Chapter Eleven

Disclaimer: The Walking Dead belongs to Robert Kirkman and AMC. I just wrote this for fun with no copyright infringement intended.

It's been a while with this story, I know. But it's almost there now.

###

Lori, Maggie and Carol took a softly-softly approach.

Glenn and T-Dog preferred to speculate.

Rick had other things to worry about.

Dale was different.

"How was your hike, Andrea?" He said as he found Andrea sharpening her knife under the shade of a large oak tree. Even the early morning sun held fierce heat.

Andrea squinted as she glanced up at her self-appointed father-figure. "Fine." She said, soon returning her attention to her task. "It was fine."

"The deer you brought back raised everyone's spirits." Dale sat down next to her and stretched out his legs. He wasn't as young as he used to be, and the heat was beginning to get to him. He missed air conditioning.

"We figured that everyone was sick of squirrels."

Dale laughed. "You got that right."

They sat together in a quiet kind of companionship, the only sounds the scrape-scrape-scrape of Andrea's knife sharpener. Andrea could feel Dale's gaze on the side of her face, his sharp eyes taking in every curve of her face, every line on her skin, the tan she'd acquired since the world went to hell.

"Spit it out, Dale." She said at length.

He chuckled. "Do I have to have a purpose to come sit with you, now?"

She tipped her head. "Okay. I deserved that one."

Dale shrugged. "Feel like we haven't talked all that much recently."

"There hasn't been a whole lot to say."

"We should never underestimate the power of silence." Dale said as he removed and began to wind his watch. "My wife and I could do that." He said, his eyes on the young woman he had adopted as his daughter. "Just sit there, not needing to talk. Few people in this life appreciate that."

"Sometimes a comfortable silence is the hardest thing to have with someone." Andrea said, her mind on Daryl.

Dale laughed. "Never a truer word." He said. He was quiet for some minutes before he spoke again. "I miss my wife."

Andrea gave him a sympathetic look. "I know." She said. "I miss Amy."

"Grief is hard." Dale said, his eyes on the man who was pitching his tent aways from the rest of the group. "How's Daryl handling things after Sophia?"

"I have no idea – maybe you should ask Carol."

Dale shook his head. "I think I'd be better off asking you." He said. When Andrea opened her mouth to protest his suggestion, he held up his hand and continued. "He followed you into the woods when you went missing." He said. "He stayed with you for nearly two days, taught you how to track, how to hunt. He said you killed that deer almost single-handedly."

"You make me sound like wonder woman." Andrea rolled her eyes. "He showed me a few things, nothing major. I couldn't find a deer on my own if I tried."

"But you guys must have talked about something."

"No." Andrea said, her minds on near-constant arguments and Word Association and fierce kisses. "We didn't say much actually."

"You had a comfortable silence."

"Stop it, Dale." A smile twitched around the corners of Andrea's mouth.

Dale held up his hands in mock defence. "Stop what?"

"Stop fishing." Andrea said.

"I'm not fishing."

"Yeah, you are. You might not be as overt about it as Maggie, Lori and Carol, but you're still fishing."

"Fishing implies that I'm speculating without reason." Dale said, his eyes gleaming. "It implies covert questioning. There's nothing covert about this: are you attracted to Daryl?"

Andrea's mouth literally fell open. "That's none of your business!"

"I know."

"So where do you get off asking me about it?"

"I'm not 'getting off' on it." Dale said evenly. "I'm just asking a question."

Andrea discarded her knife and sharpener and gave Dale a steely look. "Spare me the lecture that I know is coming."

"What lecture?"

"The lecture about how Daryl's bad for me." Andrea said, watching the older man's face carefully. "The lecture where you tell me to watch myself, that he's trouble, that he's not a good man and he'll hurt me, that-"

"I think you're being a little presumptuous." Dale began to laugh, which served to make Andrea only angrier. "Andrea, I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of the Dixons when I first met them, and certainly not of Merle, but Daryl … he went out after you, yesterday." He said. "And he stayed, stayed with you through the night. He searched for Sophia and nearly lost his life, saved T-Dog's life. He's proved how valuable he is - why would I think he's wrong for you?" He squinted against the light. "Unless you think he's bad for you?"

Andrea was very quiet for a moment. "I think he's one of the best men I've ever known."

"So why do you care if I was about to give you a lecture?"

"Well, where you?"

"No."

Andrea studied him carefully before saying, "Well … okay, then."

They were quiet for a few minutes before Dale spoke. "I won't give you a lecture." He said. "But if I may give you some advice?"

"Something tells me that you're going to anyway."

Dale leaned forwards as he spoke, twisting his wedding ring around his ring finger. "My wife and I …. I waited a long time before I asked her out." He said. "I waited for … I don't know. At the time, it seemed important: my pride, my embarrassment, my fear of rejection. But … our time together was so fleeting, so precious that I'd give anything to go back, to go back and realise that none of my fears were important, that I'd let my fear come between those extra months. And now that she's gone …" He trailed off, unable to finish the words he wanted to say, but Andrea caught his meaning: life is fleeting. Make the most of it.

"I'm gonna go get some water." She said, standing up and tucking her knife into her belt. "You want to come with?"

Dale shook his head. "I'm good, thanks." He said, his fingers touching his wedding ring, lost in memories long since gone.

###

If Dale's approach was direct, it was nothing compared to Shane's.

"You and Andrea got anything you want to tell us about your little nature walk?" He said as he approached Daryl.

Daryl paused his task – erecting his tent in a new spot aways from the main camp site – and squinted at the former cop, standing above him with his shotgun nestled in his arms.

"Say what?"

Shane shrugged, his gaze flickering between Daryl and the tree line. "You guys were out there two days and a night, man." He said.

"Don't quite know why that's any of your business." Daryl began to pound his tent stakes into the ground with more force than was really necessary.

"You didn't stumble across no walkers, survivors, food?"

Daryl gave him a knowing look. "You ain't talking about that and we both know it." He said. "Why don't you quit wastin' both our time and just say it?"

Shane snorted but returned Daryl's gaze. "Alright, fine. Saw the little mating ritual last night, by the fire. You and Andrea a happy couple now?"

"I got no idea what you're talking about." Daryl said. "Why don't you go on off and carry on playin' cop someplace else and leave me be?"

"Everything okay, guys?" Andrea appeared before the two, men, her water canteen in her hand. Her gaze flickered between the two men and she fought the urge to sigh. Tension filled the space around her. What were they fighting about now, she wondered, although she had a pretty good guess. Shane always had been too observant for his own good.

Shane gave Andrea a leery look. "Just askin' Daryl what you kids found in the woods." He said. "No chupacabra, I'll bet."

"I know what I saw!" Daryl barked.

"We ran into some walkers yesterday morning." Andrea tried to diffuse the situation before the two men came to blows. "Eight, maybe ten of them."

"We took 'em out."

"Together? Well, that's kinda sweet." Shane said, a smirk crossing his face.

It was all the encouragement that Daryl needed.

Dropping the mallet, he launched himself at Shane, the two men falling to the ground in a tussle of arms and legs. He winced as he felt Shane's boot connect with his jaw, but landed several punches of his own, wincing as his knuckles absorbed the impact.

"Stop it!" Andrea exclaimed as she waded into the fray, trying to avoid the punches and kicks that were being exchanged.

"What is going on here!" Lori's voice broke up the fight as she and Rick came down on them, Rick pulling the two men apart, his arms at Shane's as he held his former partner back.

"You need to put a leash on that pup of yours!" Daryl retorted, shrugging off Andrea's helping hand.

"You guys want to tell me just what's goin' on here?" Rick said, his gaze darting between his former partner, who was wiping the blood from his jaw and the tracker, who bore a nasty boot print on his forehead.

"Your boy needs to mind his own business." Daryl said, putting his hand to his head. He had a headache. They had been back at camp for less than twenty-four hours and he already had a headache. They really weren't good for his zen.

"We were talking about our hunting expedition." Andrea said firmly. "Shane asked about what we'd found out there."

"And he didn't like your answer?" Lori quipped to Daryl, who glared right back.

"Daryl was telling Shane about the walkers we ran across." Andrea said, ignoring the accusation in Lori's voice. It made her blood angry. Of course Lori would assume that Daryl started it, until she realised that until relatively recently, she would have made the same mistake.

That had Rick's attention. "Walkers?" He said. "How many?"

"Eight, maybe ten." Andrea repeated Daryl's answer. "We took care of them, though."

Rick considered this. "Been runnin' across more and more stragglers." He said. "Once that river dries up come winter, this place may be compromised."

"Told you we should have gone to Benning." Shane said as Rick finally released him and he shook himself free, taking a step away from his former partner and his wife. "I said it then an' I'll say it now: it's a good plan."

Rick shook his head and began to list the reasons why they shouldn't leave the farm, but Daryl wasn't listening. Instead, he stalked off towards the forest, pausing only to pick up his crossbow. He needed to get away from here, from this place, from their baggage and their questions and their endless fucking chatter. Didn't they appreciate silence?

He tried to ignore the footfalls that followed him. Of course she was following him.

"Leave me be, Andrea." He said, not breaking stride.

"You need a doctor." She didn't break stride, either.

"Well, we only got a vet and I ain't a cow or a horse, so I'll manage."

"Why are you being like this?"

"Like what?"

"You know like what. Like this."

"This is how I am, sweetheart – haven't you noticed?"

Andrea grabbed his arm and stopped his retreat from the camp. "Daryl." She said softly. It was as though the last two days had never happened. Was this what coming back to the camp did to him, to them?

He paused and turned to look at her. "What?" He said.

She took a tentative step closer, stepping into his personal space. He took a step back and she tried not to look hurt. "Was it only the night before last we slept in that tree?" She said, her eyes flickering to the boot mark on his head. "Let me take a look at that." She said.

"It's nothing." He insisted. "It's not like I've never had a kicking before."

"What did Shane say to you?"

Daryl felt his cheeks colour. "He wanted to know about the woods." He said. "What we'd done."

Andrea felt her cheeks colour a little. "And what did you tell him?"

Daryl ground his teeth. Figures. "I didn't kiss and tell if that's what you're askin'." He turned on his heel and began to walk deeper into the forest.

"I'm not." Andrea said, almost running to keep up with him. "Daryl, I know you wouldn't do that."

"You don't know anythin' about me!" He barked. "So don't try to pretend like ya do!"

"I know that you like reading." She said, his words stopping him mid-stride. "I know you like people to think you're dumb because it gives you an advantage when they find out that you're smart, probably smarter than most of the people here. I know you don't give up on people and you feel like you failed Sophia. I know you always bring enough food back for us all, even though we're nothing to you. I know you could have gone off to search for Merle and you didn't. I know that there was a girl in your home town called Lucy Sanders that you don't talk about because you cared for her and she left. And I know that yesterday, you felt something when we kissed." She was close to him when she had finished her little speech, and he was staring down at her like an animal ready to bolt.

Eventually, he straightened his back, his eyes flickering to the camp, barely visible through the lush foliage. "Go back to camp, Andrea." He said. "Go back to camp and leave me be. Don't be thinkin' that your little speech is gonna change me, make me somethin' I'm not. I ain't the redeeming kind."

Andrea glared at him. "Why can't you admit that you like me, at least just a little?"

"You ain't exactly admittin' anything either." He retorted.

"You are the most stubborn, argumentative asshole I've ever met." Andrea said eventually, shaking her head.

"Stubborn?" Daryl echoed. "Ya think I'm stubborn? Girl, you even looked in a mirror recently if ya want to see stubborn?"

"I am not stubborn!" Andrea retorted, even as she knew the words coming out of her mouth were a lie. She was being stubborn but dammit so was he! She closed her eyes and thought back to forty-eight hours' previously. How had things changed so much in that short time? At what point, over tracking and crossbows and Chupacabras and Word Association and never ending bickering had they somehow ended up here?

Daryl actually laughed at that. "Why is everythin' such a damned uphill struggle with you?" He said.

"You think I'm an uphill struggle?" Andrea retorted. "Oh please. Daryl, you are the dictionary definition of hard work!"

He shook his head and muttered something under his breath, something that Andrea barely managed to catch.

"What was that?" She said, her eyes narrowing.

"Nothin'." Daryl said, turning on his heel. "Forget it."

Andrea laughed as she followed him down the hill, not bothering to lower her voice. "See, this is why I should have just kept my big mouth shut!" She exclaimed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daryl said, stopping and turning to hard that she barrelled off his chest.

"It means," Andrea said, folding her arms and glaring at him defiantly, "That even if you did like me, or enjoy spending time with me, or whatever, that you won't do anything about it! When we talk about it, you walk off!"

"We ain't talkin'!" Daryl snapped back. "You're yellin'!" He opened his mouth to say more before closing his mouth, pressing his lips together so hard they turned white.

"It's not weak or stupid to admit that you like someone, Daryl." Andrea said softly, Dale's words rattling around her head. "It's not dumb to want to have someone to be with, some companionship. Especially now."

Daryl glared at her for several seconds but was clearly about to say something to her, and Andrea held her breath until the words came out. "So what if I did like ya?" He said softly. "So what if I said that I enjoyed spendin' time with ya, that I never had so much fun arguin' with someone? Ya think that would change anythin' between us?"

Andrea's gaze softened. "Of course it would." She said, surprised and not surprised that he would think that way. "Of course it would change something. It would change everything."

Daryl shook his head. "But would it?" He asked honestly, Merle's voice echoing in his head. "We'd go back to camp, hold hands, grab a milkshake, roll in the hay? What then? Fact is, when it boils down to it, you'll always be the lawyer and I'll always be white trash. Look at how Lori looked at us, automatically assumed the fight with Shane was my fault. She looks at me and sees what she saw in the past."

Andrea shook her head emphatically. "Lori can think what she wants." She insisted. "But the rest of us - you know that isn't true." She said insistently. "Give me one recent example where that's happened, where we've treated you that way. I learned more from you in the past three days when we were out here than I learned since this whole mess began." She opened her mouth to say more but Daryl's eyes had moved over her shoulder, behind her. "What? She asked, immediately reaching for the knife tucked at the back of her jeans. "Walker?"

A slow, genuine smile spread across Daryl's lips then. Not a smirk, an actual, for-real smile. It made him disarmingly attractive, even unshaved and covered in mud with scraggly, home cut hair, smelling like three days' camping in the woods.

"Turn around." He murmured, gesturing with his hand to something behind her.

"I don't-" Andrea's words died on her mouth when she saw the creature behind them. "Wow." She breathed, taking in the long snout, the tail, the ridge of fur an unusually-coloured eyes. "Is that a-"

"Told ya." Daryl said, unable to keep the smugness out of his voice. "I know what I saw."

Andrea felt her breath hitch as she watched the creature. It moved skittishly, obviously afraid of what its two human observers would do. As another, smaller Chupacabra appeared next to what was obviously its male mate, Andrea suddenly understood why, and she said, "And I told you: I believed you."

Daryl actually let out a small chuckle at that. "Well I'll be damned." He said, his gaze on the two animals ahead of them. "He got himself a girlfriend."

To be sure, the Chupacabra was not an attractive creature and if Daryl's description was to be believed, they were dangerous too. But as she looked at the male obviously nuzzling his mate, she realised that here, standing with Daryl Dixon in front of two mythical goat suckers, she might have stumbled across something that in their world at least was even more mythical than the goat sucker: hope. She had stumbled across hope. And ... not love, but something more than friendship, more than companionship. She had stumbled upon someone with whom she could be close, if they were both willing. And suddenly, now more than ever, she had to speak.

"Aside from your belief that we'd be too different, what's holding you back?" She asked honestly, her eyes boring into his. "Because ... Daryl, in the past forty-eight hours I've felt closer to you than I have to anyone in the past four months. And I know that you're a guy and you don't do 'feelings' or whatever, but ... I'm not asking for a ring and a white picket fence here." She said. "I'm just saying ... don't write the possibility of us off so soon because of who we used to be."

TBC …..