Two years ago, Sydney
Christine held her boyfriends hand over the table. Tony was buzzing with energy, smiling from ear to ear. His raw enthusiasm brought a smile to Christine's face even when she was in the worst of moods.
But this night was perfect. They were at a beautiful restaurant in the harbour and Tony obviously had something he wanted to tell her.
"You may as well spit it out," Christine nudged him along.
Tony only looked surprised for a few seconds before the smile returned. He couldn't keep a secret for very long and Christine was more astute than most.
"I got it!"
Christine gasped. "The scholarship?"
"Mmhmm," Tony nodded.
"Babe, I am so happy for you." Christine lent across the table to kiss him. Tony had applied for a basketball scholarship to train in the United States. The competition had been fierce but her man had wanted it more than the others.
"When do you leave?" Christine asked. Her happiness began to war with a sense of melancholy. The scholarship was for three years, he'd be studying at university at the same time. He'd be on the other side of the world.
Sensing her mood, Tony tightened his grip on her hand. "I leave in three months but you know I'll come visit you and you can visit me and there's skype." He dropped his volume, "And cyber sex."
Christine rolled her eyes.
"I want you to know how serious I am about keeping you in my life so I got you a little something." Tony pulled out a little black box and put it on the table. Christine's heart stopped.
"Christine, I love you and want you to be my wife."
Christine had to swallow before she could answer but her pause didn't worry Tony. He was looking at Christine, so sure in his love for her.
"Yes." It was hoarse so Christine said it again, stronger and clearer. "Yes."
Tony seized her up in an embrace that knocked the salt and pepper shaker from the table.
Christine couldn't imagine anything more perfect.
Present day, Georgia
Daryl walked out in the field searching for his new training buddy. Mara was leaning against the inner fence with Christine. She had an eye on the walkers which were snapping at the outside wire as if sheer force of will would get them through to the live bodies.
Christine was squinting up at the sky, looking completely unconcerned with the dead so close by. Was there nothing that rattled this group of Australians? They were so casual about everything.
He strode up to the two women. "Well you wanna stand around talkin' all day or you wanna get this done?"
"Hello to you too, Daryl." Christine's tone was sarcastic and Daryl ignored her.
"Well let's go!" he snapped, deciding he really didn't need Mara's answer. He wanted this day over with. He could see the chagrin on Mara's face.
"Alright, alright," Mara threw her hands up in the air. She was already wearing the strange black suit that apparently protected them against biters. The Sergeant had offered Daryl one to use today but Daryl had shrugged off the offer. He didn't need nothing restricting his movements when he was tracking through the forest.
"Have fun playing the hills have eyes," Christine said as a farewell. Daryl felt his anger roused at the implication that he was nothing more than a red neck.
They were let out of the gate and disposed of the walkers that were paying them attention. Most were distracted by the hollering from Carl and Glenn further on.
"So what's the plan today?"
Daryl was pleased she kept her voice low. Nothing worse than a chatty patrol mate excepting maybe a loud one.
"See if anyone has been hangin' round these parts. Maybe get some game if I can find it." Daryl bent down to get a closer look at the ground.
"You do a lot of hunting before?" Mara asked. There was no need to elaborate on what 'before' meant.
Daryl looked up at Mara and found her standing over his shoulder as if she was trying to see what he could see. She wasn't wearing her helmet and he could see that she was looking at him with interest for the first time.
"Some. Now shut up. This is quiet work."
Mara's expression darkened and she took a step back hands raised. Ok, I'll be quiet, also fuck you to hell. That's what her expression said. Daryl was a master at reading pissed off women.
Daryl put all thoughts of the glower that was currently burning into his back out of his mind and slipped into a mindset where he could take in all the details and sounds of the surrounding area. Daryl was realistic about his skill set and he knew that while he couldn't make appropriate small talk to save his life he was one of the best hunters out there. Maybe even the best now that the competition had been thinned some.
The area seemed clear. No walkers, no people recently. He could pick out some faded tracks that he knew belonged to his group. He moved low to the ground and quietly. It was only when he felt a twinge in his lower back that he straightened up properly and stretched.
"Looks clear," he told Mara, who had been trailing along quietly.
"Well you were very thorough." Her tone was dry.
He tilted his head at her, confused. Was she being sarcastic again?
"We've been out here for three hours," Mara explained.
"Bullshit!"
Mara's lips quirked like she might have smiled. She settled for a nod. "Three hours, look at the sun."
Daryl narrowed his eyes as if she might have been exaggerating but the sun showed clear progress.
"You're really in to this, aren't you?"
Daryl's shoulders tensed. He was prepared with a defensive response but Mara's expression was neutral. Seemed the question was sincere.
Daryl shrugged awkwardly. "Yeah, I used to like hunting. You know, before." He said 'before' the same way Mara did. Daryl didn't feel comfortable talking about himself.
The conversation trailed off and while Daryl hadn't noticed the silence earlier when he was tracking, it felt uncomfortable now, like he should break it.
"So how come you failed arrow shootin' one-oh-one?" He leaned against a tree. There was nothing about, may as well take a quick break. He though he saw a hint of a blush in her cheeks.
"I have a sight deficiency."
Daryl had kept on scanning the terrain but he spun his head round to look at her, as if expecting that she had gone blind or something in that few seconds. She hadn't. She was looking at him like he was an idiot.
"A sight deficiency?" Well that sounded like a made up diagnosis. Great! They'd gone and saddled him with the cripple. Was she gonna start running into trees when it got dark? Was he gonna have to drag her back by her ankles when she knocked herself out?
"You're gonna have to elaborate on that to put my mind at ease."
"It's nothing. It was a problem when I was young but I'd forgotten about it until I joined the army."
"I'm still not hearin' a lotta what it is," Daryl prompted.
Mara sighed and Daryl could tell that him poking at the issue was cracking her composure. "When I was a little girl I couldn't track things with my eyes. When things were moving I struggled to follow them. I grew out of it mostly but there are still some left over side effects. I struggle with right and left for example."
"And they gave you a sword?" Daryl was incredulous.
"I mean in the moment my brain just reacts so I'm fine with a sword and hand to hand. I'm really good with those two." She looked at him pointedly.
Daryl got the thinly veiled threat to kick his ass if he didn't stop prying.
"What about guns?"
Mara shrugged, "I'm ok with guns. It's just something about aiming an arrow that throws me off."
Daryl's brow was furrowed as he considered what he was being told. "I didn't think you'd be allowed in the army with conditions like that?"
"Normally I wouldn't. Extenuating circumstances remember. Not a lot of people lining up to fight spooks and rescue you hillbillies."
That comment made Daryl pause on the cusp of some snarky comment. This was it, this was his rescue party. Uncoordinated Mara and sullen Christine and insane Yussuf. They were the only ones they got to save them?
"So you guys are the cavalry huh?" he knew that some disappointment had leaked into his voice. He was surprised when Mara looked a little hurt and even more taken aback when he felt an instant twinge of guilt.
Whatever their defects, or 'deficiencies,' they had volunteered to come half way round the world to the middle of nowhere to save complete strangers. Somehow, with the battle clothes and the weapons he'd over looked the fact that Mara was just a young woman. He liked her just slightly better now he knew that she couldn't tell her left and right apart. Made her less intimidating and took the sting out of her snobby stare.
Mara was actually looking apologetic. "People were scared. There was an emphasis for a long time on looking after our own."
"Why did you volunteer?" Daryl asked in a more level tone.
"We all had our reasons," Mara said cryptically.
Daryl, dissatisfied with that answer, opened his mouth with the intention of badgering her. A twig snapping and the sound of scuffling leaves shut him up and put him to attention. Without thinking he grabbed Mara's wrist and pulled her closer so the tree was shielding both of them to some extent.
He lifted a finger to his mouth to tell her to be silent. Mara's face was already focused and her lips were pressed together in a tight line. By the sound of the dragging feet, Daryl knew it was a walker and not a human.
After listening closely, trying to tune out the sound of Mara's breath in his ear, he reassessed the situation. More than one, maybe as many as five.
He turned to Mara and raised his eyebrow in a significant way. She slid her sword out soundlessly. They were slightly down hill of the walkers and Daryl wished he'd had the time to loop behind them. He should know better than to gossip when there was work to be done.
When the first one came lumbering in to sight, Daryl raised his crossbow. "C'mon you ugly bastard," Daryl murmured as he sighted down the length of the crossbow. As soon as he had a clear shot he let the arrow fly and it the target cleanly.
"No sight deficiency for me."
"Really?" Mara hissed. "Right this second?"
Daryl didn't have time to reload his cross bow, he'd have to switch to his knife.
"Too slow," Mara taunted and brushed past him. Damn, the girl was quick. The walkers focused in on the new movement and the scent of the living.
The first walker that reached for Mara was relieved of their arms with one quick swing and with a grunt Mara drove the small knife in her left hand up under its jaw. She yanked the knife out while keeping the sword up, ready for a new threat.
Daryl carved down two quickly, furious that she had taken the lead from him. With an impressive manoeuvre, Mara took the last one out by sending her sword perfectly between its eyes.
Daryl strode up to her mad as a cut snake. He wrapped his fingers around her bicep and spun her to face him. She looked startled and she had to use a hand on his chest to steady himself. Lucky she had sheathed her knife or he would have a nasty chest wound right now but he wasn't thinking clearly.
"What were you thinkin'? You stay behind me from now on, y'hear!" Daryl snarled at her.
"I don't take orders from you! I don't need you to protect me!" Mara was just as angry now. Her face was red and hair dishevelled from the quick fight.
Daryl realised that she wasn't that much shorter than him and he was looking into her eyes. Both of them were breathing hard and some insane section of his brain was telling him that her eyes were pretty like that, sparking with anger.
Before he could rebel against his traitorous brain, which had had a short supply of female stimulate, and push her away. There was a crashing sound from further up the hill.
"What t' hell was that?" Daryl asked.
He was answered by the fattest walker he had ever seen smashing through the wildlife. Daryl's jaw dropped and Mara's eyes widened. They sprung into defensive positions. It became immediately apparent that all the things that would have hindered this guy alive made him more dangerous dead. At no risk of falling victim to shortness of breath or tired muscles, his sheer bulk had turned him into a charging bull. Gravity gave him speed that he would never have had alive.
Before they had time to think he was on top of them. Whether by design or accident he barrelled into Mara, taking her down the hill. Daryl took off after them, not quite believing that this was happening.
He could see Mara twisting as they rolled trying to get the upper hand but the momentum that kept them moving made that impossible. When they finally stopped Mara was trapped underneath its bulk. She thrust her arm between the walked and her face. Daryl thought it was just instinct to protect her face and his heart leapt into his throat when he watched the walker bite down on her forearm.
Relief instantly followed when he remembered she was protected by her uniform. Daryl was next to them in an instance, falling to his knees and using both hands to drive the knife through the top of the walker's skull.
The fight went out of the walker instantly and it slumped forward smothering Mara. She pushed ineffectively at the body and even her toned military muscles couldn't budge the dead weight.
Daryl contemplated letting her struggle as pay back for all the condescending looks he'd received from her earlier but he noticed that her efforts were becoming slightly more frantic and worried she was going to panic he shoved the body away from her.
Mara sucked in some air immediately after being freed. Daryl reached down to offer her a hand and was moderately surprised when she took it and let him hoist her to her feet.
Daryl realised she was shaking and saw the side of her face that had been away from him was smeared with blood. He seized her shoulders to get a good look at her. "What's wrong? You get bit?" He grabbed her cheeks and tilted her face to either side to see her neck.
With a groan he realised she was laughing. "That would have looked hilarious." The blood was coming from a scratch above her eyebrow. Looked like a stick had gotten her during the tumble.
"Stop laughing, that ain't funny." But even as he tried to be stern he could feel a chuckle threatening to escape.
Mara wiped her eyes, "You're right, you're right. It's just the adrenalin come down."
Daryl noticed she was actually swaying. "You alright?" he asked again.
"Probably just dehydration," Mara shrugged.
"Well drink something then, ya idiot."
"I'm fine."
"Yer no good to me passed out in the dirt. Have some water." Daryl didn't want to hear any negotiations.
Mara didn't argue and fumbled for her canteen. "Fark!"
"'Scuse me?"
"I lost my water bottle. Fark!"
Daryl could tell from her tone that it was just her accent distorting the word 'fuck' but for some reason it made him want to giggle at her. Daryl had a rule to never laugh at women holding swords. Funny how that only became relevant after the dead had risen from the grave.
"Here have some of mine." Daryl threw his small bottle to her.
Mara drank from it deeply. The Georgia heat was getting to her.
"Easy, save some for me."
Mara tossed it back to him. "Thanks."
Daryl took a smaller sip. "So what did you do before you became a walker hunter?"
"I studied French literature at university," Mara answered, taking a second to tidy her hair out of her eyes and pick some leaves off.
"Figured you for a college girl," Daryl said. Explained her superior attitude toward his poor uneducated self.
"I'd only done one year of it when everything changed."
"So you speak French?"
"Nope, probably why I was failing."
Daryl didn't know if she was being serious at first but her eyes were mischievous. Daryl smiled slowly at her joke.
"'M sorry you didn't get to finish yer course," Daryl said abruptly, feeling a little uncomfortable.
Thankfully Mara didn't notice his unease. She shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Useless thing to study anyway. Not practical these days. Would have been more helpful if I was good at hunting and tracking."
Daryl shifted from foot to foot. He wasn't sure if he was being mocked or being complimented right now. If he played percentages, she was probably making fun of him but something stopped him from a biting retort. He decided no reaction was safest for once.
"We should get back before the others start t' worry," Daryl suggested and set off without waiting for an answer.
AN: I hope everyone has hung in there with me until now. It has been painful listening to the nuances of our accent while writing this story. We go along blissfully unaware we even have an accent and then all of a sudden, you can hear the Aussie twang. Also I'm going to apologise in advance for any clichés that find their way into the story. While I have a girl crush on Americans, I don't have that intrinsic understanding that a native would have. I also hope you're finding Mara tolerable. I wanted to have her realistically capable. I could never buy in to stories where Daryl was instantly protective of that helpless women after the instant he lays eyes on her. It's not a reflection on the quality of writing, some were very strong authors, but to me that's not who Daryl is. But as we all know fanfic is subjective. Please review,
MD 666