Alykah was stumbling around the van Glenn had stolen, he was amazed and a little confused that Daryl had saved her in the first place, he didn't think Daryl would leave a child to die but, he wasn't exactly the type to run into a group of walkers just to save a little girl, no matter how adorable. Daryl just wasn't the type, unless he knew her somehow, Glenn looked back at the pair and watched as Alykah fell when rick hit a bump, he was about to ask if she was okay but Daryl beat him to it.
"Sit down before you bust your face on the floor." Glenn would've face palmed but he knew it would get him a weird look, Daryl definitely didn't know how to treat little girls. He was surprised for the billionth time today when instead of pouting; she sat down right in front of Daryl and just stared, first at him then at rick, then at Glenn. He had to resist the urge to pick her up and hug her; the girl was just too damn cute. Their eyes met and he smiled down at her, she climbed into Daryl's lap, and then smiled back shyly.
"So, where did you find her.''
"Some crazy woman threw her at me." Glenn stared at him for a moment, and he could tell Rick was looking at him with the same expression through the rearview mirror.
"What?" he growled making Glenn jump slightly.
"Nothing, it's just weird that a mother would throw her child at some guy with a crossbow, don't you think." Daryl shrugged as Alykah shifted to a more comfortable position.
"We'll talk about it when we get to camp" He was using a 'don't argue' look. Glenn took the hint and shut up. Another awkward silence enveloped them.
(Page break)
Daryl watched as Alykah explored the camp, stopping at times to watch as the others packed their suitcases in preparation for the long trip to the CDC, once she was bored she would move on. He was about to call out and tell her not to mess with dale's stuff when Glenn and a few others walked over to him.
"So, you say a crazy woman threw her at you" Lori asked, her face doubtful.
"Her mama was bit, I think the fever was making her crazy" Daryl lowered his voice so Alykah wouldn't hear, for some reason he didn't want her to listen in on this conversation. "One second she's sittin on the ground crying, the next she's running and screaming straight into a group of walkers, and I'm holdin' the girl."
"Is she sick?" All eyes turned to Glenn, who looked a little worried, when he noticed the attention, he explained " She hasn't spoken to anyone since she got here, not even Carl and Sophia, in the van I thought she was just scared or shy, but . . . "
"She can't talk" this time the attention was on Daryl, "she told me while we were hiding from some walkers."
"Wait, if she can't talk, then how did she tell you." Daryl told them of his questioning, the yes's and no's, and how he got around to naming her, once again baffling the group with his out-of-character actions.
"That's so cute" Daryl gave the grinning Korean a look, and walked off to clean his bolts. Upon noticing all eyes were on him again, he simply blushed and escaped to dale's RV.
(page break)
"Don't you want to go play with the other kids" Alykah shook her head at Daryl's question. She had been inspecting the canoe, when she saw Daryl place his crossbow on a stump and sit down to cleaning his arrows. She immediately walked over and sat by the weapon, small enough to share the stump and still leave room, and watched him work. Daryl let her be for a moment, hoping she would get bored and leave, but after about fifteen minutes he lost his patience.
"Listen, I'm not too great with kids, so you might want to go and get attached to someone else, how bout Carol or Lori." At the mention of their names she looked a little uncomfortable. This confused Daryl, he always thought little girls were more open and relaxed around women. "What, you don't like them." she shook her head and rolled up the sleeve of her jacket. Daryl was surprised to find a large hand shaped bruise, like someone had grabbed her arm and squeezed. His mind flashed back to his father grabbing him like that, but he quickly expelled those thought.
"Did someone here do this to you." she shook her head again.
"Then who?" A look came over the girls' face, like she was thinking hard. She pointed to her hair, which only confused him. She made another face, and then pointed to her eyes. Daryl lost patience again and looked around for something to write with, he spotted some paper and a pen by the kids' makeshift school table, and retrieved it. "Here, use this." When she handed it back to him the paper said 'Mommy'
"Your mama did that to you" she nodded, pulling down her sleeve and hugging herself. He felt a pang of sadness, and made an instant decision.
"Ok . . . if you're gonna hang around with me your gonna follow my rules, you got that kid." she looked up at him, practically beaming. "First of all, No crying, I wasn't brought up around a lot of little girls, so I won't tolerate you bawlin' for no reason. If you have to go to the bathroom or need a bath, you go talk to one of the women, not me. When I go on a hunt, the person I leave you with is in charge, you hear me girl." By the time he was done she was already on her feet and practically bouncing in place, and much to his surprise she threw her arms around his neck in a powerful hug.
Standing a few feet away, Rick smiled at the pair, laughing when the girl nearly tackled Daryl out of his seat. He left as Daryl began grousing about personal space.
I hope he knows what he's getting into.
(Page break)
Sorry about the short chapter, I wanted the first two chapters to kind of introduce Alykah to Daryl, and to get them situated. The next chapter will get more into their growing relationship and Alykah's plans for Glenn. Reviews are loved, especially helpful tips to improve my writing.