Dove never thought that she would see sunlight again. She felt sad for losing Jacqui, of course. The older woman had been kinder to her and Carol than she had to be, but she was more grateful to have her family with her. To be able to feel the sun on her face again. She stood close by Carol as she watched the men try to bust the windows down with everything, they could get their hands on. The axes, chairs, hell even the guns. Nothing worked.
A thought crossed through Dove's head as she sat on the ground next to Sophia to shield her from anything that might go flying. In an instant, her attention was drawn away from the window to her sister who was already on her feet, ready to hand Rick a grenade. She scrambled to her feet, more careful as she pulled Sophia right along with her. "A nail file isn't gonna help," Shane said. God even close to death, Shane can be a fucking asshole. She said nothing and smirked to herself as she saw the shock cross Rick's face.
The explosion was loud and shook the whole room. Sophia yelped and Dove covered her ears as the grenade exploded and the glass shattered. She could feel the wind on her back already, they were so nearly free. There was shouting as everyone began to pile towards the window. Glenn jumped down out of the window and held his hand out to Dove, ready to steady her when she landed. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she turned and held her arms out for Sophia as the others continued to jump around her. "Just jump, Sophia. I got you!" Dove called up to her as Carol jumped down and cast a worried glance between her family members.
"You can do it Sophia, come on honey. It's not that far," Carol's voice shook.
Sophia let out a small whimper before she finally jumped. Just like she promised, Dove leaned forward and caught the girl before her feet could touch the ground. "Good girl, Soph," Glenn managed a weak smile as the four of them took off towards the cars with the rest of the group. There were walkers everywhere, but they were going down just as fast. It was only as she pushed Sophia and Carol closer to the car that she noticed something.
"Wait where's Dale," Dove shouted over the chaos.
Carol froze, hand on the door handle to the car before she pointed towards the building. "There they are!" Dove took her word for it as she opened the passenger side door and got into the car. She wanted Carol to slam on the gas and just go but she knew there was no way they were going anywhere alone.
The shockwaves from the CDC exploding shook the earth around them as Carol laid down across the front seat. Dove peeked her head up when it was finally over, only to see that Sophia was peeking her head up from the floor of the Jeep. "Good girl," Dove chuckled weakly as she reached back and ruffled Sophia's hair.
A look through the back window before the caravan started to move showed that T and even Daryl looked just as frightened as everyone else did. There was nowhere to go but forward. The younger woman leaned back in the passenger seat as Carol put the car in drive. It was the first time in a long time that she just wanted to drive in silence.
No matter how nice they were, Dove didn't like the idea of heading back to the Vatos gang. Something just didn't feel right about it and she was sure to tell her sister about it. "Listen, I mean they weren't bad people. There were a lot of them there, I just don't know if they'll be so willing to take in a big group of people," she muttered to Carol after she heard Rick talk over the walkie.
Carol sighed and ran a hand down her face. "I don't know. We might as well go if Rick thinks it's a good idea." She tried to keep her voice down as best she could. Dove could feel for her, still wanting to protect Sophia from hearing things she shouldn't have to.
A quick look over her shoulder and Dove leaned closer to her sister in the front seat. "Yeah well Rick also thought the CDC was a good idea and look…"
"Enough. We're not talking about this anymore," Carol shook her head as she reached over and hit the volume button on the radio. Dove's music started right back up where she left off and she was left feeling like a scolded child as she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.
It was silent until they pulled up to the gates, then it was too silent. Dove whispered, "Sophia, do me a favor? Hand me that crowbar in the hatch back there," Dove said as she continued to stare out the front windshield.
"This one," Sophia questioned as she passed it in between the two women in the front seat.
Carol looked between her sister and the weapon but didn't say anything. Dove beamed as she took the bar from the girl's hand. "Yes, that exact one. Thank you, sweetheart." She felt like a line of ants as the group marched along together up to the bricks that marked the entrance.
"All the guns they gave us, they'll probably throw us a party," Daryl answered as Andrea voiced Dove's own concerns about the group, they were on their way to see. "Good call…for once," he glanced sideways at Rick. Dove rolled her eyes and held a hand behind her.
"Just stay behind me, okay," she said quietly to Carol and Sophia. As they walked further in, it felt more and more wrong.
"Where're the lookouts," Glenn panicked.
"Something isn't right here," Dove hissed back quietly as her eyes darted around the grounds. A few moments later, she realized what exactly had happened. Walkers were inside the camp. Panic swept over her as she turned her back to the men and focused on Sophia. Carol already held a hand over her eyes and crouched down next to her. "Don't scream it's gonna be alright," Dove tried to keep her voice calm even though she felt her own panic rising.
She pulled Sophia right after her as they began to follow Rick through the building. Dove offered quiet words of encouragement to Sophia for being able to keep quiet, hell it was worth a shot. It didn't help much as the little girl rounded the corner first and got a full view of a few dead bodies. As Sophia clung to her mother, Dove's attention turned to Daryl. "You shut that little girl the hell up! Right now, or I will" he growled back at them.
Dove narrowed her eyes and raised her crowbar slightly until a strong grip made her stop. "You cut that out, right now." Lori warned him as she pushed Dove back a step. She had to give it to the other woman, she had really nailed the 'lecturing mom' look and voice. It even made Dixon stop with how intense she was. A sharp tug on her arm pulled her back as the women went to block the doors. "Listen, I know you're angry." Lori sighed as they pulled an empty refrigerator across the room together, "but you can't let him get to you like that."
Dove huffed as she pulled harder on the fridge, a relieved exhale left her as Lori nodded to show that it was good enough. Dove brushed her hair back from her face and lowered her voice. "He threatened Sophia."
Lori shook her head and placed a hand on the younger brunette's shoulder, "You leave Daryl to me. I mean he listened this time, right?" Dove didn't answer and Lori continued. "Besides, if he gets too out of hand, we'll just sick you on him." Lori gave her arm a playful shove before she marched back over to the others.
"Promises, promises," Dove chuckled as she picked up her crowbar and tried to prepare herself for what else they might see. Sudden movement behind the door made her drop to the ground where she stood. Her eyes locked with Carol before it was safe enough to move.
It was serious business when Carol was angry enough to speak her mind and Dove knew it. "Are you telling the truth or are you lying like all the other times?" Carol looked angry and Dove felt a wave of admiration go through her. There she was, that was the woman that made Dove want to be strong. The real Carol peeked through for a moment and then it was gone like a puff of smoke as Lori spoke in defense of her husband.
Dove placed a hand on Carol's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, "Atta girl," she muttered under her breath.
"The hell happened," Glenn sighed as he looked around the room.
"What do you think," Andrea spoke up. Dove felt her blood start to boil. Did she have to be so condescending? "They got overrun." Dove rolled her eyes, then raised her eyebrows. Daryl had scoffed at the other woman. "Something to say," Andrea snapped.
"Uh yeah, how about observant," Daryl snapped right back.
Andrea nodded, "Observant. Big word coming from a guy like you. Three whole syllables."
Dove pinched the bridge of her nose, "Can you like stop being an uppity bitch for like 5 damn seconds and let someone else have an opinion?" She planted her feet on the ground and placed her hand on her hip as she observed the other woman. There was a stunned silence for a moment before Daryl continued. Hell, she never thought she'd defend Daryl ever, especially after what he'd said to Sophia, but everyone deserved to have their voices heard.
Daryl continued, "Walkers didn't do this." That was clear to anyone with a brain. The ones she'd seen all had headshots. "Geeks didn't show up until all this went down. Somebody attacked this place." Dove felt Sophia shift closer to her as she knelt beside her. "Killed all these people, took whatever they wanted. They're all shot in the head, execution style. Y'all worried about walkers? What about the people that came and did all this?"
Dove glanced over at Rick as he looked over a body. A nod from the sheriff seemed to confirm everything that Daryl had just said. Dove never thought she would see the day when she could appreciate any words coming out of the mouth of Daryl Dixon, but she never thought she'd see the dead walk either. "Get a dictionary," Daryl smirked at Andrea, "look it up. Observant."
Dove couldn't fight back the nervous giggle that left her lips at Andrea's face. A subtle slap to the arm made her clear her throat as she rose to her feet again. "Sorry. Sorry," she mumbled as she placed a hand over her mouth and walked over closer to Glenn.
Glenn watched as Daryl left the room. "Did that just happen," he mumbled to Dove.
"I don't know about you, but that might have just about been the best thing I've seen in weeks," Dove whispered back. "But odds are, that might have shoved the stick further up Andrea's ass." She nudged Glenn as the group started to move on again. Glenn just shook his head.
One bottle of water, garbanzo beans, and fucking cough drops. That's all that was left out of everything Guillermo had fought for. What would be left of her when she died? Probably just a crowbar, a comfortable pair of boots, and maybe a few old pieces of jewelry. That's if she was lucky.
"I don't think salty snacks are that great without water," Dove sighed as she caught the bag of chips Shane had tossed to her.. "I think I'll pass," she smiled as she held out her bag of chips to Carl. The little boy took them with a big beaming smile.
Dove wasn't that surprised at all to see that Shane had managed to smuggle a bottle of wine out of the CDC right along with him. "I'd go easy on that stuff," Lori spoke up again as Daryl went to open the bottle, "don't forget where we are."
Daryl nodded and uttered a quick, "Yes ma'am," before popping the bottle open. Dove ruffled Sophia's hair as she tried her best to look like she was enjoying the meal in front of her. It made her sad to think about all the things her family might have been through without her around.
Dove sighed and dug through the bag she had left in the car. She shuffled a pack of cards nervously as Glenn brought up all the people that had been killed. Her eyes drifted around the room before they landed on Daryl. He just shook his head as he took another drink from the bottle. Carol shook her head as the men left the room. "I'm perfectly fine with them talking about it with adults here but with the kids, they really do need to be more careful," she sighed as she stroked Sophia's hair and tried to calm her down.
Lori sank down to the ground next to Carl and stared at the paper crafts on the wall. "I'm sorry, Carol. I can talk to them when they get back in if you want."
Dove shook her head as she focused on the movement of the cards between her hands. "You don't have to. I'll do it." Her focus shifted to the other woman, a look of surprise on her face. "You don't have to carry the weight of actual common sense on your shoulders, Lori. I got you this time, but you owe me." Lori smiled gratefully as she went to reply but was interrupted by a scoff from across the room. "You got some other enlightening information for us all Andrea, or are you just going to sit over there are wallow enough for all of us?" Dove's attention turned to the blonde woman.
Andrea shifted forward as she spoke, "You're all trying to play leader like it matter or something. Everything's gone. None of that matters anymore! Look around us! Everyone else is dead," Andrea stopped as Sophia began to whimper and inched closer to Carol.
Dove gripped the cards in her hands so tight she thought she might break the skin before she composed herself enough to reply, "If none of it matters then why the hell are you still here? You don't even believe half of the shit you're spewing out. I think you're just angry because Dale wouldn't let you get yourself blown up and on top of it? You got outsmarted by Daryl Dixon of all people! Now I can't imagine how that would feel, but what I would like to imagine is for you to decide whether you want to stay here and act like shit matters or else you decide to go out on your own and get yourself killed." The silence between the women in the room was palpable as Carol stared at her sister and Lori placed an arm around Carl.
"You must have been a shitty counselor," Andrea snapped at the brunette across from her.
"Yeah and you must have been a real shit lawyer if that's your only argument. Now shut the hell up and eat your beans or I'll come over there and take them for someone who's actually grateful for what they got," Dove snapped. The silence was only broken by the door being opened back up and the men filed back in. A confused look crossed Dale's face as he glanced over and saw Andrea begin to pick at the food on her plate. A hand raised in the air and that said to Dove that he wasn't even going to ask.
A few hours passed after Dove had taken it upon herself to talk to Glenn about not upsetting Sophia and she felt like she had kicked a puppy. At least she'd done him the courtesy of doing it while he was on watch. A hand shook her awake from her slumber as she jolted up. It was Glenn. "Hey, you asked me to let you know when I was off watch. You sure you wanna go out there," even in the dark, she could see the worry cross his face.
Dove sighed heavily as she dug into her bag and pulled out the pack of cigarettes she'd been trying to sneak since this whole thing started. She'd been too close to Carol, she'd feared a lecture, but now she couldn't give a fuck. "Yeah, gotta bite the bullet and go talk to the other one." She ran a hand through her hair as she shoved the pack and her lighter into her pocket. Glenn held a handout and helped his friend to her feet before he took her spot on the ground next to Carol and Sophia. "Keep it warm for me, buddy," Dove winked at the younger man as she headed quietly to the door.
She didn't have to look far until she saw the man on the top of the stairs. His hearing must have been better than she thought as he turned to see her walk down the hallway. Dove pulled her hands from her pockets and held them up, pack in one hand and lighter in the other. "I come in peace," she whispered as she came to a stop by the railing. Daryl just grunted as he turned to look back down the stairs. The only sound the echoed between them for a moment was a click from the lighter and then a relieved sigh as the cigarette finally lit. Dove held out the pack to Daryl as she removed the cigarette from her mouth and blew the smoke out after a few seconds. "A one-time offer," she chirped as she waved the pack in front of the man and handed him the lighter after he swiped it from her hand.
"What do ya want," he whispered as he began to light his cigarette.
Dove sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Sorry that I told you I was gonna put you in a headlock. I was stressed," she caught Daryl's eye for a moment. The look on his face made her want to shrink back into her coat. "Yeah, that must sound pretty stupid." She laughed quietly before Daryl spoke up.
"Apology accepted. But next time you threaten me with something, you best follow through," Daryl's response was humorless and Dove just nodded in response.
The two of them spent the next few minutes in silence. Smoke filling their lungs and being blown back out into the air every few seconds. Dove yawned and raised her arms above her head, "I thought it was pretty awesome how you took charge before when Andrea tried to call you stupid."
Another scoff. "I didn't do it to fucking be awesome. Ya'll gotta know what we're dealin with. I don't give a shit if someone thinks I'm stupid. So long as I know I got my shit together."
Dove nodded her head as she tossed cigarette to the floor. The light on the end of the cigarette went out as she pressed the toe of her shoe into it and blew the last of the smoke from her mouth. "For what it's worth, I don't think you're that stupid." Daryl turned his head slightly to look at her, his expression unreadable. A smirk crept onto Dove's face as she leaned down slightly, "but if you threaten my niece again? I just might have to kill you." She stood up straighter again, as calm as ever. "Night," she cooed over her shoulder and then she was off down the hallway again. Within a matter of seconds, Daryl was alone in the hallway again and it was like it never happened.
A/N: Well Dove is still threatening to kill Daryl but the real question is, will she ever not threaten to kill Daryl? Thanks for reading! Comments are appreciated and welcomed!