𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐒, Daryl Dixon

⁴⁶, FAITH AND CHANGE

"If you don't want to talk about it, tell me to shut up," Vex said quietly, "But I can tell something changed."

"Somethin' changed with you, too."

She tilted her head as Daryl turned to face her. She could tell it was half deflection, half honesty, but she gave in regardless.

"There's a lot of shit I never dealt with," Vex breathed out, "Dean doesn't let me play that game. He just. . . helped me realize a lot. About myself, and him, and the people I care about."

Vex pursed her lips, looking back down to her plate.

"Sounds really stupid when I say it like that," She forced out a laugh.

"It's not."

The woman looked back to Daryl, a small smile falling onto her features once she met his eyes.

"I'd like to propose a toast."

Abraham's voice cut through the room, the chatter falling quiet and pulling everyone's attention to him.

"I look around this room. . . and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title. . . To the survivors."

"To the survivors!"

"Cheers!"

Vex lifted her small glass, clinking it with Daryl's water bottle before raising it to the room. Her eyes landed on Dean, who had his own glass raised, one arm around Zeppelin. He caught her eyes, too, giving his sister a grin before sipping the wine.

"Is that all you wanna be?" Abraham questioned, making the room fall silent again, "Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat? 'Cause you can do that. I mean you got the strength. You got the skill. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again. And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip. . . Eugene, what's in DC?"

"Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this fubar magnitude," Eugene responded, "That means food, fuel, refuge. Restart."

"However this plays out," Abraham said, "However long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one. Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there. . . who got nothin' left to do except survive."

The room was silent. Each person looked around, weighing the words that had been said-- but most, if not all, were waiting on one person's response.

Rick let out a breathy chuckle looking around, focusing on Judith as she let out a small incoherent babble.

"What was that?" He asked his daughter, before looking up, "I think she knows what I'm about to say. She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in. Let's do it."

The group let out cheers again, a new sense of connection pulsing through the group as conversations started up again.

"Alright, well," Vex sighed, looking to Daryl, "I got a new deck of cards and Rummy is calling my name, so. . . what'd'ya say?"

Daryl watched the woman pull a faded deck of cards from her pocket, smiling as she did. But he caught sight of something over her shoulder, and his mind changed in an instant.

"Glenn's better at that game," He waved her off as he stood, "I'm gonna take a walk."

Vex furrowed her brows at his abrupt tone change, pushing herself to stand with him.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, just. . . yeah."

Vex stared at him, still trying to pick apart his expression.

But Daryl didn't want to worry Vex, so he hiked his crossbow on his shoulder and patted her shoulder.

"I'll be back."

Vex frowned as he passed, leaving her no room for another word.

She wasn't sure what she had said or done that created his reaction, so Vex reclaimed her seat, mindlessly shuffling the stupid cards.

It was only melancholy for a moment before Dean and Zeppelin joined her with conversation and asked for a game. Soon enough Vex had them, Glenn, and Maggie playing Rummy-- and she tried to enjoy it. She really did.

It was just difficult when her mind lingered on Daryl Dixon.

WORD COUNT: 1870