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Juliana survived the first three weeks of the apocalypse alone in a department store where she worked in Atlanta. She lived off of the water cooler and snacks in the employee break room and the Godiva candy bars lining the register lines. When the food ran out she tried to come up with a plan to leave. For two days she scoped out the surrounding streets from the roof with binoculars, looking for the dead, the living, and any possible sources of food. There was an office building next door. There had to at least be another water cooler in there.
She took a baseball bat and quietly opened the side door that once had a fire alarm, until the power grid permanently went down. The alleyway was empty. She crept outside, leaving a makeshift door stop so she could get back in, and began tiptoeing up the path. A noise from the street distracted her from noticing the walker on the side of a dumpster. She felt the decaying hand brush her ankle and instinctively shrieked. "Stupid!" she cursed in her head. Her noise drew other walkers from an open doorway, and she had no choice but to turn and run back. Suddenly the alley was full, and her doorway back into the store was blocked. She held up the bat and steadied herself, internally yelling, "Not today, Satans!" Her first swing was a direct hit, then she panicked and started flinging it in every direction, uncontrollably grunting and crying out as fear and rotten flesh took hold of her. She started crying when an arrow pierced the head of the corpse that had opened wide for a bite to her arm. The next was dispatched by a bullet, then more arrows. Juliana stood in a hyperventilating daze with a pile of the dead at her feet. She looked up to see a short haired, scruffy man with a crossbow approaching her.
"Ya alright? You bit?" He drawled as he lowered the weapon.
"No," Juliana exhaled as she stepped over a body, strode over to the blue-eyed stranger, pulled his face to hers, and pressed their lips together. It was chapped, brief, and harshly interrupted when he pushed her off. But it was heavenly for Juliana, and she hoped it was a nice reward for him too.
"The fuck you doin?" He snarled and wiped his mouth.
"Thanking you," Juliana answered, disappointed at his response, "for saving me."
"Pfft," the stranger scoffed as a few more people, three men and a woman, ran into the alley calling out, "Daryl?"
"Whoa, whoa, she bitten?" The young Asian guy asked.
The blond woman stepped forward and calmly asked Juliana, "Are you ok?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm… no bites, I swear," Juliana said.
"What's yer name?" The man in the sheriff's uniform asked.
"Juliana."
"I'm Rick Grimes, this is Daryl, Glenn, Andrea, and T-Dog." Everybody nodded. "Where'd you come from, Juliana?"
"I've been living in the store. Ran out of food and water two days ago. Needed to find something, or someone."
Daryl pretended nothing happened moments before and asked her, "You see a guy, older than me, just cut his own arm off?"
Juliana blanched at the thought. "Jesus, no." Everybody looked disappointed. "Sorry," Juliana said. "You're the first living people I've seen since the smoke cleared after the bombing."
"Fine," Daryl muttered and continued checking the alleyway.
"Where are you all from?" Juliana asked.
"We got a camp at a quarry about 45 mins from here," Rick explained. "You're welcome to come back with us."
Juliana burst into tears in relief. Andrea hugged her as they walked to an RV and welcomed her in. Daryl was the last in the RV and slumped down in a corner on the floor. Juliana wiped her face and looked over at him from her seat at the table.
"Sorry," she whispered, humiliated.
"Whatever," he mumbled as he kept looking outside.
Upon arriving at the camp Juliana immediately learned all the secrets and gossip of the new group. They were all good people but most of them had issues. It wasn't her business. She did her part and kept her head down.
She tried talking to Daryl again without better results. Although he was cold and rude to everyone, he seemed worse with Juliana. Everyone told her to ignore it, not take it personally. But everytime she looked at him she remembered that kiss, and wondered what it would've felt like if he had kissed her back.
She shared her backstory with the group. She left home to work as a model after winning local beauty pageants in her small town. But Atlanta wasn't a small town; she was a little fish in a big pond. The modeling agent who had scouted her told her to lose 10lbs from her already small frame, so she did. It was suggested that she get her hair professionally dyed darker, so she did. In the meantime she started working at the make-up counter of the high-end department store. She was surrounded by glossy posters of models who had the right look, the right agent, who were in the right place at the right time, or, as Juliana learned the hard way, crossed a line that she refused to.
The women in the group wanted to hear all the glamorous stories of the modeling world.
"It's really not that glamorous," Juliana said sadly. "It's… hard. And disheartening, really. You grow up with everybody always telling you, 'you're so beautiful,' then you get to an audition and, like, 50 other girls who are way taller or prettier are there, and the booking agent looks at you once and says, 'Next.' And you do that everyday for months and never book anything.
"Then you meet a photographer who says he believes in you," Juliana continued. "He says he can take the right pictures and show the right people, but only if you sleep with him. And I just… can't do that."
"Pfft," Daryl said from nearby. "You seem like a girl who's real 'thankful.'"
"Daryl!" Lori hissed. He stormed off towards the woods and Juliana got up to follow him, despite the protests of the others.
"Hey!" Juliana called after him. Daryl kept walking until Juliana grabbed his arm. He flinched at the touch - as he did at anyone's touch - and turned towards her angrily.
"Whaddya want from me, girl?" He yelled.
"Why do you hate me so much?" Juliana asked.
Daryl paused and saw his own reflection in her brown eyes. That was what he really hated. That the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen had dared to get close, to touch, to kiss him, and it only made him feel uglier, older, more scarred and ruined than life had already made him. But it also drove him wild, and filled him with a yearning he'd never felt before.
"Stay away from me, beauty queen," he dismissively before running deep into the woods.
Juliana went back to camp and hid in her tent all night. Even as one of the last women on earth, she was still being rejected. But this wasn't just for a picture or a ribbon cutting. It was the first person in her life she'd ever felt a connection with, even if she had just met him. This time cut the deepest and hurt the most.
At the same time Daryl was high up on a tree branch hearing voices. He heard his father calling him an ugly little bastard. He heard his high school crush saying, "Daryl Dixon is so gross I wanna gag!" He heard his brother saying, "Ain't nobody even gonna love you except me, little brother."
The memory of the auburn-haired angel taking his hand without hesitation, looking at him gratefully, kissing him like she meant it, and genuinely thanking him, like he was a human being worth her time, was the most heartbreaking. It had to have been a lie, a trick, a cruel joke. He just didn't know why, or how to stop thinking about it.
They kept their distance from each other. Over the next month neither had much time to care anyway. The quarry was overrun and they abandoned it for the CDC. They ran for their lives, lost a little girl, and found a farm. Lori was pregnant, Dale was dead, and Shane and Rick were fighting for control. Daryl and Juliana stayed out of all the drama. After Daryl was shot by Andrea, Juliana had to fight every instinct to go see him. She had to accept that he didn't want her.
As Daryl rested and healed in his tent, he had too much time on his hands, and Juliana kept filling his thoughts. He read crappy paperback mysteries during the day, but she invaded his dreams at night. It almost felt real. He saw her naked body quietly slip into his tent. He heard her sweet moans as she straddled him. He felt her heated, wet core grind against his cock before pulling it inside of her. He woke up to find himself alone with wet boxers.
The search for Sophia had changed him. Being with the group had mellowed him. His feelings for Juliana subdued him. He stopped scowling at her as their paths crossed. She noticed the change in his demeanor and while it made it easier to be near him, she didn't get her hopes up. There was still silence.
One day they met up in the woods but didn't run away from each other. He nodded shyly, and she gave a half-smile in return.
"Whatcha doin out here alone?" He asked politely.
"I'm getting sticks for kindling. And, um, to make arrows too," she admitted.
She wasn't sure why she'd said it. She kept her head down, waiting for him to unload on her, call her stupid or tell her not to bother. He shocked her more than ever when he simply said, "Rick tell ya I'm running low?"
"Yeah," she said, relieved at his geniality. "I was just gonna leave them by your tent after I taught Carl how to wittle."
"You know how?" He asked, surprised but genuinely interested.
"My dad was an archer," she said.
"No shit," he smiled slightly. An actual smile. Julian's knees grew weak. "You shoot too?"
She shook her head and laughed weekly. "God no, I'm a terrible shot! Dad tried and tried to teach me but after a while he said it was best for humanity if I didn't."
"A'right then. Already been shot once this week, if ya don't mind," Daryl teased.
Juliana laughed deeper. "How are you feeling anyway?"
"Better. Good enough to rustle up some squirrels or sumthing."
"Ok, well I'll leave you to it," Juliana said.
"You don't gotta go," Daryl offered sheepishly. "You can stick by me, if ya stay quiet."
They finally looked into each other's eyes. Daryl mustered all his strength and stayed still, but Juliana instantly melted.
"You don't hate me?" She said quietly as a tear slid down her cheek.
"Never hated ya," he said as he shuffled nervously. "Just didn't make sense."
"What didn't?" She asked.
"You, kissing me, like… " Daryl tried to find the words. "Look at ya. Damn model throwing yourself at an old redneck. Come on, now."
Juliana dropped the bag of sticks she had collected.
"None of that mattered to me," she said desperately. "You saved me, and your eyes were so, so blue, and I'd been all alone for so long- -"
"So you were just lonely and I was just the first man you saw and- -"
"I loved you!" Juliana blurted out. "You're right - it doesn't make sense! I had just met you, I barely know you, but it was NOT because of any reason you think. It was just… you! And even now," she continued, crying and rambling, "I'm in love with you, even though you've treated me like shit, even though you don't want me, even though nobody has ever wanted ME, no matter how good I looked. It never fucking mattered!" Daryl's eyes widened as Juliana suddenly pulled her t-shirt off and threw it on the ground angrily. "It's always been, 'Oh, Juliana's so pretty, oh Juliana won another trophy, oh Juliana's gonna be famous,' and it was all bullshit and- -"
She stopped when Daryl crashed into her and pushed her up against the closest tree. His heavy breaths puffed out of his nostrils like a bull in the ring as he looked into her eyes, then planted his open mouth on hers. One hand held the back of her head and the other lifted her leg up to his hip. They both moaned into the hungriest, deepest kiss either had ever experienced and started rocking their hips together.
Daryl stopped mid-kiss, gasping for air, and said, "Fuckin need ya, girl."
"Take me right now, Daryl!" Juliana said through gritted teeth.
They both pushed their pants off enough to make it work. Daryl lifted her legs and Juliana wrapped them around his waist and reached down. She held the head of his cock between her two fingers and brought it to her entrance.
Daryl grunted as he pushed into her as slowly as he could manage, but the sensation was killing him. His need was so great and her body was so tight and welcoming. As soon as he made it all the way in and heard her sigh happily he started rapidly thrusting into her. Juliana threw her head back and cried out in pleasure, but Daryl covered her mouth to stifle her noises.
"Gotta stay quiet now," he reminded her without slowing his hips. She nodded and shook his hand away, then crashed their lips together again. Their desperately swirling tongues made vocal noises nearly impossible and satisfied their need to be as connected as possible. But Daryl's pelvis was rubbing against her clit with each forward movement and Juliana knew she wouldn't last much longer. She broke the kiss and whimpered, "Daryl, I'm gonna…"
He pulled her head down and smothered her face in the crook of his neck. She bit down on him as she splintered and howled against his sweaty skin. The feel of her saturated canal squeezing his shaft like a vice caused him to buck hard one last time, then blast into her. Feeling Daryl's hot stream shoot into her prolonged Juliana's high. Their bodies were locked together as their minds lingered in their shared period of bliss. Neither had ever felt so at peace at any point, in any world, in any life.
A scratching noise in the trees disrupted the moment, and both scrambled for their clothes and belongings. Once they were both zipped up and Daryl slung his crossbow over his shoulder, he took her hand and they ran back to his tent.
Once they collapsed inside, both started laughing and laid side by side. Daryl didn't know if he'd ever laughed so happily before. They both relaxed and Daryl reached for her and pulled her close.
"Did ya mean it? Ya really love me?" He asked, suddenly serious and so vulnerable.
"I really do," Juliana vowed.
Daryl swallowed hard and blinked back tears. "I love ya back, Juliana. I don't know why either. And you are so fuckin beautiful. Don't care that them big city people couldn’t see it. You stopped me cold in that alley. Like a damn dream, but reality ain't ever been pretty for me. I just couldn't believe in it until now."
Juliana gently held his face and planted soft kisses all over it. "It's real, Daryl. I'm real. Just trust me. Just be with me."
"Last time I saw ya in here, in my tent - was that just a dream?" He smirked and winked.
"Hmmm, what was I doing?" Juliana asked and shimmied against his crotch.
"You climbed on top of me naked. Made me come in my shorts like a damn teenager again."
"Let's make it a reality, shall we?" Juliana said with raised eyebrows. Daryl rolled flat on his back on the cot and watched Juliana kneel down beside him. This time she slowly peeled off her shirt, and he noticed the lacy details on her pink bra. She couldn't stop smiling as she undid her jeans and pushed them off again, along with her soaked panties. She undid her bra last and let it drop straight down. Daryl sighed at the sight of Juliana in all her bare glory.
He lived out his dream as she threw her leg over him and settled her damp core against him.
"Is this as good as your dream?" Juliana cooed and lifted her hair up, her breasts swooping higher along with her arms.
Daryl reached up to cup both and said, "No. This is way better."
"Shouldn't you be naked too?" She asked coyly.
She inched back onto his thighs as he unzipped, and she pulled his pants and boxers down together. His leaking cock popped up into the air and Juliana circled the head with the palm of her hand, making Daryl hiss.
"That looks as good as it felt," she declared naughtily.
"Then get back on it," Daryl dared her and squeezed her thighs. Juliana pressed his cock back against his belly and rubbed back and forth over it, teasing him.
"Fuck, girl!" He hissed.
"Not yet," Juliana teased. "Take this off first," she said as she pulled at his shirt.
Daryl paused, then said more seriously, "it ain't all nice to look at."
Juliana shook her head. "It doesn't matter what it looks like."
Daryl sat up and let her unbutton his flannel shirt. She pushed it open and saw the whip lines criss crossing his chest and stomach. She pressed their foreheads together and they breathed in sync.
"You can tell me," she reassured him.
"Someday," he said. "But right now, I need my new girl to ride me for real this time."
Juliana kissed him madly, then pushed him back and lifted her hips.
"You ready for this, Daryl?"
"Yes!" Juliana rubbed his tip against her clit and bit her lip as he twitched beneath her. "Come on, J! Need to feel your sweet pussy again so fucking bad!" He growled. Juliana lowered herself onto him all at once and they both cried out. She slowly bounced up and down, coating his length with each pass, until she adjusted.
"Ah, Daryl!" She moaned loudly as she started to grind down onto him and roll her hips.
"Oh yeah, you ride me so fucking hard, J," Daryl said through gritted teeth.
"I need it hard, Daryl," she whined, unable to go any faster.
"You want hard?" He asked as he started to pump his own hips. Juliana moaned in response. "How hard?" He asked.
"Fucking spank me, Daryl!" She yelled. The first smack against her ass cheek made her yelp. "Harder, baby!" The second smack made her squeal and lose control. The third caused her walls to contract so hard Daryl almost hissed in pain at how tight it was as Juliana screamed his name and fell apart. Daryl watched her body go limp and sat up to catch her, then rolled down on top of her. He kept the same rhythm and speed in search of his own release and watched her beautiful face contort in pleasure. She opened her eyes as he closed his when his own orgasm popped. He couldn't stop thrusting, even after he'd emptied into her body, still ramming forward as much as he could to prolong the moment. He never wanted to leave her body. He never wanted to let her go.
Once he relaxed and opened his eyes he found her smiling at him. He leaned down and to kiss her, then began stroking her cheek. He studied her, admired her, memorized her. The look in his eyes overwhelmed Juliana and a tear escaped her eye.
Daryl's immediate concern had him ask, "God, did I hurt ya? Was it too much?"
She laughed and shook her head. "No, baby. It's just that no one's ever looked at me the way you do. Everyone always told me I was beautiful but no one ever made me feel beautiful the way you do. I think because… you make me feel loved."
He smiled and exhaled. "Yer the first person to ever see my scars. Ever." He swallowed hard and continued. "This is the first time in my life I don't feel like an ugly old hick. Maybe it's only cuz ya love me too. Don't know. Don't care. Just wanna spend however many days I got left making you feel it too."
He wiped the last of Juliana's tears and kissed her again.
From that day on, no matter how dirty, thin, or worn-down their bodies were, Daryl and Juliana's love for each other only grew stronger and they only became more beautiful to one another.