"Don't you ever get bored?" Yussuf asked.
Daryl was struggling to keep his patience. Yussuf had not shut up the entire time they were out there. Every time he was inside it was constant chat and bickering and that was fine. Reminded him he was alive and part of a community but being on watch was his one opportunity for peace and quiet.
Elias he didn't mind. He was more or less silent with any one he didn't know. Daryl would quite happily be partnered up with Elias on watch duty. The sheer size of the man wouldn't make him a good patrol partner.
Mara had been good. Quiet and quick. Too bad she was a bitch. Daryl still felt a tightness in his chest when he remembered what she said to him. He may be many things but he'd never raised a hand to a woman in his entire life. He hadn't meant to push her away that hard but he'd felt cornered and she was out of control.
"Let's do something."
That was another thing about Yussuf. He didn't require an answer from anyone to keep the conversation going.
"Like what?" Daryl resigned himself to whatever stupid suggestion Yussuf was going to make.
"Well the girls are off showering so let's do something suitably manly. Let's have an archery contest."
"Seriously?" Daryl asked.
"Sure. We saw you on the first day and you have some insane skill. Or are you scared?" Yussuf taunted.
"I could beat ya with my eyes closed and one hand. Let's do this," Daryl retorted immediately. He stifled a groan when he saw Yussuf's triumphant face. He'd just been goaded into the stupid competition. Apparently Daryl was that easy to play.
He heard Elias chuckle. "Y'know, I liked ya better when you didn't make noise," Daryl muttered.
Daryl let Yussuf find targets. It had been his suggestion so it was only right he did all the work.
"We don't even have the same equipment," Daryl noted of their military grade weapons.
"Consider it our advantage," Yussuf replied.
They fired off a few shots apiece and Daryl admitted the Australians were good but he was better. They knew it too but they didn't pull out of the competition and they kept up the good natured banter. Daryl was stunned to find he was having fun. There was a majority of women in the camp now and this time with the men was a nice change of pace.
He didn't get scolded for the filthy curses that tumbled from his mouth when he missed a shot. In fact, Yussuf said things that made even him blush. Merle probably would have liked Yussuf if, you know, he could get past the whole ethnicity thing.
It quickly became less of a competition and more of a test to see how many difficult, outlandish shots Daryl could make.
"Shit." Elias exclaimed after the latest one. It was said as a compliment. "Were you born with a crossbow in your hand?"
Daryl shrugged, not really wanting to discuss his childhood. "Gotta eat." He looked at Yussuf. "What about you? I bet you're no stranger to a hungry stomach."
Daryl had asked the question before he could think about it. When had he become so interested in the plight of the migrant?
"Nah man, my dad's a doctor and my mother is a lawyer."
"So why'd y'sign up?"
"Oh I was already in the military for a year before this shit went down. I requested a transfer to the spook division."
Daryl thought Yussuf was the least obedient solider he'd ever met. He'd assumed that, desperate for volunteers, they'd gone easy on the whole discipline crap. But Yussuf had lasted two years in the military with that attitude?
"Good thing too. Never would have made corporal in the regular military."
Daryl lined up his shot. "Yeah I thought that was weird. Never seen so many corporals in one team."
"Nathan recommended us all for promotion. I think he was trying to be fair," Elias said.
"He's a big softy at heart but don't tell him I said that," Yussuf said.
Daryl was distracted by movement closer to the prison. The women must have been done with their washing. They looked startlingly clean next to the men and for the first time Daryl considered that the idea might not have been such a dangerous waste of time. He'd been filthy for so long and god knew he stunk.
He focused on the target again; he could have done without the audience.
It was smaller and further away than the others but he nailed the shot cleanly. The others that had just joined were cheering. Daryl couldn't help a bashful smile.
"Shit!" Elias said again.
Rick approached the group. "I think it's our turn to take showers. The ladies have informed us that now they're clean they can notice how we smell and apparently it isn't pretty."
"What happened to 'this ain't a democracy,' Rick?" Daryl asked.
"Daryl, one day you might learn that there are just some times when you let a woman have her way." Rick slapped him on the shoulder and headed back to the group.
Daryl looked to the Australians to see if they were going to cooperate too.
"I've tried it, it's fun letting them have their way." Yussuf winked at him and followed Rick.
"I get the feelin' Yussuf meant something else entirely," Daryl said perplexed.
"He mostly always does," Elias confirmed. Daryl laughed at that and decided a shower would probably be ok.
As he approached the group he realised that instead of trying to avoid him, Mara was actively trying to meet his eyes. Daryl wasn't interested. He'd had a good afternoon and he didn't particularly feel like being her punching bag again. He tried to slip past her but she put a hand gently on his bicep to slow him.
Daryl looked down at that hand like it was a branding iron and sensing him tense under her fingers, Mara quickly removed her hand. Not before Daryl could notice that her fingers were raw and battered. So they'd seen action in the prison today.
"I just wanted to talk," Mara said quickly as if he might bolt.
"So talk." Daryl knew his voice was a little aggressive but he couldn't help it. He enjoyed watching Mara squirm.
"I wanted to apologise for the other day. I was mad and I didn't mean it so I'm sorry."
"Is that it?" Daryl asked. Mara looked put out by his blunt words.
"Yes, I know what I said was horrible and it's not how I think about you at all," Mara added.
Daryl considered what she said and then nodded. He pushed past her without another word.
"So does that mean you accept my apology?" she called after him. Daryl paused but didn't turn to face her. This was always the way with abuse. They hurt you and then they apologised. They made you feel safe and good and then they did again. He wasn't going to fall into that cycle with Mara even if she only used words and not fists.
"If that helps you sleep at night," Daryl said over his shoulder and then kept walking.
One year ago, Undisclosed location in the Australian Outback
Nathan was being punished, he knew it.
He crossed his arms and looked at his rag tag mix of recruits. He was sure he had been given the worst four out of the mix. He wondered if it was a racial thing. There weren't many Aboriginal commanders but his superiors had assured him it was because his skill was needed to transform them in to fighters.
He had them doing push-ups and Mara collapsed into the dirt. One whole week and that girl could barely do ten. She could also barely run a kilometre. Mara was a timid, tentative girl who could barely manage the fight to throw a punch.
And then there was Christine. She was competent but she was not a team player. Christine had a vigilante mentality and Nathan was uncomfortable with the look in her eyes. He'd been briefed on her situation. Her fiancé had been lost during the first weeks of the outbreak.
Elias had barely said four words to him. Nathan knew there were extenuating circumstances but letting in special needs cases seemed more dangerous than helpful.
Nathan couldn't even think that much about Yussuf. He had been comforted at first when he heard that at least one of them had military experience but after five minutes he'd quickly been relieved of that delusion.
Even Nathan couldn't whip these failures into shape.
Six months ago, Australian outback
Nathan put his hands on his hips and conceded he might have been wrong.
He'd been working his team from five in the morning until after dark every day and none of them had quit. That was a mixed blessing. He'd put money on Mara throwing in the towel after two weeks and she was still there. He was out twenty dollars.
And if he had to guess what kept them there slogging it out he'd have to say Yussuf. He had to admit that at first Nathan wasn't sure what that guy's deal was but he realised his team had transformed into a force to be reckoned with and it was because of Yussuf.
When Mara had fallen behind on runs, Yussuf would appear by her side as if by magic with words of encouragement pushing her to do better. He would rile her up until she threw herself completely into fights. Now Mara was the fastest runner out of all of them and had a fighting style that bordered on thuggery.
When Elias had struggled with gun training, Yussuf had spent extra hours patiently helping him get the hang of it until Elias was confident that he could match the speed and accuracy of his colleagues. Nathan had watched Elias find his feet and really step up. Nathan found Elias a stabilising presence and someone he could rely on. Didn't hurt that the big man had a heart of gold.
Yussuf had even gone out of his way to crack jokes to make Christine smile and draw her into the group.
His team slogged their guts out for him and they'd become a pretty awesome team.
Present day, Georgia
Mara had the feeling that she wasn't really forgiven. Daryl had started looking at her again but she wasn't sure that was a good thing. He was looking at her like she was animal he wanted to hunt. It had happened after Rick filled him in on their excursion
Thankfully the dramatic tale of the Governor had distracted her. The rest of her team were on the edge of their seats as if they couldn't quite believe this story.
"Let me this get straight? He has spook heads in fish tanks and has one eye? This guy is awesome," Yussuf blurted out.
"No," Glenn shook his head. "Not awesome."
"You're right, not awesome." Yussuf was sobered by the vicious look in Glenn's eyes. Part of the story had included a brief recollection of what had happened to Maggie and Glenn in Woodbury. Mara couldn't stop her eyes flickering to Daryl at the story of Merle. Having a brother like that would certainly exacerbated Dary's abrasiveness.
"And why hasn't he just appeared on your doorstep for revenge?" Christine prompted.
"We don't know," Michonne said. Her eyes had taken on a steely glint as they talked about Woodbury and someone named Andrea.
"He's smart. We have to assume that he has a plan," Rick said. "That's why we have to make fortifying this place a priority."
Mara knew what Rick was saying was true but she couldn't force herself to get excited about her little road trip with Daryl tomorrow. He hadn't taken her apology well and Mara was stumped as to how to fix things now.
She had put herself out there; she hadn't let him brush her aside. Though she hadn't meant to touch him again after everything. It was the first time she had touched him, bare skin to bare skin and Mara had to admit his arms were nice and toned but Daryl had flinched under her hand and she had immediately released him. It wasn't a good sign that he was repulsed by her touch.
As everyone started to go to bed Elias touched Mara's arm and said Nathan wanted a word with them.
They met at the over turned bus outside. Christine was on guard with Carol but they could stand far enough away that their conversation wouldn't be over heard.
"Something on your mind, Sarge?"
Nathan looked torn. "I like Rick and I like this group of survivors."
Christine shot Mara a questioning look; she was unsure where Nathan was taking this.
"We all do," Elias said.
"That might be a problem." Nathan sighed. "We're here to help not to take sides."
"Are we taking sides?" Yussuf asked.
"I feel like we're close to that. If we weren't infected-"
Mara flinched visibly at the word.
"- we would have just evac'd them all out."
"If Rick hadn't agreed to take in other survivors would we have moved on?" Christine asked slowly.
"Probably. We have a responsibility to the entire state."
Mara knew what Nathan was saying. Woodbury and the Governor were part of this world now.
Mara put her hands on her hip. "So what do we do, Sarge?"
"Keep the peace. Try and defuse the situation. If the Governor is as bad as they say then we'll protect these survivors but Rick is certain that there are innocent people in Woodbury."
"I agree with you, Sarge but we're not spectators anymore. This is our world too now." Mara's words stuck in her throat. It was still hard to believe that she just couldn't go home.
Nathan fixed Mara with a look. "We'll do the right thing when the time comes, Mara."
AN: Yeah so Daryl didn't take the apology well but then did anyone really expect him to accept it? It'll be interesting to see them one on one out on the open road in the next chapter. I enjoy writing their interactions.
I know there is a over saturation of Daryl fics out there and I get it - the damaged, cross bow wielding, red neck with a heart of gold is like cocaine to fanfic authors. But if you're out there still reading, I'm imploring you to drop me a quick word. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, even just share your mutual love of Daryl and just say hi. It would really make this authors day and I reply personally to anyone who takes the time to review.
Go on, review. You know you want to.
Hope you all had a great weekend,
MD666