He woke up to the light fluttering through the window. It bounced off the sheets on the bed, which had been kicked up into a messy array, tangling up the teenager beneath them.
Brunette hair splayed across the pillows, hiding her face, and Daryl smiled slightly, brushing the unruly locks from her face. The kid didn't stir, and he frowned slightly, sitting down on the mattress beside her and sliding up the sleeve of her right arm, peering at the scar where her arm had been stitched up a couple weeks back.
It looked like it'd been healing up fine.
Still, the kid had looked exhausted when she'd showed up yesterday, from more than just the trip here. He wondered what'd been happening at Alexandria. Ever since they'd been placed under Negan's thumb, things had bound to have gotten rougher. He wondered what he'd missed- what'd she'd had to see- without him there.
He left the kid alone, strolling around the compound and watching the sun rise. He stopped in the mess hall, grabbing two plates of breakfast- they were those damn Eggo waffles that Jamie loved.
He headed upstairs, expecting her to be up, but instead only found her the same way he'd left her.
He smirked slightly, plopping down onto couch he'd slept on and watching the sun rise. Somethings, even the apocalypse couldn't change. Like teenagers sleeping until noon.
But for once- he didn't mind.
He got to see her- his daughter, his teenager. On mornings like this- sitting, watching the breeze rustle the curtains and the sunlight playing on the ground, it was almost like he could forget that the dead were walking and a war was banging on their door.
And so he sat- a stryrofoam plate on either side of him, nibbling on a waffle. Damn, these eggos were good shit- he could see why Jamie loved them so much.
The bedsheets rustled, and sleepy green eyes looked up at him, dull green eyes brightening at the sight of him.
"Mornin'. 'Bout time you woke up."
He set a plate of waffles onto the bed, and her eyes widened before she was snatching up a waffle, absolutely destroying it within a minute.
"You're getting crumbs in the bed." he pointed with his own waffle, taking a bite.
She was already halfway through her second waffle.
"We're gonna get ants cause of you."
She finished the last of the waffle like it'd been a treasured friend, settling back on her haunches.
"You said you were gonna show me the tiger."
He bit back a laugh. "So- I guess I don't have to ask what we're doing today. But afterwards we have to help in the gardens."
"C'mon."
She stood, pulling on her boots, before she was trotting to keep up alongside him.
The brick building ran around- it'd been an old school. The darkened hallways and grimy windows reminded her of what'd felt like a lifetime ago.
"People here are good. Just a little bit... strange. But once you get used to how they talk, 's a nice place to be."
She nodded, looking down at the patterns of colored tiles on the floor.
They'd reached two wooden doors to an auditorium, and Daryl pulled them open.
The faded brown seats sat eerily uninhabited.
On the stage, atop a large throne, a man sat, chin resting on his elbow lazily.
When the door opened, he straightened up, looking interested, and a warm smile lit his face.
"Ah, Daryl and Jamie. What brings you to my chambers?"
"She wanted to see the tiger." Daryl nodded towards her.
"Ah. Of course. Sheba." Ezikiel reached down to the large chain that was tethered to his throne, picking up the chain and gently shaking it.
A rather still lump that'd sat off to the side stood, large mouth opening and revealing the massive set of teeth in a yawn that ended in a slightly growl without much bite behind it as it ambled forwards, into sight.
Jamie found herself staring, and she stepped forward almost unconsciously. Everything within her screamed to turn and run, but the beauty- terrifying as it was- raw power packed in muscles and sinew taught beneath the skin.
One more step forward- Daryl placed a firm hand on her shoulder, holding her back.
"You may approach, but do not touch. She only allows me to touch her."
She nodded, swallowing, stepping forward.
Another step. She found herself staring into amber eyes with green-ringed pupils that spoke with volumes of wisdom and power.
"Kid." Daryl's voice was even but firm behind her, a warning.
She was only five feet away, now, and she took one more step forward...
Sheba looked at her for a long moent, and she met the gaze. Furred lips curled back, exposing lips and massive teeth as Seba opened ehr mouth slightly.
"Chhfff"
A warm breath of exhaled air brushed her face and made her bangs move slightly. It smelled like meat- but in a plesant way, not like the rot of walkers. She grinned, and Ezikiel laughed.
"It seems she accepts you."
"How did you find her?" how, out of all the creatures in the world, had Ezekiel managed to captivate a tiger as massive as this.
"It is simple. I am king." Ezekiel said with a grin. "You might like to come back around five. That's when I give her dinner."
She nodded, still smiling.
"Thanks. We better get going, garden duty's waiting on us. Jamie- c'mon." Daryl called. She left. her gaze lingering on Sheba before she was headed out after her father.
BREAK
Dirt always managed to get under her finger nails. That was what she was thinking as she pulled weeds from the planters, tossing them onto the concrete outside.
It wasn't that she minded the dirt under her fingernails, exactly. She rather liked it- having her hands smell like pure earth. But it wasn't at all fair that it was so easy to get dirt underneath fingernails, but so impossibly hard to get it out. She'd all but given up doing so back home, but now, with a king and differently talking people, things were different.
"You're new."
She looked over to see a kid- he couldn't have been older than eleven- with shaggy blonde hair, wearing armor- looking at her carefully.
"Yeah, I am. Name's Jamie- I'm from Alexandria."
"Did Carol find you?"
"No. Well- I bumped into her. I've known Carol for years. since right after this whole thing started, really. Daryl's my father. You got a name?"
"Henry." the boy stared at her for an uncomfortably long amount of time.
"Have you see any saviors?"
That made her pause for a moment, before she nodded, tossing a weed to the side. "Yeah, kid. I've seen a lot of them."
She'd seen all of them- pressing in on them like a circle at a gladiator's match, on Glenn and Abraham's last night- trying to keep from passing out while she held onto the slippery white ivory of her own bone.
At their gates- with their goddamn trucks- in front of Spencer, on top of Rosita, knife to her cheek, whistling their damn song...
"How many are there?"
"A lot."
He nodded, turning and walking away.
"Hey- where are you going?"
"I have stuff to do."
"Alright. Well don't do anything stupid. I like you best in one piece, kid."
And she was back to pulling weeds, wondering just who the heck Henry was and why he cared so much about the saviors. Was this war thing really the main topic of conversation here? Was it even rubbing off on the kids?
Well- she wanted to fight. She'd already known that for a long time. Since they'd lost Glenn and Abraham, she'd known. She knew Daryl wouldn't like it- but he'd been the one to take her outside the walls in the first place, so she didn't forget, and now, in a time when fighting was needed, she doubted he'd be able to keep her back.
Still, she tried to convince herself that there was some sort of difference between her and Henry. Sure, they were both kids- but Henry was hardly over ten, while she'd just turned fourteen. She'd seen some shit- on and off the road. But maybe, some part of her was still just a child anxious to fight.
BREAK
She'd stepped outside the little brick house they were staying in, flicking open her lighter. The flame seemed to push the darkness back- it was only nine t night, but this place felt as safe as Alexandria, and the nicotine had been calling.
She lit a cigarette, letting out the drag slowly and thinking about the day. Carol had stopped by for dinner- and they'd been joined by a huge man named Jerry, who seemed just as friendly as he was large. It reminded her of the prison a lot- of of Alexandria a little. These people were good people, like her father had said, but she had a feeling that they were naive to the loss of fighting, despite their apparent skills.
She raised the cigarette to her lip for another drag, only to have it fall onto the pavement with a rough swat.
She turned, pissed and more than a little surprised, to see her father standing there.
"The hell are you doing?" he asked, eyes flinty.
"Having a smoke." she replied back, just as stony face as she bent down to pick up her cigarette.
Daryl's boots had put it out before she got the chance.
"Hell no you don't. That shit's awful for you. Gimmie your pack."
"But Dad..."
"No buts. Cough it up- now."
she narrowed her eyes at him. "You smoke."
"Yeah, but I'm forty goddamn years old. When you hit forty, I'll let you have a pack. Now give 'em to me."
She scowled, handing over her pack grudgingly. Daryl pulled one out, about to light it for himself, when he paused, looking at the pack in disgust. "Menthol? fucking gross."
"Give 'em back Dad."
"No. These are shit- even worse than the normal ciggs. I'm doing you a favor." Daryl tucked them into his pocket. "C'mon- get inside. It's getting late."
"How come you get to preach to me when you smoke?"
"You're my kid- you're sposed to turn out better than I did. And like I said- menthols are fucking gross."
"I want my pack back."
Daryl rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no. I'm parenting here. If you get too pissy about it I might have mercy on you and give you one of my smokes tomorrow, but you're done. No more of this shit, you hear? Your lungs are gonna turn black. I'm weaning you off it, starting now."
"Whatever." she sighed, heading inside and flopping into bed.
"You're gonna thank me someday, when you don't die of bronchitis or cough up a lung."
"Nah. I'll just be taking care of Carl and his black lungs."
"Dammit. Soon as I see Rick, I'm telling him and that kid's getting off this shit too. Everybody is dying or dead and you two decide to get into cancer sticks. What, is me letting you outside the walls not good enough for you?"
"i'm old enough to be outside on my own. Been on my own before. I'm old enough to make my own mistakes."
"The hell you are. You're old enough to make mistakes, kid, I'll give you that, but you ain't old enough for me to quit busting your ass when you make 'em. It's called PARENTING- something my old man never learned how to do. You ain't turning out like Merle. I try to be a good Dad- you want a beer, ask me, I'll let you have a beer or two. But this shit- is bad. Makes you die early and makes it hard as hell to breathe. Also makes your house smell like shit and burns down your goddamn house when your mom smokes in bed and then you get stuck with your asshole father..."
He looked over to see regret on Jamie's face. "Look, I forgot about you telling me that part about your mom, and I don't smoke in bed..."
"No, but you're gonna get COPD. We're gonna be running for our lives one day, and you and Grimes are gonna get eaten because you have to stop and hack up a lung like my old gym teacher used to do. No smoking- end of discussion.".
"You're a pain in my ass." she muttered, pulling up the covers and turning her back where he was sat on the couch.
"Why yes, I am a wonderful father. Goodnight, princess.".