Newly Revised

Ani fell into a lucid sleep in Daryl's arms after another twenty minutes of walking, though he couldn't say he blamed her. She'd only slept decently once, and it was after an emotional rollercoaster thanks to finding their shack burned down. Daryl didn't want to put her down after hearing that since he knew that he was the one who had lit it on fire. He was the one that had ended up putting her in danger after she found it and shutdown. She didn't say much other than that before she had started fighting to stay awake with his scent and his gait lulling her. He wasn't going to put her down after finding out about that and refused to take Merle up on his offer to carry her when his arms started burning. If he could drag a 200lb buck back to camp, he could handle carrying his tiny, little wife until they reached the church. The priest said it was less than an hour's walk away and she had lost weight since all this started even though she barely had anything to lose to begin with. Then again, when that damn bobcat kitten decided to stick its murder claws into his leg, he was ready to put Ani down and make her walk the rest of the damn way. When Sophia had bent down to pick him up, he hissed at her and continued to attempt his climb, making Daryl cuss up a storm. Merle had come to the rescue and grabbed the damn thing off of him and put it on Ani's chest to get it to quiet down, pulling the other one out of her bag and putting it on her, too.

"Think it wanted it's momma," Merle chuckled as they curled up between their chests purring. "Might as well put the other one up there 'fore it starts makin' a fuss."

"So she's really your wife?" Abraham asked after a little while.

"Mm-hmm."

"How'd that happen? 'Cause, buddy, from where I'm standing, fire and water don't mix."

"The hell you mean by that?" Daryl asked, becoming agitated.

"She's a soldier, ain't she?" Abraham asked him. "I mean, she's precise, calculating, skilled. I have yet to see a woman who can fight like I saw her do and I've been with Rosita a long time. That woman knows how to kick some balls from point A to point B. Yet there is no way in hell she could do half of what I saw that tiny thing there do back at that shit-hole. So tell me, how'd it happen."

"She ain't a soldier," Merle chuckled. "She's just really good at what she does."

"Which is?"

"Kickin' ass without botherin' about names?" Sophia asked while looking at Merle, who outright chortled at what she'd said.

"Damn right, girly!"

Abraham looked at them and shook his head before asking Daryl again, "So?"

Daryl gave the man a sideways glance before sighing angrily, "Just happened. She's mine, I'm hers, that's all."

"Well, if that ain't the lamest story I ever heard," he said before falling back to talk with Eugene.

"Damn nosy asshole," Daryl muttered, earning a chuckle from Merle.

"He's alright."

"He's annoying."

"He's a redhead," the sleepy voice sounded from Daryl's shoulder.

"Go back to sleep, baby girl. I got you," Daryl told Ani as he shifted her in his arms, bringing her head back up higher on his shoulder.

"Mm-hmm," she sighed, snuggling just a little closer to his neck before returning to her semi-sleep state.

"Still can't believe this shit. Jumps off two stories, comes back with bobcats. Only our Ani," Merle said. "Think her legs'll be alright?"

"Yeah, just needs to rest 'em. All that jumpin', surprised she didn't break a bone."

"You and me both, brother."

They quieted down hearing Rick speak up to the priest, "Hey, earlier in the woods, were you watching us?"

"I keep to myself," he said as he lead them down an obviously man-made trail through the woods. "Nowadays, people are just as bad as the dead, don't you think?"

"No, people are worse," Daryl replied from his spot behind Rick.

"Well, I haven't been watching you," Gabriel said, glancing back at the man with the girl in his arms. "I haven't been beyond the stream near my church more than a few times since it all started. That was the furthest I've gone until today." When no one responded he chuckled and cocked his head, "Or maybe I'm lying. Maybe I'm lying about everything and there's no church ahead at all. Maybe I'm leading you into a trap so I can steal all your squirrels," he chuckled as his voice became increasing sarcastic. "Members of my flock had often told me that my sense of humor leaves much to be desired," the priest said awkwardly after no one responded to his attempt at a joke.

"Yeah, it does," Daryl said.

"Never joke about a man's squirrels, son," Merle chided, inwardly smiling at the fact that Sophia was scowling too.

"Ani would have laughed, though," Glenn offered, making some of the original group give small smiles while Daryl just rolled his eyes and scowled. "Come on, man. Even you know she'd laugh."

Daryl didn't laugh or respond, even though he knew the man was right; Ani would've laughed and had a snarky comeback with his luck. It weighed on him deeply that a part of her exhaustion was because his and Beth's drunken choice and he knew that at some point he was going to have to tell her. It was a part of the reason why he didn't want to give up on carrying her; he owed it to her to let her sleep. The priest kept chittering away in front of the group as he lead them to his church even as they came up to it. Daryl roused Ani and put her down, making sure to keep the damn kittens' claws away from him as he told her to keep the damn things away from him. His leg was already scratched up and he was going to have more words with her for that later. She held them in her arms for a moment, kissing their heads before she put them down and looked at him with that bright smile of hers. Filthy, bloody, bruised, and still looks like a damn dream, he thought before he grabbed her by the neck and brought her to him for a kiss. She reciprocated in kind before they broke apart, taking note that they'd fallen behind the others as Merle watched on with a small smile.

"C'mon you two lovebirds," he said as the others moved towards the church.

Ani contemplated the building as they walked up to it, Rick stopping the preacher from opening the door himself. It was mostly white with a mahogany door and off white window sills and had a single steeple and looked relatively small for the size of church she was used to. Even the old church her parents used to drag her to had three different levels and an attached dining hall. This church was absolutely tiny in comparison, with only the worship hall as far as she could tell; it probably had a pastor's retreat, but that would be it. It was too small to have anything else inside and there was no other building in the area at all. Ani couldn't really help but wonder how small the town was to have a church this small until she read the sign in front.

"Episcopal, that's why," she muttered under her breath as Rick spoke to Gabriel.

"Can we take a look around first?" he asked the man. "We just want to hold onto our squirrels," he joked, causing Ani to chuckle while looking confused.

"Man thinks he's funny jokin' 'bout takin' our squirrels," Merle enlightened her which made her snort.

"Soon 'nough, someone tries takin' our squirrels, Bobby and Catty'll get 'em," she joked.

"One of them climbed out of the bag and tried climbing up Daryl's leg," Sophia told her. "He didn't like it when I picked him up."

"That would be Bobby. Catty got 'is name 'cause 'e's a scaredy cat. Bobby's much more adventurous," Ani informed them as Gabriel gave Rick the key to the church and he unlocked it.

Opening the door, Rick, Michonne, Daryl, Ani, Glenn, and Carol made their way inside and found out, looking for any sign anyone else was around. Like Ani thought, it was just a tiny little church with a tiny little office that only had a desk, bookshelf, and small loveseat in it. There was literally nothing left but pews in the church, pews and drawings and hand written versions of the Bible on the table behind the alter. It was actually kind of eerie with how many empty cans were scattered around the place and yet it otherwise being without even a speck of dust. Honestly, Daryl following her around while they checked the place out was a little off-setting, but she couldn't entirely blame him. It almost felt as if he thought she was going to disappear again if he didn't stay right by her. As it was, she'd rather be in his arms again than walking around anyway because her legs were still sore and she had missed his warmth. They double checked the small area near the pulpit with the others until Daryl stopped to take in a clay mural of The Last Supper hanging on the wall.

"Seen one where it was cats 'stead a this," Ani told him quietly, leaning against him under the pretense of not wanting to be loud but wanting him to hear her. "Liked it way betta."

"You would," he scoffed, bending his head a little to kiss her temple.

Rick whistled then, catching everyone's attention and drawing them back outside, making Ani jump and immediately become on edge. Those damn assholes had whistled to each other every time they found her trail and it had become her warning to either get a move on or get a good hiding spot. Hearing Rick using it to bring the other ones in, even if she had done the same thing over the months, had brought a slight panic to her. Daryl felt her stiffen in his arms and asked her what was wrong, but she just shook her head and told him she'd tell him later. They both still needed to fill each other in on what had happened to them and she wasn't sure she really wanted to tell him both that she had been hunted by a group of guys and what she had done to said guys. She didn't know how he would take it to learn that she could do something so dark but at the same time she wouldn't have done anything different. Those disgusting excuses for human beings would have done the same or worse to other women and children and she'd made sure they wouldn't while sending a clear message to anyone they found. She exited the church after Daryl with the others as Rick handed Gabriel back the key, Ani still worried about what the others would say about her time alone.

"I spent months here without stepping out the front door," the priest informed Rick. "If you found someone inside, well, it would have been surprising."

"Thanks for this," Carl told.

"We found a short bus out back," Abraham told them all. "It don't run, but I bet we could fix that in a day or two. Father here says he doesn't want it. Looks like we found ourselves some transport. You understand what's at stake here, right?"

"Yes, I do," Rick said, coddling Judith in his arms.

"Now that we can take a breath-" Michonne started saying.

"We take a breath, we slow down, shit inevitably goes down," Abraham cut her off.

"Hey, Red? Ya trip north? How long it goin' ta take ya, huh? What food ya got? Gas? Wata? Ammo?" Ani asked in a tone that was all but calling him an idiot.

"We need supplies," Michonne agreed. "No matter what we do next."

"That's right," Rick said as he walked up the stairs, Michonne, Carl, Sophia, Merle, Tyreese, and Carol following behind. "Water, food, ammunition."

"Short bus ain't goin' nowhere," Daryl told him before heading inside himself, pulling on Ania's hand. "We'll bring you back some baked beans. Let's go, Ania."

"Hold on a minute," she said, turning to him and giving him a quick kiss. "I'm goin' ta talk ta the man 'e says 'e has ta get ta DC."

"Now you wait just a hot damn minute, Tiny," Abraham told her. "You aren't qualified or of rank high enough to talk to him."

"I'm a forensic psychologist a the Atlanta Police Department and the only one 'ere qualified ta ensure the state a his mind ain' been compromised by recent events," she countered. "'Sides, ya know damn well ya can' stop me even if ya try. 'Cause if ya try, I'll go for the kill. And if I kill ya, I'll have ta kill 'er 'cause she'll retaliate. That leaves ya little man ova there all on 'is lonesome tryin' ta get ta DC. And where will that get ya?"

"Might as well let her talk to him," Glenn sighed. "She's got a way of making people feel better. Besides that, she's good at what she does. Might be able to help him with what just happened."

Abraham thought about it and, even though it angered him, the man did have a point, "Five minutes."

"More'n enough time," Ani told him before walking over to Eugene and dragging him out of earshot of the others. "Hi, I'm Ani. Let's talk. So, I here ya got ta get ta DC."

"Yes, ma'am, that's right," Eugene said, somewhat intimidated by the woman in front of him.

"And why is that?"

"'Cause I know how to end this whole fiasco," he said, looking her straight in the eye.

"Care ta share with the class?"

"No, I do not."

"Care ta say what started it all?"

"No."

"Where'd ya work?"

"Pardon?"

"Ya field a research?"

"I don't feel like tellin' you."

"Alright. How 'bout this? I tell ya a little somethin' 'bout myself, and ya give me a little somethin' 'bout yaself. Afta all, ya a biological scientist, I'm a social social scientist that undastands the brain and people. I think we could help each otha out."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Hmm," she gave it a moment's thought before telling him, "I was workin' on my PhD in Forensic Psychology when this all went down. What was ya highest degree? Did ya only have one did ya have multiple?"

"I had my PhD in Microbiology as well as a few other technological sciences."

"I went ta Atlanta State College on a full scholaship ride, ya?"

"University of Texas. Full ride as well."

"Cool! What was ya major? Mine was Forensic Psychology with minors in Cognitive and Behavioral Psychologies."

"Biophysics with a specialized field of Microbiology with Physics as a minor."

"Really?! So that means that this all started with a virus, bacteria, algae, fungi, or possible parasite. So the cure is a type of antimicrobial. That's goin' ta be a lot a tryin' ta find people ta get it ta them. How ya goin' ta manage that?"

"That's classified."

"Docta/patient confidentiality. I swear by it even now," Ani promised. "'Sides, I still ain' sure whetha or not I believe ya. I ain' lettin' my people go with ya if I don' trust they got a reason ta."

Eugene looked at her in the eye then for only a moment before taking a sharp breath and explaining, "There are fail-safe delivery systems in strategic locations throughout the world. With a little tweaking to take into account the carbon emissions still being put into the atmosphere-"

"So it's an aerosol?"

"Yes it is. It'll flip the switch. Kill the dead and give the world back to the living. Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me."

"Well, that does sound nice and all, but" Ani said after watching him and listening to his answers, "I think ya a lyin' sack a shite."

"Excuse me?"

"Ya heard me. Ya don' have a damn cure."

"There are termina-"

"That are supposed ta release an aerosol antimicrobial when nah such thing exists. Ain' even close ta existin' anymore. So try me again, Mullet."

"Look here, I was part of a ten person team at the Human Genome Project to weaponize diseases to fight weaponized diseases," Eugene started once again, trying to end the interrogation as he realized she was close to the truth. "Pathogenic microorganisms-"

"Fuckin' liar!" Ani seethed, her face morphing into one that truly had Eugene start stuttering until he stopped talking. "The CDC takes care a that shite! The HGP is for mappin' the human DNA sequence both in a physical sense and a functional sense! It was declared complete seven years ago, so ya want ta try it once again?"

"It was a classified project by the U-S-of-A-"

"In collaboration with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Japan and China? And made public domain as soon as any findin's were made? Are ya really goin' ta keep ta ya little lie?"

"What?" Eugene said, looking at Ani in shock at the realization he had truly met his match.

"Do ya have a problem with ya hearin'?" Ani asked before jabbing her thumb over her shoulder at Abraham and Rosita. "Ya definitely smarta than the two a them, but ya ain' goin' ta be trickin' me with this fable. I was very interested in the Human Genome Project 'cause it let me see factors 'bout aggression and addiction within the human gene itself. That helped me in writin' my dissertation 'bout abuse, criminality, and addiction for my PhD, and I was only nineteen when I started my degree for it. That was four years ago, around. So, yeah, there's nah way in Hell ya was workin' on it seven fuckin' plus years ago and the world jus' now went ta shite. Nah fuckin' way." She looked at Eugene, who was studiously looking down and even paler in the face than he had been, instigating him again, "Tell me I'm wrong. Load on some more bullshite for me ta call ya out on. Ain' sayin' ya ain' smart. Ya proven that ya got the technical shite down pat accordin' ta the othas. That's got nothin' ta do with my smarts, so don' worry 'bout bein' showed up in that. Ya still got use for the group. But don' ya dare go 'round givin' people false hope. False hope is what gets people killed. False hope is what always breaks a person when it's ripped away. So eitha ya fuckin' tell 'em the truth yaself, or I will."

"I'll tell them, ma'am," Eugene conceded, well and truly intimidated by how quickly she'd picked up on a lie he had perfected and maintained for over a year. "When the time is right, I'll tell them."

"Ya betta. 'Cause I got a feelin' Red ain' goin' ta be too happy with ya when 'e finds out ya been lyin' ta him all this time. 'Specially if ya've lost people along the way. Doubt 'e'll like that at all," Ani said before walking back up to the church and straight to Daryl's waiting arms.

"So he pass your test?" Abraham asked her sarcastically.

"We'll see. Depends on if 'e does the right thing or not," she responded without thought. "Eitha way, I go where my people go, where my man and my brotha and my kid go. They say we goin' with ya, we goin'. They say we stayin' put, well, adios, mis amigos!"

"We aren't your friends," Rosita sighed with a roll of her eyes.

"Ya loss," Ani said with a shrug before letting Daryl pull her into the church.

They were settling down with Merle and Sophia when Rick addressed the priest again, "How'd you survive here for so long? Where did your supplies come from?"

"Luck," Gabriel told them. "Our annual canned food drive. Things fell apart right after we finished it. It was just me. The food lasted a long time. And then I started scavenging. I've cleaned out every place nearby. Except for one."

"What kept you from it?" Rick asked, handing Judith to Ani as Carl walked up.

"It's overrun."

"How many?"

"A dozen or so," Gabriel answered. "Maybe more."

"We can handle a dozen," Rick said.

"Bob and I will go with you," Sasha offered. "Tyreese should stay here, help keep Judith safe."

"That'll be okay?" Rick asked said man.

"Sure," Tyreese said while nodding his head. "You ever need me to watch her, you need anything for her, I'm right here."

"Well, I'm grateful for it," he said as he walked over to Tyreese and clasped the man on his shoulders again. "And everything else."

"I'll draw you a map," Gabriel said, heading over to his desk area.

"You don't need to," Rick told him. "You're comin' with us."

"I'll go too," Ani said.

"Naw, need your help here," Daryl immediately shot her down.

"With what?!" she asked him incredulously as she gestured around the empty building before taking a good look at him.

"Got a lot to do," he said staring straight into her eyes.

It didn't take her expertise to see the pleading in his eyes, the longing and despair being separated had brought him. All the work building the ability to separate from each other had been rendered moot, at least for the time being. She just thought that an extra set of hands for the food and eyes on the preacher would be a good idea when going up against a dozen walkers. Besides that, she didn't want to feel useless and didn't want the newcomers to think that Terminus had been a fluke. She knew that they had seen what she'd done and they understood how much she had already helped them, but that didn't mean she wanted them to see her injured either. But the look on Daryl's face when she had asked what he needed help with was so broken she had to relent. She didn't really want to separate from him anyway, if she was being honest with herself, but really didn't want what happened at the prison to happen now. Ani had fought tooth and nail for the others to see she didn't have to rely on Daryl to lead and she didn't want the ginger and his companions to think she did. With a sigh, she sat back and nestled into his arms once again with a roll of her eyes.

"Fine, I'll stay with ya," she said. "But ya ain' gettin' away with it foreva."

"If I might," Gabriel interrupted, watching Ani and Daryl's interaction with interest. "I wouldn't be of any help out there. You saw me. I'm no good around those things."

"All the more reason for ya ta go, God-man," Ani told him. "Ya goin' ta have ta get used ta those things at some point."

"I'd rather not," he told her.

"Then ya might as well give yaself ta them now. 'Cause ya damn lucky we were there ta help this time, and the only reason I came was 'cause I had nothin' betta ta do and was waitin' for all a them up at the road," she told him honestly. "Makes ya feel any betta, whateva ya did that kept ya locked up in 'ere and not dealin' with reality, ain' nothin' compared ta what I've done."

"And what have you done?" he asked cautiously.

"What I've had ta. Whateva I've had ta. Doubt there's bloodya hands in this world than mine now."

Gabriel seemed to pale at the intent behind her words as Rick repeated, "You're coming with us."

As everyone prepared for their various tasks, each of the survivors of the prison paid Ani a visit to see how she was doing. She had been forced to sit in a pew with her legs up by Daryl as he checked her knives and crossbow. It seemed like the only thing she was allowed to do for herself as Merle brought her some food and Sophia gave her a canteen was play with the kittens. They were on the floor playing amongst themselves, though, so they didn't need her to entertain them. They would, however, come running to cower under the pew every time someone else came by. It was cute to watch them go from tumbling around on the floor to peaking their little heads out in curiosity every time someone new came up to Ani. Eugene and Abraham were out back working on the short bus while Rick and some of the others were getting ready to head into the town with Gabriel. The others were starting to board up the church and getting ready to go get their own assigned supplies. Maggie and Glenn were the last to walk over while being followed by one of the Governor's people, which made her scowl. It wasn't the fact that the woman was with them so much as the reminder that they had lost their home. Ani had to remind herself that she wasn't the one who had lost the most; Maggie and Beth had both had to watch as their father was beheaded right before the prison fell.

"I'm so sorry 'bout ya daddy," she told the woman.

"Thank you," she said. "And thank you for helpin' get us out."

"'Twas nothin'. Who's this?" she asked, the other woman looking awkward just standing there.

"Oh, uh, I'm Tara. I, uh..."

"Was with the bastard," Ani finished for her.

"Yeah," she said looking both guilty and resigned to the matter that that was what she was known as.

"She helped me get out of there and find Maggie," Glenn informed Ani. "She's good people."

"That was insane, what you did back there," Maggie said, watching Daryl start rubbing Ani's legs with a small smile.

"Yeah, I kinda lost my head in there a couple times. Saw 'em takin' aim at Daryl and Merle, jumped two stories. Then I got kicked and more shite happened and I went blind with rage. What should a been a damn Cobra Strike ta the collarbone ended up bein' so much worse."

"How so?" Glenn asked.

"I crushed 'is windpipe with my hand."

"Shut up, no you didn't!" Tara denied in awe from beside Maggie.

"A-tootin' right she did!" Abraham piped up from across the room. "Saw it with my own two eyes. You're one hell of a fighter, Rose, but Tiny's in a whole different ball game," he told the woman standing next to him.

"Thank ya for the kind words," Ani told the man.

"I'm sorry," Maggie cut in. "I lost Daryl's poncho. Glenn grabbed it off the line when he left and I ended up in it at Terminus."

"Oh, Ponch—the poncho, right," Ani said, catching herself before she said something stupid in front of Daryl and embarrassed herself again. "Yeah, that bitch is dead and the poncho's in my bag. Needs a damn good cleanin', though. Swear I can fuckin' smell the damn thing through my bag." Glenn, Maggie, and Daryl all gave her a look that had her asking, "What?"

"You're jokin', right?" Maggie asked.

Ani reached down, disrupting Catty trying to take a nap, and opened it to reveal the poncho, "Still fuckin' stinks."

"I can't smell nothin'," Daryl admitted.

"Maybe it's just my mind, then. Knowin' what they were cookin', knowin' it was 'round the pit," she said with a shrug. "Still ain' puttin' the damn thing on 'til it gets washed."

"I could use your help," Rick told Ani as he walked up.

"She's comin' with me," Daryl said sternly. "Need water."

"I'll come too," Carol offered.

"Alright," Daryl said quietly, though his hands on Ani's legs had stopped moving as he studied her face, her eyes meeting his fleetingly before she quickly looked away.

Ani couldn't keep the pain out of her eyes when Daryl said it was alright for Carol to come with them. The woman would have killed her, thought she'd be thankful for it, and he was letting her come with them? Ani was angry at Carol and didn't understand why or how she could give up on her own flesh and blood when they'd done nothing wrong; she didn't want to understand either. She also didn't want to try to begin to understand the thought process behind killing Karen and David or the one behind Ani herself thanking Carol for killing her. None of it made any sense to Ani and she simply didn't care that it didn't make sense at all. Or at least that's what she told herself, because her mind was already forming questions and answers to those questions as to why Carol would do that and what her answers would be when Ani asked her about it. Carol and the others left the church while Ani was still sitting on the pew, purposefully waiting for everyone to get out of ear distance so she could talk to Daryl alone. She needed to know what he was thinking and why he seemed to think it was a good idea to put her and Carol within strangling distance of each other.

"Why ya want 'er ta come?"

"You know why."

"Nah, I don'. And I don' want 'er ta come," she stated, the pain in her eyes morphing into anger. "She'd a killed me Daryl."

"Ania," Daryl sighed. "We both need answers from her."

"I don' need answas. I need ta kick 'er ass."

"You know damn well you wanna know why."

"I don' really care why this time. I don' want ta undastand. I don' want ta play nice. She would a killed me. Why should I play nice?"

"'Cause she's Phia's mother, and she won't talk to me."

"So jus' 'cause I love Phia, I got ta talk ta the woman who wished me dead. And for what?! Patrick had already been around everyone. She couldn' stop it from spreadin'! Nah one could a! But I have ta talk ta her?!"

"I ain't fightin' with you 'bout it. She's comin' and you're gonna talk to her. Get her to open up more'n I can."

A pit started forming in Ani's gut as she realized she lost the fight, resigning herself while trying not to cry and asking even though she didn't want to know, "What'd she say?"

"You and Phia, you remind her of the old days, what she was, should've been," he told her. "Said she loves Phia, but can't think of her the same if she wants the both of 'em to live."

"That's bullshite."

"I know, I told her that," Daryl said. "That's why you need to talk to her."

"Ya owe me," she shot at him before taking her legs off his lap.

"You're different."

"I know," she said, walking away without looking at him. "I don' like it. But I got ta be now."

"What happened?"

She stood still, her shoulders slumped and her head looking at her toes, "Ya don' get it. Ya ain' had ta kill too many people. I've killed damn near a hundred now. And I come back and ya..." she started before shaking her head. "It don' matta. Let's jus' fuckin' go."

Daryl sighed, knowing there was something else going on in her head before asking her, "Why you even bother counting?"

"I have ta. If I don'...if I don' it's like it don' matta. It's like I don' care. But I do. I have ta. I can'...I can' be like them," she said as her voice broke. "And I can' be like others. It mattas. It has ta matta."

"You ain't nothin' like them assholes," Daryl said, knowing she was talking about her parents, though he had a feeling he could guess who else she was talking about right now. "You ain't nothin' like them, baby girl. Wouldn't be here if you were."

"Ya don' get it, D. There were these guys chasin' me. Not the nice or friendly kind. The kind any otha girl would be scared ta meet. What I did ta them...It ain' right. They hunted me 'til I started huntin' 'em right back. Only reason I stopped was 'cause I caught Maggie's trail."

"You kept yourself safe. That's all that matters," he told her, knowing exactly what she was talking about but not wanting to tell her he had been with them.

"I know, but still," Ani said, thinking about how many people she'd killed. "Ain' right."

"Nothin's right in this world anymore," Daryl countered, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Nothin' but us. You do what you gotta, for you, for me, for them. They take it for granted, too. Think it don't affect you 'cause it's so easy for you in the moment. They don't know you remember all of 'em. Can describe it so well I could draw a picture."

"I don' want 'em ta," she said closing her eyes and leaning against him. "Didn' want ya ta know. But ya always dig it out a me."

"'Cause you can't lie to me," he told her, kissing her neck before letting her go. "You can hide whatever shit's goin' through your head right now, but you can't keep it up forever."

"Hopefully I won' have ta," she said quietly before Merle called for them to get busy.

They grabbed some gallon jugs and headed out of the church and onto the road with Carol walking alongside them. Daryl had instinctively put himself between Carol and Ani, not wanting the two to be next to each other. Part of it was that he didn't know how Ani would react with how she was acting and the things she'd said in the church. The other, more instinctive, part of it was that Carol had openly admitted to being a threat to Ani, and he had put himself in immediate line of the threat. If they were going to be traveling together, he needed to know that Carol was still a friend and wasn't going to try to hurt Ani. At the same time, he needed Ani to be able to move on herself with everything that happened. He didn't want her to go back to feeling like she had to look over her shoulder just to make sure no one was trying to kill her. Ani was astutely looking at the ground ahead of her, her mind still reeling with questions and possible answers as she watched Bobby strut ahead of them. She knew that she was having problems thinking clearly out of fear, but she couldn't help the spike in jealousy that she felt. She was reading too far into one conversation when he hadn't wanted to let her go with Rick because he wanted to spend time with her. Ani just had to remind herself that the voices that had started creeping back into her head after the cabin were ghosts and she and Daryl were real.

Carol was similarly quiet, knowing she needed to set things straight with Ani but not knowing where to begin. She would have killed the girl if she had been in the tombs where she belonged and she still did not feel guilty about it. It was to save the entire prison from an illness that devastated them right before they needed as many people as they could get. She had done what she had needed to do to keep the people safe whether or not it had worked. And Sophia; it was like she'd told Rick, neither of them would survive if they stayed the same. That was the only dilemma she had about the thought of killing Ani when she thought about whether or not she would have. Sophia relied heavily on Ani to teach her and support her in ways that she never could. Daryl would have grieved the same as Tyreese had, but he would have eventually moved past it as they all had been forced to do at one point or another. They had to control the threat of the virus and that was exactly what Carol had tried to do. She doubted Ani would accept that explanation anymore than Rick had, but it didn't change anything in the end. Ani herself was always talking about doing what she had to do and Carol had just taken a page out of her playbook.

"I noticed Sophia didn't come with you," she said, trying to at least start a conversation.

"She's with 'er Pops," came Ani's short reply.

"Pops?"

"Merle," Daryl answered, sensing Ani bristling beside him.

"Oh," Carol said before falling quiet.

"Ya were there when she started callin' 'im that," Ani shot at her.

"I must've forgotten."

They'd gotten to the water before Ani finally couldn't take it any more and threw her empty jugs down, "What the fuck, Cars?! Seriously, what the actual fuck?! Ya see them little girls and are all ova 'em, but ya own fuckin' daughta ya don' even know shite 'bout?! Ya don' rememba shite that's important 'bout?! Yet ya wanted ta take Lizzie and Mika with ya when Rick kicked ya out," she scoffed. "And now ya stuck with the girl ya don' want 'cause they gone! Ya hurt ya daughta for nothin'!"

"I never," Carol started, starting to break down before looking away and sighing deeply. "I never said I didn't want Sophia. You don't understand, Ani."

"Then make me undastand, dammit!" Ani shouted.

"Keep your voice down," Daryl said quietly from beside her as he filled the jugs and kept an eye out for walkers, Ani scowling at him, angry at them both now.

"Ani, I was young when I married Ed. So young," Carol began, holding up a hand when Ani went to disrupt her. "Let me finish. He was good at first, charming, sweet. Thought the world of him. Then it all turned on its head. My cooking wasn't good enough, I wore too revealing or nice of clothes, I looked at a man too long. It escalated from there. I didn't want to bring a kid into that. I took every precaution I could until he found out, and then...and then," Carol sighed, a few tears escaping as she thought about it. "Well, then he didn't give me a choice. And so Sophia was born, a beautiful, sweet, perfect, weak baby girl. I knew what he would do to her when she got older, how he would treat her.

"And then all this happened and you started teaching her and even at the quarry, she started having more courage and confidence. Then you came back with her at the farm, said if I didn't want her you'd take her. I really thought about it back then. Back then I was angry you had even suggested it. But over the winter and at the prison...You were the mother she needed from the get go, and I couldn't protect her. Not one day has gone by since that I haven't thought about that. And then Liz..." another pause and sigh before she continued, "And then the girls showed up. Sophia was already listening to you more than me back then and you were already so much better with her than I ever was. Building her up while I kept her weak. Strengthening and encouraging her to shine while I told her to hide. Why can I let go of Sophia so easily? Because I never wanted to have a daughter. Ever. The girls, they showed me that."

"What happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"And I don' fuckin' care, Cars. I didn' want ta die, but ya thought I did. Karen and David didn' want that choice taken away, but ya took it. And ya actually think ya did somethin' good for the prison. We were all around Patrick, Carol. Ya the fuckin' one who had 'im take ova for the cookin'! We were all already exposed! There was nah way in hell ta stop it from spreadin' when we all were 'round the boy! So I don' give a damn what ya want right now. Ya goin' ta talk. Ya owe me at least that. Ya fuckin' owe Sophia that! For everythin', ya owe us that," Ani said, crossing her arms and staring Carol down.

"They died."

"How?" Ani demanded.

"I don't..."

"And I don' fuckin' care. How?!"

Carol closed her eyes and took a deep breath before sighing, "Lizzie killed Mika. And I...I killed Lizzie."

"Why'd she kill 'er sista?" Ani asked in confusion; she'd done it out of self defense but Mika had been a sweetheart.

"She thought the walkers were her friends. She didn't want to kill them and got upset when they were. She...she killed Mika to prove walkers are just different. She couldn't be around other people."

"Yeah, she could've," Ani corrected. "Lizzie was the one feedin' the walkas at the prison. She was the psychopath we were talkin' 'bout right 'fore the Gov'na showed up. Bein' a psychopath ain' a death sentence when it's caught young. Different types a therapy and reaffirmation a the roles in the world would a helped 'er if she'd a had a chance ta get it," she told the woman before sighing. "Ya didn' have the means ta give 'er that and she'd already started down the path at the prison by givin' the walkas names. I didn' catch it eitha 'cause there aren' a lot a children that are psychopaths. She wasn' showin' any signs 'til Phia told me 'bout the name thing. Ya did what ya had ta. But I ain' lettin' ya get close ta Phia afta what ya put 'er through. I ain' lettin' ya break 'er heart again. And I ain' lettin' ya try takin' 'er back now that ya already given 'er up. Ya made ya choice, Carol. Now ya goin' ta live with it. And if ya eva, eva, try ta kill me again, ya'll find yaself on the receivin' end a my blade. Phia's blood motha or not, I'll end ya."

"Ania, that's enough. You made your point," Daryl cut in, making Ani bristle even further.

Grabbing two of the gallon jugs, she headed back towards the road without saying another word or even giving a backwards glance. Daryl and Carol both followed behind her as she stormed off, the kittens doing their best to keep up. Ani couldn't understand Daryl at the moment; first he wanted the woman that admitted to wanting to kill her to come with them and then he defended said woman. It was as if he wanted them to work through things when there was nothing to work through. Carol had made her decision on the matter and nothing was going to change the fact that she would have tried to kill her. And when she threatened in kind, Daryl had to speak up and tell her that was enough and act like she was in the wrong?! What about telling Carol to stay the hell away from her after admitting she would kill her? What about backing off now that the woman had shown her true colors? Ani hadn't said anything when Carol and Daryl became friends, even with the flirting Carol had done and the things she had said. Now Daryl was defending Carol when Ani was the one who would have died, who should have died with Karen and David? She just could not for the life of her understand what Daryl was wanting out of this situation if it wasn't to make it perfectly clear that she, Ani, would not tolerate Carol's threats. After all, Carol hadn't just admitted to wanting to kill her; she had admitted that she didn't care if she hurt Sophia.

Even if she understood Carol's standpoint, if she understood everything that she'd said about the situation regarding Sophia's conception, she couldn't understand a mother abandoning her child. Even the bobcat that had birthed Bobby and Catty fought to the death to protect the cubs, as every mother should. Even if Carol had never wanted to be a mother, having been treated like shit by her own mother and still loved her for the longest time, Ani was angry on Sophia's behalf. The pain of knowing one's parents didn't want them was devastating, and Ani was certain that if it weren't for Merle and her, Sophia would have regressed. She would have reverted to her scared little girl mentality because her mother had stopped supporting her. Carol had been the little girl's only support system for so long that the fallout of Carol's words, the fallout of how she had acted, would be catastrophic if the two of them hadn't been there. Whatever friendship she might have been able to build with the woman was null and void now, and Daryl wasn't helping matters at all. It didn't help the matter any when Daryl started talking to the woman and left Ani alone to deal with her own thoughts. As she listened to their conversation, her thoughts turned darker and darker as her sister's words started ringing in her ears again.

"I know you didn't want to talk about it," she heard Daryl tell Carol. "You okay?"

"I gotta be," she responded, looking at Ani's back.

"We get to start over," he told both of them, though he didn't make it clear; Ani thought he was still talking to Carol alone. "All of us, with each other. A fresh start. You helped at Terminus."

"Lucky she didn' fuckin' blow up the buildin' ya were in!" Ani shot back with a scowl.

"I didn't know they were in there," Carol defended. "Just knew they'd been taken. I'm sorry I messed up your plan."

"Ya shouldn' a acted without thinkin'. That was Glenn and Maggie's mistake. Ya got fuckin' lucky ya didn' kill any a ours."

"We did get lucky," Carol admitted. "We all should be dead."

"Yeah, but we ain'. Now we get ta live with ourselves," Ani said, not realizing or caring that she'd made another insult towards Carol, just thinking about what she'd been through and done as they came up to an abandoned car.

"I'll check it," Carol told them with a defeated tone.

"Why'd you gotta say that?" Daryl asked Ani.

"What?"

"That we gotta live with ourselves? Carol-"

"What the fuck does she got ta do with it? I was talkin' 'bout myself," Ani told him defensively; she knew they were friends, but Carol was the one who was in the wrong in the entire situation.

"Oh," Daryl said. "Thought you were still angry."

"I said my piece," she said flatly. "Seems like ya got a lot ta say in 'er defense, though."

"Hell you mean by that?"

Ani scoffed and said, "Nothin', Daryl. Ya friendship is important ta ya. I get it."

"Seem pretty friendly with Abraham," Daryl commented, a bit insulted at what she was saying.

"Yeah, well, he's a ginga. Somethin' 'bout ginga's jus' makes me want ta heckle 'em," she admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "Jesse and I, we were always like that. Ribbin' each otha, talkin' smack. Doesn' help my hair's reddish, too. So it was always somethin' goin' back and forth with us. It's the damn red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. Could damn well be 'er olda brotha. I literally jus' met 'im and have talked ta him for maybe two seconds. Ain' the fuckin' same as what ya doin'."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"Don' fuckin' matta. Let's jus' get what we got ta done and get back ta the church."

"Ania..."

"You two done with your chat yet?" Carol interrupted as she popped the trunk, finding a battery charger that surprisingly still worked.

"Yeah," Ani told her, turning around and standing with her back to Daryl, working on shutting down her emotions; she didn't have the mental capacity to deal with any of it right now.

"We'll leave this here in case things go bad at the church," Carol said, looking at the two in front of her carefully.

She reached down and picked up her gallons, Daryl and Ani having carried theirs the entire time, only for Daryl to offer to carry one of Carol's. Ani scoffed and started walking off, hearing as one of the jugs behind her hit the ground and Carol telling Daryl she didn't need his help. She honestly wanted to cry as they started walking back to the church with their water and met up with Merle and Sophia. If the rift between them wasn't obvious before, it sure was when the five were together, a smaller rift being noticed by Merle. Carol walked a few paces to the side while Ani and Sophia were sandwiched between the Dixon brothers. Ani was walking between Merle and Sophia while both brothers watched her stone face and wondered what was wrong with her. Daryl thought she had been fine up until he'd told Carol she could go with them and then the fight with Carol. The woman was still Sophia's mother and he just didn't want Ani to say something she'd regret. He'd just gotten her back and now it felt as if there was a wall that was put between them all of a sudden. Ani was still trying to get herself in check as she talked about Sophia's catch and Merle's find and tried to pretend Daryl wasn't checking on her every five seconds. The girl had managed to get a few rabbits and a good sized opossum and raccoon while Merle had a bag of fresh greens. Apparently, Sophia had been teaching Merle how to forage while she hunted so that he stopped trying to take over the hunt and had something to do too.

"Soon 'nough, ya goin' ta be able ta hunt on ya own," Ani told Sophia as they got back up to the church. "And stop fuckin' growin', kid! Ya almost as tall as me now!"

"That's because you're a midget, Shrimp," Abraham said as he walked by heading out to the bus.

"At least shrimp tastes good!" she shot back, not even realizing the double entendre she'd stated had Merle cracking and Daryl looking horrified. "And I'd ratha be a fuckin' shrimp than a gods-damned, fuckin' Weasley!"

Merle howled in laughter even more as Daryl shook his head and went into the church to get away from the girl that had stolen his heart and now was stealing his sanity. Carol and Abraham were both looking at her like she was insane, though Carol just scoffed before walking into the church herself. Abraham was staring at her as if she had grown a second head and wondering what the hell this tiny woman was on that would have her constantly seeming pissed off at him. She had a clapback for everything he said and seemed to have a stick shoved so far up her ass she'd be eating it next week. It'd been that way ever since she showed up and knocked the hunter on his ass, though it seemed to be worse now. After that moment of wondering whether or not she was certifiable, he tried to ask her questions; what the hell was wrong with her? Did she always have to be so snarky? Was she doing it on purpose? Was this how she always was, or was it some kind of one off thing?

"Damn, knew ya liked fish, but didn' know ya could fuckin' impersonate one."

Rick and Michonne had walked up with several food crates at that moment and heard her comment along with Sasha, Bob, and the preacher. The preacher just walked into the church looking horrified by his excursion while Sasha and Bob chuckled as they followed him. Michonne outright laughed, joining Merle's boisterous chortles while Rick snickered as Abraham once again tried to come up with something to say. She certainly had a way with words and the means to use them without giving it a second's thought or giving anyone else room to retort. Ani was just pissed as she stalled outside by helping Sophia with gutting her kills, only for Merle to walk over and take the knife from her. Ani sighed as she realized he wasn't going to let her keep avoiding his brother and gave up her spot, only to see Abraham gaping at her with a lax jaw.

"Keep ya jaw hangin' open like that, ya gonna eat flies," she told him.

"Ania, get your ass in here!" Daryl yelled from inside the church before the man had a chance to reply.

"Got ta go, Red. We'll try chattin' again at a lata date. Maybe ya'll find some words in ya brain ta use by then," she shot as her final insult before walking into the church.

Ani scowled as soon as she walked into the church and saw Carol standing next to Daryl, the two of them talking while the woman had a small smile on her face. She was seriously doing her best to try to not be jealous but it was hard when she and Daryl seemed closer than ever. It didn't help matters any that she had been gone a week and still hadn't been able to talk to her husband about everything. She hadn't been the jealous type; sure, Macy had her angry when she first showed up, but it wasn't the same. The woman had only been around for a day and had bothered the ever loving shit out of Daryl as much as she had Ani. Carol was different; they'd known her from the start, she and Daryl were closer in age, they had more in common, and they had bonded over their similarities over the month. It was very hard for Ani to separate her paranoia from the truth when she could see the way they looked at each other. She had always been told that she didn't deserve happiness and that it wouldn't last if she ever managed to feel it. Ani did her best to shake off all the negative things she was feeling and walked over to the two, sitting in Daryl's lap and snuggling into his neck as he and Carol finished their conversation.

"Get your jokes in?" he asked her as he turned her to straddle him.

"Wasn' fuckin' jokin'."

"Sure sounded like it."

"If we go by what shit looks and sounds like, look at ya own actions."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"It don' matta."

"Ania, you gotta talk to me," Daryl told her, turning her face to look at him as tears formed in her eyes. "Whatever's goin' on, you can't keep it in."

"I'm jus' bein' stupid. I don' want ta lose ya again," Ani replied softly.

"You ain't," he said before pulling her in for a kiss. "Quit thinkin' that shit."

"Hard ta right now," she told him, putting her head on his shoulder before he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

"Missed this," he told her, giving her a small kiss on her neck and making her shudder a breath against his own.

"Missed us," she whispered. "I'm sorry I'm bein' such a bitch."

"You ain't. Just tired. C'mon. Let's get you laid down."

He helped her get off his lap and then up off the pew and carried her over to a wall that was out of the way and grabbed their bags. Putting them on the floor, he told her to lay down before handing hers over and throwing his own down to lay down with her. She swapped bags with him after scrunching up her nose and declaring that she wanted nothing to do with his poncho until it got washed. He just laughed at her and pulled her into his chest, holding her there as he felt hot tears drip on his arm. Daryl knew Ani was beyond exhausted and that it was starting to affect her mind. The last time she had gotten upset as easily as she had in the last hour or so had been when he had left with Michonne. It hadn't been about Carol at that time, though, it had been about other women constantly trying to vie for his attention while she was right there. Whatever she was upset about at the moment did have something to do with the older woman, and Daryl knew that he wouldn't get it out of her until she slept. He hadn't slept a lot in the last week anyway and it was obvious how tired she was when she fell asleep within just a couple minutes. They stayed lying there dozing all afternoon, her legs tangled in his as he held her close to his chest and she basked in his warmth.

"How come they get to sleep while we work?" Rosita complained as she helped bring in the boxes of food.

"'Cause they earned it, chica," Merle told her. "Been away from each other for a week, she's probably barely slept more'n a few hours a night, so's he. Let 'em have their cuddle time."

"They're really married?" Eugene asked, unbelieving that she looked smaller and younger when she was sleeping in Daryl's arms considering what she had done thusfar.

"Yeah," Rick said, looking over to them and smiling as he saw the kittens snuggled up on Daryl too. "Been together since this all went down."

"How'd it happen?" Rosita asked.

"Who knows?" he told her. "They were already together when I met them. Came as a surprise to the camp. No one knew. Never did say how they wound up together, but they did."

"It's them eyes," Merle informed him. "He'd been head over heels for this girl he met at a bar a little over a year 'fore the world went to shit. Swore up and down he was gonna find her when we were lit. Somethin' she said really got to 'im and damn if he didn't go on and on about her pretty green eyes. Thought 'e was a damn fool and had imagined her. Shit, soon as I saw them eyes of hers I knew he was gonna fall for her."

"It'd be funny if it was Ani he was talking about," Sophia commented.

"Maybe we should ask," Bob suggested with a grin.

"Just let 'em sleep," Merle told them. "Don't matter if it was or not. Let's get at it. There's work to be done."

~x~

"Holy shite, that's a lot a grub," Ani said as she watched Carol and Maggie pull can after can of food out of the boxes to make everyone a proper meal after coming back inside. "When was the last time y'all ate somethin' real?"

"Not since the prison," Rick said, indicating his group. "How about y'all?"

"Don' tell me y'all ate the barbecue?" Ani asked the newcomers. "If ya did, what's longpig taste like?"

The members of Glenn and Abraham's group went really quiet, some thinking about what they'd almost eaten while Eugene went pale. Several choruses of her name, horrified expressions, and retches later, Ani was a laughing mess at the range she'd witnessed. It wasn't her fault that she'd been wondering ever since she'd seen Terminus because she couldn't fathom people tasted good. While she never wanted to taste it herself, morbid curiosity killed the proverbial cat and she had to ask. Daryl shook his head and nudged her with yet another one of his 'stop's' while Merle chuckled and the kids looked on in confusion. It didn't surprise Ani that the kids had never heard the term; they hadn't been old enough to think about stuff like cannibalism. There was a tribe in Africa that practiced it, though, and Ani had seen a documentary of the different tribes that still lived primarily untouched by civilization it had been mentioned in. She just never thought that she would see a group of cannibals in real life let alone see them trying to take a bite out of her people. But the faces everyone made at her question was beyond hilarious to her since most of them were just shocked she would ask that and the newcomers thought she was crazy. Of course, Abraham's expression was the funniest, because it went from confusion, to realization, to anger, to something she could only described as 'constipated and nauseous.'

"You really are one bolt short and a few screws loose, aren't you, Tiny?" he asked as he stared at her while she went to sit on Daryl's lap next to a laughing Merle and confused children.

"Neva said othawise," she chuckled with a devilish grin.

"You are certainly something else," he said before turning away from her, thoroughly crept out by the tiny woman at the moment, though she was fun to have around.

She didn't seem to have a single qualm about being called Tiny and she was as quick witted and sharp

tongued as a snake. Even Eugene was wary of her after their little talk away from them, even though it didn't seem like she had done anything but talk to him. It seemed to be more in the knowing look she'd give him every time he dared to look at her than in the fact that she had bobcats for babies that scared him. Abraham could tell that Rosita felt threatened by her; she knew these people had a fair few fighters, but having one better at fighting in every way than her was not something his feisty Latino could tolerate. Eventually, she was going to want to fight Tiny, and if that happened, he was pretty sure Rosita was going to land on her ass. However it was that she had managed it, it had been the small woman that had gotten them out of that jacked place and they owed her for that. Getting her and her family to come to DC with them was a way to repay that and add extra security to the leading man's crew. A little girl that could crush a man's throat and had smarts that seemingly rivaled Eugene's, well, they needed that on their trip.

Ani was told to stay seated as everyone else went up to get their meals dished, everyone wearing a smile on their faces as they settled down. Even Daryl himself had a rare, albeit small, smile as he sat down on the floor leaning against a pew while Ani leaned against him. They were both sitting with their backs against the pew as Daryl began chowing down on his food. Ani looked at the mountain of food he'd seemed to put on her plate as her stomach soured at the thought of not only eating that much, but eating some of the stuff. It just put her off the thought of food all together to see so much on the plate and all the different smells combined together. Still, it was nice to look around and see all the happy faces surrounding her and filling their stomachs for the first time in weeks. Daryl must have noticed her nibbling at her plate rather than eating, since he nudged her with his elbow and gave a pointed look to her and then her plate.

"Ain' eaten nothin' but raw squirrel past couple a days. Gave the babies the last a the jerky. Jus' eatin' slow so I don' puke. Goin' ta try ta finish it all, don' worry," she told him with a small smile, leaning over and kissing his shoulder seeing as that was all she could reach in their current position. "Though, squirrel tastes betta."

Abraham stood up then, quieting the chatter down with his loud voice, "I'd like to propose a toast. I look around this room, and I see survivors. Each and every one of you has earned that title. To the survivors!" he cheered, a round of cheers responding to him as they drank the communal wine, Sophia taking her first taste and liking it much to Carl's shock. "Is that all you wanna be? Wake up in the morning, fight the undead pricks, forage for food, go to sleep at night with two eyes open, rinse and repeat?"

"Ain't so bad," Merle said, Ani and Sophia nodding their heads in agreement while Daryl just stayed quiet, staring at the kitten in his lap that stared right back at him while scowling.

"You've got the strength to do it, I'll give you that," Abraham agreed. "You got the skills. You especially, Tiny. Thing is, for you people, for what you can do, that's just surrender. Now, we get Eugene to Washington and he will make the dead die and the living will have this world again." Abraham must have missed the stink eye Ani was giving Eugene as well as the fact that Eugene stopped in his motions from eating, going deathly pale, as the man continued talking, "And that is not a bad takeaway for a little road trip. Eugene, what's in DC?"

Eugene carefully chose his words after remembering his promise of the truth before answering, "Infrastructure constructed to withstand pandemics even of this FUBAR magnitude. That means food. Fuel. Refuge. Restart."

Ani believed at the very least DC would have some sort of infrastructure to withstand a pandemic, though she doubted it would be so great as Eugene made out. There would be some sort of bunker that would have emergency rations and probably some kind of living quarters. If she had to guess, it would also be mostly underground with ways to live under there permanently for a while. World leaders from every country would need to be protected in the case of nuclear war and that meant shelters and bunkers. In truth, she knew there were bunkers in strategic points within the United States thanks to the Cold War. There would be a chance at actually finding a place where they could not only survive indefinitely but also be able to hold indefinitely. No tank would be able to destroy something built to survive a nuclear bomb and it would be hard for the dead to overtake something they didn't even know was there. Sure, it would mean living underground, but at least they would be able to live and have a life of some kind. But it would also be a very long, very dangerous journey depending on both roads and herds, potential weather delays, whether or not they ran into bad people, and whether or not they could find the supplies.

"However this plays out," Abraham continued as Ani considered the pros vs the cons. "However long it takes for the reset button to kick in, you can be safe there. Safer than you've been since this whole thing started. Come with us. Save the world for that little one," he told Rick. "Save it for yourselves. Save it for the people out there who don't got nothin' left to do except survive."

Daryl looked at Ani, thinking about how he could help keep her safe if they went as Rick cooed at his baby. They had talked about having a family themselves and having somewhere that they could keep a child safe would make it that much easier. She wouldn't have to be worrying about defenses constantly or feel like she had to be responsible for everything. She could relax more and only have to worry about the four of them and whatever kids they did have. Life would be easier for them all and the only time they'd need to leave was to hunt, and if they got any livestock, they wouldn't even need to do that much. He could give her a life she deserved, one where she knew she was safe and loved and didn't have to go without anymore. They could live like a family, Ani, Merle, Sophia and him; they could be a family and live together without fearing they would have to run again. He could almost imagine it as he looked down at her and saw the content smile on her face. Daryl was willing to make the journey if it meant keeping his wife safe as well as giving her stability and family.

"I think she knows what I'm about to say," Rick chuckled, Judith making little noises. "She's in. If she's in, I'm in. We're in."

His revelation was met with jubilation from the survivors before Abraham turned to Ani, "And what about you, Tiny? Are you rednecks comin' with us or what?"

"We're in," she said after looking at her little family and getting little nods from them all. "Not 'cause I believe in ya mission. But 'cause DC would have some sort a infrastructure ta start rebuildin' civilization. That and I ain' splittin' my family up again."

Even more cheers were given as Ani watched Carol get up and leave the building while everyone else was distracted. She was still angry at the woman, but Carol was still a part of her group and someone that she had deemed as family. That reason alone spurned her to nudge Daryl and motion towards the door before she even really thought about what she was doing. Merle had gone for more food and to harass Abraham while Sophia had gone to talk to Carl, so it was relatively easy for Daryl to stand and grab his bow. He tried to tell Ani to stay at the church, but before he even got three words out, they died on his tongue. The look she was giving him was enough to make his thought of keeping her safe and at the church dissipate into thin air as she put her mostly full plate down and went to stand. Ani wasn't about to let Daryl go after Carol alone after everything that had happened, especially after having lost him for a week. Even if he wanted her to stay at the church, Daryl knew he couldn't keep her from going with him and helped her stand up. He kept a hold of her hand as they left the church and made sure that there wasn't anything in the way that she could trip over. He didn't want her to hurt her legs any more than she already had and was admittedly being overly protective of her at the moment.

It didn't take a genius to guess where Carol was headed to as they made their way through the woods, not bothering to follow a trail. They both knew she was headed to the car they had found earlier in the day and was planning on leaving. Carol hadn't been acting normal since Ani had gotten back and Daryl had noticed it while they were on watch the night before. Ani still couldn't understand the woman's train of thought when it came to Sophia, but she was still the girl's mother at the end of the day. That being said, she also wasn't about to let Daryl go into a potentially dangerous situation with the other Terminus group out there. She knew Daryl was going because Carol was his friend and that thought still angered her just because of what the woman had done and said, but it was what it was. Ani didn't control Daryl or his choices, but that didn't mean she had to like or try to understand them.

"What are you doin'?" Daryl asked Carol as they broke through the trees.

Carol looked from Daryl to Ani before admitting in a defeated voice, "I don't know."

"Come on," Ani said. "You ain' leavin' that little girl a second time. Whetha or not ya want 'er, she still needs ya."

Carol was about to say something when the sound of a car interrupted her and they all turned towards the road before hiding behind the one they were already standing by. Daryl had practically pulled her underneath him when he hid, leaving her when it passed only to run back and grab his crossbow and start breaking out the lights of their vehicle. Carol started freaking out at him while Ani just watched him in confusion until he started explaining himself. He told them that the car that had passed had the same white cross on the back as the one that he'd seen when Beth disappeared. If they followed it, there was a chance they could find where the hell they'd taken Beth and get her back. He pulled Ani with him to the front and dropped her by the passenger door as he ran around to the other side. Daryl called for Carol to get into the damn car as he started it up and put it into drive, barely waiting for the woman to get into it before he took off. If they could successfully follow that car and found where its base was, they could possibly get Beth back. Hoping for a miracle, they drove into the dead of night without a second thought about those they left behind.