A Thousand Words

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except Callie and the crew of misfits (Danny, Miles, Jenna, Mike, Nina, Ben and Gracie).

Red Bags A Walker...

and Callie Kisses Merle

Two pictures forever linked together by the shoelace poked through the bottom left hand side and tied in a tight triple knot to ensure they didn't come undone. 'Got to keep 'em together,' Callie had said as she tied the photos together that day. 'I'll never remember otherwise. I mean, it really just wouldn't make any damn sense.' But in all honesty it still really didn't make sense to anyone but Callie.

The first photo, was an eerie one. Not something that they usually took pictures of-then again it wasn't taken by the usual people. The words were scrawled on the bottom in penmanship that was ten times worse than Ben's. It was Jenna, straddling the body of a Walker. Her hands were still in a death grip on her worn green backpack which was smashed into the now nonexistent head of the Walker. Her eyes were wide, and her skin pale and covered in gore-just like the rest of her arms and legs. Honestly, the girl looked like a deer stuck in the headlights looking at the camera.

The second, attached for a reason only Callie really knows, showed simply Callie grabbing Merle Dixon by the sides of his face. Her lips pressed to his, his eyes wide as saucers. And standing right beside Merle was Daryl, with a look of shock on his face that was downright comical. And to this day made Callie burst out laughing when she looked at it.

Callie rubbed at the bridge of her nose as she followed behind the strangely large crew of kids she had with her in the woods this morning. Usually it was just her and Gracie trudging around in the sticks and leaves working off the girl's overactive nature with a long walk.

But today, well today just started off different, and Callie was still struggling with what that really meant for the rest of the day.

Today, Miles and Danny were both sleeping off an all night poker game with Glenn, Merle, Dale, and T-Dog. The oddity of that little grouping was forever captured on film and tucked away in Callie's backpack. And poor Ben had been woken up by both men as they practically crushed him when the fell into the tent in the wee hours of the morning.

The poor kid had turned up at Callie and the girl's tent, rubbing at his eyes holding his little backpack. And while Callie had offered to let the boy sleep in her sleeping bag he had just shook his head and followed behind her and Gracie as they started off.

The other addition to the crew was Jenna. Jenna just wasn't sleeping well in general anymore and had woken from a nightmare at some point during the night. Callie had found her sitting out by the fire pit, with strange enough, Daryl Dixon. They were sitting in silence, Daryl obviously just getting off of his turn at watch atop the RV. He was whittling away at a long branch, and spitting off to the side every few seconds his eyes skipping over the girl without really looking like he was looking at her. While Jenna sat with her legs curled up to her chest on a lawn chair a good distance away, completely oblivious to the man's presence.

Callie had exited her tent, feeling a bit of a rush of adrenaline when she noticed the girl was gone. She'd opened the flap and stuck her head out and immediately caught Daryl's eye. He inclined his head just a bit as he bit back a huge yawn, instantly stilling her nerves with one simple look. She let her eyes slip to Jenna and then back to the man who was pushing up from his seat on the log near the dying fire.

She'd smiled at him and mouthed a quick 'thank you' that he waved off as he tossed his stick to the ground and trudged towards his and Merle's tents. Callie had sat with Jenna for a little over an hour at that fire, finally convincing the girl to come back to bed.

Only to be woken up an hour later by the hyper-four-year-old energizer bunny that was Gracie. Jenna had decided to come along. It was that point that poor sleep-deprived Ben had come over, and the full sounds of Miles and Danny's snoring could be heard.

"It's not like I'm going to get much more sleep anyway," Jenna had groaned as she rolled to her side and tossed her pillow at the side of the tent. "You can hear those two a mile away. I swear, they're lucky that someone is on watch or they'd probably have Walkers all over them."

Callie had smiled at the girl and rubbed at her own tired eyes as she readied the younger kids for the walk in the woods.

As they walked now, part of her was hoping that she would run into Daryl in the woods, like she usually did. She wanted to thank him properly for staying up with Jenna. It was so out of character, or at least out of the character he liked to project, that she felt this unrelenting urge to confront him about it.

A smile cracked her lips at the thought of how that conversation would go down. And it was in that single moment that she heard the rustling in the woods and a moan.

Callie stopped, her hands immediately going out and she grabbed a hold of Ben who was fiddling with his camera about a foot a head of her, and Gracie who was right at her side as usual. Her hand went to the knife at her thigh and she let out a quick short whistle along her bottom lip to get Jenna's attention. The girl's eyes were wide as she stopped in her tracks and turned just a bit to face Callie.

She had walked a good deal ahead of them, and was now slowly backtracking to where Callie and the kids were standing. Jenna's eyes were searching the heavily wooded area around them, as her ked covered feet rustling lightly in the brush. She winced with each and every crunching sound her feet made, and her hands tightened in their hold at the straps of her worn out backpack.

The moaning sounded louder, and Callie practically lunged forward pulling Jenna almost off her feet and behind her as the bushes rustled and began to move not far from them. Ben was gripping at Gracie, and Jenna was holding tight to both kids. With deft movements Jenna let go of Ben and Gracie keeping them close still, her eyes scanning around her, as she slowly worked her arms out of her backpack. Watching, waiting for Callie to give her the signal to take the kids and run.

The branches to Callie's right began to break, and the sounds of the approaching whatever it was, were getting louder. Callie slipped her knife from its sheath and held tight to it, her left hand pushed back behind her shoving Jenna, Gracie and Ben backwards just a bit further.

"Fuck, M'tired," Merle's voice groaned out as he slipped out of the brush and into Callie's path. His hands were rubbing hard at his eyes as he stepped out, a low moan flowing out of his throat. A familiar sounding moan.

"Son of a bitch," Callie let out on a strangled sigh of relief. She bent at the waist and put her hands to her knees, her right hand still gripping her knife tightly. She looked up as another set of feet came into view and found Daryl staring down at her. She looked over at the slightly shocked Merle and wagged her knife. "I was gonna stab your ass."

"What'd he do?" Daryl asked a bit confused as he watched Callie roll her eyes and wave her knife around angrily before putting it back in its sheath. Daryl turned to his brother, noting the look of shock on his face. Merle finished running his hands down his sweaty face and raised a confused brow over at Daryl. "What the fuck you do now?"

"Nothin'," Merle said lifting his hands to the sky. "I ain't done shit yet. Too fuckin' tired to even think about it," his eyes roamed over Callie in her little shorts and her tank top that was clinging to her sweat-covered body. "Well, maybe not that tired." He waggled his brows at her and Callie put her hand back to her knife.

Daryl moved forward then and put his hand over hers and had her eyes snapping up to him. He grimaced a bit, and held her gaze for a moment before sliding it back to the scared looking kids behind her. His eyes slid over her face, and down to where her eyes were looking at his hand still settled on her wrist, right over them stupid handcuffs still stuck 'round her wrists. He pulled his hand away quick and rubbed it down the side of his pants, and she smirked at him.

"Ya alrigh'," Daryl's accent was thick as he bit back his own yawn and blinked his eyes hard. Callie's smirk softened to a full smile and when he saw that he stepped back a bit with a look of pure confusion on his face. "What?"

"Nothin'," She said shaking her head and slipping her gaze to Merle who was smiling widely at Ben who was slowly moving towards the rough, exhausted redneck. She slipped her gaze to Daryl still a bit confused. "I'll tell ya later." She waved her hand around behind her, indicating the wooded area the two men just broke through. "I thought you were-"

"Walker!" Jenna's startled cry had Callie turning wide eyed behind her, hand on her knife.

Jenna was pushing Gracie away from her and backing up from the shambling undead heading straight for her. Callie tried to move forward but was hindered by Daryl's strong arm wrapping around her waist and practically pulling her off her feet. He twisted and put her behind him, his arms going wide to keep her from moving past him. Behind her Merle had grabbed a hold of Ben and had lifted the little boy off the ground while struggling to pull his rifle off his shoulder.

Gracie was staring wide eyed as Jenna pushed her away. Daryl lunged forward, still keeping Callie tucked behind him and grabbed the little girl. He held her tight as he moved back, his other hand reaching for Jenna.

Jenna's eyes were wide, but Callie saw the moment that the girl hit her peak of annoyance. She smacked away Daryl's hand, who struggled to hold the little squirming Gracie and pull his crossbow. Calllie moved to go past him, but he damn near growled at her as he shoved her back with his shoulder.

And Jenna, well she took matters into her own hands.

The backpack she took off was all of a sudden flying through the air, held tight by the straps in the pale fingers of Jenna. She had closed her eyes and let it fly, and Callie saw the reaction in the fifteen-year-old's face when in impacted with a bone crushing squish sound that had them all grimacing. The force of the swinging backpack had knocked the Walker down, broken a good bit of skull, but the thing was still moving. It's body, tangled in tattered remains of jogging attire—the large white Nike insignia on the front of its shirt making Callie shake her head.

She had that same shirt. Used to run in it all the time. She shivered just a bit, and shook her head watching Jenna mount the fucking Walker.

The girl was in the zone, as Merle stated later. She was moving in a trance as she straddled the form of the Walker and then proceeded to bring her backpack down on the head of the Walker. Again. And again. And again.

Finally it was over. And they were all left to stare. Daryl was still holding the squirming Gracie in his left arm, while his right had fallen limp at his side giving up its goal of pulling his crossbow. His eyes were on Jenna, his brow furrowed in confusion, but a tiny tip of his lips told Callie that there was just a bit of pride in that expression too. Callie settled her hand to Daryl's shoulder and he looked over at her, and then handed over the slightly shaking scared form of Gracie.

"She's a'right," Daryl grumbled rubbing at her back once, before realizing what he was doing and rubbing his hand down his pants. "Jus' scared." He returned his gaze to Jenna still straddling the Walker, and bringing her backpack down on the now flattened head of the Walker. "That one though," he pointed a thumb at her. "I think she cracked."

Callie nodded as she slipped her eyes over Jenna and then behind her to where Merle was setting Ben back to the ground. The wide grin on Merle's face was something Callie hadn't expected and he was patting Ben and shaking the boy so hard that Ben's head was nodding back and forth on his shoulders. The grin on Ben's face told Callie that the rough treatment from Merle wasn't hurting the boy. She slipped her gaze forward to where Jenna was now slowing in her head bashing.

Settling Gracie on the ground, Callie pushed the girl back towards Daryl. Earning a bit of a glare, but he put his hand to the girl's head and held her by him.

"Jen," Callie called out quietly. She wasn't exactly sure if the girl had 'cracked' as Daryl had put it, or if she was just working under the impression that the Walker was still alive and kicking. She was covered in gore. Black and red and pussy gore that was splattered over her face, and arms and her pale legs. Her worn out t-shirt and jean shorts were just as splattered and Callie knew when Jenna did wake from this trance she was going to be having a lot harder of a time falling asleep than before. "Jenna honey."

"Yo Red," Merle's voice rang out and Jenna looked up. The shocked deer-in-the-headlights expression causing Callie to wince just a bit. Then there was the slight flash and the distinct sound of Ben's Polaroid going off, and it had Callie's eyes falling quickly back to where Merle and Ben were standing. Merle was whooping with laughter as he pulled the photo out of the camera and bent down so that Ben could look at it.

"Fuck, Merle," Daryl grumbled and Callie slipped her eyes to him. He rolled them in almost an apologetic manner, while his free right hand slipped up to his mouth where he bit on his thumb nail. Callie noted with a bit of a smile that his left hand was lightly moving over Gracie's curls, and the girl had settled in close to his hip while she looked back at her brother and Merle. Gracie's little thumb was in her mouth, and she was nibbling on the tip. And Callie full on smiled when Daryl's eyes roamed over her. The quick jut of his chin towards Jenna had her turning her gaze away from a sight that was too ridiculously cute to be happening in the woods where a fucking Walker had just been.

"Heh, gimme that pen, little man." Merle was saying from his spot behind her.

Callie shook her head and started towards the still shocked into a stupor Jenna. She was still straddling the Walker, but her eyes were on them now. Her hands still holding tight to her backpack.

"Jenna honey, come on." Callie held out her hand and waited for the girl to wake up. Which was apparently not the way Merle Dixon did things. She heard his footsteps coming behind her, and turned to see him approaching with that wide grin. "I got this Mer—"

"Come on now, Red." Merle pretty much moved Callie out of the way, and just grabbed Jenna by the arm yanking her up to her feet. Jenna's hands fell limp in front of her, her worn out green-now gore covered- backpack left on the ground where the Walker's head had once been. Merle held Jenna's upper arm in his large hand, keeping the girl from falling as her legs wobbled like wet noodles below her. "Stay on yer feet," he said gruffly and Jenna's knees tightened.

Callie stared in wonder, her arms crossed over her chest as Ben sidled up to her, brandishing a photo with the words 'Red Bags A Walker' written on the bottom. Callie rolled her eyes and took the photo handing it over to Daryl. He snorted out a laugh and handed it back to Ben who tucked it away in his little backpack with a smile.

"Come on," Merle bent and lifted Jenna's backpack, a grimace on his face at the sound that it made when he did. His eyes went wide and he looked at Callie and then the stone-still girl he was holding on to. "The fuck's in here."

"Rocks," Jenna's quiet voice came back, her eyes still unblinking as she stared straight ahead. She wasn't really looking at anything just sort of staring. Most likely replaying the last couple minutes over and over in her head.

"Serious?" Merle looked to Callie, who shrugged.

"She didn't want to go unarmed," Callie said shifting her gaze to Daryl who was shaking his head and holding in a laugh. "And she didn't want to go get Miles' bat."

Merle let out another loud whooping laugh, and hefted the backpack over his shoulder while his other arm was tossed around the shoulders of Jenna. Without another word he was off, walking back towards camp with the gore covered girl. His arm tossed around her shoulder, keeping her feet moving and keeping her from falling. Callie shook her head and shared a glance with Daryl before following behind them.

It didn't take long to get back to camp, Merle and the still quiet form of Jenna leading the way. Callie's eyes took in the slowly waking camp and then slid back behind them. And it was like a little bulb went off in her head.

"Red," Merle was saying causing Callie to look back to the front. "You just earned yourself some fuckin' respect. That shit was per-fect." He held up her bag and swung it out to the girl. Jenna's arms reached up, still moving as if in a trance and grabbed her bag.

People were watching them now. Danny who had apparently woken up, a bit startled at all of them being gone was rushing over as Jenna walked forward at the pushing of Merle.

"Now go get cleaned up," Merle said putting his hands to his hips and shaking his head as he watched her walk slowly forward. That rock-filled gore-covered backpack dragging behind her on the ground.

Callie let Ben and Gracie run off after Jenna, and gave Danny a nod.

"What happened?" Danny asked, his hands coming to rest gently on Jenna's shoulders. She didn't look at him, just stopped and looked through him.

"I bagged a Walker," Jenna said quietly. Danny's eyes shot up to where Callie had stopped with Daryl and Merle and she shrugged. Jenna moved out of Danny's grip and kept walking, while Ben and Gracie both jumped up and down in front of him yelling over each other in their efforts to tell Danny what happened. Ben was pulling his camera, and the photo that Merle took out, while Gracie was just flailing her arms around excitedly and pointing back at Daryl and Merle.

"I'm gonna go lock myself in the Hummer now." Jenna said in that deadpan tone as she continued towards their little camp set up. She dropped her backpack right in front of Miles' yawning form and walked right up to the Hummer. Opened the door and did exactly that, leaving Miles to stare after her in confusion.

Callie turned her attention back to the two men beside her, and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked from Daryl to Merle, and then back again before shaking her head and sighing.

"You two aren't just hunting out there every morning are you?" Callie said quietly, not wanting to gain anyone else's attention.

"Not for food, jail-bird," Merle said turning his smile down a few notches and turning it towards her. Beside him Daryl was once again biting at his thumb nail, as if being caught doing a good deed wasn't sitting well with him.

"How many?" Callie asked stepping closer to the men.

"Not a lot," Daryl said finally from behind his thumb nail. "But 'nough to need to keep doin' it."

Callie shook her head, watching as Daryl continued to bite at his thumb nail. She still needed to thank him for sitting with Jenna, and for what just went down, and now it seemed she needed to thank him for much more than that. She shifted her attention to Merle still staring ahead like a proud papa at where Jenna had disappeared.

Callie smiled as her hands dropped from their place across her chest. She'd get Daryl later.

In one swift movement, she lifted her hands and grabbed the sides of Merle's face. She turned his attention to her and pulled his head down fast. Her lips crashed into his in a very chaste, but lengthy kiss. At that point she heard Danny laughing wildly, and the sound of Ben's Polaroid going off for the second time that morning.

Pulling away, Callie let her hands stay at Merle's cheeks for a moment, staring at the wide eyed shock on his face. She patted his left cheek twice and then turned to smile at Daryl. Daryl's expression damn near had her laughing, but instead she took a step away from Merle and towards him. He backed up, and she put her hands up in surrender.

Daryl was a tougher cookie to crack, and didn't want him bolting from her completely.

When Callie looked back to Merle she saw the smile snaking its way on to his face. She lifted her hand and patted his sweaty chest twice, before turning and waving a hand over her shoulder at the men. She made her way to Danny who was holding his photo, triumphantly waving it.

"This one's gotta be my favorite, Cal." Danny said as she walked up to him.

"OOOOOoowee," Merle said, apparently finally waking up. Callie's gaze slipped back to the man and she watched as his big ass grin grew even wider. "That's gonna last me the rest of the fuckin' apocalypse." He pointed a finger at Callie and winked and she shook her head. "Oooo, brother-mine," Merle said throwing his arm around the still slightly shocked Daryl. "Boy oh, let me tell you. She is soft."

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl grumbled getting out of his brother's hold and turning his back and heading towards their camp.

"Oh, now don't be sore," Merle said catching up and putting Daryl in a headlock as they walked. Daryl struggled against him and Merle kept his hold tight. "Maybe someday she'll give you a little sugar, too." He pulled on Daryl who was still struggling in his arm. "Woulda done it today if your pansy ass hadn't fuckin' backed up. Dumbass."

"Fuck off!" Daryl said finally pushing Merle away. Daryl's eyes slid over his shoulder and met Callie's head on. He kept her gaze for a moment, and she smiled just a little.

"Oooo, need me a little 'lone time," Merle said slapping Daryl on the back as he made his way towards his tent. "God damn, I miss me the softness of a woman, brother." He was rubbing his hand on his chest and Daryl was grumbling and smacking hard at his brother who kept on pushing him.

"I said, fuck off, Merle." Daryl yelled and Callie watched as the boys disappeared.

"Gonna explain?" Danny asked gaining her attention. She shook her head and patted his shoulder, taking the photo of her kissing Merle with her. She pulled Ben along after her. "Oh come on! You can't not explain that!" Danny yelled after her pointing his finger at where Daryl and Merle once stood. "Callie! Come on!" Danny was following behind them now.

Ben handed Callie the photo of Jenna, and settled down beside her at the front tire of the Hummer. She shifted her gaze to the door behind the driver's door, where Jenna had disappeared and shook her head.

"Everything okay?" Shane asked as he came to a stop in front of them. His hands were on his hips and he was looking worriedly at Jenna, laying on the back seat with her legs curled into her chest.

"Yeah," Callie said with a small smile and a shake of her head. "Ran into a Walker. We handled it." She knew she really should have told Shane about the fact that Daryl and Merle were out there every morning apparently taking out Walkers, but something told her not to. Those boys didn't want recognition for it.

But they were gonna get it. From her at least.

Callie slipped out her butterfly knife, and poked a small hole in the bottom of the two photos. She felt Shane's stare on her and ignored it, slipping the shoe lace from one her busted sneakers that she didn't wear anymore, into the hole.

"What ya doing?" Danny asked idly, tossing his arm around Shane and looking down at them.

"Got to keep 'em together," She responded tying three tight knots. "I'll never remember otherwise. I mean, it really just wouldn't make any damn sense." She looked up at Danny and saw his brow narrow as he smiled down at her.

"Cal," he said simply, his hand tightening on Shane's shoulder. "You kissing Merle fuckin' Dixon ain't gonna make sense, ever." At that Shane's eyes went wide, because he'd apparently missed that part and he looked between Danny and Callie. "Oh, let me tell you 'bout this one." Danny said dragging Shane off with him.

Callie smiled down at the photos she held and looked over to Ben who was smiling at them too. The boy shifted his head and looked at her.

"Makes sense to me," Ben said with a shrug and she pulled him to her and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

AN: Not really sure what prompted this one… could just be my love of writing Daryl and Merle interacting with the kids. *shrug* It is what it is.