Dreams. They were tricky little things. They can project your greatest desires or your greatest fears. Eevee was being gifted with what may be a mix of both.
She was on her knees, the mattress below springy and firm simultaneously. Her teeth bit into her lip as she looked between two beautifully drawn sketches she wanted to tack to the walls above the large bed. One was a beautiful Chinese dragon and the other was an hourglass dripping between a sunny ocean and a cloudy night sky.
"Goddamn." Her frustrated pout lifted into a happy smirk as she recognized the voice.
"I know they're beautiful, aren't they?" A bag thudded to the floor followed by the juggle of boots as they slid off.
"Yeah sure, those too. I was talkin 'bout this wonderful outfit ya got on fer me." She looked down at what she was wearing, and oversized flannel, grey knitted socks that stretched up over her knees, and a black bikini style underwear.
"It's the same pajamas I wore last night. Good to know you still like it." Calloused hands slid over her thighs until they curled over the taut muscles of the front of her legs. Setting the drawings on a nightstand, she leaned backwards into the man's chest and placed her hands over his own.
"Very much so." His voice was a low and guttural growl that sent shivers down her spine. She loved when he did that.
"What's gotten into you, lately? First last night and now? You just got home from a rough trip."
"Sayin that you don't like our fun?" Eevee tilted her head back and hummed lightly as she felt his lips press to hers, the scraggly beard scratching at her face. But she didn't mind.
"That's not what I'm saying at all. I love the fun, I'm just curious is all." The mouth moved from her lips down her cheek towards her throat and she tilted her head to give him more space. With every kiss the hands slid further up her thighs, making her bite her lip to try and keep in her moans.
"No need to be quiet, everyone's dead asleep." Teeth nipped at her skin, earning the sound he was looking for with a hungrily low growl.
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." Her eyes fluttered closed and she gently dug her fingernails into the skin of his hands. Thumbs hooked into the lining of her underwear, teeth gently biting down on her earlobe.
"But satisfaction brought it back."
Eevee jerked awake, this dream lingering in her mind unlike the other that instantly fled. It technically wasn't a nightmare, but she wasn't sure it was a good dream either. Air blew through her hair and made her freeze with the idea of a stranger watching her sleep. Well they had to be a lot closer than watching her sleep if she was feeling them breathe.
"Another bad dream?" The voice above her head made her both scared and relieved to hear it. Daryl.
"Yeah, still can't remember them." Lie. She remembered this last dream like she remembered all the others. Perfectly.
"What's it like to have a sibling?" Eevee had blurted this question out before she could stop herself.
"Think that depends on who ya ask. Andrea would say somethin nice, since she actually got along with her sister." She didn't know Andrea had a sister, must've happened before they all met at the CDC.
"You don't get along with your brother?" Daryl limply shrugged in response.
"We can survive together. But he's an asshole that doesn't play well with others. That's what got his left behind in Atlanta." Eevee crinkled her forehead and turned on her back to partly see his face.
"You left him behind?"
"We went back fer him, but when we got there he was already gone. Left nothing but a hand." Eevee shook her head slowly, the idea of taking off her own hand sounded impossibly stupid. But I guess if you're dying of exposure and think you have no choice then you'd be willing to do just about anything.
"He sounds like quite the bad influence."
"Probably, but Merle's blood." Eevee shrugged as her answer and the sound of boots through the grass caught their ears. Was it Lori asking for a favor again? Was it a walker? Daryl slid free and hovered over her, a hand by his hunting knife while the other he held in the air to silently say be quiet.
"Daryl? Eevee? You guys awake?" Rick. They both relaxed and the wild man stepped out first. "I need you both at the farmhouse. Please."
"For what?" The cop looked down at the petite woman as she exited the tent.
"It's hard to explain. Just please come with me." Leaning back into the tent, Eevee picked up her gun belt and boots with a sigh. As much as she wanted to be away from the others, she could tell Rick was exhausted and in need of them.
"Only if you promise to get some sleep today. You look like you're about to drop dead." Rick chuckled and dipped his head to surrender to her deal. "Good, you coming, alley cat?"
"Sure." He scooped up his crossbow and pulled on his boots before all three trekked back to the farmhouse. Before they could even reach the building Eevee knew whatever happened didn't meet with wanted outcomes.
"Where's Hershel?" She looked to Rick to see if he was gone. That would be the exact opposite of the reason he left.
"He's fine, it's the person we brought back that's got everyone in a frenzy."
"You brought someone here?" Daryl snarled at the cop, who nodded calmly back. "Why?" The rest of the group raced out to meet them, each demanding an explanation as to why there was a stranger on the farm.
"We couldn't just leave him to die. He couldn't even walk!" Eevee didn't care who he was or what he was doing in town, so she told Rick she was going to see if Hershel needed help operating on his leg.
"Hershel? Need a hand or anything?" The elderly man stepped out with bloodstained hands he was trying to clean off on a white towel.
"He should be alright for now. He's out, should be for a few hours."
"What happened to him?" They made their way back to the farmhouse.
"He tried to jump from one rooftop to another but missed and hit a gate. Went through just below the kneecap and luckily didn't break the bones in his leg neither. Just tore his muscles all to hell." Eevee nodded and opened the door for the farmer, who kindly tipped his head down in a silent thank you.
"...they left him for dead. No one is looking!" Rick's voice tumbled through the house as they stepped inside.
"We should still post a guard." The surprisingly calmer voice of Andrea followed his. They rounded the corner into the kitchen where everyone was gathered and all eyes shot to Hershel.
"He's out cold. Will be for hours." Shane rolls his eyes and pushed up from his leaning against the wall.
"You know what? I'm gonna go get him some flowers and candy!" Eevee glared sharply at him, making him visibly pause before scoffing at his fear of a girl almost a third his size. "Look at this folks, we back in fantasy land."
"Le seul qui vit un fantasme c'est toi." (The only one living a fantasy is you.) Shane had no clue what she said, but he could easily tell it wasn't anything sweet to say to him. He brushed passed her as Hershel whirled around to set him straight.
"You know, we haven't even dealt with what you did at my barn yet. Let me make this perfectly clear, once and for all This is my farm. Now I wanted you gone. Rick talked me out of it, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. So do us both a favor keep your mouth shut." His gaze flicked between the pissed off Hershel and the pissed off Eevee before she stormed out of the house. Rick sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face.
"Look. We're not gonna do anything about it today so just cool off." That seemed to be the final word on the matter since everyone scattered to do their own things for the day. Eevee turned to Hershel as people slid between them.
"Beth is upstairs in her bed. I've had them elevate her feet and keep her comfortable but I didn't know what she could be allergic to so there wasn't much I could do without you." He nodded and gripped her shoulder gently.
"Thank you, for taking care of Bethy for me while I was gone."
"Of course, it was the least I could do. Besides, she's one of the group. You all are, and from what I've learned here is that they'll stop at nothing for their own." Eevee slipped free of his grip and moved to Rick.
"You going to go get that rest you promised me?" He sighed and nodded, he had long since learned not to argue with her. There's no winning against Eevee. "Hey, what was the point of bringing in Daryl and I if you already knew we weren't going to get anything done?"
"You two tend to keep the relative peace. Or at least you do." Eevee snorted at his answer.
"Me? Keeping the peace? I'm barely the size of Beth and I'm surrounded by alpha males and Queen Bees all trying to prove who's better than who."
"Maybe, but you saw how Shane flinched when you glared at him. Every single one of us alpha males owes you our lives, and the Queen Bees as you put them appreciate your work. Without you, we'd probably be dead by now."
"And Daryl was just... extra muscle?" The cop snickered at the idea of making Daryl Dixon into an attack dog. The man had more honor than that.
"No, he's my voice of reason. Sometimes. If anything, I think he only came in because you did." A brow quirked and she glanced across the room at the brooding man.
"And what gave you that idea?" As she talked with Rick, Daryl stood in the corner of the room alone. That was, until Dale appeared next to him with his all-knowing, shit-eating grin on his face.
"Admiring the view?" He grunted as an answer, not really wanting to admit that maybe he was. "Can't blame ya, it's a pretty view." Daryl felt himself start to bristle at his words, was every guy on this farm jacking it out to her face at night?
"Yer old enough to be 'er grandpa."
"Because there's no difference in yall's age, right? Besides I'm not tryin that, I'm too old for that kind of excitement." Daryl scoffed at the elderly man.
"Is there a point ta this?" Dale shrugged and took off his hat to wring it in his hands like a dish towel.
"Just came to say my mind." Daryl snorted but waved his hand for him to hurry up and say his piece. "I've seen how you look at her, when you think nobody's lookin. Kind of like she's some sort of angel, your complete opposite. I think you two are much more similar than you think you are." Daryl scoffed and rolled his eyes towards the sky.
"An' how did you manage ta reach that Sherlock level brainiac conclusion?"
"That's easy. Flip side. The same coin, just different sides." Dale left Daryl with that bit of information and silently wandered off to do whatever that weird old man did nowadays. Eevee caught Maggie before she left with Glenn to probably talk. She didn't really care.
"Is there a place I can shower? I haven't cleaned off since the CDC and I'm honestly willing to use a hose and horse shampoo if I have to." Maggie laughed and told her the guest bathroom was upstairs and down the hall from Beth's room. Quickly thanking the Greene woman, she turned a circle to find her tent-mate and let him know she wasn't leaving immediately. He was still in the same corner of the room since they arrived, blue eyes locked on the hardwood floors.
"And neither the angels in heaven above, nor the demons down under the sea." Her voice jolted him from his thoughts, but her words furrowed his brow in confusion.
"The hell did you say?"
"It's part of a poem from Edgar Allen Poe. Annabel Lee." She wasn't surprised when he look grew further into the realm of confusion. He didn't seem like the type to browse and memorize poetry. "I'll have to tell you about it later, right now I'm finding the guest bathroom and enjoying a shower- hot, cold or otherwise. Are you going to stick around or go back?"
"D'ya want me to stay?" She looked around the room to see if she could spot any imminent dangers, finding none. But lord knew Shane could fucking pop out of nowhere with his pants unzipped. He could see her anxiety about being alone with an insane maniac like Shane Walsh on the loose. Daryl leaned down towards her and pressed his nose into her hair above her ear.
"I won't go far, ghost. All you've gotta do is scream." Eevee closed her eyes and sighed through her nose as she leaned into his touch.
"Sas efcharistó, gáta allílon." She stepped away and moved towards the stairs, the Dixon watching her walk off. Goddamn, that woman was something else. He stepped out of the farmhouse and waited for her to finish her shower.
Eevee stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, silently cursing that it didn't have a lock on the inside. She turned on the water and quickly stripped off her grimy clothes. Her shower was a swift one, scrubbed down with a lemongrass shampoo and an orange peel scented soap bar. Pulling on her sports bra and underwear, she skimmed her fingers over the long and pale scar from pelvis to bellybutton. Her surgery scar.
The bathroom door flew open, making her jump and lightly yelp in surprise. Her arms curled around her stomach protectively as she worked to figure out who was barging into the bathroom. Her surprise flipped over into anger when she realized it was the one person she didn't want to see. Shane Walsh.
"Are you fucking serious? Get out!" His eyes crawled down her body like he was taking off the little clothes she had on. "I said get out."
"Goddamn, I knew you had a tight body but..." He ran his tongue over his lips and stepped further into the room, Eevee jerking back to try and keep the space equal between them.
"Take another step and I'll make you regret breathing." He smirked and raked his eyes over her frame again.
"Ya know, I'm starting to think that's all for show." Hazel eyes flicked down to the gun belt on the floor, as did his and they both lunged for the weapons. She snatched one of the blades from the back thigh straps before he got an arm around her waist and kicked the door shut behind him. His free arm snapped around her shoulders as he pinned her to the wall.
"Drop it!" Eevee snapped her head back to try and headbutt his nose, but he leaned back out of the way. Gripping her wrist, he tightened his hold until her bones ground together and threatened to shatter.
"I said drop it." She shakily dropped the knife and it clattered to the floor. "There's a good girl."
"Get off." Shane chuckled evilly and shoved his nose into her dripping hair, taking a deep and intentionally loud breath of the lemongrass scented shampoo.
"Nah, I like this position."
"I don't care what you like, puta. Get off." He simply pressed further into her bare skin. "Get off. Get off! GET OFF!" Shane snapped her around and slammed her against the wall to knock her breath from her lungs before slapping his hand over her mouth.
"Shut yer goddamn mouth." His growls were turned into an angry shout when she sunk her teeth into the perlicue flesh between thumb and index finger, irony blood covering her tongue and teeth.
"Eevee?" Daryl. Shane ripped his bloodied hand away, giving her the second she needed.
"Daryl!" Boots slammed up the stairs as Shane moved his grip down to her throat to cut off her air. The weight that held her against the wall vanished and she dropped to the floor with a wheezing cough to force air back into her lungs.
Daryl picked up Shane off his feet and threw him out the door to slam into the wall across from the bathroom. His vision was blurred and slick with red as he growled and stepped towards the cop. Shane drew his gun but dropped it when Daryl slammed his fist into the man's jaw. He closed his fist around Shane's throat and smacked the back of his head into the wall.
"If you ever so much as look at her, be around her, hell breathe the same goddamn air as she does I will put a bolt through yer brain so fuckin fast it'll make yer head spin. Am I understood?!" He slammed the man against the wall again and again until he growled out a yes. "Then get the fuck outta my sight."
Once Shane was gone, Daryl turned towards the bathroom where Eevee had gotten dressed but sat curled up wedged between the bathtub and the wall. The Dixon knelt beside her and slowly reached out to gently hold her shoulder. She flinched away and mumbled in a language he didn't understand.
"English, ghost. I don't speak gibberish." Eevee recognized the voice and instantly shot forward to wrap her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder and waist to gently hold her close. Eevee pressed her nose into his collarbone and took in a soft breath of him. He was safe.
"I gotcha. You're okay." Her entire body was shaking and she could only make small squeaks and whimpers. Daryl scooped her up and slipped her blade back into the belt before taking everything with him out of the farmhouse. Rick and Shane were arguing in the living room, both stopping when he came to the landing. Shane didn't glance up while Rick looked over at them with remorseful eyes. He left Shane in the corner of the room and stepped into Eevee's line of sight.
"Are you alright?" Her hazel eyes were dull and tired as she looked into Rick's sad puppy dog orbs. She softly nodded and dug herself deeper into Daryl's chest. Rick dipped his head and whispered a soft okay before turning murderous eyes to Shane as Daryl moved outside.
He turned towards their distant campsite a few hills away and started walking. Eevee didn't speak a word, but he didn't expect her to. Daryl wasn't sure if she wanted to be inside or out, but he figured she was attacked in a closed bathroom so outside may be the best bet. Dropping her gun belt on the grass, he crouched down and gently placed her beside it beneath the shade trees. Sitting back a bit, he gently tapped her under the chin to catch her attention.
"Will you look at me?" She barely blinked at his voice and touch. "Evenorra? Eevee?" She still wasn't responding and worry was starting to eat at his mind. He bit his lip and remembered the stupid little name Merle once used on a Latina woman he was running with a few years back.
"Servidor?" Her first reaction was to reel back and furrowed her brow.
"What did you just say?"
"I don't fuckin know. Merle said it once to a girl he was with." Eevee burst out laughing and leaned forward to hug the man who was still overly confused about what he said that made her laugh. "Wait, what did I say?"
"You... you called me Servant." They started to laugh together at his mistake.
"Shit, sorry. Ya weren't sayin anythin back to me." Eevee was still giggling at him calling her a servant. "What are ya still gigglin about?"
"Your brother- he's, he's got... a daddy kink."