Disclaimer: I do not own TWD.
A/N: Ok, so my time line zig zags around the one from the show, randomly picking some of the main events that occur while leaving some out (like the battle of Terminus which I kind of wish I would have added lol) as well as adding some of my own. The same with some characters. I know it might be a bit confusing but I can assure you that at some point it'll make sense.
Also, so stoked for Sunday!
Also! Thanks so much for the first reviews of the prequel to this fic (Burn Bright that is now updated) Check it out if you already haven't! It means a lot!
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CH 52- Airplanes
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The snow had fallen upon Georgia, covering the fields and the roads in a brilliant white blanket, untouched by motor vehicles. Two sets of footprints appeared along the highway road, one set smaller than the other and slightly lagging behind.
"Catch up." Daryl muttered, reminding the child that ambled behind him.
She peered at him underneath her large hooded coat and hurried to catch up to her father's side. Bundled up and slightly warm, she pulled off her hood, glancing at the road ahead with piercing blue eyes. Her skin was almost as white as the snow falling from the sky and her cheeks and the tips of her nose were a rosy red. When she breathed out, her breath was visible in the air, twirling around until it vanished into nothing.
"Gotta keep up." Daryl told her.
Charlie ran ahead a few steps, leaving her tiny set of footprints behind. Her arms up on her side as if she were flying.
"Daddy, can ya tell me 'bout dem hairdames 'gain?" She said in her barely four-year-old voice.
"Hairdames?" Daryl made a face at the word he had never heard before.
Charlie continued to move around with her arms at her side. "The hairdames!" She pointed up at the sky, "They live up 'er."
"Ya mean airplanes." He corrected her. "What about 'em?"
"Ya tell me 'bout 'em."
"Girl, I done told you 'bout those damn planes plenty of times."
Charlie turned around, walking backwards. "Again!"
Daryl huffed. Charlie had him wrapped around her little finger. "They're big and they fly in the sky like birds. Ya can get on them and they'll take ya anywhere ya wanna go."
Charlie's eyes brightened up at this. "Anyvere?"
He nodded, "Anywhere."
"Wow!" She said, totally amazed. Her eyes widening with sheer amazement and Daryl grew a little sad for his child would never get to see an airplane fly above her head.
Charlie continued to walk backward until she stumbled and tripped, falling back on her bottom with a soft "Oof!" And a heavy thud.
"Hmm, that's what ya get for not payin' attention." Daryl reached down and grabbed her by the front of her coat and pulled her up onto her feet.
Just as he did, Daryl heard a growl and glanced up to see a half frozen walker emanate from behind the trees. Its bones cracked as it moved about and it let a soft groan escape it's lipless grin.
"Uh-oh." Charlie said, hiding behind Daryl.
Daryl unwrapped his crossbow from around him, aimed and shot the walker through the skull.
"I do it! I do it!" Charlie jumped from behind him and dashed towards the walker.
"Careful!" Daryl picked up his pace, following after her.
Charlie stopped short when she reached the walker and with her ripped mittens, grabbed a hold of the bolt that struck through the corpse's head. She gave it a good yank but the bolt was stuck in deeply. "Ugh!" She groaned again as she gave it another hard tug.
Finally, on the third tug, the bolt came free, crunching slightly and sending drops of dark blood against the white snow beneath Charlie's feet. Charlie stumbled backwards but Daryl caught her before she fell.
"Got it." She tilted her head back, looking up at Daryl.
A tiny, little smirk touched the corner of his lips, "So ya did, kid."
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Gabriel continued to lead the group through the trees, making a bad joke about ambushing them and stealing their squirrels. Charlie frowned at this, turning to Daryl. When Gabriel heard no chuckles, he turned around.
"Members of my flock had often told me that my sense of humor leaves much to be desired."
Daryl walked halfway around him, lifting the crossbow higher on his back, "Yeah, it does." He said.
Gabriel said nothing and turned back around, continuing their way.
The church was a small one, painted in all white, however the paint was old and close to chipping. There was a sign at the front that read: St. Sarah's Church. Episcopal."
Before Gabriel opened the door, Rick went up to him. "Hold up. Can we take a look around first? We just want to hold onto our squirrels." He lifted his hand for the key.
Gabriel gave it up without a fight half the group entered the church. Michonne, Glenn, Rick, Daryl and Carl scoped out the place. Michonne opened a door that lead to a small room with a black board and small tables. Children's drawings hung on the walls and broken crayons were left upon the table. A wall decoration hung on the wall, reading "Amazing Grace."
Glenn followed after Michonne, their guns up, opening another door that lead to a small bathroom.
When the coast seemed clear, Rick gave out a little whistle and the small group vacated the church to join the others outside.
Charlie held Beth's hand; her eyes squinted in the sun. She brushed the sweat off her forehead, growing impatient. She watched as her father and the others exited the church.
"Thanks for this." Charlie heard Carl tell the priest.
Abraham said something about a small bus out back that could possibly be fixed. Daryl went up to Beth and Charlie.
"So?" Beth said, "Everything alright?"
"S' pretty clear." He said, "Looks like a good place to hunker down." He looked down to Charlie and placed his hand upon her head.
"We don't gotta walk no more, Daddy?" She asked, looking up at him.
"Nah, not for a while." He told her.
Charlie head small bickering and looked behind Daryl to see Rick and Abraham talking. Abraham wanted to get a move on. Michonne said something about taking a break. She had the girls in mind and so did Rick and Glenn.
"The short bus isn't going anywhere." Glenn said.
Daryl gestured Beth and Charlie to follow after him. "We'll bring you back some baked beans." He told Abraham and went inside.
"What he said." Said Tara and went inside too.
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Inside, Charlie wandered from Beth and made her way to the front of the church where the crucifix hung, glancing up at it, remembering what Daryl had told her about God. The rest of the group set their belongings down around the church, cautious of their surroundings. Beth looked around when she noticed Charlie wasn't at her side but relaxed when she saw the child at the front of the pews.
The church was a rather small one and half the group was utterly surprised the priest had managed to hunker down there for so long. Not even the prison had held up as well as the church. Then again, the prison had very high artillery against it while the church had been left untouched.
Gabriel noticed the small child and smiled. He went up to her, "Are you familiar with our Lord?" He asked her.
Charlie glanced over at him, big blue eyes without emotion. "No." She said simply, turned her back on Gabriel and hurried to Daryl's side, clutching onto him. Gabriel merely smiled weekly and nodded once, clearing his throat and reminding the newcomers that they were in their home.
Rick went up to Gabriel, asking him how he had managed to hold up in the church for so long. It had seemed almost impossible in their world. While they talked, Judith tapped Charlie's shoulder and gestured her to follow her. Charlie glanced up at her parents who were quietly muttering to one another about things she simply had no interest in, so she followed after Judith.
Judith led Charlie down to the little room where the children had Sunday school and pushed open the door, "Look, Charlie." She said.
Charlie's eyes gleamed over the tiny little room that had no real significance but to a child who had seen nothing but guts and dead things on the road, it meant an entire new world. "Wow!" She gasped, stepping inside the room.
"It's like a little school." Judith said, going in as well.
Charlie tilted her head slightly, "What's a school?"
"It's like a place you go where they teach you stuff."
"Like how to hunt stuff?"
"Mmm, no. Like math and things."
"What's math?" Charlie scrunched her face.
"Numbers." Judith told her from the little bit of math Carol had taught her over the years. "Like how to add them and take 'em away."
"Take 'em away from where?"
"From other numbers."
Charlie frowned, not liking the sound of math. "That ain't sound fun."
Judith agreed it wasn't and continued to poke around. Charlie scanned the room and did as well, hurrying to the black board with Judith, watching as the Grimes girl picked up a piece of pink chalk and drew it along the black surface.
Charlie giggled with giddiness when she saw what it did and grabbed a piece of blue chalk and did the same. Judith giggled too, drawing out shapes and circles and then her name.
Judith Grimes.
"Can you write your name, Charlie?"
"Yessum." Charlie said, "My aunt Maggie taught me."
She raised her little left hand still soft with dimples and ran it along the blackboard, scribbling out her name slowly until she was finished.
Charlie Dixon.
Judith smiled brightly at their names, wrapping an arm around Charlie's neck and bringing her closer into a loving embrace. The two girls stared at their names amongst the circles and the odd shapes, leaving them behind as a sign of their existence.
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When the sun began to set, Daryl and Beth went to secure the perimeter and possibly see if they could hunt something down while they were out there. When they left, the sun hadn't set completely and Charlie was still in the children's room with Judith, too preoccupied to be bothered with her parents' business. Maggie assured them she would keep an eye on her and so Daryl and Beth left on their own to be back shortly.
Beth felt Daryl's heavy weight upon her, letting it hover over her protectively. She could feel the warmth of his skin, pressing against hers. Her hands had desperately removed his vest, tossing it aside on the forest ground. They were both sweaty and sticky underneath the stuffy night air. The sun had set, leaving them in darkness but the heat continued and would continue during the night but at a different level of discomfort.
Beth was a bit reluctant to leave her child behind but having some alone time with Daryl would be just what she needed. She had been feeling rather ill and concerned about their wellbeing as well as her own.
As Beth lay in Daryl's arms, on top of a thin, brittle blanket, she began to think about the events of the day. Even though she was relieved that they had found a roof over their heads, she wasn't too sure of Father Gabriel. He seemed like a good man but there was something in his eyes that was wounded. It was as if he was hiding something.
Many things raced through Beth's mind as she continued to kiss the man she loved. She thought about their previous nights together at the farm. Those thoughts lead to the sick spells she had been feeling on the road but had deemed them to be due to the heat and lack of nutrition.
Then she thought about Charlie.
Beth froze, stopping Daryl as she placed her hand upon his chest. She was already down to her bra but her jeans had remained on and so had his.
"Wait." She said, catching her breath.
Daryl did as she told, placing both his hands on the side of her head, glancing down at her.
"What?" he asked, taken completely off guard. "Ya okay?"
Beth nodded. "More than I've been in a while." She admitted but then bit her bottom lip, "Maybe we shouldn't."
"Hmm?" Daryl was awfully confused. Beth had never stopped him before but he hadn't minded. He was only concerned about her.
"It's just…it's just I thought about Charlie." Beth averted her gaze, hoping Daryl would catch her drift.
"She's fine." Was all he said. It was clear he hadn't caught on to what she was referring to.
"No, I know. I just meant that…you know, we're not bein' safe."
The realization came to Daryl and glossed over his eyes. He pushed himself off Beth and kneeled back on the forest ground. The leaves crunched beneath them as they moved about. Beth too sat up, facing him.
"We weren't those other times." She reminded him.
He nodded, glancing away, "I know."
Beth became nervous. "What if it happens again? What if we—"
"Beth," he spoke her name before she began to panic, "Is somethin' wrong?"
"No." Beth said quickly, "No, I mean, I don't think so. It's not that. It's just…" She sighed, "It's just that I worry every single aching second about the child we do have that I don't know what I'd do if there was another…"
Daryl handed Beth her shirt and helped her put it on. He too had thought about it after they were together those few times. Daryl knew he should have been smarter but he hadn't been completely reckless. "We're gonna be safe. Ya ain't gotta worry." He said gently so Beth wouldn't worry.
Beth looked at him with big, wounded eyes. "Daryl, I haven't…" she looked down, embarrassed, "Since the last time, at the farm. I'm scared."
Daryl brought her into his arms, "S' gonna be alright. If it happens…"
"I don't think I could go through all of that again."
"Hey. If it happens," Daryl repeated, catching her gaze, "If it happens, we'll make the best of it. I ain't gonna leave you on yer lonesome." He repeated the words Charlie constantly told him and the ones Beth herself had once told him long ago. "Ya ain't alone in this…"
Beth couldn't help but to smile. "Where would you go?" She said half jokingly.
Daryl gave her a half chuckle. "Got no where else to go."
Beth felt a heavy weight fall from her shoulders and she buried her face in his chest, relieved that she had his support no matter what happened between them. Beth just couldn't fathom the thought of bringing another child into the world.
Daryl positioned himself against a tree so Beth could lay back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her as she held his arms to her. Beth opened her eyes and glanced up at the night sky, staring at the thousands of stars as she leaned her head against Daryl's chest. "Is it weird that I can't remember what an airplane sounds like?"
Daryl suddenly remembered footprints upon the snow. "I can't either." He admitted.
"Charlie won't ever hear one." Beth said a little sadly.
"She don't need to."
"I guess not." Beth glanced back down, coming to terms that her child wouldn't get to do a lot of things. "What would you be doin' if none of this would of happened?"
"What do ya mean?" He asked.
"Ya know, if the world hadn't ended."
Daryl merely shrugged. He felt as if Beth had asked him the same question before and he had the same answer. "Nothing special."
Beth raised a brow. "Nothin'?"
"What about you?" He challenged.
"I don't know." Beth said, "I'd probably be done with college, starting my career. Who knows…"
Daryl thought about Beth going off to college and living a normal life. And the realization came to him that maybe he didn't care that Charlie would never hear an airplane or see one fly overhead but it saddened him to know that like her mother, she would never experience any real life milestones such as going to school and starting a career. Charlie's career would be surviving. It was all she could do. Killing walkers and saving her skin. Simple as that.
"But that doesn't matter." Beth said.
Daryl was confused.
Beth leaned back against him, feeling at home in his arms. "I'd rather live in this shitty world with you and Charlie than have a normal life."
Daryl rested his cheek upon her head. "Same." He muttered softly.
Beth smiled warmly, "I love you, Daryl Dixon."
