Angel vs. Demon

The next day, Marie was awakened by the sunlight shining through the cracks in the boards on the windows. She looked next to her and saw her sister was already up. She listened and could hear voices coming from one of the other rooms. She sat up and stretched than got up out of bed and headed to the room the voices where coming from. She found everyone sitting together eating.

"Hey, look who's the last one up." Said Rick with a teasing tone.

"My apologies, and good morning to you too." Said Marie.

"Actually it'd be good afternoon." Said Glenn.

"Afternoon? Why didn't someone wake me?" Asked Marie.

"Well Cassie told us you haven't sleep much in a while and Daryl said you were up late last night so figured we'd let you sleep in a little." Said Rick.

"Ah, I see. Well thank you for letting me sleep in, you didn't have to." Said Marie.

"Can we quit yapping and hurry up and head out before it gets too late?" Said Abraham, the red head from yesterday.

"We still have plenty of daylight left Abraham, we'll cover enough ground before it gets too dark." Said Rick, trying to keep things calm.

Marie noticed something being handed to her. She looked and saw Daryl was handing her plate full of food.

"Saved you some food." Said Daryl.

"Thanks." Said Marie, taking the plate from him, sitting down beside him, and beginning to eat. "So what's his deal anyway?" She asked, pointing over at Abraham.

"No one's really sure. Glenn met him while we were all separated, apparently one of his knows how to make a cure for all this. That's why we're heading to D.C." Said Daryl.

"Seems like a real ass to me. D. C. huh? If there is a cure for whatever this is, that'd be a miracle." Said Marie.

"Be one hell of a miracle." Said Daryl.

"Yeah, it would. If there really is a cure though, that'd be great. Wouldn't have to run all the time, could actually be able to just live our lives without looking over our shoulders at every little noise. 'Course for some, the world was already going to shit even before it actually did. Not much of a difference now." Said Marie, her gaze turning down to her plate but not really looking at it.

Daryl looked over at her, knowing what she was meaning. She wasn't just talking about him.

"Hey." Said Daryl, waiting until she was looking at him before continuing. "Not many people would be able to understand the things we were put through. As you kept telling me, we can't let the bad things hold us down or have an effect on who we are."

Marie couldn't help but smile.

"Out of all the times that I had to repeat that to you, now you heed my advice." She said.

Daryl shrugged his shoulders a little bit.

"Sometimes I guess it takes more than just one amazing person to help someone like me realize that she was right all along." He said.

"I suppose it does, but if that first amazing person was right all along than you should have listened to her from the start." Said Marie, giving Daryl a slight nudge.

"You're right, I should've. There's been quite a few times I wish I had. And there were times she would cross my mind when I could've used more of her advice." Said Daryl.

"Well she's right here next to you now, I'm sure she wouldn't mind giving more advice, especially if she's giving it to her best friend." Said Marie.

"Sure hope she wouldn't, never know when it could be needed." Said Daryl.

Marie couldn't help but simply smile. She loved that she could be here to help Daryl feel more comfortable, could joke with him a little again like they used to, and that she was able to be here if he ever needed her. 

"Well, if we're going to D. C. you'll finally get a vacation, since we both know you've never been out of Georgia." She said with a smile.

"Alright everyone, we shouldn't waste anymore daylight. Let's get going." Said Rick.

Daryl stood up than held out a hand to help Marie up. Marie took his hand and he pulled her gently to her feet.

"Such a gentleman." Said Marie with a smile.

Daryl gave Marie a soft glare with a small smile that only she could see.

Everyone gathered their stuff. Marie spotted her sister not too far from her pulling her pack on her shoulders. Marie pulled her own pack over her shoulders, grabbed her rifle than walked over to her sister.

"Hey, how you doing?" She asked.

"Good I guess, just adjusting to being part of a group now after it's been just us for so long." Said Cassie.

"I know, but it's gonna be a good thing to be in a group now for a change, especially since one of them is an all too familiar face we know we can trust." Said Marie.

"I know, it's still hard to really trust these other people when they're complete strangers." Said Cassie.

"I know, it'll take time for everyone to get to know one another but I think we can really trust these people and this is a group we can stay with." Said Marie.

"Well that's good to hear." Said Rick as he walked over.

Marie and Cassie were startled a bit, they hadn't known he was listening or that he was even close by.

"Sorry, couldn't help but overhear a little. I do want you guys to stay with us and be able to trust us. We've run across quite a few people we thought we could trust, but we soon found we really couldn't. It'd be nice to know we found two more that we could, especially since Daryl trusts you, and Daryl has become a brother to me so I really value his opinion." Said Rick.

"Yeah, Daryl told me you guys have gotten pretty close. I'm happy he found someone he could come to trust and be close to the way you guys have become. For the longest time he didn't have any friends other than us. He's always found it hard to trust people. Glad he found someone like you to call brother." Said Marie.

"Thanks. You know, he's talked to me about you once but in private. He's told me a lot about you. You two seem like you've always been really close, closer than he ever will be to any one of us. Seems you went through quite a bit together. That's a bond no one can ever take from you. He cares about you a lot, way more than you think and I'm sure way more than he ever knows himself. I don't want to see him lose you ever, it'd devastate him. He needs you, always will." Said Rick.

Marie wasn't sure what to say to that. She knew that she and Daryl has a really close relationship, but from the way Rick was talking they were closer than either one of them even knew. She wasn't exactly what he was meaning, but she was sure she'd fine out eventually.

Rick smiled at her than walked away to rejoin his son who was also holding his daughter and standing with Michonne.

"Alright everyone, let's get moving. Gotta use as much daylight as we can." Said Rick than he led the way out.

Everyone began following him out. Marie and Cassie walked together, joining up and walking with Daryl.