Newly Revised

Three months passed in the blink of an eye and things had changed drastically at the prison, both with the people and the prison itself. They'd finally gotten the breach in the back of the prison taken care of, but it'd happened too late. In the middle of the night roughly six weeks after the Governor's attack, a large group of walkers had gotten in through the back and attacked cell block A. No one could have predicted it, though Ani blamed herself for the entire thing even though she hadn't even been in the prison when it happened.. As soon as Ani had heard the screaming from her position on watch, she had gone running towards the cell block as fast as she could. The fear was very real as she raced into the room and started throwing her knives at every single walker she could find while screaming for her kids. Sophia, Carl, and Patrick had been at a sleepover with the other kids in that block, and the kids had been the first attacked since they were sleeping in the center of the room

Lucas had been bit first, his screams alerting everyone else to the impending danger and the chaos that ensued. Carl had dragged Patrick into a cell, turning to grab Sophia and pull her into the cell too only to find she wasn't close enough. She'd moved to grab Brian from where he was stabbing the walker that got Lucas when she was grabbed by another from behind. He'd watched as used her elbow to break it's hold of her before turning and kicking it away from her. Carl walked up and put his knife through the base of it's skull, dropping it to the floor. Together, they'd pulled Brian into the cell with Patrick and shut and locked it. Fighting back to back with each other, they'd helped the adults take care of the pack. Twenty walkers had gotten in and six of their members had died because of it, four of which were children. Ani had been the one to make sure they stayed down before returning to her cell and staying there for two days before leaving with Daryl and Michonne. She couldn't look at the others after what she'd had to do and how she had failed those children and cost them their lives.

At the two month mark, Hershel had pulled Rick aside and out to the field so that they could start the work it would take to make the field into a farm. The kids helped too, Carl and Sophia helping to clear the areas they would be planting in, having become much more somber after that fateful day. Ani and Daryl had gone on that last search with Michonne, but there was no lead and no trail. When they'd gotten back to the prison and found out about another attack that killed Bill and Tim, both decided they wouldn't be leaving for prolonged periods anymore. Hunting trips and supply runs was all they stuck to, bringing in a few more people with Rick and Glenn along the way. Ani had also made it to where there were guards in the cells every night and two working the tombs to make sure they had fewer incidents. So far it had worked out well and their number had more than doubled, Ani and Merle training every single one of the people that were able to fight. She refused to let another member of their group die if there was anything she could do about it.

Merle and Rick had rigged together a water system that allowed them to get water from the stream under the fence without having to go out. They had to manually pump it using a bike wheel and pedals, but it worked well enough so long as mud didn't get into the contraption. They'd also gone on a large run to a farm supply store and gotten several barrels for collecting rain water while spring was still fresh so they could have a supply of fresh water for the summer droughts. Ani and Daryl had also managed to find a scrap yard and brought in a bunch of metal for Mark to make his noise-maker. Apparently, he'd learned how to do it in his first camp, which had set up to lure walkers away to make the camp safer. It had worked for a good long while, almost nine months, but eventually they had failed when a large herd came through.

Ani had given good reason to the council as to why they shouldn't use the noise makers to lure walkers away from the prison indefinitely because of that. If enough walkers grouped up around one, they could easily take it down and from there be lured to the prison by the smell. The best decision they could make was to build walls like Woodbury had or make a wall of walkers like Michonne's if they wanted to keep the walkers from grouping up to break the gate in. The noise makers would be most useful along the fence-line when they needed to go out. They already had people on the fence killing walkers with poles, stakes, and knives through the chain links, but that wouldn't be able to hold forever either. Everyone had been given an assignment according to their strengths by the time Ani had left with Daryl and Michonne and she expected to find everyone as she had left them when she got back.

When Daryl and Ani came back, they had brought even more supplies in and even a bit more meat in the form of some large raccoons and a few opossums. Other than that, the three had found little more than an old hunting cabinet that they stayed the night in, Daryl 'magically' finding a bottle of moonshine. That had been an interesting night for Michonne after both Daryl and Ani had started drinking and she chose to remain sober. They needed someone to keep their senses so that nothing could come up on them when the other two were less observant and careful than normal. Daryl had, at one point, started yelling and getting rather irate only for Ani to shut him up by literally flipping him on his back and sitting on his chest cross-legged while giggling. Daryl just laid there looking at the girl with a dirty look on his face, his eyes darkening as his hands moved up to her thighs while she talked to Michonne about her college days. Michonne found out about Ani's rule-breaker side, listening and laughing to her stories about some of the reckless things she'd done.

She'd set a barn on fire accidentally while drunk after knocking over a lit oil lamp while stumbling around when she was sixteen. She'd had to grab Jesse, who was just as drunk as she was, and run for it so the cops didn't find them and book them for underage drinking while interning at the PD. Then, she'd stolen a car when she was eighteen just to see if it was really as easy as the police reports made it seem. She'd managed to get the thing fifty miles outside of Atlanta and on a dirt road before the police were even notified of the missing vehicle. Leaving it after wiping down her prints, she then booked it through the woods back to Atlanta, making it back to the city before daybreak by calling a co-worker when she got ten miles out. She barely managed to get away with that one as they hadn't been able to make the imagery any better on the one street-cam shot they'd gotten a partial of her face in. There was also one time she'd made pot brownies and taken them into the department right before a big drug test was being done so that everyone tested positive, not just her. It was supposed to be a surprise test, but she'd had a colleague on that side of things that gave her heads up in exchange for, surprisingly enough, pot brownies. The department simply rescheduled the test for a week later, thinking that something had been contaminated in the lab as many had never tested anything but clean and suddenly half the department was dirty. She'd shop lifted and pick-pocketed when she'd first gotten out on her own and needed the money, but after a while, she'd done it for the thrill, even after working the the Atlanta PD. Never once had she gotten caught by the police, though, and she was actually quite proud of that fact when she was drunk. Ani only quit doing it after she'd pick-pocketed the wrong person and had to run from a bullet.

Michonne had ended up taking up watch outside after leaving to relieve herself and coming back to find them both shirtless and Daryl in a very compromised position. They'd apologized in the morning and promised her they wouldn't drink around her again, let alone get carried away. She said it was fine, just make sure she had a room to sleep in too so she didn't have to see it, and preferably was large enough so she didn't hear it either. Needless to say, Daryl was the most embarrassed of the two as Ani had no sense of shame when it came to what they got caught doing. While Michonne didn't mind what had happened to much since she understood, though the number of apologies she got was unbearable. It was three days after that that the trio made their way back to the prison, Ani having stuffed the half bottle of moonshine remaining in her bag for Merle.

When she'd given it to the man, the three of them had finished it off in a guard tower before he left Ani and Daryl to head to bed. Thankfully, Merle had gotten the other, further guard tower functioning while they were away and had managed to snag another mattress, similar to Glenn and Maggie. He told them he'd gotten that for himself for when the ladies finally warmed up to him, but he'd lend it out to them from time to time. They'd just flipped him off as he left, happily taking him up on the offer and breaking the new bed in for Merle. In fact, just like with Maggie and Glenn, they'd stolen the guard tower from Merle in the last month and spent more nights there than in the cell block. He ended up being the one to have to borrow it when one of the women decided her pipes needed cleaning and he was going to do it. The tower had been called the Dixon tower after the others figured out that no one but the Dixons even went near the place.

It was the afternoon and the Dixons were all in different areas of the prison doing more work to make the prison a better home. Daryl was in the shower room with Merle and a couple others who knew how to rig things up making a shower system using hoses and the shower heads. Ani was in the field with four of the more capable fighters, training them in how to do Muay Thai kicks. While Ani and Daryl went on every run with each other, they had been continuing to spend more days separately working on tasks at the prison rather than always being together. Even Merle had been able to separate from Daryl, opting to spend more time with the kids training them for survival in the woods. Carol had become a bit colder after Sophia's injury and had pulled away even more when Sophia started training with Merle. The man went on half the runs with them, but the rest of the time, he'd stayed at the prison fiddling around with setting up and helping Ani build the defenses to what she envisioned.

They had two trenches dug out beyond the fence that they regularly set ablaze as well as more spikes along the fence. While it was no where near what she'd envisioned, it was still better defenses than they had when they first got to the prison. It allowed them to only need a few people on the fence to deal with the walkers that managed to get through their defenses. The security inside the prison was set in stone as well, with two teams of two on watch at all times, one patrolling the perimeter and the other on watch in the guard tower by the fence. The other two guard towers had Daryl and Ani and Glenn and Maggie in them most nights, so if anything did happen, all that needed to be done to alert them was to hit the walkies. It wasn't perfect, but it was holding well enough for them to grow to once again double their number.

Merle walked over to her after leaving the commons with Hershel, the man able to walk again now with a prosthetic leg they had found on a run. He watched Ani do some kind of knee strike at the post she'd set up as a dummy for teaching her lessons, as well as self-defense with everyone as well. There were several set up in the corner of the field they were using specifically for physical fitness and defense training. She'd also cleared an area for friendly sparring matches in dirt they regularly plowed so it wouldn't get so hard. Every once in a while, an honest fight would take place in the ring refereed by Glenn and Maggie. Most of those fights took place between Merle and one of the guys, but Tim had fought against Daryl a couple times. Every time it was to put him in his place with the sexist comments he'd make about the women, more specifically Ani. While Merle was still very graphic in his flirting, he had stopped his sexist ways shortly after returning to the prison and getting hit by Ani one too many times. Tim, on the other hand, had been punched so hard so many times by the little woman that they were surprised the man didn't have brain damage.

"Can I help ya fine gentlemen?" Ani asked when she noticed them walking up as she watched the others practice the strike.

"Yeah, actually. Been thinkin', you have the rings, 'bout time you said the vows," Merle replied.

"Do I got ta?" she asked. "I ain' a supa religious person. I pray ta a numba a deities, not jus' one. And I already call myself a Dixon. Why do I got ta say any vows when I've told D all I have ta say 'bout bein' with 'im? Why're ya pushin' it so much?" she asked Merle specifically.

"We can do vows without bringing God into it," Hershel assured her. "We can leave it out if you want to."

"I appreciate that, but I don' see why it's so important," she told him.

"Truth is, I already talked to Daryl about it. He wants to make an honest woman outta ya," Merle told her seriously.

"Already an honest woman."

"Maggie and Glenn are saying them, too," Hershel told her. "We can have one ceremony so you don't have to stand alone."

"Daryl wants to say the vows, girly. So you're sayin' 'em," Merle told her in a matter-of-fact kind of way.

"Fine, but know that I'm doin' it unda peer pressa, not 'cause I want ta," she relented. "Already married ta D, so I don' see a point in all this."

"To be honest, we need something to celebrate. The last time we had something to give us hope was when Lori was pregnant, and it was brought pretty low when she died. We haven't had anything to look forward to other than food for a while," Hershel added. "A wedding would boost the moral around here."

"Ugh, I already said I'd do it," Ani sighed, looking down and annoyed. "But only if we can have a real party. Safe 'nough in the prison, could make a run ta that liqua store, get some drinks, let loose."

"That would need to be voted on by the council," Hershel said.

"When's the next council meetin'?" Merle asked, perking up himself at the thought of getting drunker than he'd been since before the turn.

"In the mornin'," Ani answered. "We'll bring it up then. Where's D now?"

"In the commons waitin' for you. Mark and Brian are pesterin' 'im again," Merle told her, walking with her. "Ya know, I'm proud of the two of ya. Since he went out without you, the two of ya are really tryin' to separate."

"We're both at the prison. Might be workin' separately, but still know where each otha is all the time. Still ain' leavin' or stayin' without 'im. Still need 'im like I need air. Still won' live without 'im. Love 'im more'n life itself," Ani told the man honestly, feeling as if she hadn't made any improvement at all. "I know I need ta separate from 'im, so I've been tryin', but it don' change much 'bout how I feel 'bout 'im."

"I get it. I do, but your tryin'. That counts for somethin', girly. Counts for a lot when the two of ya were up each other's ass all the damn time and now your not. Now, go see to my baby brother."

She left him then and went to the commons, standing at the top of the stairs watching Daryl talk to Mark and Brian. They weren't friends, per say, but Brian being a survivor of abuse and Mark's quick wit and crude sense of humor had the three guys spending time together. Brian tended to talk to Mark more than Daryl, the two talking about random shows they watched on TV. Yet when it came to motorcycles and classic cars, the three would talk all day long. That's what they were doing right now, Daryl gruffing about how to change the spark plugs in the motor of a truck. Ani had absolutely no interest in mechanics, so went over to Carol instead to check in on the other kids she'd been looking after.

"Hey, Cars."

"How'd training go?" Carol asked her.

"Really well. Phia's doin' really well in 'er self-defense. Can break out a my holds now, not jus' anybody's. Still got a lot ta learn 'bout how ta use 'er legs right, and needs ta keep buildin' the muscle, but she's got the talent, jus' like ya've with the knives. Was right ta give ya those extra lessons ova the winta," she said as she helped Carol fold the laundry for their cell block.

"You're right about a lot, even if I don't agree with all your methods or your ideals, but I will give you credit where credit is due," Carol told her.

"I'm wrong a lot, though," Ani replied. "Gettin' Phia actin' the hero 'cause a me is a prime example a that."

"You've turned everyone into fighters, and that's a good thing for the prison. What happened with Sophia was as much my fault as it was yours. Mine for not keeping an eye on her, yours for not teaching her when to run."

"I did, though. She jus' didn' want the otha kids ta suffa or get hurt. I already told 'er not ta do that again."

"I know. I'll be the first to admit, I thought very little of you once. Now? I can't thank you enough for all you've done. For me, for my girl. I still might not like you very much, but I am thankful for what you've done for us."

"Where's this comin' from all a sudden?" Ani asked.

"I just wanted to let you know," Carol responded.

Ani gave her a quizzical look before being called away by Sophia; she was holding Ani's throwing knives that she'd left on the field. She had given the little girl a set of her own after she found them at a weapons shop that had been looted of everything but smaller knives. They had all been constantly looking for weapons and so far had been able to get a good haul in the gun department. Most of the guns they'd picked up from Woodbury before the Governor had burned it to the ground. They had been lucky they'd cleared it out before that happened or else they wouldn't have anywhere near as many bullets as they had. Ani had also gone with Rick back to King's County, but Morgan had been long gone by then. His cache, however, had been mostly in tact and so they had cleared that out as well, making sure to take down the booby traps he'd left. It wasn't a smart idea to have to come and go with armfuls of weapons while trying to miss a damn trip wire. She thanked Sophia for bringing her knives to her before she headed back to where Daryl sat on the table.

"Talk to Merle yet?"

"Yeah, outside. Ya really wanna do this?" she asked, putting her hands on his knees and looking him in the eye.

"Told you I did when I gave you the rings, didn't I?" he asked, looking at her slightly offended and worried she was backing out.

"I don' see the point. Got the ring, told ya it was ya or nothin', been with ya through thick and thin. Why we got ta make a giant spectacle out a what we've already done?"

Daryl sighed and decided to be honest with her, "Look, I never thought I'd settle down with someone. I wanna do it right. Doesn't help that Merle keeps bringin' it up every time we talk."

"I'm goin' ta rip that asshole a new one if 'e doesn' stop buttin' in," she told him with a bit of heat in her tone, making him worry all over again.

"You don't want to?"

"I don' see the point. And I'm worried. Worried ya goin' ta change ya mind," she told him. "Worried ya goin' ta find and want somethin' betta at a lata date and be chained ta me or jus' kick me ta the curb."

"Not gonna happen," he said, the building anxiety dissipating and being replaced with amusement.

"Might," she countered.

"Won't," he said, pulling her in for a quick kiss to shut her up. "Got a council meetin' first thing in the mornin'. Then was plannin' on goin' huntin' after. You comin'?"

"Ya know it."

"Can I come? Or is it another lovey-dovey hunting trip for the two of you?" Mark asked.

"Do ya even know how ta hunt? Ya said Lily was the hunta, ya jus' knew snares from 'er. So what exactly are ya goin' ta do when we get ta a buck and ya scare it off?" Ani asked.

"Well, I'll never learn if you don't teach me," he said with no shame.

"Ask Merle. He's the one teachin' it. I got 'nough ta do without havin' ta babysit some newbie ta the woods," was his response.

"So, it's a pre-wedding honey moon, then?"

"Watch your mouth, princess," Daryl told him before he dragged her away. "Got somethin' to show you."

"If it's a cold showa, I'd ratha wait."

"Ain't that, found somethin' else."

He dragged her out of the commons and down into the prison and around a few corners until he led her into a large room with a ton of books. When he and Merle had been coming back from the shower room, they'd accidentally taken a wrong turn and had ended up in the prison's library. They'd quickly been able to make their way back after that, but still, it would allow the group to have more entertainment. It would also allow the kids to have a place to be just kids and continue their education in things that didn't involve survival. And for Daryl and Ani, it brought more books to their collection, only having three anymore since hers had been left at the farm. She'd only been able to find two that she enjoyed on the road, most often not bothering to look due to how little time they had to relax. Daryl had asked Merle not to tell her so he could show her, relishing in the look on her face as she looked around. The light in her eyes and happiness on her face was worth every second he'd spent anxious earlier when she talked about the wedding.

"How does a prison have a betta book selection than an actual fuckin' library?" she asked while perusing the shelves.

"Don't know. But look here," he replied, grabbing her hand and bringing her around to a table not far off in the corner.

He'd taken the effort to find the five original books she'd had with her, Belgarath the Sorcerer, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and His Dark Materials. She looked at him and smiled the happy, sappy smile she saved only for him. It was similar to the one she'd given him when he'd given her jewel, but there was just something more to it now. And he loved it when he got to see her give it to him, pulling her in for a kiss, deepening it before they heard someone clear their throat at one of the doors. Rick and Carl were standing there with Judith, both smiling softly and watching them.

"Was hoping there'd be something in here to read for Judith," Rick said.

"There ain' nah kid's section, but there's plenty a fiction and comic books ova there, I think. Only gave it a quick look," Ani told him, pointing over to a corner. "Got ta be somethin' ya can read ta her."

She and Daryl grabbed up the books he'd found, Ani commenting about how he was lucky to have come across these. She'd had to go to ten different bookstores and eventually order a copy of Belgarath from a store that allowed customers to make special orders like that. The others weren't so rare, but still, to find all the books she'd originally owned was a feat in itself. It was the fact that he remembered them all that touched her more than getting the books themselves. They returned to their cell and put the books in it, him having a few of his own to add to the collection before they each took a book and laid down on the bed. Sophia came to get them a little while later for food, but found them sleeping, books tossed aside, with Ani's arm wrapped around Daryl's middle as he slept facing away from her. Finding it endearing, she pulled the curtain closed and walked away, letting those in the commons know they were asleep.

~x~

The council had not agreed to the liquor store run, but they had agreed that if they found liquor on the next run, they could grab some for the wedding. They'd be going on the run in two days, planning on holding the double wedding ceremony in a week. When the ceremony was announced later that afternoon, many of the women gushed and pulled both Ani and Maggie into a conversation about it. The way the had surrounded the two of them and the fact that they were all touching her and talking started making Ani panic. Maggie told the women that it wasn't really Ani's specialty and that she and Daryl had considered themselves married for a while now. The women began to tease her then and Ani went into a true panic attack, unable to catch her breath as her spine and neck went numb and her body began to shake. Daryl wasn't out in the courtyard, where she and Maggie had been swarmed, but Merle was in the field close by, keeping an eye on the situation. He didn't think anything of the crowd of women around her until he saw Ani's face turn white and her uncharacteristically clear of sweat brow was glistening. Dropping the gun he'd been showing to the younger warriors into Carl's hand, he ran as quickly as he could up to the courtyard and to the gaggle of women.

"Ladies, sorry to interrupt," Merle said, noticing how shallow and fast Ani was breathing, "but I need our Ani for a bit. Ya don't mind, do you?"

There was a chorus of playful declines and how they needed to talk to the bride, but Merle didn't listen, opting instead to grab Ani's bicep and haul her out of the gaggle of hens. Cussing the entire time, he dragged her all the way to the Dixon tower and had her sit down on the mattress. Pulling her hands up over her head, placing them palm down on the crown of her head, he told her to breath in through her nose and out through her mouth. Then he knelt in front of her and told her to look at him, getting her to breathe with him until she had at least regulated her breathing. They didn't have any inhalers if she had an asthma attack and the last thing they needed was her passing out from lack of oxygen Daryl showed up about ten minutes later, just as she was able to take her hands down but still breathing heavily. The first thing he noticed was Ani's white face and the fact that Merle was kneeling down in front of her.

"What the hell happened? All they said was you dragged 'er off lookin' like a wet noodle lookin' pissed and cussin' up a storm," he said as he knelt down and took Merle's place in front of Ani as she shook, the man clapping his shoulder as he got up.

"Ya girl had a panic attack," Merle told him, watching Ani clutch onto Daryl's biceps. "All the old hens wanted to know the chickie's plans for the weddin'. Gathered 'round 'er like flies to guts. Looked up when I heard 'em talkin'. Practically gray in the face by the time I got up there. Was tryin' to help her calm down 'fore I came and got you. How'd you know to come anyway?"

"Sophia and Carl," he told him while moving to sit next to Ani and wrapping an arm around her. "You good?"

"I'm good," Ani said, even though she was still shaking. "They were jus'. Gods, why do people do that shite?! They find somethin' good out and then they go and ruin it by gangin' up on ya! Gods, they gatha'd 'round like I was fuckin' chum in a shark swarm! Not cool, peeps, not fuckin' cool," she emphasized, standing up and going over to the side of the guard tower that faced the courtyard and flipping off the gaggle that was still around a smiling Maggie.

It didn't matter that they couldn't see it, she just wanted to flip them off as anger overtook the anxiety she had been feeling. Daryl and Merle laughed at her before the three left the tower, the men sticking to either side of her so that the women couldn't get to her again. They went into the cell block, walking over to Glenn and Carol so the boys could sit down. Daryl and Merle waited while Ani went over to the food and dished out three portions, carefully balancing two on her arm while carrying the other in one hand. Putting it down in front of Merle, she grabbed the other one and handed it Daryl before sitting the last one down, sitting down herself between the pair. That was how they almost always ate anymore, Ani sitting between the Dixon brothers.

The group ate and laughed, Ani and Daryl mostly just listening with Merle being the primary giver of conversation. Ani couldn't help but lean against Daryl and sigh in content, feeling like this was what a family dinner should be like. It was still surprising to think that she had a real family now, one that actually cared about her, not just wanted to keep up appearances. Mark and Brian walked up with Sophia, Carl, and Rick, joining in on the conversation. Eventually, the Greenes trickled in with Judith, only Michonne left missing from the cell block. Daryl grabbed their empty plates and took them to the washing station, dropping them in the water and scrubbing them clean before drying them and putting them away.

He walked back over to Ani and told her he was heading out to watch before giving her a kiss. Glenn did the same with Maggie and left with Daryl out to relieve the patrol currently on rounds. Ani and Maggie were heading out to the guard tower to relieve that team, but they stopped by their cells first. Ani needed to grab the rest of her knives after leaving them in there for training in the fields after lunch and Maggie wanted to grab her book. Walking into her cell, Ani looked at the wall by the bed with a smile; she'd managed to convince Daryl to let her hang up one of his sketches. She was absolutely in love with the man and constantly finding new ways he was amazing as a person. He never saw it in himself until she bugged him and complimented him enough to make him blush. The drawings had just been another form of his talent and she was happy that she could now proudly display the drawings he'd made.

It was a secret he'd kept extremely well hidden, even from her, until he'd asked her to get something from his pack and she'd gone in the wrong pocket. She'd apologized profusely when he looked over and freaked out when he saw her in the wrong area of the pack. He'd accused her of snooping and hollered at her a bit more before, finally calming down when he saw the tears on her face. She told him she had no reason to snoop because they didn't have any secrets that she knew of and had just made an honest mistake. The fact that she actually believed that had drowned the fire completely and made him admit what was in the pocket. Afterwards, he'd shown her his drawings having felt bad about yelling at her for something he should have shown her long ago. She had been awed by the detail and beauty of the drawings, each one an intricately balanced portrayal of the darkness of death and the beauty of life. One of the drawings was a beautiful pixie sitting with her back facing the viewer with a torn and ragged dress, but there was still a small smile discernible on her lips. The skin was ripping open at the spine while the wings were spread wide, skull patterns visible within the spotted reddish-orange appendages. Ani had teased that it was a drawing of her because of how the eyes were green and the hair was amber, not expecting for him to admit that she'd inspired it. He'd thought of it because of how damaged she was, yet she could still smile so easily and was still a beautiful, wild, and free spirit. That admission had made her cry again and she'd begged him for two weeks to let her hang it in the cell and just last night he'd finally relented.

She grabbed what she needed to and left the room with Maggie to make their way to the guard tower, talking about the fact that they were actually getting married. Maggie was happy as a clam in the sand and simply couldn't understand why Ani was so worried. Anyone with eyes could see that Daryl only had eyes for her and was so damn protective over her even she was jealous of the attention Ani got from her man. In face, he'd sent a woman crying the first time she'd openly stated that she was a better match for him than Ani. He had straight up told her that there were no better women than Ani and that the woman was an idiot for thinking she was anywhere near Ani's level. Of course, the way he'd said it was extremely callous and vulgar, which was why she'd left the cell block crying. Ani had come back in and seen the woman leaving crying and asked what happened that someone was crying like that. Glenn had been ready to tell her the truth when Daryl simply said nothing before kissing her, ending her line of questioning. It was sweet the way Daryl took care of Ani and the only thing that would ever break them apart was death.

"There is no way in hell that man would ever leave you," Maggie tried to assure her after they relieved the team on duty.

"That's what 'e says, too. It's me. I'm the problem. I got so many insecurities and shortcomin's. I'm scared I'm goin' ta make 'im want a leave some day or 'e's gonna find someone that deserves 'im and can give 'im the stability I can'. That can get ova their insecurities so he can come first for once. He's always the one takin' care a me. I don' feel like I do 'nough for 'im."

"You don't see things from our eyes. Do you even realize that you always make sure he and Merle have somethin' to eat before you even take a seat? Or how about how you've kept Merle in line and helped him change to be a really great guy and how Daryl's been able to relax and be himself because of it? How about the fact that every time he's upset, he grabs you and disappears with you? Half the time we find him passed out on top of you, holdin' you like some sort of security blanket while you're holdin' him lookin' content with you fast asleep too. You remember that woman who was cryin'? She tried to get Daryl to hook up with her, sayin' she was a better fit for him than you, and he sent her away cryin'. Because there isn't a better woman than you to him and he's lucky to have you. His words, more or less. I remember when I was worried about Glenn, back at the farm. You gave me advice then and I listened and now I'm gettin' married to the love of my life.

"So listen to me now. Trust Daryl completely and forget what anyone else ever told you you were worthy of or could get outta life. You're here, now, doin' something the rest of us couldn't do on our own. You mean something to a lot of people, and that man knows your worth. He sees it, sees you. He doesn't care that you need a little extra care and lookin' after at all; I think he actually likes that you know he'll do it and depend on him to," Maggie said looking out at the road before turning to Ani and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know growin' up was really hard for you and your family messed you up pretty bad, which is why you're havin' these issues, but I promise. You and Daryl? You're gonna get your happy endin'. Some day, some how, you'll get it."

"Thanks, Mags. Kinda dumb ta still be questionin' it when 'e's got the pick a the litta if 'e really wanted ta," Ani said, scratching the back of her head.

"It's not dumb when your whole life you've had to question who you can trust," Maggie countered. "That drawing in your cell. Did you do it?"

"Nah, I can' draw worth shite. My strong suit as far as creativity was writin' and singin' and a bit a music. I'd even start writin' a story every so often and then get stuck and forget all 'bout it thanks ta my ADHD."

"Oh, I figured since it looked kinda like you, it might've been a self portrait or something. Who drew it if it wasn't you?"

"Can' tell. Only jus' found out myself and got that drawin' on the wall. And it is me, in some ways. That's why I wanted it on the wall."

"So Daryl or Merle. They're the only ones who would draw something so morbid."

"It's beautiful!" Ani countered.

"The skin is spilt at the spine, showin' the bones and muscle and leavin' a bloody trail. How is that beautiful?"

"Ya got ta look at the bigga picture! Her wings are still full a life and powa, her smile still there. Yeah, she's damaged and scarred and ain' eva gonna be right again, but she's still strong and powaful and able ta spread 'er wings. She's damaged, but she's still fuckin' here! I'm still fuckin' here!" Ani cried, all the fear and anxiety she felt at getting married to a normie suddenly weighing her down as she explained the picture that had been drawn just to convey that, tears in her eyes. "'E drew me, Mags. 'E drew me."

"Daryl," Maggie said, bending down to wrap an arm around Ani as she cried. "Am I right?" When Ani didn't answer, Maggie assumed her guess was correct and responded to her own question, "Well, I guess that's it then. And you say he's gonna find someone better. As far as I know, if a man uses a woman as inspiration for somethin' like that, does something so personal that she sees herself in it, they're either secretly in love with her, madly in love with her, or has been in love with her for a very long time. It's no secret, and a year ain't the longest amount of time, so you've got your answer."

"Had it all along, jus' was too afraid ta admit it."

They sat in comfortable silence for a good long while before the boys walked into the guard tower and changed rounds with them. Giving each of their men a kiss, they walked the dog run for the next hour or so, however long it took to check the perimeter a few times over. After that, they'd all be in the guard tower for a short break before the boys switched place with them again. This would continue twice more before the four of them were relieved by the next group slated for watch. It was a really quiet evening and nothing happened while they were on watch and it would have been peaceful if it weren't for Maggie. She kept telling Ani about her dream wedding and how happy she was to be saying the vows in just a week. Ani begrudgingly listened and answered the questions Maggie had for her about hers, but all she could think about was the one thing Maggie was skipping over. If they wanted to get married to their men, they needed to make it through the run in two days in one piece.