The Sharpest Lives

Ace had the lead for most of the game. That was until Carl started asking for best two out of three, and then best five out of six, and so on. It was then that Carl started to pick up skill and beat Ace in her own game.

"Ha!" Carl called, Laying his winning cards down on the table. That was it. That was best 19 out of 20, or whatever number of games they were on. They had declared the winner of this one finally, finally won it all.

Ace groaned, throwing her cards on the table. "I've never lost at that before, you must've cheated or somethin'," she teased.

"You wish," Carl smiled. "I won fair and square, you know what that means?"

"Best 20 out of 21?" Ace asked hopefully.

"Nope! You have to get me cookies," Carl crossed his arms. Ace tried to give him a tough look, but ended up laughing quietly to herself.

She held her hands up in the air. "Fine. A deal is a deal."

Carl laughed, fixing the hat on his head. The sound of the door being pushed open behind Ace caught both of their attentions. Ace quickly spun around, something going off in her head that made her place her hand on her weapon at her side. She has had her guard down for too long.

When she saw it was just Rick at the door, she let out a breath. "What's going on in here?" He asked, a small smile perking up at his lips towards Carl.

"Ace taught me a new game," Carl said, sitting back further on the bed. "I won," he smiled.

Rick breathed out a forced laugh as he walked over, one hand on the holster on his hip. "One of these days I'll have to teach you how to play poker and we'll see who's a sore winner then," Rick raised his eyebrows at Carl, getting him to chuckle. Ace smiled quietly to herself.

"But, for now you need to eat and get some rest. Hershel says you might get out of this bed tomorrow," Rick said and Carl sighed, the fun over. Ace started to pick up the cards and stand from her seat. She could tell she had been sitting for a while based on how weak her legs and back felt.

"Can we play again tomorrow?" Carl asked, looking up at Ace.

Ace smiled and nodded, glad he enjoyed himself as much as she did. "Sure."

When Ace looked up, Rick met her eyes and signaled for her to follow him out of the room.

"Ace," Carl called as she was about to leave, getting her to turn around, waiting for what he was going to say. He kept it simple. "Good game."

Ace again smiled at his sweetness. "You too."

She turned and walked out after Rick who led her down the hall a bit before stopping and facing her. "Thanks for keepin him entertained, he could really use a friend right now," he said, putting his hands on his hips.

Ace nodded, sending an awkwardly forced smile. She wasn't really sure what to say, she likes hangin' out with Carl.

"How's the search for Sophia? Daryl mentioned you guys found a cabin," He now asked, the creases around his eyes growing.

"Sophia was definitely hold up there," Ace said, trying to keep eye contact with Rick's intense blue eyes. "We're goin' back out tomorrow, probably back by the creek to see if we can track her," she said, getting Rick to nod.

"Good, good," Rick nodded, taking it all in while pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just, let someone know before you guys leave in the mornin."

Ace nodded barely fast enough for Rick to catch it before he was walking off, back to go see Carl. Ace didn't think before she was trying to get his attention again. "Wait, Rick."

He stopped and only spun around enough to make eye contact, a hand still on his hip while the other fell from his face.

Ace gulped, stepping towards him, her hands tied together. "I know I said I wasn't stayin'," she pushed out, stumbling over how to say this or if she even wanted to. "But.." Rick raised an eyebrow. "But I'd like to be a part of this group."

She finally got it out, a moment of silence following after as Rick absorbed what she said. He was the 'leader' of this crazy group and Ace knows if he is willing to have her, then maybe she might just be crazy enough to stay. Which, at this point, she definitely is crazy.

Rick faced her again and surprised her by walking over and placing a hand on her shoulder. His blue eyes looked down into her mixed ones, really seeing them for the first time. "You are a part of this group," he said sternly, giving her a look that made her feel like she actually felt welcome for once, like she should have never even questioned it. It was insane and completely foreign. She thought this group didn't even notice her.

She nodded, accepting what he said. He patted her shoulder and gave her a small smile before turning back around and walking away into Carl's room.

Ace let out a breath, her head all over the place as she looked around the dark, empty hall. She noticed how late it had gotten and felt how empty her stomach was. After a day of passing out and puking, which is a normal day in the life of someone with cancer, she really had nothing in her system.

As much as she didn't want to risk eating, she knew it would probably be smart to try, so she managed to find her way out of the house and down the porch steps.

It was almost pitch black dark outside, the heat starting to go away. The air was still dry, but there was almost a subtle coolness to it. Across the field, she could see a few lanterns illuminating the night sky and the lights from the RV shining over the tents that had been all set up.

Ace could see a few bodies moving around in the RV and decided to head over there to see if there was any dinner available for her to eat. Or to try to eat.

She quietly walked over and passed the tents that most likely had some sleeping occupants, doing her best to not to wake anyone up. She was well aware of how quiet her footsteps were, so she wasn't too worried about it.

When she got to the RV, she stopped to notice no one was on watch before she went up the steps and pulled the door open, allowing the bright light to swarm out. She walked inside to be greeted by Dale, Andrea, and Carol sitting at the table eating.

"Ace!" Dale smiled wide when he saw Ace, seeming to be having a good night knowing that they are safe to enjoy each others company on this new safe-haven they have found. If that's what it even is..

Ace gave a small smile back, tryin to avoid the gaze Carol had on her. She didn't want to think about that tonight.

"It's canned food for dinner this evening," Dale announced, standing up to go grab her some ravioli. "Once we finnish getting the mini-grill set up tomorrow, I'll be able to cook up some mean squirrel," he smiled, getting Andrea to snort a laugh. It seemed all was better with them.

"I'll pretend it's a steak," Ace said lightly, taking the can and fork from Dale with a forced smile before he sat back down.

"I usually go for a hamburger," Andrea said, patting her stomach. Ace looked over, chuckling slightly, but letting her smile halter as she met Carol's eyes. There was no escaping her guilt with Carol, there was nothin' with Carol but bad memories and blame.

"I'm gonna go up, take watch," Ace said quietly, signaling to the roof.

"Are you sure?" Dale asked, his eyes looking concerned. "We have an open seat."

Ace sent him a small smile, she liked Dale. "I'm okay, thank you," she convinced before quietly sliding out of the RV and back into the darkness. She let out a huff before walking over to the ladder in the back and using her free hand to climb up.

She walked over to the small folding chair that was propped up next to an umbrella and sat down, putting her can of dinner in her lap. She really didn't mind taking watch, and since no one else was, it would give her some peace of mind. It's not like she had a tent to sleep in or a welcomed spot in the RV besides the floor.

Plus, if her body didn't accept dinner well, she didn't want to have to run out on all those people and have them, too, start askin' questions.

Now that she's a part of this group, she knows she can't avoid it forever. Leavin' was just a way to avoid all of it. She just has to figure out how to deal with this..

Ace sighed, sticking her feet out in front of her as she popped open her can of food and ran her eyes over their camp site. In the back of her head, she couldn't help but wonder where Daryl was, feeling uneasy not knowing. She tried to ignore it and looked out towards the gate, but she couldn't help but find herself hoping to see Daryl walk by.

She sighed, wanting to shake off her thoughts, and started eating her cold ravioli very slowly.

Ace got halfway through the can when she started feeling nauseous and stopped. To her luck, she didn't start to get sick, but she sure as hell didn't feel right. She didn't know how much longer this could go on.

It didn't seem like very long had passed until the farm fell nearly dead silent. Ace loved the silence, being alone in the night. Well, usually in the zombie apocalypse she didn't like it, but right now, it was peaceful. She didn't have to worry about other people and talkin' to them like she has been all day. She could just think. And she could even hear some crickets chirping, reminding her that there still is life out there.

It was when she heard someone climbing and clanking against the RV steps that her peacefulness fell away. She glanced behind her and watched as Dale came over, setting up another small chair next to her and plopping down. He didn't fail to notice the mostly full can of dinner she had put down.

Dale didn't look at her at first, just looked over the fields in front of them, sitting in silence. Ace didn't mind, nor did she have anything to say, so she too went back to watch quietly. That is until Dale spoke.

"You know, when you asked about my wife, you never asked how she died," Dale spoke calmly, like he was telling a story. Ace glanced over at him, waiting for how his story would continue. His wife died better than gettin' torn apart by the dead, that's all Ace needed to know.

"Cancer," he said simply, turning his head to now meet Ace's eyes. Ace's breath got stuck in her throat at the word, the disease that was tearing her apart, and she felt her heart beat as she looked at Dale. It was that look, that same look he's given her many times. The one that made her think he knows.

But he couldn't.

"I watched her go through it," he said, looking back away. "And I dragged her to every doctor, every facility, anything that said they could help her. "

Ace watched him, her heart thumping in her chest, and how his hands moved when he talked, especially when he was trying to make a point. But what was it?

"But most of all," he shook his head, looking back over to Ace. "I made sure she got her medicine. As much as she hated it, I was always there, bringing her more pills and more drugs than she could imagine."

He got lost in his memory for a moment, smiling slightly at Ace. He wasn't being threatening or accusatory, he was just being Dale.

He reached over to placed his hand over top of Ace's on the arm rest, leaning over to look into her eyes. Ace was on the verge of her heart beating itself to death. She wasn't sure what Dale was gettin' at. "I still kept all of her medicine after she passed. I don't know why, I just did. But I had it for so long that I came to know when one had moved, or if some were just plain missing."

Ace was frozen. Stuck, looking into Dale's all-knowing eyes. He knew. He really knew. Of course he would figure it out, it's Dale after all.

She wanted to run, to jump off the RV, but deep inside her she wanted to confide in Dale. She wanted his help, she wanted someone's help. She trusted Dale. He made her feel safe, like he wouldn't run around and freak out with her secrets.

Oh god, he knows..

"Ace," Dale started, but Ace snapped herself out of it.

She pulled her hand from under his and sat up. She was nearly shaking as she slid to the edge of her chair, reaching down to grab her unfinished can of food. She had to leave, she just had to... She didn't know what to do.

"At the CDC," Dale sat up too, stopping her. "I saw you talking to Jenner."

Ace stopped moving, freezing again to listen to Dale. She gulped.

"An-And then when you got sick when you came back with Daryl, that's when I knew something wasn't right. And earlier after we spoke, I noticed some of Irma's drugs were missing. And not just any drugs," Dale stopped and was silent for a moment. Ace didn't move, afraid if she did the bomb would drop.

"I'm not trying to-to threaten you or force you into telling me anything," Dale shook his hands out to emphasize he had good intentions."I just want you to be honest with me," Dale said truthfully, his eyes slightly widened as he watched Ace. "Ace... Do you have cancer?"

Ace squeezed her eyes closed, her mind running so fast that she really didn't feel anything at all. She could only hear the sounds of the night, those crickets she once found peaceful, and the feel of Dale's gaze on her.

She turned slowly to face him, meeting his eyes. She knew she didn't even need to answer his question, but she did anyways. She had to.

"Yes."