#* dyn. abe and maddie.

[skiachtro]

there’s something  off  about what he’s been tracking.  this morning he had this feeling, this shift in atmosphere.  something’s going to happen today,  is what he was thinking. the whole day went by. nothing. it turned dark, and the faint sound of leaves crackling and feet shuffling don’t go unnoticed. so he grabs his weapons, puts on his coat, and heads out to the space surrounding camp. the last thing they need is a break in ; the last time there was one of those, luke got captured. he doesn’t want that for him. for  any  of them. head dipped low, feet quiet in their step, he easily blends in, seamlessly moving from one cover to the next. this sound.. it’s taking him farther... farther... farther...  FWING.  a dagger damn near misses his head, and he finds himself back up against a tree, breath heavy.  christ.  ❝ -- all right! ❞  he calls out, quietly-- slowly  beginning to unsheathe his knife close to his stomach. ❝ ain’t no need to fight! what do you want? food? shelter? ❞

                                               silence.  stillness.

the world  stops, and after what seems like  minutes, he hears a light  thud  as something hits the ground. eyebrows furrow, and he’s not immediately moving. he isn’t sure he wants to  fall  for it.  sniffle. whimper. sniffle.  now that--  that sounds like... --  a little girl?? slowly,  cautiously, he begins to peek from behind the tree, knife held close to his chest, ready to strike. his eyes, instead, find a small figure in the dim moonlight. he squints, like that’s going to help the issue, and lets his guard down, stepping away from the tree.  ❝ hey.. you all right there? do-- ❞ he’s advancing rather anxiously, continuously glancing around himself. this would be perfect bait -- but how could he leave something so precious to fend for herself?  ❝ -- do you got parents? ❞  voice soft, he puts his knife over he leg when he crouches down, gently reaches for the hair that’s covering her face, tucking it behind her ear. ❝ ah, that’s better! you’re bein’ modest, ❞  he teases. she’s cute, small... reminds him of his daughter. the age this girl is happens to the around the same age when maddison and nadine [ his wife ] left. coincidence, right? small world.  ❝ you lost, darlin’?  ❞ she doesn’t respond, remains curled up, and he starts to wonder if there’s  more  to this. he isn’t stupid, he knows almost every trick ; all those years of training didn’t go unnoticed. she won’t answer, won’t really respond to his touch, either. he’s  just about  to turn around, feeling another kind of  shift, when he feels a blade press to the curve of his shoulder where it meets his neck. ah, shit.  she’s fine. she’s just deaf, idiot.  a soft yet  firm, solid voice sounds from behind him, and it makes his heart skip a beat. it’s so  familiar, but nowadays any kid could sound like maddie if he had the blessing of hearing one.

   over time, he eventually sets his knife down on the ground, hands up on either side of his head in surrender. he doesn’t like that his back is to her. he puts his hands on the back of his head now.  (  he’ll comply as long as he has to, until he sees an opening. )   ❝ all right, all right. you win. ❞  i know.  confident, bubbly  -- it’s almost a cruelty to say it, but this kid seems well adapted.  definitely  able to take care of herself. the little girl in front of him pops up at the sight of the girl standing behind him, breaks out a smile, reaches out with excited grabby-hands to take the granola bars her sister ( ? )  is giving to her. granola bars that were in  abe’s bag. that’s fine. they need it more than he does, no hard feelings.  you got a place?  he chuckles,  ❝ you think if i did that they’d be welcomin’ you with open arms while you’re bringin’ me in as a  hostage  in my own camp? ❞  who says i’d bring you with me when i finally want to go in? i could just kill you now. can’t be that far away from here, i could find it.  ❝ i said  if  i had a camp-- ❞  don’t bullshit me, asshole!  oh.  okay. he understands the need to compensate, if you could even call it that. a young child, female nonetheless, that is in this cruel world alone? the girl in front of her was so small, and he imagines the one behind him is as well. -- they were so  little  when this all started. ❝ all right, look.. i’ll help you out. i  will  bring you back to my camp.. and i’ll keep you behind me. let them know you’re with me. ❞  what makes you think i believe that?  ❝ if you’re as desperate as you seem, you don’t have much of a choice, darlin’. ❞  her eyebrows furrow, looking to her little sister, face twisted, lips puckered ; she’s  thinking. max shrugs in front of her, maddie scoffs.  fine. but if you try anythin’ funny--  ❝ i  won’t. don’t you think i could have taken the two of you on by now? ❞  well.. now that she  thinks  about it... this is a six-foot-two inch man, and they’re, at most, four-foot-seven.  or that’s what you want us to think.   ❝ honest to god, you can tie me up if you want to. ❞  she looks at him in disbelief.  okay, now you’re reaching.  ❝ look.. i had a little girl like her, ❞  expression is downright  pitiful  as he turns on his knee, wanting to see the girl behind him. and when he finally  does:   ❝ maddison? ❞  this strong, fierce girl, ready to  kill  him  (  is still a strong, fierce girl, but  )  --  she  crumbles. 

                                             --  daddy?  DADDY!  

her sword is dropped and she  rushes  forward, wrapping her little arms around his neck, ultimately tackling him to the floor. at first he doesn’t respond, he’s too busy chuckling. and then that chuckling turns into  laughing, and that laughing turns into  hysterical laughter.  he reaches his hand up, puts it over his eye as though to shield himself from sun  (  even though there is none  ), he just can’t  believe  it.  ❝ m--madison-- ❞ he’s laughing, he’s  CRYING, he’s sitting up  immediately  to grab her face, look her over. his flesh, his  blood. his  everything.  ❝ oh my god-- oh my god, you’re here-- you’re okay! you’re okay!! oh my god-- ❞  arms wind around her tight, pull her against his chest in a tight, warm hug. ❝ oh, baby girl-- oh, god, how did you get here? where’s your mama at?? ❞  both girls look sad at that, and he furrows his brows at that. looks from max back to maddie, tilts his head.  ❝ maddie, what happened? ❞  it takes her a moment, but she keeps it together, soldiers on.  at the beginning.. some of your friends came and got us. the higher up guys? anyway, um.. they took us to this facility. everything was okay for a while, but eventually it started to get overrun. the virus was spreading, and they had this emergency protocol?  ❝ what protocol? what was the name? ❞  i don’t know, i don’t remember.  ❝ okay-- it’s okay, it’s okay. it’s already happened, nothin’ we can do to change it. keep goin’, baby. ❞  i’m sorry, daddy.  ❝ no, baby, you’re doin’ perfect. i promise. ❞  she nods.  there were a lot of explosions... we barely got out, but mama got stuck..  his head falls back, looking up at the stars for a moment,  ❝ god damnit, nadine.. ❞  he misses her. he didn’t want her to go when she had to, and neither did she, but it was the safest thing for maddie at the time. and for nadine, her mother, abe’s  wife.  (  ex-wife.  )  he pushes tears away ; right now it’s easy to move on because he has his baby back, he has --  wait..  

  confused expression takes over, and he looks back forward to find maddie’s eyes.  ❝ you said--  we.. barely got out. you mean you and-- ❞  he nods towards max,  ❝ -- her? ❞  maddie nods. ❝ well wh---ere did you find her? ❞  didn’t find ‘er, daddy. she was mama’s.  ❝ she was-- ❞  okay, this is a lot. he’s clearly gotten flush, falling back onto his bottom on the ground, and he puts his head between his knees.  -- mama always said she was yours..  the wind is knocked out of him, and he can’t do much to cover it up. terror, shock -- it’s written all over his face, and he can’t find any kind of stability. 

                    ❝ abel! ❞  a harsh whisper, one hoping to grab  attention.

abe twists his head around to find a dark silhouette as it begins to approach, and the closer it gets the more obvious it is to him  who  it is:  willow.  she’s a saving grace.  what are you doing here?  ❝ i could ask you the same thing! who-- ❞  the eldest girl chimes in, i’m maddie!  now not only is  abel  shocked, so is willow. because she’s taken the time to get to know everyone, she’s taken the time to figure out his past and the name of his daughter, and--  ❝ ... maddie?.. you’re-- ❞  i’m his little girl.  ❝ oh, jesus christ-- ❞  she’s sorry for the language, but she thinks the situation deserves it.  ❝ and who’s-- ❞  her finger points to the younger girl, and this is where  abe  chimes in:  she’s my daughter, too.  willow looks to the man on the ground ; how can someone look so shattered but so  whole  at the same time?  a smile is offered to maddie as she steps in closer, crouches down to be face to face with abel.  ❝ hey, ❞  she speaks soft, just so he can hear. ❝ i can’t  imagine  what you’re going through, but you know we can’t be out here. ❞   i know.  ❝ hey-- i  know  you know. ❞  he needs to know that. he needs to know she isn’t doubting him-- because she  isn’t.  he’s smart, strategic, tactical. he nods slowly at what she says, appreciating the reassuring smile she passes on.  ❝ but you also know what we’re bringing them home to. ❞  i know.. but i’m not ever leaving them again.  ❝ and i wouldn’t ask you to-- ❞  but it’s dangerous with him, too, i know. but there’s all of us, and he’s barely around. i really think you should talk to rose, too.  ❝ why the hell would i do that? ❞  because she knows a  lot. and a lot of what she knows are his secrets.  ❝ no,  i  know his secrets. ❞  this isn’t time to be jealous. he isn’t someone to fight over. he isn’t worth the effort. you know he’s out of control, and you know that anything can happen with him. they are in danger, even at home.  ❝ i will take care of it-- ❞  willow,  ❝ --  abe.. i  will. i swear on my  life. this is my responsibility, he’s my responsibility. this is my job, and i promise you.. i won’t let anything happen to them. ❞  she means that, she  believes  that, but sometimes it just isn’t enough. scarecrow is unpredictable.  i will kill him myself if i have to.  chewing on her bottom lip, she looks anywhere but him ; she knows he would, and he stands a better chance than most of them. he’s a good fighter, an even  better  sniper.  ❝ i know. but that’s a last resort. ❞  a compromise. he gives a quick nod, a silent contract bound. 

  she’s gotten him focused on something else, eased his panic attack. he’s starting to breathe normally again, calm down, and willow turns to look at the two girls.  ❝ hi, there.. -- i’m willow. ❞  maddie speaks up,  i like your tattoos.  willows hands go up to her own neck, running her fingers down her chest in a gesture of faux shock, gasping,  ❝ these ol’ things? please! ❞  the two girls chuckle, and the woman’s voice goes more serious.  ❝ -- but  thank you,  sweetie. ❞   i don’t think daddy would ever let me get one..  ❝ not unless we run into kat von D, honey. ❞  she wouldn’t trust anyone else... except for her old artist. a glance back to abe, reassuring pat on his leg, and she stands. she’ll take over for him, help guide him.  ❝ all right, girls. let’s get you back home. short road trip, anyone?! ❞  maddie nods her head excitedly, and once max sees her sister do that, she joins in  (  despite not knowing what the  fuck  is going on  ).  ❝ this way, m’ladies. ❞ it’s going to be a long  night.