Adult-FanFiction.org : Television / Streaming

Forever Rising Phoenix	By : ImagineLayla131 Category: S through Z > The Walking Dead Views: 7147 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NOR HAVE ANY AFFILIATIONS WITH THE WALKING DEAD FRANCHISE. ALL PROPERTIES OWNED BY FRANK DARABONT, AMC, ROBERT KIRKMAN AND TONY MOORE. NO MONEY/PROFIT IS BEING MADE OFF OF THIS FANFICTION!

Chapter List
- 64
- 65
- 66
Hi everybody! Today is my birthday! I'd also like to give a birthday shoutout to Prettyprincess45, whose birthday was yesterday! Happy Birthday, girl! :)
This is it! Delilah is making her choice! Or is she...?
Chapter Sixty Five: Dias De Los Muertos, Part One
When the ringing stopped, indicating that the other line had been picked up, she felt her heart drop into her stomach over the voice that answered.
"Hello?"
"Mom?"
Delilah's eyes watered as she heard Rachelle gasping on the other line. "Delilah?! Is that you?!"
She nodded, even though her mom couldn't see her. Delilah absolutely knew that she was speaking to her mother, but she had to be one hundred percent sure. "Before I answer that, answer me this: Who is the actor that played Alan in The Hangover?" Before she left for Europe, Delilah and her mother came up with a security question in case anything were to happen where they would need to correctly identify the other.
"Zach Galifianakis is the correct way to pronounce it, but you always say-"
"Zach Gali-fin-aakis! Mom, it's you!" Delilah laughed as tears stream down her cheeks, her heart racing to be finally talking to her mother.
"Oh, my god! Delilah! Where have you been?! I have been calling almost every day for a year and you never answered, neither did Billy, Christine, or Jennifer! I was worried sick that you were all dead." Rachelle started crying on the other end of the phone, and Delilah felt awful for turning her phone off for so long.
"I know, I'm sorry. Billy's phone wasn't working properly, I think it was the reception in Texas. We're all in Georgia now and everybody is fine." She knew she shouldn't have lied to her mother that everything was fine, that she should tell her about what Billy and Christine did, the twins, and how Jennifer died, but Delilah just didn't have the heart to tell her at this moment.
"That's so good. What happened to Steverson Ranch?"
"Mamie and Papie's house was destroyed by a hail storm, so we came to Atlanta to see if the Center for Disease Control had some kind of cure. Unfortunately, by then it was gone from an explosion."
Rachelle gasped. "What? The CDC is gone? Oh, no, that's terrible! Where are you staying?"
"I know, it is. We're at the abandoned Jelly Belly factory, with all our supplies and a couple of other groups. Everybody is safe and healthy. What about you? Are you still in Rome with Aunt Nicole?"
"I'm so glad to hear that, I was worried sick about you kids." Rachelle heavily sighed, and Delilah knew that bad news was coming. "Nicole's gone, honey."
"What?" Delilah let silent tears fall over the news that her platonic aunt was dead.
"She was infected and the group that I'm with, we had to take her out. It was terrible, her skin was all gray and cracked, her eyes were lifeless, and she made this horrible gagging sound. I was devastated, but now that I've heard from you, I'm more hopeful. This call came at a perfect time. We've been trying to find a way to get back to America from Rome, and I think we have."
"Really?"
"Yes, we're leaving in two weeks via cruise liner. One of the men in my group got it to work, as well as fixing my satcoms. I was going to try contacting you again when we got to the mainland, most likely in New York, and I was going to go back to Houston to look for you."
"Wow! That's unbelievable. Would you be able to find a way to get to Atlanta?"
"Yes, Delilah. You don't even have to ask, you know I'll always come back for you, I'm sorry it took so long."
Delilah smiled, her heart filling with glee knowing the one person that truly loved her was coming back into her life. "No, I'm mostly to blame for that. Mom, when you get to Atlanta, there's some things we need to discuss. A lot has changed."
To Delilah's surprise, Rachelle didn't start panicking. "I know, and there's some things that have changed with me as well. Big changes, but they're happy changes overall. I can't wait to see you, my darling."
"Me, too, Mommy. Call me when you arrive in New York and before you get to Georgia. I'll find a way to meet you at the state border."
"I'll call you before we leave Rome. I love you so much, Delilah. Words can not express how overjoyed I am to know you're all alive and safe."
"Same here. I love you, too, Mommy, and I can't wait to see you. Bye."
"Ciao, sweetheart."
As Delilah hung up the phone, she heavily sighed. Recounting the events in the past year to Rachelle would not be easy at all. In fact, it would be rather heartbreaking, but it had to be done. At this point, it didn't matter, she was going to have her mother back. Wiping her tears, Delilah smiled and bounced off the bed to go tell Billy the good news.
LEISURE ZONE CAFETERIA, TWENTY MINUTES LATER
Delilah strolled into the Leisure Zone Cafeteria as everybody was cleaning up after breakfast. She was still a little nervous, but also much lighter after talking to her mom, and felt like the two talks she was about to have would be easier.
"Good morning, Elle!"
Delilah looked over to see Christine walking towards her and nodded her head at her older sister. "Christine. How are you doing today?"
"Pretty good. Yourself? Last night was a lot of fun!"
"Yeah, I guess it was. Have you seen Billy? I need to talk to him."
Christine nodded, pointing up the stairs. "He just went up to the nursery with the twins. Today's the big day, huh?" She was intrigued as to who her younger sister was going to pick, but of course it was obvious she was going back to Billy. Billy was the love of Delilah's life, there would never be anybody that could come between them. Christine knew first hand, she had tried mercilessly.
"Yes, it is."
"Well, I wish you luck with whomever you choose. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but I have faith in you that you made the right decision." Christine reached over and hugged Delilah, the first hug in years, which came as quite a surprise.
Perhaps Christine really is trying to change. Delilah thought as she found herself returning the hug before stepping away.
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Hey, maybe we can do something tonight, like play a game or just talk and hang out?"
Christine's face lit up at Delilah's attempt, hoping that she was being sincere. "Yes, I'd love to. I'll see you later. Again, good luck."
"Thanks, Christine."
Delilah took a leap of faith by asking her sister to hang out, but if Christine was making an effort, Delilah should as well, at least to be more cautious. She walked up the stairs and into the nursery to see Billy with the twins.
"Hi, Billy."
He turned around and smiled. "Hey, Delilah. How are you?"
"I'm good. How are my precious little munchkins doing?" Delilah smiled as she picked up Santino, making him giggle as she blew a raspberry on his tummy and giving him a big squeeze before doing the same thing with Serena, giving her kisses on her rosy little cheeks.
"They're much happier now that you're here. You really are terrific with them." Billy felt a warm feeling spread throughout his body, the feeling he always got whenever Delilah was around, it was the feeling of love.
"Well, I love them unconditionally. Can we talk? There's something important I have to tell you."
He nodded. "Yes, of course. I told Madison I would help her with a stock check of the inventory, but I'm sure it'll be fine since I'm with you."
"It is, don't worry. She said some of the satcoms were missing, but she was kind of hammered when she said it, so who knows?" Delilah giggled, grabbing Billy's hand as they walked out of the nursery and down the stairs.
FIVE MINUTES LATER
"Billy! Delilah!" Mika ran up with a huge smile on her face and jumped into Billy's arms as he and Delilah walked out past the garden.
"Hey, sunflower. How are you today?" He returned the hug before setting her down as she hugged Delilah.
"I'm great. Lizzie and I are having a tea party." She nodded her head over at Lizzie, who was sitting on a picnic blanket waiting for her sister.
"That should be fun." Delilah said. "I'll braid your hair when you're finished, ok?"
Mika nodded. "Ok! Can't wait! Bye, Lala!" She turned to walk off, but turned around and waved to Billy. "Bye, Billy!"
"Bye, Mika."
"See you later!" The young girl blushed and started madly giggling as she walked off. Billy looked over at Delilah to see she was trying not to laugh.
"What? What's so funny?"
"Can't you see she has a little crush on you?"
He snickered. "What? You're crazy."
"I am not!" She playfully shoved his arm. "That's the same way I would get around you, and I was two years older than her."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Come on, let's keep going."
They walked past the work crew on the almost finished gate to the spot they had been a week ago when Billy caught Delilah by surprise, not really saying anything. Delilah felt the jitters creeping up on her, and forced herself to push them away by talking.
"As you know, it's been a week since everything has happened, and I've made my decision. Before I get into that, I have something huge to tell you." She looked up from the ground and into his blue green eyes.
He raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What is it?"
"My mom. She's alive, I got through on the Iridum phone."
Billy's face broke out into a big smile. "What? Oh, my god, that's wonderful!" He picked Delilah up and spun them around, making her laugh as he gave her a kiss before setting her down. "How is she? What did she say?"
"She's good, she's with a group, but Aunt Nicole was infected, they had to put her down."
His smile faded as he squeezed Delilah's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Tiger Lily. I knew she meant a lot to you."
"I know. Mom's with a group now, sounds like they're geniuses, they've been working on a boat to get to the states. They're leaving in two weeks to come back and she's going to call me when she's in New York."
"That's unreal, I knew she was alive. Did you tell her everything that happened?"
Delilah shook her head. "No, I didn't. It's too heavy to get into on the phone and I didn't want to upset her. She said she had some things to discuss with me, as well."
"Got it. You did the right thing."
"You have to keep this between us, ok? Christine doesn't know yet. I'll tell her when Mom calls again, I'm not ready to share that with her or anybody yet." Even though they were turning over a new leaf, Delilah wasn't that embracing or trusting towards Christine so soon.
"You got it."
There was a moment of silence, they just kind of looked at each other until Delilah began to talk.
"Billy, you know I love you, right?"
He nodded with a smile, taking her hands in his and giving them a kiss. "Yes, and I love you, too, Chickpea. More than words can describe."
Delilah attempted to keep her breathing steady as she spoke. "No matter what, that love will never die. You're my first love, and I'll always have feelings for you. You've grown so much in the time we've been apart, as a person and adapting to being a father, and I am so proud of you, Billy. We went through a horrible situation and are still here to tell the tale. You've stopped at nothing to prove to me that your penitence was sincere, and I believe it. Even though I shouldn't, I do forgive you. We'll never be separated again, but we can't be together."
Billy's smile disappeared and his heart sank at her words. "W-what?"
She swallowed the lump in her throat, the disheartened look on his face crushed her. "If it had been any other time, without a doubt, I would be in your arms again and never look back, because my love for you was that strong. It still is, but not like it used to be. So much has changed now, I'm not the same person I was a year ago. I'm stronger and independent, I'm not some damsel in distress, I'm a new version of myself. Regardless that I still love you, at the end of the day, you did go along with Christine's plan, even though you weren't in the right mindset."
Notwithstanding his confidence, Billy knew in the back of his mind that Delilah wasn't going to pick him. He had nobody to blame but himself, letting the love of his life slip through his fingers. "Delilah, what am I going to do without you?" He asked, his voice shaky as his eyes filled with tears, which made Delilah tear up as well.
"We'll always have each other. You're going to move on and survive, just like I did. I didn't want to let you go, but I had to so I could move forward with my life. I didn't think that I'd fall in love again either, but I did, and I know you will, too. Rick rescued me from myself, and the path I'm supposed to take is with him."
Delilah's tears fell, feeling his pain, but it was the right decision. Although she could always move forward with Billy, things wouldn't be the same. The person she was with Rick was who she was meant to be, and he was the one who was supposed to be by her side.
Billy nodded. "I understand. It's going to take me a while, but I'll be ok, too. I stand by my words earlier, I want you to be happy. If Rick is the one you choose, then I'm behind you one hundred percent. With this and everything else." His tears continued to fall, but no matter how upset he was, he meant wanting Delilah's happiness. Perhaps she was right and he would move on, but he would never forget her. "Could I ask something of you before you go?"
"Yes, of course. What is it?"
He cleared his throat. "Could I have one last kiss?"
She hesitated, unsure if it was the right thing to do, but it would be their last one, the one that would be the most memorable. Delilah put her hands on his shoulders and stood on her tiptoes, their lips meeting as Billy put his hands on her face. The kiss exploded with undying love and fervor, tears falling down both their cheeks, the memories of what was thought to be an endless romance flooded through their minds as they clung to each other in the powerful fervor.
They both pulled away concurrently, knowing it had just been the kiss of a lifetime. Delilah wiped Billy's tears away, caressing his cheek with her hand, a small yet hopeful smile on her face. "Ever thine, ever mine-"
"Ever ours." It would be the last time they would ever say that to each other, and it would only be for them, not for anybody else. Billy forced the same hopeful smile on his face to calm down.
"Good bye, Billy." Delilah walked backwards out of his hold.
"Bye."
Billy sniffled before taking a couple deep breaths, feeling his heart beat slow down as she walked off. It wouldn't be easy, but he believed in her words, knowing that he was going to be ok, that he was strong enough to carry on.
Delilah almost felt like turning around, but she knew if she did that she would chicken out. She was pained, but she knew that this is what had to be done in order to lead a more truthful life. Wiping her own tears away, knowing that she always had a lifelong friend and supporter in Billy, Delilah smiled and ran off to find Rick.
TEN MINUTES LATER
On his way out earlier to go to Inventory Range, Rick had seen Delilah and Billy and felt his heart sink. He didn't have to hear her say the words to know that she had decided to go with Billy. Who was he kidding? Billy had five years on him, of course he had the upper hand. Lori was wrong and his second chance at love wasn't meant to last.
"Rick! Hi!"
A smiling Delilah pulled Rick from his thoughts as he checked the supplies. It was the first time he had seen her genuinely smile in what felt like ages, but he couldn't help but smile at her, his earlier feelings from earlier quickly dissipating.
"Hi, Delilah."
She was on the other side of Inventory Range, but they could see each other clearly, both seeing the smiles and feeling the joy. "It's been a week, and I've made my decision!" She squealed, which was something she only did when she was excited. What was more exciting than telling the man you love that he's the one?
"Really? And what is it?" Rick pretended to act oblivious, but he could tell by her demeanor that it was him. Like she did a week ago when they broke up, Delilah wouldn't have been this happy had she gone with Billy, a part of her would still feel sorrowful breaking the news to Rick.
Delilah nodded, grinning from ear to ear, feeling like she was going to burst with happiness before running over and jumping in his arms. "Yes, I have! Rick, I-"
Before she could announce the big reveal, they were interrupted by a loud crashing sound, followed by strident screams of panic with the ground shaking, causing them both to fall to their knees. The alarm systems piercing through the air with "Bad Moon Rising" by Mourning Ritual. Rick and Delilah barely got a chance to look at each other in bewilderment as complete and utter pandemonium ensued.
"SOS! WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!"
OH MY GOD! WHO COULD POSSIBLY BE ATTACKING JELLBANY?!
- 64
- 65
- 66
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Forever Rising Phoenix