I wake to the smell of coffee. I moan contently. "You're the best!" I grumble over to Daryl. Stretching, I spot him as he sits at the edge of the bed pulling on his shoes. I push the covers off, moving next to him. I wrap my arms around his middle, resting my head on his shoulders.
"Mornin', pretty girl." He smiles, "Get dressed, time for breakfast."
I groan, throwing my legs over the bed. Not only did he make me coffee, but he also placed my clothes on the chair, so I wouldn't have to rummage around. I pull off my shorts, replacing them with my ripped jeans. I grab the hem of the tank top, yanking it off.
Since we've become close, again, and repaired my friendship with Daryl; I don't feel shy about changing in front of him. I mean, we share a room now for fucks sake. It doesn't help that we are in such close quarters with the rest of the group; it's hard to have some sense of privacy. For me, it's been like that since the farm. I didn't forget that I was on display in front of Rick, Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie when they saved me from Woodbury.
Turning my back to him, I grab my Avenged Sevenfold shirt, tugging it over my head. I reach for my combat boots, pulling them on. Daryl hands my sword over, I wrap it around my waist. My gun and knife are placed in their spots. I search for my brush, combing through my bed head. Daryl steps behind me, placing my bandanna around my hair, so I won't have it falling into my face. "Thank you."
"I kind of miss the blue." He grips a strand of my brown hair, "this ain't ya."
I laugh, "Maggie said something like that, too."
Daryl and I walk out of the cellblock, heading outside where the others are already enjoying today's breakfast. Daryl grows visibly uncomfortable when everyone stops to greet him. I smile, reaching for his hand to offer some support. This man has come so far. Pride swells in my chest. From what I heard; he was a real jerk when they were at the camp site. A part of me is glad I never met that man. I probably would've knocked him on his ass more than what I already have.
"Smells good." Daryl compliments Carol when we come to stop at her cooking area. She hands both of us food, smiling. I dig in, making sounds of satisfaction.
"Just so you know, I liked you first." I peer over at him, giggling. "Maybe if you weren't so damn good looking." I wink, grinning at his discomfort.
"Stop." Daryl grumbles as his amused eyes meet mine. "Ya helped, too. Ya know, Rick brought in a lot of them, too."
"Not recently. Give the stranger sanctuary, keeping people fed, you're gonna have to learn to live with the love." Carol laughs at our interaction, eyes sparkling with mischief.
Daryl nods at her words, "right. "
"I need you to see something. Patrick, you want to take over?" Carol calls over to a teenage boy with brown hair and glasses. If I remember correctly, this boy has grown quite close to Carl over the last few weeks. It's refreshing to see the younger Grimes' make friends with those his own age, though, he's still wise beyond his years.
Patrick saunters over, "yes, ma'am." He faces Daryl and I, "Good morning, Miss. Taylor."
"Vanessa, please. You make me sound so old." I tease, sharing a smile with the younger boy. "I'm only in my late twenty's." I reach over, ruffling his brown hair.
"Right, Vanessa. Mr. Dixon, I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday. It was a real treat, sir. And I'd be honored to shake your hand."
Daryl peers down at his hand, pondering at the teenager's words. Poor man isn't used to this much attention. He agrees, pointedly licking his fingers before shaking Patrick's hand.
"Gross, Dixon." I give him a cheeky grin. He rolls his eyes at me; I sense a hint of amusement dancing on his face.
The three of us stalk down to the gates. I shake my head, seeing more of the dead have piled up. The fences are starting to bow and groan under the weight. "That's not good." I murmur, pursing my lips.
"About today, I don't know if we're gonna be able to spare a lot of people for the run." Carol faces the two of us.
"That place is good to go. We're gonna move on it." Daryl reassures her, observing the scene playing out in front of us.
"Yeah. The thing is, we had a pretty big buildup overnight. Dozens more towards tower three. It's getting as bad as last month. They don't spread out anymore."
Daryl shakes his head, "with more of us sittin' here, we're drawin' more of the 'em out. Ya get enough of those damn fence-clingers, they start to herd up. "
"Pushing against the fences again. It's manageable, but unless we get ahead of it, not for long." Carol pats his arm. "Sorry pookie!"
I chuckle at his reaction to the nickname, "Yeah, sorry Pookie." Carol laughs as she walks away. I look over at him, "I'm going with you today. Like usual."
He grunts in acknowledgment. "Always need ya on my team, Blue." I cock my head, sensing there's more in that simple statement. Though, I choose to let it go, and accept it at face value.
"Okay, are you gonna say good-bye?" Zack calls to Beth.
"Nope." Beth stalks away from her boyfriend, amusement twisting her beautiful face.
I do my best to ignore this interaction. I don't like watching others in their private moments. Though, I can't help but smirk at her leaving him high and dry. Let him know who is in charge, girl!
Daryl scoffs, "it's like a damn romance novel." I roll my eyes. I shove at his shoulder, walking to the front of the car when Bob approaches us.
"Just like you and Vanessa?" Kelly laughs. "When are you going to make it official anyway? Friends, my ass."
"Man shut up!" Daryl's words snap back, playfully.
"Hey. I'd like to start pulling my weight around here." Bob pleads with Sasha and me.
My hand rests of my hip, narrowing my eyes, facing him, "Bob, it's only been a week."
"That's a week worth of meals, a roof over my head. Let me earn my keep."
"I mean, with that logic." I scoff, shaking my head. I return to the task of loading the vehicle in front of us. You never know what could go wrong with runs. It's best to stay prepared for any crazy, out of the box scenario.
Kelly chuckles. "Ready?" I nod at my friend.
"You were out on your own when Daryl and Vanessa found you." Sasha stops next to me, crossing her arms, "I just want to make sure you know how to play on a team."
"We ain't gonna do it unless it's easy." Daryl steps by us, "c'mon, Ness." He hands my leather coat over, motioning for me to follow.
"You know he was a medic in the Army." Glenn's voice meets my ears as I kick my legs over my bike. I follow the archer's lead with the others behind me.
We reach to the front gate, seeing Michonne speaking with Rick and Carl. I grin. It's good to see her back. She's been out searching for The Governor. I've barely seen her since the fall of Woodbury. I get it, though. I'd be doing the same thing. Maybe that's why Daryl has me on runs with him. If it wasn't for him keeping me busy, I'd be out there with Michonne. I want to see him dead.
Unease crawls up spine as I remember that I thought I saw him watching us, or me rather, by the forest that surrounds us here. I swallow hard, forcing the image back. I must be losing it; I still firmly blame the heat and dehydration because there's been no sightings since that day. I keep telling myself that it had to be some twisted mirage that my imagination decided to haunt me with.
She takes the small trek to my side, wrapping her arms around my shoulder, hugging me. "It's good to see you, Mich." I pat her back, matching her smile with one of mine.
When she's here, we make time for each other. She had asked me if she could show me a thing or two about wielding a sword. Over those sessions, we've grown into close friends. I filled her on what I had endured during my time with our mutual enemy. After that, a beautiful friendship was formed over a bonding through a hate for the same person. Isn't that how the best friendships and relationships are made?
She smiles, "you mind?" She inquires, gesturing to the seat behind me. It looks as if she's deciding to join the rest of us on the run. Again, I get it; always needing to stay busy.
"Be my guest!" I keep the bike steady as she kicks her leg over, putting her arms across my middle.
Daryl pulls his motorcycle against a fence that lines that a shopping plaza. I park next to him, kicking my feet over my bike. Michonne gets off the second I turn the engine off. I stalk to meet him, Kelly, Bob, Sasha, Tyreese, Zack, Glenn and Michonne at the fence.
Tents are scattered across the parking lot, among other miliary and army needs to fight the dead that are coming back to life. From the looks of the scene in front of me, the dead won.
"Army came in and put these fences up." Daryl speaks as I come to stand next to Sasha. She turns to smile at me. "Made it a place for the people to go. Last week when we spotted this place, there was a bunch of walkers behind this chain-link keeping people out like a bunch of guard dogs." I smirk at the memory. Daryl was excited at the idea of what those walls could hold that we might be able to bring back to everyone back home.
"So, they all just left?" Bob questions, peering over at Daryl.
"Give a listen." Sasha states, bringing a finger to her mouth.
"You drew 'em out." Michonne smirks. I raise my chin, feeling excitement dancing under my flesh.
"Put a boom box out there three days ago. Hooked it up to two car batteries." I motion to where the music is coming from. Daryl left me in charge. I picked Avenged Sevenfold. Loud, booming music; walkers can't resist something so obnoxious. I shimmy a little, realizing 'Beast and The Harlot' plays in the background. "Ahhh, such a good song."
Daryl shakes his head at me, "all right, let's make a sweep. Make sure it's safe. Grab what ya can. We'll come back tomorrow with more people." He walks in ahead of us. I follow behind Kelly, sword at the ready, peering into tents as I pass them by. I keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. A few minutes later, I meet Daryl, Zach, and Michonne at the storefront. I give the glass a few punches before turning around, sitting next to Daryl. I twirl my sword over and over in my hand as anxiety unfurls in my stomach; I have a bad feeling about this mission all of a sudden. I look out into the parking lot around me, wondering what's causing this spike in my emotions.
Daryl observes me from the corner of his eyes, curious. I ignore it, trying to swallow this nagging anxiety. This could get me killed if I'm not on my toes.
"Just give it a second." He informs Zack.
I look over to Zack. I can see why Beth likes him, he's cute in a boy next door kind of way, but certainly not my type. Like Bob, this is his first run with us. Two newbies; I hope this goes in our favor. But something tells me we might lose a few of people, and I'm not liking this. I chew on my lip, still twirling my sword.
Zack smirks, watching Daryl, "okay, I think I got it."
"Got what?" Michonne asks, peering between the three of us.
I laugh, thankful for the change of topic. "Zack and Daryl has this game they've been playing." I rest my sword across my lap as I pull at a strand of my hair that found itself out of the bandanna, so I peel it off, letting my hair flow freely. I didn't feel like fucking with it. I did it for years every day before work. I wrap the bandanna around my wrist.
'I've been trying to guess what Daryl did before the turn." Zack answers her.
"He's been tryin' to guess for, like, six weeks." Daryl chuckles.
"Yeah, I'm pacing myself. One shot a day. "
"To him, Daryl's this giant ass mystery." I poke at Daryl's side, "I had him pegged the second I laid my eyes on him. But Zack was able to guess mine within a week. I think Rick told him 'cause I kept teasing him." Memories of the morning at the farm when everyone was trying to guess my occupation flash through my mind. I absentmindedly rub my arm, remembering Dale, Lori, T-Dog, and Andrea.
"All right, shoot." Curiosity plays behind the redneck's intense blue eyes.
"Yeah, I want to hear this." I cross my legs, putting my back against the glass. My hand grips the hilt of my sword, stopping it from failing under the movement. Daryl's eyes find me, I smirk.
"Well, the way you are at the prison, you being on the council, you're able to track, you're helping people, but you're still being kind of... surly. Big swing here. Homicide cop." Zack grins with pride after he finishes ticking off his reasons.
I sputter at his words, Michonne joins me in laughing at Zack's expanse. I reach up with my free hand, wiping a tear that escapes my eyes.
"What's so funny?" Daryl glares over at me.
"Nothing. It makes perfect sense. " I speak between giggles.
"Actually, the man's right. Undercover." Daryl straightens up, smirking at me.
"Come on, really?" Surprise fills Zack's innocent face.
"Yep. I don't like to talk about it 'cause it was a lot of heavy shit, ya know?" I'll give it to the Archer; he has a great poker face. Someone get him an award!
"Dude, come on, really?" Taking Daryl's silence as an answer. "I'll just keep guessing, I guess." Zack pouts in disappointment.
"Yeah, ya keep doin' that." Daryl smirks.
I snicker, "that was good though, I needed a laugh like that." I face Daryl, "we're gonna do this, Detective?" I stalk after him, "you know, Detective Dixon has a nice ring to it."
Sasha faces our small group, "let's do it. All right, we go in, stay in formation for the sweep. After that, you all know what you're supposed to look for. Any questions?"
"Was there ever a time that you weren't the boss of me?" Tyreese teases his sister.
"You had a few years before I was born." She smiles at her brother.
I shake my head, amused by their banter. I head inside; gun in hand; deciding to return my sword to its sheath. If anything happens, I'd rather be fast over quiet for the moment. I double check to make sure my bag is open and ready for whatever I decide is useful. When satisfied, I begin my sweep.
"Man, when are you going to talk to her?" I hear Kelly ask someone. "Everyone sees it."
"I tried. She ain't talkin' 'bout it." Daryl's whispered voice replies to my friend. "She keeps runnin'."
Shaking my head, I don't want to hear anymore. I find Glenn in the arts and crafts, looking at poloid cameras. I cock my head at him, he shrugs. I watch as he grabs one and some film. I notice there's one more. An idea in mind, probably one similar to Glenn's, I grab it and the rest of the film. I fully intend to share with him. I give him a thumbs up, then continue on with my trek.
I don't find much I'd consider useful, but I smile upon seeing a snow owl stuffed animal. It reminds me of Hedwig from Harry Potter. Do I need him? No. Do I want him? Fuck yeah. I hesitate before turning away, empty handed. I bump into Daryl since I wasn't paying attention. "Sorry," I mumble. He smirks, throwing something in my bag, strutting away before I could question him.
"Weirdo." I close my bag, not finding anything real useful. I hike it onto my shoulder, continuing to browse.
I hear creaking from the roof. I glance up, "what the fuck?" A loud crash pulls my eyes from the ceiling, rushing over to see Bob under a fallen isle.
"What happened?" I ask between breaths. I notice Daryl is trying to pull Bob free. I step to his side, trying to lift the isle enough that Bob could slip through. We aren't very successful; I signal for Zack to help.
"Everyone's all right. We're over in wine and beer." Zack announces to the rest of the crew.
"I was moving fast, man. I drove right into the drinks." Bob panics.
"Man, you lucked out. If this thing had come down on you the wrong way..." I open my mouth to tell Tyreese to quit running his mouth and help when another crash fills the air; this time a walker coming through the ceiling interrupts me from berating Tyreese.
"Oh, that's bad." I wince. I aim the flashlight to the walker that is hanging above our heads. He's torn almost in half, still snarling at us
"Yeah, uh, we should probably go now." Glenn agrees. Concerned eyes meet mine.
"Bobs still stuck." Daryl barks. "Get him out of there."
"We'll get the others." Michonne runs off, looking for our stragglers.
I duck behind an isle as more dead come crashing through the ceiling, trying to find an opening to dash to the exit. Daryl pushes me out of the way as one lands in the spot I was just standing. I'm thrown against the fallen isle. Swearing, I get up, starting to shoot. My shoulder screams at me, realizing the impact must've jarred it. I glance down, making sure broken glass didn't slice into my flesh.
"Vanessa, get the fuck out of the way." Daryl snaps, I jump, narrowly missing a second one landing on me.
I ignore the irritation with both Daryl and the pain in my shoulder, shooting down the walkers as they fall into my path. I take a second to look up, spotting a helicopter that's barely hanging onto the ceiling. "Daryl!" I motion for him to look up. His eyes widen, he jumps down from where he's perched.
I turn in time to see Bob running for the doors while Zack gets taken down by a walker, feeling my blood run cold. I knew something like this was going to happen. "Fuck! We gotta go." I snarl as the helicopter begins to descend upon us.
I veer off to the side of the road, waiting for the others to catch up. Anger had me flying out of there like I was escaping hell. Images of Owen throwing me like that flash through my mind. I sit on the ground, trying to keep my breathing even. I get up and walk to the center of the road once I hear Daryl's bike getting close. Everyone stops, while Daryl pulls up next to me. "What happened?"
"When you pushed me out of way, I landed wrong." I wince, I know he saved my life, but the pain sucks. "I need someone to take over driving my baby."
"Sorry." He looks down, not realizing the damage he caused. Guilt dances on his handsome features.
"We're good. You saved me. Being hurt is better than being dead. Hershel can probably fix it." I pat his arm. "I'm probably going to have to sit out on the next run."
Kelly stalks to my bike, signaling for me to get on after him. I follow suit, wrapping my uninjured arm around his middle. He takes off, leading everyone else back home.
Once we reach the prison, and a visit with Hershel, who pops my shoulder back in place, I let him know that Beth's boyfriend didn't make it. I keep my suspicions about Bob to myself. There was no reason for any of us to be in the liquor section. Something isn't adding up.
I find Charlee, sitting up in her bed. I lean against her cell. "Another boring day?" I ask.
She nods. "I missed you. You've been gone a lot lately." I crawl into bed with her, laying my head in her lap. She runs her fingers through my hair. We'd always do this after a hard day. This is exactly what I needed after the shitshow we found ourselves in. "You okay?"
"No. Zack died. Daryl is telling Beth." I pause, remembering the mess of the whole situation. "Plane crashed through the store, walkers fell from the ceiling. And I can't help but blame Bob. He was in the alcohol section. There was nothing for him to be over there..." I trial off. "Daryl saved my life twice, but not without hurting me. I'm not mad. But for a second, I didn't see him." I was mad at Owen.
"Baby, it's okay. I'm glad you made it back." She coos, creating little circles along my hairline.
"Char, why am I still struggling? I have my best friends; minus Wren, and a group that's like family. Fuck, I'm even on the council. My voice matters." I rub my face.
With Charlee, she's known me my whole life. I can be vulnerable around her without any judgment.
"Because you're you. You have trouble accepting things you think you don't deserve. But you deserve this. This group adores you. Rick trusts you with his children. That's a big thing for any parent. Daryl probably knew he was risking his life by pushing you. That's not even talking about how you go out of your way to bring people here, for sanctuary. You risk your life anytime you go out. It was only a matter of time before you got injured. But that's better than you not being here at all. Otherwise, I'd have to beat up Daryl and he looks like a tough guy. I might lose that fight. You're thieving here, Ness."
I nod, letting her words wash over me. I sit up, feeling like I'm hacking up a lung. "Smoker's cough, I guess." Not long after, I fall asleep in her lap.