When they reached Rick in the courtyard Merle hesitated. Danni rolled her eyes. "You can talk with me here."

"A damn woman?"

"Merle."

Daryl just shook this head and Rick looked exasperated.

"I have a right to know what you found as much as anyone."

"Now queenie last time I let you in on something you nearly got the both of us killed."

"You know you are such a sexist bastard. You screwed that up as much as I did and I-"

Suddenly Sophia appeared holding a small bird in both hands, crying. "Danni?"

"Hey Sophia, what is it?"

"Its hurt, I think its wing is broken." The girl's fair skinned cheeks were streaked pink with hot tears.

"We can help it. Let me see. Sometimes they just get stunned."

Danni turned and handed Ryder to Merle. "Don't think you won Merle." She said before crouching in front of Sophia to get a better look at the wounded sparrow.

"Lizzie said I'm stupid and that its stupid to try and help it cause its just gonna die." Sophia sniffled.

"She did? Well, she's wrong. You are not stupid. Come with me, let's find a box for it."

"Really?"

"Definitely." Danni smiled at Sophia and wiped a tear from her cheek.

Danni glanced at Daryl, her eyes saying fill me in later, then putting an arm around Sophia's shoulder, lead the girl across the courtyard. She couldn't help but giggle at the image of Merle and Daryl each holding a baby while discussing prison protection tactics.

... .. .. .. .. .. .

"This is perfect," Danni noted placing one of her bandanas in the bottom of the shoebox she retrieved from her space.

They sat at one of the picnic tables and placed the bird carefully on the cardboard bottom. Sophia put a few sunflower seeds in front of the sparrow.

"Do you think he'll die? Lizzie said so, said he's weak and helpless and he would better off dead."

"I don't believe that. I think it's our responsibility to take care of anything that's helpless. By taking care of something, you make sure they're only helpless for a little while. You nurture them so they can get strength back. Especially birds. "

Sophia nodded. They watched the tiny creäture trembling. Sophia touched its head and it began to calm down.

"One spring, when I was little, my Nan took me down by the lake behind her house." Danni said to Sophia, as she brushed the girl's blonde shoulder length locks. "We sat on the old dock together, the water just a few inches away from the bottom of my sneakers and she brushed my hair. Just like this. She was always fussing with my hair and telling me stories, and I'd sit there hanging on every word. When she was done, we walked back up to her house and she pulled my hair out of the brush. It was like a little puffy cloud of my dark strands. She put it on the outside window sill and lifted me up to see it. 'Now Danni, that's your gift to the birds to make their nest with.' She told me. 'Watch….' And we sat down and waited and watched for what seemed like hours until a little brown bird hopped down and took it in its beak. My Nan turned to me and said, 'You stand tall and proud, Little One. Baby birds are going to sing their first song nestled in your hair.' And I never forgot that. It made me feel like I was a part of the great mystery of life. It made me feel bigger than my little kid self. To this day, I leave the strands of my hair out for the birds to build their little homes. By now, generations of baby birds have grown up to sing their songs in my hair."

"Can we do that with mine?"

"Sure can."

"I'm gonna show the bird to my mom. Danni how come you're so smart?"

"I don't know about smart. I just believe certain things are right and try to live by them."

"I think you are smart." Sophia said with finality and marched off toward the cell block. She carried the shoebox proudly in her hands and couldn't wait to show Carol.

"She's right, you are smart."

Danni turned and saw Kieran behind her. "You're good with her. And that story about your Nan, I remember how excited you were telling me that you helped the birds build their nests."

"Why are you still here?"

"Got a talking to by someone who cares a great deal about you. It made me think twice. So I'm here to ask you something."

Danni steeled herself. "Well?"

"Can I stay? What I mean is…is that what you want? Me to stay here?"

Danni sighed. "Here's what you and I both know but we never talk about. All right?"

"Mm-hmm."

"We never talk about the fact that I don't trust you but I want to. That I don't need you, but I want to get to know you." She paused. "I'm tired of being treated like some chess piece that you move around on a board that only you can see. That's all I was to any of you. Mom, Nan…I want you to acknowledge me…that I am valuable. That I matter."

"You do."

"And that I deserved to know everything I could about this world that I was sent out into every day so at least I had a fighting chance. I didn't have that. I had to make my own chances and that's not fair. My kids will be armed and ready I swear. You left me. You never taught me how to fight." Danni pushed her hair back over her shoulder. "I've always wanted to say that."

"Its true. But look at you what you've become. I am proud of you. I am grateful I have the chance to see it."

"You know, it's crazy, but in spite of everything." She swallowed hard. "In spite of everything, I want to like you."

Kieran sighed. "I screwed up. Really gaffed it."

It's a fine trait of even the strongest Irishmen that they cry. Danni remembered her dad crying at parades and weddings and certain poems of Yeats. So although it didn't surprise her, it touched her deeply when she heard the first sniffs and the deep-chested moan of grief rising from him. He was crying for her? Danni reached out on instinct and took his hands squeezing them, her touch triggering sobs that rushed with gale force. A storm of guilt and regret raged from within Kieran.

"You did screw up dad. Really badly." Danni said over his sobs and the sound of him blowing his nose. He nodded. "Aye...love Aye..."

"I spent so much time longing and wishing for a father but I gave up the fantasy, the wish that it was all different. What's done is done and I'm not letting it hurt me anymore. You asked me if I want you to stay. What do you want?"

Kieran's sobs started to slow down. He only shook his head.

"I think we are more alike than I thought. We both did a lot of running away. A lot of running. I'm not running anymore. Maybe you should try it too."

Kieran wiped his nose with a handkerchief. "You don't need a father. I get that. But might you need a friend?"

"I might." She nodded.

"Think you're escaping and run into yourself. Longest way round is the shortest way home."

"James Joyce." Danni said on instinct.

Kieran nodded with a slight smile. Fionn, who often disappeared for days at a time hunting mice throughout the expanse of the prison, had been following Kieran around lately. The sleek black feline jumped to the tabletop then leaped to the man's shoulder and settled around the back of his neck.

"He's a good judge of character, that cat. Usually." Danni admitted.

"Familiars usually are. Right on the money." Kieran added with a wink.

... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .

"Execution style. Bullets to the head. And recent too. All the stuff was looted. I saw empty crates of military grade weapons and ammo. The whole camp I come across was destroyed. And there were tank tracks. I know those when I see 'em." Merle paced in front of Rick and Daryl. "It's him I just know it. The whole scene was him. Flashy as a rat with a gold tooth. "

"Merle you can't be sure it's the Governor. No proof. Its-"

"It's his style. I know that man, how he thinks and what he's willing to do. 'Sides, I got a feeling. A gut feeling. He's around and he's gearing up for something. Now I say we get a party together and strike first."

"Look we'll get the council together tomorrow. We'll figure this out." Rick countered with finality.

Merle shook his head and an expression of disgust took over his face. "You do that officer, you do that. Meantime he's out there, maybe planning to roll on in here any minute now." He paused, then turned. "Daryl?"

"Rick says the council, then I-"

"Whatever!" Merle interrupted Daryl handing him his infant son. He turned, waving his arm disparagingly as he stalked off, angry tension radiating with every step

"Merle, don't do anything stupid. Hear me?" Rick shouted after him.

Merle continued walking.

"Daryl, you need to talk him down."

"I got it. But you know what it means? If he's right?"

Rick nodded.

"What's the plan?" Daryl asked shifting the babies in his arms.

"We'll talk it over tomorrow. I'll tell Herschel we need a meeting."

Daryl nodded with a quiet grunt.

.. ... .. .. ... .. .. .

The following day, Rick and Herschel managed to keep Merle from going rogue. The council decided to send a few men out to scout the area Merle had come across. After an afternoon of searching, they hadn't found any other sign of another group or of the Governor himself. Merle was frustrated and that gut feeling wouldn't leave him. Danni knew Merle wasn't crazy. She wasn't convinced the Governor was involved in the raid or that anything would happen soon, but she knew a change was coming. Nan had warned her. She checked on the car daily over the following week, making sure it was stocked and would run fine. She touched the hood like a talisman, using its sense of security to help her keep going every day, quelling her anxiety so she could function. She was a mom and she couldn't fall apart; she had her kids to think about. The plan helped her keep it together more than Daryl probably realized.

... .. .. .. .. ...

"You know what tonight is?" Danni asked spooning the last bit of mashed peas into Ryder's mouth. She was sitting at the table in the common room with the twins in their high chairs in front of her. Daryl approached from behind, but she recognized his gait and felt his presence. He'd just returned from a supply run so he had a calmly accomplished energy.

"A year." He answered sitting beside her, stretching his legs out before him. October 31 was their wedding anniversary. "I know some shit." He said proudly when she flicked him a surprised eye. "Here." he placed a jar of peanut butter on the table. He'd grabbed it especially for Danni since it was scarce around the prison and he knew she loved it.

"You didn't? Thank you, I'd hug you but ..." she motioned to the mess of strained vegetables Scout managed to get all over her shirt. "Hey wipe her face will you?" Danni handed Daryl a washcloth. He proceeded to gently remove the green residue from Scout's cheeks. She was a much messier eater than her brother. Danni was introducing solid food to her daughter who had a penchant for doing things by herself. She grabbed whatever mashed vegetable, from Herschel's garden Danni had prepared that day, with her hands and spread more on her face than in her mouth. More on Danni too for that matter.

"As romantic as the peanut butter is, what else do you have planned?" Danni asked.

"Me?" He asked trying to keep a gruff expression.

"Yeah, you."

"Think you're getting flowers or something?"

"No, I want something better."

"And what do you want?"

"The moon."

"Bet you do." Daryl shook his head and almost said something sarcastic, but became thoughtful instead. He stared at Danni, but his gaze seemed to be going somewhere else beyond her spit up covered shoulder rag.

"What?" Danni asked the intensity of his expression giving her chills as she put the plastic bowls inside each other and gathered the tiny spoons preparing them for the sink.

"Just be ready later tonight after dark. Get someone to watch them."

"Yes, sir."

He hissed between is teeth and turned away. "Just be ready girl."

... ... .. .. .. .. .

Always look to the moon. Nan had said that. Running fast. Running hard. Danni's arms were around his shoulders and the wind whipped her hair into a mass of knots. It was cool enough that their jackets felt good but not so cold as to give her an ice cream freeze headache. They leaned into the curve. The bike started to drift just a bit so Daryl cracked the throttle to power them through the turn and to correct the drift.

He raced the full, bright moon. The moon was winning, although he was running a close second. The vibration from the engine made its way through the soles of their boots, seeped into their blood stream filling them with a sense of exhilaration. Any problems that once existed were gone, snatched by the goddess and thrown to the four winds to disperse.

There was no yesterday. There is no tomorrow. There is no later. They had only that moment. Nothing else existed. Nothing else had meaning. They were alive; vividly alive in a world where death could be around any corner. Alive for that instant.

She hugged him a little tighter and nipped at his hair. He leaned back onto her, feeling good, but he knew it would feel better without their jackets. Daryl settled for good. Any contact with her felt good. He wanted to race the moon on this night, the anniversary of their handfasting. On this night, Samhain, those that have passed on before look down upon the joy of the living and give them their blessing. Racing the Moon was Daryl's gift to Danni, as close as he could get her to what she wanted.

After a few miles, Daryl decided to allow the moon to win the race by default. The bike began to slow as his gloved right hand eased up on the throttle. His right foot hit the rear brake lightly as his left foot downshifted to make a right turn onto a country road. The moon smiled down at them and Danni smiled back thinking of her as a gracious victor.

As their speed decreased, the wind caressed their faces. With one hand, Daryl slipped a cigarette from the pack Kieran had given him out of his jacket pocket and held it between his teeth while he lit it with his Zippo. Danni scratched at his scruffy wispy hair with both hands. It felt good. He held the cigarette between his lips and reached back to pat her thigh with his left hand.

The aromas of the earth assailed their nostrils. The sweetness of hay combined with the smoky perfume of last year's leaves slowly melting into the ground to enrich the soil. A host of wild flowers blended their essence to form a fragrance that belonged solely to the earth.

Daryl spotted the entrance to a clearing and slowed the bike to a snail's pace, picking their way over the ruts and finally came to a stop behind the windbreak of trees. Danni balanced on the foot pegs and swung lithely to the ground. Daryl stood, stretched and dismounted the motorcycle. He took a couple of long drags on the cigarette before tossing it to the ground and stamping it out.

He observed her looking at the moon and the stars as he retrieved a blanket from the saddlebag. He took off his jacket and vest, folded them on the ground for his head. After he had flopped down on the blanket, she lay beside him and he offered his arm for a pillow but she chose his chest instead with a contented sigh as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

She propped herself up on an elbow and kissed him lightly on the lips. It wasn't a serious kiss. Neither was the kiss he gave her in return. She made a light sound of contentment, reached under his shirt and scratched gently at his stomach.

She swung her leg over his. He put his hand behind her head pulling her to him This time the kiss was more serious as he allowed his tongue to taste her lips. As her tongue flicked his, he felt that hunger growing inside. His groin tightened and an anticipatory twinge settled in his gut. The kiss lingered. Their lips parted and their tongues met in a familiar dance. Their breath quickened.

Daryl rolled so they were both on their sides and he slipped his hand under her tank top and glided softly to her breast. His thumb massaged her nipple. Danni closed her eyes and realized how he'd consistently been the one to initiate sex lately. He had an ease and confidence with her like never before. He kissed a trail from her lips to her cheek to her neck. She turned her head away to give him better access. He nipped at her earlobe and kissed, sucked, bit his way down her neck to the hollow of her throat.

She sat up a little to help him take off her leather jacket and top. His lips paid homage to her shoulders and breasts. She unbuttoned his shirt with trembling fingers and slipped it off his solid shoulders. Her bare skin felt like heated silk as he scratched her back with his fingertips.

"That feels funny." Danni murmured a comment. He forgot he had half gloves on. "Sorry." He rasped, but when he started to take them off, she stopped him. "It's a good funny." So he left them on.

He laid her on her back and he stroked her stomach. Her breath hitched, but her eyes remained locked on him as he caressed the sparrow tattoos. It was an electric feeling; a jolt of recollection from the first time he'd ever stroked the tattoos. His touch was a memory. His fingers reached the band of her tight jeans and he fumbled the button open then unzipped them. His gloved hand slid past the open denim. She moaned softly and arched her back when he found her wetness.

Coming to his knees, he pulled off her engineer boots and memory flooded him as well. The boots he'd given her. She still wore them. He pulled her socks off and sat pensively massaged her feet. His thumbs pressed and rubbed the high arch.

He ran his hands up her legs, hooked his fingers under her waistband and began to tug. She lifted her hips and wiggled to get the tight-fitting jeans off. His breath caught in his throat as he slid them down her legs. The moonlight bathed her in a warm glow while she moved on top of him.

As she unbuckled his belt and started to slide his pants down his hips, he unhooked his knife from the belt and placed it beside his head. She lay face down on him. His hands hungered too greatly for her to leave on the gloves. His palms savored the softness of her body as his lips met hers. As they kissed, she slid her had between them, down to his growing hardness and began to stroke softly but firmly.

Daryl rolled her off him, parted her legs and knelt between them. "Wait." He rasped. She tensed and sighed when his tongue teased at her clit. He licked down and reveled in her taste. Her hands found his hair and pulled him to her. He slid one finger, then a second finger, into her tight wetness as his mouth and tongue continued to work.

She couldn't help writhing with tortured pleasure. She pulled him toward her so he was kneeling. She lifted her legs and pulled her knees toward her breasts. He rubbed his cock between her waiting folds, sliding to her clit and then back down until he was almost, but not quite, inside her. She tugged on his shoulders so he lowered himself to his elbows. She held tightly to his neck and her lips locked onto his. He felt her legs around him. She wiggled her hips, bucked against him and suddenly he was buried in her. After, in the still night air, they held each other and laughed and whispered as they always did. They had that moment and that moment was more important than either of them knew at the time.

"You know no matter where we are we can see the moon. We are always looking at the same moon." Danni said earnestly as they fixed their clothing. "And she sees us. Always."

They lay beneath the stars swimming like little fish in a black sea of the night sky. Danni noticed the light change and suddenly she was looking down as if she had been sucked up into that black sea of sky.

A great banner fluttered in the smoky battlefield, a black crescent moon with a rich violet backdrop marking its heraldry. Accompanying the sound of billowing cloth, was also the crackle of a fire and the cries of the dying. War had come to Amu.

Morrigan stepped among the bodies as her crows went about swooping down amongst the dead and dying to take their warrior souls. She paused to peer through the smoke and regard the corroding countryside. Beautiful trees had become mangled and twisted, gaping tortured faces showing through their wooden trunks as the grassy meadow became saturated with blood. Warrior blood. Nature turned against herself that day.

Then Danni saw the prison below her, smoke pouring from the guard towers that had been battered with gunfire. The yard was littered with fallen bodies both Walker and human. She saw it all from above moving fluidly sweeping down and soaring up…with the other crows. She was dying among them and saw Morrigan, taking the souls of the fallen…the fallen?

She sat up, now cold, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey." Daryl put his hand on her shoulder. "What?"

"I'm glad we have a plan. You know, the plan." She said.

Daryl realized she meant their escape to the ghost house. If it came to that. "You worrying about what Merle found?"

She nodded. "And I saw it. Daryl something's going to happen. We have to stick together. No matter what. You promised."

"I did." Daryl remembered the promise Nan had asked him to make. He'd never let her go.

"Hey stop worrying. This is 'sposed to be a good night."

"It is. It is." She leaned down to kiss him then began to sing softly, trying to erase the terrifying vision from her mind. She cradled his head in her lap and stroked his scruffy chin.

Oh Madame Moon, you

Have such a view, do

You see him, do you?

Les coeurs jumeaux

Oh Monsieur Sun, I

I'm on a dark side

I miss him all night

I hope he's all right

Monsieur Soliel

Madame la Lune

Please bring him back

Into my view

Oh Madame Moon, you

Can say adieu

Les couers jumeaux

Ah, so true

Monsieur Soliel

So far away

Madame la Lune

Please bring him back

Into my view

Monsieur Soleil

Someday . . . .*

... ... .. .. .. .. .. .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .

Daryl wasn't pleased that Danni had gone on a search for plants outside the gates without him, but he couldn't be spared from fixing the fence on the south side of the prison. He was glad Herschel was with her at least, but it didn't make him feel any less apprehensive. Still, he knew he had to trust her and he realized that with winter around the corner the herbal medicine she and Herschel would be doing was more important than ever. They needed the plants. He focused on the job at hand trying to rid himself of nagging worry. He caught the board Tyreese tossed over and focused on his task.

... ... .. .. .. ..

"This is the best, Yarrow. It's a cure-all." Danni explained to Herschel. "Let's get a ton." She crouched and began pulling the yellow flowering plants from the moist soil. She turned and made sure she could see the top of the prison fence in the distance. She'd promised Daryl she wouldn't go too far. The morning was cool and crisp with that hint of Indian summer lingering and the back to school feeling she remembered as a kid. Although she was exhausted, not having slept more than a couple of hours the night before, the anniversary ride with Daryl had been worth it. More than worth it. He had given her the moon. She smiled, wanting to make this a quick trip and get back to him and the kids as soon as she could. Sophia and Beth were babysitting, and although they were always happy to do so, Danni was feeling a little guilty at how often she called on those two to watch the twins.

"I see some Arnica flowers over there." Herschel pointed to some tall daisy-like flowering plants on the edge of the tree line bordering a small meadow.

"Be careful," Danni said to the older man as he headed for the Arnica. It would be good to have that in stock. It helps with pain relief for external injuries. Danni was pondering the ways to diffuse the arnica into a paste the way Nan had done. She jogged over to Herschel. "You know we could…" before she could finish her sentence a deep familiar voice ordered them not to move and Danni felt a hand clamp over her mouth. She struggled to reach her knife, but her hands were being tied by a second abductor. Her eyes widened when she saw who held Herschel and was binding his hands. Martinez. It was Martinez so that meant…

*Les Couers Jumeaux -Concrete Blonde