A/N All characters belong to the writers and creators of The Walking Dead. Except those that arose from my own twisted imagination.

Chapter Sixteen-Words Like Fists

Rick took Tyreese out to patrol the perimeter and also to talk about Allen. Daryl wouldn't let go of his mistrust of the guy and it was starting to really get to Rick. Daryl bluntly told Rick that Tyreese was as blind about Allen as Rick had been about Shane. That had touched a nerve but Rick couldn't deny that Daryl might be right.

"Look," Rick said as he watched two more walkers come out from the trees. "Daryl may be a hothead and sometimes he can even be a complete asshole but he can read people better than anyone I've known. And if he says he's picking up something off of Allen, then I believe him." Tyreese nodded.

"I understand you want to protect your people Rick. I want to protect mine too. Sasha is all I have left now. Allen and Ben, well, we've been together for a long time now. We're all that's left from our original group. You understand that don't you?" Rick agreed.

"I do. I also understand that sometimes you don't look at people the same when you've been around them for a long time. You tend to overlook things that would normally strike you as wrong if you saw it with a stranger." Tyreese frowned as he thought again about what Allen had said the day before. He was afraid to mention that to Rick though. Tyreese knew it would cause problems with the group. Besides, he figured Allen was just upset about Donna.

"I'll talk to him Rick, if that will make you feel better. Make the group feel better. Alright?" Rick nodded.

"I appreciate it Tyreese."

Daryl sat watch in the guard tower but was having a hard time focusing. His mind kept drifting back to the night before. He kept seeing Dani's body outlined in the moonlight…feeling her move with him…hearing her whisper his name…about how when they went back inside and Dani was curled up next to him in the dark with her body pressed against his, he'd almost forgotten that every noise made in that building echoed. Not only that, but for one second part of him really hadn't cared. He was shook back to the present when the door opened and Carol walked in. She smiled at him.

"How's everything going up here?" Daryl shrugged, refusing to meet her eyes.

"So far, it's quiet but I doubt anyone would roll up here in the middle of the afternoon in this heat." Carol didn't respond and Daryl glanced over at her.

"Did you come up here for a reason or what?" Carol glanced out the window briefly before looking back at him.

"I was just concerned. You didn't seem yourself this morning. Just wanted to make sure you were doing ok." Daryl stood and walked to one of the side windows to get a better look at the woods but also to keep his back to Carol.

"I'm fine, alright?" He looked back over his shoulder. Carol really did look concerned.

"Your knee's not still hurtin' is it?" He shook his head.

"No, not too bad." He was hoping she would give up and leave. He liked Carol but right now, he just wanted to be left alone. Even Dani had understood that and was working in the garden with Beth and Carl. Carol opened the door to the tower and stepped outside.

"Daryl, if you do need to talk you know I'm here right?" He glanced back and nodded.

"Yeah. Thanks." Carol left the room. Daryl sat back down and stretched his leg out. His knee was still bothering him quite a bit. The swelling was going down and the bruising was starting to heal but Hershel warned him it would probably take a while for the pain to go away. Daryl could deal with the pain, so long as he could pull his weight around the prison. He looked back out over the grounds and saw Dani by the garden. She was sitting on the ground with Judith in her lap, shading the baby's head from the sun and pointing to the plants. His mind flashed to the night before: Dani on top of him…getting lost in watching her, feeling her…he shook his head. This was exactly why he didn't want to take things further with her. She was a distraction and there was too much going on for them to be distracted. He looked over towards the woods and saw a familiar figure in the field, sprinting towards the fence. She drew her sword and decapitated one walker. Michonne. She was back.

Daryl went out on the catwalk and hollered for Rick and Tyreese.

Michonne knew she probably wouldn't be greeted with open arms at the prison but she didn't want to leave them vulnerable. The Governor would retaliate for what she had done, she knew that. Running across the field, she decapitated one walker, impaled another. She knew she had been spotted when she heard gunfire and saw walkers dropping. She made it to the front gate where Rick let her in. She looked up found herself staring down the barrel of a gun.

"Where the hell have you been?" Rick's voice was cold. Michonne had not expected a warm greeting but she was still a little surprised. She glared at him coldly.

"Forgot my sword." Rick put the gun down. Next to him was a big guy who looked vaguely familiar. She was sure she recognized him from somewhere, from before the world went to hell. Michonne glanced around and saw that the three of them were alone.

"Aren't you gonna invite me in?" She said, sarcastically. Rick frowned, glanced around and then shook his head.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea Michonne. You've been gone almost three days. What's been goin' on?" Michonne looked from Rick to the new guy. She realized why he looked familiar. Tyreese something…used to play for the Falcons.

"The Governor? He's crazier than we thought." Rick frowned at her and looked at Tyreese.

"Ok Michonne. You have our attention." She proceeded to tell him about Andrea, Penny and the heads in the aquariums.

When Dani heard the yelling and saw Michonne, she quickly stood and took Judith back to the cellblock, hauling Carl and Beth in with her. Carl protested but Dani ordered him inside. He stared defiantly at her.

"You're not my mother." Dani pursed her lips.

"I may not be your mother but that don't mean I can't tell you what to do. Now do as you're told and get inside right now!" Beth put her hand on Carl's shoulder and gave him a push.

"C'mon Carl. She's right. We should go inside with my Dad and Carol." When they walked past the guard tower, Dani looked up to see Daryl standing with Oscar outside on the catwalk, both watching Rick and Tyreese with Michonne. Daryl had his rifle trained on Michonne, waiting for one wrong move.

Inside the cellblock, everyone was talking at once. Maggie turned when the Dani closed the door and locked it behind them.

"Dani, what's going on?" Dani handed Judith to Carol and walked over to Maggie and Glenn.

"Michonne's back." Sasha, sitting with Ben and Allen, was watching them.

"Who's Michonne?" Glenn looked over at her.

"A woman who escaped from Woodbury. She helped get Maggie and I out of there when we were taken. She saved Daryl too a few days ago and came back with us that night but she disappeared the next morning." Sasha frowned.

"So this is a bad thing that she's back?" Glenn shrugged.

"I'm not sure." Sasha got up and walked over to them.

"Is she dangerous?" Her voice was low but the anxiety was evident. She was worried about Tyreese. Glenn shook his head and glanced at Maggie.

"I don't think so, not to our people anyway." Though she tried not to show it, fear was all over Sasha's face.

"But we're not 'your people' yet, are we?" Glenn blushed and looked at Maggie for help. Maggie put her hand on Sasha's shoulder.

"Michonne isn't dangerous. She's just, I don't know, different. She wouldn't hurt anyone who didn't pose a threat to her." Sasha didn't look like she believed Maggie. The outside door to the cellblock opened and Daryl and Oscar walked in. Daryl used his keys to open the inner door and left it open. Hershel looked up expectantly.

"Well? What's going on?" Daryl shrugged.

"I don't know. Rick waved us off. They're still out there talkin'. She's got her sword back though, so you know she went back to Woodbury. Who knows what shit she done stirred up now." He glanced over at Dani, saw the look she was giving him and looked away. It was the same look she had given him since he had kissed her the other morning at Abigail's funeral. The begging look, the one that questioned what was happening between them, the one that said she wanted more than he was able to give her. It pissed him off. He had laid out reality to her, told her what he could and could not give her and she still wouldn't back off. Sure he'd fucked her the night before but that sure as shit didn't change anything. They had things to do, bigger things to worry about. He'd already decided he was going to stay away from her as much as possible.

"Daryl?" Glenn's voice brought him back.

"What?" Glenn shouldn't have been surprised by the angry tone in Daryl's voice but it he was startled by it anyway.

"I asked about Rick and Tyreese. Did they seem worried or anything?" Daryl nodded.

"Yeah. Something big's going down. We need to get prepared. Don't need to get caught with our asses hangin' out like we were the other night." Daryl began issuing orders to everyone, having them check the ammo, the weapons, stash the food and water. Everyone quickly moved to do what he'd said, all of them made even more anxious by the tone in his voice. He'd turned to head back out, to keep an eye on Rick, when he heard her say his name. Daryl turned slowly around and glared at her.

"Don't you have somethin' you need to do?" Dani flinched at his tone but tried not to let the hurt show on her face.

"Daryl, I think we need to talk…" he cut her off.

"Talk about what Dani? Didn't you get what you wanted last night?" He was trying hard to keep from yelling. She wasn't about to cry, wasn't about to show weakness in front of him.

"Daryl I'm sorry. I took things too far last night. It won't happen again." She turned away and started walking towards the kitchen to help Beth and Carol gather the food. When she got to the doorway, his voice stopped her.

"You think that's it? That I'm pissed at you for that? I'm pissed at myself that I let it happen." She turned back around and he was staring at the ground, looking almost defeated. Dani never thought she'd see the day when Daryl Dixon would let his emotions show that publically. She walked back over to him but he quickly backed away.

"Dani, we don't have time for this. You want something and I can't give it to you. If you want some kind of 'relationship'", he almost spat out the word. "why don't you go hit on Rick alright? I don't have the time to give you one. The Governor, he's comin' for us. You know that he is. And you think now's a good time to start worryin' about feelings and shit? Are you that goddamn stupid?" His voice was rising and Dani was starting to back away, wanting to turn and run. He looked more like himself now, the defeated Daryl was gone and replaced by the Daryl she had met her first day at the prison.

"I'm sorry Daryl. I made a mistake. I thought…"

"You thought? You thought? When the hell have you ever thought? You ran away from your mother, you married the first loser you met, didn't make it out of the city in time to get away, you moved into Woodbury and screwed the Governor instead of just gettin' your daughter out of there when she was sick. You ran here with no food, no water and no plan hopin' that we'd fix things for you." He stopped to take a breath and realized for a second that he could have beat her and his fists couldn't have done as much damage as his words were doing at that moment. Still, he continued. "I won't even start to name every stupid thing you've done since you've been here. And you're still not thinkin'. I don't get you Danielle. Do you just like gettin' knocked around all the time? Is that what gets you off?" Danielle couldn't take it anymore. She opened her mouth to say something when she saw Rick, Tyreese and Michonne in the doorway. Daryl turned and couldn't look Rick in the eye when he saw the confusion on Rick's face.

"Everything alright in here?" Danielle shook her head and ran outside. She wasn't about to let Daryl see her cry again. She ran to the edge of the yard where a bus had been overturned and hid behind it, crying hysterically. Daryl was right. She was stupid. She'd always been stupid. This was just icing on the cake. She looked up at the growls of the walkers at the fence. There were two of them, both reaching through the fence towards her, their teeth snapping. She was well out of reach and didn't have anything to kill them with anyway.

"Would y'all just shut the hell up?" The walkers, of course, didn't listen. Dani closed her eyes and pressed her hands against her ears, trying to block out everything around her.