Hi Guys. Hope everyone is well.. I am writing this Daryl/OC fan fic. I am writing it so for once Daryl will actually have a best friend and someone he cares about instead of instantly being in love. As Norman said in an interview, damage people attract damaged people. This is the time of the end of the world and they are all trying to survive. I do not own The Walking Dead..
Carl came running up to Daryl and Anna, he had a big smile spread wide across his face and beaming. Samson barked, panting and licking Carl's face "Come and sit next to me Anna, I made sure I kept spot closest to the fire so you can keep and warm".
"Or is it because you want to feed Samson the vegetables you don't like eating?" she teased, ruffling his hair.
'How did you know?" he laughed, trying to straighten out his hair and patting Samson on the forehead.
Rick looked on, smiling and feeling content watching his son interacting and being happy.
"I have a brother of my own who still does that and he is a grown man. I also worked with a lot of kids in the hospital by bringing Samson to cheer them up. They did the same trick with the vegetables with him as well" she joked smiling down at Carl, scoffing a little and not believing herself.
Anna actually found herself actually feeling happy because of the young boy. She held on to that moment with all her strength as the eerie feeling of sadness, loneliness began to creep back in to her mind. Daryl's face softened, seeing the look on her face but in a flicker it was gone and the smile was back.
"Please excuse me Daryl. My handsome prince is escorting me to dinner" she told him, a wisp of hair falling across her bandaged face, smiling and taking Carl's hand.
"Yeah sure, no problem. Just you be damn careful yeah, don't you go popping those stitches, you will end up bleeding out all over the place and attracting walkers from inside of the woods. I am watching you" he warned her, heading to his spot furthest away from the group, with Samson close by his side.
"Yes officer hoedown throw down, all is safe in the world with you and your cross bow" she joked, a smile on her face calling out after him, he looked backed, Anna poked her tongue out at him.
Daryl shook his head, looking at her strange, Anna just shrugged her shoulders to say hey it's who I am and turned to follow Carl's lead to their spot by the fire. Smoke drifted across the wind blowing a chilly breeze across the camp. Daryl, leaned back in his chair, watching how Anna was just fitting with the group, he scoffed, just like that Anna one of them, belonging. He picked up his plate, leaning further into his chair, looking down to Samson; his eyebrows rose looking at the expression on the Samson's face. Daryl chucked him a piece of meat, rubbing his ears. "Good boy." he muttered.
Carl was aimlessly asking Anna all about her being a child surgeon, Lori and Rick shook their heads and held onto that moment, seeing their son's happiness.
"Carl, eat your dinner and leave Anna be so she can eat hers in peace without you chewing her ear off. She will be getting sick of you before you know it, you don't want that do you? " Lori warned, pointing her fork at him.
'No mom." Carl admitted, dejectedly.
"I quite like the little squirt" Anna replied, ruffling Carl's hair.
"Have you thanked Anna for your meal tonight? These are her ration packs that she brought with her" Rick asked.
"Thank you Anna. This is really good. There are only so many squirrels a person can eat in their life time" Carl replied, his nose scrunched up and mouth full of the chili con carne.
Lori scoffed disbelief that her sons table side behaviour. Anna laughed, ruffling Carl's hair "Don't worry Lori, boys will be boys and sadly they never grow out of it. My dad, his name is Michael and a veteran Special Forces officer, still chases my brother, Matthew, around the yard with a water pistol, both squealing like little girls"
"That really puts my faith into the male species..." Lori joked.
Anna, shivered, only wearing a thin cardigan, Rick got up of his chair and put his jumper around her shoulders. "Oh, you didn't have to Rick. I am really not that cold"
"I could see you shivering, so don't fight it." He smiled, putting his hand on her shoulder "Since you refuse to stay in bed to heal properly from your injuries, I will not have you freezing to death while you stay out here. You need to stay warm to get better and to heal quicker, so we can't have you catching your death from the cold in the meantime"
She looked around, eyes wide at the group and a smile on her face as the realization set in "You all are allowing me to stay? But what about the men that is after my family and I? They come here, you would all be in danger" Anna shook her head, pulling together the jacket around herself. "No, that would not be right; I really do not feel good about that. I can leave as soon as I feel I am healed enough to move on my own feet"
"We had a group vote and we want you to be one of us. So being one of us means we protect our own" Rick told her, smiling softly at her "Truth be told, no one deserves to be alone in the world with what it has become to today. I won't have that for you. Something like that on my conscience is something I won't have. Besides, I am pretty sure that your father and brother will want you to be safe and well looked after. They would want what is best for you. So, if you agree you can join the group, that is until you find your family again, then you are free to make your own choice where you want to go"
"I really would like that" Anna smiled, fixing the bandage around her head and looked up over the fire, catching Daryl's eye and nodded "Thank you." she mouthed.
He shrugged his shoulders, nodding his head and accepted her gratitude. She went back to talking to Carl, listening to every word he had to say. Daryl's eyes not leaving her, keeping watch from afar. He could see Anna was beginning to get tired, her eyelids were blinking fast and she was yawning, putting her hand over her mouth. Fiddling with her braid with her uninjured hand and stifling a yawn. Carol handed him a second plate of food, a motherly look on her face, glancing over to Anna.
"That young lady over there feels all alone in the world at the moment; she is separated and lost from her family, scared if she will ever see them again. Where would our humanity be if we couldn't actually help just one person for once? Anna is lucky to have you watching over her, she needs it most of all at the moment"
Carol looked over to see Anna had scraped some of her food on to Carl's plate, feeding the child before herself.
"There are a lot of screwed up people in the world at the moment, Anna just needs someone looking out for her when she doesn't have her father and brother around." Daryl scoffed "Just don't go saying anything about it to anyone. Don't want people thinking the wrong thing and making mountains out of mole hills. All I am doing is just keeping an eye out for her"
"Your secret is safe with me Daryl. Now you eat that second plate of food; you are much too skinny these days. I see one scrap of food on that plate or I see any given to Samson, you will be in trouble", she warned.
"Yes ma'am" he replied picking up his fork and taking a bite of the chili con carne.
Carol knelt down to Samson, pulling a piece of beef jerky from her pocket "I can't forget you now can I boy? We need you strong as well", throwing him a chunk of squirrel she'd cooked up for him.
Anna walked back to her tent with Samson by her side. Rick had wanted to walk with her but Anna insisted she was able to hobble along by herself to her tent. Anna informed Rick, that Samson could sense a walker from just about anywhere around and she would be just fine. The night was chilly, her breath white, pulling Rick's jacket tighter around herself and her hood over her head. Grimacing, she tried unzipping the tent but couldn't bend down enough with her leg to make it all the way down. "Son of a bitch! You have got to be kidding me!? I go days in the woods half dead but I can't seem to bend down to unzip a damn tent flap", she protested.
Samson looked up at her, tilting his head at her and whining. "Don't you laugh mister. If I can't get in to the tent, you are going to be sleeping outside again in this cold, see how you like that one, hey?"
He lay down on his stomach and looked up at her intently, "I thought so" she teased.
Daryl was walking up to his tent, seeing Anna and Samson staring at her tent. He put his cross bow down on to the ground. "Need any help there, half pint? By the looks of it you are struggling a bit".
Anna turned her head, arms folded "I am just fine, Daryl Dixon. We are just taking a little more fresh air before we sleep in a stuffy tent. You spend so long outside, one doesn't like to be so cooped up in a tent", she lied.
He raised his eye brows, knowing she was a well stubborn woman in the short time he has known her. "By the looks of it any more fresh air, you are going to turn into an ice pop, it's damn cold outside right now. I could see you shaking from a mile away". His eyebrows rose, figuring out what the problem was, "zipper not stuck is it?" he challenged.
"Maybe it is. Maybe it isn't. Or maybe it is just I can't seem to reach all the way down to undo it" she replied giving him a smirk.
Daryl shook his head, laughed and headed to her tent, kneeling in front of it and pulled the zipper all the way down to open it "You are real stubborn aren't you? You could have asked me for help ya know?"
"How do you think I made it this far?" she laughed. "I keep on fighting. Keep on swinging and like hell I am giving up" she joked. "Maybe every now and then I do need to ask for some help" she admitted.
"A lot of people don't have that sorta attitude these days, good one to have on ya" Daryl patted Samson on the head, getting up off his knees.
"Hope so." she replied "Cross fingers it doesn't almost get me killed again".
Anna leaned down to get in to the tent but grimaced holding her leg as a pain shot through, startling her. Daryl held onto her arm and helping her down "Careful there darlin'." He held her arm, moving her blankets and gently letting her down onto her thin mattress.
Daryl found her pills and got her a bottle of water. "Better take these otherwise you won't be able to sleep through the pain when the meds wear off" handing her the pills. She took then lying down on the mattress, pulling her sleeping bag over herself to keep warm. Daryl, seeing she was struggling to reach for them and not wanting to ask him for help yet again, shook his head and threw the doona over her.
"Thank you." she whispered, nestling her head further in to the pillow and putting her arm over Samson.
"Yeah well, just don't go saying shit about this around the place to people here. Got a reputation to keep up around the group" teasing her as he closed the air vent flaps in her tent to keep the cold air out.
"Don't worry Daryl; I know how this whole image and reputation thing works. I won't tell a soul. Your big, dark secret is safe with me" Her eyes started to droop as she got snuggled in to her blankets. Samson crawled up closer to her head and got settled. That dog was always there for her.
"Good night." she whispered.
"Good night half pint, rest up. See you in the morning. "You stand guard boy, protect your owner here. Don't let anyone in that we don't like".
Anna had been in the camp for a couple of weeks by now. Her leg was still healing; she was getting around better with just only a small limp but still not quite being able to pick up anything to heavy with her fractured wrist. She woke up; groaning as the sun came peeking through her tent. Anna pulled the sleeping bag up over her head, Samson pulled it right off her, ducking underneath the zipper and running away to Carl. Anna growled wiping her hands over her face, grabbing her panda bear beanie to hide the bird's nest of hair that was on top of her head and getting up, out of the tent.
Samson stood proudly by Carl with her sleeping bag in his mouth, Carl was laughing so much he was holding his stomach, almost doubling over "You think you are real funny don't ya Samson? I get my hands on you not even Daryl Dixon can save your butt from being skinned alive when I get to you! Better yet I will feed you to a damn walker! And Carl, I am determined to make sure I find those brussel sprouts you so hate! I can see you laughing from here"
"You won't be able to find brussel sprouts!" Carl called out to her, wiping tears away from his eyes.
"You want to bet boy! I will find the equivalent out tracking. I know just the right one as well and it is well nastier than any than any green vegetable you have ever eaten Mister!"
Carl laughed at her even more and walked away with Samson to begin his chores for the day.
She was wearing long sleeved white top, white pyjamas with pink love hearts and bunny slippers along with her panda bear beanie. Daryl was outside his tent, fixing her cross bow when he looked up to see her like that. "Good morning sunshine, see you woke up on the wrong side of the bed again. Be careful walking around here or I just might end up firing off an arrow at that damn raccoon on top of your head", he teased.
She raised her eyebrows at him, giving Daryl a pointed look and stuck her finger up before walking over to him and sitting down beside him yawning loudly.
He looked at her "Pink and white pyjamas with hearts, bunny slippers and that raccoon beanie? I still can't believe you actually wear that princess shit".
"Let me tell you something mister, these bunny slippers and this panda bear beanie comes everywhere with me. Dead people walking around or not, I wear them with pride. I also don't give a damn what people think of me", she defended herself.
"I can tell that! How old are you? Twelve years old?" he teased poking her with the feather end of an arrow.
"I'm twenty-nine actually but Thirty in twenty-eight days" scrunching her nose up. "How is my cross bow jack ass?" she asked peering at the bow.
"Finally think I have fixed it. You must have really clocked them a beauty, the aim was a fair way off"
'When do I get to hold it?" she asked, hoping he would give in and let her finally hold it.
"As soon as that wrist of yours is completely healed, then you can hold it. You grip it too soon; you wreck your wrist and go longer without hunting and tracking with it. Maybe not at all" he warned.
Anna growled, running her hand through her hair and got up off her feet. "I am going to go and get some coffee. Want some?"
"No, I am good. I am going out hunting for the day and look for Sophia. I will take ya cross bow and make sure it is all good for you to use." he told her, wiping the dirt off her cross bow, getting up off his feet and whistling for Samson, who came running to Daryl from around the back of the farm house. He reached back, unfolding a cloth and handing her two silver hunting daggers. "You will need these then today, I would give you back your dad sniper rifle but my guess is you have the bolt on you somewhere?" He eyed her off, waving an arrow at her.
"No one but my dad, my brother or I will shoot that gun! That ass of a man is not getting his hand on it" pointing the finger at Shane.
"Shane ain't happy about that one' he added.
Anna scoffed and crossed her arms "I don't give a goddamn crap about Shane, he is not getting his hands on that rifle. Ugh! I don't know how you do a morning without coffee. You think the world is ending now with all these dead people walking around, you should see me when I don't have my cup of coffee in the morning. You should see me without my morning coffee. Have fun out there. Don't get your ass kicked by some walkers. Watch his back Samson and bring him back in one piece."
Daryl scoffed at her, putting down her cross bow, picking up some grass and chucking it at her face. "Go on now. Don't you have some washing to do with the women? I am running out of under wear."
She snorted at him, got up of her knees, punching him in the arm with her good hand "Ugh you are absolutely disgusting Daryl. No way in hell am I washing your underwear, cave man. Those would be just damn nasty. See you later, be careful out there. Come back in one piece just like I said okay" She walked over to Glenn and T Dog.
Daryl put his hand to his eye brow "Yes ma'am." Daryl pointed at them and then to Anna watch her he mouthed or you are dead, sweeping his finger across his throat and pointing at them both.
T Dog nodded, picking up a granola bar and pouring a cup of coffee ready for Anna. When she got closer, T Dog called out, "Hey, Anna Banana! How you doing this fine sunny morning?"
She put down her two daggers, sat down in the fold up chair and took her coffee and granola bars from him "Not bad, dark chocolate. I finally got my daggers back today and my cross bow is just about fixed. Daryl is going out hunting and searching for Sophia, so he took it to make sure it was up to scratch for hunting and tracking".
Anna noticed Glenn shaking his head at her "It is going to take me a while to get used to you. Here you are all pink and purple sparkles with bunny slippers and a panda beanie but wielding some lord of the rings type daggers, a cross bow and an army sniper rifle. You are one bad ass Miss Anna".
"Yeah but, you still love me Glenn?" she teased, leaning back into her chair.
'That we do Anna. I am on a supply run with Maggie today; did you need anything apart from coffee?"
"No. I am good" she replied taking a sip of the hot black coffee.
Glenn got up off his seat, a nervous look on his face "A supply run with horses. I really hate horses" he complained.
'Come on Glenn, horses aren't so bad. I grew up with them. The trick is not to let them know you are scared of them, they know when you are" she teased and winked at TD Dog, who chuckled.
"Ugh I hate you." Glenn moaned walking away.
"Love you too Glenn!" she called out, unwrapping a granola bar.
"Yeah sure" he called back looking over his shoulder, smiling and waving at her.
"So I got to spend the day with you then huh?" T Dog asked, finishing off his last granola bar.
"The only work I am allowed to do with a bung leg and an almost healed wrist is work with you and Dale with the water" she complained.
"Get changed, as soon as we get started, the sooner we can get finished. It is too damn hot right about now"
Anna changed in to a faded pair of jeans, a grey tank top, long sleeved red flannelette shirt and her hunting boots. She pulled her hair up in a messy bun and put on her black ray bans sunglasses. She slowly made her way to Dale's RV. He came out with his eyebrows raised and his hands on his hips. "You sure you are ready?"
"I assure you I am ready Dale" she told him.
"Well I am keeping my eye on you today anyway young lady. As soon as I see one little limp, I will take you straight back."
"I promise you as soon as I feel like I can't do it. I will let you know".
"Or Daryl will come and kiss your ass." T Dog muttered under his breath beside Dale, with Anna up ahead of them pushing the empty wheelbarrow.
"I think it is a good thing. Those two are best friends. He is doing something that isn't looking for Sophia; he is actually helping someone else. I mean that in the nicest way possible. They are both damaged in their own way and are just helping each other out". He muttered to T Dog.
The sun was beating down on them as Dale took a long swig out of his water bottle.
"That is true. Glenn and I saw Daryl actually start smiling on one of the first nights she was here. Well it was more actually a smirk than a smile to tell you the truth but it was still a sight to see" he said in awe of the tiny girl.
"That young lady can make any one smile. She just has that about her" Dale explained.
Anna wiped the sweat off her forehead, taking off her flannelette jumper and tied it around her waist. "It is so damn hot. Too damn hot!" she moaned as she picked up the water container and put it in the wheel barrow, walking back to Dale and T Dog.
"Is your leg okay?" Dale asked.
"It's right as rain! Just a little stiff and sore but who wouldn't be working out in a day like this?" Then she heard a small noise distracted her as Dale and T Dog started talking among themselves about getting the water.
She made her way over to the other well, peering up over the hole and seeing a walker. Anna looked up, seeing T Dog about to drink the water "Wait!" she yelled running over and slapping away the ladle.
"I wouldn't drink that if I were you." she told them, wiping away the hair from her face. T Dog and Dale looked at her, then over to the well when realization of what was down there hit them. "You saved our asses there Anna" Dale thanked her, patting her shoulder. "Aww man!" T Dog moaned. "Just one day without walkers is all I ask!"
Shane, Lori, Andrea, Maggie, Hershel and Glenn followed T Dog to the well that Dale and Anna were standing at.
"We have a swimmer guys." Anna pointed shining her light down to the green, slimy walker.
"How long do you think it has been down there?" Glenn asked.
Anna answered leaning down with her torch getting a better look "Enough for it to grow gills by the looks of it, it has mutated to survive".
"We can't leave it in there, god knows what it is doing to the water" Lori noted, a foul stench wafting up to them and Lori almost dry reached. "Well we got to get it out... It smells like death"
T Dog stared down to the well "I'd say we shoot it in the brain. Be over and done with."
"That won.t work" Andrea pointed out.
"Why not?" Glenn asked.
"Because if that water isn't contaminated already, shooting and having its brains splattered all over will definitely do the trick" Anna pointed out taking of her flannelette jumper, an idea forming in her head.
They tried to lure the walker in to a piece of rope with a dangled piece of ham.
"That ain't going to work." Anna pointed out. "It is not attracted to that piece of ham what so ever"
"Anna is right, there is a reason why the dead aren't raiding our cupboards" Lori noted looking up at the woman from the ground. Anna was bringing another quality to the camp.
"We need live bait" Andrea stated the obvious looking at Glenn.
Glenn's face went white as Andrea looked at him but Anna patted him on the shoulder, reassuring him "I will go down. You won't have to. I am light, quicker and what is more enticing than a healing wound to the walking or should I say swimming dead?"
Shane tied the rope securely around her waist and legs. "Feel firm enough?"
"Yeah" she replied a little nervously, "Slightly shitting myself right about now but apart from that I am A-Okay"
"Don't worry hun, we will get you out in one piece" Andrea told her.
They were holding a long coil of rope that was around the water pump. Anna took a deep breath, she felt nervous as all hell "Just make sure I come back up as one, alive, piece, the alive part is very important okay because I don't want to be one of those things. They smell worse than Samson when he was wet and that is saying something"
T dog was standing back as Anna was slowly lowered down into the well "We have your back Anna Banana".
"Just wondering who is going to tell Daryl that his best friend is being lowered into a well as live walker bait?" Glenn asked looking around at the people, who all stared back at him.
"Oh man. Why does it have to be me?" he moaned slowing releasing the rope that was lowering Anna in to the well.
"Oh that is easy, you are smaller than him, he won't kick your ass" T Dog replied.
"Yeah well, she better come out of that well without a scratch then, or he just might" Glenn told them.
Andrea's bandana was tied around her mouth as she was pointing the torch down. The smell of the rotting corpse filling her nostril was making her want to gag. It was growling, snarling and reaching up at her wanting to eat the flesh from her bones. Then the rope suddenly lost tension, she screamed lifting her legs up away from the walker, dropping her torch. "Get me up!" she screamed, knocking her knee hard against the stone in the wall. "Fuck! Hurry up and pull me up guys!"
She dropped the rope quickly, dropping it around the walker. Anna looked up to see Maggie hanging over the edge, with her arms reaching down as far as she could while calling out her name. "It's going to be okay. You are almost to the top Anna".
Anna used her legs and arms to haul herself up the walls of the well. She was just within Maggie's reach, grabbing her hand and she was pulled out with the help of Shane.
"You okay?" Hershel asked. "The leg? The wrist?" Looking over her thigh and lightly handling her wrist.
"They are fine. Just scraped up my knee." she answered, gasping for breath, feeling relieved.
"So we are back to the drawing board" Dale pointed out.
She got up off the ground, dusted herself off and pulling down the bandana to her neck. "Says you old man. Leave you guys up to this one" she teased, handing him the rope. He took it, it suddenly pulled tight, and Dale was shocked.
Anna had her leg up on the couch in the RV; Carol was cleaning it with a swab and putting some disinfectant on her bloody graze. She went to the first aid box, pulling out some bandage and wrapping it around her knee. "You have got to stop getting bloodied up Missy. If I have to bandage you up again, I will send you to bed without any dinner"
"Yes ma'am" she joked taking a sip out of her water bottle, looking around the RV.
"Carol I have an idea. Why don't we clean up the RV.? It would be nice and clean for when Sophia come back. I will help" Anna got up off the RV couch, picking up a few dishes and went to the sink. "A little princess like Sophia shouldn't have to live in a mess"
Carol stood there for a moment, looking at Anna "Thank you Anna."
Anna turned off the taps, peering over her shoulder, and wisps of air falling over her face "For what Carol?"
'For all of this, for being you, for being here and bringing some light into the group. Sophia will love you; you will be like an Aunt to her. She hasn't had much like that in her life" carol admitted, feeling sad.
"That would be an honour Carol. I really would like that" she smiled at the thought.
"You are doing a lot of good for the people around here. Making people smile, sometimes even a laugh on the odd occasion, Daryl for instance" Carol said with raised eyebrows. Anna shrugged.
Carol and Anna got busy cleaning up the RV. Anna was assigned to the kitchen, scrubbing dishes while Carol was cleaning up the lounge/bedroom area.
By the end of it all Anna was feeling exhausted, putting her leg up on the couch with a pillow underneath her injured knee and one behind her head. Looking around, proud of their days work. "The place looks like a home fit for a princess now."
Carol came with two ice packs, one for her thigh and one for her newly grazed knee. "Why don't you take a nap, you deserve it after all the work you have done today"
"You know what Carol? I think I might just take you up on that offer"
Carol walked to the bed room part of the RV, pulling out a thin blanket to put over Anna. Coming back, she sees Anna fast asleep already. Quietly, Carol covered Anna with the blanket and tucked her in, leaving her injured leg out from the blankets. Anna was softly snoring. Carol went down to sit on the bed in the back of the RV. Daryl came in quietly past Anna, Samson by his side and looked around at the RV all cleaned up on his way to Carol.
"Ssshhh" Carol whispered. "Poor girl is dead to the world. It was Anna's idea to clean it up for Sophia when she gets back; it needed to be fit for a princess she said. This young lady sure does have a heart of gold".
"Yeah, she sure does, just probably a little too big for herself at times. I know nothing can wake her except for Samson pulling off her sleeping bag as soon as the sun rises, Anna hates that doesn't she boy" Daryl laughed patting Samson behind the ears, he shrugged out of his coat and sat down. Carol warned, "Just don't wake her up now, she had a big day by the looks if it"
He saw her knee "What happened there?" Daryl asked pointing to the newly bandaged knee raised and iced.
"I don't know, I asked her and she said it was nothing" Carol answered.
Anna stirred from her sleep, opening her eyes, rubbing them and yawning. She saw Daryl at the end of the hall beside Carol. "Your back! How was your hunting?" she called out, sitting up and stretching her arms.
"A few squirrels and raccoons... I, uh, have something for you Carol" he muttered, putting down a beer bottle with a flower.
"It's a Cherokee Rose. The story is that when American soldiers were moving Indians off their land on the Trail of Tears, the Cherokee mothers were grieving and crying so much 'cause they were losing their little ones along the way from exposure and disease and starvation. A lot of them just disappeared. So the elders, they said a prayer; asked for a sign to uplift the mothers' spirits, give them strength and hope. The next day this rose started to grow where the mothers' tears fell. I'm not fool enough to think there's any flowers blooming for my brother. But I believe this one bloomed for your little girl". Admiring the rose.
Carol sniffed, wiping away a tear. Anna got up got up from her spot on the couch and going up to Carol and putting an arm around her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "We will find Sophia, Carol. I will be healed soon enough and I will be out there trying to find her as well" she informed her looking up at Daryl.
Daryl and Anna went outside for some air, with Samson by Anna's side looking all around him, when Daryl looked around if anyone was nearby and gave her two Cherokee roses. She smiled, putting them tucked into the top of her ears. "Thank you."
"You know you will find your family as well, right" Daryl told her.
"I know. Nothing can get in the way of my dad and brother" Anna replied, an all knowing look on her face. "They are out there, somewhere. They wouldn't just leave me without letting me know in one way or another that they were okay. I do not believe in that fate stuff. We all are responsible for our actions" Anna looked up to the sky, closing her eyes, then looking at Daryl excitedly, "It is going to storm, wanna watch it with Samson and me?"
"Sure. Got nothing else to do at the moment, I can skin those later" Daryl nodded, referring to the catch he had dumped beside the RV when he arrived before.
Daryl followed Anna, whom was bare foot and holding her boots in her good hand, across the farm and Samson was already dancing around like a lunatic. Her long hair flowing free as she quickly made her way to her tent. She laid out a blanket on the entrance, Daryl sat down beside her. She tucked up her knees to her chin peering up to the sky.
"How long do you think it is away from pouring down?" she asked pulling a cardigan over her shoulders.
"Two minutes from what I can tell" he replied peering up to the blackened sky. "Lord knows we need the fresh water."
"The last time I just sat and enjoyed the rain just seems like a life time ago now. It was with my father and brother two nights before we were attacked. We found a bottle of Southern Comfort when we went on a supply run; we were laughing, joking and dancing in the rain. Got absolutely drunk out of our brains" She smiled at the memory. Samson crawled forward and put his head on Anna's lap as the rain began to fall, thunder rolling across the sky and lightening forked in the distance. Anna pulled out a pair of dog tags that had two gold bands with them, one having a small diamond. "My dad's dog tags and my mom's wedding ring. He gave it to me to keep me safe from harm". She squeezed them tight and tucked them away again.
"What were your folks like?" Daryl asked her, wandering.
Anna smiled, slight crinkles around her eye lids, dimples showing and cheeks that reminded Daryl of apples.
"My mom was one of the most beautiful people in the world, long dark brown hair; these absolutely freakishly bright green eyes and she had this smile that was infectious, it always made everyone feel better. She was a pediatric surgeon. She drowned when I was younger, so it has been my brother, dad and I for a while now.
"I bet you look like just your mom. You got the same hair colour and eyes by the sounds of it." Daryl said as he shifted his eyes from the storm to her face.
Anna looked away from the sky and back at Daryl, her cheeks reminded him of little apples "Thank you."
A gust of wind came through the tent, blowing through rain. Anna screamed, laughed a little by surprise. Daryl quickly pulled down the tent flap. She smiled at Daryl, thinking back to her father.
"I was always a daddy's girl; I could get away with murder with him. I could do no wrong. He was fifty going on ten. Such a big kid but would do anything for his own kids. I remember the first time I came home with my first boyfriend. He didn't say a word to the poor guy, just sat on the chair with a shot gun in his lap. The guy was in the way of the football, all my dad said was "you are in the way". Next thing you know my brother comes through with a doe over his shoulder. Never seen anyone so scared before in their life", she chuckled at the thought.
"I would do the exact same thing as your dad if I ever had a daughter, but with my cross bow of course. That would scare any man out of his boots"
Anna laughed "You would scare anyone just by looking at them, you have Glenn scared".
"Then there is my brother, Matthew. Never have I known anyone as funny as him, no one ever will be. He was always cracking us up with his cheeky behaviour. But then he had his serious side, he was always there for his family".
"That sounds like something I won't ever have, not with the world gone to shit the way it has" Daryl said, remembering his own brother, Merle.
"Oh I doubt that. I have a feeling you will. There is always someone out there. Don't give up" she assured him with that soft smile that he's grown to cherish.