Asperity - Daryl Dixon

XV

"Hershel stopped breathing, mom saved him," Carl announced as the group reached Hershel's cell. Glenn affirmed, "It's true," while Lori, still focused on Hershel, added, "Still no fever."

Hershel lay on the bed, his right wrist handcuffed to the headboard. As Rick approached, Hershel twitched in his sleep, capturing everyone's attention, especially Maggie and Beth, who leaned in anxiously. Suddenly, Hershel's eyes opened, and Maggie exclaimed, "Daddy?" Beth joined in, "Daddy!"

Rick swiftly untied Hershel as his daughters cried tears of relief, holding their father's hand. Vanessa couldn't help but smile at the heartwarming scene, sharing in the joy of their reunion while Rick and Lori left the cell together.

~~~

The night enveloped the prison compound, and as the group settled into their chosen cells, a nod from Daryl signaled Vanessa to follow him. Perplexed, she asked, "Where are you going? Aren't you choosing a cell?" Daryl glanced at her while ascending the stairs, stating, "I ain't sleeping in no cage." Vanessa teased with a smile, "Well, guess I should've expected that from you." He smirked, "I have self-respect, miss." Vanessa rolled her eyes, "You have ego."

Reaching the perch, Daryl arranged his mattress. Vanessa grabbed one for herself from a nearby cell and settled it beside Daryl's. She plopped down on her mattress sighing heavily and playfully brought Daryl down on top of her onto her own mattress, she burst out in laughter that echoed in the quiet night. Daryl tried to remain serious but even he couldn't suppress a laugh. "Fuck, we're finally settled. No more moving to find a place," Vanessa remarked. Daryl turned, no longer lying on her, and smirked, "Yeah, we'll finally be able to rest, especially Lori and mini Shane." Vanessa chuckled, sitting on the mattress and reaching for her bag. Daryl watched her curiously as she pulled out a bottle of rum. "Where did ya get that?" he asked, surprised.

"Remember the hostel we settled in for a couple of days? There was a small stash of booze. I only took one bottle in case we had something to celebrate. Wish I could've taken more, but I didn't want to make my bag too heavy, only for some booze," Vanessa explained. Daryl smiled, "Well, guess we do have something to celebrate." Taking Daryl's hand in hers, they headed to a vantage point—a small balcony apart from the block. They laid there together, the only light being the stars and the moon.

Shivering a bit in the cold, Vanessa said nothing. Without a word, Daryl took off his poncho and put it on Vanessa. "Would be a shame if ya got sick after we finally found a safe place to settle in," he remarked. She smiled up at him, "You know you're cute when you worry about me like that?" Daryl blushed, "Shut up." Vanessa chuckled and laid her head on Daryl's shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her as she opened the bottle. "To us," she toasted, taking a few sips of the rum, making a face of disgust when she swallowed it. "I forgot how disgusting rum tastes," she commented. Daryl chuckled and took the bottle from her hands, "Pussy" he says before taking a huge gulp himself.

As moments passed, they drank half the bottle and were getting a little drunk. "What did you do before everything went to hell?" Vanessa asked, still nestled in Daryl's arm. Daryl grunted in response, taking another sip from the bottle. When she thought he wouldn't answer, he finally said, "I was just hanging out with Merle, living from places to places. Sometimes hunting or fishing. Didn't really have a purpose, y'know?" Vanessa listened intently as Daryl shared bits of his life before. "Merle had a lot of problems with drugs, so we often ended up in shitty situations. That's why we moved so much."

Vanessa then raised her voice after a little silence, "What about your parents? Didn't they help you?" Tension filled the air as Daryl immediately tensed. Taking another sip, he answered, "Nah, our mother died in a fire that she lit herself with her own cigarette, and our father..." Daryl clenched his jaw, thinking about the man, "not his type to help." Vanessa grasped that it was a sensitive subject, and Daryl signaled the end of the conversation.

"What 'bout ya, princess? I know 'bout the military part and why ya went there, but after that?" Vanessa took the bottle from Daryl's hand and took a sip before leaning more against him. "Well, I joined the military at 17 and left a couple of years later at 20. I went to live with my brother. He joined the army four years before me but left at the same time. He stayed longer than me until he could afford a place for us. He found us an apartment where he slept on the couch, leaving me the room. I found a job at a nightclub as a bartender, and Dean worked on construction sites as a mason."

She paused, taking a breath, "And well, that's what we did for a couple of years before everything went to shit. Nothing too interesting." Daryl started rubbing her arms comfortably. She was now completely laying in his arms, her head on his neck, and her back against his chest. "'Course it's interesting, princess. Don't lower yerself." Vanessa smiled at him, "Yeah, you're right."

The night air was filled with the faint sounds of distant groans and the occasional shuffle of undead feet. As Daryl and Vanessa shared a quiet moment, the light of the moon and stars casting shadows across their faces. Daryl's question lingered in the air, "Tell me more 'bout yer brother. Ya never really talked 'bout the guy, but every time ya did, ya seemed to hold him in high regards."

Vanessa's smile appeared almost instinctively at the mention of Dean. "Yeah, he was the only thing keeping me alive at a time. He's—well... he was older than me, four years. We didn't have a really good childhood nor caring parents, but Dean was always there to comfort me after our dad's outbursts or anything else that would put me down. He always put me before himself, even when... when he died."

Daryl looked at her, genuine curiosity in his eyes. "What happened?"

Vanessa took a deep breath and another sip from the bottle. "We were heading to the woods but we weren't there yet. We hid in a coffee basement for a few days, barricaded the doors. But one night, we woke up to a loud bang..." Her voice trailed off, haunted by the memories. "Dean told me to wait until he checked, but I came with him. I didn't have any weapon except for my makeshift knife, but we went upstairs together. The room..." Vanessa started to shake a little, and Daryl held her closer, absentmindedly running a hand through her hair. "It's okay, baby..."

Vanessa calmed down a bit and continued, "The room was full of walkers... they were everywhere. I looked at Dean, and he looked confident, so it calmed me, you know? He told me he had a plan, took me in his arms, told me he loved me... I should've known his plan didn't include him. He told me to run while he was taking care of something, but he just made noise to attract the dead toward him so I could run on a clear path. I understood too late... I heard him yelling while I was running, and I just... I just continued. I heard them rip him open. I heard him die. I—"

Daryl didn't let her finish, pulling her into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head as she softly cried in his arms. "Hey princess, it's not yer fault. He made his choice, and he wanted ya to survive. Ya made the best choice, Nessie, for both of ye. It wasn't selfish. Ya followed his lead, and that's what he wanted for ya. It's the only thing ya could've done." Daryl gently stroked her hair, holding her close, and Vanessa nodded into his neck.

After a moment, she calmed down and smiled at him. "Thank you, Daryl, really. Thank you for everything. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

Daryl smiled back, "Couldn't leave a pretty girl like ya alone in the woods. I'm not heartless."

She gently punched him in the chest, laughing, "Asshole."

He smirked, "Ya know ya like me."

She bit her lip and rested her head against him again. "You know I do."

They spent the night talking about their lives, as well as lighter topics in each other's arms, looking at the stars. Finally, they went to bed, entwined together, as usual, seeking some sleep before the challenges of the next day.