"Daryl, I got the rope, are we gonna set up the moving target?" She asked excitedly, he looked back at Carol, she smiled her sweet, innocent, beaten down smile. He flashed her his weak half smile like it was hard for him to smile at all.
"Ya, come on kid." He said turning and leaving her to her thoughts, she sat there for a long moment just basking in the memory of his touch before she got up to set about the chores she'd interrupted for a nap.
Daryl helped her rig up a log to a branch so it would swing around in the wind, he put it next to his camp site. There weren't many trees out of the way enough by the RV, and he didn't want her off on her own, he had a promise to keep.
He went with Glenn and T-dog to the town on there run, they had a little trouble near the high school, lot's of walkers, but most of the herd had moved on if it had been like when Shane had been here, they wouldn't have even risked it.
Something didn't feel right though, he felt like he was being watched, not by the dead or anything, but hell he'd admit it. It felt like Merle was watching him, the way there were no signs he was being watched except that feeling in his gut. Like when you had a some creepy picture hanging in your room, even when it's too dark to see it, you know it's staring.
He didn't mention it though, just watched over the group as they went about getting anything they would need. If it was Merle he'd show himself eventually, if not he'd be ready for that too. They were about to head back, which made him a little twitchy, if the person watching them wasn't Merle he didn't want to lead them to the camp.
He sucked it up though, he couldn't very well start yelling for them to show themselves, so he'd see how it played out, tell Rick about it when he got back. He took them the long way even still, Rick was waiting for them when they pulled in.
"How'd it go?" Rick asked, T-dog and Glenn smiled happily showing him what they'd salvaged, but he could tell Daryl wasn't happy, so he fell back to where Daryl was standing and watching the tree line.
"What is it?" Rick asked, Daryl pulled his eyes from the horizon looking over at Ricks look of concern.
"Ain't sure, just feeling like I'm bein watched." Daryl told him, Rick clapped his hand on Daryl's shoulder.
"I'll make sure everyone's got an eye out just in case." Rick told him, Daryl nodded satisfied by Ricks words. He went out to his little camp, Carol and Sophia were out there. Sophia was shooting her bow at the moving target sounding frustrated.
"Gotta lead the target kid." Daryl told her, she looked back over at him with a big grin, she took one last shot with his advice hitting the target a little off, but pretty much what she wanted. She giggled slinging her bow over her shoulder with her quiver running over and hugging him.
"I did it!" She giggled, he looked down at her awkwardly patting her back, she ran off again to collect her arrows.
"Wish she'd stop doin that every time anything happens." Daryl said to no one in particular, Carol giggled trying to cover her face from him. He tossed the bag of jerky he'd brought to share with them right at her, which only made her laugh harder.
"Shut up woman." He said halfheartedly, still he was smiling at them, but he went still looking off into the woods, he'd seen something move. He pulled his crossbow off his shoulder aiming it in the direction he'd seen it.
"Is that any way to greet you're sister Dixon?" A boisterous female voice called out from the green, he lowered his bow slightly looking out into the woods to find the woman who'd spoke, he slung his bow when he saw her.
"Kiry fucking Dixon, you ain't nobody's wife no more." Daryl called out walking out into the woods without a second thought, she ran at him and he opened his arms to her, and they met in a tackle of a hug, and she kissed him on the cheek.
"Never thought I'd see you again." She said as he held her tight, Carol's laughter had stopped dead, and now she didn't know what to think, he was so affectionate with the small brunette it made her long to be that close to him.
"Now stop that shit, you know nothin gonna kill a Dixon but a Dixon." Daryl told her still holding on to her, she pulled away a little.
"Where's my ex Merle that lay about?" She asked, Daryl dropped his arms looking away, Kiry frowned knowing what that kind of look meant.
"No, no way, he got bit, he was a dick, but he was tough as nails?" She asked the air leaving her lungs making her words a harsh whisper, Carol was trapped watching this interaction.
"No, we got separated, I ain't seen him since, but I know he had to cut his own hand off to make it." Daryl told her, she chuckled coldly.
"Ya, that's Merle, but come on he ain't dead, only thing that can kill Merle is Merle, remember so stop given me that look like you already buried him. Dixon's survive." She told him clutching his hand in hers.
"Ya." Daryl said with a half smile, Carol could finally see her well enough to look her over, she had a knife tucked into any space that would hold one, and one handgun in a holster at her side.
"Well ya gonna introduce me to you're girl or what?" Kiry asked, Carol didn't even catch her meaning, but Daryl smiled at the thought turning to introduce her.
"Kiry meet Carol and Sophia Peletier, this is Kiry Dixon my little sister in law." Kiry smiled with a cocky little wave, she was so different from the Dixon brothers, so happy, she still had that hard edge to her the way the other two did, that lethality that let you know not to fuck with her, but there was something soft about her too.
"It's nice to meet you." Carol said politely, the girl seemed nice enough, and she was glad she was related to Daryl, she was far too beautiful to compete with. She had the same dark hair as those two but her blue eyes had a hint of green turning them a brilliant shade of bright aqua blue.
"You too." She said, Carol could hear a hint of Daryl's familiar lilt in her voice, Sophia, who had been staring in shock from near her target. Now she hurried over to greet this new woman.
"You're really Daryl's sister?" She asked clutching at her bow string, Kiry looked over at the bow, she recognized the work.
"Not by blood, but ya, that's me, Daryl make that?" She asked pointing to the bow, Sophia nodded proudly pulling it off her shoulder showing it to Kiry.
"Alway's did do good work brother, you teachin her how to use it?" Kiry asked turning back to her brother, he rolled his eyes at her.
"He says I need more practice, but he put up that moving target for me, and I'm getting better." She answered for him, Kiry smiled at Sophia and looked back over at her brother.
"Ain't you turnin in to a hell of a guy, all it took was the end a the God damn world." She jibed, he glared with no real malice.
"Shut up kid." He barked, she flashed him a wicked smile.
"Make me Darlena." She teased rushing forward to tackle him, she'd missed him, hell she'd missed being with people at all. He sidestepped her, but she grabbed the back of his vest and swung up onto his back, and they were wrestling, actually wrestling around, and he was smiling. He looked so sweet, so innocent like that if Carol hadn't seen him kill time and time again, she would have guessed he was a kid.
"You infuriating girl, get off me!" He yelled at her, not really mad, Carol and Sophia were laughing hysterically, Sophia ran over to them jumping onto the pile trying to join in the fun so when it happened only Carol noticed.
Shane was rushing towards them holding his gun out at them he seemed to think that Kiry was actually attacking Daryl. Carol didn't know what to do, she couldn't stop him, so she did the only thing she knew to do.
"Daryl!"She called out just as the shot rang out, Daryl pulled Sophia under him to the ground, and Kiry leaped up with a flick of her wrists Shane's gun was gone and Kiry was charging at him in fast flicking motions spun herself around kicking him in the chest and landing with her knee on his throat.
"Move and I'll slit your throat pretty boy!" She growled, by now Rick and the others were rushing up to see what was going on.
"Fuckin a Shane, that's my baby sister, I just found out she ain't dead and you wanna shoot her, for fuck sake you could a hit Sophia!" Daryl yelled, and everyone was stunned into silence, for one no one even knew Daryl had a sister, but then no one knew much about him at all, but the fact that she was now pinning Shane to the ground was also a little crazy since he was the most skilled of the group excluding Daryl, and the biggest, and there was no way she weighed more then 100 pounds.
"I'm sure there's an explanation for this, but he can't give it with her kneeling on his throat." Rick said calmly, Kiry looked back over at Daryl as if asking him what she should do, he had Sophia hiding behind him clutching his vest, he nodded for her to come over to him. Kiry nodded hopping off Shane and snatching her blades in one smooth motion and backing up towards Daryl.
"We didn't even know Daryl had a sister." Dale said in his calm rational way, Kiry eyed him for a moment then decided he was no threat.
"Well sister in law if you wanna get technical, name's Kiry, and I ain't fond a bein shot at." She told him, he smiled nodding his agreement.
"None of us are." He mumbled looking pointedly at Shane who was coughing, his airway finally clear.
"She was attacking Daryl, I didn't have a lot of time to question the situation." Shane choked out when his lungs started cooperating.
"Pft, whatever, cause Carol would be just watching while her daughter and her man tried to fend off an intruder, without pulling a weapon, good lord, we were just rough housin, what kinda half wit are ya pretty boy?" Kiry said rolling her eyes like he was a total idiot, Carol smiled this girl didn't exactly know her but it was nice that someone didn't think she'd just sit and watch while her family was in danger, though she didn't know why Kiry had referred to him as her man.
"She's got a point, ain't you a cop, should be a little more observant." Daryl said trying not to laugh at the look on Shane's face, Shane looked like he might get up and fight for his pride, but Rick beat him to it.
"It was an honest, if not hasty mistake, we didn't know who she was." Rick placated, and in that moment Carol was glad of his desire to make everything go smoothly.
"We still don't really, I mean no offense, but Merle was his brother and he wasn't exactly safe to be around, and she married him what if his sister's just like him?" Andrea pointed out, some of the members of the group nodded, but Carol was appalled, Merle had threatened everyone's safety more then once, but only when he was high, and he'd saved them once or twice two, the least you could do was give her a chance.
"What the hell did you just say about my Merle bitch?" Kiry said fuming, she looked ready to launch herself at Andrea, they hadn't stayed together, but he was still her man.
"Now let's not judge her based on the actions of a man who spent most of his time on some kind of drug." Dale put in, he had a point, but Kiry looked ready to defend his honor to the end, and Daryl didn't know what to do, he wanted to defend Merle, but he knew they were right, so Carol did something she never did.
"She was nothing but nice until you shot at her, have we really reached the point where we judge people on things they had nothing to do with, not to mention Merle may not have been perfect, but he was there family and I don't think being rude about him in front of them is right, they loved him and we have no right to disrespect that." Carol said trying to sound more confidant then she felt, but her voice was weak and mousy like always.
"At least your girl's got half a brain." Kiry mumbled, Daryl nudged her shaking his head.
"She aint my girl, so stop that shit." Daryl mumbled, Kiry looked over at him raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"She's right, this isn't something to be discussed here, I hope you understand our hesitation, we need to be overly cautious to survive out here." Rick said, Kiry looked back over at him her eyebrow still cocked.
"Ya, whatever, y'all go have your little council, but I ain't leavin without Daryl, keep that in mind." Kiry told them flopping down on the stump Daryl used as a chair with her arms crossed.
"Understood, Daryl could you join us?" Rick asked, everyone filed back towards Hershel's house, Rick wanted his opinion since it was his farm, and even though they weren't on the best terms he'd mostly convinced him not to kick them out.
"I want to know everyone's opinion before we decide anything." Rick told them once they'd explained everything to Hershel, and he'd let them in so they could talk it over.
"Let me start, you kick my sister out, and you kick my ass out too, ain't gonna leave her." Daryl told them, that changed the dynamic a bit, despite what Daryl thought of himself the group knew he contributed a lot.
"Mom, I don't wanna leave Daryl." Sophia said looking worriedly up at her mother, Carol clutched at her cross necklace.
"I know honey, I can't believe we're even having this talk, I mean would we be trying to figure out if she was worth keeping around if she were your sister Rick, or yours Shane, we didn't have to talk it over when your sister showed up Andrea. She can obviously be of use if she can take you down Shane, so what's the problem, it's not like she's going to kill someone in there sleep, if she wanted to kill us she could have already done it, she came to us, we didn't find her." Carol spoke up for the second time that day, Daryl smiled at her gratefully, she was doing this for him and Sophia after all, trying to be strong for them.
"She's right, Kiry, was it? She seems nice enough despite her reaction to being threatened, we can't just tell her to scram because she was afraid Shane might hurt her, he was after all trying to kill her, and I'm not sure I would have blamed her if she'd shot back, but she didn't kill him." Dale put in always the voice of reason in this group.
"I guess it's hard to blame her, Shane's actions were to protect the group, and Kiry's actions were to protect herself and her brother. We should give her a chance." Rick told them, Shane shook his head.
"She threw that knife like a pro, took my gun out with barely a thought, and you want me to sleep with her in the camp, it's not like she's helpless or innocent." Shane snipped, Daryl glared at him, he didn't usually disagree with Shane, but he was a dick.
"You're just pissed you got beat on by a girl, I mean good lord ya gonna hold it against her cause she's good enough to survive out there, ain't like she'd be here if she was helpless." Daryl told them, everyone nodded a little except Lori, and Shane.
"You're right, if we'd met her under any other circumstances we wouldn't have even questioned this, Hershel, I know you haven't decided weather or not to let us stay, but I would really appreciate your opinion on this." Rick turned to Hershel, it was obvious he wanted to make the old man happy in an attempt to get him to let them stay.
"As long as she follows the rules on my farm and stays away from the barn, I don't care either way." Hershel told them honestly Rick nodded looking at the rest of the group, only Shane seemed to disagree.
"I'm sorry Daryl we trust you to have our backs we should trust you to vouch for your sister, of coarse she can stay, just try to keep hostility to a minimum." Rick told him, Daryl rolled his eyes shaking his head he pushed off the wall going to find Kiry.
He was happy they didn't have to leave, he liked being part of this group, and with Carol and Sophia he felt like he might actually belong here, but it was bull shit that they even thought about making her leave.
"They don't like me do they?" Kiry asked throwing her knives at Sophia's target as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Shane sure as shit doesn't but the rest got no fucking clue what to think a you." Daryl told her, she huffed over to the target pulling out two dozen or so knives stuffing them back into there respective hiding places.
"I suck at this whole group thing, I should just leave, I don't wanna ruin what you got here big brother, hell you got a family, and they look like they might actually care about you, hell of a step up, maybe go I'll find Merle." Kiry told him looking back at the woods, Daryl smacked her on the arm lightly.
"Don't even fuckin say that sis, if I'd known you were still makin it I would a never left, Merle said he saw ya go down after we found you." Daryl told her, she laughed shaking her head.
"Merle was high as shit when this all went down, I got pinned, that don't mean I was down, I've been tryin to find y'all since, I'm just glad you're okay." Kiry told him, he put his arm around her shoulders wishing he could have protected her, he and Merle had always protected her from well everything, she was the one that kept them grounded, made life better for them.
Carol Saw them standing together, it was the first time she'd seen him look comfortable with anyone, he was in his element with hunting and tracking, but whenever he knew someone was around he went stiff like he didn't know what to do with himself, but he wasn't like that with her. He was actually smiling sweetly down at her, looking loving and protective.
She wished he could be like that with her and Sophia, she knew it was probably because she knew everything about him, he wasn't scared she'd turn away from him if he acted like himself. She envied them in that moment for having each other. Sophia came running up after her with her bow eager to see Daryl again.
"We brought you two some food, I thought you might be hungry." Carol said holding up a tray with two bowls of leftover stew and bottles of water, Kiry and Daryl looked over at her. Daryl dropped his arm grabbing at the strap of his crossbow, Kiry smiled at Carol, then looked over at Daryl obviously aware of his change in demeanor.
"She cooks too, hell Carol you're a fuckin catch." Kiry told her taking her bowl eagerly, it was probably the first home cooked meal she'd had since this all started.
"Um, thanks." Carol said blushing and looking at her feet, Sophia was fidgeting behind her with her bow waiting for them to give her permission to go.
"Hey, kid you wanna go a round with that target you got after I eat?" Kiry asked through a mouth full of food, Daryl rolled his eyes, Kiry was way too competitive but he'd give it to her, when she put her mind to it she was damn good at most things athletic.
"Really, yes I'll, I mean is that okay mamma?" Sophia stopped herself turning to ask permission.
"Of coarse sweetheart, I'll stay here with Daryl till you two are done?" Carol told her, with a rare genuine smile. Kiry scarfed her stew down and handed the bowl to Carol running off with Sophia. Carol took her bottle of water and rinsed out the dish while Daryl watched Kiry and Sophia set up to start competing, knife vs. bow.
"She aint gonna be the best influence, me and Merle kinda corrupted her. Known her forever." Daryl told Carol, she just laughed setting the bowl down so she could talk to Daryl.
"Well then she can't be that bad, Merle wasn't so bad, and I know what a really good person you are." She told him, no sarcasm in her voice, no mocking tone, he'd never had anyone not related to him ever be this consistently nice to him.
"How do you do that?" He asked out of the blue, Carol looked up at him totally confused, she had no idea what he was asking.
"Do what?" She asked him, he blinked like he hadn't realized he'd said it out loud, he looked over at Sophia and Kiry trying not to look at her.
"No matter how shitty everything gets you always got somethin nice to say." He mumbled still not looking at her, she shrugged trying to hide her blush, she was hardly ever complimented and to hear him say it was even better.
"I just don't see the point in wallowing it doesn't help anyone, and everyone needs to be appreciated once in a while." Carol told him, they sat in silence for a long moment watching Sophia get tips on speed shooting from Kiry.
"So what was she like before all this?" Carol asked watching Kiry, that wasn't really what she wanted to know, but she knew he'd pull away if she asked him about his life.
"She's only been my sister in law since a very drunk night in Vegas, but after our mom died Dad took up drinking all night and waking up with strangers in his bed. It kept him busy at least, one of his hussies had a kid she brought over or our pa'd take us there, lived down the road, we took to hangen out in the graveyard together.
Dad couldn't give a shit, so it fell to me and Merle to look after her when they were all high, or off fuckin, I was seven and Merle had just turned ten, we were shit at taking care of ourselves, much less her, but somehow she turned out to be the sweetest person I ever met, she just has a way of makin ya smile just because she's happy." Daryl told her, she'd never heard him be so open about anything. He obviously cared deeply for her.
"It sounds like you two did a lot for her." Carol said plainly, he shrugged.
"We did what we could, Merle took the worst of it." Daryl told her absently, it was almost like sitting there watching her he'd actually let himself relax.
"How so?" Carol asked, he looked over at her shaking himself slightly.
"Just did." He said turning as he saw Shane approaching them, Carol turned to see what had made him pull away, Shane just walked by them towards Kiry and Sophia, Daryl followed him with a glare, and Carol followed Daryl rolling her eyes.
"Hey, it occurred to me that I might owe you an apology." Shane managed to spit out through clenched teeth, Rick had obviously put him up to this.
"Why, I kicked your ass?" Kiry answered rolling her eyes, Shane scowled trying to keep his cool, Carol could see the two Dixon's just daring him to start something.
"Ya well, I'm still sorry, to all of you." He ground out turning to leave, he looked about ready to blow, Carol didn't know what he'd do now, but she wanted to be far away from it.
"I'm worried he's gonna do something stupid." Carol told Daryl, he watched Shane leave, he nodded.
"Ya, ain't my problem as long he stays away from me and mine." Daryl told her going to help Sophia since Kiry was whooping her. About an hour later Shane was handing out guns.