Savage World •••Daryl Dixon•••

Cake

Daryl laid looking up at the prison ceiling as the sun slid below the trees. He figured Merle was finding a bed in another cell block since the others didn't like him much being there. Asher slept with her back pressed against his side, head resting against his arm with a hand curled with his own. She had been sleeping peacefully now, no nightmares about her past and none about her winter alone so far. But he still expected them to come sooner or later. She was also beginning to fill out: he could still see her spine but only when she was tightly curled, the dip of skin from ribcage to stomach was growing less with each day, her wounds were closing up and soon would leave nothing behind but scar tissue. She was going to be okay.

"We're real." He turned on his side and curled around the sleeping girl, free arm slipping over her waist and weaving with her free hand to press against her collarbone. He let his eyes close and he slipped into a dreamless sleep.

"Well ain't this the cutest little clump of cake I've ever laid my eyes on!" Merle's voice ripped through the early morning serenity, snapping Asher and Daryl awake.

"What the hell, Merle?" Daryl's voice rumbled from just above her head, and the arm he had draped over her torso pulled away to rub the sleep from his eyes. Asher softly traced over his veins as she listened to the two brothers argue.

"Nothin, baby brother. Just came out here an' seen you two all cuddly and cute together." The girl snorted and turned to bury herself against the man's chest, breathing in his scent of rot, leather, sweat and gunpowder.

"Fuck off, Merle." His chest vibrates her head with his voice and he turned to reposition himself around her. The older brother grumbled and walked away, saying he was going off to look for some dope. It wasn't long after that, Rick knelt on the perch and shook Daryl's shoulder gently, kicking his head sideways to say he needed to talk to him. He nodded and turned his attention back towards the thin girl pressed to his body.

"Hey, baby girl, time to get the day started. Rick needs to talk to me." She whined in her throat and slid closer to his warmth, her thin arms slipping beneath his vest and around his ribs.

"But it's cold, and you're so warm." Daryl softly chuckled and reached back to unwind her arms from his torso in spite of her tiny whimpers of protest. He skimmed down her nose and kissed her forehead before pushing to his feet and heading off to talk to Rick. After a few minutes, Asher did the same and pushed to her feet to start the day.

First thing on her list was to get a holster for the gun she picked up from Zero.

"Carl might know where they are." She pulled on her sweater and other weapons as she talked to herself.

"I might know where what are?" Asher whipped around, Meeko on the instant defense as well. Slate grey blue eyes wrinkled in a smile and he held up his hands in mock surrender. She smiled back and relaxed, tapping the serval on the head to let her know to do the same.

"You're a sneaky little shit, ya know that?" Carl nodded and rolled his eyes playfully.

"Thanks, I think. What did you think I knew about?" Asher lifted the gun she stole off Zero, a common standard cop issued Smith&Wesson handgun with a full clip of bullets.

"I need a holster for this. Figured you knew where I could get one. If we had any left." Carl nodded and motioned for her to follow him. They moved to the tombs where most of their ammo was stored for the time being until they needed it. He dug out a simple black leather holster that strapped around her waist and tethered off around her thigh. Clipping it on, she slid the gun smoothly into the holster.

"Perfect fit! Thanks, Carl." Asher leaned over and kissed his cheek, softly smirking at the bright rush of red to his cheeks and nose.

"It's just a gun holster, Asher." They made their way back to the cell block. "Do you think we can actually stop them? The Governor and his men?"

"I'm not sure about defeating them, wiping when all off the earth. But I believe we can make it more trouble than it's worth. Why do you ask? Are you scared of losing?" He shook his head no and they stopped just outside the cell block.

"I'm not afraid of losing this place, I'm afraid of losing who we are. As people." Asher nodded and dipped her head low. She knew that feeling, it's something she's been battling with herself since this whole war started.

"Well, answer this for me. Do you still think my eyes are the bluest things you've ever seen?" He locked gazes with the girl, her eyes looking like someone chipped off piece of the sky and gave them to her to see through.

"Most definitely." Asher smiled and felt her skin flush pink.

"Then I don't have a doubt about who you are. Still the sweet boy from Atlanta I played I-Spy with. Just bigger and stronger." The Grimes boy brightly smiled and nodded in agreement, both of them moving back into the cell block in time to see Rick rush in with Daryl quick on his heels.

"Asher, when was the last time you saw Merle?" She tilted her head and quirked a brow in confusion to the cop's question.

"This morning when he called us cake. Why?" Rick slid his hands through his hair and turned towards Daryl with a low whisper.

"I'll go find him." Asher stepped forward to follow, stopped when both Rick and Daryl held out their hands for her to stay.

"I need you to stay here, Asher. The Governor could be back any moment." She bit her lip angrily but nodded and stepped back to stand by Carl. Daryl slid by, giving the blonde teen a small see ya and a peck on the hair before he was gone.

"Rick, what's going on?" Carol demands as the group gets closer to the man. He lead them out into the courtyard to a picnic table just off the main area.

"When I met with the Governor he offered me a deal. Give him Michonne and he'd leave us be. And I almost did, I almost gave her up to save everyone else. But I couldn't, I wouldn't do that. I know I was wrong to keep it from you, so we choose this together. We go or we stay. Together. I'm not your Governor I won't tell you what to do. We choose this as a family." Everyone shared looks with one another in silent contemplation of their choices. It took a few minutes but the choice was made.

And so everyone left the table to get prepared for what was next.