More to Lose

Daryl's POV

Ain't nothin' better than the sound of Briar chattin' my ear off while I walk her down the street to that little schoolhouse they got set up near the gardens. Most kids walk on their own, but I don't give a damn. My old man never walked me nowhere. Never gave a shit if I made it to school or not. So yeah, I walk her whenever I can.

She's wearin' those little boots she loves, the ones she damn near scratched the toes off climbin' the tree behind the armory last week. She's marchin' there, swingin' her lunchbox like it's a damn weapon.

"Love ya, Daddy," she chirped as she reached the steps.

I crouched down, tugged her into a hug, kissin' her curls. "Love ya more, sweetheart. Be good, a'ight?"

She rolled her eyes in that way she got from Ath - little sass queen - and runs inside, catchin' Judith just past the doors.

I watch her go, heart heavy in that good kinda way. Still don't know how I got all this. A family. Two kids who call me Daddy. A woman like Ath.

Briar's just a tiny version of her mom, just with my eyes. Sharp little thing, don't take no shit, already learned how to track. Took her huntin' twice - quiet as a whisper. Didn't flinch none when I skinned a rabbit. Just said, "Gross, but cool. Can I try now Daddy?"

Then there's Sawyer Rick Dixon... That kid's a menace. My lil' fireball. Always runnin', always yellin', always trippin' over his own damn feet. He loves wearin' that mini leather vest Ath got made - the one she gave me when she told me she was havin' Briar. Lil angel wings on the back, like he's some kinda biker cherub. He's a wild boy 'n' I wouldn't have him any other way. Both my kids couldn't be more perfect in my eyes.

After I left the schoolhouse, I headed over to see Michonne. She was outside her place, katana slung across her back like always, jaw tight like she already knew what I was there for.

"I know," she said before I even opened my mouth. "I'm pissed too. Judith should know better."

"Ain't her fault," I muttered. "She's just a kid. Thinks with her heart."

"I know," Michonne nodded. "But we can't let our kids make the rules. Not when it could get them killed."

I crossed my arms. "Those people can't stay. Not here. Not 'round my kids. Not yours neither."

"I don't want them here," she agreed. "Council can vote, they can go through the motions if they want, but I'm vetoing it either way. No chances. Not again."

I scratch the back of my neck. "Maybe Hilltop'll take 'em."

She shrugged. "If they're desperate enough, maybe."

I took a deep breath. "Ya find anythin' out there?"

She sighed deeply, "No. Nothing."

I chewed on my thumbnail. I hated that I didn't go out there with her more, lookin' for Rick - but my family are here, can't just be runnin' off 'n' leavin' em. Ain't fair.

"Did you see 'im? Carl?"

"Yeah."

"How's he lookin'?"

Michonne smiled wryly. "Tired. Smelly. But he's okay. Said he's followed the river all the way to the ocean and back."

"He comin' home anytime soon?"

She just shrugged. "I think he's got used to the quiet - but he is missing everyone... he promised to visit soon."

I nodded. I got why Carl needed to stay out there, tryna bring his dad so we could lay 'im to rest. I'd be doin' it myself if things were different. He came back for a while when his baby brother was born, but he didn't stay long.

As I turned to go, I glanced back at Michonne. "RJ always hungry when he was three?"

Michonne laughed, soft and warm. "Like a bottomless pit."

I chuckled. "Can't fill Sawyer for nothin'. Think he eats just so he can burn it all off screamin'."

~

I was out on the road with Aaron, sun beatin' down, crouched low beside the gas pump. We were checkin' for fuel - it had gotten a hell of a lot harder to come by - and wouldn't ya know it, a big ol' bunch of walkers came shufflin' up from the tree line.

"Aaron!" I barked, yankin' my knife from my belt.

They came fast, like they always did when you were just tryna get shit done. First one got my blade clean in the skull. Next one grabbed at me, but I ducked, spun, slammed my elbow into its jaw. Snap went the neck. Boot to the chest, shoved it back hard.

Aaron was fightin', holdin' his own just fine with his bionic freakin' arm, same one Merle has now from the guy at Hilltop. Aaron lost his at the bridge. We all lost too much there.

I grabbed a pipe off the ground, swung wide. Blood and bone cracked. Another was too close, teeth gnashin' - I yanked my crossbow off my back and fired point-blank.

When Ath was pregnant with Briar, I wondered if bein' a dad would make me soft - it has in some way, but not when it came to fightin'. I ain't slowed down. Bein' a dad just meant I fought harder 'cause I had even more to lose.

By the time we were done, I was breathin' heavy, blood on my arms, but every last one of those fuckers was in pieces.

~

It was dark by the time I got home, moon hangin' low over the walls. I thought about goin' to check out the new people, but I had more important things to do.

I opened our front door, boots heavy on the floorboards.

Ath turned from the couch, smilin'. "Did you miss us?"

"Damn right I did," I said, toein' off my boots. "Got held up. Walkers."

"It's okay," she said, standin' and pullin' me close. "I read to them. You can miss one night."

"Yeah." I sighed.

She knew how much it meant to me, the kids gettin' a story before bed. My folks never read me or Merle a damn thing. But I ain't nothin' like them. I always tried hard to make sure I was back to do it, but tonight Ath did. At least they still got read to, Ath is better than me at the voices anyway. Just miss 'em when I don't get to see 'em before they go to sleep.

"They okay?"

"They are." Ath reassured me, then she stepped in, kissin' me soft and deep, and I swear it still made my damn knees weak after all these years. "Seeing as the kids are in bed..." she whispered, smilin' against my lips.

My lips brushed hers again, smirkin'. "M'gonna take the fastest shower ever."

She giggled. "Yeah... You've definitely got walker guts in your hair."

I ducked into the kids' room on the way to shower. Sawyer was snorin'. Briar had her mouth wide open, catchin' flies. I kissed 'em both. Whispered, "Love ya, my lil wild things."

~

Steam was still rollin' off my skin when I stepped into the bedroom, towel slung low on my hips. Ath was already waitin' under the sheets, her eyes catchin' mine with that look - the one that had gotten me through more bad days than I could count.

She didn't look no different than the day I met her. Maybe a few more scars from fightin'. But hell, they just made her more beautiful. She was a damn warrior. My warrior. Even though we had two kids, I still couldn't believe she was my wife after all this time.

"C'mere," I muttered, crawlin' into bed, already throbbin' for her.

She pulled me in slow, her mouth grazin' my throat, fingers tanglin' in my wet hair. Her touch was soft, but there was heat behind it - like she knew every nerve in my body that still burned for her. I rolled her gently beneath me, holdin' her face like she was somethin' sacred. She was.

We moved slow at first, nothin' rushed, just breath 'n' skin 'n' years of knowin' each other's rhythms. I kissed the hollow of her throat, traced my lips over every scar I'd come to love. Her hands wandered, pullin' me closer like she couldn't get enough - and I couldn't either.

"Love ya," I whispered into the curve of her neck, the words fallin' out like truth I'd known since the day I laid eyes on her.

She smiled up at me, eyes shinin', full of fire and softness all at once. "Love you," she breathed. "Always."

She writhed beneath me after I entered her, the soft sounds from her makin' it hard to keep control. Fuck, how did this woman still drive me so wild after all this time?

When I couldn't hold it back any longer, I slipped a finger down onto her sweet spot and rubbed it gently in that way she loves as I kept thrustin'. She breathed my name over 'n' over and it pushed me over the edge.

We came together like the world had slowed just for us. Her body moved with mine in perfect time, heat buildin' with every kiss, every breath. Her moans were music, her body a map I'd memorized a thousand times. She clung to me like I was her anchor - knowin' she was mine.

And when we fell over that edge together, her breath hot against my lips, hearts poundin' like war drums, I knew - I ain't never been more alive.

She's still everythin' - her 'n' our kids - they're everythin'. There ain't no way I'm lettin' these new people anywhere near 'em. We don't trust strangers no more.

I've got an X shaped brand on my back to remind me of that every damn day.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed a Daryl POV! ❤️