New Meanings to Old Words: Safe
Hi! I'm on a roll, and I'm having a blast writing this all out which is just what it's all about right?
Tons of Daryl and Callie interaction in this one…
This chapter is going to pick up in some actual Season 1 fun. Rick finally makes it back to camp. I'm not one for writing word for word the stuff we already know and love…and this is a re-imagining of Season 1.
So while you'll recognize parts don't expect everything to stay exactly the same…
As always….read, review, and enjoy!
~SWW
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Callie and the crew of misfits (Danny, Miles, Jenna, Mike, Nina, Ben and Gracie).
Chapter 7: A Good Day In Hell
Move in,
Can't you see she wants you
She has you deep in her eyes
You been wond'rin' why she haunts you
Beauty in the devil's disguise
She can tell you all about it
She sees it in the stars
She'll burn you if you try to put her down
Oh well, it's been a good day in hell
And tomorrow I'll be glory bound
They had a thing.
That was really the only way that Callie could think to describe the strange midnight visits she shared with Daryl Dixon on top of the RV. It was a thing.
The first time she chalked it up to pity; after he sat and listened to her sob story he obviously felt a bit off telling her to leave. The second time he wanted a smoke. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, the man needed some nicotine. The third night they had sat in relative silence. She had just finished outlining her plan to go find Danny and Glenn to the group of assembled testosterone and she needed the quiet as much as he had. It hadn't come as much of a shock when she heard that Merle and Daryl were coming along. Daryl had let that cat out of the bag when he took her cuffs off.
Callie shivered again at the thought of that odd occurrence.
But they hadn't needed to go. Danny and Glenn had radioed just after dawn the fourth day, and sauntered back into camp by noon. Their Cobalt running on fumes on the road up to the Quarry. Callie had been so relieved she'd excused herself and sat behind a tree for a half an hour before coming back to camp.
So the fourth night, when Callie relieved Dale and assumed her usual mid-evening watch she hadn't really expected him to come up. But he did. Of course he was due to relieve her of watch soon, but the fact that he had come up nearly an hour and a half early didn't go unnoticed. It wasn't spoken of, because Callie wasn't a fucking idiot, but it didn't go unnoticed. They sat in complete silence that night, Callie finishing out her hour and a half of watch before tapping him on the shoulder and heading to the ladder.
"Glad your boy made it back," were the only gruff words he spoke to her between the cigarette sitting unlit on his lips as she descended the ladder.
"Glad we didn't have to go get his ass," Callie said with a smirk. This earned a gruff nod of his head as the brief flare of the lighter in his hand lit up his face. Those blue eyes hit hers for a second before he tilted his head up to let out his first puff of smoke.
The fifth night, when she heard his feet hit the ladder she couldn't help the smirk from forming on her lips. He stopped at the top of the ladder, placing his crossbow at the edge, his eyes lingering on her boots sitting at the edge near the ladder.
"Courtesy to those below," Callie said to him over her shoulder. He nodded his head, turned and sat removing his boots without a word. Callie returned her gaze to the camp below while she heard him make his way towards his usual spot.
The welcoming silence then began, all that was heard was the crinkle of the pack of cigarettes she had given him that second night. It was a half an hour into the two hours she had left when she heard him shift again. Quiet, like a fucking redneck ninja, he moved across the RV and sat down beside her. He was still facing the opposite direction, his knees pulled up to his chest arms resting atop them, mirroring her position in the lawn chair.
Callie hadn't realized she tensed up and stared until his voice startled her, and she sat blinking down at a lit cigarette being handed up to her. She reached down to take it from him when he finally turned to look at her with a stare that was screaming at her to.
Placing the cigarette to her lips Callie's eyes returned to the trees surrounding the camp, skimming over the forms of Danny, Glenn and Andrea quietly conversing around the small dying fire.
"What kind of fuckin' name is Tug anyway?" Daryl's gruff voice barely above a whisper again startled her and she slid her eyes over to his form. He hadn't moved in anyway. His arms were still dangling on his bent knees, the cigarette settled between two fingers that fiddled back and forth as if relishing the feel of the familiar stick they held.
Callie's mouth opened, the cigarette hanging from her bottom lip as her eyes narrowed at the man beside her. Lifting a hand to the dangling smoke, she removed it and turned her head back to the camp below. Her gaze shifted back to him a second later to find him just sitting there as if he hadn't said a damn thing.
"A fuckin' army nickname." Callie responded with a chuckle. "His real name was Samuel Marcus," she said with a smile. "Apparently the day he joined up the drill sergeant mentioned that he looked more like a fuckin' tug boat captain than a soldier. Nickname stuck, and so he forever became Uncle Tug."
"Army?"
"Yep," Callie said nodding with a smile. "Same as dad. Bobby joined up 'cause he felt the need to continue the Marcus trend of annoying drill sergeants."
After that they both fell silent again, each one enjoying their cigarette. Callie's eyes kept shifting to the man sitting beside her. If they had been sitting back to back their movements would have looked like some fucked up synchronized swimming routine. Her eyes shifted to his feet in a pair of plain white socks. He wiggled his toes a bit, and she smiled.
"What did you do before this?" Callie asked putting her eyes back to camp and taking a long drag from her cigarette. She felt his eyes roam the side of her face as he looked over at her, and she looked back in just enough time to catch the infinitesimal smirk on his lips as he turned his head back the other side of the RV.
"This and that," Daryl said quietly, flicking his cigarette off the RV. "Construction. Auto repair. Fix it work for a few people. Nothing special."
"And tending bar is special?"
"You owned that bar didn't ya?" Daryl said flicking a look at her over his shoulder. Callie smiled at him and turned around and flicking her cigarette over his head and off the RV to join his.
"Yeah," she said finally wagging a finger at him. "Still don't make it anything special. Bobby's a doctor."
"Ain't just tendin' bar though," Daryl said shifting his eyes to hers. She shrugged at him and fiddled with the bandages that Dale had helped her to put on her still healing wrists. "They healin'?"
"Yeah," Callie said with a final rub to the wrists, pulling the sleeves of the now cleaned Butch's Auto Body shirt down a bit. "Itchy as hell though."
They passed another three hours up on the RV together in that welcome silence, before Callie called it a night and headed down the ladder. Her mumbled 'G'night, Daryl' was met again with the simple salute and nod of his head as he took her place in the lawn chair. His sock covered feet stretched out in front of him, ankles crossed as he lit up another cigarette.
Last night, night number six, was when it really hit her. She had been about to give up on him. Her head bowed as she crossed her arms over her chest and cursed the slight drizzle that was falling on her. She had put up the umbrella, red and white and ridiculous as it was, when the drizzle began, but a snapping sound on the opposite side of the camper had her out from underneath. She was looking down over the trees that covered part of the roadway side of their camp, her eyes adjusted to the dark were looking for any signs of what had made the sound.
She was so engrossed in her search she had missed the telltale sound of his boots hitting the ladder. The clink of his crossbow hitting the roof was what made her turn, gun in hand. She was that on edge. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, before they resumed their normal squinted perusal of his surroundings. A slightly tilt to his lips, and he sat down to remove his shoes.
"Could just tell me not to come up no more," Daryl said with his back to her. Callie sighed and shook her head at the man before putting her gun back into the front of her jeans. Daryl placed his shoes beside hers, his sock covered feet hitting the wet surface of the RV roof. He grimaced then looked at her bare feet, shaking his now damp hair out of his eyes and running a hand through it he moved under the umbrella. "Fuck got you so jumpy, girl?"
"Heard something," Callie said, her eyes moving back down to the wooded area below.
Daryl moved up behind her, and she tensed slightly when he put his hand to her arm just above the elbow. Standing with his gaze over her other shoulder he looked down, his grip on her arm tighter as he leaned a bit further over to look down. His chest was at her back, the warmth radiating off him welcome in the cooler drizzle of the night.
"Ain't nothing down there," he said practically into her ear. "Now move back 'fore you slip off the fuckin' edge of the camper."
Daryl pulled her back under the large umbrella with him, his hand still on her elbow. He looked at her for a moment, his eyes taking in her soaked appearance with a grunt. His hand slipped off her elbow, and she shivered as she watched him plop to the roof beside the chair. His spot. Crossing her arms over her chest, feeling the wetness of her t-shirt as it clung to her midsection suddenly missing the warmth that he had provided, Callie's eyes flicked back to the edge of the RV.
"Said ain't nothing there," Daryl said lighting up two cigarettes and handing one up to her. "Now sit down before you fall down."
"I'm not going to fall down," Callie said snatching the cigarette from his fingers. "Where you been, Daryl?" She said with a smirk as she sat down and pulled her bare feet up so that her knees were under her chin.
"Fuckin' raining, Callie," Daryl said sending her a sideways glance and a smirk. She let out a bark of laughter and took a drag from her cigarette settling her eyes on the camp. That was the first indication she had. The first time he had actually called her by name. "Three nights in a row now you ain't worn socks."
"Would you believe I only have two pair." Callie said her eyes on the form of Andrea as she moved towards the RV. No doubt to sit under the awning with Dale, Amy and Jacqui still chatting below. "And boy have they seen better days."
Daryl hadn't said anything to that, a slight sound that could have been a laugh or a cough escaped before they fell into silence. Each listening to the drizzle fall through the trees. She only lasted an hour in the comforting silence before the chill of her wet clothes got the better of her. She said her usual 'G'night, Daryl' to which he responded with his salute and nod.
It wasn't until this morning, when Daryl dropped a pair of socks into her lap as he made his way towards what Danny claimed to be coffee percolating on the fire, that she knew.
They had a thing.
Callie was still fiddling with the socks when Danny plopped down on the ground beside her. He raised his hands behind his head and settled his back to the wheel of the Hummer and smiled at her. She spared him a quick glance and then very quickly regretted it. Asshole was grinning ear to fucking ear.
"Aw," Danny said bumping her shoulder with his elbow. "Your boy gave you socks. I was wondering what he dropped on you."
"Shut up Danny," Callie said setting the socks beside her as she reached for the small pair of jeans she was working at lowering the hem on. She and Gracie had finished their walk nearly two hours ago, at which point she stripped the dirty garment from the girl. She was growing, and the pants weren't going to be lasting much longer at this rate, but the longer the life she could get out of them the better.
"So," Danny started his hand scratching at the back of his newly shorn head. Amy's handiwork from yesterday. "We're putting Miles to work."
"Oh?" Callie said looking up.
"Yeah, figure it's best to keep him busy. Idle hands and all that shit." Danny said as his eyes darted away from hers and he smiled at the assembled group near the fire pit. "Jim's gonna teach him 'bout fixing cars. They're gonna be down the hill at the Cobalt tearing it apart."
"That safe?" Callie asked lowering the pants to her lap.
"Dale's got eyes on them," Danny said nodding his head towards the RV. "Plus Glenn's going to help out too. They'll be fine."
"So what are you going to be doing today?" Callie asked with a smile. Danny looked to her with a smile. Three days had gone by since Danny and Glenn returned from Atlanta. Neither man really talked much about what had happened in the city. The only thing that Danny had told them when pushed was 'they weren't home'.
Callie hadn't pushed. She didn't need to. If Danny wanted to talk about something he knew where she was. All that mattered really was that he and Glenn had made it back. And somehow, that little black cloud that had been hanging over Danny's head since they made it to camp had dissipated, just enough to let him relax again.
"I'm going to be teaching the kids some Algebra," Danny said raising his brow at Callie's smile. "What?"
"Nothing, Mr. Murdock," Callie said chuckling. "Back to your roots, huh?"
"Yeah, well, figure I should make myself fuckin' useful. Lori and Carol are doing a good enough job with the English. But I got all this knowledge just yearning to break free, you know?" Danny said putting his hands to his knees and leaning forward dramatically.
"I'm sure," Callie said shaking her head. "That's good of you."
"Yeah," Danny said with a nod. "And Jenna's going to be going over some of Amy's books with her. She's a bit further in the school department than the other kids, so I figure Amy's the next best bet with her. She'll enjoy it more too."
"Wow," Callie said, narrowing her eyes at Danny. "And the little ones?"
"Well, Ben is with his new best buddy Merle and I believe the two of them are cooking up some frogs that Ben caught down at the lake yesterday." Danny raised both brows and then rubbed his hand on his stomach. "Yum."
Callie looked over and found Ben hunched over a small fire, poking at something with a stick while the elder Dixon shook his head and skewered another frog on a stick. Beside, them not far off Daryl stood with his back against his truck, his hands drumming on the side of his coffee cup as he shook his head and mumbled something to Merle.
"Odd friends you let that boy have," Danny mumbled. He put his hands up when she turned to look at him. "Ain't got no problem with it. Those boys want to play babysitter, fine by me."
"My sentiments exactly, Mr. Murdock." Callie said with a laugh as she slapped his shoulder. "And our little Gracie."
"Well she's going to be learning her letters with Lori," Danny said smiling as Callie's mind finally wrapped around the fact that for once all of her kids were taken care of. "That's right Miss Marcus, I stopped by to see what you would be doing with your rare free day."
"Well, shit," Callie said dropping the pants to her lap and picking up her lukewarm coffee. "I have no idea. Maybe I'll go bug Jim and Miles."
"Nuh uh," Danny said waggling a finger at her as he stood up and brushed his hands down the back of his pants. "No way. You enjoy your free day. Don't bug those kids. It took a lot to get them all settled elsewhere."
"What's the occasion?" Callie said squinting up at him as he stood hands on hips in front of her. "Is it my birthday?"
"Fuck if I know you didn't tell me when your birthday is," Danny muttered. "Let's just say I'm trying something new."
"I'm a bit freaked out right now, but I'm gonna go with it." Callie said pointing her finger at him. "Don't make me regret it."
Danny saluted dramatically and made his way over towards where Carl, Sophia, Eliza and Luis were waiting for him. Not far off Lori and Carol were smiling as Gracie worked on writing out something on a piece of notebook paper.
Callie let out a sigh as she watched Miles follow behind Jim and T-dog as they made their way towards the service road and no doubt down to the abandoned Cobalt. Setting her cup down on the ground beside her new pair of socks, Callie stretched out her legs and lifted her hands above her head. Settling them behind her head she tilted her face to the sun above and smiled.
She heard the familiar sound of Ben's Polaroid going off, and heard Merle's laugh. Looking she saw Danny shaking his head and laughing as well before turning back to look at the kids waiting for him. Turning to Ben she saw him tuck a photo into his bag after showing it to Merle who was standing now and smacking Daryl on the shoulder. Shaking her head Callie once again picked up Gracie's pants and continued to unstitch the bottom hem.
Daryl was still trying to figure out what the fuck was going on, when he settled back against his truck. He'd just dropped the pair of socks on Callie's lap and gotten himself a cup of what Danny had assured everyone was horrid stale coffee.
That hadn't stopped any of them from brewing it up and drinking it. Fucking needed coffee as much as you needed air to breathe in this world with little to no sleep.
He was still trying to figure it out when he saw Danny plop down beside her. What the fuck was making him go up there?
First night, she was too wired to kick her off the roof. Second night, he wanted that fucking smoke. She'd been right, he'd been two seconds from a fuckin' nicotine orgasm. He'd seen the look on Merle's face when he offered him a cigarette the next morning. It was hard to miss that look. Third night, they were making plans and - well they hadn't really talked that night. By the fourth night he was working real hard to convince himself that it was just habit.
Fifth night he opened his fucking mouth, and that threw the whole habit scenario out the window. Then last night, he'd touched her. Fuckin' settled his hand on her arm and pulled her under an umbrella. What the fuck was wrong with him?
"Hey, Mr. Daryl do you want a frog?" Ben's voice broke into his thoughts and had him looking down at the boy as he sat before Merle. Daryl shook his head.
"You sure, my brother? They be roasting up real good. Smells like chicken, huh boy?" Merle said to the boy sitting before him. Daryl again shook his head.
"Ain't hungry," Daryl said drumming his fingers along his coffee cup and watching as Merle skewered another frog.
Daryl continued to watch his brother smiling down at the boy in front of him, teaching the kid the proper way to skewer a frog. Merle reached out and grabbed the boy in a friendly head lock rubbing his hair wildly when he did it right. Daryl remembered Merle being a lot rougher with him when he used to congratulate him on a job well done.
Merle for his part was being oddly nice as he worked with the boy. It would have been strange if Daryl didn't know his brother as well. He knew for certain that the rest of those mommas in camp wouldn't let their kids twenty feet near either him or Daryl. In fact, none of them had for those months they'd been here. Course that was before Callie and her crew showed up.
Daryl's eyes slid yet again to where his mind was. He watched as Danny stood up and gave a dramatic salute to the woman smiling up at him. She was different than most of the women round here. Had a moral streak in her that put her into Merle's 'bleeding-heart' category. She sat there in that category with Glenn, the fucker who had brought more than half these people together.
He watched as she stretched out now, raising her hands to her head and pointing that heart-shaped face of hers towards the sun above. A smile riding her lips as she relaxed for what looked to be the first time in a long time.
There was something else to her. Something that had Daryl's mind working to figure her out. Something hidden behind those pretty hazel eyes. Something that had figured out Merle's problem, but still had her keeping that secret to herself. Maybe that's why he kept going up to that RV.
Making sure she kept outta their business. Kept her pretty hazel eyes on her own problems and not his.
The sound of a camera going off caught Daryl off guard. His attention and had him turning to the boy sitting with Merle. He watched him hand the still drying photo to Merle who was standing and laughing now. Merle shook his head as he looked at it and handed it back down to the boy. Somewhere in the distance he heard a chuckle.
"Danny said I needed to get him while he was distracted," Ben said to Merle who was putting a hand to his brother's shoulder. Daryl made a face and grumbled. He hadn't wanted to have his picture taken. He'd made that fuckin' clear.
"Wasn't distracted," Daryl said sucking down what was left of his coffee.
"Certainly weren't paying attention, my brother." Merle said laughing and slapping him on the shoulder. "What's got your panties in a twist?"
"Nothing," Daryl said shaking off his brother. Merle responded with an 'uh huh' and shook his head laughing as Daryl made his way towards the lake to wash off his hunting gear. They were going to need to make another trip soon. It would do them both some good to get away from camp for a while.
Night ten since Danny and Glenn had returned, had Daryl settled in his spot with more than half of Callie's watch still left to go. Callie was settled into the chair, one leg up and the other stretched out before her. Her eyes were on the camp, and it looked like she was about ready to get out of her chair.
"Ain't your concern," Daryl said quietly. Shooting her a look he watched as she settled back and shook her head. "She should be smart enough to know she can ask for help. But she don't. Makes it her problem, not yours."
"Anyone ever offer to help?" Callie said her eyes shifting to him. His lowered head and snarled expression confirmed the 'no' clearer than if he'd have said it. "She's scared of the fucker," Callie said eyes returning to the tent where she could hear the muffled sounds of a scuffle. "She doesn't know what to do. Whole world went to shit and boom she's stuck with a man that does that to her and no real hope of an out. Fuckin' bastard." Callie's eyes shifted to Lori's tent, the tent she knew Shane had sauntered into a while ago. Not her place to pry there. But she was still pissed off at the man's obvious apathy towards the Peletiers and their problems.
They fell into silence and she felt Daryl's eyes slide towards her, he leaned back and looked directly at her bare feet. Looking at her with a comical look of disbelief she raised her finger and pointed to her boots at the edge of the RV.
"They're in my boots," she said laughing. "Not that I don't appreciate the sentiment, but it's fuckin' hot tonight. Never been much of a summer sock wearer."
Daryl let out a huff and she laughed. Slipping two cigarettes from her pack she lit them both and tapped her hand on his shoulder. He looked over to see the smoldering end and smirked as he grabbed it and placed it between his lips.
"Guessing you shared with Merle by now, which means you're probably close to being out. Considering I know for a fact that the two of you are not good at rationing when it comes to smokes." Callie said taking a drag. "Here," she tapped his shoulder with the pack.
"Where the fuck you gettin' all these cigarettes anyway?" Daryl asked looking at the pack with a raised brow.
"Danny raided every rest stop we hit for the three months we were on the road," Callie said with a smile. "And apparently his wife had as bad a habit as we do, so he grabbed more from there."
"Hot commodity nowadays." Daryl said his eyes still lingering on her hand which was resting on his shoulder holding the pack out for him to take. His eye slid to hers.
"Like fuckin' prison." Callie muttered and earned one of those rare smiles from the man before his eyes returned to the pack on his shoulder. "You're not going to owe me anything for taking them, Daryl." Callie said with another smile as she slid the pack back and forth on his shoulder, taunting him. "Come on take 'em, you know you want them. If anything you can just take them and give them to Merle. I know it helps a bit to have something to keep his mind off of it."
Daryl reached up and took the pack then. His fingers brushed against hers, and Callie tried to catch his eye in the darkness but he averted them quickly. The contact wasn't by mistake, that much she was sure of. A small smile tilted her lips as she settled back into her chair and once again stared at the Peletier's tent. Quiet now from where she sat, but that didn't really mean anything. Silence settled between them on the roof again for a while but was again broken by Daryl. A fact which always made Callie smile.
"You don't have to worry about Merle with your boy," Daryl said quietly. Callie looked at the man as he stared off into the sky.
"I'm not," Callie said. "I wouldn't let Ben even close enough to shout at Merle if I were."
"He got himself a boy, you know." Daryl continued as if he didn't hear her, didn't believe her. That one had Callie turning to face him, cigarette bouncing on her lips as she closed her mouth. He didn't look over at her and she hadn't really expected him to.
"I did not know that," Callie said, lowering her head a bit as she spoke. "Merle don't really strike me as the daddy-type."
"He ain't." Daryl said in a matter-of-fact tone that had Callie chuckling. "Came home after being discharged from the Marines," he looked at her raising a brow. Ah, she'd been right on that one. "Woman he'd been shacking up with came after him for some money, towing a five year old behind her claiming it was his. Merle told her to fuck off, he didn't have money for some whore and her baby. She left town, Merle moved on."
"Wow," Callie said. "How long ago was that?"
"'Bout ten maybe twelve years," Daryl said quietly.
"Does the spawn of Merle have a name?" Callie said her eyes shifting towards the tent where Merle was no doubt dozing. Daryl shook his head and let his eyes roam upwards.
"Fuck if I care. Merle ain't real talkative about it." Daryl said shrugging his shoulder and taking a drag off his cigarette. "Probably dead now anyway." Daryl let the smoke crawl out of his barely open lips, and Callie's eyes watched the side of his face.
An hour went by, Callie sitting there tapping her bare toes on the roof of the RV lightly. The comfort of the silence between the pair was something Callie had begun to look forward to. Her nerves were rattled and on edge when she was alone, jumping at every sound she heard, searching the darkness for shit that didn't exist. She figured it was because she was looking out for more than just her crew now. They had themselves a little village up here. A whole mess of people that went to bed every night hoping and praying for just one more day of safety.
With Daryl beside her she had someone to scoff at her and put a gentle hand to her arm when she was about to get up and search the woods. The knowing shake of his head as he dropped his fingers from her arm was as comforting as the hand itself.
God, that warm calloused hand was starting to haunt her. Fuck if she didn't like the feel of it when it did touch her. And fuck if she didn't bang her head against the ladder lightly every night when she climbed down.
Daryl spun around, causing Callie to sit up straight and grab towards her gun. His hand was on her wrist as he settled himself so that he was facing camp now. They were each on their second cigarette, letting the time span between the nicotine dream go longer and longer.
"Fuck you're jumpy at night," Daryl said letting his fingers slide off of her hand.
"Got a lot to be jumpy about at night," Callie said removing her cigarette and blowing smoke at his head beside her. "Fucker."
He let out a gruff laugh at that and settled his arms on his raised knees. His eyes surveyed the camp and she watched as they lingered on his tent for a moment.
"He's out," Daryl said quietly. "Ain't got no more left to kill his brain with, so he says he's gonna go into the city to see if he can find some. Says he knows right where to look."
"Fucking stupid," Callie spat out as her eyes flitted over to the tent. "Why?"
"Who?" He countered with, causing her to look at him. Those piercing eyes were on hers, and he was looking at her like he was trying to read her mind. "Who was it that had the problem in your life? Brother?"
Callie was silent for a moment, as she contemplated telling him. His gaze remained locked with hers and she knew he was desperate to find an answer. Not really to the question he'd posed to her, but to helping his brother give up the shit that was bound to be the death of him eventually. Daryl could easily save his brother from Walkers if given the chance, but not from what the drugs were doing.
"Danny," Callie said, earning a surprised look from Daryl. She laughed and ran her hand over the loose strands of hair that escaped her ponytail. "Yeah, fucked up doesn't begin to describe our start to this whole new world."
"You got him clean?" Daryl asked eyeing her. She felt the intensity of his scrutiny down to the tips of her bare little toes.
"Had to," Callie said quietly, leaning towards him just a bit. "Can't trust a man to have your back if there's something constantly on his."
Daryl raised his head a bit, they were mere inches away from each other now. His breath whispering along her lips as he stared at her. He continued to stare at her and she really didn't know what to say to get him to stop. Didn't know if she wanted him to stop.
"My turn," Callie said quietly. "What did he do that was bad enough that he lets you shadow him the way he does?" Callie watched as Daryl flinched back from her like she had smacked him. She smiled sadly and shook her head. "Merle ain't the type to let little brother play shadow. Something had to have happened that made him accept it."
Daryl looked away from her then and she put her hand to his shoulder as she got up. His eyes followed her movements, boring into her with a new sort of danger. He was mad. Shit, she'd made him mad.
"Danny ain't shy about his problem," Callie said quietly. "If it helps he would probably talk to Merle. There are things that Danny's done on that shit that he'll never be able to forgive himself for. One of them is being so ramped up that he wasn't there for his own boy when the world went to shit."
Callie squeezed his shoulder and Daryl's gaze dropped to her bare feet as she slowly made her way to the ladder. Grabbing her shoes and tossing them over her shoulder she settled her feet to the rung of the ladder.
"G'night, Callie," Daryl said. His voice was rough, and when she looked up at him she was shocked to find him staring right at her. Those blue eyes staring over his arms as the rested on his knees. She opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. Inclining her head slightly she raised her hand and gave a quick salute and a smirk.
She didn't bang her head off the ladder when she reached the bottom that night. Instead she looked up and smiled when she saw Daryl standing at the edge of the RV looking down at her. He took the cigarette from his lips and flicked off into the woods before nodding down at her and heading off back towards the chair.
"I'm going," Miles said raising his hands up to the sky. "No discussion needed. I'm not a fucking child, and I'm going."
"No," Callie said desperately trying to keep her voice calm as she rubbed at the bridge of her nose. It was too fucking early in the morning to be having this argument with the boy.
"Look I'm seventeen," Miles began.
"A fucking child." Callie spat back at him, her eyes sliding to the right as she watched people milling about camp. Some getting ready for the planned tip into Atlanta for supplies, others just going about their daily chores. They were all pretending not to listen, but Callie knew better.
"I'll be eighteen in like three weeks," he shook his head and pretended not to hear her. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at her. Idly she wondered when he got to be taller than her. She remembered him being shorter. "They need extra hands. Glenn and Andrea are both going. I'm not asking for permission here."
"Miles," Callie began, her eyes sliding to Lori for some help. Lori simply smiled and gave her a glance that said 'good luck I don't look forward to having that argument'.
"Look, mom, I'll be-"
Miles stopped mid-sentence, catching what he'd just said. Callie caught it and so did Danny who was emerging from the tent not far off. The camp had gone a bit quieter and Callie realized that the whole group, pretending not to hear them, had caught it too. Danny scratched at his stubble covered chin and raised a brow at her quickly. Callie continued to look at Miles but her hand raised to her rub across her suddenly dry mouth.
"I'm sorry," Miles said shaking his head. "I- I'm – I don't know why I said that." Miles' eyes were darting around now, his mind no doubt working a mile a minute.
Callie looked at the boy who looked like he was about to either burst into tears or fly off the handle screaming at any moment. She looked at the boy, the boy whose life she had saved and worked to keep safe for months. She looked at the boy that had fought off his own undead family in a struggle to survive, and had managed to somehow keep himself sane for weeks before she found him. She looked at him and came to a very sad realization. If seventeen was old enough to kill your own undead parents, then it was old enough to start making decisions.
"Go get your shit together, Miles. They're almost ready to leave." Callie said running her hand over her chin. She nodded her head when he made his way past her. He turned then and looked like he thought about hugging her. His eyes were welling up still and he looked away fast, pushing past Danny and into the tent to get his shit.
"Well, that was interesting, huh, mom?" Danny said putting an arm around her shoulder. He turned her towards the tent putting his head next to hers. "Our baby's all grown up and ready to kill himself some fuckin' Walkers. I'm so proud."
"Fuck you, Danny." Callie said pushing away from him. She settled herself on the log near where Jacqui and T-dog were preparing their own packs to go.
"We'll watch out for him, Callie." Jacqui said quietly putting a gentle hand to Callie's knee. "He'll be fine."
"As fine as any of us," T-dog said, earning a glare from the slender woman beside him and a smirk from Callie. "What? Like you ain't thinking it."
"You did volunteer, T-dog." Jacqui said raising brow. "You could stay."
"And look like a pussy next to a seventeen-year-old kid, screw that." T-dog said standing up and shouldering his pack. "Plus they need someone to do the heavy lifting."
"Yes, they need your muscles," Danny said as he sipped at some water.
"Shut up, Danny," T-dog said with a smile as he bowed his head towards his pack. Callie looked between the two men and could tell there was some kind of inside joke between them. Jacqui must have seen it too, because when Callie looked at her she just shook her head.
"I don't think any of us really want to know," Jacqui said standing up and heading off towards Andrea at the RV.
Two hours after they left, Callie was still having second thoughts about letting Miles go. She shared an interesting moment with Merle, when the man put an arm around her shoulder and snuggled in close.
"No worries, jail-bird," Merle said his lips on her ear. "I'll watch him good."
Odd as it was, she actually trusted him. Even knowing the fucker was only going to Atlanta to find himself some more drugs, a part of her still trusted the man.
"You'd better, Merle," Callie said pushing away from him. "I'm gonna hold you personally responsible for anything that happens to him." He'd gone away laughing, and it was that laugh that was haunting Callie.
Nearby, Danny was settling himself down near Carl, Eliza and Luis getting ready for another lesson. He caught her eye and gave her a smile and a shake of his head, mentally telling her to get over it. 'He's a big boy there, mom, gotta let him fly on his own', were the words she could hear him saying. Shaking her head she smiled and made to get up. Callie's eyes narrowed as she looked around Danny's make-shift school room. Turning towards Lori who was carrying a basket of laundry towards the RV she tapped the woman's knee.
"Where's Sophia?"
"Carol said she wasn't feeling well this morning," Lori said looking towards the tent with a grimace. "Not really sure what to make of it. Shane's having a word with Ed right now, trying to see if there's something going on we need to know about."
"Something's going on," Callie spat as she got to her feet. She walked past Danny and the kids and straight towards the Peletier tent, her mind circling around that shit that Daryl said wasn't any of her business last night. She settled her hand to the tent and closed her eyes, listening to Carol sniffling inside. "Carol, it's Callie. I heard Sophia was sick. I have a medical bag in the car. Can I come in and take a look before I bring it over? See if I can help?"
"Come in," Carol's voice was weak through the vinyl of the tent. Callie poked her head in first and then slid her body in, zipping the tent closed behind her. Carol was sitting on the floor beside Sophia who was laying on her side facing the other side of the tent. "Please don't make a big deal out of this, I'm asking you. I'm begging you. Please."
"Not one word," Callie said quietly. "I know. I get it. It'll be worse if I do." She crouched down next to the woman putting a hand to her shoulder. "Let me see if there's anything I can help with. My brother was a doctor. Taught me a few things, not much but I've fixed enough idiots after bar fights to have a good handle on stitches if that's what we need."
"I think we might," Carol said with a sniff. She put a hand to Sophia and the little girl turned slowly. Her hand was holding a towel to her right temple, a towel that was showing a good deal of blood through it. "She tried to stop him from hitting me."
"Brave girl," Callie said putting her hand to the towel and lifting it gently. "Let's take a look, huh? Head wounds are notorious for a lot of blood from even the tiniest of cuts. It been bleeding this bad all night?" Carol shook her head, and Callie could see that the wound had clotted some. "Just had the towel on it tight all night?"
"Yes," Carol said quietly eyeing Callie. "You were on watch. You heard."
Callie didn't say anything just put a hand to the woman's shoulder and squeezed.
"I'll be back in a second," Callie got to her feet and wiped her sweating palms on her jeans. "Get her to drink some of that water, it'll help with the headache. I've got some Tylenol in the bag I think."
Callie emerged from the tent and closed her eyes, running her hand down her face. She felt his eyes and looked up to find Daryl watching her from his perch near the fire pit. He was prepping his gear for a hunting trip, hoping to find a deer that he spotted the tracks for a few days ago. No doubt, Daryl wanted to clear his mind of the worry he didn't like to admit to having about his brother heading into Atlanta. Callie shook her head angrily at Daryl and stalked off towards the Hummer. Ignoring Jenna she grabbed the medical bag from the back and headed back to Sophia.
The cut wasn't that bad, at least not as bad as it probably would have been had Carol not been able to stop Ed from hitting their daughter. The bruising around it was something special, and as Callie worked the thread into the needle and doused it with more alcohol than was probably necessary she felt the bile rising in her stomach. How could a man do this to his own child?
She only needed three stitches, but that had been enough. It was a painful process without something to dull the pain a bit. Sophia had hardly made a noise as she clung to her mother's hand. Idly, Callie wondered just how much that little girl had been through in her life to be able to handle that without even a little shout of discomfort.
Callie was smiling at Carol as she cleaned up her kit. Listening as the woman talked of what their house back in Texas had looked like. How much she missed it. She was listening so intently that she missed the sound of the zipper on the tent.
The next thing she knew she was being dragged out of the tent by her hair. Ed's tight painful grasp nearly pulling the hair from her scalp. She struggled, smacking at his hand as he dragged her but he didn't let go until he flung her away from him and his tent.
"Bitch, I told you to stay away from my fucking family." Ed growled. The man was no doubt incensed by whatever Shane had talked to him about, and that was now fueling his attack.
Callie was flung to the ground her back hitting a tree hard, the breath rushing from her lungs. Her hands shot to her head as she let out a pain-filled gasp checking to see if her hair was actually in . She heard her name and the sounds of shock from others as she opened her eyes. She looked up just in time to watch Ed's face distort further. She didn't even have time to react as his foot came crashing into her stomach. She felt herself lift off the ground slightly, her back again hitting the tree behind her.
"Bitch," Ed's voice was snarling above her. Callie was struck by another hit to her ribs from Ed's massive fucking foot.
"Oh My God!" Carol's voice was a quavering, and Callie prepared herself for another kick.
"Motherfucker!" Danny's voice was close by and Callie was able to raise her head enough to watch as his lanky form barreled into Ed's. Both men went down in a heap not far off and Callie pushed herself slowly to a sitting position.
Her eyes shot to Danny struggling against the larger enraged Ed, both of them rolling on the ground. Daryl appeared in her peripheral as Lori and Amy settled in beside her on the ground helping her up. She swatted away from them and shot a look to Daryl.
"Get Danny before he hurts himself," Callie said throwing an arm out and wincing. Daryl grunted but nodded, and she turned her head to Lori. "Where the fuck is Shane?"
"Son of a bitch," Shane's voice boomed out from across the camp, coming up from the lake.
Callie turned to watch Daryl pull Danny off of Ed with one arm. Without a second thought Daryl's fist collided with Ed's face hard not once but three times, resulting in Ed falling unconscious to the ground in a heap.
Daryl stood over Ed's prone body rubbing the knuckles of his right hand before turning his attention towards Callie. His hardened stare narrowed at her before sliding towards the tent she had been dragged out of. Callie saw his eyes land on the form of Sophia cowering behind her mother, the fresh bandage covering just above her bruised right eye. Daryl's lips curled up in a snarl and his leg shot out to kick at the still form of Ed. Only Danny's hand reaching down from the ground below and landing on his elbow stopped Daryl's foot from making contact with anything but dirt.
Carol standing at the tent finally dropped her hands from her face and looked to Callie. The woman looked about ready to come over to her, but Callie put up a hand and shook her head. Carol moved towards Ed but stopped staring down at her now unconscious husband with a weary look in her eyes.
"Fucking asshole," Danny was muttering as Daryl finally reached a hand down and helped him to his feet. Danny rubbed at a red welt forming on his cheek, giving Daryl a pat on the pack. Turning his burning mad eyes on Shane who was making his way past them towards the slumped form of Ed, Danny began to go off again. "Where the fuck you been? Huh? Mr. Fuckin' Police-"
"Drop it," Shane's voice was harsh whisper as he pushed past Danny and Daryl, cutting off the tirade. "Son of bitch, what did you do?" Shane shot Daryl a look of contempt as he hunched down and grabbed Ed's arms. Pulling out a pair of handcuffs he slapped one to Ed's wrist and then struggled to flip the man over to get the other one.
"What did he do?" Amy practically screeched as she helped Callie up to her feet. "Seriously? You're calling him out?"
Daryl ran a hand through his hair and let his angry glare slide over to Callie as she cradled her ribs. He ran his thumb over his bottom lip and shook his head at her as he walked over. Before he could say a word to her she put up a hand.
"Don't," she said hunching over a bit and wincing Lori and Amy helped her over to where Dale was keeping watch of the kids. "I don't need a lecture from you about what is and isn't my business right now."
"Thanks, man," Danny's said putting a hand to Daryl's shoulder as they watched Callie limp away. "He's a big motherfucker." Daryl shrugged off Danny's hand with a grunt, shaking his head at the man beside him and the one out cold on the ground before stalking off.
"Callie," Shane's voice called out as he finished settling Ed up against the tree she had been rammed into. With the man's hands cuffed behind his back, and his massive frame settled on his side near his tent Shane rushed after the slow moving woman. "Lori, Amy hold up," Shane called out and caught up.
"Shane not right now, " Lori said quietly. "She needs to sit down. We have to look at her ribs."
"I can do it," Shane said, earning a glare from Callie. "I've got experience dealing with trauma patients. I think I can handle looking at some busted ribs."
"Whatever, Shane." Callie said waving a hand over her head. From the corner of her eyes she caught Danny speaking in low tones to the still distraught Carol. Turning her head slightly she saw Daryl bend down grab his crossbow and pack. He shot her a look that she had no hope of being able to read and then stalked off into the woods. Shaking her head Callie felt the pain in her ribs redouble as she worked her way up into the RV.
Amy moved about clearing a place for Callie to sit on the small twin bed in the back and shook her head as Shane placed his hands on his hips. Amy's gaze slid from Callie to Shane and back twice before Lori put a hand to her arm and ushered her out with a muttered 'let them talk'.
Callie looked up, pain etched into her features as she cradled her ribs and watched Shane approach. His entire body was tense. He was obviously upset. But Callie wasn't quite sure who his anger was aimed at in that moment. She watched as he put his hands to his knees and sat on the twin bed across from her. His eyes were on the floor, before they slowly slid up to the one cradling her ribs.
"Let me look," Shane said quietly leaning forward. He raised a brow as he moved closer, his hands up in a motion of 'no harm here'. Sighing Callie dropped her arm and raised her worn Georgia-tech t-shirt revealing a scattering of red that was soon to be some nice bruising. Shane sucked in a breath and shook his head, and Callie let her head fall back a bit. Silently she was berating herself for not hearing the 'big motherfucker' come into the tent.
Shane put his fingers gently to her ribs and she felt herself tense. He looked up and gave her a muttered apology before continuing to probe at her ribs slowly. Wincing at each little push, Callie bunched her fists into the covers and bit her lip. She'd never been hit before. Not really. Never had to deal with an actual beat down other than a wrestling match with her brother, or breaking up a bar fight with the help of Big Gene on a Saturday night. It was not something she was ever looking to do again.
"Definitely bruised," Shane said sitting back a bit and putting his hands to his knees. "I'm gonna bet on a break. No blood in your mouth?" Callie shook her head and winced putting her hand to where Ed had pulled on her hair. "That's good. I can wrap you if you want?"
"Amy or Jenna can help with it," Callie said sliding her shirt back down, her eyes flitting to Danny as he stepped up into the RV. His hand were rubbing at his soon to be bruised jaw . "We done?"
"No," Shane said running his hand over his mouth and looking at the ground. "That gun you carry. Glenn said you know how to shoot. That true?"
"Yeah," Callie said with a grim nod. "Military family. Been to the range every Thanksgiving since I was seventeen." At his raised brow and Danny's chuckle Callie couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. "Family tradition."
"Good. Carry it. All the time." Shane said pointing a finger to her, earning a raised brow from her and Danny. "Not just when you go walking or are on watch. All the fucking time. I can't be everywhere and Ed's got a temper that I don't trust. I'm not giving you license to do something stupid but I'm not going to stop you from defending yourself."
"I'm not going to kill him," Callie said eyeing the man across from her. "I'm not."
"Look, I'd feel better knowing you weren't completely unarmed if he comes at you." Shane said running his hand through his curly locks. "I can't keep him cuffed. And I obviously can't keep on him all the fucking time. Wouldn't be good for anyone. Just keep your eyes open, give him a wide berth and keep yourself protected."
"Yes, sir," Callie said with a mock salute. She eyed him. "This," she said motioning her hand to her ribs. "Ain't your fault, Shane. I was the one who put myself in that road. I should have left as soon as I was done."
"How bad was Sophia?" Shane said as he got up. "Ed wouldn't tell me shit. But I knew. I heard. I should have fucking done something."
"No time for shoulda, coulda, wouldas," Callie said with a smile as she gingerly got up and put a hand to his shoulder. "She's alright. Couple stitches." Shane shook his head and turned an angry glare out the window to the camp. "It's okay." Callie made her way gingerly towards Danny putting a hand to his shoulder as she disembarked the RV.
Danny ran his hand through his hair and again rubbed his jaw. Fucker hit hard. Never thought he would be saying thank God for Daryl Dixon, but then again the world was a fucked up place. Danny spared a glance at Shane still sitting on the small twin bed his head angled towards the ground.
"You get it now though, right?" Danny said putting his hand to the table beside him and leaning a hip towards it.
Shane looked over at him, his jaw worked convulsively for a moment before he nodded his head. He got it. Safety of this camp depended on them not just surviving the Walkers but surviving each other. He preached a good game, but he didn't act on shit. Maybe he didn't really want to have to be the law and order in the camp. Maybe he was afraid. Whatever it was, something in his eyes as he looked out at the camp told Danny that something was changing in that mind of his.
Whether it was a change for the good or the bad was left to be seen.
Callie spent that night alone on top of the RV. Her eyes sliding from the socks on her feet, to the woods, to his fucking tent and then to his spot before she would shake her head and start the whole fucking circle over again. Letting the smoke out of her barely open lips she looked down at the campsite and rubbed a hand over her still aching ribs.
She really shouldn't have gotten used to him being there. He wasn't that type of guy. He was a loner. And if she was smarter she would have chosen to be one too. But sadly, she wasn't smarter. Callie was apparently a glutton for punishment. Choosing instead to relish in companionship in a world where you could never be sure just how long someone would be around.
She didn't stay long after Dale worked his way up the ladder and put a gentle hand to her shoulder. Her mind was on way too many things and her body in a bit too much pain to let her get any sleep. Instead she sat at the fire pit her feet up on her lawn chair, Gracie snuggled tightly into her sleeping soundly. The little girl had woken from a nightmare not long after Callie had entered the tent, and instead of waking Jenna she had brought her outside.
As the morning got started, Callie tucked her gun into the front of her jeans earning a nod from Shane as he slowly made his way towards the lake. Ed sat sulking in his tent, while Carol and Sophia worked on laundry not far away. The radio clattered to life not long after the morning started, Amy and Lori going on about putting up signs on the highway. Again.
Not a bad idea, Callie thought, as she put her hands into her back pocket and shared a glance with Danny. Both of their eyes slid towards the empty Dixon tents before both of them walked off.
Callie had been down at the lake most of the day, helping Jenna to get all of their accumulated laundry done. Gracie and Ben were busy with Danny, chattering on about something they saw in the sky. All of them were trying to keep their minds off of the scattered transmissions received from Glenn about trouble in Atlanta.
It wasn't until after the quick summer rain storm that Callie's mind began to worry. Worry about everything. Miles in the thick of things with fucking meth-head Merle Dixon, where there was apparently some kind of nondescript trouble. Daryl out in the woods, flitting about taking out his pent up aggression on the poor woodland creatures. Probably hallucinating her head, Merle's head, hell even fucking Ed's head, on a couple of them.
She even worried about Shane, his eyes flitting about the camp with a new sort of vigor. He was talking with Dale, an animated discussion on something or another. Callie could see from her perch near the radio that Dale was quickly becoming distressed. The older man didn't hide his feelings when he didn't agree with someone. It was something that Callie loved and respected about the man.
A loud blaring like a siren filled the air as they started preparing dinner that evening. The sound had all of them running towards the RV. Callie spared a glance up to the top of the RV where Danny and Dale stood.
"What is it?" Callie yelled up as Shane came to stand near her. They both stared up expecting an answer and receiving silence.
"It's a fuckin' sweet ride is what it is." Danny shouted down as he lowered his binoculars. Rushing over to the ladder Danny made his way down and settled in beside Callie. They watched as the red sports car, alarm blaring, came to a stop at the top of the road directly behind the Hummer.
Out of the car popped a grinning Glenn followed by a whooping Miles from the passenger seat. Callie's heart stopped for a second as she stared at the boy slapping his hand to the back of Glenn. Jim and Shane were pushing through the two and snatching at the hood to stop the car alarm. Danny split from Callie's frozen side and walked up grabbing both Glenn and Miles into headlocks.
"Fuckin' smartest man I know," Danny said shaking Glenn a bit before the younger man was able to get himself free with a smile on his face. Danny's eyes roamed to Miles, and his smile dropped. "The fuck?"
"What the hell happened to you?" Callie said grabbing Miles by his arms and turning him to face her. The entire left side of his face was a mass of red, bruises and cuts with his bottom lip split. She winced a bit as Miles struggled quickly out of her grip to turn and watch the large white cube van come to a stop behind the red car.
"Merle," Miles said quietly as they all eyed the cube van. People began getting out, and Callie watched as T-dog gingerly made his way out and sat down on a log. It looked like the man had been in a bar brawl to rival all bar brawls she had ever seen.
"Fucker," Callie swore as she watched Andrea hug Amy and Morales run to his family. Not seeing the man in question. "Where is he?"
"There was a problem, Cal." Miles said quietly. She overheard Glenn talking to Shane, and then heard the words 'new guy'. A man emerged from the large white van, a hand running tiredly over his face. All Callie saw was the sheriff's uniform. She shared a quick glance with Danny who sidled up beside her and angled his lips to her ear. They were watching Shane's eyes get wider and wider.
"Dad!" Carl's voice broke through the group of survivors and they all watched in rapt awe as the boy ran into the man's outstretched arms. The once dead Rick Grimes fell to his knees, grappling his boy to him, and Callie shifted her eyes to Miles and Danny beside her.
"Think it's safe to say that the shit 'bout to hit the fan here in the wonderful world of Oz," Danny muttered as he watched Lori slowly make his way towards her not-so-dead husband. His eyes were on the family reunion, his hands clenching and unclenching.
"Miles," Callie said turning away from the little reunion and slowly turning the beaten boy towards her. "What happened to Merle?"
All this gratification and sick conversation
Someone get me out of town
Oh well, it's been a good day in hell
And tomorrow I'll be glory bound
~A Good Day In Hell/ Eagles
AN: Well there we have it. The arrival of Rick and the start of some fun Walker goodness for the next chapter. I hope you all enjoyed all the Daryl / Callie in this one because we're just getting started.
Let me know if you're feeling it people!
