Savage World •••Daryl Dixon•••

Protection

Sunlight warmed Asher awake, the girl stretching out to pop a few joints. That's when she noticed the muscled arm beneath her head and the rest of the attached body curling around her. Hot air blew across her bandaged neck and shoulder.

"Didn't expect you to be awake so early." The rasped morning voice of Daryl behind her made her jump but quickly relax when she realized who was speaking.

"Good morning to you too, Dixie." She rolled and looked up at the sleepy man a few inches away. "Did you finally get some sleep?" He rolled his eyes and skimmed down her nose.

"Enough. You know that I'm going on a run today, right?" She nodded to answer him, just in case any of the others were sleeping.

"Yeah, and I can't go with you this time. Which is total bullshit by the way-"

"Did Merle teach you to have such a foul mouth-"

"No, you did actually. But I get it. We need supplies and ammo and you're the best at it. And I have to stay here to keep an eye on Merle so he doesn't get his ass kicked or shot." His voice echoed through the silent morning.

"I heard ya, sweetheart. Watch yer mouth too, sunshine." Both Asher and Daryl rolled their eyes and laughed before pushing up on their feet to get ready for the day. Asher bit her lip as she worded her question out in her head before speaking.

"Is it okay if I ask Rick to teach me how to shoot?" Daryl froze mid-way through pulling on his vest, her question surprising him.

"I thought you hated guns." She nodded and pulled on a thick wool-lined sweater. The cold was starting to ebb away by the day but the mornings were still frosty.

"I do, but arrows and knives can't contend with bullets. And Lostvayne is made for close quarters combat." She buttoned up the sweater and strapped on her weapons then scooped up her crossbow.

"Lostvayne? You named your sword?"

"It had a name when I found it. Besides, every great weapon deserves a name. Besides the point anyway, is it okay if I learn? I can't be afraid of them forever." Daryl cupped her cheek gently and leaned down to kiss the top of her head.

"That's a fine idea. I'll see ya when I get home, yeah?" He started to head off for the gates, stopping when she girl called out his nickname. "Dixie, wait up!" He stopped and turned as she jogged the small space he walked. She pushed up on tiptoe and brought his head down to close the distance and pressed a kiss to his stubbly cheek.

"For good luck, since I won't be there to save yer ass." A chuckle rumbled through his chest as he stood up fully and slung his crossbow over his back.

"Sure thing, baby girl. I'll see ya tonight." Asher nodded and watched him vanish through the doors out to the small courtyard that wasn't overrun. His motorcycle revved to life and in a mere few seconds it was gone and the pit in her stomach settled like a rock.

"He'll be alright, sweetheart. My baby brother was always one that didn't know how to call it quits." She smiled at Merle's voice, as much as everyone disliked having him around Asher missed his stupid remarks and irritating ways. It had become a comfort that she thought she'd never have again.

"That's how you guys are alike, never knowing when to stop." The older brother huffed out a broken laugh before reaching over and ruffling her hair.

"Go find Officer Friendly fer yer gun trainin. Go on." She did the same she did with Daryl: pushed up on tiptoes and pulled his head down to press a kiss to his cheek.

"Play nice with the other kids while I'm gone, yeah?" He gently pushed her away with a playful growl.

"Unless the other kids wanna fight. Then I gotta kick the other kids' asses." Asher rolled her eyes and patted his chest as she stepped by him, off to look for Rick and see what could be done about gun training. She found him standing outside in the courtyard, eyes scouring the band of walkers surrounding them and waiting for a meal.

"Hey Rick?" He turned at his name and softly smiled at the girl.

"Good morning, Asher. Daryl already left if you were wanting to say goodbye." She shook her head and ran her hands through her hair nervously.

"Ah, no I already said that before he came out here. I'm here to ask if you'll teach me how to shoot. A gun, I mean. I've never learned and I think it's time I do." Rick nodded and motioned for her to follow him towards their new lookout post. He picked up a rifle as he walked, checking the sights to make sure its clean and precise.

"How come you never learned? Daryl and Merle know how." She bit her lip and looked at the concrete as the two of them arrived to relieve Glenn from watch.

"Guns scare me. The noises mostly."

"Noises scare you?" She twisted her head and wiggles her hand to say relatively yes.

"Loud and sudden ones. Like the grenade at the CDC. Gunshots. Uhh, I'm not sure if you know much about my life before Daryl and Merle and all of you guys. But... I spent my entire life in a basement getting my guts bruised and my bones broken and my heart shattered every time my mom opened her mouth. I learned that loud sounds meant pain before I could even walk. I knew how to reset a dislocated shoulder and tell if my insides were bleeding out long before I even knew my ABC's. So yes, guns scare me. But losing everyone here: Glenn, Maggie, Hershel, Beth, Michonne, Carol, Carl, Judith, Dixie, you, and Merle- that scares me more. I've done the all alone thing and I hated every day of it. And if protecting what we have, the best thing I've ever had in my entire life, means having to learn how to shoot someone else then so be it." Rick listened to her tell her story and explain why she wanted to learn how to overcome her fear of guns. He reached over and gripped her shoulder in a silent way of saying he was sorry that she had to go through any of it before and after the end of the world. It hurt his heart knowing that she lived so terribly that the zombie apocalypse was her greatest escape.

"Alright, then let's start with the training."