. “It’s just you and me…” Her voice just above a whisper as she looked at the man in front of her.

“Well, I would damn hope they know. We come as a package.” Letting go of his hand before heading into the main house with him, going to the room that was set up for them. Stepping in, a sigh left her parted lips. Heading up to the bed that was already set up with some pillows and a quilt. It was taking everything in her to not collapse on the bed at that moment, but her thoughts took over, turning to look at Daryl. “I love you.”

      Six years had passed since Rick’s supposed death. No one really knew what happened as there was never confirmation of his body. Almost everyone split off and did their own thing, Daryl had gone on his own. Half of the group was at Hilltop, the other at Alexandria while Carol was at the Kingdom. Julia had stayed back at Alexandria, helping out Michonne with the kids until she had gotten a bit better. She and the others made most of the decisions now. Yet she finally joined Daryl, needing her own time to grieve the friend she had lost, which the only place she knew was safe too was with her lover by her side.

      The two came back to the fold soon enough. Staying at Hilltop with him for the time being, glancing over at she saw him coming back from talking to Jesus. “How was catching up with him?” Julia asked as Daryl got close enough to hear him, reaching a hand up, hiding a yawn as she had grown exhausted from the day, considering it took a while to get here. Her eyes feeling heavy. 

“I dunno,” he said with a shrug, momentarily avoiding her gaze. “But Judith’d want ta see us,” he used as an excuse to justify the trip.

Even though he wasn’t fully ready to go back and see everyone who was left - an even sadder thought than the sight of their communities’ destruction - he was ready to help out however.  And if anyone needed him it was Lil’ Asskicker. He missed the kid and hoped it hadn’t rubbed her the wrong way too deeply when he disappeared.

“Nah. There ain’t enough people left ta need it,” he assured her with a shake of his head and a half smirk. “Even if they did we’d just get another one. Alexandria’s got plenty ta go around,” he added with a semi-forced smirk, doing his best to stay positive - constant advice from the others given his usual surliness. “Ain’t no way ta find out unless we go though. Are you up for it?”

‘Are you up for it?’ Daryl’s question floated around her mind for a few moments, Rick was someone she had confided in, and then she left when some people needed others to lean on, but Daryl also needed someone at the time.

There was no way to tell that she was up for it until they went there, which that was the truth. “I mean, we’ll see. Won’t we?” Julia moved closer to the man, leaning up, she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. “We have each other.” It was the truth, they have been relying on each other more and more lately, at least that’s what it seemed. It was apparent to the people who knew them well.

“You know, I love…” It was then when she trailed off, it had been a long time since she had said those words to him, since before Rick had disappeared. “You know, I appreciate you. Right?”

      Six years had passed since Rick’s supposed death. No one really knew what happened as there was never confirmation of his body. Almost everyone split off and did their own thing, Daryl had gone on his own. Half of the group was at Hilltop, the other at Alexandria while Carol was at the Kingdom. Julia had stayed back at Alexandria, helping out Michonne with the kids until she had gotten a bit better. She and the others made most of the decisions now. Yet she finally joined Daryl, needing her own time to grieve the friend she had lost, which the only place she knew was safe too was with her lover by her side.

      The two came back to the fold soon enough. Staying at Hilltop with him for the time being, glancing over at she saw him coming back from talking to Jesus. “How was catching up with him?” Julia asked as Daryl got close enough to hear him, reaching a hand up, hiding a yawn as she had grown exhausted from the day, considering it took a while to get here. Her eyes feeling heavy. 

Daryl would never get over the loss of his best friend, his brother, and it had seemed like an eternity before he was ready to rejoin their people. But there came a time when he knew they were needed and he knew Rick would have encouraged him to stop isolating- very much like he did after Beth and subsequently when they thought they’d lost Carol.  He had never had been good with loss and the grief that followed - his emotional infancy only worse in the apocalypse. But it helped having her by his side. 

“Fine,” he said vaguely with a small shrug. “Things are movin’ slow, but they’re movin’,” he answered glancing around the compound. “Lot'a our people scattered to tha wind like us. Most ended up at Alexandria though,” he continued bringing his attention back to her. “Maybe we should think ‘bout headin’ over there." 

He knew their journey had already been a long one, but tensions were still high in Hilltop - Maggie having taken off with Hershel Jr and leaving Jesus to pick up the mess left behind. Something he hadn’t even wanted, even if the entire community had made their opinion known by making him their new leader.

Everything happened for a reason, that was what she believed a long time ago, except now things were different. Hell, six years had passed, which meant that many things have changed. People left while others stayed. It all got out of hands at times, but it helped when some people ended up checking in, especially Carol who had stopped by frequently, knowing just how much it meant to the man that stood before her. She was basically his best friend, for crying out loud, and whenever she stopped by, it caused her to see that smile that she knew and loved so much.

It was when Daryl had suggested heading back to Alexandria, causing Julia to look at him, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Are you sure that you’re ready for that?” The reason that he left was to find his best friends body, yet she knew that wasn’t the only reason as she wasn’t just asking for him but for herself as well.

Though it was just the fear that she had of returning, she knew that they had too…whether that be sooner or later. “Think they gave our house to someone else?” She joked around as a way to make herself relax. “We’ve been gone so long that I wouldn’t be surprised if they did.” Granted Alexandria was their home, it wasn’t directly as her home stood right in front of her. Wherever he’d go, she’d follow eventually.