They fell into a routine in the following weeks. The hunt, going on the runs, searching for. food, medicines, clothes. They worked well together, making up for each others weaknesses, rarely talking.
Occasionally someone else would join them - Michonne, whom Sky liked a lot, Maggie or Glenn or some new member of their "tribe", but it was mostly just the two of them as everyone else felt like a third wheel and slowed them down.
He grew accustomed to her, her crankiness in the morning, the way she moved, breathed, her scent.
She never bothered him with small talk, chatter, never once touched him. She'd tease him a bit over his overgrown hair and his "idonnos" but never cruelly or mean. He never once asked about the scars on her arms nor did she offered an explanation. They never talked much but he felt closer to her than to anyone else in the group, Carol and Rick including.
Sky kept her distance from him, giving him the space he needed. She liked the silence they shared, the comfort of having someone by your side, someone who understood on some level you needed quiet and yet was there, a constant in a crazy world.
She got to know all of the inhabitants of the prison. She liked spending time with Rick and Carl and Hershel, talking about nothing and everything, pretending the world was normal for a while.
She chatted to Beth and teased Maggie and Glenn, but she stayed clear of Carol and Judith.
The others who were, like her, not members of original group respected her for she brought them food, clothes, medicines but, unlike Daryl, whom they liked, they kept her at distance. There was some coldness around her that made them nervous.
Daryl, however, noticed that, even though she never showed interest in the survivors, she somehow knew what they wanted and if she'd find it she would bring them things - comics for Carl, seeds and books for Hershel, condoms and sexy lingerie for Maggie and Glenn, toys for Judith, books, smokes, and make up for the others...
She'd always give those things in private, without speaking too much, like it wasn't a big deal. But he knew it was. And it meant a lot.
The house they found was abandoned but they still took a look. Daryl was in the kitchen, trying to find some food, when he heard Sky from one of the rooms upstairs. He ran, confused by the squeak - she didn't squeak - only to find her in some teenager's room, giggling at the book she was holding in her hand and a guitar.
She played a few cords and her giggle turned into a grin, the coldness in her eyes almost gone. "Its intact"
"Who cares?".
"Beth will", she said putting the book in her backpack, rummaging through the bed stand only to find a stash of condoms in it. She took them as well, throwing a few to Daryl. "Here, might come handy".
He turned red, embarrassed, but Sky just kept rummaging through the kid's room until she victoriously found a bag of weed.
"Aha! Look what I;ve found! Thank God for teenagers! Be nice and I'll let you have some"
"You know you'll have to share that with the rest?"
"The hell I will. Its mine" she grinned.
She was grinning all the way to the prison, making Daryl grin too. It seemed almost normal, walking back home, laughing without a care in the world. When they were close to the prison, she handed him the guitar. "Here, you give it to her"
"Why the hell would I do that", he asked confused, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Because you'll make her happy, she'll sing and make us all feel like humans for five minutes, and you'll get the title of a knight in not so shiny armor".
"No-oh. Your idea, you give it to her. Like I want to be some stupid knight", he backed away.
"Fine" she grinned. "I'll tell them we almost got killed getting it, but you insisted on bringing the gift to Beth".
He pushed her shoulder, grinning back embarrassed. "Don't you fucking dare"
"Or what, Mr Big Shot Huntsman?", she teased and ran to the gate, followed by him cursing and threatening. "You'll have to catch me first", she shouted back.
They ran into a yard, followed by the puzzled looks of their prison mates. They rarely saw either one of them smile, let alone laugh and run like children and the sight was both shocking and strangely soothing.
"Hey Beth", Sky called. "We have something for you".
The sight of a guitar was enough for Beth to jump enthusiastically up and down. "Oh my God SKy, thank you".
Sky was already walking to Rick when she turned around and hollowed, loud enough for everyone to hear her. "It was Daryl's idea".
She laughed out loud when Beth jumped and hugged him. He stood like a pillar, embarrassed, angry and confused, the look on his face somewhere between terrified and majorly terrified.
"Get off me Beth damn it", he grunted shaking the girl off, gently but firmly, giving Sky a dirty look that made both her and Rick laugh.
Sky shrugged and turned to Rick. "We got this for you. Maybe you and Carl could read it". The moment she saw the book, she thought of him.
He looked at the title and smiled. "Daryl got this?"
She grinned back. "Maybe".
Daryl watched them. They weren't touching, but he saw Rick smile at Sky and her face turn more gentile. He wasn't sure why but he got irritated with that more than with her prank with Beth. He went to his cell, grunting, rage flaring in his chest.
She came a few minutes later and immediately started checking her arrows. She was using a sports bow and arrows, so they broke easily and she'd spent hours fixing them up. The two of them were sharing a cell block and jokingly called it "hunter's lounge". Up until then, he had no problem with her being so close. They found a rhythm that was good for both of them, cleaning the weapons at night, changing shifts at the towers, occasionally drinking and smoking.
He knew if she was tired or angry or upset and she always calmed his temper, soothed the rage simmering withing him, made him feel like he was something and not some stupid redneck asshole. She was educated and came from a rich family, it was evident in the way she walked, held herself, but with her he never felt like a white trash, but like an equal.
But after seeing her with Rick, it dawned to him, they would be a perfect pair. Leader and a hunter. And that annoyed him although he didn;t know why. He wasn't interested in her and she showed no interest in any man in the camp.
"I gave him 'Lord of the rings'", she said without looking up.
"Like I give a shit".
She shrugged and continued with her work. She was now patching one of his shirts and he stood up and ang ly took it from her.
"Don't need you mending my shit"
He went to his cell and with a corner of his eye watched her. She laid back on the platform where their cells were, rolling the weed they found, watching at the moon through a window high on the wall. She was humming something to herself, her husky voice traveling to him, soothing his anger.
"Whats so special about that book?" He came back.
She looked at him and he saw her smile, but it wasn't a happy smile.
"To remind him there is still some hope and goodness in this world"
Daryl smirked and her smile grew a bit sadder.
"He needs to believe in that"
"And you?"
Sky sighed and looked at the moon again.
"I believe that whatever good, decent, kind and gentile remained in this place is going to disappear pretty damn soon". She turned to the side and looked at him again.
"That's why I got Beth the guitar. She's one of the good, gentile people. And she'll disappear soon. And we will miss her so bad when she's gone".
She kept quiet for a second and then added: "Plus, it was wort it seeing you twitch uncomfortably when she hugged you". She chuckled. "Damn, I forgot about the condoms. Should have tell everyone you had them too".
He threw a rag on her and came to sit next to her. "I'ld break your neck for that" taking the joint from her. It was stale but he didn't care.
"Whatever" she sang, imitating his "idonno". She teasingly pushed him with her shoulder and he pushed her back. The full moon shone a bright light on the two of them, sitting on a platform, looking at the remaining survivors listening to Beth sing.
...
"Can you show me?"
Beth and Sky were in the yard, resting after a day at the fence, killing off the walkers. Despite being on the run that morning, Sky helped with the fence as well. The walkers were amassing and it worried them.
"What? Now?"
"Yes"
Beth brought the guitar they got her and after learning from Daryl that SKy can play she was now asking the woman to teach her. Sky threw a murderous look at Daryl who was standing close, crossbow next to him, eating something Carol fixed them. He shrugged, but Sky saw a flash of smile. She's so going to make him pay for that.
Sky whipped her hands and took the guitar carefully. She tried to remember the cords, the feel of a guitar in her hands, the happy times she played it. Her fingers moved, unsure, over the strings, first notes of "Forever young" floating across the yard. She closed her eyes, thinking about that day, the sun shining, the salty air around her, his laughter, how happy she was...
Beth's eyes moved from Sky's fingers to her face shocked by the sadness and pain in her voice. It was husky and broken, like if she'd screamed for a long time and finally the voice broke off. Beth saw Daryl put down the bowl he was holding, moving a bit closer, listening to the song, eyes on Sky. Carl and Hershel came as well, listening to the lullaby and the woman singing.
The song ended and SKy opened her eyes, coughing to hide the embarrassment.
"No point in watching me play, you got to try it yourself". She shoved the guitar in Beth's hands placing her fingers. "Like this"
She smiled when Beth hit the right note. "That's it...Now try it like this..."
"What did you do before all this", Beth asked, trying to play two cords.
Sky leaned on the wall, smiling slowly at Beth. "Does it matter?"
"No, not really. But I'd like to know"
"Guess"
"Oh no., We tried that with Daryl, he's still not giving up"
Sky laughed and looked at Daryl who shrugged again. "Like I'd tell you" he said smiling and nodding to Carol who gave him the water and came closer, interested to learn more about Sky.
"Come on Sky, tell" Carl asked. He was fascinated by Sky and loved spending time with her. It was clear to everyone, Sky including, he had a crush on her and she treaded carefully around him, not wanting to hurt him, but not giving him any ideas. She genuinely liked that kid and cared about him more than she was willing to admit.
"I was a librarian", she said laughing at Carl and Beth''s disappointed faces who both expected something more bad ass.
"No!"
"Yes"
"And those? That's not something librarian would have" Carl asked pointing at the part of a tattoo peeking from below her faded shirt. Sky followed his gaze, her face growing dark. She looked at Carl, smile still present but her eyes were now cold. "That's something for me to remember"
"What is it?"Beth asked. She was fascinated with tattoos but the only one who had some was Daryl and he wasn't too keen on showing her.
Sky lifted the shirt a bit more and they saw, above her belt, upper parts of two angels, facing each other. Hershel frowned when he took a better look at the angels. They weren't really angels, but demons, their skeletons showing. He also saw a part of a scar above one of them and looked quizzically at Sky who stared back at him coldly, daring him to say something.
"They are so cool", Beth quipped but Sky pushed down the shirt and got to her feet. "No they are not, Beth"
She went back to the fence and the rage and brutality she killed them off made everyone else move away from her, afraid.
Daryl took the crossbow and came to her. "Wanna talk about it?"
Sky turned, panting, eyes almost black from anger. "Do you?" She was at the brink of tears. Daryl took the hook from her hands and moved his head to the woods. "Come on".
They walked for a while, him at the front, Sky at the back. He heard her breathe herself to calm.
"I'm calm now. We should get back" Sky called him. DAryl turned to her. He pointed to the tattoo with his chin. Sky shrugged. "Father, brother. Take a pick".
She turned her back to him, whipping the tears angrily. "But I screwed them both. I survived". She didn't ask him how he knew. His fear of getting to close, of being touched, his shyness and rage, the way he acted tough and uncaring. It all pointed to an abused child, like she was. She turned and came closer, touching, for the first time ever, his bare biceps, her fingers moving lightly to the tattoo on his right shoulder, that she saw peek from his cut off shirts. He grew stiff under her touch and but she did not move her hand. "You did too", she whispered, gripping his shoulder and turned back.
He followed, thinking about his father, the insults and beatings, his life before he ran into Rick and the rest. She was right, he survived.
Thank you all for reading and faving! Hope you'll let me know what you think and how you like the story so far.
