Brothers and Shine

The group Glenn had picked to go to Greensboro was made up of two hard as nails truck drivers, Nick Jacobson and Patsy Brown, and then Sasha and Antonio. Marty had allowed them to use the Escalade and Antonio was putting his driving skills to use getting them to Greensboro, which was eighty-five miles away. If all went as planned, Nick would lead them into the Fuel depot, and then he and Patsy would drive the tanker trucks back to the community with Antonio, Sasha, and Glenn following behind. It was a simple enough plan, as long as the depot wasn't overrun by walkers, or worse.

Nick lead them to the two-parked tankers and he and Patsy quickly fired up the vehicles and got them on the road. Sasha, Glenn, and Antonio got back in the Escalade and began the trip back to the mountain community. After about forty miles the vehicle lurched and the recognizable sound of a flat tire was made very evident. Antonio pulled the Escalade over and he and Glenn got out to assess the situation.

Nick and Patsy were given specific instructions to continue on to the mountain community regardless of what happened so that they could get the precious fuel delivered and distributed. Antonio and Glenn figured they could catch up to them as soon as they got the tire fixed and were back on their way.

As Glenn and Antonio were repairing the tire, Sasha told them she was going to take a "potty break" just to the edge of the tree line. Antonio gave her a wink and told her to hurry back because they would be ready to leave in about five minutes. If Glenn didn't know any better he would have sworn Antonio worked on a pit crew for NASCAR in his previous life.

Sasha and Antonio had been romantically linked together for the past three years. Their public affection was subtle, but evident. Antonio had been smitten with the strong woman since the first time he had laid eyes on her. After being summoned from Richmond with his father and brother three years earlier, Antonio had chosen to remain on the mountain and not return. The Martinelli's had originally only needed Antonio and his family to help remove the Gang that had taken over Laurel Springs and had imprisoned a good portion of the women in the area. But after they defeated the gang at Laurel Springs, Antonio couldn't bring himself to leave Sasha behind. Ever since then he had done all he could do to help the community thrive and aid in helping the female survivors to acclimate to their new surroundings and new lives.

The horrors of what had occurred at Laurel Springs were the sick creation of a man known as "Damien" and he had managed to escape three years earlier with the help of Carol, but not before he and Carol had almost killed Anna in the process. For the months following his escape everyone in the community feared the man would retaliate against them, but so much time had now passed that Damien was believed to be dead and no longer a threat.

However, the fear of the man returning had helped expedite the creation of a much more extensive security protocol around the area. The result was a mostly secure perimeter with four entrance gates with a gate in the North, South, East, and West. Everything from abandoned cars, old housing material, granite boulders, and Natural barriers were used to create a wall around the conglomerate of small towns that had banded together as one. The only areas that weren't walled were areas that had either swift moving water that would be almost impossible to cross or places that had sheer cliffs surrounding them since it would be a suicide to attempt to scale them.

Antonio made quick work of repairing the tire which he noted had picked up a nail and could be repaired properly when they got back to the mountain. Antonio was the unofficial mechanic of the area and if he couldn't fix a vehicle or rig it up, then it was considered unfixable. He had a makeshift mechanic shop built in the back of the home he shared with Sasha and Tyreese and had been working on trying to outfit a few of the older vehicles so that they could be utilized better on supply runs.

"Sasha come on we are ready to get back," Antonio yelled.

There wasn't an answer and he repeated himself, his strong Italian accent bellowing a bit louder than before. When he still didn't register a response he told Glenn to stay behind as he went to check on Sasha. Antonio was gone less than a minute when Glenn heard the sounds of a gunshot and a vehicle starting in the distance. Glenn immediately took off running and as soon as he hit the tree line he found Antonio writhing in pain with a gunshot wound to his shoulder.

"Glenn we gotta find her. He has my Sasha." Antonio said with a pleading voice.

"Antonio the only place you are going is back to the compound, you are hurt bad."

"I don't care how bad I'm hurt, he has Sasha and I have to get her back." The distraught Italian told him.

"Who is "He"?" Glenn asked.

"It looked an awful lot like that greasy monster Damien. I swear Glenn if he harms one hair on my Precious Sasha's head I will eviscerate him and eat his heart for breakfast." Antonio told him, and Glenn believed the angry man would actually go through with the threat.

"Let's get you back Antonio and then we will get a group together to find her. I promise we won't let this go until she is back with us."

Antonio was very emotional, but he knew that what Glenn said made the most sense. His previous experience in his organization had taught him that cooler heads prevail and a well thought out plan always seemed to work better than a plan derived from emotional reaction.

…

Daryl had done as he promised and was taking it easy around the house spending time with Hunter and Anna. He realized that this trip to DC had a slightly greater than usual risk of not returning, but he didn't voice his concerns to his wife and his daughter. Instead he chose to enjoy the moment and not dwell on the part he couldn't control.

Following the blizzard from a few nights ago the weather warmed up and a heavy snowmelt was taking place, and as a result the roads on the mountain were becoming a muddy mess and Daryl wasn't able to get his truck out of the driveway. That meant that until things dried out a bit more, or he opted to take out the Gator, he was stuck at home.

He decided to go up into the attic and take a look around and see if he could find a bow for Hunter so that she could start to learn some archery skills. He pilfered through all the boxes in the attic and was amazed at how much Gus and Ava had stored away up there. He found everything from the customary clay ashtrays kids made in art class all the way through to Anna and Marco's high school diplomas. He couldn't help but think how different his relationship with his father had been. There were no happy family memories kept in an attic to be cherished and passed on through the generations. Instead there were horrific memories of pain and abuse that still made their way to the fore front of Daryl's mind. Those were the demons that Daryl dealt with on a daily basis, and he knew they would never fully leave him. He was just thankful that his daughter would never know what it was like to hurt that way.

After searching the attic for about an hour he found a box of archery items tucked away in the back corner. Bingo! Inside he found a small child size bow and smaller arrows to go along with it. There were also targets and various other accessories including a child size quiver. These must have belonged to Marco when he was just a young boy and it didn't escape Daryl that this was top of the line equipment. He guessed Ava tried to over compensate with Marco to help him feel accepted, and as a result Marco always felt like he had a sense of entitlement. It was a shame that Marco probably never truly appreciated these things. One thing he knew for sure was that Hunter would learn to both respect and appreciate these items now.

After Daryl found what he was looking for he climbed down from the attic and went into the master bedroom. He opted to change his shirt as it was now covered in dust and grime and he was having yet another coughing fit. He was beginning to think he was developing allergies, as he wasn't prone to coughing like this in the past. As they were getting later into the winter and closer to spring he figured some of the trees were starting to produce early pollen and it was causing him to have a reaction.

Daryl was in the process of taking off his shirt and changing when Hunter quietly slipped into her parent's bedroom unnoticed. Daryl was startled when he heard his daughter ask the question "Daddy who colored all over your back?" as she reached up innocently to touch her father's flesh.

Daryl's heart stopped for a moment. At first he thought she was referring to the tattoos that he had on his back, but when she came over and began to trace the numerous scars he was covered in he knew exactly what she was asking about. Anna walked in on the tail end of the conversation and could tell Daryl didn't have a clue what to tell the little girl. It wasn't a subject he was comfortable talking about as an adult, let alone explaining it to a three- year old little girl.

He looked at Anna and she looked like she wanted to answer for him, but he raised his hand to let her know he had this under control. Taking a deep breath he squatted down to Hunter's eye level and began to explain "OK honey, what I'm going to tell you might be hard for you to understand, so if you have questions let me know."

Hunter nodded in affirmation of what Daryl said.

"When I was younger, my daddy wasn't a good man. He would get mad and he would hit me and your uncle Merle. We didn't know you were supposed to tell someone if bad things happened to you, so my daddy would keep doing it over and over again because he was a mean man that should have been put in jail."

Hunter thought about what Daryl told her and then asked a question "Were you bad?"

"Not bad enough to deserve to get hit like he hit me. All those scars you see happened a long time ago when I was too small to fight back. If ANYONE ever hits you or touches you I want you to tell me or your mommy right away. I mean it Hunter. You don't deserve to ever be touched badly by someone."

"Is your daddy my grandpa?" Hunter asked.

Now the dilemma. Do they tell Hunter now about John? He looked to Anna for assistance on that one. She now joined in the conversation "Hunter that man isn't your grandpa, he was Daryl's daddy but he wasn't your Grandpa. One day when you get a little bit older we will tell you all about your Grandfather, OK sweetie."

"OK" she said. She then wrapped her little arms around Daryl "I love you daddy and I'm sorry you got hit. I would beat that man up if I saw him now because he hurt you." Daryl could feel himself getting emotional at Hunter's confession to him. She had no idea how the innocence of her statement made him feel like the luckiest man alive. Even at three years old Hunter understood that you protect your own and how important family was.

"I love you princess. And I have a surprise for you, look up on the bed." Hunter ran to the edge of the bed and her eyes opened up when she saw the small size bow and arrows he had found for her. "Is it mine Daddy?"

"Yes it is darling. Daddy is going on a trip in a few days, and when I get back I will teach how to use this just like I use mine. OK?"

"I can't wait" she exclaimed.

Daryl was starting to go a little stir crazy. He had cleaned all the weapons at the house, re-stacked firewood, cleaned off the solar panels, checked the smokehouses, and made a list of what he would need on the trip to DC. Daryl Dixon had never had any patience, and waiting to leave was killing him. He was envious of Glenn for getting to go out on a run, but knew he had promised Anna he would take it easy for a few days. They were leaving in two more days, so he just needed to find something to keep him occupied until that time. If the weather were better he would have taken Anna and Hunter out for a hike and a picnic just so they could all get out of the house together. When they weren't busy trying to survive he found himself still amazed at the year round beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Daryl was pleasantly surprised to get a surprise visit from Rick. "Hey brother, I'm getting a bit stir crazy and was wondering if you wanna ride with me over to the Mocksley's to pick up some meat we can deliver to the refugee women tomorrow?"

"Shit yeah, this laying low and taking it easy thing isn't for me. I just don't want Anna jumping my ass because she thinks I'm exerting myself" he confessed to Rick, breaking into another coughing fit.

"You need to cut back on those cigars you smoke with Marty and Joe. You sound bad Daryl." Rick told him.

"I think its allergies. Spring is just around the corner and this just really started the other day when I got back from the Hunting trip. Figure the extended time outside camping made it worse." Daryl told him.

"Hope its allergies and not bronchitis. That would fucking suck." Rick told him.

"Yes it would, had it a few times before and I swore I coughed so much I cracked a rib." Daryl admitted.

They arrived shortly at the Mocksley's and as soon as they got out of the vehicle a familiar scent hit Daryl's nose. A huge grin came across his face as he looked at Rick. "Mocksley has a still, I can smell the shine. We ain't leaving without at least a jar of the stuff." Daryl told him. Rick smiled too, a little liquor to take the edge off of just living sounded pretty damn good.

They picked up the smoked meat, and two jars of good old fashion white lightning that Bill had made. Apparently he was a third generation moon shiner who had run shine through the Carolina Mountains for years, and even knew the likes of Junior Johnson who used to run the roads with him years ago. It looked like this was a family tradition Bill Mocksley wasn't willing to part with as he had passed on the recipe to his oldest son Andrew.

They arrived back at Daryl and Anna's house and Rick helped Daryl put the meat in the smokehouse so they could take it out and deliver it first thing in the morning. Bill and his sons had done a good job of preserving and wrapping the meat up. Once they had it all stored in the smokehouse Daryl motioned for Rick to follow him over to a gazebo that sat on the corner of the property. "Open up one of them jars you got there Rick."

Rick opened the jar and took a swig before passing it over to Daryl. Daryl then took a good drink and savored the flavor and the burn as it coated the back of his throat and eased down into his belly.

"This is good stuff. Mocksley knows what he is doing." Daryl told Rick. Rick nodded and gave him a big grin.

"This might need to be our little secret. I don't think Michonne will be thrilled to know I'm partaking of a leisurely drink while she is suffering from morning sickness. It's hard to see my warrior actually have a weakness. She's been a trooper though. You know she had a son before…"

"She told me after we lost Michael. You know I miss that boy every day, it ain't right for a parent to survive a child." Daryl confessed to Rick.

"No it isn't Daryl. None of what is happening is right. I go to bed every night thankful if we all survive the day. I often wonder what I would be doing if this whole apocalypse hadn't happened. Always figured it would be something Nuclear or an asteroid that would cause the apocalypse, not the dead coming back to life."

"I'd probably be doing time if the world hadn't come to an end. I was just existing before, drinking myself into a stupor every night, breaking into houses, following Merle around and just doing what he told me. He was high most of the time, and I just made sure he didn't overdose. Even though we were together, I was always alone. Never thought I would know what it was like to be in love, or have a family." Daryl told his friend.

"You weren't involved with anyone romantically before all of this Daryl? Figured women would love that Dixon charm."

Daryl laughed at Rick's comment "Dixon charm my ass. Never even had a girlfriend. Hell I was still a virgin until I married Anna, and if you tell anyone I will have to cut your balls off." Daryl joked.

"Really, I figured you for a "throw 'em up against the wall and fuck 'em" kind of guy." Rick said.

"Nah, that was Merle. I didn't know how to talk to women, and after the way my dad and Merle ridiculed me publicly most women thought I was weird or gay. Anna was the only woman I ever cared for who ever gave me a chance."

"Always thought you and Carol had a little something going, especially after you first left the prison and she said she was pregnant. It didn't seem likely but we knew so little about the dynamic of your relationship with her we didn't know she was lying. It became obvious though after just a short while."

"Carol was a good friend, and she helped me get over my awkwardness with others…well at least a little bit, but it was never romantic. I probably could have gone that route with her, but I just wasn't attracted to her like that." Daryl told him.

"I understand, at least now you have Anna and Hunter and anyone who met you now wouldn't know you as the asshole at the quarry." Rick teased him.

"Hell back then we didn't give a shit about any of you. Merle had me convinced that the best option was to make our way into the camp and then rob y'all blind in the middle of the night. Not sure if I could have gone through with it, just glad it didn't go down that way."

"You've come a long way Daryl. When I call you brother, I truly mean it. I couldn't love you more than I do. Daryl I want you to know if anything ever were to happen to you I would die protecting Anna and Hunter for you." Rick told him.

Daryl felt a bit emotional but gave his best classic Daryl Dixon move; he gave a quick simple nod while making eye contact with Rick. "Yeah bro, same here."

Hope you enjoy this chapter...we will get to Glenn, Antonio, and Sasha next chapter. Hope to have the next update up by Sat/Sun...might be going out Hiking in the NC Mountains...depends on hubby though.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to share with anyone!

Oh...Please leave a review. Mucho Appreciative.

Missy

XXOO