Newly Revised
"Are ya fuckin' shite'n me, Daryl?" Ani hollered. "Ya really pushin' my last fuckin' nerve! Why can' I go with ya this time?!"
They'd been on the road for two weeks trying to get to Richmond, even though it should have been about a nine hour trip, due to having to scavenge for supplies and fuel as well as do some hunting. Which was where Daryl was heading off to while Rick, Tyreese, Michonne, Glenn, Noah, and Beth went on ahead to Noah's community. And where was Ani at during all that time, through the scavenging and hunting and moving vehicles and debris from the road? Still fucking stuck in the back of the van they'd shoved her into two weeks ago after the fire truck died out. No matter what she asked to do, whether it was just climb out to sit in the sun or even go to the bathroom, she was being carried by Merle or Daryl, or they'd try to sucker Tyreese or Abraham to do it. Neither of the other men were willing to help them anymore after she had leveled them both, on separate occasions, with a glare that had them stopping in their tracks. She needed to start walking for more than it took to go to take a piss once they put her down by a tree, but neither man would listen to her or let her do anything. She'd asked to go with Daryl to do some foraging and to work her ankles so they could heal and had been met with a resounding no yet again. It was made so much worse when Carol kept going out with him and Daryl kept letting her when Ani had clearly told him how she felt about the entire thing. She'd asked him to make Carol know her place, to make sure she knew her own, and he was making it more clear than ever that her place was on the sidelines while Carol's was beside him. It wasn't anger alone that was driving her attitude; it was how Daryl was treating her like a child and Carol like the wife and it made her want to run away all the more.
"You need to heal, Ania," he said in his gentlest tone, knowing she was on the verge of pure rage. "Just stay here and relax-"
"Thanks ta ya and Merle, I've done nothin' but fuckin' relax for two fuckin' weeks straight! If ya don' let me go with ya, I'm goin' fuckin' by myself and ya can go fuck yaself! And if ya try ta stop me, we'll be havin' more'n jus' words 'bout it!"
"Ani, we're just lookin' out for ya," Merle tried to reason, knowing she was being reasonable but her legs still needed time to heal completely.
"Stay out a it, Merle! Ya already on my fuckin' shite list for doin' everythin' little damn thing 'e says without even askin' me how I feel 'bout it! Don' fuckin' go pickin' sides anymore than ya already have if ya eva want ta get off'n it!"
"Ania," Daryl moaned. "I just want you to heal, dammit! It's only been two weeks!"
"And I can' heal propaly if ya don' let me walk! I got the damn air casts on! That's literally what they're for, so's I can walk! I can even run with 'em on and my ankles will be fine! Ya fuckin' let Carol go with ya when she ain' even a fuckin' hunta but are constantly tellin' me ta stay back?!" she yelled, trying to get him to understand that it wasn't just the walking she was trying to get but his attention, too. "It's been two weeks! I didn' complain the first week, did I? I let ya have ya way, let ya break ya fuckin' promise, and listened ta ya 'bout it, but dammit! Two weeks?! Neva been laid up this long! Even with broken bones I was up and movin' afta a week! Even Edwards only said a week! I'm goin' out a my gods damn mind jus' fuckin' sittin' on my ass all the damn time 'less ya carryin' me! I don' even want ya carryin' me anymore! I jus' want ya ta keep ya fuckin' promise and let me go with ya!"
"Told me never to put you down," Daryl said to her, trying to lighten the mood but quickly realizing he'd failed.
Ani took a sharp and deep breath through her nose and closed her eyes, trying very hard to get her anger in check as it began to boil. This was why she wanted to get out in the first place; they'd spent two weeks on the road and that meant two weeks surrounded by everyone. Daryl was barely spending any time in camp and when they were on the road, he barely talked, even to her. She had tried, she had really, really, tried to let everything go when it came to insecurities and jealousy but damn if it wasn't hard with how things were going right now. She was on the verge of burning out being around everyone all the time and Daryl leaving all the damn time with Carol had her feeling even worse. It had her irritable and either snapping at everyone if they even looked at her the wrong way or a fuming, silent being that ignored everyone's existence acutely. Everyone but Daryl, Merle, and the kids were on edge around her, and if it hadn't have been for Daryl and Merle catching her and Abraham catching Rosita, the two would have been at each other's throats. She wouldn't even look at Carol anymore or even accept anything she had touched that someone tried to give to her, going so far as refusing to eat more than one meal that the woman had cooked.
"Daryl," she said, her voice barely containing the seething anger she was trying to hold back. "I need ta go. I can' fuckin' stay in camp!"
"Ania, don't make me-"
"Don' fuckin' make me!" Ani roared in his face, her control of her anger finally snapping as everyone who was left behind quit bothering to conceal their attention. "I can' fuckin' take it anymore! Bein' 'round everyone! Ya actin' like I'm a fuckin' invalid! Actin' like I don' fuckin ' hold a candle ta her! Actin' like I can' even take care a myself or get out ta the fuckin' cars or even take a piss by myself! I rolled, bruised, and sprained my ankles! I didn' fuckin' break my legs or back!" Ani was in tears by this point as all the anger rolled off her shoulders into her rant. "Ya don' fuckin' care 'bout what I want or need! Ya jus' care 'bout what they want! Ya goin' ta do what ya want ta do and ta hell with my needs! Ta hell with my mind gettin' fried 'cause ya don' fuckin' trust me! Ta hell with what I fuckin' want or need 'cause it's only ya's that fuckin' mattas! Nah, I jus' get ta sit 'ere and watch everythin' unfoldin' right in front a my fuckin' eyes! I get ta watch ya always go out with her and be expected ta jus' be fine with it all. Fuck ya, Daryl! Fuck ya ta hell! Ta hell with all a this fuckin' shite!" she yelled, going back to the van, on her own for once, and slamming the door shut.
"She's right, you know," Maggie spoke up. "The two of you have been hoverin' over her like a couple of mother hens since we left Atlanta. Between that and whatever's goin' on between the two of you and Carol, you two haven't been right."
"What the hell do you expect?!" Daryl yelled as he turned to her. "She blew her ankles, fried her fuckin' head and is actin' like she didn't get hurt at all? Hell, naw! She needs to just stay where it's safe and she can fuckin' recover and get her head on straight!"
"You ever think that forcing her to stay with everyone might be the last thing she needs?" Glenn countered. "Think about it. She always went to the woods when things got to be too much when we were at the quarry."
"That was to smoke weed," Daryl argued, though he knew that wasn't even half of the time she spent out there.
"And over the winter? You two were always sneakin' off just to unwind," Maggie reasoned. "How many times did the two of you go out to that guard tower to get away? Or on huntin' trips?"
Merle had been looking down contemplating everything before nodding his head and telling Daryl, "They're right, baby brother. I don't like it, but they're right. Been houndin' her for a while. S'pose we should loosen the reigns."
"Hell naw! She needs to stay put!"
"You know damn well that ain't the case. She just told ya what she needs. Now go make things right with your girl and take her to the woods," Merle told him, realizing that they really had pushed things a little too far when the little girl looked about ready to pound Daryl into the pavement before she walked off.
Shaking his head as his own anger and anxiety spiked, Daryl shouted, "Naw! She's fuckin' stayin' in camp! I'm goin' huntin'. Be back later."
Daryl stormed past the van, doing his best not to give it a sideways glance and show just how worried he was about the girl. Ever since Atlanta, he'd been having difficulty with his anxiety revolving around Ani and it made him over-protective of her. While he knew she needed space from everyone, everyone could just give her a berth while he was gone and let her cool off. She didn't need to go out into the woods and get hurt again, especially after she threatened to leave him. Hell, even if she didn't talk to him the rest of the time they were on the road, he wouldn't care so long as she stayed her ass in camp. Her legs were still all bruised to hell and her face was only just starting to fade from the ugly purple splotch to an equally ugly yellow. The last thing she needed was to be wandering around the woods or have to run from some walkers or something else, only for her damn ankles to give out again. Even with those cast things on her, he didn't trust that not to happen. Just wanna keep her safe, is that too fuckin' much to ask? he thought as he trudged through the woods, thankful Carol didn't follow him out this time and make Ani's thinking even worse.
That was another problem all on it's own and one he had picked up on very quickly during their yelling match. She was right that he had been breaking his promise; he'd let Carol come out with him so he could teach her how to set traps and snares. He'd only meant to take her out a couple of times but the woman had taken it as she could go with him almost every time, even when he told her to go back to camp. It wasn't like they talked about a lot of things, although Carol had asked about why Ani was so angry and refused to have anything to do with her but Sophia. Daryl had been honest with her and told her that she was having a hard time coming to terms with them being friends and how Carol had been willing to kill her. It made her think that there was something going on that wasn't, not missing the look on Carol's face when he'd made that point clear. She still kept following him out and he hadn't thought anything of it since she stopped asking about their relationship. He thought he'd gotten through to her that they were just friends, even if they were close friends, but he'd done nothing to assure his wife that he had done so. Daryl cussed as he stormed through the woods, wishing for the first time that Ani was just a normal girl instead of having a mind that hyper-focused on one thing before making her stress herself out.
"Why is she such a diva?" Rosita scoffed after Daryl marched away.
"I don't think she's bein' a diva," Abraham rejected. "Think she's just goin' stir crazy is all. Even the most steadfast of soldiers can go a bit bitchy when they're shackled. She's already a ball of fire tied to a raging volcano; can't see how bein' cooped up has got her tail feathers unruffled any."
"I'll deal with him later," Merle told them. "For now, I'm gonna take the girly for a walk." Going over to the van, he opened the door, only to find the damn thing empty. "Oh for the love a-" he said before slamming the door and walking around the other side. "Fuckin' hard-headed bastards the both of 'em!"
"What's wrong?" Sophia asked.
"She's fuckin' gone too!"
That got everyone's attention as Tara sat a little straighter and asked, "Should we go after her?"
"Ain't got a trail to follow. Girl knows how to cover her tracks," Merle said. "Dammit all to hell!"
"Well, if we ain't knee deep in shit's creek all over again," Abraham said. "What do we do?"
"Only thing we can do," Merle reasoned, still pissed and wildly looking around trying to find her trail. "Sit tight and hope like hell she makes it back 'fore Daryl does and gets pissed at us all."
~x~
Ani grabbed her bag before she quietly exited the other side of the van while the others were talking about her and Daryl; Ani had had enough and was done with all of it. Enough of Daryl thinking he knew what was best for her when he clearly only saw her as a kid. Enough of Rosita's dirty looks all because she and Abraham would talk about action movies and some of the stupid shit the man had pulled in the Army. Enough of Merle treating her like some kind of porcelain doll that would break with even the slightest of touches. Enough of not being able to do anything without someone watching, touching, waiting or acting like she couldn't take care of herself. Enough watching Carol following her man, her husband out into the woods for a couple hours at a time only to come back and immediately look in her direction. Enough was enough and she was done trying to pretend like she belonged with the group anymore when not even her husband cared about her anymore.
Daryl wasn't even thinking about her, not really; he was thinking about what he wanted for her, not what she needed. Ani knew that things would be different after the prison, after Atlanta, but if she'd've known he was going to turn into Shane and Lori version 2.0, she might have approached things a little differently, even more carefully. Her ankles aside, her mental state was a direct result of the man's own actions and the fact that he continued to hurt her instead of making good on his promise to make sure she knew her place. Sure, she was still jumpy and still anxious, but it wasn't going to get any better if she had to stay by the group all day every day! She thought he'd understood that, understood her need to just be away; he had the same damn need for fuck's sake! And yet he was actively trying to force her to concede to his will while forcing her to watch him walk off with Carol all the damn time. Fuck 'im, she thought to herself as she hopped to the next tree root, furiously wiping the tears from her cheeks while her stiff ankles popping and cracking as they were stretched out finally.
In her hasty escape, she hadn't even bothered to try to find or grab the kittens from wherever they were since even they had more freedom than she'd had the last two weeks. It was making her start to resent her babies and that thought pissed her off almost as much as Daryl himself was. She hadn't worked so damn hard keeping the things alive, hurting herself worse than she'd really needed to in the process, to start resenting them because her husband was being a control freak. All she wanted was to get away from the group, to go hunting with him, and he couldn't even give her that. Ani had been willing to choke on her pride and ask him, fucking ask, if she could go with him instead of just trying to go. That was practically begging on her hands and knees to her and yet the bastard wouldn't even consider it! And when everyone else agreed he should let her go with him, he just told them all to fuck off instead of listening! That had honestly been the last straw for her and what made her think that there really was no coming back from where they were. She knew things would change after the prison, but now she was wondering if they'd changed too much. Ani loved Daryl with all her heart, but she could not tolerate how much he was trying to control her let alone tolerate how he was making her feel worthless. There was only one place she wanted to be dominated by the man, and that sure as hell hadn't been happening lately either, and there would never be a time she would let a man take away her pride. Fuck 'im! she thought once again as she punched a tree, breaking open her knuckles before she collapsed in a heap of tears on the forest floor.
"I jus' needed fuckin' time and silence! I needed ta fuckin' have some time with jus' fuckin him and 'e can' even give me that!" she yelled into her hands. "Was that too fuckin' much ta ask? Why's 'e always got ta take her?"
She was balling so hard she didn't even hear the walker that had its hands on her before she even noticed its presence. Ani didn't even bother with grabbing a dagger or a knife, just punching the thing in the face over and over again until it's entire skull was nothing but pulp, not that it was hard to do to a decomposing body. Standing up, Ani noticed a small group of walkers coming towards her, alerted to her presence by the noise she'd made while crying and yelling to the wind. It wasn't ideal to fight with the air casts on, but at least it was a proper outlet for her anger. She twisted her body, striking with her fists, elbows, and knees to take down all six walkers in only a few minutes' time, though her movements weren't as clean as she would've liked due to the air casts. It wasn't enough to make her feel better as she trudged deeper into the woods while whistling specifically to draw attention to herself. She killed every single walker that came towards her with her hands, elbows, and knees until she was completely covered in walker gore and needed to get back to the others. Ani had stopped keeping track of where she was long ago, only knowing that all she needed to do was head west to get back to the road. Maybe that's why just as she was about finished with another small group of walkers, one fell with an arrow through its skull and an angry redneck came barreling towards her.
"What the hell, Ania?!" Daryl roared upon seeing his girl not only in the woods, but practically covered with walkers guts.
"Leave me the fuck alone," she warned him lowly, not wanting to deal with his bullshit as she walked off.
"Hell naw! Your ass is goin' back to that camp!"
"Try it, and I'll put ya on ya ass. I'm done with this, Daryl! Ya want ta be with Carol?! Fine! But at least let me walk the fuck away so I don' have ta watch it happenin'!" she spat at him before trying to walk away.
She got all of two steps before his hand was around her bicep and her anger flared to the point that she saw red and didn't care if she hurt him anymore. Ani was pissed beyond anything she'd been before at how he was acting towards her and truly snapped at him for the first time. Not only did she twist around so fast she pulled herself from his grasp, but she grabbed his hand with her opposite hand and twisted his arm around in a wrist bar. After that, she kicked his knee out at the same time as she shoved him as far away from her as she could, leaving him sprawled out on the forest floor as she took off in the opposite direction. While a part of her kept telling herself that she was just being stupid, that she was being insecure all over again, a larger part kept repeating the words she'd heard her entire childhood. It was so hard, so hard, to block them out anymore because the voices of those closest to her had started saying those words in her head, too. The worst part was that she knew he was going to chase her, knew that he wasn't going to let her knocking him down stop him, and she hated it. She hated that she wasn't his equal and hated that she'd had to knock him down to get away. He wouldn't let her go but she just couldn't stay if he was going to keep treating her as anything less than his equal.
"Dammit Ania!" Daryl hollered as he pushed himself up and took off after her.
She was faster and smaller than him, and Ani was using it to her advantage as she ran through the trees, doing everything she could to keep her trail light. Narrow slits through trees, low-hanging branches, jumping between fallen logs and trees; she found everything and anything she could use to get distance between her and her husband. She'd warned him that she would lay him out if he tried taking her back to camp and he had tried to anyway! She just wanted to leave, to let him go like he wanted and to get somewhere that she could just live, just herself and the twins if they found her. No more human contact, no more company, no more getting hurt because people wormed their way into her life and heart. No one would care if she left aside from the fact that she could fight and hunt and make medicine; that was all she was worth to any of them. Her family had been right that she was nothing more than a freak others would find a way to use before they realized she was nothing at all. She would always be a place-holder for something better until she was tossed aside and she felt like such an idiot for thinking otherwise. Even as Daryl chased her and shouted at her to stop, all she could do was push herself faster, hating herself for even trying to be something she had no business being.
"Dammit, Ania, stop!" Daryl called out to her. "Ania! Fuckin' stop! Dammit, Ania! Just stop! Dammit! I said stop!" he roared as she ducked out of his sight. "Mother fuckin', stubborn ass bitch!"
He kept running, catching sight of her hair every once in a while a ways in front of him, angry as all hell that she was refusing to listen all over again. Keeps pushin' them ankles, they're gonna break, he thought to himself as he called out for her once again. He was short of breath from running harder than he had since Beth had first been taken, but he wasn't about to let exhaustion slow him down this time. He had to get her back to camp before she really did leave him and permanently damaged her legs in the process. Daryl began panicking and ran frantically towards where he'd last seen her when he heard the sound of water splashing and heard Ani cuss. When he finally caught up to her, she was sitting in a shallow pool cussing at herself while holding her already injured knee. She had obviously fallen into the water and hurt her leg again, which was exactly why he hadn't wanted her out in the woods to begin with.
"What the hell, Ania?!" he shouted at her as he splashed into the water himself.
"Get the fuck away from me!" she spat back, standing up to try to walk away, once again limping at the pain in her knee.
Daryl had had enough and grabbed her arms, putting her in a body lock and practically yelled at her, "I told you to stay in camp, dammit!"
"Yeah, so ya can go the fuck out with Carol and do who knows what for who knows how long! Gods know ya ain' been doin' shite with me!"
"It ain'-"
"Say it a-fuckin'-gain and I ain' goin' ta be nice and I will make sure ya can' follow me when I go!"
"I just want you to heal, dammit! Is that too much to ask?!"
"Is it too much ta ask that I be treated like ya damn wife instead a ya child?! Ya barely even talk ta me anymore! What am I ta ya, huh?! I ain' goin' back ta camp so jus' go fuck yaself and piss off! Ya don' give a damn 'bout me anyway," she yelled, right before she used her elbows to jab his ribcage and break his hold.
She turned her back and waded to the other side of the stream, certain that she'd finally broken them now that she'd laid it out on the line. Even as the sobs began wracking her body, she didn't stop moving as she tried to walk away from the only person who made her feel safe; keyword being tried. Daryl watched her turn her back on him, his brain going blank as his heart pounded so hard in his chest it hurt before his body seemingly moved on it's own. Quickly splashing across the stream, he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest, holding onto her for dear life. She was right in that she couldn't change her mind. In the year he'd known her, that had been the first time she'd reacted like that, and it was after a lot of stress that she'd already been having problems dealing with. He had only been making it worse for her, more stressful, and he had been so blinded by worry and fear that he couldn't see it.
"Why you always tryin' to run away?"
"I'm not. I'm jus' bein' real. I told ya. Versies and normies don' mix."
"We mix just fine, baby girl," he whispered into her hair.
"Nah, we don'. Livin' a fuckin' pipe dream's all we've been doin'. I can' do this, not like this," she cried, wrapping her own arms around herself and hanging her head in shame and sorrow. "I can' be anythin' less than ya equal and I can' share ya with someone else. I can' see that look in ya eye like I'm some child. The constant checkin' if I'm okay even if I ain' done shite since the last time ya asked 'cause ya won' let me. Watchin' ya constantly lettin' Carol followin' ya out when ya not even lettin' me come with ya. I've already lost ya."
"You ain't, Ania. You ain't. Seein' you like that, all those damn bruises," he shook his head and held her tighter. "I just got you back. And your legs. That's on me. I dragged you to that city. The whole thing is on me for draggin' you there. Should a just left you in camp."
"Yeah, 'cause that's been such a great thing," she spat sarcastically. "Ya think ya the only one terrified a losin' the otha? Ya leave fuckin' camp every time we stop! I dealt with it the first week, Daryl! 'Cause I knew I needed ta rest, knew ya needed ta know I was healin'! I did! The bruises are healin'! I have ta strengthen my ankles back up if I'm eva goin' ta get out a these damn casts and have full range a motion again! I'd've gone afta ya if ya had left me in that church! The whole point I left it ta begin with was 'cause ya wanted ta go afta Carol. I wanted ta be with ya! I didn' want ta leave ya side afta bein' gone so long. I jus' wanted ta be with ya. I jus' want ta be with ya. But ya want ta be with Carol. I can' do this anymore, Daryl. Not like this. Not like this," she repeated softly.
"That ain't what I want. I ain't leavin' you for Carol. I took her out so she could learn to set traps and snares. Thought it'd be good to have extra hands while you were laid up."
"Sophia and Merle can both hunt. They both know how ta forage, too. Ya goin' ta have ta come up with a betta lie than that, Daryl."
"Ain't a lie," he told herm feeling how badly she was shaking from the sobs. "She asked why you've been actin' like you have. I told her it's 'cause you're readin' too far into somethin' that ain't never gonna happen. She knows her place."
"Yeah, well, I don' know mine anymore. I jus'..." she cried, unable to finish her thought process because she didn't even know what to say to convery how she was feeling.
"Can I fix this?" he asked her quietly, his forehead dropping to the top of her head, silent tears dripping from his cheeks as he realized just how badly he'd fucked up.
"Let's jus' go back ta camp," she sighed, feeling completely drained.
"Could stay out a while longer?" he suggested, hoping to give her time to cool down.
"Nah, let's jus' go," she said, pulling out of his arms and picking up her bag from where she'd let it fall.
"Ania-"
"Not now, Daryl," she said with a shake of her head as she started walking. "Jus'..jus' not now."
"Alright," he said, following behind her.
They didn't get much as far as hunting went, but Ani managed to get quite a bit of dandelion leaves and wild lettuce. It wasn't much, but it was better than having nothing to eat at all and at least Little Ass-Kicker could munch on them easily enough. Ani hadn't spoken another word to or even looked at Daryl, which had him worried that she had meant what she said, meant that she was going to leave him. In the end, it was the fear of her doing so that made him swallow his own pride and reach out, gently taking hold of her shoulders. Her head was hanging low when he turned her to face him and even when he tried to make her look at him, she pulled her face away even further into her shoulder. Feeling her wet cheek, he tried one more time, only managing to turn her face to him, her eyes still unable to meet his. Ani didn't even bring her arms up around him, just stood there looking down instead of at him, not knowing why she was being such a baby herself. Daryl had never once lied to her; he'd played a few jokes on her, but always let her know that's what it was. She'd never been confused by his words or questioned his loyalty before, so why was it such a huge debate for her right now? She'd never been so angered by his actions or read so far into something he said was nothing that she didn't believe him. Even Ani knew that she was being difficult and that he had already apologized a dozen times over the last two weeks for upsetting her. There was no reason for her to be behaving like a petulant little brat let alone a jealous, possessive bitch when it came to her husband. Her emotions were swaying so wildly that even she didn't know how to make heads or tails of it and as he apologized yet again, something in her started breaking.
"I'm sorry, Ania. I know I fucked up," he told her, watching as she closed her eyes and a new wave of tears fell. "Just...just tell me we're still us and I'll do my damnedest to ease up, I will. And I'll tell Carol to stay in camp. Don't really do nothin' out there anyway. But I can't lose you. I just...That's somethin' I can't do," he told as her eyes met his through her lashes, guilt shining through his eyes as he saw the raw hurt in his wife's.
"I'll hold ya ta what I need," was his answer, her next words slicing right through his heart. "I don' know what I want right now."
Ani didn't want to leave Daryl; it was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do and the only reason she even thought about it was how he was with Carol. She really didn't mind when he gathered her up in his arms every night or when he carried her when she was tired. She loved how he cared for her and looked after her, but he'd taken it too far and had left her behind one too many times lately. It hurt, but she just needed a little space to get her emotions in check before they got back to the others and she made things even more awkward. It was bad enough that when she chanced a glance back at Daryl as he quietly followed her, the look on his face breaking her heart. She knew he misunderstood what she'd said; she didn't know what she wanted from him and didn't know how to express what she needed anymore. She needed his arms around her but needed her space and she needed his reassurance but wasn't listening when he tried to give it. She wanted to be treated like an equal but what was she doing to let Daryl know that he was hers? Everything was so messed up about the situation and the silence was deafening when they exited the woods and out onto the road they'd left the vehicles about an hour later. Ani couldn't take the feeling of Daryl's eyes glued to the back of her head any more as she turned around and looked at him, barely managing to look in his eyes before looking down again. He was hurting as much as she was now, wondering if she was going to tell him she was leaving anyway and would refuse to listen. Daryl physically flinched and stood up straighter when she turned around and stepped into his personal space.
"I ain' sayin' I'm leavin'. It's jus' all too much. Everythin' lately. It's been so much and bein' stuck with everyone for so long. Ya've been up my ass and everythin' that happened with the prison, with Carol, I'm..." Ani took a deep breath and told him the truth, "I'm reelin' from it. I'm tryin' ta deal with it, I am, I jus' need time 'cause it still hurts like hell knowin' ya didn' look for me when I tried like hell ta find ya. I don' know what I really want from ya right now. I don' know what I need from ya anymore. I jus'...I jus' need ya. And I want ta know ya still need me, that I ain' got ta fight for ya attention or for ya ta even see me."
"I do, baby girl. Told you, ain't no one for me but you," he told her, grabbing her and pulling her into his chest, latching his arms around her. "Sorry for makin' you feel you had to."
Ani felt fresh tears falling as she grabbed the back of his shirt and just let him hold her until yelling, wailing, and screaming could be heard on the camp. They looked at each other before separating and booked it as fast as they could, Ani pulling ahead of Daryl as the cars came into view. Breaking past the cars they'd surrounded their camp with, she was caught by Merle who told her to stay back. He'd been warned by Daryl about her tendency to blame herself for things that happened, and there was nothing they could do now. Ani couldn't even fight against him as everything drained from her and she leaned over and puked at the sight. It was only because of Merle's support that she didn't fall to the ground as she did, Daryl catching up and walking over to her. They watched as Sasha sobbed into her brother's chest as the others watch on; Tyreese had been bit and they'd gotten to him too late. Ani didn't even fight Daryl when he pulled her back into his arms, she simply stood and stared as Sasha's world fell apart all over again.
